Rise of The Demon General Chapter 904. Repayment

"What do you mean? What solution are you going to use on the plagues?" Diu Cay asked.

"It’s not something that involves you," Amon answered. "Just do as you are told, and I will solve your problem."

"I can’t act with such vague information!" Diu Cay almost banged his hand on the table, but stopped himself at the last second.

Yao Ai spoke, "Diu Cay, do as he said."

"Ye–Yes, My Lady..." Diu Cay didn’t dare to disobey.

"Send people to those holding off the undead plagues," Amon commanded. "Not just the one in the Mercy Domain. Send emissaries to the defending troops in this Devotion Domain and the Commitment Domain as well. Tell them that Slayer Amon of the Mercy Faction will strike directly at the source of the plague. Once I do, the entire plague will end. Tell them to hold out till then."

"Really?" Diu Cay asked.

"Just do as you are told," Amon said.

The remark infuriated Diu Cay, but he didn’t lash out. He glanced at Yao Ai and saw that she didn’t object, so he called his assistant and told her to arrange everything.

Yao Ai herself didn’t know if Amon was telling the truth. She didn’t know about the Undead Pestilence Poison. Amon never told her. She wasn’t even aware of the plague until it was brought up during the discussion. She was unconscious when the plague spread.

Diu Cay returned to the meeting table after talking with his assistant. "I have sent people to the Mercy and Commitment Domains."

"What about this Devotion Domain?" Amon asked.

"The plague has broken through the barricade because the Devotion Faction troops have left. Only the civilian troops remain to hold the line. They are not effective enough to stop the plague. It resumes spreading again."

"Why did they leave?" Yao Ai asked.

"Sigh... They must have received news about Hai Di’s defeat," Amon said. "I didn’t expect the news to travel so fast. Someone in Venal Virtuous City must have sent them a message talisman before their defeat. The leader of the troops is Xin Rong, Hai Lao’s wife and Hai Di’s daughter-in-law. She must have heard about the defeat but not yet about their demise. She is rushing back to the capital, thinking that she can still save them."

"She will be sorely disappointed when she arrives in the capital." Yao Ai chuckled.

"She won’t reach there. We will intercept her," Amon said.

"We will?" Yao Ai asked.

"We will not only stop her, but we will also take her army for ourselves. Prepare to march."

"Alright. Diu Cay, tell the troops to make the preparations. We leave at dawn."

Diu Cay was speechless. From the exchange, Amon seemed more in charge than Yao Ai.

"Diu Cay, I gave you an order!" Yao Ai stated.

"Ye–Yes, My Lady! Right away, My Lady!" Diu Cay scurried away to issue the order.

After Diu Cay left, Yao Ai said, "I’m going to rest until the time to depart. Is that okay with you?"

"You are free to do whatever you want," Amon replied. "You are not my prisoner. Just make sure you do not forget that your life is in my hands, agree to everything I suggest, and come to my aid when I need it."

Yao Ai scoffed. "That is not free by my standard."

Amon shrugged in response. He was about to leave, but stopped and said, "Before you rest, I need you to arrange something."

*

What Amon asked of Yao Ai was to let him use the camp’s field command center, with the Mercy Faction members at his command. He sat in the commander’s chair and had the four captives he had taken from Venal Virtuous City brought to him.

These four captives were Hai Xuang, Xin Lie, Li Jing, and a Devotion Faction member Amon only knew by reputation. They were forced to kneel before Amon.

"What do you want with us, fiend?!" Li Jing hissed at Amon. Everyone witnessing could easily identify the setup as a trial, with the four captives as the accused and Amon as the judge.

"Winners take all. You have won. Do you still need to shame us like this?" Xin Lie asked.

"You are nothing but a fraud!" Hai Xuang exclaimed. "You align yourself with the Hyanids and doom us humans. Everyone! Why do you follow this dishonorable man?!"

The Mercy Faction members looked at each other. Amon did hold a high rank in the Mercy Faction, but they were doing this out of Yao Ai’s order. To them, her words were absolute. Also, they had no idea about the Hyanids. They weren’t present at the battle between the Devotion Faction and the Cryanids horde.

Amon made no response. He let the captives say their piece. Only after they were tired and stopped talking did he speak.

"Xin Lie, did you remember what I said to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Xin Lie asked in return.

"That I will one day repay you for what you have done."

Xin Lie seemed at a loss for a moment. Her face then showed realization. "You can’t be... Are you still bitter about that time? Is that why you oppose the Devotion Faction? I did that for your good! That girl is nothing. You can’t still have feelings for her. You are not doing this to avenge that nobody, are you?"

Amon chuckled. "I want to say I don’t truly care about her, and I think I do believe that. However, there is this thought that keeps bothering me. Like, I can’t get rid of it. As much as I dislike it, I think the nobody girl you mentioned left something inside me. Something that I want to get rid of but can’t. I hope that once I fulfil my promise to her, it will be gone. I have already completed half of my promise, which is getting rid of Hai Di. You are the remaining half."

"What is he talking about?" Hai Xuang asked Xin Lie.

It was Li Jing who answered, "During our time in the surface world, we arranged for this man to meet Father. The incident ended with him killing his girlfriend. He blamed us for it."

"What? You are the one who did the killing. Why do you blame us?!" Hai Xuang exclaimed.

"If I am to be honest, I don’t blame any of you. I never do," Amon answered. "I’m actually grateful, Xin Lie. As you said, you did it for my good. I agree. If that girl remained alive, she would sooner or later be my weakness. Nevertheless, as I said, even if I’m grateful, I don’t like this thing inside that bothers me. That’s why I’m doing this. I’m not doing this for her. I’m doing this for myself. Do you understand?"

Xin Lie laughed. "In that case, I’m not wrong about you. You are truly a villain."

"Since I’m grateful, I’m going to give you the same choice as Hai Di gave me. I know you care for your sister more than anything in the world. Take her life, and you are a free woman."

Everyone went silent upon hearing Amon’s demand. He threw a dagger at the ground before Xin Lie. He then ordered a couple of Mercy Faction members to untie the runic chains that bound Xin Lie. The faction members remained behind her, in case she tried something.

Xin Lie stared at the dagger on the ground without moving.

It was Hai Xuang who broke the silence. "How can you ask that! You are such a beast! Just kill us already if you want us dead so much! Stop toying with us...!!"

Li Jing turned to Xin Lie and said, "Sister, do it. Kill me. It’s fine. I won’t blame you, but promise me that you will get revenge for me. You must find a way to defeat that devil."

"No, don’t do it!" Hai Xuang exclaimed. "He is just playing us. He will never let us go free. Don’t give him the satisfaction of being his plaything."

"No," Xin Lie said. She picked up the dagger. "Though I believe he is a devil, I know he will keep his word. He will let me go free if I do as he said."

"In that case, do it!" Li Jing said. "I won’t blame you, sister. Do it! My ghost will haunt that terrible man instead."

Amon chuckled. "I already have many ghosts haunting me, girl. I’m doing this because I’m trying to get rid of one of the two most troublesome ones."

"Don’t trust him, Xin Lie!" Hai Xuang pleaded. "That man cannot be trusted."

"Amon!" Xin Lie shouted. "Witness this! I will pay for my sister’s life using mine!"

Finishing speaking, Xin Lie drove the dagger into her heart before swiftly pulling it out. Blood gushed out of her wound. This took everyone aback, including Amon.

Blood also flowed from her mouth. "Le–let this... be the repayment of... what debt you think... I owe you. Let go of my sister... You, bastard..."

With those last words, she dropped to the ground. Her blood continued to flow out, accompanied by Li Jing’s grieving cry.