Gonna Be a Demon King!
Chapter 69: Backup Plan

Chapter 69: Backup Plan

"I only splashed you with a little wine. Why’d you react so much?"

The moment he said that, Vollm’s gaze darkened, and almost instantly, Sullam, who was seated opposite him, raised his hand, conjuring a three-ringed magic circle aimed directly at him.

"Get them!"

Vollm reacted faster than the spell could fully activate, striking the inner part of Sullam’s arm to forcibly redirect the spell’s trajectory while simultaneously driving his left fist toward Sullam’s face with crushing force.

"Defensive formations!"

The combat instincts of the other demons, kicked in as they tossed their cups and drew their weapons, activating their skills in rapid succession just as a barrage of arrows rained down upon them from above.

**KAABOOM!!!!

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from Vollm and Sullam’s direction, the resulting shockwaves ripping through the air with devastating force, blasting everyone in the vicinity away without exception.

Xaren, reacting instantly, grabbed Ilya, who was right beside him, and activated a gravity shield just in time to absorb the worst of the impact, but the force still sent them hurtling through the air, crashing outside as the building behind them groaned under the strain before collapsing into rubble.

Vollm burst out from the debris, about to shout an order when he suddenly flinched. He quickly whipped around, conjuring a shield just in time to intercept a beam of black light that tore through the air toward him from behind.

"Seal the gates!"

"We’re escaping!!"

Sullam and Vollm’s voices overlapped as both sides barked orders, their respective forces scrambling to carry them out without hesitation.

Vollm’s Lieutenant quickly blew a whistle, the sound summoning their warhorses from outside, while the dark elves who had escaped injury in the initial blast charged toward the compound gates, moving to cut off any chance of retreat for the demons.

Xaren, who had no intention of getting locked in—especially not with two Level 400 existences duking it out nearby—used Gravity Crush to turn the head of the elf trying to close the gate to meat paste.

Getting caught up in a Grandmaster-level battle and dying a meaningless death was NOT on Xaren’s agenda for today.

**BOOOM!!!!

Another explosion rocked the compound, sending deep fissures spiderwebbing through the earth, the cracks reaching the fence and shattering it entirely, toppling dozens of massive trees in the process.

The demons unfurled their wings and leapt into the air, dashing over the fractured ground and straight towards their warhorses who neighed frantically just beyond the ruined perimeter.

Not a single one of them even entertained the thought of staying behind to aid their Captain.

They all knew they’d sooner end up dead for trying to interfere in a fight between beings over 250 levels higher than offering any meaningful assistance.

Powerful waves of demonic energy and magic power continued to crash against one another, shaking the area as the demons mounted their steeds.

The warhorses reared back before galloping toward the village gates at full speed, hooves pounding against the dirt, while their riders activated defensive skills and magic to shield themselves from the rain of arrows streaking down from above as they made their escape.

Some powerful arrows pierced through their defences, striking the demons’ backs and arms, but instead of crying out in pain, they retaliated with magic.

A fire demon unleashed his flames without restraint, setting multiple trees ablaze, while another used wind magic to spread the inferno.

Seeing this, Ilya turned toward Xaren, who was already conjuring a two-ringed magic circle.

’Grand Fireball—Multiple.’

Three three-metre-wide fireballs blasted at random buildings, blasted into random buildings, destroying them and igniting the trees entwined around them. Ilya amplified the flames with her wind magic, forcing the dark elf soldiers to prioritize rescuing trapped civilians over pursuing them.

"Keep moving!"

The Lieutenant yelled, using his magic to cast a buff that increased the movement speed of their horses.

They were in a situation where they had no idea how many enemies they were up against or what else might be lurking in the shadows. For now, escape was the priority.

Instead of heading for the village entrance, they tore through civilian houses, setting many ablaze as they cut through the outskirts, which weren’t entirely fenced off.

Xaren’s Danger Sense suddenly blared alarms, and his gaze snapped upward as he shouted,

"Watch your heads!"

After the incident with the wine, the demons didn’t doubt his warnings. They immediately activated their skills—just in time to block the monsters that lunged at them from the trees above.

Ilya raised her sword, ready to strike, but remembering how close she was to the others, she pulled her reins, steering her horse away from the main group before activating her Unique Skill.

In an instant, everything within three meters of her was shredded to pieces by the violently spinning winds, the monsters dying faster than they could even blink.

Xaren lightened their horses’ weights with his gravity magic, then swung his sword, unleashing a fiery slash that engulfed the body of a leopard-like creature as it leapt at him from the trees.

Just then, a powerful surge of demonic energy raced toward them, and Xaren glanced back to see Vollm sprinting after them, keeping pace despite being on foot.

Suddenly, his demonic energy signature vanished, and in the next moment, he conjured several spears of energy, hurling them into the trees and annihilating all the lurking monsters in one go.

Vollm leapt onto his Lieutenant’s horse, and the Lieutenant tugged the reins, urging it into a faster gallop.

One of the Sergeants activated a skill, and instantly, silence enveloped them. Despite their rapid pace, their horses moved without a sound, leaving no tracks behind.

The shouts of the pursuing elves grew fainter and fainter until, eventually, nothing but silence remained.

◇　◇　◇

Sullam, the head of the dark elf village, gritted his teeth, his face pale as he struggled to comprehend where everything had gone wrong.

He had left no traces, not a single clue—so how had they figured it out? No, how had that demon figured it out?

The grey-skinned demon who had splashed wine on the servant had been the first to notice something was off.

’Did he have a poison detection skill or something?!’

"Fuck!"

A curse slipped from his lips, making the elves tending his wounds flinch. The pain in his left arm reminded him of its current uselessness, nearly torn off by Vollm.

’Tsk, why the hell did those damn demons send a Captain?!

Did this mean the other settlements had Captains sent to them as well?’

His thoughts churned in frustration, another curse escaping him.

He had begun casting his spell the moment Xaren splashed the servant’s face with wine, yet Vollm had still managed to react before he could unleash it.

Now, the demons had escaped from his Village, and they would surely report everything to their superiors.

’We can’t let them do that...!’

His teeth clenched at the thought, but no immediate solution came to him, not when most of their forces were occupied trying to extinguish the raging fires the demons had set to their civilian homes.

’No... there’s still a chance!’

Sullam sprang to his feet, ignoring the elves pleading for him to stay put and receive healing. He rushed toward the annexe building in the ruined compound, his injured arm hanging uselessly at his side.

He dashed straight to the office inside it and quickly activated a device hidden behind a shelf. A few moments later, static crackled, followed by a voice.

[It seems like something has gone wrong.]

Sullam flinched at the words but quickly clenched his teeth, forcing down his frustration.

"Those damned demons sent a Captain! They figured it out and escaped before I could stop them! Give me the access keys to that device—I’ll use it to kill them all!"

His words came in a rush, but the voice on the other end remained calm.

[You can’t do it. A Demon Captain is at least a Superior Grandmaster.]

"I know that! I fought the damn bastard!"

[Then you should also know that the device hasn’t charged enough to summon something powerful enough to kill a Captain.]

"...!"

Sullam bit his lip, his frown deepening. As much as he hated to admit it, the person on the other end was right.

But if he did nothing, the future he had fought for would be crushed.

Just as he began racking his brain for a solution, the voice spoke again.

[But don’t worry. We prepared something in case you elves failed.]

"...what?"

Ignoring his dumbfounded response, the voice continued.

[It should be moving by now.]

Something that even a Demon Captain wouldn’t be able to defeat.