Closing the eyes of the deceased tank driver, General Francisco Dianopra Agraviador stood up and decided to open the hatch of the Tank Fortress, only to find himself in a cold wasteland where everything around him was frozen in ice.
The Major General was extraordinarily fortunate to say the least. The Tank Fortress was fast and resilient enough to withstand the giant meteorite that obliterated his tank battalion. It had also endured the demonic magic casted by that demon and froze the world around him.
If he hadn't gone inside the tank, he would've been frozen along with his men.
Miraculously, the tank's hatch had not frozen. If it had, there would have been no escape for the General.
As he surveyed the frozen wasteland, his eyes, shielded by his gas mask, locked onto the golden eyes behind a white mask of the being that caused all of this.
"Demon..." The Major General muttered with venomous hate.
Calming himself, the Major General used his earpiece radio to contact Trese and the remnants of his army. "Calling all forces, this is the Major General. Anyone away from the battlefield, fall back to the City Hall and escape through the tram station beneath."
[General, you can't be serious!] Trese's voice crackled over the radio. [Didn't you say we should never surrender and die like men?!]
"I know what I said, but this is not your place to die. Dawn is approaching, the demons are overrunning our last defense, and the knights have been wiped out. Retreat for now. As for me, I'll stay back. I will fight these demons if necessary."
[General! What do you think is gonna happen if you face them?! You're just an old bastard against thousands of monsters from hell! Unless...]
"Correct, I will use the artifact to buy you all time. Farewell, and may we meet again... my dear."
As soon as he finished speaking, he removed his earpiece radio and lowered his gaze to a five-inch Sterling Silver Crucifix beneath his uniform.
"Not even the Pope or the high-ranking members of the Catholic Church know the results if anyone uses this. But it is now or never."
————————————————————
BOOM! BOOOM! BOOM!
With three earth-shattering impacts, the entire city of Marawi shook ever so slightly as the towering dam began to collapse entirely.
"Retreat! Quickly! Retreat!"
"It's too late!"
"Shit!"
Panic-stricken voices filled the battlefield in the city as countless Black Armor soldiers lay witness to the once-mighty dam slowly collapsing to the ground.
After a moment, the dam that was 30 meters high came down with a thunderous crash, raising a massive cloud of dust.
And within the dust cloud…
"Rooaar..."
It sounded like a Dragon's roar but far more ferocious.
Emerging from the haze, a Dinosaur, about 25 meters high, appeared in everyone's sight.
A fearsome-looking Dinosaur with a tail that swung through the air like a steel whip.
This was the Tyrannotitan, one of the Conquest's Great Demonic Beasts. Together with the Titanic Behemoth, and the monstrous Sarcosuchus, these three behemoths had knocked down the dam together.
The term towering was relative.
Before these three behemoths, even tall buildings seemed like paper, especially given the prior damage the dam had suffered.
Normally, anyone who saw these creatures would have trembled in fear, or fled for their life.
However, for the soldiers of the 19th Black Armored Division.
"Death to the children of Satan! Fire!!" a fierce shout echoed across the sky as a soldier, riding a battle tank, pointed his finger at the three monsters.
Following his command, several tanks and nearly a hundred soldiers leveled their guns and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Fire the cannons!"
"Deploy the bombs!"
"We can't let them break into the city!"
But despite all that, none of the rounds even give any effect on the three behemoths.
And at that next moment, the Dinosaur began charging straight into the crowd of soldiers, ignoring the storm of gunfire.
Now, with the dam collapsed, the entire Black Army was completely exposed.
A deafening boom shook the city as the Tyrannotitan's hind legs cracked the ground, launching itself into the air.
Much to the astonishment of countless soldiers, a fearsome shadow that covered the entire sky came crashing.
"Oh... shi-"
Boom!
With a deafening boom, the Tyrannotitan stomped several tanks and dozens of Black Armor soldiers into the ground, creating a massive crater beneath its feet.
Crack!
The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed as a crimson hue began to surface from beneath the Tyrannotitan's feet. At the same time, nearby soldiers and tanks were sent flying by the sheer force of the impact.
However, this was only the beginning.
As if stimulated by the sight of blood, the Tyrannotitan became even more violent and ferocious. Demonic Energy began to surge through its entire being like boiling water.
Then, the Tyrannotitan opened his mouth.
"ROOAAR!!"
A deep and resonant roar, reminiscent of ancient times, but with a blood-red glow emanating from its throat, reverberated from deep within the beast.
The next moment…
BRRRRRRRR!!
A blood-red light beam, as thick as a water barrel, shot out from the Tyrannotitan's mouth, hitting hundreds of soldiers head-on before they could even react.
"Ahh…!"
"Shit!"
Amidst the cacophony of miserable shrieks, the blood-red beam shredded them into pieces.
If one were to look around the vicinity of the Tyrannotitan, they would see a crevice several tens of meters deep, left in the aftermath of the blood-red beam.
At this moment, the entire battlefield, besides the Tyrannotitan's nearly crushing presence, was showing a one-sided suppression.
In the face of this demon army, humanity was undeniably too weak. Even against the lesser demons like the Barons and Viscounts, the 19th Black Armored Division struggled. Despite their superior firepower, funded by most right-wing political parties and one of the Three Major Religions, the Roman Catholic Church themselves, they found it impossible to combat these fiends.
This disparity highlighted the overwhelming power of the demon army compared to their human counterparts.
However, one must not forget that these types of demons were just the middle-power among the demon hierarchy. Above them were the four Generals, who were at the Marquis-rank or Duke-rank, also known as Archdemons. Each of these demons was a cut above the rest, nearly invincible in the same level.
Now, two of these top-tier forces are launching an assault on Marawi City.
One could imagine what this entailed.
Massacre. A horrible massacre.
Each Archdemon and even the Titanic Demons had formed their own battlefield, and almost no one dared to step inside these zones. This was because each of their attacks were simply too terrifying.
For instance, the Tyrannotitan had cleared an area of a thousand meters with just one breath, eliminating thousands of enemies.
The Mammoth and the Sarcosuchus had blown hundreds of soldiers into a bloody mist with a single charge. The Mammoth's massive body, coupled with its thousands of tons weight and infused with immense Miasma, was no different than a meat grinder.
And then there were the two most terrifying figures at the center of the battlefield.
Conquest, clad in thick white armor and wielding his massive ax, surveyed the surrounding icy wasteland he had created. Looking above, he saw the second powerful figure, his companion War, was busy dealing with these flying machines that the humans built.
"Hm?"
Just as he was about to advance, his eyes suddenly caught the approaching figure within the blizzard storm.
"Demon!" The Major General spouted with venomous hate. It was like seeing the eyes of hell.
"Those eyes you give me, they bring back good memories of my time," Conquest chuckled. "Judging by your clothing, you might be the General of this army. I see your forces retreating behind you while you face us alone? Foolish yet honorable, for a leader to sacrifice himself for his men. It reminds me of that one man in my time."
While General Francisco wore a determined and hateful expression, deep within him lay helplessness and frustration. Because what he was facing was a demon far more powerful than any other present.
A human fighting toe against an Archdemon? It's like an ant trying to challenge an elephant.
However, as he watched the terrifying figure of the Archdemon approaching him with slow and deliberate steps, a flicker of determination sparked deep in Francisco's eyes.
A resolve to fight, even to the death.
This was a battle he could not afford to lose.
With this in mind, General Francisco reached for his side, unsheathing a weapon he had painstakingly built himself.
The weapon gleamed under the dim light as its craftsmanship was shown in every detail. The blade was a formidable length, forged from an unknown steel procured from the Black Market, which was said to be from an asteroid discovered by the Austronesian government somewhere deep in the Pacific.
Furthermore, its edges are lined with razor-sharp teeth that run along a single-edged blade like that of a chainsaw. The hilt was wrapped in rich, black leather, ensuring a firm grip even in the heat of battle.
The mechanism of the weapon was a marvel of engineering. Within the hilt, a compact but powerful motor lay encased in tungsten.
A small switch near the thumb allowed for seamless activation, connecting the motor to a series of intricate gears that drove the chain along the blade. Each tooth was spaced perfectly to avoid jamming, ensuring a continuous, devastating rotation.
As General Francisco activated the chainsaw-sword hybrid, a deep, guttural hum filled the air. The teeth sprang to life, spinning rapidly in a blur of deadly motion. The weapon vibrated with restrained power, eager to taste the flesh of the enemy. The Major General could feel its hunger, its readiness to unleash unparalleled carnage upon those who dared defy the Lord.
And now, this terrifying weapon was used on the battlefield.
Clutching the chainsaw-sword in one hand and a Sterling Silver Crucifix in the other, Francisco offered silent prayers to his God.
"...Amen."
With a leap impossible for a person who is old enough to be a nursing patient, he soared into the air and slashed toward the Archdemon in white armor.
Swoosh!
Tearing through the air, the hungry roar of sword came bearing down.
"What a strange weapon," a murmur escaped from Conquest as he watched the chainsaw-sword fall from the sky, his pupils slightly contracting.
Given his strength, he could naturally sense the threat posed by this sword. The unknown steel and the power of this weapon could be more dangerous than the weapons these humans use. But, a cold smile tugged the corners of Conquest's lips, as if he had thought of something.
'No matter how powerful their weapons are, it would be in vain if it can't even hit the target. Besides, I still have some cards up my sleeve.' As he considered this, a purplish-black halo suddenly flickered deep in his eyes.
"[Anti-Gravity Field]" he muttered softly, and an inexplicable force emerged in the void.
The next moment, a round of purplish-black illusory halo appeared under General Francisco.
"What the?" Amazed, General Francisco had a slight change in his expression, sensing the purple-black illusory halo. Nonetheless, having already unleashed his Chainsword, he could not turn back.
"Go back to hell!" Roaring thunderously, he increased the output of his swing, trying to let the blades make contact on the demon just for once.
However, just at this moment…
BOOM!
Francisco's body suddenly shook as an inexplicable force assailed him. He felt as if an invisible wall had appeared in front of him. With a muffled sound, he was falling backwards.
More frighteningly, a sense of weightlessness struck him, causing him to lose partial control of his body.
"Shit!" Francisco's face abruptly changed. He could not help but feel a sense of tightness grip his heart.
Before he could react, a fearsome force struck him with a roaring boom.
"Too slow," Conquest laughed lightly as he swung his massive axe.
Even though he hadn't put too much strength into the swing, it was devastating for a human like Francisco.
BOOM!
Accompanied by a thunderous boom, Francisco was sent flying like a shooting star.
What was even more astonishing was that even after flying for two kilometers and slid on the ground for another hundred meters, the old bastard was still alive.
"Cough! Cough!" Francisco broke into a series of coughs, his face pale as paper. In his lower abdomen, there was a wound that was almost half a foot long, and he was profusely bleeding from it. One could even see his innards as well.
"Fuck!"
Thankfully, the steel armor beneath his uniform, which is durable enough to withstand a single shot from a .50 caliber BMG, had absorbed most of the impact of the demon's attack, but the pain was still excruciating.
Even with that injury, Francisco weakly rose to his feet with a painful groan, while being supported by his weapon as a helping stick.
"This... is another level of elderly abuse."
At that moment, he could hear the ominous sound of footsteps echoing across the icy field. He looked up to see the familiar figure already standing before him.
"You do a nice job at surviving all of this, young mortal," Conquest said with a smile.
"Say whatever you want, you demonic bastard. It's not like you'll have a tombstone when I'm finished," Francisco retorted, making his intentions clear. "Even if you send another giant rock or throw me another kilometer, and I have this open wound, I will still not give up! The Lord favors the faithful, and His servants will cleanse this evil starting with you." He pointed his intact chainsword at Conquest.
"Hmph, many have tried to slay me and failed, but if you are the one that whatever god in this world has sent to slay me and the Demon Lord, then so be it." Conquest said, gripping his weapon, "Oh, and by the way, you should have this."
With a snap of his fingers, Lord Conquest caused a glass bottle with special-looking vials inside to appear in front of Francisco.
The purplish liquid within the vial sloshed within the glass-like compartment, and while it glistened with allure, a certain danger oozed from within it.
As Francisco eyed the floating potion in front of him, he couldn't determine whether it was poison, or some other kind of concoction.
"Are you sure you're not trying to poison me?"
"They're Recovery Potions. Stop being overly dramatic and consume it," Conquest chuckled, almost slapping his hand on his face while shaking his head.
He didn't say any further, but his expression alone showed how disappointed he was that this human thought he would feed him poison.
'Why would I even do that?' He almost opened his lips to say. 'I could just kill you myself if I wanted you dead…' He sighed internally, watching as the Major General already began to consume the contents of the vial.
As he did, the General's body glowed, and not only did the deep wound on his abdomen begin to heal, but even his armor, clothing, and stamina also began to recover.
"Now, shall we begin?"
The Major General's thoughts were interrupted by Conquest's voice. As hazel and golden eyes met, there was a moment of silence, a calm before the storm in which many demons departed from the battlefield by the order of the Archdemon.
Gripping his chainsword tightly and holding the Sterling Silver Crucifix in his other hand, Francisco muttered a prayer.
"...Ask of me, and I shall give thee the demon and heretics for thine inheritance, and for thy possession, the ends of the earth. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces, like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, ye kings. Be admonished, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, though his wrath be kindled but a little."
"Hm, a nice prayer from a zealous warrior. It reminds me of a Holy Knight I used to fight. But enough of that. The most important thing is you have to pick up the pace now, young mortal... a conqueror is coming!" Conquest declared, his golden eyes shining with brilliant light.