The Demons' Invasion

Not long after the permafrost's ice melted.

The observatory installed on Sacred Mountain Cyrus' hillside discovered an army corps of demons from beyond the horizon.

Their numbers were uncertain. 100,000? 200,000?

A soldier on watch responded to headquarters as such.

"There are so many enemies, enough that the ground doesn't look black! Seven parts enemies, three parts black. I repeat, seven parts enemies, three parts black!"

Clad in mirror-polished armor, trolls and orcs formed ranks as they marched towards the fort. Their appearance was obviously unlike that of one thousand years before. It was as Azel feared.

(This… this was the source of your confidence, wasn't it? Ars!)

As the large demon army stood before the small fort, a dark elf—a demon with the same kind of vocal organ as a human—began recommending for its capitulation.

According to the dark elf, if they relinquished their arms and offered provisions, they promised to not bring harm to their civilians nor bring violence to the fort.

It wasn't as though the humans believe them, so they used the three days they were given properly.

They appealed to the nearby Holy City to dispatch a holy chivalric order and had their mages raise the ramparts as much as possible.

However, once the third day passed, they realized that it was all for naught.

"W-what's that…"

"A giant…"

The gigas tribe. Although not quite as gargantuan as a cyclops, they were giants that had enormous bodies. One of these were rushing towards the fort.

Wooden walls and the like weren't even an obstacle for something like it.

The demon forces used the hole it created to invade. Tens of thousands of soldiers flooded into the fort that could have only housed a few thousand at best.

The fort fell within the day.

After that, the demon army divided into three forces.

One force would establish an encampment around the fort while the other two would advance by detouring east and west around the Sacred Mountain.

The forces that advanced along the east side of it were stopped by the combined armors of the Magic City and the Sacred City. Rather, they stopped voluntarily.

The demon army's western force cut through the forest, making a path and, much like Cordova's troops had, circumvented the Sacred Mountain.

Coming to that situation, the Magic City used a great magic.

Meteor Shower.

Summoned through a ritual that took many mages, meteors showered down directly upon the demon army.

"Ooh!"

"It's here!"

Azel was calm as he stood among the various officers who where in an uproar on the castle walls.

(It's too weak. They've also come prepared for it.)

True, it did injure and kill several thousand. However, for invoking a magic like that, it was merely several thousand.

By the time they could use the magic again, the enemy's vanguard would probably have already reached Magic City's walls. And that was with the magic-skilled dark elves, vampires, and nagas not even having made their appearance yet.

If it turned into a siege, the city would fall in no time. This was clear to him with his experience from the last time this happened a thousand years before.

(How much damage will they deal? Should I send the citizens away…?)

"What… is that…?"

A group of things appeared from the forest.

Although they looked like golems at a glance, they were much too large to be a golem, as well as too agile.

(Are those—!? Impossible! He'd progressed far enough to mass produce them!?)

At that moment, Azel knew that the Magic City would fall.

 

*

 

Those few dozen things weren't golems. They were robots.

The demon army's trump card, created with the fusion of science and magic.

"Intercept them!"

"It's useless! Quickly!"

"We can't make it!"

The rampart was quickly overran by the robots that possessed a speed several times faster than a horse's.

The officers were safe due to hurriedly taking shelter. However, the mental shock was massive.

Despite the fireballs assailing them, the robots continued their offensive.

"A thousand years, huh…"

Azel suddenly muttered.

In one thousand years, humans waged wars, brought peace, then fought again. Somewhere inside that cycle, they found time to develop.

However, it was obviously different for the demons. They were fundamentally a civilization created to fight, created for this purpose.

This was no time to assaulted by the sense of defeat. Even if Azel was fine dying here, he couldn't allow the citizens to suffer.

"Non-combatants are to fall back to the academy! Mages are to work at repairing the damaged walls!"

Fortunately or not, the robots did not enter through the walls after destroying them. They simply retreated.

Perhaps the demons were attempting to tire them out, or perhaps it was to demonstrate their power. If anything, it felt more like the latter.

Why? Because Magic City wasn't able to put up a fight. Perhaps only several high ranking mages would be able to, as well as Azel himself.

Although the robots assaulting them had lower magical resistance than the one the Demon King himself used, most ordinary magic wouldn't affect them at all.

And their armor. Ordinary weapons very likely wouldn't even be able to leave a scratch on them.

Even if it was the holy sword that Thor used, it wouldn't be able to do its full damage.

 

*

 

Three days later, the main force of the demon army arrived.

The recently restored walls were destroyed once again by giant races. Numerous races like orcs and goblins streamed in through the destroyed walls.

It was complete havoc.

"Surrender! Those who surrender will be guaranteed their life!"

Although a female dark elf general named Rei called out, no humans surrendered to the demons.

All they felt towards demons was a mix of fear and hatred.

In the end, only those who had fainted or had lost the ability to fight were taken as captives.

"Find the Great Sage! If it is his will, the humans will surrender!"

Although there weren't many of them in the demon army, it did have human troops.

They attempted to persuade their fellow humans that had locked themselves away in their homes to live together with both humans and demons in the demon territory.

However, this also ended in failure. The humans' emotions were simply too biased against demons.

They chose death over being humiliated. There were dozens of soldiers, as well as civilians, that chose it.

Seeing that, Rei bit her lips. What was occuring was as her beloved Demon King said would happen.

Humans had to try to assimilate with demons.

So from the demons' point of view, they had to make them assimilate, even if it was by force.

To do that, they had to win the war.

It was all as he said.

"Listen well. I will bring back with the sacred knights and the army that was dispatched to the each. So until then, absolutely do not act rashly. Even if you become a prisoner, I will definitely rescue you."

What Azel said to the captain of the garrison that held the academy was something that even he himself didn't believe.

The Demon King had certainly given those orders to the demons. Assimilating with humans, that was the Demon King's ideal.

However, Azel didn't believe that that ideal had spread its way through all of the demons' society. Humans were creatures that would even wage war amongst themselves, after all.

He knew, but right now, Azel had chosen to flee. He had to inform everyone of their enemy's strength.

Could they win if they were informed?

It was unlike one thousand years ago. If they didn't have Dark Dragon Valis's strength, the humans winning this war was likely impossible.

Even while thinking that, Azel danced through the skies, heading first towards the east.

 

*

 

Humans were foolish. This is what Rei believed.

Why would they foolishly choose their own death? Even if it was tiny, should they not cling to that speck of hope?

No, she changed her mind.

Everything was given by the Demon King.

Initially, he coerced them through force.

Then after that, he ruled them through law.

And now, he guided the demons through things known as ethics and morality.

Or, perhaps, that was exactly what should be called the authority of the Demon King.

Once the demon army invaded into the city area, they first raided their food stocks.

The amount of food necessary to maintain a host numbering into a million was just barely able to be transported by the demon territory.

Therefore, together with procuring food on the march, the demon army thought to introduce an experimental colonization system.

Originally, most goblins were omnivores, as well as orcs. It was common sense to feed a large number of people with grain rather than with meat.

Meanwhile, it was obvious that the human forces stationed in the academy would run out of food sooner or later.

Nevertheless, they held hope that Azel would come back with reinforcements from the Sacred City and clung to their vain delusions.

In truth, at that moment, the army that Magic City had sent towards the east as well as the reinforcements from the Sacred City were facing off against a demon army numbering upwards of one hundred thousand on the eastern side of the Sacred Mountain.

No matter how large Magic City and Sacred City were, there was a limit. They couldn't oppose the demon army of one hundred thousand.

In the end, Azel abandoned Magic City.

Magic City's dispatch had merged together with Sacred City's.

As they were, there was the danger of getting pincer attacked, so they had no other choice.

The people that had barricaded themselves inside of Magic City's academy lasted for half of a month.

However, the dark elf woman that was the enemy's commander came unarmed in order to enter negotiations, eventually leading to their surrender.

Those who surrendered weren't treated with any particular cruelty and were instead given a thin rice gruel and collected into one place as they were beforehand.

As the ones bringing them their food were good spirited goblins and amiable kobolds, the distance between them gradually closed.

Before long, soldiers that were guards or seriously wounded joined in with them. Once they'd learned that they would receive caring treatment, they found it practically impossible to continue holding their malice.

Even so, as there were many people that had lost loved ones to them, it still took time.

On a certain day, an earl that had survived by chance asked a question to the dark elf that was their commander.

"Dark Elf-dono, what do you seek from us?"

The dark elf first gave her name.

"I am Rei Bradford."

And so Rei then told him of the Demon King's ideals.

Human-demon symbiosis.

It sounded like a story from a fantasy.

However, it had already been successful in the demon territory.

That's why there were humans among the demon forces as well.

Having lost his son in the war, this was something the earl could appreciate.

On that day, Magic City capitulated in the truest meaning of the word.