Lake Kingdom.
Somewhere in the depths of darkness.
"..."
The court jester, 'The Pied Piper' - Crown, stood quietly on these darkened streets.
Before him, Nameless leaned against a stone wall, dozing off as if exhausted.
It seemed she hadn't slept properly for a while, not noticing the presence right in front of her. Crown observed his younger sister quietly.
The darkness swirling around Nameless was growing denser.
"..."
Crown gripped the flute in his hand tightly.
That's when it happened. Nameless, who had been nodding off, suddenly jerked her shoulders and frantically drew the sword on her back, pointing it forward.
"Ha, ha, ha!"
"...Calm down. It's me."
Crown raised his hands to show he meant no hostility.
Struggling to catch her breath, Nameless rubbed her eyes several times with the back of her hand as if she couldn't see well. After a moment, she recognized Crown and smiled wearily.
"Brother... no, Crown. It's been a while."
"..."
"I'm sorry. I'm just... a bit tired. Seems I dozed off for a bit."
Crown, looking sadly at his gasping sister, cautiously asked.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
"Always, always... every day."
"When was the last time you had a proper sleep?"
"..."
Struggling to her feet, Nameless sheathed her old iron sword on her back.
"In this hell, a good night's sleep is a luxury, Crown."
"..."
"It's okay. I can still bear it. Just like the last few hundred years."
Crown quietly observed his sister trying to act strong.
He knew. That the end was approaching.
That his sister's act of endurance was also reaching its limit.
Soon, everything will perish.
It doesn't matter who fights, how they resist. The impending doom is inevitable.
Crown's lips pressed tightly together behind his mask.
Then,
"...Still."
Nameless, her face sweaty from the aftermath of the nightmare, suddenly smiled.
"Hehe. Still, there have been enjoyable moments lately."
"...?"
Crown stared blankly at his sister.
Swearingly, since this country had come to such a state, Crown had never seen his sister smile like this.
A smile that had worn away over hundreds of years in this hell...
"Enjoyable moments? Like what?"
"I went up to the surface, to a party."
"...Party?"
Crown's face froze.
Party...?
He knew what the word meant, but it had been so long since he'd experienced one. His sister's words felt unreal.
Knowing this herself, Nameless awkwardly cleared her throat.
"Yes. Sounds like a dream, right?"
"Yes. I want to ask if you saw an illusion."
"Hehe... but it's true."
Nameless excitedly chattered. Like a girl who had gone to a party for the first time in her life.
"I met people from the surface, ate food I'd never seen before, joined a strange-named gathering and drank, listened to a band play music, and then..."
Nameless paused for a moment, then slowly looked down.
"I danced."
"..."
"With a man whose presence made my heart ache. I danced with him."
Recalling that night, Nameless eventually laughed awkwardly, fanning herself.
"I told you, but it's really strange. Was it all just a dream of one night?"
"No, certainly, you must have experienced it yourself."
After all,
The only dreams Nameless could have now were nightmares.
If she had a happy memory, it must be from reality.
Whether it's a dream or a memory, both are fleeting dust that will disappear anyway.
"Hmm!"
Regaining her composure with repeated coughs, Nameless returned to her expressionless face and faced Crown.
"I've spoken nonsense for too long... So, what brings you here today, Crown?"
"I heard that monsters were dispatched for an attack, but this time you didn't stop them at all. I was worried and came to look for you."
For hundreds of years, Nameless had never failed to halt the advance of monsters.
But this time, she didn't even show her face. Crown couldn't help but worry about his sister's condition.
Even if her end was predetermined. She was still his sister.
"Ah, this time..."
Nameless awkwardly responded.
"Ash came to me, telling me to rest this time. He said he had a plan..."
"..."
"And though I offered to reduce their numbers, Ash was so stubborn. He begged me not to interfere for the sake of his strategy, so I did as he asked."
"I feel a bit better having rested a bit," Nameless stretched, indicating she felt somewhat improved.
Crown chuckled.
"Did you trust what he said?"
"Ash is an undefeated commander on that front. If not him, then who should I trust?"
"He will eventually know defeat."
"He won't."
Nameless asserted firmly.
"Because I will protect him."
No.
You're not there to protect Ash. Not me, nor even the people of this country. You must protect yourself, my sister.'
Yet, the words swirling in his throat never formed and dissipated inside him. Crown sighed.
"Right. Anyway, the end will come soon. Whether your choice to resist until the end was right, or my choice to give up and surrender was right..."
"..."
"Or perhaps, neither had any meaning."
Watching Crown bitterly reflect, Nameless calmly said.
"Crown... no, brother. Even if our paths differ, I always respect you."
"..."
"Don't forget that."
Nameless awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth in a smile.
"Thank you for worrying about me and for coming to see me."
"..."
"See you again, brother."
Nameless bowed lightly and disappeared into the darkness ahead.
"...See you, huh."
Crown couldn't be sure.
Whether he would indeed meet Nameless again.
And even if they did meet, whether Nameless would pletely changed into a different entity.
"Sigh."
Exhaling a sigh, Crown walked into the darkness on the opposite side.
From afar, the sound of something collapsing thundered - thud, thud. Looking in that direction, he could see a battle unfolding at the king's castle.
The second-ranked, Demon Guard Legion.
The top-ranked, Black Dragon Legion.
It was a bloody civil war between two of the strongest nightmare legions fighting over the castle. Watching the pillars of the castle collapse amidst billowing smoke, Crown muttered,
"Monsters fighting amongst themselves in someone else's country. Without a King of Kings, they think of nothing but killing each other..."
Crown continued walking forward aimlessly. That's when it happened.
"Court Jester, Crown!"
Suddenly, a small imp popped out in front of him. Surveying the lesser demon who called his name, Crown was taken aback.
"And what are you?"
"I am Imp Legion Commander Lowe, acting on behalf of the King of Kings for this attack on humanity! I request your cooperation!"
Holding up the royal scepter in his hand, Lowe cut straight to the chase.
"You, with that flute, you can control monsters, right?"
"...And?"
"I need your ability for this attack!"
Lowe explained the plan for the thirty-fourth attack.
The strategy involved selecting two monster legions that could complement each other's weaknesses and deploying them together. And he was asking for Crown's help in this endeavor.
"...Well, I understand the intention."
Crown nodded.
"Seeing you with that scepter, it seems I don't have much choice in the matter... But deploying two legions at once could cause several problems."
Traditionally, only one legion would invade humanity at a time.
This was a 'rule' established by the Demon King.
Violating this rule was possible, but orchestrating such an event would result in penalties.
Just as the Wolf King Lunared had been punished by having one of his hearts torn out.
Did this little demon understand the consequences?
"Minor issues do not concern me."
In Lowe's eyes swirled an indiscernible desire.
"If we can win this battle, no matter the cost..."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Crown gestured.
"What exactly do you need me to do?"
"The monsters don't get along with each other. Getting two different legions to cooperate is challenging."
Lowe pointed at Crown.
"So, with your flute, make the two legions work together, ensuring they cooperate."
"Hmm, indeed..."
Crown trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, then smirked.
"Fine, let's see how your plan unfolds, Imp Legion Commander."
"Really?! Thank you! Thank you for your assistance!"
"But, just to be clear."
Twirling the flute in his hand, Crown whispered,
"Whatever happens later, don't blame me."
***
A few days later, on the day of the thirty-fourth attack.
At the gates of Lake Kingdom.
The two monster legions selected by Lowe were the Armor-Lion Legion and the Dandelion Legion.
The Armor-Lion Legion boasted overwhelming defensive power and agility but lacked significant offensive strength.
They were monsters ill-suited for an offensive.
Conversely, the Dandelion Legion could root itself and bombard from a distance with seed-shaped magic projectiles, a siege monster with immense attacking power but virtually no defense and incapable of moving on its own. Once approached, they were finished.
Both legions were not highly rated, strictly speaking, lower-tier monster legions. However, Lowe focused on the potential for these two legions to offset each other's weaknesses.
"The Armor-Lion Legion will protect and transport the Dandelion Legion, allowing them to safely unleash their bombardment!"
"Alright, let's go."
Peeee-
Crown played his flute, and truly, the two monster legions started moving together without hostility.
Nameless, blocking the entrance as always, mercilessly cut down the two monster legions, but still, a significant number of monsters managed to pass through the gates into humanity.
Lowe clenched his fists. Now, it was time to observe the outcome.
***
The battle progressed as planned.
The Dandelion Legion rooted itself and unleashed long-distance bombardments, protected by the Armor-Lion Legion.
When human heroes attempted to intercept the Dandelion Legion, part of the Armor-Lion Legion defended while the rest quickly uprooted the Dandelions, carrying them on their bodies to move locations.
Dividing the roles of attack and defense significantly strengthened the monsters' combination.
The human forward base turned into ruins under continuous bombardment, and the heroes couldn't breach the Armor-Lion Legion's defense in time.
However,
This coordinated attack of the monster side lasted only for a very short time.
The Dandelion Legion has an instinct to root indiscriminately anywhere.
They even tried to root into the bodies of the Armor-Lion Legion carrying them.
Roots penetrated the armor and flesh.
Interpreting this as an attack, the Armor-Lion Legion tore the Dandelion Legion to shreds.
Hostility erupted instantly. The Dandelion and Armor-Lion Legions turned their attacks and claws on each other.
Caught in internal strife, the two legions were easily decimated by the human defenders.
"..."
Lowe silently read the battle report.
Beside him, Crown shrugged his shoulders.
"Didn't you feel it watching the Demon Guard Legion and the Black Dragon fighting? Monsters fundamentally can't cooperate. Everyone outside their own legion is an enemy."
"..."
"I might be able to suppress their instincts for a moment with my flute. But the moment one side can't resist and acts on its instincts, they'll end up killing each other."
The reason why only individual legions have been deployed so far was fundamentally due to the rules established by the Demon King according to his tastes. However, this tendency of the monsters was also a major reason.
They would kill each other rather than cooperate.
Crown chuckled, interlocking his fingers behind his head.
"But, well, it's commendable that two weak monster legions tried to cover each other's weaknesses and fought. Even if it was for a short time, the damage to humanity was significant..."
"...Now I understand."
"Huh?"
Thump-
Lowe put the report down on the desk and slowly lifted his small body from the chair.
"How to bring about the destruction of humanity. I've realized it after the last four failed attacks."
Crown looked at the imp as if he was spouting nonsense, but the aide standing next to him felt differently.
The aide realized.
That Lowe was, for once, showing a face of utmost seriousness.
Befitting of a legion commander, no.
...Eager to tear humans apart.
The face of a monster.
"In the next, the thirty-fifth attack - the time of the great flood."
Imp Legion Commander Lowe, with his eyes gleaming red, spoke with a voice filled with joy.
"I will show you... I will personally bring about the destruction of humanity!"