Chapter 985 Battle for the High Tower (Nineteen) (Patreon)

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The immense central mine resembled the gaping maw of the Abyss, incessantly devouring any Demon soldiers bold enough to enter. Once the vanguard troops ventured into the central mine, all sound ceased. Even the messengers failed to return as promised, leaving General Putrescent perplexed.

In truth, he had never ventured deep into the central mine himself. Such tasks were not fitting for a general. His scouts never paid attention to the mine because there were no soldiers there. Instead of wandering inside the mine to scout its terrain, it was more prudent for them to fortify the border against potential enemy forces.

With the vanguard proving ineffective, General Putrescent couldn't afford to give up. Even if they couldn't defeat the enemy inside, they should at least withdraw. The possibility of a complete annihilation hadn't crossed his mind yet.

So, he dispatched another team. This time, their assault met little resistance. The Demon soldiers smoothly breached the door and entered the corridor, only to encounter the same fate as the previous team.

Because General Putrescent hadn't devised any strategies to counter the mine's environment, the second team vanished into the depths of the mountain just like the first.

At this point, General Putrescent finally realized something was amiss. Perhaps powerful traps lay in wait on the other side. If other Demon lords were involved, such technological means were feasible. All it took was hiding a few sorcerers inside the mine.

He halted the assault and began studying with his staff team and sorcerers to discern the nature of the magic traps that ensnared two teams.

As the assault paused, the enslaved miners in the mine finally breathed a sigh of relief. They tossed the slain Demon soldiers into the deepest part of the lava sea. When Batman announced a break, the first one to approach him excitedly was Hexagon.

"Goodness! I can't believe it! We actually defeated those fierce Demon soldiers?! I wouldn't have dared to imagine it before!" Hexagon exclaimed rapidly. Batman sat across the campfire, watching him silently. Soon, he asked, "You're no longer a slave. What do you want to do next?"

Hexagon paused for a moment, then replied with a question, "What do you mean, what I want to do next? What can I do? Of course, I'll continue mining!"

"Do you truly enjoy mining? Aside from mining, don't you have any other desires?" Batman inquired.

"But I've always been mining," Hexagon waved his tentacle-like appendage, appearing puzzled. "What do you mean by liking something? Are you suggesting I shouldn't mine? Should I do something else? But I don't know how to do anything else!"

"Do you know, Hexagon, the world outside is vast. The mine where you grew up isn't everything. The wasteland continent isn't everything. Even hell is just a small part of the entire universe," Batman's voice carried a sense of distant melancholy as he spoke. "Don't you want to explore? To see what lies beyond the mine and hell, and how other beings live there?"

"But why should I care how they live?" Hexagon sounded even more puzzled. "I'm just a half-bred shadow vine monster. All shadow monsters work for Demon lords in the mines."

"And you want me to leave the mine to see, but the mine is still filled with General Putrescent's army. If you want to overthrow him and become the new master of the mine, you'll have to unify all seven mountains, which is incredibly difficult!"

"Who said I want to become the new master of the mine?" Batman looked at Hexagon and asked. This time, Hexagon was thoroughly stunned. He asked, "If you don't want to rule the mine, why are you fighting with General Putrescent?"

Batman paused for a moment, as if unsure where to begin, but then he slowly spoke, "I know, perhaps your ancestors have always lived like this. They worked for the mine lord without receiving any reward. They were controlled by violence, made to feel fear, and had to work."

"Here, you don't get any fairness. Your life and death are decided by others. But when you feel fear, haven't you ever regretted not resisting, so now you can only let others dictate your fate?"

These questions left Hexagon silent for a long time. It seemed that such philosophical contemplations were somewhat challenging for a newborn like him. Batman didn't press further, rising to seek a conversation with the elders of Triton. But just then, Hexagon spoke up.

"So, you rebel against General Putrescent because you're afraid he'll kill you? But as long as you work diligently..."

"Weren't you working diligently before?" Batman turned back, speaking softly. "Weren't those overseers still issuing impossible commands, threatening to throw you into the magma?"

"When you entrust the power to decide your own life and death to others, you should understand that those who wield such power won't show mercy or create truly fair rules."

"Because as long as they can kill you at any time, they can overturn all rules at any moment. If you don't want to die, you must resist, reclaim that power. The first step to freedom is to create opportunities to survive based on your own abilities."

Hexagon fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. Batman turned away and found the elder of Triton, who was already seeking him out.

The Triton elder wore a complimentary smile. "My lord, you've defeated the formidable General Putrescent and secured the central mine. Perhaps soon, you'll be able to take control of the entire mine. I've never seen a Demon lord as wise as you..."

After speaking, the Triton elder bowed, curling his snake tail and lowering his posture, pressing his finger to the center of his forehead, and bowed his head to Batman. "You are the hope for the revival of the Triton clan. We hope to follow you and establish great achievements..."

Batman looked at him, then asked, "What is the Triton clan? And what about you?"

The Triton elder didn't rise, speaking calmly, "You've already realized it. We're different from the other slaves in the mine. Triton was once a proud race. We used to follow Belial into warfare."

"In the days when Belial was still a Demon prince, Triton placed its hopes on him. The ancient Triton leader pledged allegiance to Belial, accompanying him through countless battles, eventually achieving glorious victories. The leader was ennobled and became a duke of the border territories, much like Astaroth is now."

"However, at this time, a Medusa named Darth seduced Belial and became the new queen of the nation."

The Triton elder's expression turned resentful, gritting his teeth. "This malicious queen, to support her own people, sought to eradicate Triton, who were also serpent-type demons."

"She concocted a conspiracy that made Belial suspicious of the loyal Triton leader. Eventually, Belial killed the Triton leader, and all Tritons were reduced to slaves, cursed so they couldn't use magic."

"As a magic race deprived of its magic power, Triton couldn't contend with other powerful demons solely with physical strength. Triton had to willingly retreat into the mines, because only by becoming slaves did we have a chance to survive..."

After finishing, he lowered his body again and spoke humbly to Batman, "In the ancient texts left by our ancestors, I glimpsed the glory of our forebears. Your demeanor is no different from the young Belial. Please lead us and restore the glory of the Triton clan!"

"Do you wish for me to become the new Demon lord?" Batman asked.

"Yes, my lord. You have such potential. As long as you can take over the mine, General Putrescent's territory and army, it will be enough for you to develop your power. If you can lift the curse from Triton, we will pledge our full allegiance to you..."

Batman saw the deeply etched lines on the Triton elder's face, reminding him of another person—the old man in the slums who tried to sell drugs as medicine to him.

Batman noticed that such lower-class individuals, especially elderly ones, always wore expressions of habitual submission and flattery. It wasn't a deliberate act but something deeply ingrained in their souls.

Now, this elderly demon saw him as a savior, hoping he could lead the Triton clan to greatness again. Yet Batman couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, a strange sensation enveloping him.

Batman couldn't afford to sympathize with demons. Everything he did here was merely a means to observe humanity through demons.

These were two very similar races, possessing the same intelligence, habits, and society. The only difference was that as a human, Batman didn't have to worry about the consequences of his actions here; it was a testing ground where he could fully demonstrate his abilities.

According to the script, Batman knew he should accept the allegiance of Triton and then use this clearly more intelligent race than other demons to dominate others, deepening tactics and creating a more efficient war machine, step by step toward victory.

He would be crowned the new king, gaining vast territories. But to maintain such territories, he needed to build a powerful army. And to build a powerful army, he needed equipment. For sturdy armor, he needed to smelt minerals. And to have enough minerals, he needed people to mine.

Some were generals, some were slaves, but the lives and deaths of slaves would still be in the hands of generals. In the endless cycle of dynastic fate, everything was an unsolvable deadlock.

But for Batman himself, was he here to become a Demon lord? What use did he have for the lands of hell?

Indeed, a grand victory over all of hell would be engraved as a badge of honor. Abandoning his collection room might also become a trump card against certain demons who ventured into the human world. But was that enough?

Batman saw in these oppressed demon slaves the deep suffering of Gotham's underclass.

From birth to adulthood, they were confined to a small land, never seeing the outside sky. They didn't even know what resistance meant, or that fate could still be in their hands.

As Batman stepped forward, they saw him as their savior, believing he would become a powerful king. But this would only make them marvel and continue accepting appointed rule, day after day.

Was such a life terrible for them? Not really. They knew nothing and desired almost nothing. Without desire, there was no suffering.

But Batman preferred to call this numbness. Their ignorance wasn't their choice but a product of unjust circumstances. And leading such a numb group of people to win one battle after another would ultimately result in another unjust world.

Batman suddenly realized that if he continued to regard himself as a savior and demanded everyone else to see him that way, nothing would change. No matter who became king, it wouldn't alter the situation of the people at the bottom.

But if there were no savior, who else could they rely on?

In the lull of war, Batman began to ponder some deeper questions.

But just like Gotham, victory and peace were only temporary. Things always slid toward the worse and inevitably plummeted into the Abyss.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 986: Battle for the High Tower (Twenty)