Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ Assault □

I was riding on a wyvern brought from the Demon King’s Castle, observing the overall situation from the sky.

Today happened to be overcast, so the moonlight wasn’t very strong, making it perfect for hiding in the darkness.

‘The kingdom forces are probably aiming for a defensive battle.’

Though they had stationed archer units and mage units on the castle walls at the main gate, judging by the movement of the entire force inside the fortress, they didn’t seem prepared to fight outside.

They’re likely planning to defend the walls thoroughly.

Even if I were their commander, I’d make the same judgment.

Human soldiers’ physical abilities are far inferior to those of the Demon Tribe’s soldiers, but there’s another major difference: the Demon Tribe has better night vision.

Fighting them in the pitch-dark where even allies can’t distinguish each other would only result in a chaotic retreat.

It would be much better to light up the watchtowers and shoot arrows instead.

However, the enemy commander made a critical mistake.

‘Their flank is wide open.’

The southern wall partially collapsed due to a large avalanche around noon.

Restoration work hasn’t been completed yet.

Currently, they’ve patched up the damaged area with sand and soil stored within the fortress, but it’s ultimately just a temporary fix.

From what I could see, it wouldn’t take much more than a gentle push to collapse this unstable sand tower.

Until now, since the ravines on either side of the wall lacked footholds, there was no need to deploy many troops on the southern side of the fortress. But today, the situation is completely different.

Because of my experience as a military mage in the Kingdom army, I knew about the secret supply route beneath the fortress, and I had already prepared a special detachment of over a hundred Beastman and Naga elite troops.

We waited until sunset instead of attacking immediately during the day precisely for this reason.

To achieve perfection in every aspect.

I redirected my gaze from the southern wall back toward the main gate.

A group emerged from the slowly marching main force of the Demon King’s Army crossing the ravine.

It was the cavalry unit led by Eva, Dorothea’s adjutant.

‘Cavalry usually isn’t used in siege battles.’

That’s common sense.

But in the case of Hamburg Fortress, which the Demon King’s Army is currently targeting, the terrain conditions were too poor.

The fortress blocks the path to the capital of Oz Kingdom while occupying a high ground, forcing attackers from below into one-sided attrition warfare.

Moreover, the road leading upward is narrow and steep, so placing foot soldiers at the front would take an eternity just to climb.

There would be no way to synchronize the start of the feint attack under such conditions.

Thus, we prepared the Demon King’s Army cavalry unit to forcibly meet these conditions—able to draw the enemy’s attention unmistakably.

With their unique mobility, they can swiftly traverse steep hills, and because they wear heavy armor, they’re unaffected by arrow barrages.

What’s more, there are numerous Rhinoceros Beastmen in the front line whose armor covers them almost entirely, allowing them to ignore obstacles like palisades or traps along the way.

…Of course, magic remains somewhat dangerous, but it won’t hurt as much compared to infantry wearing cloth or leather armor.

“Roaaarrr!”

Using Eva’s loud voice echoing across the ravine as the signal, I conjured a massive flame in the sky using magic while riding the wyvern.

This was the predetermined signal agreed upon during the military conference.

Since timing is crucial for this operation, once the signal is confirmed from the sky, the special detachment will immediately infiltrate through the southern wall.

As bright lights flashed three times against the dark night sky, the predators lurking in the shadows began to move.

I decided to enjoy the unfolding battle from the best seat available, using the stars and clouds as my blanket.

“Commander, the operation signal.”

“I’ve confirmed it.”

While the Kingdom forces were confused by the sudden appearance of the Demon King’s main force, the Nagas hidden in the coniferous forest on the southern side of Hamburg Fortress started to reveal themselves one by one.

Their types were extremely diverse.

Starting with Eagle Beastmen, there were also Owl Beastmen, Peacock Beastmen, and Crane Beastmen, among others, each with their own distinct appearances.

But tonight, they shared one common feature:

They had smeared black ash all over their proud feathers.

The Peacock Beastman, who normally boasts about his beautiful tail feathers, looked displeased.

“Tch, we can do infiltration missions without this nonsense.”

“Shut up, Parbo. The Commander did it without complaint, so you should too.”

When teased by the only individual who didn’t need ash because his feathers were originally black, the Peacock Beastman responded irritably.

“You shut up, you vulgar crow.”

“I’m a magpie!”

Watching their childish argument, the Eagle Beastman shook his head tiredly and spread his brown wings on his back.

“I’m going first! Follow me!”

“Ack! Commander!”

“Let’s go together!”

At the base of the cliff beneath the southern wall, dozens of Beastmen hidden in the secret supply route used by the Kingdom forces cautiously raised their heads.

This was because several black shadows were flying up into the sky from the coniferous forest below.

“Commander, the bird-brains are moving; let’s get going.”

“Yeah. We can’t lose to those arrogant avian guys.”

“Everyone! Stay sharp and follow me!”

Emerging from the shadows were ferocious beasts covered in muscles.

Lion Beastmen, Cheetah Beastmen, Jaguar Beastmen, Tiger Beastmen, Wolf Beastmen, Hyena Beastmen, and more.

All seasoned warriors hardened by countless battles.

Using their sharp claws and teeth as weapons, they began climbing the barren castle wall purely by brute strength.

“About time.”

At the main gate, the pikemen and shield-bearing cavalry were just arriving and drawing attention, while on the southern wall, the Naga and Beastman special detachment was stealthily eliminating human soldiers.

Soon, the soldiers waiting inside the fortress would notice the commotion and rush to the southern wall.

No matter how stealthy they were, with so many intruders, it would be impossible to completely hide their movements.

Just as expected, the soldiers inside sensed something amiss and began rushing en masse toward the southern wall.

The frontal cavalry and the flanking special detachment forced the enemy commander to make a choice.

Eventually, the Demon King’s main force arrived at the fortress entrance.

The infantry and archer units followed smoothly along the path cleared by the bulldozer-like cavalry charge.

The situation was ripe for action.

For the final phase of the plan, I tightly gripped the reins of the wyvern in both hands.

Understanding my intent, the wyvern folded its wings and began a rapid descent.

The speed of a diving wyvern hunting prey approaches approximately 250 km/h.

The sound of tearing wind grew louder as acceleration increased.

Before it was too late, I wrapped myself and the wyvern in an air-based protective barrier.

Just then, the archers on the castle wall noticed my presence and fired arrows.

It’s impossible to hit a wyvern diving vertically with mere arrows.

Even if they somehow managed to hit, they’d simply bounce off the wind barrier I erected.

As I felt the ground rapidly approaching, I awakened the imaginary magic circuits within my body.

“Swiiiiiip…”

Koo-oo-oo!

Following the drawn breath, pure mana surged through my veins.

My target was the enemy’s city gate.

To destroy the fortress gate protected by various defense spells with a single blow, a far more powerful magic than elemental magic was required.

But Little Boy was out of the question.

Though its power was immense, the excessively wide range posed a risk of harming our own forces.

So, we’ll tone it down by one level.

Quadra (x4) instead of Penta (x5).

“Ex─”

As I intoned the first part of the incantation, a white sphere suddenly appeared in front of the gate and began expanding rapidly without warning.

The nearby mages hurriedly attempted to neutralize it with other spells, but that was a misjudgment.

Ether reacts more strongly when mixed with multiple elements.

“─plosion!”

Kaboom!!

A dazzling flash accompanied by a massive explosion engulfed the fortress gate.