### Chapter 6: A Sudden Turnaround
==============================
Morning.
The morale of the little demons had taken quite the dive compared to yesterday.
Especially in the Thunder Mountain Cave faction, they suffered the most casualties.
The Black Fish Monster wore a perpetual scowl on his face.
If it weren’t for the Pangolin Monster and Seven Feathers holding him back, he would have charged in solo, wreaking havoc on Cold Wind Cave just to relieve his anger.
“Back then, the folks from Tiger Wolf Cave must have fallen for Cold Wind Cave’s sneaky tricks too, which led to their major defeat. Who would’ve thought the Cave Master of Cold Wind actually has some tricks up his sleeve?”
The Pangolin Monster mused.
At this moment, Seven Feathers was still feeling a bit rattled.
“Right? If it weren’t for Big Brother’s otherworldly abilities, we’d probably be charcoal by now, unable to fight back.”
The Black Fish Monster gritted his teeth, saying, “Big Brother, they’re just a bunch of scheming little rats. What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Third Brother. We still have half a day’s journey until we reach the outskirts of Cold Wind Cave. Then, Second Brother can take the troops for a scouting mission, and we’ll know the truth about Cold Wind Cave’s defenses.”
The Pangolin Monster replied, “By then, we’ll make a three-pronged attack, and Cold Wind will know our brotherly might is not something a mere Cold Wind Cave can offend!”
……
After breakfast, the army set off again.
After about half a day’s travel, they saw a fortress gradually emerging from the gaps in the foliage.
When the little demons laid their eyes on it, they were all shocked.
Who would have thought that in the Chaos Forest, a fortress almost the size of a human small town would pop up?
Is this really their destination, Cold Wind Cave? They weren’t off course, were they?
The Black Fish Monster immediately ordered the march to stop.
Even after halting, the little demons couldn’t help but chatter, casting disbelieving glances at the seemingly out-of-nowhere fortress.
Just then, they heard the sound of flapping wings overhead.
Leading the way, the Bird Demons soared over the treetops, heading straight for Cold Wind City.
It was only when the flock flew above the fortress that the enemy seemed to finally realize, banging loudly on alarm bells.
Moments later, arrows began to rain down from the city walls.
The Bird Demons, however, weren’t fazed. With their nimble figures, they dodged most arrows effortlessly.
What’s more, the enemy’s counterattack was so weak it felt more like a light drizzle.
Some of the Bird Demons even caught arrows mid-air and mocking them, broke them in half.
Seeing this, the Black Fish Monster couldn’t help but laugh heartily, leading the cheers from the little demons.
After a flurry of arrows, the Bird Demons were unscathed.
With a show-off spin over the fortress, Seven Feathers led his crew back to the main army.
Amid the jubilant cheers of the little demons, the Pangolin Monster and the Black Fish Monster promptly greeted them.
Initially, the Black Fish Monster was still skeptical about Seven Feathers Cave, but after seeing that aerial reconnaissance in action, he finally understood its worth.
Otherwise, who knows how many lives he would have to sacrifice just to peek behind those tall walls at the enemy’s defenses?
“Second Brother, your flying troops are truly impressive. They sure showed them what’s up! I bet they’re hiding behind the walls shaking in their boots, afraid to even poke their heads out!”
The Black Fish Monster praised sincerely.
Seven Feathers chuckled, “Third Brother, you flatter me. Without you backing us up from the rear, we wouldn’t have made such smooth progress.”
They exchanged their compliments.
“Second Brother, what’s the situation in the city?” the Pangolin Monster inquired.
Seven Feathers laughed, “No need to worry!
It seems the garrison inside isn’t very numerous, and most of the buildings are some weird circular shapes.
Who knows why they bothered to mimic human city-building? If they were hiding in underground caverns, we might not find them so quickly.”
The Black Fish Monster perked up, “In that case, Big Brother, let’s push through and take them down!”
“Wait, don’t be reckless,” the Pangolin Monster warned.
“Let’s hold on for another half-day. After I finish my prep, we’ll come in full force from three directions. This way, we can make sure we hit the target and eliminate any future troubles.”
“If all goes well, we’ll celebrate tonight in Cold Wind Cave and won’t stop until we’re all drunk!”
The Black Fish Monster and Seven Feathers chimed in, “Alright, we’ll follow your lead.”
Having given his orders, the Pangolin Monster led a group of pangolins underground.
You could almost feel the tremors underground moving steadily toward Cold Wind City.
Deliberately lingering at the back, the Hedgehog Monster, Flower Butterfly, and Bat Monster huddled closely together.
“What do we do now?” the Flower Butterfly asked.
The Hedgehog Monster stared intently at Cold Wind City hidden amid the branches, whispering, “Don’t panic. We’ll stick to the plan.”
The Bat Monster fretted, “But what if they make us attack the city…”
The Hedgehog Monster smirked, “Then we’ll put on a good show for them.”
……
The sun began to tilt westward, casting long shadows across the forest, almost completely hiding the little demons within.
The Black Fish Monster anxiously paced back and forth, waiting for the signal from Mountain Crossing Cave.
It was getting about that time, right?
What’s taking the big guy so long?
Just then, a little demon from the Pangolin faction popped up from the ground, “My lord the Great King says, after half a stick of incense, you start the grand attack.”
“When will the big guy make his move?”
“My lord the Great King says we need to wait a bit more. When your side gets embroiled in stalemate, then their side will strike.”
The Black Fish Monster immediately understood the Pangolin Monster’s strategy. He slapped his thigh, shouting, “Alright!”
“You… you… and you… come over here!”
He quickly pulled out the Hedgehog Monster, Bat Monster, and Flower Butterfly who were hiding at the back.
Seeing the Flower Butterfly’s pitiful face made the Black Fish Monster’s bl**d boil.
“Your Poison Butterfly Cave is one thing, but how could these delicate beauties be sent to the front lines?
Spirit Tooth Cave, Fierce Spirit Cave, listen up!”
“Here!”
“You all will be the vanguard! If you can break open the city gates, a reward of a hundred taels! I’m not kidding!
But if you dare to run away mid-battle, don’t blame my kn*fe for being merciless!”
……
The Black Fish Monster led his little demons from the back, urging the Hedgehog Monster and Bat Monster to charge ahead.
There wasn’t even a single supporting Bird Demon in the air, clearly wanting to use these two factions to wear down Cold Wind City’s strength.
Halfway through, the Black Fish Monster and his crew stopped.
His subordinates beat the war drums, pushing the Hedgehog Monster and friends to hurry up.
Reluctantly, the pig demons lifted crude siege ladders, bellowing as they charged toward the city walls.
Meanwhile, the Bat Monster led the little demons up, engaging the defenders to disrupt their defenses.
The clang of weapons clashing echoed from the walls, and the occasional scream broke the air.
During this chaos, the pig demons managed to set up the ladders and swung their weapons toward the battleground.
Fighting atop the walls soon turned into an absolute mess.
With the might of two large demons, the Hedgehog Monster and Bat Monster, barely anyone could stand against them.
As it looked like the enemy’s defense was crumbling and riddled with openings, two similar-looking Catfish Monsters suddenly charged out, tearing through like they were in a ghost town.
Even the Hedgehog Monster and the Bat Monster couldn’t withstand their onslaught and fell one after the other.
In that battle, the Spirit Tooth Cave and Bat Cave’s entire armies were wiped out.
The Flower Butterfly couldn’t help but burst into tears.
The Black Fish Monster laughed, “Don’t cry, beauty; watch your Black Fish Brother take revenge!”
With that, the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses were instantly clarified.
It seemed nearly all of Cold Wind City’s powerful fighters were the two Catfish Monsters.
Their previous disposable troops had already dwindled their strength, and now with a three-pronged advance, they’d surely break through!
“With all you little ones, once we take the city, all the treasures inside are fair game! Deal with the Demoness as you wish! For killing the Enemy Leader, a reward of 100 taels! Two Demonesses! A position as Team Leader! I’m saying this now—no empty promises!”
As soon as the Black Fish Monster finished, resounding roars erupted from his troop.
As the little demons shook off yesterday’s gloom, their morale soared.
The Black Fish Monster raised his golden blade high, shouting fiercely, “Charge up the city walls with me!”
“Roar….”
The Black Fish Monster led the charge, followed closely by the little demons hoisting dozens of siege ladders.
Seven Feathers led the Bird Demons soaring toward Cold Wind City, eclipsing the skies above.
With their aerial pressure, the enemy had no chance of turning the tide.
Just as the Black Fish Monster expected, after the initial skirmish, the enemy’s resistance weakened considerably.
They even easily placed the ladders against the walls.
With that, the tide was set.
The Black Fish Monster was the first to reach the walls, fueled by last night’s humiliation, his blade came crashing down, toppling two enemies, before turning to face the two Catfish Monsters.
The Bird Demons circled above, occasionally launching sneak attacks on the stragglers.
Seeing the chaos on the city walls, Seven Feathers felt that there was no need for their leader to get involved. He and the Black Fish Monster could take Cold Wind City together with ease.
But just then, Seven Feathers hovering in the air felt a sharp pain in his stomach, nearly dropping like a stone.
Once he managed to stabilize himself, the shapes in his vision twisted and contorted abnormally.
Trees appeared to open their gaping mouths, ready to swallow him whole, while the little demons around him erupted into terrifying laughter, some even shooting lethal feathers at him.
“You bastards, you dare betray me! d*e! Everyone d*e!”
In an instant, Seven Feathers was flooded with uncontrollable killing intent.
Countless feathers rained down in every direction.
The Bird Demons “flapped and flailed” and fell like leaves, the few remaining buzzed around in a panic, losing their minds.
Meanwhile, the Black Fish Monster sensed something was off. His body suddenly felt weighty, and his surroundings warped dramatically.
The sounds of battle and shouting seemed muffled as if separated by a glass wall, making everything incomprehensible.
When he finally regained his senses from the intense pain, two spears had pierced through his chest.
The Black Fish Monster spat bl**d, his face pale.
He never expected to d*e in such an insignificant place.
The ones who stabbed him were just two guys whose names he didn’t even know.
“Ha! I stabbed first, Little Drill Wind, you can’t steal my thunder!”
That was the last thing he heard before losing consciousness.
