Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

"This is a messed-up situation," Selner muttered under her breath.

Valerie caught it. She turned sharply to the older woman, her brows drawn. "What situation?"

Selner didn't answer right away. She had been pacing for quite some time now, her arms folded tightly across her chest, as though trying to contain a storm within.

The moment Austin had crossed the border, chaos had followed. Eryndor came under siege almost instantly.

Demonic forces descended from every direction like a flood unleashed.

If not for the foresight Austin had shown—placing the Council's troops and Drenovar's soldiers near the capital—the palace would've been in ruins already.

The defenses were stretched thin. Thousands of high-tier demons swarmed the outer provinces, pressing inward with unnatural speed. No rest. No mercy. The tide was unrelenting.

But what truly made Selner's blood run cold wasn't the numbers.

It was who led them.

"The Demonic Generals," she said, her voice low, haunted. "They're here."

Valerie's eyes widened, her face stiffening. "Are you sure?"

Selner nodded grimly. "I saw them myself. The Orc Lord. The Parasite Chief. They're out there right now, tearing through our lines on the eastern and northeastern fronts. Coordinating like they always does. Our forces are barely holding."

For a moment, silence reigned. Valerie stood frozen, her knuckles white around the handle of the chair.. It was too soon. Far too soon for the Generals to be unleashed.

Their revival depended entirely on Astaroth's strength.

And if they were already here, that could only mean one thing—

"The Demon Lord's… revived?" she whispered, her voice faltering.

Selner's frown deepened. "That's what I'm starting to believe. But I don't understand how. He was broken. Shattered after what Austin did to him. He shouldn't be able to recover—not this quickly."

The memory of that final battle still lingered in her mind—Austin standing tall in the aftermath, the Demon Lord reduced to ash and silence. Yet now, the ground trembled once more. The sky burned with crimson veins.

The violence outside was the proof that the dark lord had returned.

BOOOOOM

An explosion thundered from the forest to the north. The impact shook the palace foundations.

Valerie's expression turned sharp.

Without a word, she summoned her Shard..

With a quick step forward, she slammed its base against the ground. In the blink of an eye, ice erupted from beneath her feet.

Thick, jagged walls of crystal-blue ice soared up around the palace like fangs, forming another fortified barrier.

Selner glanced at her, then nodded once. "Stay with your family."

Valerie didn't argue. She turned and ran down the corridor toward the secured chamber where her and Austin's parents had been taken.

"Val!" her mother cried out the moment she entered.

The others also turned towards the violette who held her mother close in her arms.

"I'm here," Valerie said, pulling her mother into a firm embrace. "Everything's fine. We're just tightening defenses."

She said it with calm resolve, but her heart was pounding like a war drum.

Cedric slowly approached her and asked, "What's the situation?"

Valerie hesitated for a moment before revealing, "The enemy forces are far more vast than what we were expecting."

Sophie's expression turned grim as she asked, "Should we evacuate?"

She would have said yes under normal circumstances, but following her Lord's words, she said,

"Let's stay here and wait for Austin."

Outside, Selner stepped beyond the palace gates and landed atop one of the newly risen ice pillars. From that vantage point, she saw the battle beyond the walls—flashes of fire, roars of monsters, flurries of steel and magic.

They were still holding the capital. Barely.

But the question clawed at her mind.

How much longer?

Then came a voice.

"Isn't it fruitless?"

A chill danced down her spine. The voice was smooth, yet heavy. Familiar.

She turned, eyes snapping upward.

And there he was.

Descending slowly from the sky, arms folded.

Long, elegant ears. Deep obsidian skin. Silver-gray hair flowing like silk. And eyes—red as blood, glowing like coals.

Selner's breath caught.

"Zephyr…" she muttered, her entire stance shifting.

The Elven King. The most cunning and deadly of Astaroth's generals. Thought to awaken only when his master had fully returned.

Which could only mean…

"Astaroth has awakened all the fragments of his soul," she whispered, horrified.

Zephyr hovered before her, amused. "Smart woman."

He looked relaxed. Dangerous.

He has not awoken prematurely. He stood complete. The strong General whom Kane had a hard time dealing with.

"They left you here to guard the palace?" he asked, his lips curling into a faint grin. "Tell me—"

His tone dropped, laced with disdain.

"Do you really think you're strong enough for that?"

Selner didn't answer.

Truth was—she wasn't. Not against him. Neither was Valerie.

But she had to stall. Somehow.

Her hand twitched, preparing to activate teleportation—to get inside, warn the others, maybe even bring them to another safe spot.

However,

"Huh?" she blinked.

No effect.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

A hollow dread settled in her gut.

She couldn't use magic.

"You sure have become dumb after losing your title as Witch," Zephyr chuckled, shaking his head. "From this moment on, this entire palace exists within my Lord's domain. No spell, no chant, no gate shall work."

He tilted his head, voice almost playful.

"So no more escaping now."

….

Meanwhile, deep inside the throne room—

CRAAACK

Astaroth hurled Austin through a thick stone pillar. The impact shattered it, stone dust blasting outward.

Austin rolled across the marble floor, gasping, blood running from the side of his mouth. His muscles screamed.

"You're still standing," Astaroth said, striding forward slowly.

Each footstep echoed.

He loomed—taller than before, monstrous in presence. Black horns twisted up from his temples, and crimson flames danced along his arms like living snakes.

And he was smiling.

Proudly.

"I hoped you wouldn't disappoint."

Austin wiped his mouth. Eyes sharp, mind racing. He wasn't defending himself properly because his mind was occupied with something else.

One might say, what could be more important than dealing with the greatest nemesis of humanity? Well, for him, it was the safety of his family.

He caught Astaroth moving.

CLANG!

Their weapons clashed—Austin's sword against the blazing gauntlet.

The heat sizzled the air, warping it. Astaroth shoved forward, sending him skidding across the floor again.

He hit the wall hard. Pain lanced through his back.

His breathing was slightly ragged now.

He raised a hand and summoned Wisp.

Astaroth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of toy is that?"

He wasn't worried. Not in the slightest.

But Austin wasn't talking.

'System…' he called silently.

[Processing…]

Austin took to the air in a short leap, spun once, and hurled the boomerang with all the strength he had left.

Astaroth's pupils dilated. He tracked it.

Then—

BOOOOOOOM

The explosion rocked the throne room.

Smoke billowed.

Astaroth flew through the chamber like a cannonball, crashing into the throne with a violent thud.

Charlotte, watching from behind the wreckage, stared wide-eyed.

For the first time—

Astaroth was injured.

He stood up, laughing softly.

Blood ran down his lip. He licked it away with a satisfied growl. "This… this is pleasure. The pain… ahh, it has been too long since I felt alive."

Austin said nothing. His eyes never left the system panel.

Astaroth stepped forward, brushing dust from his shoulders.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, voice smooth as ever. "To hear your parents are dead?"

Still no answer.

"You actually trust that bitch Selner?" he asked, taunting. "You think she can protect anyone? She's probably dead already."

Nothing.

Not even a blink.

Astaroth's smile began to fade. This silence—it irked him.

"You dare ignore me?"

He vanished.

A flash of black fire streaked across the throne room.

William, running toward them, cursed. "Austin—!"

But it was too late.

Astaroth's elongated claw came within inches of Austin's chest.

Then—

[Ding!]

[Creation successful!]

[Previously enlisted people will now be transferred to the dungeon.]

Austin smiled faintly.

He raised his gaze.

"Now it's time to sleep."

Astaroth's senses screamed as he suddenly twisted in the air and barely pulled himself away.

The room glowed brighter, the runes around the floor were resisting the magic Austin was trying to use.

"It's futile! You can't break-"

*Clang*

Astaroth was left stunned.

Austin's whole presence was covered in darkness.

Magic flowed out like waves, covering the whole castle like a tsunami.

Charlotte instantly pulled barrier around them but it wasn't needed.

The aura of the Prince didn't struck them…yet it made the air feel heavy.

Astaroth growled, "You can't risk this, warrior. Your parents' life is on the line."

Austin laughed, a hearty laugh that sounded ominous even to his comrades.

"Fuck man, how delusional you are?" Austin calmly stepped forward and rested his hand on Astaroth's shoulder, "Why don't you ask your beloved General, if he reached my parents or not?"

Astaroth's eyes narrowed as he mentally sent the signal.

But he never expected the response to be so quick,

[They disappeared, my Lord! All of them, including the witch!]

Astaroth's eyes widened.

Austin tilted his head as he whispered, "Now sleep~"

Astaroth never had the time to move before darkness overwhelmed them.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.