Chapter 47:

Conquest of Dahaluk Kingdom 1

Shadow Exister (volume 1)


They continued their journey, even though fatigue gnawed at their bodies.But the fire of their resolve burned away that exhaustion.

They came to a stop—just before leaving the desert.Not because of fear.Not because of despair.

But because they had seen them.

The true inhabitants of this desert.

Right there, blocking the path ahead.

“We could keep going. Anyone still have plenty of stamina left?” one Gavian soldier asked, eyes fixed on the mass of abnormal demons in their way.

The human allies also saw the swarm. They remained calm—many of the demons were fighting among themselves.

Every one of them looked exactly the same—Eyes glowing a fiery red, bodies hunched over, their mouths twisted into wicked grins.Their skin was mostly black with streaks of red or blue, shoulders marked with strange holes.

“We can just keep going, we—”

“Rest first,” Arjuna interrupted. “Soldiers have limits. Pushing too far will do more harm than good. They haven’t noticed us yet. Better to recover while we can.”

The human soldiers wanted to argue, but they knew he was right.Running purely on adrenaline was reckless—if they collapsed mid-battle and died, the regret would be far heavier than this short delay.

So they rested.

Ten minutes passed, and their strength had returned.

“We’re ready to move,” a soldier from the Tirtawijaya Kingdom said, tightening his grip on his weapon.

“It’s time. Let’s clear the way and move on to Dahaluk,” added a soldier from the Aryapanggulu Kingdom, raising sword and shield.

“What do you say, Marquis Arjuna?” a Gavian soldier asked.

“Of course. We’ve rested—let’s move,” Arjuna replied.

No more delays. With stamina restored, they resumed the march. Lingering here would only slow their mission.

As they neared the swarm of abnormal demons, they quickly realized—ordinary physical attacks would be useless. Without magic circles prepared, they’d be forced to stop again. And none of them wanted another rest.

The demons charged first.They were cut down just as quickly.These ones didn’t even use magic—far weaker than the demons they had fought before.

And that was to be expected. Abnormal demons that had lived their whole lives in the desert were never strong.

Still, the attacks should have kept coming endlessly—

—until the Gavian soldiers joined the fight.

They had King Dadang Ghaviles, ruler of the Gavian race, to thank for that.

With the battle quickly decided, they pressed onward—and finally stepped out of the desert.

And just as they had guessed—there was a welcoming party.

A large force of demons awaited them.Not abnormal demons—these were true, intelligent demons.

They knew the difference well:Abnormal demons were like wild beasts—driven purely by instinct.Sentient demons were predators with minds as sharp as their claws.

“Well, well… where do you think you’re going?” one demon grinned slyly.

“You’re from Jagrapati too, right? Why not join us instead? We’re planning to free Demon King Semar from his seal,” another demon taunted, eyeing the Jagrapati demons in the group.

“Hah. What a funny offer,” Pusmoko replied coldly. “We both know you’re glad he’s sealed.”

“Of course. That troublesome king was a nuisance to us. Why wouldn’t we be glad?” the demon sneered.

“Fine by me. Your permanent deaths are coming soon,” Pusmoko said, his eyes narrowing.

“Permanent death? You know it’s not easy to kill a demon forever,” the demon mocked. “As long as the corrupted land we’re born from still exists, we’ll just come back. Oh wait—is it because the Gavians are with you?”

“Too much talk,” Pati Wuruh cut in.

From the back of a Gavian soldier, he leapt straight at the demon——and in the blink of an eye, the demon’s body was sliced into tiny pieces.

Shredded.Reduced to dust.

“No more arrogance,” Pati Wuruh muttered coldly.

“Don’t just stand there—attack!” another demon shouted.

The Dahaluk demons surged forward—Too slow.Too weak.

Even without taking them seriously, Pati Wuruh couldn’t be hurt.Claws and fangs slammed against him without effect.No pain.Not even a tickle.

“That all you’ve got?” Pati Wuruh asked coldly.

“What? It’s not working?!” one demon gasped.

“Keep attacking!” another yelled.

They tried—really tried—to harm him.But no matter what they did, it was meaningless.

“Want me to show you what kind of power can actually hurt me?” Pati Wuruh said coldly.

They ignored him and kept swinging.

Pointless.

He flicked a single finger.

The ground trembled violently—The quake was strong enough for even the Gavian soldiers to feel it.

“Impressive,” Sudirja said with a grin. “A loyal retainer of Demon King Semar indeed.”

The demons’ arms split apart—shredded into neat, tiny pieces.

They staggered back, wary now.

He stomped his foot.Their legs fell away, diced like meat in a butcher’s hands.

He exhaled.Their bodies were sliced into fine fragments——and turned to dust.

“Oi! You’re way too strong! Now we don’t get a turn!” a soldier from Aryapanggulu complained.

“Sorry, I got carried away!” Pati Wuruh replied.

He leapt back up, landing smoothly on a Gavian’s back.

The group pressed forward once more.

Soon, they saw the massive gates of Dahaluk—and the overwhelming number of demons guarding it.

The sheer size of the force made it obvious: this wasn’t a mere gate watch.This was a kill squad, waiting for them.

The demons were momentarily startled when they saw Gavians among the humans.After all, the Gavian race were natural enemies of demons.

But there was no time for hesitation—they had to fight.Without the Gavians, victory would be certain. Humans tired. Demons resurrected endlessly in their corrupted birthplaces.

What the Dahaluk demons didn’t know was that the Jagrapati demons had prepared something special—Something that could kill them for good.

Not a temporary death.A true, permanent end.

Even without the Gavian soldiers, the outcome would be the same.

And they still don't realize that, they think their opponents might win just because of 1 thing—the participation of the Gavian soldiers.

And they were not wary of the human soldiers, nor the demons from Jagrapati.


That's why they still look relaxed, not taking the arrival of their enemies seriously.

All that was on their minds—the demons around the gate, was wanting to get rid of the disturbance in front of them.