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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“You… You…!”
Feeling instinctive relief and surprise, Elisia began to react.
The warrior, clad in black armor and wielding a great sword bestowed by the Demon King, spoke to Elisia in a slightly excited voice.
“I’ll take care of this. You should escape in the meantime.”
“But…”
“With your injuries, you’ll only be a hindrance. I’ve cleared the eastern road, so if you go that way, you can escape easily.”
“…”
The warrior’s words indicated that he had already secured an escape route on the way here.
For a moment, Elisia remained silent, unable to respond.
Then…
“Th-Thank you… Um…”
As she tried to say something, she cut herself off and fled in the direction the warrior had indicated.
With her expression hidden beneath the violet helmet, Elisia completely escaped this place.
He…
Just weeks ago, he had been known as the human hero.
Slowly, he looked around at those gathered here and said,
“Now then… Who will face me?”
Cassandra Inclemonte.
One of the three generals of the Falcon Empire, she had rarely felt fear throughout her life.
Even when she happened to clash with one of the demon officers in a bloody battle, she only felt the thrill of being a warrior as she swung her spear and shield. She did not feel fear at all.
However…
At this very moment.
For the first time since receiving the title of general and wielding a sword, Cassandra began to be seized by the emotion of fear.
“What… What is that…?”
Before her stood a warrior of pitch-blackness wielding a black great sword.
An ominous presence, like something crawling out of the abyss, emanated from it.
Just before she was about to strike down the demon officers, the sight of that figure blocking their path made Cassandra feel as though her whole body had frozen.
The overwhelming aura of power.
Simply looking at it made her heart feel constricted.
It made her instinctively aware of one clear truth:
She would die…
If she dared to face that being…
She would certainly die.
Not as some theoretical concept, but a pure instinct for survival was telling her this.
Seeing that being make her, one of the strongest in the empire, feel such a sensation…
Cassandra’s mind automatically began to conjure the image of one being.
‘C-Could it be… Is that the Demon King?’
It looked a little different from what she had heard, but at this moment, that was the only existence that came to her mind.
An absolute powerhouse capable of overwhelming even her.
The strongest force of the demon race, the one maintaining this war, believed to be unwinnable.
Realizing that the strongest monster had appeared before her, Cassandra began to fight to regain her composure.
‘C-Calm down… It’s clear that this is a formidable opponent. But if it’s the Demon King, then perhaps this could be a good opportunity…’
The enemy leader and the strongest force was right in front of her.
Though she felt the overwhelming aura of power, if she were fortunate at this moment…
Cassandra thought that perhaps she could end this long war with her own hands.
‘Surely… I can’t win against that being alone. But if I have the strength of that beast warrior, then there might be a chance.’
The beast warrior had just shown her strength by quickly driving back the demon attackers.
Of course, she was a fighter using her fists and claws, while Cassandra was a paladin wielding a sword and shield and utilizing the power of light, so a pure comparison was a bit unreasonable.
However, considering everything, Cassandra judged that she and the beast warrior were roughly on the same level.
Yet, the power of that ‘Demon King’ was frightening.
But if she could capture the enemy leader, everything would be over, and Cassandra thought it was worth a shot.
As a warrior…
And as a general of the empire.
She was about to take the gamble of a lifetime, risking her life.
“Alright… then…”
Having made her decision, Cassandra slowly infused her ring with magic.
In an instant, a bright green light began to pour from her ring.
At the same time, the shackles around the neck of the beast warrior, who had hesitated while looking at the Demon King, began to shine, and the tension and anxiety on the beast warrior’s face began to shift to hostility and anger towards the Demon King before them.
‘Since the opponent is the one who killed the hero and defeated them, it’s natural for them to feel fear… But this binding chain can easily dispel such feelings.’
The chains of domination, which erased the reason of slaves and turned them into berserk warriors who would only act on commands to eliminate enemies.
It was a precious item that even Cassandra could only obtain one of, but its effectiveness was guaranteed.
“You will maintain the perimeter while keeping your distance. I will take care of that one along with my slave.”
“Yes, General Cassandra!”
After all, someone of that caliber could easily send regular soldiers flying just by swinging a sword.
Having prepared to take her ‘gamble’ while minimizing damage, Cassandra was ready.
At the same time, the ‘Demon King’, wielding a great sword radiating a violet aura, assumed an attack stance, looking at Cassandra.
A heavy silence began to envelop the area…
In that stillness, Cassandra raised her shield with a cold expression.
‘The longer the fight drags on, the more unfavorable it becomes. Moreover, at this moment, that being is well aware of how overwhelmingly stronger he is than me. Even if he tries to be cautious, he will
inevitably let his guard down to some extent. That is where my opportunity lies.’
And…
“Haah!!!!”
With a battle cry, Cassandra charged forward, shield raised.
The ‘Demon King’ prepared to meet her attack head-on, gripping his great sword.
Divine Shield! No one has ever taken this hit and remained unscathed, no matter how much of a Demon King he might be…!
Then…-KWAAGH!!!!
A moment later, an enormous explosion rang out.
The shock was so great that it felt as if a grand mage’s attack spell had been unleashed, shaking the entire area.
In an instant, the soldiers forming the perimeter lost their balance and began to fall.
“This… This is…”
“Just the shockwave alone…?”
“W-What about the general? What happened to General Cassandra?”
Amidst the dust enveloping the area, the soldiers struggled to regain their composure.
But at that moment, Cassandra, the one who caused the explosion, was even less capable of collecting her thoughts than the soldiers on the ground.
“Guh…!”
She had poured all her strength into the ultimate attack, Divine Shield.
The attack, empowered by the divine energy in her shield, had sent countless demons to hell, and even the demon officer she faced before had to retreat with serious injuries from it.
Thus, Cassandra unleashed her strongest attack right from the start.
However…
All her expectations and pride for this strike were instantly transformed into despair and horror.
GEEEEE…
With a dreadful crashing sound as metal clashed, the scene before her eyes showed…
The ‘Demon King’, who effortlessly blocked her full-power attack with just one hand holding his great sword.
It was like a father stopping a child’s playful antics…
A scene that made the difference in power overwhelmingly clear.
Yet, the despair on Cassandra’s face was not solely due to that.
As she struck the ‘Demon King’ with her strongest blow, Cassandra had prepared another move.
“Hah… Hah…!”
She had attempted to launch a two-pronged attack while the Demon King’s focus was on her, but…
At that very moment, the beast warrior was seized by the Demon King’s hand, crying out in pain.
Their desperate surprise attack had been effortlessly thwarted.
Witnessing the fact that the ‘Demon King’ was far beyond what they had imagined, Cassandra began to regret her reckless gamble.
And…
Seeing this, the ‘Demon King’ spoke to them in a calm yet chilling voice.
“I’ve got you.”
They are cooked