Ch.183The Final Memory (5)

An ominous wind blew.

As Durin arrived at the front lines, he sensed the foreboding atmosphere in the camp.

The soldiers who should have been boasting about their victory after devouring the Celestial Detachment were instead dejected, filling the air with silence.

“This way, please.”

As Durin dismounted, a sorcerer approached him.

He was the one who served closest to the king and provided counsel.

“The morale of the legion troops is greatly diminished. Is the battlefield situation unfavorable?”

“The battlefield situation is fine, but His Majesty’s physical condition is critical.”

“Critical? Explain in detail.”

The sorcerer did not elaborate. He quietly entered the tent.

“Your Majesty. The Defense Captain has arrived.”

Following him inside, Durin immediately saw the source of the unease.

“Durin. At last, I see you here.”

A pale face greeted Durin with a forced smile, barely concealing the pain behind it.

“I apologize. The Demon King who should be raising the fortress banner on the battlefield is in this state.”

Caldragoth had grown extremely weak.

It didn’t seem like he had engaged in fierce combat with an Archangel. Looking him up and down, Durin saw no major wounds.

The problem was likely accumulated fatigue.

“I can no longer push back the holy power with my demonic energy of dominance. I simply didn’t have the strength to face an Archangel.”

Caldragoth revealed his bitterness. His body had deteriorated after more than a hundred years on the battlefield. Having withstood holy power, which was antithetical to demons, on the front lines, it was remarkable that he had endured this long.

“Durin. I need you.”

The aging king expressed his difficulties. One who should display strength had lost confidence upon seeing his own broken body. Though Caldragoth wouldn’t show it, the legion troops already knew.

That their king was crumbling.

This meant the collapse of their foundation of support.

In a society where the strong ruled, there was no sympathy for the weak.

He had to be propped up immediately.

“Your Majesty. I will command the legion.”

“I’ll entrust you with the legion banner. I hope you bring back news of victory.”

“However, please remain here. You must stay to show the troops that Your Majesty is still strong. The moment you return to the fortress, they will disregard your authority.”

“I know that well, Durin. I personally witnessed how my father Etarna became a forgotten old man.”

Caldragoth smiled as he turned his body. He gripped the sword handed to him by the captain of the royal guard.

“It may be harsh for one who has hunted heroes, but this time I’d like you to capture an Archangel.”

A command from the king.

Sensing this might be the final moment of delegation on the battlefield, Durin gladly accepted.

“I will do as commanded.”

#

“General. The enemy approaches.”

When Durin received command authority from the king, he could see hostile forces approaching from the distance.

“The Archangel has personally descended.”

It seemed they had followed upon hearing that the Demon King had taken to the battlefield. With only thirty thousand troops dispatched, the enemy might have judged they could easily devour them.

A perfect miscalculation.

No matter how much a hero might ravage the fortress, the Golden Guard firmly protected its heart.

With the Crimson Horn Senate still fulfilling its role, Durin headed to the front without hesitation.

“Tell the Sorcery Corps to deploy defensive spells to protect the legion.”

“As you command.”

“There will be no additional bombardment. Form ranks and wait until the enemy’s formation breaks, then prepare to charge.”

He ordered the legion to hunker down, but how would the enemy’s formation be broken?

Durin himself provided the answer. After issuing all instructions, the Demon King’s warrior mounted a wyvern.

-There he is!

-All forces, target that demon!

As he soared into the sky, the chaotic Celestial camp came into view. The Archangel, who had been waiting for the Demon King, appeared greatly confused. Seeing such an incompetent commander, Durin could roughly guess the state of the northwestern front.

Durin gave them no chance. He pulled the reins tightly, urging the wyvern forward.

“Let’s go!”

The wyvern beat its wings powerfully, climbing high into the sky before turning downward.

Folding its membrane wings to form an arrow-like shape, Durin pressed his body against the wyvern, preparing to charge toward his prey.

-Fire!

Dozens of streaks of holy power shot toward Durin.

The wyvern twisted its body to avoid the attacks. As their speed increased, more and more holy power projectiles grazed past them.

BOOM!

Explosions erupted from all directions. It was excessive firepower to target just one demon.

“Block him! I said block him!”

The Archangel’s urgent voice conveyed that even this was insufficient.

Durin, moving as one with the wyvern, found an opening. Gripping the long neck, he predicted the path of the holy power being fired and rendered it all useless.

After the storm passed, only scars of holy power remained where Durin had been.

Resonating with the magical barrier cast by the Sorcery Corps, it created powerful sparks, bursting into intense light.

“Ugh!”

The Celestial army had to endure the blinding light, the price for projecting such powerful force at once.

The warriors who needed to observe the battlefield had their vision obscured. Durin didn’t miss this opportunity.

WHOOSH!

CRACK!

It happened in an instant. Spreading his wings again and entering a gliding state, Durin descended upon the Archangel. While he attacked the angel who tried to resist with the Demon King’s sword, the opposing legion couldn’t offer any resistance.

Before they could react, the angel commander’s head had already fallen to the ground.

“Oh.”

They couldn’t even respond. What greeted the angels who had come from the northwestern front on their expedition was the greatest warrior of the demon realm, who had sustained the Istria dynasty for hundreds of years. It was the natural outcome.

What followed was a foregone conclusion.

While the Celestial formation stood dumbfounded, the demon legion launched their charge. They bared their cruel jaws to slaughter those who had helplessly lost their commander.

In the center, the ferocious fortress royal guard, and on both flanks, the beast cavalry brought from the north charged forward, leaving no chance for defense.

The wars Durin fought always brought easy victories, as usual.

“We must inform His Majesty.”

This battle was even more important.

It was a victory dedicated to an ailing king.

#

“The stars look precarious.”

Azmosa murmured softly as she looked up at the night sky.

“Light is the trace honoring those who rule the demon realm. The more brilliant, the more beautifully their achievements shine, but when they waver, it means…”

-The end has come.

Serphin answered from within her consciousness.

She had already been immersed in melancholy.

The tombstone of Great King Caldragoth that she had seen when handling the golden demonic energy with Durin.

Not having seen the hidden history in detail, she had only remembered him as a great king, but facing the past tribulations properly, she couldn’t hide her discomfort.

-I was too young.

She felt ashamed before Durin.

Even saying such things felt like a luxury.

She should have acted more like a ruler. What she could do for someone who had sustained the demon realm for hundreds of years was to establish the authority of the fortress by following his great legacy.

She needed to step forward, not just worry about being helpful.

-Now I understand what I must do.

The young queen finally realized her duty.

It wasn’t just about wanting to help Durin. Looking at history, she resolved to do what she must as a ruler.

-When I emerge from these memories, I’ll reorganize the army. I’ll prepare for the coming war.

“Even if you can’t control it?”

-The golden demonic energy of dominance is meant for this time. I’m sure King Caldragoth felt the same.

An excellent answer.

It was time to properly use the power she had trained with but never fully utilized.

Sensing the time had come, Azmosa smiled gently.

“You deserve to witness the end. Watch over the king who shone until the last moment in the history of tragedy.”

And my final moments as well.

Azmosa held back her last words. Serphin didn’t speak of it either.

Because in this moment, she was the heir of Istria who would face history with dignity.

She did not speak words swayed by emotion.

“Serphin del Istria. This is the duty you must bear until the end.”

As Azmosa spread her arms vigorously, the night sky trembled.

Countless scenes of war flashed by. Fragments of falling demonic energy showered upon Serphin.

The final scene prepared by the golden galaxy unfolded.