Capítulo 300: Nightmare Palace
They emerged into a nightmare realm, Weasel looked at the starry night sky. His eyes took in nightmares around him. Thousands of ghouls, skeletons, zombie monsters, liches, succubi, and demons stood in orderly formation.
"Why are they standing like that?" asked Weasel cowering at the hellish sight.
"It's our main invasion force. They are preparing to come through the portal," said the demon.
The demon lord led Weasel to a blood gigantic red and black palace. Attached to the palace stood only an endless tower. The tower's black walls and palace' red oak doors added to its sinister feel.
The Nightmare Palace as the demon lord called it, controlled the magic which opened and closed the portals to Terra.
"Come I'll present you to Lord Thanatos, be thankful.
Inside the palace sitting on the mountainous throne sat the god Thanatos. A red muscular titan had a heart-stopping aura, regal horns that jettisoned out of his forehead, and ridges on the top of his skull that formed a crown.
At his side stood a sultry flawless Anne. Her icy blue gown with sparkling crystals perfectly draped across her voluptuous body.
Her snowy skin white and deep blue eyes made her an unparalleled beauty. She had two bat-like wings and a cute small tail that laid flat against her erotic frame.
"Kneel boy," the demon shouted. "My god, I have brought you another. He's faithfully served our cause as a spy," the demon bowed respectfully.
Thanatos waved his hand uninterestedly.
"Speak Weasel," the demon said forcefully.
"My god. The Qhosnir army is underfed, unpaid, and demoralized. The army is weak, and desertion is great. Moreover, the emperor is paranoid that the reinforcements shall not arrive.
In two days, time, the reinforcements shall leave the Azure Islands. If that's true, it'll take a week to arrive," Weasel reported.
"Good. Lord Bilal, you've done a tremendous job. I'll reward you after this war," Thanatos said dispassionately.
"My god, I'm worried. Everyone has been too easy, we've yet to meet any formidable resistance," said Lord Bilal voicing his concerns.
"Humans are weak. They long lost their power. Now only 60% of humans can use magic. During the Second Schism, 80% of humans could use mana. As long as the dragons don't interfere, there's no need to worry," Lord Thanatos explained.
"I know you know you don't I," Anne said curiously.
"…"
Weasel looked at Anne the former Mercenary Queen, turned demoness.
"Oh, you know him? Tell me how you know you know this pet," Thanatos asked interestedly.
"My Will and I defeated him. We seized his castle and defeated his effort to recapture the castle," Anne explained.
"Oh, you were once a castellan? And my great aunt Gaia's pet stole it from you? Tell me, do you want revenge?" laughed Thanatos now amused.
"Yes, I'll trade my soul for the power to defeat that self-righteous bastard!" Weasel begged and prostrated himself.
"I'll accept your trade. Kill that brat for me and bring me his head," god Thanatos sneered.
Weasel felt his head spin around and his whole body burned with hellfire. Bones cracked as his body morphed into a massive creature.
His head deformed as he grew to 2.5 meters. The man screamed as two more arms ripped from his side. The four-arm monster roared angrily at Thanatos before examining his body.
"You are my berserker Goro. Your job is to kill humans, especially your nemesis William vont Ballard. Awake and destroy," Thanatos said cheerfully.
"Goro kills," the monster repeated.
"Leave me," Thanatos said his boredom returning.
"Lord Bilal quickly left with his newest weapon and returned to Terra.
Back on Terra, the Qhosnir Army stood in formation ready to receive the approaching demonic force. Columns of squads stood shoulder with weapons at the ready for the second, the first demon appeared.
"We've been holding our position for over a day now," said a Qhosnir Imperial soldier.
"What are we supposed to do?" replied a knight with a dark expression asked his peer.
They left the capital with great hopes of victory. Within a few days of crossing the Yangtze River, the worst kind of tragedy struck. The arrogant Qhosnir Imperial Army was throttled and abused after their first battle. It was an overwhelming one-sided victory.
"Word is, the demon is getting closer too. I'm afraid if we don't get those reinforcements…" the soldiers gulped but did not need to say anymore.
They both knew what would happen if this army fought the demons on their own.
"I would rather face the humans than demons," another soldier in formation commented with a shudder. They knew, full well, that the demons would not let them go.
There was no need for a response. The soldiers knew that they would not live a day beyond the demon's arrival.
"We should retreat until the reinforcements arrive!" shouted a soldier.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Better to retreat and regroup.
"We can't! We must defend this location at all costs. If the demons cross the river, they can outflank us and move to attack the capital. Men, if we lose this battle, we lose our empire," the captain explained to his squad.
"Besides we don't know if those Great Eastern dogs shall reinforce us. If the demons sack out capital it's better for them," said an older more experienced soldier.
"He's right! They may be angling to permanently take control of the army if they do come," said a soldier eavesdropping from a different squad.
"And risk getting attacked?" Stop your gossiping. Think! The reinforcements are definitely on their way. What advantage is there losing this army or having our capital sacked?
There's the only solution where mankind wins, and that's working together. So, what if our emperor loses command? As long as we defeat those demons and turn around this war, that's what counts! The only thing protecting us from certain death are those reinforcements," lectured the captain.
"..."
"..."
After several minutes of silence, the soldiers nodded in agreement. Their knight captain may be younger than them, nevertheless, he was well reasoned and passionate.
Their captain was correct, they might have a chance at coming out of their battle with their head still attached as long as the reinforcements arrived.
"Wait captain, we're missing a person. Where's Ibrahim Dervish?"
"If he's not here, he must be a deserter. I never liked that slimy man," replied a soldier.
"Yeah, something about him always felt off," agreed another.
As the soldiers talked, the emperor and his general debated.
"Sire." A voice from outside the tent called.
"Come in." Spymaster Major Qin of Hui commanded.
"The demon has started to move again. We believe they were waiting for their spies to return.
Last night we caught one spy, he was a demon in disguise. The demon killed himself before we could interrogate him. But we also saw one of our soldiers sneak into their camp," the scout reported.
"Human spies? How could I ignore such a possibility?" Emperor Gaozong of Song said dejectedly.
"You may leave," Spymaster Major Qin of Hui commanded.
"Emperor Gaozong, It looks like our plans have been leaked. Our only option is to survive until the reinforcements arrived," commented Chancellor Lü of Yihao.
"We agree, Emperor Gaozong," saluted the generals nodding in agreement.
"Your imperial majesty, regardless of what happens to the army, keeping our heads is our priority," said Finance Minister Duke Zhao of Ding.
"Then we shall put our faith in our rivals. According to the most recent Carrier Pigeon, the Great Eastern Imperial army has left the Azures Islands.
They'll be here in five days. At the same time, the demonic army is expected to arrive. We must ensure their ships land safely and their army can disembark safely.
We have to sacrifice our men's lives for their safety of theirs. This is not a good bet by any means, but it is our best option," Emperor Gaozong explained.
"Should we be trusting them? Did they attach any stipulations or requests to the latest missive?" asked General Han of Shizhong.
"Yes, Crown Prince Lukas asks for complete control over our army. He shall appoint me Supreme Allied Vice Commander, and each of you shall be appointed a war council seat. Except for Quartermaster Colonel Zhang of Jun, who shall be demoted to Field Quartermaster under Marquis William vont Ballard," the emperor read emotionally.
"A mere pup demands you serve under him!" said General Yue of Fei seething in rage.
"He's being three sages, and over ten grandmaster mages. Our sage has refused to participate, and three of our five grandmasters were killed in the first battle," Spymaster Major Qin of Hui informed them.
"So many mages," Finance Minister Duke Zhao of Ding marveled.
"…"
Everyone was quiet. With that many mages, they could easily wipe out their army 10 times over. More than that, it would be possible to hold back the demons.
No one wanted to be the first to speak because they knew the reality. The reality was, the Qhosnir Empire was about to be stepped on and the emperor's power was curtailed.
"Your imperial majesty, I fear we should concede to his demand. seems to think that it is worth a shot." Finance Minister Duke Zhao of Ding.
"And if we are betrayed? What happens when Crown Prince Lukas decides to capture our capital after the war?" questioned General Han of Shizhong.
"The operative word is 'if.' Again, that's if we win this war. It's not a given," Finance Minister Duke Zhao of Ding shot back. "For the sake of the argument. Let's say this war ends in mankind's victory. As long as we secure a contract with his master, Marquis vont Ballard our safety is assured!"
"Had I known what I know now, I would have treated Emperor Jacques-Louis de Caernarvon better? To think he gained so much funding and resources in such a short time, it's impressive," replied Emperor Gaozong.
"Sire, should we be trusting him after he changed the terms at the last minute?" Chancellor Lü of Yihao asked.
"Your majesty the chancellor raises a good point. It took us a month to work out the contract details. Furthermore, our agreement was with Emperor Kaiser that we'd share command. Now his ambitious son what's to change our agreement at the last minute," questioned General Yue of Fei.
"Technically, the agreement was joint command with Emperor Kaiser or his replacement," Finance Minister Duke Zhao of Ding answered.
"I'm starting to think you work for Emperor Kaiser," accused General Yue of Fei.
"Enough, I've decided! If the Great Eastern Allied Army can push the demons back, I'll surrender authority," Emperor Gaozong decreed.
"For the sake of victory. I pray that our 'allies' are at least somewhat competent," invoked General Han of Shizhong.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
MightyEagle
MightyEagle I can’t believe I finished my 300th chapter. I never thought I’d be able to write this far. I’m incredibly proud of myself. Thank you loyal readers for following me on this journey.
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