The war had gotten worse.
On one side we're the humans who had mechs and giant gunships flying above the smoke. Big metal walkers, the kind they called Warmechs stomped through the dirt, shooting plasma rounds at anything that moved. They used missiles, drones and even laser cannons.
On the other side, flying beasts rained fire on the bunkers. Soldiers were screaming through radios, calling for backup or anyone who could help, not like it'd matter.
The demons weren't just magic users. They had monsters, real ones. Some flew with wings like jets. Others ran like beasts, tearing through the metals like it was paper.
The war already looked lost and that was when he landed. A big crater formed where he touched down. The Demon Warlord. He didn't even say anything, he just showed up.
No one knew his name. He looked like a man but wasn't one. He had horns with scarlet red eyes and was way too strong.
He raised one hand and five tanks exploded.
"Still fighting?" he said, looking around like he was already bored. "Cute."
His generals stood behind him. Some with horns, some with wings, some who looked more human than demon, but none of them spoke. They never spoke unless he told them to.
He started walking and everything he touched either melted or turned to dust, sometimes both.
The humans threw everything at him. Artillery, drones, snipers. One commander even launched a nuke from orbit. It hit but didn't matter. The smoke cleared and he was still there, brushing dust off his shoulder.
He could have ended it right there, one wave of his hand and the entire army would vanish but he didn't, he never did.
He always waited. He always gave them time to think they had a chance, he even let them rebuild, reorganize, even try new weapons. Then he'd crush them again.
He liked it that way, he thought it was funny but this time he found something weird.
It happened after he flicked a missile back to another mech and watched it explode.
He heard a noise and stopped walking. There was a cottage still standing, with one small door. He opened it with one finger and looked inside and there she was.
A girl, bleeding, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Probably just a farm girl or a nurse. She didn't scream or even moved, just stared at him.
She looked at him and said, "Can you help me?"
He blinked then turned, looking around before staring back at her while pointing to himself. "Me?"
She nodded.
"You do know I'm the reason this whole thing's on fire, right?"
She gave a tiny shrug. "Still hurts."
He blinked and tilted his head a bit "You're not... scared?"
She shook her head.
He was confused. People didn't talk to him like this. People begged, screamed, cried, some even killed themselves before he got close. This one sounded like she'd just woken up from a nap and kept smiling like they were friends.
He healed her anyway with one hand, just like that.
"Whoa," she said, looking at her arm. "That's... that's actually kinda nice. Thanks."
He ignored the thanks, of course he did but then she started asking questions. Like, "How did you do that?" and "Can everyone do that, or just you?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion but didn't answer. He just turned and walked out, confused.
The demons waiting outside looked confused. One with black horns stepped up. "Should we finish her, my lord?"
He paused. "No. Leave her. She's crazy."
Then he got into his warship and left the battlefield. The other generals said nothing, but they were thinking it: Again? He's letting them rebuild... again?
He didn't care though, he just sat back in his chair with his arms crossed as his ship tore through the sky like a comet.
But what he didn't know was she had snuck onboard, which shouldn't be possible. He had super senses, he could smell people from miles away, he could hear heartbeats through walls so how did he not notice? Maybe he was still confused or maybe she scrambled his brain.
He landed at his domain hours later. The sky was purple there and no humans ever came here. Ever.
He stepped down from the warship. Demons were already waiting and bowing then he heard a noise.
He turned and saw two demon guards had their swords pointed at someone. A few others had magic symbols glowing in their palms.
She was just standing there, hands raised and trying to look harmless.
Then he saw her.
"You?" he said.
She smiled. "Hi."
To be continued...