Chapter 66
From the massive fortress walls far in the distance, a little ways off—on a snow-covered hill.
The white plains were so thick with monsters that even the snow looked gray.
Thud— Thoom—
Squeak!
Squeak squeak squeak!
From tiny mice to Ratmen, Rat Warriors, and Rat Champions—
Each one was insignificant on its own, but together, they numbered in the millions.
Then, from behind the horde, an old, hunched man the size of a child appeared,
pulling along a giant creature at his side.
“Good, good. You’ve all gathered nicely.”
As the monstrous horde split neatly to form a path before him,
the Rat Demon King (자마왕) stood in the center,
smiling contentedly as he gazed upon his overwhelming army.
Has it been decades since this many have gathered since the last war? My heart trembles again…
The sight of his kin—usually scattered across the continent—
all united in one place brought memories of ancient glory.
Once, these rodents, despised and ignored as mere vermin and monsters,
spread plague across the lands ahead of even the proudest races,
ravaging humanity in their wake.
After the Great War, the Twelve Demon Kings had agreed—
for the sake of the Grand Design—to avoid meaningless conflicts until the time was right.
But now, none of that mattered.
Their preparations were nearly complete,
and more importantly—this war had meaning.
Squeak squeak!
“Bring it here.”
At his order, a commotion stirred behind him.
The old man nodded and gestured forward with his chin.
Rumble rumble—
Something was being carried forward on the backs of rats.
Thud—
A moment later, something dropped before him.
The Rat King gazed down with cold, lifeless eyes.
A humanoid upper body with a serpent’s lower half—
a four-armed serpent creature.
A Naga.
—Lord Rat King, what is the meaning of this?! Call off this war and disband your army immediately!
Thrown before the old man and forced to kneel,
the Naga shouted in outrage.
A mere monster raising its voice at a Demon King—
such a thing would normally be unthinkable.
Yet the Naga glared up, unflinching.
Because of this Rat King’s rashness,
his master’s long-laid plans had gone completely awry.
They were so close—so close to wiping out the goddess’s favored race
and placing their own chosen puppet in the position of Cardinal.
“Stop the war, you say? What nonsense. It hasn’t even begun yet.”
—Have you forgotten the treaty made after the Great War?! Until the Grand Design is complete, we swore not to provoke humanity with reckless conflict—
But before he could finish scolding the old man for his audacity,
a chilling force crawled up the Naga’s spine,
freezing him mid-sentence.
“How laughable. A whelp who never even fought in the Great War dares lecture me about its accords?”
The air turned heavy.
The sly, wrinkled elder was gone—
in his place stood a suffocating aura of murderous intent.
The Naga instinctively prostrated himself flat to the ground.
“Serpent Demon King (사마왕)… Was it your master who sent you to speak for him?”
The Rat King’s voice was quiet, but his tone was venomous.
So—the Serpent King was unhappy.
That sly, calculating snake must have been furious that his years of careful planning
were ruined in a single move.
Perhaps he was already summoning the other Demon Kings,
trying to shift the blame onto the Rat King.
Sure. Blowing a hole through the Empire before the war begins isn’t a bad move.
But it doesn’t have to be his doing, now does it?
After all, being called Demon Kings didn’t mean they were allies.
Rats and snakes—
prey and predator.
Even setting aside that hateful relationship,
the Twelve Demon Kings were bound only by temporary necessity—
united solely to drive humanity from the frozen north.
Beneath the surface, they were all rivals.
The Monkey King (마후왕)… I don’t like helping that old ape either, but…
The Rat King narrowed his eyes, recalling the small monkey who had come recently
to deliver a message from his master:
“I’m preparing something. Could you make a little distraction at the border?”
That cunning old monkey surely knew exactly what the Snake was planning,
and still used it as bait for his own schemes.
Well. I’ve business at that fortress too.
Even if that made him the Monkey King’s pawn—it didn’t matter.
He had someone there he wanted to see with his own eyes.
—Hiss… My lord will never forgive you.
“…Forgive?”
As he looked toward the distant fortress with gleaming eyes,
the Naga beneath him raised his head with bloodshot eyes,
forcing out a trembling voice.
“Ke-ke-keh… Hii-hii-hii-hii!”
—Wh-what are you laughing—
The old man’s face twisted with amusement,
and he reached out a hand toward the Naga.
Rrrrumble—
Crack—
—Ghk! Gk—kgh!
From beneath the ground, a massive, filthy hand erupted,
grabbing the Naga’s throat in an instant.
“Young snake… it seems you’ve misunderstood something.”
The writhing Naga squirmed helplessly in the grimy, sludge-like hand.
The Rat King spoke calmly.
“Forgiveness… is a virtue only the strong may grant.”
Crack—
Despite his mild tone, the black hand tightened around the Naga’s neck.
“Otherwise…”
Sssss—
With a hiss, the Naga’s scales began to rot and crumble away.
The Rat King stepped closer, his eyes gleaming like cold steel.
“Do you still see us as mere vermin?”
—Khh—P-please… forgive me—
The Naga’s eyes rolled back, foam bubbling from his mouth.
Thud—
“Squalor.”
—Y-yes, Father!
The Rat King turned to the massive rat beside him.
“Don’t break him. Just play a little.”
—R-really? Yay!
With a delighted grin, the giant rat snatched up the unconscious Naga,
swinging him around like a toy.
The Rat King watched fondly for a moment,
then turned his gaze toward the fortress as the sun sank low on the horizon.
Eric Ather…
The new young hero of the Church.
The useless fool who killed his cherished child, the Pied Piper of his old diocese.
Word was he had gone to the Holy See, following the goddess’s favored ones.
By now, he and that old cardinal must be waiting somewhere in that fortress,
ready to stop the coming tide.
“Come, then. Let’s go.”
The sky glowed red as dusk fell over the hill.
The silent old man took a single step forward, down the slope.
Squeak!
Squeak squeak squeak!
The Rat Demon King, leaning on his staff, began to move.
And behind him, the vast, unending army followed.
“Whew… I-I’m shaking.”
Upon the high fortress wall—
Eric and his party, thanks to Gregory’s help,
had secured a solid defensive position—safe yet close enough to see the front lines.
As the sun dipped behind the ridgeline,
Eric turned to the nervous Lillian and spoke softly.
“Don’t worry. When they come, just aim your spells at the densest clusters you can find.
No need to watch for my signal—go all out from the start.”
“And then just keep casting as soon as I can, right?”
“Exactly.”
Eric’s casual tone—unchanged even before a massive battle—
helped ease the tension in Lillian’s face.
Seeing that, Eric smiled faintly.
“You’re not nervous, Sir?”
“What’s there to be nervous about? Look at all these people.”
Malefica, having just returned from greeting the other priests below,
glanced around as Eric gestured toward the countless troops around them.
Tens of thousands of soldiers.
Thousands of knights.
Mages and priests forming the rear lines.
And among them, many familiar and seasoned heroes.
The news that an enormous army of monsters was gathering at the border—
comparable to those seen in the Great War—
had drawn every capable hand to this fortress.
Of course, this wasn’t all the North had to offer—other regions needed guarding too—
but even so, the strength amassed here was formidable.
Even if multiple Demon Kings descended, they could hold.
“Still… it’ll be dangerous, won’t it?”
“Of course. I’ve heard that a Demon King might personally appear for the first time in decades.”
Eric nodded immediately.
Dangerous? Naturally.
No matter how many warriors gathered, war was war.
And if a Demon King was truly coming—
hundreds, thousands would die beneath these walls.
“Well… when has it not been dangerous? I may shake, but I’ve gotten used to it.”
For Eric Ather, danger was nothing new.
From the moment he awoke in the body of that useless noble wastrel,
to the days he fought tooth and nail to prove his worth—
he’d always lived on the edge of death.
Huff—
“…They’re coming.”
As the sun vanished completely,
someone muttered softly, staring at the dark hill beyond.
Squeak!
Squeak squeak!
The faint squealing echoed from below the walls—
growing clearer, closer, louder.
Weapons tightened in every hand.
“Lillian.”
“Meteoric Strike!”
At Eric’s call, Lillian raised her staff high,
having already been channeling power for minutes.
Flash—!
A blinding white light split the night sky.
Fwoosh—
Raging fire condensed into a blazing orb,
then arced downward toward the hill.
Whoooosh—
And beneath its descent,
the gray tide of countless rats revealed itself.
BOOOOOOM—!
With a thunderous explosion,
the blazing meteor struck their ranks—
—and the great battle began.
