Chapter 82 : The Last War (2)

Countless spells exploded toward Lucrecia.

An attack immediately after negotiations ended.

It makes sense.

One of the enemy commanders appeared defenseless, and since war was inevitable, they must have judged that launching the first strike was the best option.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After a relentless bombardment of spells—too many to dodge or block—the dust and shattered ground gradually settled.

Lucrecia emerged, battered and broken.

Holes were pierced through her chest and stomach, and her arms and legs were severed.

She had failed to block the attacks properly and suffered fatal wounds.

Yet, she laughed.

“Hehehe… Foolish humans. I expected you to do this.”

Fwoosh!

Lucrecia’s body exploded, sending thousands of blades flying toward the Imperial Army.

The soldiers hurriedly deployed defensive magic, but those who were too slow or lacked skill fell victim to the attack.

As the Imperial Army reeled from the unexpected counterattack, the real Lucrecia appeared atop the fortress wall.

“Die here, all of you.”

And so, the siege battle began.

Kalian, Evelyn, and I rushed back to our command post, while the Imperial Army and the Demon Army bombarded each other with large-scale magic.

Unlike typical medieval warfare, battles involving magic are defined by overwhelming firepower.

Thus, the beginning of a magic-based war is always a contest of sheer force.

Each side unleashes all their firepower to obliterate the enemy’s formation or fortress.

Once the battlefield is left in ruins, the real battle begins.

If the Imperial Army’s dragons unleash their breath attacks, the demons counter with their own. Large-scale spells are met with equally powerful spells in return.

This continues until one side runs out of resources and magical power.

“But in a war of attrition like this, we’re at a disadvantage.”

Evelyn observed the battlefield and spoke.

She quickly analyzed the Imperial Army’s formation, the Demon Army’s defenses, and the rate at which each side was depleting their resources.

“Judging by the scale of this bombardment, both sides have nearly equal firepower. In that case, the demons have the advantage because their supply lines are shorter.”

“Then we should aim to shorten this battle.”

“Exactly. Here, we’ll have to take some risks and carve out a path.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“One idea comes to mind. However…”

She hesitated, looking at me.

“This plan won’t be easy, Wade. Your life could be in serious danger. Ideally, we should observe the battlefield a bit longer and find a safer strategy, but…”

“It’s fine. I’m not the type to die so easily, so don’t hesitate to give your orders.”

“If you say so… Alright.”

Evelyn explained the strategy to me.

Even as I listened, I could tell it was a dangerous plan—one that could put the entire Imperial Army in jeopardy.

At the same time, however, it had the potential to turn the tide of battle.

After understanding the strategy, I agreed that it was our best option.

Baldric, who had also been listening, nodded in agreement.

Following Baldric’s command, the Imperial Army moved.

Thousands of mages simultaneously cast freezing spells, forming a massive glacier in the air and launching it toward the fortress walls.

The Demon Army retaliated by creating their own glacier and massive boulders to block the attack.

Boom!

The glacier shattered, sending tens of thousands of ice fragments flying toward the fortress.

However, the demons deployed protective barriers and suffered no damage.

Next, the Imperial Army called down meteors.

A classic Meteor spell—massive rocks engulfed in blazing flames—descended toward the fortress after the ice attack.

Once again, the Demon Army countered with magic, shattering the meteors.

However, the broken meteors scattered into countless pieces, creating a dust cloud that obscured visibility.

Moreover, the burning fragments melted the ice shards on the battlefield, generating a thick mist.

While the dust and steam clouded the Demon Army’s vision, the Imperial Army deployed titans and golems to advance toward the fortress walls.

The entire army moved forward, closing the distance while providing cover for the titans and golems.

This maneuver was designed to force an end to the firepower battle and transition into melee combat.

Recognizing this, the Demon Army summoned powerful winds to clear the obstructed view, but the Imperial Army simply repeated the cycle—creating more ice and meteors to obscure their vision again.

While the Imperial Army kept the Demon Army’s attention, I, along with Kalian, Elia, and an elite force, maneuvered around the fortress.

Both the Imperial Army and the Demon Army had massive numbers, but to avoid losing ground in a direct confrontation, their troops were concentrated at the front.

We aimed to exploit the weakly defended areas.

Kalian asked,

“Will we really be able to break through this easily?”

“They must have left at least a minimal force behind, but most of their troops will be with the main army. If they fail to predict that the Empire’s strongest force has split off for a flanking maneuver, this siege will be our victory.”

“It’s one thing if only we make it through, but we also need to create an opening for our allies. Can we breach the fortress wall?”

“Who are you asking? If you can do it, why wouldn’t I be able to?”

I grinned.

All we had to do was avoid the Demon Army’s sight and destroy the fortress wall from a suitable position.

That would create a second entrance, giving the Imperial Army a tactical advantage.

The structured firepower battle would lose its meaning, and the fight would shift to melee combat.

That is, assuming everything went smoothly.

Of course, things didn’t go that easily.

“As expected of filth like you—you resort to cheap tricks.”

A Death Knight clad in navy armor—one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Darkan—stood atop the fortress wall, glaring down at us.

So much for an easy breakthrough.

We halted, standing in a standoff with Darkan.

“Oh? Long time no see.”

“Hah, acting so casual. You must have taken this route to avoid the firepower battle, but it’s a shame. Your shallow scheme has already been exposed. We will never allow you to break through.”

“You think you can stop me? That’s questionable.”

“I’m not alone. We will stop you.”

At Darkan’s shout, another of the Four Heavenly Kings, Lucrecia, along with hundreds of high-ranking demons, soared into the air above the fortress wall.

“So, you’re Kalian and Wade, huh? I’ve heard you’re the representatives of humanity.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“You must have assembled an elite force for this flanking maneuver. If we kill you here, the Imperial Army will suffer a massive blow. Am I wrong?”

Darkan unsheathed his sword.

Lucrecia summoned hundreds of blades, and the other demons assumed their battle stances.

This was exactly the situation Evelyn had feared.

To slip away from the main force unnoticed, we had to move with a small elite unit.

But if we were discovered, we’d be at extreme risk—just like now, where we were being swarmed by overwhelming numbers.

The Demon Army, led by Darkan and Lucrecia, charged toward us.

Kalian and I drew our swords, while Elia summoned all of her puppets.

The battle quickly turned against us.

“Can you smell death, you piece of trash? It’s a shame you’re not the same guy I fought last time, but I’ll settle for taking your life instead.”

“You sure talk big for someone who only survives through tactical tricks. You really pulled out all the stops, huh? If this were one-on-one, you’d be dead already.”

“Ahahaha! Strategy is the foundation of warfare! Everything stems from your ignorance—so curse your own stupidity as you die!”

Darkan, along with dozens of high-ranking demons, launched a fierce assault.

Unlike humans, demons had far more naturally powerful individuals, and it wasn’t uncommon for high-ranking demons to have strength comparable to the Four Heavenly Kings.

No matter how skilled I was, handling dozens of enemies on that level wasn’t an easy task.

Worse, they weren’t even focusing their attacks on me.

Realizing that I wouldn’t be an easy target, the demons instead went after Elia and the other soldiers, who seemed easier to take down.

I turned to Darkan and said,

“You sure you’re okay with doing this?”

“What the hell are you talking about, you piece of trash?”

“I mean, the man your beloved Demon King has feelings for is right here. If he dies, wouldn’t she be devastated?”

“The Demon King’s beloved…?”

Following my finger, Darkan’s gaze landed on Kalian.

Would this guy be more reasonable than Lucrecia? It would be great if we could stir up some internal discord among them.

“Kuhahahaha!”

“Oh?”

“In that case, I must kill him even more! If he is someone our Demon King has set her heart on, then surely he can overcome a mere crisis like this!”

“Ah, I see.”

So this guy is just as impossible to talk to, but in a different way.

Still, that wasn’t a big problem.

Even though our flanking maneuver had been discovered and we were now surrounded, with this level of enemy forces, we could gradually take control of the situation.

It was unfortunate that Kalian and I, the strongest forces of the Empire, had been away from the main army for so long, but the same was true for them.

We just had to take our time.

Slice, slice.

One by one, I began cutting down the demons.

At first, they seemed overwhelming, but as the battle dragged on, they started to falter.

Darkan was visibly shaken.

“W-What…? These are the Demon King’s elite forces… Why are we being pushed back?”

“That’s because I’m an asymmetrical force. If you wanted to stop me, you should’ve brought Alcatraz. The fact that you didn’t realize his true nature was your biggest mistake.”

“Y-You… you piece of trash!”

“Can you afford to stand around like that? The longer this fight drags on, the worse it gets for you. We’re gaining more allies by the second.”

The demons who had died moments ago were rising to their feet.

Elia had used her necromantic puppetry to turn the corpses of high-ranking demons into her own soldiers, adding them to our forces.

Seeing this, the demons’ morale crumbled rapidly.

“How dare you control the corpses of our brethren and turn them against us? Stop this at once!”

“Hahahaha, unfortunately, that’s not an option. But I have a better idea. Just stand still and die. Then you, too, can join your fallen comrades as puppets. That way, everyone can be happy.”

“You monster! You insane devil!”

“Want to live? If you want to survive, bring me the Demon King. If you do that, I’ll spare your lives.”

“That will never happen! Now I understand—we cannot allow a monster like you to meet the Demon King, no matter what. Even if it costs us our lives!”

Darkan and Lucrecia’s faces went pale, but rather than succumbing to fear, their determination only solidified.

Still, the balance of power had shifted.

Now, all we had to do was finish them off and break through the wall.

Boom!

But just as I was about to deliver the final blow to Darkan, a massive wave of magic came soaring toward me.

I leaped back and scanned the fortress wall.

There, the fourth of the Four Heavenly Kings—Belad—stood, along with a host of other demons.

Seeing that Darkan and Lucrecia were still alive, Belad shouted at me,

“This is the end, demon. No matter how much your wickedness has overwhelmed Darkan and Lucrecia… you will not be able to withstand this.”

Belad spread his arms wide.

Surrounding him were thousands—yes, thousands—of high-ranking demons.

These crazy bastards.

If they’re pulling this many troops away from their main force, then their main army has to be significantly weaker…

But it looks like they’re determined to kill me, no matter what.

I’m no omnipotent god.

Even if I go all out, I won’t be able to last long against these odds.

At this point, I had no choice but to use that method.

I let out a relaxed sigh and spoke.

“Thousands of high-ranking demons… And you think that is enough to stop me?”

It was a bluff.