That day, the City of Chaos was again in turmoil.
As usual, the Bloodwing King in the east district and Count Clark in the west district had a conflict over Lady Victoria from the south district. Their subordinates, armed with weapons, clashed in the streets. About forty to fifty people from both sides were killed before they each withdrew with their heavily injured bodies. This cease was mainly because the city's lord, known as 'Chaos Roar,' dispatched his personal guard to intervene, otherwise, the casualties would have been much higher.
As for the Bone General in the north district, he was happy to receive dozens of free corpses, increasing the strength of his bone army.
In the City of Chaos, a few deaths were nothing unusual.
It would be strange if a day went by without any deaths.
Although people died every day in the City of Chaos, corpses were actually a rare resource. Especially fresh corpses were greatly coveted by the vampires and necromancers in the city. In the necromancy shops, creating undead servants, slaves, bone guardians, and shadow patrollers all required fresh corpses. Rotten corpses could be used, but honestly, no one liked their smell. Some undead, especially after being injured, needed fresh corpses for optimal recovery, like ghouls and zombies. However, feeding fresh corpses to ghouls was like feeding fish fins mixed with pearl powder to a pig - an extravagant waste.
In the City of Chaos, nearly thirty thousand undead and demons lived, among others. But corpses were not as crucial for other races as for the undead.
"Everything's fine now, continue drinking!" shouted the centaur captain of the Chaos Lord's guard, as usual.
"This blood smell is so enticing... what a waste spilling it all on the ground!" A vampire entered, ordering a 'Bloody Mary' from the half-destroyed shop owner while casually picking up a chair that wasn't completely shattered and sitting down.
"I'm really out of luck today!" The shop owner, who suffered losses from the clash between the two districts, shook his head in distress.
"Maybe some fool will come along and let you fleece him, then you'll make up for your losses!" The vampire laughed weirdly, casually touching the curvaceous behind of a bunny girl holding a drink.
"Unless that fool is you, I don't think it's likely!" The shop owner looked out onto the street and sighed deeply.
On the street, the black-skinned dwarves were cleaning up when a group of mercenaries escorting a huge beast arrived. They were ten times more intimidating than the recent fighters. Almost every mercenary was covered in wounds, their gazes towards others aimed at vital points, their ferocious expressions even more terrifying than the most fearsome man-eating monsters.
Upon smelling the blood, the leading wild boar man roared as if stimulated.
All the mercenaries growled lowly, forming a defensive formation, their hateful and fierce eyes scanning any living being around. The black-skinned dwarves, frightened by these mercenaries, scurried to the sides of the streets, curling up and covering their heads in submission.
The patrolling centaur captain was also startled. He had seen many mercenaries, but such ferocious ones were a first for him.
"Don't be nervous, everyone relax, let's find a place to rest! I'm tired!" A beautiful, clear voice commanded, and all the mercenaries’ expressions changed from ferocious to respectful. The defensive formation remained, but the leading wild boar man approached the shop owner, grabbed him, and barked, "We're going to stay here, bring your boss out to welcome the distinguished guests!"
"No need to bring him out, I'm already here." The shop owner came out with a forced smile, saying, "I'll immediately go welcome the distinguished guests..."
"Wait!" The wild boar man roughly searched the shop owner's body, not even forgetting to grab his crotch, and finally found a short dagger at the owner's waist, shouting, "Pfft, you've got some nerve, trying to assassinate our boss? You're seeking death!"
"Ah?" The shop owner almost fainted upon hearing this. Who in the City of Chaos didn't carry a weapon?
"Kill him!" A minotaur, wielding a double-handed axe, was about to split the shop owner in two when that beautiful, clear voice intervened, commanding, "Stop, he doesn’t have murderous intent. Carrying a dagger might just be his personal habit. Forget it, I'm tired, I need a bed to rest, and you all should eat something!"
"Understood." The minotaur's axe stopped a centimeter above the shop owner's head.
The wind from the axe made the shop owner almost wet his pants.
Although random killings were common in the City of Chaos without any reason, no one was wrongfully killed just for carrying a dagger. Even if someone was searched and found with a weapon when meeting the city lord, at most they would get slapped, not killed. What could be the identity of this distinguished guest that made the mercenaries so nervous?
The vampire at the side didn't dare breathe, fearing his fangs might also be considered weapons, sending him to hell.
Descending from the beast was a human male with long hair like a river of stars, dressed in ordinary warrior's clothes, yet with an indescribable fit and heroism. He wore strange sunglasses, adding to his mystery. Beside him was an elven woman, also wearing sunglasses, dressed like an elf archer, but her noble aura and elegant demeanor suggested she was no ordinary elf.
In the sky followed a proud flower fairy, who rarely interacted with other races, joyfully flying around, seeming very happy to accompany the human male.
The Mitir fairy holding the human male's hand looked blissfully happy, puzzling the shop owner. Mitir fairies loved freedom, so why was she so dependent on a human? Her happy expression could make any lord or noble who owned a Mitir fairy envious and insane. How did this human male manage to make a freedom-deprived Mitir fairy so joyful?
"After traveling for three days, we finally arrived at the City of Chaos," the human male gently picked up the Mitir fairy, saying, "Everyone's tired, let's rest here!"
"This inn isn't great, but it's the only open shop on the street, so we'll have to make do," the elf agreed.
After the bunny girl led the human male and elf upstairs to rest, the shop owner remembered he hadn't asked for payment.
He didn't dare to speak up, as the minotaur was still glaring at him, fearing the axe might split him in two. Rubbing his hands and coughing, he cleared his throat, planning to relax the tense atmosphere before bringing up money.
"Here's a thousand gold Puke. We might stay here for two or three days. You must be responsible for preparing everything," the wild boar man shoved a magic card into the shop owner's hand, shouting, "Pfft, did you hear me? The food for the boss and the ladies is simple. Just follow this paper. If you do well, you'll get an extra reward. If not, I'll send you to hell for a redo! Pfft, understand? Our food can be simple, but it needs to be quick!"
"Remember, all food must be clean and safe, or else I'll strangle you with your own intestines!" the minotaur warned.
"Understood, understood, please sit, I'll bring your drinks and meat right away!" The shop owner, with money in hand, was willing to do anything. In the City of Chaos, money always came first, no matter the circumstance.
The mercenaries filed in, not particularly strong tribesmen but rather a mixed group of mercenaries.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Their equipment and aura were frightening, bearing scars and an air of having died multiple times and escaped hell. Individually, the vampire was confident in defeating any of them, except for the wild boar man, minotaur, and the one-eyed wolf man. However, if a hundred vampires of his strength battled these hundred-plus ferocious mercenaries, they would likely be torn apart within minutes.
Their seating and posture were the most alert and prepared for combat. Although no one was attacking them, these mercenaries maintained a readiness for battle at any moment.
The shop owner had no doubt that if there were an attack, in an instant, about thirty to forty people would retaliate.
The centaur captain outside the shop frowned deeply upon seeing this.
Who exactly was this human male? When did he gather these mercenaries, and how did he train them to be so frenzied and ferocious?
What was his purpose for coming to the City of Chaos?
Could this human male be an uninvited human slavemaster, with these mercenaries as his gladiator slaves?
"Everyone, don't be too tense... As a patrolling officer, I have the right to ask for your boss's name. Who will answer me, noble and majestic human aristocrat, what's his name?" The centaur captain entered and immediately realized he was at the center of everyone's potential attack, sweating profusely and quickly putting on a friendly smile.
"Demon Hunter Yudian. That's my boss's name, centaur captain. We've answered. If you head towards the stairs and disturb my boss's rest, pfft, then don't blame us for treating you as an assassin. A shameless assassination attempt already took place, and we won't let it happen again, understand? We have a duty to guard our boss!" The wild boar man viciously gnawed on a bone in his hand, looking more intimidating than a werewolf.
"Yudian? A good name!" Of course, the centaur captain wouldn't do anything foolish. He laughed and left, but before exiting, he turned back for another look.
"..." He found that everyone had stopped eating and drinking, glaring coldly at him, which scared him so much that he hurriedly left in large strides to report back to the city lord.
...
"What? A strange human has arrived?" The Chaos Roar city lord didn't take this matter seriously and waved the centaur captain away.
"The city lord is too occupied with women!" The centaur captain sighed inwardly. He saw at least ten naked women around the Chaos Roar city lord, with a demon woman bouncing in his arms like riding a horse. Although the Chaos Roar city lord, equivalent to a human Sword Saint and one of the top ten powerhouses in the land of the seven races, was strong and powerful, he didn't spend his days in arduous training like other top ten powerhouses but wasted his strength on women.
As a personal guard knight, the centaur captain felt a bit regretful.
He revered strength and enjoyed killing and conquest. He had some expectations for his city lord, hoping the Chaos Roar would actively attack and conquer the towns of the seven races, rather than confining himself to the mountain city, indulging in women.
The four kings of the city's districts were growing stronger, with Queen Victoria already possessing the strength of a Great Wizard.
Both the Bloodwing King and Count Clark had the strength equivalent to a human Sword Emperor. As for the Bone General, although he seemed the weakest, he had the most undead subordinates, who were tireless fighting machines. The City of Chaos was seething with undercurrents, and any change could lead to unimaginable collisions and explosions.
The centaur captain had repeatedly reminded the Chaos Roar city lord to be cautious with the affairs of the four kings.
But the Chaos Roar city lord was intoxicated with his own power, spending his days in debauchery among the beauties sent by the four kings, completely neglecting the City of Chaos.
As a warrior, the centaur captain felt that this human male was no ordinary person and had very suspicious intentions. He initially wanted to warn the city lord, but seeing that he was not listening, the centaur captain felt regret. Given the demeanor and aura of the human male, he was clearly not an ordinary person, and his arrival likely had a significant, potentially dangerous purpose. Had the city lord already forgotten the disaster brought by humans a year ago?
"Although you haven’t given an order, as part of my duty, I will still monitor that human male. I hope that after I collect evidence, you will take some actions to regain control of the City of Chaos!" The centaur captain looked back, noticing all the personal guards leering lasciviously at the city lord and the women in a brawl, paying no attention to himself.
They were all waiting for the city lord's leftovers and paid no heed to potential assassins.
In the guards' minds, the Chaos Roar city lord, as strong as a Sword Saint and one of the top ten powerhouses in the world, was not someone a fool would dare to assassinate.
However, in the centaur captain's mind, the contrast was stark. The human male had no enemies, no assassins trying to kill him, yet his guards were extremely vigilant. Even after he had left the room, their gazes still bore into him like knives, never relaxing.
Such a stark contrast between the two!
Pretending to be casual, the centaur captain patrolled near the small shop, peeking inside while pretending to be on a routine patrol.
Several of the Bloodwing King's birdmen subordinates arrived, with their usual arrogance, collecting protection fees from every household, even more adeptly than the centaur captain. Upon seeing the centaur captain, the birdmen simply snorted as a greeting.
As they entered the tavern and saw someone sitting in their usual spot, they became furiously enraged.
One leader quickly charged in, knocking the mercenary sitting in his spot to the ground. The birdmen companions laughed loudly, and the centaur captain saw the werewolf mercenary's muscles twitch, his claws reaching toward his waist at least three times before retracting. He observed the other mercenaries exchanging signals almost invisibly.
They didn't move, but subtly, they had already surrounded the oblivious birdmen.
The centaur captain watched in horror, his hair standing on end and sweating profusely.
"Trash, this isn't where you dogs belong. This is my spot, understand? Go eat shit, you eggs of a dog!" The birdmen leader arrogantly laughed, kicking the werewolf mercenary in the abdomen, making him stagger.
"Hey, captain, look at its eyes. Look, it seems very dissatisfied, this dog-breed actually dares to be angry!" laughed another birdman.
"If it's not satisfied, I'll beat it until it cries!" The birdmen leader slapped the werewolf mercenary several times in the face, causing his teeth to bleed, then taunted the other angry mercenaries, "What about it? Are you also not satisfied? Come on, draw your weapons and attack us! Do you know who we are? We are the Bloodwing King's guards, noble winged beings, unlike you shit-eating dogs, understand? What kind of meat do you eat? Wait till I shit it out, that'll be your food... Hahaha, do you dare to touch a single hair of ours? Here in the City of Chaos, we are the law, we are your masters! Kneel down and lick our asses. I'm in a good mood today, I'll treat you to a meal!"
"Shut up, you're so noisy, can't even sleep!" The flower fairy flew out from inside, sleepy and complaining, "Yudian boss wants you to clean up this trash immediately, as quickly as possible! Mitir has already been woken up and is crying!"
"Understood," the minotaur stood up and answered gravely.
"Let's see if your bird head fits in your asshole!" The beaten werewolf mercenary, hearing his boss was angry, immediately jumped up, stabbing a dagger into the birdman leader's abdomen.
The birdman leader looked at the werewolf mercenary in astonishment, unable to believe it.
He couldn’t believe anyone would dare to attack him, considering he was a subordinate of the Bloodwing King, the ruler of the eastern district.
The centaur captain saw the werewolf mercenary not only stabbing the birdman leader's abdomen with a dagger but also viciously twisting it, making the birdman leader collapse in his grasp. The other birdmen hadn't reacted yet when dozens of weapons had already struck them, dismembering their bodies into pieces in the quickest manner.
One birdman, in his dying moments, drew his sword to counterattack, hitting a mercenary in the shoulder.
That mercenary, undeterred, smashed the birdman's head with a club.
The centaur captain watched as the mercenary casually pulled out the sword from his shoulder, spat out a mouthful of blood, and sat down to continue eating and drinking. Such ferocious mercenaries were a first for the centaur captain, igniting a fire in his chest. He felt that only such an army had the true spirit of battle.
There are many ways to kill, but the most ferocious is to disregard the opponent's attack and one’s own life and death.
"Don’t say you are the Bloodwing King’s subordinate; even if the Bloodwing King himself comes, he can't scare me! Trash, do you know who I am? I am a guard trained by my boss himself; you are nothing!" The werewolf mercenary viciously tore open the birdman leader’s chest, pulled out his heart, stuffed it in the birdman's mouth, and then kicked him away.
“Bloody mess, clean it up quickly. Miss Mavi hates blood the most!” The flower fairy instructed before flying back.
“These bastards still think we are the same riffraff from a few years ago. Damn it, I didn't even get to kill anyone just now!” The one-eyed wolf leader grunted at the stunned shop owner: “If you dare scream and disturb the boss's rest, I will tear you apart! Talk outside if you have something to say. Killing a few birdmen is no big deal. Damn, what do you want to tell me?”
“Blood... Bloodwing King... revenge…” the shop owner stammered.
The centaur captain noted that the werewolf mercenary's and the shop owner's trembling were entirely different.
Suddenly, the centaur captain had a revelation.
The werewolf mercenary's trembling was one of excitement, similar to his own hands now, indicating an emotional thrill and a hint of bloodlust, not fear.
“I say, pfft, offending the Bloodwing King is no big deal, but disturbing our boss is a grave mistake. You’ll wish for death. I advise you to quickly prepare the food. If the boss isn't satisfied, I will dismember you bone by bone. Of course, if your preparation pleases the boss, he might reward you with another thousand gold Puke. Stop wasting time and do what you should do!”
“Captain sir, these are some trash. Please take care of them,” the minotaur directly approached the centaur captain.
“Trash is easy to clean up, but the problem is it usually keeps piling up!” The centaur captain saw a flash of murderous intent in the minotaur's eyes, sending a chill down his spine, but his pride as the city lord’s personal guard made him stand tall and meet the minotaur's gaze without flinching.
“Small trash we handle; big trash, our boss personally takes care of. There’s no trash in the world he can’t clean…” the minotaur hummed heavily.
“Understood,” the centaur captain turned and walked away, then stopped, saying, “Tomorrow night, there's a performance in the arena. Your boss might be interested. Also, as part of my duty, I will report truthfully to the city lord. He might not listen, but I will speak. If you want to stop me, it has to be now.”
“No, go ahead and report!” the minotaur said gravely: “Being responsible is a good thing; at least, it's not bad!”
The news of the mysterious human male Yudian appearing in the City of Chaos spread rapidly.
Just on the first day in the city, he let his subordinates kill the Bloodwing King's guards. His challenge to the eastern district's ruler caused a stir in the entire City of Chaos. In the dark betting pools, bets were placed on Yudian's time of death.
The Chaos Roar city lord, after hearing the report, didn’t care.
He didn’t believe mercenaries, at most equivalent to Earth Warriors, represented much. If he wanted, he could kill those hundred-plus mercenaries with a single sword strike. Thus, notions of murderous intent, vigilance, and discipline didn’t leave an impression on him. He also didn’t believe the human male Yudian could challenge the Bloodwing King, as even Count Clark could only barely hold a
draw with him. Even if Yudian was a strong human, he couldn’t possibly challenge the Bloodwing King.
Moreover, in the eastern district, the Bloodwing King had at least five thousand subordinates.
If human male Yudian thought he could defeat the Bloodwing King's army with just over a hundred mercenaries, then each of his mercenaries would have to be Sky Warriors.
“Go, such trivial matters don’t need reporting in the future,” the Chaos Roar indifferently hummed: “Just because he’s called Demon Hunter doesn’t mean he can hunt demons! I doubt this Yudian has even seen a demon! Hmph, he must be some human prince, thinking he can run wild in my City of Chaos? He is courting death!”
“…” The centaur captain sighed inwardly. Although he had only seen him once, he felt that the mysterious human male was definitely a superpower. Even though he appeared as a human swordsman, could anyone reach the City of Chaos alive from the human mainland without absolute strength? Would he dare challenge the Bloodwing King without it?
“Captain sir, please deliver a message to the queen. The queen wishes to meet with Mr. Yudian!” The centaur captain, upon leaving the Chaos main castle, found a dragonfly-winged fairy waiting on the drawbridge, smiling: “If you do well, Her Majesty will reward you handsomely. Otherwise, captain sir, you might want to write your will first.”
“Is this Her Majesty Victoria's exact words?” The centaur captain listened, his heart chilling. He vaguely felt that the City of Chaos was about to change.
“Captain sir is wise; I believe you won’t disappoint the queen,” the fairy smiled lightly and flew away.
At that moment, dark clouds were gathering in the sky.
Much like the centaur captain's mood, heavy and oppressive.