A Tilves red-spotted sparrow darted through the forest. It had been out foraging but, for some reason, lost its way and could no longer find the path home.
It flew forward and out of the forest, only to discover a vast expanse of lush green woodland in the mountain valley below. The air carried smoke and strange odors, as if a fire had broken out somewhere.
The sparrow perched on a branch, looking around cautiously, but it couldn’t pinpoint the source of the danger. It flew toward the forest, hoping to find some fresh berries.
But as soon as it entered the woods, the surroundings changed abruptly.
Golden walls, bridges pieced together from mechanical parts spanning a bottomless abyss, leading to a central tower. Below lay a cliff plunging a thousand meters deep. The architecture was Victorian in style, elegant and atmospheric with a touch of mystery.
The sparrow quickly fled this absurd place. Not far away, it realized the scene had vanished without a trace, as if it had all been an illusion.
And it was merely the Great Sage’s magic.
The golden-haired woman crossed her legs as she sat atop the tower, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
“The world is no longer what it used to be. It bestowed suffering upon me, only to now declare there are no worthy opponents? How utterly boring.”
“‘Barrier,’ ‘Space,’ ‘Illusion’—all are mine to command. Heaven and earth bow to me alone… It’s been so long since I last felt this thrill. Demon King, I hope you can play me a symphony of passion.”
She raised her hand, as if grasping the sun itself.
Her ethereal voice faded into the wind.
Suddenly, the Great Sage’s delicate face furrowed slightly. She stood, leaped lightly onto the bridge a thousand meters below, and entered the tower.
“Great Sage, we have failed.”
The man clutched his shoulder. His armor was shattered by magic, and many wounded knights followed behind him.
He was the vice captain of the Catherine Knight Order.
“…”
The Great Sage said nothing, only flashing her signature smile.
“We were ambushed by the Demon King and the Saintess. The entire force routed!”
“Groups 5 and 6 of the Catherine Knight Order aren’t the elite, but their combat strength is no slouch. Was it a gap in power?”
“No, we could have won handily.” The vice captain’s bloodshot eyes widened. “It was all that damned Hero Squad’s doing! They never anticipated the enemy’s sudden assault. I barely escaped using a scroll to teleport back.”
“…”
“The Saintess betrayed the Holy Church and brazenly declared she would take your life. It’s blasphemy!”
The smile vanished from the Great Sage’s face. Her patience had reached its limit.
“So Avira deliberately let you return?”
“This…” The vice captain froze.
“Never mind. I never had high hopes for you anyway.”
The Great Sage snapped her fingers.
Flames engulfed the remaining knights, their agonized screams echoing through the tower.
When the fire and cries faded, only unburnt scraps of armor and charred bones remained.
The Great Sage strode elegantly into the tower, walked across the red carpet, ascended the steps, crossed her legs, and sat upon the golden throne.
At that moment, Oleniya approached slowly and stood by her side.
“Ace Griffiths Priest is dead. Now I want you to bring me that Dragon Girl’s clone—that little dragon. I want to see the Demon King in despair.”
As she spoke those words, Oleniya’s body twitched unexpectedly.
“What’s this? You refuse to obey?” The Great Sage noticed Oleniya’s odd reaction but wasn’t angry—instead, she seemed intrigued. “Very well. Crystal Dragon King, whether you help me or not, fate is sealed. Your sister and the Saintess will die by my hand sooner or later. The only difference is who wields the blade.”
—
Around the Royal Capital, endless black spiders rained from the sky, each larger than a lion. Their steel-sharp claws tore through walls as easily as a child snapping a biscuit. Once lowly, furry monsters, they had become the Great Sage’s Demon Race pawns.
Soon, Tilves’ Royal Capital turned into a meat grinder.
The Demonkin and other core forces retreated steadily to the Royal Palace. Without Lace transforming into a dragon and soaring overhead, incinerating the undead spiders to charcoal, it might have already fallen.
“Defense teams, check the nests’ stability. Attack teams, keep pressuring the north and protect all Demonkin using fire magic!”
The buildings and mansions around the Royal Palace became the final bastion. Lace bustled among the crowd.
“Report for Lady Lace: The battle is going well. We’ve been prepared for this, so casualties are minimal.”
A Demonkin came to report the situation.
“Excellent.”
Lace inwardly marveled at how farsighted the Demon King and Mommy were. They had anticipated the assault long ago.
The Great Sage would incite the Demon Race to slaughter each other, sending these fellow Demon Race spiders to attack.
Thus, Mommy had her set up defenses in advance and plant strange magic detectors.
Special tools produced in Tilves.
This way, Avira would know immediately if the Royal Capital or treasury came under attack.
The undead spiders numbered in the tens of thousands—a hundred-to-one disadvantage!
But it wasn’t an issue.
The human guards outside the capital had been neutralized, and more Evil Demons and Beastmen were rushing in as reinforcements. The battle was steadily turning in their favor.
Of course~
The Demon King was equally prescient.
Lace realized that this battlefield was the true decider of the war’s outcome.
Lace pulled out a small vial of blood—Avira’s blood. A sip would replenish vast amounts of magic and nutrients.
“Hee hee, Mommy’s taste.”
Lace envied big sis Lena.
She wanted to crawl into Mommy’s belly and sleep, then emerge legitimately to drink other nutrients from Mommy~
Meanwhile, a figure darted around the pillar behind Lace, seeking her blind spot.
He crept closer in the shadows, slinking behind her. The dagger in his hand gleamed with eerie light even in the dark.
His face was revealed in the sunlight.
Field, one of the Moon Heaven Kings.
The golden dagger bore unsettling runes—the Great Sage’s Ritual Dagger.
He gripped it tightly, advanced resolutely behind Lace, and grinned maniacally.
