A/n: Holy shit, this might be the longest chapter I've ever written in this story.

———

Closing the eyes of the deceased tank driver, General Francisco Dianopra Agraviador stood up and decided to open the hatch of the Tank Fortress, only to find himself in a cold wasteland where everything around him was frozen in ice.

The Major General was extraordinarily fortunate to say the least. The Tank Fortress was fast and resilient enough to withstood the giant meteorite that obliterated his tank battalion. It had also endured the demonic magic casted by that demon and froze the world around him.

If he hadn't gone inside the tank, he would've been frozen along with his men.

Miraculously, the tank's hatch had not frozen. If it had, there would have been no escape for the General.

As he surveyed the frozen wasteland, his eyes, shielded by his gas mask, locked onto the golden eyes behind a white mask of the being that caused all of this.

"Demon..." The Major General muttered with venomous hate.

Calming himself, the Major General used his earpiece radio to contact Trese and the remnants of his army. “Calling all forces, this is the Major General. Anyone away from the battlefield, fall back to the City Hall and escape through the tram station beneath.”

[General, you can't be serious!] Trese’s voice crackled over the radio. [Didn't you say we should never surrender and die like men?!]

“I know what I said, but this is not your place to die. Dawn is approaching, the demons are overrunning our last defense, and the knights have been wiped out. Retreat for now. As for me, I'll stay back. I will fight these demons if necessary.”

[General! What do you think is gonna happen if you face them?! You're just an old bastard against thousands of monsters from hell! Unless...]

"Correct, I will use the artifact to buy you all time. Farewell, and may we meet again... my dear."

As soon as he finished speaking, he removed his earpiece radio and lowered his gaze to a five-inch Sterling Silver Crucifix beneath his uniform.

“Not even the Pope or the high-ranking members of the Catholic Church know the results if anyone uses this. But it is now or never.”

————————————————————

BOOM!

BOOOM!

BOOM!

With three earth-shattering impacts, the entire city of Marawi shook ever so slightly as the towering dam began to collapse entirely.

“Retreat! Quickly! Retreat!”

“It’s too late!”

“Shit!”

Panic-stricken voices filled the battlefield in the city as countless Black Armor soldiers lay witness to the once-mighty dam slowly collapsing to the ground.

After a moment, the dam that was 30 meters high came down with a thunderous crash, raising a massive cloud of dust.

And within the dust cloud…

"Rooaar..."

It sounded like a Dragon’s roar but far more ferocious.

Emerging from the haze, a Dinosaur, about 25 meters high, appeared in everyone’s sight.

A fearsome-looking Dinosaur with a tail that swung through the air like a steel whip.

This was the Tyrannotitan, one of the Conquest's Great Demonic Beasts. Together with the Titanic Behemoth, and the monstrous Sarcosuchus, these three behemoths had knocked down the dam together.

The term towering was relative.

Before these three behemoths, even tall buildings seemed like paper, especially given the prior damage the dam had suffered.

Normally, anyone who saw these creatures would have trembled in fear, or fled for their life.

However, for the soldiers of the 19th Black Armored Division.

“Death to the childrens of Satan! Fire!!” a fierce shout echoed across the sky as a soldier, riding a battle tank, pointed his finger at the three monsters.

Following his command, several tanks and nearly a hundred soldiers leveled their guns and opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Fire the cannons!"

"Deploy the bombs!"

"We can't let them break into the city!"

But despite all that, none of the rounds even give any effect on the three behemoths.

And at that next moment, the Dinosaur began charging straight into the crowd of soldiers, ignoring the storm of gunfire.

Now, with the dam collapsed, the entire Black Army was completely exposed.

A deafening boom shook the city as the Tyrannotitan’s hind legs cracked the ground, launching itself into the air.

Much to the astonishment of countless soldiers, a fearsome shadow that covered the entire sky came crashing.

“Oh... shi-”

Boom!

With a deafening boom, the Tyrannotitan stomped several tanks and dozens of Black Armor soldiers into the ground, creating a massive crater beneath its feet.

Crack!

The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed as a crimson hue began to surface from beneath the Tyrannotitan’s feet. At the same time, nearby soldiers and tanks were sent flying by the sheer force of the impact.

However, this was only the beginning.

As if stimulated by the sight of blood, the Tyrannotitan became even more violent and ferocious. Demonic Energy began to surge through its entire being like boiling water.

Then, the Tyrannotitan opened his mouth.

"ROOAAR!!"

A deep and resonant roar, reminiscent of ancient times, but with a blood-red glow emanating from its throat, reverberated from deep within the beast.

The next moment…

BRRRRRRRR!!

A blood-red light beam, as thick as a water barrel, shot out from the Tyrannotitan’s mouth, hitting hundreds of soldiers head-on before they could even react.

“Ahh…!”

“Shit!”

Amidst the cacophony of miserable shrieks, the blood-red beam shredded them into pieces.

If one were to look around the vicinity of the Tyrannotitan, they would see a crevice several tens of meters deep, left in the aftermath of the blood-red beam.

At this moment, the entire battlefield, besides the Tyrannotitan’s nearly crushing presence, was showing a one-sided suppression.

In the face of this demon army, humanity was undeniably too weak. Even against the lesser demons like the Barons and Viscounts, the 19th Black Armored Division struggled. Despite their superior firepower, funded by most right-wing political parties and one of the Three Major Religions, the Roman Catholic Church themselves, they found it impossible to combat these fiends.

This disparity highlighted the overwhelming power of the demon army compared to their human counterparts.

However, one must not forget that these types of demons were just the middle-power among the demon hierarchy. Above them were the four Generals, who were at the Earl-rank, also known as Archdemons. Each of these demons was a cut above the rest, nearly invincible in the same level.

Now, two of these top-tier forces are launching an assault on Marawi City.

One could imagine what this entailed.

Massacre. A horrible massacre.

Each Archdemon and even the Titanic Demons had formed their own battlefield, and almost no one dared to step inside these zones. This was because each of their attacks were simply too terrifying.

For instance, the Tyrannotitan had cleared an area of a thousand meters with just one breath, eliminating thousands of enemies.

The Mammoth and the Sarcosuchus had blown hundreds of soldiers into a bloody mist with a single charge. The Mammoth's massive body, coupled with its thousands of tons weight and infused with immense Miasma, was no different than a meat grinder.

And then there were the two most terrifying figures at the center of the battlefield.

Conquest, clad in thick white armor and wielding his massive ax, surveyed the surrounding icy wasteland he had created. Looking above, he saw the second powerful figure, his companion War, was busy dealing with these flying machines that the humans built.

"Hm?"

Just as he was about to advance, his eyes suddenly caught the approaching figure within the blizzard storm.

"Demon!" The Major General spited with venomous hate. It was like seeing the eyes of hell.

"Those eyes you give me, they bring back good memories of my time," Conquest chuckled. "Judging by your clothing, you might be the General of this army. I see your forces retreating behind you while you face us alone? Foolish yet honorable, for a leader to sacrifice himself for his men. It reminds me of that one man in my time."

While General Francisco wore a determined and hateful expression, deep within him lay helplessness and frustration. Because what he was facing was a demon far more powerful than any other present.

A human fighting toe against an Archdemon? It's like an ant trying to challenge an elephant.

However, as he watched the terrifying figure of the Archdemon approaching him with slow and deliberate steps, a flicker of determination sparked deep in Francisco's eyes.

A resolve to fight, even to the death.

This was a battle he could not afford to lose.

With this in mind, General Francisco reached for his side, unsheathing a weapon he had painstakingly built himself.

The weapon gleamed under the dim light as its craftsmanship was shown in every detail. The blade was a formidable length, forged from an unknown steel procured from the Black Market, which was said to be from an asteroid discovered by the Austronesian government somewhere deep in the Pacific.

Furthermore, its edges are lined with razor-sharp teeth that run along a single-edged blade like that of a chainsaw. The hilt was wrapped in rich, black leather, ensuring a firm grip even in the heat of battle.

The mechanism of the weapon was a marvel of engineering. Within the hilt, a compact but powerful motor lay encased in tungsten.

A small switch near the thumb allowed for seamless activation, connecting the motor to a series of intricate gears that drove the chain along the blade. Each tooth was spaced perfectly to avoid jamming, ensuring a continuous, devastating rotation.

As General Francisco activated the chainsaw-sword hybrid, a deep, guttural hum filled the air. The teeth sprang to life, spinning rapidly in a blur of deadly motion. The weapon vibrated with restrained power, eager to taste the flesh of the enemy. The Major General could feel its hunger, its readiness to unleash unparalleled carnage upon those who dared defy the Lord.

And now, this terrifying weapon was used on the battlefield.

Clutching the chainsaw-sword in one hand and a Sterling Silver Crucifix in the other, Francisco offered silent prayers to his God.

"...Amen."

With a leap impossible for a person who is old enough to be a nursing patient, he soared into the air and slashed toward the Archdemon in white armor.

Swoosh!

Tearing through the air, the hungry roar of sword came bearing down.

“What a strange weapon,” a murmur escaped from Conquest as he watched the chainsaw-sword fall from the sky, his pupils slightly contracting.

Given his strength, he could naturally sense the threat posed by this sword. The unknown steel and the power of this weapon could be more dangerous than the weapons these humans use. But, a cold smile tugged the corners of Conquest's lips, as if he had thought of something.

'No matter how powerful their weapons are, it would be in vain if it can’t even hit the target. Besides, I still have some cards up my sleeve.' As he considered this, a purplish-black halo suddenly flickered deep in his eyes.

“[Anti-Gravity Field]” he muttered softly, and an inexplicable force emerged in the void.

The next moment, a round of purplish-black illusory halo appeared under General Francisco.

“What the?” Amazed, General Francisco had a slight change in his expression, sensing the purple-black illusory halo. Nonetheless, having already unleashed his Chainsword, he could not turn back.

“Go back to hell!” Roaring thunderously, he increased the output of his swing, trying to let the blades make contact on the demon just for once.

However, just at this moment…

BOOM!

Francisco's body suddenly shook as an inexplicable force assailed him. He felt as if an invisible wall had appeared in front of him. With a muffled sound, he was falling backwards.

More frighteningly, a sense of weightlessness struck him, causing him to lose partial control of his body.

“Shit!” Francisco's face abruptly changed. He could not help but feel a sense of tightness grip his heart.

Before he could react, a fearsome force struck him with a roaring boom.

“Too slow,” Conquest laughed lightly as he swung his massive axe.

Even though he hadn't put too much strength into the swing, it was devastating for a human like Francisco.

BOOM!

Accompanied by a thunderous boom, Francisco was sent flying like a shooting star.

What was even more astonishing was that even after flying for two kilometers and slid on the ground for another hundred meters, the old bastard was still alive.

"Cough! Cough!" Francisco broke into a series of coughs, his face pale as paper. In his lower abdomen, there was a wound that was almost half a foot long, and he was profusely bleeding from it. One could even see his innards as well.

"Fuck!"

Thankfully, the steel armor beneath his uniform, which is durable enough to withstand a single shot from a .50 caliber BMG, had absorbed most of the impact of the demon's attack, but the pain was still excruciating.

Even with that injury, Francisco weakly rose to his feet with a painful groan, while being supported by his weapon as a helping stick.

"This... is another level of elderly abuse."

At that moment, he could hear the ominous sound of footsteps echoing across the icy field. He looked up to see the familiar figure already standing before him.

"You do a nice job at surviving all of this, young mortal," Conquest said with a smile.

"Say whatever you want, you demonic bastard. It's not like you'll have a tombstone when I'm finished," Francisco retorted, making his intentions clear. "Even if you send another giant rock or throw me another kilometer, and I have this open wound, I will still not give up! The Lord favors the faithful, and His servants will cleanse this evil starting with you." He pointed his intact chainsword at Conquest.

"Hmph, many have tried to slay me and failed, but if you are the one that whatever god in this world has sent to slay me and the Demon Lord, then so be it." Conquest said, gripping his weapon, "Oh, and by the way, you should have this."

With a snap of his fingers, Lord Conquest caused a glass bottle with special-looking vials inside to appear in front of Francisco.

The purplish liquid within the vial sloshed within the glass-like compartment, and while it glistened with allure, a certain danger oozed from within it.

As Francisco eyed the floating potion in front of him, he couldn't determine whether it was poison, or some other kind of concoction.

"Are you sure you're not trying to poison me?"

"They're Recovery Potions. Stop being overly dramatic and consume it," Conquest chuckled, almost slapping his hand on his face while shaking his head.

He didn't say any further, but his expression alone showed how disappointed he was that this human thought he would feed him poison.

'Why would I even do that?' He almost opened his lips to say. 'I could just kill you myself if I wanted you dead…' He sighed internally, watching as the Major General already began to consume the contents of the vial.

As he did, the General's body glowed, and not only did the deep wound on his abdomen begin to heal, but even his armor, clothing, and stamina also began to recover.

"Now, shall we begin?"

The Major General's thoughts were interrupted by Conquest's voice. As hazel and golden eyes met, there was a moment of silence, a calm before the storm in which many demons departed from the battlefield by the order of the Archdemon.

Gripping his chainsword tightly and holding the Sterling Silver Crucifix in his other hand, Francisco muttered a prayer.

"...Ask of me, and I shall give thee the demon and heretics for thine inheritance, and for thy possession, the ends of the earth. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces, like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, ye kings. Be admonished, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, though his wrath be kindled but a little."

"Hm, a nice prayer from a zealous warrior. It remind me of a Holy Knight I used to fight. But enough of that. The most important thing is you have to pick up the pace now, young mortal... a conqueror is coming!" Conquest declared, his golden eyes shining with brilliant light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X7WME84NZo

At a speed impossible for someone his age, Francisco charged at Conquest and swung his chainsword. Conquest met the attack with his axe, and their weapons clashed once more, the massive power behind each blow blasting them back a few meters apart.

"For being at the age of someone with dementia and couldn't form a sentence, you are quite the formidable warrior. I am impressed." Conquest said, "Be thankful I'm not even using a single percent of my strength, unless, of course, you entertain me with that indomitable human spirit I've been hearing from you, humans."

"Will you shut your filthy mouth, or do you want to see more?" Francisco retorted.

"Yes. Bring me more. Try to make me bleed with your blade. Even if it takes centuries or a millennium, come back and challenge me again, warrior."

"Or maybe it will take less than ten minutes!" the Major General shouted as he charged at Conquest once more and swung his chainsword twice, but Conquest deflected both strikes with his axe with ease. Francisco went for a thrust, but Conquest sidestepped to the left, avoiding it before swinging his axe down. Francisco quickly leaped away from the attack and drew a giant customized pistol and fired multiple reactive rounds, which are bullets that explode upon impact.

At blinding speed, Conquest effortlessly deflected the bullets with his axe, but one of the bullets struck his left knee and exploded.

"Pure silver Macedonian processed mercury ammunition in Marvel's NNA9 cartridges. 39 cm in length, weighing 16 kilogram, with 13mm armor piercing reactive rounds. A fine tool I've built myself," Francisco silently muttered as he charged at Conquest once more, firing his customized pistol at Conquest, which he effortlessly deflected the rounds with a single swing of his axe.

While Conquest sported an excited grin beneath his mask, General Francisco wore a hateful expression beneath his gas mask as he fired another shot from his pistol, and the bullet struck Conquest's left arm and exploded. Unfazed, Conquest swung his axe at increasing speed, but Francisco managed to slid underneath it.

Shing!

To the Major General's amazement, the moment Conquest swung his axe, a wind slash was created, killing two random demons and cleaving a frozen tank in two in the distance.

If Francisco hadn't avoided it, he would have met the same fate as those demons and the battle tank.

As he stood back up on his feet, he was met with another attack from the demon.



Not trying to stop, Francisco stood back up again and proceeded to attack Conquest, who leaped back and stood a hundred meters from him.

"What about spicing things up a bit?"

With a snap of his fingers, a pair of Hell Priests stepped forward. As they chanted their unholy magic, the bodies of the fallen soldiers of the Major General's army began to twitch as a mist of darkness began to emanate from their corpses.

In the next second, the fallen soldiers rose to their feet. Growling and staring at the General with bloodthirsty eyes, the reanimated soldiers, known as Deadites, stood between him and the Archdemon, creating a distant barrier between the dragon and the knight.

"What will you do now? Your dragon stands before you, Catholic. You plan to slay me, is that correct? How likely are your chances of survival? One in a hundred? A thousand? A million? No, maybe a billion stands to reason."

"Your taunts mean nothing to me. I am prepared to slay you even if the odds are one in a trillion."

"Oh, and how do you plan to do that? How are you going to win when you are about to fight your own men? Will you die like a dog? Or on your feet with the mind of a warrior?"

Reloading his gun and activating his chainsword, which roared to life, the Major General never took his gaze off the demon.

"You think that playing psychological games with me by using my fallen comrades as meat shields will pare my unwavering loyalty to God? Now silence! And fight me!"

Conquest was surprised by Francisco's will to still keep fighting against the odds.

"Such indomitable spirit. These humans are such fascinating creatures." he smiled. If any of his colleagues or the Demon Lord himself heard what he said, he would surely be punished.

With the passion of God flowing through him, Francisco charged through the gates of hell with his Chainsword roaring and sharpened for battle. As soon as he began his assault, the Deadites began dropping like flies. The progress he was making in such a short period of time became palpable. It was like his Chainsword was a lawnmower, which it is, and the Deadites were merely grass being mowed down by the blades of God. Blood, guts, and explosive bullets were flying through the air as Francisco made his way through the horde of possessed monsters.

Bang!

Bang!

From Francisco's other hand was his giant customized pistol which fired a series of Reactive rounds to explode the heads of the Deadites.

The Major General continued charging through the horde and cutting them down to reach Conquest with no sign of giving up.

"What kind of a human is this? He reminds me so much... of him. Yes, come to me, human. Come and stand before my gaze like those men did long ago. Try and face this demon!"

Fracisco's fury and determination only grew as each blade and bullets paired these undead monstrosities. With each swing, Francisco hacked and slashed at all of his former comrades, watching their lifeless bodies falling to the ground and being crushed under the weight of his body.

After brutally splitting a deadite in two with his chainsword, Francisco thrust his weapon and sent it plunging through the head of a large, bulky deadite that stood in his way.

But for the first time, it wasn't enough to bring the monster down.

With Francisco's hand still gripped on his weapon, he could do nothing to protect himself as the powerful demon grabbed his arm, causing him to let out a moan of pain.

With a ferocious roar, he placed his gun under its chin and pulled the trigger, firing another round which exploded its face.

As soon as he killed the demon, his ears picked up the sounds of clopping and metal clanging. He looked behind the Deadite army and noticed an armada of Demon Knights with Hell Mounts charging toward him, their eyes blazing red with bloodlust.

General Francisco knew exactly what these demons were. They are the infamous fearsome demons at the early of the war.

The Hell Mounts, just the flames on their body alone is enough to burn anything to a crisp. He even witnessed one burning a whole forest in minutes before being taken down by three Thunderhawks.

And the Demonic Knights. The armor of these sons of bitches are tough as a Fortress Tank, and one of them was the main reason why there was a demon infestation at General Santos.

Now facing five of these monstrous beings charging towards him, how could an 80-year-old man, despite his strength and agility defying his age, stand against creatures capable of toppling cities and small countries?

'Is this how I die? What a disappointing death. Forgive me, God.' Francisco grimly braced himself for the dozens of swords about to impale him.

When out of nowhere...

Bang!

A single .50 caliber round struck directly at the exposed head of one of the Demon Knight, obliterating it and sending it falling to the ground.

Not before long, a shower of rockets and high-caliber bullets were shot from behind him, quickly sending the demon knights and their mounts in the front of the armada to their permanent deaths.

Despite his life being saved, Francisco didn't seem happy, but instead, he clenched his teeth in anger. There was only one person who could have intervened in such a manner.

"Damn it! I ordered you to retreat, you stupid meddling idiots!"

Trese, whose anti-tank rifle was still releasing smoke from her fired rounds, popped open the visor of her Hercules exosuit and shouted back to her superior, "And what did you expect us to do, General? Just pack up our things and run away like a bunch of cowards?! If we did that, none of us could call ourselves Templar Knights!"

"Fuck that, Trese! You and our creed are the only important things to survive! Stop being a fool and selfish!"

"'Sa pamamagitan ng sigaw ng amen at pagpatay sa mga hindi karapat-dapat, ibinalik ito ng mundo sa lugar.' Those are the words that you taught us to live by every day of our lives! Do you think we would abandon your teachings and our righteousness? You are the fool and the selfish one, lolo!"

"You imbecile! All I wanted was for the legacy of the Roman Catholic to live on! To have the Pope be protected by the soldiers of God! The world is changing for the worse, and too many of us have gone to Limbo today." Francisco turned his head back to the army of his fallen soldiers. After a moment of deep thought, he sighed heavily, "You know what, fuck it. Since I'm charging full-speed into hell, I believe some company wouldn't hurt. I guess we're going to do this together, then."

In his words, nearly a hundred soldiers of the Black Army lined up into formation behind General Francisco, ready to rally under their leader. While many soldiers held their rifles and their bayonets attached, some of them held... shovels, for some reason.

"Sabihin natin sa kanila kung sino tayo!"

"KAMI ANG TEMPLAR KNIGHTS NG SIMBAHAN! PARA SA INANG BAYAN!"

"CHARGE!"

With an army of their own to match this army of the dead, the lost souls were mowed down with an even quicker speed than before by the black wave. Dozens by dozens, these demon zombies were slain by the soldiers of the Black Army, but as every dozen were slain, one hundred more came to take their place.

While the men of God were fighting through the horde, a javelin pierced through the throat of one of the soldiers. Blood began spilling out of his throat, and the soldier didn't need a doctor to know he wouldn't make it.

There was only one thing he could do now.

"Ang Diyos ay magaling!!" he shouted, pulling the pins of his grenade belt at once, and his body exploded beyond recognition in his tragic yet successful suicide, with hundreds of deadites joining him in the flames. These explosions quickly began to increase, as the members of the Black Army were being outnumbered by the monumental numbers of demons.

But all of those deaths had not been in vain. With a final slash, Francisco leaped past the final deadite through a cloud of smoke. When he landed with a thud, a line of smoke came out of his mouth. Conquest stood on the rubble, standing above on the perch like a predator watching over his prey.

"You stand before me. I'm impressed. Show me more." Conquest grinned, preparing to launch an attack, but instead, Francisco tore the Sterling Silver Crucifix from his neck.

"You are not the only one who carries a mighty weapon, demon."

"Oh? Is this the toy that will defeat us?" asked Conquest, smiling with utmost confidence.

Francisco said nothing, and pulled the upper part of the Crucifix, causing Conquest's smile to instantly falter.

"A knife?"

Within the Crucifix was a small, shrapnel blade.

"Should I assume you're threatening me with some magic artifact?"

"If that's what you think, then yes..."

Conquest had seen many magic artifacts, ones that could cause mass destruction or bend the laws of the world. But this one, however, felt different.

Something... holy.

Even his senses alarmed him constantly. And what he had experienced with his instincts for many years, he knew it was something dangerous.

For the first time since the beginning of this battle, Conquest felt wary. He even tried to sense the measure of its power, but it somehow felt... hard to measure it.

At first, this was supposed to be a battle that could entertain him. Conquest had a strange hobby of watching inferior beings desperately fight with no fear and had a good battle spirit. It made him respect them as warriors, despite them being incredibly weak.

That's why many demons in the Netherrealm dislike him for that.

Then, to his shock, instead of pouncing at him with the small blade, Francisco turned the point to his own heart.

"PREPARE YOURSELF, DEMO-"

"Wait, General. Is that... a piece of the Lance of Longinus??" Trese suddenly chimed in, her voice filled with concern and disbelief upon laying her eyes on the tiny blade in the General's hand.

"You mean the one that pierced Christ's body!?" a random soldier exclaimed.

"General, didn't you say using this blade had dire consequences!"

"I know what I'm doing, Trese! If it's the only way to defeat this demon, then I had no choice."

"But…"

With a concerned look, Trese tried to reason more, but seeing the Major General's determined look, she couldn't help but sigh in resignation.

Reverting to his determined expression, Francisco fixed his gaze on the Archdemon and proclaimed, "I want nothing more than to be a weapon of divine punishment and judgment. A weapon wielded by the Lord Almighty to conduct His heavenly work below His glorious kingdom. I would have loved to be born a natural disaster, a storm, a mighty hurricane created by God. Without pity, without regret, and without emotion. And if this relic in my hand can transform me into something different, whether good or bad, then I, General Francisco Dianopra Agraviador, am willing to abandon my humanity in the name of God."

With all of the passion, fury, and love for god flowing through him, Francisco screamed and stabbed the tiny blade straight into his heart.

Despite seeing many gruesome deaths, Conquest suddenly flinched when he heard the sound of the blade piercing through his chest.

Only drops of blood dripped out of the wound. Francisco expected some dangerous effects, because since he was a member of the Templar Knights in the Vatican Church in his early 20s, he had heard many stories about the experiments that the blade was used on many subjects. Whether sinner or saint, it doesn't discriminate as the result was horrendous.

Anyone stabbed by the blade experienced varied effects.

One became an abomination that slaughtered countless lives, furthering the destruction until Francisco and his team contained or neutralized the threat.

Another effect was the complete disappearance of both the subject and the wielder, never to be seen or heard from again.

And the third incident involved an unknown organization who somehow stole the artifact and used it on Hiroshima, transforming the subject into a massive reptilian beast that wreaked havoc on the city. Fortunately, this is during the American-Japanese conflict, where the first atomic bomb was dropped, bombing the city along with the beast.

Francisco couldn't help to give credit to the Americans that they unknowingly killed the beast and saved the world.

Since that day, the shrapnel blade of Longinus had been secured deep within the Vatican, alongside the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Ark of the Covenant, and many other ancient artifacts.

Now, it was being used once more, this time by the guardian of the blade himself.

Expecting whatever effects will be used on him, Francisco braced himself for the inevitable.

"..."

For a few moments, there was only silence. Francisco raised an eyebrow and pulled the tiny blade from his chest.

"It's not working?"

Francisco was completely baffled. For decades, he has been safeguarded this dangerous artifact since the fall of the Vatican by that fascist whore. For a moment, he wondered if this might not be the Lance of Longinus after all.

"General!"

His thoughts were interrupted by his disciple, who pointed to his chest. He looked down and saw the wound healing, along with all his other injuries.

"Strange, my senses warmed me with this weapon. Perhaps it's just a simple holy artifact that heals you," Conquest remarked as he shook his head. "Now that your theatrics are over, shall we continue?"

Glancing back at his fifty remaining soldiers and then at the Archdemon, Francisco activated his Chainsword once more.

"Yeah, we shall."

With those words, Francisco charged forward, followed by Trese in her Hercules exosuit and the rest of the Black Army soldiers, crying out like raging zealots.

Conquest smiled and decided to use [Gravity Suppression], the same technique he had used on that elf.

As the small army of humans charged, they suddenly felt a crushing weight and could barely move. Trese, thanks to her exosuit, resisted a bit but not enough.

Although it might have crushed them all by the intense gravity, Conquest decided to suppress its power to avoid them turning into meat paste.

But suddenly...

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew which was aimed at Conquest's throat. However, it was meaningless, because even his vulnerable areas could withstand high-caliber rounds.

But who fired it?

Looking up, Conquest was surprised to see General Francisco moving perfectly within the gravity suppression field, better than the rest.

As soon as Francisco stepped out of the field, he rushed forward and quickened his pace toward the Archdemon.

"I felt that we will end here. Thank you, young mortal, for giving me this thrill about your species."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the space in front of him began to distort. In the next moment, a small space-tearing rift opened, and he drew something out of nothing, as though it had been sheathed in the air.

The object Conquest unsheathed was a sword, or rather, an Odachi. Its blade is over one hundred eighty centimeters long, and it was the sharpest of all the weapons which Conquest possessed.

A weapon at the Transcendent-level. Powerful enough to slay an Awakened Demon Lord with ease.

He had obtained this weapon from an Eastern-style magical and cultivation world, where he fought a powerful swordsman who had greatly satisfied Conquest. After the swordsman's death, he took the sword as a trophy.

Now, he wielded it against Francisco.

Spurt!

The fluid cut whooshed quietly through the air. If not for the present situation, it would have been a sound which people would want to listen to.

After that sound, Francisco's body and armor split into two halves from head to toe, which fell to the left and right into the icy floor.

"GENERAL!"

Trese and the rest of the soldiers shouted in horror, helplessly watching their leader get split in two. Their mouths agape and the words they might have to say stuck in their throats.

Is this how he died like this?

"Farewell, General," Conquest said respectfully as he sheathed the Odachi. Turning to Trese and the other soldiers, he added, "I guess this is goodbye to you as well. Safe travels."

With a snap of his finger, he could have killed them all by increasing the gravity's pressure. But just as he was about to, a deep rumbling began to emerge.

"Huh?" Conquest turned around, only to find something surprising.

The two halves of Francisco's corpse were releasing strings of blood and reattached to each other. As Conquest, Trese, and the Black Army soldiers watched in shock, the halves slowly fused, and the wounds began to heal.

'Interesting, is this the work of that artifact?' he thought.

As the process was finished, Francisco opened his eyes and stared at the Archdemon with an unknown expression beneath his gas mask.

"Guess who's back from hell!"

Francisco did not seem affected by his own death. Instead, he raised his weapons and yelled out with enthusiasm.

"Well... This is a surprising development."

Immediately after his resurrection, Francisco launched a karate kick at Conquest's face with unnatural speed.

But Conquest shifted slightly and intercepted the attack with the arm holding his Transcendent weapon. His preternatural movements made the weapon seem like an extension of his body.

With his newfound power, Francisco felt his body is hard as steel and his limbs alone could possibly decapitate a human in an instant, but his previous death had already proven the sharpness of the Odachi. Faster than he could calculate, the blade sliced through Francisco's arm and carved it as if cutting through water.

As his severed right arm sprayed fresh arterial blood, Conquest casually gripped the Chainsword which was headed towards his belly.

"Ah, this is a pretty good sword."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Francisco gave up on pulling back the immovable Chainsword, and immediately lashed out at Conquest's knee with a kick. The Archdemon did not dodge it as he simply took the blow. In the end, when Francisco's foot connected with the demon's knee, it was he who felt the pain.

It felt just like kicking an iron wall with all his might.

With a painful groan, Francisco took a step back, where he stood beside Trese and the remaining soldiers, who had finally escaped the gravity suppression field.

"General, holy shit! We saw you die!" Trese stared surprisingly at the General.

"I guess the blade gave me something else," Francisco murmured, watching his severed arm slowly grow.

"Then this is a good thing! We might even have a chance to survive this," Trese said with a grin.

Meanwhile, Conquest looked at Francisco with interest, because a human being healed up without the use of mana or a skill is something he had never heard of before.

All of a sudden, two human soldiers that were supposed to be trapped in his Gravity Suppression field, blocked his line of sight. While Francisco's arm gradually regrew, the two soldiers attacked Conquest with their bayonets. However, Conquest had already slashed their bodies with his sword.

Just as the two soldiers dissolved into clumps of blood, Trese leaped forward and delivered a powerful punches to Conquest's eyes, belly, and chest with all her strength with her exosuit.

"How bothersome."

With minimal effort, Conquest swatted at the woman's chest with a bitch slap.

"Guaargh!"

Trese flew back into the distance like she had been hit by a baseball bat, accompanied by the sound of cracking. In the end, she hit the icy floor, rolling several times before coming to a halt. However, the agony in her chest and the bright red blood she was coughing up made it hard for her to breathe.

"Holy... fuck!"

While Trese was suffering from her injuries, Francisco glared at Conquest, the fighting spirit still burning in his eyes even as his arm fully recovered.

"So you still wish to fight, then I shall return this to you."

After casually tossing the Chainsword back to Francisco, Conquest ignored him and turned his attention to the rest of the Black Armor soldiers.

As he approached them, a rain of bullets flew at him, attempting to divert his attention. However, the attack was useless, and was easily deflected.

"How annoying," Conquest grumbled, extending his hand towards the group of soldiers.

"[Nolybab's Gates]."

Several dozen razor-sharp weapons emerged from space-tearing rifts that formed out of nowhere and showered down on a large area at hypersonic speed.

The soldiers within the attack radius were pierced instantly.

One soldier was struck in the chest, two in the belly, and one in the right thigh, each weapon easily penetrating their bodies. They crumpled to the floor like puppets whose strings were cut, expiring where they fell.

"Uoooooh!"

One soldier, holding a shovel for some reason, charged ahead. He knew this was a reckless course of action, and that he was nothing before the might of this demon. Even so, he sprinted ahead without a moment's hesitation.

Seeing this, Conquest swung lightly at the soldier, who had entered his attack range.

The swing was faster than anyone could see, something beyond their dexterity.

Shing!

The blade sheared easily through the soldier's flesh, and the decapitated corpse of the soldier spurted blood like a geyser as he collapsed gently into the cold ground. Shortly after that, his head joined it on the floor.

"...Forty-three left under your command."

Conquest, who had not moved so much as an inch since the battle had started, stared at the two Generals and flicked his sword. There was no trace of blood or fat on the gleaming white blade. That beautiful movement looked like it could sweep everything away in a single stroke.

"You better not recklessly charge in again. But I do gotta ask, why did you all keep attacking despite knowing it's impossible to defeat an Archdemon like me?"

With a determined look on his face, Francisco answered, "Mark 10: 27, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.'"

Conquest laughed, "Ah, I see. It's simply religion."

Now recovered, General Francisco grabbed both his Chainsword and customized pistol, while General Trese drew her anti-tank rifle and hammer. The two of them flanked Conquest front and rear.

Glancing at Francisco, Trese was baffled to see the Major General dabbling his fingers in his own blood flowing from his chest and smearing it on his hands and his Chainsword.

The way he applied the blood to himself made it seem as though he was summoning the ancestral spirits down upon himself.

"Trese, how are your wounds?"

"O-Oh, um... Not good. It's still aching. Still, I can take a few more swings. But I’ve pretty much run out of ammo right now."

Trese ground her teeth, perhaps in an attempt to laugh. Francisco's expression changed as he heard this.

"...What are you laughing at? Is it because I smeared my own blood like I'm from some kind of cannibal tribe?" He smiled and then sighed, relaxing his shoulders.

A torrent of pain erupted from near his chest, but Francisco fought to ignore it.

He would not give up until the last moment he intended to fight until the end.

From the beginning, he had known full well that victory was impossible.

Defeat was inevitable, yet they could not accept it.

That was because it would be like lying to people, telling them that they could win. Since others had actually believed them, they could not accept the fact that they would be defeated.

They had to give everything they had until the final moment-

"Then swing that sword you're wielding, you demonic bastard!!" Francisco's cry echoed throughout the surrounding area.

Conquest chuckled, "A fine cry."

He was probably laughing, but this was not the laughter of the strong mocking the weak, but of a warrior laughing with a fellow fighter.

"Very well, General. That's it, then. I'll fight with you to the bitter end as well."

Francisco smiled as well, "Then... Sorry to keep you waiting."

Conquest shrugged as Francisco said this, "It is fine, I am not so thoughtless as to interrupt a conversation between families. Now prepare to meet your fate... No, pardon me, you were ready for it from the start."

As General Francisco and Trese began moving, Conquest flourished his Odachi sword and asked.

"State your names. I apologize ahead of time that I never get to ask that sooner."

"Alexandra Trese."

"Francisco Dianopra Agraviador."

"...I will remember you warriors," Conquest said, readying his weapon, "Now let's keep ourselves silent and continue this battle, shall we?"

With that, the humans immediately lunged at Conquest across the icy wasteland.

The uncoordinated timing of their attacks baffled Conquest.

The two of them did not enter his range at the same time. Trese was the first to do so. Sensing a scheme, Conquest awaited their next move.

Since Trese was the first to enter his strike zone, Conquest carefully studied her approach.

But just before he could reach her, Trese suddenly stopped.

Bang!

As she halted, she crouched down and fired her rifle at his face. At the same time, Francisco broke into a wild sprint. He hadn't even activated his Chainsword so his opponent would not be able to gauge his attack range.

Trese's declaration that "I'm almost out of bullets," was merely a ruse to deceive Conquest. If he had taken the bait, perhaps he might have been distracted by the bullet and been hit by Francisco's charge from behind.

However tough their opponent's armor was, he should still be able to break through it if he poured all his strength into the edge. With that in mind, Francisco had abandoned defense to focus on the attack, and the resulting strike should have been quite strong.

He seems quite confident in his Chainsword.

Conquest could understand how he felt, because much like him, he felt strongly about the weapons he owned. In particular, the sword he now wielded which had once been used by one of the most respectful warriors he had fought. Despite the lopsided nature of the battle, Conquest insisted on using the Transcendent-level Odachi sword as a sign of his supreme respect.

However, they had made a miscalculation, which was that their opponent was Conquest, an Earl-rank Archdemon and the servant of the Demon Lord.

"...Slow, yet efficient."

At unimaginable speed, the high-calibre round disintegrated into nothingness mere moments before reaching Conquest. Even these rounds could obliterate armored vehicles and even tanks, they could not pierce Conquest's impenetrable armor and his magical defenses.

Soon enough, the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived. However, Conquest hesitated briefly.

'Can my foe be stopped just by cutting off his head?' he pondered.

In the face of Francisco's full attack, Conquest did not think that mere decapitation would stop his advance. The mental image of a headless body charging towards him flashed through his mind.

If that were the case, he should first sever the hands, then the head.

No, that approach wouldn't be clean enough. It was best to finish him off in one stroke.

Francisco charged with all his strength, devoting every fiber of his being to the attack, but he was still too slow for Conquest.

Francisco thrust his chainsword, and Conquest effortlessly caught it lightly in his palm.

Conquest could feel the teeth of the weapon hungrily grinding his armor, but did not feel any pain.

But for some reason, there was a small sensation of his armor taking damage, but he didn't mind, he has many layers of passive protection skills even if his armor was breached.

Recalling something, the charge that General made was faster than any human, Conquest was momentarily puzzled by his own ease in parrying it. However, those doubts quickly faded in an instant. His foe's life would end with a swing of his sword, so there was nothing more to think about.

Soon, only one of them would remain standing.

So, it had been an unplanned charge after all...

Just as a somewhat disappointed Conquest was about to strike, he changed his mind.

Because he had come to realize that the bullet and Francisco's charge were all decoys.

While he had to be wary of Francisco stabbing him with his Chainsword, Trese's other weapon, her war-hammer, smashing was equally as powerful, so that must have been their true intention.

However...

"Surprise attacks ought to be conducted in silence."

As long as they could not erase the sound they made as they ran across the icy field, it could not truly qualify as an unexpected attack. Conquest was puzzling. Was this really worth taking damage? Or was it just a meaningless struggle?

Still, it was true that his foe had now entered his striking zone.

Now that Trese's weapon was within his grasp, there was nothing to fear from him. Only the order in which they died would change. Having decided that, Conquest swung his Odachi.

The blade struck.

Fortunately for the woman, the blade only severed her arm, forcing her to drop her weapon. Before she could hit the ground, Conquest withdrew his blade, planning to attack Francisco.

Spurt!

But just as his blade made contact, he heard the sound of blood spurting. It wasn't coming from Trese or Francisco, but from his own hand where he held the chainsword.

Instinctively, Conquest pushed Francisco away along with his weapon. The moment they parted, a sharp pain shot through his palm.

Confused and startled, Conquest looked down at his hand and saw something shocking.

Blood?

He was... bleeding?

He questioned himself how he is bleeding, because it defied logic. It is not possible as he was protected by his armor, which was designed to withstand Tier 10 attacks. If the armor somehow failed, he had multiple layers of passive protection skills on his body that should prevent any breach. Even if they failed, his ultra-speed regeneration should have healed him in seconds.

Yet, they were all bypassed, especially his regeneration isn't healing the wound for some reason.

How?

Just then, as he saw Francisco in the distance, it suddenly dawned on him.

'The artifact he stabbed himself with... I sensed a divine essence within it,' Conquest realized, his thoughts racing. 'And that trace of blood on the blade. I didn't think much of it, but recalling for a moment, it smelled ancient... and powerful.'

To his guess, the small blood on that small blade on the General seemed to belong to a powerful individual with overwhelming divine power. Just a tiny trace of blood, especially over thousands of years old, has the power to even harm a higher-class demon like him.

Before, he wondered why the General coated his sword with his own blood.

Now he understand why.

'His blood was tainted with a kind of holy essence and miracles.'

As he thought of this, he began to piece things together.

'He turned himself into a walking divine weapon.'

For the first time since he stepped foot into his world, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Divine weapons were known to easily slay demons like him, unless of course if they are in closer level. But seeing himself bleed, he concluded that General Francisco himself might be at a higher level enough to harm Archdemons.

As Conquest was lost in thought, he failed to notice that Major General Francisco had thrown his entire strength and body weight into the thrust until it was too late. Before he knew it, Conquest was faced with something that could threaten his life, and he could not stop it in time.

Had he grasped the situation sooner, perhaps there would have been another course of action. But at this short range, he was out of options.

Conquest was so moved that he trembled.

While it had relied on a bit of luck, this was an attack which had required multiple gambles, each of which had paid off. The most important thing was that without Trese, none of this would have been possible.

Trese may not have fully understood Francisco's gambit, but as his lifelong discipline and being a granddaughter to him since she was little, she had placed all her trust in him, to the point of even at the cost of her own limb. That pointless surprise attack and shouting were all calculated to divert Conquest's attention away from the Major General for just that single moment.

And in that single moment, Francisco thrust his chainsword with all his might.

"Truly marvelous-"

Spurt!

Both demons and the remaining soldiers of the 19th Black Armored Division widened their eyes in disbelief. What they witnessed is something that not a human could ever do, something that is impossible.

General Francisco... had impaled the Archdemon Conquest through the chest!

"Holy fucking shit... we actually did it," Trese laughed, though she winced in pain from the intense pain of her loosed arm.

The blow from Francisco had been well-struck, causing Conquest to spat his own blood within his mask. Even if he will be ridiculed by his fellow Archdemons or punished by the Demon Lord, he felt that leaving this scar as a mark of respect for these warriors would be appropriate.

But he had planned for this moment as well.

"[World Splitter]"

Click!

It was just a single faint click that sounded in the surroundings as a deep silence suddenly descended upon the world.

What Conquest used was a terrifying skill that could tore everything within a certain radius apart. This resulting attack could turn Francisco into a bloody mist, though Conquest harbored doubts about its effectiveness against him.

Using a powerful skill on a normal human is overkill, humiliated, and a waste, sure, but to Conquest, this was a sign of praise from the strong to the weak.

Francisco smiled, in the way someone did when he knew full well what sort of fate was in store for him, yet ran towards it anyway. As he did, Conquest unsheathe his sword and-

Whoosh~!

Rumble—!

The ground tore apart, throwing dust and rock alike in the air like fast projectiles, and seismic quakes struck the place.

Everything around Conquest was cleanly torn asunder, not even a speck of dust was spared.

However...

"...What?"

Conquest furrowed his brow in confusion, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the aftermath.

Moments before unleashing his devastating skill, Conquest sensed a distortion in space for a split second. Now, surveying the area, he realized that any sign of blood from the Major General and the surviving humans who had been outside the attack's range were nowhere to be found.

In other words, they had been teleported away, and they were alive.

But the question was…

Who helped them escape?

Shifting his gaze to his right, he spotted a figure, who's breathing was increasingly rapid.

Upon closer inspection, the person's hand bore a deep split between the thumb and index finger, and their sleeves were stained crimson.

It was clear that the arm was severely injured.

And Conquest knew exactly why.

Because he himself was the cause of those injuries.

"I see you're still alive, elf."

———

A/n: So, what are your thoughts about the battle and everything about this chapter? Let me hear your thoughts!