Chapter 34: Unity in Adversity

As if animated by the beast's fur he wore, the bandit's leader's figure cut through the wind like an arrow. His shoes dug a deep trench into the ground as he slowed his charge and swung his broad battle ax at Bart.

WOOSH

The sharp edges glinted towards the most imposing demon in this gang of weaklings as it cleaved the air.

"Dodge Bart!"

Adam yelled in alarm, eyes wide and worry consuming his heart as he crouched and pounced to help the loyal demon.

However, he halted midway, noticing Bart's confident smirk and a fiery pair of hands moving behind him.

BANG

A deafening thud reverberated as the ax shook in the leader's hands and moved aside, missing its target by a few centimeters. Four clenched fists, fuming after the impact, trembled before pushing onward in a brutal counter-attack.

"We work together! You can't target only one!"

Bart roared after his successful block before the djinn joined with his fierce voice.

"Surround and burn him to a crisp!"

Shihan called for her shadows, sending them to puncture their enemy as Asna and Puck, who hadn't shone much so far, surrounded him.

'They came a long way already. They show basic teamwork now!'

He grinned at the thought as he resumed his charge, joining them in the assault.

"GRAAAAH!"

Before any attack could hit him, the leader's roar thundered, blowing air in a circle around him and forcing the ferocious demons to slide a few steps back.

His hazel eyes sparkled with hints of emerald, and whipping wind encased his ax, raising its menace by a broad margin and sending an icy shudder down their spines.

Simultaneously, Garduck returned with Luna and yelled as he raced to join the battle, his black cleaver already drawn and ready to meet the ax.

"He can use mana like the hobgoblin! Don't let him touch you!"

"Tsk. So much for a weakling."

Luna snorted, rolling her eyes at the leader as if he wasn't worth a second of her time.

"Let us fight and help us only if we're about to lose, Luna!"

He swiped his short sword at the leader as his command echoed.

They were developing well but needed to face difficult situations to fuel their progress and this one was perfect.

CLANG

Spark flew as his blade collided with the wind encasing the ax, forcing his hand to tremble.

"A lesser imp dares to attack me?!"

The leader's grip tightened on his weapon's shaft, veins bulging in rage at the insult.

Before he could counter-attack, Garduck's cleaver glinted under the moon and cut in a broad, powerful arc aimed at the neck.

"Begone, ant!"

Like a predatory beast's paws, the leader's leg rose and pierced the wind like a spear, colliding with Garduck's chest.

"Ugh!"

The air knocked out of his lungs, the demon clutched his chest, dropping his weapon as his face reddened and drool rolled down his gaping lips.

Without his command, Bart pushed Garduck backwards and seized the cleaver before charging in.

"For the territory! For the lord!"

The djinn followed, his fiery eyes burning with intensity.

Asna's and Puck's hearts trembled in fear, but Bart's battle cry gave them courage. They threw themselves into the fight, throwing vicious blows to distract the leader.

He didn't remain idle either.

Without wasting a second, he tensed his short arms and sent a barrage of strikes, moving faster and more lethal than anyone on the team.

Metal clashed against metal as the leader fiercely protected himself.

Despite their combined assault, he dodged, blocked, and counter-attacked with every part of his body, showing a combat experience that chilled his heart.

In ten brief seconds, the bandit had already kicked Puck away and thrown a backhand slap at Asna, fracturing her jaw with a single blow.

However, their efforts weren't in vain.

'An opening!'

Inspired by his gamer experience, he lunged beneath their monstrous adversary's extended arm. His blade glinted in his whitening fingers as he swiped his tense arm to cut the man's sides open.

Yet, a seed of doubt germinated in his heart as he noticed his adversary's cruel smirk reach his eyes.

BAM

Before he could understand anything, his head plunged and collided with the soil. A sharp pain assaulted his skull next as his thoughts and vision blurred for a second.

'What happened?'

"My lord!"

The djinn instantly moved to protect him from the follow-up strike as he tried to piece the events together and understand how the leader hit him.

At this precise moment, Shihan's eyes ignited with potent green flames as she finally attacked, enraged after the vicious elbow strike the leader delivered to Adam.

She had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to end the fight in a single blow, and here it came.

"Die human scum!"

With a roar, a spear condensed from the djinn's shadow as the leader's ax descended like a guillotine to kill them both.

"ARGH!"

Everyone inhaled sharply, eyes trembling in pure dread as the leader howled in agony before dropping to the ground and contorting like a worm.

"What are you waiting for?! Finish him!"

Even his mind blanked at what he saw from the ground, too shocked to remember the pain or think of anything... because she had pierced his rear mercilessly.

'There are areas we can't target, sister...'

Still, her sharp decision was right, even if his stomach churned and butt cheeks clenched. After all, it was indeed a weak point in the human body.

As the first to recover, he wobbled to his feet and stepped to the crying leader, who yelled like a pig being slaughtered.

Enduring the pain and noticing the man's bloodied pants, he swiftly separated his head from his body as a fountain of blood painted the soil scarlet before he collapsed to the ground.

'That's not how I wanted to win. No matter where your soul goes, know I'm sorry you suffered from... from...' seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He glared at Shihan, shaking his head and casting this horrible scene in the meander of his memories.

Fortunately, a notification rang in his ears, forcing his emotion to shift to joy and accomplishment.

[You and your subjects have defeated the tier two level 20 boss: Brad, the bandit chief. You have gained 4000 experience points.]

[Promotion quest accomplished. Channeling the gods' authority to break the tier barrier.]

[Congratulations on reaching the second tier. Stat points earned per level doubled. Reach level twenty-five for the next promotion quest.]

A soothing sensation engulfed everyone present, including the six imps peeking through the camp's door. Like a warm blanket, it enveloped their battered and bruised bodies, mending them and raising their life's rating to a new level.

Despite his unchanged stats, he felt his blood flow faster, his bones harden, and his heart pulse with newfound vitality. His injuries disappeared, and the commotion he suffered from mended as he clenched his fists in victory.

Yet, the surprises weren't over as another notification appeared.

[Congratulations on being the first lord to reach the second tier! Awarding a random mythical figure summoning ticket!]

"NO WAY?!"

His eyes bulged, and his heart almost shattered his thorax as he read the notification.

Then? Pure delight flooded his brain.

"I won't let anyone get those first achievements rewards! Hahaha."

His words echoed through the chaotic battlefield, forcing his subject to throw weird glances at him.

Yet, they all smiled like kids and clenched their trembling hands. After five short days, they finally escaped the weakling label plastered on them. They were now genuine demons!

Meanwhile, Luna lowered her hand and dismissed her demonic essence, a soft smile stretching her lips.

"I have to admit it. His method works."

A sensation she had felt once before spread through her chest, reviving memories from a distant past before her face hardened and eyes narrowed into fiery slits.

"I won't trust ever again. I refuse to fall for the same trap again."

The night's wind carried her hate-filled mutter away as she turned and left, unwilling to mingle with those fools.