Ch.56Heavenly Demon War (4)

The first battle was a one-sided massacre.

The holy knights charged into the demonic beasts with terrifying force. Resistance was futile against these creatures deployed merely to slow down the angels. The monsters, driven by instinct to attack without fear, were mercilessly torn apart.

“Kill them!”

“Some of you, flank around!”

Still, their efforts weren’t entirely in vain. Some of the cavalry at the front became stalled. The minimal objective had been achieved.

The angels moved with agility. Except for the stalled forces, the rest circled around to regroup for another charge.

Ferocity had stopped the holy knights, but that was all. Under blades infused with holy power, the demons were ruthlessly sliced apart. The splattered blood and chunks of flesh burned away instantly, leaving no trace.

Sword strikes fueled by near-rage erased hundreds of demons from the battlefield.

It was fleeting, almost ephemeral.

But that small moment changed the flow of battle.

Now the demons charged against the holy knights who had lost much of their momentum. With long spears firmly secured at their sides, they aimed directly for the hearts of those with white wings.

The attack came faster than expected.

Cavalry rushed in hastily from both sides to intercept, but their timing was slightly off. The demons claimed the advantage in the first engagement.

CRASH!

THUD!

Heavy masses collided, knocking opponents over. Those who withstood attacks countered, killing their hate-filled adversaries. These elite warriors became entangled in combat.

Those who fell from their mounts rolled on the ground, thrusting swords. Someone’s skull was crushed with a broken spear shaft, while swords and axes mercilessly struck down bodies.

The conflict between holy knights and demons.

In myths, it was portrayed as noble dueling, but war was the same everywhere. They spared no murderous intent in their efforts to squeeze out even a drop of the enemy’s blood.

Beasts, demons, and angels became corpses in the same place.

Red blood mercilessly stained the world. They tumbled together on the battlefield that had instantly become chaotic.

“Die! Die!!”

“Demon bastards! You damned bastards!”

BOOM!!

Above the rage-filled shouts, holy power and demonic energy crashed down. Some of the bombardments that had been colliding in the sky had reached the battlefield.

There was no distinction between friend and foe.

Life extinguished the moment it struck the ground. Angels and demons—both forces burned in the flames. With nothing but blind hostility remaining, they pressed down on their opponents with blackened, charred hands.

They choked the life out of each other.

Even as death approached, they didn’t stop.

“Pull back the troops for now! We’ll engage again after!”

“Regroup the formation!”

After the massive collision, both armies retreated.

They had regained their senses after endless attrition in the chaotic melee. Both forces reorganized to prepare for another battle.

Neither side sounded the trumpet of retreat.

They would continue fighting endlessly until the other side was completely annihilated. A burning heat enveloped the battlefield.

Their gazes toward each other were filled with hatred.

A full thousand years. Though the memories of the two races fighting over the heavens had grown dim, the pain and vengeance etched in blood had been passed down through generations.

It would not end until one side was completely exterminated.

This battlefield was a fragment of that terrible history.

“Charge!”

“Fight for the Holy City!”

The Durahans and holy knights rushed toward each other.

Explosions continued in the sky, while infantry on both sides maintained tense formations, ready to spring forward at any moment.

Between them, they killed and were killed again. Those who met for a fleeting moment thrust spears toward each other’s hearts.

CRASH!

Corpses rolled across the ground. Soldiers who had advanced shouting for glory lost their vitality. At the same time, the excitement of battle dominated the world.

None would be left alive.

They would tear their enemies to pieces.

Only terrible killing intent remained as they swung at each other.

“Kahahaha!”

“Uaaaaaaah!!”

In the end, only bestial screams remained.

The mythical battles passed down through legends. Humans had dreamed of them, but the reality was horrific.

Glory was something manufactured.

Right now, this was merely war.

#

Separate from the blazing frontlines, the command post coldly observed the situation. Though the troops fighting on the front lines were giving their all, sadly, the goddess of victory seemed to favor the other side.

“Your Excellency. We’re losing the vanguard battle.”

Durin looked down at the battlefield from a high hill. The view from near the broken siege engines showed they were at a disadvantage.

He had tried to overwhelm the enemy with an army of 100,000, but they were angels after all. Even though only second-tier holy knights had come forward, they were pushing back the guard.

Each time a pure white axe swung, Durahans were shattered. Even with demonic beasts deployed, they melted away instantly.

“At this rate, we could lose everything. We must pull back.”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re just Durahans anyway. Their souls will return to the Demon King’s Castle and be revived, so don’t worry.”

“Forgive my impertinence, but we’re still losing deployable troops on the battlefield.”

Berdia’s concern was valid. They lacked troops to immediately counter the holy knights.

“To stop their advance, we would need to mobilize all the warlord’s forces, Your Excellency.”

“I know, Berdia.”

“My dull mind still cannot understand. Please tell me what you see, Lord Regent.”

Berdia bowed her head. She expressed her desire to share his thoughts before heading to the battlefield.

The Regent appreciated her sincerity. Therefore, he told her without hesitation.

“Berdia. The heavens can no longer take the offensive. The moment we launch a counterattack, it will be over.”

“Then isn’t this an opportunity? If we press with the main force, they might retreat on their own.”

“They must not simply retreat. We must gain as much as we have lost in this war.”

It would be a failure if all they gained was the pleasure and honor of slaughter. In this war, wagered on the fate of the demon realm, they needed to achieve more.

“Give them room. They need to see false hope and charge in even more. If we consider all sacrifices as fertilizer for victory, it’s enough.”

It was sufficient if they clung to that sliver of possibility.

If we continue to dangle tasty bait before them, unfounded confidence will follow.

The moment those crouched enemies relaxed their defensive posture even slightly would be their opportunity.

“When the main force arrives, the Demon King will greet us, so let’s prepare a grand gift in advance.”

“Your Excellency. Even if it’s a losing battle, please allow me to share in that glory.”

“You say the same thing every day, Berdia.”

“That is the loyalty I offer to Your Excellency.”

Durin looked ahead again.

He saw the shabby appearance of the demon cavalry returning in disarray. Cheers erupted from the angel camp, contrasting with the quiet demons.

However, this did not indicate broken morale.

It was a wait for the right moment. They felt no fear of defeat. As Durin remained unmoved, the legion stood its ground.

“See you next time, you demon bastards!”

There was no reason to fear when those arrogant angels couldn’t press their advantage and had to turn back.

They could not overwhelm the demons.

In the end, the advantage was here.

The legion faced death with composure. They possessed faith stronger than the angels who served their god.

#

As Durin had hoped, the angels fought believing in possibility.

The battlefield continued for two days.

The war took on the aspect of a war of attrition. If the angels took no particular action, the demons continued their magical bombardment, and if they came out from behind the walls, demon beast legions and cavalry were immediately dispatched.

Unlike angels made of flesh and blood, the Demon King’s Castle deployed only undead and expendable demonic beasts.

These were resources that could be reused even after death.

Of course, as Berdia had worried, the field army’s strength itself had decreased, but Durin’s presence erased that deficiency.

The one piece of information the angels learned from the preliminary battles:

With their current forces, they could not break the stalemate. They needed to deploy an extraordinary being to create a variable.

Because they realized this fact faster than expected, they couldn’t continue the battle until Durin’s desired moment, but this prompted another promising development on the battlefield.

“Your Excellency. It’s him.”

Berdia revealed her hostility.

The entire legion stirred as an angel with four white wings stepped out from behind the walls. The white wings’ aura rose to the sky’s edge, displaying holy power different from before.

Azakiel.

The commander of the expeditionary force and Durin’s longtime adversary.

The angel was dragging a mace along the ground.

The intent was clear. He had chosen a duel between leaders instead of sacrificing soldiers.

It was a traditional means of communication since ancient times.

The time had come to determine whom God had chosen by identifying the winner and loser.

Durin, who had been waiting on the hill as usual, finally showed movement.

The angel had issued a challenge, and there was no reason to refuse.

Durin burned demonic energy in the air.

He firmly gripped the greatsword in his hand.