episode_0009
by fnovelpiaThe Southern Expeditionary Force was largely comprised of three armies.
The Demon King’s Royal Guard, who will form a battle line centered around the heavily armored Dullahan, is the heavy force.
The left wing is a ghost knight whose mobility is as good as that of cavalry, but who shows great power when entering a melee.
The Lactelun garrison centered around Aurela is on the right.
When looking at overall strength, the right wing was weak compared to other armies, but it didn’t matter. Numerous tribal and nomadic settlements were located along the path leading to the rugged rocky isthmus. It was planned to supplement all the missing troops by placing them on the advance route so that they could pass through them.
As the vanguard of the rebel army, it is a hostile force that has already tried to take the throne of the Demon King. If left alone, there was a high possibility that they would continuously attack the city. As soon as the Demon King’s reinforcements appeared, all the barbarians who had curled their tails and were hiding were planned to be taken out and disposed of according to the Demonic Law.
“Don’t leave a single rat behind. To burn and kill them all.”
“Kill them all! The regent ordered them all to be killed“
The soldiers advanced with a deep beating sound. A barbarian settlement located about three days’ walk from Lactelun was set on fire. The stronghold of the traitorous cabal that had recently attacked the gate and attempted to block reinforcements from the castle was facing a miserable end.
“Quaaah!”
“Mercy! Mercy!”
When the Blue Horn tribesmen saw the approaching castle army, they fled in panic. The red horns that sparkled under the sun were the most feared beings in the demon world.
chuck. chuck. chuck. chuck.
The Dullahan advanced in accordance with perfectly angled military discipline. Every time their giant axes were swung, a demon’s life was extinguished. The clumsily built hut was torn to pieces and stained with blood. Those who cried out for mercy cried out pitifully, but the castle’s forces did not waver.
“Please! Please, master of the castle!”
A man who appeared to be an old man from a poor village bowed down in front of the army. He shouted, hitting his forehead on the floor.
“Please at least save the children. We will accept our sins willingly. Please!”
Durin’s army devastated the entire settlement, leaving behind only one half-collapsed building. Like the city, it was a place to protect children shivering and hiding under the rubble buried in ashes.
Durin glanced indifferently. There were no emotions whatsoever. Verdia, who was assisting him, asked cautiously.
“Your Excellency. What would you like to do?”
“Do according to the law.”
There was no such thing as pity. In the land of rebellion, only corpses had to remain.
“Bring the supply wagon. Feed newborn babies smaller than a wheel as food for your demonic beasts, and treat all others as slaves.”
“I will do as you ask.”
“And kill that old man too. It’s noisy.”
dismissal! dismissal!
I could hear the pitiful screams of a helpless body. Soon, the head fell off with a sharp blade. The soldiers removed the bodies far away and took the children out of the ruins.
” Classify well and choose who will be the leader.”
With that said, Durin turned his back.
I wanted to see a village on fire rather than such a meaningless sight.
“……”
In a village burning redder than the setting sun, soldiers sprinkled salt on farmland. They were turning it into a barren land that would never sprout again, making it a land that even demonic beasts were afraid of. The village where nomadic people had barely managed to establish a home was erased from the map.
Smoke blooming black and the earth turning white.
The price of betrayal has always been harsh.
…….
Endless slaughter and plunder. Legion was a blood-sucking monster.
It grew in size by destroying everything in sight. Slave soldiers, the result of the plunder, were collected and placed in the battle lines to offset the impact of the rebel assault force. They will serve as a shield against the mighty warriors of the South.
The commander who would lead them was Verdia, but Aurela, the governor of Lactelun, suddenly intervened.
“The castle garrison was originally the soldiers I was dealing with. If I join you on the expedition, I will be able to show you even better combat skills.”
In Durin’s opinion, it wasn’t a bad move. Although Verdia was incorporated into the Royal Guard, his bloodline was that of a traitor. By keeping Aurela, a member of the pureblood Demon King Castle, with him, he wanted to prevent the soldiers from rebelling against the command system.
“Your Excellency… … .”
“Thank you very much. Verdia.”
Verdia dealing with surrendered southern warriors and slave soldiers.
Aurela was put in charge of Lactelune’s garrison.
From this point on, the two began to form a rivalry.
The war of nerves between the factions that prided themselves on being strong warriors and did not want to lose to others was so intense that it sometimes escalated into fights.
“Verdia! I heard your troops messed with our warriors. Please guide us carefully so as not to cross the line.”
“Huh? Then you just have to fight and win, right? If you’re a southern warrior, you shouldn’t come and whine about the commander, but come and fight for yourself.”
“That’s a barbarian-like idea. Only when the status has fallen like this.”
“What?”
Although they were from the same southern region, their polar opposite tendencies often ignited the fuse. Verdia, who bows to no one except Durin, and Aurela, the governor, who tries to protect her food. It was truly polar opposites.
The nobles of Lactelun, who were watching this scene from afar, were wondering if there was a division in the army, but no one in the expeditionary force was anxious or suspicious.
It is a small dissonance that arises from the process of dealing with barbarians. What was important to them was not such trivial comedy, but the next move of the rebel leader.
“Your Excellency. The warchief camped inside the isthmus. I can’t think of getting out of the rocky mountain.”
“Didn’t they show different behavior?”
“Nothing happened for almost a week. It seems like they decided they couldn’t win in the slalom. The rocky mountains beyond the isthmus are rugged and good for ambushes, so they will probably try to compete there.”
“They must have also noticed that the Royal Guard came in person. In order to make up for the difference in power, they will try to draw them into terrain that is advantageous to them.”
The war between demons was a battle of momentum. Who can annihilate the enemy more brutally? If the motivation of battle-mad warriors was not broken, there was a high possibility that they would be drawn into an endless war of attrition.
From that perspective, the current situation, which destroyed the warchief’s machinations that were attacking the groundwork from the very beginning and confined the rebels within the isthmus, was the optimal move for victory. It could be said that the momentum had already shifted in this direction at the point where the two sides failed to engage in a strong confrontation.
“The southern rebellion could end smoothly like this. Golden Guard. I will give you a chance to be at the forefront. Destroy the warchief’s forces and put him out of action.”
“I will do as instructed.”
“Then next… … .”
Tracking down the runaway demon king and hero.
Durin raised his head. The first person to make eye contact was Verdia. She trembled and bowed politely.
Next was Aurela, commander of the garrison on the right wing of the expeditionary force and governor of the city. There was a momentary glare from Verdia, but since it was in front of Durin, the collision did not continue any further.
“I left a comment in advance. Regent.”
Like Verdia, she also answered politely. Aurela stood up naturally, as if she had been waiting, and stood in front of Durin.
“I will guide you personally.”
… …
The rock shrine was located underground in Lactelun.
A dark, damp space like a catacomb, spread out like a maze. The patterns and writings carved on the wall doubled the gloom.
It was all in an ancient language, so no one there could understand it, but I felt an eerie joy as the demons in the mural with their hearts cut out were cheering. It contained the raw emotions of those who had been in conflict with the Demon King for the longest time and had maintained their autonomy in a precarious manner.
“This is the place. Your Excellency.”
Aurela, who was leading the way with a torch, looked back and said. A place not far from the entrance where a ray of light enters. A cemetery-like shrine appeared before Durin’s eyes. The shadows dancing along the flickering flames revealed the shape of the Rock Mother carved in stone.
“I hope you get what you want.”
Aurela said and stepped back. She took Verdia, who was standing still, and went outside.
Kuggeung-
There was a sound of the heavy stone door closing and dust rising. There was nothing to illuminate the shrine.
In the darkness, where you couldn’t see an inch in front of you, a lone dusky energy appeared. They started to come together like dough and formed a single shape.
“Time is finally starting to pass.”
It was the devil.
It was a woman with white hair, just like Ludmilla in nature. The red horn, a symbol of the central demon race, showed its faded appearance over time. Even though he was just standing there, the energy he felt did not fade even in front of Durin. It contained the same authority as the mother of the shamans that Ludmila spoke of.
“I was waiting. A strong warrior. This meeting was planned by God.”
When the shape was fully formed, the rock shrine was lit. A miraculous phenomenon created solely by magic.
There, the witch of prophecy appeared.
“I often heard the whispers of shamans. Is that why? I am seeing you for the first time today, but at this moment, I feel comfortable as if I am seeing an old friend.”
The witch stepped lightly on the ground. The foundation set up in front of the rock shrine became a meeting place. She said, offering a seat across from me.
“I want to talk more with you. Is it okay?”
“There is no time for that.”
Durin also answered politely. She is definitely a powerhouse. He was someone who had to be respected.
The witch seemed to have sensed his politeness and smiled brightly.
“I know. You can respond to your wishes rather than just talking about trivial details. Are you okay with this?”
“If the story is related to a hero, I will face it.”
“Good. They accepted it more readily than I expected.”
As Durin took his seat, the witch continued speaking with a cheerful expression.
“There was an old gate in Ludmila’s agony. Same goes for you, right?”
“It seems that the hero is trying to escape by using the legacy of the previous Demon King. As the Great Warrior of the Demon World and the Guardian of the Castle, I cannot stand by and watch this.”
“Even the devil is with me, so my heart burns. Isn’t that right?”
Even though it was a story that Durin had not mentioned, the witch spoke softly as if she already knew everything. It was as if I had seen the whole story of the incident through the whispers of the shamans she mentioned.
She is the top shaman in charge of wisdom. Durin responded by nodding obediently, without trying to hide it.
“So please tell me the location of the ancient ruins and how I can use them. If I can stop the hero’s plan, I want to do everything I can.”
“If the Demon King really leaves the Demon World, the shock will be significant, so you want to prevent that from happening.”
“Yes.”
“But… … .”
The expression of the witch who was talking with a kind smile suddenly changed.
The eerie joy I saw from outside. A face shaped like that appeared in front of Durin. Terrible demon energy began to fill the surroundings.
“You will be unstoppable. The Devil’s escape is inevitable. It is a huge trend in the world.”
“… … .”
“Even if you reach the gate with my help, there is nothing you can do. We’ll just watch.”
The air has changed. A heavy, oppressive energy flowed from the witch’s mouth.
she was talking No, it was sentencing. The Demon King and the Hero will escape the Demon World.
Durin. There is nothing you can do.
He always faced unexpected situations indifferently, but this time he heard a story that he couldn’t ignore. The red-burning eye glow burned louder than ever.
“Still want to know where the gate is? I would like to advise you to invest in preventing the rebellion in front of you rather than the global trend.”
“I want to hear it.”
Durin answered immediately. He didn’t hesitate.
“Even if it’s something that can’t be prevented, you have to face it. That is the mission given to me as a guardian.”
“I would like you to talk in a little more detail.”
“Even if it is a fate I cannot change, I will do my duty. That is the life that the King gave me.”
“Even if the king abandoned you?”
“He is not my king. There is only one person who gave me life.”
Comprehensive conversation goes back and forth. Durin and the witch looked at each other and expressed their strong intentions. Opinions clashed without a single step back. Among them, the more finite one was the witch. She nodded, looking at Durin’s strong look.
“Then let me ask you just one thing. Can you answer?”
“Of course.”
“How will you act if you are faced with a fate you cannot resist? Please answer just that.”
“It is a fate that cannot be resisted… … .”
He trailed off as if he was lost in thought for a moment. The intensity of the eye light also weakened.
You will probably have many thoughts regarding the Demon King. It was natural since he was the devil at the center of a chaotic world.
“In the face of a force that cannot be resisted, there is only one thing for me to do.”
Still, compared to the burden that Durin carried, the time of suffering was not long. The regent of the Demon King’s Castle calmly stated his conclusion.
“We will make it as painful as possible.”
A devilish smile that was not hidden by the helmet was drawn.
“You shouldn’t try to move through the world easily.”
#
“Today was a really useful time. I hope to see you again next time.”
The regent said so and left the basement. The moment we received information about the ancient gate, the meeting came to an end.
Darkness has returned to the world once lit by magic.
I can’t see anything. That’s why it was peaceful.
“He will remake the world like this.”
She looked back. Mother Rock was sleeping in a dark world.
The witch of prophecy raised her hands as if in worship. Intense joy enveloped her.
“Finally, the time has come.”
The merciless trembling of his hands was evident in his voice.
“He will take you out again. As I wait for that day, I will wait again.”
The demonic energy that made up the witch of prophecy was scattered.
The shaman was also held in the arms of his sleeping mother.
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