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Alex watched from the distance as the Demon commander zoomed toward his clone with his sword pulsing with dark energy while the four captains desperately tried to catch up to him and interrupt his attack.
But the difference in speed between the demon and the four captains was not something they could bridge with sheer willpower.
In a single instance, the demon commander sheathed his sword and created a sphere of swirling flames that grew by the moment while Alex's clone fell to the ground, sliced into multiple pieces, and the four captains each halted in mid-air to defend against numerous energy slashes.
Alex felt a jolt of pain as his clone died, but he braised himself and sprinted toward the floating war fortress using a combination of phantom walk and mana step, knowing he only had a few seconds before the demon commander saw through his scheme.
Alex arrived within a hundred-meter radius of the war fortress, and he instantly guided the ethereal rune under his control to mark the Soulreaver cannon pulsing with energy as the target.
The crimson scroll in Alex's hand crumbled to dust, and moments later, a brilliant crimson-red rune materialized inside the dark chamber above the dreaded Soulreaver cannon.
The crimson rune material started emitting an eerie, chaotic red mist that billowed forth, swirling and expanding rapidly in the massive chamber, taking the giant canon pulsing with dark energy in its embrace.
The mist cascaded and spread, taking on a life of its own as it engulfed the dark chamber, and even the very space in the area started to change as the crimson mist started decaying everything it came in contact with.
The demon commander was so preoccupied with his attack that he didn't immediately notice the subtle shift in the atmosphere as his attention remained fixed on the floating scroll that had slowly started to twist the very space around it.
The demon commander unleashed the massive sphere with a diameter of tens of feet on the floating scroll, and the moment it touched the ground, it exploded into a flurry of flames, rapidly expanding to tens of meters and devouring everything in its path in a sea of dark flames.
The demon commander only took a moment to sense the great disturbance near him, and as he moved his sight toward the source of it, he saw the chamber with the Soulreaver cannon getting filled with red mist making his face turn blank and eyes filled with panic and urgency.
"RETREAT," Alex roared at the top of his lungs before using the Temporal Beacon skill to teleport near the edge of the dark barrier.
Alex knew the human army was doomed to get slaughtered if they stayed, and the captains had realized that too and now they had a great opportunity to retreat.
Alex had given the army their best chance to retreat safely with as few casualties as possible because the demon commander would be busy saving the fortress from getting turned into junk from the decaying mist powered by the world laws.
As Alex expected, the demon commander reacted swiftly, immediately taking measures to contain and disperse the encroaching crimson mist of decay.
While Kerubiel quickly ordered a retreat after learning that none of the teleportation scrolls were working, realizing if he delayed, a majority of his men would be dead.
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'I wonder why the demons are invading early and much greater in number than in my previous life?' Alex questioned as he waited for the human army to arrive.
Alex knew that with the appearance of the two portals instead of one like in his previous life, the number of demons who would invade would be at least double, which made him think about what other changes there would be compared to his previous life.
'The demons probably have two or more war fortresses and a sixth Rank high demon, but they will still need to scatter and hide as they did in my previous life,'
'The demon force will be impressive, but they still can't leave the boundaries of this barrier and not get slaughtered, which means their purpose still is to cause a distraction which they could have done with a smaller force,' Alex thought, trying to make sense of the whole situation.
Alex was smart enough to know that the early demon invasion had something to do with something he did that led to something happening that the demons wanted and became the reason for their early arrival.
Alex didn't care for messing with the flow of the timeline, knowing anything minor or major he did will create a chain effect and alter a multitude of things as a result.
Alex was hoping to guess the reason behind the invasion to potentially benefit himself, but even after searching his past life memories, he didn't reach any different conclusion than what he already knew.
Alex was engrossed in his thoughts when he sensed a presence, and looking ahead, he saw Kerubiel, the grand commander approaching him with a mix of relief and admiration evident on his battle-worn features.
"Aeon, without your timely intervention, the situation would have become far direr, resulting in the death of many lives, and for your help on behalf of the entire human army, you have my deepest gratitude." Kerubiel declared, his voice resonating with authority and gratitude.
"I did what I felt best under the current circumstances to help," Alex replied solemnly.
"We have avoided a massacre, but our mission was a failure, and the threat of demons still looms and grows with every passing moment." Kerubiel's said his eyes held a mix of anger and urgency.
Kerubiel nodded at him before quickly vanishing as he left the barrier, and Alex followed behind him, and exiting the barrier, he was greeted with warm sunlight and a group of individuals who appeared before him like ghosts.
'The atmosphere is gloomier than I remembered,' Alex thought as he smiled at Lady Telyssa, who stood behind an old lady and the second prince.
"Aeon, your actions were invaluable to the army and our cause, and I assure you that your service will not go unrecognized," Aphariaen, The second Price, said as he approached Alex.
"Your Highness, I am honored to have been of assistance," Alex replied.
"After we are done dealing with these pesky demons, I will arrange a reward befitting your services," Prince Aphariaen said before vanishing into thin air.
The old lady accompanying the price vanished with him, leaving only Lady Telyssa, who now held a bright smile.
While Alex conversed with Lady Telyssa, the remainder of the army returned, and the landscape around them buzzed with activity as soldiers were regrouped with their regiments, tending to wounded comrades and assessing the aftermath of the battle.
Alex got treated as a hero by the soldiers as many of their comrades were saved thanks to him, while the higher-ranking captains paid him respect for his quick thinking and resourcefulness.
The upper echelons of the human forces gathered to assess the situation and formulate a new strategy, and with the lessons learned from the initial battle, they began to piece together a more comprehensive plan of action.
After the clash, the figures in command knew the main things they needed to neutralize were one or possibly multiple war fortress and various high demons while also preparing for the unknown threats.
The first clash was just to test the waters, and now knowing what they were up against, they prepared accordingly.
Over the course of the following hours, more warships and regiments arrived at the scene, their massive forms blotting out the sky and land as they joined the growing fleet.
Alex knew that the demon portals would collapse and no more than a few million demons and some annoying weaponry would be all they were up against, but the human empire was not privy to such knowledge, so they were preparing, according to their beliefs, for a grand continental war.
While the human army prepared to deal with the visible threat, Alex contacted the three guild leaders to deal with the true threat that no one would see coming and hoped on a call with them to present them with the grand opportunity and setting in motion the final part of his plan in motion.
In the following hours, a mighty army began to take shape as the ground forces were reorganized, with specialized units assigned to different roles, just like the previous army but vastly grander in scale.
After four hours, the preparations were completed, the strategies were fine-tuned, communication protocols established, and contingency plans put in place, the colossal army was ready to enter the barrier and engage with the demons once again.
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