Chapter 2032: Total Defeat
Zu An was startled. Any fighting here could signify his compatrions from the Fiend races. He darted forth and quickly rushed to the scene of battle.
There, several men and one woman were surrounded by a group of monsters. The men were surrounding the woman at the center, clearly protecting her. However, the woman wasn’t just idling there either. Instead, she quickly used all kinds of skills to attack the monsters around her.
But no matter how hard they tried, people on their side fell. At almost the same instant, the fallen were dragged away by the surrounding monsters before being devoured in the blink of an eye. The others tried to save them, but as soon as one left the ranks, they were swallowed up by the pouncing monsters. With a bitter scream, they quickly turned into torn flesh.
When they saw that, the remaining comrades’ eyes turned red. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. They could only watch as their ring of defense grew smaller and smaller. It was clear that their group was going to be swallowed up by the sea of monsters at any moment. They would then follow in the footsteps of their dead companions.
However, just when they were about to be overwhelmed with despair, a streak of sword brilliance cut through the air. Immediately after, the monsters screamed bitterly and collapsed.
When they turned around, they saw that Zu An was flying in their direction. They all couldn't help but cheer, “It’s the regent!”
“Princess, we’re saved!”
This group was none other than the Demon race’s Princess Suolun and her personal guards.
Just then, however, a seriously injured young guard saw that it would still be some time before Zu An would arrive. A calm smile appeared on his face, and he formed some complicated seals and mumbled a series of profound words.
Princess Suolun finally noticed what he was doing. She quickly shouted, “Ah Kuan, don’t!”
However, the guard had already finished his incantation. His surroundings surged with purple light. Streak after streak of light fired out, blasting the approaching monsters full of holes. Then, he himself collapsed to the ground.
Just then, Zu An arrived and forced back the remaining monsters. The survivors sat down in ruin, unable to muster even a bit more strength.
Princess Suolun ran over to the young guard’s side, crying, “Ah Kuan, why are you so foolish?”
The young guard chuckled, his face pale as he said, “Princess, my injuries are too serious and I can’t live anymore. I’d rather ignite my last bit of life to protect you for a little longer.”
Princess Suolun sobbed, asking, “Ah Kuan, do you still have any unfulfilled wishes? I will definitely help you make them happen.”
The entire time they had been in danger, Ah Kuan was always the one who had fought with the most boldness. His injuries had all been sustained from protecting her.
The young guard shook his head slightly and said, “I'm an orphan, and since I’m all alone in this world, there’s not much to worry about. If you're really asking me if I have any unfulfilled desires…” He paused for a bit. He looked at Princess Suolun’s beautiful face. Even while incredibly weak, the others could still sense his awkwardness as he asked, “Can I hug… the princess?”
Before he even finished his sentence, Princess Suolun took him into her arms. She continued to sob.
When they saw that, the surrounding guards didn’t feel any jealousy. Instead, there was only sorrow in their eyes. Ah Kuan was someone who had grown up with the princess. To a certain extent, they were childhood sweethearts. Even though he had done his best to hide it, how could the rest of them not recognize his admiration toward Princess Suolun? After all, who wouldn't like the beautiful and noble princess?
Unfortunately, there was a difference in status between them. A guard like Ah Kuan understood his responsibility and fate, so he could only bury the love deep at the bottom of his heart. Only at the final moment of his life did he finally abandon his misgivings and open up his heart.
When he sensed the lovely princess hug him and even cry for him, a smile finally appeared on the face of the young man named Ah Kuan. He raised his hand to wipe at the tears on the princess’ face, but halfway through, he had already used up all of his energy. Then, it fell limply to the ground, and he breathed his last.
“Ah Kuan!”
The survivors couldn't help but wipe at their tears.
Zu An sighed when he saw this scene. Who knew how many similar situations would appear in the battle against the foreign monsters?
The monsters that had kept their distance, wary of Zu An’s sword ki, now became a bit restless. Their instinctive hunger made them approach again.
When Zu An looked at the monsters' jaws dripping with saliva and exuding a foul stench, he sighed inwardly. This world had the Fiend races and Demon race, but they were still humanoid in appearance. If they hid some of their unique traits, they would have no trouble at all blending into human society. Meanwhile, These foreign monsters looked completely different. They came in all sorts of different, strange shapes and sizes, and even the vicious beasts of this world looked charming compared to them.
Of course, these monsters were no doubt only at the lowest level. The Demonic Motherbug and War Priest Zu An had encountered before all had higher intelligence, while these were more like monsters that moved based on their own instincts. For example, they had been frightened by Zu An’s sword ki, but a while later, they couldn't resist their hunger and approached again.
Everyone present could not only see the monsters’ terrifying teeth clearly; they could even smell the foul stench coming from the creatures' mouths. The Demon race guards were all alarmed. They had witnessed the monsters’ power themselves. The creatures weren’t that strong individually, but there were just too many of them. If they killed one, ten more would immediately appear. There was no end to the onslaught; there was no way the guards could ever kill them all! Instead, they had been picked off one by one. After watching that happen again and again, the shock they felt was already overwhelming.
“Big brother Zu, hurry and break out! Otherwise, you’ll never be able to get away if these monsters surround you,” Princess Suolun said while trying hard to suppress her grief. She couldn't let these guards of hers die for nothing.
“Break out?” Zu An repeated, shaking his head. “There's no need.” After all, he had come to save them and not to run away.
Zu An stood at the center of the battlefield with his hands behind him. Suddenly, rings of golden ripples appeared in the air, and golden weapons slowly manifested within them. What followed was a golden shower that instantly nailed countless monsters to death. Endless golden sword ki rushed out in all directions at speeds surpassing what the eye could clearly see, only leaving behind faint golden afterimages.
The survivors watched silently with dumbstruck expressions. Suolun Shi’s small mouth opened slightly, and her expression was a bit absentminded as she murmured, “How beautiful…”
In just a few moments, the surrounding vicious monsters were completely slaughtered. Only a few that were furthest out survived; even they finally saw that the situation wasn't good and ran for their lives.
Suolun Shi and her subordinates’ mouths were agape. They all looked at Zu An with worshipful expressions, exclaiming, “The regent is truly like a divine being!”
Zu An saw that many of them had injuries that reached their very bones. He took out some medicine and gave it to them, asking, “Why are you all here? Where is the Second Empress’ group?”
The survivors expressed their gratitude while Suolun Shi replied, “We previously entered the sealed land together with the Second Empress, but because this place was just too big and everything was a white expanse, in order to find the Second Prince and his troops, we took our people and split up to search in different directions. Then, when we passed through a snowy valley, we suffered an ambush and were completely wiped out. It’s all my fault…”
She sobbed in grief as she spoke. The guards around her all spoke up to console her, saying that it wasn’t the princess’ fault and that she couldn’t have expected to run into the monsters’ main force.
“Main force?” Zu An repeated, shaking his head. “I fear that this isn't the monsters’ main force.”
“There are so many formidable monsters, and yet they're still not the main force?” the guards exclaimed in shock.
Zu An said gravely, “The monsters have terrifying reproductive abilities. This amount is nothing but a drop in the ocean. There's no way it could be their main force.” He had already faced the monsters many times and knew about their abilities. Even though there were a lot of them, they didn’t give him much pressure. This was definitely not the main force.
When they heard that, all of the Demon race's group felt despair. They had felt as if they'd encountered the main force, so a total defeat in that situation would be understandable. However, they had never expected to have only encountered some stray forces. That meant everything probably boded ill for any others in the sealed land.
“Who suggested that all of you split up?” Zu An asked seriously. Splitting up forces in an unknown land wasn’t a wise decision at all.
“It was that Little Golden Peng King,” replied Suolun Shi. “He felt that this place was too large and that it would be faster if we searched in different directions. Furthermore, the army that entered was from many different factions, so there was more or less some conflict between us. Thus, if we insisted on moving together, it could have created issues. The Second Empress and the rest of us felt that his proposal was reasonable.”
Zu An said with a snort, “If you wanted to speed up your search, it would be enough to send more scouts; I’ve never heard of dividing the troops. There's no way he, as one of the four great generals, wouldn't understand that.”
Suolun Shi asked with a trembling voice, “Are you saying there is something wrong with the Little Golden Peng King? But why would he do that?”
Zu An shook his head and said, “We don’t have enough information, so it’s hard for me to say either. I hope I'm just overthinking things.” He pointed behind him and said, “Head this way for another several hundred meters and you’ll be at the entrance of the sealed land. Once the sun and moon switch places, you can leave safely. I still need to continue looking for other people.”
Suolun Shi had a resolute expression as she said, “I will go with you.”
The rest of the Demon race guards all got up.
“I am willing to follow!”
“The Demon race has no deserters!”
“For the glory of the Suolun clan!”
Pika's ThoughtsEditor Felis: Golden showers, huh... Like the Australians say, I guess that was a piece of piss.
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