Ch.33Trial (2)

Fog bloomed over the battlefield, obscuring visibility.

Serphin couldn’t gather her wits for a moment. With her vision blocked, the sounds that reached her ears clearly kept pounding at her. It was an urgency that made it impossible to steady herself.

“Arghhhh! Spearmen. Spearmen to the front!”

“Wrong! It’s already collapsed! Hold the next line!”

The sounds grew closer. The scent of blood, imperceptible from a distance, now brushed past the tip of her nose. It meant death was smiling at her.

“Kuh. Kuhh!”

She wanted to shake it all off with a single deep breath. Like Durin had done in the South, Serphin wanted to advance proudly against the enemy commander with sword in hand. But there was one fact she had overlooked.

The Regent was an Archdemon who had absorbed all of the Demon King’s authority when he disappeared. Compared to him, she was nothing but the lowest of the low, capable only of pitiful illusions. It was her position that had made her who she was; in terms of innate power, she was no different from the hostages in the reception room.

She was just like those bugs she had so thoroughly despised.

“My lady. You must retreat for now. The guard will handle this.”

“Gu-guard?”

“Yes. The secretary is stepping in to manage the chaos. Trust him.”

The soldier’s voice shattered beyond her wavering vision. She doubted whether she was hearing correctly. But she could sense it. A path to survival was visible.

“The guard. Yes, there was a guard.”

“We must plan for the future. Hurry! Hurry and take cover!”

Arrows began to land around them occasionally. It meant the enemy was truly at their doorstep now. Though her blurry vision still prevented her from thinking clearly, her body was at least responding.

“Right. Right, they were there. I need to survive for the future…”

“Fall back! The enemy is approaching!”

The soldier who shouted urgently pushed her aside. Serphin rolled ungracefully on the ground. Louder screams echoed from all directions.

“……”

Her pale hand clutched frozen soil. Blood from an unknown source was staining the area nearby.

Death. Serphin recalled the terrible word.

She had been excluding the very thing that inevitably runs rampant on a battlefield.

The wars in the East had mostly been territorial disputes for power. Not real wars like this one where everyone fought to kill with everything at stake. That had dulled her senses.

“What was it that I wanted to do?”

Serphin struggled to her feet. Her somewhat clearer vision revealed the desperate backs of soldiers.

“Get out of here, you bastard! Die!”

“Die!!”

They resisted against the beast cavalry that had now approached close enough to see their faces. Armed with spears and shields, they prevented the cavalry from advancing freely. They refused to yield the ground where their master had fallen.

“Perhaps I was looking too much toward the void.”

The cruel reality brushed past her cheeks along with the cold northern wind. Serphin looked up at the sky. Tears welled in her empty eyes. A smile formed at the corners of her twisted lips, showing contradiction, but thanks to it, Serphin could express herself intensely.

“So this is war.”

The demonic nature awakens. Once more it asks the being who lives through struggle:

Why am I here?

“I wanted to be king.”

Watching the powerful Regent, she wanted to become like him. The color of her horns didn’t matter. It was because he was recognized by everyone in the castle through sheer strength, essentially acknowledged as the Demon King.

“Like Durin, I wanted to write my own legend.”

Being mixed in the same room with hostages was disgusting in itself. It was like looking at her own reflection. As the daughter of a Grand Duke, she had to wave her hands toward pathetic ambitions just to smell the fragrance of power.

“But I guess I can’t do it.”

Her head dropped. Droplets fell onto her kneeling knees. Her will weakened. When the soldiers’ lives ended, Serphin too would fade away.

Their efforts would ultimately be in vain. The feeling of being locked in the punishment room by Durin suddenly came to mind. So I was that kind of being after all. Someone who can’t do anything when it matters and just gets dragged around…

-Rise.

At that moment, a voice echoed in her mind. Serphin opened her closed eyes. Her surroundings remained the same. The unfavorable battlefield still pressed upon her.

But.

-A demon destined to be king should not give up so easily.

She heard it clearly. It was Durin’s voice. Serphin jumped to her feet in surprise. She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Hope came from a different direction than the path to survival she had briefly glimpsed. She wanted to grasp it, regardless of appearances.

-An Archdemon must stand against angels. Even if you burn to death from holy power, lead the charge and die fighting.

It was a passage written in the law. Her heart suddenly pounded.

Archdemon. A name that only those qualified to become Demon King could be called.

-Remember. You are a demon who must fulfill that duty.

An overwhelming being who could reverse such an unfavorable situation.

“My lady! Are you alright?!”

Like a severed string, her briefly floating soul returned to her body. When Serphin’s vision returned, the battlefield was no longer as chaotic as before. Rather, it was becoming orderly.

“The enemy. Where did the enemy go?”

“They retreated. They couldn’t break through us and all withdrew.”

“Weren’t they beast cavalry? Is that possible?”

“Look at the sky!”

The soldier’s voice was full of hope. She followed the direction of his pointing finger.

Far away, the sky that should have been white with winter wind had turned dark and murky.

Sticky demonic energy. It had descended upon the battlefield.

“That’s…”

“It’s sorcery. Indeed, His Excellency is watching over us.”

Jubilation rose.

An Archdemon is coming. The demon who will defeat all enemies in the world and ultimately face the angels will descend here.

Screeeech-

Screeeech-

The North was in a panic. The forces that had tried to break through the formation at once to capture Serphin were fleeing with their tails between their legs. The beasts, terrified by the demonic energy spreading across the sky, increased their speed.

While the central army itself wasn’t frightening, the magical forces would deal them a tremendous blow. The Northern commanders judged the Eastern army to be bait and began to flee, leaving behind their wounded and supplies.

The weakness of the disunited North became prominent. They had advanced with one heart and mind when attacking, but when seeking survival, they abandoned other tribal warriors who were like burdens.

Division was opportunity. A golden opportunity for the Eastern army to seize control of the battlefield.

It was also the moment when Durin extended his hand to the young demon who had lost her momentum.

-I will make you into that.

KWAAANG-!

With another resounding voice, the sorcery began. Demonic energy poured down from the black sky. The same energy that had annihilated the fortress that hadn’t sworn allegiance covered the Northern soldiers.

However, this time it didn’t take anyone’s life. The demonic energy that struck the ground simply spread across the earth, creating a powerful shock.

At the same time, it became a new flame.

The fear of imminent defeat was completely burned away. The ashes became power for the demons. They poured all their fear, which had turned their spear tips, onto their opponents.

“Durin! Our great warrior! Conqueror of the South!”

Alberto, who had managed to restore order in the main force, shouted as if in ecstasy. The powerful cry of the old demon swept through the entire army.

The Eastern army gripped their weapons firmly. Their hearts began to beat, seeking new honor.

KWAAAA-

Durin’s quiet words appeared on the battlefield where the aftermath of the sorcery still lingered.

“All forces, prepare to charge.”

“CHARGE!!”

“UWAAAAAAAHHH!!”

With a roar, the Eastern army charged all at once. The forces that hadn’t recovered from the shock of being dismounted were crushed under iron boots.

None survived. The Eastern army advanced with the momentum to completely destroy the forces that had attacked them.

“His Excellency is with us!”

Like an angry wave, they let out thunderous roars as they slaughtered the beasts. Their momentum was incredibly powerful. Far beyond what the Eastern army had been before.

“Haha…”

Serphin let out a hollow laugh. No soldiers remained by her side. From her staff to her guards, all had been swept up in the atmosphere and rushed forward.

Before, she would have felt miserable at this sight.

But she had no negative emotions.

“Hiyah! I can’t just stand still!”

Her heart had already gone to the battlefield as Durin’s soldier.