Rise of The Demon General Chapter 787. Working Together

Amon started to worry when the Hyanid remained silent, fearing the creature didn't understand human speech. Just as he braced for an assault, the Hyanid finally spoke.

"What proposition is it?"

An inner sigh of relief escaped Amon; his assessment seemed accurate. "We cannot survive by fighting alone," he proposed. "Let us cooperate."

"Absurd," the Hyanid retorted. "Should we survive this trial, only one of us will earn freedom. A confrontation is inevitable."

Amon's initial guess was correct. This Hyanid, a criminal serving a sentence, likely perceived Amon as being in the same predicament, seeking freedom through this trial.

"That may be true, but we don't need to fight from the outset. Doing so guarantees our demise. Observe the battle over there," Amon suggested, pointing towards a distant fight.

Two spirit beasts were engaged in combat: a Lower Primordial Beast, a colossal creature with armored plates, clashed with an altered beast possessing a massive snake tail. The snake beast moved with remarkable speed across the ground, its two scythe-like arms lashing out in rapid succession as it circled the armored giant. Each strike landed true, yet none managed to penetrate the beast's incredibly tough, rocky exterior. The armored giant remained largely stationary, enduring the snake beast's relentless assaults.

As the snake creature prepared for another pass, the armored giant finally stirred. Its movements were surprisingly swift for its bulky form, catching the snake beast completely off guard. Before any evasive action could be taken, the giant's massive fist descended. It slammed into the snake beast's back, crushing it into the ground with immense force. The creature's body could not withstand the pressure, flattening it into the earth, causing blood to erupt and the ground to crater.

The wasp-like stinger instinctively tried to strike its foe, but its attack failed to breach the giant's protective armor. The snake beast's tail weakened with each failed attempt to penetrate, eventually falling limp before it ceased all movement.

In a single, decisive move, the armored giant had eliminated one of the five altered beasts.

"We must defeat that creature to pass this trial," Amon stated to the Hyanid. "Do you believe you can defeat it alone? We can determine the trial's victor between us, but only after that beast is vanquished. As long as it remains standing, our chances of survival are nonexistent."

While the Hyanid was still contemplating Amon's proposal, Amon suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

Amon deployed his Alpha Flying Knives. The Hyanid instinctively adopted a defensive stance, assuming Amon was targeting him. However, the six formidable knives flew past him, striking the dog-beast Amon had noticed earlier. The legion of snakes adorning the beast's back retaliated against the flying projectiles.

The oppressive atmosphere of this location dulled the senses, allowing the snake beast to approach the Hyanid undetected. Had Amon not intervened, the dog beast's ambush would likely have been successful.

"... Thank you," the Hyanid acknowledged Amon, quickly distancing himself from the dog beast. Amon retreated alongside him.

"You're welcome. By the way, my name is Amon. And yours?"

"... I am Surressh," the Hyanid replied. "What is your suggestion? Which should we target first?"

"Neither. Let them weaken each other through combat," Amon advised, gesturing for Surressh to fall back further. Surressh complied. Amon inquired as they moved, "What are your strengths? Close combat or long-range attacks? And what elements do your techniques utilize?"

"All Hyanids excel in melee combat," Surressh responded, a hint of pride audible despite his status as an outcast. "Our Cryanid physiology grants us superior strength and resilience compared to humans of equivalent cultivation levels. However, my own arts are primarily focused on long-range assaults, utilizing the element of Gravity."

"Understood. Your role will be to stay behind me and provide covering fire with your long-range arts," Amon proposed.

Normally, allowing someone like Surressh to position himself behind him would be considered reckless, especially with their cultivation senses impaired. However, Amon aimed to build trust with Surressh. Moreover, he felt confident in his danger sense to alert him if Surressh harbored any treacherous intentions.

"Something seems amiss... Why aren't those two spirit beasts fighting?" Surressh questioned.

Surressh was referring to the dog-beast that had attempted to ambush them earlier. Another creature, distinguished by its snail-like body and spider-like legs, was approaching the dog-beast but made no hostile move, simply standing its ground.

Amon shared Surressh's bewilderment. He had directed his Alpha Flying Knives to prevent the dog-beast from escaping, as he had observed the snail-like beast approaching. He had fully anticipated a confrontation between the two.

Then, the snail beast’s side shells sprang open, revealing two gaping maws in its fleshy body. The creature shuddered, and from these openings, projectiles emerged. They landed near Amon and Surresh, manifesting as monstrous worms, their mouths armed with razor-sharp teeth at both extremities.

These worms coiled their lengthy bodies before violently unfurling, launching themselves toward Amon and Surresh with surprising velocity.

Amon expertly wielded his Moonfire Dagger, its edge glinting. Just as the dagger neared a leaping worm, he observed a blood vessel throb beneath its translucent hide. Swiftly evading, Amon’s blade continued its trajectory, a clean slice through the worm’s vulnerable core. The creature ruptured, spewing forth a torrent of corrosive fluid.

Thanks to his sharp instincts, Amon narrowly avoided the acidic spray. He retracted his dagger using the Xian Cloth.

While Amon’s reflexes saved him, Surresh relied on a long-range technique. His spear thrust forward, conjuring a spiraling vortex of energy that intercepted a worm mid-flight. The worm’s sudden detonation upon impact startled him, yet his superior positioning kept him safely clear of the acidic deluge.

The snail beast proceeded to eject more worms from its form. They landed in the vicinity of Amon and Surresh, effectively boxing them in.

Notably, the snail beast made no move against the adjacent canine creature. This beast, having finally shaken off Amon’s Alpha Flying Knives, though losing several dorsal snakes in the process, found the remaining ones ensnaring the six blades, rendering them inert. The knives were now grounded.

The dog beast did not engage the nearby snail beast either. Instead, it charged directly at Amon and Surresh the moment it neutralized the knives.

‘This snail beast likely wields some form of psychic influence over other creatures,’ Amon surmised, his gaze sweeping over the other combatants. The insect-headed beast remained locked in combat with the flower-headed one, while the hulking armored giant stood immobile where it had previously crushed the serpentine beast.

“We must prevent that snail beast from interfering with the others,” Amon advised Surresh.

“Why?” Surresh inquired.

“I suspect it can command or at least dissuade other beasts from attacking it. This becomes a critical issue if it turns this chaotic melee into a direct confrontation between us and itself. Our priority is to eliminate it before the other beasts close in.”

“Easier said than done,” Surresh countered. They had been narrowly dodging worms and detonating them from afar, yet the snail beast relentlessly spawned more. To exacerbate their predicament, the dog beast was now rapidly approaching.

“I will handle the snail beast. You deal with these pests!” Amon declared, launching a volley of smaller projectiles with Hundred Shooting Stars at the confronting worms, causing them to detonate. Once the fiery aftermath subsided, he surged forward.

As Amon attempted to bypass it, the dog beast lunged. Although some of its snakes were occupied restraining Amon’s Alpha Flying Knives, a considerable number remained free, extending toward him with snapping jaws.

Suddenly, the area around the dog beast shifted to a dull grey, its mid-air assault dramatically decelerating as if under immense pressure. It crashed to the ground, a palpable weight bearing it down. Amon recognized Surresh’s intervention; a gravity-manipulating art was hindering the canine foe.

Disregarding the dog beast, Amon sprinted towards the snail creature. Sensing his intent, the snail beast scrambled away on its four stout legs, spewing worms into Amon’s advance to impede his progress.

The snail beast’s trajectory led it toward the engaged insect-headed and flower-headed beasts. The armored giant was closer, but the snail beast steered clear, likely recognizing its mental influence would be ineffective against such a foe.

Amon refused to let the snail beast reach the brawling pair. He unleashed Invisible Phantom Flash, his blades tearing through the worms in his path, each strike causing them to detonate. His incredible speed propelled him beyond the corrosive liquids’ reach even as they erupted.

This burst of speed brought him alongside the snail beast almost instantly. However, the creature reacted with remarkable instinct, leaping aside as Amon closed in. The sword-lights trailing his technique struck the airborne snail beast. In response, its core body retracted, shielding itself within its twin shells. Both the shell and the beast’s numerous legs proved resilient, deflecting Amon’s subsequent slashes.

Just as Amon prepared to press his assault, a potent psychic assault slammed into him, feeling like a concussive blow to the head. His focus shattered, his mind left utterly blank.