Looking down at the Demon Tribe army at the foot of the city, the human soldiers were all grave, their palms sweating as they gripped their weapons tightly.

  At that moment, a furious roar erupted from within the city:

  "Vorthak! Why does your Demon Tribe attack our human city without cause! Our people and your Tribe have always lived in peace. What is the meaning of this sudden mobilization?"

  As the voice fell, a figure descended from the sky at high speed, landing steadily atop the highest part of the city wall.

  The newcomer's expression was stern, his temples touched with frost. It was Byron, the ruling official of Falling Ash City.

  His gaze swept over the tightly packed Demon Tribe army below. His brow furrowed, the situation feeling extremely troublesome.

  The Demon Tribe's strength in Godfall Battlefield far exceeded that of the humans.

  Now Vorthak had brought all his soldiers, displaying the posture of an impending decisive battle, which naturally made Byron wary.

  He pondered repeatedly but could not understand what action by the humans in recent days could have provoked the Demon Tribe to mobilize on such a scale.

  A military operation of this magnitude was no trivial matter. It must have touched the core interests of the Demon Tribe.

  Vorthak, atop the demonic flame gryphon, let out a scoffing laugh, his gaze fixed on Byron on the wall:

  "So it is Byron. And you still have the nerve to ask why I am here? Do you not know in your own heart what you have done?"

  Vorthak's words caused Byron to pause slightly. Judging from the tone, it seemed the humans had overstepped first, provoking this disaster.

  Yet he racked his mind for any recent missteps and could not think of anything that would warrant the Demon Tribe to act so drastically.

  This was no ordinary conflict. If there had truly been some outrage against heaven and humanity, he, as the ruling official, could not have been unaware.

  Byron hesitated for a moment and turned to the adjutant beside him.

  "Has anything happened recently that could have angered the Demon Tribe?"

  The adjutant furrowed his brow, thinking carefully for a long moment, then shook his head with a troubled expression.

  "Nothing unusual. We have not actively provoked the Demon Tribe recently."

  Byron's brow tightened even further, his doubts growing.

  He looked up at Vorthak atop the demonic gryphon.

  "Vorthak, speak plainly. No need to beat around the bush.

  If we have truly offended you, we will accept the consequences. But you owe me a clear explanation!"

  Vorthak's lips curved into a faint, playful smile as he calculated quietly.

  The Demon King had only instructed him to find an excuse to take certain people, without explaining the details.

  Moreover, he did not know any of the people on the list, so he could not think of a proper reason.

  In that case, it was better to throw the problem back at them and let them identify themselves.

  Vorthak amplified his voice with magic, letting it echo across the city walls:

  "Who is Matteo? Come out and face death!"

  Matteo, who had been hiding behind the soldiers and watching with a sense of curiosity, froze instantly.

  He never imagined that the Demon Tribe army had besieged the city to find him.

  Instinctively, he tried to shrink back, hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid notice.

  But at that moment, every gaze on the city walls, from soldiers, from adjutants, even from Byron, fell upon him as soon as the name was spoken.

  Matteo, who had tried to hide, instantly became the most conspicuous presence on the entire wall.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Vorthak saw Matteo's panicked attempt to hide and smiled with growing amusement as he said,

  "Come with us. You offended the Demon Tribe and thought you could hide inside a human city. Do you really believe Falling Ash City can protect you?"

  Matteo's legs went weak and he nearly lost his footing. He forced himself to stay calm and asked in a trembling voice,

  "When did I ever offend the Demon Tribe? I have not stepped outside Falling Ash City for days!"

  Vorthak snorted."What do you think? Do I need to list everything you have done?"

  He had no real evidence and had no intention of arguing with Matteo. He only wanted to take him away as quickly as possible according to the Demon King's command.

  Matteo broke out in a cold sweat and racked his brain, yet he could not recall any act that might have offended the Demon Tribe.

  These past few days he had either been drinking in taverns or wandering around the city. He had not even gone near the city gates, let alone crossed paths with the Demon Tribe.

  Byron looked at Matteo and then asked Vorthak,

  "Could this be a misunderstanding? Matteo truly has not left the city these past few days. He has had no chance to offend your Demon Tribe."

  Vorthak could not be bothered with more words. He slowly raised his right hand as shadowed magic rapidly gathered in his palm and formed a runed spear out of thin air.

  A terrifying wave of pressure swept outward. Even with the defensive magic array of Falling Ash City, the people on the walls felt crushed by the aura. Some soldiers even bent at the waist under its weight.

  "Enough with this useless talk," Vorthak said with an unyielding finality.

  "Either hand him over, or I give the order to slaughter the city. I am not negotiating. I am giving you your last choice."

  Byron's face darkened. His magic level was not far below Vorthak's, but in terms of battlefield power and the number of troops under his command, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

  Falling Ash City was humanity's core stronghold in the Godfall Battlefield, vital to their supplies and strategic layout.

  If it fell, he would not only lose his position as ruling official, he would likely be sentenced to death. This city could not be lost.

  Byron turned to Matteo and asked cautiously,

  "Matteo, why not go with them for now? If it truly is a misunderstanding, once you explain it clearly, they should let you return."

  Matteo looked at the sea of Demon Tribe soldiers below and knew in his heart that even if it was a misunderstanding, it would still lead to death.

  The Demon Tribe were ruthless by nature and would never easily spare anyone who offended them, especially when they had come so fully prepared.

  "Byron, my father is the one who recommended you for this position!" Matteo roared in panic.

  "Are you really going to watch them take me away? Is there no other way? If I die here, my father will never let this go!"

  Byron frowned and was about to speak, but several people stepped forward first and tried to persuade Matteo.

  "Matteo, at this point the Demon Tribe is too powerful. We have no way to resist them."

  "They only want you. If we refuse to hand you over, the entire Falling Ash City will be slaughtered. Countless people will die. It is not worth it."

  Another person echoed, his tone clearly focused on self preservation.

  "Just go with them. Governor Byron is right. As long as you explain things clearly, they might not make things hard for you."

  Hearing these people who used to flatter him now push him out without hesitation, Matteo flew into a rage.

  He shouted at them furiously,

  "You ungrateful wretches! I have treated you well all this time, and now, at the critical moment, you want to hand me over to the Demon Tribe to die!"

  Seeing the people on the city walls blaming each other and making fools of themselves, Vorthak suddenly slapped his forehead.

  As if remembering something, he added,"Right, I almost forgot. A few others will come with me as well."

  He then began to recite several names, all of whom were the people who had just urged Matteo to sacrifice himself.

  As each name left Vorthak's mouth, the men who had earlier spoken so righteously on the wall began to tremble uncontrollably.

  They never imagined that not only had they not escaped punishment, but they were now all on the Demon Tribe's list of people to be captured.

  Panic overtook them. The composure they had shown moments ago vanished, and they scrambled to kneel before Byron, weeping and pleading:

  "Governor Byron! Do not listen to him! Please, do not hand us over!"

  "If we fall into the hands of the Demon Tribe, we will surely die! Please save us!"

  "Aren't the elves our allies? If we just hold out until the elven reinforcements arrive, we can drive back these Demon Tribe soldiers! We beg you, Governor, order us to defend the city to the death!"

  One of them shouted, clinging to the last thread of hope, trying to stir Byron's will to resist.

  Hearing this, Matteo also became agitated, his eyes lighting up once more. He hurriedly spoke to Byron:

  "Yes! And the elves are coming! They won't just stand by while we are surrounded by the Demon Tribe!"

  "Falling Ash City is humanity's foundation in the Godfall Battlefield. If we fall, the elves will lose their ally to hold the Demon Tribe back.

  Sooner or later, they will also be swallowed by the Demon Tribe. They cannot just leave us to die!"

  Matteo grew more desperate as he spoke, as if he could already see the elven reinforcements arriving.

  Byron glanced at Matteo and weighed the situation in his mind. Of all these people, Matteo was the most problematic.

  The others could die and the city could still survive, but Matteo, as the heir of the Valerion family, if he were to fall here, would bring the wrath of his house down on them, and Byron could even risk losing his position as ruling official.

  Byron turned to the adjutant beside him and asked,

  "Have you contacted the elves? What did they say? When can their reinforcements arrive?"

  The adjutant's face was already grim. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally stammered,

  "We did contact them. They were eager to come immediately to assist."

  "But…" the adjutant's voice trailed off, growing more embarrassed.

  Byron glared at him sharply and said sternly,

  "Speak plainly! What kind of nonsense is this hesitation?"

  The adjutant shivered in fear and quickly said,

  "They said they received our call for help and immediately gathered their army."

  "They were preparing to set out, but just as the troops left the city gates, someone blocked them and forced them back!"

  "Right now, that person is standing at the gates of the elven city, extremely powerful. The elven army cannot break through and cannot come to support us!"