Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess-Chapter 230 - 229- Failed Plan(2)

"What did you just say?!" Thea blinked, stunned by what she had just heard.

She knew Austin always had a backup plan—he wasn't reckless—but never in her wildest thoughts did she expect him to come up with something so extreme. So… outrageous. All to ensure the demons wouldn't stray from the path they intended to lure them onto.

Austin gave a casual shrug. "There's no other way. You and I both know they might have reasons to ignore the bait or take a different route. In that case, I think this method is our best shot."

Thea ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "And how exactly are you so sure this will work?"

Austin hesitated only for a breath. "I… got the information from Selner?"

He tried to sound nonchalant, but the moment his eyes flicked away, Thea caught it. A tiny crack in his facade. She knew a lie when she saw one—and he was definitely hiding something.

Still, it wasn't her job to dissect his every decision. Her role was clear: create the clone. Nothing more.

"Fine," she muttered. "But if both your plans fail, everything comes crashing down on your head."

Her warning was sharp and pointed, but Austin didn't flinch. Not even a hint of stress crossed his face.

He simply nodded, eyes steady. "I'll take full responsibility. No matter what happens."

....

"Thea!" As they predicted, Austin's primary plan failed miserably because the Parasite Chief was hovering above the skies, a region where Charlotte's barrier couldn't reach.

And since her barrier couldn't block the view from that height, the Demon General must have realized that they were being lured to the densest part of the military. Or to say, it was a trap.

The demonic army has already started to turn to the other side—the least guarded side of the mainland.

In a way, the prophecy would be proven wrong too here if they actually enter the mainland from the north-western region.

However, that wasn't on Austin's mind at the moment, at all.

"Austin!" Valerie suddenly shouted upon seeing Austin jumping off the fort.

He ignored Valerie for now and told Charlotte, "Give me a platform and remove the barrier. Now!!"

The warrior who heard the voice was no newbie to think first and act later

She heard the command and instantly removed her barrier, while her other hand shot toward the blond figure who was falling toward the ground

A shimmering platform conjured beneath Austin's feet, providing him a base to stand on.

Austin pressed his hand against the droplet-shaped artifact in his ear and told Charlotte, "Bring me closer to the shore."

The barrier-user gritted her teeth and pushed all her Soul energy into manipulating the barrier.

"What is he even trying to do now?! It's over." William uttered through his gritted teeth.

He knew that trusting a kid was never a good option. He tried convincing everyone to evenly distribute the forces so they could minimize the damage and keep the danger away from the general masses.

However, they all were convinced that Austin's method would work. And now, they all are standing before a dead end!

Now, Charlotte also regrets not trusting William's method.

The soldiers were in chaos, scrambling to rush west—until they saw him.

Austin hovered above the battlefield.

In an instant, silence overtook the panic. The soldiers froze, and so did the demons. Not because the barriers had vanished—but because of the voice that echoed like a thunderclap through the air.

Austin stood at the center, high above all, holding by the hair an individual every demon on that field recognized.

The Parasite Chief's eyes widened in sheer horror the moment he saw who it was.

Struggling, groaning, and trying to break free from Austin's grip was none other than—

"Your Liege! Your King! See how he dies like a dog!!" Austin bellowed, voice laced with venom.

With that, he drove his dagger into Astaroth's chest and sliced down viciously.

"Aaaghh!! Khakkk!"

Blood exploded from the gaping wound, spraying through the air like rain.

The demons, all of them, turned their gaze to their lord. The miasma around their bodies thickened, reacting to their rising fury and grief.

Austin grinned, his eyes wild, as he shoved his hand into Astaroth's open chest and began tearing it apart.

"AAAHHHHHHHH!!"

The Demon King's agonized cry echoed like a cursed hymn across the battlefield.

Even the human soldiers recoiled in fear. That scream… it wasn't mortal.

The Parasite Chief's dread turned to realization. No—this couldn't be. Their liege could never be this weak.

"KHIEEEEEEK!!" he screeched, desperately rallying the demons, trying to break the illusion—trying to call them back to reason.

Some responded. The smarter ones blinked and turned away, recognizing the deception.

But it was already too late.

Over three thousand demons—those of limited mental capacity—could only hear their King's wail.

Could only see him suffering.

Could only feel the pain of their God.

And then—something snapped.

"KHIEEEEEEK!!"

The boundary of restraint shattered.

With maddened screeches and howls, the demonic horde turned direction, storming toward the center of the battlefield—toward the source of their God's torment.

The Parasite Chief shrieked again and again, but his voice was swallowed in the flood.

It was useless.

When Astaroth suffers, the world turns red to his children.

They forget logic. They forget orders.

They only attack.

He may have commanded them… but Astaroth had created them.

"Take formation!" William shouted, snapping out of his trance. His voice was strained, but commanding.

The soldiers quickly adjusted, parting to allow the demons into the trap zone.

Austin, still holding the ruined corpse, drifted back—making sure not to be the first thing they reached.

The bait had worked.

Now, the real slaughter would begin.

As the demons charged, maddened beyond reason, the ground beneath them began to shimmer faintly—then crack.

BOOM!

The first line of charging demons was instantly swallowed by a chain of underground explosions. Spike pits opened, ether mines detonated, and sharpened stakes laced with holy inscriptions erupted from the soil, impaling anything above them.

Screeches turned to dying wails.

And that was only the beginning. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"FIRE!!" William roared, pointing forward.

In an instant, dozens of hidden artillery stations across the cliffs and ruins behind the soldiers came to life.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Huge cells crashed against the horde of demons, crushing them into a paste and ceasing their existence.

They hit the charging horde like divine wrath.

BOOOOM!!

Entire squads of demons vaporized under the fiery assault. Acid shells burst and melted through even the toughest skin, while fragmentation bombs tore limbs apart.

"Light cannons—adjust five degrees south! Prioritize the flying beasts!" barked a field officer, his voice steady despite the hell before him.

From the high watchtowers, white-hot beams of concentrated holy light pierced the sky and then slammed down like judgment.

The demon flyers screeched in agony as their wings turned to ash midair, crashing into their comrades below and adding to the carnage.

Still, more came.

But the trap was far from spent.

"Activate zone two!" shouted another mage.

A circular rune the size of a plaza lit up beneath the largest demon clusters, glowing with a violet hue before collapsing inward like a sinkhole.

Soon, frost began to appear on the battlefield as Valerie jumped in the middle of the charging horde and elegantly tapped her spear on the ground.

Ice shot outward from her, the demons suddenly were frozen in a huge quantity, their bodies becoming useless under the frost.

Valerie trapped hundreds of them at once and the soldiers destroyed the ice, claiming the lives of the demons at once.

"Gaaaaah! Kill them!"

"Take this!!!" The human soldiers were roaring and charging.

The artillery continued to fire cannon balls and the archers shot down whatever crossed the fort.

It wasn't enough that suddenly, the dark clouds parted, and sunlight began to pour on a single human.

The soul energy around the man became so intense that those demons who approached him were burned into cinders.

William locked his eyes with the hundreds of demons before him—they were now faltering in their paths.

His sword shone like a star, his figure barely visible as he jumped into the air and slashed his Shard towards his enemies.

"Divine Judgment!"

The energy from his sword consumed everything that stood before him, the heat of the sun burning the demons at a rapid pace.

Those who were on the ground and those who tried escaping through the skies, every single one of them were burnt into ashes.

Once the light died down, the previous army of five thousand was brought down by half.

And the amount of human soldiers who have lost their lives could be counted on fingers.

The war suddenly started to appear balanced. Both sides have nearly the same soldiers and firepower.

Seeing the results, Austin glanced at Thea before smirking, as he told her, "Told you it will work."

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A/N:- Haah~people stopped reading, it? No comments...*sniff*