Crystal—that’s the name of this world.

This world shines as beautifully as crystal, yet beneath that glitter lies the same fragile weakness.

Every day in the Crystal World erupts with wars: Orcs versus Elves; Humans versus the Demon Race; Undead versus Angels… This world is vast, incredibly vast—vast enough for countless races to thrive here, yet also to hurt each other, to wage endless wars.

The Demon Race needs more land to solve overpopulation and production crises. Orcs, poor at farming, must plunder other races to survive. Human Champions crave the Overlord’s head for gold and power… In this absurd, mad era, even peace-loving Elves have raised their blades.

This is an age of madness.

And I—my name is Xia, the Overlord of the Demon Race.

“…Wait. Who told me only one squad of Champions was coming?”

Gazing at the dense human army in the distance, cold sweat broke out on my forehead instantly.

Forget counting those countless soldiers armed to the teeth; just the giant dragons soaring in the sky were enough to give me a headache.

“Let me count… one, two, three, four… oh dear. Four Dragon Knights. They really know how to flatter me.”

I grabbed a towel from Wuluwu beside me and wiped my brow, feeling a trace of unease.

Dragon Knights—one of the Human Empire’s strongest forces. Spotting even one or two on a major battlefield meant high stakes. Yet here stood four.

But that wasn’t all.

“One floating Battleship. Three floating frigates. Eight large floating gunboats… Who did I offend? What grudge is this deep?”

I clutched my forehead in pain. Of course, that was just a rough glance…

What? Those Griffin Knights swarming the sky? Can we talk about something cheerful instead…

“…Dark Lord, what’s wrong?”

Wuluwu, a young Sun Elf with golden hair, blinked at me with a puzzled frown—her full name was Wuluwu, but I called her Lulu for short.

“I’m just planning my escape route,” I replied sternly, staring at the human ranks. Then I turned to Wuluwu and sighed deeply.

“…Dark Lord, spit it out. And stop embarrassing yourself.”

Wuluwu glared, voice icy. After a pause, I muttered, “I’m worried my investments won’t pay off. Besides, no outsiders are here—how is this embarrassing?”

“Dark Lord, explain the first part properly. Hmm?”

The adorable Sun Elf girl beamed, but her sweet face couldn’t hide the magical energy crackling from her hands.

“Oh, let’s focus on practical things. Don’t waste energy on trifles.”

I turned away sulkily, ignoring Lulu’s golden killing intent. Honestly, in a real fight, I might lose to this kid…

“Master! The humans are rolling up weird things I’ve never seen! Are those weapons?”

Ona tugged my sleeve, pointing to the enemy front lines. Following her finger, I saw bulky armored beasts lumbering forward.

“…Siege tanks mass-produced!? Times really are getting harder…”

Standing atop the castle, watching tanks aim their cannons at our walls, I felt dizzy. I longed for wars centuries ago—no messy artillery or steel monsters, just pure magic and blade-to-blade combat.

“…Dark Lord, show some dignity.”

If outsiders saw me like this, they’d think I was helpless, waiting for the Champion to behead me. But Wuluwu and Cecilia knew better.

“No outsiders here. Stop playing around.”

“Tch. Can’t I have a little fun?”

I shrugged. The moment the words left my mouth, human tanks roared to life.

Artillery thundered.

“Gotta admit, these things are troublesome.”

I waved my hand imperiously. A massive Magic Shield flared before the castle, intercepting shells mid-air. Explosions bloomed like fiery flowers.

“Humans! Who gave you the right to challenge an Overlord’s dignity?”

My magically charged voice echoed, shaking the battlefield. Inexperienced soldiers panicked; even veterans scrambled to restore order. Chaos rippled through their ranks.

“Hmph! Just a cornered rat clinging to life!”

A righteous voice cut through my spell from the human center. Instantly, my hidden fear magic shattered. Panicked troops snapped back to focus.

“Tsk. Underhanded tricks.”

I clicked my tongue, glaring toward the enemy lines. If my eyesight held, that was a Warrior-class Champion.

A Warrior’s roar breaking an Overlord’s fear spell? Don’t kid me. Some Priest ally cast a calming spell, and a Warlock dispelled my magic—standard tactics. Just like how an Overlord’s roar always carries fear.

Heh. Such a show-off.

“Comrades! Today, we slay the Daytime Overlord! Our floating warships and Dragon Knights own the skies! Our allies have cut his retreat! Today, the Overlord falls!”

The sword-wielding Champion rallied his troops, as if advancing would make our castle crumble and drag me from my throne. My head would be their trophy, their bragging rights.

Naive.

I sneered.

If defeating an Overlord were truly just about air superiority and blocked retreats, my head would’ve been chopped off for drinking toasts countless times by now.