72 Demon Lord Envoys

The dark castles loomed ominously on the horizon. The dark aura and unnatural chill seethes over the village. Thalamik and Carmilla stand at the ready; the tension is nothing like they have ever seen before. Protecting borders and fighting invaders from the other races has never been this intense. Raymed had already left to contact and ask for reinforcements from the academy and the military, leaving the two of them alone to protect the village.

Suddenly, the air shifted.

A thick, oppressive mana appeared out of nowhere, pressuring the atmosphere, and from the shadows, a figure stepped forward.

She moved with an eerie grace, her long silver hair flowing down her back, and her dark armor shimmered like polished obsidian.

Her mere presence was suffocating. A malevolent power that made the air feel heavy.

Thalamik narrowed his eyes; he readied his daggers as Carmilla instinctively stepped closer, her hand glowing faintly.

The woman's lips curled into a cold smile as her golden eyes locked onto Thalamik.

"So, this is the invader?" She said, her voice smooth and mocking. "How arrogant."

Thalamik said nothing, his eyes fixed on her, but his mind was racing.

Invader?

From our point of view, she was the one who invaded us.

It doesn't make sense to look at this situation and think that I was the invader.

"Humans have no shame. Even though we of the Demonfolk have owned the territory, you still try to take us over!"

Her aura rises as Thalamik understands that she is no ordinary foe.

Her claim of being a demonfolk means that she wasn't originally part of this world.

So what had happened must be that the world of demons entered our world.

"I am Paimon," the woman continued, her tone dripping with arrogance. "One of the 72 Demon Lord Envoys. I will now punish you for your attempted territorial aggression," she gestured to the world around them with a flick of her hand, as if it were all hers to take. "As such, we declare war on humankind. So I proudly say the time of humans is over."

Without waiting for a response, she raised her hand, and the ground beneath them began to tremble.

A dark portal split the sky behind her, swirling with malevolent energy. Out of it poured a horde of demons, their grotesque forms snarling and shrieking as they charged toward the village.

"Destroy them all," Paimon commanded coldly, her voice cutting through the chaos like a knife.

Thalamik barely had time to react before Carmilla sprang into action. Without saying a word, she lifted her hand high, her eyes glowing with fierce determination.

Only then did she begin to chant.

"Holy power raise true…"

"Protect us from evil that wish to harm…"

"Protection!"

A powerful golden light erupted from her, and within seconds, a massive barrier formed around the village, cutting off the demonic horde from the people inside.

"Carmilla!" Thalamik called out, impressed by the speed and strength of her magic. But there was no time to praise her. The demons outside the barrier were already pounding against it, snarling and shrieking, trying to break through. The sheer number of them was overwhelming.

"We need to take Paimon down before they break through," Thalamik said, his voice low and focused.

Carmilla nodded silently, her face set in a determined expression. She stepped back, leaving the field open for Thalamik.

Without hesitation, Thalamik darted forward, his daggers gleaming with magical energy as he charged toward Paimon. The Demon Lord Envoy Paimon's smirk widened as she watched him approach.

"Foolish human," Paimon sneered, summoning her blade, a long, jagged sword that glowed with dark energy. "You think you can face me?"

Thalamik didn't answer.

His movements were swift and precise as he closed the distance between them, dodging the swipes of Paimon's blade.

He slashed at her with his daggers, but each blow was expertly parried, the sound of clashing metal echoing in the air.

Paimon moved with an unnatural speed and grace, her attacks relentless. Thalamik felt the weight of her power with each clash, his arms growing heavier as the battle wore on.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he kept pressing forward, refusing to back down.

The fight was brutal, each strike bringing him closer to his limit. Paimon's grin never faltered, as though she was enjoying toying with him.

That smile…

She drove him back with a mighty swing, sending him skidding across the ground.

"Is this really all you've got, Invader?" Paimon taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. "Pathetic."

Thalamik gritted his teeth, his body aching from the force of her attacks. He could feel himself being cornered, the space around him shrinking as Paimon pushed him back toward the barrier.

Carmilla stood behind the barrier, her hands glowing as she maintained the protective spell. Her eyes flickered toward Thalamik, concern flashing briefly across her face, but she remained silent, her focus unwavering on keeping the villagers safe.

I won't be able to keep this up much longer.

I am running out of options.

She is too powerful..

How can I…?

Then an image entered Thalamik's mind—the face of an elven woman smiling devilishly at him.

Thalamik giggled.

I hate that kind of smile.

My blood boils just thinking about that smile.

If I am gonna die anyway, I might as well go all the way.

He smiled as his eyes were determined.

As Paimon advanced on him, her sword raised for the final strike, Thalamik let out a low, humorless chuckle. He locked eyes with her, a strange, almost devilish smile spreading across his face.

"What's so funny?" Paimon stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing.

Thalamik lifted his dagger on his right hand and, without warning, plunged it into his own stomach. The blade sank deep into his flesh.

I am the anchor of my soul.

Grieving souls shriek and wail.

I am the kaiser of thousand fiends.

Unknown to the past nor known to future.

Magical energy began to emanate from his body, tainting the atmosphere around him.

"Thalamik!" Carmilla gasped from behind the barrier, her eyes widening in shock.

Paimon's expression shifts from amusement to confusion. "What… what are you doing?"

Thalamik's breath came in ragged gasps as blood trickled down from the wound, but his grin only widened.

Have withstood helplessness unlike any other.

Yet they could never restore their pride.

So, as I stand here and command.

"Arise, Unlimited Undead!" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The ground around him began to glow with a dark blue light, pulsing with magical energy. The earth trembled beneath their feet, and from the ground, skeletal hands started to rise. Hundreds of skeletons clad in ancient armor rose from the earth, their hollow eyes glowing with an eerie, dark blue light.

One of them was wearing black-clad armor with a purple lining. He was the leader of the army.

Paimon stepped back, her expression shifting to one of disbelief as the undead army surrounded them. "You intentionally harmed yourself to increase your mana output. Because in a critical situation, your body, out of survival instinct, will emit more mana…"

"That's right. But that's to be expected, right? You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?" Thalamik said, his voice hoarse but filled with defiance. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Paimon with a mocking grin.

"I am the Fiend Kaiser. Now, do you have enough demons in stock to fight my unkillable undead army, O Great Demon Lord Envoy?"

Paimon's face twisted with fury as the skeletal army advanced toward her demonic forces. The undead clashed with the demons, the sounds of battle filling the air as bone and flesh collided.

Thalamik staggered but remained standing, his control over the undead holding strong despite the pain coursing through his body. He watched as the tide of battle began to shift, his undead soldiers fighting back against the demon horde with relentless ferocity.

For the first time since their encounter, Paimon's eyes flickered between the rising undead and Thalamik. She was now wavering.

"You think this changes anything?" she snarled, her voice trembling with barely-contained rage.

Thalamik smirked, his gaze locked on her. "I think it evens the odds a bit, don't you?"

The battle raged on, the ground littered with the bodies of demons and skeletons alike. Thalamik's wound throbbed painfully, but he refused to let it slow him down.

This wasn't just about survival anymore.

It was about sending a message.

That humans are just capable of fighting other races.

I will prove it to everyone.

Paimon raised her blade, her eyes blazing with anger as she prepared to strike again. But now, she was facing not just Thalamik but an entire army of the undead.

I expected that something like this would happen. Sooner or later. I will face this kind of situation.

That's why I'm glad I trained extensively using my new power.

***

"What the?" I looked over my back as I felt a surge of unimaginable mana. On top of that, there are two sources.

I was hopping from tree to tree before I stopped my movement, noticing the surge of a mana wave.

Even if Thalamik and Carmilla can cast a barrier, I don't think I can make it fast enough to go toward the academy by going at it like this.

And anyways… the people are already gone on vacation. Would it be any different if I went back?

No, it wouldn't have made any difference.

Instead, I'll just make a beacon.

"HAAA!!!!"I unleashed my mana rapidly. I can't control my mana very well yet when it comes to unleashing it. I can do it just fine. Reddish magical energy appeared around me as it slowly wrecked the havoc of my surroundings.

10%

I channeled 10% of my mana and pointed up to the sky.

Discharge!

A red beacon made out of magical energy was erected in the sky.

"That should be enough." Now I should return.