Returning to the Territory

The thunderous sounds of slaughter, the explosions of magic, and the wails of the dying were cast behind them like a tide, eventually fading into a dull, heart-pounding hum on the distant horizon.

The monstrous war kindled by Morgos no longer had anything to do with Vivian and her battered troops.

The fierce war that followed was none of Vivian’s business, and she had no desire to intervene in it any further.

‘Right now, all she wanted was to take her old troops home, settle down to farm, and, you know, have her baby.’

The front line was a raging inferno, and demon soldiers who had lost their combat effectiveness were constantly being sent to the rear.

Vivian didn’t delay the work of the rear hospital for long.

After ensuring the wounded were properly cared for, she continued the retreat with her remaining forces.

Vivian assigned all available vehicles to the wounded and for transporting supplies, while she herself began to walk at the very front of the long, silent column, leading her old forces back to her own territory, back to her own Demon Lord’s Castle.

Her figure was the sole banner and pillar for this remnant army.

“Lady Demon Lord, please, ride on my back.”

The alpha of the Shadowmoon Direwolves, Asi, naturally came forward and made the request.

“There’s no need.”

Vivian shook her head gently.

“The road is still long. Conserving stamina is what’s most important. There’s no need to waste your energy on formalities.”

With that, she even reached out and stroked Asi’s wolf head.

A gentle rumble came from Asi’s throat, and he did not insist further.

‘…So fluffy. It feels really nice.’

Now was not the time for status or ceremony; Vivian was well aware of this.

Although she was a Demon Lord, and even pregnant, she was still a Demon Lord.

Her formidable strength was still enough for her to traverse long distances with ease, but the same could not be said for the other demonic creatures and wounded soldiers.

Vivian would naturally not think of riding in a vehicle at a time like this, not when the ones they could take were already crammed full of wounded soldiers who couldn’t move and essential supplies.

The entire column’s pace was not fast, but the good news was that, from time to time, other remote units of her old forces would catch up, rejoining the column and falling back into rank.

Before she knew it, Vivian’s column had grown to nearly four or five thousand.

“…There are actually this many people.”

Upon receiving the tally, Vivian’s brow furrowed slightly.

These five thousand demon warriors were more than just a number on the surface.

This was by no means a simple figure.

Behind every number was an individual struggling to survive, and more than that, it was tied to their families and clans, scattered across the various demon territories or still desperately seeking a way to live in the wilderness.

Once news of her successful return to her territory spread, like a magnet attracting iron filings, countless displaced demonic creatures would flock to her, seeking the protection of their former Demon Lord.

Food, water, shelter, security…

This made Vivian feel a certain amount of pressure, but she would only know the specifics after returning to her territory and Demon Lord’s Castle.

The long journey home began.

The column moved like a weary python, slithering arduously across the barren land.

The pace was slow, but surprisingly, no major chaos erupted.

Fortunately, the lightning-fast methods Vivian had used when re-gathering her old forces had easily regained the loyalty and trust of her subordinates.

Along the way, everyone worked together to help the column advance.

Four days later, Vivian’s column returned to her original territory.

It was a scene of ruin and desolation.

The hills, once lush and covered with demonic plants, were now nothing but charred stumps and ugly scars, as if they had been plowed over by magic.

The villages and settlements, once filled with wisps of cooking smoke and the clamor of low-ranking demonic creatures, were now just rubble.

The houses had been violently torn down, their walls covered with the marks of swords, axes, fire, and magical impacts.

The villages and demonic settlements within her former territory were empty, devoid of life.

Everywhere there were traces of battle and plunder.
Many of these places were the hometowns of the demon warriors in her column.

At first, when they passed by their hometowns, the moment they recognized the silhouettes, an irrepressible, joyous light had erupted in their eyes.

They forgot their fatigue, forgot the pain of their wounds.

Like young beasts returning to the nest, they waved their arms excitedly, even letting out a few hoarse cheers as they stumbled out of the column and ran madly toward the homes in their memories.

“Home! We’re home!”

“My little hut! It’s just behind that demon oak tree!”

They even cheered and danced as they ran, and Vivian, curious, couldn’t help but follow to take a look.

But for most, after that initial elation, they were left with nothing but desolate expressions as they gazed upon the empty villages and settlements.

Their hometowns held only a deeper silence and complete desolation.

“Everyone’s gone. There’s nothing left.”

They stared at their homes, murmuring to themselves.

After Vivian’s defeat, the entire region had lost the protection of a Demon Lord, and the high-ranking demons had either died or were grievously wounded during the surprise attack by Lucia and the others.

And so, the entire 【Territory of Evernight】 belonging to Vivian became an object for exploration and plunder for countless adventurers and mercenaries.

Two months wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short either.

With a large number of parties flooding in, the entire territory had naturally been turned into scorched earth.

The charred wooden beams of the settlement houses pointed toward the gray sky like broken bones.

Shattered pottery and rusted farm tools were scattered everywhere.

Even now, a thick smell of burning and the faint scent of blood still lingered in the air.

More and more soldiers encountered and flocked to their respective hometowns on the way back to the Demon Lord’s Castle, only to be swallowed by an even deeper despair.

The cheers had long since vanished, replaced by waves of suppressed sobs and soul-shattered whispers.

The moment she was defeated, this land was no longer a home.

It had become a massive, ownerless hunting ground.

Looking at the demons under her command, Vivian’s heart was filled with complex emotions.

But did she hate Lucia?

Not really.

The strong prey on the weak; that was only natural.

A loss was a loss.

Facing a decapitation strike from the strongest Hero and several other united Heroes, Vivian was lucky to be alive.

What more could she ask for?

Her heart was, justifiably, calm.

But at the same time, Vivian, or rather, Bai An, felt the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders even more keenly.

“…Damn it. It almost feels like it would have been easier if they’d just lopped my head off with a sword back then.”

But thinking about the ultimate mess she was about to face, this absurd thought couldn’t help but surface in the mind of the once-mortal Bai An, now the Demon Lord of Evernight, Vivian.