Chapter 49: The War to End Everything – 12

“Victory!”

“We did it! It’s our victory!”

“Long live the Demon King! Long live the Demon Army!”

Across the plain, countless Imperial soldiers’ bodies lay scattered.

Amidst them, the Demon Army erupted in victory shouts.

In the midst of the fervent atmosphere, Flantsu was running madly toward somewhere.

Having taken over Kesar’s command when he left to face the Hero, she was now leading her legions alongside Antony.

Fortunately, their strategy seemed to have worked, as the Imperial Army crumbled without much resistance.

However, far from where Kesar had fought, Flantsu had no clear understanding of how the battle had actually unfolded.

‘Please… Please be safe…’

Though she had trusted Kesar’s resolute declaration—his promise that they would never lose.

Flantsu believed in those words and had been able to focus on her mission.

But now that the battle was over, unease began to stir in her heart.

It was clear that Kesar had won.

But there was still the possibility that during the fight, he had been wounded or even had sustained life-threatening injuries.

The thought terrified her.

She prayed that her fears would not come to pass.

Flantsu continued to rush toward the site of Kesar’s fierce battle with the Hero, her mind clouded with worry.

Then…

“!…?”

When she finally arrived at the site, what she saw made her blood run cold.

There was no sign of Kesar.

Instead, there were only mangled remains, blood, and flesh scattered across the ground.

And atop it all, was a broken shield—one she recognized as the shield Kesar had carried.

The moment she laid eyes on it, Flantsu felt the strength leave her body.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

Her worst fears had become reality.

The joy of victory no longer resided in Flantsu’s heart.

All that remained was grief, and despair beyond measure.

“You… you promised…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke through the tears.

She gently caressed the broken shield before her, murmuring in a voice that sounded as though her soul had left her body.

“You said… you wouldn’t die… that you would survive… so please, believe me… but… but… how… sniff… ugh…”

Flantsu sobbed, clutching the shield tightly to her chest, her cries echoing through the despair that consumed her.

In the midst of horrific pain, she felt as though the world itself was collapsing around her.

And beyond that, an overwhelming sense of regret.

The regret that she had not gone further with the woman she had loved.

That her reasoning had held her back, keeping her from crossing the line,
leading to the foolish choices of the past.

In this late regret, she cried endlessly.

“Ugh… sniff… Kesar… Kesar…”

“Did you call for me?”

“?!”

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.

For a split second, Flantsu thought she had misheard.

Her trembling body struggled to move as she turned her head.

Then, she saw him.

Without a scratch, standing tall and unscathed.

It was surely him…

“K… Kesar!”

“Ugh!”

A surge of extreme relief washed over her in an instant, followed by a joy greater than she could express.

Overcome with emotion, Flantsu threw herself toward Kesar, and despite the powerful shock that rocked him, she embraced him tightly with all her strength as he stumbled and fell.

“Thank goodness… really… really thank goodness… Kesar… Kesar…”

“Ugh… yeah… I’m fine. Just… calm down for a moment…”

Kesar spoke, his tone filled with confusion, but Flantsu could barely hear his words over her overwhelming emotions.

For a moment, she was caught in a despair that felt like the world was collapsing.

Fortunately, the fact that what she had worried about didn’t happen brought her profound relief, but even so, this huge emotional gap was enough to temporarily numb her reason.

And…

At that moment when the intense wave of emotions began to subside just a little.

Flantsu looked at Kesar in front of her and spoke.

That person who was definitely alive, not dead.

That person who had just given her extreme regret.

“Lord Kesar…”

“Yeah… yes… um… are you feeling a bit better now?”

“I… just now thought. That I’ve been too foolish all this time…”

“?… What do you… oof!”

The next moment, Flantsu pressed her lips against Kesar’s.

Surrendering to the hot sensation that came with it, she began to indulge in the lips of the man in front of her frantically.

“Haah…. haa… slurp…slurrp…”

Flantsu sucked his lips with all her might.

Then, slowly parting her lips, she looked down at Kesar lying beneath her with a dazed expression.

Until now, Flantsu had been doing her best to win this man’s heart.

But at the last moment, she had always controlled her actions.

Hoping that he would fully accept her.

Hoping that his hands, not hers, would hold her body.

But.

“I’ve… been telling you all along, haven’t I? That I love you, Lord Kesar…”

“!…”

Through what happened a moment ago, Flantsu realized.

“Now… I won’t hold back anymore… Because I don’t want to face regrets like I just did by being hesitant.”

She couldn’t wait forever.

Love is ultimately something you win with your own hands.

Rather than waiting for him to come and regretting it.

It was much better for her to move toward that man herself.

With that conclusion.

Flantsu immediately began to undo her top.

“W-wait. What… what are you trying to do now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Right now, Burning Love!!!… Ack!”

At that moment, a powerful impact struck the back of her head.

Behind Flantsu who collapsed unconscious, Antony and Poltuga appeared.

“My goodness… showing such shameful behavior in broad daylight where tens of thousands of troops are gathered…”

“A-are you alright, Lord Kesar?”

“..Y-yeah… thanks to you.”

Kesar got up with a relieved expression.

Afterward, he looked at Flantsu, who had wept in concern for him despite momentarily losing control, and gave a slightly bitter smile.

At the same time, feeling sorry for being so indifferent to her all this time.

“Ugh…ugh…”

“Wh-where… is this place?”

In a room shrouded in thick darkness.

There, Brutus and Iskal shook their dizzy heads and came to their senses.

With their hands and feet bound and restrained against the wall, they began to cautiously talk to each other.

“It seems… we’ve been captured by the demons.”

“Seems that way… Damn, that filthy Mari… I never thought she would betray humanity and side with the demons.”

Iskal spoke with anger.

But then…

“You should watch what you say. You were the ones who betrayed me first.”

“!!”

“Ugh!”

A cold voice cutting through the darkness.

Immediately after the lights came on in the room, they began to see Mari’s figure.

No longer human, she now had the form of a demon.

And beside her was someone they all knew very well, though they hadn’t seen this person at all during the war.

“You… you’re… Hero Irushil!”

“You traitorous bitch… Release this immediately or else… GAHHHH!!!”

At that moment.

A sharp, cold slash followed by extreme pain.

As Iskal realized it was caused by his own fingers being cut off in an instant, a scream burst from his mouth.

“You all did it first. The sin of daring to try to kill my master. I’ll pay you back fully for your betrayal right here.”

Irushil approached with a blood-stained dagger, filled with cold anger.

Watching from behind, Mari spoke in a calm tone.

“Just don’t kill them. I still have things to ask those guys.”

“Yes, mother.”

“!”

Words signaling the beginning of torture.

At this, the faces of the two ‘traitors’ began to turn pale and rigid.

“W-wait! Please wait just a moment!”

“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you a-anything! So please, no torture…”

“Oh my, how can we trust what you say so easily?”

“!?”

Mari spoke with a cold smile.

The once compassionate teacher now revealed an utterly chilling smile as she said.

“You should know better. Why torture is necessary during interrogation, it’s common sense that people become more honest as the pain increases. Just as you said.”

“Th-that…”

Mari threw back the very words they had used when dealing with demon prisoners in the past.

With those words that crushed their last remaining hope, the two were seized by even deeper despair.

And toward them, Irushil slowly extended her blood-stained dagger and said.

“Let’s have a more honest conversation. I might be a bit inexperienced since it’s my first time… but still, I’ll try my best.”

Her expression showed a strange excitement.

As they recognized the ‘hell’ contained within it.

Tears began to well up in the eyes of the two traitors.

“AAAAAAARGH!!!”

“GAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

The desperate screams that followed began to echo.

Thus, building the necessary trust between them took longer than expected.