When we think of siege warfare, we think of white-knight battles with walls, ladders, and crossed spears.
Demons, however, are invaders of all sorts of worlds, and their armament is highly advanced, though it varies by demonic lineage.
"Prepare to open fire!"
"Turrets ready to fire!"
Vicious guns loom over the city walls.
Some are similar to the modernizers of Earth's civilizations, while others are more advanced.
They had no air force, but they also had cluster bombs that exploded with magic.
It's a common misconception that the Gates and the battles fought within them are all about white-knuckle warfare.
Anyone would despair in the face of such an overwhelming array of weapons.
"What, what, cannons?"
"What the hell is that?"
"Artillery, it's exploding!"
"Shoot!"
A barrage of demonic firepower proved too effective at the Hunters gathered in formation.
"Ugh…!"
"Get down!"
Hastily erected magical barriers and tanks defensive skills were only useful in small 50/50 engagements.
In a battle of thousands of units, it's impossible for an individual's exceptional strength to stop such firepower.
Speaking of "exceptional strength."
-Quack, quack, quack, quack!
A terrible explosion rang out in all directions, drowning out the sounds of the world.
"Huh?"
The Hunters couldn't help but make dumbfounded faces as the results of the explosion were revealed.
A brilliant light enveloped the army of over eight thousand people, including the serfs.
"Wow...."
"What the...."
No one was injured, not even a tan from the explosion and exposure to the fire network.
There is only one person capable of such a miracle. All eyes turn to Leon.
"A knight sworn to the Holy Grail is present. How dare you violate the splendor of the Knights with mere ranged weapons?"
Legion Holy Law
Applies the power of the concept to the entire Legion. This is deceptive enough, but the Holy Knight's army is even more vicious.
"Lord Spinner. Beatrice."
-Commencing fire.
"Let us begin lightly."
The two respond to Leon's order. Yakt Spinner and Beatrice, both Holy Knights, activated their respective powers.
-Whoosh!
Carapace-mounted drones scatter in all directions. Their armament includes 20 30mm grenades and 1,200 12.7mm machine gun rounds.
-Integrated firepower=javelin deployment
The Yakt Spinner' railguns and chain-guns fire at their respective targets, along with the drones.
-Toadadadadadadadadad!
The fire fight between the 24 unmanned drones and the Yakt Spinner swept through the demons on the ramparts.
'Geh, modern weaponry is useless against the monsters inside the gate, isn't it?'
The Hunter wondered, realizing that most of the weapons used by the Yakt Spinner were not that different from modern weapons.
With the exception of the railgun, most of Yappy's available weapons were Earth-made modern guns.
If Earth weapons had worked, the Hunters would have been carrying guns, not cold weapons, or pulling tanks and self-propelled guns through the gate.
Modern weapons that can't contain magic don't work against monsters. That's common sense──
"Kaaaah!"
"Mo, body, body, body…!"
But the demons on the ramparts are met with disaster and are "burned up" by the firepower.
Dozens of demons are burned to death from the heat pressure alone as the railgun blasts through the walls.
"Hey, Lord Yappy attack is working!"
"How did this happen?"
They wouldn't know that to be a "living saint" means to be a holy being in and of itself.
The Yakt Spinner has been destroyed to the point where it shouldn't be able to operate, yet it has managed to defy physical limits.
They are miraculous in their mere existence as living saints have the power to sanctify what they touch with their flesh.
Thus, every shell, every bullet that pours from the fuselage of the Yakt Spinner is a Holy Grenade and lesser demons burn to death on contact.
"Wow…."
Ha-ri watched in awe, but a question suddenly occurred to her.
"Isn't that a ranged weapon?"
-The bullet firing mechanism. Derived from the electromagnetic force generated by the main body. The power of the main body.
"Isn't that...a lie?"
– Silence, organism.
It was then that the demon mages who had spotted the Yakt Spinner shouted.
"That's him! Shoot him!"
The demons aimed all their firepower at the Yakt Spinner but the brilliant light negated them all.
"Damn it!"
The demons make a wailing sound, and with good reason.
Their side is forbidden to use ranged weapons at all, while the other side uses them at will.
The Holy Knight's Legion imposes what they are most confident in: hand-to-hand combat, while they themselves use ranged weapons with impunity.
This is what made their army so vicious.
"If ranged weapons don't work…!"
The demon mage on the ramparts opened his palm and swung, and a shower of infernal fire engulfed the drone.
A blind spot the demons had learned in countless battles with the Lionheart Kingdom.
They don't recognize something like a javelin that's thrown entirely under their own power as a "ranged weapon."
In short, it's a matter of whether the knight recognizes it as a ranged weapon or not.
"Center your magic on him, don't give him room to dodge, and bury the Holy Knight!"
And their magic is directed at the Yakt Spinners in unison… before a black light engulfs the demonic mages that have appeared.
Great Magic
The spells of the Magician Queen rain down on the demons.
"What the hell is that?"
"A barrage of Archmagic-level attacks?"
The crowd is overwhelmed by the black light that pierces the sky.
The pinnacle magician of an era and a world unleashes a phenomenal barrage of magic, but it is only one of her many tricks.
"Take care of her!"
Hellfire rains down as the demons of slaughter and destruction use the destruction magic that they are specialized in.
Their offense is unparalleled among demons but the Magician Queen scoffs at their magic as if it were plastic.
"Magic against me, how shallow."
She snaps her slender fingers at the spells hurled at her and in the next moment, they're gone.
"Huh?"
The demonic mages let out a stunned sound because they had seen their magic disintegrate into elemental units and scatter.
It was the realm of Great Magic to nullify an opponent's magic rather than defend against it. Even the Demons of Wisdom, the pinnacle of the magical family, could only do so after deploying at least a magic circle.
And she could do that with a snap of her fingers?
Seeing their bewilderment, Beatrice twisted the corner of her mouth.
"My previous spells specialized in killing demons, but… I had to learn 'torture' because they would eventually come back to life...."
Black and purple glyphs begin to form in the air as the magician queen's holy power mingled with the concept of death.
"More death. More tribute. Woe to those who survive. For I know a thousand 'plays' to torment you."
Having lost her country, her people, and her knights, the queen is always filled with rage against evil.
It's just that, true to her character, that rage is very cold and bitter.
A fog of death sweeps through the castle, cursing the surviving demons to wish they were dead.
The demonic mages groan and let go of their wands as the waves of mist plunge them into eternal rest at the mere touch.
"Archduke…Your Excellency!"
The legions are swept away but watching them fall asleep, the Magician Queen feels sorry for them because they died too easily.
'But apart from that, I didn't kill as many as I thought I would.'
Her spell had lost its power halfway through and Beatrice realized it was a function of the castle.
'Defenses to scatter the enemy's magic… something like that, I suppose.'
In a world where magic was widespread, it was a necessary facility.
The Demon Castle was well prepared in that regard but…what about 'overwhelming physical force'?
"Stand back."
The golden knight flashed his spear, splitting the group of hunters and serfs in half.
It's not a time for the Lionheart King to step up, but Leon is considerate of the Hunters, who are vulnerable in the siege.
"This king will breach the gates. Prepare to push right through."
"Yes?"
"Your Majesty, wait!"
The Korean and Japanese Hunters were stunned, and rightly so, for the gate Leon was about to charge through was a giant, nearly 100 meters across.
A short charge against the gates of a demonic castle that could only be opened by the power of magic, or even worse, something out of a fantasy movie?
But Stallion's hooves had already pounded the ground.
"Ugh!"
"He's out of the barrier range!"
That means he's out of the Legion Laws that Leon himself had placed on the Legion and demonic firepower rained down on the Lionheart King.
"Ha…! Stallion, shall I unfold the Holy Law for you?"
-Heh!
Stallion shrugged off Leon's question. Stallion glances at the guns and cannons raining down on them and slams his foot on the ground.
-Bang! Boom!
The barrage of firepower was dizzying. But Leon and Stallion ran through the rain of firepower like it was a storm.
"What!?"
"How is that possible?"
They made acrobatic moves but the most amazing thing was that it didn't slow down in the slightest while performing such acrobatic maneuvers.
Misplaced firearms and brute force were unable to injure the two beings in the slightest, and the tip of the spear was pointed at the gate.
"Glory to the Lionheart…!"
The holy spear with its dense holy power smashed into the gate. At that moment──
-Kaaaah!!!
The entire gate bursts open as it is pierced.
The aftermath of being physically pierced through the strongest and thickest gate caused the entire gate to collapse.
"What the...."
It's not just the demons who turn blue in disbelief.
The Hunters were also stunned by the miracle before them.
"This is…a Holy Knight."
Saints who bend the laws of reality as they breathe.
Is this heavenly realm truly within the reach of humans?
At the overwhelming sight of a siege by just three people they naturally sought a god.
The gods they worship must be the true gods.
* * * *
The gates were breached in an instant and the castle was about to fall to the tide of the incoming allied forces.
"──"
Akasha remained silent despite the tumultuous situation outside with the demon sword in his hand… Akasha's body seemed to be sensing something with his cold gaze.
The only thing that could turn this situation around. If there was at least a way to get away from him or hurt him....
"Found it."
A group of people break through the inner wall, and among them is Chun So-yeon.
Akasha dives straight for Chun So-yeon with the body of Chun Ji-so at her side. Using the demon sword's flying ability, she leapt in front of her in an instant, causing Chun So-yeon to be startled.
"You…!"
"Stupid."
One of Chun So-yeon's two swords rushed towards her but Akasha simply parried her sword and grabbed her by the throat.
"Ugh…!"
"You're foolish to go on a rampage alone."
"Give me…my father back!"
Even as Akasha choked her, Chun So-yeon struggled but it was like a cornered mouse trying to bite a cat's tail.
"By taking you, I will become more complete."
"Why… why would you want someone like me....?"
Akasha could tell her more about the secret of the demon sword but she didn't. She was a practical person, and she had no time to waste.
She forcefully twisted Chun So-yeon's wrist, causing her to lose her grip on the sword and forcing the demon sword into her hand. At that moment, Akasha's will began to dominate her instantly.
"K-k-k-k-k-k-k-k."
The corners of Chun So-yeon's mouth twisted viciously. On the other hand, Chun Ji-so, who was losing Akasha's magical energy, trembled with parched lips.
"Ah, no. No… So-yeon...."
His cries did not reach his daughter as Akasha looked around her new body and smiled.
"So-so, so good. If only I could have grown up like this."
Over the years, the Wandering Demon Sword had pursued countless genius swordsmen.
There was one reason she had spent so many decades traveling from host to host: to squeeze out the bodies of his hosts and duplicate their swordsmanship.
The first demon, James Spencer, was a master of formal, heavy swordsmanship,
Andrea Shaikh, the second, was the pinnacle of stabbing, arguably the best on the planet.
The dagger skills of Ortega the Third, and the two-bladed skill of the fourth, Samrin.
The swift sword of Javier the Fifth Demon Swordsman and the broadsword of the 6th Demon Chun Ji-so
The accumulated swordsmanship of all those demons and the essence of the magick that had eroded her six victims was all in order to restore Akasha's lost body and resurrect her as the strongest magical swordsman.
"Though I have lost my essence, I have gained a new body."
She'll have to start over, but it didn't matter. The swordsmanship she had accumulated so far remained with her.
"Let's get him out of the way."
"That won't work."
"──!!!"
It was then that a voice was heard from behind Akasha's back.
"Lionheart."
The Lionheart King was staring straight at Akasha. To be precise──
"Let's end this quickly, you filthy parasite."
At the violet trinket that was in Chun So-yeon earlobe.