Daniel returned to the battlefield seated upon Silver's broad back.
The great wolf moved carefully, sensing his master's condition. Daniel's body was ruined—bones fractured, muscles torn, mana channels scorched—but his spine remained straight, his gaze unbroken.
He swallowed a healing pill.
Warmth spread slowly through his chest, then outward. Cracked ribs began to knit together at a painful, deliberate pace. His breathing stabilized, though every inhale still burned. Healing this level of damage would take time.
But the war would not wait.
Daniel raised his hand.
"Slay them all."
The words carried across the battlefield like a death sentence.
The demon army's morale—already fractured by Volthrex's death—collapsed entirely.
Screams turned panicked.
Formations broke.
Then Daniel opened his domain.
—
The dragon-wolf ants erupted from crimson portals like a living tide of annihilation. Massive, armored bodies crashed into demonic ogres, mandibles tearing flesh and bone apart with horrifying efficiency.
"Feed your mother "Thraxa." ," Daniel commanded coldly.
The Ant Queen stirred.
Demonic bodies were dragged screaming into the swarm, chewed apart not for cruelty—but purpose. Essence and biomass flowed into Thraxa, whose body glowed faintly as high-quality eggs began to form.
Commander-rank dragon ants eggs were coming.
At the same time, Daniel released every wolf in his domain, be young or old.
The battlefield drowned beneath coordinated death. Wolves struck in perfect packs, ripping throats, tearing spines, and vanishing only to return moments later fully restored.
Then—
"Red Flags," Daniel said quietly.
"Advance."
The battalion surged forward.
Spears pierced skulls.
Whips cracked, splitting bodies in half.
Long flexible spears impaled lines of demons in flowing arcs.
Maria's whip sang.
The Mayooka brothers burned through ranks.
Arron and Erren moved like mirrored reflections.
Even Eseren, eyes still red from grief, rejoined the slaughter—Blaze Blast detonating among retreating enemies, explosions ripping apart any semblance of order.
Daniel upgraded Vorruth to Level Three.
Then released it.
The blade spun freely, extracting essence, devouring mana, harvesting death in sweeping arcs. Wherever it passed, demons fell like harvested wheat.
It was no longer a battle.
It was extermination.
—
The dragon-wolf ants reached the demonic ogres.
They did not fight.
They fed.
Ogres screamed as mandibles tore into them alive, their massive bodies reduced to nutrient paste to strengthen Thraxa's brood. Eggs hardened—dense, radiant, powerful.
Daniel nodded.
"Good."
Then he turned to the massive crater.
Zenn lay unconscious.
Daniel opened his domain and pulled the dragon inside, the broken titan sinking gently into a portal. He immediately sealed Zenn within a healing cocoon, infused with mana and life essence.
He created a vast storage space of beast food within the domain.
Daniel placed a hand on the cocoon.
"Sleep," he murmured. "My dearest friend."
The cocoon pulsed faintly, drawing mana directly from the domain.
Zenn would not only heal.
He would evolve.
—
Across the battlefield, terror spread.
Violent, painful screams echoed endlessly. Demonic beasts began fleeing in every direction.
At the edge of the battlefield, a Warping Dog appeared—a demonic transport beast.
A demonic ogre seized its cub, blade pressed against its throat, desperation written across its face.
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
If I get that cub… future transport becomes trivial.
As if understanding his intent, Talon screeched.
The great bird dove.
At the final instant, Talon activated Rend, slicing cleanly through the ogre's torso. Blood sprayed as the body fell apart.
Talon snatched the cub and soared away.
The Warping Dog screamed.
In panic and rage, it opened a portal to the Demonic Realm and lunged through after its cub.
Daniel smiled.
"I expected that."
He called telpathically.
"Prince of Death."
Aaren stepped forward.
"Through its heart."
Aaren inhaled.
His long spear crackled with lightning then, He shouted .
"Heart-Seeking Spear."
The weapon vanished at almost the speed of light after his powerful thrust.
Then—
A wet, final sound echoed from the other side of the battle field.
The spear reappeared, it had pierced through its heart ,dripping demonic blood.
The Warping Dog fell dead.
Daniel laughed softly.
"Lilith," he said. "Upgrade. Bind the warping beast's soul. Lock it within the spear."
System Response:
Process complete.New Weapon: Warping SpearAbilities: Instant Thrust, Spatial Recall, Presence Lock
Daniel turned to Aaren.
"Tell it… return."
The spear vanished.
Then snapped back into Aaren's hand.
For the first time ever, Aaren's cold expression shattered.
Joy lit his face like a child discovering a miracle.
He laughed.
Then began killing.
The spear launched forward in straight lines of annihilation—each thrust skewering dozens, sometimes hundreds of demons in a single instant before returning to his grip.
Power.
Murder.
Authority.
The battlefield bowed.
—
Far away, spies watched.
Men from neighboring kingdoms hid in terror, shaking as they recorded what they had witnessed.
"A hundred men," one whispered, face pale. "They fought for hours."
"He killed a demon monarch," another stammered. "The one who toyed with General Ragna like a doll…"
"I thought I would die just watching."
Tears rolled down a messenger's face.
"This wasn't war," he sobbed. "This was extinction."
—
This was Aetherion.
A world divided.
The Human Continent, weakened by centuries of peace, greed, and internal betrayal. Once protected by Saints who sealed the Demonic Realm away, humanity had grown complacent. Schemes replaced strength. Assassinations replaced honor.
The Saints died.
The barrier weakened.
The demons returned.
Kingdoms stood divided:
kingdom ofAstrid, on the brink of collapse—recently saved only by the Red Flags.
kingdom of Valemor, bound by strict honor and unyielding law.
kingdom of Eldwyn Reach, famed for disciplined, unstoppable armies.
kingdom of Thornwall Dominion, rich in farmland and resources.
kingdom of Silveran Villes, masters of trade and wealth.
And now—
They had all seen War General Daniel's strength.
—
In Astrid's throne room, silence reigned.
A spy collapsed to his knees.
"The dragon roared," he cried. "We felt it from the castle."
"He defeated the Demon Monarch… but he was injured. Terribly."
Tears fell freely.
Princess Beth stood behind the throne, hands trembling with tears on her eyes.
Beside her, Miimi wept openly.
Beth whispered, voice shaking, "I wanted a chance… with him."
Miimi wiped her tears.
"…He deserves power," she said softly. "Influence. Protection."
She nodded slowly.
"I'll speak to him… when the war ends."
Outside—
The battlefield burned.
And the world had begun to understand.
The Hundred-Man War General had arrived.
And the world would never be the same again.