High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1004: Chapter 66: Strong Start, Weak Finish

During the end-of-term hunting party ceremony last semester, Zheng Qing had experienced such a feeling before.

At that time, a breeze swept past him, blowing toward the prey on the hunting ground. Those demons, originally restrained by magic, charged frenziedly toward the direction of the stands where he was located.

Luckily, he was situated on the safe stands, hundreds of meters away from those frantic creatures, separated by several layers of sturdy magical barriers. Moreover, those demons were bound by the chains used by the hunters of the ceremony. They had charged less than ten meters before being pulled back.

The irritated hunters lashed at them with whips.

Initially, Zheng Qing also wanted to believe that the loss of control by the demons was due to a ”magic malfunction.” But when he faced a group of unchecked beasts again and those crazed looks once more, he immediately discarded the delusion in his mind.

The way they looked at him, it was like hungry dogs seeing bones.

Or rather, demons seeing a bowl of Monk Tang’s flesh.

In an instant, Zheng Qing’s mind was flooded with many images he had subconsciously ignored—on the entry plane, Nikita licking his ear and whispering into it, the wild struggle of the kappa monster by Lakeside of Bell Lake, the uncontrollable demons during the school hunt, and the uninvited ”guests” during the winter hunt.

Particularly, the accident during the school hunt.

Professor Yao had once suggested that he consult with Professor Montreya from First University, who was very authoritative in the field of bloodline research, but due to various busy matters, Zheng Qing always pushed it to the back of his mind.

If he could return safely, he would immediately seek an introduction letter from Miss Su, and then on the first day of school, go to consult with Professor Montreya about this matter. Zheng Qing prayed worriedly in his heart.

He felt that as he progressed further on the wizard’s path, his attraction to those abnormal beings also grew stronger.

Upon returning, he must—the young subsidized student widened his eyes, looking at the magical creatures surging toward him like torrents, and sadly realized a reality: he felt the odds of his safe return crazily dropping.

”Orderly retreat on the right flank!”

”Follow through on the left flank!”

”Center, bolster the right side, watch the formation! Slowly move right!”

The commander’s loud voice pierced through the howls of the magical creatures and the wizards’ roars, as well as the explosions of charms and other spells, echoing across the entire battlefield, methodically issuing orders to every fighting hunter.

His tone was calm, and his voice steady, showing no signs of panic.

It was as though the sudden redirection of the Mad Hunt and the black tide were entirely expected by the staff officers.

”Right flank! Hunters of the Alliance on the right, hold your ground! Retreat square by square!”

”Leave gaps between squares!”

”Central frontline’s charm gun troops, focus your attack on the front part of the black tide, shatter their arrogance! Thunder Curse troops, the ones responsible for the Thunder Curse, attack the middle of the black tide, cut off their formation!”

With these increasingly detailed command arrangements, the initially impacted defensive positions gradually stabilized again. Zheng Qing, along with his teammates to his left and right, slowly retreated. The spells in his Law Book were almost entirely depleted, not even a Calming Incantation left.

The cold stares of the Mad Hunters and the fervent gazes of the magical creatures still relentlessly pursued his figure, exhausting the young subsidized student both physically and mentally. He could only divert his attention by silently revising the battle formation and commander’s orders in his mind.

”Hmm, it’s clear that the commanders want to engage in a ’Zama battle’... No, no, after the failure at Zama, they must be thinking of a ’Battle of Cannae,’” Zheng Qing mulled over quietly, ”Let the right flank slowly retreat to create a concave formation, at the same time, disrupt the Black Tide’s formation, splitting it into two halves... Then, the center and left wing would infiltrate through the gap in the Black Tide, surrounding the Black Tide’s frontline from the magical creatures that surged in.”

”However, who gave them the confidence to believe that the tribal warriors in the center and on the left wing could withstand the frenzied attack from the Black Tide’s rear legion? Or do they firmly believe that the Black Tide’s front won’t turn around to pinch the wizards infiltrating the gap?”

Before this young strategist could fully figure out the specific arrangements of this defensive and offensive battle between the wizards and the Black Tide, his vision blurred, and a clear voice resonated across the entire battlefield:

”Wolf trampling its prey, dragging its tail along!”

”Moving listlessly, the center as if intoxicated!”

”Dimly shadowed, thunder rolling faintly!”

”Not trembling nor stirring, neither constrained nor rigid!”

Four spells, four brilliant instances of magic.

The first three spells fell upon the Black Tide, where the magical creatures, initially howling and charging, first appeared disoriented under the Chaos Spell, their formation plunging into chaos; then they struggled laboriously under the Hypnosis Curse, dizzy and disoriented; finally, under the booming threat of the Thunder Curse, they lay softly on the ground, daring not to move.

The fourth spell struck the wizards forming the defensive line.

Neither terrified nor faltering, neither cowardly nor distraught, this could be considered the best spell for stabilizing the morale of the troops.

”Su Shijun??!!”

”God, did you hear my prayers?”

”Tell me, I’m not dreaming!!”

”Is that really Miss Su? What is she doing here?”

”Feels like I’ve used up all my luck for a lifetime today...”

Compared to these uncontrollably excited voices, other more rational ones like ’Can Beta Town still afford Miss Su?’ and ’I think Su Shijun’s husband must be right beside us!’ quickly became drowned out.

Zheng Qing looked up at the witch floating midair, his eyes revealing a glimpse of relief, heaving a deep sigh of relief in his heart.

”Thank goodness...” he murmured softly to himself.

Soon, several figures clad in long robes rose slowly from the position, floating toward Su Shijun, and after a brief exchange—because of the distance, Zheng Qing could only make out that the wizards were bowing and expressing their gratitude to Su Shijun, unable to hear anything else.

”Seems like we can finally sit back and rest,” Zhang Ji Xin tightened the knuckles of his gauntlet, his gaze sweeping over the reinvigorated hunters on the battlefield, he sighed deeply, ”I wonder if Beta Town will cut our commission because of this.”

”What a letdown... I actually wanted to wrestle with that Chisel Tooth,” Xin Fat Man exclaimed loudly as he patted his chest, his eyes sneakily glancing upwards—he had somehow transformed into a Blue Giant at his limit again, with his head nearly level with the nearest small building’s rooftop.

Zheng Qing felt that if the Blue Fatty could just jump slightly, he would surely be eye-to-eye with Su Shijun floating midair.