Ch.160Tenacious Ill Fate (1)

It shatters.

The flesh that touched the blade crumbled.

“Damn it! Fall back quickly!”

The Wyvern Battalion hastily began to retreat.

Black flames suddenly bloomed in the human settlement. The five Wyvern reconnaissance units dispatched to investigate the anomaly encountered an unexpected enemy.

“It’s a Hero!”

“We need to go back and report this.”

This was the enemy Durin had been focusing on at the southern front. Contrary to the initial expectation that they would come to Barcella Fortress, their sudden appearance was shocking.

Three wyvern riders lost their lives to attacks they couldn’t counter.

Whoosh!

The black blade that took their lives sliced through the surrounding space.

“Kuk!”

One of the horns was cut off. The wyvern rider grabbed the reins, preparing for any potential panic. The wyvern might move erratically upon encountering a fearsome presence.

“Let’s go quickly. Hurry!”

Fortunately, the demonic beast that had lived in the demon realm quickly overcame its confusion. Superior survival instinct enveloped the wyvern. It flew faster than usual.

The problem was that death approached even more swiftly.

“One more!”

As a terrifying voice echoed, dozens of blade energies flew in from all directions. The rider lowered his body and grabbed the wyvern’s neck, following the wyvern’s instincts rather than steering it directly.

Whoosh!

Kwaaang!

The colliding blade energies exploded. Strong air currents caused powerful impacts with each wave. The wyvern twisted its body to barely escape the aftermath.

The attacks were relentless. Life and death hung in the balance multiple times in an instant.

The wyvern rider tried to break free from the range by making a wide turn to the left. It became meaningless when the Hero leaped up again, keeping them in sight, but still, he struggled with all his might.

“Utcha!”

The Hero charged toward the wyvern ridden by the rider on the right. He was bare-handed, without even a sword.

“Uaaaah!”

The demon rider drew his sword. The hastily swung blade cut through empty air. The Hero ducked to avoid the attack and burrowed into the demon’s embrace. Simultaneously, a hand like the sky struck the head.

Chiiiiik!

Flames engulfed the head. The demon trembled with a horrible sound. Watching a comrade burn to death before one’s eyes was an unspeakable horror.

“You’re riding a better one than I expected.”

The Hero grabbed the reins. The wyvern’s ownership had transferred. The advantage of being able to maneuver freely in the sky was gone.

The young girl who brought death looked at the lone survivor. The demon placed his hand on his scabbard. If he couldn’t resist, he intended to fight to the end.

“Come at me! Do you think I fear you?”

Those driven to the edge did not fear death. Rather, they saw it as an opportunity. Their deaths could alert others that a Hero had appeared in this land.

They had perfectly fulfilled the duty required of a reconnaissance team. The demon smiled. Courage blooming from fear felt like ecstasy.

“Hmm. You’re quite a useful one after all.”

The Hero looked at the demon askance. Her body seemed to twitch as if she might pounce at any moment. The demon heightened his tension, preparing for an attack.

“Forget it. Killing you would take time. I want to fight Durin.”

The name of the Regent flowed from the Hero’s lips. As expected, she was aiming for the leader.

“We’ll meet again soon, so wait for me. I’ll accept your challenge then. That’s all for today.”

The battle ended like the end of a nightmare. The Hero withdrew, leaving behind the lone rider. She disappeared from view along with the falling wyvern that had reached the end of its life.

“……”

The soldiers stared at that sight for a long time before they could finally come to their senses.

“Haaah.”

The sun rose. The dazzling light brought them back to reality.

#

“Your response was quite swift.”

Durin calmly evaluated after receiving the report. Despite the unexpected variable, he remained as composed as ever.

“He chose the south instead of Barcella Fortress.”

“He’s even carrying out massacres.”

“He’s trying to draw us onto the battlefield.”

“This one seems quite battle-crazed. I like it very much.”

Verdia chuckled. The information was still only shared among the upper echelons of demons, so her identity remained unknown.

Lucretia. If rumors spread that the traitor had sided with the Papal Territory, the repercussions would be severe, so this was actually better.

“So will you deploy, sir? If you wish, I will assist you, Your Excellency.”

“Verdia.”

“I await your command.”

“Take your legion and head to Conrad. Gather the southern human army and as many people as possible.”

“Your Excellency. Wasn’t the intention to allow division to occur?”

Verdia expressed doubt. Durin immediately answered.

“If the Hero had arrived later, we would have watched the mutual destruction between the Crusader Army and the Southern Army. But now things are different. Since our target arrived early, the legion must act accordingly with the flow.”

The original plan was to take the south and guide the Hero to Barcella Fortress, but instead, the Hero entered the south and was causing mutual destruction.

Lucretia. Even under the Papal Territory, she was no different from when she played saint in the south.

She just killed everything in sight, driven by pleasure.

Some might call it demonic, but to Durin, she was nothing more than a madwoman. If someone was swayed by their emotions, neglecting duty and falling into hedonism, they should live accordingly.

Without coveting the throne.

“Where is the enemy’s current position?”

“He has appeared on the eastern front based on Decart Cathedral. According to reports, Conrad seems to be sending troops to buy time.”

“Verdia. Go to Conrad and instruct him to stop such useless actions and establish a defensive line.”

It was impossible with human power alone. This was not an equal being like the Crusader Army, but a greater demon of a higher dimension. Though wearing the skin of a Hero, the actions were identical to the Demon King era. Unable to hide the cruel nature, reveling in the endless flow of blood while committing slaughter everywhere.

Lucretia was still accumulating karma.

“Cesario.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“The moment you’ve been yearning for has arrived.”

It was time to wring her neck to stop her childish behavior.

“The legion will subjugate the Hero.”

“Will you capture him?”

“Kill him. We learned last time that the heavens have no will to negotiate, so there will be no more humanitarian actions.”

It had been a long time.

Restoring the fallen demon realm and advancing to the human realm to reestablish faith.

“Offer him as a sacrifice to Mother.”

“I will do as commanded!”

He would proclaim to all demons of the realm.

That he had killed the child who had conceived calamity.

#

There was a time when the front line contracted after news of Conrad’s betrayal spread.

The Crusader Army holed up in their fortress with no sign of emerging, while the Southern Army, having encountered demons, regrouped and prepared to adapt to the new order.

“That will never happen! War! War again!”

The Hero’s appearance ruined everything.

Killing both humans and demons indiscriminately, they plunged into great chaos.

The Southern Army suffered the greatest losses.

After destroying settlements, the Hero immediately arrived at the front line and ambushed the barracks where the Southern Knights were stationed. When someone with the power to face the Demon King attacked ordinary humans, the camp collapsed like a sand castle.

Death sprouted like weeds.

“The Thousand Knights Brigade has been annihilated. There are no survivors.”

“The highest commander is also missing. Two thousand routed soldiers are all that remain.”

“Lord Conrad has been utterly defeated. What shall we do?”

It was a complete rout from the start. The forces they had managed to preserve by betraying the Crusader Army were gone in one fell swoop. Worse still, the Hero’s gaze turned toward them.

-I will kill the apostates.

The justification was excellent. As one who had slaughtered entire knight brigades declared the south as an enemy, refugees wailed everywhere. They headed as far away as possible to survive.

“Stop them. We must stop them to save the people.”

“What are you waiting for! Get up on the walls now!”

The soldiers remained to protect them.

They wouldn’t interfere if the Hero didn’t touch civilians, but the Hero killed every human in sight. Shouting that unholy name of “heretic,” they created a sea of blood.

If they fled, people who couldn’t evacuate in time would die.

Their choice to side with demons meant their families faced death.

That was why they didn’t retreat despite the overwhelming fear. The soldiers held onto their spears until the end.

“Lord Conrad, how can we stop that person? We have neither clergy nor demon forces.”

“If only those knight brigade forces had survived, we could have bought time…”

“Why did you give such an order? What was so urgent?”

In contrast, the nobles were weak. While those at the lowest levels steeled their resolve, the upper echelons fell into despair and just shouted. Commander-in-Chief Conrad accepted all the screams with his eyes closed.

The command tent remained noisy with loud arguments day after day, but he didn’t respond.

There was nothing he could do.

This was beyond human domain. Following the path they had chosen…

“We must hold out until the demon regent comes to save us.”

Conrad sneered. It was truly ridiculous.

They had betrayed others to survive, but as death approached, they were no different from those they had betrayed.

“For now, rally the troops and suppress the remaining chaos.”

“Your Excellency! We must issue a retreat order first.”

“To where? Tell me. Did we ever have a place to flee to?”

“Let’s go over to the south completely. If we entrust ourselves to that demon regent, at least we can be protected.”

They had no will to defend at all. They held exactly the opposite intention to why Conrad had sought protection from demons. He couldn’t even laugh in derision. Humans who had lived as the ruling class their entire lives possessed only this much will.

It was such a waste that all his efforts in plotting with the Black Crone had been used for these people.

“Don’t talk nonsense. We will defend this land. It’s time to prove our usefulness to the Regent.”

“Y-Your Excellency.”

“I will behead anyone who hesitates, considering them to harbor different intentions. Is there anyone brave enough to try now?”

The hall fell silent. Conrad united the southern nobles.

Die or live. He drove them to a fork in the road.

“Now it finally feels like we’re all in the same boat.”

Conrad finally smiled.