Chapter 172 – A New Phase (2)
“This, this makes no sense! What the heck is that?!”
The sudden appearance of the lion’s army. Without fear or death, they pressed forward, pushing Razak’s legion soldiers as they charged ahead, focused solely on their path.
Naturally, Razak was astonished. He had never imagined such an opponent.
No matter how many times they were killed, the undead would rise again. More importantly, they absorbed the magical power of Razak’s legion soldiers, increasing their numbers in reverse.
And it was not only Razak who was shocked. Everyone who saw the unexpected movement of the undead army was astounded. The cold death that was felt just by looking at them was, without a doubt, a force so dangerous that it was feared even in the Demon Realm.
“[…Leave the humans alone. All we need to do is feast on those strange monsters with magical power.]”
However, Ashburn, who was commanding the undead, did not bother the terrified and cowering citizens.
The main reason was Takilas’ orders, but also because it was sufficient to feast solely on Razak’s soldiers.
“Weak… As they get close, those guys weaken our forces with their mysterious powers. Attack from a distance.”
[A strong beam of concentrated magical power pierces the atmosphere. Primitive, but are they capable of magic? Wizards, prepare the shields!]
Razak and Ashburn, the two commanders, carefully directed their troops.
As Razak took the initiative with long-range attacks, Ashburn was in awe, watching the beams shot from far away. He directed his skeletal mages to raise a shield in the air.
“What the…!”
[Impressive power. I would like to learn it.]
In the end, the beams were nullified by the shield, but the impact was not without effect.
Razak gritted his teeth, and Ashburn’s eyes sparkled. The war between the two forces had now officially begun.
“Do you think I will lose? I, and my legion, can overcome anything. We will evolve without fail.”
Realizing that Ashburn and the undead army were headed toward him, Razak laughed instead.
Trials are opportunities to grow stronger. If he won this battle, he would be that much stronger.
“A, an army of moving corpses…? A new kind of monster?!”
The problem was that some were greatly surprised by the two forces that had entered battle.
“Shouldn’t we bombard them?! Compared to those black armors, those moving skeletons seem weak at air defense.”
“Hmm… Of all times for such monsters to appear. Maybe it’s fortunate they showed up here.”
The commander leading the Allied Forces on the western front was startled when he received the report. Whether Ashburn’s undead army fought Razak or not, from their perspective, the undead were monstrous variables.
“It can’t be! I, can’t say for sure, but those undead are our allies.”
Such news also reached the Allied Forces Command Headquarters located in the southern coastal city. And the one who was shocked was none other than Rene, who was cooperating with the Korean side.
“Those undead are the Demon Realm’s army. Takilas must have arranged this to assist us.”
Rene quickly realized that Ashburn’s undead army belonged to the Demon Realm. The only one who could mobilize the Demon Realm’s army was just one being. That being was currently on Earth and had just fought Razak’s legion, making their intentions clear.
“But Rene, those awful looking skeletons…”
“Didn’t you hear?! They haven’t bothered the humans. They are only attacking our enemies, so they are our allies.”
“That may be true, but I wonder if the people will believe that.”
Lee Min-hyung nodded at her persuasion. However, he was merely a mid-level bureaucrat, making it nearly impossible to voice anything within the Allied Forces.
“I will, I will do it.”
Rene, in a hurry, pointed at herself. He stared at her with wide eyes.
“Why are you going that far?”
“Because it would be foolish to cut down our own forces.”
Startled by his question, Rene desperately fumbled for an excuse. She couldn’t say that if Takilas’ plan went awry, who knew what would happen.
“Right now, the magical girl Shia from the Silver Armor is leaving her post and heading towards the unidentified monster army!”
“…What?”
But he dumbly repeated the urgent call from the command headquarters.
Before Rene could even step forward, the news that Shia, who was on the front lines, was heading straight for the undead army reached him.
“No way… How could this happen! The demon army!”
[Hah, I heard, but indeed, surprises keep happening here.]
Late at night, the undead army, not resting, sleeping, or eating, was marching deeper into Razak’s domain.
Standing in their way was a pair of white wings that appeared across the sky.
Shia looked down at the undead army and Ashburn with disbelief.
“Stop, Demon Army Commander! How did you come here?!”
[What a foolish question, young saint. Since you are here, why wouldn’t I be?]
“Ugh…”
Ashburn chuckled knowingly at Shia’s furious gesture. Although he wasn’t wrong, her embarrassment showed.
Truth be told, it wasn’t strange that Ashburn was there; after all, he was technically present, so to speak.
[This land is neither the Demon Realm nor the Celestial Realm. So I have the right to wander here. Furthermore, we must abide by that damned peace treaty. Would you stop us nonetheless?]
“Well, that is…”
Faced with Ashburn’s valid points, Shia bit her lip. Instinctively, she wanted to interpose, but that was all. The justification and logic were all on Ashburn’s side.
‘Oh, if this goes well, it might just work. If I provoke the naive saint into making a foolish move, I can seize the justification to annul that ridiculous treaty the Demon King made.’
Ashburn’s eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought.
A saint is, after all, a sword forged to exterminate demons. A saint cannot tolerate or allow demons to exist. It was common sense.
No matter how many treaties were signed, it couldn’t change the undeniable rule.
[I’ll take that as you understand. Step aside. I must do what I have to do.]
“What… What is it that you must do?”
[It’s obvious, isn’t it? To devour the enemies and endlessly increase my soldiers to cover this world!]
Ashburn cunningly twisted the statement.
The command he received from Takilas was to consume the enemies, Razak’s soldiers, and reverse-occupy this world and Razak’s dominion.
He used wordplay to inflate the deed, indirectly provoking Shia.
“Evil… I can’t allow that.”
[Why not? This land is not under the protection of the ‘Sky’ you follow. How dare a tool of the sky meddle in this?]
Seeing Shia clenching her teeth made Ashburn smile inwardly. He continued to provoke her into attacking.
“I am not some mere tool!”
And just as he anticipated, Shia’s eyes glinted fiercely, revealing her teeth as she shouted.
‘This place… It’s true that it’s not under my sky.’
Shia trembled. Clearly, angels did not exist in the sky of Earth.
However, the will to protect this place was her own.
‘By my own will, I will protect this place.’
In a short time, she experienced many things and met many people there. She gained a lot in this land.
Thus, for the first time in her life, she decided her actions based on her own will, not the laws of the Celestial Realm.
[Ha, ha, ha!]
And Ashburn laughed out loud at that moment.
[You foolish and naive brat! You and I are nothing but beings bound by the immense fate and laws of angels and demons. You dare to defy and act on your own will? Do you think that is possible?]
He thought Shia was no different from himself, a saint being dominated by angels. He genuinely raged, igniting the blue light in his eyes.
“The hero said this: Make the impossible possible.”
[What a crazy girl. Where did you learn that?]
However, Shia remained unfazed.
Instead, she drew the Sacred Sword from her chest. The radiant holy power scattered, and Ashburn flinched at the sight.
Though he had provoked her, holy power, especially the pure holy power of the Sacred Sword, was extremely deadly to demons, hence making saints like her his nemesis.
“Oh.”
But at that moment, the Sacred Sword Shia was holding burst into radiant light and vanished in an instant.
[…Look at this, you foolish young one. Why defy your master?]
Seeing her dazed expression, Ashburn muttered, almost pitying her.
[Now, there’s no choice but to prove it. Come at me, saint.]
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