“Demons?!”
Li Xian raised an eyebrow.
‘So the rumors were true—there really were demons lurking in the Northern Wasteland Forest!’
‘And the human army fighting them seemed to be an elite unit from the Roland Empire.’
The battle between the two sides was brutal.
Demons were being slain one after another, but at the same time, human soldiers were being ambushed by those sneaky, stunted goblins—some had their legs hacked off and were devoured alive, screaming in agony.
The demons outnumbered the humans by a significant margin, and in terms of raw strength, the humans didn’t seem to have the upper hand either.
If not for the mages among them continuously casting spells to hold the line, the army might have collapsed long ago.
Yet, none of this was what truly caught Li Xian’s attention.
What did draw his eyes was a figure standing at the rear of the demon horde—a colossal creature, far larger than any ogre.
It stood over ten meters tall, with skin as black as coal and a terrifying presence.
It stood effortlessly at the back of the battlefield, clearly the commander of this demonic force.
Unlike the frenzied and savage lesser demons, this one had eyes that gleamed with intelligence.
In those eyes, Li Xian could see mockery—and even amusement.
‘The task assigned by the chieftain had given me a headache at first,’ the demon thought.
‘Making the sacrifice die in a flashy, memorable way wasn’t exactly easy.’
‘But who would’ve expected that, upon arriving in this world, a human army would conveniently show up to pick a fight? And they even seemed to recognize the sacrifice. That made things much simpler.’
‘Teach these humans a harsh lesson first. Then, once they’re beaten and broken, rip the sacrifice apart right in front of the survivors. The story will spread like wildfire, and fear of the demon race will once again sweep through humanity.’
‘They’ll remember. They’ll remember who cast their shadow over this world for a thousand years…’
‘And this will be the most reverent, most heartfelt hymn the demonkin can offer to our returning Demon Lord.’
He was in a great mood.
The human commander, on the other hand, most certainly was not.
Matt stood at the front lines, clad in a mage’s robe and holding an intricately carved staff.
He was a genius of the Empire—its youngest ever transcendent-tier combatant.
Only recently had he succeeded his late master, Claren, one of the Empire’s six Grand Archmages, after the latter’s untimely death.
That title brought him endless praise, elevating him above all others and earning him the adoration of the people.
But for that very reason—for his youth, and for his connection to his late master—he also faced more doubt and scrutiny than anyone else.
This time, His Majesty had sent him to eliminate the demons in order to help him gain some military merit and shut up those jealous schemers.
But he hadn’t expected that during this demon-slaying mission, he would run into none other than Her Highness the Princess—the same princess who had secretly left the imperial palace two weeks ago and vanished without a trace!
During these past two weeks, His Majesty had been worried sick about her.
Her husband, the former Emperor, had passed away when the princess was just three years old, leaving behind only a single daughter.
Naturally, she had become her mother’s most precious treasure, pampered and loved from the bottom of her heart.
Now that the princess had gone missing, he had seen firsthand just how anxious Her Majesty had become.
No wonder the Empress nearly turned the entire Imperial Capital upside down in her search—yet still couldn’t find a single clue.
And now it turned out the princess had fallen into the filthy hands of the demons!
Her Majesty had always treated him well.
Now that Matt had found Her Highness, there was no way he could just sit back and do nothing.
He would get her back, no matter the cost.
Fueled by youthful recklessness, he hadn’t thought too much at the time.
He simply raised his hand and ordered the elite Imperial forces he had brought from the capital to engage the demons in battle.
But now… the situation was looking grim.
***
That massive brute holding onto the princess—Matt knew of him.
Unlike the lesser demons, this one was a mid-tier demon from the Demon Realm: a Troll.
And a powerful one at that.
Up until now, Matt hadn’t been able to gauge the extent of the Troll’s strength, which made him hesitant to act rashly.
But the way things were going, the Imperial elite forces might be completely wiped out if he didn’t make a move soon!
Clenching his jaw, Matt knew he couldn’t afford to hold back any longer.
He raised his staff high, and powerful ice-elemental energy began to surge around him at frightening speed…