God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 243: Episode _Ruler of the Battlefield (5)

8.

In a chaotic brawl, the advantage belongs to those with nothing to lose.

The warlocks had come prepared to throw away their lives just to inflict the maximum possible damage. The Continental Army, on the other hand, had come with the thought, ’We must wipe out the warlocks, but we should save as many of our own as we can.’ Their mindsets were worlds apart.

Even as they lay dying, the warlocks thrashed and clawed, desperate to take down just one more person with them.

The Continental Army did not shy away from this frenzy; they met it head-on.

The Emperor himself joined the fray.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is the situation?”

“The warlocks have brought monsters and are using insects to turn the battlefield into a plague pit. We’re struggling to gain the upper hand.”

“Hm.”

“However, we are taking countermeasures, such as bringing in holy water, and we are steadily clearing out the monsters. There is no need for excessive concern.”

“No matter the cost, we must eradicate the warlocks, down to the last seed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Even if we cannot...”

’...stop what comes next.’

The Emperor swallowed the rest of his words, ensuring no one could hear.

That was why his expression was so grim as he fought. He was an Emperor who had never once imagined losing on the field of battle. But to knowingly participate in a war he felt he was destined to lose, one way or another, left him with an indescribable sense of dread.

Of course, he believed in the Continental Army. He believed in the grand strategy against the warlocks that he had been refining for so long, and he was still confident they would win this fight.

However, the history books always told the same story: at the end of every war against the warlocks, an invasion of demons followed.

It had happened hundreds of years ago, and hundreds of years before that, and thousands of years before that. There had been eras without wars against the warlocks, but the demons had always invaded the continent in the end, and the records had been written in blood.

Each time, they had somehow managed to repel the demons, but the damage had always been catastrophic. And in the midst of that chaos, the warlocks had survived like cockroaches to carry on their legacy.

He wanted to believe this time would be different, but that was far too idealistic. He might be called the greatest Emperor in history, but were the Emperors of centuries past complete fools?

Of course not.

Among all the Emperors in history who had faced the demons, not a single one had been anything less than outstanding. They all possessed an upright character and an unyielding will. Without those qualities, the continent would have fallen into the demons’ hands long ago.

That was why there was one thing he absolutely had to accomplish.

The extinction of the warlocks.

A destruction so absolute that they could never rise again.

If the demons were going to come again no matter what, then what followed would have to be left to fate. But if, through this war, they could wipe out the warlocks, repel the demons, and allow the continent to know peace once more—while ensuring no surviving warlock could pass on their legacy to future generations...

“Exert your full strength! Inform the Mage Tower and the Temple to deploy every artifact we have!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor’s will spread like a tangible force across the battlefield. The soldiers, whose morale should have plummeted under the onslaught of curses and plagues, saw the Emperor take the field himself and roared, drawing strength from his presence.

It was a potent drug.

’This battlefield I fight on...’

’My death here will not be in vain.’

The casualties grew worse, but the Continental Army’s advance only accelerated.

Just a little more.

If they could just push forward a little more, they could break through the warlocks cowering behind their monstrous vanguard. That wave of hope gave them even greater strength.

Just as that hope was about to reach the warlocks—

Whish—

Darkness descended from the sky.

Everyone’s gaze turned upward. The claws of the monsters, slashing at them, were a more immediate threat, but they had to look. They had to see the source of a darkness so thick it threatened to blot out their vision.

It was clearly daytime. And yet something was blocking the sun?

Within the dense, gathering shadows, dozens of winged demons became visible.

It was the Upper Demon Grokile, along with his mid- and lower-ranked kin.

They had joined the battlefield.

*

Those watching the battle through broadcasts or personal channels found their palms slick with sweat.

They couldn’t help it.

Demons had appeared out of nowhere.

’Seriously, what are demons doing in the middle of a war against warlocks?’

—What the hell? Why demons?

—Don’t tell me we just moved to the next phase.

—What, is this some pattern-based boss with phases now?

—For real. It’s NPC vs. NPC.

—There are a ton of Users on the warlock side too, you know.

—No, but this is Main Quest Scenario Act 3, right? If we treat this as one scenario, then the warlocks getting pushed back might have been the planned progression. That would mean we’re about to defeat them, so of course the next phase has to show up.

—Now that you say it, that makes sense. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

They had been watching with a gripping sense of realism, but at the end of the day, this was still a game. Viewers who had been comfortably watching as if it were a fantasy movie nodded along, shifting their focus to theorize along those lines.

—Then the demons are...

—It could be foreshadowing.

—Foreshadowing?

—Or bait. Just a little taste to show us how strong the demons will be later on.

—Oh!

—There’s a high chance those demons are tuned to match the current difficulty.

Plenty of people were happily showing off their armchair analysis. It wasn’t a bad thing; it was just one way to enjoy a spectacle like this.

However, Grokile did not seem to agree.

The moment he appeared, he flaunted his presence to the fullest. He and the other demons made it very clear that they were not just a teaser for what was to come.

Proving it was not difficult.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KABOOM!

He didn’t even need to use magic. He simply slammed down into the battlefield.

And then he began the slaughter.

Every swing of his weapon massacred dozens of humans, while the curses radiating from his retinue sapped the strength of thousands, even tens of thousands of soldiers.

The raw number—just a few dozen demons—might not have seemed like much, but a group that included several mid-ranked demons and one Upper Demon had more than enough firepower to overturn the continental army’s advantage in a single stroke.

This was the power of a demon without restrictions.

Grokile displayed it without any fear of being discovered by the Celestial Realm. It didn’t matter if he was found out. Now that the war had begun, the demons’ invasion was all but guaranteed. In this situation, even if a few Celestials crossed over to balance the scales, he was confident he wouldn’t lose.

As long as they didn’t recklessly open Gates all over the place and start an all-out war with the Celestial Realm, it would be fine.

“Muahaha!”

There was nothing standing in his way. The thrill was immense.

Honestly, he would be happy anywhere as long as that Han Simin, who had beaten him senseless with the power of their contract, was not around.

He flinched.

Just thinking of the man for a moment made Grokile hesitate, and he glanced around nervously.

Fortunately, Simin was nowhere to be seen.

’No, and so what if he is?’

Wasn’t this exactly what that man had ordered him to do? To faithfully carry out his mission. He wouldn’t suddenly throw a fit now over him killing humans.

Thus, the demons joined the battlefield, and a new phase began.

Simultaneously, the viewers’ reactions shot through the roof.

—What is that thing?

—...That’s completely busted.

—That’s way too OP.

—Who’s supposed to kill that?

—Come on. The Continental Army has to have something like that, too. All the top experts of the continent are gathered there.

And at the end of those reactions, there was always a hint of hollow laughter.

That was how overwhelming the impact of the newly appeared demons was.

9.

Han Simin, of course, was watching the broadcast.

Cutting down warlocks from behind was a nice little side hustle, but the real prize of war was profit. Now that the main event had begun, he was quietly scheming ways to slip in, minimize his own risk, and maximize his gains.

He didn’t even have to try too hard; just watching the broadcast sparked several ideas. He was already on the move to put them into practice.

By now, the Imperial Knights and the paladins had turned into full-on thugs. When Simin said he would give them a chance to join the main battlefield and shine, rather than just beating up small-fry warlocks, they all readily agreed.

It was in that situation that Simin saw it.

Grokile’s flashy entrance.

And the awe-inspiring might of the demons following him.

“The hell. Shit.”

’Why is he that strong?’

He had expected Grokile to be strong, to some extent. He had, after all, accidentally turned the demon into his servant through a contract, and Kardian had already given him a clear benchmark for an unrestricted Upper Demon’s power.

Still, he had just shrugged it off at the time. He hadn’t expected him to be this strong.

If he had known...

“Even if I had, so what? It doesn’t really matter.”

That was true.

Having grown serious for a moment, Simin relaxed again. He had unconsciously started thinking from the continent’s point of view, but the truth was that the path before him ran both ways. If push came to shove, he could side with the warlocks and help plunge the continent into darkness, or he could pour his heart and soul into helping the continent stop them.

So he decided not to think too hard about the appearance of such an overpowered monster.

Looked at that way, this mess could actually be an opportunity.

“I should bring the Sanctuary from the territory.”

The greater the crisis, the greater the potential profit. The continent was overflowing with money, but none of it was his. In a situation like this, however, he could easily make it his.

With that in mind, he headed for the Rich Territory.

The aide tried his best to stop him, but Simin was even more firm.

“Come on. Do you want the continent to get conquered by demons and our territory to turn into some place where they just show up to blow off steam and wreck everything? Keeping this here right now won’t make the warlocks come. Using it over there is a hundred times more profitable, so hand it over.”

The aide fell silent.

To be honest, the Sanctuary wasn’t an item that held that much value for him personally. Yes, it had saved the territory once when it was on the verge of ruin, but all the profits that had gone into it were originally supposed to end up in Simin’s pocket anyway. Rather than letting it sit and gather dust, it made more sense to move it around and use it to make money.

So he had them lift the magic circle.

A Sanctuary was a magic circle, not something you could just rip up and carry off, but with Kardian’s draconic knowledge and Squeaker, who could cast any magic for the right price, they managed to encapsulate the intact magic circle into a single medium.

It didn’t even cost that much.

“Dad, I used up all my mana.”

“Yeah. Take a break.”

The spell was easily powered by the mana Squeaker had accumulated while hunting. The mana they currently held was worth about 100,000 GP, but it wasn’t money Simin had actually paid. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret as he picked up the medium and began enhancing it.

As time passed, the Continental Army’s position visibly worsened, but there was no need to rush.

Slowly.

At his own pace.

The protagonist was supposed to appear at the most dramatic moment. As long as he didn’t show up after the battle was already lost, it would be fine.

While Simin was enhancing the Sanctuary with that in mind, a pillar of light suddenly poured down from the sky in front of him.

“...What the hell?”

“Is it you, demon’s dog?”

An angel emerged from the light.

At the fated meeting of angel and demon, everyone fell silent. They all knew Simin wasn’t actually a demon’s dog, but there was a kind of unspoken agreement, a strange sense of acknowledgment that settled over them.