The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 460 The Final Sacrifice!

The morning sun shone on Campbell's camp in Stillwater Beach, casting a holy glow over the mist-shrouded camp.

Tens of thousands of soldiers have been assembled.

The soldiers of the Duchy of Campbell stood in neat square formations, their gleaming flintlock muskets reflecting a chilling glint in the morning light.

The citizen cavalry stood on their flanks, while on the other side, their dwarven allies from the High Mountain Kingdom were also ready to go.

They stroked the heavy battle axes and muskets in their hands, or carried huge weapons of war, like bulls ready to charge at any moment.

Everyone was ready for battle, their eyes burning with a desire for victory, honor, and land.

Once you cross Stillwater Beach, you'll be in the territory of Twilight City!
It was foreseeable that it would be a brutal battle, yet no one showed any fear or hesitation.

Not only because the Holy Light is always with the devout Campbells, but also because Her Highness Eileen Campbell stands with them.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, Eileen, dressed in military uniform with the Light of Praise at her waist, stepped firmly onto the platform temporarily erected from wooden crates.

To her left was her loyal knight Teresa; and to her right was another familiar face to the Campbellians—Prince Colin from a distant land.

Upon seeing the familiar face ascending the platform, a hushed murmur suddenly broke out in the previously silent military formation.

"It's Prince Colin!?"

"By Saint Sith, His Highness has truly returned!"

"See! I wasn't lying to you! I saw him last night!"

"I knew it! No wonder Her Highness didn't show up at the banquet last night; she was with His Highness the Prince!"

Colin's appearance not only injected a powerful boost into the expeditionary army, but also dispelled the rumors that Princess Eileen had disappeared during the battle.

The morale of the soldiers rose at a visible speed.

However, when their gazes fell upon Eileen and she saw her bright silver hair, a hint of regret and sadness crept into their eyes.

In the Duchy of Campbell, the legend of the Light of Praise is known to every household, and its side effects are also known to almost everyone.

The former Grand Duke Aaron Campbell died shortly after the war ended because he overused the power of the Utawarerumono during the final battle with the Demon King of Thundershire, thus exhausting his life force.

Now, it seems that Princess Eileen is also heading towards this tragic fate...

For the soldiers who revered this prince, this was undoubtedly a matter of mixed feelings...

Standing on the high platform, Eileen naturally noticed the soldiers' admiring gazes and the worry hidden behind that admiration.

Although she wanted to tell everyone not to worry about her, it was better to let them worry, just as His Highness Colin had previously told her.

The overall situation comes first.

Eileen glanced at Quentin, whose face was taut, and then looked at the centurions and chiliarchs standing in front of the various ranks.

Seeing that no one noticed anything unusual about her body, especially the dwarves with their keen sense of smell who didn't react much, she finally relaxed.

Suppressing the myriad thoughts in her mind, Eileen took a deep breath and began the final war mobilization before heading to Twilight City in a clear and firm voice.

"Everyone!"

"'The Messenger' Rolandall and his henchmen are dead. We have successfully taken Stillwater Beach territory, and Twilight City, the capital of Twilight Province, is right in front of us!"

"Now--"

"It's time to settle things with the forces of chaos! Victory and glory will ultimately belong to us, who are illuminated by the Holy Light!"

"For the people of Saint Sith who are struggling under the corruption of chaos—"

"For Campbell—!"

The resounding sound echoed across the training ground!
Her speech was passionate and inspiring, igniting the soldiers' emotions completely, and their shouts resounded like a tsunami.

"For Campbell—!"

"For glory—!"

Within the military formation, almost everyone was in high spirits, except for the "Hunters" standing in the corner of the formation, who had completely bewildered expressions.

However, these physically challenged but determined "big guys" are usually like this anyway, so no one cares why they seem out of place with their surroundings.

Players [Wang the Hairdresser at the Village Entrance] and [Professional Nuclear Submarine Repairman] rubbed their eyes hard and pinched each other's arms hard.

After confirming that what they were seeing was not an illusion, the two of them gasped in unison and cried out in surprise.

"Fuck..."

"Demon King???"

The esteemed Demon King is standing right next to the Hero!

Did the game planner make another mistake?
Fortunately, not everyone standing here is a "fool"; there are also a few veteran players who came over out of boredom to join in the fun.

The "rich man who's eating dirt" yawned, looking speechlessly at the two overreacting newbies.

Is this your first time playing this game?

[Master Wang, the hairdresser at the village entrance] stared at him in bewilderment.

"What's the meaning……"

The lame wolf said, "That was several versions ago. Back then, our emperor was constantly jumping between hell and the surface."

Jade-Faced Hand Tired King: "+1, you'll get used to it."

That was over a year ago, maybe even two years ago. Back then, many players went to Thunder City to do business.

They were newbies back then, and even set up an "Invincible Group" in the new industrial zone outside Thunder City, working as contractors.

From that time on, the Demon King became active in Thunder City under the alias "Prince Colin".

[The village hairdresser, Mr. Wang] and [the professional nuclear submarine repairman] exchanged a glance, and finally sighed in admiration, "Awesome!"

That was truly amazing; they even managed to take away all the heroes of Saint Sith!

This can be considered winning without fighting...

……

After Eileen finished her mobilization, Campbell's army immediately broke camp and marched in a mighty procession toward Twilight City.

In stark contrast to the high morale of the "Northern Rescue Army," the Green Forest Army camp outside Dusk City was shrouded in a deathly silence.

The siege has lasted for more than a month, and the blood of fallen soldiers has even stained the moat red, yet the walls of Twilight City still stand firm.

Moreover, the battles outside Twilight City were also in complete disarray, with bad news coming from afar every now and then.

Everyone was whispering about how far Campbell's army was from them, their dejected voices sounding as if they were discussing their own doom.

noon.

The commotion disrupted the military meeting of the Green Forest Army's high command.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened!"

A scout covered in blood scrambled into the central tent of the military camp.

His expression was terrified, and his voice was completely distorted by fear.

"Lord Sloan's army... has encountered trouble!"

The Green Forest Army's high-ranking officers, who were discussing the next phase of their siege plan in front of the map, were all taken aback upon hearing this.

Except for Sylas, whose expression didn't change much, everyone else wore expressions of disbelief.

Rhys grabbed the scout's shoulder, looked him in the eye, and said calmly.

"Tell me slowly, what exactly happened!"

The scout was panting heavily, his eyes filled with lingering fear, as if the pursuers were still relentlessly chasing after him.

"We...we were ambushed in the forest south of Sparrowwood Territory! A mysterious army that appeared out of nowhere attacked us!"

"Reese asked eagerly."

"Is he one of Brennan's men? Or one of Campbell's?"

The scout continued, his face filled with despair.

"No, none of that... The one leading the troops is a woman like a demon. She moves so fast that it's almost impossible to see her! I heard from the brothers who ran out that she killed Lord Sloan and his personal guards in an instant!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this.

To be able to kill Sloan in an instant, that guy must be at least a Diamond-level!
But where would a diamond-level expert come from in this desolate wilderness?!

and--

It was clear that she wasn't the only one who ambushed Sloan.

The scout swallowed hard and continued in a trembling voice.

"It wasn't just that demonic woman; they had countless undead and monsters! We didn't even see where their main force was or how many there were before a large number of them were killed by a hail of arrows falling from the sky..."

This devastating news struck the hearts of every high-ranking officer in the Green Forest Army like a massive boulder weighing ten thousand pounds.

However, this was only the beginning.

Before they could even process the devastating news, another wave of bad news came from the direction of Griffin Cliff Territory...

"Alchemist" Gene has died in battle!
Cause of death unknown!

Three scouts were sent to Griffin Cliff Territory to gather intelligence, but only the last one to set off returned alive with news from there.

The scout claimed with a look of terror that he had seen a great fire falling from the sky, which seemed to be a forbidden spell cast by a great sage!

Upon hearing this, Silas was momentarily stunned, but only for a second, and his expression quickly returned to normal.

The Great Sage is out of the question; that guy won't get involved in this.

It must be something else...

The military tent was completely silent.

The faces of all the generals were filled with disbelief.

Especially "Green Headscarf" Kailan.

He simply couldn't believe that his proud twelve leaders had lost more than half of their number in just a few months!

While Kaylan was still grieving the loss of his right-hand man, "Longbowman" Rhys was the first to react. He walked to the sand table in the tent, looking at the flags representing the various factions, his expression growing increasingly grim.

To the south lies the army of the Duchy of Campbell, and Eileen Campbell, with the support of the dwarves, is advancing steadily towards Twilight City. It's hard to say how long Rolandall can hold out.

As for the north, the "Salvation Army" led by the traitor Brennan is also pressing forward step by step, and has already captured Griffin Cliff and the northwestern gate of Twilight City.

These two forces were like an iron clamp, clamping down hard on the Green Forest Army's most vulnerable front teeth. If they were not careful, they would be in a situation where they would lose everything!
What was particularly chilling was that Rhys suddenly realized that they hadn't even figured out all of their opponent's cards yet.

They were fighting the Campbellians, the Saviors, the Kingdom’s regular army, and mysterious forces in the forest… yet it all seemed like they were fighting the same person.

The various forces besieging them appeared to be independent of each other, yet it was as if an unseen hand was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

Who is it?

Saint Sith?
Or perhaps... a demon god?!

But why!
Rhys just couldn't understand it.

However, there are obviously more pressing matters to be addressed than figuring out who is behind this.

"We're surrounded."

He raised his head, looked at Kailan whose expression was equally solemn, and continued in a hoarse voice.

"We must abandon the siege! Gather all our forces immediately and retreat eastward, or we will all die here!"

The Grey Marshland to the east is the only way out.

The count there fled long ago, and now only homeless refugees and murderous bandits roam the area. As for the count's castle, it is firmly controlled by their people.

After crossing the Ashmarshlands, they could disperse some of their forces into the forest to continue fighting the kingdom's army, while Silas could lead a contingent into the Ten Thousand Mountains to join the Carrion Clan and rearm them with the help of the Skaven.

Although Silas never mentioned it, most of the Green Forest leaders were well aware that the guy had a close relationship with the ratmen.

Just as they were tacitly aware of Urgos's existence.

An uprising may fail, but as long as people are alive, the flames will always reignite!
However, Kaylan, the spiritual leader of the Green Forest Army, was caught in a painful struggle after hearing Rhys's words.

Twilight City was right before their eyes!

He could even hear the wails in the city, the desperate cries of the citizens oppressed by the nobles!
He made a promise—

He is going to save those who are in purgatory!
"But what about the people in the city? We promised them!"

"We can't worry about that now!" Seeing Kaylan still unable to make up his mind to retreat, Rhys clenched his fists and couldn't help but raise his voice, almost shouting, "We've already lost too many brothers! Continuing to fight will not achieve anything! We will all become medals on their chests!"

The two argued fiercely.

Just when the atmosphere in the military tent reached its most oppressive point, Silas, the "quartermaster" who had been silent all along, suddenly coughed softly.

The chubby face that always wore a kind smile was now devoid of any fear, instead radiating a sunny smile.

He abandoned his usual peacemaker persona and spoke out clearly and unequivocally.

"I support Kalan. Twilight City is right in front of us; we're just one step away from crossing its gates. We cannot back down now!"

Kaylan and Rhys both looked at him in surprise.

Rhys was surprised that this guy would speak at the military conference, while Kaylan was surprised that Silas, who was usually "okay no matter what," would actually stand on his side this time.

To be honest, although he outwardly seemed concerned about the citizens of Twilight City, he actually agreed with Rhys's suggestion.

Given the current situation, a direct confrontation is not a viable solution. Even if we capture Twilight City, it will be an isolated city, and we may not be able to hold it.

He just didn't want to back down so quickly.

After Rhys persuades him a couple more times, he'll be close to making that difficult decision.

That's why Silas's words completely baffled him; he didn't know what this guy was trying to do by suddenly interrupting.

Silas didn't keep the two confused for long.

Facing the surprised gazes directed at him, he walked to Rhys's side and pressed his fat index finger heavily on the military flag that marked Twilight City in the sand table.

"Sloan and Gene paved the way to victory for us with their blood, not so we could run away with our tails between our legs! And Rolandall, he's still fighting the Campbell's army, how can we just give up like this!"

His voice grew louder and louder, as if it were filled with a seductive power.

Looking back at the pairs of eyes fixed on him, he opened his arms, clenched his fists, and spoke in a voice more passionate than ever before.

"Twilight City is right before our eyes! We can even smell its breath!"

"Once we take it, the entire Twilight Province will be ours! Then we can attack or defend as we please! This is the best way to honor our fallen brothers!"

Therefore, I propose—

"Launching a final, all-out offensive at all costs, to capture the capital of Twilight Province before the Campbellians reach the walls of Twilight City!"

Seeing Silas's manic appearance, Rhys was taken aback at first, but after regaining his senses, he was so angry at his "profound" remarks that he laughed.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Chicken blood is for cannon fodder; to bring this up at a military conference is simply insane!

Pointing to the two flags that had formed a pincer movement on the sand table, Rhys looked at this madman with the eyes of someone looking at a lunatic.

"A general offensive? Are you kidding me? What do you think you're going to use to take down their walls? Haven't we tried it for the past month?"

Despite Rhys's sarcasm, Silas remained calm and composed.

"This time is different."

"This time it's different, haha..."

Rhys chuckled and continued.

"Even if you manage to capture Twilight City by sheer luck, then what? How are you going to defend this isolated city? The Saviors are to the north, and Campbell's army is to the south. Tell me! How are we supposed to defend it!"

Faced with Rhys's aggressive questioning, Silas simply smiled, as if everything was under control.

No more hiding it.

He spoke in a confrontational tone.

"The great god Urgos has taught me the secret to breaching a city in a dream. Give me fifty thousand men, and I can save the citizens of Twilight City from the oppression of the nobles!"

"Urgos's secret techniques..."

Kaylan stared at Silas in astonishment, his heart sinking.

He was not entirely ignorant of Chaos; in fact, he had long suspected that some of his subordinates were using certain forbidden entities for power.

However, he knew that his own strength was not enough to fight against the king and nobles, so he turned a blind eye to his subordinates' various "unique abilities".

There's nothing we can do about it.

Neither supernatural power nor weapons fall from the sky out of thin air; they can only rely on the only power they have.

However, this was the first time the name "Urgos" had been mentioned so openly at a military conference.

What he didn't expect was that the person who said that name was actually Silas, the "quartermaster" who was usually the most unassuming and unassuming.

He had always thought that the chosen one was "Longbowman" Rhys.

Anyone who has dealt with Chaos knows that guessing this kind of thing is completely meaningless, because they are obviously the chosen ones.

Moreover, they were lucky enough to make it to the finals.

The difference is simply that one pretends to be ignorant while knowing the truth, or one knows the truth and enjoys it.

Seeing Kaylan staring intently at him, Silas's smile widened, and he spoke in a tone that sounded both helpless and mocking.

“My dear ‘Your Majesty’, we’ve come this far, are you still pretending to be stupid? That extraordinary power you possess, if not given by Urgos, was it given by Saint Sis?”

Kaylan was speechless.

Normally, he would have scolded Silas for calling him "Your Majesty," but now he didn't even have the strength to do that.

Rhys stared intently at Silas and said, word by word.

"You haven't answered my question yet: how do we defend Twilight City after we take it, and what's the point of defending it!"

It's impossible for them to fight two forces simultaneously in Twilight City.

Especially now, the King of the Kingdom of Ryan is still watching the excitement at his feet, and hasn't even sat down at the card table.

Silas smiled slightly and said softly.

"You don't need to worry about that. Once we take Twilight City, we'll be able to move on to the final stage of the ceremony very soon."

"When that time comes, you will naturally know how I intend to protect it, and what the point of protecting it will be..."

Rhys stopped arguing with the madman and placed his last hope in Kaylan.

Kaylan was struggling painfully inside.

Reason told him that Reese was right; retreat was the only way out, even if it meant losing some manpower and prestige.

However, Silas's declaration of victory at all costs ignited the flame of his ideal.

What if?
Just as Silas made it clear, standing behind them was a god from the void—Urgos from behind the cosmos!

That's a name that even emperors fear. Neither Saint Sith nor the Demon God could possibly be a match for that guy!

The cards they hold are, strictly speaking, bigger than anyone else's!

After a long while, Kailan finally made up his mind, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Fifty thousand is too few... I'll give you one hundred thousand!"

He looked at Silas and said, word by word.

"We must take Twilight City within three days... otherwise, as Rhys suggested, we should temporarily retreat into the forests of Twilight Province and make further plans."

Silas's face showed surprise. He didn't expect Kaylan to be so generous, giving him 100,000 people at once.

After all, none of the people he took away would ever come back.

"One hundred thousand people...that would be even better."

His surprise turned into a respectful smile, and he bowed deeply to the faces that held either doubt or trust.

"Within three days, I will make sure the Green Forest Army's banner flies atop the city walls of Twilight City!"

(End of this chapter)