Destroy the Cannon!

Bifran Maddock's face became grim as he looked at the five demon generals surrounding him menacingly.

Indeed, the demons had pulled out all stops to make sure that their cannons could have free reign to destroy the fort.

A cursory glance around told him that all those who could be immediate threats to the cannons were being ganged up on by the demons.

Even the human generals could only watch on as if they interfered, Demon experts also at the Nascent Soul stage would attack.

Somehow, Liya had been drawn away from the main battlefield and she was a bright dot of silver light far above in the skies, duking it out with two other Nascent Soul experts.

What a sly bunch of folk.

Bifran's lips curled into a smile and he dismounted from his eagle. 

These demons were sorely mistaken if they thought they could hold him back from causing damage to their cannons.

In exchange of its great power, it was incomparably heavy and could not be moved in a short time that easily.

A sitting duck for target practice, in archery terms.

Regardless, dealing with the demons surrounding him was going to be a real bitch.

Confidently, he drew his silver bow taut and an ominous black arrow coalesced into existence. Taking aim for the demon cannons at the rear of the main army, he let loose his arrow!

It was so fast that it was unseen to the naked eye, avoiding non-entities and heading for its target.

Like a long lost lover falling in the embrace of his beloved, the arrow struck true and hit the cannon!

*BOOOOM!

A cataclymistic shockwave knocked away all demons nearby the cannon, sending them flying in all directions, heavily injured if not dead!

Surprisingly, the cannon wasn't destroyed; it was relatively unscathed!

Bifran narrowed his eyes in shock.

How was that possible?

That arrow could kill even Nascent Soul stage cultivators if they were unprepared for it!

What kind of material was it made out of?

Indeed, that cannon wasn't simple!

The demon generals surrounding him looked behind them in fear and instantly their faces became serious.

'Shit! Don't give him a chance to fire his bow!' a harpy screamed in fear and charged at him ruthlessly, talons shining.

The other demons joined in, unleashing huge waves of demonic energy as they began to attack Bifran Maddock.

Bifran didn't care too much about it though.

After all, even if he wasn't able to destroy the cannon right now, he had at least bought their side some time as no demon was nearby to fire the cannon anytime soon.

…

Gavin flew sharply in the sky, two other commanders in tow as they rushed towards the rear of the demon lines.

Beside him was Jarvis, a slim purple haired man holding a spear who was the commander of the Tiger Unit and arguably the most powerful commander.

Closely behind was Nars, built like a bear.

Scars could be seen on his bald head under the faint flashes of light from the spells and in his huge hands was a wicked looking mace.

He was the commander of the Bear Unit.

Jarvis and Nars were the most powerful and experienced commanders, having lasted a long time defending Fort Blackrock.

Knowing how much of a threat they were, demon experts flew in from all angles to surround them.

'You are not going anywhere, humans! This shall be your place of burial!' proclaimed an arrogant looking Snakeman.

'Shut the hell up,' Jarvis said casually as he slapped out at the Snake demon.

A terrifying power emanated from his palm which crackled with dense purple lightning.

The arrogance on the face of the demon quickly morphed into a visage of fear and terror.

His senses screamed at him to move but he could not, as he was fully locked down by the tyrannical aura of Jarvis' palm.

In his eyes, Jarvis' palm was the only thing that existed, blocking out everything. It was like the hand of a god, inescapable and potent!

 He could only watch on hopelessly as he was slapped to death, exploding into a mass of black blood and gore.

Even at the same stage, he wasn't Commander Jarvis' match!

'Leave these demons to me and go destroy that cannon. I'll be with you in a bit,' Jarvis remarked confidently.

He was extremely sure of his strength and these four demons left were in no way a threat to him.

Nars and Gavin nodded, speeding off in haste.

Already, Bifran had created a chance for them; one they had to capitalize on before it was too late.

…

'Fuck!' Jafar cursed in unbridled anger as he crawled out of the crater, smoking and charred.

His crimson scales were now covered with injuries all over, flowing with his dark blood.

One of his arms hung limp as he coughed out a mouthful of blood. His body burned with pain, causing him to wince in annoyance.

He looked at the human expert with a silver bow in the distance who was fighting with other demon generals.

What a terrifying expert!

What a terrifying arrow!

He had almost lost his life!

Had it not been for the pendant given to him by his father which protected him, he would have been injured much heavier, even crippled! Or dead!

Eyes blazing with vengeance, Jafar pulled himself up and pointed at the human fort.

'Blast that fort! How dare they injure I, Jafar?' he roared in anger.

Silence only greeted him.

'Huh?' Jafar turned around in bewilderment as he looked around him. 

Where were the cannoneers for fuck's sake?!

A second later, his pupils dilated in shock.

He was the only one alive at the back of the army!

The only thing standing apart from him was the cannon which had been barely moved by the explosion.

It was truly a masterpiece.

A crazed grin spread out on his lips, exposing his fangs.

An opportunity to join the fight, even if indirectly, had arrived!

'Fine! I will fire the cannon myself!'

Face bright with excitement, Jafar slithered over to the cannon and got behind it, grabbing at the controls with his three good arms.

Laughing maniacally, he aimed at the fort as the cannon turned a dark shade of violent red, charging up to deliver a devastating beam once more.

…

'Annoying pest, stay in one place!' the Scorpion man wielding the dual sabers and spears growled in frustration as Calyx evaded his double thrust - six slash combo for the umpteenth time.

If there was one thing Calyx was supremely good at, that was evasion.

As a cultivator with the Air element, and a mutated one at that, his agility and alacrity were off the charts.

That was why despite being surrounded, though he wasn't gaining any advantage, the demons couldn't do much damage to him either.

As long as Calyx decided to take his opponents for a spin, touching even the edge of his clothes was nigh impossible.

'Whatever happens, we have to kill this human genius! Look at how young he is, yet he is in the Core Formation stage and he has even condensed his Core phenomenon!' hissed the Snakeman.

The other demons couldn't help but agree.

Already, they could sense Calyx possessed vibrant youth and lifeforce. By human age estimations, Calyx was in his early twenties!

And even then he was at the Core Formation stage, forming a Core Phenomenon.

Only geniuses or people with insane talents could form Core Phenomena and it was what created a vast distinction between averages and geniuses.

Those with it could fight above their level and were almost always unmatched in the same stage.

If this was how powerful this human was even when he was young, how terrifying would he be when he was in his forties?

The demons shuddered at the very thought and increased the intensity of their attacks.

Such people had to be neutralized before they became huge thorns in the flesh of the demon race!

Calyx evaded a sneak attack from below by the Millipede demon but in exchange, the harpy's arrow struck him in the shoulder, sending him flying hundreds of meters. 

Out of the blue, Caceres, who had been watching unseen, quickly swooped in and took Calyx!

'Shit! Shoot down that hawk, Gaeryn!' Zohar roared at the harpy.

Gaeryn's ugly face contorted with rage even as she chased the hawk, her bow drawn to the furthest possible limit.

Caceres performed a stunning maneuver in mid-air, allowing him to instantly switch directions, evading the arrow shot and heading for the location of the demon cannon!

'Good work, Caceres!' Calyx spat out a mouthful of blood as he patted the hawk's feathers.

Caceres let out a shrill cry of pride and increased its speed. 

Calyx though, took out potions from his storage ring and quickly downed them. 

His pale countenance instantly got better as his reserves of energy were replenished. Summoning his Core phenomenon was very taxing.

Behind him, the angry demons gave chase, following him to the back of the demon lines, where the cannon was.

…

'How the fuck is that Snakeman still alive?' Gavin's pupils went wide in shock as he and Nars got near to the cannon.

Realistically speaking, Bifran's arrow wasn't something that could be survived that easily!

But somehow, a Snakeman had survived Bifran's arrow of death and had pulled himself into the controls of the cannon, ready to fire again!

'More smashing, less talking!' Nars roared as he expanded in height, turning into a towering giant of ten feet.

His mace enlarged to much more ridiculous proportions as Nars smashed down at the Snakeman behind the cannon.

The Snakeman uncoiled his tail and cracked it like a whip, the tip blocking the mace.

Nars was instantly sent flying by the instant switching of the direction of his mace which threw him off balance.

Gavin's face became solemn. 'Quasi-Nascent Soul!'

What a powerful demon!

Of all the demons on the battlefield, this was the most dangerous of them all!

Despite his flesh wounds and heavy injuries, even the tip of his tail could handle a full blown strike from Nars, renowned for his strength, and send him flying!

And to make matters worse, even from where he was in the sky, he could feel the heat emanating from the cannon.

It was almost charged and ready to fire!

Gritting his teeth, Gavin raised his halberd and slashed down, sending waves of terrifying Axe Intent at the Snake demon and the cannon.

The waves of white Axe Intent barely dented the cannon but left flesh wounds on the Snakeman, making him hiss in anger.

By this time, Calyx closed in on his hawk and with a glance, he instantly evaluated the situation.

They had about half a minute left before the cannon fired, an eternity in fights between experts but also paradoxically short.

Nars was already flying back furiously and would tangle with the demons chasing him.

This meant that it was up to him and Gavin to destroy the cannon within thirty seconds.

Gavin and Calyx exchanged glances of understanding.

'Die snake scum!!'

In tandem, they swooped down at the Snakeman and the cannon!