Ch.58Clash (2)

Durin took his first step.

The demonic energy that had swallowed the sky split open. Martial energy flowed into the world. An irresistible terror hung in the air.

When it touched Azakiel’s white wings, they burst into blue flames.

“Damn it.”

The angel couldn’t comprehend the situation.

He was the celestial warrior commander sent by the God of Light.

He bore the duty to cut down enemies who opposed order with his mighty force.

He had vowed to burn away all sins before the sacred faith.

But the current situation was the complete opposite.

It was Azakiel, himself, who was burning.

He was losing strength in the jaws of the demon he despised.

“If only I had made my decision a little faster.”

Azakiel lamented.

His voice was meant for his brothers who remained in faith under their belief.

“If I had descended before that demon regained his power, I would have had a good chance of winning.”

Though he had boasted in the commander’s tent about creating a scene from mythology, Azakiel’s future looked bleak.

Only the power of an archangel could change the course of this battle that was flowing toward an unwinnable fight.

The moment even that power was pushed back, the war would inevitably face catastrophe.

“I could have defeated that damned demon and claimed victory! Great Archangel!”

His directionless anger shot toward the heavens.

He burned himself on the battlefield where no victory bell would ring.

Faced with a result he simply couldn’t accept, he screamed.

“This was a battle I could have won!”

The holy sword vibrated fiercely.

As primal power infused the blade, the space that Durin had dominated shook for a moment.

Even while being pushed back by the great demon, he refused to retreat.

His solid ego transformed his anger into power.

“DURIN!!”

Azakiel’s eyes turned white.

He had lost his reason. No longer able to blame the heavens, he poured all his rage onto the target before him. The moment his honorable pride as the angel warrior commander was scratched, he became a berserker.

The holy power and martial energy began to show similar patterns.

He poured out the sacred power received from God to kill his opponent.

“So God’s love was merely such a thing.”

Durin responded calmly. The holy power that opened its maw to kill him bit into his armor.

Hiss—

Not even a scratch appeared. Rather, it pushed everything back.

The bright light could not overcome the darkness. The sun’s struggle to illuminate the night was miserable.

It became thick martial energy and transformed into demonic power.

“Let me tell you why you still haven’t conquered this demon realm.”

BOOM!

Durin stomped his foot.

The overturned earth flipped once more. The uneven debris split to the left and right.

A long path of ruins stretched out. At its end stood Azakiel.

“You lose because you pretend to be noble when you’re just like demons. Come at me like you are now.”

“I’ll kill you!”

The enraged angel charged forward to swing his sword one more time, trampling the ground beneath him.

His momentum was unstoppable. He never backed down, even before a great demon.

CLANG!

As the broken holy sword was swung at Durin, a black greatsword blocked its path.

Azakiel immediately tried to change the sword’s trajectory to cut the demon. He was confident now.

He thought he could win after transforming such rage into power.

Crack…

Even that was arrogance.

“Gah!”

The moment he drew close, Azakiel’s surroundings were engulfed by red martial energy.

Sharp demonic energy tore at the angel’s wings. There was no resistance. It ripped them right out.

“AAAAARGH!”

The angel dropped his sword. The pain that made his mind go blank drained the strength from his grip.

The sword that had barely held together finally shattered. Fragments of holy power soared toward the sky. They scattered beneath the red sky that Azakiel gazed upon.

“This… can’t be…”

It’s over. Azakiel sensed it. That his life was nearly at its end.

“My God.”

That was his last word.

Before he could look at Durin again, a gale swept across his neck.

There was no pain. He simply rolled on the ground a few times, watching as the world gradually faded away.

Peace came to him.

#

The war between angels and demons had continued for hundreds of years.

The endpoint was always a duel between generals. The battle between those who wielded holy power and demonic energy to their limits overturned the battlefield itself.

Mythology.

A glorious place reminiscent of a scene from scripture.

Any being derived from the celestial realm dreamed of being etched onto papyrus someday.

“My God…”

But when something extraordinary appeared, everything changed.

Berdia was left speechless. She could hardly believe the offensive and defensive battle unfolding before her eyes.

It had been a year since she began serving the demon called Durin.

She had confidence because the once weak barbarian had been reborn as a warrior and diligently received training. Considering what he had shown in battles so far, she firmly believed she could reach his level someday.

That belief cracked in this moment.

“So this… is the power of a great demon.”

It wasn’t just a name given due to high rank.

He was overwhelming the warrior commander, known as the natural enemy of demons, even among the high-ranking angels. He deflected every fierce strike of the holy sword and dominated the space around him.

In swordsmanship, victory belongs to the one who claims the space first.

Durin had already occupied the surroundings with red martial energy. No matter how much the angel tried to spread holy power with technique, it was useless.

Raw power devoured the light.

The white wings began to wither. They couldn’t overcome it.

Even drawing martial energy with pure malice couldn’t overwhelm him.

The black greatsword slowly approached the beheaded warrior commander.

Durin was like an executioner.

Boom… boom…

The aftershocks of the impact still shook the battlefield.

The continuous sparks warned that this was dangerous ground. Nevertheless, the demons couldn’t wait.

From lesser demons to greater demons.

The legion slowly moved.

There was no excitement or joy. Rather, it was solemn.

They were inspired.

They were captivated by the transcendent power Durin had displayed.

The slowly advancing military boots found order. Strength filled their steps as they marched toward the great warrior.

Thump… thump… thump…

The western forces were also swept up in the atmosphere.

They matched the formation they had barely learned. Before they knew it, they had become one with the legion.

And they began to dream the same dream.

They recalled the very first verse of the scripture.

-Opposing angels and ruling over humans.

The regent Durin, appointed by the Demon King, had proven it himself.

Without yielding to the rushing holy power, he advanced to the battlefield and claimed victory.

It was useless even if the gods of the celestial realm cried out in panic. The demon realm was their land and their home.

They wrote a new mythology, stepping on the faded history of exile.

The death of the angel warrior commander.

His spilled blood filled the first page.

“Your Excellency. Please give us your orders.”

Berdia, who had advanced with the army, showed her respect.

But it wasn’t excessive like before. Her body kept trying to draw her sword as she moved toward the battlefield.

It wasn’t just her problem.

All demons were like that.

In Durin’s eyes as he turned around, he saw demons wrapped in fighting spirit.

They weren’t an army rejoicing before a small victory. They had begun to look far ahead with Durin.

They would not fear even when facing the army of archangels they would someday confront.

If angels had the God of Light, demons had Durin.

Since the God of War was with them, they would gladly march to the glorious battlefield.

“At last, we stand together.”

Durin didn’t marvel. He calmly accepted their passion.

He hung their blazing momentum on the tip of his spear. He mounted the warhorse that some Durahan had brought back.

From a higher position, he surveyed the battlefield.

In the distance, angels stood before white walls. Completely hardened, they were busy fleeing.

Since the only counterforce against Durin had disappeared, they had to hide behind the walls.

But.

BOOM! BOOM!

Demonic energy that drew lines across the sky struck the walls. It began to melt the walls that had lost their holy power after losing the warrior commander.

It pounded endlessly with the power of a high-ranking demon king.

The beginning of war was fired.

SCREEEECH—

As the sharp sound echoed across the battlefield.

“CHARGE! Lead with the demon beasts and cross those walls!”

BUUUUUUUU—

Durin’s lightning-like order fell. The horn blew, and demonic roars erupted.

“DUUUUUURIN!”

“My Regent!”

The legion stomped their feet.

Their advance, faster than heartbeats, swept away the holy knights.

The walls were no obstacle. They intended to cross over the corpses.

The final curtain fell on the war mythology that had remained as bad blood for hundreds of years.

At its center were all the units that Durin had painstakingly raised.