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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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In the dark hours of night, the clouds were so thick that not even a glimmer of starlight or moonlight shone through, and a chilling fog enveloped the surroundings.
It was the perfect situation for secretly carrying out something.
Thinking I was quite lucky in this regard, I cautiously pushed through the underbrush.
However, at that moment, contrary to my original plan to act with only a few subordinates, I found myself accompanied by over 1,000 soldiers selected from the demon army.
Unlike me, clad in black armor to draw aggro, these soldiers wore the armor of the Allied Races, with a black cloth marking one shoulder.
Although they were not visible now, on the opposite side, another unit led by General Samson was lying low in the bushes, also disguised in allied armor.
Despite their fatigue, they had decided to give their all for the final battle.
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation recalling the unbelievable situation from just moments ago.
‘With the weather and how things are going, I never expected it would flow this well. Could it be that these demon generals would actually follow my suggestions…’
Previously, they had openly growled at Elias and had often shown their high pride.
However, they decided to act according to my opinion during the previous meeting, and now they were actively assisting in executing the operation.
From my perspective, hoping they wouldn’t interfere, this was quite unexpected.
Since I had no expectations, I felt a bit of gratitude for their help.
‘I thought they were stubborn and prideful… but surprisingly, they have their good sides too.’
As I revised my assessment of Samson and the other generals, I began to focus again on the ‘target’ that appeared before me.
‘Alright then… shall we start?’
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In the thick fog, the starlight was obscured by clouds, and even the moon had lost its glow during this dark hour.
In this simple yet somber atmosphere, soldiers Abel and Cain, of elven descent, stood guard at the entrance of the camp, filled with deep dissatisfaction and a lingering sense of unease.
“Ugh… damn it… No matter how unlucky I am, I never thought I’d be on guard duty on a night like this.”
“Yeah… I know what you mean. Why has my luck been so terrible lately? Nothing seems to go right.”
Standing in the dense darkness with only a single torch for light, they longed to fall asleep like the other soldiers inside the barracks.
The heavy fatigue made their vision blur, and they felt themselves wanting to close their eyes.
What they were struggling against wasn’t just the time for sleep; it was the exhausting march that had begun at dawn yesterday and continued through the night.
Having arrived here after a relentless journey with hardly any rest, their weary bodies were constantly demanding a break.
Unfortunately for them, what awaited was not sweet rest but an unbearable watch duty.
They wished they could just lie down on the bare ground and never get up again.
They felt an overwhelming desire to simply lie down on the bare ground and never get up again, but still, they had no choice but to struggle to stay awake.
In a situation before battle, if it were discovered that a guard had fallen asleep, it would certainly not end with a light punishment.
Nevertheless, their eyes were still being pulled by an instinctive desire for rest and were slowly closing.
‘Logically, those guys can’t possibly engage in further combat right after the siege has ended.’
‘We’re exhausted, but those guys who fought like dogs for days must be even more tired.’
Amidst their inner dissatisfaction, they rubbed their heavy eyelids, feeling as if they weighed a ton, desperately trying to fend off sleep.
At that moment…
“…Huh?”
“Why… what’s going on?”
In the next moment, Cain’s expression suddenly changed as if something had fled.
He began to squint slightly at the rustling bushes in the darkness, sensing something ominous.
This sudden shift in his demeanor caught Abel in a wave of intense tension.
“Is something happening? Could it be that enemies are out here at this hour?”
Abel asked again with a trembling voice.
Cain did not respond but maintained a heavy silence while carefully observing the bushes.
It was as if something lurked within the darkness, hidden among the bushes that appeared as pure blackness.
“Gulp…”
In the oppressive silence, Abel found himself swallowing dryly without realizing it.
He began to scrutinize the darkness, trying to discern if anything was there.
The darkness, thick with rising fog, created a foreboding atmosphere as if something might leap out at any moment.
Feeling a pressure that tightened around his heart, he stared intently into the darkness where he sensed movement.
However,
even after about ten minutes passed, he saw nothing.
All that was visible were the swaying bushes.
Nothing particularly stood out.
“Hmm… I guess I must have been mistaken.”
“Huh…”
Abel let out a deep sigh in response to Cain’s words.
His emotions were a mix of relief and frustration towards his friend for scaring him like that.
“Come on… I told you to keep your eyes open. I was seriously scared, thinking the demon army was attacking.”
“I… I’m sorry… Honestly, I was unsure too… I must have seen things because I’m so tired…”
Cain said with a perplexed expression, and Abel felt a sense of deflation as he turned his head back to the front.
However…
“…What’s wrong now? Are you seeing things again?.”
Cain’s voice was filled with confusion once more.
Abel thought his friend might be joking and replied in a curt tone.
But then…
“Y-You… there… beside you… beside you…”
“Beside me?”
Feeling puzzled by Cain’s words, Abel turned his head.
At that moment…
“Hello?”
– Thwack!
Along with someone’s brief greeting, Abel was suddenly overwhelmed by an incomprehensible sensation, and his face turned pale with shock.
In that fleeting moment, what entered his vision was a black flash emanating from a large black sword.
At the same time, Abel felt as if his throat was on fire, and everything around him began to feel hollow…
He was engulfed in a bizarre yet oddly comforting sensation.
Just after that, Abel’s eyes caught sight of Cain’s head flying through the air, but he couldn’t think of anything beyond that as he succumbed to deep fatigue, his vision fading into darkness…
Throughout his guard duty, he had always wished for this moment…
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“It’s an ambush!”
“Enemies! The enemies have invaded!”
Loud noises echoed from outside.
Memnon, who had been deep in sleep, rushed out of the barracks with only a sword in hand, unable to even put on his armor.
“What… what’s going on? What happened?”
“G-General! It’s… it’s bad! The demons… the demons have launched an ambush!”
“An ambush? At this hour? What… what is the enemy’s scale? Who is their commander?”
“W-Well… the enemy’s scale is currently impossible to assess. The darkness and fog are too thick, and the enemies are disguised in our coalition’s armor…”
“Ugh…!”
“However, according to reports from the soldiers, they claim to see the Demon King among the enemies! A Demon King in black armor wielding a large black sword!”
“What? The… Demon King?”
The unexpected ambush by the enemies and the appearance of the Demon King—a being whose name alone invoked terror—cast a dark shadow over Memnon’s face.
But he quickly regained his composure and began to exert himself to resolve the situation.
“Gather our soldiers immediately! Prepare to face the enemy!”
“Understood, General!”
“Damn… I never thought they would catch us off guard like this…”
Everyone, including Memnon, was aware that if the enemies were more fatigued than they were, it would not be by much.
Yet, despite this knowledge, the enemies had decisively launched an ambush at this time, leaving Memnon and the other commanders feeling as if they had been blindsided.
“So, you thought you could catch us off guard like this? Demon King, I will personally take your head right here!”
With a face filled with rage, Memnon and his subordinates headed into the fog.
Though they numbered only about 100, given the circumstances, there was no time to gather more troops as the enemy’s assault continued.
“Let’s go! We’re going to behead that Demon King!”
In the midst of chaos, Memnon raised his voice to boost morale.
At that moment…
“Huh?”
A brief flash of black light glimmered in the fog.
Simultaneously, a chilling sensation began to creep onto Memnon’s face, filled with confusion and fear.
However, before he could react…
– KABOOM!!!
An immense shockwave pierced through the fog toward them.
The instant he saw it, horror washed over Memnon’s face, but it was already too late.
A moment later, a black light engulfed everything around him.
Caught in the terrifying wave of power, Memnon and his subordinates were utterly obliterated.
They couldn’t even comprehend what had happened to them…
