Blossom Mountain—every corner of Underworld City was thick with the stench of blood. Wounded demons and their agonized cries filled nearly every space, and even Monkey’s war council chamber was not spared.
Some were missing limbs; others were swathed in bandages. Unlike the fallen Celestial soldiers, these demons still clung to life—the Celestials who crashed down had already been killed.
This was thanks to the surface remaining firmly under Blossom Mountain’s control. Yet this also placed a tremendous burden on Blossom Mountain’s logistics. At present, nearly all available demon forces were committed to battle, leaving no hands to care for the wounded. Even with an abundance of elixirs, it would take at least a month for the injured to recover enough to return to the front lines—but the war was already upon them.
“From what we can see, their spiritual power is nearly exhausted. But we haven’t found any elixirs aboard the wrecked warships, which means they’ve probably concentrated their elixirs on a few rear vessels, or already unloaded them and hidden them somewhere. Nine-Headed Wyrm led a squad to try attacking their main command tent, but was driven back. As far as we know, their command tent holds a large store of elixirs.”
“It’s no surprise the Heavenly Fleet isn’t short on elixirs. I’ve never heard of a Celestial Army unit lacking elixirs.”
“But they may soon run out of food. The forests are burned to ash—soon enough, both their side and ours will face food shortages. The Eastern Sea will become the main source of provisions.”
“You mean we’ll soon be fighting over the Eastern Sea?”
“Perhaps it’ll be a contest for the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace itself. Any battle at sea means we must consider the Dragon Palace’s involvement.”
Monkey paused, a little surprised. “The Eastern Sea Dragon Palace is neutral?”
Anna Yang nodded slightly. “The Heavenly Court has already ordered all Celestial Army units not to aid the Heavenly Fleet, so in theory, yes. But according to Listening-Heart, the Fleet has secretly reached out to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, leaving its position extremely awkward.”
...
“If they’re going to launch another major offensive, it’ll likely be after noon tomorrow. Of course, by then, we’ll have recovered as well—both sides regain strength at the same rate. We’re not short on elixirs to restore spiritual power,” Anna Yang said. “But their movements are too unpredictable; it’s impossible to guess their next main attack direction.”
“Tomorrow at noon... If that’s the case, we’ll need to strike first in the morning and disrupt whatever plan they’re brewing. Whatever it is, I have no interest in letting them carry it out,” Monkey said.
...
“The enemy seems to be targeting our ironclad ships. At this point, we have fewer than ten warships left equipped with heavy cannons. Rhino is in charge of salvaging big guns from wrecked vessels and mounting them onto other ships. But soldiers who know how to operate these cannons are now in short supply.”
“Are we short on ammunition?”
“We still have plenty of specialized ammunition for the big guns, and the Thunder Tubes as well. Maybe because they’re more intricate, Thunder Tubes have a notoriously high malfunction rate. As things stand, even after all the Thunder Tubes are worn out, we’ll still have ammunition left.”
“Then it doesn’t matter—if you can’t aim, just fire blindly. Even the noise is enough for psychological intimidation.”
“The Heavenly Fleet has learned their lesson and no longer forms up in tight arrays. Blind firing is pointless now.”
...
“The Heavenly Fleet sent a squad to seize several of our Underworld City entrances and flooded them with Blaze Bombs. But our barrier layers held, so the damage was minimal. Shadow is leading a team to take them back.”
“Why bother taking them back? The fire can’t reach us anyway. Honestly, I wish they’d just charge in—I don’t believe the Heavenly Fleet could beat us underground.”
...
Taking advantage of a brief lull, Anna Yang spread battle reports before Monkey. Each new decision was quickly recorded by nearby staff demons and delivered to every corner of the battlefield.
There was no denying that Anna Yang was an exceptional adjutant—she could handle everything from logistics to intelligence gathering, thanks to her extensive battlefield experience.
By comparison, the staff officers Monkey had managed to train were almost useless, reduced to mere messengers.
Watching her wipe sweat from her brow, focused on the sand table and explaining troop movements with tireless dedication, Monkey suddenly wondered: if not for her, could he have come this far relying on those half-witted demons alone?
He’d always piled every task onto her—was he being too inhumane?
Anna unconsciously rubbed her eyes as she opened another map.
“If you’re tired, go rest for a while.”
“Huh?”
All the demons gathered around the sand table instantly looked up at Monkey. Such a comment at a tense moment caught even Anna Yang off guard.
“Did I say something wrong?” Monkey blinked in surprise and quickly turned to Louis Quickpaw. “Do we have the casualty report yet?”
Louis Quickpaw finally collected himself and replied, “The fighting’s still ongoing, so we can’t count everyone yet. But... it’s at least fifty thousand.”
“Fifty thousand...” Monkey blinked and drew a long breath. “That’s a staggering rate of casualties.”
Wiping the blood and grime from his face, Monkey said, “Didn’t we already send out recruiters to other provinces to bring in more demons? Tell them to send everyone back immediately—we need reinforcements. Any outside force could tip the balance of the battlefield right now.”
Louis Quickpaw stiffened slightly. “Chief, they’ve only just left...”
“Tell them to bring back as many as possible.” After a pause, Monkey added, “And send some more to the Southern Lands. The Six Demon Kings have already been routed, so there are plenty of strong demons scattered around—it shouldn’t be hard to recruit them.”
“Chief.” The Azurewave Dragon King, who had been standing quietly by, hesitated before bowing. “There is something I’m not sure I should mention.”
Monkey glanced at the Azurewave Dragon King, his fingers trembling slightly on the sand table. “Speak.”
“King Bullhorn and several other demon kings are not far from Blossom Mountain.”
“What’s that got to do with us?”
“They asked me to relay a message to you, Chief—they’re willing to support Blossom Mountain. However, King Bullhorn wants you to agree to one condition: If we win this battle, he hopes to establish a new territory on the opposite shore, and expects Blossom Mountain to trade elixirs and magical tools with them on fair terms. Also, he asks that you settle your feud with the Drake King. If you accept, their support might be worth considering.”
The demons present immediately turned to Monkey, tense.
The atmosphere instantly grew colder.
Monkey paused for a moment, then drew a deep breath and laughed. “So they’re coming to me with conditions while I’m locked in a death match with the Heavenly Fleet?”
“Uh...”
Monkey’s expression darkened as he stared at the Azurewave Dragon King. “What right do they have to make demands of me? Do they even have any credibility left? Dammit, fighting the Heavenly Fleet has become Blossom Mountain’s burden alone, hasn’t it?”
Monkey slammed his fist on the sand table, his roar echoing through the council chamber—even the wounded at the door were startled.
The Azurewave Dragon King fell silent.
Perhaps, with a friend like King Bullhorn, there was nothing more to say.
The other demons stared at Monkey in shock.
After a long silence, Anna Yang gently patted Monkey’s hand and whispered, “Any support is crucial for us right now. And as for that deal—even if they break it, it won’t matter. Maybe we should... consider it.”
Monkey met Anna’s gaze, drew a deep breath, and said, “Tell them I won’t make any promises now. If they’re truly sincere about an alliance, they’d better show it. When the war is over, I’ll reward them according to their contributions. Whether they get what they want depends on how they perform in battle.”
“Y-yes.” The Azurewave Dragon King bowed in terror. “I’ll deliver your message at once.”
“One more thing.” Monkey’s gaze was cold as he addressed the Azurewave Dragon King. “From now on, I don’t want the business of Blossom Mountain passing through your mouth to those six.”
“Understood.”
...
“He refused?” the Drake King asked in alarm.
In the lush green forests of the Southern Lands, the six demon kings had gathered once again.
King Roc, leaning against a tree, glanced coldly at the Drake King and sneered, “Just as expected. If we’d dropped that last demand, he probably would’ve agreed.”
“You—!”
The Drake King started to lunge at King Roc, but King Liontusk stepped in with his great blade, blocking the way.
The Drake King instantly backed down.
King Roc grinned and nudged King Liontusk aside. “Relax, even if he had twice the guts, he wouldn’t dare. Even wounded, I could handle that mud eel easily. Cough, cough...”
Another spurt of fresh blood splattered to the ground.
“Enough!” King Bullhorn barked. “We’re heading to Blossom Mountain immediately.”
“He refused, so why are we still going?” The Drake King's hands were shaking.
“If Blossom Mountain falls to the Heavenly Fleet, what good does it do us? Besides, if we want to fish in troubled waters, we have to go where the trouble is—what’s there to fish for here?” King Bullhorn looked at the Drake King with resignation. “I promised to protect you, and I will. If Blossom Mountain and the Heavenly Fleet fight to the death, even if they win, their strength will be spent. Then we’ll have leverage to negotiate. They won’t want another fight right after battling the Heavenly Fleet, will they?”