The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 165 It’s not just the devil who is unfathomable, but also his minions
The silver pine forest was covered with flying snow, and the sturdy pine trees made low humming sounds in the strong wind. The thick snow bent the branches, and from time to time, the snow fell and raised fine white mist.

And between the tree trunks that were frozen into ice sculptures, a group of ragged refugees huddled together in the wind and snow.

Their figures were covered with a thin layer of white by the snow, and their fur coats with curled edges could not withstand such severe cold, so that their skin was frozen blue, and their eyes were full of fatigue and even despair. Some stamped their feet to try to keep warm, some rubbed their frozen arms to try to regain consciousness, and some were so frozen that their whole bodies were stiff, and even moving their arms was extremely difficult.

They were all villagers from Holy Oak Village, from the easternmost part of Dusk Province - the border of the kingdom next to Brass Pass.

To get here, they endured hunger, crossed forests and mountains, and had almost exhausted all their strength.

For such a mob, even muskets cannot improve their combat effectiveness much, not to mention the question whether the frozen launch device can produce sparks.

If their numbers were not so large, as many as two or three hundred people, the patrolling players would not have sounded the alarm for them.

When the alarm bell rang, a group of skeleton soldiers emitting netherworld magic light appeared behind the fence wall, and despair was written on the faces of those ragged refugees.

This is not an opponent they can defeat.

They came to the wrong place.

"Damn...it's the undead! There's a necromancer here!" Brook, who was carrying a bow and arrow, had his shoulders shaking constantly, and his wide-eyed face was filled with panic.

He used to be an adventurer, and before his retirement he had been active in the Thunder County area, even going deep into the fifth level of the maze below Thunder County... It could be said that he knew this place so well as if it were his second home.

That was why he volunteered to be the guide and led everyone through the eastern part of Silverpine Forest to arrive here.

However, he had never expected, and had never heard of, that there was a necromancer entrenched here!

not only that--

He clearly remembered that the Demon King here had been killed by Grand Duke Campbell, and every adventurer he asked on the way here told him so!
How come now that he has returned to his hometown, all the demons in the maze have come to the surface outside the maze? !
"How is this going!"

The shivering hunter walked to Brooke's side in the snow that was up to his calves, and shouted angrily, "Didn't you say you were going to take us to a good place? How could there be undead here!"

"I, I don't know," Brooke swallowed nervously and said with difficulty, "We'd better go back first..."

“We have nowhere to go back to.”

The staggering old man, leaning on a cane, came to the side of the two men. There were pieces of snow on his eyebrows, and his dry lips were cracked by the cold. Although he looked strong, anyone could see that he was on the verge of exhaustion and could collapse at any time.

Just like those old people who fell on the migration road.

"Have you forgotten what the knight said? If we appear near Silverpine Town again, he will chop off our heads and send them to the lord as bandits' heads to claim the reward."

"God of love...how could they...how could they do this!" The hunter's lips trembled, and it was hard to tell whether his voice was filled with anger or despair.

The old man remained silent and did not respond.

He was the village chief of Shengxiangshu Village, named Pierre, and he had served in the army of the Kingdom of Ryan. Because he had dealt with local lords and participated in the suppression of bandits, he knew very well that it was a normal thing.

The two words "refugees" and "bandits" are almost the same in syllables. A group of hungry people can do anything to survive, especially when these people have hands, feet and weapons. No one can afford the cost of trust.

Many lords were killed by refugees.

Of course, the latter also has reasons to strike first. After all, the dead cannot speak, and no one can tell who strikes first.

An atmosphere of despair permeated the crowd. Some people began to pray for a miracle, while others cursed the local lord.

Even though they don't even know the guy's name.

"These guys deserve to go to hell!"

"There's a necromancer at the doorstep. Isn't the lord here worried at all?!"

"Someone has to take care of this matter..."

Listening to the chattering behind him, Pierre stared at the fence in front of him, silent, struggling internally.

They have no way out.

Although he knew in his heart that, as Brook, the former adventurer, had said, they had no chance of winning, they could only pray that after they sacrificed their lives for their faith, the apostles of Saint Sith would take them to the legendary heaven.

Just as he was about to make a decision, the gate of the fence not far away suddenly opened, and two children in their teens appeared under the fence wall made of logs.

Seeing the child appearing behind the door, the villagers of Holy Oak Village were stunned, and soon someone recognized the two familiar faces.

"Andy! Maggie?!"

A middle-aged man holding a rifle widened his eyes in surprise, and a gleam of hope appeared on his frozen face again.

His child is still alive!

After searching in the forest for a whole day, he almost gave up!
"Dad!" Maggie shouted excitedly and wanted to run forward, but was stopped by her brother who was standing beside her.

Because at the same time, dozens of bows and flintlock rifles were pointed at her, and fear was written in every pair of eyes.

"Wait a minute, don't go over there yet!" Andy growled, pulling his sister behind him and nervously looking at his fellow villagers who were facing a formidable enemy.

At the same time, seeing his child being pointed at by a gun, the man holding the rifle went crazy and pointed the gun at his fellow villager next to him.

"That's my child, what the hell do you want to do?!"

There was a commotion among the crowd!
The villagers standing next to the man immediately rushed over, scrambling for the weapon in his hand, trying to snatch the musket from his hand.

"Are you fucking crazy?!"

"Put your weapons down!"

"You are the crazy ones!" the man roared, holding the rifle tightly and refusing to let go, until he was knocked to the ground by the butt of the rifle.

“No——!” Looking at her father being knocked to the ground, Maggie let out a scream and her eyes turned red.

"Calm down, Dave! That's a demon's illusion!"

Brooke grabbed the man's collar tightly, pulled him up from the ground, and roared with spit flying.

"These demons are all cannibals! Look at their rosy faces, and then look at yours! They look like they have been in the snow all day! Wake up! Your child is dead!"

That was not just his thought, but also the first reaction of everyone present.

Hearing the sound coming from the translation crystal, Shark, who was flying behind the two children, immediately showed a surprised expression.

"I still have this ability?!"

Maggie stared blankly at the roaring Uncle Brooke, her face full of sadness.

She didn't understand why Uncle Brooke, who always had endless stories to tell and would wear a pumpkin head to make her and Andy laugh, became something scarier than the devil...

Just at this moment, a majestic voice suddenly floated out from behind the fence wall and descended on the heads of everyone outside the door.

"What are you doing at the gate of my territory?"

At the same moment the words fell, a cloaked figure appeared on the fence wall.

The man had dark purple hair, sharp and cold eyes, an angular face that did not look like a human, and a straight nose like the spire of a castle.

The heavy snow like goose feathers seemed to not exist to him. It disappeared without a trace after falling on his shoulders, and no one knew where it went.

The moment he saw that face, Brook felt every hair on his body stand up, and a fear deep in his bones crawled through his whole body.

His instinct as a former adventurer told him that even if there were a hundred - or even a thousand of himself, they would never be a match for the man in front of him!

This guy is so powerful!
Seeing the Demon King suddenly appear on the wall, the players had different expressions on their faces. Some showed a look of excitement, some looked expectant, and some even shouted in surprise.

"Good guy!"

"They actually lured the Demon King out!"

Andy and Maggie stared blankly at the man standing on the wall. There was a hint of fear on their blank faces, and behind that fear there was a hint of piety and reverence.

Children's intuition is sometimes more accurate than that of adults.

From the looks that the surrounding undead and demons gave the man, they could feel the respect that came from the bottom of their hearts.

In this case, there is only one possibility——

That man is the leader of these monsters! He is also the legendary Demon King!

He is also the lifesaver who gave them the magic potion...

Luo Yan, standing on the fence wall, looked down at the refugees outside the wall, especially the guys who were fighting with each other, with an expressionless face.

He had been watching the show secretly and didn't want to show up. He planned to leave everything to the players themselves. However, the subjective initiative of this generation of players was too poor. They were all watching the show and waiting for the plot to develop on its own...

Seeing this group of desperate refugees ready to rush towards him like moths to a flame, he finally couldn't help but get involved.

no way.

He still couldn't be completely inhuman, and he admitted that he was not as good as Reggie Dragun in this regard.

Looking at Luo Yan standing on the fence wall, Pierre, the village chief of Holy Oak Village, said with fear in his eyes and moved his lips.

"who are you……"

In fact, he had already guessed that the guy in front of him was most likely the real necromancer who was entrenched in this area.

However, what he didn't expect was that the facts before him were even more shocking than he had imagined...

"Who am I?" Luo Yan smiled lightly and said in a slightly frivolous tone, "I am the ruler of this Demon King's territory. Can you guess what I am?"

Pierre looked at him in astonishment, his fear gradually turned into horror, and he couldn't help but take a step back.

It wasn't just the old village chief, the surrounding villagers were the same, despair gradually appeared on their frightened faces.

Demon King!

The one standing before them was actually the Devil!

They no longer had the energy to determine whether this statement was true or false, and could only allow the feeling of fear to spread in their hearts.

"..." Brooke's clenched teeth were shaking constantly, but thinking of his fellow villagers behind him, he still mustered up the courage to draw the dagger at his waist and held it in his hand.

Looking at the aura emanating from the sword, Luo Yan looked at the middle-aged man who was suspected to be an adventurer with a little surprise.

This guy actually possesses the strength of Black Iron level. It seems that he was also a strong man among thousands when he was young.

However, this level of strength is still a little bit lacking in front of him.

Luo Yan thought for a moment, and suddenly an idea came to his mind. Looking down at the guy who was suspected to be the strongest among this group of refugees, he spoke in a slow voice.

"your name."

Brooke said alertly.

"Brooke..."

Luo Yan continued in a casual tone.

"Brook, huh? I admire your courage. Since you still have the courage to draw your sword, let's play a game."

Brook was stunned. Although he felt that there was something fishy going on, he still subconsciously asked, "What game..."

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"You can pick any one of my men. As long as you can defeat it, I will forgive your offense and let you leave here safely with food and fuel. Of course, if you lose, your soul will belong to me."

"Anyone will do?" Brooke's face was tense as he squeezed out these words with difficulty.

Luo Yan smiled and nodded.

"Yes, anyone will do."

"You said it," Brooke said with a hint of joy on his face. As if afraid that the man in front of him would go back on his word, he pointed at the skeleton soldier standing on the fence without hesitation, "I choose that guy!"

Among all the undead creatures, skeletons were the weakest. Although he hadn't been an adventurer for many years, it was still no problem for him to deal with a skeleton!
"I?!"

[Chi Zao Shu in the Office], who was watching the fun, was slightly stunned and subconsciously pointed his index finger at himself. Then the next second, the soul fire swaying in the skull shook with excitement.

Without waiting for the Demon King to speak, he jumped under the fence wall amid the envious and jealous looks of a group of players.

Looking at the skeleton soldiers who jumped down from the three-meter-high wall without falling apart, Brook, who was holding the dagger, was slightly startled, and suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

This guy might not be as easy to deal with as he thought!

But having said that, it's too late to regret now.

Looking at the middle-aged man who looked as if he was facing a great enemy, Luo Yan continued in a gentle tone.

"Then the game begins."

At the same time as he said this, he signaled Youyou to issue the Demon Lord's mission to the eager little player -

[Mission: Defeat the adventurer who attempts to challenge the Demon King's majesty! ]

[Reward: Basic reward is 8000 ghost coins and 100 contribution points. If you disarm the adventurer without killing him, you can get an additional 300 contribution points! ]

As the saying goes, there will always be reckless people when there is a big reward. The moment [Chi Zao Shu in the Office] saw the task reward, his eyes in reality almost glowed green.

Hearing the Demon King announce the start of the competition, Brook did not dare to underestimate the enemy at all, and took the initiative to kill the skeleton soldier with his sword.

He was already prepared when he chose his duel opponent!

With a loud roar, the dagger in his hand danced out a crescent-shaped arc of light and smashed towards the skeleton soldier's head with great momentum!
“Behead——!”

The boiling sword energy surged out!

If hit by this blow, even a tree that can be hugged by one person will be cut in half, not to mention a pile of bones that has been dead for who knows how long!

In his impression, these stupid things didn't even have the instinct to parry when facing the oncoming attacks, let alone dodge!

However, just as Brook swung the sword confidently, something happened that he and everyone present could not have expected.

The seemingly stupid skeleton soldier did not dodge, but he also did not stand there stupidly and let him chop him as he imagined.

Suddenly, it took a nimble step forward, and the rusty dagger in its hand thrust forward with a sound of breaking through the air, and the hilt went straight for his jaw!

The skeleton soldier seemed to want to humiliate him intentionally. He didn't even use the blade, but treated the dagger in his hand as a blunt weapon.

"careful!"

Village chief Pierre, who was watching the fight, subconsciously exclaimed, trying to remind Brooke.

However, Brooke seemed not to hear anything and rushed straight towards the hilt of the sword, taking the lightning-fast blow with his face!
In fact, it was not that he did not hear the voice of Village Chief Pierre, but even if he heard it, it was too late.

The most fatal weakness of the "Beheading" fighting skill is that the attack pre-swing is too long. Before the sword hits the target, the whole body is full of flaws, and it cannot be retracted without twice the strength!

That is why few adventurers would use this move in battle unless they are 100% sure they can hit their opponent!
Otherwise, you have to face undead creatures like skeleton soldiers who have no intelligence!

However, Brook never expected that the skeleton soldier in front of him would use the footwork that can only be seen on human swordsmen, and he never expected that it actually possessed wisdom that ordinary undead creatures did not have.

But when he realized his mistake, it was already too late!

In a trance, Brook seemed to hear the sound of some bones breaking, and then his jaw lost consciousness and he fell headfirst into the snow.

[Chi Zao Shu in the Office] looked proudly in the direction of the Demon King, eagerly waiting for the latter's reward.

Before long, he saw the task completion prompt and the reward pop-up window, and then he returned to the team with satisfaction.

Although he is a professional gamer, his level is not given by topping up his phone bill, but is raised bit by bit through countless battles.

Not to mention that many versions ago, Yiye Zhiqiu had already summarized the usage techniques and weaknesses of the common skills in this game. Even though he was a novice in combat and had not thought much about it, he had learned some techniques by watching the big guys discuss it all day.

"Awesome, bro." [Emotionally Stable] looked at the cool and graceful [Chi Zao Shu in the Office] in surprise and couldn't help but admire him, "I didn't expect you to have such a unique skill."

"Hehe," [Chi Zao Shu in the Office] smiled shyly and said in a very coquettish tone, "Keep a low profile, basic operation."

There was dead silence outside the fence gate. The boundless silence was like dark clouds pressing down on the sky. The only sound in the woods was the rustling of falling snow.

Looking at Brook lying in the snow, all the refugees present were silent, with fear deeply imprinted in their eyes.

So strong!

It’s so powerful!
The strongest, bravest and most experienced warrior among them couldn't even defeat the weakest skeleton soldier under the Demon King...

Didn't even last one round!
In their eyes, that battle could no longer be called a competition, it was a one-sided crushing!
Looking at the expressionless Demon King and the defeated Brook, Village Chief Pierre looked as pale as death, and his lips had completely lost all color.

Especially when he recalled that just a dozen minutes ago, he actually had the idea of ​​fighting to the death...

Now he is just glad that he didn't do that.

Looking at the refugees who had completely lost their will to fight, Luo Yan continued in a slow voice.

"As you can see, you are like a group of ants to me. I don't even need to cast a spell to take your lives. I am curious why you think I need to use conspiracy or illusion to deceive you..."

"Or in other words, are you worth it?"

Being stared at by those captivating purple eyes, Pierre finally couldn't bear the fear in his heart and fell to his knees in the snow.

He pressed his forehead against the cold snow and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Please forgive our rudeness... We are really at our wits' end."

It's not just him.

The refugees following him also dropped their weapons, trembling on the ground, begging for the Demon King's forgiveness.

Looking at the slowly increasing faith value, Luo Yan looked down at his future subjects, with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

Fear is also a kind of belief.

At least at this moment, these desperate people no longer expect Saint Sissi to save them, but instead beg for their own forgiveness.

This is the first step in "selling your soul to the devil."

Next, he will make them realize that "selling their souls to the devil" is not as hopeless as they imagined, and the devil's heart is broader than they imagined.

The representatives of Saint Sith in the mortal world rejected them in the wind and snow, but the acolytes of the Demon Lord treated them like brothers.

Luo Yan looked at the two children under the fence, smiled and nodded to them, indicating that they should go find their parents, and then watched them run into their father's arms.

Dave crawled out of the snow, held his two children in his arms, and cried with excitement, thanking the Demon King for the miracle he had brought.

It is undoubtedly a miracle that the child who was lost in the snow returned to his side safely!
In this way, Luo Yan gained his first believer among this group of refugees.

The refugees crawling in the snow secretly looked at Dave who was hugging the children, and a hint of surprise appeared in their eyes.

They didn't expect that the two children were actually real people, not some so-called devil's illusion.

incredible!

The devil really didn't hurt them? !
Everything that happened before their eyes completely overturned the perceptions of these refugees and also shook the beliefs in their hearts that were built on this basis.

"I can take you in, as long as you are willing to become my servants."

"I will give you food and fire to help you through the most difficult times, and you need to work at sunrise and pray to me at sunset."

"Once you cross this door in front of you, our contract will be established. I will not force anyone who is unwilling to do so. Leave my territory on your own accord and go wherever you wish."

The majestic voice echoed in the snowy forest.

Andy, lying in his father's arms, gently tugged at his father's clothes and whispered something in his ear.

Without any hesitation, Dave stood up from the snow, and walked towards the open door in front of him with the two children beside him with an extremely pious look.

Perhaps because they saw that Saint Sith did not bring down divine punishment, the people crawling in the snow stood up one after another and walked towards the gate, following his example.

Including Village Chief Pierre.

After a moment, there was only one person left on the snow.

Brooke lay in the snow, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for death to come.

However, the development of things was once again beyond his expectations. The evil and awe-inspiring demon king did not crush him to death like a grasshopper, but threw a bottle of magic potion on the snow in front of him.

The dark green liquid incredibly exuded the breath of life, and also made an expression of surprise appear on his face.

At this moment, a majestic voice descended over his head.

"You have two choices. Drink it and swear allegiance to me and become my servant. Or ignore it and follow the man who never answered your prayers."

The answer is no need to think too much.

His fellow wanderers all chose to join, so Brook had no reason to act noble, and he himself was not a devout believer.

Another thing is that he was convinced by the strength of this Demon King.

It would be a privilege for me to be able to serve this gentleman.

Looking at Brook who drank the potion with great effort, Luo Yan continued in a gentle but unquestionable tone.

"I will leave your soul with you for the time being."

"If one day I feel that you have second thoughts about me, I will take it away."

After saying this, Luo Yan turned around and disappeared in the flying snow like a wisp of dissipating smoke.

The work that required him, the demon king, to appear in person has been done. Next, his life professional players will naturally settle the new NPCs.

As for the missionary work, Luo Yan didn't need to worry about it himself. He could just leave it to the acolytes of the Palace Gecko Clan.

Perhaps it won't be long before the cemetery will have a new group of human acolytes.

Humans are the best at preaching...

(End of this chapter)