Surrounded! Aldan's Decision

Kai surveyed the battlefield for more fallen senior forest spirits. His actions currently contained immense determination, and the foes that previously gave him a hard time were now barely a trifle. The power of determination was quite significant, as Kai proved on this battlefield. It's not that he was weak, he simply didn't use his power properly.

None of the low-tier demons stood a chance against him, especially considering his poison body had been almost instantaneously killing them with a mere touch. Aldan, however, had noticed him, as inconspicuous as Kai may have tried to act.

Aldan turned to his bodyguards, the mid-tier demons with a red-ish hue for their skin, and gave them a new order, "Follow me, we have to solve a problem."

"Lord Aldan, Sir-" the demon composed himself. "Revered Scholar-"

"Yes, I know what that old fart said!" Aldan retorted in anger. "He scurried back to his tent right after starting the battle, I'll show you all what a real leader is like!"

Aldan knew that this battle wasn't actually about kidnapping that skeleton anymore. Barbas didn't capture the skeleton as a matter of principle. He wanted to decimate the forces of the witches and perhaps to force them into servitude.

"Then again," Aldan spat the words out, "who knows what that bastard is scheming with this battle. Even if they are low-tier demons, leaving them to die like this for no reason makes no sense."

The number of dead low-tier demons had reached around 100 already. There were only a few dead mid-tier demons, but he was sure he could do better.

He called one of his servants before taking off, "We will lose face no longer! Tell the Incubus Commanders to follow my lead, Supreme Scholar Aldan!"

His exceedingly confident attitude had also revitalised his bodyguards. As soon as the Incubus Commanders received word, they followed after Aldan in an effort to quickly end this battle. The Commanders who could follow shared worried looks between themselves.

There were seven Incubus Commanders in total. Five of them had to team up with some number of mid-tier demons just to keep the witches at bay. They weren't doing a great job, but they could at least keep their lives as long as they worked together to stall them.

The remaining two commanders controlled the forces as they saw fit throughout the battle. They were also reserve forces if one of the five commanders had to stay back and recuperate. This was how Barbas had intended for the battle to be done.

Aldan had also brought along almost all of the mid-tier demons with him, numbering around 70. A few mid-tier demons blew into horns of various sizes and attracted the attention of the entire battlefield. The horns signalled a change in strategy.

Low-tier demons quickly followed the horn and broke their battle lines. They all knew that there was a more important objective at hand now.

…

Kai was actually starting to have fun, going around the battlefield. As long as he stood away from the tougher opponents, no one could even touch him, literally. He guffawed as he slapped the back of another low-tier demon almost in a friendly manner. The demon quickly burst into screams and died in moments.

"Summon Undead," Kai whispered as he went along. The less he thought about his horrifying acts, the less he felt troubled by it.

"In fact," Kai talked to himself, "This is rather like playing a game! This is how it should be! Why the hell was I almost always beaten into a pulp ever since I got here?!"

He was so absorbed in his current task that he didn't even hear about the horn. After killing a few more low-tier demons, their numbers suddenly started increasing. There were a higher number of senior and younger forest spirits dying left and right, and the rest started retreating.

While Kai was preoccupied with merrily casting his "Summon Undead" on these fresh and more powerful new corpses, something poked him from behind the back. Turning around, there were already tens of low-tier demons as far as his eyes could see. Only demons with spears, halberds and other long weapons surrounded him.

Kai felt a chill go down his spine, but he quickly adopted a thundering voice, "Who are you to impede a Skeleton Lord?" His goal was to intimidate these demons just enough to open himself a path and run away.

"Aldan Mightblood!" a voice was heard from amongst larger, stronger demons that Kai had seen accompanying Lady Naamah.

"We have found you once again," Aldan spoke mightily. "You will now be quickly taken to her Ladyship and beg for mercy!"

When Kai met him, he was more mesmerised by Naamah's beauty than anything else. He only really distinctly remembered her from back then.

"I don't know any reptilian dudes, who the hell are you?" Kai said as he scratched his head.

In such circumstances, he would usually be frightened and beg for mercy, but he was a brand new skeleton now. He had more confidence, even in his current circumstances. Especially since they wanted to bring him back, he felt safe.

Aldan's face flushed in scarlet anger. He looked as if he was about to blow steam out of his ears in fury. One of the low-tier demons near Aldan chuckled but quickly closed his mouth in fear and looked at him.

A mid-tier demon looked at the low-tier demon and then at the scholar. Aldan nodded and an axe lobbed the head of the impertinent demon with a single motion. Such brutality caused Kai to be more reserved, but not like the same could be done to him. Aldan spoke again through his gritted teeth.

"Perhaps our Ladyship's skeleton was slightly damaged during the battle," Aldan said with a sinister smile. "Break its arms and legs."

Kai got ready to send a mental command throughout the battlefield, seeing that the witches were unable to get to him due to the incubi they were battling with. The low-tier demons marched from the sides in a single file and the mid-tier demons seemed to be getting ready to battle him using spears and such weapons.

'Damn it,' Kai thought to himself. 'It's not time yet.' He was considering putting some distance between him and the demons if he could first before using his leverage.

The first mid-tier demon stepped forward with a graceful dance with a large spear. He lunged forward to strike Kai in his shoulder. With this specific demon's speed, it would succeed, too.

Right before the spear connected, a bolt of black lightning streaked through the trees and found the demon's chest, leaving him a charred corpse In seconds.

"You will die a fool's death if you stay here," a voice rang from the woods. "Stay back."

The voice was different, but Kai would never mistake these black bolts that had threatened him only days ago. It was undoubtedly the City Lord.