Demon's Surprise Attack

(Thanks to Xiao Xiao Lv Zhu for spotting the typos, though the errors you found were a bit petty!! Everyone can go check the very top of the book reviews!)

Outside the manor, watching Sir Jesse's carriage disappear into the distance, a figure hidden in a black cloak stood alone beneath a tree. Turning to gaze at the thriving manor before him, he muttered with disdain:

"The idlers have finally left. To have me cooperate with two trash mages? What exactly is that Black Knight Jack thinking?"

"I am a Warlock who carries a powerful bloodline. A Black Iron Mage and a few Black Iron guards are nothing; I only need to summon a Bronze-tier Demon to wipe them all out!"

Although confident in his own strength, out of caution, Goman the Warlock did not intend to personally infiltrate the enemy's territory. Instead, he took out a badge made of bronze, engraved on the front with a hideous demon pattern. He held the badge to his chest and poured his internal mana into it violently.

"Come forth! Blade Demon!"

As the badge was triggered by his mana, it lit up with a dark, abyssal glow. A projection of light cast forward, and immediately after, a creature nearly eight feet tall—at least three heads taller than an adult human—appeared before the Warlock.

"Damnable Warlock, you summon the great Rizlik again. Where is my sacrifice?"

The Blade Demon looked terrifying. Though humanoid, its skin was a greenish-black, and its head, back, and joints were covered in hard, sharp spikes. Its arms had completely shed the form of hands, mutated into a pair of mantis-like blade arms. One look at their sharpness was enough to know that this pair of blades could easily sever a human's spine.

Goman cursed inwardly: Stupid, irritable Blade Demon. If my Fire-Burning Demon summoning badge hadn't been damaged while escaping the lackeys of the Hand of Justice and hadn't recovered yet, I wouldn't need to summon a conceited idiot like you!

However, for the sake of his goal, he still needed to borrow this creature's power. Goman suppressed his displeasure, pointed toward the manor, and said:

"The sacrifice is inside the manor. The souls of a Black Iron Mage and three Black Iron guards will surely greatly enhance your power. You should know that this mage is not only a summoner but also a human noble!"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Blade Demon looked greedy, its mouth practically drooling as it said:

"Hehe! A tender human noble mage—how many years has the great Rizlik gone without such a treat! Humble Warlock, I am very satisfied with your sacrifice. Next time, depending on my mood, I might give you a free summon!"

Having said that, the demon took long strides toward the manor gate.

Goman sneered in his heart: A free summon? This dim-witted demon! If there were no battle, why would I summon a muscle-head like you? Once there is a fight, the enemy's soul and flesh are your sacrifice; when have I ever paid you extra? Your intelligence isn't even as good as the lowest Dretch!

However, despite his mockery, the Warlock still prepared a dark art to assist the Blade Demon's assault.

Sleep Mist, a rather unconventional third-tier spell. As an upgraded version of the first-tier Sleep spell, it had evolved from a single-target spell into an area-of-effect spell, with its effects significantly enhanced. Choosing a direct assault was partly due to underestimating the target's strength, but the Warlock also did not want to cause too much of a stir and lead people to track him down.

A faint black mist, like a nightmare, gathered before the Warlock and spread toward the manor. Along the way, all creatures enveloped by the mist fell into an uncontrollable, deep slumber.

Just as this dark art concluded, Goman heard a sudden, booming sound from ahead.

It turned out that before the Blade Demon could even approach the manor gate, it was struck head-on by two stone blocks the size of wooden barrels. One missed and hit the ground by its feet, while the other struck it squarely in the face. The Blade Demon was instantly left bloodied, its head reeling from the concussion.

This was only because demons possessed incredibly robust bodies and astonishing recovery rates. Especially for mid-tier demons like the Blade Demon, which evolved based on physical prowess, they were not only as strong as large magical beasts but also possessed a constitution strangely akin to an undying body. As long as their heads weren't severed or their heart cores shattered, they could slowly recover from even the most severe injuries.

If it were a human Bronze-tier professional, a direct hit like that would have resulted in death or at least grave injury. This was where the manor owner's estimation of defensive power had been miscalculated; he had only accounted for human enemies and had not considered the appearance of freakish enemies like demons.

Regarding the stone-throwing attack, while it looked serious, the Blade Demon had only suffered superficial wounds aside from the dizziness. With a demon's constitution, it recovered quickly. The Blade Demon shook its still-dizzy head and soon found the culprits responsible for its injury: two ancient trees standing more than ten meters apart on either side of the manor gate.

The demon roared: "Damnable Treants! Have you pieces of firewood that should be burned to ash not gone extinct yet?"

Then, braving the continuous barrage of stones, it lunged toward the manor gate.

Seeing the situation at the manor from afar, Goman couldn't help but be shocked. According to the information he possessed, legendary Treants had not appeared in the outside world for hundreds of years. It was said that aside from a few that could still be found in Elven territories, the natural Treants that once covered the forests of the main world had basically gone extinct.

Nature-worshipping Treants and chaotic evil demons were naturally at odds in terms of alignment. During the first and second Demon Calamities, many Treants had followed the Elves to join the anti-demon alliance to resist the Abyss's invasion. The appearance of the Treants made Goman's first thought wonder if his target was related to that troublesome Elven race?

If the answer was yes, this was not good news.

With the Blade Demon's speed, it covered the distance in a few breaths. Raising its arms, it destroyed the newly built manor gate in two strikes.

At the same time, in the manor's farmhouse, Donald was connected to the Tree of Life. In their mental vision, a massive red dot was charging into the manor.

"Someone is invading the manor!"

Donald hadn't expected that he would have enemies attacking the day after he finished the manor's defensive fortifications. And they were taking advantage of the moment he had just finished his banquet and lowered his guard.

The intruder hadn't snuck in stealthily; instead, he had released a bizarre spell and then walked in through the front gate with total confidence.

This kind of bizarre spell instantly brought the name "Warlock" to his mind.

But wasn't it said that Warlocks prefer sneak attacks or setting treacherous traps?

It seemed that the knowledge in books could neither be fully trusted nor fully dismissed. The wisdom and experience of the ancients from his past life were more reliable: read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, and remain unchanged to meet all changes—that was the hard truth.

The power of the opponent's bizarre spell was immense, which meant the intruder was at least a spellcaster with Bronze-tier strength. Aside from the Treants, who were protected by the power of nature and possessed a biological structure different from animal life, and Donald himself, who was the host of an artifact, even Clinton—whose soul level had reached lv2 through the Book of Truth and who possessed a strong resistance of will—were affected by the spell. Although they hadn't fallen into a completely comatose state, their consciousnesses were already becoming blurred.