Chapter 24
Yimo·Frostleaf’s chin moved slightly, indicating that she had heard what Jima was saying, but she didn’t say much more. Ever since the day the two had mutually become a resting place for each other, Yimo·Frostleaf’s attitude had returned to how it was before. Jima guessed it was because she had moved on, or perhaps it was because she couldn’t find anything besides sex in her own life.
But Jima didn’t care much; as long as George was around, everything was fine. Sooner or later, everyone would end up back on the same bed. She had no intention of fussing over Yimo·Frostleaf’s feelings or providing emotional value.
“I hope your people can knock the teeth out of the world-destroying army again.”
Jima said, “After all, guarding the most important great whirlpool.”
“You’re quite concerned?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Look at the crown fragments atop my head.” Jima said. “The Eternal Chosen will stop at nothing to kill me for it. If the situation worsens, it wouldn’t be good for me, so I have to side with Order—temporarily.”
George’s persuasion had failed.
“Of course.”
“But what you really worry about is the demon army.”
“What demon army?”
Yimo·Frostleaf pointedly said, “As the Demon King, you could command the demon army.”
“Indeed I could.”
“But George cannot mix with your demon army and must distance himself from you.”
Imagine commanding a demon army, and what would happen if the soldiers had to slay human sacrifices? Plus, contacting the Four Dark Gods to grant blessings would be like inviting corruption.
“Exactly,” Jima said. “Frostleaf, you have a sharp sense of politics, but if the situation deteriorates to the point where I have to command the demon army, I won’t hesitate. I have no aversion to it. Anyway, George already knows that I can’t turn into a good person.”
“I hope you won’t.”
“I hope so too.”
They chatted for a while, resting before continuing to fly, and by dusk, they arrived at the outskirts of Vanguards City.
The corruption surrounding Vanguards City had visibly decreased over the past few days.
Twilight was not a purplish-red; rays of sunlight leaped over the treetops, creating beams of light within the incense smoke due to the Tyndall effect.
Below the trees.
A group of corrupted believers, marked with the color of sin, were sawing wood to prepare for siege weapons.
Purple-red tents stretched for miles, growing like mold near Vanguards City. There were signs of sin everywhere, silk ribbons, and ritual activities that were cruel and mind-boggling in their sensory stimulation.
There were extravagant banquets, the sounds of musical instruments and people enjoying food mixing together below.
As they flew over the besieging forces.
Jima couldn’t help but look down, seeing some sinful demon soldiers dressed in silk garments adorned with jewels, feeling a twinge of envy.
She was also scouting with her eyes.
Among the sinful demon army, due to a lack of magical power, there were few demons; more were “believers.” They had once been mortals but had embraced sin, accepted its blessings, developing extra limbs or deformities in their arms.
Primarily composed of Northerners.
Compared to demons, their greatest advantage was that they did not need magical power to maintain their forms in the mortal realm.
However, judging by the rituals they held, more and more demons would join this army. Moreover, they already had an advantage in numbers.
Jima suspected that if a terror-fueled commander were to lead this army, Vanguards City would have already fallen—insufficient siege weapons could not stop the relentless assaults of the terror demons, and Vanguards City couldn’t hold out.
Upon returning to Vanguards City, she first reported to George and met him.
Yimo·Frostleaf was not as unruly as before in Sylvanian, merely greeting him.
Compared to when they left, Vanguards City looked like a livable place. The wall was adorned with art made from severed limbs, which was rather impressive.
There were also clean bathing spaces, and Jima had initially wanted to take the opportunity to bathe with Frostleaf. They were sisters, and it would be great to bond over a bath.
Unfortunately, that rascal George pulled Jima aside and said:
“I need to discuss the recent situation in Vanguards City with you.”
“Can’t we wait for Frostleaf to finish bathing and discuss it together?”
George looked at Frostleaf.
Frostleaf shook her head and said, “I’m not familiar with warfare.”
Jima said in a spoiled tone:
“I’m all filthy and don’t want to be in a room with you while I’m so dirty.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do.”
George said nothing and pulled Jima’s hand, leading her directly to the command room, which was quite empty, with only a soldier assigned to menial duties at the entrance.
In the empty command room, Jima stretched and sat in a chair, resting her legs, clad in black silk, directly on the table. Her life form had already changed; she could go days without sweating, and instead, she emanated a faint fragrance.
Her first question was, “Have you requested aid from the rest of the Empire?”
“I’ve sent someone for help,” George said. “But from what I understand, there’s no confidence in it; the garrison elsewhere is unlikely to support Vanguards City. I’ve heard there’s a plan that if Vanguards City falls, the Imperial army will retreat.”
“So what do you plan to do?”
“Abandon Vanguards City and retreat.”
“Well, that sounds good.”
“But I heard something; can you lift your legs a bit?”
Jima raised her calves, and George pulled the map underneath, drawing a circle on it.
It was the northern province of Talabek, the Nord Province.
The northern coastal region of the Empire, also the main front line, where the Empire resisted the main force of the world-destroying army and the endless waves of Northerners coming from the north.
“The army personally led by the Eternal Chosen is here.”
“Is that so?” Jima said. “It might be the final battle?”
“Unknown,” George said. “We are closer to the Eternal Chosen than we imagined.”
Jima then placed her other leg on the table, inhaling the faint scent of peach blossoms in the air, rubbing her feet together and saying:
“Are you worried that the Eternal Chosen will come to kill me?”
“Indeed.”
Suddenly, at that moment, the magical wind became intense.
Jima quickly pulled her legs down and said, “Not good!”
George rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. “What’s wrong?”
“The magical wind has picked up!”
“You go up and observe first.”
Jima ran to the balcony, directly leaping into the air and spreading her wings to scout the distance.
She saw a large group of sinful demons appearing among the besieging troops.
Sighing, she muttered to herself:
“I should have known it would be like this.”
Flying back, she looked into George’s blue eyes, tilted her head, shrugged, and spread her hands, saying, “The breakout plan can be canceled.”
“What?”
Many demons had appeared.
Jima said, “The possibility of breaking out is lost; the odds of success were already low to begin with.”
“Do you have any ideas?”
“None,” Jima said. “A clever woman can’t cook without rice.”
“We can only escape.”
“However,” Jima said, “I have a proposal: what if I lead the demon army?”
