Imperial Throne

Chapter 15: Armored Demon Rabbit

Everyone swiftly followed behind Hughes, rapidly advancing northward.

Both Ion and Akar had a hint of surprise in their eyes.

Although they did not know the specific abilities of Hughes, the Bloodline Knight, based on his current performance, they could surmise a thing or two: it was likely an ability that could mimic the aura of magical beasts. However, it was uncertain whether it would still be effective in front of actual magical beasts.

“Where is it?”

As the ruins of the building complex drew nearer, Burton lowered his voice and asked.

“I only saw it in this direction,” Ion lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Burton, and replied softly.

Although Burton was slightly angered, he said nothing more.

He understood that Tier 3 magical beasts were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people to handle.

Unless one was a Tier 3 or higher Bloodline User, even Bloodline Users had to be extremely cautious. Therefore, it was natural for Ion to avoid getting too close to the ruins of the building complex.

“Armored Demon Rabbits build their nests underground. Look around to see if there are any holes leading underground.”

As Burton finished speaking, everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the surrounding ground, beginning to search for holes.

Unlike Ion, who was still speculating whether Hughes' ability would work in front of magical beasts, Burton was well aware that Hughes' ability could at most deceive mindless creatures or those that relied solely on scent to identify enemies.

It would have no effect on Tier 3 magical beasts or some particularly intelligent Tier 2 magical beasts.

Therefore, the immediate priority was to quickly find the Armored Demon Rabbit's burrow.

Tier 3 magical beasts were lord-level creatures, and their nests typically did not allow any lower-tier magical beasts to enter.

Thus, as long as they successfully entered the burrow, Burton knew that their plan was already halfway to success.

“Found it!” a soldier shouted, “Over there!”

Everyone looked and indeed saw a large depression in the ruins not far away.

The pit had a diameter of over two meters, sloping downward. The walls of the pit were uneven, with very obvious and typical digging marks.

Burton's eyes lit up: “This is it!”

With that, he took the lead, overtaking Hughes, and ran toward the pit with all the soldiers, not forgetting to instruct, “Hughes!”

“Understood, Lord Burton,” Hughes immediately nodded in agreement. He also turned to the Ion father and son, who were lagging behind, and said in a low voice, “Hurry up and follow to protect Lord Burton. If he dies, we all die!”

Having already suspected that Burton's identity was not simple, Ion and his son naturally had no objections at this time. They hurriedly followed behind Burton and his group of soldiers, quickly entering the pit.

However, Hughes did not follow them down. Instead, after sliding down a certain distance, he once again changed the scent on his body.

If the previous scent was only slightly foul, this time the gray mist emanating from Hughes emitted a putrid stench, mixed with a strong earthy smell: somewhat like the smell of decaying corpses combined with rotting vegetation.

However, when Ion and Akar slid down and left the range of Hughes' gray mist, they found that the scent emanating from the pit was much stronger than that of Hughes' gray mist.

This led Ion to speculate: perhaps Hughes' Bloodline ability was to assimilate the surrounding environment's scent to confuse the enemy's perception.

They slid down for an unknown amount of time before finally reaching the bottom.

The surrounding visibility was so dim that it was almost impossible to see, but a series of rapid yet orderly footsteps quickly sounded in their ears.

Ion knew that it was the thirteen soldiers forming ranks.

His higher evaluation of the Kingdom's soldiers compared to noble private soldiers was due to the Kingdom's soldiers' stringent discipline requirements, which allowed them to quickly form ranks and take corresponding defensive measures even in pitch-black environments.

After several more seconds, a faint light accompanied by the sound of glass shattering finally appeared.

Luminous bottles.

Luminous bottles contained a phosphorescent liquid made primarily from luminous mushrooms and glowgrass.

The bottle was opaque black, so it usually appeared unremarkable. However, once thrown and shattered, the liquid inside would quickly spread and emit a soft glow in a short time.

It would not stimulate creatures that could not tolerate strong light, making it very suitable for underground combat environments.

At this moment, after a dozen luminous bottles were shattered, the entire burrow was bathed in a faint glow, and everyone's visibility immediately improved.

The first thing they saw was the countless various bones scattered throughout the burrow.

There were both animal and human bones.

Almost all the soldiers' expressions changed instantly, but their strong psychological resilience prevented them from vomiting on the spot.

Each of them held a crossbow, loaded with an armor-piercing arrow coated in some kind of black liquid.

At this moment, Burton also drew his weapon, a broad saber.

Everyone began to advance through the burrow. If they encountered areas too dark to see clearly, they would throw out luminous bottles, striving to make the entire burrow clearly visible.

“Father?” Akar, trailing behind the group, called out softly.

But Ion did not respond. He simply nodded slightly, then shook his head.

Akar immediately closed his mouth.

Burton assumed Akar was merely nervous and reassured him, “Don’t worry. The soldiers are equipped with armor-piercing crossbows that can penetrate the iron plating on the Armored Demon Rabbit. The strongest aspect of this Tier 3 magical beast is its ability to charge recklessly with its armor, but that only works against other foolish beasts. Our human race has long developed many means to deal with such creatures.”

Along the way, Ion and Akar had already witnessed Burton commanding his soldiers to handle Tier 1 and Tier 2 magical beasts with a calm efficiency that surpassed their own. Thus, they knew Burton wasn’t bluffing.

“Ah—!”

A sudden scream rang out, accompanied by the sight of a soldier being hurled into the air in front of everyone.

He crashed against the stone wall of the burrow. The leather armor over his chest was completely caved in, his body twisted in several places, he was clearly dead.

Only then did the group realize that a beast the size of a calf had somehow appeared in the burrow.

It had a metallic, pale gray body with a full sheen. Its forelimbs were short, but its hind legs were thick and powerful. Its eyes were pitch-black.

Just moments earlier, it had leapt out from an unsearched corner and slammed directly into the soldier. Now, standing upright, the beast revealed a towering height of more than two meters, astonishingly, this creature resembled a rabbit.

“Scatter and fire!”

Burton roared and charged forward with his broadsword. “You two…”

He was about to call on Ion and Akar for assistance, but saw Ion, seemingly terrified out of his wits, turn and flee into the darkness without so much as a glance back.

Burton cursed under his breath, but could do nothing about it.

Fortunately, when he planned the hunt for the Armored Demon Rabbit, he had never counted on anyone outside of himself and six of the soldiers.

The twelve other soldiers immediately began to spread out at Burton’s command.

Their roles were clearly defined.

Several soldiers hurled luminous bottles at the Armored Demon Rabbit, ensuring it could be tracked even if it retreated into the shadows. The others raised their crossbows and pulled the triggers, launching armor-piercing bolts.

In an instant, the Armored Demon Rabbit was struck by six or seven arrows.

For humans, a single such bolt could tear a terrifying bloody wound. But on the rabbit’s armored body, they merely left a few inconsequential punctures. Nonetheless, the creature let out a howl of pain.

After the volley, the soldiers began reloading immediately.

Those who had thrown the luminous bottles took up defensive positions, raising their crossbows for a second volley to buy time for their comrades to reload.

By now, Burton had reached the Armored Demon Rabbit.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

He knew he had passed the most dangerous moment. His family backed a Tier 6 Bloodline User, so the path to bloodline advancement had long been laid out, and he was well-informed about the Armored Demon Rabbit.

The most perilous moment was always its first surprise charge, no one could predict from which dark corner it would strike, and even someone like him could have been fatally wounded.

But once the first charge was dodged, the Armored Demon Rabbit would rear up, almost as if declaring its territory, a threat display.

That might be effective against lower-tier magical beasts or ordinary people, but against Burton and his trained soldiers, it meant nothing. Instead, it was the ideal time to counterattack.

Still, once the Armored Demon Rabbit was wounded, it could easily enter a berserk state, perceiving any attack as a challenge to its lordly status.

To prevent a second explosive charge from the creature, Burton had specifically divided his soldiers into two groups: in the first wave, some would refrain from attacking and instead throw luminous bottles onto the rabbit.

This would both mark its location and allow them to step in as temporary defenders while their comrades reloaded, interrupting any potential second charge and creating a chance for Burton to close in.

Now, the soldiers had executed that plan perfectly.

So Burton charged to the rabbit’s front, raised his broadsword, and slashed down hard.

Sparks flew as the blow landed on the rabbit’s head. Though the attack didn’t decapitate it, the heavy strike stunned the beast, making it momentarily dizzy. The world seemed to blur for it.

Burton’s eyes lit up. He quickly raised his broadsword again, his expression sharpening with fierce focus. His aura shifted, now exuding a fierce and violent presence.

The next moment, Burton exhaled and shouted as his broadsword flashed, leaving behind multiple afterimages as it descended.

Combat Skill —[Guillotine]!