The year was 2126 of the Golden Age calendar.
Humanity's last bastion was gathered in the noble district of Luminaris, the capital of Aurelis, specifically on the outer wall of its glorious palace, home of the Aurelis family, the noblest house on the entire continent of Ysmeria, renowned for its military wisdom, its vast army, and its powerful members. Now the palace had been abandoned after the assassination of all its royal members, and for the few remaining loyal soldiers, it was seen as a place to be protected. If humanity was to rise again, the palace, which represented its pinnacle, could not fall.
A teenager with black eyes and black hair hurried past, clad in light leather armor with a dagger at his waist. His gear, which seemed to prioritize speed, reflected his expertise in assassinations and intelligence gathering. His panicked face was fixed on the tent closest to the palace entrance, as he ignored the solemn-looking soldiers. Upon arriving at the tent, he entered without asking. "Commander, I have news."
Inside the tent, a lamp hung above a desk with a chair where a young man was reviewing reports on troops stationed in other regions. His white hair fell halfway down his forehead, slightly disheveled, giving him a messy appearance that perfectly complemented his tired eyes and bored expression, which seemed to scream he'd rather do anything than finish reading those reports. Seeing the teenager enter with such enthusiasm, he looked up to meet his gaze. "Hmm? Let me guess… did the demons surrender?" A small smile formed on his face. "That was fast."
"What? What are you talking about, Commander? Of course not, they've already conquered almost the entire continent, why would they surrender? It's quite the opposite. My hired beast was killed a few minutes ago. It managed to transmit a will to me before it died..." The young man, who seemed nervous about what he was going to say, paused for a second, but seeing his commander's bored expression, decided to continue. "It's 'Demons Coming,' although their exact location isn't precise. Blacky was about 20 minutes from the entrance to the capital. If they're mobilizing a force with the objective of exterminating us, they'll probably take a little longer, but it won't be more than an hour until they arrive here."
"Well..." The man's expression changed suddenly. "This is... a bit anticlimactic. I was thinking of taking a nap." He threw down the papers he had been holding and, wearing a robe, left his tent. When he stepped outside, all the soldiers stopped what they were doing to pay their respects. Their commander had been holed up for days without seeing sunlight or bathing. This worried everyone. Despite being the most formidable in combat and looking handsome, his commander seemed unmotivated. Some said that since the death of the imperial family, he hadn't been the same, that his eyes were lost in memories of the past.
"Gentlemen. The demons are approaching. We managed to repel them the last few times, and we will repel them again today. No horned son of a bitch will set foot in Aurelis's palace. Arm yourselves and prepare for confrontation in 10 minutes. Did you hear me?" Despite his unreliable appearance and young age, this was the reason he was the commander. There was no one more loyal to the deceased Aurelis family.
--
20 minutes later, everyone was lined up, observing the demonic army in the distance.
Damn it.
Why did they bring so many demons? That damn Duke is really determined to kill us.
Luther, commander of what remained of Aurelis's army, observed the demons in the distance. He had already repelled the demonic army four times, and this fifth time, it seemed they had decided to send their main force. Approximately 100,000 demons were commanded by a four-meter-tall being who clearly had "Duke" written on his forehead. Previously, only smaller armies of 10,000 demons had arrived, led by a demonic marquis, but this time they had sent one of their dukes. Luther's forces of only 6,900 men seemed tiny in comparison.
"Alright lads, today's going to be a tough battle, no doubt about it, but... have fun." Although his words were meant to motivate his troops, there wasn't much more to say; they all seemed to be feeling the effects of the beating.
Some time later, they all died.
The End.