~Naju TTG Temple~
Man-At-Arms and the local population fought valiantly against the invading demon and half-demon armies.
Priests of the Goddess Demera using the Holy Law and scarecrows guarding the farmlands with the goddess' protection were mass-produced by a fanatical, if somewhat useless, following.
"Die!"
The demons weren't really here to steal crops, but at their point of view, the demons were already thieves stealing precious crops.
And the scarecrows weren't the only ones with power.
"Aaahhhh!"
The serfs who remained in the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods were being forced to charge by the highest-ranking Demera priest, Mr. Choi.
Shackled by the Tatar shackles of the God of Sun and Judgment, they could not disobey the orders of their senior commanders. That is what drives their semi-forced valor. Above all──
[Holy Knight Gratas' "How to Kill Giants with Serfs" buffs serfs.]
-157.777% increased damage against demons.
-101.666% increased damage against demons.
Holy Knight Gratas' holy tome "How to Hunt Giants with Serfs" grants a buff to all serfs on the field.
1,576,660 serfs to hunt half-demon.
1,077,770 serfs to hunt demons.
Passed down from generation to generation since the time of Sir Gratas, this holy tome has been used to wage war with the serfs of the Lionheart Kingdom, including the Serf Festival.
Its holy and noble powers make it a very useful one-hit-wonder attacker for the Bastard Meat Shield serfs.
"One hit for every one of you, you bastard devil-servants, and you'll have to let me know when you're done! Otherwise, I'll cut you to pieces!"
"Hmph---you devilish bastards!"
The serfs howled and charged at their kinsmen.
As they died on the blades of their fellow half-demons, they uttered their last words.
"Never---! Never! Don't get caught by them!"
"Ew, ew---!"
As the half-demons slaughtered the serfs, they couldn't help but feel bitter and sorry for them. But that's only a small part of the story.
-Kaaaahhhhhhh!
-No! No, no, no! Let me go!
-No! No, no, no!
At the same time as they died, their spirits were dragged from their bodies, glowing so brightly that they could be seen, somewhere.
The sight of them flailing and struggling not to be dragged away was too much to bear.
-Oh, my God------
-What is that?
-Souls--- sucked in?
To where the hell?
But it wasn't enough for them to imagine the worst.
"Ugh, ugh------"
They were lost in chaos, terror, and confusion.
If this was it, they could still try to engage in a tense power struggle with the Man-At-Arms but at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean communications were restored, and Yappy, realizing the situation in South Korea, reacted immediately.
-Danger. Emergency response. Calling for a compatible pilot.
-BEEP! BEEP! (McDelov Hashimura Ogent responding!)
-Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! (Glaster Basilisk All-For-One responds!)
A very small number of knight-level Kikiruks still remained in South Korea.
As his loyal subordinates serving the Yakt Spinner as their savior responded, Yappy immediately unleashed its armament from the Space Integrated Armament Platform Stealth Strategic Satellite.
It entered the atmosphere in an instant and was immediately placed in front of the two Kikiruk warriors──
-Count class war armor for the Yakt Spinner. Pilot 13 McDelov, Pilot 19 Glaster check.
This is essentially custom equipment developed for the Yakt Spinner.
Although it is not the largest decisive battle weapon of the Marquis class, as the emphasis was on compatibility, it was also considered to be equipped by reinforcements other than Yappy.
-Crackle!
-Clank!
The latest in stellar armor, mounted in an instant. The two pilots are followed by a group of drones that are fired simultaneously.
-Count-class support sub-escorts two squads of Baron-class. Enter under the command of the pilots.
An all-around combat escort baron class drones followed the two warriors equipped with Count-class war armor. In a flash, they saw the half-demon legion engaged in front of the TTG Temple.
-Crack! (Commence maximized force projection)
-Crackle! (Overwhelm)
The Baron-class drones opened fire in unison.
Stardust warheads forged from stardust and stardust grenade launchers. Borrowing some of the computing power of Yappy advanced strong artificial intelligence, the Baron class's coordinated operations have knightly potential.
-Kaaaaaah!!!
Overwhelmed by a barrage of firepower the demons and half-demons can't stand a chance.
-Aaah! Flesh! Flesh is melting!
-My soul is burning! Somebody, somebody help me!
A terrible cry echoes among the half-demons but no one can preserve their souls.
Soul death is the most basic punishment the Holy Legion offers to evil.
"These bastards---!"
Hellheart, the Archdemon of Wisdom and Exploration, gritted his teeth at the pesky enemy's advanced weaponry.
Familiar high-level scientific weapons, which would have been a mere annoyance if that were all they were.
Their very existence is magical, and advanced weaponry is anathema to them.
But most of the legions here are half-demons with enemies in the flesh, and the weapons they use are not just high-tech.
"Combining hateful divine power with annoying science---!"
He had wiped out countless high-level scientific civilizations before, so he knew how annoying this combination could be.
"But the power is weak! You're not even a high-level knight, do you think you can handle a sergeant of my caliber!"
Well, yes. Unlike the Baron class, which is an unmanned aircraft, and the Viscount class, which is an elite aircraft for special operations, the Count class is a war machine for Yakt Spinner.
The energy source for their massive armaments comes from the sacred reactor of the Holy Knight, Yappy.
Without such a source of energy for its pilot Kikiruk warriors, the Count could not reach its full potential.
-Crack! (Fires Heto Anchor)
A beam of light pours from the Count's fuselage. It unexpectedly struck the serfs in the middle of the battlefield.
"Huh?"
"What is this?"
Suddenly, a beam of light connected to the nape of their necks. The serfs' anxiety was justified.
These Lionheart bastards were angelic beings who could not use the serfs and would dismantle them and recycle the iron powder.
-Giggle! (Summon Temporary Energy Source)
At the same time as he spoke, something gurgled from the serfs connected to the beam of light.
-Shuffle!
-Gurgle!
The serfs collapsed in a heap. As if their souls had disappeared from their bodies------
-Thud! (Soul Drain Transmission activated. 1.5% temporary power.)
""------eh?""
It purifies evil and turns it into energy. This was a method often used by Lionheart but it was horribly inefficient.
Of course the system of serfdom itself is not about efficiency.
If they were, they would have given them proper armor and weapons. Instead of stripping them naked and charging them with a dagger.
"You, you're more demonic than the demons---!"
"What color is your blood?"
The serfs screamed, enraged at the Count-class aircraft that had stolen their souls but they couldn't escape.
"Stand down! Submit your souls!"
Under Mr. Choi's orders, the serfs couldn't run away and had to have their souls sucked out.
After holding off the High Demon with their Baron-class unmanned combat robots, the Kikiruks pilots entered the fray once they met the appropriate energy levels.
-Chiruruk! (2.7% energy.)
-Siege Artillery Stellar Iron Bullets SET.
The set was followed by the firing of pure Stellar Iron Bullets. The so-called Don't Give a Shit Super Young & Rich Bullet for sniping high-level demons.
High-level demons take damage from just this one shot.
-Bam!
Airborne siege cannon fire. The High Demon reacted as the fuselage of the unstabilized Count-model was shot out of the sky with such a tremendous recoil that it bounced off the ground.
"High-speed siege artillery?!
Indeed, an ordinary High Demon would have been crushed by this, but--- a Demon of Wisdom and Exploration, especially one who was a candidate for the next Archdemon--─
A thousand souls of the Legion's half-demons were drawn to create such a defense, but Hellheart didn't mind in the slightest.
-Boom!
The siege shells bounced off and Hellheart smiled triumphantly.
-Puck! Puff!
The dull crash of something disintegrating sounded and by the time Hellheart realized it, it was too late.
-Crackle! Crackle!
(Plasma Crab Holicutters activated at the cost of 87 souls of serfs.)
-Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
-My, my, I'm disappearing aaaaaaah!
A giant robotic claw that seems to be an exact replica of the unique claws of the Kikiruks glowed with the screams of the serfs and grabbed Hellheart by the waist.
"Now, wait──"
-Snap!
Hellheart's body was cut in half, and a terrible scream rang out as his soul was instantly extinguished by the Star Iron Armor.
The screams and cries of the High Demon were enough to send shivers down the spines of the entire Demon Legion.
-Heh, Hellheart is dead!
-Oh, the soul--- the soul is screaming!
Seeing the object of all demons' admiration so easily extinguished, they no longer had the strength to continue the battle.
-Ha, surrender!
-Surrender!
Seeing them, Mr. Choi and the villagers smiled twistedly.
"New serfs are always welcome!"
* * * *
As the fighting in Naju drew to a close, a mysterious man made his way out of the TTG Temple.
Emerging from the crowd of tourists who had been pushed inside the Temple to protect civilians as soon as the fighting began, he looked at the Man-At-Arms bent on taking prisoners and clicked his tongue.
"The Man-At-Arms have made quite the arsenal."
[A veteran knight who could take on a High Demon if he had the numbers.]
"Is it that much---?"
[At least with two more of those things, you'll be no match!]
The man who heard the voice--- Archmage Reynold Shelman---was dumbfounded.
He's quite a talent in the human world, a magic master that not even the high-rank demons could match and yet, he would be defeated by a few mass-produced weapons?
"Truly, everything in the TTG Temple is amazing."
[The real thing is the Holy Knights, I'd never want to face those monsters!]
"------I agree."
Reynold hoped that the day would never come when he would have to face the Holy Knights, which was why he had accepted the request from Chaos now that the Lionheart King and the Holy Knights were gone.
"Is this really going to help us, a simple splinter of wood?"
Reynold looked at the Gunnar's Seedling he had stored in his subspace inventory, the target of this raid on the TTG Temple.
The thousands of half-demon legions and high-level demons were just bait for it.
[Cackle--- The history of our war with the Lionheart is deeper than you can imagine]
And this was the hidden piece that drove the monster-infested Lionheart to the brink of destruction.
[The Lionheart King seems to have been planning to use this to destroy us...and we wouldn't have known if the new Lord of Chaos hadn't occupied the same land as the Lionheart King!]
This Chaos Lord is certainly bold. His reasoning for choosing the land of the North, where he could easily be discovered at any time, was that if it was easy to be attacked, it would be quicker to attack first.
"But--I hope you don't mind, but the Lionheart King seems to have regained most of his major powers, if not all of his former glory------"
Reynold knew of the Lionheart King's power from what he'd heard from the Wisdom Demon.
He had killed three lords, including the former Lord of Chaos.
The Demon Archduke was apparently no match for him in terms of strength, so would he be able to deal with the Lionheart King just by raising his rank by one level?
Besides, there were already three monstrous Holy Knights below him.
[Fool, you can only say that because you haven't witnessed their power].
They are the sum total of evil. A swarm of evil. They are a force to be reckoned with.
To be a Demon Lord is to be the pinnacle of the pinnacle, to hold the fate of the stars in your hands. The Archdemon of Wisdom, beyond the Wisdom Jewel, was certain that the Fallen Lionheart King was no match for them.
"Then--- will you join them and fight alongside them as they request? This time, the Great One himself has descended---"
"I'm not going! I'm not going!"
"------"
Such a consistent Archdemon.
* * * *
Over 130,000 monsters and the massive raid on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the TTG Temple compound began to be organized, starting with Vulcanus, who had landed in Seoul City.
"I---! Vulcanus!!!"
With the giant flame wielded by the monstrous Holy Knight the monsters and their demonic followers were nothing more than debris swept away by the natural disaster.
With Vulcanus and the scrambling Yappy warriors present, and the arrival of the Dominator-class aircraft carriers, the remnants were quickly mopped up.
But even after the remnants were cleared out, the fighting in South Korea was far from over.
Large numbers of North Korean pilots returned home and died. Terrorism and raids swept across the country.
It was clear that the demons and North Korea were behind the shooting down of an airplane with TTG Temple members on board and the assassination of the president.
Although the damage was minimized by a quick sweep, the amount of property damage and deaths was too great to be dismissed as a simple provocation.
The South Korean government immediately retaliated with air force fighter jets and army artillery, and President Ahn Dong-gil went straight to the press and declared.
"December 28, 2032, a day that will be remembered as a terrible day of national reconciliation. The Republic of Korea was attacked in a despicable surprise by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
The president went on to tell several stories, explaining how unjust the North Korean attack was and how atrocious they were.
And at the end of it all, the most horrifying thing remained.
"They have committed the most horrific and inhumane act of treachery, partnering with the demons to attack their own people, which is a betrayal and deception of the entire human race."
"We must never tolerate this. Just as their preemptive strike 82 years ago spilled the blood of so many good people, so too did their cowardice today."
"We believe that we must not only strive to defend ourselves as best we can, but that we must make them pay for their inhumane acts."
And there, at the end of President Ahn Dong-gil's gaze, was Leon, a reliable and trustworthy ally. The Republic of Korea will stand with Lionheart to the end.
"Our army and our people are determined, and we will triumph, may the gods protect us!"
As applause erupted, the official declaration of war was made before the new year dawned on December 29, 2032.
It was the beginning of the Second Korean War.