CHAPTER 69

Percival stood before his hundred-million-strong army, fully aware that the Army of the Death King, after continuously harassing his forces, had finally decided to emerge. Trusting in the one million heroes within his ranks—individuals whom King Arthur had declared to be the key to defeating the Demon King—Percival turned to his soldiers, feeling it necessary to deliver a speech. His brother, Lamorak, had returned to his domain after a pre-arranged escape orchestrated by the Lot brothers, who sought to assassinate him politically. Upon his return, he found that even the Star Church had closed its doors to him, prompting him to start a rebellious movement against Percival. Though these efforts could have been easily suppressed by spreading the same old rumors, one issue remained: Lamorak's immense record of charitable deeds, which still won the hearts of many commoners.

Nevertheless, Percival began his speech with hatred toward his brothers."My brave comrades! The House of Pellinore has defended humanity from the darkness since the time of my ancestors! My brothers, who sought to tarnish the name of Pellinore with their demonic pact to satisfy their greed, will soon be executed, for collusion with the devil is unforgivable! And I—"

His words were cut short because his soldiers were not listening. They could not believe what their eyes were witnessing—forty giants, each three hundred meters tall, with terrifying appearances and numerous arms, each wielding massive hammers and maces. In an instant, the army's disciplined ranks collapsed, and panic spread like wildfire.

"Duke Lamorak was truly our protector!""A war against death will be our end!""The Empire is just using us as its shield!"

Not wanting to die in vain, the soldiers abandoned their posts. No one in the army had the power to bring down such giants. As the first units fled, the panic spread like a domino effect. The commanders, who were mostly commoners—since the nobles had already turned tail and fled—shouted to maintain order, but their voices were drowned out by the terrified cries of their troops. When the giants arrived, the slaughter began.

Watching the massacre from a distance with the aid of the heroes' teleportation, Percival clenched his sword hilt, then grabbed the collar of the leader of the heroes—a Level Six mage—and lifted him into the air."Weren't you supposed to be the key to my victory?! What have you done but run?! The Pellinore army is being massacred! I order you to fight!"

Mulan, the leader of the heroes, a woman with short hair, teleported away and appeared before her army of heroes—just as she was telepathically communicating with someone. Then she shouted,"We're heading for the capital!"

Hearing this was enough for Percival's greedy mind to finally grasp what the Empire intended for his land."Stirring the people's hatred toward the Demon King to prevent them from following him—at the cost of my people's lives?! Is this the reward for my absolute loyalty to the Round Table?!"

He fell to his knees, watching as wounded or stranded soldiers—those who had survived the giants' onslaught—were executed by a heavily armed and organized army, their pleas for mercy ignored.

"What… what have I done?!"

At the front of the armored army, Artemis, riding a heavily-armored horse, looked left and right. The corpses of young men and women lay drowned in their own blood."Such bloodshed… Even if they were animals, this slaughter would still be a waste."

He then approached a woman—once known as a Grandmaster and commander of knights—who, despite her lack of noble birth, had achieved what even some noblemen had failed to do."Kill… me…"

Her plea was surely due to her shattered legs and the excessive blood loss that had drained all color from her face.

"You will soon have your wish."

As Artemis turned to leave, he heard her voice once more."Tell… your king… in the end, he will die… In the end, someone will avenge… us…"

After speaking with a bloodied mouth and coughing violently, her pupils rolled back, and her body fell still.

"And I will be the one to prevent that from happening."

The general then looked ahead, where the river of blood continued."Slaughter after war… The king's excessive concern is understandable."

He moved forward, but if there was any real concern, it should have been for the north—where the giant clans had united under the leadership of a legendary being. Siegfried stood upon a platform, gazing at one hundred thousand warlord-ranked giants that he had gathered over centuries. Now, it was time to use them. With a simple gesture, he signaled their march, shaking the very ground beneath them. These were beings that mocked the walls of any fortress.

Meanwhile, on another continent, north of the central continent, where Hazard was located, the Demon King of a rare and powerful race—the Abyssal Spirit—emerged from the frozen depths after slaying a legendary Titan. Upon reaching his sanctuary, a place where many Abyssal Spirits like himself drifted as black mist, he realized that he could finally ascend to Level Six.

Heroes were scarce on his continent. Even as a mere warlord-ranked entity, he had already slaughtered dozens of legendary-ranked Titans buried in the icy depths. Conquering and purging the continent before his ascension had been effortless. Now, by sending his spirits to other continents, he was collecting the necessary heroic souls to ascend to Level Seven.

His very existence—and the sheer rarity of his race—posed a threat to all continents and even the other Demon Kings. For if he were to be defeated, his pride would never allow him to serve another.

With his sadistic nature and terrifying power, Lucas—a man who, before reincarnation, had been a serial killer—saw this new world as his paradise. The presence of police and his lack of supernatural abilities had once restricted him. But here, with the overwhelming might of the Abyssal Spirits and his summoning sanctuary, those limits no longer applied.

After living in this new world for almost a year, his demonic racial nature had eradicated any last shred of humanity within him. Hungry for blood and power, Lucas was ready to march his main army—one hundred warlord-ranked Abyssal Spirits, of which only a single unit could be summoned at a time. Now, having just reached the early stages of the legendary rank at Level Six—a record among all Demon Kings—he set his sights on a continent renowned for its vast population and immense territory.

His arrival heralded catastrophe, for the north did not have the army of giants to defend against him. Their forces were engaged elsewhere, testing one of the most formidable northern defenders in a battle against the Undead Demon King of the South.