NOVEL NEXT Chapter 172
Chapter 64: The Final War!
The Demon King began his solitary ascent of the Giant Mountain Range.
At the same time, the Demon King’s Army gathered around Asgard.
The Allied Forces quickly mobilized as well, heading north.
The armies of Roman and Sandria in the east swiftly moved westward to confront the Demon King’s forces.
On the other hand, Ignit was silent.
“It seems the Demon King is acting alone under the current circumstances,” Tarion reported, and Kariel looked stunned.
“How arrogant.”
“That’s a strength worth having.”
Kariel nodded at Tarion’s words. If the Demon King could unleash all his power like in the Demon Realm, his current arrogance would be completely understandable.
An existence presumed to have reached the peak of Grand Master.
Not at the end of being a Master, but at the very peak of a Grand Master.
Military experts were already evaluating him as potentially stronger than Sigurd, the hero who slayed dragons in the Mythical Era.
That’s why he was moving alone to erase the remnants of the past.
“What is the current strength of the Demon King’s army?”
“11 Demon Legion Commanders. In addition, it’s estimated there are a couple more Master-class Mages, including Dark Mages.”
Tarion reported based on the information gathered so far in response to Kariel’s question.
Having heard all the information, Kariel turned to Lokan.
“So, what’s the strategy?”
“The most certain method is to concentrate all of humanity’s forces against the Demon King’s army.”
“What about measures against the Demon King?”
The Demon King’s army, being at its main strength, was undeniably crucial.
But even more concerning was the Demon King himself.
What if the Demon King grew even stronger during the confrontation with the gods?
That would spell disaster.
The existing Masters had certainly grown stronger by defeating the remnants of the past.
Although weaker than an existence at the peak of Grand Master, if the stagnant Demon King were presented with a chance for enlightenment, it had to be prevented.
“The most certain thing is to follow the Demon King.”
“Follow, you say…”
“While forming a force to confront the Demon King, we would strike while he is engaged with the gods in Asgard.”
“Strike from behind.”
Kariel’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, sporting a sly smile.
On the other hand, the expressions of Tarion and the other nobles soured.
They already knew what he was going to say next.
“Now, let me ask. Who is capable of confronting the Demon King at this moment?”
Lokan Versailles couldn’t respond right away to Kariel’s question.
“Answer.”
Seeing Kariel urging him to respond, Lokan sighed heavily and reluctantly opened his mouth.
“First, there’s Grand Master Glen.”
“And?”
“There’s Marquis Sicario, who is close to being a Grand Master.”
“Anything else?”
Lokan struggled to provide an easy answer to Kariel’s inquiry. After all, it was already too late to be bringing up other Masters.
When not utilizing even half their power, Masters served simply to buy time.
But now that was no longer an option.
Faced with a Demon King presumed to have restored all his strength, employing the same tactics as before would be difficult.
If more than ten Masters could synergize, it might be possible, but then defeating the Demon King’s army would become a daunting task.
“Is that all?”
“… Yes, there is.”
“Then spill it.”
Sighing quietly, Lokan once again opened his mouth.
“It’s Your Majesty.”
Kariel, who had defeated Hell, possessed a special ability, and while one could argue whether he’s Grand Master-level or not, his power undoubtedly surpassed that of a Master.
Thus, there was no choice but to consider him a valid force against the Demon King.
The problem was…
“Your Majesty!”
“Confronting the Demon King is way too dangerous!”
While watching the vehemently opposing nobles, Kariel chuckled.
“Isn’t it a bit ridiculous to oppose now? You should have protested before I defeated Hell.”
“However, isn’t the situation different from then?”
Tarion stepped in at Kariel’s remark. Always concerned for Kariel’s safety, he drew the attention of all the nobles.
With everyone supporting him, Tarion began to speak.
“The Demon King does not utilize the powers of Hell.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
Indeed, the Demon King couldn’t easily gain an advantage like Hell had by using the properties of power.
But now, that hardly mattered.
“Well, I do feel disappointed about that part. But doesn’t it mean we can overcome that kind of power dynamic?”
At Kariel’s questioning, Tarion grimaced.
The same went for Achelio.
Upon their reactions, the other nobles and officials tilted their heads in confusion.
Observing the two, who had closed their mouths like shells, the Chancellor quickly asked.
“Have you… perhaps clashed with His Majesty?”
At the Chancellor’s question, everyone turned to Tarion with a curious expression.
With a sigh, Tarion opened his mouth to answer softly.
“… Yes.”
“Wait, are you saying… with His Majesty?”
“He won.”
Achelio calmly answered and briefly explained what happened back then.
After defeating Hell, Kariel had absorbed some of her power, making him even stronger.
To persuade Tarion, who was worried about dealing with the remnants of the past, he had battled two Masters, and the conclusion was…
“Your Majesty won perfectly. Later on, he managed to win without summoning Surth or Skoll.”
Kariel, having become accustomed to dueling against Tarion and Achelio, performed amazingly by summoning only Agni.
While the fear of Agni loomed, Kariel’s flame manipulation abilities had already surpassed those of a Mage.
Having vanquished the wicked remnants that had fallen from Hell and halted countless wraiths had enabled Kariel to experience unfathomable growth in a short time.
“Now! It seems we have sufficient proof, so let’s devise a new strategy!”
With that, Kariel flashed a bright smile.
“We’ll center our plan around me, Glen, and Marquis Sicario advancing towards Asgard.”
“… Understood.”
“Then for now, let Prince Rufiel handle administration, Seriel will manage the rear troops and supplies, and Commander Lokan will oversee the overall battlefield management.”
Once again offloading his responsibilities, Kariel smiled contentedly.
The expressions of the nobles soured even more upon witnessing this.
But they could not oppose him.
Every justification laid in Kariel’s favor, leaving them with no choice but to comply.
“Then, let’s mobilize.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
At Kariel’s orders, everyone quickly sprang into action.
While the Southern Allied Forces and the combined forces of Roman and Sandria were on the move, the vast army of Ignit readied for action.
The great army stationed in the Frigid Canyon began its advance southwards, while the forces at the Giant’s Fortress also started mobilizing.
“Finally, Ignit is on the move!”
The crowd, waiting for Ignit to act, cheered as the movements were relayed by the knights.
Simultaneously, there was sadness.
Because the final war was truly upon them.
As the Grand War for the survival of humanity commenced, everyone sought the divine.
“Please grant hope to humanity…”
“I sincerely hope for victory in this war…”
Some prayed for their fathers, and others hoped their children would return alive.
Across the West Continent and East Continent alike, everyone prayed for victory in the war as their fervent hopes followed the army to confront the Demon King’s forces.
– This is a power we can no longer ignore.
The fox-woman sighed.
Not long ago, humanity’s might hardly posed a threat to the Demon Realm.
While the number of Masters on both the West and East Continents could roughly match, the basic discrepancy in physical power was too significant.
However, humanity compensated for that power disparity with their weaponry.
The monumental proof of that was the countless airships filling the sky.
With immense advancements, the airships had evolved, creating massive airborne carriers.
Not only was there terrifying air power, but also artillery and armored units swarming the ground below.
Each of them was a formidable force.
– Let’s endure.
At her words, the demons grimaced, clearly offended.
Yet, as the sharpest among them, she had already acknowledged the gap in power between the demons and humanity.
“Commander Lokan Versailles of Ignit!”
“Commander Asheltar of the Allied Forces!”
Humanity’s army was led by those two commanding generals.
As expected, the most formidable force, Ignit, was commanded by Lokan Versailles.
Surprisingly, though, was the Allied Forces.
In addition to the forces of Roman and Sandria, they handed command to Asheltar for the Southern Allied Forces.
That he was freed from prison was shocking enough, but everyone was astonished once he took command; however, the current situation allowed them to swiftly come to terms with such astonishment.
Was it a problem when this could be the Final War?
Even Ivan, who had been imprisoned and never joined Ignit to the end, raised his weapon for this war.
And it wasn’t just him.
Gathering the criminals locked in every country, he formed a unit.
The condition was that if they performed remarkably in the Final War, all their sins would be forgiven, urging the criminals to take up arms with their lives on the line.
A few people objected to the decision to forgive some heinous criminals, but the last stand of humanity drowned out all those voices.
“Utilize every available resource.”
When Kariel’s orders came down, what good were the small dissenting voices?
Thus, all of the continent’s strength converged upon the Giant Mountain Range, prompting Kariel, who was watching from the skies, to express his brief thoughts.
“Is this humanity’s peace?”
United against the formidable enemy known as the Demon King’s Army, humanity now showed a unity never before witnessed.
Kariel chuckled at the unprecedented sight.
– Perhaps having a formidable enemy emerging isn’t a bad thing after all.
“Well… even so, once the enemy disappears, I’m sure we’ll divide again.”
Upon Kariel’s words, Surth let out a small laugh.
In moments of crisis, unity emerges, but humans are ultimately creatures of forgetfulness.
Once the looming threat is gone, they are creatures capable of betrayal at any moment.
– Still, shouldn’t things remain stable while you reign as Emperor?
“Let them divide. I’ll be retiring.”
Having said that, Kariel sighed and issued his order.
“Let’s start.”
“Yes!”
With Kariel’s command, the assault on the Demon King’s army commenced.
The battlefront began when the beams from the Magic Cannons struck the Demon King’s barriers first.
“Break the barriers!”
With Lokan’s orders, everyone focused on shattering the barrier.
There was a reason for their intense concentration on this task.
“Create space for His Majesty to move!”
With Lokan’s shout, everyone funneled all their life force into making even the smallest hole in the barrier.
The key to this operation.
It was all about creating a path to send forces to confront the Demon King in Asgard.
“Your Majesty, it’s ready.”
“Go.”
Nodding at Tarion’s words, Kariel headed toward the small craft alongside Glen and Marquis Sicario.
There was no need for an airship to reach Asgard.
A small craft packed to the brim with magical engineering would suffice.
Vroooom!
The mechanical noise erupted, and the mana began swirling fiercely.
An enormous machine, lavishly crafted at a great cost yet still somewhat lacking in technology, began preparing to rise into the sky.
And just as a section of the barrier, painstakingly crafted by the demons, broke, a beam of light fired from the airborne carrier towards Asgard.
– Block it!
At the fox-woman’s command, the demons scrambled upward.
However, to prevent them from succeeding, the airships advanced, bracing themselves to withstand the attacks.
“Is the first fight our victory?”
Muttering that, Lokan let out a soft sigh.
The most crucial goal had been achieved.
Now, it was merely about bringing that wretched Demon King’s army to justice.
Though a strategic victory had been secured, the grand war had just begun.
“Let’s see what we can do.”
Thus muttered Lokan Versailles as he issued commands to the grand army.
In step with him, Asheltar also led the Allied Forces into the heat of battle against the Demon King’s army.