Arriving at the capital, the cobblestone roads of the capital had never seen anything like it. Two armoured Humvees and seven big trucks, each painted in deep matte black with shimmering gold trim, rolled across the main trade highway with engines growling like beasts of war. Following close behind were eight reinforced trucks bearing the symbol of Robinson Town: a rising tree entwined with the wings of a phoenix. Each truck was stacked high with crates of food, gifts, banners, and tech-laced merchant stalls. Steam hissed from the pressure runes on the engines. The people lining the roads gawked in amazement.The convoy moved like a dragon—long, unstoppable, and full of fire.I rode in the lead Humvee, elbow resting on the window as I watched heads turn, jaws drop, and street vendors abandon their posts just to get a glimpse of what we brought.Kael sat beside me, arms crossed, scanning the city with a hawk’s eyes. Behind us, Raymond was reading over the finalised merchant pitch, whil

As dinner was served, nobles from neighbouring kingdoms offered polite smiles and measured questions."Lord Dirk, I heard you've brought miracle products from a land of wonders. Are the rumours of mana-enhancing milk true?" asked a merchant duke with a silver monocle."They are," I replied, sipping the sparkling wine. "Tomorrow, you'll see for yourself—along with nutrient-rich snacks, healing lotions, enchanted utility gear, and more. I do not bring fantasy—I bring function."Several nobles whispered among themselves, clearly intrigued.One lord with an eagle-emblem cloak leaned forward. "But these weapons... these soldiers. Why the display of force at a peaceful feast?"I met his eyes, calm but firm. "Because last month, demons crossed into our lands and killed over two hundred of my people. We responded. I won't be caught unaware again."Silence.The Queen nodded softly. "And rightly so. Dirk's town is no longer just a trading post—it is a pillar of strength in the realm."Kael step

The Next MorningThe plaza was in ruin. But life? Life hadn't surrendered.Under the canopy of new banners hastily raised by volunteers, music softly resumed. Lanterns floated once more, magic rekindled. Robinson Pavilion stood—scarred but open.Elvie, Ella, Felix, and Kael refused rest. With city medics and Robinson staff, we distributed crates of Earth-style meals: warm cup noodles, yoghurts that pulsed with mana-boosting enchantments, hotdogs, golden fried chicken wrapped in banana leaves, and bottles of clean water. Mamon bread sweetened every corner.Saintess Athena arrived by noon with the Queen herself, both descending the palace steps with healers in tow. The King, sober-eyed and solemn, met me amid the ashes."You saved them," he said. "And at great cost.""They came for me," I said. "They always will."He laid a hand on my shoulder. "Then we'll be ready." And the people saw. Not just the fire. Not just the death. But the rise again—the unity, the defiance. They saw Flare, wi

I rode up front in a modified HUMVEE—its wheels enchanted to glide over cursed terrain, its roof converted to a turret. Felix sat beside me, scanning the horizon with a mana scope. Elvie stood behind me, her axe strapped across her back, glaring at every gust of wind like it owed her money.Karl rode a bike next to us. Kael flanked our rear column. Agnes, cloaked in a combat dress woven with phoenix silk, moved with the mobile mages.“We’re getting close,” Felix muttered.“How can you tell?” I asked.He held up the scope. “Because the air’s dying.”He was right.The temperature dropped. The grass turned brittle. And even Flare snarled above, wings jittering.That’s when the earth cracked.*****It began with thunder—but not from the sky.The ground beneath our second column erupted. A geyser of black fire tore upward, engulfing two entire squads. Screams rang out. Shadow vines coiled out and dragged warriors under.Then, from the hills and cliffs ahead… they rose.One hundred thousand

The war was over.The Demon Lord—was gone. Reduced to nothing but scattered ash dancing in the cursed winds that whispered through the black sands of the wastelands. His fortress had collapsed in on itself, pulled by the very rift of magic he tried to open. The last scream he gave—neither man nor beast—still echoed in my mind like a distant thunder, but it no longer shook me.We had won.And while victory came drenched in blood and fire, we carried it still, like a sacred weight. Brothers and sisters were buried under shattered banners. Villages we swore to protect now stood as broken silhouettes, waiting to be rebuilt. Our scars—visible and hidden—would never fully fade. But the fighting, for now, had ended.For the first time in what felt like years... We could breathe.Our march back to the capital was a completely different beast from the grim departure a few days ago. Then, we moved like shadows, with worry pulling our cloaks tight. Now? We walked under the sun like returning her