Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

And perhaps only at this moment will those arrogant individuals who believe they can reap the benefits in the bloody battle truly realize that the advice of the powerful mage known as "Duncan" was not without merit:

"The Blood War—an endless struggle between devils and demons—helps to maintain the balance of the multiverse. Sometimes others will intervene, but do not deceive yourselves; there is no lighter evil than the other. I will not be grateful to the devil for escaping his lash."

Raslaufer had never heard anything like this before, and he could only truly understand one thing: compared to the scene before him, the chaotic dance of demons in Ironforge was nothing but a minor disturbance.

"Suppress their attack, don't let them charge up easily!" the centurion roared, throwing his giant axe and showing Reslaufer another way to use these Yogros magic weapons.

The spellcasters erected walls of fire and other barriers to block the demons' attack. Rays of light tore through the air and poured into the abyss along with a rain of arrows. In the sky, the thorn demons and imps, who had gained a slight advantage, dared not let this limited advantage slip by. Flaming arrows and thorns rained down to relieve the pressure on the ground troops.

Such air support could only appear at this moment, because soon they would be overwhelmed by more demons—there was only the military strength of their own legion here, and if they wanted to wait for the support of their brother forces, they would have to survive until then.

That means that for more than 90 percent of the time, they must survive in melee combat and hold onto the high ground and the pontoon bridge behind them.

"We're too close!" a hedgehog demon screamed as it ran to Centurion Yogros. "The air force needs to prioritize securing the north. Are we going to engage the enemy now?"

"No rush! Stand right here, at a 55-degree angle, launch the flames!" The Demon of Conquest grabbed it and placed it in a pre-calculated position. "There's plenty of explosives planted at the impact point—now, quick!"

A ball of flame was projected from the Hedgehog Demon's hand, and as it traced an arc, a sea of ​​fire instantly erupted before Leslaufer's eyes!

But the demon is crossing it at an even faster speed!

Chapter 700 The Demon That Shouldn't Have Appeared

The objective reality of being outnumbered prompted the soldiers and officers of the 971st Army's assault force to make thorough preparations to deal with the demons that could arrive at any time. The most important of these preparations was to lay down five separate lines of explosives along the demons' likely route.

The demons' filthy nature makes them immune to the death cloud spells of the poisonous Ross demons, but they are not so resistant to fire and explosions, especially the lower-ranking demons who rely on numbers. If these one-off defenses are used properly, they can do their best to kill the enemy.

The only problem is that the enemy's numerical advantage is simply too great.

One explosion after another was ignited, but the number of demons that rushed across the five layers of fire to reach the position still had to be described as "massive". Leslaufer stepped forward and kicked the fastest cowardly demon off the cover. Just by swinging his battle sword a few times, the sticky, disgusting fluid on it made him feel extra weight.

He can kill several, dozens, or even hundreds of demons, but what about thousands? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? The mere zeros after those numbers would utterly crush any seasoned warrior!

Fortunately, this is not a personal grudge; it is a war that has lasted for countless years and will continue to this day. Raslaufer is not fighting alone.

"Kill! Kill all these maggots!" The centurion, who had been poised to strike, roared with earth-shattering force. He leaped forward, wielding his giant axe, his eyes burning with blood-red flames. In a short while, he had slaughtered his way into a pile of corpses equal to the number of Reislaufers. Behind him, the soldiers formed flexible squads of three, and then recombined each squad into three groups. Relying on this formation and their well-trained coordination, they were able to face and kill ten or even dozens of times more enemies, thus ensuring that the defensive line would not collapse.

Raslaufer was also in such a squad, his companions being the horned demon Horn and the bone demon Hezero. Perhaps they were all corrupted by the abyss, but the memories etched into their muscles would not fade. After eliminating the old mage Charles, Dobler's fifty-man squad dispersed into seventeen three-man teams, then seventeen became six, six became two, ultimately concentrating command entirely on Raslaufer. Although only fifty men, this fighting group was adept at both offense and defense, capable of covering a battle line over 1500 meters wide!

"Kill! Hehehehehe, kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Horn's hideous, devilish face wore a silly grin, but the greatsword in his hand showed no mercy, cutting through everything in its path like weeds, taking away one soul after another. In contrast, the Bone Demon was more like a cunning and treacherous assassin, moving in the shadows of Leslaufer and Horn, exploiting the weaknesses of his opponents.

Hezer had no weapons; his sharp claws and terrifying bone spikes were his best tools. Even the viscous pus flowing from the demon could not affect his agility. Under Raslaufer's leadership, as their squad held the most dangerous area, the other sixteen squads were also fixed in place, locking the entire battle line in place!

“Every soldier under his command is very strong…” The centurion glanced somewhat gloomily in the direction of Raslaufer, but even he had to admit that it was entirely Raslaufer’s doing. If it were him, he would never have been able to make these warriors, who had been corrupted by the abyss, so obedient—if it were so easy, they wouldn’t have been imprisoned in the first place.

"Watch out, a big guy is charging at us!"

Before another centurion on the eastern front could finish his warning, both Conqueror of Ross and Raslaufer noticed a gigantic demon descending from the sky, landing on the battlefield with overwhelming ferocity. It had six limbs, the top pair being enormous crab claws, completely enveloped by three mirror-like projections. As Conqueror of Ross swung his axe, endless darkness spread out amidst the demon's terrifying laughter. The demon hastily attempted to defend itself, but a giant claw was already upon it, snatching one of its companions mid-air.

"He's almost as ugly as you!" The dark magic was dispelled by Charles's spell, but the newly lit orb of light was instantly crushed by the demon's power. One pincer held the Yoggros mercenary upside down, while a ball of deathly power began to coalesce in the middle of the other pincer. The evil eyes fixed on the centurion, and suddenly, a cruel sneer rang out from its gaping maw below, "I suppose this is your brother?"

"Choose: its life, or the defense line here!"

"What do you take me for, a mere mortal? Die!" The centurion roared and charged forward again. His figure vanished from the spot in an instant, and when he reappeared, his giant axe cleaved down on the demon's head. This blow struck a vital spot, causing the self-righteous fellow to scream in pain and fall to the ground.

However, as the seductive demon fell, the centurion clearly saw that a strange smile still lingered on the demon's lips.

This is a trap!

He hurriedly tried to stop it, but it was too late. As the Temptress raised the magic orb in its dying moments, the magic, which had seemed to be used for killing, suddenly bloomed like a flower about to burst open, unleashing bursts of teleportation power. The next moment, six arms wrapped with six blades burst out from inside the magic orb like a whirlwind. Although the centurion managed to dodge in time, the Yoggros demon that had just been captured by the Temptress was not so lucky. In a moment, it was chopped into dozens of pieces!

The centurion was immediately startled: "It's a six-armed serpent demon! Damn it, how could something like that be here?!"

"Support! We need support here!"

Such high-level demons are beyond their capabilities!

"A six-armed serpent demon has appeared on Hill 1026." At the same time, on another distant battlefield, a bald woman glanced coldly at the commander beside her. She looked like an angel, but her brows were even more ruthless and fierce. "No wonder you insisted on making a breakthrough here."

“It’s just some simple scheming, Grand Duke Zariel,” the golden-skinned, red-haired devil bowed slightly with humility and elegance. “In order to achieve greater results, some sacrifices are inevitable. Commander Muse is both resourceful and talented, and he will surely be able to hold off the enemy as much as possible.”

"As much as possible?" The Demon Duke hummed in agreement. "You praise her so highly, yet you believe she can't hold out for three days?"

Three days is enough time for them to achieve victory and return in triumph. Meanwhile, friendly forces near Hill 1026 can provide Muse with sufficient support.

However, when faced with Zariel's question, Bael simply grinned and did not answer.

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes: "Bael, I command you to answer my question: you only intend to let her hold out for three days, right?"

Chapter 701 The Last Line of Defense

Raslaufer couldn't remember exactly how much time had passed. In fact, the demons responsible for telling the time had all been taken to the front lines and died there, and all the timekeeping devices had probably been turned into parts of various other instruments and buried in the battle lines.

Even so, their position continued to retreat, and now only one hilltop remained to be completely lost.

Dubler was surrounded by a tangible gray energy that continuously drew upon the life energy of every life that died at his hands to replenish himself. At this moment, Raslaufer had completely transformed into a grotesque form somewhere between a dragon, a demon, and a devil. With a desperate thrust, he plunged his battle sword into the eye socket of another charging demon, the weapon forged in purgatory finally completed its final mission in its birthplace. Its light dissipated, and it shattered into a pile of fragments.

The demons seemed to think this was a perfect opportunity, but as they charged, Raslaufer suddenly leaped into the air, his thick tail whipping around a corpse beneath him, using it to crush swarms of demons like a rolling log. At the same time, Raslaufer stretched out his hands and grasped two of the six curved swords that the corpse had released.

An ominous green light flickered on the blade, the power of the abyss almost instantly seeping into Raslaufer's hands before being swiftly annihilated. Dople swung his left-hand blade, cleaving aside a thrown ball of electricity, and then slammed his right arm down, the downward-pointing blade slicing into the shoulder blade of a demon. With Raslaufer's force, the demon only had time to let out a scream before being pulled into Raslaufer's arms. His already blood-stained, gleaming teeth bit down without hesitation, tearing a large chunk of flesh from the demon's disintegrating body.

The fires of hell erupted behind Raslaufer, transforming into a ring of fire once more. Raslaufer fixed his eyes, now only black and red, on the demons still charging forward, and slowly retreated like a giant bear returning to its cave.

It's time for the shift to change.

However, the one who could buy him a moment's respite was neither the Horned Demon Horn, nor the Bone Demon Hezero, nor even the old mage Charles. The Horned Demon's mangled body was fused together with five or six demons, indistinguishable from each other, like a sculpture. The Bone Demon, not far away, had finally managed to kill an enemy even stronger than the Mad Toad Demon before his death. As for Charles…

There was no trace of the old man left on the battlefield; even his soul had vanished.

But the last stronghold he built still stands there, teetering on the brink of collapse, yet not yet crumbled. And as long as it exists for even a second, the road to the pontoon bridge will not be opened.

Even if we exclude the living beings other than the demons, there are only two people left on it.

Looking beyond the wings of the demon, several sinister gazes still lingered on them, but Raslaufer merely responded with mockery. He had devoured two-thirds of the six-armed serpent demon, and the higher demons, terrified, dared only send their minions to attempt to overwhelm them with a sea of ​​demons.

But as long as there is something to kill, Raslaufer will not run out of energy.

Doble withdrew his gaze, his eyes suddenly flashing with a sharp light. He released his scimitar, deflecting a giant hammer that was attacking Muse from behind. The next second, he appeared beside Muse, wrapping his arm around the devil's waist and pushing her backward. He then turned and used the scales on his back to deflect the incoming dark magic.

“You’re too tired,” Leslaufer glanced at her, swallowed the blood in his mouth, and turned to take over the defensive line again. “I told you, you should have rested properly before helping out, instead of pursuing this so-called ‘fairness’ of taking turns.”

Now, and in the future, he can no longer count on this devil who has completely overdrawn his resources.

Muse struggled to prop herself up with her longsword, but for her, this was all she had to do. Although the arrogance of being a high-ranking demon made it impossible for her to accept this fact, demons were creatures who respected order and reason. She knew perfectly well that acting recklessly would only lead to her own destruction and drag this mortal, whose fighting prowess even she feared, into the mess.

She had only one question left: Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?!

Even though she had lost precise control over the time, Muse was certain that the nearest reinforcements should have arrived by now, even if they had to crawl! There was only the pontoon bridge behind them, and as long as Hill 1026 was still standing, there was no possibility that reinforcements couldn't reach them!

If she can go back, even if she can only be reborn from the River Styx as a lesser demon, she will remember this, and she will definitely have a place in the plaintiff's seat of the Phrygsos court!

But the more likely scenario is... neither she nor Leslaufer will ever be able to go back.

The demon raised its head and looked towards the distant horizon, where an extreme evil, powerful enough to make even demons tremble, soared into the sky and hurtled toward them at an incredible speed.

Not only the Sin Demon was affected by this malice; when she felt fear, all the demons near Leslaufer, whose rank was lower than that of the Quasseraphim, could no longer exist under such power. They trembled and exploded, turning into wisps of steam filled only with chaotic evil thoughts. And in this mist, Leslaufer flapped her wings and finally saw the creature that had caused all of this.

It looked like an extremely obese human male, several sizes larger than the Chancellor of the Exchequer Griffin, with a long, dark green face. It wore an ill-fitting military uniform adorned with a dozen medals and ribbons, as if it could project some kind of morbid elegance, but in reality, its entire body was constantly emitting disgusting hissing and popping sounds.

"A demon?" The bizarre, twisted creature stopped three hundred meters ahead of the high ground, its face contorted as if going any further would cause it great discomfort. When it saw Leslaufer, its expression immediately became even more grotesque. "What exactly are you?"

In its hand lay an object that could hardly be called a weapon—a strangely designed leather belt. If it weren't held by this being, no one would associate it with a "weapon." At that moment, the demon swung it, causing it to emit a deafening thunderous roar in the air.

"Get out of here right now!" the powerful demon shouted at Leslaufer. "I don't care which level you come from or what insignificant achievements you have made. Compared to the great Blood War General Baltazu, you are nothing—"

What exactly did this demon see in him? Raslaufer didn't know, nor did he intend to waste his energy on it. He brandished his scimitar in a defiant gesture:

"Very well, if that's the case, then come on over."

Chapter 702 Zariel's Arrival

The belt, renowned throughout the bloody battle and said to be "infinitely stretchable," twisted at a sharp angle like a venomous snake, wrapping itself around the blade of the scimitar in Raslaufer's hand. No matter how hard Raslaufer tried, he could not cause it the slightest damage.

This was just the beginning. After bypassing the blade, the weapon's tip immediately extended, continuing its attack on Raslaufer's torso. Dople tried to dodge but failed, only managing to avoid a vital spot. The vicious metal buckle still gripped his arm, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

"Foolish!" Baltazu seemed to have originally intended to eat the piece of flesh, but ultimately failed to do so, instead tossing it aside with disgust. "No matter what you are, you are no match for me! You should know very well that so-called order is nothing more than a splash of water in chaos, like life to death, light to darkness! Are you really going to throw yourself away for this kind of game? Get out of my way!"

Baltazhul rarely spoke to others like this, but this one opposite him… he really couldn't understand him. Although Raslaufer's current appearance was indeed terrifying, as a lord who could occupy a part of the Abyss, Baltazhul didn't see such superficial appearances; he saw something much deeper.

But the more it does this, the more it forces itself to be cautious.

Beneath this mutated body lies the shadow of a human, but behind this shadow lies utter darkness—complete and absolute darkness.

If we use order and chaos as metaphors, then this darkness undoubtedly corresponds to utter chaos, where not even a trace of logic exists!

But that's impossible! At least, this situation couldn't happen to any "naturally" born entity!

Baltaju wanted to explore further and find out what caused the being in front of him to stand here, but as soon as he moved forward, the spider silk from the 66th layer of the deep pit's magic web blocked his view, preventing him from continuing rashly—even for a lesser demon lord, that deity was not someone who could be easily approached.

Leslaufer glanced down at the mutilated arm, then tossed a broken sword from the ground at the other man: "I don't understand what you're saying. All I know is that if you want to get through here, you'll have to go over my dead body."

“And in doing so, you must kill me completely,” Dobler said, a maniacal smile spreading across his face. He did not attack his opponent, but remained stubbornly in his final position. “I said this to the Devil Duke, and I will say it to you as well.”

Baltazu's long face stretched even longer. He was indeed wary of Reslauver's true identity, but not to the point that he dared not kill him! Enraged, the demon general roared, his massive, bloated body whipping the leather belt at Reslauver's feet.

Muse's eyes widened beneath her helmet, and her nearly exhausted body tensed. She was certain that neither she nor Leslaufer could withstand this attack at this moment, and if that were the case…

Rather than letting Leslaufer, whose physical condition is still at its peak, take the hit, it's better for her to do it—

If she still had a legion here, she would be a centurion, while Raslaufer would at most be a fiftieth-ranking officer, her personal guard—the Sinister would never have such thoughts. But now, there were only two of them left on the battlefield, so it was only natural for her, severely wounded and exhausted, to bear the burden.

Muse thought this, and was about to act accordingly. However, just as she was about to abandon everything and rush to replace Raslaufer, a large hand pressed down on her shattered shoulder armor.

“Relax, soldiers,” the hoarse voice made Muse’s knees go weak. “You have done a great job. Now, I’m here.”

Muse instinctively turned around and saw a bald head covered with hideous lines and scars, and behind that burly and majestic body were a pair of jet-black wings, the ashes of a fallen heaven.

"Grand Duke Zariel?!" Muse exclaimed in surprise. She saw not a single reinforcement around this legendary great demon. "How could you—"

“Just a mere lesser lord,” Zariel ignored her, flapping her wings and soaring thousands of meters into the air. From that immense height, she looked down at the lord crawling on the ground. “Baltazu, long time no see! Is your tattered sash only good for bullying mortals now?”

The demon looked up in horror. It recognized Zariel, of course, but if its intelligence hadn't missed anything, this Grand Duke should be...

"Zariel! Daughter of Destruction!" Baltazu unleashed magic that was terrifying even to demons, causing its body to shrink considerably. "How could you possibly be here?!"

"It's incredibly difficult to catch an old bastard like you. Now that you've finally met me, you'll die here!" Facing the overwhelming malice, the great demon laughed maniacally and pointed downwards with the tip of its sword. In an instant, the demon, along with the extension of its power, burst into flames. "Incineration Sacrifice!"

"No—" Baltazu twisted his body, trying to extinguish the flames that were as hot as the light of heaven, but he couldn't even stop the uniform and medals from being burned to ashes. In extreme pain, a huge amount of black smoke burst out from his body. With a burst of energy, he swung his belt, trying to tear the arrogant devil down from the high and mighty.

But at this moment, the other end of the belt... remained completely still?

"I told you, you must kill me!" The deep green face turned around and saw Raslaufer's extremely distorted face. But while enduring great pain, the smile on this mortal's face was even more joyful than Zariel's maniacal laughter: he gripped Baltazu's weapon with both hands, and did not let go even as his entire body and even his soul were being corroded!

This demon must die here!

"Well done, lad!" The laughter of the demon duke who guarded Afonas could shake the entire layer of the Abyssal Hell. With unparalleled power, she launched a tidal wave of attacks on the demons opposite her, an attack that was simply too much for a lesser demon lord like Baltazu to withstand.

Faced with Zariel's all-out attack in a fit of rage, even Pazuzu, the demon lord who is in the same abyss as it, would probably have to avoid its sharp edge!

In the brief exchange, the battle-hardened demon seized upon a tiny mistake by the devil, and this fleeting vulnerability would bring it the most terrible price.

Countless sharp blades surged up from beneath the ground, surrounding the demon. Zariel vanished instantly, his longsword seemingly capable of tearing through time and space, slashing down at Baltazhun's chest.

"Now, you maggots, get out of my territory!"

Chapter 703 Zariel's Reward

The flames, capable of burning even the souls to ashes, swept across the entire wasteland in an instant. Even the high ground held by Raslaufer and Muse was not spared. Muse, a demon, stood unharmed in the flames, and even her strength was rapidly recovering. Raslaufer, on the other hand, truly felt why those souls who had fallen into the abyss were crying out in despair.

But unlike them, Doples had no intention of making a sound. Compared to the pleasure he derived from seeing the demons who had besieged them for so long suffer, this pain was nothing.

The Demon Duke glanced at Raslaufer as if by chance, and nodded in satisfaction.

The fire in Zariel had burned for a full day and night, and would continue to burn at a weaker pace for about a year, but there was no longer any need for Raslaufer and Muse to stand by and watch. The Great Demon landed, folded its wings, and stood at the highest point, leaning on its sword, its face flushed as it awaited the arrival of its two subordinates.

“My lord…” Muse took two steps forward and knelt on one knee before Zariel. She turned her head to try to remind Leslaufer to do the same, but Zariel forcibly twisted her neck, leaving Leslaufer standing still and nodding to him from afar.

“I see no need to make things difficult for him. He’s been burning in the flames all day; anyone could say they’ve paid me a salute,” Zariel smiled at Raslaufer. “Well done, lad. It’s a pity I can’t heal you directly; your body is just too much of a mess.”

"What about that demon lord?" Leslaufer didn't answer the question, but asked directly.

“A minor lord, that’s important. He’s gone. That guy’s survived this long not just because he’s good at fighting, even my predecessor, that old turtle Bayer, suffered at his hands,” Zariel said. “But even so, this should be enough to terrify him, and he won’t show his face for at least several centuries—by the way, where’s his belt?”

Raslaufer swayed slightly, his hand outstretched, clutching only a small, remaining fragment in his palm, which appeared to have lost its magic. Compared to a lesser demon lord, his power was still considerably inferior, and managing to forcibly seize even this small amount was already quite an achievement.

“Not bad,” the Grand Duke nodded. “This thing is useless to you, so let’s just consider it as a battle achievement and convert it into your military merit. You don’t have any objections, do you?”

The fallen angel spoke to himself, seemingly not intending to truly seek Leslaufer's opinion: "To be honest, I asked Intihis, Barbasabalon, Bael, and even Philna and Belial before. I thought so many people's opinions would be enough to piece together your outline, but now it seems that either their understanding of you is still limited, or Philna is hiding something. But none of that matters anymore. Under my command, the only thing I value is this: you must be able to fight, be strong enough, strong enough that those bastards of the abyss will be so terrified that they'll wet themselves just by hearing your name!"