Chapter 24: Fall of a Demon Commander

Koda spotted the figures in the sky before he reached the battlefield.

At first, they were little more than black specks against the crimson clouds. As he moved closer, their shapes became clearer. Massive wyverns circled above the wasteland, their leathery wings beating against the hot air. Smaller figures flew among them, mounted on silver-winged pegasi. The riders carried long spears and wore polished armor that reflected the light.

Koda immediately slowed down.

He had no intention of joining the battle unless circumstances forced him to.

The wyverns were enormous. Even from a distance, their size was intimidating. An adult green wyvern stood several times taller than Koda, with thick scales, powerful jaws, and claws capable of tearing through a demon’s body. Fighting one would be dangerous enough. Fighting several at once would be suicidal.

And these were not ordinary beasts.

They were part of the force hunting the officer.

Koda remained among the broken rocks, keeping his presence concealed while observing the pursuit below. The elven army had spread across the barren wasteland, but only one druid appeared to be directing this particular force. The other two leaders were nowhere in sight. They had probably taken different routes or were commanding other groups.

The wyverns were the main force pursuing Xeron.

Their advantage was obvious. They could follow him through the air, strike from above, and retreat before he could retaliate. Every time Xeron tried to increase his distance from the pursuing army, a wyvern swooped down and unleashed its breath weapon.

Then it climbed back into the sky.

The repeated attacks prevented him from stopping long enough to recover his magic.

Koda watched the demon commander stumble across the blackened ground.

Even from this distance, he looked exhausted.

’So the mighty commander can run out of strength after all.’ Koda kept the thought to himself. He had no desire to test how much strength the commander had left.

The pursuit made little sense if viewed as a simple revenge operation. However, Koda had heard enough battlefield rumors to understand the broader situation.

The elves wanted to drive the demons out of their territory so they could redirect their forces toward Lord Vaelric’s domain.

And this officer called Xerro, was the commander of the demon army.

As long as he remained alive, the demonic invasion could continue.

Koda understood the logic. Remove the commander, disrupt the army, and free up troops for another front.

Unfortunately for Xerro, the elves had chosen not to give him time to recover.

The wyverns continued wearing him down. Their attacks became more aggressive as his movements grew slower. At first, they had maintained their distance, but now several descended low enough to threaten him directly.

Then a golden wyvern made its move.

It dived toward the ground and unleashed a torrent of fiery breath directly across Xerro’s path.

The demon commander was forced to stop and leap aside. Before he could resume running, the enormous wyvern landed in front of him, its claws gouging trenches into the earth.

Xerro’s expression twisted with rage.

"You overgrown lizard! You’ve finally decided to fight me properly?"

He raised his demon scythe and charged.

Koda narrowed his eyes.

The golden wyvern was larger than the others and appeared better suited to close combat. It had probably landed because its companions believed Xerro was too exhausted to fight back effectively.

They might have been right.

However, Xerro was still a high-ranking demon. Even weakened, he was not someone a creature of the barren wasteland could easily overpower.

The demon scythe ignited with black infernal flames.

Xerro swung with tremendous force, striking the wyvern’s forelimb. The weapon tore through its metallic scales, split the flesh beneath them, and bit deep into the bone.

The golden wyvern roared.

But Xerro paid for the attack.

The creature slammed its body forward, catching him before he could retreat. He was thrown backward and crashed into the roots of a massive dead tree, shattering them on impact.

The tree tilted and collapsed.

Xerro struggled to his feet, coughing up dark purple blood.

His scythe remained lodged in the wyvern’s injured limb.

Instead of wasting time retrieving it, he charged again.

This time, he lowered his head and rammed his demon horns into the creature’s abdomen.

Koda’s eyes widened slightly.

He had underestimated the hardness of those horns.

Most demons relied on weapons forged from their own soul fragments rather than risking damage to their horns. However, Xerro had no weapon available, and desperation had left him with few choices.

The impact drove his horns through the wyvern’s scales and deep into its flesh.

Blood poured from the wound.

The golden wyvern screamed and struck him with a massive foreclaw.

Koda felt the impact through the ground.

Xerro was smashed into the earth, creating a shallow crater surrounded by spreading cracks. When the wyvern lifted its limb, the demon lay in the pit, coughing blood and struggling to move.

The creature raised its claw again.

Xerro rolled away just before it came down.

A second wyvern landed nearby.

Its powerful tail swept across the ground and struck Xerro before he could regain his footing. He flew sideways, hit the earth, and tumbled across the rocks.

That was when the remaining wyverns began descending.

One after another, they landed around the injured demon, forming a tightening circle. The silver-pegasus knights settled farther away, positioning themselves to block possible escape routes.

Koda moved closer to the battlefield, remaining behind a ridge where the combatants would have difficulty spotting him.

He wanted to see how this ended.

An emerald wyvern stepped forward.

"Demon, your slaughter ends here. You will answer for the lives you’ve taken!"

Xerro rose unsteadily. His chest heaved, and blood ran down his arms. He glanced at the surrounding creatures, then at the silver-pegasus knights guarding the perimeter.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he laughed.

"You think a few overgrown beasts and their riders can kill me?"

Black mist erupted around his body.

Koda immediately sensed the change.

Infernal energy surged through Xerro’s frame, and his muscles began swelling. His horns grew more prominent, his limbs thickened, and the ground beneath his feet cracked under his increasing weight.

Xerro was burning through his remaining magic to force his body beyond its normal limits.

It was a desperate technique.

Magic could strengthen a demon, but converting that power directly into physical force placed enormous strain on the body. The accelerated circulation of infernal energy pushed his strength higher while steadily consuming what remained of his reserves.

Koda understood the price.

Xerro was betting everything on ending the fight before his body gave out.

The demon commander roared and charged the emerald wyvern.

His fist struck its head.

A sharp crack echoed across the wasteland.

The wyvern collapsed, its skull fractured by the blow. It remained alive, but its limbs twitched uselessly against the ground.

The remaining creatures attacked at once.

The battlefield descended into chaos.

Xerro’s enhanced strength allowed him to tear through scales and smash aside powerful limbs. The wyverns retaliated with their claws, teeth, and tails, leaving deep wounds across his body.

Despite their numbers, they struggled to overwhelm him.

Xerro’s combat experience was considerable. He targeted joints, damaged limbs, and exposed wounds instead of wasting strength on the thickest armor. His attacks were brutal and efficient.

For several moments, he appeared capable of turning the battle around.

Then a red glow spread across one of the green wyverns.

Its body swelled, and its muscles tightened beneath its scales.

Xerro punched it in the chest.

The wyvern barely moved.

Before he could react, it seized his arm between its jaws and flung him across the battlefield.

Xerro crashed into the ground.

"What?"

He stared at the creature in disbelief.

The wyvern had been struggling against him only moments earlier. Now, its strength had increased dramatically.

A second red glow appeared.

Then a third.

One after another, the surrounding wyverns underwent the same transformation. Their bodies grew larger, their muscles strengthened, and their movements became faster.

Koda’s expression hardened.

He recognized the red energy.

He had seen it before.

It was connected to the strange ability he had demonstrated when he was summoned to the battlefield. Somehow, the effect had reached the wyverns, strengthening them at the moment Xerro had begun overwhelming them.

Koda did not know whether the effect had been deliberately triggered or whether some lingering force had activated on its own.

Either way, the result was disastrous for Xerro.

The enhanced wyverns attacked together.

Four massive claws slammed into the demon commander before he could stand properly. The combined impact drove him into the earth, and the resulting shockwave tore random rift in the air, scattering loose stones across the surrounding wasteland.

Xerro tried to rise, but his arms failed him.

His bones had shattered, and his internal injuries were severe enough that even breathing had become difficult.

The emerald wyvern that had survived his earlier attack approached and seized his arm.

Another caught his leg.

The remaining creatures crowded around him.

Xerro finally understood.

His eyes widened as he struggled to lift his head.

"That red light..."

His gaze fixed on the distant ground, though he could barely see beyond the blood covering his face.

"You... You did this, didn’t you?"

Koda remained motionless behind the ridge. He did not answer. He did not even move.

Xerro’s voice rose into a furious roar.

"You bastard! If I’d known, I would have..."

The wyverns tightened their jaws.

His words ended in a wet gasp as the creatures tore him apart.

They showed no mercy. Their companions had died during the battle, and they intended to make Xerro pay for every loss.

Within moments, the demon commander was dead.

Koda watched the remains begin dissolving into dark ash.

A thick mist rose from the corpse, surrounding the remnants of Xerro’s soul. The familiar force of Hell’s law followed, pulling the soul away from the battlefield and back toward the depths of Hell.

Then a sudden pressure struck Koda.

It was the same repulsive force he had felt when the seal first awakened. Only this time, something had changed.

The invisible restraint connecting him to Xerro and the main formation had vanished.

Koda stood silently as the sensation faded.

He had suspected that killing Xerro might end the seal’s influence, but suspicion was not certainty. Now he had his answer.

Xerro was dead, and the seal had lost its master

Koda flexed his claws and examined the battlefield one final time. The wyverns were gathering around their wounded, while the silver-pegasus knights began reorganizing their formation. None of them had noticed him watching from the ridge.

That was good.

He had no intention of introducing himself to the victorious army.

The first three layers of the eighteen layers of Hell were a barren wasteland ruled by the lowliest ruthless demons, and even Demon Barons like Lord Vaelric could not command every corner of them without resistance. Koda had survived long enough to understand one important lesson.

Freedom did not mean safety. It simply meant he could finally choose his next move.

And for the first time since entering this world, no dead demon commander stood between him and that choice.

Koda relaxedly turned to leave. But at this moment, a random rift tore open below his foot and he fell into it helplessly.