Chapter 1

A massive, dilapidated palace floated in the dark, empty space, connected to a skewed and incomplete plaza. This was one of the important forward strongholds recently seized by the Order of the Hunters.

Therefore, it was also the most suitable place to launch the first counterattack.

A mass of shadowy energy enveloped a glowing, green fel rune stone as it flew from the dark void. The rune stone struck the plaza before the palace like a meteor, instantly erupting in a deafening explosion and unleashing vast arcs of electricity. Amidst the crackling energy currents, a twisted and foul demon portal abruptly opened, constructing a magnificent rift more than ten meters tall in the blink of an eye. The Order warriors guarding the plaza were caught off guard, startled by the sudden appearance of the demon gate, but they reacted instantly. They shouted warnings as they charged towards the distorted spatial rift.

However, their movements could not match the demons who had been preparing for a long time on the other side of the gate. The moment the plaza guards took action, the army on the other side of the demon portal surged out. A battle blade, imbued with the scorching aura of death, reached out of the gate as if to cut through space, followed by a massive demon resembling a reptile, nearly ten meters long!

Heavy footsteps followed, and the sounds of countless weapons and armor colliding rang out in a symphony of destruction. A scene that could only be found in nightmares and legends of mythological eras unfolded: a horde of countless demons swarmed out of the portal!

"Enemy attack!" the Order warrior on the plaza shouted as he saw Brotarlos burst out of the gate. "Monster attack!"

The guards elsewhere on the plaza were all alarmed in an instant. The demon hunters stationed inside the dilapidated palace also rushed out to meet the enemy. Holy silver weapons gleamed with searing light in the darkness, and Laita runes lit up one after another. The demon hunters of the Elder Council lived up to their elite reputation; even when faced with this unprecedented assault by a strange legion, they rushed forward to fight without hesitation. In an instant, the shouts of the warriors and the sounds of weapons being drawn rang out as one!

However, the demon army pouring out of the gate did not advance any further. They merely gathered on the plaza, their imposing presence intimidating the demon hunter warriors who were converging from all directions. Brotarlos left the main force and strode forward, each footstep bringing a great tremor and a heavy echo. The attention of countless Order hunters focused on this particularly strong and grotesque demon. They immediately charged towards Brotarlos, raising their swords and shouting war cries.

Faced with the enemy's charge, Brotarlos merely slammed his battle blade heavily into the ground, using the shockwave to temporarily force back the nearest Order hunters. Then, the super amplifiers all over his body suddenly emitted a deafening roar that could push back all the charging warriors: "Please, both sides of the conflict, exercise restraint, rationally resolve disputes, and seek long-term development through diplomatic means... means... means..."

The last few "means" were echoes.

Each of Brotarlos' speakers was as big as a person, so countless visible shockwaves erupted from the demon's body. In the deafening roar that could knock ordinary people unconscious, the Order warriors closest to the charge were thrown into utter chaos!

Lily covered her four-eared head and yelped, leaping more than two meters high, "Awoo--"

She had four ears but only two hands, so she couldn't cover them all!

The deafening roar echoed for a long time on the plaza and in the palace not far away. The Order hunters were shaken and disoriented, and they fell into great mental confusion. They had dealt with devils and heretics their whole lives, but they had never encountered a demon whose first words were this—however, this did not affect their instinctive reaction to combat. As soon as the chaos brought about by the roar subsided slightly, the Order demon hunters immediately charged forward, waving their weapons.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two consecutive explosions triggered by Laita runes rang out at Brotarlos' feet. The giant demon swayed for a moment, then continued to shout with all his might: "...Put aside temporary differences, consider the long-term situation, and remember that Corvus has always been a peaceful paradise for demon hunters throughout history..."

Several holy silver longswords and crusader warhammers smashed against Brotarlos' clumsy body. The giant demon, with agility that did not match his physique, turned and parried all the attacks with a single strike: "...We believe that dialogue can eliminate hatred... Our peacekeeping personnel will work to stop this meaningless conflict... Can you freaking let me finish my lines?!"

The warriors of the Elder Council had long been shaken and disoriented by the continuous roaring noise. They were not paying attention to what Brotarlos was shouting at all. Their only thought was to shut this noisy and deafening giant creature up as soon as possible. Under the leadership of several Order commanders, even more ferocious attacks surged towards Brotarlos!

But the last batch of soldiers who rushed out of the legion gate happened to hear Brotarlos' last few words: finish my lines.

A grumpy black dwarf shouted loudly: "Old Fatty has finished, grab your weapons and charge!!"

Instantly, countless demons and soldiers of all races surged forward. The vanguard troops, who had been waiting for orders according to plan, were too lazy to explain when they saw this situation. Anyway, they were all a bunch of grumpy demons. Seeing that even the elves and humans had drawn their swords and started hacking, they couldn't hold back even more. So the melee started in an instant.

War cries shook the sky, weapons screeched, and magical explosions echoed across the battlefield. Countless bizarre soldiers of the demon king's army charged towards the severely bewildered Order demon hunters with what appeared to be euphoric excitement, as if to vent the resentment of their final defeat in their home world. This army, which had stirred up bloody storms on countless battlefields, began to fiercely attack the Order hunters' positions with unprecedented fighting spirit!

The Order warriors rushed from all directions, facing the demon king's thunderous onslaught with commendable courage. A high-level demon hunter shouted loudly: "Hold the line! Hold the line! Go sound the alarm!"

Brotarlos wielded his battle blade and charged across the battlefield. This abyssal demon, who resembled a super-heavy tank, easily resisted a dozen times more enemies with brute force, and his deafening clamor continued: "...We hope that the Elder Council can exercise restraint in this incident..."

With a loud crash, several Order demon hunters were knocked flying by Brotarlos, already unconscious in mid-air.

"...Both sides should make reasonable concessions... Any form of negotiation is beneficial..."

A obsidian golem charged into the battlefield. This monster, immune to magic and thick-skinned, began to wreak havoc everywhere. The fel energy beams fired from the golem's forehead swept a series of explosions across the plaza.

"...Since the incident occurred, the Demon Empire has been highly concerned about this regional conflict. We respect the choices and traditions of the local people, but we cannot ignore the continuously deteriorating situation..."

The black dwarves set up fel energy cannons, and amidst the sparks of the demon coils, powerful rune stones screamed as they crashed towards the palace not far away.

"...My side is willing to work with all parties in the region to deepen understanding, exchange ideas frankly, and work together to safeguard..."

Demon rune stones and holy light formed a hammer of judgment that jointly bombarded the Elder Council's palace. In the deafening roar, the palace shield shattered, and the entire battlefield was engulfed in a sea of fire.

"...Regional peace and stability!"

The last batch of Order warriors finally disintegrated, and the demon king's army charged into the enemy's palace fortress in a grand celebration. Brotarlos rested his battle blade on the ground and let out a long breath: "I'm done talking."

At his feet lay a pile of Order demon hunters, with weak voices moaning among them: "Finally... quiet..."

Hao Ren and his group watched the entire chaos from the corner of the battlefield with their arms folded.

Although they had initially thought about going to the front lines, after the real fighting started, even Izhaks realized that there seemed to be no need for him to take action. So everyone could only stand far away, watching these demons, who seemed to be on drugs, turn the entire battle into a mess. Bai Huo's eyes had been wide open since just now. Until everything settled down, she still hadn't recovered from her daze. In the end, Vivian woke her up with a pat: "Snap out of it."

"This is..." Bai Huo shook her head vigorously, the buzzing tinnitus as if drilled into the marrow, unable to be dispelled. She looked at Hao Ren, "You said, peacekeeping force?"

"...It's indeed not quite the same as what I originally planned," Hao Ren scratched his hair. "I really shouldn't trust these demons' style of doing things too much. But basically, that's what it means."