A week passed.
During those seven days, neither
humanity nor the demons made a significant move.
The silence, however, was only the
calm before the storm.
Deep within the Demon Realm,
preparations had finally come to an end.
The ten young men Leo had scattered
across the world had all been found.
Using the belongings they recovered
from the ruined Hero Academy, the demons had traced each lingering fragment of
Leo's mana until every last one of them was located.
Now…
All ten stood before the Demon Ruler.
The enormous throne room was silent
except for the crackling flames lining the walls.
The Demon General stepped forward.
"My Lord."
"When do we begin the invasion?"
The Demon Ruler slowly opened his
crimson eyes.
"…We won't."
The General blinked.
"My Lord?"
The Demon Ruler shifted his gaze
toward the ten boys standing below his throne.
"They will."
The room fell silent.
One of the boys folded his arms.
"So…"
"What exactly do you want us to do?"
The Demon Ruler smiled faintly.
"Simple."
"Kidnap the Human Ruler."
"If you succeed…"
"…humanity will lose before the war
even begins."
The ten exchanged glances.
Not one of them questioned the order.
They simply nodded.
"As you wish."
A moment later…
All ten disappeared.
The Demon General watched the empty
space they had left behind.
"…Can they really be trusted?"
"They're still humans."
The Demon Ruler leaned back against
his throne.
"They are."
"But before they were humans…"
"…they were students of the Hero
Academy."
He closed his eyes.
"The academy taught one principle
above everything else."
"'Order comes before emotion.'"
"They will obey the one they recognize
as their commander."
A confident smile appeared on his
face.
"And right now…"
"…that commander is me."
Human Kingdom
Royal Capital
The afternoon sky was unusually quiet.
Standing inside her office, the Human
Ruler—Elyria Valenhart—paused while reading a report.
She slowly looked toward the window.
"…They're here."
Her calm voice echoed through the
room.
The nearby attendants looked confused.
"My Lady?"
Elyria simply closed the report and
placed it on her desk.
"I'll be stepping outside for a
while."
Without waiting for anyone to stop
her, she walked out of the castle alone.
Moments later…
She stood in the center of the palace
courtyard.
The gentle breeze carried the scent of
blooming flowers.
"…You may come out now."
Silence.
Then—
Ten figures appeared around her almost
simultaneously.
Each stood several meters apart,
completely surrounding her.
One of them smiled.
"It's not like we were trying to
hide."
"I figured."
Elyria looked at each of them one
after another.
"So…"
"What brings all of you here?"
Another stepped forward.
"…You."
A third calmly added,
"Please don't resist."
"It'll make things easier for
everyone."
The surrounding palace guards
instinctively reached for their weapons.
Elyria quietly raised one hand.
"Stand down."
"My Lady!"
"If you interfere…"
"…people will die."
Her words stopped every guard.
She looked back toward the boys.
"I have no intention of resisting."
The boys were visibly surprised.
"…Seriously?"
One cautiously approached her while
keeping his guard up.
"I expected you to put up a fight."
Elyria smiled gently.
"If I fought here…"
"My own people would become
casualties."
"I won't allow that."
For several seconds…
No one moved.
Finally…
The boy extended his hand.
"Then…"
"…please come with us."
Without hesitation…
Elyria placed her hand in his.
The surrounding space distorted.
In an instant…
All eleven disappeared.
Demon Realm
The throne room doors opened.
The Demon Ruler looked down from his
throne with genuine surprise.
"…Already?"
The mission had taken far less time
than expected.
The ten boys stepped aside, revealing
Elyria standing calmly behind them.
Not a scratch marked her body.
The Demon Ruler slowly smiled.
"I knew I could rely on all of you."
Elyria met his gaze without fear.
"So…"
"What exactly do you want from me?"
The Demon Ruler rested his chin
against his hand.
"Nothing complicated."
"I merely intend to destroy humanity's
hope."
He carefully observed her expression.
"…Interesting."
"I expected fear."
"Or anger."
"But you're surprisingly calm."
Elyria laughed softly.
"What can I say?"
"I've always adapted quickly."
The Demon Ruler chuckled.
"…An admirable trait."
"But it won't save your people."
He waved one hand.
"Take her away."
The guards immediately escorted her
toward the prison beneath the palace.
Even as she disappeared behind the
massive doors…
She never once looked afraid.
Once she was gone…
One of the boys stepped forward.
"So…"
"What's our next assignment?"
The Demon Ruler shook his head.
"For now…"
"Nothing."
"You've done more than enough."
"Take this time to rest."
The boys nodded.
Within seconds…
They vanished from the throne room.
The Demon General walked beside the
throne.
"They truly obey every order."
The Demon Ruler smiled.
"Exactly."
"And that's precisely why they're
valuable."
He looked toward the closed doors.
"With them carrying out dangerous
missions…"
"…my own soldiers won't need to be
sacrificed."
The General slowly nodded.
"…A practical strategy."
"No."
The Demon Ruler corrected him.
"…An efficient one."
Meanwhile…
Back in the Human Kingdom…
Panic spread throughout the royal
castle.
Soldiers rushed through every hallway.
Messengers ran between departments.
No one could believe what had
happened.
Inside the audience chamber…
The king was discussing military
reports when the massive doors suddenly burst open.
A royal guard stumbled inside,
struggling to catch his breath.
"My King!"
The guard nearly fell to his knees.
"What happened?"
The king immediately stood.
The guard's voice trembled.
"…Lady Elyria…"
"…has been kidnapped!"
Silence consumed the chamber.
The king's face lost all color.
"…What did you just say?"
The guard lowered his head.
"The Human Ruler…"
"…has been taken by the demons."
The report spread through the castle
like wildfire.
Within minutes…
The impossible became reality.
Humanity's strongest protector…
Had disappeared.
And for the first time since the war
began…
The kingdom truly understood what fear
felt like.