Leo scrutinized the Spearwoman lying on the ground. Selecting the one with the most intact body, he reached out and tore off her helmet.
"Brother, you really ought to find a girlfriend." A trace of pity flickered in Majesty's eyes.
Gerdie was utterly stunned, covering her mouth with one hand, unable to speak.
Leo was panicking internally, but his face remained impassive as he explained calmly: "Where are your minds wandering? I'm simply researching the demonization of humans. To know one's enemy as oneself is the only way to be victorious in a hundred battles, after all."
"The appearance is still largely human, but some scales have appeared on the face, and a pair of horns has grown on the head," he said, squatting down to pry open the mouth, continuing his fake research. "The teeth have become shark-like, and there's still some flesh with black fur stuck to them."
He directly stripped away the clothing: "The nails on the hands and feet have become sharp, and the skin has turned snow-white. Body fat is very low, emphasizing muscle growth. No tail, hooves, or other demonic traits."
Based on Leo's aesthetic sense, which had been poisoned by modern "monster girl" culture, as long as she brushed her teeth, this would be a demon woman full of wicked beauty.
"The degree of demonization isn't high; I estimate her growth potential is quite low. Intelligence is low, still living like a savage. Their usual diet is likely Brutes; it seems the demons in the wild and the beasts are in a constant state of competition, which is good news for us." He feigned expertise, layering on a bunch of serious-sounding nonsense.
Seeing how logically he spoke, the two women were completely hoodwinked, nodding subconsciously in agreement.
Leo breathed a sigh of relief, seeing he had successfully bluffed his way through. He had never heard of demons wearing clothes. It was likely a holdover from human habits; fortunately, she had been wearing her inner layers, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River today.
"Majesty, use Fire Blast to preserve the last shred of dignity for this lady." Since this Spearwoman had provided so much "intelligence," it was better not to leave her exposed in the wilderness.
Having handled the corpse, the group continued their journey, clearing out many Spearmen and Brutes along the way.
One-third of the way to the Burial Grounds, they finally began to see scattered Fallen. These Fallen must have been the ones who fled; there wasn't a single Shaman among them, making these monsters easy to deal with.
After encountering the Fallen, Leo began to grow cautious. He didn't know where Bishibosh, that "loyal" Unique boss, was hiding, and he didn't want to be cornered by him again.
"Sister, use your shadow to scout ahead. Keep an eye out for where large groups of Fallen are gathered."
Majesty nodded and summoned her Shadow Warrior. She chose Burst of Speed and Cloak of Shadows for her, sending her ahead to scout.
Soon, the Shadow Warrior returned with news: there was a Fallen camp up ahead. Inside was a golden-skinned Fallen Shaman, four regular Fallen Shamans, and about thirty-odd Fallen grunts.
Leo found a tree at a moderate distance and climbed up. The life of the Fallen was truly primitive; the only items in the camp were an altar and a large iron pot.
Rubbing his eyes, he saw a Fallen actually being boiled inside the pot. Four Fallen Shamans were dancing a mysterious dance around the pot, while a crowd of Fallen onlookers was worshiping. It seemed these Fallen were so starved they had resorted to boiling and eating their own kind.
He slid down the tree with a whoosh. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Bishibosh's subordinates had all been slaughtered and scattered—now was the perfect time to burst him.
The three quietly approached the camp through the woods. When there was no longer any cover, Leo activated his Resist Fire aura and jumped out to taunt the opposition.
"Your Grandpa is here! Come and meet your death!"
Bishibosh's mood was one of wild joy. The previous crushing defeat had severely shrunk the Fallen forces in the Cold Plains. His remaining subordinates had scattered, and fearing the Great King's wrath, he had immediately held a sacrifice ritual upon returning to camp.
Corpsefire's subordinate, that traitorous Fallen, happened to be the most timely sacrificial offering. But things were a bit unexpected; it had been boiling for so long and yet hadn't died. However, the Great King seemed to enjoy this kind of "slow tempering" style.
Now, even better—fresh, high-quality sacrifices were delivering themselves to his door. Bishibosh let out a roar, threw three fireballs, and retreated several steps. Eager to perform in front of their boss, the Fallen and Shamans rushed toward Leo, shouting "Rakanishu!"
The Fallen now were simply too weak for Leo. He raised his shield and charged directly into the demonic swarm. The fireballs exploded against his shield, causing only thirty-odd points of damage. He raised his green short mace and delivered a strike; the most eager Fallen was instantly shortened, its head smashed straight into its chest cavity.
The other Fallen surrounded him, monsters on all sides, but Leo didn't panic and directly activated Zeal. After several rounds, the surrounding Fallen were all lying on the ground. The Shamans in the back had also reached casting distance and began conjuring fireballs.
With Resist Fire active, he didn't worry at all. He charged again, braving the fireballs to reach the Fallen Shamans, turning them into "tomatoes" one by one. It was a bit strange—he had charged too fast, and Gerdie's Find Item hadn't kept up. Why wasn't Bishibosh resurrecting his subordinate Shamans?
He looked up, but where was there any sign of Bishibosh? He was speechless. Running so fast—Bishibosh might as well change his name to "Bishi-Run-Fast." This was already the second time.
Seeing he couldn't find Bishibosh, Leo decided to "smash the monk's temple." He walked to the altar and smashed the stone structure to pieces in a few strikes.
He delivered a flying kick that toppled the large pot, sending up clouds of white steam. Once the steam cleared, he gave it a few more hammer blows, destroying the wicked tool of the trade. Let's see what you boil things in from now on.
It seemed this Fallen's fire resistance wasn't bad; it had been boiling in the pot for so long and still hadn't died, currently groveling on the ground and moaning.
Walking over to this pitiful Fallen, he delivered a hammer strike to its back. The Fallen actually let out an ecstatic cry; the poor creature was finally released.
Ding! A piece of Blue leather armor actually dropped. He tore open an Identify Scroll to appraise it.
> Ruby Leather Armor: Fire Resistance +40%. Level Requirement: 18. Strength Requirement: 15.
>
What a pity. If this Fallen hadn't died today, it surely would have achieved great things in the future! It actually dropped a max-stat "Ruby" affix (Note 1). He happily tossed the leather armor into his space for analysis.
Bishibosh was no longer a concern, and the group began traveling at full speed.
Bishibosh, having escaped with his life, was bitter in his heart, not understanding why his fate was so miserable.
In terms of intelligence, he definitely ranked high among the Great King's subordinates. In terms of strength, aside from that freak Colenzo, he was the number one Fallen. In terms of loyalty, his loyalty was witnessed by Hell itself. In terms of heritage, he mastered the traditional artistic techniques of demons, even if they weren't favored by the Great King.
How could such a perfect Fallen end up in this state? Coming to the human realm to develop, his start was sleeping in the wilderness. After several years, he had finally built up his forces and prepared to move to a warmer spatial node for development, only to be sent back to square one.
Thinking it over, all his misfortune stemmed from that damned Paladin; nothing good happened whenever he met him. Now he could only head to the Burial Grounds to seek refuge. Surely that disgusting human female wouldn't dare refuse the request of the great Fallen Shaman, Bishibosh.
At the thought of a way out, Bishibosh felt much lighter. After dark, the cold of the Cold Plains was almost enough to freeze his marrow. Hugging his scrawny body, he squeezed into a tree hollow, reminiscing about the sweltering heat of Hell.
It was too cold; he was about to freeze stiff. Starting a small fire in the tree hollow should be fine, right? Thinking this, Bishibosh couldn't bear it any longer. He rustled around to pick up some dry branches. It didn't matter if there was little fuel; as long as it caught, these fires of Hell would keep burning.
Bishibosh planted his soul-standard in the ground to block the hollow's entrance and used a fireball to ignite the branches. The warm firelight illuminated his thin, cunning face. Exhausted, Bishibosh curled up his body and fell into a deep sleep.
(Note 1: Affixes for magic equipment in Diablo 2 are divided into prefixes and suffixes. The "Ruby" prefix is the best fire resistance prefix.)