Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

'What's taking so long?'

Gavin frowned as he stared at the fortress walls. It had been 30 minutes since the pioneer he sent inside had gone to deliver his proposal to the "Lord." By now, he should have gotten a response. But still, there was no sign of anyone coming out.

'They wouldn't reject it, would they? I went through all the trouble to gather everyone around here.'

Growing anxious, Gavin unconsciously shook his leg. Realizing it might make the others even more uneasy, he quickly stopped, though it was already too late. The nervousness had already begun spreading among the gathered pioneers.

"Isn't this taking a bit too long?"

"Maybe the leader's not even there?"

"Maybe it's just a big place, and it takes a while to walk back and forth."

"What if they got pissed at our proposal and are preparing to attack us?"

"No way. There are 150 of us. They wouldn't dare."

"You don't know that. That leader's a complete lunatic."

With just one comment, the chattering came to an abrupt halt. The gathered pioneers recalled the pile of corpses Justin had created during the battle for the city. Thinking back to that time, the pioneers shivered.

'That guy didn't hesitate to kill anyone.'

'What if he decides to attack first, without bothering to negotiate?'

The pioneers exchanged uneasy glances. Doubts about whether this plan had been a good idea began to surface.

Feeling the growing tension, Gavin scowled.

'Cowards, lot of them.'

He understood their fear. After all, he himself had fled in terror when he saw the pile of bodies during the fight for the city. But they had 150 pioneers here, and 20 domains united. Who in their right mind would turn that kind of force into an enemy?

It wasn't just about offending them. Attacking them meant turning all 20 allied domains into enemies. Who would risk such a thing?

'If they want to keep hunting comfortably, they wouldn't dare.'

Sure, they might be able to hold them off with the fortress walls for now. But eventually, they'd have to leave the safety of the walls to go hunting. And when that time came, a united force from the domains could pick off the scattered pioneers with ease.

Any sensible person would recognize that. There was no way Justin would want to turn them into enemies.

'It's ridiculous that they're trembling over something so simple.'

Gavin sighed. He was the one who had spearheaded the alliance, so if the proposal fell through, he would be the one to lose face. But these fools were acting more nervous than him. They could just walk away and go home if it didn't work out. But seeing them more worried than he was made him sigh in frustration.

"Hey, Gavin. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"…What do you mean, a good idea?"

Gavin frowned at the anxious voice. The speaker was the leader of one of the weakest factions in the alliance.

"You said it would work, but we haven't gotten a response. Isn't something going wrong?"

"What could possibly go wrong? Other than them rejecting the proposal, what else is there?"

"I mean, like the others said—what if they're preparing to attack us? If they decide to strike, we're...!"

"Shut up, you coward!"

Before the accusation could fully form, Gavin barked out a harsh retort. He didn't mind a coward trembling in fear, but he couldn't tolerate being dragged down with them. And if the fear spread any further, the alliance would fall apart before they accomplished anything.

"Attack us? Why would they attack us? What kind of nonsense is that? Give me one realistic reason."

"They could get pissed off at the proposal and attack! Honestly, it was a pretty stupid offer."

"Then why did you agree to it, huh? What does that make you, a bigger fool?"

"You son of a...!"

"And! If they wanted to attack us, they'd have to come out of the fortress first!"

Gavin raised his voice for all to hear, using the argument to calm the growing tension.

"They're not going to leave the safety of the walls to come after us. Why would they risk that when they could just stay inside?"

"They'd come after us to make sure they got rid of us. Chase us down to take all our territory."

"Oh, really? So, to take our land, they're going to risk everything by sending 150 pioneers into a dangerous close-range fight? Is that what you really think?"

"..."

The other pioneer fell silent, realizing that Gavin had a point. It made much more sense to wait for the alliance to break up and pick them off one by one.

"And besides, if they do attack, we can just run. It's easy to get out of range quickly. What's there to be scared of?"

"..."

Unable to argue further, the pioneer turned away in silence. Gavin clicked his tongue but didn't push the issue any further. Thankfully, the tension had started to ease. Now that they realized they weren't likely to be attacked, the atmosphere was much calmer.

But despite the improved mood, Gavin's irritation only grew.

'Damn it, how long is this going to take? We've been talking long enough, and still no response…!'

"The Lord has spoken!"

At that moment, a voice called out from atop the fortress walls. Gavin immediately looked up, relieved. The female officer who had taken their proposal earlier was looking down at them.

'Finally, just give us an answer already. I don't even care if it's a no at this point.'

Of course, the best-case scenario was that their proposal would be accepted. But at this point, even a rejection would be better than this endless waiting. Even if they had exposed their intentions, there wasn't much the other side could do but turn them down. Justin was still a lone figure surrounded by potential enemies—no matter how strong he was.

"Stop spouting nonsense and surrender now, or the Lord will kill all of you. You have 15 minutes to decide."

Gavin couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Surrender right here and now, or be killed? Was he serious? This wasn't just a rejection—it was a death sentence if they didn't comply immediately.

"What kind of lunatic...!"

"Oh, by the way," Emily added, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "we were already planning an expedition today. At the very least, we were going to wipe out one territory and return."

"...!?"

"And since we're fully prepared for battle, you just walked into a death trap. Understand now?"

Emily twisted her lips into a mocking grin as she gazed down at the 150 pioneers.

"You're all screwed."

"...."

"I'll give you 15 minutes to make up your minds. You can fight or surrender. Your choice."

With that, Emily turned her back on them and started to walk away, but then she paused, as if remembering something.

"Oh, and if you try to run, we won't just let you go. If you don't surrender, we'll chase you down and kill every last one of you."

Of course, even if they managed to flee, Justin planned to hunt them down in their own territories. After delivering her message, Emily disappeared into the fortress.

"...."

"...."

The 150 pioneers stood in stunned silence, processing the impossible situation they were in. This wasn't just a refusal. It was an ultimatum: surrender or be slaughtered. And to make matters worse, they learned that Justin had been planning to wage war on every territory anyway.

Once the shock wore off, the pioneers erupted into chaos.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?!"

"How the hell should I know, you idiot?!"

"I'm out of here! You guys can figure it out!"

"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear they'll chase us down if we run?"

"Then stay here and die for all I care!"

The fear of being attacked by Justin's forces made most of them lose their composure. After all, these were the survivors of the recent Wave, barely making it out alive. The memory of watching their comrades, once thought invincible, fall in battle was still fresh in their minds. Now, facing another life-or-death situation, their panic was palpable.

"Calm down! Everyone, calm the hell down!!"

Gavin barely managed to rein in the panicking crowd. But the angry glares he received in return made his stomach twist. They were starting to realize that it was his idea that had led them to this disaster. Should they take him out first?

Swallowing hard, Gavin kept his voice steady, as if unaffected by the growing hostility.

"Didn't you hear what they said? They were going to attack us anyway! We were dead whether we came here or not!"

"So what?! You're saying we should just die now instead of later?"

"We have a better chance fighting together like this, you moron! What, do you think it would've been better to die alone, ambushed while wandering back to your territory? Would you rather fight 30 enemies with only 20 of your own men?"

The pioneers hesitated, struck by the truth in his words.

Sensing his opportunity, Gavin pressed on.

"Like I said earlier, they've only got about thirty fighters. We've got 150! We can win this!"

"But didn't they have almost a hundred people when they attacked?"

"You idiot! Where do you think those people came from?! I checked every territory I passed through to meet you all, and I only saw one empty domain!"

Gavin was right. The pioneers who had fled to Justin's territory had witnessed over a hundred fighters appear seemingly out of nowhere. But that didn't make sense. The domains surrounding Justin's territory had all been accounted for.

The answer was simple.

"They disguised their civilians as pioneers! They've only got thirty real fighters. Do you get it now?"

"...!"

"With 150 of us, we've got a real shot! It's better than waiting around to be picked off one by one."

The pioneers started murmuring to each other again, but this time, the mood was different. If they were going to fight anyway, why not do it now, while they had the advantage of numbers? They knew they'd never have this many pioneers gathered together again.

As the pioneers' morale began to rise, Gavin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

'Honestly, these idiots need everything explained to them. Not that it matters, since there's no way they'll actually attack us.'

Despite all the tough talk, Gavin had no intention of fighting. In his mind, Justin's threat was just a bluff.

'There's no way he's seriously going to kill 150 pioneers. He's just trying to intimidate us into surrendering.'

It wasn't a question of whether Justin had the power to kill them. Even if he could, it didn't make sense. After all, the strength of a territory was measured by how many pioneers it could field in battle. Why would Justin throw away the opportunity to absorb 150 pioneers into his own forces?

'If that guy has any common sense, he'll want to make us his allies. We can't give in too easily, or we'll lose our leverage.'

Just as Gavin was convincing himself of his plan, the sound of movement came from the fortress walls. The pioneers flinched as they recognized Justin among the figures emerging from the fortress.

Justin's cold voice echoed down to the assembled pioneers.

"Have you made up your minds?"

"...."

"I think I've given you enough time. So I'll only ask once more. Do you want to die? Or will you surrender, hand over your territories, and bring your civilians to me?"

The biting tone made the pioneers bristle with anger, but Gavin couldn't help but smirk.

What an idiot. He's making it easy for us to hate him.

"And what if we say no?!"

Gavin shouted, raising his head in defiance. He expected Justin to flinch, to be rattled by the rejection of his bluff. He waited for that smug face to fall apart.

But instead, Justin smiled coldly and raised his hand.

"Dual Enhancement."

A low hum filled the air.

"Eldritch Flame."

Then hell itself erupted before their eyes.