The Flames Ignite
The Starlord Plains. Though it bore that name now, its original title was the Leogart Plains. Here, Decarabia—the former lord of the 68th floor—had led his forces to victory in dozens of battles. Most of those victories had come against Dantalion, ruler of the 69th floor, yet this land still held deep meaning for Decarabia. Now, however, the Demon King who once claimed triumph here was gone. Only the Demon King who had devoured him and become the new master of the 68th floor remained.
“Halt. Hold position and wait.”
Following Nahen’s tactics, the very front of the main force—destined to serve as the anvil—held the youngest warrior on this battlefield. The Demon King who had personally slain Decarabia and claimed the 68th floor: Seere von Devata.
She ordered her soldiers to stand ready, then stepped forward alone. A group approached her. At their head strode a powerful Demon King with a fierce expression, his eyes burning like living flames. The mana swirling around him already radiated intense heat. He, too, left his army behind and advanced alone.
Seere studied him for a moment before speaking first.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Belial.”
This was Belial, Demon King of the 67th floor, also known as the Demon King of Hellfire. Belial sneered at her polite tone.
“You send that insolent letter and now you speak of courtesy? How laughable, child. I shall personally teach you the mistake you have made.”
“Ah, so that is it…”
A smile curved Seere’s lips—not her usual bright, cheerful smile, but something cold and mocking.
“You have come to make me realize the error of not crushing you sooner, is that right?”
“How dare you spout such nonsense with that insolent mouth!”
Unlike the furious Belial, Seere never lost her smile. With a composure far beyond her twelve years, she turned her back on him, ending their brief parley.
“Whether it is nonsense or not, the outcome will decide.”
“Arrogant little…!”
Once Seere departed, Belial snorted angrily to contain his rage. A woman approached cautiously from behind.
“Your Majesty, please calm yourself. No matter how much of the Devata bloodline she carries, she is still only twelve. Challenging Your Majesty and the rest of us is nothing more than childish folly.”
It was Florence, one of Belial’s four loyal female generals—the Four Flames—and specifically the Flame of Flowers. She continued.
“We need only teach her a lesson. There is no need to waste your strength on such crude provocation, Your Majesty.”
“…You are right.”
Belial growled.
“I will make her understand that there are pains worse than death.”
“I shall assist you with all my heart.”
Belial returned to his main camp with Florence to prepare for battle. Meanwhile, Nahen, watching Seere return, raised his hand and issued orders to the messengers.
“Tell the left and right wings to prepare.”
“Yes!”
“The rear of the main force is to ready arrows and magical bombardment. The moment the wings move, they open fire.”
“Yes, Supreme Commander!”
With all military authority delegated to him by Seere, Nahen now bore the temporary title of Supreme Commander. Sitri had agreed that unifying the chain of command was best and had temporarily transferred a portion of Supreme General Belcarus’s authority from the Sitri army to Nahen. This was also why Belcarus had been assigned to the right wing.
“It does not matter if your attacks fail to penetrate. Keep firing regardless. The front lines must hold with shields and defensive magic to prevent the rear from collapsing. If you accomplish that alone, we will win.”
“Understood!”
Messengers reached Rin on the left wing and Belcarus on the right. After hearing the orders, Rin nodded and addressed her waiting legion.
“Mount up!”
Rin, Baruna, and roughly seven thousand legionnaires climbed onto identical mounts—pitch-black horses with horns on their foreheads and manes of dark-purple that billowed like smoke. These were the Bycons, rare and prized steeds even in the Demon Realm, the same creatures Sitri had once used to pull her carriage. Nahen had been collecting them since conquering the 70th floor, investing the profits from his businesses for precisely this moment when cavalry would be needed.
Rin donned her helmet and drew her sword. She raised the blade toward the sky, and Seir’s Four Swords rang out with valorous command.
“Follow me!”
#
“Enemy cavalry approaching from east and west! At the same time, their infantry is advancing straight toward our main force!”
Upon receiving the report, Belial instantly recognized the enemy’s tactic: hammer and anvil. They had chosen a classic envelopment maneuver. He scoffed.
“Pathetic.”
The hammer-and-anvil formation was effective, but it had one fatal weakness: if the anvil—the main force—failed to hold, the entire strategy collapsed. Others might not manage it, but Belial possessed more than enough power to shatter their center.
He issued simple orders.
“All commanders and officers, listen well. Before the cavalry striking from both flanks can break us, we will crush their front.”
“I shall take the east,” Florence declared.
Another of the Four Flames stepped forward.
“I will handle the west.”
It was Eltria, the Azure Flame, distinguished by her striking blue hair and known as one of the most steadfast generals among the Four Flames.
“Very well. Florence, Eltria—each of you will receive twenty thousand cavalry. Show those insolent fools the difference in our strength!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“As you command.”
Once the two departed for their respective flanks, Belial turned to the remaining two generals and gazed ahead.
“We march. It is time to show them the might of the 67th floor! Burn them all to ash!”
“Yes!”
Belial summoned flames in every direction—his signature power—and led his massive army forward, intent on shattering the enemy’s center. Eris of the Fierce Flame and Serika of the Blazing Flame followed close behind, and tens of thousands of infantry marched in their wake—far more than the combined forces of Seere and Sitri.
Yet this was a grave miscalculation.
“Where do you think you are going, Lord Belial?”
Stars twinkled. Though it was midday and the sun ruled the sky, stars now sparkled across the earth. The red streaks in Seere’s snow-white hair faded back to their original color as countless stars wove themselves around her.
“Glacial Fragment.”
『 Glácĭes Fragméntum 』
An enormous surge of mana transformed into countless razor-sharp, colossal shards of ice. A veritable avalanche of frozen boulders began to fall from the sky, yet Belial merely snorted.
“Ice before my flames? How utterly foolish!”
He conjured a pillar of searing fire, confident it would melt every shard. The flames engulfed the falling ice—only for the shards to pierce straight through, barely melted.
“What—!?”
The ice crashed down upon Belial’s army, obliterating their formation in an instant.
BOOOOOOM———!!!
“…What just happened?”
“Those flames were not natural fire, but mana-made. That means…”
Seere, now wielding a blackened greatsword, had closed the distance and stood directly before Belial.
“If the amount of mana invested in the spell is greater, the ice simply will not melt, will it?”
CLANG!!!
Belial barely managed to draw his sword and block the strike, but his stance was poor. The impact rattled through his entire body, making his skull ring.
“Kuh…!”
“Mana cannot overcome stronger mana.”
“Y-you insane little…!”
This was Belial’s own camp. For her to approach alone and target him directly was not merely arrogant or reckless—it was madness. Eris and Serika moved swiftly to surround Seere from behind, but Belial immediately stopped them.
“Eris, Serika! Defend the front!!”
“!?”
A rain of arrows and a barrage of magic spells descended from above. Realizing the situation, Eris and Serika urgently ordered their troops.
“Raise your shields and form the tortoise formation! Quickly!!”
With so many soldiers already wounded by the ice, this was their only hope of surviving the arrow and spell storm. Their mobility would be temporarily sealed, but there was no choice.
Seere knocked Belial’s sword aside and slipped out of the encirclement. Countless arrows and spells rained down upon the heads of Belial’s soldiers, who had raised their shields and deployed defensive magic. Though they had hastily formed the tortoise formation, the earlier ice bombardment had already torn massive holes in their lines. Arrows and spells poured through the gaps, inflicting further casualties.
After weathering the bombardment, Belial roared in fury.
“I will tolerate this no longer. I shall burn everything!”
He stepped out of formation and commanded Eris and Serika.
“Eris, you take command of the main force! I will tear that insolent wretch apart myself. We must break through their center at all costs!”
“Understood, Your Majesty!”
As Belial advanced toward Seere, she reached for the clasp at her neck. With a soft click, she unfastened her cloak and tossed it far away. Their eyes met.
“So you intend to fight properly now, you arrogant brat.”
“Not quite. It is simply that…”
Her blue eyes gleamed with a chilling light. Beneath that gaze, filled with resolve for battle, flickered a trace of affection as she thought of someone.
“I do not want the cloak Teacher gave me to burn.”
#
Belial ground his teeth. Though his army still held numerical superiority, they were now perfectly positioned to be crushed by the hammer-and-anvil tactic. He still had his four loyal female generals, however, and with two of them committed to the main force, they could create an opening in the enemy center. He had to hope for that—or that Florence and Eltria would defeat the enemy cavalry on both flanks. One of those outcomes was necessary to turn the tide.
“…I admit I underestimated you. The strength you have shown is worthy of being Seir von Devata’s sole bloodline.”
“Sudden praise makes me a little embarrassed.”
“But that is all.”
Belial’s mana surged violently. Seere’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“You are still young and inexperienced. Yet you dared to face me alone—how utterly arrogant.”
His immense mana transformed into flames, manifesting as the shape of a colossal giant. Blood streamed from its crimson eyes, but Belial paid it no mind.
“O Giant of the End, burn everything to ash.”
【 Surtr 】
It was Surtr, the supreme spell that symbolized Belial, the Demon King of Hellfire. Seere regarded the majestic form with calm eyes. Belial merged with the flame giant and moved it according to his will, warning the young Demon King.
“Did you truly believe you could surpass me with such meager skill?”
“……”
Seere did not answer. She simply observed Belial and his grand spell, gathering information. Finally, she let out a soft chuckle and spoke, recalling the single spell her teacher had hurriedly taught her two days before the campaign.
“Demon King of Hellfire, Belial. Allow me to offer my condolences in advance.”
“Insolent…!”
The giant fused with Belial swung its massive sword of flame. Seere drew forth every drop of her mana. Though she was only twelve, the quantity was tremendous. As her mana spread around her, it resembled an unfolding galaxy. Amid that beautiful sight, she chanted two words.
“Existence Extinction.”
『 Exsisténtĭa Exstínctĭo 』