Catato Patch 

The darkness arrow still had three more seconds before it could be fired off. If I cancel the casting now, it would not only waste time but also waste this opportunity.

 

The head imp made a bull rush through the battlefield, his target, me. He knocked aside another two more large imps as he charged. He was getting too close. However, just as I was about to cancel the casting, a towering silhouette stood in front of me. It was a large imp, a large imp that was slightly burlier than a normal large imp.

 

“This lordship will protect Master with his life!” Big 1 charged into the head imp with a resolute gaze in his eyes; to him death was no longer an issue. He tried to block the unstoppable force otherwise known as the head imp from approaching but was instantly defeated.

 

However, his efforts weren’t in vain as the arrow finally took shape. A pitch black arrow that seemed to consume the light around it, flew out from between my arms and crashed into the head imp’s face.

 

He had just tasted the pain brought on by the darkness arrow earlier and definitely did not want to again. However, his charge had rendered him unable to dodge the arrow properly and he could only twist his head in a desperate attempt to evade it. The darkness arrow struck the head imp’s forehead where it joined with the horn like a lightning bolt.

 

“AHH!”

 

The devil’s horn was his weapon but at the same time, it was also his weakness. A devil who lost his horn would be temporarily weakened. That arrow did not manage to sever his horn but was able to inflict a great deal of pain on him.

 

“Ahhh...I’ll kill you...I will definitely kill you…” The head imp clutched his head as he wailed in pain. His howls were drenched in his poisonous hatred, causing me to involuntarily shiver; my morale nearly failing at that moment.

 

“Stop him!”

 

I quickly retreated a distance and hastily commanded the devils around me. I ordered them to stall the head imp even if it cost them their lives. As for me, I suppressed my furiously pounding heart and continued casting my darkness arrows.

 

The battlefield was too chaotic at this moment. No.2, 4 and 5 had, unbeknownst to me, evolved into large imps in the midst of the bloodshed. Upon hearing my command, they immediately broke out of the crowd and ran towards me. At the same time, No.3, Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger rushed towards me as well.

 

One-eye had the important role of being the commander of this battle so I had ordered him long ago to focus on commanding and to ignore anything else.

 

Even the previously injured Scar-face had rushed over to protect me. He stared daggers at the head imp in front of him. His arms were no longer functional, but he still had his feet and teeth. He had a vindictive personality; any slight must be avenged, especially one this big! He wasn’t the only one who came over, he brought his three large imp subordinates as well.

 

In total, there were eleven large imps and with me included, it was a 12 vs. 1 match! With such a numerical advantage, we should be fine, right?

 

I sneaked a glance at the ongoing battle. While our losses were immense, the enemy wasn’t that well off either. As long as we took down the head imp, victory was ours.

 

Scar-face ordered the three large imp subordinates to charge while he hid behind to prepare for a sneak attack. On the other side, No.3 led a group in encircling the head imp. The plan was to attack him from all sides and exploit our numerical advantage.

 

The head imp’s combat strength was truly terrifying. The first to engage with the head imp were the three large imps who were covered in wounds from a previous battle. Upon colliding with the head imp, they were swiftly knocked down in a couple of punches and kicks.

 

Scar-face had intended to ambush the head imp while he was being held up by the large imps, but quickly gave up on this idea due to the opponent’s overwhelming strength. Seeing this strength disparity, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat.

 

Having just chased away Scar-face, the head imp was immediately ambushed from the back by No.3’s bone club. The head imp tried to counterattack by grabbing No.3 but failed due to him retreating in time. Instead, he grabbed onto No.2 who had just charged forward. He lifted No.2 up into the air as he clutched onto his head like a vice, while No.2 desperately struggled. No.2 clawed and kicked as hard as he could but it had no effect on the steel-like hide of the head imp’s arm.

 

*crunch*

 

The head imp clenched down with his fist and slammed No.2 onto the cliff wall. A sickening crunch rang out through the air. The cliff face was perfectly unharmed but No.2’s head had split open…

 

No.2 was dead!

 

The third darkness arrow was ready and with a shove of both my arms, the darkness arrow shot towards the head imp’s eyes.

 

However, the head imp was prepared for this arrow and immediately dodged. The direction he tumbled in laid in the path of Nine-finger and Big 1. Big 1’s had already swung his club prior to this and as a result, coincidentally hit the head imp’s head. The head imp’s body seized up momentarily as his head collided with the club. However, he quickly recovered and managed to catch the bone club as Big 1 was attempting his second swing. With a forceful twist, he snatched the club away from Big 1.

 

With both his arms clasped around the bone club, he fiercely swung out, hitting Big 1 squarely on the jaw. Big 1 was flung away like a baseball into the distance.

 

His stolen club began to crack under the impact of his forceful swing. At this moment, my fourth arrow shot out. However, with previous three encounters still fresh in his mind, he was clearly prepared. He lifted his hands and blocked the arrow with the bone club.

 

*boom*

 

The darkness arrow disappeared but the bone club had shattered under the impact.  

 

However this did not affect the head imp at all, as he casually tossed aside the stub of the bone club and viciously pounced at me. Big 2, Big 3 and Nine-finger immediately ran into his path to block him but were violently rammed aside. Big 2 was the most unfortunate of the three. The direction he was knocked to was right in the path of the head imp. Before he could get up, the head imp broke into a sprint and leaped into air, landing a moment later with the force of a sledgehammer, right onto Big 2’s neck. That sickening crunch rang out once more as his neck got pulverized, his head tilting to the side as it lost its support…

 

Big 2 was dead…

 

Damn it, damn it...there’s only five more meters. He’s going to pounce on me in the very next second…

 

I wanted to run but my speed was just too slow. Just as I was about to despair, No.4 suddenly leaped onto the head imp’s leg and tightly hugged it. With his thigh hindered by No.4 , the head imp’s momentum was abruptly halted, nearly causing him to trip. He tilted his head and stared cruelly at the imp hugging his legs, while a thousand murderous thoughts flowed through his head.

 

No.4 was terrified by the head imp’s gaze. He had always been a coward but this time was different. He valiantly held onto the head imp ignoring the impending threat of death. What happened to him? Where did all this bravery come from?

 

“Master...run…”

 

He was terrified by his enemy’s gaze but steadfastly held on; his eyes full of tears.

 

As for me...that short sentence of “Master run” had shocked me to the core...I knew No.4 was a bit of a coward, and I didn’t look too favourably upon him. I had always thought he would be the first to run away when I got into danger...but it looks like I was terribly wrong. He was the bravest of them all.

 

“No.4!”

 

I didn’t know when but I had started crying. The speed of my casting had picked up as well. But in the end, it was still too slow…

 

Before the darkness arrow could be fired, the head imp had bent down and grabbed No.4’s head. With his other arm, he held onto No.4’s shoulder. An instant later, he pulled out his head as if he was plucking out a radish!

 

A stream of blood gushed out of his decapitated body like a geyser, drenching the head imp in blood. At this moment, he turned towards me with his usual savage face and smiled.

 

“Ahhh…!”

 

The arrow I was casting dissipated before it had fully formed. I didn’t know why but at that moment, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I clearly remembered a few days back, No.4 was beaten up by No.3 and the others and looked really pathetic then. But strangely, despite his fear of being beaten, when he turned towards me, that fear instantly disappeared.

 

I don’t know what kind of feeling this is and I don’t want to know...but...it’s so heart wrenching...it’s just so heart wrenching…

 

Power! I’ve already died twice and reincarnated twice, shouldn’t I be a special existence!? Why am I so powerless!? I want power! More power!

 

After murdering No.4, the head imp continued his advance forward.

 

Seeing me in danger, No.3 and the others immediately charged forward. Even Scar-face and his three beaten subordinates got to their feet and desperately tried to block him. All the large imps in this battle rushed forward with one common goal in mind: to protect me.

 

Big 3 had his throat torn out while Nine-finger was sent flying with a kick. Scar-face managed a kick on the head imp’s back but it had no effect. Instead, he got a fist to the stomach and fell to the ground. His three nameless subordinates attacked the head imp’s chest and flanks simultaneously but it was all in vain. The head imp took on their attacks as if they were nothing and swiftly took care of them with a few of punches and a kicks.

 

No.3 tried to ambush the head imp once more and pounced at his calves. However, the head imp was already aware of his movements and leaped into the air to dodge. No.3 tried to pressure him further but was quickly defeat by a punch and a kick.

 

Having gotten rid of all the obstacles, he slowly sauntered towards me, a taunting smile on his face.

 

I lowered my head. My mind was a complete mess at this moment. Even the fact that we just got wiped out was ignored. Numerous thoughts flooded into my mind at this moment. Thoughts that I could not understand. Anger, an uncontrollable anger erupted like a volcano within me. Hidden beneath these raging flames was a deep sorrow. Following No.2, Big 2 and No.4’s death, Big 3 was now dead as well. They died protecting me. As I thought about this, an indescribable pain filled my heart. My tears had dried up, leaving behind an indelible scar on my heart.

 

“There’s no one left to save you now.” The head imp turned around and glanced at the defeated large imps lying on the floor; letting out a derisive “chi” as he laughed.

 

“Don’t you know, I’m a head imp who is standing at the peak of two-stars. I can evolve into three-stars at any moment. With just this amount of underlings, you wanted to defeat me? You have to bring at least double what you have now in order to win. Now tell me, do you wish to become my demoness or do you wish to die?”

 

The anger in me rumbled and flared up. I lightly closed my eyes and a moment later, opened them. The expressions on my face disappeared at that moment, leaving behind a deadly calm. “Did you know, flames can reduce everything to cinders? The destruction it brings...that’s why everyone is afraid of fire. Among them, there’s a flame that not only hurts others but also oneself…”

 

“Is your head screwed on right? What’s the point of telling me a story now!?” The head imp lowered his head and stared at me, his face a mere 10 cm away from mine. I could smell the stench from his mouth and nose. This was his attempt at mocking me. With a light poke on my forehead, he continued: “Don’t tell me you’ve been scared witless by me?”

 

“Did you know, that type of fire hurts the body and the heart...it’s called...the flames of anger…”

 

As those words left my mouth, my body was suddenly engulfed in a reddish black flame. It came into contact with the head imp’s finger and like a paper coming into contact with fire, the black flames rapidly spread from his fingers onto his palms and then to his arms…

 

“Ahhh...what’s going on...why am I on fire…” Devils were born with a natural resistance to fire. To them, the average flames were nothing more than toys. As such, the head imp didn’t pay much attention to the flames on his finger and even flicked his finger around as if to show that he was the master of fire. The result: the flames spread all the way to his arms without any signs of abatement.

 

The head imp screamed in agony as he rubbed his flame-covered right arm onto my body. He thought this would put out the flames but he was sorely mistaken. Instead of putting them out, the flames grew even more.

 

“Flames of anger are truly frightening. Right at this moment, do you feel it?” I said with an expressionless face. With a light touch of my hands, the flames on my palms spread onto his body. A moment later, the head imp had turned into a living torch. He frantically sprinted around, tumbled around, whatever method he could think of he employed them. However, the black flames burned strong. Yet, whatever he came into contact with was spared from this fiery fate. He alone, was subject to the flames.

 

At the very end, he wailed as he jumped into the blood sea, disappearing with the bloody tides…

 

It’s over, everything is over...

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Chapter 21: The Flames of Sorrow