Demi-Human Queen

"Jingle, jingle."

"Jingle, jingle."

Two Godrick Soldiers and Kulala the Spirit Jellyfish materialized to the sound of the clear bells.

Xia Tong did not linger in battle. Instead, he directed the Spirit Ashes to gather together and form a defensive circle.

Xia Tong took the lead, with the Spirit Ashes clustered around him on either side.

Xia Tong kept recalling the line attached to the parchment intel:

"As long as you defeat the Demi-Human Queen, the remaining Demi-Humans will scatter like birds and beasts."

At that moment, swarms of Demi-Humans surged toward Xia Tong.

There were at least seventy or eighty of them at a glance.

Even Xia Tong was taken aback by such an enormous number.

There had been far fewer when he played the game.

But on second thought, it made sense. This was one of the Demi-Human Group's headquarters, the place where the Demi-Human Queen resided. It was only natural for there to be many of them.

Of course, there was more than one Demi-Human Queen in the game.

Fortunately, these ordinary Demi-Humans were not particularly strong and were small and frail.

With Xia Tong and the Spirit Ashes standing back-to-back in a tight defensive formation, they posed little threat.

They handled them with ease.

With a tearing sound!

Xia Tong gripped his sword with both hands and cut down a Demi-Human that did not even reach his chest in a single stroke.

The blade cleaved in through its shoulder blade and sliced all the way down to its waist.

Blood spilled across the ground.

Its crude weapon made from tree branches was as fragile as paper before the Lordsworn's Greatsword.

That instantly filled the surrounding Demi-Humans with fear, slowing their assault.

Boom! Boom!

The Fanged Imps' Magic Pots exploded all around them at full force.

Every explosion knocked at least two or three Demi-Humans out of the fight.

As for Kulala the Spirit Jellyfish, every spray of corrosive acid sent whole groups of Demi-Humans howling in agony and rolling on the ground.

"Ah—!"

A shrill howl rang out ahead.

The scrawny Demi-Humans, packed together like a sea of people, parted to either side.

A thickset, much taller Demi-Human charged out from among them.

Wielding a spiked mace, it howled as it rushed toward Xia Tong.

The mace was covered in spikes. It was probably one of the finest weapons in the tribe.

A large Demi-Human!

Though it was called large, it was only about a head taller than Xia Tong.

It was a full size broader than Xia Tong, but it was nowhere near a giant.

It was far inferior to the Night's Cavalry from before.

So to Xia Tong, its sense of oppression was far too weak.

This time, he did not retreat.

Instead, he took a fierce step forward with his left foot and gripped the burning greatsword tightly with both hands.

His eyes locked onto the large Demi-Human charging at him.

When it was still one meter away from Xia Tong—

Xia Tong shouted.

The Lordsworn's Greatsword carved a perfect half-moon arc from bottom to top!

Skill—Stamp (Upward Cut)!

The rolling heat waves brought by the Fire Grease whipped Xia Tong's hair about like tangled weeds in water.

That strike carried the shriek of torn air and the crackle of raging flames!

Bang!

Accompanied by a massive, muffled impact—

The arrogant large Demi-Human was sent flying by Xia Tong's strike!

Xia Tong had already mastered the Lordsworn's Greatsword's Stamp Upward Cut.

The power of that blow was immense.

The large Demi-Human's heavy body flew backward and smashed into four or five ordinary Demi-Humans behind it.

Xia Tong pressed his advantage, bending his right knee slightly before launching himself forward like a cannonball.

The Spirit Ashes behind him followed closely, helping him deal with enemies at his back so he could charge ahead without worry!

For a moment—

The thunderous booms of Magic Pots exploding.

The cries caused by acid sprays.

The shrieks of the Demi-Humans.

And the howling of Xia Tong's burning Lordsworn's Greatsword.

All blended together.

The commotion grew louder and louder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Just then—

In the ruins where the Demi-Human Queen was located, one wall of the crumbling buildings suddenly collapsed!

Amid the billowing dust, an abnormally huge Demi-Human crawled out.

"Grr—ah!"

Ordinary Demi-Humans were only about the size of monkeys or dwarves.

But this Demi-Human Queen was enormous, standing four or five meters tall when upright.

Compared to it, the ordinary Demi-Humans around it looked as ridiculously tiny as little raccoons.

To Xia Tong, its head looked like an enormous dog's head.

Its fangs jutted out, its eyes were murky, yet they carried a primitive ferocity.

Compared to the other Demi-Humans around it, it had almost no fur on its body.

It wore only several tattered gray scraps of cloth, like a ridiculous robe.

It even wore an absurd crown on its head, picked up from who knew where!

Perhaps because its evolution was incomplete, it could barely stand fully upright and remained hunched over.

Yet even so, it was extraordinarily tall!

There was no doubt about it!

This was the most intimidating opponent Xia Tong had encountered so far!

Xia Tong's eyes fixed on the glintstone staff in its hand—the Demi-Human Queen's Staff!

A small glintstone was embedded in it, glowing faintly blue!

"This should be the staff bestowed upon the Demi-Human Group by the Carian Royal Family."

Xia Tong thought to himself.

Then he called out, telling the Spirit Ashes to keep close behind him.

To capture bandits, first capture their leader!

Seeing this tiny human charging toward it—

The Demi-Human Queen let out a strange cry.

It could not suppress its disgust and fear toward the flames on Xia Tong's sword.

The glintstone on its staff slowly lit up.

Pop!

Like a shotgun blast, a large spray of shattered magical crystals burst forth in an instant.

They shot toward Xia Tong in a dense barrage.

"Good!"

Xia Tong still did not retreat.

He raised the Lordsworn's Greatsword high and continued charging toward the Demi-Human Queen amid the roar of flames.

He only occasionally blocked the magical crystals aimed at his vital spots!

"Slash! Slash!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Only a small half of the magical crystals struck Xia Tong and his Spirit Ashes.

Xia Tong only suffered a few bloody scratches on his arm, nothing serious.

But the group of Demi-Human foot soldiers following behind Xia Tong were not so fortunate.

They were knocked down in droves by their own queen's magic.

These Demi-Humans already had low defenses, and their intelligence was too low for them to know to dodge.

The Demi-Human Queen's attack on its own allies instead greatly reduced the pressure on Xia Tong and the others!

Perhaps realizing that its spell had not achieved the desired effect—

The Demi-Human Queen no longer used magic.

One hand braced against the ground while the other swung the enormous Demi-Human Queen's Staff, smashing it viciously toward Xia Tong.

"Whoosh—"

The wind howled sharply.

Xia Tong performed a forward roll, narrowly dodging the staff descending upon him!

Bang!

A huge crater was smashed into the ground.

The two Demi-Humans behind him that had originally wanted to hack Xia Tong to death became scapegoats instead.

That blow shattered their bones and tore their tendons, leaving the unlucky pair sprawled on the ground.

After missing with its smash, the Demi-Human Queen switched to a wide sweep with its long arm.

With a tearing sound!

Just then, a mass of purplish-red liquid cut through the air.

Kulala the Spirit Jellyfish's acid spray splattered precisely onto the Demi-Human Queen's body.

It was too large and moved too slowly. Hitting it was practically guaranteed.

"Sizzle, sizzle—"

Green smoke immediately rose from the Demi-Human Queen's body, accompanied by the pungent smell of corroding flesh.

"Awroo—!"

It howled in pain.

One hand flailed wildly over its body, trying to wipe away the acid.

But the staff in its other hand lit up once more.

The crystals flashed and shot violently in every direction!

An indiscriminate attack!

Another large group of Demi-Humans immediately fell.

Among Xia Tong's Spirit Ashes, only the Stray Wolves were grazed slightly, but they were unharmed.

Most of their injuries came from the slashes of the surrounding chaotic Demi-Humans, but they were only superficial wounds.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't want your subjects to suffer, would you?"

A wicked thought surfaced in Xia Tong's mind.

As long as Her Majesty died early, her subjects would not have to endure the pain of being tormented by her.

While the Demi-Human Queen was being corroded by acid and flailing about in panic—

Xia Tong closed in!

With a forward sliding step, he circled around to its rear flank.

Gripping his sword with both hands, he aimed at its completely unguarded rear.

Then he thrust viciously!

"Psh!"

The sword stabbed in solidly!

The intense pain made the Demi-Human Queen unable to stand. Its legs went limp, and it could only brace itself with both hands to keep from collapsing.

At that moment, the two Fanged Imps, who had long been itching for action, stopped tangling with the ordinary Demi-Humans around them.

They shrieked and leaped onto the Demi-Human Queen's back together.

Their sharp claws sank deeply into its flesh.

The Forked Hatchets in their hands stabbed in and out of its body wildly, sending sprays of blood flying!