Chapter 34: The Demon’s Assault (1)

Outside the manor, as Sir Jesse’s carriage disappeared into the distance, a figure hidden under a black cloak stood alone beneath a tree. Turning to gaze at the prosperous manor before him, they spat out in disdain, “Those meddling folks are finally gone. He wants me to work with two useless mages? What on earth is Black Knight Jack thinking?”
“I am a sorcerer of powerful lineage. Just a black-iron mage and a few black-iron guards? I can summon a bronze-level demon and wipe them all out in one go!”
Though confident in his own strength, out of caution, the sorcerer Goman did not plan to infiltrate the enemy’s territory personally. Instead, he took out a bronze badge adorned with a ferocious demon motif. Raising it to his chest, he channeled massive amounts of magic into it.
“Come out, Blade Demon!”
The badge emitted a dark, eerie glow as the magic activated, casting a shadow ahead. Soon, a creature nearly eight feet tall—at least three heads taller than a human—appeared before the sorcerer.
“Damnous sorcerer! You’ve summoned the great Lord Lizlik again. Where is my sacrifice?”
The Blade Demon had a terrifying appearance. Though human-shaped, its skin was dark green, and its head, back, and joints were covered in sharp spines. Its arms had completely transformed into mantis-like blades, so sharp they could easily sever a human’s spine.
Goman cursed inwardly, “Stupid and irritable Blade Demon! If it weren’t for my Fireburning Demon Summoning Badge being damaged during my last escape from those pursuers and still not repaired, would I need to summon you, you arrogant fool?”
Yet, for his own purposes, he still needed this creature’s power. Suppressing his annoyance, Goman pointed toward the manor and said, “The sacrifice is inside the manor. The souls of a black-iron mage and three black-iron guards will surely greatly enhance your strength. After all, that mage is not only a summoner but also a human noble!”
Sure enough, the Blade Demon’s face twisted with greed, drool almost flowing from its mouth as it said, “Hehe! A human noble mage with soft skin and tender flesh! The great Lord Lizlik hasn’t had one in years! Humble sorcerer, I’m quite satisfied with your sacrifice. Next time, maybe I’ll grant you a free summoning chance, depending on my mood!”

After saying that, the demon strode toward the manor’s gate.
Gao Man sneered in his heart, “Free summons? You foolish demon! Why would I summon you, a brute with no brains, if there’s no battle? Once a fight starts, the enemy’s soul and flesh will be your prey—when have I ever paid you extra? Your intelligence isn’t even comparable to that of the lowest-tier imps!”
Yet despite his mockery, the sorcerer still prepared a dark spell to assist the Blade Demon in its attack.
Drowsy Mist, a rather unique third-level spell, was an upgraded version of the first-level Sleep Spell. It evolved from a single-target spell to a area spell, with significantly enhanced effects. While choosing a direct assault was partly due to underestimating the target’s strength, the sorcerer also didn’t want to draw too much attention and risk being traced.
A faint, nightmare-like black mist gathered in front of the sorcerer and spread toward the manor. All creatures covered by the mist fell into a deep sleep involuntarily.
As soon as this spell ended, Gao Man heard a loud crash ahead.
It turned out that the Blade Demon hadn’t even reached the manor’s gate when it was suddenly hit by two boulders the size of wooden barrels. One missed and struck the ground at its feet, while the other hit its head and face head-on. The Blade Demon was instantly covered in blood, and the shock to its head caused it to faint.
This was because demons with strong physiques and remarkable recovery abilities—especially medium-tier demons like the Blade Demon, whose evolution focused on physical strength—were as robust as large magical beasts and had a body constitution akin to immortality. As long as their heads weren’t severed or their heart cores weren’t shattered, they could recover from severe injuries slowly.
If it were a human bronze-level warrior, such a hit would leave them seriously injured, if not dead. This showed the manor’s owner had miscalculated its defensive capabilities, focusing only on human enemies and failing to account for aberrant foes like demons.
Although the Blade Demon seemed severely injured from the stone attacks, aside from dizziness, it only suffered minor cuts. With its demonic constitution, it recovered quickly. Then, with its still-dizzy head, it quickly identified the culprit: two ancient trees standing about ten meters apart on either side of the manor’s gate.
The demon roared, “Damn you, tree people! Haven’t you all been reduced to ashes yet?”
Then, despite the continuous stone attacks, it charged toward the manor’s gate.

The sorcerer Gao Man, watching the situation at the manor from afar, was also shocked. From what he knew, the legendary tree people had not appeared in the outside world for hundreds of years. It was said that aside from some found in the elven territories, the natural tree people once widespread in the forests of the main world had basically gone extinct.

Tree people, who revered nature, were inherently at odds with the evil and chaotic demons. During the first and second demon plagues, many tree people joined the elven race in the alliance to fight against the invasion of the abyss. At the sight of the tree people, Gao Man’s first thought was whether his target might be related to that troublesome elven race.

If the answer was yes, it was not good news.

At the speed of the Blade Demon, he covered the distance in just a few breaths. Raising his arms, he destroyed the newly built manor gates in two swift strikes.

Meanwhile, in the residence on the manor’s farm, Donald was connected to the Tree of Life. In their mental vision, a huge red dot was charging toward the manor.

“Someone has invaded the manor!”

Donald hadn’t expected that just after completing the manor’s defensive fortifications the previous day, enemies would attack today—especially while he was relaxed after a banquet.

The intruders did not sneak in secretly but instead cast strange spells before entering openly through the main gate. This strange spell immediately reminded him of the term “sorcerer.”

“But wasn’t it said that sorcerers prefer to launch sneak attacks or set traps?”

It seemed that knowledge from books could neither be entirely trusted nor ignored. The wisdom and experience of ancient people from past lives were more reliable. Reading extensively and traveling widely, adapting to change with unchanging principles—this was the true essence.

The power of the enemy’s strange spell was extremely strong, indicating that the intruder was at least a caster of bronze rank. Even the tree people, protected by natural forces with bodies different from animal life, Donald as the host of a divine artifact, and Clinton, whose soul level, granted by the Book of Truth, reached LV2 and who had a strong will to resist, were all affected by the spell. Though they weren’t completely unconscious, their consciousness had become blurred.