The Imperial Army witnessed a strange sight.
After finally driving back the demons and breaking through the city walls, their morale soared to new heights.
However, some felt more puzzled than joyful.
One soldier looked around and said, “What is this?”
A question began to spread, like ripples on water, and even the soldiers who had been shouting in victory started to calm down and assess the situation.
The once-exhilarating cheers and laughter gradually transformed into murmurs of confusion and dismay.
“A mirror…?”
Beyond the city walls, in the land of the demons, mirrors had been set up that reflected the Imperial Army exactly as they were.
There were mirrors on both sides, in front, and even in the sky—mirrors covered every direction, reflecting the soldiers.
It was such an alien sight that the soldiers, despite being fascinated, began to grow wary.
“What kind of mirrors are these?”
The sheer size of the mirrors, capable of reflecting an entire legion, was strange enough, but the fact that these mirrors existed beyond the walls was even more unusual.
They must have been intentionally placed there.
Though the intention behind it was unclear, staying still here felt dangerous.
It seemed wise to retreat as quickly as possible.
“We’re safe,” Hubert said as he approached Kalian and me.
He looked worn out from the fierce battle but was still robust as a commander.
“Your performance earlier was incredible.
To push back the Four Heavenly Kings like that… I thought we were just stalling for time until the Empire’s reinforcements arrived,” he said.
“It was nothing,” Kalian replied.
“Kalian, Wade… I’ve come to see you in a new light.
And Victoria too.
To have three such strong hopes for humanity—it’s truly a joyous thing.”
Hubert praised our achievements, but his gaze shifted to the mirrors surrounding us.
“I’d love to cheer for your accomplishments and have a victory shout together, but… the situation seems a bit too strange for that.”
“We agree,” we responded.
“We don’t know what these things are planning. It’s best if we retreat quickly. It’s a shame we couldn’t capture the demon’s defensive walls, though.”
Sensing something was off, he prepared to signal the entire army to retreat.
But before he could give the order, an unexpected event occurred.
“Welcome, everyone,” someone called out.
The magically amplified voice shook the ground, cutting through the murmuring of the Imperial soldiers with startling clarity.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads.
A man was looking down at us from atop the demon-built walls.
He wore a calm smile and bowed his head.
“Fighting the demons—what a struggle you’ve endured. Your efforts were so thrilling, they had me gripping my seat.”
“Who are you?” Hubert demanded.
“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alcatraz. I’ve come to have a bit of fun with all of you,” the man said, replying casually despite the suspicious stares from the soldiers.
Despite their wary glares, Alcatraz spoke as if it were an everyday conversation.
Or rather, he tried to.
“What is this…?”
Crack.
A spear suddenly flew from somewhere and pierced his heart.
Staring blankly at the spear embedded in his chest, he casually pulled it out, as if it was no big deal.
The blood that had poured from his wound reversed its course, returning to his body, and the wound itself disappeared without a trace.
“Ah, well. I’d appreciate it if you’d listen to me until the end,” he said.
“What are you doing?” Hubert demanded.
“As I said, I came here to play a game. I’m sure you don’t have time for a long explanation, so just look at that,” Alcatraz said, gesturing toward the mirrors.
“Please, carefully watch the mirrors. You’ll find something very interesting.”
Watch the mirrors?
Hubert looked at him skeptically and didn’t turn his gaze, but other soldiers, as if entranced, began to peer into the mirrors.
Each mirror reflected something in clear, detailed imagery.
There were soldiers with tense expressions, Hubert and Kalian, and even my own reflection.
And there was a dark, ominous presence.
The being was surrounded by powerful darkness, carrying the hellish flame of the underworld, with three halos above its head.
It stood next to Kalian and me.
It was Victoria.
“Wait…?”
Soldiers, noticing the strange sight, murmured and glanced between the terrifying figure in the mirror and the real Victoria standing before them, trying to figure out if they had seen something wrong.
“Did you see it? The great being who has been hiding among you, masquerading as a human,” Alcatraz said with a smile.
“Illusion magic? Even if you try to divide us like this, it’s useless. We won’t fall for your tricks,” Hubert replied confidently.
“Illusion? No, this is the truth. That is her true form—beautiful and powerful, the majesty of the Demon Lord.”
“Demon Lord?” Hubert looked at Victoria.
Victoria stood silently with her fists clenched.
I had a feeling I knew what Alcatraz was trying to do.
It was probably too late for me to stop it, but I had to at least try to act.
“Kalian,” I called.
“Kalian, stay focused,” I urged.
“Uh? What? What’s happening?” he asked, still confused.
“He’s up to something. He’s trying to divide the Imperial Army, but we can’t fall for it. Understand? All of this is just a trick.”
“Trick…? Oh, right. Of course. It’s a trick. Victoria as the Demon Lord? That’s absurd,” Kalian nodded, realizing the deception.
I turned to Hubert.
“Hubert, you’re not falling for this, right?”
“It’s all nonsense. There’s no way the Demon Lord would be hiding among us like this. Kalian and I have known her, and she’s definitely not the Demon Lord.”
“Well, I know that much. I’ll need to rally the troops and restore morale, so we don’t fall into confusion,”
Hubert said, lifting off into the air to rally the soldiers.
Hubert flew into the air so that the entire Imperial Army could see him and raised his voice.
“Listen up, everyone! The one on top of the city walls is using illusion magic to confuse us. The Demon Lord is not here…”
However, before Hubert could continue, his head exploded.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, and his headless body trembled before crashing to the ground.
The Imperial soldiers, who had been looking up at him, saw their commander’s decapitated corpse—whether directly or through the mirrors.
Alcatraz shook his head.
“Ah, I did warn you. Acting so rudely, you angered the Demon Lord.”
No.
This isn’t Victoria’s doing.
I know it because I’m right here.
But the soldiers didn’t share my thoughts.
Chaos began to stir among them, and it exploded with Alcatraz’s final move.
With a snap of his fingers, the mirrors emitted a burst of light, enveloping both the soldiers and Victoria.
When the light faded, Victoria had reverted to her true form, not in the mirrors, but right before them.
She stood in her demonic form, the Demon Lord herself.
“It’s… it’s the real Demon Lord!”
The soldiers instinctively stumbled back.
Kalian, Victoria, and I found ourselves surrounded in a natural circle.
This is dangerous.
The situation has turned far too grim.
But there’s still a chance… If I get rid of Alcatraz and undo Victoria’s illusion magic, there’s a way to cover this up.
“Everyone, focus! The one who killed the Commander is that guy over there! Don’t fall for the illusion magic!”
I amplified my voice with magic.
The powerful shout shook the soldiers’ minds, giving them just enough clarity to momentarily snap out of their confusion.
In that moment, I surged forward, charging straight toward Alcatraz.
He greeted me with a broad smile as I closed in.
“It’s already too late,” he said.
“Shut up.”
I split his arms and legs along with the space itself.
His body was torn apart and sucked into a single point, shredded, and soon vanished without a trace.
This won’t be the end of him, but it’s bought me some time.
I need to snap the soldiers out of their confusion fast.
However, just as I finished eliminating Alcatraz, a new problem emerged.
Despite there being no magic cast, the soldiers’ heads began exploding one by one.
In an instant, dozens, hundreds of soldiers fell, their bodies dropping lifeless to the ground.
“AAAH?!”
“It’s the Demon Lord’s doing! Run away!”
“Shit!!!”
“Help! Help me…!”
As a fellow soldier’s head exploded next to them, chaos erupted.
The soldiers scattered, each trying to flee as far from Victoria as possible.
Some of them, in a frenzy, ran toward the demon’s territory, while the few who still had their wits about them rushed toward the Imperial direction.
But no matter how far they went, no matter which direction they took, their heads exploded all the same.
Amid the chaos, Oliver, who was still sane, shouted.
“What the hell… How many more need to die before you’re satisfied? Stop, you damn cockroach!”
Oliver charged toward Victoria.
She stood still, doing nothing, but he could never land a blow on her.
Thud.
“Ugh…! You… you monster…”
Before Oliver could reach her, a hole pierced his chest, and he fell dead.
Victoria muttered softly, almost to herself, “No… I didn’t do this…”
I knew those words were true.
But no one else would believe me—not a single person.
I grabbed Kalian’s shoulder, holding on to the last shred of hope.
“Kalian.”
“This can’t… this can’t be real…”
“Kalian, focus! Victoria didn’t do this. Someone else prepared this in advance.”
He looked at Victoria, dazed.
“That… that form…”
“Don’t pay attention to that. Victoria’s true form is human. This is just something that guy set up earlier.”
“Why? To me, that form feels more natural now… I no longer feel the discomfort I once felt when seeing Victoria.”
“That’s…”
Kalian pushed my arm away.
He walked toward Victoria, almost in a trance.