The trade route on the border of the Demon Realm wound between jagged black mountain rocks, like an ugly scar.
A convoy of Giantwing Demon merchants was moving slowly forward, the wheels groaning on the uneven stones.
There were not many soldiers in the team; after all, this road leading to Blackstone Outpost should have become much safer under the Regent’s decree.
The captain scratched his stubby chin with rough fingers and shouted impatiently,
“Hurry up! Hurry up! Get these things delivered quickly so we can go back and claim the reward!”
Just thinking about the gems allocated by the Regent made his body sway proudly.
What he referred to were the carefully wrapped seed bags on several carts, along with crates of precious farming tools.
But to him, this job was far less exciting than transporting ore or weapons.
Yet the pay was simply too high; five or six trips of “exciting” cargo couldn’t compare to one trip of these “soft” goods.
Tall rock walls on both sides cast heavy shadows, and the wind began to wail eerily.
A young Giantwing Demon soldier sniffed, looking around in confusion. “Captain, there seems to be a… stench? Like rotting meat?”
The captain waved his hand irritably. “Shut up! It’s probably one of those damn lesser demons that died in some crevice. Don’t scare yourself! This rotten place only has corpses and…”
His words had not yet fallen in the empty canyon.
“Screee—!”
A sharp sound tore through the air with a whistle!
The next second, a pitch-black crossbow bolt shot out from a rock crevice like a venomous snake, instantly piercing a soldier’s throat!
The soldier’s pupils dilated abruptly, yet he didn’t even manage a scream before his massive body crashed heavily onto the black stone.
Blood gushed from the wound, quickly painting the ground a glaring crimson!
“Enemy attack!!”
The captain’s furious roar exploded, but so close to the outpost, almost all the soldiers had grown lax.
It was as if that shout was a signal; dozens of ghostly figures instantly descended from the rock walls on both sides.
They were not disorganized. They wore uniform leather armor, moved swiftly, and coordinated in perfect silence.
The poisoned daggers, barbed ropes, and silent crossbows all proclaimed the identity of these attackers!
“It’s the Fangs of Terror! Protect the cargo!” The captain’s eyes nearly split with rage as he desperately drew his heavy sword.
But the ambushers’ assault fell like rain. They never engaged the sturdy Giantwing Demons head-on, instead using both their own agility and the terrain advantage, hurling smoke and corrosive agents from above!
Acrid thick fog instantly spread, unable to dissipate quickly in the valley.
Mingled with the soldiers’ anguished screams, wherever their bodies touched the viscous liquid, white smoke immediately rose with a hiss.
“My eyes!”
“Bastards! They’re up there!”
The Giantwing Demons swung their weapons in panic, trying to disperse the fog, or flapped their wings in an attempt to fly up and strike the heights.
But their huge bodies became a burden in the narrow valley; massive wings collided in the dense fog, causing even more chaos.
The captain roared as he cleaved an attacker trying to approach the carts. “Cowards! Come down and fight fair!”
All that answered him were several silent crossbow bolts that grazed his scalp!
The battle was almost a one-sided massacre; the Giantwing Demons had raw strength but nowhere to use it.
In just a few minutes, more than half the soldiers lay dead, the rest barely able to fight.
Covered in wounds, the captain slumped to the ground, back against the only cart that hadn’t yet been destroyed.
He stared at the corpses of his comrades, eyes filled with regret and fury.
At that moment, a figure who seemed to be the leader slowly stood up on the highest rock, wearing armor different from the other attackers.
Upon it was carved that heart-chilling emblem: a torn star and three claw marks…
He paid no attention to the stubborn captain, merely ordering his men coldly to tear apart the final cart.
“No! The seeds!” The captain let out a desperate howl, but his body was entangled by two other attackers.
He could only watch as the oilcloth was ripped open, the cloth bags full of seeds mercilessly slashed!
Like cheap sand, they poured out with a rush, spilling into the blood and mud, trampled mercilessly…
The carefully crafted farming tools in the crates were also smashed to pieces with heavy hammers…
In the end, they did not take the captain’s life, as if deliberately leaving a mouth alive to spread news of this event.
In less than ten minutes, the scene was utter devastation: corpses, seeds, ruined tools…
The thick fog gradually dispersed, leaving only the heavy panting of the few surviving soldiers and their captain…
He staggered over to the trampled pile of seeds, his enormous body trembling with grief and rage.
Kneeling on the ground, he scooped up a handful of seeds mixed with blood and filth, letting out a suppressed wail…
It echoed for a long time in the canyon…
The news reached the Demon King’s Castle in the afternoon.
Seraphina had only just finished apologizing to Ailinuo for yesterday.
Then the battle report, stained with blood and soil, was placed before her while she was about to review a document from the Bloodborn.
The messenger knelt on one knee, voice weary, suppressed, angry, and hoarse. “Your Highness! The Giantwing Demon merchant convoy heading to Blackstone Outpost was ambushed by the Fangs of Terror in Rift Valley Pass… All cargo destroyed, the soldiers… heavy casualties!”
She had handled many related matters recently, yet this was the first time Seraphina heard “heavy casualties” used.
She sensed something different about this incident, quickly unrolling the report. The words upon it were so shocking that even she felt they couldn’t be real.
Every word struck her like a hammer blow; she could not imagine one demon race committing such… slaughter against another!
This was no longer just a loss of goods; this was a direct provocation to her authority! A real slap across her face!
“Fangs of Terror…” The four words were practically ground out between her teeth, a cold light blazing in her eyes. “They are simply courting death!”
Ailinuo stood trembling to the side, terrified of being caught in the fallout.
“Pass my order!” Her voice was like iron. “Summon the leader of the Giantwing Demons to see me at once!”
The command was carried out immediately.
Soon, the tall and imposing female chieftain of the Giantwing Demons strode into the study, face dark with anger.
“Your Highness!”
With her frank and bold personality, she merely gave a low, muffled shout and did not bother with a bow.
But Seraphina did not mind such things. She walked straight up to her. “I already know what happened. I called you here to ask for the precise details and casualty figures.”
The other suppressed her violent emotions and quickly finished the report.