Chapter 177 Two Great Forces

Demon lord Jira remained seated on his horse, flanked by multiple soldiers and his trusted advisor Lilith. As they surveyed the battlefield, Lilith used her magic eye to zoom in on the opposing forces.

"It seems we have underestimated the Lord of Elves," She commented. "He's holding his own against us."

Jira let out a deep sigh. "I did not expect this. How was he able to gather so many forces so quickly?".

Lilith frowned in disgust as she considered the possibility of retreat. "Should we fall back?"

Jira looked up at the sky, noting that the sun was setting. "It will be dark soon," He said. "Blow the horns. Let them know we are retreating, but not back to the kingdom. We will find somewhere close to the kingdom to heal ourselves".

With that, Jira turned his horse and began to lead the retreat.

"Blow the horns! We are retreating!" Lilith informed the soldiers, and they all began relaying the messages to one another.

Some of the demons took the horns that were tied around their waist and began blowing it. The sound of horns signaled the demons' retreat, but Sato's forces weren't about to let them go without a chase.

They surged forward, closing in on the retreating demons. The ground shook with the pounding of their feet, and the air filled with the clash of swords and the cries of battle.

"We can't let them get away!" Carion shouted, urging his soldiers to keep up the pursuit.

The valkyries soared overhead, raining arrows down on the demon army, and the elves and beastmen slashed through the demons' ranks with their swords and spears.

The high ranking Demons rode at the rear of their retreating army, but they were not safe from pursuit. Deka himself was hot on their heels, his sword gleaming in the setting sun.

"You can't escape us, demon scum!" Deka bellowed.

One of the generals gritted his teeth and spurred his horse on, but Lilith's face twisted with disgust.

"Can't we just kill him and be done with it?" She muttered under her breath.

But Jira shook his head. "No, we need to retreat and regroup. We can't afford to lose any more soldiers".

With that, they redoubled their efforts to escape the relentless pursuit of Sato and his forces, disappearing into the gathering darkness.

As Jira was about to make his escape, a soldier among his ranks suddenly cried out from behind, "Lord Jira, please wait! I have a message!" The soldier's voice was urgent, and the rest of the demon soldiers attempted to restrain him.

The soldier was clad in a black cloak that obscured his face, but the traces of blood staining his clothing were enough to indicate that he had just fought in a battle. Despite his wounds, he persisted in approaching Jira.

"What is it?" Jira asked with impatience, his horse pawing at the ground.

The soldier gasped for breath before falling to his knees in front of Jira to deliver his message, "Our forces are being attacked by the enemy, and they are struggling to defend themselves. We must return immediately to aid them!".

Jira immediately saw that it was Sato disguised as his men, "Where is the honor in what you did?" He asked.

"Honor? Sorry... I don't do that anymore." Sato's voice was cold as he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers once.

Suddenly, the air around him distorted, and a surge of power began emanating from his body. The ground beneath him shook violently, and the trees surrounding them swayed with the force of the energy.

Then, with a deafening roar, a massive explosion erupted from the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The force was so intense that it seemed to consume everything in its path, swallowing up trees, rocks, and even the bodies of fallen soldiers.

The explosion continued to grow, expanding outward with a blinding flash of light, until it consumed the entire battlefield. The ground shook and rumbled as the shockwave traveled for miles, causing chaos and destruction wherever it went.

When the dust finally settled, there was nothing left but a smoking crater where the battlefield had once been. The trees were gone, the rocks were pulverized, and even the ground itself had been torn asunder.

….

Sato and Jira crashed into the ground with tremendous force, shaking the earth beneath them and leaving a deep trail of destruction in their wake. The impact of their landing caused the ground to tremble and crack, with rocks and debris flying in all directions.

Despite the violent collision, both Sato and Jira remained standing, their feet firmly planted on the ground. The force of the impact had sent shockwaves throughout their bodies, causing their muscles to tense up in response.

For a moment, the two combatants stood there in silence, sizing each other up as they prepared for the next round of their battle. The air crackled with energy, as if anticipating the explosive clash that was sure to come.

Jira stood there with a smug look on his face, watching Sato struggle to regain his balance. Despite being exhausted, Sato managed to lift his head and lock eyes with Jira.

"All that effort just for an alone time with me," Jira taunted, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Sato struggled to catch his breath, his chest heaving up and down as he attempted to respond. His vision was blurry, and his mind was foggy, but he managed to muster up a response.

"Oh shut up, let's get this over with, right now," Sato said, his voice strained and hoarse. "I may be exhausted, but I am not defeated".

Jira let out a chuckle, amused by Sato's determination despite his weakened state. "I see. Well, I'll give you credit for trying, so much courage and stupidity".

Sato slowly rose to his feet, his body aching with every movement. He glared at Jira, his eyes filled with defiance. "This from the cry baby demon lord? I laugh." He teased back..

Jira's expression hardened at Sato's words. "You're dead." He replied, before flames formed around his body in the form of a Chinese dragon.