Chapter 21: The Flames of Sorrow (1/2)

The darkness arrow still had three more seconds before it could be fired off. If I cancel the casting now, it would not only waste time but also waste this opportunity.

The head imp made a bull rush through the battlefield, his target, me. He knocked aside another two more large imps as he charged. He was getting too close. However, just as I was about to cancel the casting, a towering silhouette stood in front of me. It was a large imp, a large imp that was slightly burlier than a normal large imp.

“This lordship will protect Master with his life!” Big 1 charged into the head imp with a resolute gaze in his eyes; to him death was no longer an issue. He tried to block the unstoppable force otherwise known as the head imp from approaching but was instantly defeated.

However, his efforts weren’t in vain as the arrow finally took shape. A pitch black arrow that seemed to consume the light around it, flew out from between my arms and crashed into the head imp’s face.

He had just tasted the pain brought on by the darkness arrow earlier and definitely did not want to again. However, his charge had rendered him unable to dodge the arrow properly and he could only twist his head in a desperate attempt to evade it. The darkness arrow struck the head imp’s forehead where it joined with the horn like a lightning bolt.

“AHH!”

The devil’s horn was his weapon but at the same time, it was also his weakness. A devil who lost his horn would be temporarily weakened. That arrow did not manage to sever his horn but was able to inflict a great deal of pain on him.

“Ahhh…I’ll kill you…I will definitely kill you…” The head imp clutched his head as he wailed in pain. His howls were drenched in his poisonous hatred, causing me to involuntarily shiver; my morale nearly failing at that moment.

“Stop him!”

I quickly retreated a distance and hastily commanded the devils around me. I ordered them to stall the head imp even if it cost them their lives. As for me, I suppressed my furiously pounding heart and continued casting my darkness arrows.

The battlefield was too chaotic at this moment. No.2, 4 and 5 had, unbeknownst to me, evolved into large imps in the midst of the bloodshed. Upon hearing my command, they immediately broke out of the crowd and ran towards me. At the same time, No.3, Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger rushed towards me as well.

One-eye had the important role of being the commander of this battle so I had ordered him long ago to focus on commanding and to ignore anything else.

Even the previously injured Scar-face had rushed over to protect me. He stared daggers at the head imp in front of him. His arms were no longer functional, but he still had his feet and teeth. He had a vindictive personality; any slight must be avenged, especially one this big! He wasn’t the only one who came over, he brought his three large imp subordinates as well.

In total, there were eleven large imps and with me included, it was a 12 vs. 1 match! With such a numerical advantage, we should be fine, right?

I sneaked a glance at the ongoing battle. While our losses were immense, the enemy wasn’t that well off either. As long as we took down the head imp, victory was ours.

Scar-face ordered the three large imp subordinates to charge while he hid behind to prepare for a sneak attack. On the other side, No.3 led a group in encircling the head imp. The plan was to attack him from all sides and exploit our numerical advantage.

The head imp’s combat strength was truly terrifying. The first to engage with the head imp were the three large imps who were covered in wounds from a previous battle. Upon colliding with the head imp, they were swiftly knocked down in a couple of punches and kicks.

Scar-face had intended to ambush the head imp while he was being held up by the large imps, but quickly gave up on this idea due to the opponent’s overwhelming strength. Seeing this strength disparity, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat.

Having just chased away Scar-face, the head imp was immediately ambushed from the back by No.3’s bone club. The head imp tried to counterattack by grabbing No.3 but failed due to him retreating in time. Instead, he grabbed onto No.2 who had just charged forward. He lifted No.2 up into the air as he clutched onto his head like a vice, while No.2 desperately struggled. No.2 clawed and kicked as hard as he could but it had no effect on the steel-like hide of the head imp’s arm.

*crunch*

The head imp clenched down with his fist and slammed No.2 onto the cliff wall. A sickening crunch rang out through the air. The cliff face was perfectly unharmed but No.2’s head had split open…

No.2 was dead!

The third darkness arrow was ready and with a shove of both my arms, the darkness arrow shot towards the head imp’s eyes.

However, the head imp was prepared for this arrow and immediately dodged. The direction he tumbled in laid in the path of Nine-finger and Big 1. Big 1’s had already swung his club prior to this and as a result, coincidentally hit the head imp’s head. The head imp’s body seized up momentarily as his head collided with the club. However, he quickly recovered and managed to catch the bone club as Big 1 was attempting his second swing. With a forceful twist, he snatched the club away from Big 1.

With both his arms clasped around the bone club, he fiercely swung out, hitting Big 1 squarely on the jaw. Big 1 was flung away like a baseball into the distance.

His stolen club began to crack under the impact of his forceful swing. At this moment, my fourth arrow shot out. However, with previous three encounters still fresh in his mind, he was clearly prepared. He lifted his hands and blocked the arrow with the bone club.

*boom*

The darkness arrow disappeared but the bone club had shattered under the impact.

However this did not affect the head imp at all, as he casually tossed aside the stub of the bone club and viciously pounced at me. Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger immediately ran into his path to block him but were violently rammed aside. Big 2 was the most unfortunate of the three. The direction he was knocked to was right in the path of the head imp. Before he could get up, the head imp broke into a sprint and leaped into air, landing a moment later with the force of a sledgehammer, right onto Big 2’s neck. That sickening crunch rang out once more as his neck got pulverized, his head tilting to the side as it lost its support…

Big 2 was dead…

Damn it, damn it…there’s only five more meters. He’s going to pounce on me in the very next second…