Meanwhile, at the opposite end of Vayllencity, the royal army advanced under the command of the second general, Steven Erkham.
The streets were covered in smoke and blood.
Deformed creatures attacked from the ruined buildings, lunging at the soldiers with such ferocity that they were forced to maintain tight formations.
"Shields to the front! Do not break formation!" Erkham ordered.
The soldiers advanced as a single unit. The front ranks held back the beasts while the mages attacked from behind, clearing a path through the creatures.
Then, a light mage came running toward them.
"General! I detect a massive concentration of demonic mana!"
Erkham raised his head.
"Direction?"
The mage pointed west.
"Over there."
Erkham studied the ruins for a few seconds.
"Then that is where we will find them."
He drew his sword.
"Attack formation! Advance!"
The royal army resumed its march.
Amid the smoke and ruins, the demonic mana grew increasingly intense.
The demonic counts were close.
The demons had remained behind the horde, controlling the beasts from a distance.
But when the allied cavalry appeared behind them, they realized too late that they had made a mistake.
"Now!" Steven roared.
His knights charged.
The offensive was immediate.
The first demons attempted to raise barriers, but interruption spells were already upon them.
One fell, pierced through before he could finish his incantation.
Another attempted to summon a creature, but a knight severed his arm before he could complete the spell.
The demonic formation collapsed.
Without their summoners, the beasts began to lose coordination. Some continued attacking on instinct, while others retreated in confusion.
Steven raised his sword.
"Clear a path! Free our men!"
The knights advanced like a wall of steel.
Swords, spears, and spells struck the creatures from multiple directions. The soldiers trapped in the middle of the stampede seized the opening and began withdrawing.
The defensive line was reforming.
For the first time since the attack began, the humans were regaining control of the battlefield.
But Sofia was not satisfied.
She had noticed something.
Amid the chaos, several demons were still attempting to regroup.
"Split into two groups."
The riders separated immediately.
The first squad surrounded the right flank.
The second disappeared into a cloud of dust on the opposite side.
Sofia raised her spear.
"Do not give them any room."
Both groups charged at the same time.
The magical beasts tore through the demonic formation from both sides.
It was not a simple charge.
It was a trap.
The demons attempted to retreat, but they no longer had an escape route.
The riders' spears began raining down upon them.
One.
Two.
Three.
The demonic formation shattered.
Then a roar shook the battlefield.
Everyone stopped.
A massive shadow rose above the ruins.
Irgold.
The Demon Duke spread his wings and released a wave of dark mana.
The air grew heavy.
Even the strongest magical beasts instinctively recoiled.
Sofia looked up.
"So you are the one left."
Irgold did not answer.
He drove one claw into the ground.
Corrupted mana began gathering around him.
Then a creature appeared behind him.
It was a monstrous magical beast, covered in black plates, with enormous wings that seemed to be made of shadow.
Irgold mounted it.
"I will not die here."
The creature took flight.
"Do not let him escape!" Sofia shouted.
Ten winged riders immediately took to the air.
Their mounts ascended after the Demon Duke.
But Irgold turned once.
He extended one hand.
A wave of demonic energy exploded through the air.
BOOOOM!
The ten riders were hurled backward.
Some of their mounts lost their balance.
Others began to fall.
Sofia gritted her teeth.
"Hold formation!"
Thunder crouched low.
Sofia clung to his reins as the demonic pressure swept across the battlefield.
Irgold continued ascending, his wings fully extended.
The ten winged riders under Sofia's command reached him almost simultaneously.
"Do not let him escape!"
Spells were hurled toward him.
Irgold spun in midair.
A barrier of dark mana appeared before his body.
BOOM!
The attacks collided with it.
The barrier held.
"Is that all?"
The Demon Duke smiled.
He extended one hand.
A wave of dark mana struck the riders and forced them backward.
Sofia watched from the ground.
For the first time, her expression changed.
He was different from the others.
Irgold seized the moment and accelerated toward the horizon.
"Do not let him escape!"
The riders resumed their pursuit, but the demon was already pulling farther and farther away.
Sofia tightened her grip on Thunder's reins.
The beast snorted fiercely, impatient to charge.
"Damn it…"
Larryet moved to her side.
Sofia raised her spear and looked toward the walls of Vayllencity.
"It doesn't matter."
She pointed toward the city.
"Let us finish the war first."
The riders regrouped.
The Douglas army continued advancing through the ruins.
And inside the city, Laurence continued moving closer to the heart of the Denisse stronghold.
Laurence advanced through the corridors of Denisse Castle, cutting his way through ruins and corpses.
Flames devoured the tapestries. The columns were covered in cracks, and the distant thunder of battle made the walls tremble.
The air was thick with smoke, blood, and mana.
The last Denisse knights attempted to resist, but they were cut down one after another by Douglas troops.
Laurence did not stop.
He continued forward until he reached the main hall.
There, he stopped.
Gargranelt was waiting for him, seated upon the throne.
One leg was crossed over the other, his expression calm, almost bored, as though the destruction of the city were nothing more than a spectacle arranged for his amusement.
Tomás Denisse stood beside him.
The count's face was twisted with rage.
Behind them, several demons stood motionless. Their mere presence seemed to distort the air around them.
Gargranelt smiled.
"I was beginning to grow bored of waiting."
Laurence did not respond.
His gaze remained fixed on Tomás.
The count then stepped forward.
"Laurence!"
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"You destroyed my family!"
Laurence studied him for several seconds.
There was no anger on his face.
Only a calmness that made Tomás grit his teeth.
"I only came to ask you one question."
Tomás frowned.
Laurence took a step toward him.
"Were you the one who ordered the assassination of my son?"
Silence fell over the hall.
Tomás breathed heavily.
For a moment, he seemed to hesitate.
Then he smiled.
"Yes."
The answer came immediately.
"I was."
Laurence's expression did not change.
Tomás continued, unleashing all the rage he had accumulated over the years.
"I wanted to see you on your knees. I wanted you to feel what I felt when you humiliated me in front of everyone."
He pointed at Laurence with a trembling finger.
"Or have you already forgotten? You and your damn family always looking down on everyone else."
His voice cracked.
"The primordial families are all the same."
Laurence remained silent.
"They believe this kingdom belongs to them," Tomás continued. "That families like mine should know their place."
He clenched his fists.
"That is why I did what I did. That is why I betrayed the kingdom. That is why I accepted the demons' help."
Tomás smiled bitterly.
"All because of people like you."
Laurence finally spoke.
"None of that matters to me."
Tomás's smile disappeared.
Laurence looked directly into his eyes.
"I don't care how much you hate the Douglas."
He took another step.
"I don't care how much you resented my family."
His voice remained calm.
"And I don't care why you chose to become a traitor."
Laurence slowly reached for his sword.
"There is only one thing I care about."
His eyes hardened.
"You killed my son."
Tomás took half a step backward.
For the first time, he understood that he had failed to provoke Laurence.
There would be no argument.
No negotiation.
Not even hatred.
Only a sentence.
Laurence drew his sword.
"And you will pay for it."