Rising god
Chapter 73: Demon as a Leader

Chapter 73: Demon as a Leader

The inner sanctum of the Treyl family estate was a labyrinthine stronghold, its corridors echoing with the footsteps of its elite inhabitants.

This section housed the family executives, distant relatives, and the army’s quarters, a fortified hub divided into three distinct divisions.

The Law Division enforced order and justice within the family’s domain.

The Defense Division stood as sentinels, guarding the estate, its sprawling territory, the most important family members, and the Intelligence Agency operated in the shadows, gathering secrets and weaving webs of intrigue.

Lastly, the War Division.

They were trained for situations like this, their blades were honed for battle.

As Baines and his Dawnless forces breached the inner parts, they found themselves encircled by the War Division, their ranks bristling with steel and determination.

Baines sheathed his Bladeless Sword with a silent reverence, its purpose was unsuited for the carnage to come.

His right arm trembled, and from its depths emerged the Demon Blade Roesha, its long, crimson blade glowing with a malevolent light. The air around it hummed with blood energy, a harbinger of the destruction to follow.

"SURRENDER NOW, YOU BASTARDS!" roared the 6th-star vice division leader of the War Division, his voice booming beside the stoic figure of the division leader.

Without a word, Baines tore through space, appearing before the enemy ranks in a blur of motion. The soldiers, briefly stunned, raised their blades to block, but Baines was relentless.

With a swift swing of his sword, he unleashed a torrent of violence.

"Attack!" Ralph shouted, his form dispersing into the wind like a phantom. The two executives led the charge, their swords carving through the weaker soldiers with the ease of a scythe through wheat.

The 5th-star Dawnless members followed, clashing with the three hundred-strong enemy force. The air filled with war cries, the clash of steel, and the guttural roars of combat.

The War Division’s efficacy was a testament to their name. They employed intricate battle formations and techniques, compensating for their lack of 5th-star numbers with disciplined coordination.

In contrast, the Dawnless’ lack of refined tactics was evident as some fell to these formations, their bodies crumpling under the weight of coordinated strikes. Yet their 5th-star status was no fluke; their raw physical strength allowed them to withstand the aura of 4th-star opponents, though those facing 5th-star foes met swift ends.

Ralph turned the tide for the 5th-star engagements, slipping in and out of the fray with lethal grace.

He was originally a master of the dagger; he now wielded Moonfang with newfound prowess, its lunar energy amplifying his strikes.

He stole attacks from his allies, redirecting them with precision, and drew moonlit pulses from the blade, merging them with his aura to devastating effect.

His movements were a dance of death, magnificent and merciless.

The two executives, masters of fist combat, dominated their battles with brutal efficiency. Their punches shattered bones, cracked the earth, and reduced their enemies to broken heaps.

They ganged up on the second vice division leader, pummeling him into a pitiful state before delivering a final, decapitating kick, his head rolling across the blood-soaked ground.

Baines faced the division leader and the vice division leader alone. The former, a middle 6th-star, and the latter, a beginning 6th-star. They were formidable opponents for anyone, yet they found themselves retreating under Baines’ onslaught.

Since when were underground forces so skillful? they wondered, their minds reeling.

Baines’ swordsmanship was a blur, his movements shifting mid-swing to strike from unexpected angles. Fangs of blood energy erupted from his blade, attacking from behind as they struggled to block. They were forced to rely on their full willpower while they were outmatched by his pure technique.

"Heaven Arc," Baines intoned, the Demon Blade trembling as it released a pressurized arc of energy, shoving both enemies back several steps.

Before they could recover, he struck again. He was already behind them.

"Withering Touch." A single drop of decay fell onto the vice division leader’s head like a cursed anointing. His body began to wither, skin peeling away as the corruption spread with horrifying speed.

The division leader watched, wide-eyed and frozen, as his subordinate’s body transformed into a decayed statue. He couldn’t react because it happened too fast.

"Ahh..." the vice leader gasped, futilely pushing back with his aura, but the decay had already burrowed into his skull.

Baines kicked the statue, reducing it to ash with a single blow.

"YOU, YOU DEMON!" the division leader roared, his eyes and head bulging with red veins as pain and fury consumed him.

Boom!

His energy exploded outward, a desperate surge of life force.

’He’s using his life force?’ Baines sneered, sending a taunting transmission:

-I killed him. What are you going to do about it?

"ARGHH..." The division leader lunged, abandoning reason in his quest to take Baines with him.

Baines met the attack with an elaborate arc of blood energy, the collision sending them both staggering back two paces.

Undeterred, the crazed leader attacked again, his hands forming claws after discarding his sword. They fought at blinding speed, exchanging dozens of strikes per second, a whirlwind of violence.

Baines refrained from using his will, relying solely on techniques and swordsmanship as a result of suffering cuts on his body, however, he wasn’t being pushed back.

This was revenge. Displaying overwhelming power wasn’t revenge as much as using destructive techniques wasn’t revenge. No, it was a slow and painful death to honor the suffering of his family.

Five minutes later, the division leader wavered.

His life force had depleted. He dropped to his knees, his body aged and frail, yet his fierce gaze remained unbroken, a silent vow to tear Baines apart.

"Kill me," he rasped, his voice a mix of defiance and exhaustion.

Baines extended his hand, blood energy thinning into delicate threads that latched onto the division leader’s body.

"KILL ME!" the man roared, horror dawning as his body moved against his will, a sword forced into his grip.

Slash...

"Ahhh..." One soldier fell, his comrades staring in disbelief.

"D-Division leader?" they stammered as he struck again.

"Ahh..." Realization hit the division leader as his body betrayed him, killing another subordinate.

"Division head, how could you?" the army cried, their morale shattering.

"N-NO, IT IS NOT ME!" he screamed, his pleas unheard as the invisible threads guided his hand.

"YOU DEMON!" he wailed, his eyes pleading for death over this torment.

The Dawnless froze, witnessing a level of ruthlessness that chilled their blood. This was just another level.

If they knew this was merely the beginning, their fear would have deepened.

Leaving them in their daze, the two executives, Ralph and the division leader’s puppet, decimated the remaining War Division.

Their formation crumbled, morale vanished, and the Dawnless’ superior power prevailed.

In under twenty minutes, the ground was littered with broken bodies. In the distance, the Law and Defense Divisions arrived, and their faces paled with fear after witnessing the War Division’s annihilation.

Only four people were massacring their strongest division in the family.

The war division leader, crying and biting his lip, bled out in despair to end his life. Without caring, Baines threw his body at the new arrivals.

Without pause, Baines swung arcs of blood energy infused with will, the screams of the new arrivals filling the air as they scattered.

Even the executives pitied them, but what could they do?

A demon happened to be their leader, and they had to follow.

"Anyone who spaces out again will die by my hand," the second executive roared, diving into the fray with the first executive and Ralph. Reluctantly, the Dawnless rallied, joining the slaughter.

...

In the throne room, Yill Treyl frowned, his slit eyes narrowing as a servant delivered staggering news. "What did you just say?"

"T-The War Division is dead, and the Law and Defense Divisions are being overwhelmed. I-It won’t be long before they..." The servant trailed off, fear silencing his tongue.

’Just how strong are those bastards?’ Yill seethed, the loss of his army gnawed at him. After all, his relatives were among.

"Tell them to hurry. I don’t want to lose more than necessary," he ordered, his voice a whip crack.

The servant nodded and fled.

...

Outside, the battlefield erupted with explosions and cries. The Dawnless dwindled in numbers but dominated the war.

The situation with the new arrivals wasn’t so different from the war division. No, it was worse.

Baines’ methods grew more grotesque, maiming enemies to bleed out, torturing them with blood energy, feeding them their allies’ organs, controlling them to kill their allies, and decaying their bodies slowly.

Drenched in blood, his cold face betrayed no mercy. The Dawnless, bound by his will, could neither stop him nor risk their lives by trying.

As the enemy numbers dwindled to a handful, Baines turned to the second executive.

"Take the men, storm the buildings, and KILL EVERYONE," he commanded.

The executive nodded and retreated immediately. He could tell.

If a single soul survived, Baines’ wrath would turn on them.

"Brother, 1st executive, let’s go," Ralph said, and the three marched toward the core of the Treyl estate.