Ch.148Cradle’s Shadow (1)

A local conflict in the east.

A battle between those who fear death by angels and seek to prove their faith, and those who wish to dedicate themselves to the Goddess of Night.

Initially, it appeared to be a movement toward negotiation, but it gradually intensified. Once they tasted blood, moderation disappeared. They thrust swords into their opponents and branded them as heretics.

It was no longer a battle between good and evil.

It was a war between those who served the light and the night—two deities.

[War Marshal retreating to the center. Eastern trade city completely occupied by Papal territory.]

Those who had declared surrender were all eliminated. Since they were merely buying time anyway, there was no regret. However, the enemy’s attitude was extreme.

The captured prisoners. They too had intended to use negotiations as a pretext to buy time for growth, but they refused to cooperate.

They were elite priests, no less. They had discarded valuable forces that could have inflicted damage even on an Arch-demon if properly utilized.

“So despite such a defeat, they still have that much power left.”

Verdia shuddered. Once again, she felt the gap between them and the celestial realm. She could also sense their arrogance.

“How has the demon realm managed to endure…”

“Patience, Verdia.”

The demon realm had suppressed its power as much as possible. Even after experiencing decline following Demon King Caldrag, they focused on preserving their forces. They never expended them needlessly.

The reason the black army that followed the Demon King was depleted. While each continent was recovering from damage, they had mended internal conflicts and devoted all their strength to defensive warfare.

Thanks to that, they were able to conserve their elite forces, including the royal guard.

In truth, even that had to be converted to Durahan because they lacked the resources to maintain the legion while mending civil wars, but under Durin’s direct command, they achieved an unstable integration.

If the Demon King had been in his right mind.

Surely, he could have accelerated the period of legion reorganization.

“We were driven to the edge of the cliff at times, but we ultimately prevailed.”

“I shall once again engrave Your Excellency’s greatness in my mind.”

“What you should engrave is victory. The name to be recorded in the scripture is not ‘demon,’ but that era we had to abandon until now.”

“Demon” was a derogatory term coined by angels.

They willingly accepted it to absorb fear from humans.

Durin continued to envision it. The moment when they would overcome this day.

“The humiliation ends today.”

Durin took the lead and walked. He left his office and proceeded down the corridor toward the gate.

“Let the prepared units advance first!”

Verdia, who had been waiting in the training ground, shouted. Tens of thousands of troops moved to follow the regent who would preside over the war.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The dull sound of military boots filled the castle. The horned descendants of the god moved with disciplined steps. There was not a single misstep.

The southern army displayed the qualities befitting elite soldiers.

“What are the cavalry doing! Calm the beasts at once.”

“I will not tolerate disorder!”

The cavalry followed behind. Even the ferocious beasts, suppressed by the legion’s momentum, did not dare make noise.

The march toward war continued at length. They lined up in front of the gate in a solemn atmosphere. When the regent took the lead, they parted to the left and right.

“Raise the legion flags!”

The commanders of each army led their soldiers.

The flags of the newly born legion rose high. The soldiers’ pride swelled. They filled themselves with the driving force to fight proudly against the angels.

Durin turned to look at them.

“Glory is not far away.”

His calm voice captivated the legion. Despite not including words that would instill excitement, they naturally felt empowered.

The faith demonstrated in results boosted their morale.

Durin’s method of handling troops was simple.

“Seize victory.”

The gate caused a massive rift as it prepared for spatial jump. Viscous demonic energy engulfed them, ready to send them to the human realm.

“…I’ll follow soon.”

With Serphin’s small wish, as she watched the legion from a distance, a new war began.

#

Whoosh…

As the demonic energy dispersed, the green human realm welcomed Durin.

The eastern great forest region. The land where elves lived and followers of the Night Goddess dwelled.

The land he hadn’t seen for a long time had undergone many changes. The place where small elven tribes once lived had been greatly influenced by the dark cult.

A temple made primarily of logs, suitable for the great forest region, was established. Although they couldn’t remember the goddess’s face and placed a headless statue, the devotion gathered there was extraordinary.

-We will reclaim it someday.

-We will drive out the papal territory and reach our mother.

The demonic energy, enhanced by death, surged with power. It grew rapidly as it reached its source. The legion felt it too.

Though they maintained their discipline and didn’t show it, they couldn’t hide the joy evident in their tightly gripped spear shafts.

“Your Excellency! Welcome.”

As the gate completed its spatial transfer spell, the elven grand chieftain rushed over.

“I have been guarding the frontier as per your command.”

“How is the war situation?”

“It’s still evenly matched. We cannot defeat the papal holy knights in open battles, but we are hunting them by luring them into the forest.”

It was Yoannina’s favorite method. In the western demon realm, they had also defended using the swamplands with local soldiers, so it was a perfect match.

As if waiting for this, light footsteps approached from the other side.

“Durin!”

It was Yoannina. Though her appearance was in disarray from focusing on the war for so long, she still maintained the composure unique to thousand-year-old demons.

“You’ve been holding up well, Yoannina.”

“Compared to fighting Azakiel, this is nothing.”

“This battlefield seems manageable.”

“To be precise, it was easy because they didn’t come at us aggressively.”

She didn’t boast of her achievements. She accurately pointed out the reality at hand.

“I originally planned to set the stage for negotiations, but they refused first.”

“Didn’t you demand parts of the eastern region in exchange for releasing prisoners?”

“They responded with invasion. I expected to cut off the heads of the instigators, but they went on the offensive faster than I thought.”

“Many are burning with revenge. It’s only natural.”

They had torn off the head of Rupiel, the archangel’s secretary. The capture of thousands of holy knights was already humiliating, but having their commander impaled on a pole made it impossible not to be enraged.

It was a miracle that the surrendered eastern trade zone wasn’t razed to the ground and managed to survive.

“I’ll head to the battlefield for now. I’ll block their movements as much as possible.”

Durin moved as he always did.

He would dispatch the cavalry to break the vanguard and then deploy the main force. Regardless of what the war marshal chose, he intended to lay the groundwork to meet strength with strength.

“Wait. Now is not the time.”

Yoannina stopped Durin. The regent’s footsteps halted.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m enough for defense alone. They’re not attacking in earnest anyway. You have something else to do.”

“I haven’t heard anything separate from the prophecy witch.”

If it was related to the fate of the world, he would have been informed earlier. Since his conversation with the prophecy witch was merely a confirmation of will, the regent was puzzled.

“The World Tree is looking for you.”

It was just a moment.

Durin immediately acquiesced. A being free from the shackles of fate. As the child of the Creator, the World Tree could certainly do so.

“Should I go into the great forest?”

“The place where we met last time. I was told that’s where you should go.”

Yoannina glanced sideways. Asha, the grand chieftain who had been quietly listening to the conversation, nodded.

“That’s correct. I received the message directly.”

“Very well. Then I’ll head to the inner forest. First, guide me to Armin Kerukishi.”

“As you command.”

Before Durin could take the lead, Asha took charge of guiding. The two warriors advanced toward the traces of the past they hadn’t visited in a long time.

#

“He’s coming.”

The passing wind conveyed. The World Tree smiled.

Joy overflowed in the forest where darkness had retreated.

“The successor of Dantalos. The one who will fill my void.”

The World Tree had endured over a thousand years of loneliness. It was partially alleviated when the demon most similar to him came, but the regret remained. If only he could have stayed longer, but fate kept taking him away.

“To break the shackles, I must take a more active role.”

Until now, the World Tree had been captivated by the past. Longing for the place where Dantalos had stayed, she prayed for news from the demon who succeeded him.

If time had flowed like that, he would have long since perished, so why was she so attached?

If she couldn’t shake off the past and faced that fact, she would have despaired. Unable to forget the connection, she would have lived in sorrow until death.

But Durin appeared in her life.

He cherished the past but gave his best in the present and moved forward toward the future without bending.

The one who inherited Dantalos’s will to sacrifice the present for the future.

Though he was said to have succeeded, she could feel it.

“He lives and breathes within him.”

The World Tree was the daughter born of the Creator God. She could easily detect such a presence. The daughter forged by the world was certain.

“So, Durin. Fill my inadequacy.”

Loneliness. She wanted to overcome the pain newly filled in the place where negative emotions had disappeared.

That was why the World Tree had begun to move in earnest.

“I have prepared a hero for you.”

Behind the World Tree, who was writing a comedy, was a deeply sleeping hero. His companions were with him too.

Those who had lost consciousness were wandering through the past.

The true reason for the hero’s birth.

The ugly past that the celestial realm had hidden.

What humans meant to them.

“Only those who hold memories can show the truth.”

She would reveal all the secrets of the world that had been tightly hidden.

She intended to do her best to help so that the celestial realm could no longer torment him.

“Ah, Durin.”

The World Tree, who had lost Dantalos, writhed.

“I’ve been envisioning and drawing that day you spoke of.”

The brief reunion had been so happy.