In the darkness, two blurry figures whispered urgently.
"Did you get it?"
"No, there was a complication. I accidentally disturbed that creature. Luckily, it was still asleep, but it sent a bunch of little ones after me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me right now."
"Seems like this is harder than we thought."
"With our usual methods, it won't work. That place is unusual. Even if I hadn't disturbed the creature, getting the item wouldn't be easy."
"Then stay hidden for now. Do not reveal yourself."
"Understood."
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
Ur scanned around Haisha and Anrika but saw no sign of Delina.
As he began to worry, his eyes caught movement at the door of the wooden house. Somehow, Delina had returned inside.
It struck him as odd. Right now, the house was far from safe, but he didn't dwell on it. He made a mental note and refocused on the battle outside.
Lilimond was a force of nature.
His fighting style was unlike conventional martial arts from the mainland—crude, unrestrained, and designed to crush non-human creatures. Paired with his ice spear, each swing cleared a wide area of monsters.
Even when a few monsters managed to get close, they faced a towering three-meter-tall figure, arms thicker than their waist, leaving them bewildered and unsure who the real monster was.
"Thorn Barrage!"
"Ice Feathers!"
Boom! Boom!
Anrika and Haisha unleashed magic, slaughtering monsters with efficiency and deadly precision. Perhaps the Vichy tribe's actions the previous night had left a deep impression, driving an almost compulsive desire to kill monsters.
Blessed with Holy Power, their spells were devastating. They cast indiscriminately, and then trouble.
After killing one monster, a Vichy tribesman, possessed by a demon, rushed at Haisha from behind. Reacting instinctively, she launched a spell, but it backfired.
The Vichy tribesman was unharmed, glanced at the mark on his chest, and slapped Haisha across the face.
Haisha was flung to the ground, stunned.
"What the…?!"
The possessed warrior quickly rose, shrouded in black smoke. The sight brought back memories of the terror from last night.
"Haisha, watch out!" Anrika called, summoning a green magic array. Slender green vines, tipped with faint white light, struck toward the possessed Vichy tribesman like serpents, attempting to bind him.
But just before contact, the white glow vanished, leaving nothing behind.
Haisha: "???"
Anrika: "???"
The sudden turn of events left them frozen in place. Haisha's heart pounded as she dodged the attack, narrowly escaping. Their faces paled with frustration.
"What the hell is happening?!"
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
Meanwhile, outside the Demon Domain, Vichy tribe chief Taka, the high priestess, Kakatu, and the seer walked together. Suddenly, Taka slapped his forehead.
"Oh right! Priestess, did you mention to the guests about the limitation on Holy Power usage?"
Priestess: "???"
"Is it necessary to mention? The power granted isn't their own. A limit is natural."
Taka nodded, a laugh escaping. "True. These guests come from far across the ocean; they likely don't need much explanation. I overthought it!"
Kakatu said nothing, sensing something was amiss.
Thwack!
A spear pierced a Vichy tribesman possessed by a monster. Holy Power flared, the black smoke dissipating into light points.
"You all okay?" Lilimond asked.
"Yes!" Anrika and Haisha helped each other.
The loss of Holy Power made fighting monsters more difficult, but these creatures were still manageable. Their struggles were minor embarrassments rather than real threats.
"The Holy Power bestowed by the priestess has usage limits. Your reckless attacks wasted a lot of it. Even a holy artifact can't sustain such expenditure," Lilimond explained calmly, causing Anrika and Haisha to blush in embarrassment.
Last night's Vichy incident had fueled their recklessness. Coupled with the monsters' lack of real threat aside from their persistence, they had grown careless.
"Rest for now. I'll handle the rest," Lilimond said, diving back into the fray.
The remaining monsters were few. He alone destroyed nearly half. Anrika and Haisha, venting their frustration, killed many. Ur, meanwhile, protected Pasfield and took down a few monsters along the way.
The battle itself posed no real challenge; its purpose was to clear a safe path for incoming Vichy warriors. A few dozen monsters meant little to Lilimond but could have been deadly for others.
Slash!
Ur killed the last monster and were about to speak when the ground shook violently.
Rumble…
"What's happening? Earthquakes in the Demon Domain?" Ur asked, alarmed.
Lilimond froze, then his expression turned grim. Without a word, he sprinted toward the city walls.
The others exchanged looks and quickly followed.
On the wall, the scene outside was terrifying. Black mist still cloaked everything, limiting visibility. But even through the haze, silhouettes of countless monsters were discernible, swarming like ants, moving chaotically around the wall like wandering spirits.
"How, how did so many monsters appear all at once?"
Even Ur shivered at the sheer numbers. The sight was overwhelming.
Lilimond's face was grim. "The Demon God has awakened. These monsters were created by him."
Though the tribe had suspected this, no one fully understood why the Demon God had awoken prematurely. Under the Snow Goddess's suppression, the Demon God normally required ten years to regain enough power for even a brief resurgence.
"Why aren't the monsters attacking?" someone asked.
"They are incubating demon generals. The Demon God cannot lead them personally. Usually, at most three generals are created per war, often only one," Lilimond explained.
"This is bad!"
Seeing the scale outside, Lilimond panicked. He hurriedly led the group back into the town.
"The incubation of a demon general takes at most nine days. We must return to the holy site immediately. I need to report this to the chief and the priestess."
The group, sensing his urgency, followed without question. Lilimond activated the array, and in moments, they appeared in the temple.
Back at the ice cavern, Lilimond dashed off to find Taka and the priestess, leaving Ur and the others behind.
Pasfield and Delina exchanged glances, then split, moving in opposite directions.
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
"Ur… this war…" Pasfield hesitated.
"Don't worry," Ur interrupted. "I'll help the Vichy tribe win. But I need your support."
"No problem. Just tell me what you need," Pasfield said, reassured.
Pasfield did not know the Vichy tribe's full strength or how powerful a demon general was. But he knew one thing: Ur, the Dragon Slayer, could handle anything they faced.
Ur had his own reasons for involving himself. Originally, he had no intention of interfering too deeply; he sought efficiency over risk.
But now things had changed.
Once he learned the Vichy tribe had imprisoned a living god, he decided these friends were worth backing. To study the structure of a "body" later, he needed a strong friendship with the Vichy tribe.
A war victory would secure that bond.
Yet victory wouldn't be easy. Ur needed something from Chief Taka first—a key to securing favorable conditions.
The next morning, Ur and Pasfield hurried to Taka's ice cavern. The tribe was busier, preparing for the sudden war. Though a demon general's incubation took up to nine days, no one waited that long in reality.
Inside the ice cavern, Taka, the priestess, Kakatu, and Lilimond were present.
Without wasting time, Ur stated his purpose. " Chief Taka, I wish to learn the method of imbuing Holy Power from the priestess. I hope you can grant me this knowledge."
"Hmm?" Taka and the priestess exchanged a surprised look. Taka forced himself to remain calm. "Honored guest, you are not joking, are you? Granting Holy Power is…"
"We can trade food for the technique!" Pasfield interrupted.
Taka hesitated.
"Additionally, we can provide a batch of food in advance for your war efforts." Pasfield pressed further.
Taka decided immediately. "Agreed. A successful cooperation!" His face bloomed with a grin, perfectly illustrating how quickly the Vichy tribe could switch from surprise to agreement.
Ur shook his head silently, noting their boldness.
Afterward, the priestess began teaching Ur the method, with Kakatu translating her instructions. Upon completion, she added. "Honored guest, imbuing Holy Power requires divine energy. Without it, you cannot master the technique."
Ur: "·······"
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
Next Chapter: The War Begins
Next Next Chapter: Demon Generals
Next Next Next Chapter: A Final Battle from the Very Start?