Chapter 1625: Chapter 1086: Kill and Be Killed
For the subjects of the Kingdom, this is a day of celebration. One of the four Great Demon Kings, Queen Andariel of Suffering, has been defeated, and the Blood Wasteland reclaimed, thus averting the Kingdom’s destruction crisis. The King also announced this good news, stating that under the Tribunal’s Iron Hammer, the Demon King has been thoroughly vanquished! Everyone can celebrate now!
Thus, the Royal City was filled with lights and decorations, exuding an atmosphere of joy.
However, just outside the Royal City, the Tribunal presented a different scene.
“Chest out! Head up! Stand firm! Don’t move!”
Captain Meld strode back and forth across the plaza in front of the cathedral, staring at the dozen students before him. Among them, there were both males and females, but all were obediently standing straight under the sun in their athletic wear, not moving an inch. Watching this scene, Duanmu Huai nodded with satisfaction.
Hmm, that’s more like it, that’s the right vibe!
Ah, if I only had a slice of watermelon, it would be perfect… Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai reached out to Mary.
“Mary, is there any juice?”
“Yes.”
“A glass with ice, please.”
“Certainly, Mr. Duanmu.”
Mary handed over a glass of juice, and Duanmu Huai lifted the cup, gulping it down.
“Ah——refreshing!”
“…………”
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s exclamation, the students who had been standing under the scorching sun for nearly the whole morning twitched, clenched their fists, and shivered slightly.
“Stand still, don’t shake!”
Not sparing them, Captain Meld took up a Longsword and, with the scabbard, smacked one of the trembling students on the behind, making him stand straight once more.
“Wow…they really have it rough.”
Seeing this, the support team students nearby were drenched in cold sweat. Initially, they thought it would be some fun military training, but unexpectedly, they were just told to stand at attention without a word, and it lasted the entire morning—from breakfast until now, without moving at all. Even just watching made it terrifying for them.
They couldn’t imagine what it felt like for those standing there.
“Alright, take a half-hour break.”
As Captain Meld’s words landed, the students, who were barely holding on, collapsed onto the ground, almost unwilling to get up…
“I…I thought I was going to die…”
“What on earth is this training for, what’s the purpose…”
Lying on the ground, the students began to murmur, while some grumbled in discontent. At this moment, Duanmu Huai also set down his cup and walked over to face them, looking down.
“What? Giving up already? This is just the beginning. Now you know, learning how to fight isn’t something easy.”
“But this has nothing to do with fighting, it’s just having us stand here…”
“Of course not, what do you think fighting is?”
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai’s gaze turned cold.
“Have you watched too many cartoons and novels, thinking fighting is a passionate and exhilarating thing? Don’t kid yourselves, even if you possess talents far surpassing those in this world, it doesn’t mean you know how to use them properly. Besides, if you can’t even pass this test, there’s no way you’ll manage the upcoming ones.”
“Upcoming tests?”
“Very simple, killing.”
“………… Huh?”
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s indifferent answer, the students were stunned and looked up at him in disbelief.
“What? Still didn’t get it? Going to the battlefield is about killing each other. If you don’t kill, you’ll be killed. If so, why send you to the battlefield? Just to die?”
“No, but… aren’t we supposed to fight Demons? Demons aren’t humans.”
“Even if they aren’t humans, you think you can make the move?”
Duanmu Huai scoffed, then raised his hand. The next moment, a bird flying in the sky suddenly plummeted down, caught by Duanmu Huai. He then threw it on the ground.
“Come, kill it for me.”
“This…”
Seeing the bird struggling and flapping painfully on the ground, the students showed expressions of reluctance. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes.
“Mary.”
“Yes…Mr. Duanmu.”
Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, Mary sighed silently, then raised her right hand — as a flash of Sword light passed by, the bird’s neck was instantly severed, turning it into a corpse.
“Roast this thing, we’ll have a bit extra for lunch today.”
Duanmu Huai casually instructed, while Mary merely rolled her eyes, then took the bird and left.
Then Duanmu Huai turned back, looking at everyone with a disappointed expression.
“Look at you, hesitating and stalling to kill an animal, how do you expect to have the guts to kill Demons? What a joke!”
“But, this bird is innocent…”
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, a student quickly retorted, and Duanmu Huai glared at him.
“Innocent? When you’re out fighting in the future and run out of food, what will you do? Aren’t deer and rabbits adorable? But if you don’t kill them for meat, where will food come from? Or do you think they’re innocent, so you’ll starve yourself to death? Or fight on an empty stomach? Or are you going to eat bugs instead?”