Chapter 75: The General's Growth [Second Update]

“Damn it!”

Staring at the arrow deeply embedded in the stone before him, Lu Fei—though his strength had soared and his mind matured greatly since becoming the leader—could not help but break into a cold sweat, cursing under his breath. Had his reaction been even a fraction slower, unless the arrow struck the iron armor on his body, he would most certainly have been pierced through.

He immediately turned his head and saw, not far away, a towering serpent demon with a human head and a snake’s body, bow still raised and eyes fixed on him. The look in those eyes betrayed a hint of regret at missing such a shot.

“Shit!”

Anger flared in Lu Fei’s heart. He strode forward, yanked his spear—which had skewered two corpses—from the ground, and charged straight toward the serpent demon.

As Lu Fei broke into a run, the crow demon, Redhide, Yellow Gui, and the other five or six lesser monsters following behind all hesitated. Just moments before, sticking close to their leader had felt like the wisest choice. Even that black bear demon, who appeared stronger than anyone in the group, could do nothing but flee on sight of the leader, only to be slain in an instant. The little monsters had watched, their hearts pounding with awe.

But now, with the leader rushing straight at the enemy’s ranks, the lesser monsters knew they could neither keep up with his speed nor break through the enemy lines alongside him. As soon as the leader left, the natural order shifted. Redhide, the boar demon who was not only the leader’s sworn brother but also the strongest among them, stepped up to take command.

The crow demon, despite usually being the most prominent presence and the second in rank among the brothers, was less trusted at this moment. His frivolous nature and previous defeat at Redhide’s hands left him overshadowed. In this crisis, the steadier and stronger Redhide inspired greater confidence among the others.

Redhide was well aware of this. Seeing the others look to him, he immediately barked, “This way! Stay alert, follow the leader, but don’t get too close!”

Preparing to pocket his shoddy wooden spear, Redhide’s eyes caught sight of the two iron hammers the bear demon had tossed aside earlier. His eyes lit up. He quickly discarded the wooden spear, strode over, and stashed the iron hammers into his storage, a magical trick he’d learned from his elder brother.

Then his form blurred, and he transformed into a massive black-brown wild boar nearly three meters long. As Redhide’s strength had grown, his bristly fur had darkened from a ruddy brown to a deep, lustrous black-brown.

“This way! Keep up with me!” Redhide bellowed, leading the charge.

The other little demons, seeing this, also dropped their feeble weapons and transformed into their true forms, following close behind. From the open, eager expressions on their faces, it was clear they had taken note of Redhide’s weapon-grabbing maneuver and were now brimming with new ideas of their own.

Led by a giant boar nearly three meters long and a massive crow with a wingspan just as wide, the little monsters made for a formidable sight—enough to deter most lesser demons from approaching. But it also made them a conspicuous target.

A tiger demon, its body stretching four meters long, had already fixed its gaze on the group. Licking blood from its jaws, the tiger demon glided forward with silent steps, then pounced upon a young yellow-ox demon lagging at the rear.

“Moo!”

The young ox demon, Old Honest, found himself pinned beneath the monstrous, terrifying tiger—twice his size—and let out a shrill, desperate cry. With this attack, the fleeting sense of safety in the group vanished in an instant; the toad, wild donkey, and pheasant demons shrieked in fear. Confronted with such a monstrous foe, it was a wonder they didn’t scatter at once.

Yet none dared to charge in.

At that moment, Redhide, leading at the front, spotted the scene. Without a second’s hesitation, he wheeled about and charged at the tiger demon, whose size even exceeded his own. Simultaneously, the crow demon swooped from above, talons like hooked iron claws slashing toward the tiger’s head.

Yellow Gui, still in his semi-human weasel form, simply vanished from sight. The next instant, his head popped out from beneath the tiger’s belly, and a crude spear jabbed at the beast’s soft underbelly. Though the blow failed to pierce the tiger’s hide, it made the creature howl in pain and alarm.

In that moment, Redhide’s charge landed. The three-meter-long, thickly built wild boar slammed into the tiger demon with immense force. The startled, unprepared tiger lost its balance and was flipped over by Redhide’s ever-sharper tusks.

But the tiger was quick. It rolled back to its feet, fury blazing in its eyes as it saw a boar demon had attacked it. “You want to die?” it roared, lunging at Redhide.

Just then, hooked talons from above raked at the tiger’s eyes. The crow demon, now a seasoned ambusher, chose his moment well; the tiger, caught off guard, had no chance to defend itself. The attack struck home—flesh was torn away, and the crow demon immediately took to the sky.

The tiger, caught mid-leap, crashed to the ground. When it scrambled up again, one eye was streaming blood—a crimson ruin. The crow demon had blinded it.

Seizing the opportunity, Redhide charged again. This time, the tiger demon had lost its nerve. It backed away rapidly before turning tail and fleeing into the chaos of the demon horde.

The five little monsters nearby were stunned, watching as Redhide, the crow demon, and Yellow Gui drove off a tiger demon so clearly their superior in strength.

Redhide checked on Old Honest, the yellow-ox demon, and, seeing he was unharmed, turned to the five little demons crowding around and scolded, “Next time you see a comrade in danger and don’t dare move, you can just get lost!”

With that, he strode off without looking back. This time, Old Honest followed without hesitation.

The crow demon landed among the chastised six and spoke gently, “The battlefield is dangerous, yes, but comradeship is even more important. After all, none of you would want to be left desperate and alone, like Old Honest was just now, with everyone else only watching, would you?”

“Look at Yellow Gui—he’s not much stronger than any of you…”

“Our leader brought us through times like this…”

“Come on, don’t be afraid. The more you fear death, the quicker it comes…”

Redhide had become the cold-faced drillmaster, while the more amiable crow demon played the counselor. Their combined efforts gave Lu Fei’s fledgling squad its first real understanding of partnership and camaraderie—laying the foundation for them to become his trusted generals in the future.