Chapter 147
The demon army surged through the portal into the human realm, scattering into three branches. The human realm hastily responded to the sudden invasion, but in the ensuing battles, the Demon Kings displayed their overwhelming strength.
There was a Demon King, wrapped in black armor and oozing black magical power, who crushed the human fortifications. The boundary guards of the Holy Kingdom jabbed him with spears and swords as he limped, but not even a scratch was inflicted on this formidable Demon King.
Boom—!!!
He slammed his fist into the ground, and the shockwave lifted all the humans around him into the sky. His subordinates’ arrows pierced and killed the human soldiers.
The black murderer rose slowly from his place and let out a deep breath through his visor. The Demon King Jepar, who commenced battle in the Holy Kingdom, where the demon coalition first arrived.
Demon King Jepar clenched his fist and spoke to the terrified soldiers.
“If you are warriors, show me your fighting spirit, you lowly ones.”
#
While the battle had already begun in the Holy Kingdom, the Third Army heading toward the Kingdom of Piast was still riding out.
Seere and Nahun were going side by side at the forefront of the army.
‘This situation is truly beyond expectations…’
Who would have predicted that a Rank 46 Demon King would take the lead? Nahun hadn’t expected this at all either.
‘But at least it’s fortunate.’
However, he thought the situation wasn’t the worst. They were heading not to the Holy Kingdom or the Bismarck Empire, but to the Kingdom of Piast.
Ultimately, after collapsing the Kingdom of Piast, orders would be given to attack the Bismarck Empire from the side, but Nahun had no intention of following that plan.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“As we’re riding side by side like this… it feels like we’re a couple, doesn’t it?”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Did I feel that way alone? Isn’t it common for couples to match their horse’s pace and ride together like this…?”
“Oh, how dare I walk alongside my esteemed lord? I’ll move my horse to the back.”
“Huh? That’s not what I meant…!”
When Nahun stepped back slightly, Seere puffed out his cheeks. Nahun chuckled at the cuteness of Seere’s reaction.
Next to the stepped-back Nahun were now Ersha and Lin El Lazine. Lin was serving as Seere’s aide, while Ersha was riding directly behind Nahun as his aide.
“Lin.”
“Yes, Nahun.”
“How long do you think it will take to conquer the Kingdom of Piast?”
“…According to the information you delivered, it should take two days at most.”
Before the celestial war began, Nahun had collected information about the current state of the human world through Dein. The prohibition on entering the human realm had been lifted, and he had sent Dein to gather intel in advance.
“The army of the Kingdom of Piast shouldn’t be that small…”
“It should still be sufficient. If there are no other factors.”
“Other factors…”
If one wasn’t foolish, it was obvious what that implied. Nahun simply said to Lin.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll handle that part myself.”
Lin looked surprised, her eyes widening as she gazed at Nahun. Nahun, seeing her reaction, smiled.
“If you don’t trust me, you could take care of it instead.”
“…No, I do trust you, Nahun, but I was just surprised.”
“After all, the Heavens probably don’t regard this kingdom as particularly important. If any major forces were to emerge, they would likely come from the First or Second Army.”
Nahun said and continued to look ahead.
“So I should be able to deal with it from my side. If things go south, well, I can always retreat.”
“…What?”
“What? A necessary retreat is a fine tactic.”
“Ah, no… I understand that. But aren’t we the vanguard? Where would we retreat to…?”
“We can just run away regardless of being the vanguard or not.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“Then do you plan to be annihilated? I can’t let that happen. This is an army built up by Debata.”
“…….”
When Lin was dumbfounded by Nahun’s words, Ersha lightly chuckled.
“Though Nahun seems to say that, you can probably take care of things from Nahun’s end. So, don’t worry and focus on the conquest of the kingdom, Commander.”
“Hmm…”
Lin nodded as if she understood. Nahun accelerated his horse slightly to draw closer to Seere.
“Seere.”
“…….”
“Seere?”
Seeing Seere still sulking, Nahun spoke simply.
“When you feel better, let’s go get something delicious to eat after the celestial war ends.”
“Going to eat? You mean that…?”
“Yeah. It would be nice to visit a good place again, just like before.”
Seere turned her head away quickly. Then, as if to confirm whether Nahun was serious, she made eye contact with him.
“I don’t lie.”
“…Hmph! Fine, it’s a promise!”
“Great, great. By the way, Seere, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“When angels appear, make sure to retreat if possible. I’ll handle it.”
“…I can handle it too.”
“We agreed to be cautious this time. If you steal the spotlight, we might still find ourselves in the front lines even after conquering the Kingdom of Piast.”
“Uh… that’s true…”
Seere pouted as if feeling disappointed. Seeing that, Nahun spoke simply.
“I’ll let you fight angels as much as you want at the right moment, so just hold on a little longer.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After finishing his conversation with Seere, Nahun stepped back a little again. Ersha seemed to pick up on this and sped up a bit to get closer to Nahun.
“Do you have something to say to this girl?”
“Why do you think Belzebut hasn’t appeared yet?”
“…If it’s Belzebut, there’s a chance he recognized you, Nahun. He is the master of the first level, after all.”
“Was it a mistake to go to the convention…?”
“Perhaps right now, he’s absent because… he went to check on things in Hell? I wonder why you are here.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed like a reasonable deduction. After the brief conversation, Nahun nodded and approached Seere again as he continued to ride. They were finally able to reach their destination.
“This is it, right?”
“Yeah.”
The Kingdom of Piast came into view at the foot of the mountain.
At that moment, a rider galloped up and shouted.
“Messenger! I have a command from the Third Army Commander for the vanguard!”
“Speak.”
“The vanguard is ordered to commence the invasion!”
Seere nodded simply at the messenger’s announcement.
“I was already planning to do just that.”
#
The Kingdom of Piast is peaceful. Every year, it offers tribute to the Bismarck Empire, and in return, the Empire remains their ally.
Following the wars against the Northern Alliance and the civil war, the Empire emerged as an unrivaled hegemon, which allowed the Kingdom of Piast to enjoy six years of peaceful days.
In fact, this was largely due to the fact that the Kingdom of Piast was not particularly worth invading, given its size, economy, military, and political position.
Yet, there were those who led a massive army to invade this land, which was not worth the trouble…
“Hang on, what is that?”
“Something’s coming in huge numbers…”
“…It’s an attack! An attack!!”
Realizing the situation late, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Piast shouted about the invasion, but it was already too late. At the moment the ghost horse, Bicon, ran with a smoky trail, its chilling breath approached the soldiers’ eyes.
Crack!!!
The invasion began. The beautiful Demon King Seere von Debata, with her white hair speckled with red, shattered the city gates in one strike.
“There’s no need to spare them. Handle everything in sight.”
The massacre began. Following Seere’s command, the legion scattered along the optimal route. The scattered legion began to turn the entrance of the Kingdom of Piast, Elitz Castle, into ruins in an instant.
Having witnessed the battle of the Debata army for the first time in eight years, Nahun expressed his admiration.
“They fight well.”
“They’re all well-trained.”
One of the reasons why Seere had an astonishing combat performance was the well-trained legions and their excellent commanders leading them.
Not to mention Lin and Baruna, who had lived in the legion since the previous generation, and Celeste and Erina, the newly appointed commanders had also inherited their know-how, demonstrating excellent tactics and abilities.
As impressive as they were, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Piast were bound to be utterly crushed. It was a tragedy that was almost a one-sided slaughter.
Watching this scene unfold, Nahun commented briefly.
“How is it?”
“They’re fighting surprisingly well. I can hardly believe they are a Rank 46 army.”
“How about against the Heavens?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure either. I don’t know what kind of forces they would send from the Heavens. If only regular angels, Valkyries, spirits, or fairies were to descend, I think we could manage.”
“Hmmm…”
Nahun nodded as if he understood. That statement meant that if a force at the level of an Archangel came down, Seere would likely find it difficult.
‘If something stronger emerges…’
He would step in. Nahun thought that as he slowly urged his horse toward the already decimated Elitz Castle.
“Ah, Teacher.”
“How many casualties have there been?”
“About twenty dead. Including those with minor injuries, it’s around a hundred.”
Despite attacking one castle, the casualties were remarkably low considering it was a surprise attack.
‘Certainly, there must be a physical ability gap between humans and demons…’
Even taking that into account, it was an astonishing achievement. Nahun expressed his admiration frankly.
“You’ve started to lead the army better than I do now.”
“Huh? Me? How could I…?”
“That’s the truth without flattery. I have no talent for leading.”
Given his lack of experience leading directly, that was natural. He had only ever experienced tactics and strategy through games, and since possessing this body, he had only done it a couple of times.
“Aren’t you being too humble? Your tactics worked well against Belial.”
“That was thanks to Commander Lin and General Belkarus. I wouldn’t consider my tactics to be great.”
As Nahun said that, Seere didn’t press him any further. She held the thought that her teacher was too humble in her mind.
“Once things are roughly settled, it would be good to report to the commander.”
“Ah, yes. Veronica!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Send a messenger to report our victory to the commander’s forces.”
“Yes!”
As Veronica hurriedly conveyed the message and dispatched the messenger, Nahun turned to Seere.
“Is she doing well?”
“Yes, since you brought her in, she’s useful. Though she hasn’t held her position as commander for long, so she’s not very proficient yet. But that’s something experience will fix.”
“Then that’s a relief. It means you’re benefiting from her.”
Seere glanced up at Nahun. When he tilted his head as if to ask why, she smiled brightly and said.
“Right now, there’s something that you can help me with.”
“Hmm? Do you need something?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Seere bounced off Bicon. Then, as if to motion for Nahun to get down, she waved her hand lightly.
Nahun alighted from Bicon with a puzzled expression. And he regretted it immediately.
As soon as Nahun stepped down, Seere rushed up and hugged him. Feeling her soft hair brush against his nose, Nahun looked down at Seere, feeling very flustered.
The feeling of her soft chest pressed against him overwhelmed him, causing confusion to swirl in Nahun’s mind.
“What are you doing…?”
“Replenishing my energy. Sniff… Mmm, I like the smell of you, Teacher…”
“L-let go!!!”
As Nahun looked at Seere, who was sniffing him and enjoying herself, he felt something strange welling up inside him, causing him to quickly push her away.
Seere, showing clear disappointment, pouted and said in a sulky voice.
“I was in the middle of replenishing my energy…”
“…You can just sit back and rest.”
Nahun sighed and got back on Bicon. Seere looked a little disappointed, yet happy at the same time.
In the past, if she had acted like this, Nahun would have maintained a cold demeanor. His expression wouldn’t have changed at all. But now it was different. Just moments ago, Nahun’s face had certainly turned red.
“Hehe.”
Seere could smile happily.
#
“From the vanguard! We have succeeded in the occupation, so you may enter!”
“Already?”
Morax, commanding the Third Army, was slightly startled. The Demon King Bunne, who was beside him when they received the news, laughed and said.
“Haha! Truly, humans are incredibly inferior. To be breached so quickly by a mere Rank 46 Demon King.”
As a fellow Demon King of the Nobilis faction, he was there to examine the situation as well. He briefly assessed humans.
“It seems that Agreas was indeed correct in his evaluation of human forces.”
“Hmm…”
Morax stroked his chin thoughtfully. Was this result truly due to humans being simply weak?
“Understood. Thus, we will advance.”
“Yes!”
As the messenger returned, Morax marched forward, still harboring lingering questions in his mind.
