Chapter 322

Chapter 322

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Its too risky a gamble.

The corners of Emilias mouth twitched up as she leaned against the balcony railing. She looked down without answering, for there lay the fragments of the great magic circle, the same ones she had etched in the Human Realm.

The great magic circle consumed all of her mana and glowed dazzlingly, but only a few fragments had formed intact summoning portals. This was because the humans were suppressing the activation of the great magic circle. Most of the demons had climbed up the towering cliffs of the Demon Realm and dug directly into the ground above. They were like worms trapped in a barrel.

There are no gambles in this war, Lord Lawrence. Victory is won only by endless blood and struggle.

As Emilia watched the procession of her kinsmen, she turned slowly. Before she stood a tall, middle-aged man, his graying hair lifting to reveal purple eyes tinged with worry.

Its not that I doubt your will, Princess, its just that. If we shift all of our power to the Empire, the great magic circle that has barely been activated will lose its power. If the Demon Realm, which has barely poked its head into the Human Realm, begins to sink, not only will the mana of your own kind, but the mana of Your Highness will also

The Empire is the center of the Human Realm. No invasion is more effective than destroying the center. Besides, Lord Lawrence. Didnt Your Lordship hear it with me?

.

Unfortunately, demons are absurdly few in number compared to humans, but what we do have in return is a fighting force that humans cant match. One that is worth a hundred. Thats the norm.

Clasping her hands in front of her navel, Emilia gently tilted her head. She was pale and slender, a precarious beauty in a grayish landscape of dark demonic energy.

Four such demons in one fell swoop. Just one magician. Also, Lord Lawrence, theres a half-breed demon there who heals humans with powerful demonic energy.

Emilias eyes narrowed. Her smile was as fresh as a quivering flower, but her mood was far from docile. Her sharpened gaze swept over Lawrence, who was now kneeling on the floor.

I will take responsibility and eliminate that pest.

Stand up. I didnt say this to criticize you.

As Lawrence stood up gingerly, as if begging for forgiveness, Emilia spoke up.

An unknown power threatens to resurrect the Demon Realm, and it just so happens to reside in the Empire we most desperately need to destroy. We will destroy the Empire even if we must mobilize all our external forces.

I accept Your Highnesss wishes.

And Dont worry, Lord Lawrence. The humans, who have barely found their footing, will try to destroy the great magic circle somehow, but they will never succeed.

Behind her innocent exterior, she was extremely calculating. That was why Lawrence chose to follow Emilia: she had a fierce determination and a vicious streak.

Im going to use my fathers power. No one will be able to stop the resurrection of the Demon Realm.

* * *

Thats weird, somethings going wrong.

In the midst of the bustle of his subordinates, Cadel stood alone, staring intently at the system window.

Stand by for now. Unless the gate collapses, theres no need to move quickly. Let the others take care of it.

They didnt have enough stamina to respond to every request for assistance. Cadel listened to the reports from within the Empire first, then touched [Ullo] lightly to infuse it with mana. The reports from other nations, however, were more than enough to baffle Cadel and the subordinates nearby.

[This is the southwest gateway to Dunkelhai. The magic circle has been destroyed. Were tracking the fleeing demons.]

[Snivec Inte Snowfields, remaining demons cleared. The wounded are returning. Please have a healer on standby.]

[Kenzhar Island, magic circle destroyed. Found an escape tunnel built by a demon. Investigating.]

[This is Mount Meltene, White Kingdom. Weve lost the demon we were chasing. It has moved east, so troops in that defense should remain vigilant.]

Unlike the Empire, which was in the midst of a fierce battle, the other nations forces were calmly wrapping up the fight. Cadel listened carefully to [Ullo]s voice and slowly narrowed his eyes.

The demons have all fled?

Fleeing. It was not uncommon for soldiers to flee in war, but these were demons. Cadel had seen enough battles to know the demons tendencies. They were not a race that would back down easily in the face of humans. But now there were reports of demons fleeing, not just one or two, but many, many nations at once.

Somethings not right, Leader.

They cant have fled, they must be up to something.

Lumen and Van approached, growing more serious by the second. Cadel nodded in agreement with them.

Whats even weirder is that while demons are fleeing from every country, the demons of the Empire are not fleeing, but are coming in greater numbers. Knight Commander.

Cadels face grew as pale as Garuels stony gaze. He rose from his brief seated position and looked back at his subordinates.

It looks like the enemy has narrowed their targets. The demons havent fled, theyre just traveling to the Empire. If this is true, its only a matter of time before the Empire collapses.

Why were they trying to deal with the Empire while giving up the safety of other magic circles? Cadel recalled the existence of Daya, a High Demon whom he had been unable to kill.

He didnt disintegrate in midair, he fled to the Demon Realm and carried the information to the Princess.

He must have warned them of the danger on this side. Cadel had killed five High Demons in one fell swoop and overused his power in defense of the city. He had nothing to say if he was checked.

To say the least, Im surprised that such an extreme decision was made after such a short battle.

He wondered if there was another way to preserve the great magic circle. It was a tactic that could not be understood through common sense, but common sense did not always apply to demons.

If demons from across the continent descend upon the Empire, our combined forces will not be able to stop them. We must call upon our allies for help.

But even if they do send help, itll take a while for them to arrive, and the magicians will have already used up a lot of mana.

We cant help it. No matter how long it takes, we have no choice but to endure. Garuel! You relay the anomaly to the knights with [Ullo]. Lydon, you are coming to the castle with me.

Cadel quickly joined Lydon and deployed traveling magic. If the Empire had become the Demon Realms top priority target, the Emperor needed to be informed before anyone else.