Chapter 136: Army

The raid began at dawn.

A favorite time for the demons—

The hour of darkness, when the world lay shrouded in shadows. It was then that the demons invaded the realm of mankind.

“What the hell is going on!?”

“The Demon King is dead! Why are you still fighting!?”

A small number of summoners, nominally stationed at the border, fought desperately to buy time against the invading demons.

But it wasn’t enough. 

Unlike during the war—when even cadets were drafted into the front lines—most of the troops had already returned to their hometowns, believing the war to be over.

On the other hand, the demon clans, led by Aurtaican, had brought forth their entire force. 

Armies with no retreat, no hesitation. 

There was no chance of withstanding them.

“—Because Her Majesty is dead.”

Aurtaican, stood at the vanguard, decapitating a summoned beast as he spoke.

The Demon King is dead? So what? Surrender? What nonsense.

To the followers of the Demon King, her death was not a reason to give up—it was a command to give up everything else.

To throw away their own lives, if it meant inflicting as much destruction as possible upon humanity.

“We don’t have a retreat. There is no going back. All we want is annihilation, fear, despair. And more damage.”

With Aurtaican’s cry, the demons surged into the human realm.

That day, the Southern Eritz Territory was destroyed.

***

“It’s my fault.”

“…Stella.”

“Because of me… my father…”

News of Aurtaican’s invasion quickly reached the capital.

As an insider, Stella Eritz received even more detailed information—

Including the devastating truth: the Duke Hypnos, who had defended the territory to the very end, had fallen in battle.

“If I had been there—at the estate—”

“Stella.”

“No! I should’ve captured the Demon King and returned right away! Ifrit should’ve been with my father, not mine…!”

“Stella!”

Ian grabbed Stella, who was spiraling out of control, and shouted.

His voice struck her like a physical blow, making her ears ring.

Startled, Stella looked up at him with wide, dazed eyes.

Her expression was empty. 

Lost.

He could try to comfort her… but he couldn’t let her spiral any further.

“Calm down. Your being there wouldn’t have changed anything. It could have made things worse.”

“…But…”

“If Ifrit had been there, humanity might’ve lost a 4-star summon.”

A 4-star summon like Ifrit was powerful—capable of fighting high-tier demons on its own. But not strong enough to take down one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Not alone.

Even a leveled-up Ifrit, who could kill elite demons single-handedly, still couldn’t guarantee victory against someone like Aurtaican.

“Get revenge.”

“Revenge…?”

“Yeah. Let that fury consume them—not you.”

“Frustration and grief can devour you from the inside.

That path leads only to exhaustion.

Instead, turn that fire outward. Channel your anger. Burn your enemies, not yourself.

Even if the end is emptiness, at least you won’t be the one turning to ash.”

“You are Eritz. The Flame of Eritz. Now that the Duke of Hypnos has fallen…You are the Duchess Eritz, and the one who must lead the territory.”

“…Duchess…”

The weight of that title settled heavily on Stella’s shoulders.

The reality of her father’s death finally sank in.

An ordinary person might collapse under that burden.

Losing a father and having no time to grieve before stepping into his shoes would break most people.

But Stella was different.

She was the kind of person who stood her ground, no matter what.

“Yeah… There’s no time to be depressed.”

[—That’s right, Stella! That’s right!]

Stella’s eyes began to shine again.

Sensing her renewed resolve, Ifrit—who had been just as shaken—broke free from her glyph and comforted her.

Swipe— Ifrit rolled her eyes toward Ian, the message clear in her gaze: “Well done.”

What? Ian hadn’t done anything special. He had just nudged Stella back onto her path.

Stella turned to him, eyes determined.

“Ian, help me.”

“What?”

“The enemy is one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I can’t win alone.”

She accepted the gap between her strength and theirs.

Aurtaican wasn’t someone even a 4-star summon could defeat—not alone.

And this time, unlike the other Heavenly Kings, he had an entire army backing him.

There was no getting through that alone.

But when Ian heard her words, he smiled and replied, “What, did you think I’d let you go alone?”

“Ian…”

“Anyway, dealing with the remnants of demons is humanity’s task.”

“Let’s go. To take revenge.”

With those words, Ian extended his hand to Stella.

She took his hand and rose to her feet.

The time for revenge had come.

***

An army of demons from the south was trampling across human territory.

However, their movements were restricted.

If they moved freely, they could cause localized destruction, but not significant damage. To strike a serious blow to humanity, they needed to mobilize in large groups—and large groups couldn’t escape surveillance.

“There are so many,” Ian muttered.

Facing the demon horde, Ian and his army held the line. He watched as the demons surged forward in units of thousands, even tens of thousands.

What if they dispersed and launched guerrilla attacks?

Humanity wouldn’t perish, but would be trapped in a constant cycle of suffering, trembling under the ever-present threat of demons.

Why not take that route? Simple.

It wasn’t enough to merely make mankind suffer.

‘Should I call it foolish… or just straightforward?’

They couldn’t hold back their rage long enough to prolong humanity’s pain.

Unlike the Heavenly Steed Tower and the Heavenly Demon Sword—both of which had been rebellious from the beginning— Magical Aurtaican was a devoted servant of the Demon King.

The fury he felt upon hearing of the Demon King’s death was beyond words.

—Listen, humans!

In the distance, Aurtaican led the demon army, his voice booming across the battlefield. Though he was far away, his words rang in their ears like a curse.

When the weaker summoners fell to their knees, trembling in fear, Aurtaican drew his weapon and roared:

—We want you to suffer!

—We want you to disappear!

—We dream of your death!

His curse was filled with wrath, resentment, and unrelenting hatred for humanity.

The words hit the summoners like a physical blow—and in defiance, they summoned their own companions.

Ian stood at the front, summoning five of his own. In his hand was a magic-powered megaphone crafted by wizards.

“Ah, can you hear me?”

From afar, the demon army stirred. 

Ian smiled, pleased that his voice reached them.

Demons were intelligent beings. And high intelligence meant communication was possible—and if conversation was possible, so was provocation.

[I’m the hero who killed your Demon King.]

With that declaration, he held up the severed head of the Demon King, preserved in the Imperial Castle. 

Demons with sharp vision would recognize their former ruler—and know it was real.

Aurtaican, leading the front, howled and hurled his weapon in a rage. Like the Four Heavenly Kings, he moved faster than anyone—but Ian was protected by his summons.

“Master!”

“Protect him!”

“Slow it down!”

The Paladin of Salvation, Anna, stepped forward with her shield raised. 

An additional hexagonal barrier formed, reinforcing their defense.

The weapon pierced the sound barrier but gradually slowed—barely faster than an arrow.

Naturally, it couldn’t hurt Anna, who could withstand a direct missile strike. 

A javelin, even at high speed, was nothing.

[This is why your Demon King fell to me.]

Ian pointed at the deflected weapon, mocking Aurtaican. Enraged, Aurtaican led his army in a full assault.

The continent trembled under their advance.

The sight was terrifying—but none of the summoners retreated. The hero who had slain the Demon King stood with them.

Were they supposed to fear a single demon?

“Noah. Now.”

“Yes. Please!”

“I don’t think we’re overdoing it.”

As the demons neared, Ian gave the command.

Noah relayed the order to the lord—her summon—who soared into the sky.

Though it had once sealed its power and taken a human form, there was a way to fully unleash its strength.

“Good.”

“Blue Bird, follow the Hero’s orders.”

Syrah’s voice rang out as she summoned her own beast with practiced ease. 

The Blue Bird’s power flowed into its target.

In the next moment, the divine beings wad reborn.

Phoenix.

A colossal firebird, glowing like the sun, descended from the heavens.

—Burn them all.

Phoenix released a torrent of fire from its beak, engulfing the demon army in a sea of flames.