Silvara turned to Gail. "What is your assessment, General Gail?"
The moment he heard this, Gail's mind started racing. Ten thousand warriors. If a thousand of them came at him simultaneously within one minute, averaging a hundred damage each per minute, the total damage would exceed his regeneration rate. If he provoked them into attacking him all at once, he could actually die.
The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced this could work. What a gift from the heavens.
His face broke into a grin he couldn't contain. Then he slammed his palm down on the table. "We fight. We have to fight. Not just that. We march out of the city and hit them head on."
Hawk's jaw tightened. "This is completely reckless." He slammed his own palm on the table. "This is a matter of life and death for the Dusk Realm. We cannot afford to listen to reckless talk."
Gail didn't back down for a second. "Ten years ago, five thousand humans nearly wiped you out. Now they're coming with ten thousand, and your plan is to hold the line and wait for help. Putting all your hope in reinforcements that may never come. In ten years, when they come with twenty thousand, who are you going to hand your fate to then? Are you really too afraid to take your destiny into your own hands? And who said the demon military hasn't grown stronger? Have you all forgotten who I am? I am the King of Demons. I am the greatest military advantage you have."
That shameless confidence turned Silvara into an instant admirer. The others snapped back to reality as well. How had they almost forgotten something this important? He was the king recognized by their ancestor, the first to ever appear. And there was that prophecy. The King of Demons would unite the entire demon race and lead them toward the light.
Hawk saw the tide turning and immediately stood to object. "Are you trying to send our entire army to its death? You have never set foot on a real battlefield. What do you know about the cruelty of war?"
Gail fired straight back. "You think victory just falls into your lap? You think the enemy is going to hand you another surprise attack opportunity?"
The back to back questions left Hawk speechless. But Gail wasn't finished.
"You think talking defeat is going to win us anything? After all these years as a soldier, do you still not know what matters most on a battlefield? It's the will to win. One brave soldier inspires himself. One brave general inspires an army. I, Gail, hereby make a military vow. If we lose this battle, take my head right then and there for all to see."
The three senior officials each wore a different expression. Wynn looked on with pure admiration. That's the man I respect. This guy, he never fails to fire you up.
Silvara rose to her feet. There was simply nothing to be done with him. She gave the order without hesitation.
"For this battle, General Gail is appointed supreme commander. All forces answer to him. We open the gates and meet the enemy head on."
Hawk's gut tightened. He had served in the military for decades. This time, the human army wasn't just larger. Every single warrior was several times stronger than before. The demons had no chance of winning.
"You have followed me for decades. I will not send you to die for nothing. All forces, listen up. You are not to leave the city walls, and you are not to follow General Gail's orders. If your highness holds anyone responsible, it falls on me alone."
A few days passed quickly. The human army had reached the border city of the Dusk Realm. Outside the walls, an array of advanced ranged weapons had been positioned and readied. The human commander raised his binoculars and began surveying the scene. He intended to crush the Dusk Realm once and for all this time.
He gave the order to begin the assault. "By General Sin's orders, not a single demon head is to be spared."
Energy flames burst from the cannon barrels. A barrage of missiles rained down on the city. The demons scrambled to use their magic to intercept. Every missile was destroyed before it could hit the ground, but one missile broke from the pattern.
Silvara had never felt so close to death. At the very last second, the missile was destroyed. Gail and his unit had arrived.
Gail had been waiting a long time for this day.
Then the ground erupted in rolling clouds of dust. Through the haze, a row of massive iron beasts took shape. They advanced in a tight wedge formation. Every soldier looked ready for battle.
Gail stood on the city wall, gazing out at them. Hawk was quietly working against him from behind. "Remember what I told you?"
People began whispering among themselves. "What do we do? Should we follow General Hawk?"
"But Gail is the supreme commander right now. Disobeying him means breaking military law."
Gail was well aware of what was going on, but he couldn't care less. "All forces, listen up. Every single one of you stays inside the city. Nobody leaves the walls."
Everyone was more stunned than they had ever been in their lives. Well, that settled it. No more agonizing over the decision. Leave this battle to the king alone.
The words had barely left his mouth before he launched himself off the wall.
Hawk was stunned all over again. "You're actually serious?"
The human army was equally baffled. "What is going on? Their supreme commander just walked right up to us."
The human commander's head was full of questions.
Against the backdrop of dust and smoke, Gail cut an imposing figure. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, nothing but the steady rhythm of his footsteps. The two sides quickly found themselves face to face. Gail stood there in perfect stillness before them, his presence matching theirs without flinching.
One man holding the line against ten thousand.
The human commander was still trying to make sense of it. What is this demon doing? He actually came down here alone.
The man was Ryker, a blue core mage. Seeing that not a single demon on the wall had moved, he suspected a trap.
On the wall, the demons were still murmuring among themselves. "Did we just hear that right? What is going on?"
"You heard correctly. He told us not to move. He's going to take on the entire human army by himself."
Hawk thought Gail was a complete lunatic. What was he actually planning? He had ordered every demon soldier to stand down against a full ten thousand human troops.
Gail straightened his collar. "I've heard the human army is something impressive. So why are you all just standing there, too scared to make a move?"
He started pulling off his shirt before the words had even landed, but the human army still didn't move.
Gail had had enough. "Are you serious? There's one of me and ten thousand of you, and you still won't come at me."
The atmosphere on the battlefield was genuinely unsettling. One man had somehow frozen an entire army in place.
The commander on the other side was an old friend and a former subordinate of his.