A howling gale swept across the land. The air was thick with an ever-stronger stench of blood, while thunderous battle cries rose and fell without end, echoing across the vast, desolate plains.
As far as the eye could see, countless Chaos Beasts were locked in a brutal life-and-death struggle with a massive army of Demihumans.
Viewed from above, the battlefield was nothing but a dense, dark mass stretching in every direction.
The Demihumans came in an astonishing variety of shapes and races.
Towering, powerful Stone Eaters continuously spat enormous rocks from their mouths, hurling them at the enemy like cannonballs.
Bafolk with ram-like horns gripped sharp spears and charged fearlessly into the fray.
Orcs relied on their powerful physiques and ferocious strength to engage the Chaos Beasts in close-quarters combat.
Cunning and treacherous Goblins lurked in the shadows, waiting for a chance to launch surprise attacks.
Pteropuses and Harpies soared through the sky. The wind blades created by the beating of their wings sliced mercilessly through the enemy ranks below.
Agile Mantis Men and Snakemen darted across the ground and weaved swiftly through enemy formations, striking lethal blows whenever an opening appeared.
Armats, clad in hard iron armor, deftly avoided attacks while searching for opportunities to counterattack.
Horuners galloped across the battlefield like the wind, kicking up clouds of dust and sprays of blood wherever they passed.
The Spidan made clever use of the various threads they spun, binding and restraining enemies or laying traps to hinder their movements.
This fierce battle had begun at dawn and had continued until now.
The battlefield reeked of blood. Countless Demihumans moved through it, their bodies and minds already pushed close to their limits.
They were covered from head to toe in both their enemies' blood and their own.
Their once-bright armor had long since been stained dark red. Blood still seeped steadily from many of their wounds, soaking the ground beneath their feet crimson.
Their movements were gradually becoming sluggish. Every swing of a sword, every leap, felt unbearably heavy.
The long hours of relentless fighting had dulled their reactions as well. Whenever an attack came, they often had to expend far more effort than before just to barely evade it.
Even so, the Demihuman Alliance gritted their teeth and held on.
They fought mechanically, like numb machines that had lost their souls.
They roared to spur themselves onward while their weapons continued to reap the lives of their enemies.
For the Demihumans, there was nowhere left to retreat.
Death had become almost commonplace.
Every moment, more Demihumans collapsed into pools of blood. Those who remained alive did not even have time to grieve before they were forced straight into the next battle.
Only one belief kept them going.
Fight to the very end, until victory.
...
"Have I managed to survive again?"
Buser muttered as he watched the final Chaos Beast before him crash heavily to the ground.
This long battle had finally come to a temporary end, but he knew it was only a brief respite.
Buser gasped for breath, as though greedily clinging to life with every lungful of air.
The heavy sword in his hand had become the only thing keeping his utterly exhausted body upright. He leaned heavily on it, barely preventing himself from collapsing.
His once silvery-white fur was now completely drenched in crimson blood.
Beneath the grime, the fur that had once gleamed with a silver sheen had lost its former luster and looked dull and lifeless.
Even so, his jade-green eyes remained bright and sharp, sweeping across his surroundings without overlooking the slightest sign of possible danger.
"Grand King, what should we do next? We don't have much time left. Before long, those terrifying monsters will probably swarm us again!"
The speaker was a Demihuman covered in long, pure-white fur, his appearance closely resembling an ape.
His name was Halisha Ankara, the White Elder. He was the undisputed king of the Stone Eater clan and one of the renowned [Ten Great Demi-Humans].
The title [Ten Great Demi-Humans] referred to the ten most powerful Demihumans in the Abelion Hills.
Every one of them was a leader among their respective tribes, and all were powerful beings who had already entered the Realm of Heroes.
Yet at this moment, the White Elder, one of the [Ten Great Demi-Humans], spoke with unprecedented urgency.
"Alas, what else can we do? Even simply staying alive has already become incredibly difficult for us."
"The Roble Holy Kingdom is in complete chaos now. It's practically a living hell."
"The dangers hidden within it are probably no less severe than those of the horrific War of the Demon Gods recorded in the histories two hundred years ago."
As Buser spoke, deep bitterness appeared on his face. He shook his head helplessly at White Elder.
He was the chieftain of the Bafolk tribe, renowned far and wide under the formidable titles of "Grand King" and "King of Destruction."
Not only did he possess astonishing combat strength, but his exceptional talent for governance was also widely praised.
Not long after the mysterious fissure first appeared, the keenly perceptive Buser immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Without hesitation, he made a decisive move and contacted the leaders of the surrounding Demihuman tribes. He quickly organized a massive army made up of multiple tribes, bringing them together to resist the sudden catastrophe.
Unfortunately, the number of enemies they faced was simply beyond imagination.
The hideous monsters pouring endlessly from the fissure seemed inexhaustible. No matter how many they killed, there were always more.
Even after fighting with everything they had, drenched in blood, they still could not stop the monsters from surging toward them like a raging tide.
In the end, they had no choice but to flee with their families.
If Buser had not been the chieftain of his clan, and if he had not had a wife and children to protect, perhaps this seemingly endless despair would have crushed him long ago.
"Hah, coward. Giving up that easily?"
"Shh... shut up, Demon Claw. We went through hell just to reach the southern border, only to discover that all our efforts were for nothing. Who wouldn't feel discouraged after that?"
Several more wounded figures slowly approached.
The one at the front was particularly striking. His upper body had the powerful build and fearsome features of a Beastman, while his lower half consisted of four thick, muscular beast-like limbs.
His name was Vijar Rajandala, though he preferred others to address him by his title, "Demon Claw."
As the King of Zoastia and one of the [Ten Great Demi-Humans], he possessed tremendous individual strength and was also one of the most influential leaders within the Demihuman Alliance.
Demon Claw was filled with contempt at the Grand King's pessimistic attitude and could not help rebuking him, only for another figure to cut in.
The newcomer looked like a serpent that had somehow grown a scaled torso and arms. Although his appearance resembled that of a Naga, he belonged to an entirely different race.
True to his nickname, [Rainbow Scales], his scales radiated rainbow-like colors and gleamed with an eerie, moist sheen.
Those scales were not merely beautiful. Their hardness rivaled a dragon's, and they possessed an extremely high degree of magical resistance.
If he donned magical armor and carried a large shield, then combined that with his abilities as a Warrior, he could be regarded as nearly indestructible.
This Demihuman was the Naga Raja, Rokesh.
In his hand was his famous primary weapon, the [Trident of Dehydration], renowned far and wide for its terrifying special ability.
"Tsk, discouraged? You do realize every Demihuman here is waiting for us to make a decision!"
"At a time this critical, how can anyone afford to sit around feeling discouraged?"
Overcome with anger, Demon Claw's body began to tremble involuntarily, as though all the strength within him had been set ablaze by his rage.
His hideous face twisted with fury, and a deep growl escaped his throat before he could stop himself.
The instant the sound left his mouth, however, he realized that he had lost his composure, and unmistakable shame flashed across his face.
Among his people, roaring wildly like a beast was considered a sign of immaturity and poor self-control.
At the thought, Demon Claw clicked his tongue.
"All of you, shut your mouths! Stop wasting precious time!"
"I only want to ask one thing. Where do we go from here?"
White Elder's falcon-sharp eyes slowly swept across everyone present, carrying an icy warning.
His imposing presence made it difficult for anyone to meet his gaze. It felt as though he would personally strike without mercy if anyone dared cause trouble or interrupt.
After all, he was naturally brutal and bloodthirsty.
If they were not currently facing a crisis that threatened their very survival, he might already have lost control of the violent impulses raging within him.
Spiral Lance, the Ashen King, the Beast Emperor, Black Steel, and the other members of the [Ten Great Demi-Humans] soon gathered from different parts of the battlefield.
At present, only one of the [Ten Great Demi-Humans] was absent.
That missing figure was Nasrene Belt Cure, known as the "Iceflame Thunder."
Three years earlier, she had already led her entire clan to join the Sorcerer Kingdom, all for the sake of prolonging her own life.
Whenever the remaining nine members of the [Ten Great Demi-Humans] thought of the Queen of Magelos, they could not help feeling envious.
After all, if they had made the same choice back then, their current circumstances might have been entirely different.
Had they known they would end up like this, they would have been better off entering the Sorcerer Kingdom's service long ago. Even becoming its lackeys would have been preferable to their present miserable state.
Rumor also had it that Nasrene was doing exceptionally well in the Sorcerer Kingdom. Whatever else might be said, she certainly was not trapped in a desperate situation like theirs.
"The entire Roble Holy Kingdom is currently under complete lockdown!"
Rainbow Scales spoke with a grave expression.
"There are only two paths left open to us."
He paused before continuing his analysis.
"First, we seek out the humans and try to cooperate with them, joining forces against those vicious monsters. Second, we continue fighting as we retreat and search along the way for some other possible route out."
Everyone turned their gaze toward the south of the Abelion Hills, in the direction of the Great Forest of Evasha.
Originally, this coalition army of various Demihuman races had planned to travel to the Great Forest of Evasha and urgently seek aid from the Sorcerer Kingdom stationed there, as well as... the Slane Theocracy.
It sounded absurd.
But when their very survival was at stake, old grudges and past hatred no longer mattered. Staying alive took priority over everything else.
Unfortunately, reality had crushed their hopes.
No matter what they tried, they could not take even a single step beyond the borders of the Roble Holy Kingdom.
It was as though an invisible barrier had sealed off the entire land. Anyone who dared cross the boundary would somehow find themselves right back where they had started.
They repeated the attempt countless times, but the result never changed.
Faced with such a bizarre phenomenon, the Demihuman Alliance had finally been forced to accept that they were trapped here with no way to escape.
Before the [Ten Great Demi-Humans] could come up with a solution, the monsters descended upon them again, leaving the Demihumans no time to catch their breath and forcing them hastily back into battle.
Fortunately, they had managed to scrape out another victory.
Unfortunately, the massive army was already nearing its limit.
The Demihuman coalition was made up of a complicated mix of people. It contained strong, able-bodied soldiers, but also countless elderly, infirm, women, and children.
Although their numbers appeared enormous, only about half of them possessed any real combat capability.
Sending the elderly and children to fight the monsters head-on would be nothing more than throwing their lives away. It would accomplish nothing.
"The humans are no good. They're too close to that great fissure. Who knows what's happening over there now? If they've already been wiped out, wouldn't going there just be a wasted trip?"
"And to be frank, even if they haven't been wiped out, would any of you trust the humans? More importantly, would the humans be willing to trust us Demihumans?"
It was a simple matter of mutual distrust, and the [Ten Great Demi-Humans], as leaders, understood the problem perfectly well.
But at this point, other than taking the risk, did they really have a better choice?
Every moment they delayed, their chances of survival grew slimmer.
It was almost laughable.
Their current predicament resembled the games Demihumans often played when tormenting captured prey. Only now, the roles had been reversed.
The Demihumans of the entire wasteland had become the mice being toyed with.
"..."
The Grand King swept a grave gaze across everyone present. His lips moved slightly, as though he were about to speak.
At that exact moment, a powerful gust of wind swept past, and a dark figure descended from the sky.
Everyone looked over and saw a Pteropus hurrying toward them.
The Pteropuses traditionally lived among towering, sheer cliffs that rose into the clouds. Their unique environment had granted them extraordinary gliding abilities.
They were not completely incapable of true flight, but soaring through the air consumed an enormous amount of strength. As a result, they could only remain airborne for a limited amount of time each day.
The Pteropus before them had been entrusted with an important role. He served as a scout for the vanguard of the Demihuman Alliance.
"My Lord..."
The Pteropus rushed breathlessly up to the Grand King, lowered his voice, and leaned close to whisper several words into his ear.
The Grand King's deeply furrowed brow froze.
A glimmer of delight flashed in his eyes.
His expression shifted from bitterness to excitement, as though he had suddenly caught sight of a ray of hope.
The Grand King drew a deep breath and steadied himself before turning to face the others.
"Everyone, it seems we may have another option!"
...
On a range of rolling mountains not far away, a man stood silently.
He watched the Demihuman Alliance gradually disappear into the distance, narrowing his eyes slightly as a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
Next, he only needed to use the Demihumans to avoid drawing that Dragon Lord's attention, approach the key human, and eliminate them.
Once that was done, everything would be settled.
With that thought, the man's figure flickered, and he raced toward his target like a ghostly apparition...
***
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