It turned out that Yong Huo had succeeded.
By the time Di Kui, after much effort, arrived at Dongjing, the Island Nation's Self-Defense Forces were already in position, and the residents of Dongjing had been evacuated in silence.
Dongjing had become a battlefield.
The moment Di Kui appeared, the commander who had been waiting for him gave the order. Cannons roared, unleashing a barrage of fire upon Di Kui.
As the shells flew towards him, Yong Huo said, "Lord Di Kui, I believe we should avoid the direct confrontation."
Yong Huo was not Di Kui; he lacked immortality. Under such intense firepower, Yong Huo would undoubtedly perish. His fear was understandable.
Seeing the trace of fear on Yong Huo's face, Di Kui displayed a hint of disdain.
Facing the artillery barrage, Di Kui could, of course, burrow underground to evade it. However, Yong Huo could not. And this individual was sent by the Holy Lord. Sudang Novel Network.
"What a nuisance."
As the shells drew closer, Di Kui unleashed his magic.
The ground around him rippled like the surface of water, and then a vast amount of earth and stone converged above Di Kui's head, forming a colossal barrier.
The shells struck the barrier, shattering the earth and stone, but as soon as a breach appeared, more earth and stone would gather, sealing it.
Pushing forward for a while longer under the relentless artillery fire, Yong Huo leaped off Di Kui's back. He pointed to a faintly visible mountain peak in the distance and said, "Lord Di Kui, that mountain is Mount Fuji, your target. I shall take my leave now."
With that, Yong Huo retreated, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Di Kui did not stop him.
Di Kui knew well that Yong Huo was different from him. Being a mortal without any magical powers, he was incredibly fragile. It was better for him to leave, so as not to be a burden.
After Yong Huo's departure, Di Kui straightened himself, stretched his arms, and began his heavy march towards Mount Fuji.
He chose to walk on the ground rather than burrow underground because Di Kui knew that his plan had been discovered. The journey ahead would undoubtedly involve every effort to impede his progress.
As he watched the approaching tanks, attack helicopters, and fully armed human soldiers in the distance, Di Kui grumbled, "The Holy Lord is so easily fooled. He actually revealed such an important plan to humans."
Indeed, even now, Di Kui did not believe that all of this was a scheme orchestrated by the Holy Lord.
In Di Kui's view, the Holy Lord, like himself, was a demon. Although he kept some human pets, in matters of life and death, all demons would surely stand united against an external threat. Therefore, if the plan was leaked, it could only have been the work of those human pets around the Holy Lord.
However, that was no longer important. Today, he, Di Kui, would conquer this volcano. Not even an immortal deity could stop him.
With this thought, Di Kui no longer hesitated. His forward momentum increased, his legs tensed, and he leaped high into the air, crashing into the self-defense forces' formation. He then grabbed a nearby tank, spun it around 360 degrees, and hurled it forcefully at an attack helicopter in the sky.
Boom!
The tank collided with the helicopter, erupting into a massive fireball as it plummeted down.
Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react, not even the commanders far behind the front lines.
Finally, after hearing the explosion of the fireball hitting the ground, someone reacted and raised their rifle, unleashing a barrage of fire at Di Kui.
Then, more soldiers reacted and opened fire on Di Kui.
The soldiers' fearlessness was commendable, but alas, it was futile. Bullets, shells, and even rocket-propelled grenades could not harm Di Kui. Instead, they suffered heavy casualties under his counterattack.
After scattering the surrounding self-defense forces, Di Kui abandoned the idea of further pursuit and continued his advance towards Mount Fuji.
What Di Kui left behind was a scene of devastation. The shattered streets were littered with the wreckage of burning tanks and helicopters, and the bodies of self-defense force soldiers who had died directly or indirectly at Di Kui's hands.
Even those who had miraculously survived were largely terrified into submission by Di Kui's overwhelming destructive power. Despite repeated orders from command to pursue and intercept Di Kui, these terrified soldiers paid no heed.
"Impossible, we can't possibly defeat that monster."
"My leg! My leg is broken! Someone save me!"
"Brother, don't give up, hold on! Medic! Where is the medic!"
In the command center.
The officers stared at the慘烈 scene on the screen, all falling into silence.
If there was a hell on earth, this was surely it.
Just then, a deep voice spoke, "Gentlemen, now is not the time for silence and fear."
Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw a tall, burly middle-aged man. A man of his stature was rare even in the entire Island Nation.
But what was truly striking was not his height, but the thick, long scar that ran across his entire face.
Judging by the insignia on his shoulder, this man was the highest-ranking officer present and the overall commander of this operation.
After a few moments of silence, the man spoke with firm resolve, "Deploy the reserves."
His words caused an uproar among everyone present.
A higher-ranking officer said, "Sir, the reserves are just reserves. Their combat effectiveness..."
"Do we have a choice?"
Before the other officer could finish, the overall commander interrupted him, "Look at them. They've lost their fighting spirit. If we cannot buy enough time and the demon detonates Mount Fuji, the consequences will be beyond what any of us here can bear."
After hearing the man's words, the command center fell silent once more.
Indeed, as the capital of the Island Nation and the nation's economic and political center, the damage if Dongjing were destroyed would be immeasurable.
Higher authorities had also issued a strict order: to stop the demon's advance at all costs and buy more time.
But looking at the regular troops who had engaged the demon, their overall losses exceeded seventy percent. Their morale and fighting spirit were completely broken, and a defeated army could not possibly serve as a deterrent to the demon.
At this point, the only option was to deploy the reserves.
However, the reserves were just that—reserves. Their combat effectiveness was in no way comparable to that of regular troops; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a mob.
But the overall commander didn't care.
In the face of the demon's immense power, the distinction between regular and irregular forces was of little consequence.
Soon, the overall commander's orders were issued.
Most of the reserves in the barracks were raw recruits who had only recently enlisted. Unhardened by too much hardship, they still harbored some unrealistic fantasies about fighting on the battlefield. Upon hearing that they would be sent to the front lines to face the demon, they became incredibly excited, with some envisioning themselves as heroes, single-handedly slaying demons with their rifles and being celebrated by the masses.