The moment the dagger pierced his heart, the entire military camp seemed to plunge into Purgatory with him. Raging flames shot into the sky, while lava from some unknown source surged all around, along with pitch-black imps struggling desperately to get out.
Bailien was the first to suffer the demon's wrath. Flames swallowed him, and human hands reached out from within them to tear him apart, killing him alongside Bearded Man.
Xie De yanked aside the tent flap. Outside, everything was in chaos. Everyone was screaming and fleeing, shouting that the demon had come.
He raised his hand and fired several shots into the sky, striding forward as he shouted to restore order. "Everyone, stay calm!"
He grabbed a stunned officer. "Go keep them in line! Don't let them run around!"
The officer hesitated. "B-but..."
Xie De seized his collar and said in an ordinary tone, "This isn't a demon. It's just a fire. Have them fetch water and put it out."
"Y-yes." The officer nodded repeatedly.
Xie De released him and, a few strides later, pulled aside Bearded Man's tent flap. Inside was a sea of flames, thick with smoke. The instant he entered, the smoke stung his eyes.
Bracing himself with his gun, he crouched halfway down to look. Bearded Man's and Bailien's bodies had been torn to pieces. They could not have been any deader.
The officer who had left earlier directed the soldiers to splash water into the room.
Xie De coughed, covered his mouth and nose, and withdrew.
Outside, men were restoring order, and bucket after bucket of water was thrown onto the flames.
By then, the hellish lava and pitch-black imps that had appeared earlier were gone. Apart from the smell of sulfur lingering in the air, everything that had happened seemed like a