Total War

“If Lord Vyuskr were to face a life-threatening situation, would you use the Elixir on him?”

“…”

Doyun briefly met Dokkomuyoung’s gaze.

He understood what Dokkomuyoung was implying.

The Elixir was a legendary panacea. Even Enoch, who possessed vast future knowledge through his 18th regression cycle, had only managed to acquire three of them. The mere number of three was an incredible stroke of fortune.

Of course, its efficacy was proportional to its rarity. Literally, as long as one had a breath left and an arm to consume it with, the Elixir would perfectly revive the drinker and further enhance their growth.

In other words, on the battlefield, it signified a second life.

Vyuskr was also an immense power. However, he could not compare to Doyun.

Doyun was the sole, irreplaceable adversary of the Demon Lord. The Elixir had to be reserved as his lifeline. That was what Dokkomuyoung was saying.

‘Vyuskr.’

Doyun repeated his friend’s name inwardly.

His friend with whom he had shared a bond lasting over a hundred years, who had brought him to this point, and who was now his most precious friend after Hecleus’ death. Vyuskr.

Doyun briefly closed his eyes, recalling his friend’s presence.

And he answered without hesitation:

“No.”

“…”

“I will never use it.”

He recalled an unforgettable memory.

The 9th cycle, when he had first witnessed Vyuskr’s death.

After a battle, as always, the army had assessed the casualties and the wounded.

It had been a major battle involving even Vanguard Commanders, but Enoch had luckily survived unscathed. Unhurt, he had staggered around consoling his comrades.

Surely, someone had died in this battle as well.

For the regressor Enoch, the death of comrades was a daily occurrence. The depth of the anguish was still terribly profound, but he had grown the strength to endure it.

Of course, his heart had gradually become hardened, but the 9th cycle Enoch, burdened with his mission, had simply ignored it.

He would only remember the faces of the fallen comrades this time and resolve to avenge them in the next cycle.

However, even for Enoch, who had grown accustomed to so much death.

‘…Huh?’

He could not remain unaffected by a friend’s death.

He looked down at the man lying before him.

A skeletal face. The clothes of an unarmored swordsman. The Collection 3 sword he had gifted.

‘Vyus…kr…?’

Unmistakably Vyuskr, only a pitiful half of his body remained, thrown onto a pool of blood with the left side completely severed.

As Enoch stood dazed, unable to accept reality, an Alliance soldier approached and explained:

‘Sir, the Sword Saint… he engaged Vanguard Commander Satan in battle. He succeeded in cutting off that fiend’s arm in the midst of combat, but then that severed arm suddenly exploded…’

Enoch could not hear anything.

After some time, he broke down like a malfunctioning machine, wailing and calling out to his friend. The horrific cries echoed across the ruined battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention.

The friendship between the Sword Saint and the rising hero was widely known. Those who grasped the situation could only silently pay their respects.

The death of this era’s strongest was lamentable, but it was an everyday sight on the battlefield.

Around the time blood started gushing from his throat, shredded by his screams, Enoch suddenly flinched. Then, he frantically patted his chest.

He remembered the treasure he had finally acquired in this cycle thanks to his future knowledge.

‘The Elixir!’

With trembling hands, he retrieved the Elixir. But just as he was about to uncap it, Enoch paused for a moment.

In that brief moment of regained sanity, he recalled the sacrifices and hardships endured to obtain this small potion, and its immense value as a spare life and stepping stone for growth.

But his hesitation lasted only an instant.

‘I, I can die. If I die, I can just start over… I can discard this damned cycle.’

The 9th cycle Enoch had accumulated stress from repeated regressions, making him mentally weaker compared to the refined Enoch of later cycles. His heart was extremely unstable, and he felt he would truly go insane if he lost his friend now.

He uncapped the bottle and poured the golden liquid into Vyuskr’s torn mouth.

Enoch could not bear the loss of his friend and used the Elixir.

The next day, Vyuskr awoke in the infirmary and realized he had consumed the Elixir. The very fact that he still clung to this life was proof of it.

He immediately called for Enoch and, before his eyes, took up his sword.

‘Watch closely, Razvolnic.’

And he stabbed his own abdomen.

Shunk!

‘…Huh?’

Enoch’s body froze at the sight before him. His mind could not process the sudden situation.

‘Hey… what are you…’

‘Never.’

Vyuskr spoke as he coughed up blood.

‘In the next life… never use the Elixir on anyone else.’

Usually a man of few words to an extreme, strangely, even with a sword impaled in his abdomen, he was speaking with clear articulation.

He gradually pulled the sword vertically upward, slicing open his abdomen as he continued:

‘The Elixir only holds value when used on you. You are the regressor, the Demon Lord’s sole adversary.’

After completely exposing his skeletal abdomen, the sword continued upward, cleaving his sternum.

‘You are the Alliance. Keeping you alive is keeping the Alliance alive. Never… waste the Elixir.’

His thin body trembled violently. Even as he spilled blood from his mouth and abdomen, he remained expressionless like a skeleton.

‘No matter who wails and begs… even if it is me, never. Remember my suicide today.’

Vyuskr tightened his grip on the hilt. Then:

‘See you again, Razvolnic.’

He swung the sword, drawing it out while slashing his heart.

Splurt!

In the opposite direction of Vyuskr’s falling body, his heart sprayed an immense amount of blood, splattering Doyun with the hot liquid.

Clang!

The sword fell to the floor.

Doyun stared down at his friend’s lifeless body with a dumbfounded expression.

That day remained one of his most vivid memories, even a hundred years later.

Enoch, tormented by stress, was driven insane by that pivotal moment, entering the 10th cycle where he discarded his emotions to become an efficient killing machine.

Although his friend’s suicide had dealt Enoch a tremendous shock, utterly shattering his psyche for the next four cycles, it was precisely for that reason that he could never forget it.

Ultimately, the mindset of a regressor that his friend had imparted through death became the fertile soil that brought Enoch to where he stood now.

After reminiscing, Doyun reiterated with firm conviction:

“…I will never use it.”

Not a shred of hesitation lingered in his voice.

“…”

After briefly regarding Doyun, Dokkomuyoung smiled graciously once more.

“…This old man had unnecessary concerns. My apologies.”

He had confirmed that Lord Enoch possessed a fortitude beyond his imagination, and once again felt reverence towards him.

Dokkomuyoung nodded and placed his hands within his robe.

Doyun silently observed him. Come to think of it, he had mentioned a gift.

Soon, Dokkomuyoung took out a gemstone and placed it on the Supreme Commander’s desk before Doyun.

“What is that…?”

“A spare life of mine. Although not as valuable as the Elixir, please accept it.”

It was a pale green Return Stone that emitted a faint glow – an instant teleportation device.

For one person, it allowed immediate teleportation to a designated location from anywhere.

The magical phenomenon of teleportation was exceedingly rare.

The large-scale teleportation during the Battle of Muspelheim – it had been a miracle that only a being as powerful as a Vanguard Commander could achieve by borrowing the Demon Lord’s power.

The mere fact that neither the Alliance nor the Demon Lord’s forces were moving via teleportation spoke volumes about its rarity. No wonder Sophie had been treated as such a precious asset.

But an item that enabled emergency escape from anywhere was undoubtedly a treasure. As Dokkomuyoung said, it was indeed a spare life, lacking nothing.

It must be an item he carried for his final moments.

“This precious thing…”

“Please do not decline. Use it as the Alliance’s lifeline.”

Dokkomuyoung bowed his head deeply.

Presumably, the previous discussion about the Elixir had been a prelude to presenting this gift. Since he had gone to such lengths, Doyun accepted the Return Stone without further refusal.

From a war perspective, it was certainly more efficient for Doyun to use it. But beyond efficiency, this was Dokkomuyoung’s life – an absolute symbolic gesture transcending mere practicality.

“…Thank you.”

Doyun bowed his head in gratitude towards him, and Dokkomuyoung simply smiled graciously.

At that moment, a loud bell rang from outside.

Dang dang dang~!

The enemy is approaching!!

The fortress suddenly erupted into chaos.

Based on the fact that Doyun could not sense them yet, the enemy had not advanced to their immediate vicinity. It seemed scouts had returned after detecting the enemy’s movements.

Dokkomuyoung’s expression hardened.

“So it has come.”

Doyun nodded and extended his senses outward.

Naturally, the further the range, the less distinct the perception becomes. However, in a large-scale war like this, even a vague outline was sufficient.

Like now, simply counting the number of the largest auras – the Vanguard Commanders – allowed them to gauge the size of the enemy forces.

As he detected them, Doyun’s brow furrowed. At this scale, it was undoubtedly…

‘Total war.’

The Demon Lord’s forces had resolved to commit their full might to this single battle.

Doyun grasped his sword, leaning against the wall, with renewed determination.

‘This is what we desired as well.’

Although he could not maintain his prime output consistently, he possessed an extraordinary body. In terms of total power, it would not differ greatly from his prime.

Moreover, with the system’s blessing and the six reliable warriors, the current Alliance was formidable.

‘Let’s end this war.’

Doyun’s eyes gleamed golden.

However, he was unaware that even this battle, appearing to be a total war for the Demon Lord’s forces, was merely a stalling tactic.

Dark clouds loomed over the fortress’ sky.