Chapter 181: Decisive Battle (1)

The Great Plains of Darrow, dividing the borders of Santea and Altelore. Rangers scanning the plains from the tallest hills nearby suddenly felt an ominous current and shivered.

A dark wave slowly rose over the horizon.

The rangers momentarily lost their thoughts and gazed at the sight. Soon, someone spoke with a resolute expression.

“Hasten to send a messenger.”

The time had come.

The invasion of the demons had begun.

***

The news of the demonic advance came a week after the hero’s departure.

After the formation of the alliance and the hero’s departure, constant reconnaissance forces were stationed in the Great Plains of Darrow between Santea and Altelore.

The center of the plain was controlled by Santea, the north by Calderic, and the south by Adessa.

Although an alliance had been formed, there was no need to intermingle reconnaissance forces, so each faction had divided the boundaries and monitored the movement of the demons.

A swift report came from them.

“Well then, since everyone is gathered, shall we go?”

The Overlord rose from his seat as all the Lords gathered in the conference room of the Overlord Castle, fully armed.

The Overlord would now head to the capital of Santea.

It was to attend the coalition conference requested by the emperor as a representative of Calderic.

The entirety of the monarchy – the nine Lords, and Calderic’s forces were ready to march into the plains at this moment.

Of course, the other factions were the same.

This would be the final discussion.

After consolidating opinions with Adessa and Santea, the Lords who were waiting and preparing would be informed of the conclusion, and then the war would commence immediately.

This matter was decided upon since the formation of the alliance.

“Did you perhaps receive the news incorrectly? Or did you receive additional reports that the demons are suddenly regrouping?”

The Overlord’s excessively optimistic demeanor, bordering on cheerful, seemed to baffle the Fourth Lord, King of the Dead, enough for him to remark with a single sentence.

Of course, nothing like that was happening.

The demons crossing the Great Plain would reach Santea’s borders within at least a month.

The Overlord said with a chuckle.

“There’s no need to be so serious. Let’s all just sit back, drink some tea, and wait.”

I had wondered a bit what the Overlord’s reaction would be once the war began in earnest, but it hadn’t changed at all.

Could it be that the Overlord was confident of victory, or did she think that any outcome would be fine?

There was no indication that this war would end with the defeat of the demons.

It was rather the opposite.

And because the Overlord was not a fool, she seemed to lean more towards the latter than the former.

Thinking to myself that she was a consistently unpredictable woman, I spoke up.

“I’ll accompany you to the meeting.”

The Lords’ gazes turned to me. The Overlord asked with a puzzled expression.

“Really? Why?”

“I simply want to see Santea’s hero with my own eyes. There’s no particular reason.”

There’s no reason for other Lords not to attend the meeting.

It’s just that the Overlord didn’t want to go through the hassle of traveling with them.

“Is that so? Then do as you please.”

The Overlord accepted as expected.

I left the conference room with her and rode on a wyvern.

“You seem interested in the hero, Seventh Lord. Is there some connection I don’t know about?”

I shook my head at the Overlord’s question.

“It’s just simple curiosity.”

“Oh, really? With war looming ahead, that’s quite understandable.”

The Overlord let out a laugh.

As always, that laughter had a subtly eerie feeling.

Without saying anything more, I soared into the sky.

It should be Kaen…

The hero I would meet in the capital city soon was likely to be Kaen, not Aindel.

It’s been three years.

Honestly, seeing Kaen’s face directly was still an awkward matter.

But there was no other choice.

There was something I had to tell her before the war began.

***

January 3, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

After the demonic advance became certain, the representatives of each faction quickly gathered in the Imperial Palace of Santea.

Seated around the round table were the Emperor, the rulers of the Santea Dominion, the kings of neutral nations, the Overlord of Calderic, the Seventh Lord, the Elf Chieftain of Adessa, and the hero and Nuremberg.

“At the current pace of the enemy’s advance, the vanguard of the demon army will reach the eastern border within a month.”

The Emperor’s calm statement marked the beginning of the meeting.

Some individuals sank into silence.

The invading demon forces were so vast that they were beyond estimation.

The most important thing from the start was not the size of the military force, but the existence of the Demon King.

No one paid much attention to that aspect.

Everyone expected this war to unfold as an all-out confrontation from the beginning.

The demons would simply trample and ravage the lands beyond Altelore with their full strength, just as they did during the Great War.

However, if there was one unexpected aspect to the demons’ movements…

“Furthermore, they are advancing with their forces divided into three groups. We need to discuss this.”

The Alliance had anticipated the demon’s all-out attack from the beginning and had devised their force deployment accordingly.

But that anticipation missed the mark a bit.

The demons did not concentrate their entire army in one place; instead, they divided it into three.

From the central plains, the north, and the south, armies of relatively equal size were advancing side by side.

Naturally, this gave everyone the same thought.

It felt as if they were intentionally dividing their forces to honestly face the three powers: Santea, Calderic, and Adessa.

Of course, it wasn’t that we hadn’t considered the possibility of the demons dividing their forces.

The problem was the Demon King’s location.

There was no way to know which of the three groups housed the Demon King.

“Has anyone managed to gather information about the Demon King’s whereabouts, by any chance?”

The Elven Chieftain’s question was met with a shrug from the Overlord.

“As long as the fiend doesn’t reveal himself directly, there’s no way.”

What purpose did the demons have in dividing their forces?

Was it merely psychological warfare to sow confusion among the Alliance? Or was there some other scheme at play?

While discussions and opinions were exchanged around the round table, nothing particularly significant emerged. The Emperor spoke.

“The choices seem to be only two: either splitting evenly or concentrating all resources in one place.”

This wasn’t a complicated war.

The terrain of the plain and the goal of mutual annihilation were both straightforward.

In the head-on battle, where pure strength clashed, the only consideration was the distribution of power.

“Is there a reason to accommodate the demons’ pace? Concentrating our forces seems more logical no matter how you look at it…”

To put it a bit extremely, or rather, to say it without any exaggeration, this was a fight between the hero and the Demon King.

The moment one side fell, victory or defeat was nearly instantaneous, much like a fleeting breath.

From that perspective as well, it was indeed a better choice to concentrate power.

It would provide the hero with the most strength, and even if the Demon King wasn’t with the initial army, the hero could defeat it and then move on to the next one.

However, everyone had this kind of thought.

Even if power was concentrated, would it truly combine efficiently?

Though they had several years, compared to the history of past conflicts, this alliance was essentially hastily formed.

The mix of factions meant that there were more variables in the battle.

Furthermore, the Emperor was thinking beyond the victory of the war.

In the end, the hero would face the Demon King.

If the hero defeated the Demon King but suffered a mortal wound?

If the tide turned decidedly in favor of the alliance, but the hero wasn’t in a normal state?

At that moment, a change of heart by the other two factions would be fatal.

Calderic was always a conflicting force, and Adessa also had events involving the former Emperor.

It’s possible that they had been trying to play both sides of the conflict from the start.

There was no way to predict the course of actual battle.

Even the idea of fighting by combining forces was perplexing in the face of such worst-case scenarios.

The hero, who had been silent from then until now, spoke up.

“I think it’s best to divide our forces.”

Her tone was firm, as if she wouldn’t accept any objections.

The Overlord asked, “Why is that, hero?”

“When we concentrate our forces in one place, the rest of the armies can cross the border of Santea.”

It was a simple reason.

And for the demons to set foot on Santea soil meant the slaughter of all life in their sight.

Innocent civilians would die in countless numbers.

No one dared to mention sacrifices for the sake of victory or anything like that in front of her, so there was a moment of silence.

Of course, if Calderic or Adessa were to face the demon’s main force without the hero, it would be a great crisis.

Even if they sent a messenger immediately, it was impossible to predict the extent of the damage by the time the hero arrived.

However, there was no room for complaints about that.

It was no different from demanding the hero to shoulder everything without being willing to take any risks.

In the end, the figure who should face the Demon King was the hero, and Santea bore the greatest burden in this war.

“I will definitely kill the Demon King. Please come to a conclusion.”

The Emperor stepped forward and calmed the uneasy atmosphere.

“The will of the hero is the will of Santea.”

The Emperor, who had difficulty making up his mind, came to a conclusion.

There was no reason to oppose the warrior’s strong stance.

“Well then, there’s nothing else to be done. Calderic will have to follow suit. Confronting the Demon King is the hero’s task.”

The Overlord also accepted it without resistance.

Finally, the Elven Chieftain also pondered for a moment and nodded her head.

“Adessa will follow the hero’s opinion.”

Thus, the intentions of the three powers converged.

***

After the meeting ended, I approached Kaen.

“Hero, could we have a moment to talk alone?”

Kaen, who was leaving the conference room with Nuremberg, looked at me.

Both Nuremberg and Kaen knew that Aindel and I were in a cooperative relationship.

And Nuremberg knew that I knew that she’s Kaen, not Aindel.

Perhaps that’s why Nuremberg gave a subtle gesture to Kaen and willingly stepped aside.

“What’s the matter?”

After moving to a secluded place and setting up a barrier to block sound, Kaen asked me with a stern voice.

I sighed softly and spoke.

“Kaen.”

“…!”

“I know that you’re Kaen, not Aindel. There’s no need to pretend.”

Kaen was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Did Nuremberg tell you?”

“No.”

“…Then did you hear directly from Aindel?”

“Yes. She came to see me before heading to Altelore.”

Kaen let out a wry smile and muttered.

“Ultimately, only to me…”

I didn’t want to have a long conversation.

Kaen, who gained the ability to discern truth through the power of the Holy Sword.

I felt like I was about to reveal something I shouldn’t have.

So, I got straight to the point.

“Let’s act together from the beginning, Kaen.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly as it sounds. I have the ability to instantly kill the Demon King. If you create an opening, I will definitely end the Demon King’s life.”

It would be much better for the two of us to face the Demon King together than for Kaen to trust only herself.

After all, this was their last chance.

If the situation wasn’t favorable, even acting alone was fine.

This time, she wanted to tie up all loose ends without any regrets.

But Kaen’s response was immediate.

“I refuse.”

“What?”

“I’m refusing. You’re the Lord of Calderic, so take care of that side properly.”

Then she turned away immediately.

I was taken aback and grabbed Kaen’s shoulder.

But she coldly brushed off my hand.

“If you had such amazing abilities, why didn’t you fight with Aindel?”

“That was… Aindel’s wish.”

“Right. That’s why I resent Aindel. You too, and Nuremberg, all of you.”

I was left speechless.

“I will defeat the Demon King alone. Nothing more to say.”

I just stared at her back as he walked away.

Without being able to hold her back.

***

January 4, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

The Emperor of Santea officially declared war.

A total of more than 30,000 knights, including the royal family, nobles, and clergy, more than 20,000 mages including those from the Magic Tower, over 1 million soldiers, and a combined force of more than 50,000 knights, more than 30,000 mages, and over 2 million soldiers including nations affiliated with Santea and neutral countries.

Excluding the qualitative differences, Calderic’s total mobilized force was approximately 70% of that.

Adessa also mobilized all combat-capable tribes, with a total of more than 3 million warriors and elementalists.

January 15, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

Adessa forces fully assemble on the eastern outskirts of the Great Forest.

They began their march towards Darrow Great Plains.

January 17, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

The Santea coalition forces completely assembled on the eastern borders of the Empire. They began their march towards Darrow Great Plains.

January 18, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

The Calderic forces were completely assembled on the eastern boundaries of Calderic.

They began their march towards Darrow Great Plains.

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.

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January 23, 765, Rachronia Continental Calendar.

More than a quarter of the way across the Great Plains from the west, Santea made first contact with a demon army.

“The enemies are in sight.”

The soldiers on the frontline stared beyond the horizon at the waves of black surging forward with resolute faces.

The Demon King and the hero.

The demon army and the Alliance.

The Second Great War for the fate of the continent.

The battle had begun.