I woke up before sunrise.
The silence of the mansion was almost complete at that hour. Only the soft sound of the wind passing through the castle garden trees could be heard through the partially open windows of the room.
I spent a few seconds staring at the ceiling before getting up.
Even after so many journeys and battles, I still kept the habit of waking up early before any important mission.
Especially when it involved demons.
I sat on the edge of the bed while breathing in slowly and deeply.
The demonic presence in that kingdom was different.
More spread out.
More strategic.
They weren't just attacking to destroy.
They were weakening the kingdom little by little.
When I got up, I noticed Scarlet was already awake as well.
She was adjusting part of her armor while watching me.
"You barely slept."
"Sleeping too much before a mission has never been my thing."
She let out a small smile.
"At least you're still honest."
Soon after, we left the room and headed to the main hall of the mansion.
The others were already awake.
Liriel was organizing some magical catalysts on the table.
Lyannis was flipping through a small book while making quick notes.
Elara was observing the giant kingdom map we had received the day before.
Vespera was leaning near the window, discreetly sharpening one of her daggers.
Rai'kanna was calmly drinking tea while silently watching everyone.
The atmosphere seemed peaceful.
But it was that calm before something important begins.
I approached the main table.
"Everyone ready?"
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"Since early morning."
Elara pointed at the map.
"I spent part of the night analyzing the attacked areas."
"The demons are scattered."
"But there are regions with higher concentration."
I looked at the map with her.
Various red markings indicated destroyed villages, abandoned fields, and possible enemy movement routes.
Liriel then spoke calmly:
"The demonic energy seems concentrated mainly in the areas farther from the walls."
Lyannis agreed.
"Probably they're using those regions to spread the contaminated stones."
Rai'kanna rested her elbow on the table.
"So the best option would be to eliminate the smaller groups first before attacking the larger camps."
I shook my head slowly.
"No."
Everyone looked at me.
"The best option is to attack everything at the same time."
Vespera finally looked away from her dagger.
"You want to split the group."
"Yes."
I pointed at the map.
"If we stay together, we'll waste time."
"The demons might retreat."
"We'll eliminate as much as possible before they have a chance to reorganize."
Scarlet nodded immediately.
"Makes sense."
I then began organizing the teams.
"I'll go with Scarlet."
She simply smiled subtly.
"Liriel and Elara will stay together."
They both agreed immediately.
"Vespera and Rai'kanna."
Vespera closed her dagger.
"No problem."
"And Lyannis…"
I looked at her.
"…you will be responsible for overall magical support."
She slowly closed the book.
"Barriers?"
"Communication."
"Monitoring."
"And support in case any group encounters something problematic."
Lyannis nodded.
"Understood."
Elara looked at the map again.
"The attacks seem more intense in this area here."
She pointed to a region near the northern mountains.
"Probably there's a larger camp there."
"Then we'll start with the smaller areas first," I explained.
"I want to understand how they are distributed."
"And most importantly…"
My eyes passed over the red markings.
"…I want to find out why they are avoiding directly attacking the giant castle."
Silence filled the table for a few seconds.
That was truly strange.
If the demons had something capable of weakening giants…
Why hadn't they launched a full attack yet?
Rai'kanna ended up saying what everyone was thinking.
"Maybe they're waiting for something."
No one responded.
Because that possibility was too concerning.
Soon after, we finished preparations.
The demi-dragon servants quickly brought breakfast and some extra equipment.
We ate without much delay.
The atmosphere was still calm.
But everyone's focus was clear.
Before leaving, Liriel approached me.
"Takumi."
"Hmm?"
She was holding a small white crystal.
"If you encounter a large amount of that demonic corruption… use this."
I took the crystal.
The sacred energy inside it was strong.
"Will it help?"
"Not completely," she replied.
"But it should prevent the contamination from affecting you immediately."
I stored the crystal at my waist.
"Thank you."
She smiled gently.
Soon after, we left the mansion.
The sky was still partially dark when we crossed the giant castle gardens.
Some guards silently watched our movements.
They probably already knew we would leave today.
When we reached near the main castle entrance, we found Durgan waiting.
The giant general carried an enormous axe on his back.
"So you're starting."
"Yes," I replied.
He quickly observed the entire group.
"Be careful."
"Those monsters don't fight like warriors."
"They fight like pests."
Scarlet gave a small smile.
"Then we'll exterminate all of them."
Durgan let out a deep laugh.
"I like that answer."
He then pointed toward the distant mountains.
"The most affected villages are in that direction."
"The giants have already evacuated most civilians."
"But there may still be survivors hidden."
I nodded slowly.
"Understood."
Soon after, we set off.
The journey through giant lands was impressive.
Even outside the capital, everything felt colossal.
The roads were wide.
The farms enormous.
The trees practically gigantic.
But as we advanced, the scenery began to change.
Gradually, signs of war began to appear.
Destroyed houses.
Burned fields.
Black marks scattered across the ground.
Liriel slightly frowned while observing it.
"The corruption is strong."
Lyannis walked a few steps behind while magically analyzing the environment.
"I can feel demonic mana spreading in multiple directions."
Elara silently observed the destroyed structures.
"They attacked quickly."
"And in an organized way."
Vespera knelt near marks on the ground.
"Recent footprints."
"Large groups passed through here."
Rai'kanna clenched her fists.
"These bastards really destroyed a lot…"
I kept walking in silence.
The further we went, the clearer it became that this was not a random attack.
The demons were slowly weakening the entire structure of the kingdom.
Destroying crops.
Trade routes.
Remote villages.
They were preparing the ground.
After some time, we reached a small fork in the road.
I looked at the map again.
"From here, we split up."
Scarlet immediately moved closer to me.
Elara stood beside Liriel.
Rai'kanna rotated her shoulder slightly while Vespera adjusted her daggers.
Lyannis remained more centered.
"I'll maintain magical connection between everyone," she explained.
"If anything happens, I'll be able to alert you."
I nodded.
"Don't go alone if you find anything strange."
Scarlet glanced at me sideways.
"You say that, but you're the first one who does exactly that."
I ignored her comment.
"The main objective is to eliminate the smaller groups first."
"Then we'll regroup for information."
Everyone agreed.
The group slowly began splitting along the giant roads.
Scarlet and I headed west.
For several minutes, we walked in silence, observing our surroundings.
The cold mountain wind made everything even quieter.
Almost too quiet.
Then Scarlet placed her hand on her sword hilt.
"Do you feel it?"
"Yes."
Demonic mana.
Strong.
Very close.
We immediately slowed down.
We carefully climbed a small rocky hill until we could see part of the region below.
And then we finally saw it.
A demon camp.
Several black tents spread near a destroyed village.
Creatures moved around carrying boxes and black stones similar to the ones we saw in the castle.
Scarlet narrowed her eyes.
"So we found them."
I observed the place carefully.
There were many.
More than I expected for a secondary group.
Maybe hundreds.
And by their movement… they seemed to be preparing something.
I slowly gripped my sword.
"Let's begin."
Scarlet smiled as she drew her blade.
"Finally."