Chapter 81

"Xiaodake..."

In Captain Surdak's eyes, He Boqiang's back seemed to magnify infinitely. The arched back collided with Surdak's chest, the powerful impact causing Surdak to spit out a mouthful of blood. The two of them flew backward, stacked on top of each other.

At the same time, the warriors of the second squad, holding Pagliu spears and Roman swords, struck the demon's robust body one after another.

With the captain taking the full force of the demon's attack, it was like a shot of adrenaline, giving the other warriors in the squad the courage to counterattack the demon.

Seeing the captain and Xiaodake being hit and flown away by the demon, the other warriors did not panic. Augustus and the bearded man, holding sharp Pagliu spears, stabbed into the demon's heart from both sides of its body, following the ribs.

Red Socks and two new recruits slashed at the demon's ankles from behind with their Roman swords, while two other warriors cut at the demon's wrists with their Roman swords.

The remaining four warriors quickly pulled a rope, swiftly entangling the demon. They knew their strength could not match the demon's, even if they combined their efforts. So, when the four warriors bound the demon, they also tied it to the surrounding trees.

After the Pagliu spears pierced the demon's ribs, Augustus and the bearded man rolled to the side to avoid the demon's grabbing hands. Then, the Roman swords cut at the demon's wrists. Even with the demon's tough skin, under the full force of the second squad's attack, its wrists were cut in half.

The demon tried to counterattack again but was stopped by the rope. It tried to tear the annoying ropes with its hands but found that the ropes were tied to a large tree. As the demon pulled with all its might, its body was tightly bound to the tree. The rope's slipknot tightened, and the demon could not believe that it was bound by itself.

The demon tried to break free with brute force but found itself firmly tied to the tree. The second squad's warriors continued their relentless attacks, not expecting to kill the demon with one strike. They slashed at the demon's limbs with their Roman swords.

Like chopping down a tree, they managed to sever the demon's hands and feet in one round. The black magic patterns on the demon's body lit up. Augustus and the bearded man, taking advantage of the black magic patterns not being fully activated, grabbed the Pagliu spears on both sides of the demon's ribs. They roared and pushed the steel spears into the demon's body.

Augustus spat on his palms and leaped onto a tree. He stood on a branch, holding a Roman sword, and jumped down, using the momentum to thrust the sword into the demon's neck, cleanly severing its head.

As the demon's head rolled, dark purple, viscous blood spurted from the neck. The demon's body, still bound to the tree, convulsed violently.

The warriors of the second squad, as if having exhausted their last bit of strength, sat weakly on the forest floor.

Red Socks, holding a Roman sword, walked to where Surdak and Xiaodake lay. His face was filled with sorrow, but before he could cry, he saw Surdak, one hand on his chest and the other on the ground, coughing and sitting up.

Red Socks looked at Surdak in disbelief, wondering how the captain had withstood the demon's full-force attack.

Then he remembered that Xiaodake had stood in front of Surdak, shielding him with his shield when the demon collided with them. He turned to look at Xiaodake, who was lying on the ground.

He Boqiang was lying on his back, a broken spike embedded in his dwarf chain shield, a trace of blood on his lips, his eyes closed, and unconscious.

Red Socks ran over and helped Surdak sit up, asking with concern, "Captain, how are you?"

Surdak, hunched over, seemed to be enduring great pain. He shook his head to indicate he was fine and gestured for Red Socks to check on Xiaodake.

Red Socks helped Surdak lean against a tree and went to check Xiaodake's injuries.

He had expected Xiaodake to be severely injured from the demon's full-force collision, but he found no obvious wounds on Xiaodake's body. His chest was not sunken, and his arms were not broken.

He squatted down and gently patted He Boqiang's face, asking softly, "Xiaodake, how are you?"

He Boqiang, as if waking from a dream, sat up, rubbing his shield-holding arm, looking around in confusion, realizing he was still in the forest, feeling as if his body was falling apart.

Frowning, he looked into the forest and saw the demon, bound to a tree, with its limbs and head severed, and he felt a sense of relief.

Red Socks could not believe that He Boqiang, who had withstood the demon's full-force attack, could sit up and speak as if nothing had happened.

Red Socks looked at He Boqiang in amazement and asked, "Xiaodake, are you okay?"

He Boqiang checked his limbs and face, finding no obvious injuries, and looked at Red Socks in confusion.

"My God, you actually withstood the demon's full-force attack..." Red Socks was almost driven mad by He Boqiang's resilience, exclaiming dramatically.

Surdak, holding an injured arm, walked with difficulty to He Boqiang and extended a hand with a grim smile.

He Boqiang reached out and slapped hands with Surdak, then stood up.

Surdak, hunched over, walked laboriously to the tree where the demon's head was severed and ordered the second squad's warriors, who were sitting on the ground, "Clean up the battlefield. The demon patrol will return soon. We don't have time to linger here!"

Hearing Surdak's order, Augustus asked with a pained expression, "Captain, what about the demon's magic skin?"

"We don't have time. Leave it behind," Surdak said without hesitation.

"Yes!" Hearing Surdak's decisive response, Augustus did not argue further and agreed.

Under Surdak's lead, the second squad's warriors quickly left the forest area.

With the neighboring squad in trouble, the second squad needed to return to the Fourth Battalion's current position to report the situation to Baron Sidney.

Baron Sidney would need to make further arrangements, either sending out another reconnaissance squad or finding a way to quickly complete the forest path clearing mission.

The warriors crossed a dense forest, leaving the demon patrol's surveillance area, and their tense moods finally relaxed a bit. After all, they had killed a demon warrior right under the demon patrol's nose.

Without a doubt, the demon patrol was frantically searching for the second squad in that area.

The bearded man, walking at the back of the group, suddenly came up to He Boqiang, walked alongside him, and patted his shoulder, saying,

"Xiaodake, well done!"

He Boqiang just smiled modestly.

At this moment, He Boqiang heard some of the squad members quietly discussing the matter:

Red Socks, walking at the front of the group, lowered his voice and said to Augustus, "Is this the effect of the magic beast armor?"

Augustus, somewhat absent-mindedly, replied, "I guess so..."

Red Socks, filled with longing, said, "When I have the money..."

Augustus cruelly interrupted Red Socks' fantasy, "Shut up!"

Red Socks, unwilling to give up, said, "Hey, why can't I have dreams?"

Augustus, not even looking at him, said, "When you can cough up thirty magic crystals, then we can talk about dreams!"

Red Socks, eyes wide, said, "You mean Xiaodake's magic beast armor is worth about thirty magic crystals?"

Augustus spread his hands, indicating that these were Red Socks' own speculations, and said, "I didn't say that. Ordinary magic beast armor is roughly that price. If you want an inscriptionist to create magic patterns, you'll need an additional hundred magic crystals. Xiaodake's magic beast armor, though made of mixed materials, is a complete set of heavy magic beast armor. I think it must be quite expensive."

Red Socks, unwillingly, groaned, "My God, when did Xiaodake start... being so extravagant!"