For a few seconds, no one moved.
The ruined hall remained wrapped in a strange silence.
The battle that had shaken the entire fortress had finally come to an end.
The place that had once served as the First General's throne had now been reduced to ruins. Broken pillars covered the floor. Cracks ran across the walls and ceiling. Fragments of stone continued to fall all around.
I remained standing, breathing heavily.
My entire body ached.
Every muscle felt heavy.
My mana was almost completely depleted.
Even so, my eyes remained fixed on the spot where Vaelthor had disappeared.
The First Demon General.
The Black Scourge.
The General of Ruin.
After days of war, he had finally been defeated.
Scarlett was the first to break the silence.
"It's over."
Her voice came out quieter than usual.
Perhaps because even she couldn't fully believe it.
Vespera let out a long sigh.
"Finally."
Rai'kanna rested her axe on the ground.
"That bastard was far too durable."
Elara sat down on a fallen stone.
"I don't want to see another enemy at that level anytime soon."
Lyannis closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Probably recovering some of the mental energy she had spent during the battle.
Liriel simply smiled faintly.
But it was a different smile.
A smile of relief.
Everyone was exhausted.
Everyone.
That victory had come at a heavy cost.
Another tremor ran through the hall.
This time much stronger.
Stones began crashing down from the ceiling.
Some pillars collapsed completely.
The entire structure let out a deep groan.
As if it were moaning.
Lyannis immediately opened her eyes.
"The fortress is going to collapse."
I looked around.
She was right.
Without Vaelthor's presence, the place seemed to be rapidly falling apart.
"We need to get out."
No one disagreed.
We began making our way through the ruined corridors.
The path was not easy.
Entire sections of the fortress had disappeared during the battle.
In some places, we had to climb over mountains of rubble.
In others, we had to cross partially destroyed hallways.
As we advanced, the ground continued to shake.
With every passing minute, new collapses occurred.
The entire place was dying alongside its former master.
Along the way, we encountered numerous allied soldiers.
Many of them were still fighting isolated groups of demons.
Others simply stood watching the destruction around them.
When they noticed our presence, several expressions changed.
First surprise.
Then hope.
And finally understanding.
The news began to spread.
"It's the Hero!"
"They came out of the main hall!"
"Did they do it?"
"Is Vaelthor dead?"
Questions came from every direction.
I didn't need to answer.
All they had to do was look at our faces.
Look at the state of the fortress.
Realize that the battle had ended.
One of the adventurers widened his eyes.
"So... we won..."
The words quickly spread to other groups.
And then to others.
And others.
The news spread like wildfire.
When we finally reached the area outside the fortress, we found thousands of soldiers gathered there.
The battle had practically ended.
The few remaining demons were fleeing.
Others had surrendered to despair.
The enemy formation was completely disorganized.
Without Vaelthor, the demonic army seemed to have lost its direction.
For a few seconds, the vast battlefield remained silent.
Then someone shouted.
"VAELTHOR HAS FALLEN!"
The voice echoed across the battlefield.
Soon another person repeated it.
Then another.
And another.
Until thousands of soldiers began shouting the same words.
"VAELTHOR HAS FALLEN!"
"VAELTHOR HAS FALLEN!"
"VAELTHOR HAS FALLEN!"
The sound spread across the entire region.
Swords were raised.
Shields were lifted.
Flags waved.
The celebration erupted.
Soldiers embraced their comrades.
Adventurers celebrated.
Some simply collapsed onto the ground, unable to believe it.
Many cried.
Not from sadness.
But from relief.
Only days earlier, the very idea of defeating the First General had seemed impossible.
Now that reality stood before everyone.
I watched the scene in silence.
It was difficult to explain what I was feeling.
Happiness.
Relief.
Exhaustion.
All at once.
Then I noticed something.
The faces.
There were many happy faces.
But there were also absences.
Many absences.
Soldiers who had fought beside us during the first days.
Adventurers who had marched at our side.
People who had believed in that campaign.
Not everyone was there to celebrate.
War always demanded a price.
And that price was never small.
Liriel approached.
Perhaps she had sensed my thoughts.
"You're thinking about them."
I nodded.
She looked across the battlefield.
"So am I."
For a few seconds, we remained silent.
Then she continued.
"But they fought so that this day could come."
I looked once more at the celebrating soldiers.
Perhaps she was right.
That victory belonged to the living.
But it also belonged to those who had fallen.
A short time later, the allied commanders began to arrive.
Military leaders.
Captains.
Representatives of the adventurers.
They all wanted confirmation.
They all wanted to be certain.
When they received the final confirmation, their reaction was almost the same.
Relief.
Pure relief.
Some of the veterans looked as though an enormous weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
After all, Vaelthor had been considered a legend among demons.
One of the Demon King's greatest weapons.
His defeat completely changed the course of the war.
The following hours were devoted to reorganizing the battlefield.
The wounded began to be transported.
Supplies were collected.
Units were reorganized.
Meanwhile, the fortress continued collapsing in the distance.
An entire tower crumbled.
Then another.
Great walls began to fall.
Clouds of dust rose into the sky.
The symbol of Vaelthor's dominion was disappearing before our eyes.
And no one tried to stop it.
As night began to fall, campfires appeared throughout the camp.
For the first time in many days, the atmosphere was different.
There was still exhaustion.
There were still wounded.
But now there was hope.
Real hope.
The soldiers spoke more calmly.
The adventurers laughed once again.
Stories of the battle began to emerge.
Some exaggerated.
Others not so much.
It was inevitable.
Great victories always gave rise to great stories.
I sat beside a campfire with the girls.
Everyone seemed too exhausted for long conversations.
Even Rai'kanna was quieter than usual.
Scarlett stared into the flames.
Vespera cleaned her bow.
Liriel helped several healers between brief breaks.
Lyannis studied reports.
Elara simply enjoyed the silence.
For a few minutes, no one said anything.
It was one of those rare moments when words weren't necessary.
Simply being there was enough.
Some time later, a messenger came running.
He looked extremely excited.
"Headquarters has sent new orders."
Lyannis accepted the document.
She read it quickly.
Then looked up.
"The army will begin its return."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
"Already?"
"Yes."
Lyannis put the report away.
"The fortress has been destroyed. The First General has been eliminated. The campaign is over."
That made everything feel even more real.
The campaign had truly ended.
The war continued.
But that phase of the war had come to an end.
I looked up at the night sky.
For several days, all that had existed was battle.
Marches.
Strategies.
Survival.
Now, at last, there was room to breathe.
Rai'kanna smiled.
"Then let's head back."
"To Vailor."
Elara said.
Vespera nodded.
"It's going to be strange sleeping without hearing explosions."
Scarlett let out a small laugh.
"I won't miss them."
"Liar."
"Maybe just a little."
The conversation drew a few smiles.
Even I ended up laughing.
It was a strange feeling.
Light.
Very different from the past few days.
The next morning, preparations began early.
The troops started dismantling the camp.
Wagons were organized.
The wounded were prepared for the journey.
Equipment was packed away.
Flags were raised.
The great allied army began to move once more.
But this time toward the south.
Toward home.
I climbed a small rise before our departure.
From there, I could see what remained of the fortress.
Now there were only ruins.
Nothing more.
Vaelthor's dominion had come to an end.
Forever.
I took a deep breath.
Then I turned toward the waiting troops.
Thousands of soldiers.
Thousands of adventurers.
People who had survived that campaign.
People who had achieved an impossible victory.
Without saying a single word, I began to walk.
The girls followed close behind.
The troops began to march.
And so, beneath the first rays of the morning sun, the great allied army left behind the ruins of the Black Fortress and began its long journey back to Vailor.