“So it begins.”

The Demon King’s Army began its march. At the very front, Geshkafor lumbered forward with a grin.

“I’ll slaughter the most humans and claim all the credit for myself.”

From behind him, Selimia approached with her hands clasped behind her back, tilting her head.

“Is that something you should be saying out loud?”

She was the last of the Four Generals to join.

Seeing her, Geshkafor swallowed slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“There are plenty of humans around here, aren’t there? They’ll hear you.”

She was right—the streets the Demon King’s Army passed were lined with the people of Yaphenon, murmuring to each other in confusion, unsure how to take this sight.

“Even if they no longer see us as enemies, humans and demons have plenty of grudges. If they hear you mouthing off like that, some of them might start fearing us again—and that would trouble the Demon King.”

“Don’t worry.”

Geshkafor kept his tone steady.

“I wasn’t talking about the humans here.”

“Let’s hope they know that~.”

“…”

From the very start, Selimia’s needling made his brow twitch.

“I wonder if Beatrice has told the Demon King about you. Or whether he’s even approved you as a General.”

“Why? Would you prefer I wasn’t one?”

“The Demon King chose me himself.”

He placed a massive hand over his chest.

“Just as he did for me, he allowed my body to be reforged into the finest form. No matter how they call you the Witch of the North, being a general is another matter entirely.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“Then I’ll show you.”

Selimia smiled at him.

“How much better I am at killing than you.”

“What?”

“Of course, you make sure you do your part well, too.”

She spoke as if there was something far more important than their rivalry.

“We can’t afford to bring shame to the Demon King.”

“That goes for you as well.”

Geshkafor’s voice dropped.

“The Demon King entrusted us with these troops. Don’t think about rampaging alone—lead them properly.”

“I’ll try.”

Her giggle drew a faint scowl from him. People on the street whispered at the sight.

“Is this really okay?”

“Krata abandoned us—and even attacked us.”

“We should put our faith in Lord Clay, who saved us.”

Confusion lingered, but the hearts of the people here had already begun to lean toward Clay.

As he appeared alongside Neville and walked forward, the onlookers swallowed dryly, tension on their faces.

Rumble…

Even through that uncertain trust, Clay could clearly recognize what it was he felt from them.

Faith.

Through Neville’s groundwork, belief in Elhaen had weakened, and devotion was shifting in another direction.

And the final recipient of that devotion—was Clay himself.

A steady pressure filled his clenched fist—new strength surging in.

In this place where the very concept of the Demon King had changed, he was laying the cornerstone of a new godhood.

“We will walk with you.”

The leader of the Athana faith, Athanasia herself, appeared in her robes as a high priestess, guiding her followers. Those watching the Demon King’s Army’s departure changed expressions once more, murmuring in awe.

“It’s ready.”

With that single line, Clay’s gaze lifted toward the sky—where the great dragon Beatrice was descending.

♧

“Your Majesty, preparations are complete.”

Lilien’s voice carried the report of Tia’s orders fulfilled.

“Thank you.”

In a small underground room, Tia stood before a glowing crystal sphere.

It was a Kratan facility designed to spread word instantly in an emergency—something only they could afford, powered by the strength of their priests.

Wasting no time on admiration, Tia activated the sphere.

“This is Tia de Mezelef, Empress of Ezer.”

Her voice was carried first to a specific connection point.

“I have entered Krata’s borders. No, I have not issued a declaration of war. But I’m sure you know exactly what this situation means.”

She made it clear that Ezer’s forces were already attacking Krata, her tone deliberate.

“From here, we intend to march on Krata’s capital.”

Before that, she expressed her willingness to speak with the Emperor of Krata.

“I will wait for a short while. If you take too long, I may no longer be here when you respond.”

After that blunt notice, she waited. Ten-odd minutes later, a reply came.

『Tia de Mezelef.』

It was none other than Lutan von Lagnarich, Emperor of Krata.

『So the Saintess has finally stooped to such disgrace.』

“Yes. I didn’t know I could go this far either.”

『You’re not here to propose an alliance, so what is it you want?』

“I don’t particularly want anything.”

Her tone remained calm.

“I just want to know how you feel.”『Feel?』

“Yes. How you feel now that what you’ve done has come back to you like this.”

Krata had once held the continent’s hegemony. Because its royal house bore the direct blessing of Elhaen, the god of men, other nations had voiced no objection to its rule—doing so could be branded as blasphemy itself.

“You crossed the line.”

But Krata had grown too arrogant. They had even disposed of the hero who had fought for them—without so much as consulting the other nations.

No one had dared oppose Krata, and for the sake of the future, they had endured absurd injustices.

“Because of you, I committed a grievous mistake.”

She too had been one of those humans shackled by that yoke. Ezer wasn’t hers to command, so she had been forced to pass judgment as an empress.

And as a result, she had experienced the collapse of herself as a person.

“Of course, I did learn one thing from you.”

The world, the nation—

When your own world falls apart, they mean nothing.

“From now on, you’ll pay for that. That’s all I wanted to say.”

『Is that so.』

It sounded as if Lutan had nothing else to say—but then he began to laugh.

“Is this amusing to you?”

『How emotional you are, young Empress of Ezer.』

His voice was calm.

『This wasn’t why you wanted to speak with me, was it?』

She had indeed sought this conversation to gain information, and that hadn’t changed. It was just that her emotions had come out first.

“Does it matter why I started the conversation?”

『It matters. If you’re not here to negotiate, then you’re speaking to me in hopes of extracting information.』

“Then I’d appreciate it if you told me something.”

『Don’t get above yourself.』

His tone dropped, weighty and cold.

『Even as a Saintess, you are nothing more than a heretic who does not follow Its teachings. You have no right to wield that power.』

“How laughable.”

Tia let out a mirthless chuckle.

“If I had no right, wouldn’t Elhaen have taken this power from me already? Why hasn’t?”

『Because you haven’t escaped it's plan.』

“Convenient thinking.”

Then she asked him,

“Will you tell Clay everything and beg forgiveness? Admit you did it because he threatened your position, repent through your death, and call off this war?”

『Kuk… kuhuhuhuh!』

Lutan laughed as though unable to hold it in.

『You really think I acted because he threatened my position? You truly know nothing!』

He scoffed at her ignorance.

『If you defy It's teachings, of course It won’t reveal, but It reveal to you soon! And, Yes—of course! You’re nothing more than a tool meant to set all of this in motion!』

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand.”

Tia’s brow arched.

“You’re the tool. I am not Elhaen’s.”

『If you want to know something from me, I’ll tell you this: when Clay steps into this place, this time he will die.』

His tone was mocking.

『Knowing that, can you still let him set foot here?』

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bluff.”

Krata’s fate was already hanging by a thread. No nation in the Holy Alliance had stepped forward.

They had never truly been loyal to Krata.

“If it’s not their problem, the rest of the continent will watch your downfall in silence. They’ll sit back and only use the result to redraw the map.”

With Elhaen not even able to intervene directly, people would naturally act with only their own interests in mind.

“Faith is dead. You killed it.”

After Clay’s execution, in line with Krata’s announcement, humanity had hated him—yet all at once they had also fallen into confusion.

His death had brought them no solace.

Not only his former party members, but the people themselves had felt something was wrong.

“They still spoke ill of the hero executed as the Demon King’s pawn, but they missed him—because he was the one who had fought for them, in place of a god they could never see.”

Regret was not his alone. In that moment, faith collapsed, and the question of whom to trust took hold.

“You are nothing, Lutan.”

He was nothing more than a ruler propped up by Elhaen’s name.

“And neither am I.”

The one most worthy had been destroyed by the will of all.

“The one thing we have over you is that, belatedly, we realized what we’d done wrong.”

She turned that blade of regret toward him.

“So stay holed up where you are. If Clay’s in danger, I’ll keep him from going further. I’ll step into your trap and cut down everything myself.”

『Fine. I’ll give you your answer.』

Lutan’s voice grated like teeth grinding.

『I forged the evidence to have Clay executed.』

He had fabricated the traces of collusion with the Demon King, and used Yelena’s testimony that it wasn’t truly Clay’s blade that killed the former Demon King.

『The Guardian Knights I had planted at his side were the ones who took the previous Demon King’s life. All it took was tearing out the heart in the prescribed way.』

He spoke of it all without a hint of shame.

『So what?』

He sneered.

『Is this the confession you wanted? Of course, I can’t say any of it’s true. Perhaps I’ve just repeated your delusions word for word.』

“Lutan.”

『Final warning.』

His tone hardened.

『Follow Its revelations. Only then will you find salvation.』

Fanaticism seeped into his words.

『If you do not, you will leave nothing behind.』

(End of Chapter)

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