"King of Terror," he said, "there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while, but considering our previous skirmishes, I've held back."
Xiao Xun's expression was laced with mockery. "Want to hear it?"
The King of Terror spoke with an arrogant demeanor, "Is it your dying words? Then I suppose it's fine to listen. However, don't let it be some hollow threat. If it is, it would be quite disappointing."
"Of course not. In fact, I wanted to say..."
As he spoke, Xiao Xun produced the crown of the King of Arrogance and placed it on his head. In his hand, he raised the Star of the Kings, its blade beginning to emanate a deep, ethereal glow.
"Who gave you the courage to command the undead in the presence of a Hell Lord?"
The King of Terror was stunned. "You... how do you have the crown of the Hell Lord of Arrogance? Where is he?"
"He has already become a soul under my blade. As for you..."
Xiao Xun pointed at him with the Star of the Kings, "You are next."
The King of Terror's tone turned frigid. "You can't change anything, Swain."
"Shall we try?"
"You must remember, we are immortal."
"Alright, I'm done talking. If you want to fight, let's fight. If not, I'm leaving."
With that, Xiao Xun turned to leave. Seeing that the King of Terror still hadn't moved, he turned back and pointed at him again, "The next time we meet, it will be the time of the Undead Army's defeat!"
Vincent led his army in a retreat to the border of the Blazing Moon Kingdom. Seeing that the pursuers had not followed, he dared to stop for a brief rest.
Xiao Xun did not linger in this place either. After entrusting the King of Terror, he quickly advanced towards Vincent and the others' current location.
As the sky completely darkened, Xiao Xun finally rejoined them. As expected, Aries, Scorpio, and Virgo, the three Star Envoys, along with Vincent, Dukar, and others, were all waiting for him.
Seeing that he had returned safely, Dukar breathed a sigh of relief. Although no one blamed him, he knew that everything that had happened today was because he had wanted to go home.
He stood up and said to Xiao Xun, "Your Highness, thank goodness you are safe."
"I told you, there's no need to worry about me." Seeing that everyone else was also safe, Xiao Xun offered a reassuring smile, signaling them to relax.
Returning to the border, after a brief respite, Xiao Xun planned to return by Zeppelin.
It was at this moment that Xiao Xun received news he absolutely did not want to receive. "A large undead army is heading this way?"
Vincent said to Xiao Xun, "Your Highness, perhaps you should leave first! I fight defensive battles almost every day."
"If I'm not here, you can fight however you want. But now that I am here, and the undead army is attacking again, if I leave, wouldn't that make my subordinates think I'm a coward?"
"They wouldn't think that."
Xiao Xun roared in anger, "Since when do you make the decisions here?"
Seeing that Xiao Xun had made up his mind, Vincent had nothing more to say.
However, fighting on home ground offered many advantages. Besides the latest artillery, there were Zeppelins in the sky, as well as his own twin-headed dragon, plus a massive frost dragon. The firepower output was absolutely overwhelming.
Xiao Xun stood on the defense tower, looking at the soldiers and magic soldiers who were still training with great vigor. The soldiers were still familiarizing themselves with the demons' attack methods, practicing how to dodge their attacks or parry their force. The magic soldiers were also painstakingly chanting spells over and over, casting spells on dummies.
"No..."
Xiao Xun slammed his fist on the railing of the defense tower. Aries, who was beside him, softly asked, "Sir, what is not good?"
"We cannot let these soldiers sacrifice in vain. We must reduce the casualty rate to the lowest possible level."
Following Xiao Xun's orders, the entire army moved swiftly. Large quantities of explosives were transported to a mountain thirty miles away. Soldiers from the Phoenix Army temporarily served as engineers, digging and transporting materials on the mountaintop, burying explosives on the peaks, and moving various cannons to the other side.
Since they were going to set an ambush, they naturally wanted to inflict the greatest possible damage, so they spared no effort in bringing all their weapons.
Magic helicopters also departed, patrolling the first fork in the road leading to the Fear Demon King. Once they spotted enemy air forces, they would eliminate any lone aircraft or retreat if it was a large group, leading them to the ambush site.
As their actions accelerated, the atmosphere in the army grew increasingly somber. Almost no one could be seen smiling.
The more this was the case, the more they understood the demons' power. Facing countless such monsters soon, the psychological pressure they felt was immense.
The tense preparations quickly passed.
The next morning, Xiao Xun, from the observation deck, saw magic helicopters appear in the sky through his binoculars, with countless demons following behind.
Xiao Xun said to Aries beside him, "Issue the order. Proceed as planned."
"Yes!"
The ambushers were positioned on the mountaintop. From this vantage point, even using magic cannons against the massive demons could yield some results.
Not long after, those demons were already close.
"Charge! Go for it!" the flight commander roared excitedly, followed by magic fighter jets charging towards the demon legion ahead!
The magic fighter jet squadron was the most powerful air force here. Xiao Xun had made a series of improvements, not only increasing their speed and flight altitude, but also overhauling their weapons multiple times. Most importantly, to facilitate the commander's coordination, he had equipped each fighter jet with magic walkie-talkies. Although these were commonplace in the original world, they were treasures in this world because the magic stones used for the walkie-talkies were extremely precious. The reason for such focus on the air force was the unforgettable sight of being annihilated by a frost dragon last time.
They had to take on the responsibility of intercepting the demons! At the very least, they had to ensure the safe return of the magic helicopters.
The flight officer shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Attack! Don't hold back on the ammunition. These guys are tough. A few shots won't kill them!"
Countless arcane energies poured out from specially made gun barrels, forming a dense aerial firepower net. The demons in the front row instantly had their heads blown off, their brains splattered as they died!
"Don't linger, retreat!"
Specially made anti-aircraft guns were brought forward. Xiao Xun was unsure if these guns could truly provide anti-air support, as they were new weapons and had not undergone sufficient testing.
However, he could not afford to worry about that now. At worst, they would continue to be used if effective, and if not, they would just be used as ordinary cannons!
Anti-aircraft guns were characterized by their fast rate of fire, small shells, and lower power, but they were sufficient for anti-air units.
As the demons entered the firing range, the artillery commander shouted excitedly.
Countless colossal cannons roared in unison, filling the sky with an explosion of fireworks.
Xiao Xun squinted, watching the battle unfold, and felt... it seemed to be going alright?
If the anti-aircraft guns were effective, at least his efforts were not in vain.