The Demons took it as an insult, and all across the valley they shot fire balls, shot meteorites, charged soldiers at him, shot arrows, the whole slew of their arsenal came to utterly crush Maras for uttering such words. Devils duelled his Reapers, Demons were sliced, and more of the valley ran red with the blood of the Demon soldiers. Maras spent an entire week on this battlefield. He had rushed back and forth, saved Ildrid, and collected death mana through the dead; Ildrid now emerged from the mountains with millions and could not be contained, his army rolling up all the Demons on the plain, so many stomping skeletons; stabbing, cutting, killing; whatever was left of the Demon army ran, the rest were slaughtered which only increased the Undead. Ildrid annihilated any resistance and promptly took nearby fortresses. Some Demons dropped to their knees and raised their hands and surrendered, which Ildrid accepted; they had soiled themselves, and bawled for mercy, the Demons watched the Undead army march across with astonishment. Maras had acquired 100,000 Ghouls in the course of the battle. Ildrid and Maras had killed 50 million, such a cataclysmic defeat for the Demons left no chance at stopping Maras.

“I’m a monster…” Maras whispered, “even if they are Demons. I may have caused war for a thousand years.”

“You might have,” Ildrid said, “you might have scared them for 2000. They chose to fight us.”

“Even so…” Maras said clutching his face, “many mothers will be sad over the coming days, weeks, months.” Years.

“This is what they wanted for others,” Ildrid said, “but yes. Perhaps you should rule the Demons.”

Maras balked at the suggestion. They marched on Goblina, taking it without any more of a fight. Fortress garrisons outright ran away from him. The scourge of the Demons. Basara supplied him with green crystals, which he used in his administration of the city, crops, water, food and supplies soon entered the greatly destroyed mining city. The Goblins were made into regular citizens. He saw Demons cursing him. Some refused his charity, glaring at the butcher of so many Demons, others accepted it, but with glares, some acted, and others still accepted it for what it was, a bribe. Maras and Ildrid slowly crawled towards Carson. Unlike Warlocks they could not teleport so flagrantly or defeat Demon forces so easily, but they could walk eternally without rest. They marched to the city of Carson, it was the closest target, and the Undead marched without tiring as the Demon soldiers formed a massive army before them. General Ismor a Devil, had built ditches, towers, marshalled millions of Demon footmen many millions more of imps. Devil noblemen, Demon noblemen, large Demons armed with axes and large swords, millions of troops armed and ready.

“General Ismor, high Devil Agelas has given you supreme authority over Carson. You are to put down this Undead scum and return to Cahovia when you are done,” Ismor had received his orders from high command through a communication crystal with no equivocation.

Stolen novel; please report.

Maras and Ildrid had taken over villages, and some forts, he had no supply lines, he did not need food, or rest, but he did need supplies for the villages, bribes to keep rebellion to a minimum and to make sure the Demons respected him, which they did not. Maras could smell future blood, he could smell the Demon sweat, the anxiousness from afar, the triumphalism, the innate anger, overwhelming emotions that could only be trouble.

“Ildrid they are waiting for us.”

“What do you wish to do?” Ildrid said, a little bit worried, his voice shook in trepidation.

“Do not fret my friend, there may be a lot of them. But they do not have an Ildrid among them.”

Ildrid laughed, perhaps for the first time in a while. He still stared at the blue ethereal figure, making his own quip.

“That is true, but a Maras is far more terrifying.”

“Yeah, it is,” Maras whispered, “we are here to make sure the Demons never again invade our world. That means overthrowing Agelas and ensuring a true peace,” he said much louder.

His example was a bad one, for the Demons opinion of Undead was now quite beyond hatred.

“There is no such thing as peace,” Ildrid said, “there is only preparation for war, has your long life not proved that.”

“We must do better than our ancestors, Ildrid, has your-”

“Enough already, I get it, I understand,” Ildrid said, “although both can be true.”

Both indeed can be true. Maras thought.

Maras and Ildrid faced the massive Demon army. Maras decided to at least attempt a negotiation.

“If the Demons promise to not invade our world and Agelas promises to step down. We will leave!” Maras said, throwing a knife into the ground for extra effect.

“Agelas is the rightful Demon Lord. It’s time to sleep Necromancer. Permanently! Mages!” One Demon officer said, and something like it was repeated by many other officers.

Fire rained down on the Necromancers, and Maras gave them ethereal blade and claw to taste. Ghouls ravaged the front lines, soldiers screamed, Demon commanders created an immense fire wall that annihilated everything not Demonic.

“Ildrid!” Maras said in a commanding tone.

Ildrid fired many arrows into the Demon lines, and the Demon lines fired many arrows back, alongside fiery walls of destruction intended to knock out the the Undead from the battle. Spectres teleported behind the mages, sorcerers and archers gutted them.

“Now Ildrid!”

More skeletal archers began hailing down on the Demon lines, inflicting casualties with no way of returning fire. Maras continued for 5 minutes. Ildrid increased the amount of archers as the volleys became even more devastating. When the Demons faltered, the fire stopped and Ghouls embedded with skeletal axemen took out the front lines. It was a complete blood bath, Wraiths took the first line of trenches. Demon pikemen and maces attempted to take the trench back, large Demons caused tremors in the ground, attempting to wrestle the ground from the Undead. The roars of the large Demons added to the ambience of battle; slashing, hacking, and the clanging of metal, and of course the groans of the dying, slit throats, slit arms, the gurgling of blood of the dying. Ildrid led from the rear, Maras teleported to new locations, and summoned his troops.

“Hold the line!” Demon officers screamed and regular soldiers repeated.