booktalesy Chapter 8 The Loli Assassin of the Exorcism Pass, the Grim Reaper in the Shadows
Chapter 8 The Loli Assassin of the Exorcism Pass, the Grim Reaper in the Shadows
Exorcism Pass is the front line of humanity's fight against the demon race.
The towering black city walls are perpetually stained with dried, dark red blood, and the air is thick with the lingering smell of rust and a chilling atmosphere.
Inside the tent of the 1st Infantry Battalion, however, the atmosphere was strangely awkward.
"What... what are they thinking?"
Battalion Commander Zhang Hairong was a burly man with a full beard. He was grabbing his messy hair and looking at the "new recruits" standing in front of him with a look of utter despair.
She was a little girl who looked no more than eleven or twelve years old.
Her skin was so white it was almost translucent, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll. Although her eyes were as cold as a block of ice, she still exuded a kind of endearing innocence.
What's worse, the infantry battalion didn't have any women's uniforms at all, let alone such small ones.
At this moment, the large leather armor worn by an adult man was loosely draped over Cai'er's body, like a child wearing an adult's clothes, and even the standard longsword was almost dragging on the ground.
The group of seasoned veterans around them were dumbfounded.
"Commander, this...whose young lady is out here experiencing life?"
"With those skinny arms and legs, forget about killing demons, could she even swing that greatsword? How could the higher-ups bear to send such a pretty young girl to her death in this meat grinder?"
Zhang Hairong felt a headache coming on.
He was puzzled, but this was a direct order from the military high command, and he was strictly required to accept it.
Even a fool could tell that this little girl's identity was definitely not simple!
This isn't sending a new recruit, it's sending an ancestor!
Let alone expecting her to kill the enemy, if she were to get hurt or have some kind of accident on the battlefield, the consequences would be far beyond what a mere battalion commander like him could bear!
"Ahem..." Zhang Hairong cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible, "Um... Cai'er, right? On the battlefield, swords have no eyes, you... you stay by my side, don't wander off, I'll take care of you at any time."
Cai'er slightly raised her head, her delicate face expressionless, and simply nodded coldly.
Just then, Bai Ye's lighthearted laughter echoed from the sea of consciousness:
[It seems your appearance is too deceptive; this Battalion Commander Zhang sees you as a burden who needs protection.]
Cai'er glanced down at the ridiculously oversized military uniform she was wearing, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"I'll prove them right," she thought coldly to herself.
"Don't rush to prove anything. First, fix this cumbersome outfit of yours." Bai Ye's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "An assassin's clothes must be absolutely form-fitting. Are you trying to get yourself killed already by going to the battlefield like this? Come on, I'll teach you how to modify them."
Under Bai Ye's guidance, Cai'er made an excuse to go to a secluded corner.
She drew the dark gold, demon-grade dagger from her waist, her fingertips pulsating with spiritual energy, like the most skillful tailor.
In a short while, she precisely cut and pieced together the large leather armor, transforming it into a black bodysuit that fit her petite frame perfectly, outlining her budding slender curves.
When she returned to the camp, Zhang Hairong and the veterans were all stunned.
Although she was still the same little girl, after changing into this smart and capable outfit, the cold and murderous aura emanating from her made even these battle-hardened veterans feel a slight chill in their hearts.
"Waaaaah—waaaah—"
Just then, a mournful and desolate horn sound suddenly tore through the sky above the Exorcism Pass!
"Enemy attack! The demons are besieging the city! First battalion, assemble and prepare for rotation!"
Zhang Hairong's expression changed drastically. He grabbed the axe beside him and roared angrily.
Cai'er's heart suddenly clenched.
Even after four years of hellish training in the Sea of Spirit, and even though she was already a fourth-tier assassin, when she finally followed the soldiers of the First Battalion to the top of the city wall and faced the vast battlefield, an unprecedented shock and instinctive fear still gripped her breath.
Looking down from the towering city walls, the land outside the city had turned into a surging black ocean.
The mountains and fields were covered with them, densely packed with demons!
The pungent smell of blood mixed with the stench unique to demons rose into the sky; the deafening sounds of fighting, screams, and demon roars seemed to tear one's eardrums apart.
It was a sea of cannon fodder composed of Zelin dual-wielding demons.
These low-level demons, generally only at the second to fourth rank, wielded their enormous forelimbs, which resembled the scythes of death, and surged towards the city walls like a tireless black tide.
Every year, the demon race sends millions of dual-wielding demons to the battlefield, using this bloodiest method to reduce the population and alleviate the food burden.
Occasionally mixed in with them is a fifth-tier mutated species—the Emerald Twin Blade Demon—whose body exudes dark green poisonous gas.
Cai'er's face turned deathly pale instantly. Although she had lost her sense of smell and couldn't smell the nauseating blood, her recently restored sense of touch allowed her to clearly feel the thick, deathly aura in the air.
Her body was taut like a fully drawn bow, and the fingers gripping the dagger were slightly white from the excessive force.
[Take a deep breath, Cherrie.]
Just as she was about to be overwhelmed by the brutal atmosphere of war, Bai Ye's calm and steady voice flowed through her heart like a clear spring.
Don't look at the entire battlefield; it will make you lose your way. Shift your gaze back to the enemy before you. Remember everything you learned in the Sea of Spirit: you are not a soldier, you are an assassin, a reaper of souls.
Upon hearing Bai Ye's voice, Cai'er's wildly beating heart miraculously calmed down.
Yes, with Bai Ye around, what is she afraid of?
"Hold on! First Battalion, plug the breach!"
Zhang Hairong roared and swung his battle axe, cleaving a third-tier dual-wielding demon that had just climbed the city wall in two.
The foul-smelling demon blood splattered all over his face.
Just as Zhang Hairong was about to turn back to look for the little girl who needed his "constant care," he suddenly froze.
What about people? !
Cai'er, who was supposed to be following behind him, suddenly disappeared into thin air!
"Oh no! Where did that little devil run off to?!" Zhang Hairong broke out in a cold sweat. If he died in the chaos of battle, he wouldn't have enough heads to chop off!
He was about to shout when he suddenly felt the shadow beneath his feet twist strangely.
Immediately afterwards, an extremely faint, cold light, like a shooting star flashing in the night, silently emerged from his shadow.
"laugh--"
A very slight tearing sound.
Less than three meters away from Zhang Hairong, a Tier 3 dual-blade demon that was about to launch a sneak attack on him suddenly froze, its huge forelimbs swinging in mid-air.
The next second, a thin line of blood appeared on its hard neck.
The enormous head rolled to the ground with a "thud," and foul-smelling black demonic blood shot into the sky like a fountain!
Zhang Hairong's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
He didn't even see who made the move! That tough-as-nails third-tier demon was instantly killed without even having time to react?!