"Lord Demon King of the Broken Army."
As Nikki was still basking in the thrill of assassinating a Sky Knight with her sneak attack, a burly man clad in beast hide and barefoot slowly descended behind her. Holding a massive war drum hammer, he dropped to one knee before her.
"Oh, you're here. I might've accidentally taken care of your opponent. You're not mad, are you?"
"I wouldn't dare. You are mighty, Lord Demon King."
"That's fine, then."
Nikki casually grabbed the fallen knight beside her and tossed the corpse at the man's feet as if throwing away a piece of trash.
"Take his head and claim your reward."
"Lord Demon King, this is your—"
"Enough of your whining. Get out of my sight."
Nikki glared at the barefoot man with her apricot eyes. A new recruit, probably, she thought. No sense at all. I'm giving him free credit and he still hesitates?
"Y-yes, understood!"
The burly man hastily lifted the corpse, leapt off the wall, and didn't stop until he landed in the middle of the city walls. Only when he was far enough did he dare to fly off again.
"Bug Girl."
Nikki called out, and moments later, a girl in a white feathered robe slowly appeared beside her. The girl knelt gracefully on one knee.
"Lady Nikki."
"Rise."
"Thank you, my Lady."
Bug Girl stood by Nikki's side, hands folded neatly before her abdomen, waiting patiently for orders.
"Where are the rats now?"
"They've passed through the Kingdom of Gardens and reached the Land of Windmills."
"And the cocoons—no problems with timing?"
"No problem at all, my Lady," Bug Girl replied confidently with a bow.
"At their current pace, the rats will be fully in position within half a month. By then, the cocoons will reach the hatching stage, and your plan can officially begin."
"Excellent." Nikki nodded with satisfaction, gently stroking the top of Bug Girl's head. The latter's face lit up with a strangely blissful expression.
"By the way, what's the situation with those fools from the God-Welcoming Order? Have they made their move?"
"They haven't acted directly," Bug Girl replied, "but they spread a rumor—one that drew the people of the Holy Inquisition Church into this affair."
"What rumor?" Nikki's curiosity was piqued. Their agreement with the God-Welcoming Order was supposed to have them seal off the entire Wind Kingdom.
"They're saying the Faith Witch has reappeared—and that she's heading to the Wind Kingdom seeking refuge."
"What?! The Faith Witch?"
Nikki gasped, her expression full of disbelief as she stared at Bug Girl.
"You must be mistaken! Don't those God-Welcomers fear they'll get themselves killed? Aren't they worried the Church will trace the rumor back to them?
Even if she was a 'Holy' witch, in the eyes of the Churches, the Faith Witch was nearly as dangerous as a Supreme Witch!
No, wait—how did they even make the Church believe she'd been reborn? Do they still have some of the Water of Faith left?
Or… did the Faith Witch never actually die?"
The more Nikki thought about it, the worse it sounded. Her grip unconsciously tightened.
Bug Girl, though in pain, didn't utter a sound. Instead, her face flushed with a twisted, ecstatic smile, and she breathed out in a shuddering, almost delighted voice:
"Heh… heheh… My Lady, I don't know how they did it, but the Wind Kingdom is now surrounded by the Holy Inquisition Knights. Your plan will face no further obstacles."
"No. Things aren't that simple." Nikki shook her head, pulling back her hand despite Bug Girl's disappointed eyes.
"I gave them an offer they couldn't refuse—in exchange for their help, just once. I planned to use it to weaken their influence in the eastern continent.
But now… instead of committing their forces, they've risked angering the Church with such a dangerous stunt.
That means they must have a bigger plan—something even more important.
And knowing the God-Welcoming Order's nature… heh, someone's about to have a very bad day."
Nikki sneered, her eyes turning toward the inner wall opposite the Watcher's Wall.
"My Lady, should we be wary of them? The God-Welcoming Order's methods are… less than trustworthy."
"No need. They've been suffering under the Church's suppression lately. They even paid a heavy price trying to regain their position among the High Churches.
If they want to keep surviving on this continent, they won't do anything reckless. No… the only ones who'll suffer from this are those damned humans."
Bug Girl opened her mouth to say more, but Nikki only grinned, baring her trademark canine fang.
"Good. It seems our army is about to take this section of the wall, and those worthless weaklings' fight is nearly over."
She turned her gaze toward the distant sky.
The elemental explosions there were already weakening. Ever since the Sky Knight she ambushed had fallen, the balance in the air battle had collapsed.
With one less knight, victory for the beastmen was only a matter of time.
"The rear path is open. Now let's see what kind of surprises those cocoons can bring me."
Just then—
A thunderous roar echoed across the heavens.
The sound carried both the fury of a king chastising his vassal and the disdain of a sovereign looking down upon the lowly.
The beastmen upon the wall instantly fell to their knees, trembling as though crushed beneath the weight of their own bloodline.
Even Bug Girl shuddered violently under the overwhelming pressure.
Far across the battlefield, everything came to a sudden, eerie standstill.
Only Nikki remained unmoved, her expression dark as she glared toward the horizon.
The next instant, the clouds split apart—
And a colossal, crimson form tore through them, diving toward the wall with unimaginable force.
It was covered in dark red scales that glimmered like molten iron, two ridged horns jutting from its head, and eyes of blazing amber—twin suns burning with wrath.
As it descended, the air filled with the thick stench of sulfur and heat.
A Red Dragon—an ancient and mighty creature—had arrived.
"Witch," came a deep, thunderous voice from the dragon's maw, "you have overstepped your bounds."
Yet even faced with that towering, kingly presence, Nikki did not flinch. She looked straight into the dragon's eyes and said, coolly:
"Have I now? But even if I have—
What exactly can you do about it?"