For the Dark Night Sentinels, they had been waiting all along for the moment of vengeance.
To watch helplessly as the elemental spirits they worshipped were imprisoned, the people they swore to protect were slaughtered, their own nation destroyed—these had long ignited their fury. And now, with their souls finally freed from the shackles of the demons, and once again blessed with the power of the elemental spirits, this was the best opportunity for the Dark Night Sentinels to exact their revenge!
At Duanmu Huai's command, the Dark Night Sentinels gripped their weapons tightly, roaring as they charged at the demons.
Riding the Metal Secret Dragon, Duanmu Huai and the girls naturally rushed in at the very front.
The pitch-black dragon thundered across the battlefield, knocking every demon before it into the air as it lunged straight into the demonic host. At the same time, one puppet after another slipped out of the shadows, clutching daggers and shortswords as they leapt at enemies on all sides. Though these puppets were quickly reduced to ash under demonic fire, Duanmu Huai raised his warhammer high, releasing a burst of holy brilliance. In the next instant, hundreds upon thousands of paladins, armed with spears and shields and mounted on warhorses, surged into the battlefield like a torrential flood.
Standing on the back of the Metal Secret Dragon, Olgis extended both hands. Invisible threads of silk sharpened into blades, mercilessly slicing apart demon after demon that dared to block her path. Seated upon the dragon itself, Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer, crushing any demons foolish enough to approach into bloody pulp.
Above them, all manner of creations circled the battlefield like swarming drones, firing beams of multicolored energy at the demons in the sky.
Behind them, Anne lifted her grimoire high, chanting loudly. With each incantation, enormous magic circles bloomed into being, covering the battlefield ahead. Lightning, fire, and raging winds howled forth, sweeping across the field and completely engulfing the demons within.
On another flank, Filene spread her arms. Frigid gales howled outwards from her body, swirling into a storm, and in moments a colossal dragon of ice materialized in the center of the battlefield. Facing the demon horde before it, the frost dragon roared, then lunged straight into the mass of enemies.
Of course, the demons' offensive did not cease. Soon, a towering minotaur demon smashed through a wall, rampaging like a furious bull straight toward Anne. But in that instant, a lithe figure flashed overhead—in the blink of an eye, Guleya appeared above the beast's head. She raised her right hand high—her once-delicate white palm instantly morphing into a scaled claw—and brought it down with tremendous force.
"Boom!!"
The three-meter-tall minotaur demon was slammed to the ground by Guleya's strike. Before it could recover, her next blow shattered its skull, reducing it to nothing more than a corpse.
"Th-this is…"
From the rear, the frontline commander rose to his feet, staring blankly at the battlefield before him. The demonic host they could never hope to withstand had been completely halted by this unexpected band of intruders.
Who were they? Where did they come from?
Such questions no longer mattered to the commander. What mattered was that—for the first time—the demons had been stopped!
For the first time, the demons were forced to halt… even retreat?
At that moment, a frantic voice crackled through the radio.
"This is Command! What's the situation at the frontlines?! Respond immediately!"
Because of the earlier demonic assault on the fortress, Command had nearly lost all contact with the front, and had no idea what was unfolding. In truth, even the frontline commander himself barely knew how to describe what he was seeing.
"This… this is the central defense line. The demons' assault has been stopped—no, that's not right—the demons are retreating! Their offensive has been repelled!!"
"What—!?"
Under Duanmu Huai's onslaught, the demons' offensive had been utterly shattered. Though their numbers were great, their foes were no easy prey. The Dark Night Sentinels themselves were not weak—especially now that the elemental spirits were freed, and once again channeled their blessings through faith. Moreover, although the Ring of Nur had fallen, many of the Yakin people's weapons had been sealed away in storage; these weapons were far from useless.
Indeed, on this battlefield there were not only the Dark Night Sentinels' armies, but also Yakin warships and mecha—piloted, of course, by the Sentinels themselves.
It was by relying on these that they succeeded in repelling the demons' attack.
In truth, had the Meck Queen not betrayed them, selling out the Yakin to the demons, then with Yakin technology and power—even if they could not completely annihilate the demons—they could at least have fought them to a stalemate.
Yet to preserve her own longevity, the Meck Queen sacrificed the entire Yakin race to the demons. That was what doomed the Ring of Nur and brought about the utter destruction of Yakin civilization.
Indeed, those not of our kin are sure to harbor alien hearts…
When Duanmu Huai returned from the battlefield, what he saw was the pale-faced frontline commander and a group of trembling soldiers.
"Y-you… hello…"
Staring at the towering figure in black armor, decorated with terrifying ornaments, the commander swallowed hard. Forcing himself to stand, he stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
"Thank you for your aid… If not for your arrival…"
Though he wanted to express gratitude, his heart pounded wildly. He could not explain why, but standing before this terrifying black figure, it felt as though he stood before a ravenous tyrannosaurus that might swallow him whole at any moment.
"It's nothing. These demons are our enemies as well."
Seeing the commander hardly daring to breathe, Duanmu Huai spoke. Perhaps because much of humanity in this universe descended from the Empire, the human languages were all derived from it. Though they had shifted over time, they remained mutually intelligible. Duanmu Huai's Power Armor contained linguistic databases not only of the human Empire but also of Orcs, Eldar, Tau, and other alien races.
"Haa…"
Hearing that communication was possible, the commander exhaled in relief. This black giant was frightening enough—he truly feared there might come a whole army of horrors as dreadful as the demons.
Quickly, he raised his head and respectfully introduced himself.
According to him, they were part of an organization called the "Armed Response Alliance." This coalition was formed after the demonic invasion, uniting nations and forces resisting them. Their goal was simple: destroy the demons and reclaim their planet.
But the demons' strength was far greater than they imagined. Worse still, there were traitors among humanity itself.
Namely, the UAC—the United Aerospace Corporation.
This massive interstellar development company was suspected of having somehow made contact with the demons, ultimately luring them to invade the planet.
Hmm… Duanmu Huai recalled that the alien research facility he visited earlier had been UAC's.
Well then, humanity's betrayal was certain.
After brief talks, the commander explained that he would withdraw to the rear for recovery. While these newcomers fought demons as well, that did not make them guaranteed allies. For now, the Armed Response Alliance's priority was protecting civilians in the underground city. As for negotiations with this force—that was a matter for higher authorities to deal with.
Duanmu Huai had no objections. Relieved, the commander retreated to the rear and immediately reported his encounter to Command over the radio.
As expected, Command was stunned by the report.
"So, you're saying a group of aliens arrived on our planet and helped us repel the demons?"
"Yes. According to their commander, they are from an organization called the 'Inquisition,' whose purpose is to hunt down and eradicate all demons and anything related to them."
"In that case… they don't appear to be our enemies. But… are they truly that powerful?"
"Extremely powerful."
Recalling the earlier battle, the commander shivered. He could still see it in his mind: a pink-haired girl about his daughter's age, darting between demons. She carried no weapon—only a heavy book resembling a dictionary.
Her opponent had been a monster of immense strength and resilience, capable of withstanding tank fire.
Yet the girl showed no fear. The commander had watched as she simply slammed the massive book into the demon's face—its head twisted 180 degrees and snapped off like a fragile fruit.
At that moment, he almost wondered if his mind had broken.
Not to mention the young mage who effortlessly annihilated demons that even armored divisions couldn't defeat, simply with her spells. The reinforcements' power was truly beyond comprehension.
"…"
After hearing the report, Command fell into silence.
"What do we do next?"
"What are their plans?"
"According to the Inquisitor, the main force will hold the defense line, while their elite squad will advance to eliminate the three wizards summoning the demons. He claims that once the wizards are slain, the demons will retreat from this world."
"…Understood. We'll immediately convene an emergency meeting to decide on further actions. Until then, you are ordered to rally the remnants of your forces and garrison at the frontline command post. Await orders."
"Yes, sir!!"
While the Armed Response Alliance debated their next move, Duanmu Huai led his companions to temporarily settle in the city center's commercial district—one of the few places not utterly destroyed, still relatively intact.
"Waaah… so big!!"
Seeing the vast shopping mall before her, Anne's eyes sparkled with excitement. She looked around curiously before turning to Duanmu Huai.
"Sir Knight, is this really just a shopping mall?"
"Yes. A department store, to be precise. Simply put, it gathers all merchants into one building, so no matter what you want to buy, you can find it here."
"Even horses?"
"…Well, not that."
"That's amazing! Perhaps I should advise Father to build one in the royal capital as well."
Anne peered into a glass window display, marveling at the mannequins dressed in clothes. Soon, a thought struck her, and she turned back to Duanmu Huai with confusion.
"But Sir Knight, why is this world so easily overrun by demons? They can build such incredible structures—why, this building is even larger than Manaria's royal palace!"
"Perhaps it seems that way to you…"
Duanmu Huai smiled wryly. From Anne's perspective, this civilization clearly surpassed Manaria, so logically, it should have been stronger. But things weren't so simple.
"Every world has its own rules. For example, this one may have no magicians—and no magic."
"What? No magicians? No magic?"
Anne's eyes went wide.
"Then how can they build such tall structures? And without magic, what would they do against magical beasts?"
"Perhaps this world has no magical beasts. As for such buildings… there are other ways to achieve what magic cannot. If you're curious, you could check that bookstore upstairs."
He pointed toward the shop on the second floor.
"There are books from across the land—perhaps you'll find something you like."
"Books!?"
The moment she heard the word, Anne's eyes lit up. She grabbed Guleya's hand.
"Guleya, let's go!!"
In the next instant, the two dashed off toward the bookstore.
"Heh."
Watching them leave, Duanmu Huai shook his head. Then he turned to see Olgis and… Filene, who had silently remained at his side.
"Uh… Miss Filene, why are you following me?"
"I want… to look around."
Filene's voice was calm and deep as always. Though she said that, her eyes were fixed squarely on Duanmu Huai.
Her meaning was obvious.
"…Fine."
Glancing at Lorena, who was also staring around in curiosity, Duanmu Huai sighed.
"Alright. I'll show you all around."
(End of Chapter)