The Denisse capital prepared for war.
For many, however, this was not a defense.
It was an execution that had yet to begin.
From atop the city walls, the streets below were almost completely deserted. Shops had closed. Houses stood in silence. Not even stray animals wandered the roads.
Yet beneath that eerie calm lurked something far worse.
Demonic energy.
The cult's priests had transformed entire plazas into ritual grounds. Summoning circles covered the stone streets, while dark mist seeped from cracks in the pavement, feeding the creatures guarding the city.
At the highest point of the fortress, Count Thomas Denisse watched the final preparations unfold.
Dozens of soldiers manned the walls.
Cult mages completed the last of their rituals.
And behind them, creatures that should never have existed waited patiently for the order to attack.
"How much longer?" Thomas asked.
One of the priests bowed his head.
"The final sacrifices will be completed before dawn."
Thomas closed his eyes for a few seconds.
He had never imagined the day would come when he would have to sacrifice his own people to survive.
But there was no turning back now.
It didn't matter how many enemies stood against him.
It didn't matter how much the kingdom despised his name.
He had chosen this path.
And if he survived the coming battle...
He would have to surrender his fate completely to the demons.
Several kilometers away, the Douglas encampment could not have been more different.
There was no silence there.
Soldiers sharpened weapons.
Mages erected defensive barriers.
Knights inspected their mounts.
Everyone knew they were about to enter enemy territory.
Sofia rode through the camp atop Thunder, with Larriet advancing beside her.
Ahead of her, five hundred riders sat astride their magical beasts, waiting for the order to advance.
They were no ordinary soldiers.
Sofia had personally assembled this unit, selecting the finest beast tamers throughout the duchy.
They were the Douglas elite.
And, according to many, the most powerful cavalry unit in the entire kingdom.
Her steady gaze swept across the formation.
Not a single rider moved.
They simply waited for her command.
When she reached Laurence, she dismounted.
"I scouted the surrounding area."
The duke looked up from the map.
"What did you find?"
Sofia took a moment before answering.
"Nothing."
Several officers frowned.
"There are no troops outside the city. No patrols. No villagers."
Laurence remained silent.
That was exactly what troubled him.
Every enemy they had faced before had followed the same pattern.
They retreated.
They hid.
They waited behind their fortress walls.
War had rules.
But this time...
There were demons.
Laurence picked up one of the scouts' reports.
"Did they confirm the creatures' presence?"
Sofia nodded.
"Yes. The traces match the military records."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the command tent.
Every officer knew those records.
Demons did not fight like human armies.
They ignored formations.
They disregarded defensive lines.
They cared nothing for strategy.
They were unpredictable creatures that turned every battlefield into chaos.
Some could corrupt human bodies and use them as vessels.
Others possessed abilities capable of changing the course of a battle within minutes.
Even seasoned armies had fallen when confronted with enemies that obeyed none of the rules of war.
Laurence set the report down.
"Then we can't treat them like a conventional army."
Sofia slowly shook her head.
"And we still don't know what kind of demons are inside that city."
Laurence turned his gaze toward the distant walls.
For generations, noble families had fought by the same rules.
This time, however, their enemy was not another noble house seeking power.
It was something that did not belong in this world.
Even so, his voice remained steady.
"It doesn't matter."
His hand tightened around the report.
"We'll kill them all the same."
Sofia folded her arms.
"That means I'll have to cancel my son's birthday."
Several soldiers fell silent.
Laurence looked at her for a moment.
"That's your biggest concern right now?"
"Yes."
Her answer came instantly.
"Lusian will always be my highest priority."
She paused before looking back toward the city walls.
"But if those demons think they're going to stop me from getting back in time..."
Her expression hardened.
"They've made a mistake."
Laurence sighed.
He knew his wife far too well.
She could face an entire army without hesitation.
But very few things angered her more than being kept away from her family.
"Then make sure this ends quickly."
A royal messenger arrived at the camp shortly afterward.
He bore the seal of the Crown.
Laurence broke the seal and quickly read the letter.
His expression changed.
"What is it?" Sofia asked.
The duke folded the document.
"The king has officially confirmed the alliance between Thomas Denisse and the demonic cult."
The atmosphere throughout the camp shifted.
Until that moment, they had been marching against an enemy.
Now they were marching against something far worse.
Sofia stared toward the city.
"So it's true."
Laurence nodded.
"Yes."
A cold wind swept through the camp.
Far away, atop the Denisse walls, a lone figure watched the approaching army.
Thomas.
Two armies stared at one another across the distance.
One fought to stop a tragedy.
The other to complete a ritual.
Laurence gathered his highest-ranking officers and mages inside the command tent.
The atmosphere was heavy.
A map of Denisse territory lay spread across the table.
Every mark represented an enemy position, a possible route of attack, or a suspected ritual site.
No one spoke more than necessary.
Everyone understood that this battle would be unlike any they had fought before.
Laurence rested one hand on the map.
"Our objective is simple."
Every eye turned toward him.
"We enter the city, destroy the Denisse family, and eliminate every demon we encounter."
He pointed to several locations marked in red.
"The traces of demonic mana confirm that rituals are being performed inside the city."
His gaze swept across the officers.
"We don't know what they've summoned."
"We don't know how many there are."
"So there will be no room for mistakes."
Sofia nodded.
"And the cultists?"
Laurence answered without hesitation.
"The same."
He tapped the map again.
"Anything that stands in our way will be eliminated."
Silence filled the tent.
They were planning a purge.
Laurence picked up his pointer and indicated positions surrounding the capital.
"The magical beast cavalry will encircle the city. No one leaves. No reinforcements get in."
He moved the pointer toward the walls.
"Our mages will breach specific sections. We will not level the entire city until we know what they're hiding."
One of the generals studied the map.
"And if they use civilians as shields?"
The question silenced the tent.
Laurence took several seconds before answering.
"We will not risk our soldiers for them."
His expression turned cold.
"Our men's lives come first. If the Denisse choose to hide behind civilians, the responsibility is theirs."
No one asked another question.
The orders were clear.
The meeting continued for several more minutes.
Routes of advance.
Rally points.
Retreat signals.
Every detail could determine who lived...
And who died.
Then the tent flap burst open.
"My lord! A messenger from the Crown!"
A soldier hurried inside, followed by Keitaro, who carried a scroll bearing the royal seal.
He approached the table and handed it to Laurence.
The duke broke the seal and began reading.
For the first few seconds, his expression remained unchanged.
Then his eyes narrowed.
Sofia noticed immediately.
"What does it say?"
Laurence slowly folded the letter before handing it to her.
The king's message contained more than an update.
King Philip not only ordered them to wait for reinforcements.
He also instructed that the assault remain under military control and, if possible, that those responsible be captured alive.
Laurence folded the document once more.
"I'm not waiting."
Sofia looked at him.
"Laurence..."
"The man who ordered my son's murder is behind those walls."
His voice remained calm.
Laurence looked toward the city once more.
"We move at dawn."
Sofia merely smiled.
Inside the Denisse capital, any sense of peace had vanished.
From the central fortress, Count Thomas Denisse directed his officers while rumors spread throughout the city.
"I need the people to keep believing everything is under control," he ordered.
"I don't want panic."
One of his attendants approached cautiously.
"My lord... the priests of the Goddess Sheila have sent a report."
Thomas looked up.
"Speak."
"They've confirmed that there is no epidemic."
Silence fell over the chamber.
"They also detected traces of demonic mana within the city."
Thomas slowly clenched his fist.
"That doesn't matter. Let them inspect the city and find those demons."
He turned back to the map.
"And continue the preparations. The Douglas family will arrive soon."
The doors suddenly flew open.
A soldier rushed inside and dropped to one knee.
"My lord! The Douglas army has arrived!"
Thomas turned sharply.
"What?"
"They're surrounding the city."
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then Thomas slammed his fist against the table.
"How dare they?!"
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"That family respects nothing! Not the law, not tradition, not the honor of the kingdom!"
No one answered.
Thomas drew a slow, unsteady breath and turned toward the walls.
The Douglas army had arrived.
And Laurence was coming for him.