On the border between humans and demons.

The tenth day since the start of the war.

In the territory commanded by the great demon general Talion Crocell.

The demon commanders and deputy commanders calmly watched as the low-level demons sent to the front lines died.

"The humans are making their move," said a deputy commander as he smelled the tobacco smoked by his commander.

Exhale.

The smoke rose, then the commander said:

"They were holding back too much. Send more adventurers and mercenaries, and the untalented recruits. Let them buy us time while we retreat."

"As you command, Commander Sedfer," replied the deputy commander, and hurried to carry out the orders.

Like Commander Sedfer, the other commanders under Talion Crocell had already made the same decision, because days earlier, after meeting in a military council, they had established what measures they would take based on the decisions made by the humans.

...

On the battlefield commanded by the Crocell Duchy, the heads of demons rolled under the edge of human swords or by the power of human blows, other demons died under the power of the enemies' constant spells, because on this occasion chaos reigned among the demonic troops. The humans maintained order and formations as they were directly led by sub-commanders who were in the sixth circle of mana or the sixth Spiritual core.

Seeing such an overwhelming disadvantage, some demon soldiers ran in an attempt to save their lives and were welcomed with open arms at the demon camp, where they were publicly tortured after being condemned as deserters and traitors to the republic.

By the end of that day, the allies killed in the camp led by the great demonic general Talion Crocell numbered in the thousands, but the main forces of the army he commanded remained intact.

••••

The next day, the rest of the demon military camps had already received the report of what had happened in the territory commanded by Talion Crocell.

Almost all of the demon military camps retreated accordingly to maintain the lines along the borders. Only the military camp led by the great demonic general Galot Ertrael was the exception.

...

The demon generals were not surprised by Galot Ertrael's decision, because over the centuries he only retreated when it was announced that the war was over, and he always participated in the most decisive moments on the battlefield.

…

News of the events reached the demons in different territories of the republic, which increased the fear they felt upon learning that, as always, they were retreating again. However, some hope remained in the demonic hearts (demonic cores) of the demons when they learned that their respected and admired great demonic general Galot Ertrael had not taken a step back.

For the demons, the great general Galot Ertrael was what a hero was to humans. A source of hope and admiration.

••••

A few days later. Under a cloudless night sky dotted with beautiful stars, where the moon shone brightly, the human commanders gathered in a large white and gold military tent, which was quite comfortable inside.

The imperial military council was led by Commander Olbert Vensic.

"Why don't we keep attacking? It's a great time to force the demons to keep sending their cannon fodder. One way or another, we are decimating them by reducing their population capable of handling the evil energy (demonic energy) with which they contaminate the world," said a commander named Alden Milariant, who was the youngest on the council.

Commander Lukas Laniert, who was in charge of containing the demon Galot Ertrael, shook his head and then said:

"Don't be reckless. We are checking the enemy's forces and the reports we receive from our informants. The demons are not as weak as you think. Don't let your talent go to your head."

Other commanders nodded in agreement, while Olbert remained silent, listening to their reports. Everyone was attacking with extreme caution due to the report mentioning the possibility of the reappearance of the Alvat believers, a demonic group that both the Inquisiderians and the Venrac Empire itself had strived to destroy.

Alden clenched his fists, feeling humiliated, but remained silent. It had taken him decades to be considered for participation in an important war. This was his moment. Not only had they called him, they had given him the position of commander, so he wanted to seize that opportunity. He swallowed his pride, which was quite difficult for him, as wizards were generally very proud, especially when their innate talents surpassed those of their peers. This was the case with Alden, who at 55 had reached the seventh circle (the starting point). With royal blood running through his veins and the lineage of a duke whose ancestor was a powerful hero, he was one of the empire's most promising figures.

The meeting continued as the commanders decided on the strategic moves with which they would lead the war. In the end, it was decided to continue recruiting mercenaries and adventurers; they would use cannon fodder while observing the demons' reactions.

As the demons had to retreat after suffering a heavy defeat on one of the battle fronts, the human commanders decided to wait and see what measures the demons would take.

...

When the human commanders withdrew, about 10 subjects wearing gray robes and hoods appeared.

"Have you noticed anything significant?" Olbert asked his subordinates to corroborate the commanders' information.

"Nothing, Crackling Olbert."

At that moment, the lights in the tent went out and a Crackling wearing a black robe and hood bearing the emblem of the Inquisiderian appeared and said to Olbert in a respectful but not submissive tone:

"The Founding Council has requested that you extend the war for a few months, then they will send a powerful Crackling to finish off one of the great demon generals. You must not waste this opportunity. There is no need to fear the believers of Alvat; if they are present, they will be forced to fight the powerful Crackling.

When the Crackling with the emblem disappeared, the lights came back on, and the 10 subjects in gray robes and hoods were still trembling after feeling the power of the Crackling's cold presence.

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