âThese darned rebels!â
The sight of the rebel army led by Zeng Lu and Abbot Palkyi charging into the inner courtyard caused the vice city lord to tremble in anxiety and fear. He could only keep bellowing to maintain his sanity.
âHow dare you act so insolently to your master? Youâll go to hell!â
The vice city lord knew that his army wasnât weak.
The rebels were fighting ferociously, but their sudden surge of morale wasnât enough to fully overcome the gap in their fighting prowess. This was evident from how the fight had come to a standstill.
If the vice city lord sent out the elites guarding him right now, the Tibetans would most definitely be able to stop the rebel armyâs advancement, perhaps even pushing them back. However, the vice city lord dared not to take this risk.
The transformation of the usually subservient slaves into savage beasts terrified the vice city lord. He was a warrior himself, but he was so scared to imagine what would happen if those slaves were to ever get their hands on him that he insisted on keeping the elites with him.
Fortunately, reinforcement arrived in time!
Bam!
A massive fireball descended from the sky like a blazing lotus, emanating terrifying heat waves.
âAHH!â
Both the rebels and the Tibetans fell victim in the massive area attack. Those caught dead center were instantaneously vaporized, whereas the explosion blasted away limbs and sent blood splattering all around.
The deafening explosion caused everyoneâs ears to ring.
Both sides on the battlefield stalled to a halt.
It was then that Asudo descended from the sky and gently landed on a platform. The contrast between his beautiful face and his terrifying means intimidated everyone present.
ââŠHmph.â It was a soft harrumph, yet it sounded loud as thunder. Asudo eyed the rebels and said, âWhat a pathetic attempt at resistance.â
âItâs the young master!!!â
âHooray!â
âOur reinforcement is here!â
The Tibetan soldiers cheered in delight at the sight of Asudo, whereas the rebelsâ morale plummeted to the bottom.
âAmithabha,â Abbot Palkyi murmured.
Asudoâs earlier feat had confirmed his identity as a hero-class mage!
âHm?â Asudo loftily eyed everything beneath. With a tilt of his chin, his aide immediately understood his intention and handed over an artifact to control the war slaves into his hand.
Wuuu!
As the artifact whirred into action, the bloodthirsty figures hidden in thick armor opened their eyes.
âGrar!â
Howling like wild beasts, the war slaves charged at the rebels, revealing their glaring fangs and sharp claws. A brutal fight commenced!
Under the war slavesâ frenzied assault, the rebels were forced to retreat from the inner courtyard all the way to the second courtyard. fĐłeeđ€ebÉłoveÉ.cĂžm
âAsudo, youâre here!â The vice city lord was overjoyed to see his son turning the tables on the rebels as soon as he appeared. He began rushing toward his son while howling, âHurry up and kill all those lowly slaves!â
ââŠâ Asudo eyed his father speechlessly.
âMilord, come back! This place is still dangerous!â
A few people quickly rushed forward to drag the vice city lord away.
Whew! It looks like Iâve stabilized the situation for the time being.
Despite Asudoâs show of nonchalance, he heaved a huge sigh of relief on the inside. He was just pretending to be an expert earlier.
It might look as if he had dealt severe damage to the rebels upon his arrival, but he knew that was far from enough to quell them. The rebels had a good balance of troopsâwarriors, archers, and monksâ and most were willing to die for their cause.
If he had insisted on killing all of them, they would have resisted him to the end. That would have made a difficult battle, and he didnât have the time to entertain that.
Especially not when there were monsters bearing the Tang flag trying to overrun the city!
So, he prioritized crushing the enemyâs morale instead. He wanted to first placate the rebels and focus his effort on dealing with the monsters.
Creak!
It was the sound of tearing flesh.
A small slit quietly opened in Asudoâs neck, allowing an eye within to peep at the situation outside. This was a beholder he had implanted in his body. Few had noticed it, as it was located between his neck and his collar, and he usually concealed it behind a necklace.
Beholders had the ability to shake a personâs will, and this was the time to put it to use.
He first cast Nimble Steps on himself before flitting to a vantage point on the second courtyard.
âHeâs here!â the rebels, who were desperately resisting the war slaves, exclaimed.
âHmph!â Asudo sneered once more.
He raised his hand, and a green flame burst forth.
âBe careful!â Zeng Lu shouted.
But this time, Asudo unleashed his spell not at the rebels but the war slaves, shrouding the bodies of the war slaves with turbid green flames. That made the war slaves look even more terrifying than before.
Grar!
The war slaves brandished their broadswords and war axes, decapitating the rebels and splashing their blood everywhere!
âAHH!â
The rebels screamed in fright.
The war slaves were already terrifying as they were, and the corrosive green flame they were imbued with made it even harder to fend against them.
Weng!
Abbot Palkyi quickly chanted a spell, and the rebel armyâs vanguards glowed with golden lights. This buff helped the rebels to withstand the initial onslaught of the war slaves, or else they might have collapsed right away.
Just as Abbot Palkyi and Zeng Lu thought that the enemy hero-class mage would unleash another wave of attack, Asudo suddenly ordered, âRetreat!â
The war slaves and Tibetan warriors retreated.
The rebels had no idea why the Tibetans were retreating, but they made use of this opportunity to bandage their wounds, gulp down some recovery potions, and reorganize their formations, in preparation for the next battle.
ââŠâ
Asudo took a quick glance and noted that their army had suffered more casualties than he had expected. He had to concede that the enemy monks were tough enemies to deal with.
âPathetic slaves. Even at this pointâŠâ
Standing before the two armies, Asudo casually curled his hair with his finger as if no one before him was worthy of note, and that he could crush everyone if he willed so.
ââŠdo you still intend to continue your resistance?â
The red-eyed war slaves raised their broadswords and growled ferally. They looked particularly frightening amidst the darkness of the night.
âIâll spare those who lay down their weapons.â
A commotion broke out amidst the rebels.
âDream on!â Zeng Lu spat angrily. He raised his sword and roared hoarsely, âBrothers, a barbarianâs words canât be trusted! Donât forget how they have treated us! Today, itâs either they die or we die!â
âWhat a noisy bug!â A cold glint flashed across Asudoâs eyes.
Searing flames resembling hellfire were conjured midair, and they shot down at Zeng Lu with a piercing shrill.
âFather!â
âUncle!â
ăHm? Whatâs going on?ă
System 12345 looked at the data with a contemplative frown.
ăHow should I put it? Asudo is hiding it, but he harbors fear toward you, my host⊠He seems to be worried and frightened, and heâs scared of being exposed?ă
System 12345 thought of a possibility.
ăCould it be that you have seen through his cross-dressing, so he tries to act nonchalant, hoping that things will pass just like that? Tsk tsk tsk!ă
Being exposed in public, the beautiful boy could only put on a strong front, even though it was all bravado. Little did he know that this only makes him look more delectable to the hunter.
ăThat wonât do. We canât let him off the hook so easily.ă
ăGo, my host! Itâs time to rip apart his disguise, tear down his defenses, and corner him emotionally. Strip him naked and teach him a lesson heâll never forget! Pin him down so tight that he can only watch in futility as you have your way with him!ă
ăIn the end, heâll have no choice but to kneel before you and accept his fate as your slave! Ehehehe!ă