Chapter 12.6. Third time’s the Charm (6)

  It was not a scouting unit.

  Not reinforcements.

  It was a full-scale army.

  And unlike the humans and elves, these warriors radiated pure battle intent.

  They did not chant spells.

  They did not rely on holy enchantments.

  They simply moved.

  Massive wolf-like warriors pounded the earth with enough force to crack stone. Horned bull-beasts snorted, steam rising from their nostrils. Panther-like soldiers darted across the terrain with terrifying speed.

  Their mana circulated inward—enhancing muscle fibre, reinforcing bone, sharpening reflexes.

  No flashy magic.

  Only overwhelming physical dominance.

  Kane’s voice was steady, but there was no denying the calculation behind it.

  “My lord… the remaining Demonic army cannot withstand a force like that in their current state.”

  Lucifer watched the approaching tide carefully.

  The beastmen were stronger than humans.

  More durable than elves.

  More savage than either.

  Even empowered demons would suffer catastrophic losses in a head-on clash.

  “I know,” Lucifer replied calmly.

  He had already factored this possibility.

  “I have considered a solution for them.”

  Another rumble echoed as the beastmen roared in unified fury, their presence shaking the morale of every soldier present—ally and enemy alike.

  Lucifer exhaled slowly.

  “At this rate…”

  A faint, almost amused smile tugged at his lips despite the circumstances.

  “It appears we are fighting the entire world.”

  His eyes gleamed faintly crimson.

  “Very well.”

  The war had grown beyond a siege.

  It had become a declaration.

  And Lucifer was not displeased.

  “Pride. Wrath.”

  Lucifer’s voice cut cleanly through the chaos of the battlefield.

  “The beastmen army is yours. Do not underestimate them.”

  Wrath inclined his head slightly.

  “We shall remember that, my lord.”

  Pride said nothing—only smirked faintly.

  Dark wings burst forth from their backs, scattering dust and blood as they launched into the sky toward the eastern front.

  Lucifer watched them go, crimson eyes thoughtful.

  If the Beastmen have come… then only one kingdom remains.

  The world was divided into four great powers:

  The Human Kingdom.

  The Lizard Kingdom.

  The Beastmen Kingdom.

  And the Fairy Kingdom.

  The kingdoms rarely trusted one another. Skirmishes and full-scale wars were common over borders, resources, pride—even trivial disputes.

  Of them all, the most feared had always been the Beastmen Kingdom.

  Brutal. Savage. Relentless.

  They were labelled barbarians by the other races—not because they lacked intelligence, but because they glorified strength above all else. They fought their enemies. They fought rival tribes. They even fought among themselves almost daily.

  And yet—

  Even with that fearsome reputation, the humans still challenged them from time to time.

  Which made today’s alliance… unusual.

  Wrath and Pride descended before the charging beastmen army.

  They landed with crushing force, the earth fracturing beneath their feet.

  The beastmen did not hesitate.

  They roared as one and surged forward like a tidal wave of muscle and steel.

  Wrath reached over his shoulder and drew his massive greatsword, gripping it in one hand as if it weighed nothing. The blade hummed faintly, reacting to his rising fury.

  Pride flexed his fingers slowly.

  His claws extended three centimetres outward, dark and gleaming, sharpening further as demonic energy coated them.

  A low smile tugged at his lips.

  The beastmen army was powerful—far stronger physically than humans or elves.

  Good.

  Pride despised weak opponents.

  Wrath rolled his shoulders once, eyes igniting with a deep crimson glow.

  The ground beneath them cracked from the pressure of their aura alone.

  No further words were exchanged.

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  Both sides had made their intentions clear.

  And in the next instant—

  They charged.

  Two Sins against an army of the strongest warriors the world had to offer.

  The collision shook the battlefield.

  Lucifer observed the clash between Pride, Wrath, and the Beastmen with genuine interest.

  Blades rang against reinforced bone. Claws tore through fur and iron alike. Shockwaves rippled outward with every exchange.

  And yet—

  Some of the beastmen were enduring.

  Not merely surviving.

  Enduring.

  A massive horned warrior caught Wrath’s one-handed greatsword strike and slid back only a few meters instead of being cleaved in two. A panther-beast evaded Pride’s claw strike and retaliated with speed impressive even by demonic standards.

  Lucifer’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Impressive.”

  Then he shifted his gaze elsewhere.

  “Astarte. Ammit.”

  The two Demon Lords straightened immediately.

  “You’re up next.”

  They exchanged brief glances, confusion flickering across their expressions. All armies were already engaged. There was no obvious new threat—

  Then it happened.

  Tiny sparkles began appearing across the battlefield.

  Soft. Harmless-looking.

  Beautiful.

  The humans who had been gasping for breath suddenly steadied themselves. Broken bones stopped aching. Exhaustion faded from their limbs. Even some of the wounded rose again, vitality returning unnaturally fast.

  At the same time—

  The demonic soldiers’ purple aura thinned. Their movements slowed. Their boosted strength began to wane.

  Kane frowned.

  “What is—”

  The Demon Lords scanned the battlefield. The sparkles drifted from above, but the source was nowhere in sight.

  Lucifer sighed lightly.

  “Use your Demonic eyes.”

  At once, crimson and abyssal glows flared in their pupils. The veil of illusion shattered.

  Above the battlefield—far higher than ordinary sight could perceive—hovered an enormous formation.

  An army.

  Human-sized fairies.

  Thousands upon thousands of them, wings shimmering like stained glass under moonlight. They maintained perfect aerial formation, staves raised, magic circles rotating beneath their feet.

  Healing light flowed downward upon the allied armies.

  At the same time, subtle suppression magic descended upon the demons.

  Astarte’s eyes burned.

  “How long have those damned creatures been there?” she demanded, fury sharpening her tone.

  Lucifer’s expression remained calm.

  “Since the battle began.”

  He folded his hands behind his back.

  “They have been observing from a distant altitude—outside normal perception—waiting for the optimal moment to intervene.”

  Another wave of radiant particles rained down.

  “I suppose they have decided this is that moment.”

  His gaze locked onto the aerial host.

  “At least… that is my conclusion.”

  The Fairy Kingdom.

  Silent.

  Patient.

  Strategic.

  Unlike the Beastmen’s brute force or the Humans’ ambition, the Fairies specialized in control—battlefield manipulation, restoration, weakening enemies without direct confrontation.

  And now they had revealed themselves.

  The war had officially drawn in all four kingdoms.

  Lucifer’s eyes gleamed faintly.

  “Now,” he said softly,

  “It becomes interesting.”

  Without hesitation, Astarte and Ammit unfurled their wings. Crimson-black feathers tore through the air as they shot upward toward the fairy formation.

  Lucifer’s voice echoed directly into their minds.

  Be cautious. There are powerful individuals among them.

  Astarte smirked mid-flight.

  Understood, my King.

  Ammit’s eyes narrowed as she accelerated.

  Behind Lucifer, Lust and Envy straightened.

  “Have you rested enough?” Lucifer asked calmly.

  “Yes, my lord,” Lust replied, her voice smooth but eager.

  “Good. Then eliminate the fairies approaching from the rear.”

  Envy glanced toward the drifting miasma saturating the battlefield.

  “How are they surviving within that?”

  Lucifer answered without hesitation.

  “They are fairies. They possess natural resistance to nearly all forms of magic.”

  His eyes traced the distant aerial units.

  “The miasma affects them, but not severely enough to neutralize them.”

  He folded his arms.

  “There are approximately one thousand approaching from behind. Be wary of their spirit magic… and especially their holy magic. It is far more potent than the humans’.”

  At that, Lust and Envy sprouted their wings and launched into the sky, streaking toward the incoming rear formation.

  Kane stepped forward moments later.

  “My lord. The human army has been eliminated. Gluttony and Sloth appear to have finished off the remaining elves as well.”

  Lucifer shifted his gaze back to the front lines.

  The battlefield was a ruin of blood and shattered steel.

  Beastmen locked in savage combat with Pride and Wrath.

  Greed rampaging deep within lizardmen ranks.

  Demon Lords intercepting aerial fairy formations.

  He exhaled lightly.

  “Good. Then all that remains is to destroy the—”

  BOOM.

  Four figures descended from the sky like meteors, crashing into the battlefield before him.

  The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, scattering corpses and kicking up a massive cloud of dust and smoke.

  Even demons paused briefly.

  When the smoke began to clear—

  Four warriors stood there.

  Three were clad head to toe in full-body armour, their faces hidden behind visors etched with glowing insignias. Their presence radiated power far beyond ordinary soldiers.

  The fourth was unmistakable.

  A beastman.

  Tall. Broad. Muscular.

  Unlike the others, his helm was absent. His sharp eyes burned with battle intent. He wore reinforced armour that barely contained his build, and in his hand he held an enormous battle-axe resting casually against his shoulder.

  The air around them felt… different.

  Condensed.

  Focused.

  Not like an army.

  Like elites.

  Lucifer’s crimson eyes gleamed with recognition.

  “…Ah.”

  A faint smile appeared.

  “So they finally sent their champions.”

  Lucifer’s eyes sharpened as the dust fully settled.

  “…Interesting.”

  A faint smile tugged at his lips.

  “So they’ve decided to unveil their trump cards.”

  His gaze moved across each figure in turn.

  “A Paladin… a Dark Elf… an Oread…”

  His eyes rested last on the towering beastman gripping the colossal Warhammer.

  “And a Warhammer.”

  Kane’s expression grew tense.

  “My lord… those four radiate power comparable to the Demon Lords.”

  “Yes.”

  Lucifer did not deny it.

  “Recall Gluttony and Sloth immediately. They cannot contend with opponents of that calibre.”

  But before the command could even be transmitted—

  The Warhammer moved.

  The ground beneath him imploded as he launched forward.

  He did not blur.

  He did not vanish.

  He simply crossed the distance.

  And in the span of a single breath—

  BOOM.

  The impact of his weapon shook the battlefield.

  Gluttony and Sloth hadn’t even processed his approach before blood sprayed into the air.

  An arm.

  A leg.

  From each of them.

  They were sent tumbling across the broken earth like discarded dolls.

  For the first time since the war began—

  Lucifer’s calm expression darkened.

  The temperature around him seemed to drop.

  Kane reacted instantly.

  Snap.

  Space folded, and Gluttony and Sloth were teleported back to Lucifer’s side, collapsed and regenerating slowly, fury and shock etched into their faces.

  The battlefield fell eerily quiet for a moment.

  Lucifer’s voice when he spoke was no longer amused.

  “Mephistopheles. Apollyn.”

  The two Demon Lords stepped forward without hesitation.

  “Deal with them.”

  His crimson eyes glowed intensely.

  “Do not leave even a sliver of their bodies intact.”

  A faint, cold smile formed.

  “And ensure that not even their God could recognize what remains.”

  Mephistopheles bowed slightly.

  “As you command.”

  Apollyn’s wings unfurled with a violent gust of wind.

  Dark energy spiralled around them as both took to the air, streaking toward the four champions.

  Meanwhile—

  Without their Demon Lord commanders and with the fairy support amplifying their enemies—

  The remaining demonic soldiers were overwhelmed.

  The Paladin’s radiant blade carved through entire formations in sweeping arcs of holy light.

  The Dark Elf moved like a shadow, severing heads before demons even realized they were dead.

  The Oread commanded stone and earth itself, crushing battalions beneath rising pillars and collapsing terrain.

  Within minutes—

  The Demonic army was eradicated.

  Only the Sin Arch demons and the higher Demon Lords remained standing.

  Across the ruined battlefield, the four champions stood united.

  Above them, fairy magic shimmered.

  Behind them, battered beastmen still roared.

  And in the distance—

  Greed’s golden explosions continued to detonate among the lizardmen ranks.

  Lucifer stepped forward slightly.

  The air trembled.

  “Very well.”

  His voice carried across the battlefield without effort.

  “If the world wishes to pit its finest against Hell…”

  His wings slowly began to unfurl.

  “Then let us see whose legends endure.”

  The battlefield had fractured into multiple wars within a war.

  Pride and Wrath remained locked in brutal combat against the Beastmen army. Every swing of Wrath’s greatsword cleaved through warriors and shattered the earth, while Pride moved like a predator among them, tearing down only the strongest challengers with calculated precision.

  Greed was still deep within the Lizardmen ranks. Golden eruptions flashed repeatedly in the distance. He had encountered elite commanders among them—scaled warriors whose physical strength rivalled lesser Demon Lords.

  They were pushing him.

  But they were not pushing him back.

  High above, Astarte and Ammit carved through the fairy formation, dark energy clashing violently against radiant spirit magic. Wings burned. Light shattered.