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Patron Shoutout to jomon joseph!\nChapter 19: The Sage Confronts the Hero
ăThe royal capital, just before sunset.\năThe Demon Lordâs army was gathered in the square.\năWe were now heading out to suppress the Hero.
ăThe royal capitalâs defense was left to the remaining demons.\năWith the multiple layers of defensive magic applied, there would be no problems.\năThere were hundreds of thousands of undead roaming this land alone.\năIt would be nearly impossible to capture.
ăThanks to the work of the scouts, we already knew the Heroâs exact location.\năHe was resting in the fief armyâs fortress.\năThe fortress was right in the middle of the territory.\năThey must be prepared to launch an attack in whichever direction we appeared.
ăThe repeated battles with the undead seem to have left the fiefâs army considerably exhausted.\năThe number of casualties could not simply be ignored.\năEven though there was a Hero, he was still, after all, only a single person.\năIf you look at it as a whole, there were probably many narrow victories.\năThat fortress was where we were planning to launch our surprise attack.
At long lastâŠ
ăI felt the keepsake sword that hung at my waist.\năMy mind was calm.\năI was already prepared.\năI will not waver.\năThe new Demon Lord will eliminate the Hero.
ăI took a glance at the lined up soldiers of the Demon Lordâs army.\năEveryone was silent, waiting for the time to begin the attack.\năI can see that they were suppressing their surging excitement.
ăI deployed my transfer magic.\năWhile doing so, I felt a faint sense of resistance.\năIt seemed that there was a barrier to prevent transfer at the destination after all.
ăHowever, it was terribly fragile.\năI could see that it was deployed with haste.\năMost of the kingdom had already been turned into the Demon Lordâs territory.\năMaybe they couldnât afford to gather sorcerers.
ăI increased the output of my magic and destroyed the functionality of the barrier with brute force.\năImmediately after, I felt a momentary sense of floating as the scene around me changed.
ăIt was a grassy field, where the red glow of the setting sun intermingled with the faint darkness of the night.\năAhead, a fortress loomed atop the rolling hills.\năCountless bonfires were set up around it to keep the light from growing faint.
ăA few soldiers looked at us, panicked, and made a commotion.\năThe shrill sound of metal clanging rang out.\năIt was an alarm, alerting of an enemy attack.\năA clamor could be heard from within the fortress.\năThey seem to be preparing for a battle.
Is there a Hero in there?
ăIâm sure heâs resting up in preparation for the next battle.\năI have to show him that such behavior is now unnecessary.\năThis is where he dies.
âHenry.â
ăI call out my subordinateâs name.\năThe man with the dragonâs bow stepped forward, brimming with confidence.
âYeah, leave it to me.â
ăHenry nocked his arrow with a serious figure, and set his aim on the fortress.\năHe muttered, showing a fearless smile.
âLet me give you a wake-up call.â
ăA shot whistled through the wind and pierced through the solid fortress.\năA part of the fortress collapsed around the puncture point.\năI could hear screams and angry voices.\năThey belonged to the soldiers who were unlucky enough to be caught up in the collapse.\năIt was unimaginable damage to have been caused by a single arrow.
For a first strike, that was a good one.
ăOur opponent was a Hero with a holy sword.\năItâs best to reduce his strength without approaching him as much as possible.\năIf we continue to attack one-sidedly like this, the other side should make a move of his own accord.\năWe awaited it with a watchful eye.
ăWhen the collapse of the fortress had settled, the soldiers fired flaming arrows at us.\năCountless arrows fell down on us from above, like rain.
ăFire is an effective attack against the undead.\năItâs easier than holy magic, and it also ensures a light source.\năHowever, it was a common method that had been overused in the invasions so far.\năThere was no way that I, the leader of an army of undead, would not have taken countermeasures against it.
ăI held out my hand and generated a gust of wind.\năI gave instructions as I scattered the fire arrows.
âGrom, next.â
âHah! Yes, sir!â
ăGrom responded immediately and stepped forward in place of Henry.\năA black haze began to drift through the air, as if crawling up from the ground.\năIt was concentrated miasma.\năThe miasma under Gromâs control quickly flowed into the fortress.
ăThe bonfires, engulfed by the miasma, went out one by one.\năThe entire fortress was plunged into darkness.\năThe soldiers inside must also be inhaling the poisonous miasma.\năWith this, they would no longer be able to fight properly.
âThatâs enough. Good job.â
âItâs my honour!â
ăGrom placed his hand over his chest.\năThe flames in his eye sockets erupted in joy, covering his head.
âDemon Lord, should we proceed with the sabotage?â
âThatâs right. Proceed according to plan.â
ăJust as I answered back to Luciana, a white light emitted from within the fortress.\năIn the blink of an eye, the widespread miasma was drowned out.\năIt was impossible to achieve that kind of effect with ordinary holy magic.\năGradually, a second magic light ignited.\năIt must be a bonfire that was set up by the sorcerers to replace the extinguished bonfires.
That light just nowâŠ
ăAs we watched, a figure appeared from the fortress.\năHe looked down at us, holding a sword clad in holy light.
âYouâre here, huh.â
ăI stared at him.
ăWas he older than twenty?\năPerhaps he was only in his late teens.\năHe was younger than I expected.
ăThe blond-haired, blue-eyed young man wore armor that seemed to be of higher quality than that of an ordinary soldier.\năHis gaze, full of determination and a sense of justice, burned with persistent rage.\năHis face, carrying a sense of duty, reminded me vividly of her.
ăHe was a Hero.\năA Hero chosen by the world to defeat the great scourge that was me.
ăThe Hero raised his holy sword high.\năCommon sense dictated that the blade could not reach me at this distance.\năHowever, in reality, he was prepared.\năIt was obvious what he intended to do.
ăThe Hero swung his holy sword down.\năA slash of white light was released from the blade.\năIt flew towards the Demon Lordâs army, hollowing out the ground.
ăI deployed a defensive magic that contained miasma in front of us, at an angle rather than perpendicular to the ground.\năThere was a risk of it being destroyed if the barrier received the attack head on.
ăSoon, the slash of light collided with my defensive magic.\năAfter a few moments of struggle, the slash was swept up into the sky.\năIt exploded far overhead, brightening the twilit sky.\năThe light quickly disappeared and darkness returned.
ăAfter confirming this, I turned around and told Grom.
âI will draw the Hero away. You guys concentrate on conquering the fortress. Iâll call you if I need you.â
âYes, sir! I wish you luck!â
ăI located a point within my sight, and transferred in front of the Hero.\năThe Hero looked at me in shock.
âY-You areâŠ!â
âYouâre the Hero, huh. I have something I need you for.â
ăI exercised my magic.\năI stretched out an immaterial hand from my torso, and picked the Hero up, restraining him with all my strength.
âUrk, youâŠ!?â
ăThe Hero began to struggle and sent power into his holy sword.\năHe intended to wipe me out with a slash of light.\năReceiving it at this close range would indeed be unpleasant.\năTherefore, I told him plainly.
âIf we fight here, there will be a lot of damage. Let us change locations.â\năBefore the slash could be unleashed, I flung the Hero away.\năIt was in a direction away from both the Demon Lordâs army and the fortress camp, an empty grassland.
ăFlying through the air, the Hero swung his holy sword as he fell.\năThe slash of light he launched was aimed precisely at me.
That was good for a spur-of-the-moment action. He seems used to fighting.
ăI diverted the slash with my defensive magic.\năThe slash of light, now off trajectory, pierced right through the ground beside me.\năThe aftermath created a deep crack in the earth.
âI-Is that the Demon LordâŠ!?â
âFuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!â
âWeâre done for!â
ăA group of soldiers came out of the fortress and tried to attack me.\năBut I didnât have the leisure to deal with them.\năI had to fight the Hero.\năI couldnât take my eyes off him for a single moment.
âYouâre in the way.â
ăWith a wave of one hand, I invoked a spell.\năA spear woven from miasma impaled more than a dozen soldiers.\năThe soldiers rotted away from the point where they were stabbed, leaving only their bones.\năThe skeletons clacked their jaws and began to move into the fortress, with spears of miasma in their hands.
ăAt the foot of the hill, the Demon Lordâs army had begun to advance.\năThe rest can be left to them.\năThe fortress will fall before long.
In other words, itâs up to me to do the rest.
ăI cannot fail.\năI will defy fate to the utmost of my ability.\năWith that firm vow, I headed for the Hero who had fallen onto the grassy field.\n\nHasr: Sorry for the late update, this was 100% my bad planning at fault here