48

The backup from nearby forts arrived, just as Ren and the crew did, and they began to help to kill off the smaller snakes.

A thousand men of fort 415 were bitten or dead, and thousands of their normal human helpers were desperately trying to fend off small snakes. They also died in droves, as even a normal beast, not even a Core rank, could decimate a battalion in minutes.

Pef focused on the last Sky ranked beasts, slicing off heads and storing the snakes with each pass. It took him a couple of minutes, but only this way he would have air superiority and dominance.

Then he drew on his magic, and started gathering the lowest beasts by pulling on blood or venom or any humidity he could find.

A ball of squirming snakes formed, thousands and thousands of low ranked beasts drawn into a large living ball.

"Soul magic, on my target!" the Emperor yelled, pointing at the venomous ball. Earth and Spirit mages began shooting soulspikes at the concentrated target, snuffing out a hundred soulless snakes with every shot.

Pef added a dozen helical spikes of his own, then flew close and stored the dead snakes. He loved fried snakes.

A period of respite followed, punctuated by the screams of the dying Guards, from fort 415.

More and more helpers arrived, but now it was just clean up and triage. The enemy were dead, but not soon enough.

A few Sky rankers were skilled enough to detoxify and heal low ranked venoms, and Pef drew himself near, observing the procedure with his soul senses.

A water mage could dissociate and expel unwanted liquids from a lower ranked cultivator, or any normal human.

It just took enormous Practice and finesse.

Wind mages could cleanse poisoned lungs or sinuses, and one Earth mage could squeeze venom out from bones.

Still, the healers were too few and ran out of qi after a few operations. Half of the 415 regiment and the human regulars were dead, and many more in critical condition.

The snake wave had been beaten back, but at terrible cost.

Pef flew to the side, and began boiling and frying the smaller snakes, spreading the smell of victory through the survivors.

His staff was called to serve as waiters, delivering the delicious meals to the wounded or desperate Guards.

He noticed a trio of white auras standing aside, refusing to eat. "What's up with those three?" he asked Ren in a low tone.

"Oh. They must be Generalist purists. Children of priests, raised just on the holy maize" Ren answered after glancing for a second at the trio. He then returned to munch on his fourth snake on a stick, ecstatic at the divine taste.

Pef rose an eyebrow, but continued to cook. There were thousands war heroes to reward, for now.

Xie woke up a couple of hours later, as the sun rose and the smells became overwhelming.

Both from cooking and the pyres for the dead. She gladly grabbed the offered meal and began wolfing it down.

The Guard survivors ate with tears in their eyes, feasting on the fried flesh of their enemies, as the flesh of their dead comrades burned before their eyes.

The smoke from both types of fires rose and mingled, swirling up towards the sky.

An hour later, Pef felt a large qi approaching at speed, from deep inside the Han Kuang Province.

He rapidly stored all the cooking implements and flew up next to Major Han Jeng, the leader of fort 415.

"Must be your boss, right?" Pef asked to make sure.

"My father, sir. That's how nepotism works..." the man answered with a sad grimace.

"Right! He should be my uncle then...so you're my nephew, I guess" Pef observed with some intuitive genius.

"That was my point..." the Major muttered in defeat.

A minute later, a young looking man with a halebard in his shoulder arrived next to the flying pair.

"What a mess! You'll need to recruit a new regiment my son" the Emperor observed with a quick glance.

"Hey uncle, I'm Pef" the new Emperor introduced himself.

The man turned to glare at Pef, for some reason. "You were the one to kill that Emperor snake, I believe?"

Pef scratched his cheek in thought. This was about the precious snake then.

"Major Wu and Xie did the hard work, I just coordinated their strikes" he replied after a minute.

The son nodded helplessly as his father asked for confirmation with a glance. The increase in rank was proof enough. Xie was the one whom the Heavens rewarded.

"I see, a new Sky rank...and quite a lot of new Earth ranks in your staff, nephew" Emperor Kuang Xi replied with an annoyed face.

"Yeah, they kinda butchered some bears and gained lots of ranks during our own wave" Pef replied cheerfully.

"Go Major. I need to speak with Emperor Pef" the man demanded and began flying upwards.

His son took off downwards, while Pef followed his uncle high into the atmosphere.

At some 5000 meters altitude, the Emperor stopped and drew a green stone, pulsing with formations.

"Can you even forge that snake, Pef?" he asked directly to the point, and in a doubtful tone.

His senses were scanning the new Emperor in the family, and found him wanting and weak.

'You can't even cut its eyelid' the glove said with a smirk.

"Not until I Practice a lot more. My sword qi barely scratches the skin" Pef admitted with a relaxed smile.

"I see, you went for the eyes. Clever and lucky. Anyone who soulsmiths that King Anaconda will advance a rank. But he would need a Neo-knife to cut small bits off" Kuang Xi mused with a longing voice.

"And the attack did happen in your province..." Pef added some incentive.

"Yes. It is certain I could have defended the Wall and kill this anaconda. But I was delayed and came too late" the man said wistfully.

"There are 32 teeth, for a set of weapons, and enough skin and bones in the head, to forge armor for all of us" Pef explained with a smile.

"Good thinking, nephew. But you'd still need a Neo-knife. The Patriarch holds one, and the other..." the cunning Emperor said with a fake whisper.

Pef leaned closer and murmured. "Yes...the other?"

"Is now held by the High priest of the General. The crazy one who hears voices..." the uncle explained with a disgusted face.

"My glove also speaks. As you should know, uncle" Pef said politely, holding his palm up in a 'talk to the hand' kind of gesture.

"That spirit is also crazy. Don't trust the glove, Pef. I held it for 200 years and almost died a thousand times. And lived peacefully the last 8000 years, after" the man said while glancing scornfully at the glove.

Pef agreed inward. The glove was kinda erratic. But still, very useful.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had quite a ride past 11 years. Still, now am I here, and you need my help" The hero mused wisely.

"You are in danger, Pef. From those above, and from our own priests. Be careful!" Emperor Kuang Xi said gently then flew away, twice as fast as Pef's best speed.

'Keep training, Aspirant. The knife is safe. We'll recover it, once you master the Emperor perks' the glove ordered in a relaxed tone.