Ch.90Hundred Days Battle (4)

Two swords relentlessly assaulted Durin.

The speed had increased from before, with added power.

BOOM!!

The final moment of the era of decline.

That force, once called the hope of the fragmenting demon realm, was fully projected.

CLANG!!

Lucretia violently devoured the space. Her greatsword resisted with sparks flying, but it wasn’t easy. Her attack, disregarding defense, tore through the red fighting spirit.

An existence beyond standard.

She was stronger than any opponent Durin had faced before.

A king who had to protect the demon realm alone. Though she had lost her demonic energy upon crossing to the human realm, she had filled all voids with divine power.

“DUUUURIIIIIN!!”

Lucretia’s sword strike cut through his shoulder plate. Not stopping there, she aimed for his helmet. The blade, imbued with black death, sliced through his horn. Though not completely severed, the tip of the red horn broke off. All attacks previously considered ineffective had now become valid.

CLASH!!

BOOM!!

He blocked an attack aimed at his neck with the sword hilt and pushed back. Lucretia was thrown back considerably but used the momentum to spin around. The sword in her opposite hand gave no respite. The moment Durin lowered his head, a black wave split the world in half. An entire hill burned away into nothing.

Black energy rose up. Death was contained in the haze.

Though the goddess of night had fallen asleep, her masterless power left wounds in the surroundings.

Durin’s red fighting spirit was barely functioning. He too couldn’t approach carelessly, maintaining the standoff.

“Not bad? Hmm? Quite impressive indeed.”

In the distance, Lucretia was breathing heavily.

Unlike Durin, whose armor was half-destroyed, she didn’t have many wounds. Just a small scratch etched on her face.

The moment she accepted divine power, the advantage had clearly shifted. He was holding on through pure force alone.

If this dragged into a prolonged battle, the situation wouldn’t favor Durin.

The difference was significant between Durin, who had to rely on demonic energy, and Lucretia, who received endless power transfusions through the Dark Order.

Knowing this, the traitor laughed like a madwoman.

With no worry about victory or defeat, she purely enjoyed the thrill of battle.

“Is this all you have to show for your talk of duty?”

Lucretia sneered at Durin.

“Put more effort into it! At this rate, you’ll never defeat me!”

Then she shook her head.

“No! That’s not it! Honestly, I’m not sure if I can defeat you. How could I kill someone like you?”

The black death now enveloped the saint’s body as fighting spirit. The resentful thoughts were mere consumables.

The saint didn’t heed their screams. She smiled happily and used them as nourishment.

“Fight with me. Forever on this continent.”

Lucretia spread her arms.

“At least you deserve it. You’re the only demon who inherited the essence of the red horn.”

She approached slowly, with a benevolent smile befitting a saint.

“Don’t think about such wastelands. Don’t think about duty.”

The resentful thoughts at her fingertips whispered.

With her, at least there would be no days of physical pain. Hundreds of thousands of humans who worship you will send their power, and the forgotten divine power can receive blessing. Why push yourself into a pit?

Lucretia had already put down her sword.

That one sentence heard long ago on the balcony flashed through his mind.

-Don’t you want to be king?

“Just enjoy the pleasure.”

Fate speaks.

What has returned to you after pouring everything into normalizing the demon realm?

Was there value in those days fighting while overcoming the fear of death?

“My Durin. Please answer me.”

The strength in his sword-holding hand loosened. The tip drooped to the ground.

The fierce battle temporarily subsided. Dark Order soldiers who had been taking shelter gathered around.

They surrounded Durin. The prelude to the great demon hunt had begun.

“……”

He still didn’t answer. Instead, he distanced himself from the world’s noise.

In a world turning gray, fate continued to question.

For what do you fight?

-For past oaths.

Have you lost something precious?

-My unfulfilled duty.

Color returned to the world. Durin faced Lucretia again.

The one who should have listened to the aspirations of the past era had chosen betrayal. Perhaps this too was a picture arranged by fate.

An emotion other than anger rises up.

Responsibility. The gravity of having to accomplish it.

Durin’s mind cleared. His vision, blurred in the heat of battle, became sharp again.

Unlike Lucretia, he wasn’t consumed by desire.

Then fate whispered once more.

-Will you continue to fight?

“I must see the victory of the war, not just the battle.”

“What did you say?”

Lucretia frowned. She questioned his sudden statement.

In the quiet but dangerous battlefield, she shouted at Durin.

“Durin! Answer me without useless talk!”

“Stop with the childish words.”

Durin reached out and grabbed the resentful thoughts approaching him. Seeing their writhing screams, he applied force.

CRACK!!

Lucretia’s joy faded. No sound came from the debris escaping between his gauntlets.

The demon realm’s regent firmly gripped the handle. He raised his greatsword and aimed the tip at the traitor’s neck.

“I’ll indulge you as you wish. Let’s fight to the end.”

“I knew it! I knew you would say that!”

Joy, delight, and pleasure.

Lucretia spread her dual swords, sending a blade wind. The sharp edge cut off Durin’s helmet ornament.

That was the signal.

With the fall of the red plume, the two demons clashed again.

A battle with no end in sight began.

#

“You’ve set the stage better than I expected.”

Ludmila was observing the battle situation through reconnaissance beasts.

Positioned in the deepest part of the ruins used as a human realm base, she couldn’t personally feel the power, but she could imagine how rapidly the outside world was deteriorating.

It couldn’t help but draw attention.

With an epic battle straight out of mythology unfolding, everyone would be interested.

The Crusaders, the Dark Order, the demon realm, and even the celestial realm.

“A demon worthy of fate’s attention. Indeed.”

Ludmila slowly raised her head.

In the underground of the ruins used as headquarters, the tactical board she had inscribed with magic moved ceaselessly.

Not only the scattered reconnaissance beasts but also the undead warriors dispatched to protect the base had moved to the battlefield.

It was to minimize non-combat losses due to the battle’s aftermath.

“We’re cutting off the armies heading toward the traitor.”

“But there are too many. Currently, the troops from the Dark Order are estimated to be approaching twenty thousand.”

“Of course, that’s a number we can handle.”

“We’ll kill them all and return. Leave it to us!”

The Southern Army commanders clamored. As the battlefield heated up, they couldn’t sit still.

Their eyes burned brightly as they beat their weapons.

While their passion was commendable, Ludmila flatly refused.

“See the bigger picture. We absolutely must not join Durin’s side.”

“But the Dark Order is threatening His Excellency!”

“We have to win while accepting that risk. Make a cold judgment.”

The commanders fell silent at the Grand Sorceress’s words.

“Remember. Our goal is victory. We’ll focus on seizing or neutralizing the divine relics held by the Dark Order to drain the saint’s power. This moment, when the celestial realm hasn’t intervened, is the opportunity given by fate.”

Her voice rose. As passion burned, the final goal needed to be made clear.

“So tell all the soldiers. Our charge is not to the battlefield but to the emptied headquarters of the Dark Order. We’ve observed all locations through reconnaissance beasts, so it won’t take long to reach.”

“Will the hero come with us?”

“He’s the key to activating the relics.”

“But we must consider the possibility of betrayal.”

One commander asked. The fact that he was human seemed to remain a concern.

Ludmila answered with a grin.

“Why was the hero left in the demon realm?”

Because the Demon King left him there. It was a relationship bound to harbor resentment.

The subordinate commanders understood this well-known fact.

“If you understand, prepare for departure.”

The sorceress rose from her seat. Emitting overwhelming demonic energy that dominated the gathering, she finally declared:

“We will secure victory in this war.”

It was time to invest all scarce resources based on trust in Durin.

#

The battle’s aftermath shook the entire continent.

The Crusaders, the Dark Order, and even wanderers fleeing from disaster stared blankly at the crumbling sky.

The thunderous sound filling all directions had scared the wits out of them.

Only one army remained clear-headed.

The Southern Army, which had stood on battlefields with Durin numerous times in the demon realm. Having retreated to their base to avoid non-combat losses, they quickly sought the tactical board.

They couldn’t remain idle like lowly humans.

These elites, carefully selected at the Demon King’s castle, prepared for deployment according to Durin’s plan.

“The Dark Order’s Holy Knight Division is moving toward the battle.”

“They seem to be joining the traitor to oppose His Excellency.”

Verdia smiled.

“It’s the final march of those who will vanish like flies.”

“I heard we’re targeting the house they’ve emptied.”

“Yes. This war is a cornerstone for eliminating the saint, not a gamble to defeat her immediately.”

While they might be seeking the glory of battle, Durin always looked far ahead.

A future where the demon realm could survive brilliantly. Not immediate revenge, but victory someday.

“Finally, we move with His Excellency.”

The legion moves for a single goal. They willingly plunged forward to advance where the regent desired.

Over a thousand cavalry gathered at the gate. This powerful army, which had fought from the Southern Rebellion to the Northwest Pegasus War, raised their banners high.

A green horn was drawn on the fluttering black legion flag.

Symbol of a new era. It evoked nostalgia for the Great Demon King Caldrag who led the demon realm’s last golden age.

It was time to pull that scene out of memory into reality.

“We lay the groundwork before the demon realm’s main force arrives. Our blood will be a sacrifice for the future.”

Durin was firmly holding the Order’s main force. The endless battle with the Demon King would provide opportunities at every moment.

“I somewhat understand why those angel bastards seek their god.”

For the first time, she had been given a weighty mission beyond just following orders.

The path ahead wasn’t clear. It felt like swinging a sword in darkness. The regent must always navigate such places. That heavy weight pressed down on her shoulders.

“Hoo.”

Her hands still trembled. Not from simple fear, but from excitement.

Excitement and joy made her body burn. Now that the time had come to share the burden with their master, she would advance more passionately than anyone.

“All troops. To positions.”

“To positions!”

Outside the castle, the transcendental battle was still raging. They too would soon plunge into the battlefield.

They might perish without becoming even a piece of mythology, but such worries didn’t cross their minds.

The legion thought only of their objective. All united to form a great spear.

Click!

Verdia lowered her visor. She stared through the narrowed field of vision.

Her hot breath melted away the last remaining anxiety.

“Advance for the regent. Raise the gate.”

Buuuuuuuu-

The departure trumpet sounded long.