Three months had passed since the war began.
On the first day, we breached the outer wall.
On the second day, we advanced swiftly through the canyon.
But after that, the real problem began.
The Demon King’s army repeatedly retreated on purpose, eventually settling within their inner walls.
Unlike the outer wall, the inner wall had a much smaller area to defend, making the Demon King’s army far more formidable than before.
The Imperial Army failed to break through the inner wall, suffering repeated defeats and exhausting its forces.
After two months of this stalemate, the Imperial Army’s supply lines could no longer keep up with the consumption.
And on the third month, their condition reached its worst point.
It wasn’t to the extent that soldiers were starving to death, but there was no doubt—this was the weakest the Imperial Army had ever been.
And this was exactly the moment the Demon King’s army had been waiting for.
For the past three months, they had remained inside the inner wall, waiting for our forces to be drained.
But now, they finally opened the gates and started marching out.
Their goal was clear—to prevent the Imperial Army from securing its supply lines and regrouping.
In response, the Imperial Army chose not to retreat.
Instead, we decided to fight.
If we fell back now, all the tactical advantages we had gained would be lost.
Besides, a full-scale battle with the Demon King’s army was something we had been preparing for.
Standing among the vast ranks of the Imperial Army stretching to the horizon, I faced the Demon King’s army.
They had the option to retreat if things went badly, but we had our backs to the canyon, leaving us at a disadvantage.
And yet, not a single Imperial soldier doubted our victory.
Because among us was an overwhelming force—’Wade.’
And I had no worries about losing this battle either.
After all, I planned to end this fight long before our forces were wiped out.
As long as I could meet Victoria during this battle and convince her—this war would be over.
The only problem was…
“The time has finally come.”
Nervas approached me. Not just him—Regalant and Alterra naturally followed suit.
This scene felt oddly familiar.
A déjà vu, perhaps?
No matter how many times I told them to stay away, they insisted on joining my unit.
The clan leaders wanted to fight as close to me as possible, and Baldric supported their decision, citing my strategic importance.
“Wade is the key to winning this war. Under no circumstances can we lose him. The final battle must be centered around him.”
This put me in a difficult position.
But in the end, I had no choice.
They, too, had staked their lives on this war and were doing everything they could to win.
Now, the real challenge was how to shake off the clan leaders and reach Victoria.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I had no other choice.
The battle had begun.
At Baldric’s command for an all-out attack, the entire Imperial Army charged at the Demon King’s forces.
The Demon King’s army, too, surged toward us, and soon, the vanguard knights clashed like colliding boulders.
BOOM! CRASH! BANG!
Some fought in brutal contests of strength, shields smashing against shields.
Others were pushed back and trampled underfoot.
Spears and swords clashed in chaotic melee combat.
“AAARRGH!”
The demons who clashed with me were sent flying like dust in the wind.
Shattered armor, broken shields, and demon corpses scattered across the battlefield.
Even with just myself, Kalian, Evelyn, Elia, and Lumia, our power was overwhelming.
But with the three clan leaders and elite soldiers joining in, our assault became even more devastating.
Once again, I charged straight into the heart of the enemy formation.
At first, with the Imperial Army around me, I felt relatively secure.
But soon, I found myself surrounded by demons on all sides.
Ordinary soldiers would have realized their mistake by now and tried to retreat.
But none of us even glanced backward.
Instead, Nervas, Regalant, and Alterra burst into laughter, reveling in the battle.
“Hahaha! Wretched creatures, return to dust! Death itself passes through here, and you shall all become nothing more than dirt!”
“Khahahaha! No matter how many of you swarm at me, I’ll slaughter you all!”
“Foolish weaklings! The moment you left your walls, your defeat was already sealed. You will regret not surrendering when you had the chance!”
These lunatics.
Not only the clan leaders but also the other elite soldiers followed me with movements bordering on madness.
They were really planning to chase me to the ends of hell.
Shaking them off wouldn’t be easy.
I didn’t want to use this method, but there was no other choice.
I turned my gaze to Elia.
In response, Elia resurrected the fallen demons as puppets and sent them toward the pursuing clan leaders.
Nervas shouted,
“There’s a demon puppeteer nearby! They’re trying to force us into a battle of attrition! Find them, quickly!”
“Damn it, these bastards just keep coming! If we stay here, we won’t be able to follow Lord Wade!”
“Lord Wade! We’ll deal with them and catch up with you soon!”
The clan leaders, surrounded by demons and puppets, waved at me from afar.
Even though I was the one who caused this, I waved back, wishing them luck.
With this, the obstacles were removed.
They were all skilled enough that, if things got dangerous, they would know how to retreat to safety.
Kalian and I continued breaking through the demons, making our way toward Victoria.
Finding her wasn’t difficult.
If she had been hiding quietly in the back, it would have taken longer.
But instead, she was actively fighting against the Imperial Army.
Four elite Imperial soldiers and clan leaders were surrounding her, struggling to maintain their formation.
But since the Four Heavenly Kings were with her, it wasn’t easy.
Lucrecia, Darkan, Bellard… and even Alcatraz.
They were all here.
Unlike the other three, who were fighting furiously, Alcatraz sat on his horse, doing nothing.
When our eyes met, he simply smiled.
The four clan leaders fighting Victoria turned to me.
“You’ve finally arrived, Lord Wade.”
Their grim expressions brightened.
Now that I was here, they believed victory was certain.
As they joined me, Victoria and the Four Heavenly Kings stopped attacking and created some distance.
Alright… I finally managed to meet her.
But now what?
I had gotten rid of Nervas’s group, but there were still four clan leaders here.
That created a new problem.
If I acted too friendly with Victoria in front of them, I would be condemned as humanity’s enemy with no room for denial.
“It’s been a while, human.”
Lucrecia, standing beside Victoria, spoke to me.
With a smug expression, she sneered at us.
“I’ll give you credit for making it this far through our army. But you will never harm the Demon King.
Feel the insurmountable difference in power and perish in despair.”
“You…”
“Demon. Unlike the other trash, I acknowledge that you are strong.
But do you really think such insignificant power can touch the Demon King?”
With a wave of her hand, Darkan, Bellard, and the high-ranking demons charged at the clan leaders.
As she and the other Heavenly Kings pushed them away from the battlefield, she added,
“The Demon King will be the one to deal with you.”
She and I locked eyes.
We exchanged no words, but I understood her intention.
She was giving me an opportunity.
A chance for Kalian and Victoria to talk without interruptions.
The clan leaders were pushed away by Lucrecia, Darkan, and Bellard, scattering across the battlefield.
Now, only Victoria and Alcatraz remained.
Finally, this moment had arrived.
I turned to Kalian.
“Kalian, from here on, you have to handle this alone.
You’re the only one who can change Victoria’s mind.”
“Yeah.”
He hadn’t taken his eyes off Victoria for even a second.
I gave him my final piece of advice.
“If you succeed in convincing Victoria, come to the Demon King’s castle.
Abandon everything else—
Ignore the soldiers dying behind you, ignore who lives or dies. Just come.”
“The Demon King’s castle…?”
“You’ll understand why when you get there.”
Next, I spoke to Elia.
“Elia, send a message to Serena.
You remember what to do next, right?”
“Wade… Are you really doing this?”
“We’ve come this far. Of course.”
“…Take care. See you again.”
Elia, Evelyn, and Lumia exchanged brief farewells with me.
I wanted to talk to them longer,
but we all knew this wasn’t the time for that.
Tears welled up in Evelyn and Lumia’s eyes.
“Stay alive, Wade.”
“You have to survive.”
I nodded and stepped forward.
Then, Alcatraz spoke.
“The clan leaders all left at once. How should I put this… it’s almost too perfect.
Did you perhaps do something to Lucrecia and the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“Well, who knows?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It won’t change anything. My role is simply to ensure that you don’t try anything against the Demon King…”
Boom!
I kicked off the ground and shot forward, grabbing Alcatraz.
Then, with him in tow, I soared into the sky.
The ground quickly receded beneath us, and the Imperial and Demon armies shrank to the size of mere toys.
The wind roared around us, a deafening sound that carried an unusual heat.
Alcatraz, still in my grasp, spoke calmly.
“Well, this is unexpected.”
“Is that so? Good.”
“The Empire needs you. If you separate from the main force, the demons will gain the upper hand in this war.”
“I don’t care. I’ll end the war before that happens.”
We flew straight into the Demon King’s castle.
Meanwhile, Kalian, now alone, stood face-to-face with Victoria, who was also alone.
Drawing his sword, he charged at her.
Each clash of their blades sent shockwaves through the air, tearing the ground apart.
Winds howled as both humans and demons were thrown aside.
Up until now, both had fought while keeping the formations of their respective armies in mind.
But now, they focused only on each other, completely disregarding everything else.
The vast plains and countless soldiers no longer mattered.
With each strike and parry, they tore through the battlefield.
After an exchange of blows, Kalian briefly caught his breath and was the first to speak.
“As I thought… so that’s how it is.”
Through their clashing swords, he had realized something.
“I can feel it—you don’t actually want to fight me.”
The intensity of their battle had forced both human and demon soldiers to stay far away.
No one could eavesdrop on them, no one could interrupt them.
For this moment, at least, they could have an honest conversation.
What should he say?
After a brief moment of hesitation, Kalian decided to act rather than speak.
He sheathed his sword and smiled.
“At last, there’s no one left to interrupt us.
So let’s talk—really talk—about what’s in our hearts.”
“…Kalian.”
Should they start by reconciling?
Or maybe discussing a truce would be better—since neither of them truly wanted this war.
Yes, that would be best.
Wade had said he had a sure way to end the war.
If he could just talk things through with Victoria, everything might fall into place.
Perhaps they could return to their peaceful past.
Maybe, just maybe, he could even experience life among the demons, disguised as one of them.
It might be fun to see the world Victoria lived in.
Thud.
“Huh?”
Lost in his thoughts, Kalian suddenly felt something pierce his stomach.
It was a sword.
A searing heat and sharp pain spread through him, as if red-hot iron had been thrust into his flesh.
But more than the pain—
He looked up at Victoria.
The one who had stabbed him… was none other than her.