Demon-Human War ⑤
【Cuslion Fortress】
General Argner, commander of the Demon Clan's First Army, tightened his expression as he surveyed the battlefield before him.
The situation was unfavorable.
At first glance, the frontlines appeared to be locked in a stalemate of alternating advances and retreats. In reality, the Demon forces were struggling to make progress.
Cuslion Fortress was one of the most strategically vital outposts targeted in the Demon Clan's coordinated assault.
It could be said that the fortress marked the boundary between Demon territory and Human territory.
No matter how many other outposts fell, this fortress had to be held at all costs.
Its fall would mean the Human race had failed to repel the Demon invasion.
Such was the importance of this stronghold.
Therefore, the forces stationed here were among the most elite in the Human army.
Even a common soldier here would be capable of commanding a general’s seat in a lesser nation.
The Demon army’s First Division, in turn, is composed of elite warriors, led by the veteran Demon general Argner.
Excluding the Hero and the Demon King, the highest-ranking combatants from both armies are currently concentrated within this fortress.
Demons are considered superior to humans.
Yet Argner does not believe that to be the correct assessment.
It is not incorrect—but it cannot be claimed as definitively true.
The difference in strength between Demons and humans lies in stat values.
Demons, as a whole, possess higher base stats than humans.
But that is all.
Even with higher stats, individual variation exists among Demons.
There are weak Demons who can be surpassed by certain humans.
Most importantly, there is no difference in skill proficiency.
Combat ability in this world is weighted more heavily toward skills than stats.
Individual variation exists, but overall, the difference between demons and humans is negligible.
Some monsters possess higher stat values than demons.
However, unless the creature is classified as S-tier or higher—living calamities by human standards—humans can achieve victory.
This is because monsters lack intelligence. They cannot independently acquire or refine skills.
Unlike monsters, demons and humans are not born with innate skills.
Instead, they gain skills through the application of knowledge and accumulated training.
The skills thus developed become the means by which they overcome monsters born with natural abilities.
Monster skills are strictly innate or acquired incidentally during life.
In contrast, demon and human forces possess a greater number of skills in proportion to their training.
This is what overcomes stat disparities.
The stat gap between demons and humans is not as significant as claimed.
Compared to high-tier monsters, the difference is negligible.
And there is no difference in skill proficiency.
It is undeniable that demons are superior, but the gap is minimal—this was the conclusion Argner reached after decades of conflict with humanity.
Additionally, demons have long lifespans, resulting in lower birth rates than humans.
Naturally, their numbers are correspondingly smaller.
Humans, in greater numbers, face demons, who hold an edge in stats.
The combat potential of both sides was balanced.
Thus, in this war, humans held a decisive advantage due to superior terrain.
The demon army struggled to breach the fortress wall. Casualties increased steadily.
Human forces, using the wall as cover, sustained minimal personnel losses.
The wall itself was deteriorating, bit by bit. At this rate, however, the army’s collapse would precede the wall’s destruction.
Aegner held this assessment. Yet, no effective countermeasure came to mind.
The human army advanced with steady, methodical precision.
They relied not on stratagems, but on established formations to defend the fortress.
These formations were based on decades of accumulated experience and knowledge.
They were rarely broken—precisely because they were established. Attempting to disrupt them with crude improvisations would result in severe backlash.
Breaks in the formation were possible. But rare. And never by amateur tactics.
Yet Argner was, for better or worse, an old general.
He excelled at moving according to established patterns. Unconventional tactics were beyond him.
Even so, Argner was a capable commander. He had, on multiple occasions, managed to maintain battlefield presence even under overwhelming disadvantage.
Only through the foresight derived from decades of experience, and the precise directives that leveraged it, could one be called a master strategist.
Still, the situation deteriorated with each passing moment.
The order to retreat came from headquarters—just as the tide turned.
Argner moved to execute the order immediately.
Continuing the fight would only increase casualties needlessly.
But the retreat never occurred.
A massive creature appeared, abruptly and without warning.
"Q—Queen Taratect!?"
Argner's eyes widened.
Even after years of life, Argner had never seen a myth-tier monster before.
The apex of the five known spider-like monsters existing in the world.
Queen Taratect materialized abruptly on the battlefield, without warning.
"Impossible!? How could she appear here!?"
Queen Taratect was supposed to exist in only five instances across the world.
The nearest known specimen should have been far distant from the fortress of Cusolion.
Her sudden appearance defied all natural logic.
Argner forcibly calmed his fraying mind.
A creature of Queen Taratect’s magnitude could not materialize directly before the battlefield soldiers without detection.
Therefore, only one possibility remained.
Spatial transference.
Within Argner’s knowledge, only one entity could command Queen Taratect—and transfer her body through space magic.
A distorted smile surfaced in Argner’s mind—the visage of the one currently commanding magic.
“So. I am no longer needed, then. My Lord Demon…”
Then, the assault began—over-S rated, classified as mythic-level devastation—unleashing ruin upon both demon and human alike.
On this day, Fort Cusorion ceased to exist.