"Mardi is the place where the battle with the Demon army is about to take place. The Human, Elf, Beastman, Dwarf, Lizardman, and other nations have gathered their forces in Mardi. The Demon nation is also prepared.
War may break out soon. Both sides have readied all their equipment and troops.
The Heroes set foot in Mardi a month ago.
Ray is observing the soon-to-be battlefield.
"Ray, are you okay?" Sofia calls from behind.
"I'm okay."
"Can you believe we've reached this point?" Sofia asks.
"Yes, soon all of this will come to an end."
"Ray, do you think we can defeat the Demon King?" Sofia asks with concern.
"I'm not sure, Sofia."
Hearing Ray's response, Sofia becomes even more worried.
"But don't worry, we will succeed!"
"What do you mean?"
"Heroes always win!" Ray smiles at Sofia.
"Haha, you're good at making jokes!... Thank you, Ray, I feel the same way."
°°°°°
"Albert, any news about Grandpa?" Shara asks.
"I'm sorry, Princess, still none!"
*It's been 8 months since Grandpa disappeared without any news. Where are you, Grandpa? Don't make Shara worry!* Shara thinks to herself.
"Princess Shara, it's time for training."
"Alright, Albert!"
Shara exits the tent heading to the training ground. As usual, for the past 8 months, she has been training with Hero Ray. The moonshot will be used by them to destroy the Demon country's defenses. If the shield is not destroyed, they won't be able to enter the Demon nation.
°°°°
"Are you okay, Fat?" Kiel asks.
"It's been almost a year since Raqnid disappeared. I don't know if he's still alive or not," Fat voiced his concern.
"So, what do you choose to believe?"
"I believe he's still alive. Because I know Raqnid. He wouldn't die in vain."
"So, what else do you need to worry about."
°°°
2 months later...
All the forces are assembled, facing their respective kings. The coalition of these nations is called 'Unity,' consisting of Humans, Beastmen, Lizardmen, Elves, and Dwarves.
"Good evening, everyone!" King Alex speaks.
"As you all know, starting tomorrow, the greatest war in history will happen again after 500 years. This war will determine our future, the future of our children and grandchildren. It will decide our position for the next 500 years. So, all of you standing here bear a heavy responsibility. You will determine the fate of our nations. Let us rise and destroy the Demon. For our homeland," King Alex says.
"For our nation," King Nolan, the Elf king, follows.
"For our legacy," the Dwarf king declares.
"For our honor," the Beastman king adds.
"For our future," the Lizardman king concludes.
After the kings speak before their people who will soon be in battle, it's the turn of the Heroes to stand out. They stand before hundred of thousands of soldiers who will fight to bring them to the Demon King.
The Hero's task is to kill the Demon King, while the soldiers' task is to prevent anyone from obstructing the Hero from meeting the Demon King. In other words, the soldiers will clear the path for the Hero to meet the Demon King at full strength. They will kill the Demon King's soldiers who obstruct the Hero's journey.
"This is the Hero who will bring victory to us. So, we need to help the Hero achieve that victory," King Alex says.
'HIYARGHH!!!' shouts the soldiers.
°°°
"My Lord, everything is ready," Demon Lord Leon says.
Demon King steps out onto the balcony of the palace. He wants to meet his troops. Standing before him are hundred of thousands of soldiers who are ready to fight.
"Destroy them all!" two words spoken by the Demon King are enough to ignite the spirit of all his soldiers.
"GARGGGHH!!!"
°°°
Saturday morning, exactly at 8 AM, the moment where everything begins. The long-awaited war is finally here.
"Sora! Are you ready?"
"I am ready, Monica!"
"Show them the power of magic from another world!" Monica shouts.
"Alright!"
Sora attacks using her magic as a prelude to this war.
"Meteor!" a large meteor falls from the sky, smashing into the Demon troops.
'KBOOMMM!!!'
The meteor has destroyed a small number of Demon soldiers.
"Well done, Sora!"
"Archers!" Leonel, leading all the archers, commands.
"FIRE!"
'Shoosh' Thousands of arrows are released simultaneously towards the Demon soldiers.
"Arghhh!" Demon soldiers cry out.
"GET READY, EVERYONE!!!" a general leading his troops shouted.
They all await signals from their respective army commanders before launching their attacks.
"ATTACK!!!"
"HIYARGHH!!!" Unity soldiers scream.
"GARGGGHH!!!" Demon soldiers roar.
The cavalry in the front advances, followed by infantry. Ground battles commence, swords clashing with each other.
'ting, ting'
Archers shoot arrows at the Demon soldiers in the rear, as do the magic users. The battle between regular soldiers favors the Unity forces over the Demon soldiers. For every 20 Demon soldiers killed, only 2 Unity soldiers are sacrificed. The enemy forces consist of giants like Minotaurs, Goblins, Orcs, and more.
The Unity troops manage to defeat a significant number of Demon soldiers, nearly approaching the Demon nation's fortress.
"We can win!" Rose declares.
"Not yet!... Too early!" Gaius replies.
"What do you mean?" Jilk asks.
"The Demon soldiers behind that fortress are still unknown to us," Gaius answers.
"Huh? Fortress! Fortress! Fortress! I don't see any fortress at all?" Zack speaks.
"If you look with the naked eye, you won't see that fortress. Focus, right near the Demon nation's border."
All the Heroes focus their gaze on the Demon nation's border. The longer they stare, the fortress begins to appear. A black fortress shields the Demon nation. They cannot see beyond the fortress.
Ordinary people won't be able to see the fortress. What they see on the Demon nation's side is merely an illusion. Moreover, anyone who steps into that area before the fortress is destroyed will become weakened. This is the effect of the fortress itself.
"So, that's why we need the moonshot," Sofia says.
"Yes, only the moonshot that will be performed by Hero Ray and Princess Shara can destroy that fortress," Gaius replies.