Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill

He picked up several potion vials resting on the table and examined them carefully.

“With this,” he said thoughtfully, “the children and troops can grow stronger.”

Previously, Ethan had already refined the potential of the first generation soldiers up to C rank. Many promising knights who once reached their limits could now advance further.

Now, with additional enhancement potions, some of them could step into B rank territory.

That alone could change battlefield survival rates drastically.

Without hesitation, Ethan prepared orders to distribute the rewards among elite troops and selected commanders.

Strength shared was strength multiplied.

After arranging everything, Ethan sat down cross-legged and began digesting the remaining insight properly. Mana circulated calmly through his body while outside Blank territory continued operating under heavy defense preparations.

For several months, Blank remained peaceful.

But peace never lasted long in this world.

A few months later, devastating news struck the continent like thunder.

The ongoing peace talks between Humans and Demons had suddenly collapsed.

At first, rumors spread quietly through merchant networks and noble courts.

Then confirmation arrived.

Arcadia Empire received a sealed parcel.

And inside it was the severed head of a demon envoy.

The revelation shocked the entire world.

Envoys were sacred under war laws. Even enemies respected diplomatic immunity. Killing an envoy was considered an absolute declaration of hostility.

No one understood what had happened.

What could have angered the demons so much that they executed their own representative and sent the head back?

Or worse…

Who truly broke the agreement first?

Regardless of the truth, the result was immediate.

The Emperor of Arcadia was enraged.

Witnesses claimed his fury shook the imperial court itself.

Without waiting for prolonged debate, he issued a direct command.

War.

Full-scale war would begin regardless of opposing opinions.

Inside Blank Estate, Ethan read the report twice before placing it down slowly.

Even he looked slightly surprised.

“The appetite of the Empire is quite big, isn’t it?” he said calmly.

Rathlos, standing beside him with folded hands, nodded.

“This might be the very reason why other Empires did not conquer the Frontier,” Rathlos replied thoughtfully. “It almost feels as if they wanted this to happen.”

Ethan smiled faintly.

“If they knew it, how could the Emperor not know it?” he said. “It seems he was already prepared.”

His fingers tapped lightly against the table.

“I wonder what truly caused the talks to break apart.”

Rathlos also remained silent, unable to answer.

Some truths were buried far above their reach.

Fifteen days later, the answer came not through words but through marching armies.

Arcadia moved first.

Imperial banners rose across the western plains as massive military formations advanced toward demon territory.

The earth trembled beneath synchronized footsteps.

At the forefront marched the Knight Squadrons.

Each Knight Squadron consisted of five thousand knights.

But these were not ordinary soldiers.

Every single knight had reached at least the Master Realm. Their armor shone under enchanted reinforcement, and their disciplined formation moved like a single living entity.

At the head of every squadron stood Legendary Rank commanders whose presence alone suppressed the battlefield.

War horns echoed across valleys.

Supply caravans stretched endlessly behind the advancing army as Arcadia’s forces pushed deeper into Frontier territory. Long rows of armored wagons carried food, weapons, mana crystals, and medical supplies while engineers repaired damaged roads behind the marching troops. Dust rose constantly under thousands of synchronized footsteps.

From watchtowers and distant cities, civilians watched in fearful silence as Arcadia officially launched its offensive campaign. Some prayed for victory while others simply hoped the war would not reach their homes again.

Imperial forces advanced with overwhelming momentum.

The early phase of the war went entirely in Arcadia’s favor.

Demon scouting parties were crushed one after another. Several encirclements placed earlier by demon forces around Frontier regions were destroyed methodically. Knight squadrons moved with terrifying efficiency, cutting through resistance while Legendary commanders led direct assaults on fortified demon positions.

Victory reports arrived daily.

One battlefield after another fell under Arcadian control. Supply routes were restored, captured settlements were reclaimed, and demon forces appeared to retreat steadily toward deeper territories.

Morale within the imperial army rose rapidly.

Soldiers began believing that the demons were already weakened after previous conflicts. Even several generals started discussing a decisive victory if momentum continued.

The Empire celebrated early success.

But little did they know, the battlefield ahead had already been prepared.

As the army continued advancing, they reached a vast mountain valley that served as a natural passage toward the main war zone. The area appeared strangely quiet. Scouts reported reduced demon activity, and only scattered beast corpses were found across the terrain.

Many assumed the demons were fleeing.

The imperial command ordered the army to advance through the valley.

That decision became their mistake.

Without warning, the ground began to tremble.

At first it felt like distant thunder, but soon the shaking intensified. Massive shadows rose from beneath rocky ridges and hidden caverns surrounding the valley.

The demonic beasts that had seemingly thinned out suddenly appeared all at once.

Gigantic bodies emerged from both sides of the mountains.

They belonged to the Clan of Gluttony.

Belphor demons.

Monsters possessing behemoth-like bodies covered in dark swollen flesh. Their enormous mouths opened unnaturally wide, forming horrifying vortex-like maws capable of devouring anything before them. A violent suction force erupted from their throats, dragging soldiers, weapons, and even siege equipment toward them.

Entire formations lost balance instantly.

Horses screamed while armored knights struggled to hold their ground against the pulling force.

These were not ordinary demons.

Each Belphor clan demon possessed strength comparable to an Emperor Realm Knight. Though slightly inferior to Legendary Realm warriors individually, their monstrous durability and endless hunger made them terrifying opponents on a battlefield.

And the demons had deployed ten of them at once.

The valley instantly turned into chaos.

Imperial formations broke as soldiers were swallowed whole or crushed beneath massive limbs. Even elite knights found themselves struggling to penetrate the thick demonic flesh.

Legendary commanders rushed forward to stabilize the battlefield, unleashing powerful strikes that shook the mountains themselves. Several Belphor demons were wounded, yet their regeneration and relentless advance prevented quick victory.

The carefully prepared ambush achieved its purpose.

Arcadia’s unstoppable advance came to a halt.

For the first time since the war began, imperial forces were forced into retreat.The valley became known as the Empire’s first major defeat.

Smoke, blood, and shattered armor covered the battlefield as surviving troops regrouped beyond the mountain pass.

The war had changed.

What once looked like an easy offensive now revealed itself as a calculated trap laid patiently by the demon army.

And the Empire finally realized that the true battle had only just begun.

….