Two full days passed in a heavy silence. A silence that had neither peace nor safety, more like the calm before a storm.
During these two days, the Demon Base was like a disturbed beehive, constantly in motion. Thousands of soldiers were preparing, weapons were being sharpened, armors were polished, and war beasts were released from their massive cages one after another. The smell of hot iron, dried blood, and monster flesh filled the air.
Daniel, while inside Orsuis’s body, was genuinely shocked by the demons’ strength. Even though this was just one base, their power was far beyond most human forces.
Now he understood why demons could do whatever they wanted. He doubted the humans in the Gulf of Sumer could compete with them easily.
With sunrise, the massive hellish gates of the base opened with a deafening roar.
The black walls, soaked in demonic energy, trembled, and a red mist crawled out as if it were the breath of an ancient beast.
A thousand demon soldiers, armored, with glowing red eyes and weapons infused with dark energy, marched in tight formation. Long spears with curved blades, heavy swords, hellish axes, and black banners marked with the crest of the Demon Royal Family rose in deadly silence.
At the head of this military procession was Orsuis, mounted on a massive four-legged beast with black scales and twisted horns crackling with demonic energy.
The beast’s red eyes shot sparks of fury with every breath.
The only reason he chose this beast to ride was simply because it looked terrifying and imposing. He had never ridden something this cool before.
He even thought that maybe he should keep one for himself.
Beside him, Wargon, the Demon Crown Prince’s brother, rode another monstrous beast.
Daniel’s mind was calm, but he was still worried about his plan.
For two days, he had reviewed it over and over: the route, the exchange point, the soldiers’ positions, the distances, reaction times, and most importantly, the moment he had to strike.
First they would hand over the Saint, then take what the demons wanted. On the way back, he would separate Wargon from the group, completely suppress him, get the information about the Pagoda’s location, and then... destroy Orsuis’s body to buy time for his real body, Kayn, and Melia.
That was his entire plan. Simple, but full of variables. If he wasn’t careful, he could run into serious problems.
In the middle of the formation, a large sealed carriage moved forward. Thick demonic chains wrapped around it, and suppression seals glowed on its surface.
Inside it, Lyra, the Saint, was being pulled in silence and with weakened energy. Over the past two days, they hadn’t tortured her and had kept her in good condition.
This actually surprised Daniel, he didn’t expect demons to be this "kind."
At that moment, Wargon approached him. His massive beast walked beside Orsuis’s mount, and he grinned, exposing sharp teeth.
"Finally, it’s time, huh? The Crown Prince’s grand plan... today we get one step closer."
Orsuis, or rather, Daniel, answered with a calm, heavy laugh:
"Yeah. Soon, this gulf, and after that... the whole world will be under our feet."
Of course, he was laughing at these idiots inside his head.
Their dream was unrealistic, especially because they were unlucky enough to run into him.
Their entire plan depended on the Pagoda, and he wasn’t going to let them enter it.
"I hope those stupid humans don’t try anything funny... because if they try any tricks, we’ll slaughter them right there." Wargon laughed, a sound more like a beast’s roar than actual amusement.
"Humans are dumber than that." Orsuis said. He truly meant it, this was one of the things he was worried about.
If humans did something stupid, his plans could be ruined.
Both of them laughed, but Daniel didn’t feel good. It felt more like his intuition was warning him that something might go wrong.
The caravan moved through the lands at a terrifying speed. The farther they went, the more the atmosphere changed. The air grew foggy, gray, and heavy.
The smell of death, decay, and curses thickened with every step. Ruined cities and villages appeared along the way, burned houses, half-buried bones, and walls stained with dried blood.
Daniel could even sense the presence of spirits; it was as if the concentrated resentment of the people from this gulf had turned into invisible shadows following the caravan.
They didn’t attack... but they watched. Their gaze filled with hatred, pain, and curses. Daniel ignored them. He naturally knew they were Forgotten Whispers.
Three hours remained until the negotiation point.
"What happened with the interrogation of that human who supposedly used demonic energy?" Wargon asked again.
"Nothing. He doesn’t have such an ability. He’ll be executed soon." Orsuis answered.
"Shame... I thought we finally found a human worth something." Wargon clicked his tongue.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, Wargon raised his hand.
The entire caravan froze. A thousand soldiers halted at the same time. Daniel frowned slightly but stayed quiet.
Wargon narrowed his eyes, staring at the horizon. You could sense multiple auras in the distance, some extremely powerful.
"We came for an exchange... but if the humans even think of doing something stupid, we’ll slaughter all of them! We came to fulfill the Crown Prince’s will, and no matter what happens, we’re taking what we came for!" Wargon shouted at the soldiers with a thunderous voice.
The roar of a thousand soldiers shook the air.
’The Crown Prince... really holds a terrifying place among demons.’ Daniel thought.
During the two days he had lived among the demons, he realized the Crown Prince truly held a special place among them, so much that they almost worshiped him.
He didn’t know where this level of worship came from. Maybe because of his charisma? Or maybe because he was truly a real monster.
Aside from his cunning mind, he also had overwhelming power, power so great that even Daniel himself felt a sense of danger in front of him.
After the Demon King, the Crown Prince’s name was what moved everyone.
Wargon ordered them to move.
The caravan marched again.
And soon, the two sides finally stood face-to-face.
On one side, the demons.
On the other side, the human forces.
Their eyes locked in the air.