A Single General’s Success is Built on Ten Thousand Bleaching Bones

“…Afraid?”

After hearing Vivian’s words, Morgos was silent for a few seconds.

Then, the grating “heh heh” sound from his decaying vocal cavity gradually twisted and swelled, finally erupting into a fit of wild laughter!

“Hahahaha! Afraid!”

The eerie green soulfire in his deep-set sockets danced and surged wildly, as if it would ignite the very air around him!

“I am the Emissary of War!

I feed on death!

I AM the Legion of Death!

I will personally witness the corruption and decay of my enemies, and listen to the shrieks of their souls in despair!

I am the executor of the Demon Clan’s will!

And you say that I… am afraid!

Hahaha!

Absurd!

Pathetic!”

The flames in Morgos’s eyes churned fiercely, meeting Vivian’s crimson gaze head-on.

To be honest, at this moment, Vivian was still a little afraid.

Her heart was pounding wildly!

She was afraid of this King of War among the demons, but at this moment, there was no retreat.

Then, her voice rose sharply, carrying a resolute finality, like a declaration.

“I don’t care what you think.

From this day forward, my legion withdraws from your foolish war of attrition!

My subordinates are no longer cannon fodder for you to squander at will!

Morgos, either you stop me right here, in front of all these demons, with that rotting scepter of yours!

Or you take your ‘consumables’ theory and crawl back to your rotting throne!”

The moment her words fell, the air seemed to freeze.

The thousands of demon soldiers behind Vivian couldn’t help but grip their battered weapons tighter, the fear in their eyes replaced by a do-or-die resolve.

They looked at the seemingly slender back before them, a back that stood like a mountain, shielding them.

The hot blood that had long lain dormant in their chests seemed to begin stirring once more.

And opposite them, Morgos’s two points of eerie green soulfire flickered violently, the aura of rot surging around him like a storm.

The skeletal fingers gripping his scepter creaked from the force.

A dead silence, so heavy it was suffocating.

A conflict between Demon Lords seemed to be on the verge of erupting.

“…Heh.”

However, the anticipated thunderous strike never came.

Morgos’s hoarse laughter, scraped out from his corrupt aura, carried a cold, heart-stopping mockery.

Slowly, with an all-controlling arrogance, he raised his scepter.

“【Legion of Rot】, hear my command. Begin the 【Death March】.”

But then, Morgos, the Demon Lord of Rot, raised the scepter in his hand and, through his mana, issued a military order that spread out, a voice as clear as a whisper in everyone’s ear.

Immediately, Morgos’s elite guards began to march forward.

“Thump—thump—thump—”

And then, the earth began to tremble.

A dull rumbling, like muffled thunder, sounded from the edge of the horizon!

‘Can a few hundred men create such a formation and presence… N-no, that’s not right!’

Vivian was confused at first, but then she realized something was wrong.

The heavily armored elite troops split into two columns and began to bypass her old forces from the left and right.

At the same time, on the distant horizon, a massive, dark demon army appeared.

A black tide!

A black tide that covered the entire horizon, enough to make any living creature suffocate in despair, was surging forth!

It was a sea of countless bobbing heads, a forest of blades, spears, and halberds, a dense and innumerable demon army!

Like a behemoth from the abyss, it slowly stretched its vast, boundless body!

The sheer number was suffocating at a glance.

A demon army hundreds of thousands strong began to move out, advancing, destroying everything in its path!

They were like a black carpet of death, pushing forward and crushing everything with an unstoppable, slow, and steady pace!

Wherever they passed, even the light seemed to be devoured, leaving only pure destruction!

The demon army had begun its official offensive, yet Morgos, the Demon Lord of Rot, still stood before Vivian.

The violent, death-filled corrupt mana began to dissipate, and his entire being returned to a state of calm.

“…His Majesty the Demon Emperor once decreed that Demon Lords are forbidden from fighting amongst themselves.”

The creature continued in his hoarse, dry voice.

“The power of every Demon Lord is of utmost importance to our race.

Vivian, Demon Lord of Evernight, since you’ve managed to pick up a life and come back, please cherish it yourself.

Do not waste it.”

“…You goddamn bastard. You used my troops as bait.”

“From the very beginning, you were using them!”

Vivian was no fool.

The moment she saw Morgos’s grand army, she understood his intentions.

Morgos’s main army had been holding back this whole time.

Only Vivian’s old forces and the supervisory squads behind them had been engaged in combat on the front line, and this had gone on for nearly a month.

Although Vivian’s army had been nearly exhausted, the human side had correspondingly lowered their guard and the intensity of their defensive line due to the level of fighting.

Vivian had clearly felt this when she crossed the front line; apart from the main battlefield, the flanks were mostly handled by adventurer parties.

And the objective of most of those Heroes was just to block her, Vivian.

…This guy was playing a grand game of chess!

Morgos hadn’t just simply used her old forces as cannon fodder; they were also bait to lure the humans into relaxing their vigilance on the front line!

He wanted to take a huge bite!

Her old forces were not just consumables; they were the perfect bait!

He had used the blood of her warriors to numb the humans!

To make them misjudge the main direction of attack, to relax their guard on the flanks!

He intended to pave his way with the bones of her subordinates, and then… swallow the human defensive line, which looked solid but had in fact been lulled into complacency by the bait!

What he wanted to devour was the entire front line!

The main force of the human allied army!

Instantly understanding Morgos’s scheme, Vivian’s eyes widened.

The seemingly lofty Demon Lord Morgos silently swept his gaze over the remnant soldiers of her old forces behind her.

“I have said that their sacrifice and death will be the cornerstone of victory.”

Morgos, the Demon Lord of Rot, let out a heavy breath.

“A single general’s success is built on ten thousand bleaching bones.

I will remember their sacrifice and offer the heads of lowly humans in tribute.”

“Vivian, Demon Lord of Evernight, now that you have returned safely, you should once again shoulder the responsibility of caring for your own people.

I am the Emissary of War, the guide of death, so I do not have the means to settle all the ‘Exiles’ in such a short time—rather than letting them starve to death, it is better they contribute to my victory.”

“Celebrate! Rejoice!

After this battle, our Demon Clan will gain at least twenty years of peace on this front!”

After speaking these words of ultimate cruelty with profound meaning, Morgos paid Vivian no more heed.

He lightly nudged the corrupted dragon beneath him, which reeked of a thick stench of corpses and had tattered, bony wings.

The great beast let out a dull whimper and began to move its heavy limbs.

Slowly, with the arrogant posture of a victor, it passed by Vivian, who stood frozen in place, and headed toward his vast, ocean-like army.

He advanced steadfastly toward the distant human front line, toward the great slaughterhouse he had meticulously planned, a sacrifice of blood