“No! Arshley!”
Leon suddenly shouted, his eyes snapping open as he reached out with his right hand, as though trying to grasp something. But as the ceiling of the tent came into focus, he came to his senses, pausing for a moment and massaging his temples.
“Was that… just a dream?” he muttered weakly, his brows furrowing slightly.
He scanned his surroundings, relief washing over him when he realized he was still in the tent.
“What a horrible dream…” Leon murmured, shaking his head helplessly.
He had just dreamed of his past with Arshley—the two of them sneaking into the dense forest behind the Holy Hall, playing a carefree game of chase, unaware that a terrifying monster was hunting them. By the time the monster attacked Arshley, he was too late to save her.
Fortunately, it was just a dream and hadn’t happened in reality.
“Could I have been too exhausted to have such a dream?” Leon wondered to himself as he slowly sat up.
Over the past two days, he had been fully immersed in absorbing the inheritance from the Codex of Noctis. At the same time, he had been formulating several strategies to deal with Jim and his accomplices tonight, leaving him little time for proper rest.
Taking a deep breath, Leon shook his head and stretched, feeling a slight stiffness in his body.
“Once this war is settled, I’ll return to Holy Orthodoxy and meet with Arshley. She must have missed me,” he murmured with resolve.
With that decision made, Leon rose to his feet and activated his transformation technique. He then picked up his half-mask from the bedside table and placed it over his face.
Just as he was about to leave his tent, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Kaelen, dressed in black armor, entered.
Upon seeing Leon already awake and prepared, Kaelen froze and quickly bowed his head.
“Forgive my intrusion, General Leon. I thought you were still asleep and meant to wake you,” he said with an apologetic tone.
Leon gave a small smile and waved his hand nonchalantly. “No need to worry; I’m not angry. After all, I asked you to wake me at this hour.”
After a brief pause, a curious gleam appeared in his purple eyes as he asked, “By the way, is everything ready?”
Kaelen let out a relieved sigh and slowly raised his head to meet Leon’s gaze.
“Everything is almost ready, General. The 200,000 Demon troops are in position, though it may take a little more time for everything to be fully prepared,” he replied respectfully.
“Alright, that’s fine. I’ll wait for them to be fully ready,” Leon said casually.
Kaelen nodded eagerly, but a hint of hesitation crossed his youthful face.
Noticing the shift in his expression, Leon clasped his hands behind his back and asked softly, “Is there something you wish to say?”
Kaelen was silent for a moment before replying quietly, “Yes, General, I have something to report. Just before I came to your tent, Demon General Garan asked me to deliver a message—he wants to join the battle tonight. However, recalling your earlier orders that no Demon Generals were to take part, I refused.”
He paused briefly, then sighed and continued, “But he insisted and asked me to relay his request to you.”
Leon nodded in understanding and smiled faintly. “So, that’s why you hesitated to tell me?”
Kaelen scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah.”
Leon chuckled lightly, patting Kaelen’s shoulder reassuringly. “There’s no need to worry. I’ll handle it.”
Kaelen smiled with relief and nodded. “Thank you, General.
…
Inside the tent, Garan stood beside the bed, watching Lilith, still unconscious. More than two days had passed, yet she showed no signs of waking, leaving him deeply concerned.
“How serious are Lilith’s injuries? Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” Garan muttered to himself, his voice heavy with worry.
Seeing his comrade in such a state weighed heavily on him, and the fact that Lilith’s condition was the result of his own helplessness only deepened his guilt. If only he were stronger, perhaps none of this would have happened.
“Garan, are you there?”
The calm, yet indifferent voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him out of his reverie.
Turning toward the source, he saw Leon enter the tent, his demeanor composed but his presence radiating a sharp, commanding aura.
Garan quickly approached Leon, ready to speak, but hesitated and closed his mouth.
He suddenly realized that he had never learned this mysterious man’s name, despite the fact that he had helped him and the Demon army escape from the battlefield.
An embarrassed expression crossed his face, and the atmosphere in the tent grew awkward.
Sensing the tension, Leon smiled slightly and said, “You can call me Leon. That’s my name.”
“Leon?” Garan’s brows furrowed slightly, and suddenly, the image of the white-robed man wielding the Holy Sword of Zenith flashed in his mind.
The man who had defeated him and his army so decisively, leaving him haunted by nightmares ever since.
His expression stiffened as he looked at Leon, whose appearance reminded him unsettlingly of that figure.
“You…” Garan began to speak but was quickly cut off.
“I know you’re thinking of the Hero of Mankind, Leon Kruger, after hearing my name. But I am not him,” Leon clarified.
Garan let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest as he said, “You really scared me there. I thought you were that damn sword hero. Luckily, I was wrong.”
Leon’s mouth twitched at the curse, and a strong urge to knock some sense into this large man flared within him.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Leon quickly shifted the conversation. “Kaelen told me you want to join the battlefield with me and 200,000 troops. Is that true?”
Garan nodded firmly in response, his voice filled with determination. “Yes, I want to join! I need to avenge them all!”
The death of Arch-demon Heidel, the injuries to Terran and Lilith, and their humiliating defeat—he couldn’t rest until those humans paid for it all.
Without that revenge, he knew he wouldn’t find peace.
Leon sighed softly, shaking his head as he replied nonchalantly, “I recognize your spirit and determination, but I cannot allow you to come, Garan.”
Garan’s eyes widened in disbelief at his words.
“Why can’t I join? It’s my duty, given to me by Her Majesty Demon Emperor Liliana. And I want my revenge on them,” Garan said firmly, clearly unwilling to accept Leon’s refusal.
Leon remained calm, folding his arms across his chest. “If you leave, who will watch over Lilith and Terran, who are still unconscious?”
Garan opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it.
Leon continued gently, “You know how serious their injuries are. Even though I healed them, it doesn’t mean they will be at their best when they wake up.”
He paused before adding, “Taking care of them and the other wounded soldiers is just as honorable as going to war. I believe if your Demon Emperor were here, she would agree with me.”
Hearing this, Garan fell silent, unable to respond. Leon’s words made perfect sense, leaving him no grounds to argue.
After a moment of quiet, Garan let out a small sigh and nodded slowly.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have insisted,” he said with resignation.
Leon smiled with satisfaction. Though Garan could be stubborn, he knew when to make the right choice—something Leon had observed over the past two days.
Leon’s gaze then shifted to Lilith, still unconscious, and he nodded slightly.
“Her condition has improved, but the internal wounds she suffered are severe. She should wake up in a few hours,” Leon said calmly.
Relief flashed across Garan’s face, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s a relief! I thought she might never wake up,” he said with a sigh of relief.
Leon didn’t respond. Instead, he gave Garan’s shoulder a light pat.
“Take care of her until she wakes. I’ll go check on the army before we head into battle,” Leon said, turning to leave the tent.
Watching Leon disappear from view, Garan muttered with a wry smile, “What a strange man…”
…
Miranda’s Moon and Sylvia’s Moon gleamed brightly in the night sky, casting a tranquil peace over the Desert of Chaos.
The twinkling stars around them shimmered with equal brilliance, as if determined not to be overshadowed by the two moons.
At that moment, several hundred meters from the campsite, hundreds of thousands of Demon troops stood in perfect formation.
At the front, well-equipped cavalry in pitch-black armor lined up in precise rows, radiating a powerful, electrifying aura. Behind them, the infantry and archers stood equally poised, prepared for battle.
Seeing this, Leon couldn’t help but smile, nodding in approval.
“With this lineup, we should be able to defeat them all,” he murmured to himself.
“General!” The sound of galloping hooves rang out from his side, and Kaelen, accompanied by several Demon soldiers from the outer palace, rode toward him.
Leon greeted them with a smile and asked, “Are you all ready?”
They nodded firmly, but Leon noticed a hint of doubt in their expressions.
“Do you think we’ll lose this war?” Leon asked casually.
“Ah? This…” Kaelen and the soldiers around him were taken aback by the question, their faces flushing with embarrassment.
Leon chuckled softly and nodded, continuing, “With only 200,000 troops, we’re significantly outnumbered by their estimated 500,000 to 600,000. But rest assured, I would never lead you into battle unless I was confident of our victory.”
His words radiated absolute confidence, which stirred something deep within them.
“Don’t worry, General! We trust you!” Kaelen exclaimed, his voice filled with enthusiasm.
“Yes! We trust you!” the soldier next to him said, followed by several others quickly joining in.
“Good!” Leon nodded firmly, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the valley of death, located in the distance.
“Then let’s go and claim our victory!”
