129 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

Title: 129 - Strange Dolls Author: Return of the Han and Tang Dynasty Last update: 2025/3/21 20:30:01 Word count: 4046 --- Is this what the demons of Resmir are like? These demon wolves were far larger than ordinary wolves, their fur bristling like spikes. Their yellow beastly eyes lacked irises, and their claws and teeth were jet black. Despite their wolf-like appearance, these creatures were considered the lowest tier of demons. Wenny had come across a book called the Demon Compendium, which mentioned that the more similar a demon looked to humans or familiar creatures, the lesser its corruption and the weaker its power. This was because they were modeled after Theresian beings, aligning more closely with the Theresian system. In contrast, the truly high-level demons, including the demonic deities' minions, lacked human forms entirely and appeared bizarre as if they grew as they pleased, unconcerned with their appearance because no one looked at them anyway. "Alright, everyone, idle chatter is over. Time to get to work." "Let's send these air-polluting creatures back home!" Wenny led the charge, slashing down a demon wolf shrouded in black mist with his spear. Before setting off, some in the team still doubted Wenny's position as team leader. However, those doubts vanished after he detected the stealthy approach of demon wolves that the others missed, preventing potential injuries among his team. "Tsk, these beasts have finally shown up. I've been itching for a fight!" Sok, clad in pitch-black light armor, unsheathed his dual swords with a smirk. "Dare to launch a sneak attack, and I'll make sure you never howl again!" "Prepare to meet your maker!" Encouraged by their captain's bravery, the team members found their spirits lifted. With a leap, Sok plunged both swords into the skull of a demon wolf. The wolf died on the spot. When struck, these demons exhibited strange behaviors, which Wenny recognized as a result of their lack of pain receptors; they felt no pain. Bardos, having summoned the King of Greed Wolves, swung his chain hammer with enough force to form a barrier that repelled the wolves surrounding him. The chain hammer's ferocity sent the attacking wolves flying. Jayden, wearing his brass armor named Copper Wall, withstood wave after wave of wolf attacks. Wielding a sword and shield, he favored defense, prioritizing team protection over offense. Zedis, dressed in flexible lamellar armor and wielding a heavy crossbow, took down the larger demon wolves under Jayden’s cover. A single shot was all it took, ensuring no escape for these hefty beasts. It was their first time fighting side by side, and while their coordination was amateurish, their opponents were weak, easily dispatched without breaching the line formed by the five armored warriors. Feeling he could single-handedly take on the pack, Sok dove into the fray, twirling his blades with abandon. Suddenly, he found his sharp blade halted, as if hitting an unyielding wall of steel. Startled, Sok looked up. His sword was lodged in the belly of a now-standing giant demon bear, unscathed by the wound. The bear lifted its gargantuan paw to swat at Sok. In the nick of time, a crossbow bolt pierced the demon bear’s skull, stopping it dead. "Phew…" Sok breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Zedis!" "Don’t go too deep. Who knows what's lurking in the shadows!" Zedis shouted back. Hearing this, Sok was about to retreat when a chilling breeze scraped his back, the hair on his neck bristling. "Sok, get back!" his teammates cried out, realizing something dire had appeared behind him. To their horror, the demons they had slain dissolved into a liquid state, merging into a massive amorphous demon resembling boiling magma. The creature extended a hand from a pool of water, snatching Sok who was attempting to flee. "Ahhhh!" Sok was hoisted by the collar and dragged toward it. Normally, his Shadow Armor provided speed advantages that would have allowed him to evade, but to his shock, his velocity was easily countered. Zedis gritted his teeth, aiming his crossbow at the monster’s arm, but the creature evaded the arrow mid-air, twisting its form. “Damn demon!” Bardos stepped forward as his wolf spirits emerged. Raging Wolf Assault. The wolf spirits fused into Bardos’s chain hammer, and with a mighty swing, half of the monster’s body was blown apart. Yet without pain receptors, such damage didn’t slow it down—its actions ceased only when its health ran dry. As the colossus prepared to slam Sok down, Jayden intended to assist, but the monster's whip-like appendage lashed him away. Sok's Shadow Armor was lightweight and offered no real defense. Wenny, armed with Frostfang, breached the demon wolves' defenses, reaching the massive monster. Grasping his spear's end, he swept in a circle. Rime Frost Crescent Slash. Frost surged, instantly freezing the monster's vast form. Wenny stood amidst a raging cold vortex, freezing any demon wolves daring to attack him. But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the creature and its icy cocoon shattered, the surrounding demon wolves dissolving into liquid and being absorbed to heal the monster. The shattered demon revived instantaneously, lifting Sok high before flinging him downwards. Oh no! The others couldn’t approach in time; Zedis’s bolts missed the target. Wenny considered unleashing Frostfang’s Fury, yet remembered this scenario differed from the last—this time, allies surrounded him, and the attack lacked friendly identification, risking collateral harm. Rime Frost Crescent Slash was still cooling down. Bardos, swinging his hammer, was also repelled by the monster's whipped limb, unable to intervene. Sok felt his end approaching. At that moment, a dark gold figure descended from the sky, its cloak a red flame on its shoulder. "Boom!" A dark gold figure, with a single kick, pierced the creature’s core, landing on one knee. Only then did the team see the fully-armored, beaked helmet with a fiery red plume, adorned with a billowing scarlet cloak like a blaze. The massive demon, its core obliterated, paused before exploding into a puddle. "Ouch!" Sok landed hard, splashing into the puddle. "Who are you?" The team, bewildered, stared at the dark gold beaked knight who had come to their rescue. "You punks claimed to have read the demon manual thoroughly before setting out, but ended up hitting the wrong spots instead of targeting their core—was this your idea of thorough reading?" The beaked knight stood, glancing at the stunned armored warriors. His voice made everyone recognize him immediately. “Professor Fei?” "I leave briefly, and you nearly get overrun by such low-level demons. Don't tell anyone you’re my students; it’s embarrassing." "Uh, Professor Fei, b-behind you!" A majestic shadow of a demon bear loomed over Fei, and Sok quickly warned him. "Don’t interrupt me." Fei casually uppercut the demon bear behind him, sending it flying into a treetop. "Next time, write out the manual ten times, until you remember it!" "And Sok, quit showboating. You'll be doing it fifteen times!" "Uh..." Sok was momentarily speechless. Everyone was stunned. The giant demon bear they had struggled against was effortlessly punched onto a treetop by Fei, as if dealing with a mere inconvenience, without even breaking a sweat. "A bunch of greenhorns; with this level of practical combat skills, what gives you the audacity to stroll around chatting in the polluted zones of Resmir?" "If you don't value your lives, remember I still value my job. Had I not arrived in time, you might have suffered casualties as soon as you entered the polluted area. Better to know your limits than aimlessly pursue lofty goals!" Fei’s words reminded everyone that the lowest level of demons didn't have magic cores; only demons of slightly higher rank possessed them. However, as the demon's level increased, their magic cores became progressively less conspicuous and harder to strike. It wasn't about neglecting the manual's details; rather, the intense and chaotic combat atmosphere caused all five of them to forget this crucial piece of knowledge. Sok’s capture by the demon only exacerbated their inability to remain calm. "Take this as a lesson: the more chaotic the battlefield, the more you must stay composed. Panic serves no purpose and only risks your life," Fei said, taking out the remaining demon bears and large wolves with ease before joining the group. "I initially planned to take you deeper to see for yourselves, but now it seems better for you to stay here and deal with demon wolves. At your current level, you wouldn’t handle multiple demon bears." Hearing this, the group exchanged glances in silent acknowledgment. So, this guy said he was just stepping away for a moment, when in reality, he had been shadowing them all along? "Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit, let alone in a life-or-death battle. In the future, use your brains and remember this is a battlefield where life hangs by a thread, understood?" With these words, Fei proceeded to escort them further into the pollution zones, instead of leaving them behind to wait for demons. Though he spoke harshly, the academy's mission remained the academy's mission. He had to ensure these youngsters learned about each type of demon, identifying their weaknesses, and understanding how to conserve energy and magic power during combat. Next year, he wouldn’t be around to supervise these youngsters. If they didn’t learn anything by then, it would reflect poorly on his teaching. It was soon time to divide the spoils. Senior students usually tallied their grades by the number of magic cores, but being first-years, they had encountered many low-level demons without cores. Thus, they split the kill count among the squad evenly. As dusk fell, enveloping the land tormented by demonic forces, Resmir's setting sun cast a hazy, dark hue over everything. Elsewhere on a plain in Resmir, a blonde twin-tailed girl wielded a massive dragon fang sword, cutting down the attacking demon corpses. A genius who had become the student council president by her second year at Carelman Academy, Mirexia's strength and talent ranked among the best in an institution brimming with prodigies. Therefore, she operated in highly polluted zones, only a short remove from the main battlefield of national armies. Her first encounter in Resmir the previous year was in a moderately polluted zone, and without any pressure, she excelled. This time, venturing into more polluted areas was not reckless. Indeed, these monsters were no match for Mirexia, the golden-haired girl slicing through ranks of demons with her enchanted greatsword, longer than her own frame. In these highly polluted zones, demi-human demons like corpses and dolls were prevalent and formidable, their might demanding high-level teams to tackle them. Yet Mirexia navigated these environments effortlessly. Collecting the fallen demons' magic cores into her sack, Mirexia surveyed the decay-stricken landscape under the setting sun. The deeper into the polluted zones one went, the harsher the environment; some claimed the heart of Resmir resembled venturing into a demonic deity's belly. Having cleansed this area on her own, Mirexia turned to see a fleeing figure. What could it be? Mirexia frowned. In the dim light, she glimpsed what seemed to be a demon doll. Yet, demon dolls didn't possess the intelligence akin to a deity’s minions to exhibit human-like behaviors such as escaping. Sensing something amiss, Mirexia hoisted her sword and gave chase, the blood-red sunset glinting on her dazzling platinum hair, accentuating her alluring silhouette.