I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The outer wall, as if made by mixing iron with obsidian powder, could withstand not just cannons but even an atomic bomb without crumbling. The moat surrounding the castle was not ordinary water but rather liquid drawn from the underworld, capable of disintegrating anyone who stepped into it. That is the Demon King’s Castle. That is the identity of this fortress, the strongest and most terrifying in the world.

Though it wasn’t as large as the Caprice Imperial Palace, the jagged iron walls were more formidable. The outer walls towered high, seemingly forbidding any form of siege equipment from approaching, with no gaps or openings for breaches. The only entrance was essentially the main gate. It had been designed so that one could not enter the Demon King’s lair without breaking through that door. Jeongjae had no intention of attacking the castle through any route other than that gate.

The castle’s defenses were solid, and time was not on their side. For various reasons, the army that had endured countless hardships to reach this point had to come to a resolution swiftly, within a short timeframe.

First, a thorough cleaning was needed.

“Artillery Unit. Move forward.”

Jeongjae took a deep breath and issued the order. The diverse cannons scattered throughout the siege formation revealed themselves, aligning at the forefront of each legion. From Eramenia’s long-barreled cannons to the crude siege weapons gifted by the surrendered Terkeon Empire Army, and even artillery from the Audrich Empire.

While the performance and usage of the cannons varied slightly, at that moment, they were all but one, unified in purpose.

Jeongjae pulled a scroll from his cloak and shouted.

“Shatter like stone, break like glass. Infinite Bombarding Magic, Van Flit!”

And thus, the wrath of the gods poured down upon the Demon King’s Castle.

The cacophony of cannon fire erupted from all directions, shaking the ground with vibrations akin to an earthquake as the projectiles rained indiscriminately upon the castle’s courtyard.

Jeongjae did not aim directly for the outer walls of the castle. His primary target was the Demon King’s shield and the hundreds of thousands gathered within it. The scattered remnants of the Demon King’s army, tightly grouped together under the overwhelming firepower, were obliterated.

The blue projectiles struck everywhere with no restraint, and before the smoke rising from their impacts could dissipate, another barrage would land, altering the terrain beneath.

The once flat ground now turned bumpy, dotted with hundreds of craters. The damp earth dried under the heat, leaving cracks on the parched surface.

An earthquake that only lasts for a few seconds can destroy an entire civilization in that short span. The Grand Mage’s fury spilled forth in a mere 15 seconds, yet that time was enough to decimate hundreds of thousands of the Demon King’s army and crack the castle.

In reality, the number of fallen enemies reached the thousands to tens of thousands. However, the deafening roar that endured for those 15 seconds, that incomprehensible bombardment, became chaos that even the Demon King could not control, overwhelming her forces in a whirlwind of fear and confusion.

Jeongjae sat down heavily, drenched in sweat.

“Stop the magic.”

Deciding that both his stamina and mana were at their limits, Jeongjae wiped his brow with his robe and issued the order. However, responding to Jeongjae’s signal, Rose gestured to the soldiers.

“Listen up, everyone. We are almost finished. You could say this is the final battle I’m entrusting to you all. Let’s go home. To our family’s home. To all our home. Charge!”

“Home! Home!”

The Imperial Army surged forward, wielding their shields as they charged towards the Demon King’s Castle under the Emperor’s command. Rose remained back, observing the situation, while Margaret did not move herself but entrusted the command of the entire army to Phineas and pushed the forces forward.

There was no need to mention what the two were conscious of.

“I have no choice. I will step in personally.”

The Demon King, who had been trying to stall as much as possible within her castle, grumbled. Her interest lay not with what was happening outside but in her underground chamber. If she could complete what was nearly finished before the enemies burst in, it could render the entire battle meaningless.

However, the current momentum of the enemies was not permitting that.

The Demon King spread her wings and took off from the balcony.

“Rejoice! In this battle, I shall personally join the fray!”

“Margaret. You know what to do, right?”

Rose asked as she drew her sword. Margaret, who had jumped down from her horse, drew twin daggers and equipped them in her boots.

“Let’s begin. I hope this will be our final showdown with that creature.”

“Gravitational Pull!”

The first to engage was Jeongjae, who was conserving his strength while taking deep breaths. He aimed a finger at the Demon King and used gravitational magic to pull her down toward him.

The Demon King was momentarily taken aback but easily dispelled Jeongjae’s gravitational spell and scoffed.

“That last bit of grand magic was a burden for you too, huh? You cannot hold me long with this!”

“It’s not meant to hold you; it’s meant to deliver you to me!”

With her sword drawn, Rose Caprice charged at the Demon King. The moment the Emperor’s sword clashed with the Demon King’s claw, Eramenia’s Grand Lord maneuvered from behind, ready to strike.

The Demon King effortlessly flapped her wings to deflect Margaret’s attack, then unleashed a dark lightning spell at Rose, sending the Emperor flying far away. Seeing both heroes subdued in an instant, Jeongjae drew the Holy Sword and charged at the Demon King, immediately followed by Margaret and Rose, who got back on their feet to join the assault, surrounding the Demon King in a trio of heroes.

In a normal situation, the Demon King might have chosen to retreat.

It might have been a rational strategy to escape this predicament and endure a little longer.

However, the moment her gaze fell upon the Holy Sword, still reeking of Succubus Queen’s blood, the Demon King lost her composure and accepted the fight 1 against 3.

“A half-dead Emperor, a crippled Elf, and a mana-drained Grand Mage! You think this ragtag team can challenge me? You amuse me. Come at me!”

Rose was the first to charge in. Utilizing her resilient form, she shoulderslammed the Demon King and struck her solar plexus with her elbow, then swung her sword.

But the Demon King caught Rose’s sword barehanded with a crunch, shattering its blade. Taking advantage of Rose’s moment of shock at her sword breaking, Margaret swung her twin swords at the Demon King’s side.

Meanwhile, Jeongjae, lacking extraordinary combat skills, secretly aimed the Holy Sword at the Demon King’s wing, piercing a massive hole in it. While Margaret battled fiercely with the Demon King’s claws, Jeongjae tore one of Violet’s wings clean off and hurled it away.

The Demon King’s flight was thwarted, and Violet, irate, kicked Rose’s stomach, sending her flying.

“Rose!”

Margaret called out, but it was no time to worry about others. Up next came the Demon King’s relentless counterattack aimed at Margaret, utilizing both hands, even her living wing and tail, launching an all-encompassing assault. The Elf Lord could barely defend against every attack and received slashing wounds along her side. As she covered her injury with her hand, the Demon King kicked her in the chin.

Margaret was struck in the jaw and went airborne, flying about five meters before crashing down to the ground. Jeongjae pulled a revolver from his cloak and feebly fired blue projectiles at the Demon King. The Demon King, finding Jeongjae’s attacks laughable, took every shot and gradually advanced towards him.

“Ugh, it really doesn’t budge at all.”

Jeongjae muttered, grimacing at the level of dangerous mana depletion he felt with every projectile. Just as the Demon King approached, Jeongjae made up his mind and shouted.

“Infinite Shooting Magic, Van Flit!”

With that, his earlier trickle of blue projectiles turned into a torrential barrage of blue mana orbs, indiscriminately striking the Demon King. Even she couldn’t withstand this level of mana bombardment, and Violet collapses to the ground. As Jeongjae saw the Demon King stagger, he immediately ceased the magic and fled backwards.

Rose Caprice pulled herself up again and charged at the Demon King.

“Persistent. You all are annoyingly relentless. If you hadn’t shown such tenacity, you wouldn’t have even made it this far!”

The Demon King did not stay down for long. As soon as Rose got close, she was met with another kick to the face and fell to her knees. Just then, as the Demon King’s claws aimed for Rose’s throat, Margaret raised her trembling hand and fired an arrow at the Demon King.

The arrow shot into the Demon King’s side, buying Rose a moment to breathe. Although Margaret was disappointed that her arrow, meant for the heart, lodged into the side, she nonetheless achieved her goal of saving Rose.

Groaning with pain, the Demon King yanked the embedded arrow from her body.

“I shall not falter, I cannot lose! I must win!”

The Demon King was in a wretched state. One wing was torn off, blood streamed from her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her uniform was riddled with holes and blood stains, her expression twisted in fury and rage.

As Margaret tossed one of her swords to Rose, she took up the Eramenia blade and charged toward the Demon King once more.

“You are no longer the impenetrable fortress you once were. Do not approach me as if you were still equal to my greatness!”

“While you may no longer be the impenetrable fortress, I am a better Emperor than you!”

“Damn!”

The Demon King, her complex struck directly, clawed at the air in annoyance. Rose quickly raised her blade to block the claws, but a strange event occurred as three of the Demon King’s sharp nails were sliced off in the clash.

Two nails spun in the air before falling to the ground. Unfortunately, one nail, however, lodged deeply into Rose’s left eye.

Jeongjae and Margaret gasped in shock, staring speechlessly at Rose. Rose didn’t scream; instead, she tilted her head back and grasped the nail embedded in her eye with her fingers, yanking it out violently.

With the Demon King’s claw came Rose’s eyeball, fully pulled out of its socket. Rose carelessly tossed the nail along with her eyeball to the floor and turned to face the Demon King.

The scene was horrifying enough to send chills down the spine of not only the Demon King but also Jeongjae and Margaret. Rose Caprice stared at the Demon King with her wide-open empty left eye socket, blood streaming out.

The blood flowing from the socket mixed with her hair color, coating half her face, and her unblinking gaze gave the impression of a ghost rather than a living person.

Even the Demon King, momentarily baffled by the sight before her, was taken aback as Rose regripped her sword aimed at the Demon King.

“Is this what frightens you? If so, that’s the difference between you and me.”

However, even Rose would have felt terrified had she caught a glimpse of her own reflection.