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***
Inside Grosch Castle.
The demons were constantly reporting the situation to Sakiel. Sakiel was in the operations room, reviewing dozens of crystal orbs, and sending reinforcements to each defense line.
"Ms. Sakiel! The first right defense line on the right side has completely collapsed. White Whale leads the charge, followed by Luntia Runcandel and the little master of Hidden Palace, along with Zipfel's fleet, pushing further."
"The report is late; they're already pounding the second defense line. Move faster and send another 13 divisions in that direction."
"Understood!"
"Jin Runcandel's army has started breaking through the third defense line from the front side. Most of the cannons have already been disabled, and Demon King Milius Kitalin, who attempted to resist, has fallen."
"The summoning of the entire Kitalin family has just been completed. Open the dimensional portal and tell them to support the third defense line on the front directly. The more members of their family go, the more time they can buy compared to Milius."
"The rear is similar, but the speed of Zipfel's advance has slowed down since the first defense line was breached. It's because their fleet is dispersed, and they are also replenishing their forces. Once their reorganization is complete, they will speed up again."
"The left side is in a similar situation, but Orgal has yet to reveal himself."
Despite her composed expression, Sakiel felt her chest tighten as if she were going insane.
The defense lines were crumbling much faster than expected.
'At this rate, it may take at least ten days. No... perhaps we can't even hold on for a week.'
Naturally, the current situation was far from what Sakiel had envisioned.
Sakiel had been granted full authority by Zito to deal with the invasion, so the success and failure in this process were entirely her responsibility.
To be precise, it was her and Paellito's responsibility. Sakiel could endure whatever went wrong with herself and the Grosch family, but she desperately wanted to prevent Paellito from facing any punishment.
'The rate at which they are dying is much faster than the rate at which troops are being summoned. Moreover, there are hardly any top-tier Demon Kings being replenished.'
Summoning massive armies and top-tier Demon Kings was beyond Sakiel's abilities. It was a task possible only for a handful of Demon Kings, including Zito and Paellito.
'...What on earth is Lord Zito thinking? Even if he saved Lord Paellito for the Holy Kingdom, Lord Zito can easily send as many other Demon Kings and high-ranking troops.'
It seemed like the intention was to defend the headquarters of the True Demon World, but Grosch Castle, which was essentially the gateway to the True Demon World, was under attack.
'Is he maintaining the main force to keep Visepps in check? No, it can't be. Regardless of whatever power Visepps may be hiding, they can't possibly pose a threat to Lord Zito. They're just fugitives who cling to life like mayflies.'
Sakiel had already sent multiple requests for reinforcements to Zito, but there had been no response.
So, Sakiel had to somehow resolve this situation with the remaining forces and her own abilities.
"Prepare for the great magic spell from now on."
"Ms. Sakiel, the great magic spell...?"
"The Field of Loss."
The pupils of the demons widened.
The Field of Loss was one of the most taboo magic spells among the demons, as it forcibly reproduced the effect of 'Cycle of Oblivion.'
A magic with numerous side effects because of forcibly reproducing the cycle of oblivion. The Field of Loss not only erased memories but also eliminated the authorities and strength possessed by the target.
Furthermore, it couldn't distinguish between targets and required a gruesome sacrifice as a price to unleash the magic.
"... Ms. Sakiel, are you really thinking about self-destruction?"
"If that's the only option, then I have no choice."
"Even if we use all the fallen soldiers and commanders as sacrifices, it won't be enough to cast the Field of Loss."
"With myself, and the true energy of Lord Zito that I possess, sacrifices will be sufficient."
"We can't afford to lose Ms. Sakiel. We'd rather..."
"If your abilities were as high as mine, you would have done so already. But without me, using only you as sacrifices wouldn't be enough. It's for Lord Zito, and for the entire True Demon World."
The demons lowered their heads.
"When they reach us, I'll use the Field of Loss to seal the entire Grosch Castle and destroy the dimensional portals leading to the True Demon World."
"But won't that prevent Lord Zito from coming out later in the human world?"
"No, even if I destroy them, Lord Zito is currently in a situation where he can quickly form the next dimensional portal. If we successfully strike the enemy with the Field of Loss, Lord Zito can easily achieve his goals in the human world."
If the plan succeeded, Sakiel would inflict irreversible damage on most of the human world's forces.
'They don't know much about the Dark magic of the True Demon World. So, they can't be prepared for the Field of Loss in advance. But... I'm concerned about Zipfel's Demon God's Orb.'
The True Demon World had already gathered information about the Demon God Orb's history manipulation ability. In Sakiel's view, the Demon God's Orb might potentially be a tool capable of using higher-level abilities like the Field of Loss.
'Even if the Demon God's Orb can nullify the Field of Loss, Zipfel would also have to pay a significant price for it. If they could manipulate history without any cost, they would have already become not just the human world but the world's sole rulers.'
And the existence of Jin was also troubling Sakiel.
'Jin Runcandel... Perhaps it's just my intuition based on his past achievements, but I have a feeling that he might possess something that can withstand the Field of Loss.'
Of course, in that case, Jin would also require a significant sacrifice. Even if Jin managed to endure the Field of Loss, he won't be able to protect others from suffering. Sakiel organized her thoughts that way.
If they couldn't win anyway, this was the best course of action.
"As of now, inform all the demons defending the defense lines that the use of sacrifices is prohibited. All fallen soldiers will be used for the Field of Loss. And also, collect all of Lord Zito's true energy. I will use them as sacrifices."
"Understood."
"Furthermore, we need to disrupt the enemy. We need to confuse them about the fact that we're on the defensive."
"How can we do that?"
"The right defense line that Kinzelo is attacking and Zipfel on the rear defense line. These two battlefronts are still engaged in more of a battle than the others. Send out the troops that are waiting there. It's a counterattack."
It is difficult to cause confusion by sending troops out to the front and right defense line, where top-tier superhumans slaughtering the demons one-sided.
Except for the demon kings like Paellito, Ridolos or Videluce, regardless of who was sent, everyone would quickly die at the hands of the Alliance's top-tier superhumans like Jin and Luna. Even that was an unfortunate necessity.
"Once the right and rear start to push back, even the Vamel Alliance will have to take notice. Because there's nothing more tiring than having our army breakthrough Kinzelo and Zipfel's fleet. It was already proven during the transfer fracture attacks. They are most concerned about civilian casualties. This means we need to delay them even for a short while by making them help Kinzelo and Zipfel."
"I understand, Ms. Sakiel. I will make the preparations immediately."
"For Kinzelo's side, send Druga, and for Zipfel, send Ragal. Let's hope they die at the right moment to become successful sacrifices."
***
Front 3rd Defense Line.
The Vamel Alliance's top-tier superhumans were still effortlessly dismantling the defense line. Jin was only assisting in the battle between Murakan and the top-tier superhumans, yet the demons were perishing helplessly.
'At this rate, we should easily break through to the 3rd defense line today. After a day of rest, we can start to break through without any issues.'
Jin surveyed the battlefield carefully.
Interestingly, the 3rd defense line seemed to have fewer of the enemy's crucial forces compared to the earlier 1st and 2nd lines. There were no beings on the level of Ragal, and no demons using Zito's flesh were in sight.
{Jin.}
"Yes, elder sister Luna."
{It seems we'll soon match your pace for the breakthrough. But it's strange, I thought stronger demons would appear as time went on. Where are the real guys?}
"Is it the same on the right? It's similar here."
{Hmm, could it be that they realized having more defense lines doesn't matter and concentrated their main forces closer to the inner defense lines or the castle?}
"That could be possible. I'll keep a close watch."
{If anything unusual happens, we'll contact you again.}
After ending the communication with Luna, a message came from the Golden Ship.
{Commander-in-chief! We've received reports that suddenly, powerful demons have appeared on the right and rear defense lines.}
"Are you referring to Kinzelo's and Zipfel's sides, Mr. Peitel?"
{That's right. It seems like they might have redirected the forces that should have been assigned to our side. As a result, the battles on those sides have become quite intense compared to our side.}
Jin felt a strange unease.
'They seemed to be clearly focused on defense, but suddenly, a counterattack...? Do they really think they can break through Kinzelo and Zipfel and even get inland? If they want to take civilians hostage by attacking the inland, wouldn't it be more effective to use the fracture?'
The battlefield that the alliance was in charge of suddenly had fewer demon kings, and they didn't even use flesh anymore. Upon further inspection, Jin also noticed that there were no signs of demons attempting to use sacrifices for anything.
'I don't know what it is, but it seems like Sakiel is preparing a secret weapon. Given that they're not using flesh or sacrifices, there's a high likelihood that whatever it is requires a massive offering.'
In that case, there was only one reason for Sakiel's attempt to counterattack on the right and rear defense lines.
'It seems like she is hoping we will be tied up while supporting Kinzelo and Zipfel.'
Jin deduced Sakiel's intentions in an instant. Although he couldn't be completely certain, he couldn't think of a better hypothesis at the moment.
And during moments like these, Jin's intuition had never been wrong.
{Commander-in-chief, should we send some reinforcements to them?}
"No, we won't provide support. It might be better to apply more pressure to the defense lines we're assigned to."
{What if they manage to break through and reach inland, especially Kinzelo's side? The territory beyond that immediately belongs to the alliance.}
"Kinzelo may seem like an easy target, but they're not weak by any means. And there's no need to mention Zipfel's side. Unless demons of the genesis knight-class appear, which is unlikely, they won't be easily defeated. If the demons attempt to break through Kinzelo's fleet and head for the inland, Mort and the Red Owl can provide immediate support. Instead, we should ensure that we have real-time information about Kinzelo's situation."
{Ah, I understand what you mean. I'll send the Nameless King.}
"That would be a good idea."
Next, Jin contacted Dante. As soon as Dante picked up the call, he asked:
{Jin, is it my turn to join the battle?}
"Yes, it is. I will be sending the Red Owl shortly, so come to the battlefield. My ancestors will fill your vacant position."
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