Chapter 524: Dragon-Scale Monk
"Awoo—"
At that moment, the wind howled as the roars of Wyverns and the furious shouts of players came from behind the Butcher Demon.
Riding a Wyvern, Mantou dove from the sky, gripping his lance tightly under his right arm, descending in a deadly charge.
"Die for me!"
Mantou roared, his voice filled with rage. The gleaming tip of his lance pierced through the air, aiming directly for the massive head of the Butcher Demon.
His heart pounded with excitement, already envisioning the scene of his lance piercing through the demon's skull—tens of thousands of gold dinars, millions in faction contributions!
If he took down this Butcher Demon, he'd strike it rich!
"Annoying fly."
But the Butcher Demon merely displayed an impatient expression. The bladed limbs on its back swung with imperceptible speed, a black shadow slicing through the air.
"Slash—"
The sound of flesh being torn apart rang out. Mantou and his Wyvern were both cleaved in two, a spray of red, yellow, and blue flying through the air.
Even in death, Mantou's face retained that ecstatic expression, as if he were moments away from becoming a hero who had slain a demon.
The Butcher Demon's barbed tail lashed out, slicing through the players attempting to ambush it from behind.
"No—Mantou!"
"Mantou crashed again!"
"How is this boss's damage so ridiculous? Even a veteran player like Mantou, who practically lives in the game, got one-shot!"
"Knowing the devs, any monster with this kind of reward was bound to be stupidly strong."
"I'll do it!"
A group of Crimson Scaled Conquerors circled in the sky on their Wyverns, coordinating their attacks—two feigned an assault while a third searched for the Butcher Demon's weak point.
But the Butcher Demon merely spat out clouds of venomous acid. The Crimson Scaled Conquerors, unable to dodge in time, had their flesh melted away, leaving only exposed white bone as they plummeted to the ground.
Spectating players chattered among themselves but did not leave the battlefield.
After all, the mission rewards were too tempting. What if they got lucky and managed to pick up some loot? That would be a massive profit!
The Butcher Demon rampaged through the crowd, its monstrous body tearing through Imperial soldiers with its claws, blades, fangs, and thick tail.
But when it looked at the players, it saw no trace of fear in their eyes—only… anticipation?
For some reason, the demon, which thrived on slaughter and spreading terror, felt a strange sense of disappointment.
It stretched its massive frame and let out a hoarse roar.
"You weak insects— Do you even comprehend the power, the majesty of what stands before you? I am the predator of the Abyss, the incarnation of slaughter, the destroyer of kingdoms, the nightmare of mortals—"
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out. A nearby player held up his rifle, smoke curling from the barrel, grumbling, "This boss sure talks a lot."
"Human—
You court death!"
Furious beyond measure, the Butcher Demon charged into the crowd, crushing the smirking player beneath its massive claws.
"Boom!"
The ground erupted into a pit of blood and viscera.
"Holy shit?!"
"Don't get blood on me!"
Meanwhile, behind the Butcher Demon's monstrous form, the demonic legion surged forward, seizing this precious opportunity to finally engage the Imperial army in close combat.
"Moo—"
The Bull Demons let out deep roars, moving on all fours like massive gorillas, their knuckles pounding the earth as their enormous bodies trampled over the Imperial heavy shield troops, occasionally hurling boulders.
"It's coming!"
"Hold the line!"
"For the Ember Empire!"
The Ogre heavy shield soldiers formed a wall, but it was shattered by the airborne boulders and crushed beneath the massive frames of the charging Bull Demons.
"Boom!"
Coward Demons and Barbed Demons surged through the gaps, pouncing on Imperial soldiers, biting into their flesh, or shrieking while hurling javelins from afar.
In the skies, Quasits swooped down, engaging Wyverns in mid-air duels, raking at them with claws and spewing toxic acid. Meanwhile, Vrocks ascended, bringing flocks of corrupted crows and vultures with them.
Individually, Quasits were far weaker than Wyverns, but they had sheer numbers on their side—swarms of dozens gnawed away at a single Wyvern until it was covered in wounds.
One Quasit flapped its wings midair, its eyes glowing eerily as it locked onto a seemingly frail human in the distance.
He looked weak.
Compared to the towering Ogres, well-equipped Hobgoblins, and battle-hardened Tieflings…
The Quasit's walnut-sized brain concluded.
It let out a sharp screech before diving down, talons spread wide.
"Awooo—"
"Bang!"
A crisp gunshot rang out.
George didn't even glance at the falling Quasit. He casually blew the smoke from his elegant rifle barrel, his attention fixed on the battlefield.
The situation was dire.
Unlike their previous encounters, these demons formed a true supernatural army.
The horrifying Butcher Demon was just one problem. Behind every Bull Demon stood a Goat Sorcerer, muttering ancient incantations to conjure blood-colored shields.
The Imperial infantry's disciplined volleys and skirmishing tactics were nearly useless against high-tier demons.
Meanwhile, the weaker Primal and Coward Demons could rely on sheer numbers to exhaust the Empire's ammunition, using wave tactics to overwhelm the soldiers.
Led by these powerful demons, the Abyssal Legion had already pushed the frontlines back by several hundred meters, nearly reaching the bunkers.
George clenched his jaw, his face dark, muttering, "Damn it, this can't go on.
Marshal Dolo said it—when firepower is insufficient, we must counter the supernatural with the supernatural."
"Bang!"
"Damn it."
With that thought, he pulled out a command token from his pocket and pressed it without hesitation.
"Sector 48 defenses—one Butcher Demon, twelve Bull Demons. We can no longer hold."
At this point, they had to exhaust every possible means. Their unit alone could not withstand the demons' relentless assault. If their sector fell, the consequences would be catastrophic.
After speaking, George picked up a machine gun from the ground and unleashed a storm of bullets at the demonic tide.
"Die for me!"
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—"
Muzzle flashes lit up the battlefield, and demons fell in waves like wheat being harvested.
George had a fondness for the research division's latest weapon. The steady stream of bullets reignited a long-lost thrill in him, bringing back memories of the battlefield when he killed that noble years ago.
"Roar—"
Suddenly, a series of loud roars echoed from the distance.
George turned his head and saw Chimeras cresting the hills, crossing the defensive line, and flying in from the north.
These Dragon-Blooded Chimeras flapped their wings with great effort, struggling to stay airborne.
That was because their massive claws carried large, towering figures beneath them.
Their bodies were encased in heavy dragon-scale exoskeleton armor, wielding revving chainswords and blast rifles, their laughter wild and unrestrained. Leading them was none other than the High Priest of the Mechanicus Cult—Iron Frenzy!
"I'm here!"
"Is the first mission after launch really this intense?"
Quasits and Vrocks swarmed toward the incoming Chimeras, like a tide of insects trying to intercept them.
But the Chimeras opened their many dragon heads, spewing scorching flames from deep within their throats, forming a raging inferno in the sky that devoured the demons.
"This is it!"
"That highly valuable Butcher Demon is right here!"
"Brothers, prepare for the charge!"
Under the command of the Dragon-Scale Monks, the Chimeras beat their wings, continuing to ascend.
Finally, they reached an altitude of several hundred meters above the battlefield before simultaneously releasing their grips.
The Vitagis Dragon-Scale Monks plummeted from the sky, hurtling toward the ground with no protective measures.
Upon impact, they created massive craters several meters wide, sending dust clouds billowing and crushing hundreds of unprepared Coward Demons.
As the dust settled, twelve Dragon-Scale Monks slowly rose from the pits, stepping onto demon corpses, their towering four-meter figures revealed.
Iron Frenzy raised his chainsword high, shouting, "Vitagis Dragon-Scale Monks, reporting in!"
"For the Emperor!—Wait, no, for the Emperor!"
"Glory to the Ember Empire! Glory to His Majesty Cassius!"
The other Dragon-Scale Monks cheered fervently, their expressions hidden behind their thick armor, filled with intense zeal.
Since their transformation, these Dragon-Scale Monks had yet to face a worthy opponent. They were eager to test their newly gained power.
"Whirrr—"
The battlefield roared with the revving sounds of chainswords spinning at high speed.
Frenzied Coward Demons leaped onto Iron Frenzy's back, trying to sink their teeth into him, but their fangs couldn't even scratch the dragon-scale armor.
Iron Frenzy rolled forward, crushing the demons beneath him before swinging his chainsword in a wide arc mid-air.
"Slash—"
With agonized wails, dozens of demons were sliced in half, their severed limbs flung across the battlefield.
Thick, dark-purple demon blood splattered onto Iron Frenzy's dragon-scale exoskeleton, but it failed to corrode the armor in the slightest.
"Battle is exhilarating!"
"Hahaha! So this is what a hack-and-slash massacre feels like?!"
Without hesitation, the Dragon-Scale Monks dove into the demon horde, their chainswords swinging wildly, cutting demons in half one after another.
"Moo—"
A Bull Demon roared as it charged, its massive hooves carrying unimaginable force, slamming down toward a Dragon-Scale Monk in an attempt to crush him under its enormous weight.
"Boom!"
Yet, shockingly, the Dragon-Scale Monk braced against the Bull Demon's hooves and, with sheer force, pushed it upward, toppling the massive beast.
The scene was utterly surreal—like a mantis flipping over a carriage. The Bull Demon stood twelve meters tall, more than three times the size of the Dragon-Scale Monks!
However, with the enhancement of dragon blood and genetic modification, these warriors possessed an absurd muscle density, their strength levels surpassing twenty-four.
"Roar—"
The Bull Demon bellowed in anguish, toppling backward, its massive eyes filled with disbelief.
In the domain of raw strength, it had been defeated—by these seemingly insignificant humanoids!
"That's why Minotaurs must die—"
"Because I am a pure-hearted warrior!"
Iron Frenzy leaped over ten meters into the air, bringing his chainsword down with the force of gravity, driving it into the Bull Demon's chest.
"Shriiiip!"
The roaring chainsword tore through the Bull Demon's thick hide, shredding its flesh and ultimately piercing its still-beating heart.
The Bull Demon's massive eyes bulged in shock, its death gruesome.
"Who else dares?!"
Iron Frenzy yanked his blood-soaked chainsword free, resting it on his shoulder as he let out a triumphant roar.
The other Dragon-Scale Monks waded through the demonic horde, rapidly creating multiple points of devastation, each of them slaughtering hundreds of demons within moments.
The momentum of the demon army's assault was instantly disrupted, giving the Imperial defenders a much-needed reprieve.
"We should encircle and take down that Butcher Demon!"
"Hahaha! For the Emperor!"
"I feel invincible! Who could possibly stand against a Vitagis Dragon-Scale Monk?!"
At Iron Frenzy's command, the twelve Dragon-Scale Monks converged from different points on the battlefield toward a single target—the Butcher Demon, still rampaging through the frontlines.
"Roar—"
"Know fear, insects!"
The Butcher Demon's bladed limbs sliced through the air, cutting down another dozen Imperial soldiers in its path.
Its thick, muscular tail shot upward, impaling a Wyvern before sweeping across the ground, effortlessly slaying dozens of players attempting a sneak attack.
But soon, the demon sensed a change. Its primal instincts screamed a warning—something powerful was approaching.
More than a dozen figures, radiating immense strength, were closing in. And among them, it detected the scent of dragons.
"Powerful insects… and the scent of those great lizards. Now this is interesting."
"Come, let me see your futile struggle."
The Butcher Demon extended its barbed tongue, licking its lips in anticipation. Its jagged fangs clashed against each other, and rancid saliva dripped from its mouth, corroding the ground below.
As one of the Abyss's apex predators, the Butcher Demon relished hunting formidable prey. Only strong opponents could prove its worth as a true hunter, allowing it to savor the thrill of slaughter.
Feeble creatures that couldn't even resist—it was too dull.
—Little did it know, the Dragon-Scale Monks felt the same way.
Mowing down hordes of demons was fun, but after a while, it became repetitive. Facing a boss in a thrilling duel, fighting on the knife's edge—that was where the real excitement lay.
To date, nothing had survived an assault from twelve Dragon-Scale Monks.
"Brothers, charge!"
At Iron Frenzy's command, the twelve Dragon-Scale Monks surged toward the Butcher Demon from every direction.
Revving their chainswords and raising their blast rifles, they let out primal war cries, shouting absurd slogans.
"For the Empire!"
"For His Majesty the Emperor!"
"For… my faction points and gold dinars!"