Ch.151Double Front (1)

The light had lost its power.

Anxiety grew among those who kept the faith in the Papal Territory. Consecutive defeats had pushed them to the edge of a cliff.

The death of an Archangel.

Rupiel’s head mounted on a pole was like a nightmare.

There was no time to shed tears of sorrow. As terror enveloped the world, people trembled in fear and refused to leave their homes.

“God, save us.”

“Protect us from the demons.”

“Father. My Father.”

“Show us a new path.”

The sound of prayers echoing through the monastery reached the dark clouds above.

After endless neglect, they believed without doubt that someday it would open. That hope finally poured down with a single ray of light.

“Ah.”

“Lord.”

Among the crowd gathered in the square offering prayers as usual, there was a child who had been chosen.

A girl with black hair.

She seemed like a child from an ordinary household, but her demeanor was different from common people. When the light fell upon her, she wasn’t surprised. She smiled as if familiar with it.

“I can see a revelation.”

Her soft voice resonated. All the people living in the Papal Territory watched her, entranced by the sacred sight.

“I shall drive out the demons and achieve the work of heaven.”

From afar, clergy members came rushing out. Among them were those wearing cassocks reserved only for high officials of the Papal Territory, accompanied by elite holy knights.

At that moment, people sensed it.

That a star had come to them. That the light of God, lost in the demon realm, had been revived to protect the world.

“Lord.”

“You haven’t abandoned us yet.”

Tears of emotion flowed freely. In an age where hope was fading, a new beacon had begun to shine.

“A hero has appeared.”

“At last, I’ve found a reason to live again.”

All the people rejoiced. In troubled times, a great person was hope.

They lavished praise on the chosen girl in the brilliant light. Having gained the driving force to continue the war, they dispersed from the prayer meeting.

“……”

Without detecting the false smile.

#

“Putting on quite a show.”

Durin, who had returned to the Southern Order, pushed aside the report.

It was disgusting to see the Great Demon going to the celestial headquarters and engaging in such antics.

The one who fled because they didn’t want to bear the duty of protection was now playing the fool for that wretched freedom.

It was a principle of behavior impossible to understand.

“Nothing is harder than understanding a hedonist, Your Excellency.”

Ursael, a fallen angel whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, answered with a gentle smile. The black halo burning fiercely above her pale white hair indicated that she had attained divine status.

“You’ve gained much faith.”

Durin didn’t continue the conversation about the former Demon King. He immediately steered the flow toward the current state of the Order.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Ursael answered with a bright smile.

“We’ve gathered as many as five hundred thousand believers.”

“That’s insufficient compared to the population of the southern continent.”

“It’s easier to understand in terms of the Papal Territory concept. It means that many have abandoned their daily lives to devote themselves solely to faith.”

“The central region has millions. It’s lacking, so continue to strive.”

“I shall spread the comfortable death preached by the Goddess of Night.”

Ursael placed her hand on her chest and showed respect. She vowed not to rest for the grand goal she held.

“I will someday exalt the name of the Holy Army that will reclaim the celestial realm.”

An army to be organized under the blessing of a forgotten god. She envisioned the moment when not only demons but all people would gather to erase false faith.

A dream that seemed within reach, though still distant.

Ursael was immersed in happiness. Hope blossomed on the fallen angel’s face.

“Ursael.”

Durin, who had been quietly observing, pulled her back to reality.

“I want to check the troops first. Guide me.”

“As you command, Your Excellency. This way, please.”

The fallen angel, now alert, led the two demons. Durin stood behind Ursael. Verdia quietly moved to a position to attend the regent.

Looking outside the corridor, one could see the holy knights maintaining a strict atmosphere.

“Are these newly trained knights?”

“They are for hunting the hero.”

Durin stopped in his tracks. Ursael hastily added:

“They are not hastily assembled after hearing the news from the Papal Territory. We’ve been planning this since you conquered the eastern region, Your Excellency.”

“Does the Order have someone who can face her?”

“It’s difficult for an individual.”

One needed to be at least an angel or demon level to confront someone chosen by the Creator God. Despite training, it was difficult with an ordinary human body.

“But it’s different if they fight under the name of the Order. Holy knights chanting the Goddess’s name will fill the ranks, and the fallen angel choir will bind the hero.”

“I also see many crossbowmen. Are they for sniping the hero’s companions?”

“Scattered enemies cannot defeat allies united by military discipline.”

Ursael was confident.

“How could a hastily formed party overcome a united legion?”

“Good.”

It was a satisfactory answer.

“The hero will surely prepare to invade the Order.”

“The arrival of the Holy Army is expected around the same time.”

“They won’t be able to raise an army immediately. They’ll draw their swords again when they’ve somewhat recovered from their last defeat and regained momentum.”

The series of actions shown in the east was insufficient. The celestial realm was aiming for something bigger.

“The hero’s invasion is not far off.”

“I will strengthen the defenses at the border. I will also increase the activities of scout beasts to quickly identify the hero.”

“We must go beyond basic countermeasures, Ursael.”

Durin viewed the war from a more distant perspective.

“There’s a reason they’ve put forward a hero at this time.”

“Isn’t it to restore the fallen faith in the human realm?”

“It’s to open another front.”

Until now, the celestial realm had concentrated its forces in one place. They thought they could break through with their large army.

But all results ended in defeat. When blocked by elite troops in a narrow area, they couldn’t easily break through.

“The Warrior General and the hero. The celestial realm has two cards.”

“Then…”

“They will strike the south and east simultaneously. Since we’ve retreated from Barcella Fortress due to lack of troops, the two legions cannot coordinate.”

“We can’t defend it either. In fact, it’s closer to a watchtower than a fortress.”

“Barcella Fortress will serve as an intermediate point for aerial forces for the time being. It has no further mission.”

Durin looked back.

“The key is here in the south.”

Ursael sensed the great task. She felt the weight of the regent’s words. At that moment, she knelt.

“Command me.”

“You said they were knights for hunting the hero?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Prepare for deployment immediately. They shall not cross the south.”

A decision. Before the celestial realm could draw its sword, Durin had already grasped the scabbard.

“Cross the border with all available forces.”

“A-a preemptive strike?”

Ursael’s voice trembled. It wasn’t fear.

It was ecstasy.

“We didn’t punish the east that had declared surrender to us. Similarly, we will invade the southern border for revenge.”

His red eyes turned toward the lined-up knights. The heat rose enough to create shimmering waves. Being sudden, it caused even greater shock.

Like Ursael, it wasn’t confusion but fighting spirit.

“How long did they think we would take the defensive! A two-front war? It’s about turning this world into a sea of fire, so why fear?”

The regent shouted to the soldiers filled with desire:

“Challenge your enemies!”

As his elevated voice swept through the area, the knights pounded the floor with their spears.

“Desire revenge!”

BOOM!!

“The day to settle the oppressed past has come, so go forth and fight.”

Durin finally drew his sword. The condensed fighting spirit exploded. As the red demonic energy, imbued with death, burned hotly, the soldiers let out their restrained battle cries.

“My Regent!”

“Deliver death to them!”

Light and darkness to cross swords on a board set by fate.

There was no longer an irresistible flow. Winner and loser would be determined by will.

Punish their arrogance and erase the pain of the past.

The united soldiers of the demon realm cried out:

“Glory to the Mother of Night!”

The reclaimed faith was the great courage given to them.

#

The blowing wind conveys sorrow.

The cloudy sky still looked down on a gloomy world. No hope in sight.

The land where the Holy Army had once been defeated remembered the pain.

The fallen Holy Knight Order, the choir that spewed out pain, and Rupiel’s severed head.

Spirits wandered where the remains had been collected.

Unable to be received by death, they couldn’t enjoy comfort. The price of arrogance returned as a great punishment.

Even as the celestial realm indulged in greed.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-

The ground shook. The desolate land was forcibly awakened from sleep.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-

It was the sound of hooves. The omen of war beating the earth intensified. Only the mournfully crying souls, with no living beings around, could see the darkness.

“Burn the Holy Army barracks and outposts.”

“Capture the priests of the monastery as prisoners.”

“They are precious sacrifices for the Mother of Night.”

The Dark Knight Order had returned to this land. Horses in orderly formation trampled the land abandoned by the Papal Territory.

Buuuuuuuu-

The sound of the horn was buried in the blowing wind.