Rise of The Demon General

"Full-body alteration? I thought no one had succeeded in doing that except by using the womb-fusion method?" Amon asked.

"No one had yet to succeed," Xlasstazh said. "Look at them. Their minds were all broken."

Amon saw that it was indeed the case. The Hyanids behind the trellis were more like spirit beasts than humans. Xlasstazh wasn’t affected by the growling and yelling. He continued walking. Amon followed him.

After walking for some time, Amon noticed that the caged Hyanids at the deeper end weren’t as feral as the ones near the entrance. While the Hyanids at this end were more docile, he didn’t think they were the same as Xlasstazh. Xlasstazh was a natural Hyanid. He was born that way. The ones behind the trellis here were altered from humans. Amon could see the multiple deformities on their insect-like bodies.

"How do you keep them docile like that?" Amon approached the trellis.

The Hyanids inside didn’t react to his approach. They remained sitting on the ground. Amon’s first thought was that they were drugged. They were too still. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each Hyanid had a talisman stuck inside their chests. These talismans were rather hard to see because they were slightly concealed by the Hyanids’ outer carapaces.

"Do you keep them calm using those talismans?" Amon asked.

"Well... Yes and no," Xlasstazh answered.

Amon made no remarks. He waited for Xlasstazh’s explanation.

Xlasstazh chuckled. "Let me return to your previous question about why we escalated our conflicts with the humans ten years ago. The answer was because two Hyanids in our brood came of age and exhibited surprising abilities that helped us to accelerate our ambition in wresting this realm from the humans."

"Abilities?"

"Like humans, we Hyanids also have a few rare individuals who develop special abilities. I believe you humans call it special constitutions."

"The special constitution the two young Hyanids possess has something to do with these talismans?"

"One of the two," Xlasstazh answered. "This young Hyanid’s special constitution allows him to control creatures of similar but weaker minds with the help of those talismans. That’s why we escalate our conflict with the humans and abduct humans without consideration of their genders. We can make use of all those humans and alter them into Hyanids. These altered Hyanids with broken minds were then controlled by the young Hyanid with the special ability. We increase our number exponentially with this method. If everything continues at this pace, we should be able to start expanding in several years. Thus, expediting our timetable of conquering this realm."

"Neat plan, but there are many holes in your strategy."

"Such as?"

"You underestimate the factions. They are not a force you can defeat only with numbers. There are many high-level cultivators. Not to mention the domain lords and the ruler of this realm. Once they take action, you will still be decimated."

"It’s you who underestimate us."

"Is that so?"

"We have been building up our power all this time. The core members of our brood don’t lose in cultivation levels to human factions. You have met Ublaith Kahn. We have many Hyanids who were as powerful or more powerful than him. Our supreme leader himself was someone at the Intermediate Unholy Monarch Stage."

’That is a higher cultivation level than Yao Ai,’ Amon thought. He didn’t expect the Hyanids to have someone at the domain lord’s level.

"Also, I mentioned our young Hyanid’s ability to control those with weak minds. This control is regardless of the subject’s cultivation level."

"You don’t mean..."

"Hehe. Our assaults on human settlements near the border are not just to abduct humans for the alteration process. It is also to lure powerful humans to the border. Warlords, I think your people call them. For your information, we have managed to take one down and drag his half-alive body here. He is currently under the full-body alteration process. Once it is done, our talented young Hyanid will dominate his mind and add him to our ranks. You see, the altered subjects retain their cultivation level and arts. Not only that, but the alteration also augmented their physical traits, turning them into better fighting machines."

"I see. You mentioned two young Hyanids with special constitutions that help you turn the tide. What about the other one?"

"That is included in the secret that I am not yet comfortable in sharing."

"Very well. Let’s talk about my role then. What did the creator say about me helping your race?"

"The creator didn’t send me a message regarding the details. All I was told was that cooperating with you would bring our dream of living out in the open on the mainland a reality."

"Hm... I told Ublaith that I can assist by providing intel so you can mount a more efficient assault.

"Maybe that’s how you will help us," Xlasstazh said with a shrug.

"Great, then we have an agreement," Amon said.

"Not so fast," Xlasstazh said. "I am but an elder of my people, not their leader. As I said, many of my peers don’t believe in my prophecies. For us to cooperate with you, we will need the approval of the other elders and our supreme leader. That’s why I sent Ublaith to inform the other elders. Speaking of which..."

A high-pitched sound was heard. It seemed to come from the multiple small holes in the wall and ceiling. This sound was followed by a series of clicking sounds.

The sounds lasted for some time. From what Amon could discern, it was some kind of broadcast system, and the clicking sounds were the Hyanid’s language.

After the sound was over, Xlasstazh said, "We are summoned to the trial chamber. We will decide your fate there."

"My fate...?"

"You will live if I can persuade the other elders to cooperate with you. On the other hand, you will be altered and turned into one of our mindless pawns if I fail. After all, we can’t let a human free after disclosing our nest."

"In other words, my fate is in your hands," Amon said.

"Yes, it is," Xlasstazh responded.

*

Xlasstazh took Amon through a series of corridors before they arrived in a circular chamber. The floor was empty. High walls with a circular layout surrounded the floor. Atop the walls were seats, which were arranged to face the floor he was on. Many Hyanids occupied these seats. He saw Ublaith among these Hyanids.

"Stay here," Xlasstazh told Amon. He flew up and took a seat among his brethren. The room was soon filled with the clicking sounds of the Hyanid’s language.

Amon folded his arms and waited. He couldn’t speak their language, which meant he couldn’t affect their decision. He wasn’t even sure if all the Hyanids here could understand human language. So, he remained silent and waited.

The conference went on for some time. Though Amon couldn’t understand their language, he could read their body language. These Hyanids were half-humans, so their gestures were similar to humans. From what he observed, the conference became rather tense. There seemed to be opposing opinions that were discussed. Xlasstazh represented one opinion, which was no doubt in his favor. From their gestures, more than three-quarters of the room opposed Xlasstazh. As for Ublaith, he remained silent throughout the discussion.

Time continued to pass. Amon estimated it was around seven hours later before the discussion appeared to become less tense. Either everyone was getting tired of arguing, or they were close to a conclusion.

An hour later, everyone finally quieted down. Xlasstazh produced a weird sound that made Amon think he was clearing his throat. He then spoke.

"Human Amon, we have come to a conclusion... Unfortunately, my peers here don’t agree to cooperate with you. The risk of you betraying us is too great, even with my divination. They are unwilling to take the risk..."

Amon tried to make his case. "Allow me to present some..."

"Silence, human! No one gives you permission to speak!" Ublaith thundered.

Xlasstazh also gestured for Amon to be silent. Amon complied. Xlasstazh resumed his speech.

"Most of my peers prefer to have you executed immediately. However, they do fear the consequences of defying the Creator. While they do not fully believe that the Creator I mentioned is an all-powerful, omnipotent deity, they do acknowledge that a mysterious and powerful being was responsible for my divinations. They do not wish to openly defy him. Hence, we decided to let you undertake the Worthiness Trial. If you survive the trial, we will cooperate with you. If you fail... Well, you will then be too dead to do anything."

Xlasstazh stopped speaking. No one else said anything, so Amon took that as the cue for him to speak.

"What does this Worthiness Trial entail?" Amon asked.

"You only need to survive."

"Against what?"

"Against a group of enemies. Five were beasts altered from Higher Mythical Beasts, one was a Hyanid at the Peak Fiendish cultivation level, and one was a Lower Primordial beast."

"... Do I face them one by one?" Amon asked.

Xlasstazh answered, "No. You will face them all at the same time."