Silent Strike in the Fog
There was something there...
It was the dead of night, the world swallowed in darkness. Thick clouds blotted out not only the starlight but even the moonlight, and a gloomy fog clung to the air like a shroud. The conditions were perfect for carrying out a covert operation in absolute secrecy. Thinking that fortune had smiled on us in this regard, I moved forward with careful steps, gently parting the underbrush as I advanced.
Yet at this moment, the scene behind me was nothing like my original plan of leading only a small number of agile subordinates. Roughly a thousand soldiers—specially selected from the demon legion’s vanguard—had taken up position with me. Unlike myself, clad in black armor to draw enemy attention, they wore the armor of the allied racial forces as camouflage, each bearing a black cloth marker on one shoulder. And though they could not be seen from here, in the thickets on the opposite side, another unit led by General Samson lay in wait. They too had disguised themselves in alliance armor, pressed flat against the ground while scanning the surroundings.
Though their fatigue had not yet faded, they had resolved to pour every last ounce of their strength into this final battle. Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel a strange mixture of emotions as I recalled the events from just moments ago—events I still found difficult to believe. The weather, the way things are unfolding… I never imagined it would go this smoothly. To think those demon generals would actually follow my suggestions so obediently…
The very same demon generals who had openly snarled at Ilios before and had frequently displayed their towering pride ever since. Yet during the previous meeting, as if some sudden wind had changed their minds, they had decided to act according to my plan. Now they were stepping forward in full force, even lending their aid to the operation’s execution. From my standpoint—where I had honestly hoped they would simply stay out of the way—this was unexpected in every sense. Because I had anticipated nothing of the sort, I felt a small but genuine flicker of gratitude for their help.
I thought they were nothing but stubborn, frustrating, prideful bastards… but it seems they have some decent sides after all.
Internally revising my previous assessment of Samson and the other commanders, I refocused my attention on the “target” now visible ahead of us.
Right then… shall we begin?
Within the thick fog, starlight was hidden behind clouds and even the moon had lost its glow, plunging everything into absolute darkness. In an atmosphere heavy enough to weigh down the spirit, the elf soldiers Abel and Cain stood guard at the camp entrance, their faces etched with deep dissatisfaction and a lingering thread of unease.
“Haa… Damn it all… Of all the rotten luck, why did it have to be tonight of all nights for sentry duty…”
“Haaaahm… You can say that again. Why has our luck been so awful lately? Nothing’s going right these days.”
Abel and Cain stood relying on a single torch in the deep darkness. At that moment, both men wished more than anything that they could be like the other soldiers snoring away inside their tents and simply collapse into bed. The heavy fatigue that clouded their vision and forced their eyes to droop was not merely because it was bedtime.
They had marched without rest since dawn the previous day, continuing until the night had passed. After that grueling trek that offered almost no opportunity to rest, they had finally arrived here. Their utterly exhausted bodies were still crying out for sleep even now. Unfortunately, what awaited the pair was not sweet rest but the miserable duty of standing guard.
They wanted nothing more than to flop onto the bare ground and never rise again, yet they fought desperately to keep their minds alert. If it were discovered that sentries had fallen asleep right before a battle, the punishment would certainly not be light. Even so, their eyes continued to slide shut, driven by primal exhaustion.
Logically, there’s no way those bastards would launch another battle right after a siege like this.
We’re already dead on our feet. After fighting like dogs for days, they must be even worse off than us.
Both men rubbed their leaden eyelids in irritation, trying to chase away sleep, when suddenly—
“…Hm?”
“What… what is it?”
The next instant, Cain’s face sharpened as if all drowsiness had been blown away. He stared intently at the bushes swaying in the darkness, his brow furrowing slightly with a sense of foreboding. Abel tensed immediately at his friend’s abrupt change in demeanor.
“Did something happen? D-don’t tell me the enemy is attacking at this hour?”
Abel’s voice trembled as he asked again. Cain offered no reply. He simply continued examining the bushes in heavy silence, as though something truly lurked among those dimly visible shrubs—something that appeared to be nothing more than pure darkness from where they stood.
“Gulp…”
In the midst of Cain’s oppressive silence, Abel unconsciously swallowed dryly. He too began staring hard into the darkness, trying to see if anything was truly there. The pitch-black gloom where fog crept slowly upward. An eerie atmosphere that suggested something might leap out at any moment. Seized by a pressure that felt like it was crushing his heart, Abel fixed his gaze on the darkness his comrade had mentioned, convinced he could see movement.
Yet even after roughly ten minutes had passed, he saw nothing at all. Only the bushes swaying. Nothing out of the ordinary.
“Hmm… I must have been mistaken.”
“Whew…”
Abel let out a deep sigh at Cain’s words. The emotion contained within it was relief, mixed with irritation at his friend for frightening him like that.
“Seriously… Keep your eyes straight ahead. I really thought the demons were attacking and nearly jumped out of my skin.”
“S-sorry… To be honest, I wasn’t sure either… I must have seen things because I’m so tired…”
Cain spoke with an awkward expression. Feeling as though the tension had suddenly deflated, Abel turned his head forward again.
But then—
“Huh?”
“…What is it this time? Seeing things again?”
Cain’s voice was once more filled with bewilderment. Abel, wondering if his friend was playing some kind of prank, answered in a sullen tone. Yet—
“Y-you… n-next to… next to you…”
“Next to me?”
Feeling puzzled by Cain’s words, Abel turned his head. At that moment—
“Hello there.”
-Thud!
Along with someone’s brief greeting, an incomprehensible sensation washed over Abel. His face instantly flooded with terror. In a split second, his eyes caught the black flash erupting from a massive black sword. At the same time, he felt as if his throat were burning, and everything began to feel hollow… a strange yet somehow peaceful sensation enveloped him.
Immediately afterward, Abel’s vision caught Cain’s severed head tumbling through the air, but his mind could form no further thoughts. He simply closed his eyes within a deep, welcoming fatigue—just as he had wished for throughout his entire watch.
“It’s an ambush!”
“Enemies! The enemy is attacking!”
The clamor from outside jolted Memnon from a deep sleep. Without even time to don his armor, he grabbed a single sword and rushed out of his tent.
“Wh-what is it? What’s happening?”
“G-General! T-this is terrible! The demons… the demons have launched a surprise attack!”
“A surprise attack?! At this hour? How many are there? Who is leading them?!”
“Th-that is… we cannot determine their numbers at present. The darkness and fog are too thick, and the enemy is wearing armor disguised as our alliance forces…”
“Kgh…!”
“B-but according to the soldiers’ reports, they saw the Demon King among them! The Demon King in black armor wielding a black greatsword!”
“What did you say? The D-Demon King?”
An unforeseen enemy ambush. And not just any foe—the Demon King, a name alone sufficient to summon terror. For a moment, a dark shadow fell across Memnon’s face, but he quickly regained his composure and began struggling to resolve the situation.
“Im-immediately gather the troops! Form ranks and prepare to engage the enemy!”
“Understood, General!”
“Damn it… I never thought they’d strike at our weak point like this…”
Everyone, including Memnon, knew that the enemy’s fatigue had to be equal to or greater than their own. Yet despite that, the demons had boldly launched this surprise attack. It left Memnon and the other commanders feeling as if they had been struck from behind.
“Fine… You dare make fools of us this way? Demon King, I’ll personally take your head right here!”
With a face twisted in rage, Memnon and his subordinates charged into the fog. Given the circumstances, they numbered only about a hundred men, but with the enemy already pressing their assault, there was no time to assemble more.
“Move! We’re going to take that Demon King bastard’s head!”
Even amid the chaos, Memnon raised his voice to forcibly boost morale. Then—
“Eh?”
A black flash glinted within the fog for a brief instant. The eerie sensation that followed caused doubt and fear to reflexively bloom across Memnon’s face. But before he could react—
-Kwaaaaaang!!!
An overwhelming shockwave tore through the mist and hurtled straight toward them. Horror flashed across Memnon’s face the moment he saw it, but it was already too late. A black light engulfed the entire world. Caught in that horrifying wave of power, Memnon and his subordinates were instantly shattered to pieces—without even clearly realizing what had struck them or how.