As Leon was dragged across the battlefield to face the Apostle of Chaos, Kieran’s lips curled into a faint, satisfied smirk.

Control was finally returning to his grasp.

From the very beginning, Leon had been the greatest obstacle to his grand design. The newly ascended divine was an unknown variable—dangerous precisely because he could not be measured.

In Mozerth, Leon had defeated Dante and Damien, costing the Demon Empire two of its strongest Apostles in a single clash.

Worse still, no one could say how much stronger he had become after his ascension.

A warrior like that didn’t just shift the tide of war... He overwhelmed it.

Leon was the ultimate wild card.

So Kieran chose to remove him from the board—not by eliminating him outright, but by binding him to something equally catastrophic.

Samael.

By pitting the Apostle of Chaos against the Hero, Kieran ensured that Leon’s attention would be completely occupied. Two monsters locked in battle, neither free to influence the wider war.

And in that single, calculated move, the balance tipped.

With Leon restrained and the allied forces weakened, the Demon legions surged forward at last, marching straight toward Solfea.

"Your excellencies, I apologise for making you wait. The path is open for you now."

Kieran addressed the over thirty Demon Nobles among his ranks. Although he was their chief strategist and in this war, his influence outranked theirs, the Apostle of Domination knew better than to get on the bad side of these mighty demons.

For when they won the war and returned to the Demon Realm, the Demon Nobles would be the ones with the upper hand.

"Bahahaha, you’ve done well, inferior creature! When we return, I will save a space in my family for you!"

"Hmph! Don’t try to poach Kieran from under our noses! If anything, he would join our legion rather than your filthy backwater family."

"Kieran... When you come to Urath, you are welcome to banquet with me anytime."

The Demon Nobles were all bending over backwards to get Kieran’s favour, but alas, the man was more focused on the task at hand.

"Your excellencies are too kind. When we return to Urath victorious, I’ll be sure to visit every one of your estates to experience the high life of your noble selves."

"Bweh, this man’s tongue sure is glib!"

The Demon Noble all bellowed in laughter. Their mood had been lifted, and now... it was time for their war.

"Then, let’s end this thing early and return to Urath... in victory!"

The Demon Nobles all laughed as they sortied into action. With their legions packed neatly behind them, the Demons charged right at the centre of the coalition army’s position, aiming to destroy the Solaris House’s forces once and for all.

As Kieran watched all of the Demon Nobles deploy, his warm and welcoming smile slowly turned into a cold and calculating scorn. Without even sparing a second glance, he turned to the only remaining officer in the command post with him:

"Ravenna, what’s the status of the Chaos Dolls?"

"They’re ready to deploy with your order," the Apostle of Grief replied immediately. "But, are you going to deploy them now? The Demon Nobles just left... Wouldn’t it be better to use the Chaos Dolls to weaken the Solaris Army first, before sending them out?"

"What’s the use in that?"

Kieran snorted.

"The Chaos Dolls are our trump cards. Yes, the Demon Nobles are powerful, but ultimately they will grow tired and weary. Unlike our Chaos Dolls, which can fight for an infinite amount of time. Right now, the Solaris House doesn’t know we have the Chaos Dolls. So, the best strategy for us as the Demon Empire is to let the Demon Nobles and the Solaris House tire each other out, before sending the Chaos Dolls to clean up."

"... are you just trying to weaken the Demon Nobles?"

"Whatever are you talking about?"

The Mind Stealer let out a wry smile before answering once more.

"I’m just trying to optimise our path to victory."

"... I won’t press any further."

Ravenna has known Kieran for the longest time, so she could roughly guess what the Apostle of Domination was thinking. The Demon Nobles were a powerful asset to utilise, but at the same time, they were barbaric, insolent and insubordinate.

They did as they pleased and would never listen to Kieran’s plans unless the Prophet forced them to. Militaristically speaking, they weren’t suited for war.

However, their strength was unquestionable.

If they could defeat the Solaris House in battle, great.

But even if they couldn’t, they would greatly weaken the Solaris Army, allowing the Demon Empire and Kieran’s true force to invade properly.

"So, what’s the plan now?"

"We let the Demon Nobles and the Solaris Army fight it out. As it stands, the two monsters won’t show themselves unless the Goddess or the Prophet show themselves... or, if the situation gets too dire."

Kieran was no fool. Even he knew the war would be won by the divines, not by sheer numbers or brilliance on the battlefield.

That said, it was imperative that the Demon Empire placed themselves in the best possible situation for its victory. If they could divert Amon or Yue’s attention away from the Goddess and the Prophet, they could greatly weaken their adversaries before the War of the Gods took place.

Thus, Kieran was seeking absolute domination on the battlefield. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Once we gain the upper hand, you will lead the sea invasion. Your powers make you perfectly suited for naval combat. Once you wipe out the Solaris Navy, we’ll unleash the Chaos Dolls with your charge."

"Okay."

Although Ravenna never once took to the battlefield, it didn’t mean she was weak. On the contrary, even before the Demon Cult was reduced to just three Apostles, Ravenna was among the most powerful. She had years of experience behind her, a unique ability that few in the Cult could emulate, and a steady mind that could calculate endless possibilities on the fly.

If she joined the battle, it would be a clean wipe.

"Any room for me to join?"

As the two Apostles were discussing their war plans, a third voice interrupted their conversation. Kieran and Ravenna immediately jolted their necks, only to see a shrouded figure smiling right at them.

His presence was thin, thin enough that he could creep up on the pair without them noticing.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a threat; otherwise, their lives might have been forfeited right then and there.

"Zuphil... You should really stop doing that."

"My apologies... You two were so enamoured in conversation that I didn’t wish to interrupt."

Zuphil, the Mist Warlock.

Although he wasn’t an Apostle, he was part of the Demon Cult since the beginning. He would protect the Demon Cult’s bases and would rarely go out on missions, but his presence and influence were no less than that of an Apostle.

No, in fact, it might be greater.

The Prophet often showed deference to Zuphil, even ordering the other Apostles not to mess with him, allowing him to move as he pleased. No one in the Demon Empire knew what Zuphil’s real identity was, and that made him an enigma to everyone, the Prophet included.

Despite all of that, Zuphil was an undeniable asset to the Demon Empire.

Which was why neither Kieran nor Ravenna knew how to interact with that man.

"So... how may I be of assistance?"

"Did the Prophet not give you a role?"

"No, unfortunately, I’ve been forgotten."

Zuphil chuckled, seemingly to look friendly, but that only made him look all the more terrifying.

"If that’s the case... would you mind watching over Ravenna while she fights the Solaris Navy? She will need as much support as she can get."

Ravenna looked at Kieran as if she’d been the victim of the greatest betrayal of all time.

"That sounds good. I will support the Apostle of Grief to the best of my abilities."

Zuphil bowed and walked right to Ravenna, beaming from ear to ear. Looking at the expectant Zuphil, Ravenna heaved a heavy sigh before finally saying:

"... follow me."

As Ravenna and Zuphil left the command centre, Kieran stood in the centre, watching the scenes unfold slowly. As it stood, the Demon Empire held the winning hand. With greater numbers, Kieran fully expected a one-way slaughter. Unfortunately, the Solaris House had the better-quality combatants.

One Solaris Knight was equivalent to ten demons. Not to mention, they had the dastardly Eldorin, who specialised in demon hunting.

Still... the Demon Empire should be winning this war.

Not to mention...

"It’s about time... the Holy Church and the Goddess will make their approach."

Kieran cast his glance westward. Despite being mortal enemies in the past, the Demon Empire and the Holy Church had formed an unlikely alliance.

One that included the Goddess herself coming to smite the heathens from her dimension.

"Heh, Amon Solaris... You may be powerful, but with the Goddess and the Demon King on our side... you’re nothing but a sitting duck."

The Apostle of Domination chortled as he fantasised about his eventual victory.