Chapter 709 - 698: Target, Marshal Puki!
Chapter 709: Chapter 698: Target, Marshal Puki!
The Combat Puppet was destroyed, and the offensive on Fungus Castle temporarily paused.
After a brief moment of joy, Feng Yi gazed towards the empty east with some worry in his eyes.
Dean knew what he was thinking and explained, "They encountered an ambush, but it was just harassment. I was worried about something happening at Dragon Horn Castle, so I came ahead. Now it seems they indeed wanted to stall me."
Feng Yi took a deep breath and began to report the true situation inside the city.
The Magic Power reserves are nearing depletion, and nearly half of the defense runes were scrapped in the last shock wave, with the remaining ones not in good shape either.
"Chief, Dragon Horn Castle can’t hold any longer." His voice was low, with a hint of persuasion, "Take everyone and retreat while we still can."
Dean shook his head.
"The west side has already fallen," he said. "A large number of soldiers under Eugene have defected to Fungus Castle, and they are formidable. Once they merge with Louisa’s main force, we will have no chance."
Feng Yi was taken aback. How did it happen so fast over there?
"Then... what should we do?"
Dean didn’t answer immediately but raised his hand. A ring on his finger glowed faintly, and a nearly imperceptible ripple spread out, enveloping the two, instantly drowning out the clamor of the battle on the city walls—Soundproof Barrier.
"To defeat us with minimal loss, Louisa will not easily allow the remaining half of her main force to enter Dragon Horn Castle, especially since I’m here now."
"She will surely dispatch part of her troops to intercept and destroy us midway, possibly even going personally, and that will be our only chance."
"Chance?" Feng Yi was puzzled, "Even if we seize the opportunity to defeat the part of the enemy surrounding us, if the remaining half of the main force is destroyed, we will still end up defeated even as survivors."
Dean placed a hand on Feng Yi’s shoulder, leading him to the edge of the city wall, pointing towards the direction of the Fungus Castle camp in the distance.
There, a splash of vivid red stood out.
A Puki wearing a red cape was sitting atop the mushroom cap of Fat Otaku Puki, its tentacles draped casually, as if basking in the sun yet also scrutinizing the entire battlefield—Marshal Puki.
"That is what the parasitized refer to as the ’Boss.’
Feng Yi’s expression froze instantly.
"That one?!" He opened his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between the round, red-caped Puki and Dean, completely befuddled.
All along, he thought it was the mascot of Fungus Castle or some morale-boosting ornament.
But soon, he worried, "Chief, how can you be sure? What if it’s a fake, what then..."
Dean ignored his shock and instead changed the topic, "Feng Yi, if you were parasitized by the Mycelium, would you betray us?"
Feng Yi’s face instantly turned red, as if slapped in public: "Chief, do you doubt the honor of my birth as part of the Demon Race?"
"No." Dean smiled, patting his shoulder, "I do not doubt it. I believe you would not betray us."
He paused, his gaze returning to that vivid red in the distance.
"Likewise, not all demons who surrendered to Fungus Castle betrayed us. Some are willing to bear infamy just to find a way out for their race."
Feng Yi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood.
"Chief, you mean...?"
Dean nodded, "Based on the information returned, that Marshal Puki is indeed their leader. Just now, when it swept overhead, I used a device to sense it, and all the characteristics, including Magic Power fluctuations, completely matched. That indeed is the leader of Fungus Castle, Marshal Puki!"
Feng Yi remained a bit worried, "But what if..."
"There aren’t many choices left," Dean interrupted him. "If we really escape, perhaps only a few elites could survive. As Chief, I cannot make such a choice."
He turned around, facing away from the vivid red, and looked at Feng Yi.
"So, trust those clansmen."
...
"Little Pig, do you think he’ll take the bait?" Marshal Puki extended a tentacle, straightening the red cape behind him to make it more conspicuous in the wind.
Little Pig looked up at the few blurred figures on the walls of Dragon Horn Castle and said, "The Demon Race doesn’t have many choices left. I don’t know this Dean personally, but if it were me, I would make a gamble."
She paused, then looked at Marshal Puki, "But Boss, isn’t it risky for you to act as bait personally?"
Marshal Puki waved his tentacle, "Ah, for the prosperity of Mushroom Garden, taking some risks is worth it. Don’t worry, I have the ability to protect myself!"
Little Pig nodded, but this further solidified her belief that "Marshal Puki is not the Boss’s true form," although she wouldn’t tell anyone.
...
As Dean had predicted, Louisa indeed dispatched a troop.
After nightfall, several teams silently vanished into the darkness at the edge of the Fungus Castle camp. They circumvented the Dragon Horn Castle’s line of sight and stealthily headed northeast—where the other half of the Demon Race’s main force was on its way.
Despite the various cover-up tactics, the internal agents of the Demon Race managed to relay the information through special channels.
To mask the trace of troop division, the attack on Dragon Horn Castle was even more intense than in previous days. A new wave of Puki surged from the camp, densely filling the view, creating a deafening cry.
That posture seemed to devour the entire castle at once.
But in Dean’s eyes, that grand charge was merely a curtain to conceal the truth.
He turned and asked the elite Demon Race warriors behind him, "Are you ready?"
Feng Yi was the first to answer, "Chief, we are all prepared for this endeavor!"
Dean nodded and said no more.
When another wave of Fungus Castle’s attacks was repelled, Dean leaped off the city wall.
At that moment, the Demon Pattern on his body lit up. Countless patterns spread from his chest to his limbs, with intense light piercing through his body, rendering him like a piece of steel just taken from a furnace.
Then he transformed into a massive Fireball, dragging a blazing tail as he swooped down towards the retreating Fungus Castle troops.
[Flaming Dragon Breath Level 10]
BOOM!!!
At the moment of impact, only a streak of white light remained in heaven and earth.
The ground quaked violently, with the walls of Dragon Horn Castle shaking and rubble cascading down the parapet. The shock wave swept across the battlefield, toppling, tearing, and incinerating the retreating Fungus soldiers and Puki.
The flames surged outward, turning the fungus into ash, and the frozen earth into lava.
Subsequently, the gates of Dragon Horn Castle swung open.
Feng Yi charged at the forefront.
He did not roar, did not shout, just stared fixedly at the vivid red in the distant Fungus Castle camp, tightened his grip on his bow, and charged headlong.
Behind him, the elite Demon Race surged like a tide, treading over the still-burning ground, over the corpses of Puki, over the bodies of their comrades.
No one looked back.
They all knew what they had to do.
In the distance, Marshal Puki stood stiffly on his throne, his cape billowing.
Facing the incoming decapitation squad, Marshal Puki raised his four tentacles.
Countless Puki poured out from underground burrows, instantly clashing with Feng Yi and the Demon Race in a chaotic battle.
At the same time, Louisa, who had already activated her Blood Crystal Battle Armor, descended from the sky, her giant sword trailing a shadow of blood as it slashed against the burning gauntlet of Dean.
Little Pig’s scarlet eyes fixed on Dean, her tongue licking her fangs as she taunted, "Demon, you want to meet the Boss? You’ve got to submit an application first!"
"So I’ve been seen through!" Dean laughed, showing no panic in his eyes, only a fighting spirit willing to risk everything. The Flaming Dragon Breath on his body surged again, forcing Little Pig to step back two paces, "Very well, let’s see if with this old antique of a battle armor, you can stop me!"
Lin Jun watched the descending cape and quietly cast a gust spell.