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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“Graaah!!!!”
“Damn it! Hold back the enemies! We must not retreat an inch!”
Screams echoed from all directions.
On the battlefield, where dying soldiers and those killing enemies shouted, Parisecht and his subordinates were desperately blocking the enemy’s assault.
On the second day of the war, as the battle that began with the morning sun continued until dusk, Parisecht began to realize their limits.
“General… The archer tower located in the outer fortress has finally collapsed.”
“The 3rd Knight Brigade has been annihilated. With this, all remaining knight brigades within the castle have been slaughtered.”
“The enemies are almost breaking through the inner fortress gates. We’ve sent the remaining troops to hold them off, but how long can we really hold out…?”
In this desperate situation, where most of the usable forces had been annihilated,
Parisect remained calm despite everything.
“Gather all remaining soldiers. We must do whatever it takes to prevent the enemies from infiltrating the inner fortress.”
“Yes, understood, General.”
“And you all will follow me. I will confront the enemies myself.”
“Are… are you sure about this, General? You still haven’t recovered from your injuries sustained in the battle with the Demon King.”
“If your wounds worsen…”
“What are you saying now? If we can’t hold back the enemies, we’re all dead anyway. In a situation like this, what does a mere injury matter?”
“W-wait, General…”
Parisecht spoke in a resolute voice. Seeing him like this, the soldiers felt a renewed sense of what it meant to be a true soldier, their eyes shining with determination.
“Now, the enemies are getting close. Who will fight alongside me?”
“I will accompany you, General.”
“I will help as well.”
“I will lend my feeble strength, General.”
Thus, the soldiers gathered their resolve, ready for a final stand.
However, at that moment, unlike his subordinates’ thoughts, Parisecht had no intention of a glorious end in mind.
Currently, his encouragement of the soldiers to prepare for battle was not driven by sentimentality or romance, but rather by meticulous calculation.
Having retreated the front lines and sacrificed some troops, he gathered their final strength.
Recognizing that the optimal moment to unleash this power had finally arrived, Parisecht began to advance forward with his spear.
– Bang!
Finally, the demon forces broke through the inner fortress gates.
Seeing them, Parisecht tightened his grip on the spear and raised his voice.
“For the Allied Races!”
With his bold declaration, the defenders of Antioch charged forward.
Thinking this was their last stand, their momentum surged, causing the demons to hesitate for a moment.
Parisecht, leading from the front and resolutely cutting down the demons, embodied the spirit of legendary heroes. His commanding presence inspired the soldiers, who began to advance with renewed vigor.
“Yes! Although he is injured, he is General Parisecht, the one who made even the Demon King kneel!”
“Following him, we will become legends today!”
With their warrior spirit surging, the soldiers charged forward. Despite being outnumbered, their courageous advance momentarily pushed the demon forces back outside the inner fortress.
However, this was merely a fleeting moment of brilliance.
Objectively, it would have little impact on the overall battle situation.
However…
– Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!!!
“!”
At that moment, a massive trumpet sound suddenly echoed from the north.
Simultaneously, the demon forces, who had momentarily hesitated in the face of Antioch’s counterattack, began to be engulfed in deep confusion.
What appeared before their eyes at that moment was… a gigantic army filling the northern plains.
“Th-that’s…!”
“Damn it! Just when we needed it, the enemy reinforcements arrive!”
The enemy reinforcements arrived at a critical moment.
As a result, the demons inside the fortress were thrown into chaos, and seeing this, a deep smile began to form on Parisecht and his subordinates’ faces.
“Alright! Finally!”
“The reinforcements have arrived! We’re saved now!”
A tremendous army filled the horizon where the sun was setting.
At that moment, the soldiers, who had been prepared to face death, felt their morale soar to new heights with the appearance of such a large force rivaling the demons.
Meanwhile, realizing that everything was unfolding according to his calculations, an undeniable smile began to form on Parisecht’s face.
‘Good. Thankfully, they appeared exactly when I expected. Now that the reinforcements have arrived, all that’s left is to eliminate every demon that has entered here. And if we can take down the Demon King in the process…’
Parisecht was filled with joy, convinced of the brilliant future that lay ahead of him.
At that moment…
“Oh dear… It’s troubling if you get too happy this early.”
“!!!!!”
Suddenly, a chilling voice whispered in his ear.
Having only heard it once, the sound was firmly etched in Parisecht’s mind. He turned to the side with a cold expression.
What appeared before him was a familiar figure clad in black armor, wielding a black greatsword.
As he recognized who it was, a shiver ran down Parisecht’s spine.
“You… you’re the… Demon King? But… you were supposed to be gravely injured back then…”
The reappearance of the Demon King, who had not shown himself since his retreat, caused confusion among Parisecht and the soldiers following him. However, Parisecht quickly regained his composure and shouted in a firm voice.
“D-don’t be afraid! He’s still injured! We can definitely take him down now!”
Recalling the close call when they previously let the Demon King escape, Parisecht encouraged his troops.
The soldiers, momentarily shaken by the Demon King’s appearance, swiftly regained their resolve and ignited their fighting spirit.
“Y-yeah! He’s already lost to us once!”
“This time, we’ll end you, Demon King!”
“With the reinforcements here, it’s over for you! Die by our hands here!”
The soldiers, displaying a fierce determination, aimed to take the Demon King’s head.
Recognizing that the momentum had shifted back in their favor, Parisecht issued a firm command to his troops.
“I command the entire army! Cut off the Demon King’s head right now!”
“Uaaaaaah!!!”
As soon as his order was given, the soldiers charged towards the Demon King with their weapons raised.
Although he wanted to join them, Parisecht needed a moment to catch his breath due to his still-unhealed injuries.
‘Even though he’s injured, those soldiers likely can’t capture the Demon King. I just need to engage him enough to tire him out.’
With that thought, Parisecht steadied himself and prepared to attack.
However…
—- Huk!
“!?”
“Uh?”
The Demon King lightly swung his sword at the soldiers charging toward him.
Simultaneously, a black flash emanated from the Demon King’s sword, feeling distinctly different from before. Parisecht was suddenly overcome with a chilling sensation.
Then, moments later…
As the black light that had obscured his vision vanished, Parisecht felt an intense, burning pain throughout his body.
At the same time, he was struck dumb by the shocking scene unfolding before him.
“Wh-what… what is this…?”
Just moments ago, his soldiers had been charging at the Demon King.
The number of soldiers remaining around Parisecht had reached about 200.
This was a more formidable force than the one that had previously cornered the Demon King during his invasion.
However, at this moment, Parisecht could no longer see any of his soldiers still standing.
With a single swing of his sword, the Demon King had slaughtered the 200 soldiers under Parisecht’s command.
Thanks to the other soldiers acting as shields and Parisecht’s last-minute mana defense, he was still alive, but his body was already in no condition to continue fighting.
“How… how could this happen…”
The Demon King’s strike was on a completely different level.
The fact that he could launch such an attack while supposedly gravely injured was incomprehensible to Parisecht.
In the next moment, amidst this horrific and unfathomable situation, Parisecht suddenly realized a chilling truth.
‘Could it be… a setup? Is this… all of this…?’
The horrifying reality dawned on him too late.
Parisecht’s face was marred with fear and despair as he looked up at the Demon King, who coldly uttered a phrase as if tossing aside mere prey.
“Thank you for your hard work. Now, farewell.”
The Demon King’s cold words pierced Parisecht’s heart like a dagger, leaving him stunned.
At that moment, he saw the massive sword of the Demon King descending toward him.
“You motherf…”
— Thud!
