The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 408

Tap, tap. The sound of Kevin’s boots on the scorched earth echoed in the silence after the battle.

Orange flames danced across the black, ruined land, casting long, shaky shadows. The air smelled of smoke and ash, and the only sound was the crackling fire and the distant cries of birds.

Kevin sighed, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. He wiped sweat from his brow and glanced around. He saw Edwin Hector, always calm and in control, directing the cleanup.

Hector’s voice, clear and steady, cut through the crackling fire. “Search teams, check for any survivors. The rest of you, secure a place to rest. We will stay here until morning, then move on to the next fortress.”

This battle… It was a complete victory.

Count Jean-Pierre was quickly defeated and then killed. After that, capturing the fortress was easy.

Everything went according to Edwin Hector’s plan.

How to attack, how to respond—it all fit together perfectly.

Later, as the fires died down, Kevin remembered Edwin Hector’s plan from a few days before.

Edwin Hector had told Kevin the plan. “Before attacking, we need to understand the situation. Those who were ordered not to retreat are ready for a desperate fight. They know the Kingdom Alliance is split into three groups, and they might see this as a chance to win. We must use that.”

Whirr. Hector unfolded a map.

Besides Count Jean-Pierre’s fortress, three territories with forces were marked.

All this information came from Hao Mun. Even in the chaos of war, they blended in with the refugees, secretly sending information about the changing situation.

“Now, I will explain the plan,” Hector said. “First, Kevin, you will enter Jean-Pierre’s fortress through the waterway. The enemies will be ready, so don’t take too many risks. Deal with the guards and then fire a flare for everyone to see. With the Kingdom Alliance’s army in sight, the enemies will be worried about an intruder. We will watch what happens. By tiring them out and giving them time to think, Count Jean-Pierre will feel he has to act. Instead of waiting to be defeated, he will call for help and attack. The fact that Roman Dmitry is not here will make them overconfident.”

Edwin Hector picked up a piece and moved the pieces representing the surrounding three lords to a narrow path.

“This is the shortest route for the surrounding lords. If they want to combine their forces quickly, they must pass through here. That is our chance. We will use illusion magic to make it look like the Kingdom Alliance’s soldiers are not moving, and our main force will ambush them here. When the enemies arrive, we will use the land and magic to defeat them. When Count Jean-Pierre hears this news and is ready to attack the fortress, Kevin, you can open the enemy’s gates. Because they are tired and have heard that the surrounding lords have been defeated, they will be weak.”

Kevin was impressed.

Every situation… Edwin Hector seemed to predict the future. Kevin trusted him and started the operation.

His role was very dangerous. Entering through the waterway, enduring for days, and opening the gates in a place full of enemies was not easy.

That’s why Edwin Hector called this situation fun.

Hector’s forces could not do this, but he knew from experience that things would be different if Roman Dmitry’s people did it.

And… The plan worked.

In just a few days, the surrounding area was destroyed, and Kevin was sure of it.

‘With a commander like this, we can reach the capital faster than Chris.’

Kevin felt a burning sense of competition. His throat was dry, and he wandered around for a long time, looking for survivors.

At that time… The 2nd Army, led by Chris, was still marching.

Most of the fortresses were empty, and Chris heard that someone else had already done great things.

“Amazing. They have already cleared out the surrounding lords. I see why people value Hector. Even if he wasn’t a prince, he would have succeeded,” Chris said.

“I think so too,” Felix said.

Chris nodded, but didn’t seem to care much. He had expected this from the beginning.

Having seen Edwin Hector’s abilities, he knew that if he commanded a strong army like Dmitry’s, they would work well together.

Moreover… Chris was happy with how Kevin had carried out the plan.

‘You’ve become a swordsman worthy of Dmitry now. But I don’t want to give up my position. No matter how fast you start, we will be the ones to arrive in the capital first.’

“Everyone, stop. We will rest here,” Chris said.

“Understood.”

The day had already become dark. After telling the soldiers to rest, Chris called the key members who had followed him.

Felix asked, “According to the information, the enemies are gathering at a fortress two days away. What are you planning to do? If we try to attack, we will lose many soldiers.”

“I agree. A frontal assault is not a good idea right now,” another member said.

Chris looked at the map. From their current location to the capital, there were three places to be careful of.

If he spent too much time fighting the enemy forces guarding those places, the 2nd Army led by Chris would be the last to arrive in the capital.

Chris didn’t want that.

Besides the competition with Kevin, if he spent too much time, the Kingdom Alliance would have to wait until all the forces gathered.

Therefore… A strategy was needed.

Chris looked at the area marked ‘Croite’.

“Those who remain in the south have something in common. They were not included in the conscription order, and they have said that they will not follow Marquis Memphis’s orders. The reason is clear. Around the time of the war prisoner incident, Marquis Croite, who was once powerful in the Cronos Empire, died. The reason given was execution for not obeying orders, but the truth was that it was Marquis Memphis’s decision, not the Emperor’s order.”

“Does that mean……” Felix asked.

“Yes. We have to deal with Marquis Croite’s people. They lost their way when Marquis Croite died. They did not respond to the conscription order because they resented Marquis Memphis, but they could not agree with the Kingdom Alliance, so they stayed together. We will use the cracks in their hearts. If we can get them to open the gates, we can go straight to the capital without fighting.”

“Ah!” The key members were impressed.

It was a perfect plan. They were amazed that someone known for his military skills was also intelligent.

One of the key members asked, “What if the enemies don’t agree?”

Chris’s expression changed. He showed his fierce teeth.

“After gathering them in one place for negotiations, we will wipe out the enemies. If there is no room for negotiation, we don’t need to consider them.”

Time passed. Marquis Memphis felt suffocated as news arrived every day and night.

“Count Jean-Pierre and the surrounding lords have all been defeated!” a messenger reported.

“Marquis! Marquis Croite’s people, who did not respond to the conscription order, have surrendered to the Kingdom Alliance. The south has been completely taken. It’s only a matter of time before they reach the capital,” another messenger said.

“Roman Dmitry……” Marquis Memphis muttered.

Everything was… News of defeat.

His head spun. Marquis Memphis slumped into his chair and muttered in disbelief.

“……How could this happen.”

He understood the past defeats.

Roman Dmitry knew victory was not certain, even against a monster like Alexandre. But Chris and Edwin Hector? They were different. They should be easier to defeat. Without Roman Dmitry on the battlefield, Chronos should have won this war. But the news that arrived was terrible. They had lost, and lost badly. The enemy armies had pushed them back everywhere. The kingdom alliance attacked from three sides at once. Chronos had tried to defend the capital, gathering all their soldiers there. But it was no use. The capital defenses broke in moments. It was unbelievable.

His eyes twitched.

He wanted to deny it, but he could not guarantee the future of the Chronos Empire.

“Alexandre,” he thought. “The problem was, everyone now knew who he really was – the pioneer of Aura.”

Once Alexandre, the symbol of Chronos, was defeated and disgraced, the Chronos Empire fell into chaos.

And people began to say that they could not follow the current Emperor.

The most representative group among them was the wizards of the Magic Tower.

They confirmed that Chronos was involved in the disappearances of wizards and declared that they could no longer coexist with Chronos.

From that moment, Chronos started to weaken.

In a situation where the power of the Empire could not be united, the existence of Roman Dmitry was an unbearable disaster.

But he couldn’t just despair like this.

Even with Chris and Edwin Hector’s armies approaching, Marquis Memphis was focused on a bigger threat.

The adjutant said.

“Even the last stronghold has fallen. In a few days, the main force led by Roman Dmitry will reach the vicinity of the capital.”

Soon, he will appear.

Roman Dmitry, the monster who plunged Chronos into disaster.

Marquis Memphis lowered his head, turning away from reality even for a brief moment.

Finally, the capital of Chronos came into view.

Roman Dmitry had chosen the most difficult path, but he reached his destination before any other unit.

First, he put the soldiers on standby.

Then, he moved his steps towards the capital alone.

“……Roman Dmitry.”

“He has appeared.”

“Damn it.”

On the wall, the soldiers of Chronos showed expressions of terror. Their legs trembled at the fact that the demon of the battlefield had appeared, and they wished that the reality before their eyes was not true.

But it was too late to turn back. Chronos had finished all preparations, and they knew they couldn’t be weak now, no matter what happened.

He stopped walking.

Roman Dmitry looked around at the soldiers, his voice strong and clear.

“This is the end. Surrender.”

Short words. There was no sweet offer to persuade the other party. There was no long explanation. Roman Dmitry, who briefly delivered the message, met numerous gazes with cold eyes.

A minute felt like forever to the Chronos soldiers. Then, Roman Dmitry spoke again.

“Now there is no chance.”

With that as the end, he turned around without saying anything else.

As Roman Dmitry’s figure gradually disappeared from sight, the soldiers of Chronos finally faced the cold reality.

It was really over. Live or die. They no longer had a chance to choose.

A few days later, the units of Chris and Edwin Hector also joined.

Chris arrived first by only one day, but Chris and Edwin didn’t care who arrived first.

The existence of Roman Dmitry, who had arrived several days earlier, meant that who got there first wasn’t important now.

Before their eyes was Chronos.

Seeing the fortress they were so proud of, standing strong, a meeting was held without even taking a break.

Roman Dmitry said.

“We will destroy the capital of Chronos in two days.”

It was Chris.

“You mean attack directly?”

Chronos. The capital won’t fall easily. This battle will be different from the others. It won’t be over quickly. Many people will die trying to break through the strong walls of the capital. They knew it would be hard, but they had to do it. Because they refused to make peace with Marquis Memphis, they had to fight to take the capital.

“No. Before attacking the capital, we will throw them into chaos. Lucas.”

“Yes.”

In one corner of the conference room, attention was focused on Lucas.

Even key executives like Chris had never heard of the story that was about to begin.

Lucas said.

“From now on, I will tell you about the secret plan the information guild has been working on.”

A few years ago, even before the war with Chronos broke out, Lucas received an order from Roman Dmitry.