The Demons Are Here

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

One month later.

Southern Continent.

That was a continent almost entirely composed of deserts, with undulating sand dunes stretching from the easternmost to the westernmost tip, bathed in intense sunlight throughout the day. Human civilizations existed only in the river deltas, along the riversides, and scattered oases.

For hundreds, even thousands of years, various desert kingdoms on the Southern Continent have waged wars around oases and rivers, fighting for water sources, population, and resources.

Under the endless yellow sand lay the countless white bones of wars fought over millennia.

However, with a piece of news spreading from the Kingdom of Ugisai located in the northwest of the Southern Continent, most of the desert kingdoms ceased ongoing or imminent wars.

A demon that had been suppressed for hundreds of thousands of years was about to invade the main world.

At first, most desert kingdoms did not believe this news. After all, in the past century, the oases on which major kingdoms relied for survival had gradually shrunk, and the once roaring rivers had become increasingly dry. Perhaps this was a conspiracy by the Kingdom of Ugisai to seize the remaining scarce water sources.

However, as the Kingdom of Ugisai actively invited many desert kingdoms to discuss this matter together, other desert kingdoms, with a mentality of “let’s see what tricks you’re playing,” sent representatives to participate in the discussion.

However, what shocked them was that one of the princes of the Kingdom of Ugisai presented many indisputable pieces of evidence during the meeting.

The demons were indeed about to invade, and the first stop of the invasion was the Southern Continent where they were located!

The news spread throughout the continent with the desert winds.

All the desert kingdoms were in an uproar.

The Northern Continent, Eastern Continent, and Western Continent had long been aware of this matter. Top powers such as elves, gnomes, human empires, and Dragon Island had already begun war mobilizations, while they had just learned about it now!

Panic rose.

Many desert nobles opted to depart with their families, rushing to board ships and carriages departing from the Southern Continent, abandoning the land protected by the desert’s spirit.

However, there were many desert nobles who were unwilling to abandon their estates and chose to stay, exhausting their wealth to train their armies.

In just a few weeks, various desert kingdoms, which were originally relatively united, suddenly split into several factions with significant internal disagreements.

Some chose to defend, some hesitated, some fled.

Many desert kingdoms, especially royal families, became anxious seeing so many people wanting to flee and ordered no one to leave, keeping them all to resist the demons.

Once again, the yellow sand was stained red with blood, but this time, it was the blood of their own people flowing.

The Kingdom of Ugisai also fell into this great division.

But its royal family remained rational and did not use coercive means to prevent people from leaving, only persuading continuously. However, faced with the terrifying threat posed by the demons, the port of Ariasha on the Southern Ocean nearby was still crowded with ships and crowds wanting to escape.

In the palace conference hall.

King Ugisai and the entire royal family wore troubled expressions.

“Royal Father, we can’t let those people leave anymore! If everyone leaves, who will stay to resist the demons?”

A crown prince, wearing a white headscarf and adorned with jewel rings on all ten fingers, spoke urgently.

“Not only are civilians leaving, even some soldiers have managed to sneak onto ships and leave. Just yesterday, four squads of one hundred soldiers each disappeared.”

“But we can’t stop them…”

“Why can’t we? Just like other desert kingdoms, we can directly block the borders with our army and prepare everyone for war!” The crown prince spoke with a fierce tone. “Issue a temporary decree, and anyone who dares to flee at this time will be executed!”

The elderly king furrowed his brow in silence.

Ari glanced at the king and shook his head. “Doing so would undoubtedly plunge the country into the abyss. Before the war even starts, the hearts of the people may already scatter.”

The crown prince scoffed, “The kingdom is on the verge of collapse, and you’re still concerned about these trivial matters? Ari, you are still so indecisive. It’s good to establish a close relationship with the people during peacetime, but in times of chaos, the law must be strict. Don’t you understand!?”

Ignoring Ari’s silence, the crown prince bowed to the elderly king. “Royal Father, please order the entire country to implement the blockade and mobilize all forces to resist the demons!”

Seeing the determined expression of the crown prince, the king’s complexion gradually wavered. It seemed he had made up his mind, and he hoarsely said, “Do as Mijat suggests.”

Disappointed, Ari covered his forehead, understanding that this might not be the best solution, but it was the most appropriate choice for now.

The meeting dispersed.

Ari walked out of the hall, his gaze passing over the walls of the royal city and beyond the trees of the oasis, looking towards the vast yellow sand. Suddenly, he heard a cold snort behind him.

“Ari, it seems that your trip to the Northern Continent hasn’t brought any improvement. You even lost your ship and had to come back on someone else’s boat.” Crown Prince Mijat approached, his face carrying a hint of mockery. “With your indecisive behavior just now, you are simply unfit to be a qualified prince, let alone inherit the throne.”

Ari’s expression darkened. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Mijat was his half-brother from the same father but different mothers. Originally, their relationship was not like this. When they were younger, despite not sharing the same mother, their bond was stronger than that of blood brothers.

But when did things suddenly change like this?