143 – Downfall (7)
“The preparation is perfect. We will be defeated, and they will charge into the capital knowing nothing.”
Lucifer murmured while observing their movements. The planned defeat did not feel good to him either, but if he could see victory at the end, he would accept this humiliation.
For security reasons, the details of the operation were not revealed to the soldiers, but in this situation, there was no means to turn the tide of battle at once as this operation.
Only a few commanders shared the details of the operation with him. All of them were demons who would kill themselves immediately upon defeat if he commanded them, and were more eager to win than anyone else.
“I wonder how they will attack this castle. We can’t open it.”
In response to the commander’s question, Lucifer raised a finger and said,
“Perhaps, after breaking down the wall with the strength of a warrior, they will forcefully charge? That’s the most likely operation. If the hero draws out his strength, he will be able to easily break down a wall like this.”
The commander fixed his gaze on the wall visible through the gap in the barracks tent. Reinforced with wooden fences and stacked with stones, it created a spectacular view as if a thousand-mile cliff had been hand-crafted. Hearing that even that wall was useless in front of the might of a hero, the commander felt bad.
“What a terrifying talent. To be able to unleash power only with human power that would have been possible only by bringing Commander Greta or some demon beasts with him.”
“But you must be human. In the end, strength and intelligence are things that are lacking compared to us. When that wall comes down, they’ll come running like worms, and when we’re pushed back, they’ll charge into the castle. The moment their main force enters the castle, everything will be over.”
“It is a pity that there are limited places to write. If possible, it would be better to draw camp here and offer sacrifices here.”
They bring their main force to the capital, activate the magic circle in the capital again, and sacrifice all of them. Then, using the sacrificed human energy, he calls in reinforcements and annihilates the human kingdom.
This operation was flawless, but it had many limitations. If it was a magic that could be over-exploited, the demon troops would have occupied the village and instead of turning people into magic stones or killing them, they would have sacrificed all of them as a sacrifice to summon the demons and increased their troops.
“Don’t be so sorry. There’s no way they’ll notice this operation.”
“I heard that there is a former Imperial Knight in the Kingdom Army, but he might know something, right?”
“Actually, when I proposed this operation, the hateful bastard objected.”
Lucifer thought of the silver-haired guy. He strongly opposed the operation, saying that the enemy might find out about the operation. The reason why his opinion was ignored was because, in the end, he couldn’t come up with any alternative other than this operation.
“After this operation succeeds, his face will be worth seeing.”
“What are you going to do with Kiberes?”
Lucifer’s face stiffened. Just hearing the name Kiberes made him feel like his blood was gushing backwards. The crazy woman who betrayed the Demon King’s army and drove the Demon King’s army to this point. The woman who tarnished the family’s name and made him live day by day in a blood-drying mood.
She was no longer his daughter. He was just a dirty traitor who turned his back on his family and turned his back on the demon king.
“I will make sure to live to see the destruction of the kingdom. It will clearly show what kind of tragedy a wrong choice can bring.”
The mood of the commanders became solemn. Some of the commanders gave a resentful look to the guy who threw the question without notice, but the person who asked the question held his head up proudly and nodded at Lucifer’s words.
Lucifer noticed the gloomy atmosphere and asked the commander.
“So, how is the current military deployment going?”
“First of all, we plan to disperse our forces little by little while putting all our efforts into defense. To this end, Commander Carol and I are going to go to the rear from the start of the defensive operation and evacuate the soldiers. The troops siphoned off like this will be stationed in different frontier areas to avoid being caught by them.”
“Yes, if everything goes according to plan, it will be very good.”
“Anyway, I’m worried if they’ll be able to break through this castle properly. It’s no problem for us to die and break through the castle, but they might not be able to break through this castle, right?”
At the commander’s remarks, Lucifer smiled and nodded.
“I’d rather do that. They’re idiots who can’t penetrate castles properly, so they’re being annihilated here. We may not be able to summon, but we will be able to establish the prestige of the Demon King. If the main force is wiped out, they won’t be able to fight back any longer.”
“I’d rather do that.”
Pulling back the cloth of the barracks, a soldier came running in a hurry. The commanders and Lucifer, who were having a conversation, hardened their faces and looked at the soldiers. He had a cold sweat on his face and was gasping for breath. Even if he didn’t open his mouth, the commanders could see what was happening in front of the castle.
Lucifer felt his heart race.
“Looks like they’re coming.”
******
Even when Lucifer climbed the castle tower, he could not control his beating heart. It was because the army of enemies was filling the field tightly. If all of those uncountable soldiers became sacrifices for the demon king’s army, victory in this battle was a matter of course.
Lucifer forcibly pulled down the corners of his mouth from rising and tried to make a solemn expression. And, I opened my eyes to see how they would attack.
“Now, how are you going to attack? Are you going to use siege engines? Or will you break down the wall with the might of a warrior?”
The enemy commanders were also gathering. They were face-to-face with each other, having strategic conversations or nodding solemnly. Some commanders blinked in surprise at the message and asked back.
And at the head of the unit was a warrior with flowing blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.
The warrior stood with his sword drawn. Lucifer held onto the castle tightly and looked down so that he could prepare for its surprise attack at any time. Straw beds were laid under the walls to prepare for any possible sniping by the warriors.
I couldn’t help but die being caught fighting, but I didn’t want to die in vain in a surprise attack.
Lucifer muttered nervously.
“yes. What are you going to do? What are you trying to do with us? How are you going to attack?”
Seeing the hero stand in the forefront, their strategy seemed clear. An ignorant strategy in which the hero breaks down the wall and other troops join the gap. The commanders had already anticipated the operation and were pulling their troops forward, and Lucifer opened his mouth with a resolute attitude while standing close to the castle.
“This castle is the last bastion… … .”
At that time, the warrior’s sword shone. A golden sword flashed and the hero raised his arm. The moment the hero’s sword swung at Lucifer with all his might, Lucifer stopped talking and jumped down the castle.
“Whoops!”
Lucifer screamed involuntarily and buried his face in the straw. However, nothing followed. The walls did not collapse, and no ruptures were heard. Looking up, he was still surrounded by strong walls, and soldiers were looking down at him with blank expressions.
The commander, who was standing in a hesitant posture as if he was about to jump down, was also blinking and rolling his eyes here and there.
“hahahaha!”
“A guy named Lucifer is the coward of the world hahahahaha!”
“hahahahaha!”
And laughter spread in the kingdom army. Lucifer’s face turned red. They’re drugging themselves up to become them. He jumped out of the straw and shouted at the soldiers.
“This is a deception! It’s a ploy to catch them off guard!”
Lucifer knew that it seemed uglier to say that, but he had no choice but to say something to calm his excitement. He took a deep breath and forcibly calmed down his anger, still gnashing his teeth as he glared at the laughing kingdom troops without any intention of attacking.
“Are you trying to drag us out?”
“I do not know. But was it really a deception?”
Instead of answering, Lucifer slapped the commander next to him in the back of the head. The commander, who slammed his face against the wall due to the recoil, covered his nose and took a backward step before falling onto the straw. Lucifer gnashed his teeth without looking back at the commander.
“To attack… ! I mean come quickly… !”
It felt like my heart was pounding.
I heard a thump at a faster rate than usual, and it seemed like the world was shaking. They were sneakily holding back the soldier, and Lucifer looked around.
thud
thud
thud
All the soldiers were looking at each other with the same expression.
It wasn’t the sound of a beating heart.
It was the sound of something collapsing deeper than that.
“What, what?”
The ground was shaking. When Lucifer turned his head, he could see the middle of the fortress sinking and the soldiers being sucked in. As if the fort had become a living creature, it was sinking in, sucking up the surrounding soil.
“What is this… ! What the hell is this!”
This change didn’t just happen in the middle of the fort. The solidly built foundation was crumbling like a sandcastle swept away by a torrent. The wall was broken on both sides and the ground sank in. Soldiers leaning against the wall fell and were buried in a pile of collapsing soil. Lucifer, clinging to the castle, only opened his eyes wide and screamed.
“how! How the hell did this happen!”
The hero blew a whistle as he watched the castle collapse.
The porter next to him said with a subtle expression.
“This feels so strange.”
“Think good. You’re burying those who polluted the empire’s land.”
At Lena’s words, the porter raised his thumb and nodded.
“I feel better.”
