Chapter 301: I’m here to stop the wedding
The guard was just about to ring the heavy iron bell, a sly smirk creeping across his lips, as if he already knew the outcome.
In truth, there wasn't any real danger—not in his eyes. This was destined to be nothing but a pitifully one-sided slaughter. Of course, the Souichiro Faction would crush the fools daring to challenge them.
After all, how could some unknown, backwater human ever hope to stand against the crushing might of one of the most feared and powerful demon factions in the entire demon world?
And because of that smug certainty—because of that fatal arrogance—he hesitated.
He didn't ring the bell right away.
If only he had sounded the alarm the very instant he spotted the approaching army... then maybe, just maybe, his head wouldn't have ended up rolling on the ground, torn clean off his shoulders.
In the next breath, chaos erupted.
The entire fortress of the Sarushima House shook violently as raw power slammed into its walls.
From every corner, magic of terrifying caliber flared—massive torrents of destructive force that twisted the air and set the sky alight. Magic so potent it would normally drain a caster to the bone after a single spell, but these blasts showed no sign of fading. Whoever was behind them... had power that felt limitless.
"W-What the hell is going on?!" barked one of the high-class guards, eyes wide, voice cracking under sudden panic.
"Y-Yuuna-sama's former faction is here, sir! They look like they're ready to go to war with Souichiro-sama!" another guard shouted, breath ragged and face drained of color.
"War?!" the high-class guard snarled, his voice rising. "Don't they understand what day this is?!"
Today wasn't supposed to be a day for bloodshed.
It was supposed to be sacred.
It was a wedding between the two heirs of the great Sarushima House. A day to unite legacies, not tear them apart.
For someone to dare to pull this insane stunt now... it wasn't merely reckless. It was sacrilege. It was madness so deep it couldn't even be laughed off.
"Damn it all..." The high-class guard clicked his tongue, eyes narrowing as he fought to steady his breath. Then, with grim resolve, he barked, "Sound the alarm inside. Tell everyone that war is pounding at our gates. And someone inform Souichiro-sama immediately. If the lord finds out his son dragged a disaster like this home, it won't end well."
Yes.
He called it a disaster.
Not simply because war had come to them, but because of the overwhelming, monstrous tide of magic surging around them. It was raw and suffocating, crushing the air from their lungs. It sent a cold spike of dread crawling up his spine.
Yet deep inside, he couldn't shake the chilling feeling that there was something even worse behind it all.
"Stop staring! Move! Now!" he roared.
"Yes, sir!"
The younger guard snapped to attention, spun on his heel, and bolted toward the heart of the fortress, his boots pounding against the cold stone floor.
He burst into the ceremonial hall, breathless and pale, words tumbling out in a desperate rush. The moment Souichiro heard them, the polite smile that had been painted on his face vanished and cracking like fragile glass.
Yet in its place, something far darker curled across his lips.
It was a sadistic grin that seemed to burn with venom.
His gaze slid to Yuuna.
Now, he had no choice.
Kouhei had to die.
Nothing would stop him this time.
The only thing keeping that worthless human alive had been Yuuna's promise to marry him. It was a deal struck in desperation. But that deal never covered this. On a battlefield, there were no promises. And so, in this war... Souichiro would crush Kouhei himself.
Slowly, deliberately, he steeled his resolve and signaled his army to ready themselves for the looming clash against Kouhei's faction.
***
Kouhei stood silently at the head of an immense crowd.
It was a sea of demons stretching out behind him like a living tide.
They weren't warriors forged in blood and steel.
They were succubi and incubi.
They were demons dismissed by most of Hell as parasites, living only to feed on lust and drown themselves in endless orgies.
Not soldiers, not fighters.
But Kouhei had a plan.
They would never match Souichiro's army in sheer martial power. But instead of forcing them to fight in a way that didn't suit them, Kouhei and Hina had crafted something else.
It was a plan built around what they truly excelled at.
Sex.
Instead of swords and shields, they'd overwhelm the enemy through sheer numbers and raw, carnal power.
If brute strength couldn't bring victory, then lust itself would.
On the opposite side, Souichiro's forces assembled in grim silence.
They were fewer—tens of thousands at most, maybe a hundred. But each of them radiated a lethal aura, power forged and hardened like blackened steel.
Quality against quantity.
That was the true shape of this war.
"It's honestly almost amusing you managed to scrape together this many troops, you filthy human," Souichiro spat, his gaze sweeping over the writhing mass of succubi and incubi. "I'm impressed. Or... maybe not. You really thought it was a bright fucking idea to bring succubi to a battlefield? Have you completely lost your fucking mind?"
His voice curled with venom, eyes glinting with cruel, twisted amusement.
"You should have just kept your pathetic ass in the human world," he sneered. "If you had, I might've let you rot in peace. But no—you had to crawl back here, ruin my plans, and pull something this fucking stupid. For what? Did you really time this invasion just to ruin my wedding?"
"I won't let you have Yuuna-san," Kouhei replied, his tone as cold and cutting as steel.
"You're pretty fucking stupid, you know that?" Souichiro growled back.
For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Yet even without swords drawn, the tension was a blade at both their throats.
They each daring the other to strike first.
Then, Souichiro tilted his head back and let out a ragged, mocking laugh.
"Look at this, dear big sister of mine!" he shouted, voice dripping contempt. "Your little gang of outcasts... these pathetic, defective strays... they actually came crawling all this way to save you! Isn't that adorable? Loyalty wasted on the hopeless."
His gaze slid to Yuuna, who stood silently at his side.
Her head hung low, refusing to meet his eyes.
She wasn't looking at Souichiro at all.
Her gaze was locked on Kouhei.
It was the first time she had truly seen him since his resurrection.
She hadn't been there when he awoke—Souichiro had taken him away before she could even glimpse him alive.
But now, standing here in the depths of Hell, she saw him again. Breathing. Moving. Alive.
"Kouhei-kun... Why?" she whispered, her voice cracking like glass under strain.
She wished—deeply and desperately—that Kouhei wouldn't come here at all. That he'd stay far away from this place, and instead carve out a life of quiet, mundane peace somewhere beyond her reach.
She wished he wouldn't involve himself with her ever again.
That he'd close this chapter in his life completely, forget about her face, her name, every memory they shared—and think of her as nothing more than a fleeting moment, a passing wound destined to fade.
But she knew, even as that silent prayer formed in her heart, that it was a hopeless wish.
Kouhei wasn't the kind of man to turn his back and walk away.
She knew—more deeply than anyone else—that Kouhei would come. That he would fight to get her back, no matter what price he'd have to pay.
Yet... if he died here, in this cursed place, torn apart before her eyes...
Souichiro noticed the way her expression trembled, the raw emotion hiding in her downcast eyes.
"You really are in love with him, aren't you?" Souichiro's voice cut through the heavy air like a poisoned blade, low and mocking. "Look at you... are you that fucking happy to see your precious Child of Anti-Prophecy again?"
Yuuna didn't answer him.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Instead, she kept her gaze locked, unflinching, on Kouhei. The chaos around them, the shouts of soldiers, the rising tide of power—it all faded into nothing. All she could see was him standing there.
"Bitch! What the fuck do you think you're doing, staring at another man when your husband-to-be is standing right fucking next to you?!" Souichiro's voice cracked, venom spilling from every syllable. Rage twisted his handsome features into something feral and ugly.
His hand lashed out, fingers digging cruelly into Yuuna's soft cheek, forcing her head to turn so she'd face him. His grip was harsh enough to leave red marks blooming on her pale skin.
"You're really taking him that seriously, huh? My dear sister... you truly love him that deeply, don't you?!" His breath was ragged, words tumbling out with sick delight. "But it won't fucking matter. There's no way in hell the two of you will ever be together again! Tonight, I'll consummate our marriage—and I'll make damn sure he watches every second of it... before I drag him out and execute him right after!"
"Do you really think I'd let you do something that twisted?" Kouhei's voice cut through the tension like steel drawn from its scabbard. It was quiet, but sharp enough to make the nearest soldiers flinch.
"Oh? You really think you've got the power to stop me?!" Souichiro's eyes narrowed, his sneer curving cruelly. Power pulsed off him like heat from a roaring forge. It was dark and oppressive.
For a moment, time itself seemed to coil tight around them, armies on both sides growing restless, shifting their weapons, hearts pounding in anxious dread.
The very air crackled with something electric, wild, and ready to snap.
Then, through that suffocating pressure, a softer warmth broke through.
Hina's hand slipped into Kouhei's—her slender fingers curling around his palm, squeezing gently but firmly. Her touch felt like an anchor in the storm.
Kouhei turned to look at her, meeting the soft, unyielding resolve in her eyes. It was a silent promise that he wasn't standing here alone.
Drawing in a slow, deliberate breath that seemed to steady even the air around him, Kouhei turned his gaze back to Souichiro. His expression hardened, jaw tightening as words formed, each one laced with unwavering resolve.
"I do," he said. "That's exactly why I'm here."
A single breath left his chest, misting faintly in the tense, heavy air.
"I'm here to stop the wedding."