Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Hearing what Carlo said, Yang Yu naturally shifted the conversation,

”Speaking of which, the Silver Teeth Clan, Blazing Fire Clan, and your Winged Hand Clan all hold great reverence for their ancestors.”

Flapping his wings, Carlo responded, ”From what I understand, in Wansheng Country, ancestor worship is the mainstream. Revering the goddess, on the other hand, is the minority.”

”Then, within your race, are there any myths? For instance, where does this power of yours come from, and who exactly created you?”

”That’s a difficult question to answer.”

After pondering for a moment, Carlo’s elongated voice finally reached Yang Yu’s ears,

”Who could have created us?

In our culture, everything was born from darkness; from nothingness to being, everything is so. If there truly is a goddess, she must have also come from nothingness.

My ancestors gradually learned to fly, gained this ability, and passed this power down to us.

If there were to be a myth,

This is the ’myth’ handed down through our generations.”

Yang Yu fell into contemplation.

Not waiting for Yang Yu to react, Carlo laughed heartily, brushing it off,

”This is a cultural notion that is quite difficult for other races, especially humans, to accept.

Many races, even if they do not worship the goddess, still more or less believe that everything in the world is created by the goddess.

In past eras, those of us with this belief were considered heretics.

Moreover, due to our race’s nocturnal habits, we were often treated as incarnations of demons.

Over three hundred years ago, during the Dark Age, we too were inexplicably persecuted.

It was only later in Wansheng Country that we found refuge.

Our ancestors imparted that, should Wansheng Country face difficulties and seek our help, we should not hesitate.

This was also for the survival of our race.”

Casually glossing over the suffering of his ancestors, Carlo led Yang Yu and the others closer to Benliang City.

”There’s no need to force acceptance of our culture.

At that training camp, I’ve also heard different beliefs.

Expressing these ideas to you now is also because I’ve been exposed to many progressive concepts there - it’s normal for different races to have different thoughts, seeking harmony while preserving diversity, and mutual tolerance.

You are considered comrades-in-arms.

Since you asked, I’m telling you.

If you don’t believe, just take it as an ordinary story.

We’re almost there; prepare for battle, I’m going to speed up.”

Hearing Carlo’s reminder, Yang Yu put away his inquisitive thoughts.

To understand a race, the best starting point is its legends and customs.

The Winged Hand Clan moves in darkness, rarely interacting with other races; their culture and traditions have likely remained almost unchanged.

However, after listening to their legend, Yang Yu couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of philosophy.

Regardless, with the ability to discern someone’s strength through magic fluctuations, the Winged Hand Clan was certainly not ordinary and definitely had something worth delving into.

Perhaps their race was also among those unknown twenty items.

With the blessing of the dark night, even as Carlo greatly increased his speed, the wind that swept past Yang Yu and his companions didn’t change much.

As they drew closer to Benliang City, Yang Yu could see many soldiers patrolling the walls, and many others standing rigidly, motionless.

Flying along, Carlo sensed something unusual,

”It’s strange, there are many soldiers stationed there. But apart from those continuously moving back and forth, I can’t sense the magic power within most soldiers standing still; it’s like they are empty inside.”

”It feels empty?”

From here, Yang Yu could see the faint glimmers within Benliang City.

But the more he stared at those dim glimmers, the more Yang Yu felt an ominous premonition.

Many from the Winged Hand Clan noticed this as well.

General Bing Quan and Marco, who were leading the team, did not command the troops to stop; instead, they continued to fly higher, sneaking past the patrolling Luo Ze’s troops and over the city walls unnoticed.

It was so effortless that everyone felt it was somewhat unexpected.

Countless scenarios had been envisioned by countless people, including the worst-case scenario, being discovered right as they flew over the city walls.

However, everything went far too smoothly.

Marco and Bing Quan, who vividly remembered being lured deep into enemy territory by the Luo Ze Empire, were on high alert, commanding the Winged Hand Clan to search for human traces.

But...

”Other than the soldiers just now on the city walls, there’s almost no sense of anyone’s presence within the city.”

Carlo’s brow furrowed slightly; it was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

To become a formidable force for Wansheng Country, their instructors had provided them with intense training to harness their abilities, allowing their emitted Magic Waves and ultrasonic waves to reveal every object within an area.

But Carlo, who was supremely confident in his abilities, no matter how many times he swept through the city, came up with the same result and couldn’t help but doubt his own life.

Carlo communicated with other members of the Winged Hand Clan using ultrasonic waves, and they all came to the same conclusion.

”Could it be that they know about the capabilities of the Winged Hand Clan and have employed some magic to evade our detection?”

”It’s possible. Perhaps our actions were exposed in advance, and they are hiding underground, aiming to catch us all in one fell swoop.”

”With so many defending troops in Benliang City, it’s not very realistic for all of them to hide. Besides, I think if the humans truly anticipated our move, they would be more prepared on the city walls.”

Marco and Bing Quan directed the Winged Hand Clan to scout the city once more, yet they still found nothing.

The city was eerily quiet, like a ghost town.

Yang Yu furrowed his brows tightly; his premonition seemed about to come true.

A few minutes passed, and he received instructions from Marco and Bing Quan.

—Even if there was an anomaly, they would proceed with the original plan.

Marco and Bing Quan had noticed what Yang Yu had, and they had to verify it themselves.

The surprise attack squad safely landed within the town.

Yang Yu and Bai Jin landed on their feet and took up their weapons on guard.

Carlo tucked in his wings, whistling like he was blowing a whistle, sending out ultrasonic waves and Magic Waves that only the Winged Hand Clan could hear and feel.

Yet, there was still not a single response, no sense of even one person.

Marco and Bing Quan both frowned, cautiously making their way through the city, which remained deathly quiet.

Not a single one of Luo Ze’s elites was there.

Ajiket’s troops quickly followed, arriving at Benliang City, about to charge when the few Luo Ze soldiers on the city walls suddenly sprang into action.

They weren’t activating cannons; instead, they raised a fluttering white flag high, declaring their defeat.

To make sure that Ajiket’s troops could see, they placed illuminating magic around the white flag, making it particularly visible in the sky.

These remaining Luo Ze soldiers even opened the gates for the approaching Wansheng Country strategy troops, each waving a small white piece, welcoming the arrival of the strategy troops.

Their gestures didn’t seem like a surrender, more like a mockery, suggesting that everything the Beastman Army had done was in vain.

In the year 415 of the Lux calendar, during the early hours of February 16th.

The strategy troops confirmed that the defending forces of the Luo Ze Empire’s Benliang City had abandoned the city.

Wansheng Country occupied Benliang City.