You've Worked Hard
The screams echoed from every direction.
"Graaaaah!!!"
"Damn it! Hold the line! Don't give them a single inch!"
On the battlefield where the voices of dying soldiers and those still slaughtering the enemy clashed in chaotic symphony, Pharisect and his subordinates were pouring every last ounce of strength into blocking the enemy assault.
It was the second day of battle. What had begun at dawn was now stretching until the sun hung low on the horizon, nearly ready to set. Pharisect was beginning to recognize that they were fast approaching their limit.
"General… the archer tower on the outer wall has finally collapsed."
"The Third Knight Order has been completely wiped out. With this, every last knight order remaining inside the castle has been annihilated."
"The enemy is nearly through the inner gate. We've committed our remaining troops to hold them back, but… I don't know how much longer we can last…"
It was a hopeless situation. The majority of their deployable forces had already been slaughtered. Yet despite everything, Pharisect maintained an eerie calm.
"Gather every remaining soldier. No matter what it takes, we must prevent the enemy from breaching the inner castle."
"Yes, General."
"The rest of you, follow me. I'll deal with the enemy personally."
"G-General… is that wise? Your wounds from the battle with the Demon King haven't healed yet."
"If they reopen—"
"What are you all babbling about at a time like this? If we fail to stop them, we're dead anyway. In a situation like this, what does a measly wound matter?"
"G-General…"
Pharisect's voice was firm as iron. Seeing him like this, the soldiers felt the true spirit of a warrior ignite within them once more. Their eyes gleamed with renewed purpose.
"The enemy is nearly upon us. Who will stand with me?"
"This humble officer will fight at your side, General!"
"I will lend my strength as well!"
"Even my meager power is yours to command, General."
The soldiers steeled themselves, looking as though they had resolved themselves for a final, glorious stand. But in truth, Pharisect's mind held no such romantic notions of an honorable death.
What he was doing—rallying the troops, preparing for this desperate battle—wasn't driven by sentiment or heroism. It was the result of cold, meticulous calculation. He had withdrawn the front lines this far, sacrificed portions of his army, and hoarded every scrap of remaining strength. Now, at last, the perfect moment to unleash it all had arrived.
Pharisect gripped his spear and strode forward.
Boom!
The inner gate finally shattered. Demons poured through the breach. Pharisect twisted his grip on his spear and roared.
"For the Alliance of Races!"
With that proud declaration, the defenders of Antioch surged forward. Believing this was their end, they unleashed their final fury. The sheer momentum of their charge forced the demon forces to falter.
At the head of the formation, Pharisect carved through the enemy with decisive, brutal strokes. His soldiers, inspired by his heroic bearing—like something out of legend—followed with hearts ablaze.
Yes! Even injured, that is General Pharisect—the man who brought even the Demon King to her knees!
Following him, today we become legends!
Driven by boiling warrior blood, the soldiers pressed their desperate advance. Though vastly outnumbered, their fearless charge—born of men who had already accepted death—succeeded in shoving the demon forces completely out of the inner castle. If only for a moment.
Of course, it was nothing more than a fleeting spark. Objectively, it would have no meaningful impact on the overall battle.
But then—
Bwoooooong!!!!!
The sound of a massive war horn thundered from the north.
The demons, who had briefly recoiled from Antioch's counterattack, were suddenly seized by profound confusion.
What they saw in that moment was an enormous army covering the northern plains like a living tide.
"Th-that's…!"
"Damn it! Enemy reinforcements at a time like this?!"
The relief force had arrived at the most precarious instant. The demons inside the castle fell into instant chaos. Seeing their panic, dark smiles crept across the faces of Pharisect and his men.
"Perfect! At last!"
"The reinforcements are here! We're saved!"
The horizon was swallowed by an overwhelming host as the sun dipped below it. The arrival of a force equal in scale to the invading demons sent the morale of the doomed soldiers soaring into the heavens.
Meanwhile, recognizing that everything had unfolded precisely according to his calculations, Pharisect could no longer suppress the wide, triumphant smile spreading across his face.
Excellent. They arrived at exactly the predicted moment. Now that the reinforcements are here, all that remains is to join them and exterminate every last demon that set foot in this place. And if I can kill the injured Demon King in the process…
Pharisect was practically floating with joy, utterly convinced of the glorious future about to unfold before him.
Then.
"My, my… Getting so excited already is rather troublesome."
"!!!!!"
A voice as cold as the grave suddenly whispered beside his ear. He had only heard it once before, yet it was burned into his memory. Pharisect's face hardened like ice as he slowly turned.
There stood a familiar figure clad in black armor, wielding a massive black greatsword. The moment he recognized who it was, an icy chill raced down Pharisect's spine.
"Y-you… You're… the D-Demon King? N-no… you definitely suffered a severe injury last time…"
The Demon King, who had not shown herself even once since her retreat, had reappeared. For a moment, both Pharisect and his soldiers were thrown into confusion. But Pharisect quickly regained his composure and shouted.
"D-do not fear! The creature is still injured! With our current numbers, we can take it down!"
Recalling how they had barely let the Demon King escape before, he rallied his troops. The soldiers, momentarily shaken by the Demon King's sudden appearance, quickly steadied themselves and reignited their fighting spirit.
"R-right! This bastard already lost to us once!"
"This time we'll carve out your windpipe, Demon King!"
"With reinforcements here, you're finished! Die by our hands, right here!"
The soldiers advanced with ferocious confidence, intent on claiming the Demon King's head. Sensing the momentum had swung back in their favor, Pharisect issued a decisive command.
"To the entire army! Take the Demon King's head immediately!"
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
The soldiers charged with weapons raised. Pharisect had wanted to join them personally, but his unhealed wounds and recent exertion left him needing a moment to catch his breath.
No matter how injured she is, those men won't be able to finish the Demon King on their own. If they can simply wear her down, that will be enough.
Having made his assessment, he steadied himself and prepared to join the fray.
But then—
Swoosh!
The Demon King swung her sword in a light, almost casual arc toward the oncoming soldiers. A black flash far different from before erupted from the blade. Pharisect felt a sudden, instinctive dread.
A moment later, when the black light that had obscured his vision finally faded…
Pharisect felt a searing pain as though his entire body were being consumed by fire. At the same time, the sight before him delivered a shock that surpassed even that agony, leaving his mind completely blank.
"Th-this… what… what is this…?"
The soldiers who had charged the Demon King just moments ago—two hundred of them, including those who had been stationed around Pharisect himself. In pure combat strength, they had been even more formidable than the force that had cornered the Demon King during her previous assault.
Yet now, Pharisect could not see a single soldier still breathing.
With one swing. A single swing of the sword had massacred all two hundred men under his command.
Pharisect himself had only survived because the others had acted as living shields and he had desperately reinforced his body with mana at the final instant. Even so, his body was already too broken to continue fighting.
"H-how… can something like this…"
The Demon King's strike was on an entirely different level than before. The fact that she—who should have been on death's door from her injuries—could unleash such power was utterly incomprehensible to Pharisect.
But in the next moment, as he faced this horrific, incomprehensible reality he desperately wished wasn't true, one terrible realization finally pierced his mind.
S-surely not? This… all of this…?
The horrifying truth had dawned on him far, far too late. Pharisect's face twisted with pure terror and despair.
Looking down at him, the Demon King spoke in a voice as cold as the void itself, as though she were merely tossing scraps to a dog.
"You've worked hard until now. Now, be on your way."
Those words confirmed his worst fears with merciless precision. They stabbed into his heart like a dagger. In his final moment, Pharisect saw the Demon King's greatsword descending toward his head.
"You son of a—"
Thud!