To my surprise, it wasn't just weretigers. There were werewolves and other were-beasts around, all of them having gathered in a forested area on the same level we found Tiger Woods and his wife, Tia. Most of them were in their human forms, but the sentries on the perimeter had taken on humanoid tiger, wolf or other forms. There were werelions too, which was awesome.
Fortunately, the sentries didn't attack us. The werewolves had detected us long ago, but because Tiger and Tia were leading the way, they paused to communicate with the couple. Tiger and Tia assured them that we were here to help, and so we were allowed into the sanctuary without much protest. It also helped that we weren't emanating the same demonic qi that the demonic cultivators possessed.
The were-beasts were sensitive to detecting qi, just like cultivators. But aside from their impressive physical strength and speed, they lacked the ability to wield and manipulate qi or mana, so they didn't really display much spell-casting or esoteric techniques that you would expect from cultivators or mages.
"It is nice to meet you," an elderly man with a white mane came forward to greet us. I would later learn that he was a werelion, but for now he introduced himself. "Lionel Jonson, at your service. I am the de facto chief of this were-beast delegation…only because nobody else wants the job."
"You're the only one who can take charge of us, sir," Tiger objected. Lionel had a self-deprecating smile.
"If only I was several decades younger, I would be fighting by your side."
"You already have fought. And you're still a force to be reckon with, sir." Tia shook her head. "I daresay you're the equivalent of several younger were-beasts put together. So don't put yourself down like that."
She was right. I could sense a faint aura from him that told me that he was beginner Earth rank at least. A formidable foe, if I had to face him, which I was thankful that I didn't. Even if he didn't have amazing quantities of qi, he had the wisdom and experience accumulated over centuries, and sometimes that more than made up for the difference in cultivation realm.
No wonder he was the chief.
"You should have seen me in my prime," Lionel scoffed. "If I had been a couple of decades younger, I would singlehandedly wipe out those shameless assailants from the surface. All by myself."
"Sir here was the king of a werelion kingdom," Tiger informed us.
"That's ancient history." Lionel waved his hand and grimaced. "A kingdom that fell apart because of civil war and inner strife isn't worth remembering."
"Civil war?"
"I'm sorry, but I do not wish to talk about it," Lionel said stiffly. He then softened his expression. "Now, I understand from Tiger and Tia Woods that you're here to help?"
"That's right," I said. Jun Hai, Sylvie and Silvia also nodded in affirmation. Lionel sighed in relief.
"You have my thanks. That will be a great help. As you can see, we have a lot of wounded, and we can't really move them until they heal. Were-beasts heal quickly, but not miraculously instantly. So we need at least a couple of days before they recover enough from their injuries to move."
As he gestured around, I could see what he meant. There were dozens of were-beasts lying on the ground, their limbs bandaged, their chests, necks and heads wrapped in gauze. Tiger and Tia weren't exaggerating when they said the demonic cultivators were brutal. There were clear signs of dismemberment, but it appeared that were-beasts could regenerate amputated limbs. Several of the stumps were already slowly growing back out.
I was impressed by their vitality and tenacity. Even without complex qi techniques, they could certainly survive the worst injuries.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a couple of days." Lionel scowled. "My scouts have reported that a massive contingent of demonic cultivators is moving in our direction. It's only a matter of time before they find us. I estimate that they will stumble upon our position within the next twenty-four hours…at most."
"Damn." I didn't know what to say.
"We'll crush them before they reach us," Tiger said, clenching his fists. "Launch a hit-and-run like we always do. Slaughter the weak ones, and then melt back into the forest before the stronger ones can retaliate."
"That is one of the plans we're working on," Lionel agreed. "However, there are reports of dozens of Mystic ranked demonic cultivators following along this time. Even with our guerilla tactics, we're certain to take heavy losses. We already have suffered many casualties over the last few months, and we can't afford to lose more of our comrades to these bastards."
"But we don't have a choice. That's the only way to slow them down." Tia looked down on the floor, her features tightened grimly.
"Exactly. Unless our new friends over here have a suggestion?" Lionel raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the capabilities of humans, other than what I've seen from these so-called demonic cultivators. And since you're not a demonic cultivator, I assume you have very different skills."
"That's right," I replied. I turned to Sylvie and Silvia. "Can you girls start setting up spirit arrays in the area?"
"Yeah, we'll begin right away." Sylvie nodded. "We'll set up defensive spirit arrays along the perimeter, create a barrier, and also a few offensive spirit arrays that will attack any trespassers."
"Leave it to us!" Silvia said proudly.
"I'll leave control of the spirit arrays to you two then." I turned to Jun Hai. "What do you think? Should we launch guerilla attacks, or should we stand our ground here and fight them directly?"
"While we have the numbers, almost half of us is injured," Lionel said. "And these demonic cultivators have sinister techniques. I would rather not face them in open combat unless absolutely necessary."
"Yeah. We should stick to hit-and-run." Tiger was adamant.
"That said, even if we do continue guerilla tactics, we won't be able to slow them down by much." Lionel was thoughtful. "And I don't want to risk more of our comrades falling into their hands. You've seen what they do to those of us they capture."
Tiger and Tia gritted their fanged teeth, clenching their fists angrily. I noticed several of the nearby were-beasts bristle as well.
"And I assume you suggested standing our ground here for a reason, right?" Lionel turned to me. "Not to make a last stand or to sacrifice ourselves, but because you actually believe there's a chance of victory if we do so?"
"That is correct," I replied. "If all goes according to plan, your people won't have to fight at all."
"Now that we cannot do," Lionel said. "We can't let you fight alone and take all the risks by yourselves when the enemy is aiming for us. No, we will fight by your side. But I am curious. Even with the spirit arrays, how are the four of you going to take on such a large number of demonic cultivators by yourselves? I am aware that you're Earth ranked, but even a single Earth ranked cultivator will have trouble taking on so many Mystic-ranked demonic cultivators by himself."
"Oh, but I'm not alone." I smirked. "You'll see why when the time comes."
"Trust me," Jun Hai piped up. "Big bro here is a one-man army. Well, I don't think that's entirely accurate because he's not exactly 'one-man.' But between the both of us, we can fight an army. We won't show you yet because…"
"I see." Lionel nodded in comprehension as he glanced around surreptitiously. "The jungles have ears all around. That's a wise decision. No sense revealing your hand just yet. We will just have to gamble everything on you…it's not like we have any other options."
He turned away, clasping his hands. "I just hope you won't let us down."
Fortunately, he saw his decision to trust us justified later when the demonic cultivators attacked. Just as Jun Hai and I had suspected, there were already eyes on this were-beast sanctuary. Eyes and ears, to be more precise. On hindsight, even if Tiger and Tia had their guerilla tactics plan approved, the contingent of demonic cultivators would have just ignored them and powered on, heading straight for this place.
They already knew where the bulk of the were-beasts were, and they wanted to capture the wounded ones in one fell swoop so as to corrupt them or surgically alter them to become their desired monster subordinates.
They failed.
The spirit arrays activated, with both Sylvie and Silvia springing to life and activating them immediately. Spirit swords materialized and bombarded the approaching demonic cultivators, impaling the weaker ones and tearing them to shreds. Energy dragons, fireballs and icicles ripped through the horde of slavering mutants and zombies, including the berserk, surgically altered were-beasts. When the first of their grotesque forms came into view, their vaguely humanoid forms having absurd claws or rusting weapons grafted onto them, I could sense the rage from the were-beasts behind me. They had transformed to their bestial forms, bracing for the attack.
However, I had requested Lionel to hold them back. Let the demonic cultivators batter themselves against the barriers and spirit arrays that Sylvie and Silvia had set up, and allow them to be whittled down to half their numbers. I planned on using the enemy's callousness and ruthlessness against them. Fodder was only useful if they were alive long enough to drown the opponent in bodies. Wastefully throwing them away against artillery type spirit arrays was just…basically giving away your advantage.
On the other hand, their sheer numbers allowed the survivors to break through. And even though the Yellow ranked and ordinary demonic cultivators were all but annihilated, the stronger Mystic ranked demonic cultivators made it through.
Normally, that would be a problem for the were-beasts. Their strongest was still Lionel Jonson, who was their only Earth-ranked warrior present. Even with me, we were just two Earth-ranked warriors against dozens of Mystic-ranked demonic cultivators. The were-beasts, my brother, and the fairy sisters were Mystic ranked as well, so we were actually evenly matched in terms of strength and numbers. However, with about half of their number injured and several being walking wounded, we didn't have any advantage.
If we were to fight as we were right now, it would likely end in mutual annihilation. At the very least, even if we won, we would sustain massive casualties. Something the already dwindling cluster of were-beasts couldn't afford.
While my objective was to deny the enemy access to the were-beasts' strength, I wasn't cold and unfeeling to the point where I would let them die like this. Again, I wasn't some saint, but I wasn't an edgelord either. Also, I recalled the system's mission.
-New quest issued. Defense of the Were-beasts: Protect the were-beasts from the demonic cultivators. Completion of this mission will grant the appropriate rewards. –
Honestly, I couldn't care less about the rewards. I would still have helped the were-beasts even if the system hadn't assigned me a mission. The rewards were just a bonus that I looked forward to, but otherwise, I was going to rescue as many of them as I could.
"Jun Wen!" Sylvie shouted a warning when the first of the Mystic ranked demonic cultivators breached the barrier. The barriers, as usual, only kept out attacks and projectiles. It didn't stop people from physically passing through them as long as they traveled under a certain speed. It reminded me of an AI-programmed forcefield that selectively allowed certain things to pass through while annihilating others upon contact.
"Understood." I grinned when I saw that we had the demonic cultivators right where we wanted them. "Let them have it."
"Got it!" Jun Hai was just as enthusiastic. "Let's crush them, big bro!"
The both of us summoned our spirit beasts and unleashed them upon the enemy. The demonic cultivators were taken entirely by surprise when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a bunch of Mystic and Earth ranked spirit beasts. Their eyes bulged and their jaws dropped almost to the ground, their normally sickly pallor turning as pale as a ghost when they saw what they had just walked into. In addition to Jun Hai's Swamp Stomper, Venus Serpent, Violent Salamander, Steel Tri-horn and Fly Dragon, I had also summoned my Guardian Golems, Titan Golem, Tree Revenants, Pumpkin Wraiths, Elder Tree Revenant, Xiao Huo and Xiao Huo Long.
"That's right!" I smirked, imitating a famous alien admiral. "It's a trap!"
Let's just say…the poor demonic cultivators never stood a chance.