“Lumen!”

Lumen was jolted out of his reverie by a thunderous call. Cadel, who had now approached, was staring at him with a serious expression in his eyes. He grabbed Lumen by the shoulders and said.

“Don’t be scared. Remember, it’s them, not us, who should be scared.”

Cadel’s confidence was like a speech to the Knight Order, always inspiring blind devotion. A clear gaze and a straight, fearless demeanor. Lumen nodded heavily at the sight of the same old leader. Cadel, his blue eyes searching with determination, pushed past him and stepped forward.

‘Ashvka.’

Indeed, his imposing presence was enough to intimidate even the calm Lumen at first. His massive body, which blocked out even the light of the sky, did not seem to be something that could be defeated by human power.

It was an impregnable castle, and within it dwelt an infinite number of vile creatures that drank the blood and energy of humans.

Cadel’s expression was unchanged from his usual one as if the prospect of such a grueling battle would wear him down. Whatever Ashvka’s size, this was not his first enemy.

‘How can that be a cutie? I want to pick up everybody who’s ever called him cute and throw them in front of him.’

In real life, Ashvka was jaw-droppingly huge, but his oversized size was not possible in the game. They made him about one and a half times larger than the other demons, with a squishy slimey body. His sluggish movements and rounded, teddy bear-like body had some eccentric players calling him a cutie.

A bubbling, boiling, blackened hide. Yellow eyes that stared at the gate without blinking. Insects covering his mountainous body. He was far from cute, no matter how one looked at him.

‘That big guy is ignoring perspective, so the actual distance between Ashvka and the gateway is quite far. Where is the summoning circle? It’s difficult to check with the naked eye……. Could it be under Ashvka? If Ashvka was summoned, there is a high possibility.’

If that was the case, then Ashvka would have to be taken out first, no questions asked. Cadel, tongue firmly in cheek, began to organize the chaos in the gateway.

“Garuel, I need you to heal the survivors.”

“It is in progress.”

“As for the rest, stop the bloodsuckers from getting past the gate!”

Rumor had it that the black magician of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order was an excellent healer, so the wounded did not stir even as the demonic energy enveloped in the dark mana infiltrated them. So while Garuel tended to the wounded with ease, Cadel placed the ‘scale armor’ over the entrance to the gateway and over the bodies of his subordinates.

‘I would like to give it to the rest of the knights as much as possible, but the Scarlet Dragon’s power also needs a recovery period.’

Scales sprang up sharply around the gate, and the knights defending the entrance flinched. Cadel strode toward them, holding back the onrushing bloodsuckers with fireballs.

“How many magicians are alive and where are they?”

“Knight Commander Cadel……! The, the magicians were all wiped out.”

“……Pardon?”

“As soon as the demon came out of the summoning circle, they were attacked with a barrage of attacks……. The demon has a lot of intelligence. He destroyed everything, even our side [Ullo], so we can’t even call for backup.”

Cadel already knew about Ashvka’s intelligence. He was the first to quarantine the magicians, even with only one of his arms missing, but it was unexpected to find them all dead.

‘So that means we have to dismiss the summoning circle purely with our mana. I was going to focus on defeating Ashvka, but…….’

He was not a foe to be trifled with when his power was spread out. Cadel shook off the relentless bloodsuckers and tossed the [Ullo] he had brought with him to one of the knights.

“Tell them to provide as much support to the magicians as they can. That demon’s name is Ashvka, and if you tell them his name, they’ll scrape together any available magicians. For now, let’s clear a path for the Scarlet Scales Knight Order to the summoning circle. The summoning circle is below Ashvka, correct?”

“No, it’s in the back. And Knight Commander Cadel. Ashvka is not the only demon. There’s another one in the summoning circle behind you.”

“There’s one more?”

It was not uncommon for multiple High Demons to appear together in a Demon War quest, but Ashvka’s case was different: He appeared alone. Since his skills were fraudulent, it made sense for balance to have him appear by himself. So Cadel assumed the reality would be the same.

Ashvka’s bloodsuckers were the only ones still visible. He didn’t detect any attacks from other demons, so maybe the knight was just mistaking some unusual demonic monsters for demons.

“Did you see wings on the other enemy?”

“The wings are……. I didn’t get to see it up close, because all the knights near the summoning circle were already dead.”

The knight added urgently, gritting his teeth as if swallowing down the fear of the time.

“But Ashvka wasn’t the only enemy that came along for the ride, that’s for sure!”

“……I’ll keep this in mind.”

It was likely an illusion. At least not a High Demon. Even Sol and Berry, who he had faced earlier in the war, had the same combination, albeit in a different order of appearance. The same was true of the demons he saw in Rania. The Demon War wasn’t the only quest that didn’t increase the number of enemies he had to face.

Cadel glanced beyond the dense mass of bloodsuckers to the giant shadow of Ashvka, who continued to spew insects.

‘For now, I can only assume it’s a normal monster because any other High Demon would have smashed the gates while Ashvka was on such a rampage. I’m curious as to why he’s still hiding, but…… I can’t afford to dwell on it.’

He shook off his anxiety and turned back to his subordinates.

“From here on out, we focus on defeating Ashvka. Even if we don’t kill him outright, we need to clear the path to the summoning circle until reinforcements arrive.”

“Most of our attacks won’t work, and judging by the arm we cut off last time, it’s still attached, so I’m guessing he has a lot of regenerative power.”

“Right, so we have two options: run through his lower half to the summoning circle just in time for reinforcements to arrive, or go for the heart, which can’t regenerate, and kill him instantly.”

“Hmm, the latter difficulty aside. It’s more a matter of how long you can hold out for the former.”

Not to mention the danger of bloodsuckers, and if Ashvka summoned energy-sucking insects, the barrier would be less effective. Getting close to Ashvka meant fighting through a mass of insects, drained of blood and energy. It was an unrealistic option, but it was all they had.

They must move forward. If Ashvka’s hold stretched into the interior of the Empire, it would only be a matter of time before the vast expanse of land became a gaping maw.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Van stepped through the heavy atmosphere, his greatsword slung over his shoulder, and locked eyes with Cadel.

“When it comes to the bloodsuckers, I’m confident. If I’m within range, I can keep those nasty bugs out.”

“……Is there enough blood?”

“These guys need to put in some effort.”

Van said, nodding at his comrades behind him. Cadel nodded to Van, who in turn cast a barrier of flame around his scale armor.

* * *

The garrison at the southern gate had [Ullo] turned on even before the Scarlet Scales Knight Order crossed the traveling gate. The first to hear of the urgent situation at the eastern gate, they immediately summoned their magicians. Since Dreyfe’s battalion had no magicians, 40 magicians from Jeriel’s battalion and 15 magicians from Pierre’s battalion were summoned.

“15 is not enough. Didn’t I tell you to send away all the magicians except for the people who will activate the gateway?”

Dreyfe, who had gathered a group of men to cross the traveling gateway with him, spoke up beside Pierre. He, too, was part of the group, but he had faced Ashvka before. He knew better than anyone here that without the protection of the magicians, a proper battle was impossible.

“Sir Jeriel’s battalion has already been stripped of more than half its magicians. If we send all the magicians we can spare, how can we prepare for a possible raid…….”

“If you send them out in bits and pieces, they’ll die. Don’t you think you should know when and where to save your men, Pierre?”

“……Don’t be cocky.”

“Are you really looking down on Ashvka even though you have never experienced it? You seem very confident.”

“I suppose your confidence comes from that precious bloodline? If you’re relying on your birth as Sir Ector’s son to impose yourself on a battalion commander of another Knight Order, you’re not worthy of…….”

“Shut your mouth.”

Dreyfe leaned in close to Pierre’s nose, his eyes glowing menacingly as if he were about to punch him in the face. He snorted and laughed at Dreyfe, who quickly fell for the taunt, but Jerriel, who approached, intervened.

“Now is not the time to get into a brawl.”

“……Good. Obviously your opinion is more accurate than mine, having never dealt with Ashvka.”

True to Dreyfe’s word, all but the minimum number of magicians to operate the traveling gateways had gathered. Pierre would take command of the southern gateway, while Dreyfe would lead the reinforcements with a magician and half the crew.

“Let’s hurry. Magicians, as soon as you cross the traveling gateway, cast a barrier around the entire party! Any delay will result in death, so don’t dawdle unless you want to die!”

Ashvka could not be allowed to overrun the Empire. Sure, the damned magician wouldn’t let the Empire fall, but he wouldn’t let him act alone either.

But Dreyfe’s momentum, full of motivation and nervousness, was short-lived.

The sight of the gateway, with its reverberations of defeat, was shocking enough, but it paled in comparison to what lay beyond: countless insects and dead allies strewn about in a tightly woven web of blood.

“What the hell is that…….”

Dreyfe stared ahead, stunned. There, alone in the darkness, was a crimson moon.

It was not a spark; it did not burn but rather rippled. But it didn’t have the same calmness as a wave. The crimson moon resonated ominously, rolling and resonating like a force with a mind of its own. The ripples reached so far away that they made his body tremble.

Not a single flying insect fluttered around it. Ashvka’s insects were busy scurrying away from the moon’s reach.

It was a marvelous enough scene. Dreyfe swallowed dryly and rolled his eyes slowly. Next to the crimson moon, a figure just as massive. The demon, most likely Ashvka, was leading his massive body toward the crimson moon. Thick fingers reached out to touch it, as if mesmerized, like a moth to a flame.

The blood moon, the only thing shining in the dark background created by Ashvka and the swarms of insects that obscured the sky, and the giant demon reaching out to devour it. The mixture of these two scenes created an eerie chaos, like watching a grotesque painting.

Dreyfe, as well as the reinforcements that arrived behind him, were left speechless by the overwhelming scene. It was a creepy sight that made them forget their original purpose.

“……Prepare the barrier.”

But Dreyfe fought off the fear that threatened to consume him. It wasn’t any strong will or fighting spirit that awakened him, but a simple sense of competition. It was a handful of individuals in front of the crimson moon and Ashvka.

At the center of the group was Cadel. For some reason, Cadel had his eyes on the exact spot where the reinforcements had arrived. His gaze was piercing, as if he were reprimanding his cowering allies.

He might be outclassed by the magician, but he didn’t want to be outclassed by the courage to fight.

“Didn’t you hear me say to prepare the barrier? Wake up! What you see before you is the enemy we must defeat! If you’re afraid, fight with your eyes closed!”

With a harsh, almost self-inflicted cry, the knights began to move, one by one. Dreyfe drew his sword without hesitation, feeling the barrier that was slowly forming along the magicians’ chanting.