I kept watching the enormous black structure rising between the mountains as the cold wind swept across the region. Even from a distance, the demonic mana was suffocating.
That tower seemed alive.
The stones scattered around it pulsed slowly, as if they were all connected to one another.
Scarlet stopped beside me.
"So that's what has been spreading the corruption."
I nodded slowly.
"Most likely the control center."
Lyannis analyzed everything in silence.
Her eyes followed the flow of mana through the air.
"There is advanced magic sustaining this structure."
"How advanced?"
Elara asked.
Lyannis took a few seconds before answering.
"Advanced enough to slowly contaminate an entire kingdom."
Silence fell over the group.
Even Rai'kanna became serious after hearing that.
The demonic presence in that place was unlike anything we had encountered before.
More organized.
Heavier.
Almost intelligent.
I observed the mountainside around us.
Hundreds of demons were patrolling the area.
Far more than at the previous camps.
In addition, many of them carried fragments of the black stones attached to their armor.
Scarlet gripped her sword tightly.
"The plan?"
I kept my eyes on the tower.
"We destroy the core first."
Liriel understood immediately.
"If the structure collapses, the corruption will lose its strength."
"Exactly."
Vespera crossed her arms as she studied the higher points of the mountains.
"Then we'll need to break through quickly."
Rai'kanna smiled faintly.
"Finally, something bigger."
Elara sighed.
"You really enjoy situations like this."
"Of course."
Rai'kanna replied.
"It's better than dealing with bureaucracy."
I couldn't help but smile a little.
Even in the face of a situation like this, the group still managed to keep a certain lightness.
But deep down, everyone understood.
This was different.
Very different.
I took a slow, deep breath.
Then I drew my sword.
"Let's finish this."
The next instant, we charged down the mountainside.
The first line of demons noticed our presence almost immediately.
Shouts echoed throughout the camp.
"ENEMIES!"
"KILL THEM!"
But this time, there was no hesitation.
The demons charged all at once.
A black tide descending the mountain.
Scarlet was the first to enter the battle.
Her sword pierced two enemies at once as she advanced without slowing down.
Rai'kanna leaped in immediately afterward.
The impact of her landing literally destroyed part of the demonic barricades.
Vespera disappeared into the shadows almost instantly.
Demons began falling before they even realized where she was.
Liriel raised her staff.
Holy light erupted across the battlefield.
Several demonic creatures immediately turned to ashes.
Elara unleashed violent gusts of wind that tore through the enemy lines.
Lyannis remained farther back, coordinating support magic.
Magical barriers constantly appeared, protecting the group from the most dangerous attacks.
And I...
Charged straight toward the tower.
The demons quickly realized my intention.
Several commanders emerged, blocking my path.
Larger creatures.
More resilient.
Covered in black armor.
One of them raised a gigantic sword.
"Protect the core!"
I sighed quietly.
Then fire began to emerge around my arm once more.
Golden flames slowly spread across my sword.
The temperature rose instantly.
The commander widened his eyes.
"Draconic fire..."
I charged.
The impact of my sword cut through both his weapon and his entire body.
The flames consumed what remained almost immediately.
Others came right after him.
Faster.
More aggressive.
But they could no longer keep up with me.
My control over the Dragon's Breath had improved tremendously.
It still consumed a great deal of mana.
But now I could maintain stability.
I swung my sword horizontally.
A wave of golden fire swept through dozens of demons at once.
The explosions illuminated an entire section of the mountain.
As I advanced, I noticed something strange.
The demons were not trying to win.
They were trying to stall.
Buy time.
Again.
"Takumi!"
I heard Lyannis's voice through the magical connection.
"The tower is absorbing mana!"
I immediately looked toward the top of the structure.
The gigantic stone was pulsing faster now.
As if it were reacting to the battle.
Scarlet appeared beside me, cutting down another enemy.
"This doesn't look good."
"It isn't."
I replied.
The demonic energy began increasing dramatically.
The entire ground trembled.
The black stones scattered throughout the camp began emitting a crimson glow.
Liriel realized it immediately.
"They're going to release all the corruption at once!"
Lyannis confirmed quickly.
"If that happens, the entire region will be contaminated!"
I gritted my teeth.
Then I accelerated even more.
The demonic commanders desperately threw themselves in front of me.
But it was already too late.
Draconic fire partially erupted around my body.
The flames enveloped my entire arm.
Scarlet glanced at me.
"You stabilized it?"
"More or less."
She smiled faintly.
"Good enough."
I destroyed the last demonic barrier and finally reached the base of the tower.
The demonic pressure there was overwhelming.
My mana literally reacted to the environment.
The black runes spread across the structure glowed intensely.
Lyannis appeared right behind me using short-range teleportation.
"Takumi."
She quickly examined the runes.
"The core is at the top."
I looked upward.
The tower was enormous.
But there was no time.
"I'll clear the way."
I said.
"You protect the rear."
Scarlet spun her sword.
"Understood."
I climbed the structure, destroying everything in my path.
The golden flames consumed the runes as I advanced.
The demonic mana began to destabilize.
At the top of the tower, I finally found the main core.
The enormous black stone pulsed like a living heart.
Demonic symbols revolved around it.
And for the first time...
I heard a voice.
A low.
Distorted voice.
"Hero..."
I stopped for a moment.
The energy around the stone intensified.
"You have arrived too late..."
I frowned immediately.
That voice...
It wasn't the voice of an ordinary demon.
The entire ground began trembling violently.
Down below, the group continued fighting against hundreds of enemies.
Liriel purified as much of the spreading corruption as possible.
Rai'kanna destroyed entire structures.
Elara kept the skies clear of flying creatures.
Vespera eliminated hidden commanders.
Scarlet protected Lyannis while she dismantled the magical circles surrounding the tower.
And I faced the core.
The demonic pressure grew even heavier.
The voice returned.
"He is already moving..."
My gaze immediately hardened.
The First General.
It could only be connected to him.
I gripped my sword tightly.
"Then tell him to come."
I slowly concentrated my mana.
Draconic fire completely enveloped the blade.
The golden flames became more intense than ever before.
The stone began to crack.
The entire tower shook violently.
Down below, the demons began to panic.
"PROTECT THE CORE!"
But it was already too late.
I raised my sword.
Then I struck with all my strength.
The explosion of golden fire illuminated the entire mountain range.
The demonic stone split cleanly in half.
For a single instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Then the corruption began to disappear.
The stones scattered across the battlefield lost their glow.
The demonic symbols faded away.
The heavy mana rapidly vanished from the surroundings.
Liriel immediately raised her staff.
"Now!"
A massive wave of holy light spread across the land.
The purification swept through mountains, villages, and corrupted fields.
Everything that remained of the demonic energy began turning to ashes.
The surviving demons tried to flee.
None of them succeeded.
The holy light consumed every last one of them.
Silence finally settled over the mountains.
The tower slowly began to collapse behind me.
I leaped from the structure seconds before it completely crumbled.
When I landed on the ground, Scarlet was the first to approach me.
"Is it over?"
I looked around.
The black clouds were beginning to disappear.
For the first time since we had arrived in that kingdom...
The air felt clean.
Liriel took a deep breath as she watched the holy light gradually fade away.
"The purification worked."
Lyannis was still staring at the remains of the tower.
But her expression remained serious.
"Takumi..."
I looked at her.
"That voice."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…I think it was directly connected to the First General."
The cold wind once again swept through the mountains.
But now without corruption.
Without that suffocating pressure.
Even so...
A strange feeling remained in my chest.
As if this had only been the beginning.
I looked toward the distant horizon as the last demonic ashes vanished into the wind.
Then I spoke calmly:
"…the war is truly beginning."