All the top people in the Cromwell and Vermilion Kingdom factions had gathered, summoned by Nox himself.
They all knew this meeting would address their current crisis... but none of them expected him to boldly declare that they wouldn’t just defend their kingdom—they would drive demons out of all human domains.
Most were stunned, but no one interrupted. They trusted Nox enough to at least hear him out.
Nox stood with a calm yet commanding expression, his tone measured.
"Driving the demons away from our kingdom alone won’t work in the long run," Nox said. "Sure, it might give us some breathing room... but so long as they’re still next door, it’s only a matter of time before they regroup."
Everyone quietly nodded. He had a point.
Up until now, the focus had been on reclaiming the Vermilion Kingdom—but no one had really considered what would happen after. The demons wouldn’t just sit around.
"So you’re saying we’ll need to help our neighbors too?" Adrian asked. "Even Snowhelm?"
"Yes," Nox replied. A faint smirk curled his lips. "And we’ll make sure they know who helped them. That way, they’ll owe us."
A few chuckles broke the tension.
Celine, the town healer, elbowed Nathan playfully. "You passed all your shady traits to little Nox, didn’t you? Those eyes—same look you had when plotting something wicked back then."
Nathan grinned smugly and tilted his head back. "What can I say? The Cromwell bloodline is potent."
Nox ignored the banter between the two old friends and continued with what he was saying.
"For now, our primary focus will remain the Vermilion Kingdom," he said firmly. "There’s no point saving others when we haven’t fully secured our own home."
It was a simple truth.
You couldn’t pour water from an empty jug.
Although it sounded quite easy when Nox said it, the others knew it would require a lot of work—and they all knew this.
"About the plan," Adrian spoke up. "You’ve still yet to mention what it is and why it would help us drive the demons out of the human domain."
"Right." A small smirk appeared on Nox’s face as he said, "While I was away, I made an alliance with a demon."
"You what?!" Wendy exclaimed. "You made a deal with the enemy?"
"Calm down, Wendy. Let’s hear him out first," Aina said.
Wendy slumped back into her seat.
"This demon is a bit different from the rest," he said. "She’s a succubus."
Aina’s eyes flashed. "Succubi are known for their ability to charm and confuse. Are you sure she hasn’t used a spell on you?"
"She didn’t. I’m very confident about that." Nox nodded, but Aina wasn’t buying it.
She closed her eyes and extended her senses toward Nox, scanning him for any trace of demonic energy.
It was only after she detected nothing unusual that she finally relaxed.
"What kind of deal did you make?" Adrian asked, slightly impatient.
Nox’s expression didn’t change, even with everyone staring at him like he’d just said the most insane thing ever.
"While I was in the demon realm, we didn’t just hunt demons." His eyes flashed sharply. "We also destroyed the portals that allow them to access the human domain."
Most of them remembered the portals—as there were at least two in the capital.
"According to her, these portals are numerous, spread throughout each of the floors of the demonic realm. They’re all anchored to the human domain, meaning they can easily access our continent whenever they want."
"They’ve been preparing for decades," Nox said coldly. "Not just for war—but for occupation. We were never supposed to survive the first wave. And if we don’t shut down every one of these access points, they’ll just keep coming."
"And this is where my trusted ally comes in." A serious expression appeared on Nox’s face. "She has agreed to help take down the portals—every single one of them."
"Why would she do something like that? Could it be she’s not in good standing with the other demons?" Ria, who had been silent all this while, asked.
Nox then proceeded to explain the situation with Emerald—how her species was treated like worthless slaves and constantly looked down on.
"So what does she get in return for helping us?" Nyx asked.
Nox heaved a heavy sigh. "I’ll need to head to the demon empire in the near future and help her overthrow the Demon Emperor."
"That’s some grand goal right there," Jack mumbled, and those who heard him couldn’t help but agree.
"But that’s for the future to worry about." He casually waved it off as if it didn’t matter much.
"Conflict with the Demon Emperor is unavoidable," Nathan sighed. "Even if we drive them out, he’ll still attempt to conquer us again. So the only way to stop all this once and for all is to eliminate him."
"That would be difficult—but like I said, it’s in the future. We still have time to hone our strength," Nox replied. "By the time she closes all the portals, the demons will lose access to our realm—and the ones already here will be stranded."
"This will benefit the other kingdoms as well... assuming they’re still standing. Then our goal will be to kill every last one of them," he uttered coldly, a chilling aura emitting from his body.
Adrian’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
"A total purge," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "You want to leave no trace of demonic presence on our land. I like that."
"You think we can take them all out?" Boris asked. Taking over the western region had been easier since they already had a standing stronghold—but they didn’t have that in the other regions, which meant they would be more exposed to attacks.
Nox took only a moment to respond. "I’m confident. With the help of my beast army and the Vermilion troop, we’ll be able to achieve this."
Prince Adrian leaned forward. "So how do we proceed? Do we wait until all the portals are destroyed before launching a full-scale assault?"
Nox shook his head. "We start now—and our first target will be the northern region!"