Chapter Fifty-Seven: Go to Hell!!
Xu Yuan, Li Anqi, Tan Hai... Du Huaishan.
You must survive.
Survive.
These were Lin Sizh’s last thoughts as she was seized by the demon’s bloodied maw. She silently closed her eyes. “Dad, Mom, your daughter is coming to join you...”
“Lin Sizh—!!”
Suddenly, a roar thundered through the mountains, jolting Lin Sizh out of her surrender.
Through the narrowing gap of the bloodied maw, she caught a glimpse of a black-red shadow racing toward them. Its spine arched, its body bent, and in its hands, a long spear cleaved through the air like a mountain axe, smashing against the blood jaws of the insect-headed demon!
Xingyi, Cleaving Spear!
It was Du Huaishan!!
Blood spurted like a fountain, shocking every trainee nearby.
How dare he? That was a level twenty-one disaster-class demon!
But at the very moment Du Huaishan swung his spear, two hooks flashed through the air—Xu Yuan and Li Anqi charged as well.
“Die!!”
Xu Yuan, suppressed for so long, now wild as a wounded tigress, roared hoarsely. Her figure darted and weaved, her wrist tense with power, the blade dancing like a serpent, slashing fiercely at the demon’s arm.
The sharp red-marrow steel blade shattered shell and flesh in an instant.
Below, Li Anqi’s knife flashed horizontally—three swift strikes slashed at the demon’s ankles!
Demon theory, lesson one:
When facing a large demon, target the joints first—to cripple its mobility!
With a shout, Du Huaishan reached out, yanking Lin Sizh from the edge of the demon’s maw. A cold wind rushed past his ear. He gritted his teeth and hurled Lin Sizh away: “Tan Hai!!”
At once, Tan Hai, who had been waiting nearby, shot through the air and caught the bloodied Lin Sizh tightly!
“Hey! Are they really fighting a demon?!”
“This...”
“What are you waiting for, damn it?! Move!!”
Wu Ming’s eyes were red. He shouted, raised his rifle in a horse stance, and fired at the demon’s claw reaching for Du Huaishan.
Bang!
The bullet struck the insect-headed demon’s hand, splattering blood. Two fingers snapped onto Du Huaishan’s helmet.
Though the wound healed quickly, the demon’s movement faltered for a moment.
Du Huaishan seized the chance, ducked low, dodged, stamped on the demon’s shoulder, vaulted from behind, and stabbed his spear into the demon’s shoulder, spraying blood and shredded flesh!
“Damn it! All together now!!”
“Ah!”
“Take it down!!”
Hooks shot out everywhere.
Perhaps inspired by Du Huaishan’s daring, or provoked by Wu Ming’s coarse shout, members of the Seventh Training Squad and others who still had compressed gas launched their hooks, drew their knives, and charged at the insect-headed demon.
In that moment, every mind was emptied of thoughts of life and death. All that remained was the urge to kill the demon, avenge their comrades, and reclaim their courage as soldiers of Yingzhou!
Death brings honor; survival brings shame!
Lai Yanlong’s curses during training echoed in their ears.
Black clouds, snow pines.
Amid the air around the giant demon, countless armored trainees—seemingly weak—unleashed what they believed was their greatest strength.
Blood spurted, gunpowder exploded, the scent of blood filled their nostrils, filthy blood and cold wind howled together!
Blades and bullets struck the demon’s joints, forcing its heavy body forward and tumbling it to the ground.
Du Huaishan seized the moment, kicked off hard, withdrew his spear from the shoulder, leaped into the air, and aimed at the demon’s back.
The hook struck home.
The turbine reel spun at high speed, pulling him back swiftly.
With his left hand leveraging, right arm gripping the spear, Du Huaishan twisted his body. The demon’s fusion level soared, its blood surging like waves, pounding his heart, making his chest convulse, his mind buzz madly!
In that instant, Du Huaishan could no longer tell if it was the demon’s power interfering, or Sun Tian’s dying cry echoing in his ears.
All seemed like thunder.
“Die—!!”
Xingyi Five Elements Spear!
Boom!
In a flash, Du Huaishan vanished in midair, leaving only a black-red afterimage. In the blink of an eye, as if teleporting, his spear plunged into the demon’s back, driving a cone-shaped shockwave deep inside—one inch, five inches, seven inches, nine inches. The entire spearhead, even the shaft, disappeared within!
A thunderous explosion—on the demon’s back, a hole as wide as a barrel burst open, emerald demon light spraying from the heart.
Du Huaishan felt as if he had shattered some boundary, like breaking glass.
In his vision, that nine-tailed black shadow appeared again. Bound within its tails were threads of heroic souls, the flames at their tips burning brighter.
It was as if the red marrow energy taken by the nine-tailed shadow was now returning to the soul flames.
His heart beat like a raging engine, pounding wildly, becoming a phantom altogether.
The vibration was so intense—
More intense than any toy!
What Du Huaishan did not know was—
The surrounding trainees were all stunned.
Teleportation?
Sonic boom?
No matter what, they had together slain a level fourteen disaster-class demon!
Especially Du Huaishan, who delivered the final blow.
He was now the pride of the 173rd class of the Martial Academy, over fifteen hundred new recruits!
“Roar! We won!!”
“We really did it!”
“Roar!”
...
But before they could celebrate—
Whoosh!
A black spike shot straight toward Du Huaishan—swift as lightning. It was the shriveled demon hand of the towering black pillar demon from before.
“Du Huaishan!! Watch out!” Xu Yuan shouted, but it was too late. The demon hand was already upon Du Huaishan.
“Huaishan!”
“Huaishan, bro!!”
Tan Hai’s eyes brimmed with tears, as if witnessing Du Huaishan meet Sun Tian’s fate—impaled, blood spraying into the sky!
But in the next second—
Du Huaishan vanished, leaving only a black-red afterimage.
Boom!
An explosive sonic wave—Du Huaishan reappeared, five meters from the afterimage, suspended in midair!
His hook shot out, and in an instant, he landed atop a tree, his arm inadvertently pressing against Li Anqi’s chest, who stood bewildered.
“Run! Everyone, run!!”
Du Huaishan shouted urgently.
Only then did everyone react, scattering and fleeing at top speed.
The courage they’d gained from defeating the insect-headed demon was utterly crushed in that instant!
If the black pillar demon could chase them, it meant the soldiers who charged earlier had all perished; even the veterans had been slaughtered. What chance did a group of recruits have?
“Du Huaishan, did you break through the first stage threshold?” Li Anqi shouted curiously as they fled.
Du Huaishan did not answer.
He focused intently on the black pillar demon pursuing them. Something about it seemed off.
Until a trainee was caught by its demon hand.
The demon’s face twisted into a mocking expression, as if discovering an amusing toy!
Du Huaishan’s pupils contracted.
Expression!
This demon’s expressions were far too rich!
Just like—
A human!!