CHAPTER 619: THE FOTRESS OF ICE AND FIRE

Asmodeus closed his eyes while listening to the world.

The council broke apart in waves of muttering voices, boots and claws echoing across the stone hall as each group peeled away to their barracks. Orcs jostled shoulders, goblins hissed at each other in their rasping tongue, while the demon knights moved in grim silence.

Their tension and differences remained, but thanks to the meeting, each race gave the other a chance to unwind.

His hand brushed across the carved table as the torches dimmed. For all the anger, all the fear, almost nobody escaped or fled.

This brought a smile to his face.

Asmodeus stepped into the corridor, and the air shifted. The smell of smoke and sweat still clung to the citadel, but beneath it lay the sharp tang of oil, leather, and metal. His ears caught the distant rhythm of practice.

Orcs held crude curved blades, while goblins used daggers and unique bows, while his knights used longswords, spears and shields, and the elves and demons of Ciela wielded longbows almost two metres in size.

It seems I made the right choice.

Clang!

Steel against Iron, crude weapons against refined steel. The clash of iron against wood as knights prepared shields for tomorrow’s drills. They weren’t training yet, but the restless energy before battle filled the courtyard like a storm.

He didn’t stop to correct them or complain.

Their true training would begin tomorrow, so he let them have fun.

Instead, he climbed the stairs toward the private chambers, the ache in his back where his wings grew eased as his stride slowed.

Ciela waited for him by the heath, the flicker of firelight illuminating her chocolate skin as she sat cross-legged, bow leaning against the wall, Aurelia curled in one arm, Velmina in the other, and Tsukihana between her thighs, slapping the ground with her tail.

"You look exhausted," he mumbled.

Her green eyes lifted, sharp but softening the moment she saw his face. "Have you looked in a mirror, husband... please take some time to rest."

She didn’t rise when he crouched, only leaned to let him kiss her temple. He took Tsuki up into his lap, and the child immediately grabbed a fistful of his cloak with a triumphant "Ba!" before giggling at her own noise.

Aurelia yawned from Ciela’s arms, stretching tiny fingers toward him, while Velmina’s crimson eyes watched with an adorable charm.

For a heartbeat, he forgot all about the walls; the army marching closer and even the blood pulsing in his veins seeking that conflict.

"You know it’s just going to be worse tomorrow." Ciela hummed. "But tonight... at least take a rest, there’s no need to keep pushing yourself Asmodeus. Everyone believes in you!"

"I don’t need them to believe," he replied, stroking Tsuki’s hair as she chewed on his knuckle. "I need them to survive." He then picked up Aurelia, letting her and Tsuki sit on his right forearm, their tiny bodies so small it made his heart tighten.

Ciela chuckled faintly, then reached for a strip of cloth.

She caught his hand, wrapping the half-healed cut across his palm from earlier. Her touch was gentle, but her eyes were unyielding. "Then don’t try to carry everything alone. Things are different now, you big fool."

His answer was to kiss her fingertips and lift the two pups against his chest.

"Mina, do you want dad too?"

However, when he reached out to Velmina with his left hand, she huffed and turned away.

"Omph!"

"Eh?"

The damage dealt by her gesture caused him to stumble, almost collapsing, his heart ached more than being impaled by a sword.

From the high balcony outside, he could see the courtyards lit by the golden glow of torchlight. However, being rejected by Velmina broke the demon emperor’s heart as he watched her hug with a cute sound.

It can’t be helped...

Asmodeus rested his cheek briefly against Tsuki and Aurelia’s soft hair to soothe the pain. "This storm will be a little tough, you both have to behave, hear me?" he whispered. "Your father will beat up all the bad guys... so no one can touch you. And then we can be together forever."

He carried the two warm bundles against his chest until their soft breaths grew steady. Tsuki’s tiny hand clung to his cloak even as her head lolled, while Aurelia’s little snores buzzed faintly against his collarbone.

"Already asleep, huh?" he whispered with a wry smile, wondering if they understood the coming dangers.

Obviously not...

Ciela rose with a tired grace, pulling back the soft blankets on the carved crib.

Asmodeus lowered the girls carefully, brushing their foreheads with a kiss before pulling the sheets over them. For a moment, the two tiny bodies shifted, noses wrinkling in unison, then settled with small sighs.

A moment of peace, fragile yet priceless.

His heart clenched as he stood watching over them.

Velmina hadn’t closed hers once. She sat stubbornly in Ciela’s arms, arms crossed, face half-hidden behind the elf’s shoulder as if sulking. But when Asmodeus shifted toward the door, she finally moved.

Her tiny hand stretched out, fingers curling and uncurling in a silent command.

Hug Me!

"Eh...? So you were just playing hard to get?" His chest eased with laughter as he stepped forward.

Velmina didn’t answer, but when he scooped her into his arms, she buried her face into his neck, her little body trembling with relief.

"You little devil," he murmured, stroking her hair as she clung tighter. "You’ll kill me faster than any battle."

Ciela chuckled softly, resting a hand on his back.

"She’s your daughter through and through. Stubborn until the very last breath."

He held Velmina close until her tiny claws loosened and her breathing grew slow. By the time he returned her to her mother’s arms, her crimson eyes had fluttered shut. He bent low, his lips brushing the soft strands of green hair on Ciela’s crown.

"I’ll make sure you don’t have to face this alone."

"You’d better," she whispered back, voice trembling even though her eyes remained calm. "I’ll keep the walls standing, I’ll keep your daughters safe. But I can’t fight for you. So you have to return, Asmodeus."

He didn’t promise with words this time. Instead, he touched his forehead to hers, letting silence carry the weight of the vow.

Then he straightened and moved toward the balcony.

Ciela silently followed with her arm wrapped around his, quietly enjoying the moment of peace alone with him after so long.

The night air bit into his skin, sharp like ice.

Below the courtyards glowed faintly with thick torches doused in oil to keep burning as knights patrolled, orcs slept in tents and small canopies while others polished their crude blades, and goblins sneaked through the dark carrying food.

Tension ran through the citadel like a living thing, but no one fled. Every soul inside these walls knew the storm was close.

Asmodeus braced his hands against the stone railing, wings shifting as he looked out over the mountains.

"Ciela... we will win."

"Mm~ I know we will, because we have you."

"No." His hand brushed against her cheek. "It’s because I have you, all of you beside me."

A shadow moved at the edge of the world. Faint, too far to touch, but his blood stirred the moment he felt it—the banners of the enthralled army. Even across the miles, Mephisto’s stench slithered along the wind, oily and suffocating.

He will come in the next two days... will he rush with those wyverns or take his time?

Asmodeus lowered his gaze to the torch-lit city below the citadel. Families huddled under makeshift tents, carrying children, demon warriors comforting them with weary faces. Behind him, his daughters slept, their breaths soft and undisturbed...

Tonight might be the last peaceful night for a while.

So he wanted everyone to savour it.

"I’ll crush you, Mephisto," he whispered into the night. His voice was calm, almost tender, yet heavy with promise. "Not for glory. Not for vengeance. But for the peace you keep trying to steal... and to save my best friend once and for all."

He exhaled, letting the frost bite his lungs, then pushed away from the balcony. Tomorrow would bring drills, harsh training, and preparation for war. But tonight, he would allow himself this last quiet moment.

The last moment before blood and fire returned to his kingdom.

"Ciela."

His voice carried a hint of warmth and seduction.

"Asmodeus?"

"Come here, let me feel your heat."

And just like his daughter, he spread his arms and sought a hug from the elf princess.

Ciela’s lips curved into a faint smile, her bow set carefully aside as she stepped into his arms. The warmth of her body pressed against his chest, her green hair brushing his jaw as her breath trembled across his skin.

"You never change," she murmured, her hands sliding along his back, nails grazing his muscles as if to reassure herself he was real.

"Not when it comes to you," Asmodeus whispered. He lifted her easily, wings folding inside his body, as he closed the huge door, blocking the cold from the children’s room. Then carried her toward the chamber’s waiting bed.