Arifureta : King Of Demons

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==============

"It took me quite a while to get here, didn't it?"

Aldias stood alone before two grand gravestones erected atop a high hill overlooking the entire nation of Garland.

"It's been a long time… Father, Mother."

Yes, these gravestones belonged to Aldias's biological parents. It had been fifteen years since their deaths. That day, a rare heavy rain had fallen, and for some reason, on that very day, his parents, who had gone outside the country, slipped and fell from a cliff. An acquaintance, worried when they didn't return, filed a missing persons report with the army. Despite the soldiers' search, they were tragically found, their forms altered.

Why had they carelessly approached the cliff? What business did they have outside the country? The truth remained unknown, but Aldias suspected Alv's involvement. Indeed, from Ehit's memories, Aldias saw precisely what he had imagined.

Even back then, the people of the Demon Kingdom Garland considered the gods absolute. However, Aldias's father and mother did not possess what could be called fanatical devotion. Of course, they weren't entirely faithless; from an outsider's perspective, they were sufficiently devout. Yet, they still retained enough common sense to question sending a small child to war.

Perhaps that was an obstacle for Alv. However, if Alv punished them as rebels against the gods, the people's anger might turn towards their child, Aldias. More importantly, Aldias himself might raise a rebellion against the nation. Therefore, Alv made it appear as an unfortunate accident. For Alv, such a feat was effortless. Due to their inherent virtue and the merit of giving birth to Aldias, the child of a god, a nationwide funeral was held for them, and they were buried on this hill overlooking the country.

"I have avenged you both. I apologize for the late report. But, new problems have arisen…"

Aldias knelt before their graves and recounted everything that had happened.

"—And so it is. They continue to irritate us as always. Are gods truly such beings?"

As he spoke, his voice grew increasingly heated, and irritation flickered across his face. This rare glimpse of the usually composed Aldias would undoubtedly widen the eyes of anyone close to him, surprised by this unexpected side.

"…Hah, it's no good. Whenever I come here, I tend to get emotional. To be so easily disturbed means I still have a long way to go."

As the child of a god, Aldias had been constantly burdened with expectations since his childhood. He himself recognized it as his duty, and while there were countless difficult and painful experiences, not once did he regret his choices. Nevertheless, losing his parents at the tender age of three was undoubtedly painful. There were even times when he secretly shed tears before the empty gravestones. Still, he couldn't afford to stop. If he stopped here, his parents' deaths would have been in vain.

"…We are about to begin our invasion of the human race. We will conquer the Empire, and then the Kingdom. My return here will literally be when this war concludes. Please, watch over me."

He seemed to have conveyed everything he wished to say. Though still a bit regretful, he slowly stood up and turned to leave.

(("Go forth, Aldias."))

"What!?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in Aldias's mind. There was no mistaking it. That voice, which he should never have been able to hear again…

"…Ah, I'm off."

Aldias nodded firmly towards his parents' gravestones.

After leaving the hill where his parents slept, Aldias headed to the castle square. The vast square, usually used for soldier training, was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. Soldiers, enough to fill the square, were each raising their morale in their own way, awaiting the impending moment. Surrounding them, a large group of dragons stood by. Among them was Uranos, Freed's partner.

Then, Aldias noticed Freed hurrying towards him, having spotted his arrival.

"Lord Aldias."

"My apologies, Freed. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, please don't mind. …Have you paid your respects?"

"…Yes, they pushed me forward."

"…I see. Our preparations are complete. We can depart at any time."

"Understood."

He then led Freed to a position where all the soldiers could see him. The waiting soldiers noticed him and straightened their postures. However, unlike the cheers from the citizens earlier, there was no uproar; their eyes held unwavering conviction and quiet fighting spirit. Aldias nodded with satisfaction at their demeanor and began to speak.

"Finally, this moment has arrived. How many thousands of years have passed since the war with the human race began…? How many sacrifices have been made…? Among them, there must have been your families and friends."

At Aldias's words, the faces of fallen comrades flashed through many soldiers' minds, their expressions twisting in sorrow.

"The battle that is about to begin will truly determine the fate of the demon and human races. There may be further sacrifices… but what I have to say remains the same as always… Do not die."

Aldias's single word resonated quietly, yet powerfully, throughout the square.

"If you die, it's over. Each and every one of you has someone waiting for your return. If it means grieving them, then cast aside your demon pride. Live, no matter how greedy or pathetic you may be. Survive. Do not think of winning even if you die. If there's an unbeatable enemy, ask those around you for help. There is no shame in running."

Aldias looked around at the faces of all the soldiers gathered in the square.

"I am not strong enough to speak of ideals like protecting every single one of you. Many will surely fall from my grasp in this battle…"

"That is why," he continued.

"I want you to lend me your strength. I want you to catch those whom I cannot protect. Only then can I look forward. For the victory of the demon race, I will stand at the front lines more than any of you. If danger blocks our path, I will crush it utterly. For the sake of ending this war… no, the wars until now, entrust your strength… your conviction… your lives to me."

"!"

The soldiers' bodies trembled at Aldias's words. Their great king, whom they couldn't even compare to, needed their strength. He trusted them. And he entrusted his back to them. There was no one in this place whose heart wasn't stirred by such words. A hot sensation, as if scorching their very souls, surged from their chests.

"Believe in your comrades… Believe in yourselves… And believe in me. We have bonds that nothing can sever! Now, show them! To this world… to the gods looking down from above! The power of us, the demon race!!"

"!!!"—"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

A roar echoed from the soldiers, shaking the entire nation. It was to invigorate themselves… to pledge to return to their loved ones… to solidify their resolve to protect their comrades… And to repay their king, who worried about them more than anyone and would stand on the front lines more than anyone.

"Let's go…! To battle!!"

The history of Tortus, which had stagnated for so long… now began to move.

"…Haa, I'm bored."

"Hey, we're on guard duty. You're too relaxed."

A watchtower located in the southern part of the Hoelscher Empire. It was primarily built to monitor the border with the demon territory, and imperial soldiers maintained a constant 24-hour watch in shifts… but it wasn't as if all soldiers stationed there were diligently carrying out their duties.

"Can't be helped, can it? For the past few years, there have been conflicts with the demon race, but they've never actually attacked the country. They probably don't have the guts for that."

"Still. If we get raided because we let our guard down, it won't even be a laughing matter."

"Even so, is there a reason to keep this many people here constantly?"

The man said, looking around. The man was on the top floor of the watchtower, and including himself, there were eight people there. Furthermore, there were five inside the tower and seven on the ground, making a total of twenty. If this were a gate between national borders, it would be a different story, but this was merely a watchtower. If there was movement from the monitored target, the basic procedure was to contact the home country, interfere if possible, and retreat to their own defensive line if not. In other words, it should be a facility that could be abandoned without issue. Normally, there would be no need to keep this many people here.

"…I heard a rumor that Lord Gahard decided this."

"Huh!? The Emperor!? Why bother…!"

"Keep your voice down! It's just a rumor. Apparently, he's wary of the Demon Lord."

"The Demon Lord… you mean the fake king? What can such a coward of a king do?"

"How should I know? Besides, since the Demon Lord appeared on the front lines, the demon casualties have been zero. He's not an opponent to underestimate."

"Even so, they've only defended and never attacked, have they? Such a coward isn't an enemy, is he? Well, if he does come to the front lines, I'll take his head myself."

"Tch, you…"

The man looked exasperated at his grinning colleague, but perhaps sharing the sentiment that the security measures were excessive, he didn't retort much. Such was their unchanging daily routine. In two more hours, the next shift was supposed to arrive. Then, returning to the capital and going to the demi-human slave brothel was their usual custom.

But on this day, the two of them would learn the hard way that there was no such thing as a constantly unchanging daily life. That a fleeting peace was nothing more than a prelude to unrest…

"…Hm? Hey, what's that?"

Suddenly, one of the guards pointed to the southern sky and called out to a nearby colleague. The others gathered around him, staring intently in the direction the man was pointing.

"Hmm, what is it? A monster?"

"…No, wait, isn't that a dragon?"

"What!?—A dragon?! Hey, isn't that from the demon race!?"

"Wait, wait, don't panic. It's probably just reconnaissance again, right? What a pain. Hey, just send a report. It'll be annoying if the higher-ups say we neglected our duties by ignoring it."

It was a well-known fact that the demon race had started using monsters several years ago. Among them, dragon species, with their high individual combat capabilities and ability to unconditionally control the airspace, were particularly numerous, and many people associated dragons with the demon race. The man who had been grinning earlier now calmly urged the visibly flustered soldiers to calm down as they suddenly started to make a fuss. It was not uncommon for the demon race to send one or two individuals for reconnaissance. They would probably fly away after a while, but if it was discovered that they hadn't reported it, they would be in trouble.

It was annoying, but he turned around and told a nearby subordinate to send a report… but the subordinate stood there, eyes wide, not moving. Seeing this, the man, assuming he was still too flustered, impatiently urged him.

"Hey, how long are you going to stand there gawking? Go!"

"B-but…"

"Just go! Are you not listening to me?!"

"W-wait a minute!? But that's…!"

"That's enough—"

"Wait!? Something's wrong!?"

The man, about to give in to his temper and grab his subordinate, stopped when he heard his colleague's voice.

"Wrong?… What do you mean?"

"Look at that!?"

The man, finally sensing something amiss from the frantic tone, turned around. There were the dragons he had just seen… five of them.

"Huh? Just a moment ago, there was only one… it should have been…"

The man tilted his head in confusion at the fact that one dragon had become five, but his words trailed off into a whisper. Black dots were increasing in the southern sky, one by one. 10, 20, 30, and still rapidly increasing. As they drew closer, he realized they were all dragons. And on their backs were demons glaring at them…

"N-no! It's not reconnaissance! It's an enemy attack!!"

At this point, the Imperial soldiers finally understood the gravity of the situation. There was no need to deploy such a large force for mere reconnaissance. Moreover, they were heading straight for them at an incredible speed even at this very moment.

"H-hurry, ride the horses! Tell the capital about this!"

"N-no, we should retreat first! We can't hold back that many by ourselves!"

"You idiot! Letting them through like this would be a disaster!"

The sudden situation threw the soldiers into a panic. They had trained for this many times, but in the face of a hundred-strong swarm of dragons, there was no coordination whatsoever. Each of them just shouted their own opinions, and nothing progressed. Then—

"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!"

Suddenly, a roar that shook the watchtower assaulted them. Everyone covered their ears and cowered on the ground. They couldn't even scream from the shock, as if their hearts had been squeezed. After a while, the roar finally subsided, and confused, they cautiously stood up, looking around.

"W-what was that just now?"

"Didn't it sound like a dragon's roar?"

"Don't be silly! They're not that close yet!"

A huge swarm of dragons was indeed heading their way, but no matter how powerful a dragon was, there was no way an individual dragon could produce such a roar from that distance. Yes… the shock just now felt as if it had been unleashed right beside them…

"H-hey… didn't that sound like it came from above?"

"Above?"

One of the soldiers muttered faintly, trembling. Hearing him, a man, thinking "no way," cautiously leaned out and looked up. And he met it.

Above the watchtower, there was a being that appeared to be of the same species as the dragons approaching them. No, not just that. A flock of dragons soared in the sky. At their center, a magnificent pure white dragon stood proudly. Its body was a size larger than the other dragons, and it exuded an extraordinary aura of intimidation. That roar must have come from this dragon.

Speechless from the overwhelming shock, he watched as the dragon's maw opened wide, and dazzling light began to converge within it.

"Ah…"

He must have understood what the dragon before him was about to do. The man's face rapidly paled. He immediately tried to warn his comrades and frantically flee, but it was already too late.

The breath released from the pure white dragon—Uranos—engulfed the watchtower.

"…Hmm."

In the throne room of the Hoelscher Empire. On his throne, Gahard D. Hoelscher, the current emperor of the Hoelscher Empire, listened to the report from an envoy he had sent to the Kingdom just recently, his brow furrowed in thought.

"The Holy Church has ceased all activities, you say."

"Yes. According to His Majesty, he hasn't been able to contact Pope Ishtar for about two weeks now. And when they question the priests who go in and out, they are simply dismissed with a claim that there are no problems…"

"…Smells fishy. I don't believe that old man would do something like that without reason. Is he plotting something… or has something unexpected happened to them…?"

"Shall we investigate?"

"…No, it's not necessary. It'd be more trouble to stir up a hornet's nest by poking around."

He showed a slight Worried gesture, but then quickly waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate's suggestion. They were of the same human race, but since they were different nations, rashly interfering could lead to unexpected harm for them. Though he disliked it, the Holy Church's power was genuine.

"More importantly, has there been any change in the demon race's movements?"

"No. We have not yet received any reports of movement."

"I see… Continue to maintain vigilance. And convey this strictly to the soldiers. Lately, too many people are underestimating the Demon Lord."

"Understood."

In the meritocratic Empire, many people scoffed at Aldias for turning his back on the enemy and retreating disgracefully, even if it was to protect his own people. Perhaps because of this, the presence of those who underestimated Aldias, and by extension the demon race, had become a problem in the Empire. Competent individuals would understand that he was an opponent not to be underestimated more than ever before, but unfortunately, only a select few in the Empire understood this.

(Demon Lord Aldias… I still vividly remember the first time I saw him. He looked just like a child, but simply making eye contact made me imagine my own death.)

He, a seasoned warrior, had been terrified by a child not even ten years old. Others might laugh and call it foolish, but it was an undeniable fact. His warrior's intuition had rung an unprecedented alarm. Don't fight, don't resist, surrender. Such words raced through his mind. At that time, the demon side began to retreat, so they did not cross blades, but if they had continued to fight, he would undoubtedly not be here.

"…What? It's noisy."

As he was thinking, he heard boisterous voices from outside the room. Someone seemed to be shouting, but curiosity preceded his irritation at the thought of someone doing such a thing near the throne room in the royal castle. Then, he heard someone rushing towards him, and the door burst open with a bang.

"Y-Your Majesty!! I have urgent news to report—"

"Insolence! Do you know where you are, wretch?!"

"Stop. He's clearly flustered; it must be something significant. Speak."

One of the attendants was about to accost the man who had burst into the throne room without permission, but Gahard stopped him and urged him to state his business. From the subordinate's expression, it was easy to tell that it was an emergency. Otherwise, he wouldn't commit such a foolish act as entering the emperor's room without permission.

"It's the demon race! The demon race has appeared!!"

"!"—"They're here. A report from the southern watchtower, then? In that case, it's only a matter of time before they arrive here… Prepare for interception immediately. Gather forces at the southern gate before they arrive—"

"No! It's not a report from the watchtower! They have already arrived here, in the Hoelscher Empire!!"

"What!?"

Gahard had thought it was a report from the soldiers stationed at the southern watchtower, but his subordinate's words, contradicting that assumption, were completely unexpected. Not only Gahard but also his surrounding attendants widened their eyes in surprise.

He immediately rushed to the terrace and checked the southern direction. Though faint, he could indeed see a large swarm of dragons, apparently tamed by the demon race, deployed in the southern sky. From their appearance, an invasion could begin at any moment.

"What's going on!? Why didn't we notice until they were this close!?"

"M-my apologies, but…"

One of the attendants shouted at the man who had brought news of the demon attack, but the man, perhaps only there to convey the current situation and not knowing the details, merely paled and panicked. Amidst this, Gahard alone felt a sense of unease about the situation.

(What's going on? Even if the southern watchtower was taken down quickly, others should have noticed the anomaly when communication ceased from there.)

Gahard was extremely wary of the demon race, especially Aldias's power. He had, of course, considered the possibility of the watchtower falling before any contact could be made. That was precisely why they had established a rule for the watchtower and surrounding gates to constantly exchange contact signals. This way, if an emergency occurred, the signal would be cut off, and other key points would be informed.

However, the demon army had appeared right before the Empire's eyes, and no contact had been made from anywhere until then. He frowned at this, but his question was quickly answered.

"Your Majesty!!"

As everyone was confused, a new soldier appeared from the wide-open door and rushed towards them.

"The demon race has appeared!!"

"Yes, I just confirmed it—"

"Not there! There's an innumerable swarm of monsters on the northern hill!!"

"What!?"

"At the same time, demon armies have been confirmed in the east and west! Our country is completely surrounded!!"

At the new information brought by his subordinate, everyone present was speechless. He didn't know how they did it, but they had apparently slipped through the Empire's surveillance network and simultaneously taken control of key facilities from all directions. I see, that explains why there was no contact. When they themselves were under attack, there was no time to confirm the safety of other strongholds.

"They really did it…!"

"Your Majesty! What shall we do!?"

The surrounding attendants, in a desperate situation, sought Gahard's opinion. Gahard thought for a moment, then immediately looked up and gave instructions to his subordinates.

"Since they've approached this far, there's no point in complaining. Immediately take up interception positions! We will meet them head-on!"

"But, whether we'll make it in time…"

"If we don't make it, the entire country will fall. Make it in time, even if it kills you!"

"Y-yes!!"

Receiving Gahard's orders, everyone began to act. Despite the turmoil, there was no hesitation in their movements. As expected of those who served as Gahard's attendants. Gahard watched their backs, then turned his gaze back to the southern sky, glaring intensely at the massive swarm of dragons soaring gracefully.

From Aldias's past movements, it was easy to imagine that he prioritized defense over offense. He probably intended to minimize casualties to his own people by completely isolating and exhausting the Empire. If so, there was still time. That should be the case, but… Gahard felt a foreboding throughout. A bad feeling that he had overlooked something refused to leave his mind.

"What are you planning, Aldias…!"

"Lord Aldias, all troops have been deployed."

"Good."

Aldias, who had been glaring at the Empire with a few subordinates, nodded at Freed's report without turning around.

"Aletia, Cattleya, our preparations are complete. How about yours?"

''No problem. We're ready anytime.''

''We're also ready!''

He sent a telepathic message to the two far-off individuals, and received immediate affirmative replies.

"Good. Then, as planned, we will commence the operation."

''''Understood!''''

"Freed, you too, begin your actions."

"Yes, good luck…"

Aldias, leading a few subordinates, advanced towards the Hoelscher Empire, leaving Freed to leap onto Uranos and soar high into the sky. As the castle gate came into view, he held his right hand towards it. Magic power overflowed from Aldias's body, forming a conical spear of flame before him.

Looking at it alone, one might think it was just a "Scarlet Spear," but the magic power contained within was immeasurably greater than usual.

"Huh? H-hey!? Is that...!?"

"Why is he here!?"

They must have been distracted by the dragons soaring high in the sky. It was then that the soldiers at the castle gate finally noticed Aldias's presence.

"I have no intention of taking my time. Struggle as much as you can, veteran warriors."

"Scarlet Spear."

The spear of flame created by Aldias was launched at a speed the Imperial soldiers couldn't even perceive, effortlessly piercing through the thick castle gate.

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