Chapter 623: For Tonight, We Are One

Asmodeus folded his arms, watching them fight.

Although their rhythm looked rough, filled with errors, he couldn’t help but smile. When something went wrong, instead of snarling or fighting, the different races protected each other, braced together and even bled together instead of letting the wall break.

“Much better,” Asmodeus nodded, his blue eyes glowing as he shouted. “Not enough, again!”

The orcs and goblins cried out, looking at him like a monster, and even the demon knights raised their voices in defiance.

Exhausted voices, but they grouped against an outside threat.

Asmodeus’s grin widened.

That was all he wanted to see, teeth bared not at each other, but at him. Well, maybe not himself, but at least joined in facing a common enemy.

“Okay, that’s enough.” He planted Blood Reaver into the dirt and looked at the exhausted troops. “Not enough, but at the very least you’ve reached the lowest level. Just remember our enemy won’t give you time to catch your breath or fix mistakes like me.”

The crimson threads shimmered once more before dimming slightly, the pain and exhaustion shared between them diminishing as Asmodeus himself accepted half of their pain and suffering with a smile.

“You did well.”

Once the pain and additional weight on their bodies vanished, there were gasps, and several of the more intelligent monsters realised what had happened.

“On your feet!” an orc warchief roared while dragging himself up. If he stayed down, then Asmodeus would continue to suffer; that wasn’t something he wanted.

Asmodeus folded his arms, watching the moment take root.

He found it surprising that the first to realise was actually an orc and not a demon knight.

A ripple of movement spread across the yard as the ranks broke apart. Some orcs collapsed onto their backs, tusks flashing as they laughed at their own exhaustion. Goblins dragged each other by the scruffs of their necks toward the shade. Demon knights checked their shields in silence, binding cracked straps with strips of leather.

The chaotic soldiers didn’t matter.

“Dismissed,” he said simply, and the crowd slowly thinned.

After hours of training and helping with the discipline of the orcs and goblins, Asmodeus leaned back against the cool ice wall. He liked that the black citadel’s defensive form had these cold walls to lean on while sweating.

Levia approached after removing half of her armour. She dropped her shield and came close with damp, sweaty hair. “You look exhausted… why did you overwork yourself?” She said bluntly, gaze flicking to his side where blood stained his shirt. “That was foolish.”

Asmodeus chuckled at her awkward care while rolling his shoulders. “If we don’t ensure they see each other as allies, everyone will suffer.”

“I know, but… You accepted half their exhaustion and pain.”

“It’s only a few thousand little weaklings, Levia.”

His words made her brows furrow before she pointed at him with a hand on her hip. “Liar, you even absorbed my exhaustion… so you probably did the same for everyone, right?”

“You got me…”

Sariel and Riel swooped down; both of them looked fresh and full of energy, but Riel’s slight frown brought with it a sense of danger for Asmodeus.

The first to land was Sariel, who jumped at Asmodeus. Her pink hair clung to her cheeks as her eyes shone with pride. “Master, they adore you now. Even the orcs! Did you see how their eyes sparkled? You’re like a god to them.”

Or the enemy they all want to defeat…

“Haha, really?” He ruffled her hair with a smile as Riel landed softly at his other side, a lot more mature and measured, watching him with sharp golden eyes. “Gods can fall too. Don’t push yourself needlessly for others…”

He reached out, ruffling both their hair, ignoring their scowls. “Thanks for worrying about me you two, I am happy to have cute lovers like you.”

“Eheheh~”

“Nn…”

They walked with him as he left the field, boots crunching over frost.

The sound of training didn’t fade entirely as some were already sparring again, eager to prove themselves outside his shadow. That, too, made him smile.

By the time he reached the inner steps, Ciela was waiting, cloak drawn tight around her shoulders. Her green hair stirred in the wind, and her forlorn expression instantly became a beaming smile as she saw his face. “Honey!” She dived into his arms, nuzzling against his chest

“Hey beautiful, how were the archers?”

“Mm?” Ciela tapped her chin before smiling back with a nod. “Yeah, I think they’ll be useful when the time comes.” She quietly studied his reaction, as if worried he might be upset, but when he stroked her cheek, the elf melted in his hand.

“It seems we might just pull through…” Asmodeus mumbled, enjoying the softness of her skin against his calloused hands. “Then we’ll take a break now, and sort out what we need to do from now on while having a meal.”

“Ahem!” Levia broke the secret world of Ciela and Asmodeus with a cough. She then slipped forward with swaying hips and took the place on his opposite side. The two succubi looked upset at the fact that they lost their places.

“No fair!”

“Sari… we have to play unfairly in the future!” Riel joined the grumble.

Asmodeus turned his eyes south, where the plains swallowed the horizon. Even without seeing it, he could feel Mephisto’s shadow drawing closer.

How long will you take?

The scouts said it could be a day or two… I just hope it’s the latter.

He clenched his hands once, with crimson threads swaying in the wind before sparkling into aura residue and fading.

Whether Mephisto would attack or not… only the bastard himself knew.

***

The dining hall blazed with firelight.

Smoke billowed up from spits where whole boars roasted, dripping fat into the flames.

Long tables groaned under slabs of meat, steaming bowls of stew, dark bread, and mugs of ale. The clash of voices, the scrape of wood on stone as people shifted their chairs. It was the first time orcs, goblins, knights, and demons all sat at the same tables.

Asmodeus sat back with a smile, drinking the sweet ale from the elven forest.

“I can’t believe you opened up the entire area for a grand feast.” Ciela held Velmina and Tsukihana while letting them suckle on her breasts for milk, while hidden by a partition from the prying eyes of other men.

Aurelia lay in a small miniature cot, sleeping with her lips covered in sticky elven milk, different from human or demon milk; it carried a sweet flavour, and vitamins and minerals sourced from the world tree.

Most mothers sought elves out for their midwives or nannies for this reason.

However, the milk had an aphrodisiac effect on males.

“Well they earned a reward right?”

Asmodeus watched the other tables, orcs tearing into fresh haunches of meat, grease dripping down their tusks and offering meat to the goblins and demon knights who shocked them when all of them removed their helmets…

“To think a female was this strong! Do you have a mate?” An orc asked one knight, who chuckled back.

This was the nation Asmodeus sought after, a place where humans, demons and monsters could co-exist without bloodshed. There was no need to split people by race; if someone wanted to live in his kingdom, Asmodeus would accept them.

Burp~

Both Tsuki and Velmina burped while groaning over Ciela’s shoulder. The beautiful elf looked at Asmodeus with a charming smile, then winked. “Like what you see?”

The pair watched each other as if entranced, before Ciela shook her head.

“You’re like a beast in heat, here… look! You need to eat, not just watch,” she chided, sliding the meat onto his plate. Her golden-brown skin glowed in the fire, and for a moment, he almost forgot the hall full of soldiers.

Sariel and Riel didn’t cause trouble for once, both of them looking at the huge boar, one of the dozen monsters caught earlier in the day by Ciela and her archers. To prepare for the coming battle, Asmodeus stored a lot of meat and grains in the frozen basement of the inner castle, along with the city’s normal food supplies.

Thanks to the immense divine aura and mana-enriched land, monsters appeared daily in this land, meaning food would never be an issue.

Levia sat last, armour off but posture perfect, tearing bread in clean halves before sliding one to him. “Don’t indulge them too much,” she said flatly. “They’ll forget this is war, not play.”

He smirked, taking a slow bite of meat, letting the juices run over his tongue. “If war takes away every smile, what’s the point of winning?”

The words spread further than he intended. The orc warchief barked a laugh, raising his mug. “The Demon King’s right! Drink, you bastards!” Ale sloshed, goblins squealed, and knights, stiff as they were, couldn’t help but ease when mugs clashed against theirs.

Asmodeus leaned back, soaking in the atmosphere.

The rare sight of mixed races sharing mugs of ale, his beloved women all eating the strange meat, even Sariel acting like a proper lady… all of it brought a smile to his face.

Then he lifted his mug, the action catching everyone’s attention.

He lifted his mug high.

The hall became silent, while faces turned to face him, whether scarred, tusked, painted, or proud.

All waiting.

“To tomorrow,” he said, voice rumbling like a storm. “When we suffer, we suffer as one! When we win, we win together. And if we die—” his grin flashed, sharp as fangs, “—then we’ll drag Mephisto to hell with us and continue this meal!”

The hall erupted. Orcs slammed fists on tables, goblins shrieked, knights pounded mugs, and even the elves among Ciela’s guard raised their cups high.

It was so loud that the children woke up, but none of them cried; they all watched the scene of orcs tossing goblins, demon knights flying around with orcs with sparkling eyes.

Asmodeus touched his chest, the crimson markings shared their emotions, feelings and joy… he could feel his heart throbbing faster as the emotion and atmosphere took over.

“Let us Enjoy this night together!”

“YEAH!”

“WOOOO!”

For tonight… they were one.