Chapter 74: Eruption of bl**d War
2015-08-16
Author: Floating Tower (Author)
Order is strict, commands are absolute.
This is Soren’s first impression of the Demon Legion. Armies are the embodiment of order, and as Lawful Evil demons, they take this to the extreme. One could say that if it weren’t for the endless and massive demonic forces of the Bottomless Abyss weighing them down, the Hell of Bartok would undoubtedly have the capacity to strike other planes, even counterattacking the Upper Planes, Mount Heaven. Demons continuously advanced in the bl**d War, but they also fell in droves, for the number of enemies was too great, and facing enemies that outnumbered them tenfold, demons inevitably made mistakes.
But even so, the Lord of Hell – Asmothiels had still gathered a portion of power.
An absolutely elite Demon Legion.
He prepared to deploy it in the war that would decide the fate of the Bottomless Abyss and the Hell of Bartok. After thousands of years of bl**d War accumulation, Demon Lords understood the importance of reserving elite forces at the back, and Asmothiels knew this well. Thus legends persisted that deep within the Hell of Bartok, there existed a terrifying demon army capable of reaching Mount Heaven. Asmothiels seldom personally interfered in the Abyssal bl**d War; he simply commanded his Hell Demon Generals to attack the Bottomless Abyss, and no one knew if he had other schemes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Faced with the overwhelming demon army, the Demon Legion only deployed a small squad of troops. They were fully aware of the exhausting tactics of the Abyssal demons, and they didn’t even use the engineering machinery at the bl**d War Fortress.
“Is that a Bone Demon?”
Soren was far less familiar with the Hell of Bartok than with the Bottomless Abyss. The stricter the order, the more rigid the rules; adventurers found it harder to exploit loopholes.
In many places in the Hell of Bartok, there were strict orders. Demons did not reject outsiders from other planes, but their attitude was absolutely unfriendly. In the Bottomless Abyss, one could roam freely as long as they didn’t provoke certain powerful demons. However, that was not the case in the Hell of Bartok; the demons’ schemes left many adventurers frightened. Soren had visited the Hell of Bartok but did not delve deep, as the deeper one went, the more dangerous it became, even more so than intruding into the territory of a Demon Lord.
Bone Demon.
A mid-level demon with a Challenge Level above 10, inherent strength, agility, and constitution above 21. Such attributes are not particularly strong for demons, as many demons in the Bottomless Abyss are naturally muscular. But war is not easily influenced by individual strength; it’s a d*ath match that highlights discipline and coordination. A team of Bone Demons faced an enemy army over a thousand times their number, almost none showing a flicker of fear on their faces; on the contrary, derision gleamed in their eyes.
—“Ice Wall!”
Ice walls rose on the battlefield; this was a spell-like ability that Bone Demons innately possessed, and they loved to slice through large groups of enemies.
The massive demon army was cut into chaotic crowds. Some even began to fight amongst themselves, while the only ones unaffected were the Undead cannon fodder. More and more Demon Lords preferred to use Undead over demons. Low-level Undead, while not intelligent and only able to receive simple commands, were much better than a chaotic swarm of demons rushing forward.
—“Aura of Fear!”
Another innate ability of the Bone Demons, they possess a special aura of fear.
“Aura of Fear [Innate Ability]: The Bone Demon can unleash an aura of fear with a radius exceeding three meters as an immediate action. Any creature affected must make a forced Will saving throw. If they fail, the effect is similar to that of the Fear spell (equivalent to a spell level of 7). Creatures that succeed on their saving throw will not be affected by the same Bone Demon’s Aura of Fear for 24 hours. Other demons are immune to this aura. The saving throw difficulty is influenced by Charisma.”
This is a weakened version of the Aura of Fear.
Its range is not as extensive as that of the Demon Son of Fear, and its fear effect and saving throw difficulty cannot compare, but it is more than sufficient to deal with these low-level demon cannon fodder.
The Bone Demons charged forward against an army more than a thousand times their strength, sending any low-level creatures that approached them fleeing in fear.
Coward Demons are naturally timid creatures.
In this way, they lost any effectiveness. The Bone Demons performed a complete slaughter, and even after killing over ten times their number of enemies, they had suffered no casualties.
Fire rained down!
It seemed that the Demon Legion wanted to consume all these demon cannon fodder. In Soren’s vision, fierce flames blazed on the battlefield, and the forms of the demons moved effortlessly within it, as most of them were immune to fire damage. However, the demons themselves could not achieve this; their resistance could only shield them from some damage, not grant complete immunity. Only a few demons, along with special forms like Soren’s, could be immune to fire.
This was the most common tactic employed by the demons!
Transforming the battlefield into a sea of flames, then eliminating all enemies bit by bit.
Large groups of low-level Undead burned to d*ath, and the morale of most of the low-level demons crumbled. They trampled over each other, eager to escape combat but were ruthlessly cut down by the demon overseers behind them.
This is the bl**d War!
The bl**d War is the most terrifying battlefield in the multiverse, even deities must be prepared to face d*ath when they come here.
The demons were beginning to be unable to hold on.
From the very beginning, the situation had been quite unfavorable; the main forces of the Demon Legion had not yet moved, and their cannon fodder forces had already suffered heavy losses. Eventually, unable to contain themselves, the high-level demons began dispatching even stronger cannon fodder to the battlefield; they could not stand by and watch their cannon fodder being slaughtered. With the roar of the Frenzied Combat Demon, a batch of mid to low-level demons sprang into action, the figures of Frenzied Combat Demons, Furo Demons, Berserker Demons, and Hunt Demons appearing in the battle.
Some powerful demons seemed unable to contain their nature and joined the fight prematurely.
At this moment.
The Demon Legion remained as immovable as a mountain; facing the new wave of attacks from the demon army, the elite demons remained on the spot, meticulously preparing, showing no intent to support the Bone Demon forces.
—“Flight Spell!”
—“Invisibility Spell!”
—“Greater Illusion!”
The Bone Demons continuously utilized their spell-like abilities. They flew to avoid many enemies with the Flight Spell and maneuvered easily with the Invisibility Spell while the Aura of Fear still loomed over the battlefield. As long as they existed, any weak-willed demons would be rendered utterly useless.
However.
At this point, the Demon Legion had already changed. Their flanks opened towards the side doors, many mid to high-level demons flew into the sky, seemingly intending to expand the battlefield.
They understood the nature of demons very well.
When chaos is sufficient, madness would lead demons to fight amongst themselves, making it easier for the demons to resolve their enemies.
The flames were not enough.
Demons liked to cover the entire battlefield in raging fire. They would exhaust all means to direct the advantages of battle toward themselves.
Raging fire was the most obvious advantage.
As long as demons fought in the fire, they would be harmed, while demons faced no impact. If enemies withdrew from the battlefield, the chaotic nature of demons would cause them to scatter in defeat; all they needed was to pursue and reap the heads of the falling.
A disciplined army is truly pitiful; demons knew very well that once combat erupted, the only option for demons was to endure, and enduring might lead to victory over demons, while failing resulted in total defeat.
And if it were the latter, the Demon Legion would gain invaluable breathing time.
A strange fire ignited.
With the movements of the high-level demons, it seemed some different flames appeared on the battlefield. Other demons appeared oblivious, but Soren, as the Fire Demon, felt it distinctly.
This is Hellfire!
A magical flame born in the Hell of Bartok; sometimes even low-level demons could be scorched by it, and these flames held even more terrifying lethality.
Demon casualties were increasing.
Yet surprisingly, they remained oblivious; the timid sought to flee, while the bold charged forward.
The situation on the battlefield was growing increasingly dire, but at that moment, Soren’s army suddenly received the order to attack; they needed to flank and assault the enemy, striving to eliminate a small squad of the demon legion.
………………(To Be Continued ~^~)
