Volume 2 — Chapter 12
The Endless War
The war did not slow.
If anything, it only grew larger.
Across the Creator's Dimension, countless battlefields had formed. Forests burned beneath waves of magic. Mountains trembled under the impact of enormous abilities. Rivers turned red as armies clashed without pause.
What had once been scattered conflicts between factions had now become something else entirely.
A world war.
Heaven's forces marched in shining formations.
Hell's armies advanced like storms of darkness.
Independent factions fought desperately to survive between them.
And somewhere within this chaos…
The Void ruler watched.
---
High above the western plains, the sky stretched endlessly above two figures.
Icarus Grimm floated in silence.
Behind him, his wings of fractured reality spread across the air like living shadows. The void energy surrounding him twisted slightly as if reacting to the war below.
Beside him hovered Seraphine.
She watched the battlefield quietly.
Below them, a massive clash was underway.
Two enormous armies had collided across the plains.
Thousands of fighters were locked in combat.
Divine energy collided with demonic flames.
Explosions of power lit the battlefield in violent bursts.
Seraphine tilted her head slightly as she observed the movements.
"…That's the third army today."
Nexus responded instantly inside Icarus's mind.
[Confirmed.]
[Total enemy forces detected in the surrounding regions: approximately 86,000.]
Seraphine exhaled slowly.
"Your popularity keeps increasing."
Icarus remained silent.
His gaze moved across the battlefield calmly.
Heaven's soldiers were advancing recklessly.
Hell's warriors were doing the same.
Both sides seemed completely willing to sacrifice massive numbers of fighters.
There was no attempt at careful strategy.
No attempt to conserve their strength.
They simply kept sending more forces.
Seraphine narrowed her eyes.
"They're still doing it."
Icarus glanced at her briefly.
She folded her arms.
"Throwing soldiers away."
Another explosion erupted below as a wave of divine knights charged into the demonic frontline.
Hundreds of fighters died within seconds.
Yet neither side retreated.
More soldiers simply filled the gap.
Seraphine continued watching.
"…They aren't trying to win."
Icarus said nothing.
But he had noticed the same thing.
The war felt strange.
Almost artificial.
As if its purpose wasn't victory.
But continuation.
Nexus spoke again.
[Tactical analysis indicates abnormal behavior patterns among Heaven and Hell forces.]
[Probability of strategic deception: 41%.]
Seraphine looked down at the battlefield again.
"Deception…"
Another wave of soldiers charged forward.
Seraphine shook her head slightly.
"That's a lot of effort just to trick you."
Icarus finally spoke.
"Let them try."
His voice was calm.
Almost bored.
Below them, one of the demonic commanders suddenly pointed toward the sky.
"He's there!"
Panic spread instantly through the battlefield.
Hundreds of fighters looked upward.
They saw the same terrifying sight.
The dark wings.
The endless void energy.
The figure watching the war like a silent god.
Fear spread rapidly through both armies.
Some soldiers immediately began retreating.
Others froze completely.
Seraphine smiled faintly.
"They noticed you."
Icarus slowly raised his hand.
Void energy gathered instantly around his fingers.
The air distorted slightly.
A long spear made from condensed darkness formed within seconds.
Seraphine sighed.
"You're going to do it again."
Icarus released the spear.
The weapon shot downward like a meteor.
It struck the center of the battlefield with terrifying force.
The impact created a massive crater.
Hundreds of soldiers vanished instantly.
Shockwaves sent nearby fighters flying across the plains.
Silence followed.
The battlefield froze.
Then panic erupted.
"Retreat!"
"It's the Void ruler!"
Soldiers scattered in every direction.
Within seconds the massive army had completely collapsed.
Seraphine watched them run.
"…You enjoy ruining their plans."
Icarus lowered his hand.
"Plans require intelligence."
Seraphine chuckled softly.
"Harsh."
But her expression slowly became thoughtful again.
She looked toward the horizon.
"…Still."
"This war feels wrong."
---
Far away from the battlefield…
Inside the floating chamber of divine stone…
The meeting continued.
Gods sat around the circular table in silence.
Across from them, the devils watched with amused expressions.
The atmosphere was strangely calm despite the war raging outside.
A devil leaned forward slightly.
"How many divisions did we lose today?"
A god answered without emotion.
"Twenty-one."
The devil whistled softly.
"Expensive."
Another god spoke.
"Your forces lost eighteen."
The devil shrugged.
"Acceptable."
Silence returned briefly.
Then one of the younger gods spoke hesitantly.
"Are we certain this will work?"
Several older gods looked at him.
One devil chuckled quietly.
"Feeling nervous?"
The young god frowned.
"We're sacrificing millions of soldiers."
The devil tapped his fingers against the table.
"Yes."
"That's the point."
The armored god who had spoken earlier leaned back in his chair.
"Our armies are not the weapon."
He gestured toward the massive projection above the table.
It displayed countless battlefields across the dimension.
Millions of fighters.
Endless war.
"We are shaping the battlefield."
A devil smiled slowly.
"And guiding a certain guest."
The young god still looked uneasy.
"And when that guest arrives?"
Another devil leaned forward.
His crimson eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Then the real show begins."
The armored god nodded calmly.
"Everything is progressing according to schedule."
Outside the chamber, the war continued to spread across the world.
Millions fought.
Millions died.
None of them understood why the war refused to end.
None of them realized they were merely pieces on a far larger board.
And far away from them all—
Something had already begun moving.
Deep within the distant mountains.
A presence.
Ancient.
Powerful.
And slowly approaching the battlefield where the Void ruler waited.