1594 An Old General’s Obstinance
“I refuse! Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha can’t join my squad!”
“Why?”
“Because they aren’t members of Demon Slayer Clans. In this critical operation, I will only bring warriors I can trust.”
“Old Dres, I understand that you value trust in your squadron, but Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha are both outstanding. The battle in the canyon, the turmoil regarding the Lion Vultures in the Beast Garden, and Nikai’s predicament; everyone has seen how well Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha performed there. Moreover, Xia Fan is the only one who was able to understand the Demonic Voice and get the map.”
!!
“Then have him hand over the map, or else support us from a distance. There’s a situation if you look for one. In any case, I’m not bringing anyone I don’t understand.”
“What if I insist?”
“My apologies. A general abroad has the right to refuse orders.”
The mood became very stiff. General Dresden refused to bring Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha into the Demon Palace, as he was only willing to bring warriors he understood and trusted. This left Calvinson in an awkward spot. He felt sincere admiration for Xia Fan, even wanting Xia Fan to become the commander. But when he considered that Xia Fan’s current ident.i.ty made it very difficult to convince the ma.s.ses, he had to drop the idea.
Bloodlines were very mysterious existences. There were many people in Subduing Demon City who believed that those who killed Demon Kings had gained some mystical power from a Demon King’s blood. It was why Demon Slayer Clans had such lofty statuses. On a mental level, they were superior to the warriors from ordinary clans.
Calvinson scowled, dearly wis.h.i.+ng to rush up to Dresden and shout into his face, “You think the Demon Slayer Clans are incredible? Xia Fan is a Skywing!”
Alas, the Skywings coming to the Lower Realm was a secret that only a few people knew. Even General Dresden didn’t have the right to know about that crazy army.
Calvinson and Dresden were in a standoff, and Nizeru was worried sick. He wanted to save his daughter, but the City Lord and the general were arguing. What was going on here?
At this point, Cotillard finally entered the conversation. “Old Dres, take Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha.”
“Or else?”
“Or else your clan will no longer get a single weapon from me. What I have given you, I can also take back.”
Dresden’s face turned green. The thirteen City Lords were all masters of their fields. Cotillard specialized in weapon research and production. One order from him was enough for him to reclaim all the weapons and combat suits he had given out.
A warrior without a weapon basically had their arm cut off. Consequently, Cotillard had a very special status in Subduing Demon City. The warriors needed to be careful to maintain their relations.h.i.+p with that City Lord, or else he might strip them naked if he was unhappy.
As for the historian Calvinson, Dresden didn’t give a hoot about him!
“You’re ruthless!” The veins on his head bulging, Dresden stood up and walked out of the room.
Calvinson sighed. All of his words and arguments couldn’t compare to one sentence from Cotillard. Truly, comparison could kill a man!
“Old Dres is a stubborn donkey. Although he has a big temper, he’s truly loyal and will sacrifice his life at any time,” Cotillard said, worried that Calvinson would nurse a grudge.
“I know. There’s no warrior without a temper,” Calvinson agreed with a shrug.
…
“If I read out your name, follow me!” Dresden roared as he walked out of the hold.
“Dongfang He!”
“Jia Yuntian…”
He read out the names of nine warriors in all. Together with Dresden, they made up a team of ten. Tactically, this was a mobile squad with immense firepower.
Although Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were called out in the end, General Dresden clearly wasn’t happy about it, not even looking at them. In his bones, he couldn’t respect Xia Fan, believing that only warriors who were descended from Demon Slayers could inherit the tradition of excellence of the Demon Subduer Army.
“What’s up with him? He’s acting like we begged him to go,” Traveling Buddha muttered to Xia Fan.
“Eh, just bear with it. Saving people comes first,” Xia Fan said.
…
Putting on the diver-type combat suit, Traveling Buddha jumped into the water and began to swim about as agilely as a swordfish.
Down at the bottom of the sea, about a third of the Demon Palace’s roof had been uncovered. The tall tower and the T-shape were only the upper parts of the Demon Palace. Based on what Nikai had been through, everyone understood that there was a maze of pa.s.sages under the sands. n.o.body knew what other secrets could be buried in the underground Demon Palace.
Dresden was old but firm. He stood in the center of the squad, confidently issuing commands. They soon arrived at the a.s.signed entrance.
Currently, there were two paths into the Demon Palace. One was to take Nikai’s path and carefully uncover the vertical pit. The other was the one that they had chosen, entering through the Demon Palace’s ventilation shaft!
“Everything ready?” Dresden asked sternly.
“No problem!”
“General, relax!”
Dresden nodded and then called over a young man named Christopher.
Christopher had rare red hair, like a bonfire in the night. It was said that his older sister was a famous beauty that could make an army fall for her. In Subduing Demon City, she had the nickname of the Red-Haired Demon Daughter.
Alas, the Red-Haired Demon Daughter was currently on the second level of the Lower Realm, carrying out a mission, so Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha hadn’t been able to see her.
Christopher had everyone gather around him, and then he waved his right hand. A mysterious light emerged from his palm, circling around everyone and forming a spherical forcefield.
Whoos.h.!.+
Suddenly, Christopher closed his hand into a fist. Xia Fan watched his surroundings suddenly grow large as he shrank rapidly. In a few seconds, he had become the height of a dwarf, like a child of seven or eight.
This was Christopher’s ability. His forcefield could enlarge or shrink an object, but because Xia Fan and the others were all humans, excessive enlargement or shrinking would damage the body and bones. Thus, the most he could do was shrink them to a third of their original size.
But that was enough. With their child-sized bodies, the warriors could easily enter the Demon Palace’s ventilation shaft. Someone had already unscrewed the rusting screws and removed the vent. Everyone filed in, but because their arms were restrained by the walls of the vent, they had to rely on their legs to move along.
“General, we should take the right hand path. According to the map, this path should lead us to a storage area. That location is very safe. We should find a place to set up camp in the Demon Palace before we start advancing through the floors,” Xia Fan said through the communication crystal.
Xia Fan grew anxious when he saw that Dresden was leading everyone straight to the depths of the Demon Palace.
Dresden sneered. “You seem to have a lot of advice. Why don’t you take command?”
This…
Xia Fan shook his head. “General, you misunderstand me. I didn’t mean things that way.”
“Then what do you mean? Do you think that you’re amazing just because you’ve deciphered the Demonic Voice and can read the Demon Palace’s map?
“Let me tell you the truth. I’ve attacked many more Demon Palaces than you know about! Even with my eyes closed, I can understand the structure of a Demon Palace! This is called experience, a treasure that I’ve gathered through countless battles!
“The sensor shows that the intensifying energy pulses come from a hidden area at the bottom of the Demon Palace. All we need to do is strike right at the center! We will see what sort of thing is awakening, and then kill it!
“If you’re afraid, you can go back the way we came. I won’t laugh at you for it.”