The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

59. Block the Hell Gate!

“Victory for the Human Alliance!”

“The key to this victory is Lokan Versailles, Commander Ignit of the Eastern Continent!”

“Roman, over half of their troops have fallen!”

“Many demons have been slain, and the whereabouts of the Demon King remain unknown as they scatter in all directions!”

Everyone celebrated the great victory of the Human Alliance, but those in the know could only feel tense.

They had lost track of the Demon King and the Roman Emperor.

And ultimately, they had failed to stop the opening of the Hell Gate.

While Ignit was blocking the Hell Gate, no one knew how long he could hold it, and there was uncertainty about when the fleeing ones would return to reclaim it.

Because of this, the leaders of other nations, excluding Ignit, fell into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, Ignit’s main forces, who were blocking the Hell Gate, remained calm.

“The numbers coming out are gradually decreasing.”

“Yes.”

Lokan nodded slightly, observing the declining number of beings emerging from the Maw.

However, the worry on his gaunt face did not fade.

‘Split the forces into two.’

The Emperor’s command was simple.

It meant to divide the troops that would deal with the Existence of Hell and the Demons.

After numerous battles, it was clear which units handled the Army of Hell better and which did better against the Demons.

The problem was Kariel.

With his aides dismissed and left alone, Lokan pondered deeply.

“Ugh… this is insane.”

The reason the Hell Gate was closing so swiftly was due to his Emperor, Kariel.

The issue was that his Emperor was displaying overwhelmingly powerful strength against the Army of Hell.

Most of the Roman army was comprised of beings summoned from Hell, and their core strength lay not in might but in overwhelming numbers.

The bizarre appearances, poisons, and hellish energies that gnawed at the mind were the problems.

On the other hand, the Demons were powerful in sheer brute force.

So how should the forces be divided?

The answer had already emerged.

“Ugh… if I send only His Majesty and some troops to the Allied Forces, they’d call me insane.”

Lokan sighed as he muttered this.

What he deemed the most ideal scenario was to use most of Ignit’s main forces to eliminate the Demons while creating a special forces unit centered around Kariel, the Red Ghost, and the Fire Priests to circle around the defensive line made by the Allied Forces, defeating the Army of Hell.

The problem was that the core member of this special forces unit was his Emperor.

Thus, organizing a special forces unit with the Imperial Palace Knights and the Shadows was the only possibility.

But how easy would that be?

“Are we really pushing the Emperor into a corner?”

“Daring to thrust His Majesty into the front line?”

“That’s crossing the line!”

These immediate objections sprang to mind.

Would the military be any different?

Their loyalty was even stronger than that of the Empire Citizens.

Particularly, the tales of how they had jumped into the supply line operations to protect the troops had deeply moved many soldiers.

Therefore, Lokan also did not want to make such a decision.

“Still, following His Majesty’s will is only right.”

This decision might tarnish the honor he had built, but he had to bear that burden.

This was a decision that made sense not only as the Emperor’s wish but also from the commander’s perspective, and thus Lokan signed the paperwork he had postponed.

“Great Hell War Special Forces.

Composition of Special Forces: All Red Ghosts, 200 Fire Priests, All Shadows, All Imperial Palace Knights, Eastern Army Special Brigade, One Central Army Air Division.

Commander: Kariel Friedrich von Blazer.”

Through these forces, they would contend with the Army of Hell that would rush in together with Sandria and Roman.

In the meantime, they would deal with the Demons using only Ignit’s strength.

And after that, they would advance eastward, push back the Army of Hell, and open all the Hell Gates, which was the ultimate purpose of this plan.

*

“Did you finally sign?”

“Must you do it this way?”

Shortly after Lokan signed, Kariel, upon receiving the report, smiled contentedly. Meanwhile, Talion felt a pang of anxiety.

At least Talion and Achelio were going along, but they were moving without the majority of Ignit’s main forces.

While it was unlikely, if a traitor appeared among the Allied Forces during the war with Roman, it could turn dangerous.

“We have to do this much to face the Demon King.”

Talion sighed at Kariel’s words.

“Until the Grand Master appears, at least five or more must confront the Demon King if we are to delay him even for a moment.”

In his previous life, Glen had told him about the Demon King’s power.

Currently, the Demon King could only be held at bay by three or more Masters together with the Knight Order.

If the Demon King regained most of his original strength, it would take five Masters and the Knight Order to restrain him even for a brief period.

As long as Glen had not yet crossed the wall, the conclusion was that they would have to deploy the majority of Ignit’s main forces to hold back the Demon King’s army.

“Make sure to wipe out all the Demons before the Demon King returns.”

At the very least, the army of Demons that had just crossed over had to be completely annihilated.

Talion bowed his head and retreated after the orders he had emphasized multiple times.

-You know the Demon King, which is why you made this decision, but that guy Lokan is something else.

“He’s not called the Empire’s greatest commander for nothing.”

While Kariel knew of the powerful existence of the Demon King from his past life and was wary, Lokan had estimated the Demon King’s strength based on the events in the North.

And based on that, he made this decision.

His analysis and judgment regarding warfare were unparalleled within the Empire. That is why, even though Kariel could give orders himself, he deliberately burdened Lokan with this task. He made Lokan provide the justification so that others in the Empire could not object.

-It’s still a close gamble, though. Aren’t we underestimating the Army of Hell too much?

“If it gets too dangerous, we can always call back the troops then.”

Saying this, Kariel looked at the Hell Gate.

With a satisfied smile, he watched the Hell Gate gradually shrink.

“Risky, but it feels comforting.”

Kariel said, smiling.

Though the Hell Gate was getting smaller, it still posed a significant threat.

If they unintentionally provoked it, a disaster could occur.

Still, he felt more at ease than when he was in the Imperial Palace.

-Huh… ever since coming over here, troublesome matters have decreased.

Surth nodded in agreement.

Back in the Imperial Palace, Kariel had to give orders daily.

However, residing in the Eastern Continent had significantly reduced such obligations.

Even while at the fortress, he mostly delegated complex paperwork to his subordinates under the pretext of training and, having moved here, mostly left the issuing of direct orders to Lokan.

Of course, he still had duties as the head of a nation, but compared to his time in the Imperial Palace, it felt like heaven.

-Honestly, at this point, being an Emperor doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

“Not a chance.”

At Surth’s subtle suggestion, Kariel shook his head vigorously, as if saying it was nonsense.

Truthfully, if things continued like this, being an Emperor could be bearable.

Yet the moment the war ended, while peace might arrive for others, for Kariel, a hellish life would begin.

“I’ll need to hand the throne over to my younger sibling the instant the war is over.”

-Oh, really?

“If I hide out in the Eastern Continent, they’ll automatically inherit the throne.”

Surth chuckled at Kariel’s words, expressing skepticism.

-Wouldn’t they try to conquer the entire Eastern Continent?

“The ministers are not such reckless people.”

Would Kariel initiate a conquest war?

Given the ministers’ tendencies, that seemed implausible.

They always aimed for the most stable decisions, which often led to Kariel’s frustration.

-Well… who knows, really?

Surth smiled meaningfully as he spoke.

Kariel felt something uncomfortable looking at him, but he shook off the feeling and focused on the Hell Gate.

As Kariel continued to concentrate on the Hell Gate, the number of Maw beings emerging gradually lessened. Thanks to that, the main forces of the Empire finally began to move to eliminate the fleeing Demons.

“Your Majesty, all preparations are complete.”

At Lokan’s report, Kariel nodded slightly.

“We must complete our mission before the Demon King arrives.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

“And until the Grand Master is born, we must not engage with the Demon King recklessly.”

At Kariel’s warning, Lokan nodded deeply, as if to remind himself.

Currently, the candidates for Grand Master were Glen and Marquis Sicario.

Once either of them became the Grand Master, things would become much easier, but until then, the Empire was at a distinct disadvantage.

“Proceed, assuming the Demon King comes with his full strength.”

With that, Kariel nodded with a trusting expression and handed the prepared orders to Lokan.

Lokan bowed his head, carefully putting away the orders before retreating.

*

Shortly after, having formally received the orders, Lokan led the main forces and advanced toward the northern part of the Eastern Continent, while Kariel and the Great Hell War special forces quickly reorganized their units.

A force composed entirely of top-tier strength moved together synchronously with the moment Kariel was set to completely close the Hell Gate.

“The Hell Gate is closing!”

Days after Kariel’s special forces departed, news came that the Hell Gate had shut, and the anxious Allied forces finally revealed a look of relief.

However, that was short-lived as reports surfaced that most of Ignit’s main forces had left to annihilate the Demons, causing uproar within the Empire.

It was difficult for them to manage the armies of Roman and Sandria alone.

And their discontent soon turned into reality.

“The great army of Sandria has appeared!”

“It’s the army of Roman!”

A great force appeared near the northeast.

But what was more serious was that an even greater number of Hellish monsters were rushing in behind them.

A towering gray pillar shooting high into the sky accompanied them.

“Is that the Hell Gate we’ve heard rumors about?”

One of the commanders of the Allied Forces stared blankly at the gray pillar.

“Commander! What should we do?”

“First, report to headquarters that the Hell Gate has opened.”

“Yes!”

The aide rushed to obey the command.

They hoped for the main force of the Allied Forces to gather here right away, but the situation was not that fortunate.

The region where the gray pillar emerged was not limited to just one area.

The gray pillars continued to appear at intervals of several days.

And there, without exception, the Army of Hell was appearing.

The growing numbers of the Army of Hell charged frenziedly toward the Allied Forces. Thus, the Allied Forces, unable to concentrate their strength in one place, had no choice but to endure the challenging fight.

At this rate, the entire front line of the Allied Forces was on the verge of collapse.

Just then, the imperial army that should have been in the northeastern area appeared in the most dangerous battlefield.

Boom!

As the Empire’s air fleet emerged, a massive Fire Priest was summoned.

And soon, it began to incinerate the Maw legion that looked poised to capture the fortress.

The Fire Priests of the Empire displayed overwhelming superiority, causing the army of Hell, which generally didn’t fall easily to ordinary attacks, to collapse in droves.

And in their midst, the Emperor of Ignit created waves of fire, showcasing overwhelming majesty.

“Truly a Apostle of God, huh?”

The Roman Emperor chuckled, having heard of Kariel’s exploits through the crows of Hell.

As expected, the Emperor of Ignit had appeared to close the Hell Gates.

He wouldn’t seek out Roman until he closed all the numerous Hell Gates in the desert.

During that time, he would achieve the grand plan he so deeply desired.

“Mother…”

For his mother and kin suffering trapped in Nostrand, the grand plan had to be completed.