Eight Million Demons
On the way back to Auwest.
The Flying Boat sliced through the sky like a shooting star, speeding northward.
Dugu Qing and Fern sat at the bow of the boat, admiring the crisscrossing network of waterways shimmering with starlight across the land.
Looking at Dugu Qing, Fern felt uneasy, thinking about the uncertain battle that awaited them upon returning. Finally, she mustered her courage...
"Dugu Qing, your future is likely to be unimaginably long!"
Dugu Qing, admiring the scenery below, absentmindedly thought, "Perhaps!"
Fern stepped forward, looking directly into Dugu Qing's eyes, his expression earnest.
"Dugu Qing, I want to tell you, I have someone I like."
"Who?" A jumble of thoughts flashed through Dugu Qing's mind, and his voice became low.
Fern sighed softly, "He's such an unromantic man..."
Just then, Frieren walked out slowly carrying a teapot and spoke softly.
"Fern, although I don't know who he is, if you like him, you should bravely pursue him!"
Fern scratched his head and smiled helplessly.
"Let's not talk about that. Right now, the Demons are rampant, and we don't even know if we can defeat the Demon King!"
Upon hearing the mention of the Demon King, Dugu Qing and Frieren's expressions turned serious, and the myriad thoughts that had been swirling in their minds vanished without a trace.
The group returned to the Magic City.
Dugu Qing stayed in the Allied Forces Hall, intently studying the Light Magic, and was only one step away from mastering it.
Upon hearing that Dugu Qing had returned, Serie mysteriously entered the hall, summoned a thick Grimoire, and gently placed it on the table.
"You've learned the Enlarge Magic so quickly, not bad at all! I have a ' Ten Thousand Great Mountains Magic here. After casting it, you can turn yourself into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, as heavy as stars. Consider it your reward for repairing the road this time. Here you go!"
Dugu Qing took it and spent several days reading it through, learning a new kind of magic.
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains Magic is similar to the Transformation Magic and Enlarge Magic, both involving changes to one's own body. The principles are the same, so after verification from various sources, Dugu Qing easily mastered it completely.
On the plains outside the city of Auwest.
The earth trembled with a dull hum, the sky seemed about to collapse, and endless black mist rushed in, as if it were the end of the world.
The Demon King's Army swept across the land like a raging flood, marching south and gathering various Demons that had landed from the ocean along the way, causing its strength to surge to eight million.
Eight million troops marched in simultaneously, their might causing the sky and earth to tremble and vibrate.
Three days later, the Demon King led an unprecedented army of eight million to the city gates.
The Demons army and the Human Allied Army faced off across a vast open field, dozens of miles apart.
A major battle is about to break out.
Seeing the overwhelming power of the Demons race, the leaders of various forces mobilized their troops, sending their armies from the rear to the front lines.
The size of the Human Allied Army suddenly expanded, with its total strength increasing to 1.8 million.
The difficulty of logistical support has increased dramatically.
Fortunately, the Auwest shipping route was well-connected, and Dugu Qing had built a new super highway running from north to south. Serie also took out a huge amount of food and fodder that had been stockpiled over the years. With the combined efforts of all parties, they managed to stabilize the logistics and fight against the Demons.
Inside the Demon King's Army's magnificent royal tent.
Demon generals from all sides entered one after another to report to the Demon King that because the number of troops had increased rapidly, the food that the Demons had seized from the empire was being consumed at an alarming rate, and at this rate, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
What's even more despicable is that, under Dugu Qing's orders, the Human Allied Army had long ago implemented a scorched-earth policy, relocating all the nearby humans and burning down the entire forest.
The Demons' grain-collecting teams searched high and low, but couldn't seize anything useful and had to return empty-handed.
"What's the panic? Do you really think I'm going to conquer the world with these Demons? Let me tell you, I foresaw this day. The more Demons and humans die, the denser the Blood Spirit in the world will become. My Absorption Magic will allow my magic power to rise steadily. At that time, what about Serie, what about Dugu Qing? I can crush them with a single finger."
The Demon King stared coldly at the Demon General, revealing his bloody plan without any concealment.
He actually treated all Demons and humans as mere consumables in his imperial ambitions.
Upon hearing the truth, the demon general's pupils dilated violently, and fear and resentment surged within him, yet no one dared to refute the Demon King who possessed 60,000 years of demonic power.
They could only suppress their emotions, bow and accept the order, and leave the royal tent in turn.
The next day, as soon as the Demon King's Army arrived at the front lines, the Demon King launched a full-scale offensive.
The deep, resonant sound of demonic horns echoed across the wilderness, and eight million Demons roared in unison. A dark, surging tide rushed forward from the horizon, shaking the sky and the earth.
On the hills, slopes, and trenches, human soldiers trembled uncontrollably as they looked at the vast, sky-covering Demons.
"Stay calm! Stay calm! We can win!"
Human knights galloped at the head and tail of the formation, loudly encouraging the ordinary soldiers.
The human front, stretching for hundreds of miles, was in constant commotion, but eventually stabilized, clashing with the Demons, entangled in a fierce and relentless battle.
Serie flew through the air, casting Gravity Magic to firmly rule the skies, forcing the Demons to engage in land battles with humans.
The Demon King stood in the military camp, cradling the Saintess of the End, his eyes gleaming with shrewd calculation.
"Kill! Kill! When you've exhausted your life force, that will be the time for me to ascend to the heavens and reap the rewards. At that time, even the Goddess of Creation will have to kneel before me."
The central battlefield of the fierce battle between humans and demons.
Dugu Qing, dressed in white robes whiter than snow, his cloak billowing in the cold wind, galloped on his horse.
He charged ahead of the Demons army, slashed out with his sword, and carved a 300-meter-deep trench.
He could slay gods and demons alike, his power boundless and his dominance unmatched.
Wherever they went, they were utterly devastated, slaughtering countless Demons.
Within a kilometer radius, a blood-soaked no-man's-land was quickly cleared.
"Long live the Alliance Leader!"
"The Alliance Leader is the most beautiful!"
Excited shouts rang out from the guard formation composed of civilians and vagrants.
"That's great! That's exactly right. With Dugu Qing, we don't have to fight the Demons at all!"
"Brothers, come quick! The Demons are dropping gold coins!"
The soldiers that Dugu Qing had hastily recruited rushed forward and seized all the armor, weapons, treasures, and Grimoire left behind by the Demons. They became rich overnight and were overjoyed.
"Charge with me!"
Dugu Qing took the lead and charged into the Demons army once again. His strength was unmatched and his spirit was overwhelming. Wherever he went, he crushed everything in his path and crushed all who dared to resist, just like a god descending to earth.
"So handsome! So beautiful!"
"As expected of the Alliance Leader!"
This is humanity's hope!
Within the Allied Forces, the elite of the Continental Magic Association.
Fa'erxiu, Jian Ze, Ubel, Kanne, Lavina, Ailu, Denken, and others, wand in hand, were ready to strike.
They appear immediately wherever there are vulnerabilities, wherever support is needed, or wherever there are formidable enemies.