Chapter 29: Abyssal Starfall
The sky burned crimson.
Countless meteors descended from the heavens like the judgment of a forgotten god.
Every soldier on the battlefield looked upward.
Fear spread rapidly through the Human Army.
The meteors weren’t made of fire.
They were made of Bonimeris.
Pure demonic energy.
Each one radiated enough power to erase entire armies.
Even veteran soldiers felt their Dominion weaken.
For the first time since the battle began, doubt appeared within the humans.
And doubt was Dominion’s greatest enemy.
Kajkha watched silently from afar.
His crimson eyes reflected the falling meteors.
To him, the battlefield below was nothing more than a feast waiting to begin.
Aria immediately sensed the danger.
If those meteors reached the army, tens of thousands would die instantly.
Perhaps even more.
She raised her sword.
Golden Dominion erupted from her body.
The ground shattered beneath her feet.
"DO NOT LOOK AWAY!"
Her voice echoed throughout the battlefield.
Thousands of soldiers turned toward their commander.
Aria pointed her sword toward the heavens.
"Believe in yourselves!"
Golden light exploded around her.
The soldiers felt their confidence returning.
Their fear weakened.
Their Dominion strengthened.
Aria closed her eyes.
Golden energy surged through every part of her body.
Then she raised her blade.
Millions of golden runes appeared around her.
The sky trembled.
"Dominion Art..."
The battlefield shook violently.
"Celestial Wall of Eternal Resolve."
A massive golden barrier erupted into existence above the Human Army.
Its size stretched across the entire battlefield.
The descending meteors collided with the barrier moments later.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
The world exploded.
Shockwaves spread across the plains.
Entire mountain ranges vanished.
Forests were uprooted.
Space itself fractured.
Yet the barrier held.
The soldiers erupted into cheers.
Aria remained motionless.
Sweat rolled down her face.
Even for her, stopping such an attack wasn’t easy.
The bombardment continued.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every impact shook the world.
Cracks slowly spread across the barrier.
The strain increased with every passing second.
Then-
"CRACK"
A section shattered.
One meteor broke through.
The crimson projectile slammed directly into the battlefield.
BOOOOOM!!
Thousands of soldiers vanished instantly.
The explosion left behind a massive crater.
Silence filled the area.
The survivors stared in horror.
One attack.
Thousands dead.
Before anyone could recover-
More meteors broke through.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Explosions erupted everywhere.
Human casualties skyrocketed.
Aria gritted her teeth.
The barrier could not hold forever.
"Roland!"
The second commander immediately understood.
He nodded.
Then disappeared.
The ground exploded beneath him.
Roland shot toward the heavens like a golden comet.
The soldiers watched in amazement.
His Dominion surged wildly.
Golden lightning wrapped around his body.
The atmosphere itself began cracking.
Roland raised his massive sword.
For a brief moment-
Everything became silent.
Then he swung.
"Dominion Art: Heavenbreaker."
A colossal golden slash erupted skyward.
The attack split the heavens apart.
Hundreds of crimson meteors were destroyed instantly.
The remaining soldiers cheered.
Their morale rose once more.
Yet Kajkha merely smiled.
The Demon General slowly lowered his hand.
The meteors finally stopped.
The sky returned to normal.
But the damage had already been done.
Thousands upon thousands of humans had died.
The battlefield had become a graveyard.
And this was only Kajkha’s first attack.
The war resumed immediately.
Demons surged forward.
Human soldiers answered with furious determination.
The plains transformed into a slaughterhouse.
Steel collided.
Magic erupted.
Blood flowed.
Neither side retreated.
Neither side surrendered.
Every meter of ground was purchased with lives.
Near the western front, Roland continued carving through demons.
His armor was stained with blood.
Broken weapons littered the battlefield around him.
Demons attacked from every direction.
None survived.
Every swing of his sword killed dozens.
Every step crushed the earth.
Human soldiers rallied around him.
To them, Roland looked invincible.
A symbol of humanity’s strength.
A warrior who refused to fall.
Elsewhere.
Aria led the central front.
Her golden blade danced through the battlefield.
Demons fell continuously.
Yet something troubled her.
The enemy seemed different.
More aggressive.
More powerful.
As though they had grown stronger.
Then she realized the truth.
The dead.
The fallen human soldiers.
The demons had been feeding during the battle.
Every corpse strengthened Bonimeris.
Every death empowered the enemy.
The realization chilled her.
This war favored the demons.
The longer it continued-
The stronger they would become.
Suddenly-
A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.
Everyone turned.
A gigantic demon had appeared.
It towered above the others.
Its body resembled a living fortress.
Crimson energy poured from its mouth.
Human soldiers immediately began retreating.
The creature charged.
Entire formations collapsed beneath its advance.
Panic spread rapidly.
Aria immediately rushed toward the threat.
Golden energy exploded beneath her feet.
Within seconds she arrived.
The giant demon swung its arm.
Aria met the attack head-on.
BOOOOOM!!
The collision shattered the surrounding landscape.
The demon staggered.
The soldiers stared in disbelief.
Their commander had stopped the monster alone.
Aria tightened her grip.
Then attacked.
Her sword flashed.
Golden light erupted.
The giant demon froze.
A thin line appeared across its body.
Then-
It split in half.
The battlefield erupted with cheers.
Human morale surged once more.
Yet before the celebration could continue-
The temperature suddenly dropped.
A terrible silence spread.
The battlefield slowed.
Even the demons stopped moving.
Everyone felt it.
That pressure.
That overwhelming presence.
Kajkha.
The Demon General had begun walking.
One step.
The earth cracked.
Second step.
The sky distorted.
Third step.
Reality itself trembled.
The battlefield fell silent.
Aria narrowed her eyes.
Roland stopped fighting.
Every soldier watched.
Kajkha’s gaze slowly moved across the battlefield.
Then settled upon Aria.
For several seconds neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Yet the tension alone felt unbearable.
Finally-
Kajkha smiled.
A cruel smile.
"A human capable of standing before me."
His voice echoed across the world.
Aria raised her sword.
Golden Dominion erupted around her.
The soldiers behind her regained courage.
Kajkha’s smile widened.
"Interesting."
The Demon General turned away.
Then began walking back toward the demon army.
Confusion spread through the battlefield.
Even Aria frowned.
Why was he leaving?
The answer came moments later.
A demon horn echoed across the plains.
Then another.
Then another.
The demon army began retreating.
Human soldiers stared in disbelief.
The demons were withdrawing.
The first day of battle finally ended.
As sunset approached, both armies pulled back.
The battlefield was covered in corpses.
Human casualties had exceeded thirty thousand.
Demon casualties approached eight thousand.
The losses were horrific.
Night slowly descended upon the plains.
Within the human camp, the atmosphere was far different from the previous night.
No laughter existed.
No songs.
No celebrations.
Only silence.
The soldiers had witnessed Kajkha’s power.
And many had begun to understand a terrifying possibility.
Humanity might lose this war.
Meanwhile, far away near the Infernal Crown Volcano, Kajkha stood alone atop a cliff.
His crimson eyes gazed toward the distant human camp.
For the first time, genuine interest appeared in his expression.
"Aria Valencrest."
The wind carried his voice away.
The Demon General smiled.
The war was becoming entertaining.
And soon-
He intended to crush humanity’s hope with his own hands.