Chapter 170 - Perilous Mission (1/2)

The bipedal c.o.c.kroach gave a kind of roar as its eyes focused on Hei, Ye, and Xing. The c.o.c.kroach was surprised to see a spider and a snake next to a human, but seeing the number of different spirit beasts among the ranks of humans, it thought it wasn't that unusual.

The c.o.c.kroach increased its pace even further and prepared to sweep away the three enemies on its way. It and its companions had been given orders to kill all the humans in the forest and bring the bodies to the nest. If it had failed, it would have been the death of all of them. Therefore it couldn't fail.

”NOW!” Hei shouted as Ye and Xing hissed a war cry and charged against the bipedal c.o.c.kroach.

Xing's front legs went to block the c.o.c.kroach's right flank while her other legs sank into the ground for more support. Ye instead bit the c.o.c.kroach's left hip and stabbed her tail into the ground like her sister to create as much friction as possible.

The c.o.c.kroach suddenly felt a tremendous force blocking him, but it didn't give up. The momentum it had acc.u.mulated earlier wasn't so weak that it would be canceled just like that. However, it was also true that with every passing second, that momentum would lose power.

In all of this, Hei had finished building up his spirit power and was ready to release his lethal technique. Using Spider Run, Two-Legged Mode, he ran forward toward the c.o.c.kroach held by his little sisters.

”DOUBLE SPIDER LANCE!”

With all the spirit power left in his body, Hei performed Spider Lance with both arms. A single Spider Lance already contained an incredible lethal power in itself, let alone two together. In an instant, the c.o.c.kroach felt a sharp twinge of pain in the abdomen. Looking down, it could see the hands of the brown-skinned human being stuck entirely inside its body.

The bodily fluids of the c.o.c.kroach began to pour out on the ground. The c.o.c.kroach made a series of strange noises as it tried to use the front and middle pairs of legs to hit the human who had penetrated its sturdy body.

Ye and Xing were quick to understand its intentions, and with their bodies, they blocked the c.o.c.kroach's attack. Hei meanwhile, with his arms still inside the c.o.c.kroach's abdomen, began to scratch from the inside using his sharp claws. The c.o.c.kroach tried to wriggle free like a madman, but the grasp of the two divine beasts became tighter. In the end, the bipedal c.o.c.kroach had no choice but to surrender. Its strength faded until it completely lost its life.

Seeing his enemy stop moving, Hei didn't stop. He knew that some spirit beasts were smart enough to fake death. So he kept attacking for another couple of minutes. It was when he was sure of the c.o.c.kroach's death that he stopped attacking and pulled his arms from the body of the killed spirit beast.

”Well done, Ye, Xing. I am proud of you.” Hei said while smiling. The instant later, he fell to the ground on his back. He was still conscious, but he no longer had any strength left, even just to stand.

'Great job to you too, big brother. But now we have to get you out of here.' Xing said as she looked around. The other c.o.c.kroaches had made room for the charge of their bipedal companions. But now that these were dead, they could go back to attack as before. Therefore, Hei, who was devoid of means to defend himself, was in danger.

'Alright! You think about our big brother. I'll take care of clearing the way.' Ye happily exclaimed as she charged towards the walls. Behind her was Xing, who held Hei with her front legs.

The c.o.c.kroaches near the walls tried to obstruct them, but a single blow of Ye's tail was enough to send them into the air like leaves in the wind. The few who managed to escape Ye's fury were cut into pieces by Xing's sharp legs. Quickly, they came to the walls of the fort and climbed them, bringing their big brother back to safety.

Seeing all this, the fighters of Hei's unit let out a cry of joy. Now they could see why the Imperial Prince Long Tian had given such a high rating of Hei. After all, only a few thought they had a chance of being able to stop the charge of that c.o.c.kroach. But they weren't so sure they would have succeeded.

Meanwhile, something similar was happening on the other sides. Long Tian, ​​Feng Chen, and Hu Jie had successfully stopped their respective targets and returned inside the fort to rest. However, even though he was devoid of spirit power, Long Tian continued to issue orders while recovering his spirit power.

Fortunately for all of them, after the death of the twenty bipedal specimens, the collective consciousness of c.o.c.kroaches began to function again, coming into conflict with the order received. The survival instinct emerged, and the surviving c.o.c.kroaches started to run away. Even if that was a risk too, they could only go and report what had happened to those in duty, hoping for clemency.

”VICTORY! WE WON!” Long Tian made a loud cry. Now that the c.o.c.kroaches were retreating, it was vital to proclaim victory in order not to lose the morale of the soldiers.

”VICTORY!” The first-year students gathered in the fort burst into a euphoric cry. No matter how exhausted or injured they were, this was erased by the adrenaline rush of victory. The victory cry went on for about a whole minute and then waned. Everyone was now silent, waiting for Long Tian's orders.

”Even if we have won, we still cannot relax. We have wasted many of our energies, many of you have been injured and some even killed. This is war. It's something we can't stop, but we can limit its damage. First of all, those who have serious injuries go immediately to be medicated. For those who suffer from minor injuries, I ask you to wait patiently for your turn. Martial artist medics are in the minority compared to you fighters, and their spirit power is not infinite. Use this time to cultivate.

For those who still have energies left, I ask to start with cleaning the fort. Collect the bodies of our fallen comrades and retrieve the spirit cores of the c.o.c.kroaches while throwing their carcasses out of the fort. I think it isn't necessary to say this, because after this battle we became comrades in arms, but I will say it the same. Every single spirit core will be preserved and guarded by myself and my other direct subordinates. As Imperial Prince, I have given the word that you will be rewarded, and I will do so. However, if someone decides to be smart and take advantage of the chaos to pocket more than they owe, know that my blades are always ready.”

At Long Tian's words, the few smart ones who had thought about doing something like this jumped in fear. In the battle, they had seen what the Imperial Prince was capable of, and his four guards were equally dangerous. Besides, Long Tian boasted of the trust of Feng Chen, Hu Jie, and Hei, the three generals who had distinguished themselves in this battle. Although they had consumed much of their spirit power, this also applied to all the other fighters. No one, therefore, dared to do what they thought in their heads anymore.

The recovery and healing operations followed at a steady pace under the guidance of the four guards of the Imperial Prince. Meanwhile, Long Tian had brought together the three generals appointed by him in his tent. In addition to those three, there were also Huli Xieren and Lian, who respectively accompanied Feng Chen and Hei. Ye and Xing were instead hidden in Hei's robe, taking a nap to recover their energies.

”First of all, I wanted to thank you for the effort shown in battle, especially against those last c.o.c.kroaches. However, the situation is not so rosy despite the victory. From the estimated data, we have lost about a hundred men, and this was despite being the first clash. I don't know when the c.o.c.kroaches will come back to attack, but at this rate, we will run out of energy before we get to the end of the week.”