Bright Sword Chapter - Blood Sacrifice

"If only one person returns, that's easy to handle, but if several return at once, can we deal with them?"

"We can. They'll definitely return to trick more people into going over, and there will certainly be gaps in their formation. That will be our chance to pick them off one by one. Leave the combat to me; this time, I won't lose like I did the other day!"

"Although we all believe in you, you must be careful during the fight!!"

"I will. We will definitely be able to defeat them, and then we'll all go home together!!"

That was the last conversation Zhi had with the others three days ago. Those words became his eternal memory—yes, an eternal memory...

Three nights ago, Zhi had returned to his dugout as planned to make final preparations. Just then, the people on the beach were attacked. A group of unknown assailants killed all the men, decapitated them, and hung their heads on coconut trees, while all the women were locked in cages and taken away.

When Zhi returned to the beach, the massacre was already over. Even he couldn't react in time; such a sudden event was the greatest shock he had ever faced. Zhi ran quickly toward the fallen crowd, but not a single person was alive. Every person lying there had been decapitated. This alone wasn't enough to drive Zhi to madness, but if only he hadn't discovered it—as Zhi searched for traces of his companions, a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life appeared before him: the heads of Lundes and Parker were hanging from the nearest coconut tree.

The only thing that gave Zhi a sense of relief was that he hadn't found the bodies of Olaf or Freya, nor had he seen the bodies of any women at all.

He was enraged. This was only the second time in his life he had felt such fury, and that voice, which had been dormant for so long, appeared in his mind once again.

"Stop thinking about whether those women are dead or alive. Even if they survived, they would only suffer more, you know that, don't you?"

"..."

"How about it? Just wipe them out and stop thinking about anything else. You are a true killing machine. Come on, give your body to me!!"

"No!!"

"What? Are you still afraid of seeing blood even now?"

"That's not it!!"

"Then why? Give your body to me and let me help you kill them. Wouldn't that be better?"

"My body will not be given to you!!"

"Do you want to die? Don't you want to see your beloved Yajie again? Do you want to lose Lin as well?"

"That's not it. This body is mine. Let me tell you, this time I will kill them with my own hands!!!"

"Haha, I never would have thought it—I never would have thought you'd actually say something like that. Fine, let me see what you're capable of!!"

In just a few seconds, Zhi regained his usual composure. He quickly dove into the sea; his behavior just now had been too reckless. If anyone had been lurking nearby, he would already be dead.

After confirming there were no living creatures near the beach, Zhi began searching for survivors. The probability was almost zero, but Zhi still searched. By daybreak, he had clearly identified the corpses on the beach. As expected, he hadn't been able to see them clearly at night under only the moonlight, but now it was different. There were other corpses on the beach—some strange dogs. Their bodies were mangled, but Zhi's assessment was correct: these dogs must have been the legendary Hellhounds, the Witch's summons. However, the Witch's body was not found here; it seemed she had successfully escaped. If Zhi's theory was correct, that Witch couldn't be far away!

Yesterday, Zhi had changed the location of his Hidden Weapon, and doing so had proven to be the right move. If the opponent was a demon, they might have been able to obtain his information through some means. Fortunately, he had a backup plan.

After changing his weapon, Zhi had originally intended to try his luck, but he never expected to actually encounter the Witch.

The Witch's chest had been pierced by an unusual arrow. This was likely a fatal wound; otherwise, she wouldn't have collapsed in the forest.

"How are you?" Although he asked, he figured the Witch wouldn't understand him anyway. Zhi stood beside the Witch, looking down. He hadn't noticed from a distance, but this Witch was actually very young.

"Human, my soul is departing. Come, I will grant you power. Eat my flesh, drink my blood, and gain strength. Then you can defeat all the enemies here—for the sake of your own survival, for the sake of your hatred!!!" These were the Witch's final words, but Zhi couldn't understand them. The only thing he knew was that his body was beginning to stop obeying him.

In the darkness, Zhi saw another version of himself—a version that had already gone mad, trampling the dead Witch and using all sorts of methods...

"See? This is the result of your cowardice!!"

"Witch's flesh, Witch's blood—is this still your first time?"

"How does it feel? I think it's absolutely wonderful. This is truly the most delicious food!!"

"Shut up... I... I won't be afraid anymore! Even like this, I will not run away again!!!"

"Don't just talk. Go ahead, take back your body and finish this yourself. If you can do that, I will disappear from your sight forever!!"

"Fine, let me show you my resolve!!"

It wasn't just this Zhi; everything had fallen into madness.

Five hours later, Zhi stood by the seaside, completing his favorite action.

"Everyone, I will make everyone here pay the price they deserve!!!!" Zhi roared madly at the seaside. He could feel his body becoming lighter, his vision entering an entirely new realm, his strength increasing, and his stamina becoming more abundant. Was this the power of the Witch?

After selecting the weapons he needed, Zhi began to follow the path of the intruders. He had regained his usual composure and spent the journey analyzing the current situation.

"There are at least a hundred of them. Does that mean the expedition team has been completely wiped out? Since they even attacked the Witch, there are two possibilities: first, the opponent doesn't know about the demons and kills everyone who enters their territory; second, their leader is one of the demons, and their goal might be exclusivity, so they must eliminate others of their kind..."

"No, it's definitely the second one. If they were natives, they would easily be swayed by strange powers. That is to say, only a demon who has seized the initiative could do something like this. Real savages would have run away long ago upon seeing creatures like Hellhounds; it's impossible for them to kill a Hellhound and still manage to wound a Witch..."

"Things have become difficult. If the opponent is acting in an organized manner, my operations will be much harder, especially in this situation. You have to realize that the leader of those fearless natives is a demon!!"

"The strongest in combat is the Werewolf, the most intelligent is the Witch, and the most cunning and insidious is the Vampire..."

"There's no need to confirm how many demons are on this island, because the demon currently in the position of absolute advantage will continue to hunt them down..."

"How to control the natives? That should be simple, right? By appearing as a savior, those uncivilized guys will definitely fall for it. What is the reason? Naturally, it's to crusade against the demons!! In other words, the position that guy is currently in is the exact opposite of a demon?"

"I can't sow discord; I don't even understand their language! Can I only kill them all? Leave no one alive?"

"Even if I'm exposed now, I can definitely escape. How can I take them all out at once? Leave no one alive..."

"Traps. For those savages, traps are definitely a lethal weapon. First, find their camp, then confirm the approximate number of people, then find a nearby place to use as a base, and then fill the area around the base with traps. That way, even if they are acting in an organized manner, I have a chance to win!!"

"What is a vampire's weakness? Pride. As a vampire, pride is inherent. That guy will definitely not come out to hunt personally!"

"I can only gamble and see if my subjective judgment is wrong, or if the opponent's approach is wrong!"