Chapter Forty-Eight
The door opened again, and Wuming struggled to raise his head, once again putting on a mocking smile.
He was tortured every day, and the ascetics hoped to extract information from him through this method, or perhaps simply to satisfy some personal interest.
Regardless of the method, the result was that he was beaten every day, his bones broke and healed, his muscles torn and regenerated. Every day was the same; the pain was like a shadow, never leaving him, and every day brought him new surprises.
But he said nothing, and every day he mocked those guys with the most arrogant smile he could muster.
"Don't make a sound!" But this time, before he could even open his mouth to mock someone, his mouth was covered.
Only then did Wuming realize that the person standing in front of him was not one of the two saints, but a person he had never seen before.
"To make a long story short, I'm here to save you, on the condition that you help my friend." Ghost Duke explained his purpose in the simplest terms, taking out a dagger from his pocket and cutting the chain: "Buddy, you look like you've got it pretty bad."
Wuming tilted his head and looked at the guy, who was trying to break the chain lock without even waiting for Wuming's reply. It was as if he didn't care about breaking the contract.
Or to put it another way, in his view, whether he respects or not is irrelevant, and there's no need to dwell on his answer.
"Who are you?" Nameless tilted his head and looked at Ghost Duke. "Can you break this thing?"
"I stole a useful dagger." Ghost Duke waved the object in his hand. "My name is Ghost Duke."
"It doesn't sound like a person's name."
"It's just my old online name, which I got when I was in the second year of junior high school. I got used to using it online and forgot to change it." Ghost Duke said, "Since I'm here, I have to tell people what my name is, so I'll just use this as my real name."
What is a screen name?
“It’s too complicated to explain, and I don’t think you should concern yourself with such details.” Ghost Duke slashed wildly at the chain with his dagger, leaving cracks in its wake.
"Heh, aren't you afraid I'll kill you after I get out?" Wuming suddenly smiled eerily. "Actually, I'm not a good person. I've killed quite a few people."
"Kill me? I've never seen anyone do that." Ghost Duke said casually, and Nameless thought it was just a joke to show that it was extraordinary. But now that it was genuinely helping, it was better to say less sarcastic remarks.
"It seems you've had a very memorable time these past few days." Ghost Duke noticed the torture instruments nearby, and given the dim environment, it could roughly guess what kind of treatment this guy had received during this period.
Are you mocking me?
"No! Don't misunderstand, I'm just curious." Ghost Duke waved his hand, indicating that he didn't have such a perverse interest: "I've endured plenty of such torture. To be honest, these guys really know how to inflict unbearable pain on a person. Back then, several bones were pulled out, and I was limp on the ground being pricked with needles. Ha! Thinking about it now, they were really a vicious bunch of scoundrels."
As he said this, he broke one of the chains.
There were still a few chains left. Ghost Duke wiped the sweat from his brow and continued kneeling on the ground—seeking a more comfortable position to deal with these chains.
These chains were made with holy magic; anyone who comes into contact with them will have their strength drained. Logically, someone with Ghost Duke's abysmal physical condition should have been lying on the ground long ago.
However, in reality, this trick is useless if you ignore the muscle strain.
Would Ghost Duke worry about straining his muscles? Actually, if you're used to dismembering people, then the pain is really just something you can bear. It's not that you don't feel the pain anymore, it's just that you've experienced it so many times that you're used to it. Everyone is afraid of pain, but children who are used to falling will learn to get up on their own.
"Hurry up a bit," Wuming said softly. "Those two guys will probably be here soon, and then you'll probably be tied up here with me."
"You mean those two bookworms who've gone mad from reading scriptures? Ha, don't worry. At least they can't come over right now." Ghost Duke continued chatting with him; this guy was a chatterbox, always wanting to say something whenever he got the chance. It's a wonder how the person next to him can stand it: "You still don't know what's happening outside, right?"
Wuming paused for a moment, then suddenly felt he could hear the sound of burning outside.
Those were flames burning. What kind of flames could burn to such an extent? It was as if the entire city had suddenly been set ablaze.
The house had been modified and isolated from the world by holy magic. He didn't know what was happening outside, so he naturally didn't understand why Ghost Duke would confidently say those things.
Just half an hour ago, an incident in the city had left the two of them unable to attend to this matter.
Time rewinds to an hour earlier.
For Yan and Yan, the current situation means they should leave.
They had no idea what hope lay ahead for victory; everyone knew they were in the city. But nobody really cared. Because in a human city, demons couldn't do anything more troublesome.
But they didn't want to leave, because they were absolutely certain that there were demons in the city, and demons of the Flavos lineage at that.
Because they found evidence, in the tavern, they found that ashes again in their despair.
It was ash that contained no fire element; the entire furnace was filled with this kind of ash.
They had no doubt that these things could continue to burn; as long as the demon gave the order, the ashes would be reignited. This was a power beyond the rules. After confirming this, Yan and Yan understood that what they were looking for had always been there; they just hadn't encountered it yet.
Therefore, there is no reason to give up. As long as it can be found, the Red Oni Clan's current status can be completely changed. Everyone will no longer underestimate this race that was once greatly weakened by war, and humans will no longer dare to be so arrogant towards them.
"Brother." Yan tugged at Yan's sleeve and called out softly.
Is someone coming? Yan frowned. His sister had a much more acute sense in these matters than he did, but this was the first time she had managed to make him feel nothing at all. Before, she at least had some awareness, unlike now where she was completely oblivious.
He turned his head and looked at the guy who had appeared next to him at some point, wearing the same robe as him, like a partner from the same assassin organization.
They should have just exchanged a brief greeting, since the other person hadn't shown any hostility. But when Yan saw her take off her hat, he recognized her.
The sun had moved past its halfway point, and it was an unusually sunny day. The sky was illuminated, and Yan couldn't possibly be mistaken.
Yan was filled with disbelief at the guy who appeared in front of him.
Yan hid behind him, not daring to say a word.
There's a reason why these two are acting so strangely right now: standing in front of them is a demon general from the Red Demon Clan, whom Yan recognized the moment he saw her.
The Crimson Oni Clan has no Demon King as its leader; only a few Demon Grand Dukes barely maintain order. If it can be confirmed that the demons here are indeed of the Fralos lineage, then it's tantamount to finding a future lord.
After thinking it through, Yan understood why it had appeared in front of him.
"Ask me any questions later." She made a simple gesture to Yan, indicating that he didn't need to speak first, and then turned and jumped off the city wall.
As she jumped, her crimson hair spread out completely in the air like a red ribbon. She landed on the ground as lightly as a bird.
She looks like a child, and unlike Yan and Yan, she doesn't seem to retain many characteristics of a Red Oni. Aside from the small horn on her head, she looks almost indistinguishable from a human. She has the appearance of a lovable girl.
The two exchanged a glance and followed. Although the area outside the city wasn't safe, they were monsters, and discussing matters in a human city always posed a safety risk.
"What time do you mean?" Yan Qiang asked, suppressing his anger as he looked at the girl in front of him.
“Not long ago, Blood Sun caused me a lot of trouble; I encountered quite a few things on the way.” She turned to Yan and said, “I found you as soon as I arrived. You should have concealed your whereabouts a bit. If it hadn’t been me following the trail, but an assassin, you would all be dead there now.”
Her name is Xia. It's said that because she was born looking too much like a human, she was taken in by humans after an accident. She hid for a long time without being discovered. After she returned, because of her skill in using fire elemental magic, she could set the sky ablaze, making it look like a red glow from afar. That's how she got her name.
She seems to be traveling through human cities right now, so it's highly likely she'll appear here. She's not in the settlement, but in a nearby city. One reason is that she's infiltrating to gather intelligence on humans, and another is that she grew up in a human city and is quite used to human lifestyles, making her somewhat uncomfortable with the Red Oni tribe's way of life.
She came over to avoid being disliked.
"Why are you only now willing to believe us?" Yan should have been afraid of this guy, but now it was just filled with anger.
If they had come sooner, they might have already taken the demon away. Coming now is practically useless. Yan knows this guy; while he's completely outmatched, he might not be able to defeat even one of the paladins or ascetics.
In other words, its arrival now is useless and cannot change the situation. If it had arrived earlier, it might have already been found.
“Actually, the family still doesn’t want to believe that there are demons of the Flalos clan here.” Xia stopped slowly when she was far enough away from the city, turned to look at Yan and said, “I came here entirely on my own initiative, without the family’s approval.”
"So we're still not trusted?" Yan slowly lowered his head and said softly.
“On behalf of everyone else, I apologize to you.” The man wrapped in a robe handed over a cloth bag from behind him: “In return, I brought this.”
Yan looked at the package and breathed a sigh of relief. The frustration he felt from not being accepted lessened considerably.
“Then it’s not too late,” he said softly, as if in a dream. “At least now we can finish what we originally wanted to do.”
"I knew you two little devils were planning to do that. I heard you stole that thing," Xia said with a smile, looking at the remains of the greatsword on Yan's back. "Don't mind if I play with it?"
"I also need to ask you to use this thing to cut off the heads of the clergy."
As Yan spoke, he slowly removed his hat, then took the weapon from behind him and handed it over.
She's far better at using this than I am, so there's no need to be stingy with it.
Since there's no need to hide their identities now, the Red Oni are supposed to be a violent race, and the harsh situation has forced them into being thoughtful and calculating, which is a disgrace to their ancestors.
They weren't in the city now, but not far outside. Yan turned to look at the city and smiled broadly.
That smile was because everything she had done had paid off.
Red flames rose from the ground and enveloped the entire city.
“Denos, do you want to look outside?” Hark took a deep breath and said with some surprise, “Do you know what’s going on there?”
"I don't know, I just feel like we might die here." Denos was completely stunned, and even speaking became a little difficult.
Perhaps the only one who can still laugh right now is Ghost Duke, who is probably the only one here who won't die, and is therefore watching the magnificent scene in front of him with great concentration.
The giant's roar, accompanied by crimson clouds of fire, filled the sky, setting it ablaze and engulfing the city. The image of that magnificent thing was etched in the memory of all who witnessed it. A fireball fell from the sky, only to be stopped by the city's outer barrier at the last moment, exploding into a massive shower of sparks.
What caused all of this was a colossal creature.
It was a monster constructed entirely of fire, wielding a massive flaming sword, appearing on the side of the city. It was taller than the city walls, and this formidable defense was pierced by the red greatsword.
The sound of the bells mingled with the noise of the crowd, creating a symphony of restlessness that permeated the entire outside world. This was so irritating, not to mention the scorching heat that made it feel like hell.
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