Chapter 8: The King’s Fury
Outside Cold Wind City, the setting sun bled into the horizon, and the evening breeze sliced through the air like a kn*fe.
The evil merman and his crew fled like headless chickens, their panic palpable as shouts of pursuers echoed behind them. Only when they were completely outside the defensive perimeter did the chasing stop.
“Bro! Don’t hold me back! I’m going to wipe them all out, ahhhh!”
The evil merman had never suffered such humiliation. Before leaving the Evil Merman Cave, he was a mighty overlord, but now he was nothing but a drowned dog, everyone shouting for his head.
To make matters worse, he had stormed in with great bravado but was crushed under the enemy’s onslaught. If it weren’t for the Master of Blizzard Cave swooping in to save him, he might have been a goner right then and there.
“Chill, bro! There’s plenty of time ahead!”
The Master of Blizzard Cave wouldn’t let the evil merman fight wounded, dragging him along until they shook off their pursuers and the remnants of their group finally slowed down.
The morale dipped; as dusk approached, it felt like all motivation to move forward had vanished. Reluctantly, the Master of Blizzard Cave decided it was time to set up camp and rest.
By the campfire, the evil merman wore a look of deep melancholy, still struggling to grasp the fact that he had lost.
The Master of Blizzard Cave sighed, “Those guys are clearly fearless, can’t you feel it?”
The evil merman blinked in surprise. Upon reflection, he realized it was indeed true.
In the past, he would defeat the Tiger Demon in one fell swoop, and the other big demons would have been trembling in fear and too scared to make a move.
That trick of showing off to intimidate others, he had perfected after all these years in command of the Evil Merman Cave.
Back then, all those big demons followed him obediently, not daring to harbor even a hint of rebellion.
Now, just a few days away from the Evil Merman Cave, one would think the past trauma would leave some shadows in their hearts, making them hesitant to act.
But to his surprise, even after the Tiger Demon was down and out, the others under that demoness didn’t show an ounce of hesitation when commanded. They jumped into action like a pack of hungry wolves.
Could it be that the demoness had cast some mind-controlling spell on them?
Yes, that must be it!
Otherwise, there’s no way to explain this.
He conjectured that the demoness must be the Lord of Cold Wind City.
When the evil merman voiced this thought, the Master of Blizzard Cave shook his head. “Not that simple.
Although that demoness is good with electricity, she was just lucky; in a one-on-one, she wouldn’t stand a chance against you.
I suspect Cold Wind City has more tricks up its sleeve.”
“Thanks for the pointers, bro. I hope you can continue to help me with White Feather City. Our past promises still hold, but as for that Holy Son, I’m okay with just one leg; you can have the rest.”
“With White Feather City in the mix, as long as we both get a taste, it’s a win,” chuckled the Master of Blizzard Cave.
The evil merman sighed, feeling powerless.
He was now just a big demon who had lost everything, with no bargaining chips to show for it. The Great King of the Split Land probably wasn’t even interested in seeing him.
No pain, no gain. Right now, all he wanted was to regain his status in the Evil Merman Cave; he’d even spill the news about the Holy Son to White Feather City if it came to that.
A day later, at the entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion in White Feather City.
The evil merman stated his purpose.
The Great King of the Split Land had a hands-off attitude toward the wars between the caves—whoever won or lost didn’t matter, as long as they delivered offerings to White Feather City on time.
But when a defeated big demon like the evil merman came looking for help, the Great King usually avoided him like the plague.
Only the strong earned the right to be recognized by White Feather City.
The Evil Merman Cave had once climbed to power over others, and now it was the tides turning; no point in blaming White Feather City for its ruthlessness.
However, upon hearing the visitor was the evil merman, the Great King suddenly recalled the alarming lightning storms that had emerged from the direction of the Evil Merman Cave just days ago.
Could the fall of the Evil Merman Cave be related to this?
So, he shockingly agreed to meet with the evil merman.
Though not his first time entering the City Lord’s Mansion, being in the presence of a top-tier big demon made the evil merman’s heart race a bit.
As a meeting gift, he reluctantly handed over that divine weapon he had found in the Great Snow Mountain.
When the evil merman and the Master of Blizzard Cave finally met with the Great King, he was lounging on his opulent throne, toying with that sword that was only half the length of a regular one.
Just as they took their seats, the Great King spoke first.
“Where did you get this sword?”
The evil merman quickly replied, “Great King, this divine weapon was found by me and the Master of Blizzard Cave in the Great Snow Mountain.”
The Great King casually mused, “The Great Snow Mountain…”
As if reminiscing about old times, he paused for a moment before continuing, “I recall that the Evil Merman Cave was established by the Monster Race to guard that mountain. Now you are guarding a treasure while robbing your own. Interesting.”
The Master of Blizzard Cave clasped his hands together and said, “Three hundred years ago, after the Human Race took control of Black Stone City, Evil Merman Cave has been independent. I don’t understand your accusations of betrayal, Great King.”
The Great King ignored him, turning back to the evil merman. “By the way, what do you plan to do with this divine weapon?”
The evil merman and the Master of Blizzard Cave exchanged glances and decided to spill the beans about the Holy Son to gain the Great King’s favor in sending troops.
The meeting room was momentarily silent.
There were still seven days left before the deadline set by Thousand Bird City.
Taking a demon cave in seven days didn’t seem too hard.
Now that Cold Wind Cave had had the gall to rename itself Cold Wind City, even a fool could guess they had some kind of backup plan.
It wouldn’t hurt to check it out, and it would make for a good cover when sending troops to Thousand Bird City.
Feeling he had a plan, the Great King suddenly sighed, “Do you know why Black Stone City established the Evil Merman Cave to guard the Great Snow Mountain?”
Both were taken aback.
The Great King chuckled, “You, Master of Blizzard Cave, must have forgotten your roots over generations. With a little coaxing from the evil merman, you forgot about your responsibility and are digging up what you’re supposed to protect?”
“I’m not under the jurisdiction of White Feather City, so you have no right to criticize me. I’ll take my leave now!”
The Master’s face turned livid, and he immediately stood up, ready to leave.
The Great King’s expression changed, and he slammed his hand on the back of his chair.
“Bang!”
A shockwave exploded from him, radiating outward.
Strangely, only the Master of Blizzard Cave’s head tumbled down, while everything else, including the evil merman sitting right next to him, remained unscathed.
Soon, guards hurried in to drag away the instantly deceased corpse.
Looking at the massive splatter of bl**d still pooling on the chair, the evil merman had never felt fear like this before.
This… this is the power of a top-tier big demon?
Taking a life so casually while he remained completely unaware.
“Do you know why I killed him?” the Great King asked.
The evil merman fell to his knees, trembling, “Could it be… because of that sword?”
“Inside the Great Snow Mountain lies that person’s tomb… no, her sanctum isn’t a place you can run around in.
I actually intended to k*ll you too.
But considering the upcoming battle with Cold Wind City might need you, otherwise…”
“I’m willing to redeem myself for my crimes!”
The evil merman banged his head on the ground fervently.
The echoes of his knocking resonated throughout the spacious meeting hall.
The Great King didn’t even look at him, instead focusing on the tiny sword in his hand.
“White Shadow, oh White Shadow, where is your master now?”
