Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

983  Chapter 983- Annihilated—The South Wing Army

For a moment, silence blanketed the fortress. Then, like a dam breaking, cheers erupted from every corner. Soldiers and mercenaries screamed in celebration, tears streaming down their faces.

With their leader down, the remaining monsters and slaves fled the battlefield, this was their victory.

As the chaos subsided, the leaders of the South Wing Army gathered near the crumbling walls of the fortress. Rothgard and Dravik stood in the centre, surrounded by captains and vice-captains.

"It still feels like a dream. Stopping them seemed impossible. But not only did we stall their advance… we defeated a Demon Earl and wiped out their platoon."

 One of the captains spoke, a bitter sweet smile on his face. He managed to bring down the Demon Baron he was fighting but the cost was his right arm.

"We've done more than survive—we've etched our names into history." Another soldier spoke, he was similarly drenched in blood but nonetheless smiling.

"This victory will shift the tide of the war. And to think… it was all thanks to a single mercenary" Rothgard chuckled.

The group murmured in agreement.

"It wasn't just the plan to use this fortress, He told us everything—the weaknesses of the monsters, the traps to use against them. Even the timing of their attacks. How does someone know all that?" One captain spoke. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Not to mention… he fought a Demon Noble himself during the decoy operation. I heard he's the reason the diversion force made it back alive" Another added.

"Seriously, who is he?"…

"He asked us not to pry into his affairs. I think we should respect that" Rothgard spoke up before the conversation could lead to some unfounded judgement.

"But, Sir Rothgard… this kind of secret is—what if he's a—"

"I don't want to hear it. If he were our enemy, he wouldn't have shared such crucial information. He could have let us die. Instead, he risked everything to help us achieve this victory. That makes him our ally."

Dravik added in a deep voice "This is a victory for humanity. Don't taint it with baseless suspicions. If Simon has his motives, let them be. For now, he's proven himself a friend."

.

.

"....."

"...."

The south wing army was in high spirits, cheering, dancing and mourning for the deceased. The entire fortress was like a festival of hubbub.

 Groups of people could be seen chatting, drinking or carrying out their own duties when suddenly all of their actions was disrupted by a piercing whistling noise.

 A noise so sharp and shrill that it seemed like the very air was tearing apart. What's more, it was also followed by a familiar voice shouting a warning at them.

However, before they could perceive anything, it was already over.

BOOOOOOM…

The entire summit of Mount Gorgor was consumed in a terrifying explosion. The air trembled violently, a distortion rippling across the mountain as if the space itself were tearing apart.

The summit of Mount Gorgor seemed to collapse inward, a massive vortex of vacuum formed pulling everything—air, stone, fire, and life into its centre.

A dark, pulsating wave surged outward, consuming and erasing everything. Buildings, soldiers, monsters, the very earth—it all vanished into the void, leaving behind an unnatural silence.

The heart of the mountain glowed briefly with an ominous, violet black hue, before imploding entirely. There was no smoke no nothing, just a gaping void. That was how absolute the black light was. .

.

A few minutes earlier before the black light hit the mountain, high above the clouds. Vordanaz observed the scene below with a detached gaze, his crimson eyes glinting faintly.

Beside him, Gareth, wore an amused smile as he watched Melkan getting defeated.

"Pathetic, at the end he was nothing more than a stepping stone for the humans. What a disappointment" He scoffed removing his gaze from the Demon Earl as if the other party was not even worth it anymore.

His expression turned interested the next second as he looked at the humans celebrating after winning a big war.

"These humans, their ingenuity in this battle was… surprising to say no less. Using the monsters' weaknesses is one thing, but to predict the Demon Barons' movements and even counter the Ruinbound Golems? It doesn't fit."

Gareth continued, his tone more thoughtful now "Something is off, they planned for every move, every action, too well. It's almost like they knew exactly what we'd do."

"True. But even if they won this one, this victory means little in the grand scheme of things" Vordanaz replied, his expression unreadable.

Gareth sneered "Little, maybe. But it's still a loss. Losses leave a bitter aftertaste, especially when they are a huge waste of time."

Vordanaz was still silent, after a while he spoke in a non-interested tone "Let's leave".

"Leave? Just like that?"...

"The humans won this one, there is nothing to be done about it"…

 "Even so… don't you find it revolting?".

Vordanaz turned to face Gareth, suspicions creeping into his tone. "I hope you're not thinking of doing anything foolish. Lord Agramon's orders were clear—no high-ranking demons are to interfere directly on the battlefield without his permission."

"Oh, I remember Lord Agramon's orders. There's no way I would go against them." Gareth tilted his head, a smile that sent chills through even Vordanaz, crept on his face.

 "However, something about this situation doesn't bode well with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a sore loser. I can respect the… ingenuity of the humans' victory. But what I can't tolerate is seeing them win at all."

 "Gareth. Don't!!"

The entire sky around Mount Gorgor darkened in an instant and before Vordanaz could say anything further, Gareth had already raised his hand.

Within a time frame that was shorter than a second, Gareth extended his hand— a sphere of darkness so dark that it even devoured the light from the surrounding, formed on his palm.

It started with the size of a golf ball and quickly grew to the size of a football. This mass of black energy, it wasn't just any ordinary attack, it was like an anti light that stained the world black.

"Abyss Magic Mastery— [[𝗡𝗶ð𝗵ö𝗴𝗴]]" A deep gurgling noise came from Gareth and with that, the dark mass shot forward.