Chapter 12.3. Third time’s the Charm (3)

  At the gates, the mages fought tirelessly. Waves of fire and frost crashed into the undead, buying precious moments. When reinforcements arrived—soldiers clad in freshly enchanted armour—the humans pushed forward once more, driving the ghouls back step by step.

  Holy blades carved glowing arcs through the darkness. Shields locked together. The line stabilized again.

  But amid the chaos, one mage’s eyes widened in realization.

  He wasn’t focused on the frontline. He was looking beyond it—toward the distant battlefield where the enormous magic circle pulsed faintly.

  “They’re not summoning randomly…” he muttered. “The source is that circle. As long as it remains active, the ghouls will never stop.”

  The realization spread quickly among the higher-ranking mages. Defensive formations began subtly shifting. Orders were relayed behind the lines.

  From the forest, Wrath stepped forward, his voice heavy with impatience.

  “My lord, at this rate the ghouls may overwhelm all the humans before we even set foot on the field. Why not let the army advance? There may be none left for us to slaughter.”

  Lucifer did not look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the capital.

  “Relax, Wrath. This is precisely how it should unfold.”

  Wrath’s brow twitched, but he remained silent.

  “By now,” Lucifer continued calmly, “their sharper minds have identified the true problem. They know the ghouls are endless so long as that circle stands.”

  A faint smile touched his lips.

  “They will send their elites. Their strongest warriors. Their finest mages. Not to defend…”

  His eyes gleamed.

  “But to destroy the circle.”

  A pause.

  “And that,” Lucifer said softly, “is exactly what I want.”

  “Do not worry, Wrath. Everything thus far is within our Lord’s calculations,” Kane said calmly.

  As if summoned by those words, a brilliant streak of light shot upward from within the capital. It tore through the sky like a falling star in reverse, heading straight for the massive magic circle hovering over the battlefield.

  Lucifer’s eyes shifted slightly.

  “Kane… we cannot allow them to reach the circle that easily, can we?”

  “Of course not, my lord.”

  Kane extended his bony hand toward the circle.

  “Barrier.”

  A translucent wall of dark energy formed around the magic circle just as the streak of light descended. The two forces collided violently. A shockwave rippled through the air as the “star” bounced off the barrier and plummeted to the ground below.

  The impact cratered the earth.

  As the blinding glow faded, five figures emerged from the dust.

  They wore armour unlike anything the humans of this world had forged—sleeker, layered with unfamiliar designs, humming faintly with foreign enchantments. Their weapons were stranger still. Two carried curved blades—katanas—that gleamed under the moonlight. Another bore a staff engraved with intricate runes not native to this land.

  Lucifer’s faint smile vanished.

  “Kane… it appears we have otherworlders once again.”

  Kane’s hollow gaze narrowed. “My lord, should we—”

  “No,” Lucifer interrupted smoothly. “Leave them.”

  The Demon Lords shifted slightly at that.

  “They will thin the ghouls for us. Those creatures will become an inconvenience for our army as well. Let the newcomers exhaust themselves.”

  The five moved immediately. Their coordination was sharp, instinctive. The two swordsmen dashed forward in blurs of motion, their katanas slicing through ghouls with unnatural precision. Dark bodies fell apart in clean arcs.

  Another warrior wielded a massive shield pulsing with radiant energy, anchoring their position while the others advanced. Their movements were efficient—battle-hardened.

  Despite being vastly outnumbered, they carved a path through the horde.

  Within minutes, they stood before Kane’s barrier surrounding the magic circle.

  The ghouls swarmed them relentlessly, but the group formed a defensive perimeter.

  At the centre stood the staff-wielding warrior—the magic user. Energy began spiralling upward from his body, gathering into a concentrated sphere above the staff’s tip. The air trembled.

  Lucifer leaned forward slightly in his throne, interest flickering in his crimson eyes.

  “Now this…” he murmured. “This is worth watching.”

  The charged magic continued to grow, compressing into something far denser than ordinary human spells. Even from this distance, its power was obvious.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  For the first time since the battle began, Lucifer’s expression carried genuine curiosity.

  “Show me,” he whispered faintly. “Let me see what kind of heroes your world has sent this time.”

  After a short while, the otherworlder finished charging his attack.

  The chaotic energy around him compressed tightly into his blade as he lowered his stance, muscles coiled like a drawn bow. In the next heartbeat, he thrust forward with everything he had.

  The tip of his sword struck Kane’s barrier.

  For a brief moment, the barrier resisted. Dark energy crackled violently against the foreign power driving into it. Fractures splintered across its surface like shattered glass.

  Then it broke.

  The force of the thrust did not dissipate with the barrier’s collapse. A violent arc of energy surged forward, slicing through the ghouls emerging from the circle. Bodies were torn apart instantly, clearing a direct path.

  Without hesitation, the otherworlder mage stepped up. He raised his staff and began channelling disruption magic into the circle itself. Pale sigils spread across its structure, tangling with Kane’s runes.

  The magic circle flickered.

  The flow of ghouls stopped.

  From the forest, Greed stepped forward, amusement in his voice.

  “Kane… was your magic circle so fragile that a human halted it?”

  Kane’s expression did not change.

  “Watch and learn, Greed. My power is not so easily stopped.”

  At that very moment, the circle’s glow shifted. Its color deepened from violet to crimson. The runic structure reconfigured, and jagged streaks of black lightning lashed outward from its centre.

  The ground trembled.

  Then five massive forms forced their way through.

  Towering, muscular, and armoured in thick, natural plating, the wererhinos emerged one by one. Each creature’s horn crackled faintly with residual energy from the circle. Their hooves crushed stone beneath their weight.

  Kane folded his hands behind his back.

  “You see, Greed? There is a countermeasure for nearly every problem.”

  Lucifer’s crimson gaze settled on the beasts.

  “Kane,” he said calmly, “enlighten me. Why summon five of those onto my battlefield?”

  “My lord,” Kane replied respectfully, “if the circle appears insignificant, they will prioritize destroying it. By increasing the threat, we elevate its perceived importance. They will commit more resources and reveal more of their strength.”

  Lucifer watched the otherworlders position themselves against the newly summoned monsters.

  “Hm.”

  A faint pause.

  “It matters little.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly.

  “If those otherworlders fail to handle such creatures… kill them on the spot.”

  The wererhinos roared and charged, their massive frames tearing across the battlefield toward the five warriors.

  The true clash was about to begin.

  “As you wish, my lord,” Kane replied.

  The wererhinos charged with earth-shaking force. Their horns tore through the ground, their plated bodies shrugging off several initial strikes from the otherworlders. One swordsman was sent skidding across the battlefield, barely managing to rise in time to block the next crushing blow.

  The fight was brutal.

  The beasts were not mindless like the ghouls. They coordinated instinctively, attempting to isolate targets and trample them beneath overwhelming strength. More than once, it seemed the otherworlders would be crushed outright.

  But experience prevailed.

  The shield-bearer anchored their formation. The twin katana wielders darted in and out, carving precise strikes at weak points between the natural armour. The final blow came when the mage—her breathing ragged—channelled every remaining fragment of her power into a focused spell.

  With a trembling voice, she released it.

  A pulse of condensed magic surged forward and struck the circle directly.

  The crimson structure cracked. Then it imploded inward, scattering sparks and residual energy into the night sky.

  Kane’s magic circle was destroyed.

  “Well, well, well…” Pride said as he stepped beside Lucifer. “Would you look at that? They managed it.”

  Lucifer watched without visible irritation.

  “Let us see how they handle the remains.”

  With the circle gone, the ghouls were no longer replenished. The human army pressed from one side, cutting down the remaining undead, while the otherworlders—though exhausted—eliminated them from the other flank.

  Soon, only a handful of ghouls remained staggering across the blood-soaked field.

  “My lord,” Mephistopheles spoke calmly from behind.

  Lucifer did not hesitate.

  “Yes. Do it.”

  Mephistopheles stepped forward, his voice amplifying unnaturally across the forest.

  “Demonic Army—advance! Bring glory to the name of our Demon King!”

  The forest erupted.

  Thousands upon thousands of demonic soldiers burst forth from the tree line like a tidal wave of claws, fangs, horns, and warped flesh. The ground thundered beneath their charge.

  The humans froze for a split second in pure disbelief.

  The ghouls had been horrific—but these creatures were something else entirely. Towering demons with jagged wings. Beasts with molten veins glowing beneath cracked skin. Humanoids with twisted features and weapons forged of blackened steel. Thick drool hung from snarling maws as they charged.

  The air itself felt heavier as the demonic horde descended upon the battlefield.

  And yet—

  The humans did not collapse into despair.

  Even as shock rippled through their lines, horns sounded from within the capital once more. Reinforcements poured out in disciplined waves. Elite knights. Higher-ranked mages. Cavalry units bearing radiant sigils.

  It became clear:

  They had not committed their full strength against the ghouls.

  This entire time… they had been holding back.

  Lucifer’s crimson eyes gleamed faintly at that revelation.

  “Good,” he murmured softly.

  Now the real war could begin.

  The two great forces finally collided.

  Between them, the remaining ghouls were caught like insects between grinding stones.

  They shrieked and lashed out wildly, attacking demon and human alike—but it made no difference. Holy blades carved them apart from one side while demonic claws tore through them from the other. Within minutes, the last of the ghouls were reduced to corpses beneath trampling feet.

  And then—

  It was demon against human.

  Holy light and infernal darkness crashed together in violent bursts. Shields shattered under monstrous strength. Demons howled as sanctified weapons burned through their flesh. The battlefield became a storm of steel, magic, fire, and blood.

  The Demon Lords and the Sins stood unmoving beside Lucifer, watching as their armies fought with unrestrained ferocity.

  Lucifer’s crimson eyes drifted toward them.

  “Hmmm. The Sins are still here, I see. I assumed you would be unable to restrain yourselves.”

  Wrath gave a faint smirk.

  “My lord, we are not mindless beasts. We learn from our failures. I believe we now understand why you do not leap into battle the moment you arrive.”

  Lucifer tilted his head slightly.

  “Oh? And what reason have you concluded?”

  Wrath stepped forward half a pace.

  “You observe first. You measure their strength. You allow them to reveal their capabilities before committing yourself. You formulate plans based on what you see.”

  A faint silence followed.

  Lucifer’s lips curved—not into amusement, but into something quieter.

  “Hmmm… I see.”

  His gaze returned to the battlefield where demons and humans slaughtered each other relentlessly.

  “You are wrong about one thing, Wrath.”

  The air around him seemed to grow subtly heavier.

  “I do not refrain from attacking because I must assess whether I can win.”

  A faint crimson glint flashed in his eyes.

  “If I stepped onto that field now, every last human there would die without me breaking a sweat.”

  The Sins remained silent.

  “The demons desire vengeance,” Lucifer continued calmly. “They crave it. They have waited for it.”

  His voice lowered, carrying a weight befitting a ruler rather than a tyrant.

  “As their King, it is my duty to grant them that.”

  He leaned back slightly upon his throne.

  “I could end this war alone.”

  A pause.

  “But this revenge… belongs to all of you.”

  Before them, the battlefield roared on—

  No longer a skirmish.

  But a true war.

  With the last of the ghouls reduced to nothing more than torn corpses beneath trampling feet, the battlefield shifted entirely.

  Now it was demon against human.

  Steel met claw.

  Holy light met infernal darkness.

  Despite their enchanted armour and sanctified weapons, the humans found that the demonic soldiers matched them blow for blow. Horned warriors with obsidian blades clashed against radiant knights; towering beasts absorbed shield charges that would have broken siege engines.