The Fisherman Profits - 3
The only place that directly connected the Demon Realm to the Human Realm was the 72nd Floor. Even if someone forced open a portal from the 1st Floor to the Human Realm, the laws of the world would never permit it. Any portal opened from the 1st Floor would lead not to the Human Realm, but inevitably to the 72nd Floor instead. The reverse was also true. Any attempt to travel from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm would always end at the 72nd Floor. Structurally, it was a place fated to bear the brunt of every human invasion. That was why the 72nd Floor was a layer shunned by Demon Kings, and why the only stories about it claimed that any Demon King stationed here could never build up their own forces.
Yet there was one who had begun right here and now held dominion over five separate layers. Seere von Devata. This was both the place where she had started and the layer she still ruled. As a result, the 72nd Floor’s defenses had been reinforced to a level unimaginable in the past—a natural evolution that came with the growth of the ruling Demon King’s forces.
On top of that, Achiled had arrived at the 72nd Floor, leading the reinforcements sent by Gremory. But….
“...There are way more of them than I expected.”
The human army, led by the first hero, was far larger than anyone had imagined. The border guards watching the portal zones immediately reported the fact, and the 72nd Floor’s defensive forces began evacuating the residents. Achiled, having descended to the 72nd Floor, narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard the numbers, but soon changed his mind.
After all, their opponents were nothing but humans. No matter how many ants gathered, they were still just ants. Thinking this, Achiled ordered his troops.
“Their numbers are large, but reports say they split up to take the portals. We will move quickly and crush them one by one!”
“Yes, General!”
“It is time to teach these humans who dared set foot in the Demon Realm without fear exactly who they are dealing with.”
Achiled drew his sword. It was time to unleash the full extent of the skill that had earned him the title of Evil Sword.
“Drive out the humans and fulfill Her Majesty Gremory’s command!”
The battle between the 55th Floor’s forces and the subjugation army from the Human Realm began in earnest.
Just as the 72nd Floor’s border guards had reported, the human army was so large that they had split into five groups to use the portals. Therefore, the force facing Achiled’s army was not the full 500,000-strong host, but one-fifth of that—roughly 100,000 troops. In the end, the two armies were evenly matched in size.
Gremory’s army, led by Achiled as it clashed with the human forces, displayed overwhelmingly powerful prowess. It was clear this was no ordinary army; it truly belonged to a mid-tier Demon King of the 55th Floor. Watching all of this from afar through magic, a certain man smiled with satisfaction.
“They’re doing well.”
“They are.”
It was Nahen. Beside him stood Seere.
Nahen observed Achiled’s tactics quietly and spoke. “Splitting up to crush the human groups that came through the portals separately is a solid plan. Excellent.”
“Was it too much to hope the humans would do something for us? They seem completely helpless.”
“It’s fine. The humans’ true core forces haven’t shown themselves yet.”
They had only split up temporarily to use the portals more efficiently. The human army would regroup soon enough. When that happened, Achiled’s tactic would fail, leaving him with two choices.
The first was to simply smash through by brute force. Under normal circumstances he would never choose it, but given how thoroughly demons looked down on humans, it was a very real possibility. The second was….
…to request help from us.
In truth, asking for reinforcements when facing a numerical disadvantage was the most normal and logical response. But if that happened, Nahen had no intention of answering.
“Let’s just keep watching. We’ve already evacuated all the residents into the castle anyway.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Seere answered obediently and subtly pressed herself closer to Nahen’s side. He glanced at her, then naturally placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair as he continued observing the battlefield.
“Hehe…”
There was only one outcome Nahen truly wanted. He wanted Achiled’s army to fight a bloody battle against the human forces, inflict maximum damage, and then be annihilated. That would be the ideal result. With that goal in mind, he planned to reject every single request for support Achiled sent.
Even if Achiled realized the truth too late….
It would already be irreversible.
Humans were not the foolish race Achiled believed them to be. Some of the troops who had been ambushed by Achiled and managed to escape had long since rejoined the main force. They had not chosen to fight to the death like idiots.
In the end, Achiled’s army slaughtered roughly 70,000 of the 100,000 ambushed humans, but the rest slipped away. News of the ambush spread to the other units, causing the human army to regroup at frightening speed.
“Now the real question is what he’ll do next.”
“Indeed. You always catch on so quickly.”
When Nahen praised her, Seere’s face lit up with a bright smile. The two of them waited to see how Achiled would respond.
After long deliberation, the method he chose was this.
“Request support from the Devata side while we continue fighting. Once the reinforcements arrive, victory will be ours!”
It was a mixture of the two options Nahen had predicted. Not bad. It might even be better than simply waiting for help. But that only worked on the assumption that help would actually come.
Achiled could never imagine that there were those willing to abandon an army belonging to a Demon King of far superior rank.
“Let’s watch in peace.”
Achiled’s Evil Sword army marched toward the location where the humans’ main force had gathered. Though they were outnumbered, Achiled had judged the enemy’s strength from their earlier clash. He believed they could deal enough damage and hold out until reinforcements arrived.
“Their army is as large as it is unwieldy. Changing formation and moving takes them far longer than it takes us, so use our superior mobility to wear them down.”
“Yes, General!”
Gremory’s well-trained soldiers carried out Achiled’s orders perfectly. In contrast, although the human army was large, most of its troops were conscripts. Given that the Bismarck Empire—the human realm’s greatest military power—had invested almost nothing in its army, the difference in troop quality was stark.
“Graaagh!”
“Aaaargh!!”
Achiled’s strategy worked beautifully at first, steadily inflicting damage. Yet the sheer weight of numbers kept the humans from collapsing easily. And because the soldiers held the line, it was no problem for the one person who could turn the situation around to reach the battlefield.
“Just as I was told.”
A woman appeared, holding a pure-white bow of enormous size. Her ears were pointed and slightly longer than a human’s. The snow-white bow did not feel ordinary; it radiated an overwhelming sense of holiness. The woman placed her hand on the bowstring.
“Truly the incarnations of evil.”
She was the first hero—the Hero of the Bow—Ceres Eastwood.
Arash
Even without nocking an arrow, something emitting mysterious light appeared the moment she drew the string. The arrow-shaped projectile carried the same holy aura as the bow itself. Ceres raised the bow high, aiming into the sky. When she released the fully drawn string, light shot upward. It soon split into thousands of separate rays.
“What is that…!?”
Achiled, seeing the bizarre attack, issued an urgent command.
“Evasive action! Abandon formation and dodge!!”
The thousands of light rays fell from the sky like meteors, then erupted in powerful explosions the moment they touched the ground.
BOOM—!!
Holy light swept across Gremory’s army. Soldiers who failed to evade were literally reduced to ash. Because the thousands of rays exploded and filled the entire area, even dodging was nearly impossible. Countless soldiers would never see another dawn.
Achiled escaped the blast radius and thought, That is not a power that belongs to humans. Even with his limited knowledge of them, he could tell the force was not of human origin. Had the Devata side known about this? They most likely had. That was why they had made such a request of his forces.
“I don’t like being used, but…”
Still, if reinforcements arrived, they could still win. Achiled rallied his troops and searched for the elf who had fired the arrow. Seeing her already at the front line, he roared.
“You inferior humans dare lay hands on the army of Demon King Gremory von Dieu?! You will pay for that crime with your lives!”
“Spoken like a true incarnation of evil. Very well—I shall face you.”
As Achiled bravely advanced at the head of his army, his soldiers followed. The human forces, however, swiftly moved to block his path, shielding the elf and obstructing his charge.
“Out of my way, you worthless insects!!”
Achiled was proving exactly why he was called the Evil Sword and why he served as Gremory’s right hand. Each swing of his blade felled multiple soldiers. Four men were skewered like meat on a spit by a single thrust meant to clear a path.
Yet none of those deaths were in vain. Ceres drew her bowstring once more. This time she aimed straight ahead.
Apollo
The light on her string transformed into blazing flames—like the sun itself. Ceres released the taut bowstring. The flaming arrow flew with terrifying speed.
It began to spin, spreading outward as the flames swirled like a vortex.
Achiled stared at the unidentified projectile hurtling toward him and shouted, “What in the world is that?!”
It was not human sorcery. Sorcery would carry the feel of mana, like magic. But the only thing he sensed from that arrow was an intensely unpleasant sensation.
Unpleasant… sensation…?
Achiled poured mana into his sword and swung with all his strength, clashing his power against the swirling flames.
An enormous reaction erupted.
CRACKLE—!!!
Mana and flame screamed as they tore each other apart. Achiled’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“The power of the celestial race…!”
The moment he realized why a mere human could wield such power, the answer became obvious. Achiled glared at Ceres’s bow in rage.
“The angels are using humans to invade the Demon Realm!!!”
But knowing the truth changed nothing. Achiled’s mana—as he was not a Demon King—could never overcome the divine power of a bow granted by the Heavenly God. The arrow struck him directly.
“Guhhhk!!”
“General!!”
Achiled fell from his bicorn, body shaking uncontrollably. The impact of the fall and the direct hit refused to fade. The flaming arrow had melted through his armor and was now spreading across his flesh, intent on burning his entire body.
“No…”
Achiled forced himself up using his sword for support. Gritting his teeth until they creaked, he gathered every ounce of mana he had left and raised the blade high.
“I cannot leave such a shameful stigma upon Lady Gremory…!!!”
Earth Break
Achiled swung his sword. It swept down until it struck the ground. The moment it made contact, his immense mana surged into the earth.
RUMBLE—!!
The ground split apart. The area where his mana had spread cracked open, forming a massive chasm.
“Uwaaaaah!!”
“We’re falling—watch out!!”
“Save meeee!!!”
A few soldiers managed to scramble away from the fissure in time, but the heavily armored infantry and those standing directly above the crack fell to their deaths.
“A pointless struggle.”
Yet the one Achiled had truly targeted—Ceres—remained completely unharmed. The instant she saw the ground splitting, she had leaped into the air and was already aiming her bow from above.
Tristan
Twang!
This time the arrow was neither light nor flame, but wind. The gale-like projectile flew straight into the melted gap in Achiled’s armor.
SHUNK—!!
It pierced clean through his chest. Blood sprayed in every direction. Achiled collapsed, barely able to stay upright using his sword.
“Ah…”
Through his fading vision he saw the face of the lord he had sworn to serve for life. With the last of his strength, Achiled whispered.
“Forgive… me… Your… Majesty…”
When Achiled fell, the remaining soldiers fell into complete panic. Thanks to Ceres’s efforts, the human army succeeded in wiping out the rest of the enemy forces, but they had not escaped unscathed. No one had predicted the ground would split open, so their losses were heavy. The only saving grace was that Achiled’s spell had not reached the rear ranks.
“Casualties?” Ceres asked. The knight appointed as her adjutant answered.
“More than 60,000 were slaughtered in the earlier ambush. The recent battle and that strange magic appear to have cost us over 140,000. Many died falling into the fissure when the formation ground split…”
Nearly half their forces had been annihilated. Ceres mourned the lost lives and said softly, “I’m sorry. I should have finished it faster.”
“Not at all, Hero. Thanks to you we were able to defeat evil. Besides, if we have already overcome a foe that strong, there cannot be any greater threat left.”
At the knight’s words, Ceres narrowed her eyes slightly. The enemy had certainly been strong. But was he truly the strongest?
Her doubt was answered almost immediately.
“Our turn, is it?”
“That voice…?”
“Who’s there!”
The voice came from above. When they looked up, a black-haired man was gazing down at them with golden eyes that sent shivers across their skin.
“Just over 250,000 left… Not a bad number to use as training dummies.”
“…Ah.”
Ceres, who had received her bow from the Heavenly God, understood instantly. It might have been called a hero’s intuition, but it was a realization granted by divine revelation.
“It’s you.”
Ceres raised her bow.
“The ‘evil’ that the Heavenly God commanded to be destroyed.”
“Evil? Don’t make me laugh. Do you honestly believe the god you worship is truly ‘good’?”
“Sophistry not even worth hearing.”
“They say when fools open their mouths it becomes suffocating. That’s exactly how I feel right now… but it doesn’t matter.”
The golden eyes narrowed.
“Since you’re all going to die here anyway, I’ll let you babble as much as you like until then.”
The moment he finished speaking, something enormous fell from the sky. It was a gigantic statue—yet it moved as if alive. It was less a statue and more a colossal stone monster. Right after it landed, soldiers who had been hiding somewhere appeared from every direction. And at the head of the army that had appeared to the south, in front of the human forces, stood a girl.
“In the name of Seere von Devata, I command!”
She still looked somewhat young, yet she was the one and only acknowledged ruler of the 72nd Floor. Seere raised her sword.