The Bad Omen moves.
No sound, no rumors.
Not even a message.
Its job is to stealthily consume its targets on the Arcana continent. Unless you're a witch of the southern seas, like her, you don't notice it.
"Huh?"
But it's not what it used to be.
There was a watcher in the skies above Arcana.
A human?
No. Human technology doesn't even allow them to take to the skies in the first place, so there's no point in discussing the possibility. The same goes for mages who wield magic.
A mage with nothing better to do in the world.
Using all that magic to spy on the Arcana continent?
Well, yes.
"What is that?"
Tudu-tudu.
The thing that was able to witness the appearance of the bad omen.
Dwarves with technology.
They had been keeping a close eye on the Arcana continent from above.
The young dwarf shouted urgently into his communicator.
"Hey, Mr. Gunner, are you seeing this?"
"Yes, I am."
"Damn, the Demon King's...!!!"
Holy War.
To win, you need an information advantage.
Keeping tabs on the enemy was an essential part of the dwarves' routine, but Gunner and the other dwarven pilots were suspicious.
"It, it's gone in a flash!"
As if it had been sliced up.
The demon king was being swallowed up by a massive 'something', and that's the only way to describe it. The grotesque creature was indescribable.
Questions flooded Gunner's mind.
"Could that be a demon?"
"Gunner, how do you see this situation?"
"If it devoured the Demon King, it could be an ally, right?"
First, I shake my head.
"Quiet, everyone. It's not our place to judge."
I said sternly.
"Shit. What the hell is going on?!
No matter how much I tried to wrap my head around it.
No matter how hard I tried to look at the continent.
I couldn't comprehend the situation.
If only one demon king had disappeared....
The number of dwarves who received the news at the same time is telling, isn't it?
It wasn't a demon king that disappeared.
It was a group of Demon Kings.
Gunner continued.
"Remember. Our role is to gather information."
"...!!!"
"You are to report exactly what you saw. Is that understood? Okay, how many Demon Kings are left at this point? We had a total of thirty Demon Kings under surveillance."
From the arriving pilots.
"Two Demon Kings southwest of Antonium are unidentified...!"
"We can't see them to the north either."
"Same here, Gunner."
One, two....
"Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two...?
Gunner's face went white as he tried to separate the numbers in his head.
It was a split second, a blink of an eye.
"Twenty-four ...?"
Thirty Demon Kings had been spotted.
All of them had disappeared from the Arcana Continent.
This was no time for foolish pride.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Gunner grabbed the controls.
"All hands, return to the Iron Castle now! We must deliver this news to Chainwalkers and to Lord Hoyeol!"
*
Chainwalker's expression turned grave.
"A crisis in another sense."
What is the nature of a dwarf's temper?
They were a people who, like molten iron, once ignited, boiled intensely from the inside out, so they were confident that they would not back down from facing any foe in the Holy War.
But this....
"Are we now facing an unknown enemy?"
It is said that the enemy of the enemy is an ally.
But it was hard to think of something that had consumed the Demon King Castle in an instant as an ally.
No one could be sure, could they?
Gaze toward the place where the Demon King was.
Right next to it were the humans who were fighting against the demons.
Chainwalker couldn't help but have a ghastly thought.
'...What if there were humans in Demon Castle?'
It would mean that they, too, had been swallowed up by something.
What awakened the troubled Chainwalker.
It was Wallswale, the best blacksmith in the Dwarves.
"What are you so worried about? It's not like we're going to make anything better. Pick up a hammer when you're not thinking. You're getting too lofty, Chainwalker."
"I'm at a loss for words, Wallswale."
"I mean it."
Something.
It couldn't even be called an enemy.
More like an inevitable disaster that no one could avoid.
Of course, that doesn't mean I gave up early.
The dwarf has already made the best decision.
Tsk-tsk.
Wallswale patted Chainwalker's sagging shoulder.
"I'm waiting to hear from Lord Hoyeol."
He sent word to Hoyeol through Diend.
Of course, there was no way Hoyeol could have predicted this situation and come up with the right answer.
Still, Chainwalker felt a little relieved.
'At least he's a better judge of character than we are.'
Smoothly.
I wonder how much time has passed.
Diend returned to the Iron Castle.
"Huh?"
It was such a quick return that he wondered if he'd actually gotten the message.
Chainwalker turned to Diend.
"What did the Lord say, Diend?"
If he said he needed more information, we'll scramble. If firepower was needed, the dwarves were ready to fire the Iron Castle's magic cannons.
In short, ready for anything.
But what came back was.
An unexpected answer.
Diend's low voice spoke.
"You have nothing to fear, dwarves."
"...?"
"The Lord had this situation in mind as well."
"?!!"
It literally happened in a split second.
I looked down and saw that whatever had consumed the Demon Castle was nowhere to be found. Gunner, who had been listening to Diend, interjected in frustration.
'Diend, are you sure you're telling the truth about the location of the demon castles? We're not talking about just one or two.'
There's no way in the world that we can track that thing.
That something could be tracked down?
Common sense didn't make sense, and Gunner couldn't help but raise his voice.
"...."
If only it were business as usual.
Not even Chainwalker, who would have interrupted the irate Gunner, could silence him.
Because Gunner's questions matched his own.
But even this was expected?
Diend spoke up.
"And the Lord has added."
Smirk.
Diend moves to the window of the Iron Castle.
He looks out over the Arcana continent and finishes his sentence.
"The hunt will begin from within."
...Hunt?
From within?
Does that mean there are enemies among our allies?
The dwarves' faces color with tension.
But thankfully.
the dwarves' illusion is short-lived.
At that moment.
gugugugung!!
Something.
In the belly of a bad omen.
Because the hunter encountered his prey.
*
The Empire.
Antonium's elite soldiers.
"Ugh...."
They groaned, waking up.
What the hell happened...?
Apparently, they had succeeded in gaining access to the Demon Castle.
They dug the ground in front of the castle wall and buried the magic tools they had prepared.
An abomination, a demon.
He was now in the Demon Castle, not even casting a shadow. Antonium's soldiers had not forgotten their true nature. The moment they are caught off guard, they will show their true colors and crush the Empire.
He grabs a handful of greasy hair and asks.
"...What about traps and magic tools?"
Traps.
It was a magic tool to tie the ankles of demons.
If only they could be bothered.
It would buy time for the Quernberg machine tower to operate.
But.
"It's not the magic tool, it's the.... What, what is this vibration?"
"Hey, it's not important. What do you think the mission is...?!"
"Hey, watch out down there!!!"
Koo-koo-koo-koo...!
The ground shakes.
Has the buried magic tool malfunctioned?
No, it can't be.
This is so strong that it cannot be mistaken for the power of a magic tool.
Quack, quack, quack!
The ground began to shake.
The soldiers rushed to their feet.
Forgetting that they are in front of the Demon Castle, they shout.
"First, retreat!"
They stagger to their feet.
As they do.
Suddenly, the question arises.
...Wait, how did we lose our minds?
Careful attention was paid to caution.
I'm pretty sure I'm not in a demonic status abnormality. These are elite soldiers who have been through the wringer and survived.
'Then....'
Does it have something to do with the tremendous vibrations I'm feeling beneath my feet, and if so, can we, the defenders of the Empire, continue on our way?
I make a split-second decision.
"...Fuck!"
With a hazy mind.
He shouts at them to ignore this place and run away.
But the man gritted his teeth.
"Stop!"
But what if you don't stop at the demon castle, but head for the empire?
The empire will be exposed to threats without knowing why.
However, if you witness the identity of something, the story is different.
'This is not a proud look.'
Besides, didn't you promise not to ignore it anymore?
A ray of light in the infinitely deep darkness, dawn, the dark dragon.
I saw him and vowed.
"The Empire has already struck back, my friends!"
Yes, there is no retreat for the Empire, only forward movement.
Even if they fall here.
Use them as a springboard.
It is the Empire that must move forward.
"Keep an eye on everyone!"
"...!!!"
"Keep your eyes open for what's moving beneath your feet. Witness what is happening here. And you can be anyone. Tell the Majesty what you have seen and heard!"
Because that's our role.
A snap.
An irresistible instinct.
Suppressing that was an experience.
No, more accurately, it was pride.
Thanks to you, I was able to witness it.
Quadruple quadruple quadruple!
"!!!"
A "something" rises from the ground and swallows the Demon Castle they were just in whole. Not even a gasp of horror. It didn't feel real.
"Uh, uh...?"
The ruins of the Demon Castle.
Even the rubble.
Not even a trace of devoured demon blood.
"No, that's impossible...."
As if it never existed in the first place.
The Demon Castle is gone.
The demon castle has been deleted.
The eyesore of a demon castle was gone.
I couldn't rejoice.
I couldn't understand it.
Shhh─
The 'something' looked at them.
For a moment, they were certain.
The cause of their throbbing headaches.
"uh, ugh?!"
A pain so strong that it made everything go white.
Like the sight they just witnessed.It was like it was screaming at me to forget it all.
But I clenched my teeth.
"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Grtt Grrtt Grrtt!
The sound of grinding teeth assaults my eardrums. Still, I don't give in. I must relay this inexplicable phenomenon to His Majesty.
"Damn it!"
What the hell am I supposed to say?
The words came right out, but it didn't matter.
The soldiers were convinced.
Even if the king couldn't see a way out.
Antonium had Dark Dragon, the man.
So.
"Run, soldiers of the Empire! To Antonium!"
Here we go!
Soldiers scattering in all directions.
A single one is good.
If we can overcome the intense pressure and reach Antonium with news, we will have fulfilled our mission. The soldiers overcame their instincts and moved.
Shhh.
Something.
Bad omens also moved along.
[Deleted] No unnecessary witnesses are needed for the work.
Why is it that the existence of a bad omen is not known to the Arcana Continent?
He was about to show them why.
But.
What?
The bad omen was overlooked as well.
Purrrrr...!!!
Realizing what it had just swallowed.
"!"
Despite his best intentions.
Something quieted.
The soldiers catch their breaths harshly and glance away.
And frown.
"What's that, that?"
Purr, purr, purr.
It twists its body as if something huge has broken it. But the doubts did not last long. That's right, because there were people who showed it through actions rather than words.
They had met their prey.
Fook!!!!
A figure ripped through the bad omen's body.
The soldiers squinted.
That's....
"A forearm...?"
A human forearm, to be precise.
To be more specific, it's the forearm of a man holding a silver sword that is neither ornate, sharp, durable, nor fit for battle.
"Black is like clothes, what's with all the fluffy...?"
Including the Empire in the Holy War.
The Arcana continent.
They were abandoned by everyone, but they did not lose their [tenacity].
"Now, wait!!"
Even though.
They do not turn away from the soldiers of the Empire who abandoned them.
Such madmen are unique in the vast continent.
"That, that outfit is a demon hunter...? No way!!!"
Akshan.