The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes for Retirement

62. The Demon King’s Army

Eventually, the event that Kariel had been so worried about occurred.

The Demon King, who had gone to Hell and returned to the Demon Realm, finally set foot back on the Continent.

To stop this, Ignit’s main forces chased after him all the way to the Snowfield, but ultimately, they failed.

“Damn it.”

“The fact that we couldn’t take care of the Dark Mages was a huge blow.”

As the Sun Blade spoke, Duke Pires analyzed the situation coldly.

The Dark Mages, renowned for establishing secret bases on the West Continent, managed to create the same in the Snowfield, evading the pursuit of Ignit’s main forces.

More than anything, the Demon Army, which had been torn apart in many directions, harassed Ignit’s main forces from all sides.

They delayed the chase, sacrificing one Demon Legion Commander and two Master Class Demons, giving the rest of the Demon Army enough time to escape completely.

Consequently, due to the extreme cold of the Snowfield and the lack of food and supplies, they were unable to maintain a prolonged pursuit, returning instead to regroup just as the Demon King descended.

“Well, we did manage to kill one Demon Legion Commander and two Master Class Demons.”

“Does that even matter? We can just bring back another Demon Legion Commander from the Demon Realm.”

At Duke Cletta’s words, Duke Pires let out a sigh.

Hearing their conversation, the Pope, who had been silently listening, lowered his head heavily. As he noted, losing a Demon Legion Commander and two Master Class Demons was not an issue for the Demon Army.

There were plenty of Demon Legion Commanders in the Demon Realm. Above all, recovering the Demon King’s strength was what mattered most.

“Urgent report! A considerable number of the Demon King’s army have appeared in the Snowfield!”

“What’s the scale?”

“It’s said to be comparable to the main forces of the past.”

Upon hearing the subordinate’s report, Duke Cletta gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.

Just a few months ago, they had suffered near-total annihilation. And yet, the enemy was showing up again with a force of that scale.

“What direction are they heading?”

“They’re heading towards Frigid Canyon. It’s reported that the main forces of the Empire are already moving in that direction.”

“Then we’ll head that way too.”

At the officer’s report, the Masters quickly rose, rushing outside the barracks to mobilize their troops.

Just then, another officer rushed in, looking panicked.

“Big trouble! A Holy Knight Order that went out for reconnaissance has been completely wiped out!”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

As the Sun Blade turned pale and tried to inquire further, an overwhelming force suddenly bore down on them.

“Ugh!”

“We have to run!”

“What the hell…?”

Duke Pires spoke urgently, trying to convey the message, but the Sun Blade looked as if he wanted to scream in disbelief.

“Have you forgotten the King’s warning?”

At Duke Pires’ words, the expression of the Sun Blade turned grave.

The oppressive aura pressing down on them was of a kind that couldn’t be produced by a Master Class being.

What was even more terrifying was the fact that this power originated from the mountains far behind.

Truly an unthinkable domain of force.

“Still, to retreat without even putting up a fight…”

At the Sun Blade’s words, the Pope shook his head.

Deep down, he too wished to fight. However, the figure behind the mountains, presumed to be the Demon King flaunting his power, would surely wish for that.

In the end, the Ignit main forces decided to retreat swiftly to the south.

-How pathetic.

Seeing the humans decide to retreat openly despite the provocation, the Demon King clicked his tongue.

He had come over the mountains, single-handedly decimating the Empire’s search and knight orders, and now watched the remnants of their human camp scurry away.

At a level slightly stronger than when he had been able to use 10% of his power in the past.

He intended to tempt them with exactly that level.

Even though he had opened just enough power to suggest that humans might be able to win, they fled in disarray.

Whether this was mere fear or if there was something left behind was beyond his current knowledge.

-I hope it’s the latter.

With that thought, the Demon King smiled softly and began to stride southward.

Perhaps it was thanks to focusing on recovering his power in the Demon Realm?

With over 40% of his strength restored, he felt he could weather whatever might come. That made him even more excited.

-What final struggle will he show?

Now that he had set foot back on the Continent, the extinction of humanity felt inevitable.

All that remained was to battle the ‘gods’ who had recovered their past powers in Hell and fight here.

-I too shall rise to the divine rank from this place.

So declared the Demon King as he moved leisurely.

Finally, he spotted a human fortress on the empty land, barren to the point of boredom.

But that was it; there were no humans, not a single living creature in sight.

Disappointed, the Demon King erased the fortress in its entirety with sheer force.

Kuuuuuu!

-I wonder what they have prepared, but I hope it’s not boring.

In a rage stirred by boredom, the Demon King annihilated the empty fortresses, issuing a warning to humanity as he marched southward.

The morale of the Ignit army swiftly declined upon witnessing this.

Fortresses within the former territory of Roman began to vanish one by one without a trace.

Struggling to follow Kariel’s orders, Ignit had no hesitation in ceding the hard-won Roman fortresses.

The northern fortress, Wild – the logistic hub, and even the two massive fortresses, Balon, were quickly abandoned.

In fact, the Pope and the Masters had considered putting up a fight at Balon.

They intended to at least restrain the Demon King’s advance using the numerous weapons installed there.

However, Lokan Versailles flatly rejected their plea.

“The ‘Demon King’ will soon arrive at Giant’s Fortress.”

At the report from his subordinate, Lokan nodded slightly, letting out a sigh.

While he had ordered them not to confront the Demon King, he also needed to delay the Demon King’s southward march as much as possible.

Thus, they opted for aerial bombardment.

They engaged in a large-scale bombing of the area once the Demon King entered Wild to buy time.

But they only succeeded the first time.

That had merely been a moment of amusement for him; during the second bombardment, all airships used fell without mercy.

The same went for Balon.

Even with explosives to demolish the entire fortress and casting large-scale magic, the Demon King emerged unscathed.

Truly, a monstrous presence.

“He approaches!”

Awakened from his reverie by the cries of the officers, Lokan gave orders to all commanders.

“From now on, we will execute the plan to thwart the Demon King.”

At Lokan’s command, all troops moved in unison. The massive Magic Cannons within the fortress aimed towards the Demon King, as an immense number of airships took to the skies.

Small craft from the airships were also loaded with Mages, ready to attack at any moment.

Seeing this, the Demon King, who had been walking with a bored expression, finally wore a smile.

-Ho… could this be different?

It seemed they were trying to engage him in a proper battle, rather than simple traps or bombardments, unlike the previous fortresses.

To prove that, beams of energy from the Magic Cannons struck directly at the Demon King, at a level completely different from before. Following that, countless bombs rained down from the sky.

Simultaneously, magical bombs targeting solely the Demon King dropped from thousands of small craft soaring in the air.

Kwahhhhh!

An astounding explosion! Yet within the wake of that drastic noise, the expressions of the soldiers who had dared to hope turned into despair.

At that moment, a massive spear of light descended from the sky.

-Kwahahahaha! This is it!

Even as the Pope’s magic erupted, the Demon King laughed giddily, shattering the colossal spear completely.

The Masters, all the while, charged towards him earnestly.

The first to rush was the Sun Blade. His sword of light swung heavily, followed closely by the blades of Duke Pires and Duke Cletta.

-Yes! This is it! This is what I wanted!

As the Demon King shouted, he emitted powerful energy while facing off against the four Masters.

However, the difference in power was too stark.

Despite four Masters all converging to combat him, they were utterly unable to compete.

“Cough!”

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Duke Cletta, whose chest had been pierced by the Demon King’s arm, bled profusely as he slumped to the ground.

Seeing this, Duke Pires charged in with fury, but as if he had merely been playing for amusement until now, the Demon King effortlessly sent him flying away.

“Uaaaaah!”

Watching the state of half-crushed Duke Pires, the Sun Blade infused all his holy power.

Channeling the wrath of heaven, a massive white holy sword shot towards the Demon King, but it couldn’t touch him.

Kuooooooooong!

-I’m getting bored. Is that all?

The Demon King said as he scanned his surroundings.

-Where is that genius?

Recalling the one who had inflicted significant damage upon him, the Demon King extended his perception.

-There you are!

As he spoke, the Demon King gazed beyond the massive fortress.

Beyond Giant’s Canyon, just as the Demon King was about to take action against the Sun Blade, the Pope unleashed his maximum spell, a white thunderbolt, immobilizing his feet and sending the Sun Blade flying back.

In that moment, the half-crushed Duke Pires found the last of his strength and lunged at the Demon King with his sword.

-Get lost!

Annoyed at the Pope and Duke Pires for interrupting him, the Demon King unleashed his power for the first time.

As an overwhelming wave of energy erupted around him, it turned Duke Pires into mere flesh and gripped the Pope’s throat.

“Grrr…”

“Your Highness!”

As the Pope heard his name being called from afar by the Sun Blade, he flashed a smile, silently asking for care of his territory.

At that instant, his throat was instantly severed, transforming him into a lifeless body.

-For now, I’ll play with that guy until the gods arrive!

The Demon King said, showing no more interest in the fortress, aiming to obliterate Giant’s Fortress with full force.

Just then, a storm of magic descended, binding the Demon King’s feet once more.

At that moment, as if waiting for it, the Sun Blade charged forth.

“Calm down.”

Kuung!

A woman, dismissing the Demon King’s assault with ease, calmed the Sun Blade.

Shardonah, who was meant to protect Giant’s Fortress, managed to hold back the Sun Blade, while the magic from Duke Welch soaring above rained down upon the Demon King.

“Hold fast.”

“Is it worth it?”

To Shardonah’s question, the Sun Blade replied that there was no hope.

“He has awakened.”

At her words, the Sun Blade’s eyes widened.

Just then, in a fit of rage, the Demon King unleashed his power again, yet this time, the Sun Blade remained unperturbed.

He simply focused on delaying time, managing to bind the Demon King’s movements along with the other forces of the fortress.

Seeing that even playing around was becoming tiresome, the Demon King unleashed his power fiercely.

-Damned humans, vanish all at once.

The enormous black sphere he had shown in the north before hurtled towards Giant’s Fortress, causing the space to ripple as it split the Demon King’s black sphere in two.

Kugugugung!

-Who are you!

At the sight of the man who had separated his power, the Demon King’s eyes widened in shock, letting out a howl of delight.

-Yes! Yes! You’ve crossed the threshold!

The Demon King erupted into laughter, enjoying the moment as he further unleashed his strength.