The Great Plan of Aragon and Several Other Arch- Demons
“Are you alright, Arch-demon Aragon?”
Aragon paused, unable to respond as his mind lingered on the terrifying event he had just experienced.
“Was that just a hallucination? Yet it felt so real,” he pondered inwardly, still gripped by a lingering sense of dread.
As a respected and powerful figure beneath the Demon Emperor, he had never encountered such a terrifying ordeal.
In the presence of those two enormous, white-lit eyes, he felt like a helpless ant.
Recalling the incident and the thousands of swords piercing his body horrified him, causing cold sweat to trickle down his back.
Snapping out of his reverie, Aragon attempted to calm himself, but his efforts were futile as fear still gripped him.
He quickly concealed his fear from Leon while withdrawing his hand.
“I’m fine,” he replied in a cold, indifferent
tone.
Leon simply smiled and nodded, though inwardly he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Despite Aragon’s efforts to mask his emotions, they did not escape his notice.
“It looks like he’s really rattled this time, Leon murmured, a wider smile creeping across his face.
What had just transpired with Aragon was undoubtedly a result of his actions.
Moments earlier, he had used his hero
technique to ensnare Aragon in a vivid illusion.
The illusion was so convincing that Aragon failed to recognize it as anything but a hallucination, completely unaware of his involvement.
However, Leon’s intention was merely to play a prank on Aragon, not to engage him seriously. After all, he had promised Liliana that he would only step in if Aragon became a genuine threat to her or their three daughters.
As long as that threshold wasn’t crossed,
he planned to leave Aragon’s matters in Liliana’s capable hands, with no intention of interfering.
“In that case, Arch-demon Aragon, do you have any objections to my taking the lead of the relief force?” Leon suddenly inquired, causing Aragon to freeze for a moment.
He wanted to respond with, “Of course I do, “but the words stuck in his throat as the memory of his earlier hallucination
loomed large in his mind.
Taking a deep breath, Aragon narrowed his
eyes slightly, meeting Leon’s gaze, and replied, “I have no objections.”
His response left Liliana, Lyra, and Merlin utterly stunned, especially Merlin, who felt as if the ground had fallen out from under him at Aragon’s words.
With his body trembling, Merlin said in a heavy voice, “Arch-demon Aragon, you—”
Before he could finish, Aragon swiftly raised his right hand, signaling for him to be silent.
Merlin could only bite back his words, his eyes brimming with hatred and anger. Aragon turned to Liliana, bowing his head slightly as he said, “I apologize for interrupting your time, Your Majesty.” Liliana raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but
since Aragon had already shown respect, she couldn’t ignore him.
“Of course,” she replied briefly and
nonchalantly.
After raising his head, Aragon shot one last glance at Leon before finally walking off
the altar.
As he watched Aragon leave, Merlin instinctively moved to follow but paused to give Leon a sharp look.
“It must all be because of this damn man,
he muttered through gritted teeth.
Aragon’s sudden change was completely unexpected, and aside from this wild
demon named “Leon,” Merlin couldn’t
fathom anyone else who could have influenced him so dramatically.
Yet he couldn’t fathom how Leon had
“I
managed it. On the other hand, Aragon had
made up his mind, leaving him with
nothing to say except to depart in resentment.
As the two left, Liliana and Lyra exchanged suspicious glances toward Leon.
“Did
you do something to Aragon, Leon?”
Liliana inquired with curiosity as she stepped closer to him.
Given Aragon’s nature, it was highly
unlikely for him to submit so easily, so she was convinced that Leon must have
influenced him in some way. Lyra, too, appeared to share the same suspicion. Leon simply chuckled and shook his head.
“If I told you I didn’t do anything to him, would you believe me?” He replied playfully.
Liliana paused for a moment, then smiled
and nodded.
“Of course I would,” she answered firmly.
It would be a lie to claim she didn’t harbor
any doubts about Leon’s words, but she felt compelled to trust him nonetheless. Leon was deeply touched by Liliana’s belief
in him. If it weren’t for the presence of thousands of soldiers in the palace courtyard, he might have swept her up and
taken her to a private room to explore the meaning of life together.
“Actually, I did do something to him, but
you don’t need to worry; it wasn’t anything serious,” Leon explained gently.
“Alright, that’s fine,” Liliana replied with a small nod, appearing unconcerned.
In truth, she didn’t particularly mind whether Leon had done something serious
to Aragon. As long as it didn’t result in Aragon’s death, she was satisfied. Leon smiled slightly and nodded before
turning his attention to the army lined up in the palace courtyard, his expression calm and nonchalant behind his half-face
mask.
“All soldiers, I apologize for the earlier disturbance,” Leon announced casually. “Now, let’s head out to the battlefield and achieve victory!”
At his words, excitement lit up the soldiers’
faces, and they raised their right hands in unison.
“Achieve victory!”
***
Inside a large, luxurious room, Aragon and
Merlin sat facing each other in silence.
After a while, Aragon leaned back and asked, “Are you disappointed and still upset about my decision, Merlin?” Merlin felt a surge of frustration but dared
not express it. “I am not disappointed,
Arch-demon Aragon,” he replied respectfully, though a hint of
disappointment crept into his voice.
Aragon recognized this and quickly added,
“I don’t want to give up on making you the leader of the reinforcement line, but that figure named Leon is quite unusual.”
Surprised by the admission, Merlin
regarded Aragon with growing curiosity. “Unusual? Did something about him seem
off to you?” Merlin inquired, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. Aragon nodded but refrained from giving
further details. The memory of those
enormous eyes and the sensation of thousands of swords piercing through his body still haunted him, sending chills down his spine with each recollection.
He suspected it wasn’t merely a hallucination but something deliberately caused by Leon. Yet, without concrete
proof, Aragon kept his suspicions to himself, deciding to leave the altar earlier in silence.
“By the way, Merlin, I’ll need a favor from you soon, and I hope you’ll assist me,” Aragon suddenly said, catching Merlin off guard. “Help with what, Arch-demon Aragon?” Merlin asked, his tone hesitant. Aragon’s lips curled into a cold smile. “A few of us arch-demons are plotting something significant-rising up against Her Majesty, the Demon Emperor.” The moment Merlin heard the word
“against,” he was left dumbfounded, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Rising up against Her Majesty Liliana? Do
you mean―” Before he could finish, Aragon chuckled darkly, cutting him off. “Yes, we’re preparing for rebellion,” he
replied, calm and unbothered. *Badump!*
Merlin’s heart pounded, and his palms
clenched tightly against his knees.
Aragon’s words horrified him so much that it felt difficult to breathe.
“Rebellion? How is that even possible?” Merlin swallowed hard, struggling to
believe what he had just heard. His entire life, he’d held the unshakable
belief that no demon could ever rise against the Demon Emperor. After all, the Demon Emperor held the highest authority
and was revered by all demons. But Aragon’s sudden revelation shattered
everything he thought he knew. And what
shocked him even more was the fact that not only Aragon but several other arch-demons shared the same treacherous
intent.
As Merlin wrestled with his disbelief,
Aragon’s deep, commanding voice cut through his thoughts once again. “Are you going to help us, Merlin?” Aragon’s eyes narrowed with cold intent. Merlin froze for a moment, torn, before finally lowering his head, unsure of what to
say.
“I…”
The Emergence of Ancient Magic and Humanity’s Counterattack
The Desert of Chaos, the central region…
*Boom!*
“Ahhh!”
The deafening explosion echoed across a radius of two hundred meters. In an
instant, hundreds of white-armored
soldiers were hurled five hundred meters away by the blast’s force.
High above, a striking silver-haired figure floated, her alluring form clad in black armor. In her hand, she wielded a black magic staff adorned with a swirling red ice pattern along its shaft.
She was none other than Lilith Crimson, one of the three Demon generals.
Now, she gazed at the hundreds of lifeless human troops strewn across the ground from her previous attack, a puzzled expression crossing her cold, beautiful face.
“What is happening? Why are they so recklessly sacrificing their troops?” Lilith wondered inwardly, astonished.
As the battle commenced, humanity’s army and the Demon army clashed immediately. However, she was profoundly confused by the strategies devised by humanity’s leaders, which struck her as utterly unreasonable.
Not only had they positioned two generals at the forefront, but they were also recklessly sacrificing their troops.
Such plans and tactics were clearly bewildering, both to her and the other Demon generals.
“What are they really planning?” Lilith bit her lower lip, her heart heavy with mixed emotions.
For some reason, she sensed that something significant was about to unfold.
Taking a deep breath, she turned her
attention to Heidel and Terran, who were
battling Valen, the Spear Hero of Mankind,
along with his partner, Guren.
Meanwhile, Garan, positioned about eight hundred meters away, was enthusiastically decimating the front lines of humanity’s army.
With the other generals of humanity
absent, Garan found himself in the same
predicament as her-lacking a worthy
opponent.
Snapping out of her reverie, she surveyed
the human army below, fighting
desperately against her Demon forces, her
expression remaining indifferent.
“Eternal Snow!” She raised her magic staff
in her right hand, casting a mid-level spell.
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, a massive magic circle
materialized in the sky, unleashing a blizzard that froze hundreds of human
soldiers into ice sculptures.
Upon witnessing this, the Demon soldiers
fighting below were momentarily taken aback before erupting into cheers as they smashed the ice sculptures to smithereens.
Lilith quickly diverted her gaze and soared toward the heart of humanity’s army, ready to strike again.
However, just as she flew a few meters
away, a shocking event unfolded.
The once bright blue sky darkened
instantly, consumed by dense black clouds.
Thunderous booms of lightning echoed,
causing everyone to tremble in fear.
Seeing this sudden change, Lilith halted
her movements, on high alert.
“What is happening?” She whispered, her eyes narrowing as she tightened her grip on her magic staff.
This shift in weather filled her with a sense
of foreboding, as if something terrible was about to occur.
“Damn it! What’s going on? Why did the sky suddenly turn black?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t shake the feeling
of goosebumps.”
“Yeah, I feel it too!”
The Demon soldiers and human soldiers
paused their battle, staring at the strange phenomenon with panic, anxiety, and a mix of other emotions.
Even Heidel, who was engaged in combat
with Valen, and Terran, who was facing Guren, halted their fights.
“What’s going on?” Heidel narrowed his eyes, his vigilance at its peak.
“Oh? Has it begun already?” Valen’s cheerful voice suddenly rang out, causing Heidel to gasp in surprise.
“Begun? What do you mean?” Heidel inquired coldly.
Valen merely smiled faintly and replied, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Just as Valen spoke, a massive blue magic circle, stretching a kilometer wide, suddenly appeared in the darkened sky.
At the same time, thousands of skeletal
hands emerged from the sand, grasping the corpses of fallen human and Demon
soldiers before pulling them beneath the
surface.
Those who witnessed this horrifying scene
were left speechless as dread slowly seeped into their hearts.
“F***! What is that!?”
“Is that a hand from the underworld? Why
is it here?”
“Where are they taking the bodies?”
A wave of fear swept through both the
Demon army and humanity, causing those who had previously fought fiercely to instinctively distance themselves from one
another.
Meanwhile, Lilith stood frozen in horror at
the sight of the skeletal hands, a terrible premonition forming in her mind. “Is that-” Before she could finish her
thought, the magic circle in the sky emitted an intensely bright blue light. “Ancient-Level Magic: Gravity Manipulation!”
An indifferent voice suddenly boomed from
above, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure that engulfed the entire Demon
army in the Desert of Chaos.
*Boom!*
The pressure forced everyone to collapse
onto the sand, rendering them unable to
move a single finger. “Shit! What the hell!? Why can’t I move!?”
“This pressure is unbearable! It feels like
my bones are being crushed!”
“General Lilith, help us!” The terrified cries of the Demon army
echoed across the battlefield, startling the human soldiers.
“What’s happening? Why are they all being suppressed like that?”
“Is it because of that mysterious voice?”
“I don’t know, but isn’t this our chance?”
With that last remark, they all snapped to attention, their eyes filled with killing intent.
Quickly, they raised their weapons and launched a counterattack against the Demon army.
“Argh! No!”
“You bastards, humans!”
The tide of battle shifted dramatically, and
the previously dominant Demon army
found itself overwhelmed, leading to numerous corpses falling on their side. On the other hand, Lilith, feeling the
pressure from the magic circle above, sensed her heart racing, and her grip on
her magic staff tightened slightly. “Ancient-level magic? How is that possible!?” She wondered in disbelief.
The expression on her beautiful face, once filled with indifference, now turned pale. Ancient-level magic represented the
highest tier of magical power, and mastering it was exceptionally challenging. Even she, a Sovereign Mage, had only
managed to master two of these powerful spells.
Furthermore, casting ancient-level magic was extremely mana-draining, typically reserved for moments of dire necessity. What surprised her most was not only the presence of this ancient magic but also
how it had manifested. Given the magic field in the Desert of Chaos, it was impossible for a Great Mage like Rain-or even a Sovereign Mage like her-to wield ancient-level magic.
“So, now I see why they had the audacity to
send two generals to lead the battlefield,” she muttered in a serious tone.
Though she didn’t know how they accomplished it, Lilith was certain that Rain Violet must have cast the ancient
magic. Taking a deep breath, she shifted her gaze upward, scrutinizing the giant magic circle
as she contemplated ways to destroy it. However, she quickly realized that the
structure of the magic circle was incredibly complex, and given her current state, which was far from optimal, destroying it seemed nearly impossible. “It’s better to save the troops below first,”
Lilith said, shaking her head.
She then focused on the battlefield below,
where the Demon army was being
ruthlessly slaughtered by humanity. Without hesitation, she raised her magic
staff and launched an attack against them.
***
“Damn it! Ancient magic? How is that possible?” Garan muttered in disbelief, gritting his teeth as he struggled against
the overwhelming pressure from the magic circle above.
He had never imagined that humanity could harness ancient-level magic, leaving him utterly stunned.
As he turned his gaze forward, he saw humanity’s army mercilessly slaughtering his Demon forces, igniting a fire of fury within him.
“Bastards!” Garan roared, attempting to
rise to his feet, only to be struck by excruciating pain.
It felt as if his bones were shattering and
his muscles were tearing apart.
Despite the agony, he persevered, lunging
toward the human army with fierce determination.
Eight hundred meters away, Terran, engaged in battle with Guren, was taken aback by the sight of the colossal magic circle above, his eyes widening in terror.
“Ancient-level magic?” He muttered in disbelief, retreating cautiously, but an
overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon him.
The force caused him to vomit blood and
collapse to his knees, rendering him unable
to move a single finger.
Seeing this, Guren couldn’t help but laugh,
his cocky smile returning after a long absence.
“Hahaha! Are you surprised, Demon?”
Guren taunted coldly, folding his arms
across his chest.
Terran gritted his teeth and shot him an indifferent glare. “How is it possible for you humans to wield ancient-level magic?” Given the magic field in the Desert of Chaos, the ability to wield ancient-level magic was highly improbable-a fact that
Lilith had already confirmed to him. Still, he never imagined humanity could
achieve such a feat, which both astonished
and terrified him.
Guren smirked playfully, shaking his head
as he replied, “You don’t need to know the
details. Today is the day you’re buried, Demon!”
Without uttering a word, Guren tightened
his grip on his sword and lunged toward
him.
Holy power faintly coalesced around him, dramatically amplifying the aura
surrounding his body.
“Die!” Guren shouted as he swung his
sword, aiming for Terran’s head.
*Slash!*
The strike was so swift that Terran had no
time to react, and his head was severed in an instant.
*Splash!*
Blood gushed like a fountain from Terran’s
neck, creating a horrifying scene for
anyone who witnessed it.
Guren couldn’t contain his laughter, exclaiming loudly, “Hahaha! At last, I’ve killed you!”
In previous wars, Terran had caused him
immense frustration, overwhelming him
time and
again.
Thus, he harbored a deep-seated hatred
for Terran, even more than for Valen.
But now, having finally slain him, he felt an overwhelming sense of triumph.
Just as he reveled in his victory, the
surrounding battlefield suddenly transformed into a vast grassland.
In an instant, Terran’s headless corpse
vanished from sight, leaving Guren
standing alone.
Guren’s
eyes
widened in disbelief as he
gasped, “An illusion? How is that even
possible!?”
Meanwhile, Heidel, who had witnessed the
enormous magic circle appearing in the sky
along with the terrifying pressure that enveloped him, could only stare in shock
before finally frowning.
“Ancient magic? What an unexpected
strategy,” he murmured, clenching his fists. Though the pressure from the ancient
magic
was immense, it wasn’t enough to
bring him to his knees like the other Demon soldiers. However, it still impacted
him enough that he could feel his demonic
power stirring slightly.
“As expected of an Arch-demon. The
pressure of ancient magic doesn’t seem to
faze you at all,” Valen remarked, his voice
laced with mockery.
Heidel shot Valen a cold glare and offered a
faint smile.
“Did you
devise this plan specifically to
counter us?” he asked casually.
Valen merely flashed a playful grin, refusing to answer.
*Boom!*
A surge of holy power erupted from Valen, enveloping him in radiant red armor. With the Soaring Dragon Holy Spear drawn
and aimed at Heidel, he licked his lips and proclaimed, “Now it’s time to begin the real
battle.”.
