Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

The war was far from over.

Over two thousand demons still lived—many of them strong, brutal monsters—marching across the land with one goal: to kill everything in their way.

Thanks to Austin's plan, the demons had been funneled into the central path, the most heavily guarded route.

It was a risky move, but it gave the defenders some control.

From here, they could choose how to steer the battle.

If things went wrong, they'd pull back into the forest—where thick trees and narrow paths would let them regroup, escape, or wait for reinforcements.

Right now, chaos ruled the battlefield.

Screams echoed.

Steel clashed.

Blood sprayed.

Soldiers fought with all they had, blades swinging, bodies dropping.

High-ranking officers barked orders, shouting over the roar of war, their voices hoarse.

They dashed in to support their squads when the line started to break.

Farther back, the heavy artillery kept firing mud bombs—massive shells that exploded and flung dirt and debris into the demon ranks.

But the enemy had pushed so far that the bombardiers hesitated.

One wrong shot now could kill their own men instead.

Smoke curled through the air, mixing with the stench of blood, sweat, and burning flesh.

The ground shook with each explosion.

The sky, once bright, was now gray and trembling with the noise of war.

All the S-ranks were engaged in their battles against the strong Commanders working under the Parasite Chief.

There were six.

William was alone taking on three Commanders.

He was the strongest S-rank for a reason—he was the natural nemesis of the Demons with his ability to absorb sunlight.

William's coat flared as he shot forward, sunlight pulsing around his body like a second skin.

The ground cracked beneath his feet with each step.

Three demonic commanders lunged at him from different angles—one with a jagged axe, one with a tail like a whip, and the third wielding long, curved blades that hissed in the air.

William ducked under the whip, slammed his elbow into the axe wielder's ribs, then leaped back as the twin blades slashed where his throat had been.

Blood sprayed, but not his.

The axe demon roared and charged again, jaw wide, black spit flying.

William raised his sword and swung it at nothing, but the light that erupted from the slash struck the demon and damaged his shoulder.

Flesh melted.

Bone sizzled.

But the other two didn't wait.

The bladed one carved across William's back—fast and deep.

Pain flared.

William gritted his teeth, spun, and caught the demon's face with a flash of blinding light.

The creature screamed, clutching its smoking eyes—but William didn't give him time before stabbing him with his sword*SQUELCH*The whip-tailed commander coiled around him, tail tightening like a snake.

William's ribs cracked.

With a growl, he unleashed a burst of sunlight from his chest, forcing the demon off him with a burning shriek.

Three breaths.

Blood dripped from his lip.

His shirt was in tatters.

But William stood tall, light glowing brighter now, golden veins crawling up his arms.

"I'm not done," he said and charged again.

On the other side, Thea as well, was using her wits and illusions to fight against several demonic warriors and their Commander who was a huge orc.

She was not going for body doubles since it exhausted her soon, rather relying on her shards and illusions to fool her enemy and land them at places where she wanted them to be.

On the other side of the battlefield, Valerie stood still—elegant, almost fragile in appearance—facing two monstrous demons, one of them being a Commander ranked.

Both were towering beasts: one, a hulking chimera with twisting horns and a snake's tail; the other, a demonic hound with glowing red veins and claws that split stone.

The chimera struck first—its tail whipping toward her like a blur.

Valerie didn't flinch.

She spun her spear once, calm as ever, and planted her spear into the dirt.

THRUMJagged ice spikes burst upward in a flash, slamming into the tail.

CRACKThey shattered—but Valerie was gone, already leaping high into the sky.

Shiverfall, her spear, shimmered in her hand as the air grew cold.

With a flick, she summoned three massive glaciers above.

They hovered for a heartbeat, then crashed down like frozen meteors.

The chimera barely rolled away, snarling as ice shattered across the ground.

But the demonic hound didn't back down—it launched straight toward Valerie, fast as lightning, claws out.

Airborne now, the two met mid-sky, eyes locked.

Then—CLANG—CLASH—SHNK!

A storm of blows.

Spear twirling, Valerie parried, spun, and struck.

The hound's claws scraped her shoulder, drawing blood—but she didn't stop.

She drove her knee into his chest, spun midair, and thrust Shiverfall.

The hound dodged a hair and lashed out again, a claw grazing her cheek.

Ice bloomed in the air around them, their dance a blur of steel, frost, and fury.

Neither gave an inch.

On the side, Austin was decapitating demonic elves who were attacking him from left and right.

He was using Raijin and his Shard to cleave their throats and cease their livesAn elf jumped at his back, his dagger aimed at his head.

Austin sensed him, his left foot shifted and held his opponent's wrist before plunging his own dagger into the elf's throat.

The dagger increased in size, heeding its master's command, and pierced through the elf's headAnother one shot a bow at him, ushering Austin to bring the dead body forward and block the arrow.

The archer loaded another arrow, but before he could have pulled the string, he lost a significant part necessary to take the aim.

His head.

Austin wordlessly thanks Sebastian who was doing his duty by protecting his young master.

Austin then turned towards the soldier standing on top of the fort.

"Troy?

" He asked in the earpiece as he ducked low and thrust his dagger into the demon's chest before pulling it down.

The said soldier immediately responded, "Yes, sir!

The demon General is still in the air, riding his raven and showing no movements.

"Austin hummed and continued the hunt.

He has positioned the soldier there just to keep an eye on the General.

The fact the Parasite Chief hasn't moved ever since was unnerving, but right now, neither he has the strength nor resources to land the first strike.

All Austin could hope was that the Parasite Chief liked the view from there and wanted to spend a few hours ideally.

"Young master!

" Sebastian called out and Austin instantly ducked, allowing the man to throw his dagger and stab the small demonic insect which was about to attack Austin.

The thing might be small but it surely would have given the ugliest sting.

Austin heaved a sigh, "Without you, I don't know how many times I have died.

"Sebastian gave a soft pat on his shoulder and told his young master, "If I don't cover your back, who will?

"Austin smiled at that, but soon his smile faltered when he saw more than twenty demonic orcs advancing straight at them.

"Sebastian move!

" The Prince warned as he charged forward before he lunged into the air, his Raijin crackling with thunder.

The sky darkened as all the illumination seemed to have wrapped around the blond one.

The orcs never had the chance to attack as Austin came crashing to the ground and struck his axe into the first orc.

**CRACK**Thunder seeped into the beast and bolted out of its back before hunting another.

The bolts traveled at a pace that was unavoidable.

Their skin cracked, flesh burned, and one after another, every Orc was under the grasp of Raijin's wrath.

Once the lighting subdued, only one orc was left standing.

But even it was staggering and barely kept itself on its feet.

Austin heaved a sigh and summoned God's Wrath.

The twin hammers shimmered into existence before Austin dashed forward.

The Orc also raised its club to swing at the target, but when the two blunt tools collided, one side went extinct.

**BOOOOOOM**God's Wrath produced shockwaves that sent the Orc's body flying through the battlefield, taking a few of its comrades with it.

Austin nodded in satisfaction.

The training in the dungeon was paying off now.

Thanks to William, the sunlight kept shining over the surface, and the demons became weaker under the sun.

So even A-rank monsters are easy to hunt right now.

Once Austin realized that he was not surrounded by immediate danger, he asked again, "Troy?

"He looked up the fort at the soldier...

and found him leaning against the guardrail.

Austin called out again, "Troy?

""He won't answer anymore.

"Austin swung Raijin on instincts ...

but it was blocked…no, more like it was captured.

The thunder died in the hands of the being who appeared behind him.

Austin's eyes slowly stretched upon seeing the humanoid being...

standing before him.

*CRACK*Raijin cracked as the demon clenched his fist and tore the axe into fragments.

[Alert!

Raijin now...

]Even when his beloved weapon was destroyed, Austin couldn't reactBefore him stood a being who simply was too overwhelming for him.

One of the four soldiers who has stood with the Demon Lord since the beginning of the world.

One of the Four Generals, the Parasite King, was standing before him.

Austin couldn't even lift his head to look at his face.

The miasma has locked him in the place.

All he heard was his voice, which told him, "You shouldn't have pulled that trick earlier...

and now, you are going to pray the price of it.

"*SQUELCH*The Parasite King suddenly raised his hand and extended his claws—piercing the man who was inches away from stabbing the demon.

Austin's expression turned pale.

"S-Sebas...

tian....

"Sebastian looked down at his chest...

he knew his life was fading fast.

And in the last few moments he had, he looked at his young master and faintly whispered, "R-Run...

"**SQUELCH**His claws extended in several directions and Sebastian's whole body was ripped apart.

Austin flinched as his blood painted his face.

The warmth...

it was blood....

his blood....

there was no doubt about it...

Sebastian...

he...

he was...

"It's not over, boy.

I will first kill every single person you love before I come after you.

Make sure you don't die before that.

"Saying so, the Parasite King disappeared—charging at his next target.

°°°°°°°°°A/N:- Thank you for reading.

You will be missed, Sebastian.

Q