ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 24: War

He lifted his blade, pointing it toward the pitch-black horizon where the enemy hid.

"You dared touch what’s mine. You dared provoke me."A cruel smile curved on his lips, sharp and merciless.

"So come. Step forward. Let me show you why the empire calls me the Devil Wolf of the battlefield."

The ground beneath him trembled faintly with the march of approaching forces, but Demian did not move, not an inch.

Instead, he exhaled slowly, almost in anticipation, like a predator tasting the scent of fresh prey.

"Tonight," he whispered, "your death begins with me."

War erupted in two places at once on the front lines where Demian stood, and in the rear camp where Valerie was being guarded. The enemy’s assault came like a wild, aimless tide, but its purpose was unmistakable, to split the commander from his army, break their formation, and strike at the weakest point within Morvex’s defenses.

Demian stood amidst the darkness of the night, the only light coming from drifting flames and rising smoke. The cold wind carried the heavy scent of blood and steel across the battlefield. Hidden behind the thick shadows, he waited... waited for the true mastermind of this cowardly attack to show himself.

His eyes were sharp silent, blazing with a fury tightly held. His entire body remained motionless, as if he were part of the darkness itself.

The elite Morvex soldiers stood a few paces behind him, breath held, waiting for his signal. All of them knew, when Duke Demian Morvex fell into this unnerving calm, it meant only one thing, A massacre was coming.

Finally, the war trumpets sounded.

The heavy gate of the enemy’s formation opened wide.The enemy king, the mastermind who had dared attack Valerie’s camp, stepped out with arrogant confidence. His troops roared in triumph, certain they had already won. Certain Demian had taken their bait.

They didn’t realize...

Tonight would be the night of their destruction.

The moment the king raised his sword and shouted the command to strike,

Demian vanished.

In less than a heartbeat, he appeared in the center of the enemy formation like a shadow falling from the heavens. No one had time to scream. No one had time to run.

One swing of his blade.One burst of blood.Chaos exploded.

Everywhere, soldiers collapsed before they even understood what had cut them down. Steel clashed, bodies split, and the field drowned in terror.

The enemy couldn’t even see him clearly. All they saw was a dark silhouette with killing eyes, a force of death tearing through their ranks. There was no mercy. No hesitation. No chance to breathe.

Duke Demian Morvex, Morvex’s Demon Wolf, had descended onto the battlefield.

By the time he reached the enemy king, the ground around them was littered with corpses, soaked in red.

The king trembled violently, too terrified to speak.

Demian looked at him with cold disdain, as though staring at something already dead.

"You targeted my woman," he said quietly, voice low and lethal."You chose the wrong man to provoke."

The king tried to flee, foolishly, desperately.

The night shuddered once more at his final scream.

And just like that...

The war ended in the span of Demian’s hand.

Chaos erupted across the camp the moment the enemy struck.

Unlike the battle on the frontlines led by Demian, the assault on the camp was quieter, more insidious. They came without the sound of war trumpets, without marching formations. They crept in like poison seeping through cracks, slipping between shadows, heading straight for the tent where Valerie lay unconscious.

But they never expected that the one waiting for them there...was the Crown Prince himself.

Kaiser stood at the entrance of the main tent, sword drawn, the flames of torches flickering against his golden hair. His blue eyes were sharp, cold, and unwavering. Behind him, Morvex’s elite soldiers had already formed a tight defensive line.

"Do not let a single one get past," Kaiser ordered, voice calm yet heavy with authority.

From the treeline, shapes emerged, dark silhouettes rushing forward.The first clash was immediate. Steel collided with steel, shouts rose, and the ground trembled under charging feet.

Kaiser leapt into the fray, striking down the first assailant with precise, elegant efficiency. His style was nothing like Demian’s brutal ferocity, his movements were cleaner, sharper, almost graceful... yet no less deadly.

"Protect Lady Valerie’s tent!" a captain roared.

But before they could tighten the defensive perimeter, a sudden chill swept through the camp. The torches flickered violently, then extinguished one by one.

And then, it appeared.

A massive fox stepped out of the darkness, its fur shimmering gold and crimson under the faint moonlight. Its eyes, one gold, one blue, gleamed with otherworldly power. Shadows twisted around its form, and with a smooth ripple, its body shifted, into the shape of a human.

A fox witch.

Magic radiated from her like a pulse, making the ground vibrate. With an almost mocking grace, she brushed her hair back and smiled coldly at Kaiser.

"The Crown Prince himself... You truly came," she purred. "I thought only Duke Morvex was worthy of fear."

Kaiser lifted his sword, gaze steady."If you want Valerie, you’ll have to step over my corpse first."

The witch laughed softly. "I don’t need your body, Your Highness. I’m only here for the girl... and the power awakening inside her."

Her words sent a ripple of dread through the soldiers.

Kaiser took a step forward. "What kind of sorcery did you use on her?"

"I merely stirred what was meant to awaken," the witch replied.Then her body shifted again, this time her claws gleamed, ready to tear through flesh.

The battle erupted instantly.

She shot forward toward Valerie’s tent, but Kaiser intercepted her, blades flashing. Magic clashed with swordsmanship, sparks erupting in the air. The fox witch moved like living shadow, slipping between strikes, weaving illusions, vanishing then reappearing.

Morvex soldiers attempted to surround her, but more enemies poured into the camp. Battle broke out across every corner, near the supply tents, the medical area, the guard posts.

Kaiser fought relentlessly. His breath grew heavy, but his stance never wavered. He was a wall, unyielding, sharp, unbreakable.

"She’s heading for Lady Valerie!" a soldier shouted.

No.

Kaiser saw the witch’s dual-colored eyes flash as she lunged like lightning toward the tent.

"DON’T LET HER THROUGH!"