Chapter 293: Valen Takes Action, and the Second War Begins!
"Aragon, you say?" Liliana narrowed her eyes, her expression icy.
The maid slowly lifted her head and offered a small nod.
"That's correct, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor. It was the Arch-demon of Aragon who dispatched the remaining three thousand troops to ensure the swift coordination of the entire army," she replied respectfully.
Liliana remained silent for a moment, then took a slow breath and nodded slightly.
"Well, thank you for the report. You may take your leave," Liliana said in a casual tone.
"As you command, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor." The maid bowed her head once more to Liliana, then to Lyra and Leon, before finally turning to leave.
As she watched the maid depart, Liliana shifted her gaze to Lyra behind her.
"Lyra, are you aware of this situation?" Liliana inquired.
Earlier, Lyra had informed her that Aragon was unwilling to send his Demon troops as reinforcements to the battlefield.
However, the maid's report contradicted Lyra's earlier statement, leaving her feeling somewhat confused.
At Liliana's question, Lyra's brows knitted together, and she quickly shook her head, her expression mirroring her own confusion.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I truly don't understand why this is happening. Aragon did refuse your order previously, insisting he wouldn't send a single soldier on the grounds that all his troops were recovering," Lyra replied candidly.
Upon hearing Lyra's explanation, Liliana felt no doubt, as she knew her well.
In addition to being her personal maid, Lyra was her closest friend and the person she trusted most after Leon.
As a result, she fully believed her words.
At that moment, Leon, standing beside Lyra, spoke up quickly.
"It's possible that Aragon had a plan, which prompted him to shift from refusing to send troops to agreeing to do so," he said casually, folding his arms across his chest.
Liliana found Leon's words to be quite sensible, but she couldn't grasp Aragon's motives for this change.
With her eyes slightly narrowed, Liliana bit her lower lip and asked, "If that's the case, do you know what he's planning?"
Leon fell silent for a moment before shaking his head slightly.
"I don't know, but it seems likely that it will cause you trouble later on," he replied calmly, though a chill lingered in his tone.
Even without knowing Aragon's intentions, he was determined not to let his guard down.
If Aragon had any plans to harm Liliana or his three daughters, he would not hesitate to eliminate him on the spot, sending him straight to the underworld.
He wouldn't care in the slightest if his actions led to chaos among the Demon race.
Meanwhile, Liliana, upon hearing his response, took a slow, deep breath before exhaling and adopting a stern expression.
"If that's the case, I want to see what plan he's concocting," Liliana said coldly. "If he causes any trouble, I won't hesitate to take action this time."
Leon felt pleased by her resolute words and smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, Liliana. I will always support your decisions," he replied gently.
Liliana's expression gradually softened as she looked at Leon with affectionate eyes.
"Thank you, Leon."
...
The Desert of Chaos is an extremely arid place, teeming with horrific monsters.
In addition to the dangers posed by these creatures, the Desert of Chaos is also said to be a resting place and gathering ground for countless lost souls.
According to legend, these souls belong to the fallen soldiers of both the human and Demon races, who have been at war with each other for over 7,000 years.
As a result, the Desert of Chaos bears a nickname as terrifying as any of its others: the Purgatory of Souls.
At this moment, this fearsome place, with its many chilling titles, is thick with tense suspense.
At the center of the Desert of Chaos, the two powerful forces—the human race and the Demon race—faced each other, radiating an intense aura of hostility.
To the east, a white-armored troop of over three hundred thousand stood in a perfectly organized formation.
Each soldier carried a white flag emblazoned with a golden sun symbol, a sight that instilled fear in anyone who witnessed it.
At the forefront of humanity's troops stood two men, one clad in red armor and the other in white, both exuding an air of pride and determination.
The man in red armor stood tall and sturdy, his indifferent expression complemented by a dismissive smile curling at the corners of his lips.
Beside him, the man in white armor, though shorter in stature, exuded an equally striking presence, with a face that was undeniably handsome.
His allure would captivate any woman who laid eyes on him.
Together, they were the key leaders of humanity's army: Valen, the Spear Hero of Humankind, and Guren, the New Sword Hero of Humankind.
Meanwhile, on the western side of the Desert of Chaos, an army clad in black armor stood, vastly outnumbering humanity's forces—over five hundred thousand soldiers.
Their presence cast a heavy tension across the entire western region of the desert, causing anyone who beheld them to cringe in fear.
At the forefront stood four figures—three men and one woman—each radiating a powerful and domineering aura.
These four were none other than the leaders of the Demon army: Demon Generals Garan, Terran, and Lilith, along with their most formidable leader, Archdemon Heidel.
"Since they dare to reappear after retreating, doesn't that imply they're confident in their ability to defeat us?" Positioned to Terran's right, Garan crossed his burly arms over his chest, his eyes locked on humanity's army.
In the previous war, the Demon army had relied solely on defensive tactics, which had successfully overwhelmed the forces of humanity.
The casualties on their side had been significant, demonstrating the strength of the Demon army's formation.
Thus, Garan firmly believed that humanity's army had likely devised a strategy that was at least somewhat unexpected.
Terran nodded in agreement with Garan's statement, his gaze fixed intently on humanity's army.
"There is indeed such a possibility, and we must proceed with caution," he said in a serious tone.
Beside him, Lilith maintained a calm expression, though the fine lines on her forehead betrayed her concern.
"Archdemon Heidel, do you sense anything unusual within the ranks of humanity's troops?" Lilith asked hesitantly.
At her question, Heidel narrowed his eyes at them and noticed that only two figures stood at the forefront of their formation.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly, and his sense of vigilance heightened significantly.
"Why are there only two figures leading humanity's troops? Where are the others?" Heidel was momentarily startled and swiftly scanned the forefront of humanity's army with sharp scrutiny.
However, he found no sign of the other three leaders, leaving him both confused and on high alert.
At that moment, a tremendous explosion erupted from the forefront of humanity's army, startling Garan, Terran, Lilith, and Heidel.
They immediately turned their gaze toward the source of the sound and saw Valen, who had been silent until now, radiating an intensely terrifying red aura.
The aura slowly coalesced around him before erupting into a blinding light that pierced the sky.
*Boom!*
An earth-shattering explosion rang out, transforming the previously clear sky into a tempest of dark clouds.
Valen extended his right hand to the side, and a stunning spear adorned with red engravings along the shaft materialized in his grasp.
With a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips, Valen raised the spear high and declared loudly, "Hero Technique: The Universe Destroying Spear!"
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, the black clouds in the previously calm sky began to swirl.
Moments later, an enormous spear emerged from the center of the vortex, radiating a blinding white light and exuding an overwhelming pressure.
With a speed visible to the naked eye, the spear plummeted toward the ranks of the Demon army.
Heidel's expression turned serious as he swiftly raised his right hand.
"Demon Hand!" He commanded coldly.
*Whoosh!*
Above the line of Demon troops, a massive black hole materialized, and from its depths emerged a colossal black hand, each finger tipped with sharp claws.
The hand radiated an overwhelmingly potent and terrifying demonic aura, making anyone who saw it tremble in fear.
In a swift motion, the black hand lunged at the giant white spear, crashing into it with devastating force.
*Boom!*
The collision between the two forces erupted in a massive explosion, accompanied by a blinding light that compelled everyone to instinctively close their eyes and cover their ears.
After a moment, they reopened their eyes, only to find that both the giant white spear and the terrifying black hand had vanished from sight.
While the Demon army celebrated Heidel's successful defense against Valen's devastating attack, Garan, Terran, and Lilith wore expressions devoid of any joy.
They stared in horror at Heidel, whose right hand was now splattered with fresh red blood.
"What...?" Garan, Terran, and Lilith gasped, their eyes widening in shock.
Yet, before they could gather their thoughts, a loud cry erupted from the direction of humanity's army.
"Humanity Army, raise your weapons and launch an attack!"