Chapter 523 The Prelude to the Great War

Beyond Dorothy’s Hill.

…Is it too much to entrust that child with facing an Archdemon Commander alone?

Irus mused to herself.

And yet…

as her mind drifted back

to the vision of countless “blossoms” unfurling across the firmament,

a faint, soft smile curved Irus’s lips.

If it was her, there would be no cause for concern.

……

At that very moment,

a lone figure departed the Witch Hills and came to rest atop a lofty mountain.

She glanced back toward Windrock City, now vanished beyond the horizon, then cast her gaze about the surrounding wilderness.

Confusion clouded her eyes.

No…

“Where am I meant to find that Archdemon Commander?”

She possessed no such gift of instinct or tracking, after all!

……

Time slipped swiftly by.

More than a month had passed since the fall of Ebony City.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

On this day,

thunderous detonations echoed ceaselessly beyond the walls of Windrock City.

“Feel the weight of my spear——!”

A colossal spear-phantom cleaved through the sky.

Esmelon, the target of the strike, evaded it with effortless grace.

Whoosh——!

A sharp, cutting wind erupted from behind him.

Arthur surged forward, swinging his Holy Sword with every ounce of his strength.

Hum!

Esmelon flicked his wand, and a defensive barrier materialized in an instant.

Clang——!

Arthur’s blow was repelled.

“Ranged support, now!”

Aralond roared.

No sooner had the command left his lips

than Hena drew her bowstring taut to its limit.

Boom——!

A light-arrow, raging with the force of a cannon, blasted forth.

“Tome Chapter: Dark VI – Shadow of the Fallen.”

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The sky above Esmelon was swallowed whole by umbral shadow.

Attacks from above and below converged almost simultaneously,

slamming into Esmelon’s barrier with violent force.

Crash——!!

“Prarlulu!”

Aralond shouted once more.

“On my way——!” Prarlulu cried in response, hefting her Holy Staff high above her head.

Hum……

Rays of light burst forth from her form, linking to the other five Heroes.

In the blink of an eye, the power of the dual assaults surging toward Esmelon surged to new heights!

Crack!

The sound of shattering barrier rent the air.

“Now is our moment——!!”

The instant the barrier fractured, Arthur and Russell closed in on Esmelon in a blinding charge.

But at that exact second, Esmelon pointed his wand toward the earth.

Hum——!

A massive 6th-Tier Magic Circle unfurled across the firmament,

and a cataclysmic strike crashed downward.

“O earth, stand as my shield!”

Aralond gritted his teeth, raising his shield with every fiber of his strength to meet Esmelon’s onslaught.

Rumble……

When the colossal explosion subsided,

the brutal skirmish finally drew to a close……

“Be healed!”

Prarlulu waved her Holy Staff, and a tide of radiant light poured forth.

The Heroes’ wounds and crippling fatigue, fresh from the fray, faded away in an instant.

“Thank you, Prarlulu.” Arthur said with sincere gratitude.

“Ah, n‑not at all…… it is only my duty.”

“Haha, no need for such modesty.”

Arthur smiled warmly,

then turned to Aralond.

“Aralond, in our last engagement—what flaws remain in our formation?”

“……” Aralond paused in thought, then replied: “Our coordination is flawless now. With Prarlulu’s Mind Magic weaving us together, we need scarcely speak to understand one another’s intent.”

“Eh, r‑really? Me?”

Prarlulu pointed to herself in stunned surprise,

then clutched her staff and giggled shyly.

“Ehehe, I had no idea I was so vital…… I’m rather flustered.”

“……”

“If any shortcoming lingers……

it is the gap in our individual strength, which leaves minor vulnerabilities in our unison. But this will mend with time and battle.”

“Truly spoken.”

A voice rang out from nearby.

Firuvin strode toward the group.

“Lord Firuvin!”

The Heroes greeted him, their tone far warmer than before.

He had been their primary mentor through these long weeks of training, after all.

Firuvin’s gaze swept over each of them, a flicker of pride softening his eyes.

“Well done.

You now stand capable of defeating any demon beneath the rank of Archdemon Commander.”

Russell’s eyes blazed with excitement.

“Does that mean…… our training is at an end?!”

“It does.

The first phase of your trials as Heroes is complete.”

“Ah, only the first phase……”

“Do not despair. Remember—there is a task you are now fit to undertake.”

“Right! I’d nearly forgotten!”

Russell leaped to his feet, electrified with fervor.

“Listen up, all of you! It is time we paid those fiends back in kind——!”

……

Eastern Valley, Witch Hills.

“Lord Goruzaan——!”

A demon burst into the throne hall, wild with panic.

“The humans march upon us!”

“Humans? Now, of all times?”

Goruzaan frowned, his mind racing.

Lord Jaca remained in the eastern lands, unreturned. A High-Rank Demon had perished inexplicably not long past. Now only three elite warriors remained in the camp—myself included……

Goruzaan recalled the six Heroes he had faced in battle, and the two S-Rank experts he had encountered at Dorothy’s Hill.

The situation was dire…… Without Lord Jaca, we cannot hope to repel the human assault. And what is more……

We seized Ebony City and raided Dorothy’s Hill at great cost, yet never unearthed their fabled superweapon.

If the humans bring that artifact to bear in this attack, resistance will be futile!

Seeing his lord lost in prolonged thought,

the demon spoke up cautiously.

“Lord Goruzaan…… shall we sally forth to meet them?”

“No——”

Goruzaan nearly shook his head on instinct.

But a second thought changed his course.

“……We shall meet them. We most certainly shall.

Send the Marauder Horde forth as vanguard. Intercept the human army within the valley.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The demon bowed low and hurried off to relay the order.

The other two High-Rank Demons could not fathom Goruzaan’s strategy and ventured a hesitant question:

“Lord Goruzaan, why waste those fodder creatures as vanguard? They lack all martial prowess—they will break at the first charge.”

The so-called Marauder Horde was a demon slur for primitive, humanoid demonic beasts—classed as monsters despite their faint intelligence.

“Precisely because they are fodder that they serve a purpose this day. You two—organize the retreat at once. The moment the Marauder Horde marches, all remaining forces withdraw to the east.”

The two High-Rank Demons grasped his plan at once.

“Brilliant~!”

“As expected of Lord Goruzaan!”

“This is the perfect use for such wretched creatures!”

“We go at once to carry out your will~!”

……

“Graah.”

“Grrruh……”

Within the valley,

a horde of goblins in tattered, ill-fitted armor, clutching rusted iron swords, shuffled haphazardly along the riverbank.

Among the mass of goblins mingled countless kobolds in similar rags, a handful of elite orcs, and the occasional towering, menacing troll.

This ramshackle horde, led by a single Goblin King, marched forth to confront the elite warriors of the Himril Allied Forces.