28. Demons feel no pain (×) The Hand of Argus believes it would be best if demons felt no pain (√)

The demons arrived faster than anticipated.

Beyond their innate, destructive fanaticism, this was inevitably facilitated by the local "collaborators." The aftermath of the wake-up call from Satchir’s secret cult had not yet subsided, and the great purge of arcanists in the Mac'Aree region had only just begun, yet the arcanists in Krokuun had already received word and scattered like panicked birds.

The Man'ari who had gone into hiding were clearly acting under orders from their dark masters. Thus, the very day after the mighty Brigadier Dick smashed a corruptor’s skull, a demon force was summoned near the Petrified Forest.

Such piecemeal summoning was, of course, incapable of producing a world-ending army, but this was the classic tactical doctrine of the Burning Legion. The first wave—Destruction witches and Doomguards skilled in magic—immediately acted as "living portals." Once their numbers reached a certain threshold, the influx of demons into Krokuun accelerated dramatically. By the time the shamans under Governor Hadon sensed the disturbance through the elements, nearly a thousand lesser demons had gathered in the Petrified Forest.

Upon receiving the news, Dick immediately dropped his chisel, picked up his warhammer, and led Captain Nely, the twins, Jaid, and the elite Talbuk cavalry captains on a close-range reconnaissance mission.

"Most of them are lesser demons like Felguards and Felhounds, along with some insignificant Imps. The vanguard is led by Wrathguards—promoted from Felguards—and Mo'arg Fel-brutes. The front-line commanders are Ereduin Doomguards. The only magical support consists of a few Shivarra Destruction witches commanding Succubi and Beholders. There is no Fel-lava pool here, so they cannot summon strategic high-ranking demons like Pit Mothers. Other than that, I see only one Fel Lord acting as the commander-in-chief. Hmm, a classic Burning Legion cannon-fodder vanguard configuration."

On the high ground overlooking the Petrified Forest, Dick’s gaze swept across the valley, now blanketed in fel energy, with the aid of a Hawk’s Eye spell cast by a high-ranking ranger. He listed the types of demons he saw with practiced ease, incidentally providing a "pop science" lesson to Jaid and the cavalry captains, who were facing demons in combat for the first time.

Facing the demons still pouring from the portals, the Brigadier was not panicked. On the contrary, seeing the composition of this "army," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"No Nathrezim, no Annihilan, not even many Man'ari warlocks... the high-ranking demons can be counted on one hand. This is clearly a scouting party that won't be hard to handle. We must deal with them immediately! This summoning zone hasn't formed a Fel-forge camp yet, and the concentration of fel energy isn't high enough for high-ranking demons to pass through. If we wait a few more hours, things will get troublesome."

"Dick! Our soldiers haven't received the 'warlock training' you underwent in the secret cult; they know nothing about demons. Even the lowest-level Felhounds and Felguards can terrify them if they have a numerical advantage." Captain Nely, carrying her hunting rifle, shook her head with the caution expected of an Assassin Court commander. "To be safe, we should wait for reinforcements from Nathraxas Hold. We only have five hundred Talbuk cavalry and less than two hundred Vindicators guarding the Petrified Forest. Even with the shamans polishing the holy stones, we are outnumbered by these destroyers."

"Not knowing the enemy isn't a problem; one battle will teach them everything," Dick clearly had his own ideas. He continued, "Use these low-level demons to let our warriors practice; teach them that demons are not invincible. The enemy's magical power is effectively non-existent right now, but if we let them keep summoning, our soldiers will have to charge through a fel-fire storm. I will take command—you follow my orders! Jaid, your Talbuk cavalry has a superior speed advantage. After I lead the Vindicators into the fray, you are to strike from the flanks at those portals, use the Arcanite crystal bombs to destroy them, and then sweep away their casters as quickly as possible. The twins and the shamans will execute magical suppression. Don't stop the magical suppression from the moment we enter the battlefield until the end! Nely, you lead the hunters and assassins of the Assassin Court to snipe the demon commanders in the chaos.

"Listen, warriors! The Light has enlightened me. It tells me that the Burning Legion is only just being established. The various demon races from the Twisting Nether are only forced together by their worship and obedience to Sargeras. They lack sufficient war experience, basic racial coordination, and the orchestration of intelligent commanders. Calling them a 'rabble' is entirely accurate. They are not as strong as they appear! As long as our courage is firm, these demons are no match for us! If the soldiers are truly afraid, tell them that demons feel no pain and know no fear, so they must unleash their greatest destructive power the moment they engage. Aim to crush the enemy in a single blow; it will make the subsequent battle much easier!"

Dick assigned clear tasks to those around him. Captain Nely was still hesitant, but Dick held the highest rank and was personally appointed as "Forge Camp Commander" by Kil'jaeden himself; theoretically, he had the authority to lead the troops. Moreover, as he said, having "studied" in the secret cult, he was the person in all of Krokuun who understood demons the best. There was nothing wrong with him commanding this raid.

"Summon your respective warriors." Dick snapped the helmet of his Light-forged armor into place and said to the twins, "Teleport back to camp and distribute the Argus Hearts we prepared to our warriors. This is not just a demon-extermination battle; it’s a test to see if the Argus Heart is as miraculous as we imagined. The two High Exarchs view this artifact as the final trump card for Argus’s desperate resistance; we cannot let our people and warriors down."

"Yes!" the twins replied in unison, then departed through a portal with the others.

"Was what you said true?" Nely asked in a low voice. Dick turned back in surprise. "Which part?"

"'That demons feel no pain,'" Nely flicked her tail and retorted, "I've dealt with demons in Oronaar; they shriek when hacked, and they beg for mercy when dying. They’re just more brutal, not as terrifying as you described. Aren't you worried about scaring the soldiers?"

"Describe them as formidable now, and the warriors will have more confidence once they win the battle," Dick waved a hand. "As for whether demons actually feel pain... well, given the current situation and my resolve, I think it’s better if they don't."

***

Half an hour later, the soldiers of the forge camp arrived at the outskirts of the Petrified Forest under their respective commanders. The "Five Little Wonders" led two hundred Vindicators who clearly lacked confidence, as any one of these local Krokuun Vindicators was older and more experienced than them. In the end, the five of them were merely ungraduated recruits who had the good fortune to follow veterans like Dick and Maldren to "farm" the "Champion of the Light" achievement.

"You've all fought demons, children." Dick saw through their insecurity and encouraged them, "In dealing with these destroyers, you are the 'seniors' to these soldiers. Remember your previous experiences and lessons, and do the right thing at the right time. If you don't know what to do, stay close to me!"

He took a deep breath, shouldered his purple gemstone warhammer, stepped forward, and gestured to the arcanists and shamans on the higher ground. The twins immediately began casting. Appointed as temporary commanders of the casters, they naturally had to set an example. With the help of telepathy, they entered a 500% synchronization rate. Saloras summoned a Flamestrike, while Oresese shaped a Blizzard. The classic "Ice and Fire" combination, constrained by these two geniuses, was precisely applied to the entrance of the summoning zone below. The patrolling Felguards and Felhounds had only enough time to roar before they were screaming under the assault of fire and ice.

The shamans were also calling upon the power of the elements. Instead of casting separately, they worked in groups of three, utilizing the elemental blessings of the Argus Heart artifact to constantly cast Earthquake across the summoning zone. The shaman apprentices could not handle such high-intensity elemental reactions, but they could constantly summon wind, fire, water, and earth elementals to compensate for their numerical disadvantage.

Dick charged out of the formation the moment he noticed the first Blizzard crashing down from the sky. The terrain of the Petrified Forest was not suited for the Vindicators' Elekk mounts, so they were charging as infantry.

***

Occupying the high ground, to use a crude old saying, was "shooting fish in a barrel." Dick led the strongest Vindicators in a charge. After crossing nearly a hundred meters, a full row of charged crystal-forged javelins was thrown forward under Dick's roaring command. The Felguards that managed to charge out of the fire and ice were knocked over in a single volley, but the Vindicators did not stop. In the closer contact, they drew the throwing axes and hammers from their waists.

Hey, who said warriors didn't have ranged attacks? The destructive power of these items, thrown with immense strength, was decent; with luck, they could blow off a Felguard's head, and at worst, they could make the Felhounds howl in pain. These lesser demons were meant to be cannon fodder, relying on brute force and fel blessings to bully weaker human races. But against the Eredar, whose strength rivaled that of enraged Tauren, this cannon fodder stood no chance.

"Assault tactics!" Dick held his warhammer high and shouted. The Five Little Wonders behind him immediately adjusted their formation.

The unsportsmanlike Brigadier opened his wings after charging through the flaming zone. The Light-runes flared, accelerating him as he swung his hammer at the Wrathguard acting as a squad leader. It was an "upgraded" version of a Felguard, a reinforced version evolved from thousands of Felguards through long battles. The demon's Fel-steel armor, embedded with blades, was hideous. It wielded two massive Fel-steel axes and charged into melee, but was skewered in the left leg by a javelin thrown by Farya just as it started. Stumbling, it greeted Dick’s hammer with its face.

"Die!"

The roar was like a war drum; the Light exploded in that instant. The fully-charged Dick felt his hammer strike a "wall of flesh," but there was only a momentary delay and negligible recoil. The hammer followed the trajectory of the blow. Under the shocked gaze of the other Vindicators, the crimson demon, a head taller than Brigadier Dick, was like a poor sap hit by an Elekk!

It was blasted off the ground, turning into a human-shaped golden torch in the scorching explosion of the Light. It flew in a high parabolic arc, crashing heavily into a group of Felguards after soaring ten meters. That must have hurt, but there was no need to worry about the unlucky demon. Not only because it had likely returned its soul to the Twisting Nether the moment it "took flight," but also because, according to Brigadier Dick, demons felt no pain!

But... was this really the strength an Eredar should have?

The battlefield fell silent for a second. Both Vindicators and demons were struck by a bizarre stillness. Farya reacted quickly; she grabbed her spear, held it high, and roared: "Victory! Charge!"

"Awoo!"

They were answered by the wild roars of the Vindicators. The Krokuun people were naturally hearty, and having witnessed the "invincible posture" of their commander, it was like a group-wide "Morale MAX" buff, leaving them without any fear of these hideous creatures reeking of sulfur and burnt rot. If they died when hit by a hammer, and if they retreated in fear, what was there to be afraid of?

Just kill them!

As Dick caught his breath on the battlefield after the one-hit kill, the fanatical Vindicators roared the name of the Light and charged past him, slamming into the oncoming Felguards. It was like two floods of green and blue colliding head-on; a dozen Felguards were sent flying in the first clash. This was the Eredar's unique "horn-locking charge." The Jed'ni training they received from childhood taught them how to coordinate their hooves, shoulders, and bodies at the moment of impact to unleash a "crushing collision" effect. It was like an angry Talbuk ramming rock with stone-hard horns; the explosive force of the collision could even kill a fierce Felhound instantly.

Dick did not rush to help. He touched his gauntlet; the Argus Heart ring on his left pinky was heating up. The earth-shattering "batting" power of that last strike had exceeded his own strength; clearly, the Argus world-soul baby was working behind the scenes. The blessing of world-power was being applied, and every Eredar who dared to take up arms against the demons would enjoy this accumulating glory.

It wasn't just Dick; the Five Little Wonders, acting as the vanguard, clearly felt their strength being abnormally enhanced. Farya’s assault pierced through one Felguard and two Felhounds; such shocking destructive power terrified even her. Nearby, Tramon was already in "whirlwind" mode with his greatsword among the demons, and even Imira felt that the destructive power of her Holy Fire was at least thirty percent higher than usual.

They say priests know best how to bewitch people. Realizing the Argus Heart was truly effective, her eyes darted, and she held her holy staff high, showering the surrounding Vindicators with dazzling, healing Light. She shouted at the top of her lungs: "The World Soul is watching us! Argus is with us! For our world and our people, warriors of the Hand of Argus! Advance!"

It was like adding fuel to the fire...

The defensive line formed by the struggling Felguards was broken head-on by the fanatical Vindicators seconds later. And how could a battlefield demonstrating such courage be without the "idealistic" Light joining in the fun? The Vindicators clearly felt their Light singing praises, like living power aiding their advance. Every swing of their weapons, wreathed in holy fire, burned like a torch, and golden sparks showered onto the Imps and Felhounds, scalding them into howling.

The Fel Lord commanding the summoning zone realized something was wrong! But while he possessed endless muscular strength, he struggled to gain the blessing of wisdom in such moments—after all, muscles are very inefficient for thinking. He gave up on thought, letting his muscles roar as he led his elite guards into the battle, attempting to use brute force to turn the precarious situation around.

The problem was, he was a commander, and Brigadier Dick was also a commander. Did he not know the rules of soldier against soldier, general against general? Just as the Fel Lord used his Fel-steel waraxe to knock down a Vindicator and was about to behead her, a whistling warhammer struck his weapon like a lightning-fast meteor. The massive collision created sparks of Light, which, under Dick's manipulation, turned into a thick Word of Power: Shield on the injured Vindicator. As she struggled to get up, she felt a burning hand support her shoulder. She looked back to see Brigadier Dick smiling at her, surrounded by the Light.

"Well done, soldier!" He cast a Renew, saying in a deep voice, "Can you continue to fight?"

"In the name of the Light, General!" The female Vindicator excitedly picked up her broken sword and shield.

Dick nodded, grabbed his torch-like hammer, loosened his shoulders, and beckoned to the Fel Lord before him amidst the rotating Light-runes. The provocation was unmistakable.

"Ah!" The demon's mental state was already poor; killing and being killed was the way of their Legion. How could it take such a provocation? It roared and lunged with its waraxe. Dick met it head-on, in a "shadow-actor" posture with burning consecration beneath his feet.

The two heavy weapons clashed repeatedly, like two master smiths trying to temper the other into a supreme blade in a furnace of fel-fire and Light. Ten seconds later, the torch-like hammer knocked the Fel-steel axe into the air, and a follow-up combo of Holy Storm and Ashes' Judgment brought the Fel Lord to his knees. Facts proved that the quality of Dick, this "Eredar Celestial Steel Embryo," was clearly better.

"Next time, tell your 'Highlord' Zakun to come himself!" Dick specifically called upon the language library in his character card, speaking in a strange "demonic tongue" that sounded like a backward-played tape: "Your combat purity is too low; it really can't satisfy us Eredar."

"???"

The Fel Lord could not comprehend what kind of freak this Light-wreathed Eredar general was. Why did he even know the demonic tongue? That was theoretically impossible for Eredar vocal cords to pronounce! And how did he know that the great Zakun had just defeated the previous Highlord to ascend to the throne of their clan? Was the Eredar intelligence system that terrifying? Had they planted spies inside the Legion?

But those questions were destined to remain unanswered. The next heavy Ashes' Judgment incinerated half of its body. The Fel Lord's death brought incomparable mental shock to the lesser demons on the battlefield, especially when its hideous, flattened, and charred head was impaled on a spear by Diakum and planted in the center of the battlefield. The Fel-imps screamed and fled. The Felguards still resisted, but they clearly lost heart.

Demons were not afraid of death; they were born from the Twisting Nether and would not truly die in the material world. Being defeated meant only returning to the Twisting Nether to await rebirth. But this shameful defeat today would definitely become the biggest joke in the Twisting Nether.

Dick shouldered his hammer and turned back. On the other side of the battlefield, the Talbuk cavalry led by Jaid were sweeping across the portal area like a chaotic blade storm. The Shivarra and their Succubus sisters were being slaughtered until they cried for their mothers. The traitorous Man'ari warlocks were even more devastated; they had watched with their own eyes as the demons they worshipped were slaughtered like pigs by the Vindicators under Dick's command. This almost completely shattered their mental defenses. If I had known the demons were such trash, why the hell was I crazy enough to worship you?

"They're routed, Dick!" Nely, carrying the head of a Destruction witch, rushed over from nearby and shouted: "We won!"

"Win? This was just an appetizer." Dick waved his hand and said, "Tell the warriors to keep fighting; don't let a single demon escape! Have the priests and shamans prepare to purify the lingering fel energy after the battle. Nely! You go to Nathraxas Hold yourself. I need Governor Hadon to send more warriors to the Petrified Forest. The demons won't give up because of this failure; this will only stir their desire for destruction and combat. Next, we will face a more terrifying invasion. But... how does it feel?"

He caressed his gauntlet and said to Nely, who was wearing the Argus Heart pendant, "Do you feel it? His presence, His gaze, His strengthening and encouragement."

"Yes." Nely also gripped the pendant at her chest and said, "My bullets are more precise, my blades are more lethal, even my speed has become faster and more agile, and my eyes are sharper. We don't fail Him, and He won't fail us. You were right, Dick. We can win!"

"Continue to feel this power, Nely; learn to control it as soon as possible." Dick wore a mysterious smile and said with a subtle tone, "This is not yet the manifestation of the World Soul's power. I hope the Burning Legion sends a 'Great Demon' of substance to try and destroy us. We will put on a real 'show' for Him with the blessing of the World Soul! I said we would send the Burning Legion to the sky with the Argus Heart... I wasn't joking."

***

"Demon Star" Mardum.

This was once a star-sea cage built by the Pantheon to imprison those "immortal demons." It was located in a special star sector independent of the material universe. After Sargeras embraced fel energy and became the Dark Titan, this cage became the first headquarters for the nascent Burning Legion. Ironically, at least 80% of the vicious demons once imprisoned here were "star-sea villains" captured by the uncorrupted Sargeras himself.

The great demon currently commanding Demon Star Mardum was Doom Lord Kazzak. He was the Highlord of all Doomguards, and the Doomguards' ancestors were servants of the Titans and jailers of the Mardum cage. Their racial name was "Ereduin," and their collective corruption naturally made them top-tier demons. Kazzak had served Sargeras for countless years before the Dark Titan's fall. This "courtier" status made Kazzak both honored and terrified; he knew he had to complete every mission given by his great master with all his might to be worthy of the fel-blessing personally bestowed by the master.

Currently, Kazzak's primary task was to direct the demon army to complete the occupation of the world of Argus. Although the Dark Titan had personally appeared to give Velen and Kil'jaeden a doomsday warning, if he had to personally conquer the world, wouldn't it make them, his servants, look useless? Therefore, upon learning of the crushing defeat of the first demon force to land on Argus, Kazzak's rage was predictable.

"Enough!" The fel-demigod, or rather, the fel-great demon who had almost stepped onto Argus under Satchir's summoning, roared on his throne.

He bellowed: "The Master is watching us! And you dare bring back a defeat? Drag the souls of those wastes back from the fel-vortex! Throw them to Red-Throat as blood-food. Weak flesh and souls only deserve to be fed to dogs. Let the Legion's warriors see for themselves: this is the fate of the losers!"

"But honorable Kazzak, the Eredar are not as weak as we thought." A Nathrezim Dreadlord with beautiful emerald-green wings stepped forward to advise: "Using this small-scale infiltration is meaningless; we must unleash our full army! My servants have already infiltrated all parts of the Argus world and can open enough portals for your Legion at any time. But one of my servants also brought back important news. The Eredar are performing mysterious forging on the land called Krokuun. That must be the ridiculous secret weapon they are using to resist the Dark Titan's great conquest. I think you should enjoy this glory; you should personally destroy the Eredar's last hope in the name of our great master."

"Hmm, Tichondrius, you really have a way with words." Kazzak nodded with satisfaction. He felt this Nathrezim leader really spoke to his heart. After a brief bit of shocking deliberation using his formidable muscles, the Doom Lord waved his claw and said: "Then the invasion of other regions is left to you. I will personally go to Krokuun! I will personally deliver the High Master's decree of destruction to the Eredar!"

"Of course." The deathly pale, treacherous Dreadlord let out a cackling laugh. He said with a subtle tone: "Then, I wish you a pleasant conquest, my Lord."