Chapter 1

1

Prologue

A place where red dust and black smoke always float.

A land where everything, including water, is polluted.

This was precisely the land of death, Lauper.

A land ruled by the Demon God Argos, located in the northernmost part of the Tercas continent, the Herpen Plains.

There, the dark army and the light coalition stood face to face.

"Kuuuuu!"

Kargos, the Demon Dragon commanding the seven dark armies, roared from the center of the long line of the dark army.

However,

"Kraaaaaa!"

In front of them, the light coalition.

From there, a roar similar to that of a dragon also erupted.

This war was not just for the bipedal races.

Dragons.

They, boasting unparalleled strength, also gathered to determine the fate of the planet Demos.

"Let us stop the resurrection of the Demon God and restore peace to the planet Demos! Let us restore peace with our own strength!"

Fenifor, the ruler of Pelinor who unified the Tercas continent, shouted with a loud voice. He was the representative of the races that took on the role of supreme commander of this temporary coalition.

Clank, clank.

His full plate armor, plated in silver, clanked with his movements.

In addition to Fenifor, there were the Elven ruler Lafes, the Dwarf king Kallin, the Barbarian hero of the East, Carden, the Golden Mage Tower master Eogis, and the Ancient Dragon Baragond.

For the first time in history, an unprecedented alliance of races was formed to prevent the resurrection of the Demon God.

Thud, thud, thud!

The monsters tensed as the coalition army advanced, gripping longswords, spears, battle axes, and warhammers.

Chainmail and plate armor reflected the sunlight, creaking.

Boom, boom, boom!

Orcs blocked the coalition army at the front lines.

The 2 million dark army, completely surrounding the 700,000 light coalition forces.

Orc riders on gray wolves raised their battle axes and cut into the coalition army's throats.

Trolls and ogres swept the battlefield with massive clubs.

Arrows rained down on the battlefield.

The two armies stood in a tense standoff.

The elite of the dark army, Balor the Lord of Flames, Black Knight Karanki, Demilich Garunba, Ogre King Kartin, Dark Elf King Chenir, Troll King Yanag, and Orc King Telsar.

The seven dark army commanders all appeared, displaying their unparalleled prowess.

Dragons, spewing breath and magic, were torn apart by the commanders' attacks, displaying their transcendent might.

Crack.

And.

In the heart of the dark Lauger, the black tower.

A crack began to form on the statue of the Demon God standing atop the black tower.

The statue, over 100 meters tall and with wings spanning over 200 meters, was enormous.

No one would have expected that something living was inside.

But.

"Kuuuuu!"

Crash!

The surface, which looked like a statue, shattered, revealing dark, scaly skin. Three long horns, like those of a dragon, protruded from the head.

Inside the leather was a body compressed with perfect muscles, devoid of any fat.

The Demon God (魔神).

Sealed by the demigods at the dawn of time.

The one who made the entire planet Demos tremble with fear.

The Demon God Argos revealed himself.

Boom!

Kwaaaaa...

"..."

Dust and debris flew as the stone crumbled.

Everyone stopped fighting and stared blankly at the scene, their mouths agape, marveling at the Demon God's presence.

Argos, who had not appeared for thousands of years, had awakened.

Crack.

Argos clenched and unclenched his fists, seemingly unfamiliar with his long-lost body.

He bent his legs, compressing his body deeply.

He was in a position to spring at any moment.

"..."

"..."

Everyone froze at the appearance of the Demon God.

Whether monster or human, no one could move in the presence of the absolute being.

"Hehehe! Pathetic creatures."

The first words from the Demon God were these.

No one could refute Argos' arrogant words, not even the dragons, known as the strongest of all races.

'This is the worst... '

Argos had regained his power.

This meant that the expedition to move the Arnil, where the Demon God's power was sealed, to the void outside the world had failed.

The Ancient Dragon Baragond watched Argos with a despairing gaze. The title of Ancient was an honorable rank given to dragons who had lived for over 10,000 years.

It was not a rank that could be achieved by age alone. It was a rank that only those who had reached the 9th Circle, the highest level of human magic, could attain.

'Even the Demon God is still at the 9th Circle...'

Even within the 9th Circle, there were lower, middle, and upper ranks. This was because the 9th Circle was an extremely difficult rank to achieve.

It was incomparable to ordinary classes.

The rank of the absolute being.

That was the 9th Circle of magic.

However, Baragond was at the lower rank of the 9th Circle, while Argos was at the upper rank.

Despite his body being sealed for a long time, his power had not diminished at all. If he were to unleash his full power now, this place would be devastated.

It was already devastated, but no one would survive his next move.

"Hehehe..."

The Demon God, who had been surveying the insignificant creatures, stopped his gaze at one point.

"Baragond? Are you still alive?"

The Demon God Argos' mocking words were directed at Baragond, suppressing him even before the attack began.

"..."

Baragond could not say a word.

Had he ever faced such a crisis in his thousands of years of life?

Never.

Swish.

Without waiting for Baragond's response, Argos did not hesitate.

Whoosh.

He immediately attempted the 9th Circle teleportation spell, High Blink, and appeared in front of Baragond.

Smack!

"Ugh!"

He punched Baragond's face, and the physical battle began.

Smack, smack, smack!

Smack, smack, smack!

Baragond also raised his tail and unleashed magic with all his might. However, the two-level difference within the 9th Circle was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

Smack!

"Kurk!"

Baragond, who had been mercilessly punched in the face and body, lay on the ground in a pitiful state. He had led the dragons, who were scattered and unable to unite, to this place.

He lay on the ground, not on a beautiful land filled with flowers and grass, but on a barren, polluted, and decayed land where nothing grew.

"Huff, huff..."

Baragond gasped, spitting out blood and internal organs. The light in his eyes gradually faded.

"Pitiful."

The light coalition fell into despair again at the Demon God's muttering. Despite the alliance of all races on the Tercas continent, they could not defeat the dark army.

When the strongest force of the coalition, the ancient dragon Baragond, fell, it became a foregone conclusion.

"Hahaha. Hahahahaha!"

"Kuhuhuhu!"

"Kuhuhuhu!"

The monsters roared in joy at the Demon God's laughter.

The war was not yet over, but it was as good as over. The monsters raised their swords, spears, and axes again.

The ruthless slaughter that had been momentarily halted by the dragons was about to resume.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

At that moment, a commotion erupted from behind the coalition army. It was not just the sound.

Thud, thud.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the coalition army's rear began to slowly split to the sides.

A person slowly walked into the center.