Chapter 448

Chapter 448

Humans are not rational creatures.

All too often, we make unreasonable and illogical decisions based on emotion or in opposition to fact, but its not always a bad thing. Yes, sometimes we do stupid things like drink ourselves into stupors or ignore reason to follow our instincts, but irrational behaviour also drives us to do incredible things. If we were rational beings, we would rarely explore the unknown, run into burning buildings to save people, or stand up for our beliefs against a greater power. Some of the greatest acts in humanitys history have arisen from illogical decisions, and when they work out, theyre celebrated as acts of courage and bravery, and promptly forgotten when they dont. The person who chases after a murderer and apprehends the criminal is a hero, while another person who does the same and dies is a fool with more courage than sense. Someone who wins the lottery is envied, but someone who makes a less risky but calculated gamble and loses out is labelled a buffoon who threw all their money away.

Even judging things by their outcomes is irrational and stupid, but isnt that what it means to be human?

Thus, when faced with the emergence of a tunnelling mole-Demon at the tail end of my bowel-movement, instead of doing the logical thing and vaulting away or calling for help, I instead wipe my ass and pull up my pants. While not the most rational decision Ive ever made, Ill be damned if I die with my pants around my ankles and a shit-stained ass-hole.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Whilst fumbling with my belt and wholeheartedly regretting my decision, I lock eyes with the mole-Demon and sense the cold hatred and burning fury contained within, though whether this is because of my apparent indifference or merely its regular attitude, I couldnt say. Regardless of how it feels, the wrinkled, shit-covered creature lunges forward to take my life with talons ready and jaw unhinged. Its square, yellowed teeth and gaping black maw grow larger in vision and I raise my arms to block it, even though logically, it makes zero sense to do so. My vision blurs and the world shifts, after which I miraculously watch the Demon soar through the space I occupied only microseconds before.

Wow, thats a big mole. Moley, moley, moley, mole.

Two figures materialize out of thin air before my eyes and move to engage the Demon with their woefully inadequate short swords, and through the haze of shock and confusion, I recognize my saviours as the unfamiliar soldiers Id spotted earlier, then immediately forgot about after the Wraith attack. With his hand on my chest, the third mysterious soldier positions himself between the Demon and myself, moving me away from the battle to keep me safe. Whoever they are, its clear theyre here to protect me, and I mutter a small prayer of thanks to whomever might be listening. While Im still not entirely convinced of an all-powerful being watching over me from above, it doesnt hurt to show proper appreciation.

Chaos ensues as Argat and the Death Corps rush into the tent to join the fray, but luckily, my newfangled guardians are stronger than expected. Working in tandem, one distracts the Demon while the other attacks from behind. Leaking Ichor from a handful of wounds after their brief exchange, the Demon fails to land a blow on either nimble warrior and promptly retreats, crashing through my tent and pulling up the stakes as its driven away. Instead of pressing their advantage, my saviours draw away to my side and settle into a defensive position around me and my Death Corps guards, leaving Argat to engage the Demon all by his lonesome. Finally remembering to draw my weapons, I strap Tranquility in place and say, Not that Im ungrateful or trying to tell you how to do your jobs, but Im safe enough with the Death Corps here, so could you go help Argat?

Silence is my only answer as my saviours drag me away, but I stubbornly dig in and refuse to leave. Though it seems like hes got things under control, Argat is clearly outmatched by the Demon as hes focusing solely on defence, so its best if I stick around to lend a hand. Dodging nimbly about, the half-monkey Khishig ducks, dips, and dances around the Demons earth-shattering attacks, unable to find an opening to retaliate because a single connecting blow would turn him into a bloody pulp. A swipe of its talons rends a furrow through the dirt, forcing Argat to pole-vault away and leaving the Demon free and unhindered. Talons digging into the dirt, it launches itself like an arrow towards me with startling speed, and if I were facing it alone, I fear this would spell my end, but my silent guardians save me once more.

By pulling me aside and leaving the Death Corps to die in my place.

Tearing through armour like paper, the Demon barrels through my devoted guards and turns them into a mist of gore and blood. Sliding across the grass, the creature snarls and turns to gather itself for another pounce while more Death Corps stream in to block its path, yet another illogical decision considering the scene they witnessed. No, not illogical, because to the Death Corps, it makes all the sense in the world. I can see it in their eyes, for there is no fear or hesitation, only grim determination. This is their purpose, to give their lives in defence of my own no matter the odds stacked against them, and the odds are dire indeed.

Back! I shout, and the Death Corps are forced to obey. Retreat to a hundred paces. They cant do anything except get in the way, and Ill be damned if more of them die for nothing, but where they faced the prospect of death with grim smiles, my orders to disperse are met with crestfallen faces. Putting their damned honour out of mind, I clutch Peace and Tranquility in hand and once again execute Balance on Windy Leaf, charging the Demon in deranged defiance of the odds.

I promised myself Id never do this again, but fuck it. This thing killed my soldiers, and it will die for it.

Despite my frenzied madness, I still have enough presence of mind to angle my charge, so instead of crashing headlong into its open mouth, Im poised to skirt along its side and carve into its flesh. With its talons dug into the dirt, the Demon is helpless to defend itself from my charge, or so I think until it stretches its neck to snap at me instead. Inside my Natal Palace, the Star sparkles with blinding light and the Hammer strikes with a bone-shaking clang, while out in the real world, Tranquility smashes into the Demons face. Despite Reinforcing and Amplifying for all Im worth, it feels like hitting a steel wall. The jarring collision knocks me off my feet and sends me hurling through the air, smacked aside like a pinball by its powerful neck. Rolling backwards with the fall, I go head over heels multiple times before coming to my feet, just in time to see Argat drive his spear clean through the Demons spine, eliciting a hair-raising shriek as the tip emerges from its chest and pins it to the ground. Not a cry of pain, but anger, for the creature is enraged by this injury which stops it from killing me. Standing on the Demons back, Argat clings to his spear and slams his feet atop the flailing creatures head, keeping himself safe from snapping jaws and grasping talons.

With Argats injuries tended to, I task a few Death Corps soldiers with getting him back to his yurt before dealing with the chaos of camp. My saviours have all disappeared and left no trace behind, though I suspect theyre still lurking somewhere nearby. I dont know why they were watching me poop, but despite their uniforms and Khishig leathers, Im certain they werent Bekhai, which means they werent sent here by Dad or Akanai. I dont even think they were Northerners because they had the naturally tanned skin, slender eyebrows, and narrow facial features found commonly in Centrals peasant population. Thing is, why would a bunch of Central Experts guard me in secret? Maybe theyre Colonel Hongjis people, or maybe the Legate is nicer than I thought, or maybe its one of a thousand other possibilities I cant think of. Either way, theyre on my side, so Im not too too stressed about it and only moderately worried.

Desperately hoping theyll never speak about what happened inside my poop tent, I make a note to ask the Colonel about the enigmatic protectors while grieving for my lost soldiers and waiting for news from the other camps. It turns out I wasnt the only one to come under attack, nor was I in the most danger. Yan, Zian, and BoShui were visited by three Wraiths each but escaped without injury, while Wu Gam got twelve Wraiths and three mole Demons, all of whom were taken care of by the Original Gam, a warrior who not only makes Lei Gong look neat and tidy, but apparently also puts the Lord of Thunders strength to shame. Maybe thats the secret to Martial Strength: a slovenly appearance. I mean, we have Lei Gong, Guan Suo, and now Original Gam, all slobs and degenerates hiding considerable skills.

If I fail to become a peak Expert, then Ill blame Luo-Luo for making me dress nice.

The Demon corpse continues to blacken the earth, turning green grass into brittle ash as the Ichor seeps into the soil. Considering Argats angry reaction to cleansing the Ichor on his legs, I doubt hed be pleased to learn I cleansed the Demon corpse too, so I leave it where it lays as Lei Gong advises me to do. Its not too big a loss since I dont know how to turn Ichor into Heavenly Energy, but it pains me to watch the mole-Demons corpse desecrate the earth. Technically, it was a mole-rat Demon, but I honestly dont know the difference, other than one being fluffy and the other bald. Why this makes them mole-rats instead of bald moles, I couldnt say, but apparently, the Enemy has a lot of them because theres a bat-shit crazy mole-rat Divinity lady who raises them like theyre her children, one who bears a grudge with the Original Gam for killing her babies back at the Canston Winery.

Poor little mole rats. Theyre ugly, but that doesnt mean theyre evil. I dont know how the Defiled Ancestral Beast turns them into Demons, but I doubt its a pleasant experience.

The Wraiths also targeted other camps and officers, but the only other officer to be attacked by Demons was Colonel Hongji himself. Theres been no word of deaths or injuries, but standard military protocol is to keep things like that quiet for the sake of morale. Aside from a brief public appearance from Hongji to order everyone to remain calm and secure their camps, theres little else for my people to report, so I set about doing as Im told. Bringing pen, ink, and paper outside, I settle down with Song and Ping Ping (and by extension, Guan Suo) to eat jerky while replenishing my Core and brainstorming ideas to uncover Concealed Experts.

Aside from scattering flour around or installing squeaky floorboards, my mind draws a blank. I suppose I could get a smaller poop tent so I can be closer to my guards at all times, but then theyre gonna hear me poop. They probably hear it regardless, but at least with a big empty tent, I have the illusion of privacy. Scribbling indoor plumbing onto the parchment and circling it multiple times, I lament my lack of useful memories once again before turning to my option of last resort. Venerable Guan Suo, I call, using the title I heard Akanai and Song use. Would you be so kind as to offer this lost soul your invaluable guidance?

Pei. Upon hearing his customary response, I circle around Ping Ping to find the grumpy half-panda relaxing against the big girls shoulder with a cloud of dark smoke hanging over his head. What do you want now? Not satisfied with keepin an old man from his sleep with your displays of Purity, now you want to natter at him too?

Honestly, his grouchiness is almost endearing. If he didnt want to answer, he couldve just stayed hidden, but he didnt. I think he likes our little conversations and just doesnt want to admit it, but Ill play along. My profound apologies Venerable One, but could you explain Concealment and maybe offer suggestions on how to defeat it?

In the blink of an eye, Guan Suos playful grouchiness disappears and is replaced by outright hostility. No, he snarls, baring his teeth in threat. Now fuck off. Shooting to his feet, he disappears from sight and refuses to respond to my pleas again, though why, I have no idea. I suppose Concealment is one of those things he doesnt want to talk about, probably because he likes his privacy. I mean, willingly revealing himself for a chat isnt the same as me seeing through his Concealment and forcing him to talk, so I shout a heartfelt apology before going back to my brainstorming.

The problem is, I dont know enough about Concealment to counter it. I mean, it makes people overlook your presence, but how? Maybe I should ask Lei Gong, but hes another old grouch who likes to stay hidden. I suppose Ill just have to wait until Argat is better to work on anti-Concealment methods, which means theres nothing for me to do except make more Purifying Water and figure out how to use External Water Chi. I mean, its awesome that I can Externalize it, but the process is slow, Chi intensive, and of no real value whatsoever, so even though Ive taken a critical step along the Martial Path, my strength hasnt improved by a single iota, which was the whole point of this endeavour.

Argat thinks Ill surpass him in two years, but even if hes right, I dont think the Empire has that much time...

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