The Extinction of The Demon Race.
Usually, plans this big need time.
Thankfully, for the past three years, Ulric has been working towards it.
At first he started small and quietly.
Villages no one would remember.
Villages too small and far away to defend.
Villages too worn down by the war against the demons to resist.
Ulric would walk into their home with an offer.
He didn't walk in as a savior or a conqueror.
In each and every village, he would offer them the same thing.
An end.
Of course, this didn't start easily.
Villages would resist his offerings.
Even though their village was run down from the war, their crops and food sources destroyed.
They still had a strong desire to live.
At the time Ulric walked on...believing eventually one of these villages would accept his offering.
Time slowly passed by, and village after village would decline his offer.
It got to the point where his emotions got the better of him, and he dropped a "Sonnenfinsternis der Seelen" (Eclipse of Souls) on top of their heads.
After erasing more villages from existence, eventually, some accepted his offer.
And over time, he started seeing more success than failures.
More and more villages heavily affected by the war had accepted his offer.
Now, after his conversation with Serie, he walked towards the next village.
A small village.
Ulric could see it was the worst village in terms of condition he had seen.
It was dark and gloomy.
Walking through the streets, which were littered with corpses.
They had little to no skin on their dead bodies, each body he walked by had rats on top of them.
Somehow, the village had not been destroyed.
It hadn't been abandoned either.
The ones who were too weak to leave were the only things remaining here.
A noise carried throughout the village.
Ulric followed it.
The noise led him to a small, almost collapsed wooden house.
Ulric stepped forward, his presence filling the space of the tiny house.
A small old man was hunched over a wooden chair, half near collapsing.
"...if you're here to take anything...there's nothing left." The old man's dry voice croaked out.
"I am not here to take anything," Ulric said, "I'm here with an offering."
At those words, the old man finally looked up at him.
"...You!" The old man muttered.
His gaze sharpened at the man in front of him.
He had heard from past travelers of a man in a green robe.
The old man's breathing grew uneven.
Tears started to run down his old and wrinkly face.
"...The one who brings Peace."
Ulric remained still.
The old man continued, almost as if afraid to say it.
"…They said you offered something."
The old man fully met the green glowing orbs underneath Ulrics hood.
"...Peace."
The word lingered between them, fragile and uncertain.
"I was hoping...you'd come."
Ulric stepped closer.
"...Hoping?"
The elder gave a weak breath.
"For it to end...one way or another."
"There is an end," Ulric said.
Silence lingered between them for a moment.
"Will it hurt?" The old man asked.
"No."
A nod came from the old man.
A silent agreement between the two.
"I will tell the remainder of the villagers of your offer. Please wait here."
As the old man left his house, Ulric stood motionless, lost in thought.
He knew after his little run in with Kraft and Serie, that his rumours were growing.
But his influence in this world was also growing, even if his identity wasn't well known.
"The one who brings peace...It has a nice ring to it."
"If someone were to hear it, they would think I'm some sort of Hero or something."
Word spread quickly.
A small group of people formed outside the old mans house.
Fewer than Ulric expected.
Those who remained stood in loose clusters, their bodies thin, their movements slow.
Some leaned against walls for support.
Others simply sat where they were, lacking the strength to stand.
Walking out of the old man's house, Ulric stood before them.
"You have endured," he said. "There is no recovery for you."
They all stood still...listening to his words.
"What comes next is what you have all been enduring all this time."
"Suffering."
"There is no food...and no aid will come to support you."
"The demons will return."
His words weren't cruel...only certain.
"You will choose," Ulric said.
Slowly, the remaining villagers' gazes of despair grew.
Hands tightened around each other as they all hugged in a tight but small circle.
A child coughed weakly in the arms of a woman who looked too tired to soothe them.
The old man stepped out from the group, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We accept your offer," he said. "We're...done."
No one argued...no one needed to.
They accepted.
Ulric moved towards them.
"All of you lie down."
They all lay'd down in a circle holding each other's arms, with Ulric at the center of the circle.
Ulric crouched down and placed his hand on the concrete.
"Zerfallsflamme." (Decay Flame)
Each of the remaining villagers was stunned when their vision was overtaken by a green flame.
Each and every one of their bodies was instantly engulfed in a green flame.
Surprisingly enough, they felt nothing but a warm sensation throughout their body.
Cracks formed all across their bodies as they slowly withered away.
Leaving no trace of them behind.
Ulric stood there for a moment.
Before he turned and walked.
He didn't look back as he left the village.
The forest swallowed the village completely, its edges closing behind him as if it had never been there at all.
He continued walking...before he completely stopped.
He lifted his gaze upwards.
Two figures hovered high above.
Their wings stretched wide, unmoving against the dimming sky, silhouettes carved into the fading light.
Demons.
Ulric observed them in silence.
Moments passed by before they descended.
Their movements were controlled and deliberate.
No wasted motion.
They landed several feet away from him, their feet touching the ground with a quiet finality that carried more weight than impact.
The first demon stepped forward, his posture full of confidence.
"The Demon King is aware of you."
.....
End of Chapter 16