Xia Jin began choosing her demon form.
Naturally, a female demon would be best, but considering their hideous appearances, it seemed the females weren't much better.
“Forget it. I'll keep hunting for now.”
The energy provided by demons was excellent. Although the Zerg were still at war with the Dawn Empire, she already had thoughts of invading the Abyss.
“But before that, I need to raise the strength of my projection.”
Improving the basic strength of the Zerg was also crucial.
At the current Hive level, zerglings were only Tier 7, and the strongest units like ultralisks were only Tier 9. While brain bugs were Tier 10, they had almost no combat power themselves. Therefore, the Swarm needed to be able to produce Tier 10 units at a minimum before they could wage war against the demons.
Zerglings needed to be at least Tier 8.
“Fortunately, at the current rate, the Hive's upgrade isn't far off.”
Xia Jin killed several demons in succession. After absorbing them, she returned to the cave to digest the energy.
That night, two demons actually tried to sneak in. They were ambushed by the human soldiers lying in wait and died before they could even react.
The next morning, the group left the cave.
Xia Jin began her hunt, while the imperial soldiers lent a hand whenever there were many enemies, helping her save her own energy.
They didn't dare stray too far from the cave, killing any passing demons in the vicinity.
By the third day, there were virtually no demons left in the area.
“Let's go. We're moving toward the city.”
She began climbing down the stone blocks on the side of the cliff.
For the soldiers, free-climbing was no challenge at all, given their strength.
However, one unlucky fellow still nearly fell. If another soldier hadn't caught him in time, he might have plummeted to his death.
...
“Keep moving.”
After landing lightly, Xia Jin brushed her hands together. She suddenly froze, noticing a furry, ball-like creature on the ground staring up at her with two large eyes.
Whoosh—
She stepped forward and kicked it. The fluffball flew through the air and slammed into a tree.
“What are you staring at?”
Still, the fluffball was quite cute.
After a moment's thought, she walked over and picked it up by the scruff.
“Do any of you know what this is?”
“That... looks like a Misfortune Demon. Despite the name, they don't actually have much to do with bad luck. Their appearance is particularly attractive to women, but if a girl keeps one as a pet, she might suddenly be eaten whole at some point.”
As the legion commander spoke, Xia Jin's gaze fell upon the black fluffball.
Its eyes immediately filled with a pitiful look.
“Goodbye!”
Poof!
Absorbed.
Following the path ahead, Xia Jin actually spotted plants.
Black trees.
“They're the same color as the background? No wonder I couldn't see them from above earlier.”
Just as she was about to see if the tree could be absorbed, a massive black and red demon emerged from the distance.
“Humans?”
The demon paused in surprise.
Beside it was a very beautiful woman. She had an exquisite figure but possessed a few black scales. She was wrapped in simple black leaves fashioned into a grass skirt.
“Hiss—high-level demons. That woman must be a succubus, and the male is a Chaos Flame Demon!” The legion commander took a sharp breath. “Those are at least Tier 10 beings.”
“Oh my, what are humans doing in a place like this? Are you a succubus in human form? Little sister, you're so cute. Even I'm feeling attracted to you.”
The succubus spoke suddenly, using the human Continental Common Tongue. Her voice was pleasant and carried a hint of enchantment, truly living up to her race.
“Tier 10, huh? It should be Tier 10.”
The stronger a being was, the harder it was to gauge their exact combat power. If they exceeded one's own level, the perceived strength could become distorted.
However, Xia Jin was certain that the opponent wasn't as formidable as she had imagined.
She could take them!
Under the astonished gazes of the two demons, Xia Jin's hands suddenly transformed into fleshy arms and shot outward.
They moved with incredible speed, instantly coiling around the Chaos Flame Demon's body.
“You're looking for death! What kind of monster are you?”
He seemed startled by Xia Jin's ability.
The ends of her arms had swelled to fifty centimeters in diameter, sprouting sharp spines. Bolstered by psionic power, they attempted to crush him like a giant python.
However, a surge of powerful Abyss aura suddenly erupted from the Chaos Flame Demon. With staggering energy, it blasted Xia Jin's hands away.
“Hmm?”
She was somewhat surprised. This was likely the first time she had encountered someone of the same tier capable of repelling her.
“It seems the energy I absorbed wasn't enough.”
Or rather, that flame demon was a top-tier powerhouse even among those at Tier 10.
Rate on N.U.
