Second World
chapter-1912

Grace, Red Death, Nameless, and Badass came out behind the defensive walls of Sangrod Front.

The battle at this front had started five days ago. The scattered Sangrod soldiers had regrouped under the banner of the new emperor, Arlcard Maxius. Newly trained recruits had also gathered here, so their number was more than the defeated army who fled the Palgrost Northern Front.

When the Sangrod army regrouped at the defensive line of Sangrod, Sangrod's native adventurers, Sangrod's players, and the nagas also came. They were glad they had a place to focus their resistance again, though they didn't feel optimistic about it.

They were also unsure about their new leader. They had never heard of Arlcard. All they had heard was he was of the Maxius blood and assumed the throne since he was the only Maxius left. However, when the battle started, they were surprised that Arlcard was the first to charge at the demons.

Arlcard fought at the forefront, fighting together with his army. He left the army arrangement to Darius Armand, using the newly constructed war table Arlcard brought from Vacharest.

The Sangrod soldiers were inspired by their new emperor's bravery and ferocity. They threw away all worries and fought with conviction. The native adventurers, players, and the nagas followed suit.

Grace and the others flew toward the wall battlements. They aided the defenders in defending the walls while observing the battlefield beyond the walls.

The walls were mostly still intact even after five days of battle. The siege weapons on and behind the walls were also mostly in good condition. This was because of four factors.

The first was the defenders' morale was higher than the other fronts. They spent longer days without battles compared to other fronts when they fled Palgrost. This allowed them a long rest. The Sangrod soldiers were also now defending their home country.

The second was the reduction in underworld forces' reinforcement, courtesy of Master's meddling. Because of this, the demons' number wasn't as overwhelming as it used to be.

The third was Arlcard's heroic display. Arlcard didn't do anything different than in the previous battles before he became the emperor. But now that he was Sangrod's emperor, his every move was scrutinized. Under normal situations, this only served to irritate the vampire. But during the current situation, this instead inspired the soldiers to look up to him.

The previous emperor always stayed behind and commanded the army from a safer position. There was nothing wrong with that. It could even be said that this was the norm. However, there was a sense of pride and admiration when your leader was out there with you, risking his life together with you.

This, of course, also put Arlcard in the crosshairs more often than Horatio. However, Arlcard wasn't an easy target. He had increased another level during the battle and was now a level 92 eternal vampire. He could stand his ground against the strongest combatant from the underworld forces, as long as said combatant was not a devil.

Additionally, after losing their previous emperor, Darius was more vigilant in protecting Arlcard. He was not going to fail in protecting two emperors in a row. He would not be able to live with the shame. By controlling the war table, he always made sure Arlcard had sufficient soldiers protecting him.

Arlcard was not a fool. Despite his seemingly reckless battle style, he knew when to retreat and advance. He didn't take excessive risks that could threaten his life.

While Grace and the others were surveying the battlefield, Nameless pointed.

"There!" He said. They looked in the direction where he pointed and saw the obese devil, way behind the enemy line.

This was the fourth factor why this front was still in good condition even after many days of battle. Belphegor mostly stayed behind, even more so than when in Palgrost. He didn't join the fight. He just sat back and watched his army fight. Wrath's maids didn't even need to try stopping him. They battled the other demons, allowing the defenders to better cope against the invasion.

They knew, though, that this was only temporary. Sooner or later, the devil would take action. When he did, they knew they would need to retreat again. The memory of bodybuilder Belphegor storming through their defense and breaking their wall with one punch still sent chills down their spine. Even when the devil just sat there and did nothing, everyone had a portion of their minds on him. They constantly dreaded the time he stood up.

"This is our golden opportunity. No one is protecting him," Red Death uttered.

"Even if it is so, he is way behind the enemy line," Badass said. "It is easy for the demons to retreat and come to his aid. We will be surrounded then. Do you think you can kill that devil in a few hits before his reinforcement arrives?"

"If you are scared, go back and drink milk," Red Death said.

"What the f*ck! Are you looking to quarrel?!" Badass talked back.

"Stop it, you two! We are a team. We need to work together!" Grace exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself. I will go and fight Belphegor. Any of you who are afraid can just stay back," Red Death stated.

"No one is afraid. The four of us come here to defeat that devil," Grace said. "But we are not just fighting for our sake. The hope of everyone is on us. I know we are much stronger than we used to be, but don't let that go over our heads. The devil is not an opponent we can underestimate. We have too much riding on us. We can't lose! That's why we have to do this right! We need to ensure we have the best winning chance because we have to win!"

"Hmph! I always fight to win," Red Death harrumphed.

"Then, we do this right," Grace said. "Let's find Arlcard first. We need the army's support so we can focus on Belphegor."

"How do we find him on this battlefield? He is not there at the field command station," Nameless asked while looking at where Darius and the war table were located.

"He is Jack's companion, isn't he?" Badass asked. "Message Jack and tell him to request Arlcard to meet us."

"No need to trouble Jack. He is over there," Grace pointed.

"How do you know?" Badass asked.

"That fog," Grace answered. "It is produced by his spell, the Orchestra of the Night."

"Oh… So, that is the product of a spell. I was wondering why there is a localized fog on the battlefield."

"If we have to go there, then let's go. Stop wasting time talking about it," Red Death said as she spread her wings. She then flew toward the fog.

Nameless and Badass looked at one another. In terms of fame, Red Death was a household name in the gaming community. Under normal situations, they would have followed her. But after two and half months of hanging out together, they preferred Grace over her. So, they were now turning to Grace, waiting for her decision.

Grace sighed. She knew Red Death was a difficult person to work with. "Let's go," she said to Nameless and Badass.

The four flew toward the fog. Some winged demons engaged them. They easily drove those demons away without using their big skills.

When Red Death continued to attack nearby demons, Grace reminded her, "Don't waste too much time here. Our priority is elsewhere."

"Don't you want to talk to the emperor? Just go! I will warm up here while you do your talk," Red Death replied without turning to her.

Grace wanted to remind Red Death to refrain from using her big skills, but she knew Red Death was not an amateur. When she was about to leave, she heard a voice calling.

"Red!" They turned and saw an elven woman in crimson armor approaching.

"Ruvyn…," Red Death called the approaching woman's name.

"You… You no longer bear the class bestowed by our Goddess! How dare you! Do you wish to bear our Goddess' wrath?"

"Hmph! I will use any class that gives me greater power. This class is better than the Mad Slayer. I don't see the need to keep an inferior class when I can get a better one."

Ruvyn's face contorted with fury. "How dare you insult our Goddess' first-class special class! I won't stand by for…"

She didn't complete her sentence because a high demon carrying a spear came assailing from behind. She dodged the ambush. She was about to retaliate when Red Death suddenly appeared behind that high demon.

Red Death's crimson dagger thrust forward. The thrust was performed while her dagger was spinning. This was her new martial art, Spinning Carnage. The dagger pierced into the back of the high demon's neck and came out his throat. This thrust caused a wound that instant-killed the high demon.

While Spinning Carnage was a martial art that could cause wounds, the power behind the thrust came from the beginning skill of her pinnacle class. The skill was Death Deliverer. The skill let her teleport to a target from a maximum distance of eighty meters away. It dealt 2000% physical damage with a 50% added critical chance. Her speed after teleporting was tripled for a short period, and the attack she dished out ignored 50% defense. If the target was hit on the back, the hit was guaranteed to be critical. The cooldown of this skill was thirty minutes.

Ruvyn was shocked by what she saw. Death Deliverer was similar to the Phase Kill from Red Death's previous special class, the Mad Slayer. The difference was Death deliverer teleported a longer range, hit harder, and had a higher critical chance. From this display, Red Death had proven that her new special class was indeed better than the Mad Slayer.

Ruvyn was still angry, but she couldn't deny the fact. "Just you watch! Don't think our Goddess will just let this by," she said and stormed away.

"Hmph!" Red Death just harrumphed at her. She turned to Grace and said, "You, people, are still here? Do you want to talk to the emperor or not?"

Grace turned away and left without saying anything. Nameless and Badass looked at one another again before following Grace.