Chapter 3
Night before the battle
Clayman was the one who initiated the Walpurgis Banquet, but it was surprisingly simple why the rest of the Demon Lords accepted it .
Mainly because he’d found the most justified reason: 「The betrayal of the Demon Lord Karion」
His crime was the violation of the non-aggression pact within the Jura Great Forest Karion was then trialed and executed by Demon Lord Milim——At least, that’s what he explained to the other Demon Lords
Although it was obvious that those were just excuses, the rest of the Demon Lords did not object. Perhaps they had all planned to clarify the matter during the Banquet.
But by that time, the dust will already be settled.
Clayman has already planned everything.
He intends to buy some time before the Walpurgis Banquet to awaken as a True Demon Lord and receive its immense power.
Right now Milim is in his hand.
If the rest of the Demon Lords see him controlling Milim, they won’t dare to say a thing about Clayman.
That’s how he sees it.
That’s why failure is not an option in this operation.
He needs to finish it quickly before the other Demon Lords decide to intervene.
Clayman has also prepared another argument, just in case.
It is to expose the cause of this military operation overall——that is, the violation of the pact by Demon Lord Karion.
He has taken actions to collect evidence to support his case.
With all of these preparations, Clayman decides to flash his cards.
He will send the army out through Milim’s domain to invade Beast Kingdom Yuurazania.
The role of commanding officer is given to Clayman’s loyal servant Yamza.
He knows of Clayman’s true intent.
To achieve the goal of slaying more than ten thousand souls before the Walpurgis Banquet. For that cause Yamza marches with thirty thousand Majins under his command.
⃟ ⃟⃟⃟ ⃟
「Heh, what an annoying bunch. What did they mean by “Let’s cooperate”? Don’t underestimate us!」
A bold, strong man shouts angrily.
This is the city for people who worship the dragon (D: I will refer them as Worshippers of Dragons from here on). This man is the high priest of the temple in the city.
His name is Midley. He is the leader of those who worship Milim.
「But Midley-sama, if we don’t follow orders now, we’ll really suffer . Didn’t that commander named Yamza have a written order from Milim-sama herself?」
A servant hissing with a smile says to him.
His name is Hermes.
He is the close servant and assistant to high priest Midley, being a member of the priest group.
He’s always rather carefree and casual, so he may get easily categorized as the pretentious type of person.
Midley shouts out furiously in response, seemingly pissed off by Hermes’ attitude.
「Shut up Hermes. I don’t need you to tell me what I already know too well!」
Hermes, scolded harshly and seeing Midley so worked up, feels internally rather helpless in return.
That being said, he can relate to why Midley has become so enraged.
The reason is that the Majin group that was loitering within their borders since yesterday suddenly invaded this place——The Lost City of Dragon, and somehow started a camp here as if it is their own home.
They appear to be working for Demon Lord Clayman, and are marching towards Demon Lord Karion’s territory to investigate his violation of the pact.
They couldn’t have said no even if they wanted to.
Even though Midley is still furious, they genuinely can’t do anything about their situation.
And there is also a reason for that.
It happens that the person who decimated the Beast Kingdom Yuurazania of Demon Lord Karion is also the one they worship, Demon Lord Milim.
Since it’s related to their master, naturally they had to facilitate the gathering of evidence by Clayman’s men. Or rather, if they couldn’t find any evidence, it would only cause disadvantages for Milim.
But Milim probably won’t give a damn about it. It has however caused a big headache for people such as Hermes.
「For real though, Milim-sama sure is troubling…….」
Her stubbornness is truly something else. They deeply hope that Milim-sama can change a bit——even if it’s really just a little——to at least think for them. Hermes thinks to himself.
「That would be most disrespectful, Hermes! You can’t doubt Milim-sama’s actions.」
「No, you are right but…….」
It’s all because you spoiled her so much that I’m getting more and more work every day. Hermes thinks to himself. But he can’t say that since it will only enrage Midley more.
But we are in some serious trouble this time.
He complains to himself and starts recalling the different suffering they have been through.
Even though they are aware that the army would be requesting to pass through the land, their attitudes are decidedly arrogant in a way that really leaves a bad taste in the residents’ mouths.
The army didn’t pay any recognition to the Worshipers of Dragon at all and simply felt that their assistance is only natural at the time.
Their request is no different from orders.
The City of Lost Dragon where the Worshipers of Dragon reside has a population of less than a hundred thousand.
It does not contain any functions of a nation. The citizens help each other out and live together.
They were able to live peacefully under the protection of Demon Lord Milim without much military power.
At least that’s what those who are aware of this country usually think.
However, this understanding is only 50% correct.
Indeed, they don’t possess much political clout.
To be specific, everyone contributes their earnings to the central temple for the high priest to redistribute equally.
Normally, one would think there will be lazy people that will undermine the system, but in reality it’s different. The hard-working and the lazy get basic financial compensation. But apart from that, the hard-working people get to enjoy an additional bonus.
If we compare it to modern-day Japan, it will be the system where everyone has the basic welfare to ensure one’s living.
The issue with this system lies mainly on those who decide on the amount of compensation the people are given. However…. Milim has allowed Midley to handle everything in the area.
This is why he holds such authority that may even determine life or death. However, Midley has never abused it.
The reason for this is also simple: the assistant priest of Midley has the rights to abolish him.
If he ever becomes tyrannical and exploits his authority for his own desires, he will lose all of his status. Midley knows this very well and it’s why he never became a tyrant.
But in truth, MIlim has already taken the seat of a legitimate tyrant, so no one dares to imitate her.
Due to the reasons above , the thousands of worshippers are surprisingly united.
Besides that, there is another reason.
The belief held by the outside world that these people lack combat abilities…… is a complete misunderstanding.
For some reason, the worshipers of dragon are all individually equipped with strong physical capabilities.
Apart from their unity and discipline, an adult worshipper’s power is close to Rank C.
The fact that they are all pacifistic is not nearly as remarkable when acknowledging that they are, in fact, a difficult organization to handle that favours martial strength.
The priests possess even greater power than the rest. The evidence is that there’s only around a hundred party members.
Every member is an elite and a force to be reckoned with.
Everyday they pray to Milim——in forms of combat training——As a result, their combat capabilities are extraordinary.
Among them, Midley and Hermes can even request Milim as their sparring partner—— that is how strong they both are. But even so, Clayman’s subordinates still looked down to them all, which genuinely pissed them off.
Moreover, there’s a bigger secret that they’ve kept.
Which is——
The day after that,
Clayman’s subordinates took the worshippers’ food from their warehouse without permission.
Midley’s face is gradually bursting with his veins due to his anger, but he endured.
「By the way, why hasn’t Milim-sama returned?」
Midley asks, mainly in order to distract himself from his fury. .
「Only god would know, but why did you ask——?」
Hermes makes a random response. They’ve repeated this Q&A over a dozen times and the longer it goes, the more annoyed Hermes feels.
「We’ve prepared a great feast just for her……. Could Milim-sama be suffering of hunger at some place? 」
「N-No way.」
Hermes asserts.
He’s quite certain about the. Since the “great feast” Midley refers to is a large vegetable dish named 「The Platter of Nature’s Gifts」. It’s raw by the way.
Hermes secretly observed Milim’s expression when he’d dined with her when eating it.
She had no expression on her face, nor any emotional response. All she did was chewing.
No way was that a great feast. She didn’t appear to enjoy it one bit; or rather she looked as if she was trying her hardest to endure.
Hermes is certain of it.
When they’d served the roast meat, Milim had looked quite happy eating it, that was rather obvious.
But then when Hermes proposed this to Midley 「We should serve her cooked meal before the vegetables. Milim-sama would be very happy to have it!」
He got turned down with his suggestion.
Midley believes the direct ingestion of the rich products of nature would be the best serving——And so, Hermes was unable to change Midley’s mind.
This is why Milim-sama seldomly comes here.
Hermes really wants to speak his mind, but he’s in a disadvantageous position right now.
He has travelled through different countries and experienced delicious cuisines. In comparison, no other priests have had this kind of experience. Everyone believes the best food is always the natural ones. They will reject his proposal so long as they maintain this mindset. That’s why Hermes decided to give up on this matter.
「Is that so? That would be good then. But how dare that Clayman act all presumptuous and force MIlim-sama to write an order…... 」
The handwriting is terrible——Correction, the handwriting on the order is uniquely intriguing, it’s definitely Milim’s writing.
That’s why they’re forced to follow the order. But still, there’s a bottom line.
「Yeah, we had to comply because of Milim-sama’s order…….but now the third granary has also been emptied. That leaves seven left, we are gonna have a hard time until the next harvest…..」
「Damnit!」
Midley’s veins bursts on his bald head like a hami melon. You can tell with one look just how much fury he holds.
Hermes, who happens across this scene, finds it quite funny. He can only note that Midley is somewhat mentally unstable.
And in that instant, the source of their anger enters their sights——Clayman army’s commander walking towards them.
「*Smacks lips* ! Hermes, we need to endure for now.」
「Understood.」
That’s my line——Hermes thinks as he answers.
He hopes that guy will just pass them by, but unfortunately the man makes a beeline towards Hermes and the rest.
Both of them stop talking to wait for the man——Yamza, to approach them.
Yamza is the commanding officer of Clayman’s army and it wouldn’t be a lie to say that he is Clayman’s right hand man.
He looks rather light for his medium build, and is the type of fighter who focuses on speed.
Or rather, a swordsman. He is a top swordsman with swiftness beyond the wind.
He is equipped with the specially crafted Magic Frost Sword, gifted by Clayman. It can cast the elemental-based magic 「Great Storm of Ice and Water」without chanting.
The Magic Swordsman of Frost, Yamza——The A+ Majin who wields both sword and magic.
「Hehe, how are you, Midley-dono? Thank you for your support with rations; it really helped a lot. After all, I have thirty-thousand people to take care of here. No small amount of food could suffice.」
Yamza hangs a caring smile, yet such joyful expression is absent in his eyes. Instead, they are observing Midley’s reaction carefully.
He didn’t even bother to acknowledge Hermes’ presence with a glance. This is the usual attitudes for Majins who look down on human.
This truly makes him feel uncomfortable. But, Hermes has to endure under Midley’s order. There is no pointing arguing with Yamza anyway, so he will endure for now.
「Ha-ha-ha. What an honor for us to assist you. However, we really aren’t able to continue this favor. If our people are to suffer famine, MIlim-sama would be very sad.」
「What nonsense is this! That Demon Lord Milim acted on her and now my army has to clean up her mess. Besides, isn’t it only natural for you to maintain the friendship between our masters?」
Yamza became furious with just two lines of response from Midley. No, his anger is an act. He’s trying to see Midley’s response to his pretended fury.
If Midley is to lose his temper and argues back, Yamza would exploit this matter and burn down the city. It is quite obvious.
「Ah ah, my apology. I accidentally had some selfish thoughts. We’ll help you with everything we’ve got, so please don’t be generous with us and speak up your mind.」
In order to quench Yamza’s anger, Midley bows his body and bow to him.
Hermes feels immense respect towards Midley having witnessed this. After all, Yamza has already revealed his true intent yet Midley did not even show a sign of anger on his face.
He simply smiled and replied.
Impressive, sasuga Midley-sama. Now his head doesn’t look like a homi melon at all. If it’s me I’d lose my temper already.
Hermes thinks to himself, but then…..
「Is that so? But I was expecting that. But since there is no issue for us to wipe out the Beast Kingdom alone, we want to gift you with the opportunity to assist us. Would it pose any problem if you are to handle the transportation of our resources?」
Yamza gives off a evil smirk after finishing his words and caused Hermes to argue back unconsciously.
「W-wait a second! It’s enough that you rob our food, now you want to take out labor as well——」
He didn’t intend to resist. He simply slipped his thought out.
Immediately after, Hermes feels tremendous pain flowing from his left hand.
「AHHHHH!」
「Shut your mouth, human trash!」
Yamza squeezes his eyes ruthlessly. His cold eyes meet with Hermes’ for the first time.
Hermes bites his teeth hard and stares back at Yamza while holding onto his severed hand.
「——Ho, aren’t you the rebel? Looks like you are begging me to finish you off.」
Yamza gives off a cruel smile and points his blood-stained sword towards Hermes.
You bastard, don’t get ahead of yourself——
Hermes wants to shout with fury, yet he was hit by a strong impact force as if he’s been crashed by a beast.
It was from a kick.
Midley initiated a powerful kick against Hermes’ abdomen.
「Haha, we are truly sorry for the continuous offense, Yamza-sama. I’ll scold this idiot myself and educate him better in the future. Please forgive him for my sake.」
Midley bows and pleads towards Yamza.
「Huh. It’s so hard to look after moronic subordinates. I’ll let you off the hook this time. We are setting off tomorrow morning. All of you priest should go and prepare yourselves!」
Thanks to Midley’s intervention was the situation salvaged and Yamza sheathed his sword. However, it came at a heavy price. The leaders that are the priest of the Worshippers of Dragons has been forced into conscription.
Yamza left with the line and walked away without a care.
They weren’t planning to conscript the worshippers to war, but only the priests who are capable of restoration magic. And because Hermes couldn't restrain himself, it went the way Yamza wanted.
When Yamza left, Midley begins to heal Hermes while sighing.
「You idiot, didn’t I just tell you to stay quiet?」
「Sorry, I couldn’t help myself and….」
Hermes holds tight onto his severed hand as Midley applies treatment.
WIth the effect of holy magic 「Healing Sickness」, Hermes’ hand is restored to its original shape. But he’s not feeling quite well after losing too much blood. But since Hermes would later apply 「Stamina Regeneration」on himself, it won’t be an issue.
「It’s alright. At least the people won’t have to suffer for now at the cost of the Priest group. Speaking of which, that man——」
The suppressed anger of his now write all over Midley’s face as he stares viciously towards the direction Yamza left.
「——he dares to harm the properties of Milim-sama.」
He’s talking about Yamza cutting off Hermes’ hand.
Midley expresses his anger towards such unforgivable violent acts, yet he’s acting oblivious towards kicking Hermes just now.
Hold on a second, your iron kick was quite deadly too….
But all in all, Hermes knew Midley didn’t mean any harm so he won’t complain about it. After all, Midley is Milim’s follower, he’s just as simple-minded.
In fact, not only Midley, it’s what the entire nation is like…..
「Huh, that’s right, can I kill him?」
「Idiot, you are no match for him.」
The proposal is instantly rejected, but Midley has a point.
As Midley just said, Hermes has no chance against Yamza.
「You’re right I suppose. That sword is rather difficult to deal with, and the man seems to have concealed other secrets as well.」
「Hmm, no wonder that asshole is Clayman’s right hand man. He won’t show his strength if not required. But a man should fight justly…..」
No, that sounds really stupid you know——Hermes thinks to himself. But his thought is not mainstream in this country at all.
He is forced to agree, then returned to finish his work. The sudden change of plan to set off tomorrow leaves a lot of business to pile up for him to deal with.
The morning of the other day soon follows——
The Walpurgis Banquet will be held two days later, Clayman’s army is again, commencing its invasion operation.
⃟ ⃟⃟⃟ ⃟
The meeting is over and it’s the next day’s morning.
I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m feeling the drowsiness.
But that’s just mental tiredness, I’m in fact more lively as ever.
I don’t have to sleep, which makes things convenient for me during time like this.
Souei contacted me after yesterday’s meeting.
His real self came for the meeting but his clones made from 「Shadow Clone」 have been travelling in the border of the Beast Kingdom to help him collect intels.
Souei’s five subordinates including Souka have been quite active as well, helping us collecting many intelligences.
Clayman’s army that we’ve been on guard against has not made a move yet.
They’ve been looking for appropriate locations to deploy our ary. A question arose however.
The Beast Kingdom residents seeking refuge have been spread across the place. In order to rescue them, we seem to run short on time whichever direction we decide to march towards. The attacking route taken by Clayman has put us in disadvantage.
《There is a solution. Transport the refugees to a specific location altogether. This would improve the efficiency.》
Oh, I see.
Hmm, indeed it’s right.
Is not as if the army is the only viable subjects of teleportation.
I could utilize 「Dimension Domination」to teleport wherever I want, so I can instantly teleport towards the locations of Souei’s clones, Souka and the rest. There I can open a new 「Teleportation」to transport and gather the refugees to a specific location.
That’s how it is, now I’ve got more work to do after the meeting.
I need to send Geld’s troop first to build up camp for the refugees.
The destination of the teleportation is the capital of Beast Kingdom, which has been wiped out by Milim.
The location has become a wide plain of wasteland which makes it extra eye-catching. However, it’s perfectly suitable to accommodate a huge army.
After I’ve inspected the gatherings and transport the refugees.
I’ve finished transporting everyone last night, which is why I’m worn out at the moment.
——With that being said, it’s still just tiredness in the mental level.
Luckily I had Phobia by my side so the refugees weren’t resisting.
And Phobia was worn out by it as well.
Upon departing he even said: 「Why do you seem so carefree with all these continuous teleportations……? And these type of massive scale teleportation magic….. This is just too much——」and he looked at me like some sort of monster, what a rude guy.
Of course I am tired as well.
In this way, Geld has built the marching tents for the war. The exhausted Phobia is now resting in one of them.
Oh, yeah, Phobia is not the point of discussion here.
Our army needs to get prepared as well. I’ve got to send them off with glory.
I move to the plaza that has yet to be completed.
That was prepared by Rigurdo overnight.
Although he worked all night like me, he’s still running around with livelihood.
I should call Rigurdo back and let him go assist Geld.
And speaking of work, I still have to send the people here to the camp at Beast Kingdom.
When all of these are settled, I’ll need to think through the details in preparations for the Walpurgis Banquet the day after tomorrow.
After arriving at the plaza, I see the soldiers have been waiting there already in order.
These are the ten-thousand Beastmen army led by the Beastketeers——Sophia and Anubis. The units don’t really have standard issued equipments, but it can’t really be helped. Since their equipments are spares ones from us that have been abandoned due to their repair.
And most of the beastmen are also capable of 「Beastilization」, so it is much more convenient than having them wear a full set of armor.
My subordinates are listed along with them to travel as reinforcement.
As compared to our battle against Charybdis, their scale and combat abilities have all increased greatly.
Benimaru discovered that I’ve arrived and came standing next to me.
It seems he has caught the chance to explain to me about everyone’s evolution condition.
Following my evolution, everyone also experienced changes.
「Voice Of the world」mentioned that it will gift blessings to mamonos with connections to my soul and those mamonos that are named by me seem to fall under that category.
According to the survey around the town, they seem to have experienced significant changes.
Here is what Benimaru said:
「After the survey with the town folks we got the following results, the male constituents have gained more stamina and strength while the female constituents’ skins became smoother, plus their appearance become more beautiful. I don’t really care about that point——no actually, this may sound pretty weird but their vitality seems to have increased——」
Benimaru was able to update me on the condition of the residents as everyone else is moving in formation. Some people seem to have transform younger in appearance. Everyone is very grateful about it.
But they are all non-combatants. So they only need to watch over the town this time instead of the joining the march.
So, let’s talk about the main combat forces.
Some combatants have gained skills, and since every corp has their unique features, the skills they gained seem range all over the place as they were assigned them based on the features of their combat unit.
I’m really looking forward to seeing them in action.
And now let’s check on the veteran forces.
The Goblin riders unit is under the leadership of Captain Gobta.
They are Hobgoblins who ride the star wolf race which requires a certain set of conditions to trigger the evolution.
Are they really Hobgoblins?
Their race is indeed Hobgoblin, but their nature doesn’t seem to fit under the race.
These guys seemed to have gained a rare skill, Extra Skill 「Unification」.
This skill is not just a simple metaphor for the rider and its ride, but it’s in fact a real merger skill. In order words, once the skill 「Unification」is activated, they would become powerful fighter that runs at high speed on four legs.
Their combined strength after unification is approximately Rank A.
The ability is specialized in battling a single enemy, that’s why its combat rank does not reach Rank A. But with that being said, its combat ability is still outstanding. If several groups of its users fight together, they may stand a chance against a Rank A majin.
Since the goblin riders are good at teamwork.
They are most reliable in high speed communication and on top of that, have endured much harsh training. After all, they’ve been personally trained (fucked) by Hakurou.
One can imagine the horrifying sight of such a corp being mobilized in group of hundreds.
They are likely very different from the combat rank assigned by the humans, so I’m very much looking forward to the performance of these fighters.
And up next are Benimaru’s subordinates.
Since I’ve become the leader of Jura Forest, the combat capabilities of these Mamonos have increased drastically.
Especially the Ogre race that have around three hundred personals.
The ones with impressive fighting capabilities among them are all young lads who were born from the village that sought help from me initially. They seem to have been blessed with evolution due to their admiration for Benimaru and the others.
It’s really quite surprising.
Some of them joined in voluntarily, among them joined as named fighter already. Their strength can rival that of Lower Majin, which make them quite reliable fighters.
The wild, unintelligent ogre has already reached Rank B before they joined. And now they are all equipped well and have learnt skills.
No way they aren’t strong.
These people formed Benimaru’s personal bodyguards, named 「Kurenai」13
This is a combat group with individual strength up to Rank A-.
And now let’s see the constituents of the vanguards led by Benimaru.
There are roughly four thousands hobgoblins who have all undergone intriguing evolution.
They’ve gained 「Flame Control」and 「Heat Change Resistance」, therefore turning into elemental fire.
A rather surprising change.
Their individual rank is B, the same as the special attack force that focuses on strong attack power.
And since all of these hobgoblins have green skins, all of their names are related to green.
I can’t imagine anyone to name them with these names, I really hope he’d had a better vision for the future.
《Answer. Master was the one who named them.》
I know already!
I can’t believe someone would tease me. So annoying!
It’s really because I didn’t think that much in the past.
The evolution of Mamono is truly amazing.
And since the members are all named after the colour green, the corp’s name is also named the Green Corps.
Life is all about being simplistic~
Since it was Benimaru’s subordinates, I wanted to use red as their but green is profound in its own way. The members all have fire attacks unlike the color of their skins. It should create a surprise for the opponents, so it would do just fine.
I need to dye their equipments green as well and give them chances to display their strength.
And further down I saw Geld’s troops that have formed two lines of wall with the Green Corps.
The orcs’ evolution also came in group.
Everyone obtained Extra Skill 「Superhuman Strength」 and 「Iron Wall」which serve to fortify their bodies. The captains additionally the Extra Skill 「Earth Manipulation」 that enables them to manipulate soil at will.
These are the new skills Geld mentioned before. They seem to be very useful in the mass-production of trenches.
And everyone also gained Extra Skill 「Full-Body Fortification」that makes the corp structure to focus on defense capabilities.
Furthermore, they’ve inherited most of my resistance. Besides 「Physical Attack Resistance」, they also gained 「Pain/Corrosion/Electricity/Paralysis Resistance」.
The complete version of the shield that I gifted to Cabal once, the Charybdis Scale Shield has been crafted to achieve special grade in terms of quality and possess defense capability against Magic.
In other words, they can now resist both physical and magical attacks.
I also genuinely considered helping them gain poison resistance with Shion’s cooking…. But I should probably give up that though…..
Sigh, if only could I get another batch of Charybdis scales. Garm has finished processing the final product so Kurobe could replicate them in large quantities. I really appreciate these professional craftsmen.
Now we are able to turn them into a strong corp with individual rank reaching B. If all of its members can special grade equipments, they would easily surpass the standards of a normal army.
They can be said to be an overpowered corp of defensive force.
It has five thousand members in total.
And with more and more volunteers joining, the number continues to grow.
They would handle construction projects in daily lives and turn into a strong legion if encounter any emergency.
Who are capable of resisting all sorts of attack that can be said to be the legion of Iron Wall.
——The Yellow Corps, would be the official name of this legion.
Behind them are the some hundred dragonoids led by Gabil.
The Dragonoids already possesses very high racial attributes. And it is natural that they are up to Rank A.
With my blessings, the blood of dragon has been awakened more thoroughly. They’ve gained the intrinsic skill of 「Dragon Warrior Conversion」.
They also get to choose either 「Black Flame Fog」or 「Black Lightning Fog」, and thus gained an additional range attack ability.
Gabil is able to use both skills, very impressive!
And so I’m only not sure about what 「Dragon Warrior Conversion」is.
《Answer. Intrinsic Skill 「Dragon Warrior Conversion」is——》
Ah, no need to explain.
I already know I can’t use that skill, so there’s no use hearing the explanation.
I just hope that they would be able to use this skill well. But I trust Gabil and the rest would work hard on their own to figure out the skills themselves. There’s no point in gaining power without hardwork. Or at least that’s how I see it.
Eh, so what about me?
I have the ultimate skill 「Wisdom King Raphael」. I’ll be fine against any challenge with the aid of Raphael.
Raphael is my power, so in some sense, it is the equivalent of me working very hard. That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to say I’ve not slacked one bit in terms of effort.
And that would be it. I hope Gabil-kun and his partners could learn to use that skill well before the next crisis strike! Even though it’s a bit irresponsible on my part, I still hope they would work hard on it.
Just saying, but what a waste it is for these subordinates to serve Gabil..
They are all able to fly, making their fog attack from the sky hard to defend against.
Their racial attributes granted tham many innate resistances.
They were born with hardened scale that’s hard as steel and equips chest piece crafted with magical steel.
Weaker attack, whether with sword or magic won’t be able to pierce through it.
They have an overwhelming advantage already given their flying capability and now they also get the body of defense.
They are the assault squad possessing the trinity of speed, attack and defense.
So I’ve officially named them 「Hiryuu」14
They only have around hundred members, yet they are the strongest troop in our nation.
The ones standing in the last row are the newly appointed troops.
These troops are my personal bodyguards.
And the one leading them is Shion.
Structurally, it consists around a hundred members who were all previously resurrected.
Some of them used to be children and they were able to age quickly to their adolescence. There’s no doubt that their regrets of not being able to fight back during the riot has prompted them to evolve…… They gained the following skills, Extra Skill 「Perfect Memory」 and 「Automatic Regeneration」.
The two skills accommodate each other well.
Since they have 「Perfect Memory」, even if their head gets blown off, their memory would still remain intact in their astral body. And as long as they activate 「Automatic Regeneration」during this period, they would be able to save themselves with the possibility of getting revived.
To be honest, they’ve gained the impressive regenerative ability that was also displayed by the Orc Disaster.
Now if they somehow evolved 「Automatic Regeneration」 to 「Super Regeneration」, they would almost have an unkillable body.
There are in total a hundred of them. But it’s honestly rather repulsive.
Apart from that, they’ve become quite arrogant having obtained fierce speed of regeneration, and are able to survive Shion’s hellish special training at ease.
By the way, someone even said 「What’s to worry about it since we won’t die!」. it came from a little girl who was just a kid recently….. I’m really speechless towards that.
I’m not sure if I should scold her or encourage her.
Right now they are only around Rank C, but I have a feeling that they would become the strongest unit in our nation.
The name of the squad is 「Shikokushu」（Yomigaeri 蘇り）15
“Shikoku” has the meaning of overcoming death. It is a good match to them.
And that’s about it, the above is all of the report.
With the changes brought by my evolution as well as their own efforts afterward, they have achieved fruitful results and made a magnificent display of their strength.
At first I thought they’ve only gained some combat capabilities.
Yet now this army with less than ten thousand soldiers can easily take down those standard army.
They are greatly outnumbered by the Falmas army I eliminated, yet their abilities are far above them.
Ehh, what a surprising result from the report.
Their only weakness is their small number, I’d have to slowly increase after assessing our national power carefully. But ten thousand should be sufficient for a standing army.
Besides, there are still reserved forces in the town that are responsible for defense.
It is a troop assembled by the residents of the Jura Great Forest.
The difference is still too large, so I didn’t allow them to join in the battle. But it’s possible to turn them into a combat force after more trainings in the future.
That matter would have to wait for another day.
This concludes the report brought by Benimaru.
⃟ ⃟⃟⃟ ⃟
By the way, it’s quite a majestic sight when all ten thousand subordinates are lined up.
There are also ten thousand Beastmen warriors.
The two armies with a total of twenty thousand personnel quietly await their moment to march.
Shion’s 「Shikokushu」are acting now as my personal bodyguards, so I’ve told to stay out of the army for now. Instead they would be watching over their base this time, so it would only lead to nuisances if they line up along the rest.
「Rimuru-sama, everything is ready.」
Rigurdo arrives and reports to me.
I really need to thank him for ordering all these without rest.
And Rigurdo would respond「That’s too kind of you——」and gives a satisfied smile.
Alright, the preparation is done. It’s time for some 「Teleportation」.
「Ah, Anubis-san——」
「You can call me Anubis, Rimuru-sama.」
Anubis responded to me like that.
And I was hoping to act more politely, but it did the opposite effect and caused her to panic. I suppose I would be more straight-forward then.
「I see, Anubis. We’ve gathered all of your companions in the other side, please inform them of the results of our meeting. I’d bet Phobia is formating the troops there, so I’ll leave the rest to you!」
「Understood. We will never forget your kindness.」
Anubis bows deeply to me, followed by Sophia as well as the rest of the Beastmen.
I got the sudden pressure of having forced others into submission. But I endured my feelings, after all, these are gestures of their gratitudes.
「Rimuru-sama has helped us so much. Now we can be relieved of our concerns and beat the crap out of Clayman’s people. Please allow us to resolve your grievances with Clayman in your place!」
Sophia says so and laughs.
What a beauty indeed, but her expression is quite scary.
Anubis seems to agree to her along those words and also shows a scary expression with killing aura all over the place. The two seem to be saying that they are all hyped up for the havoc they are going to cause.
There are twenty thousand Beastmen in total, perhaps they don’t really need reinforcement… Actually, the more the people the better.
If we consider their army alone, they would still lose to Clayman’s army in terms of number.
With the addition of my reinforcement, the united army reaches thirty thousand men like Clayan’s army.
We have the same number of soldiers and the advantage of higher quality of soldiers.
The problem is however…..
「Right Benimaru, is there any problem with the attack plan?」
I’ve run around for the entire yesterday to gather all the Beastmen and had Benimaru showed them the attack plan again.There were no major changes, but if I take out the part concerning the refugee groups that were distracting the enemies, some modifications to the details must be made.
「Hmm, there is no problem. Since Clayman’s target is the citizens of the Beast Kingdom, active retreats would definitely be effective, right?」
Benimaru responds so with a smile that bears cunningness.
Hmm, I also think it’s a good method. There is no need for them to clash head on and results in casualty.
「Yes. I’ve discussed with Benimaru-san. Right now we still have time to switch battlefield, so we may commence our attack later——」
Anubis follows through as well while playing her golden khakkhara16 and begins to discuss the attack plan delightfully.
Everything seems alright.
If Clayman couldn’t get what he wanted before the Walpurgis Banquet, he would definitely take it out on his subordinate.
And if the commander gets desperate and begins to act recklessly in fear of Clayman’s fury, we would really gain more advantage through it.
「——The troops would be allocated near the entrance of Jura Great Forest. That wasteland was once my hometown. Today it is the site of the fallen orc kingdom Obic, where my breatherens are buried.」
Geld says so almost with a hidden sentiment of hatred.
That kingdom was destroyed due to Clayman’s conspiracy, and now it will be the location of the final battle.
The writing was on the wall all these times, could this be karma in work?
The attack plan is very simple.
We will have the refugees pretending to escape into the Jura Great Forest and have our forces confront the pursuing enemies face-on.
That’s it.
「Wisdom King Raphael」 has assisted me to perfectly simulate the battle scenario in my head. With the input of the informations and descriptions given by Souei’s party, I am able to create a sketch, that is very similar to the reality, of the blueprints of future events.
And through my 「Telepathy Net」, I was able to transfer this information to everyone for their convenience in grasping the situation.
We initially planned to bait the enemies while protecting the refugees to retreat, and then surround and eliminate them. And with the modification of the plan, the faster moving crowds will now act as baits. This has lowered the risks of individual party getting defeated. It is natural then that it will significantly increases the chances of success of the plan.
The key is to lure the enemies deep into the forest to eliminate.
I wasn’t planning to kill them all, but to let some escape. But it would be troublesome if they regroup and fight back.
I suppose I’ll do this one through and through.
「Benimaru, you know what to do, right?」
「Of course. I’ll show them living hell so they’ll never dare to have the thought of opposing us.」
Benimaru answers with a delightful smile.
Ah, that is the expression of no mercy for enemies.
「Kill them all, Benimaru!」
「Kufufufufu. If you don’t take out the trash early, it may stink in the future.」
Shion and Diablo encourages Benimaru loud.
Encouragement——The word seems mildly inappropriate here, but I digress.
Those two also want to join the battle. They sure are war fanatic, but unfortunately, it’s not happening this time.
Shion would stay along my side to prepare for the Walpurgis Banquet.
Diablo would set out later to conquer Falmas.
This is why they won’t be able to take part in this battle.
I’ll leave the rest to Benimaru and wait for the good news.
「Alright, report to me immediately if anything happens. I’ll send you guys in now, you must achieve victory!」
「「「YES SIR——! WE SHALL ACHIEVE VICTORY FOR YOU!」」」
Several lines of sights were laid on me.
I glance through the crowds with my golden eyes and initiated the magic circle.
I’ve practiced this several times last night and grown quite familiar with it.
A giant magic circle appears on the ground where the twenty-thousand men army stands and it begins to stack from bottom to top.
There are several layers of geometric patterns within the square that appeared, I can understand none of it.
It truly causes a lot of magicules and concentration trying to teleport twenty thousand men at the same time. My magicules are depleting gradually, but it seems sufficient when I count it.
But with that being said, I’ve stored up too much magicules.
Around five minutes passed since.
Everyone has been standing still for the teleportation magic circle to be completed.
Afterward, as the square travels above everyone’s head, in an instant——A blinding bright light appears and the army disappears entirely.
The teleportation has ended. It seems I’ve successfully sent everyone away.
By the way, I got super scared initiating this for the first time last night.
After all, it shone such a bright light at midnight. It got me all spooked worrying it might have been spotted by Clayman’s army.
After which I used smoke screening magic to cover up the light of the magic circle.
Everything has a chance to fail, so I should never get careless.
This time there is no need to hide the light, so I get to witness the spectacle.
「Sasuga Rimuru-sama, what a beautiful spell!」
「Indeed, its sight alone had me mesmerized!」
Diablo begins to praise me with Shion, unwilling to miss out, starting to flatter me.
Diablo seems to like magic a lot.
Perhaps we will discuss more about magic after the dust is settled with the issue at hand. He may know some magic I’ve never heard of.
And Shion, I need to be careful about her getting jealous of people around me.
It will be really troublesome if she tries to mess with others.
I think so while nodding to the two, then proceed to leave the location.
After everyone has left, Veldora who seems to be bored come strolling to me.
After which he starts to make some idiot talks.
「Rimuru, why don’t you let me go beat the crap out of them?」
Of course this guy didn’t hear a thing I said.
「Didn’t I tell you already! You need to keep your thing a secret before the Walpurgis Banquet! If you go on a rampage there, you will be exposing us right there!」
「GA——HAHA, oh yeah, there’s that. I happened to forget about it.」
You’d better be!
Mister Give me headache.
Would it work if I give him a bunch of more mangas beforehand?
I’m still concerned that he may mess something up.
I gotta find someone to keep an eye on him.
Later this noon, Youmu and his party also went on their journey.
I’ve told them to chat a lot about the resurrection of Veldora on their way to Falmas. And also have them spread the news in all the villages to let the rumor spread out.
The reason behind is very obvious, to let Clayman get hold of it.
I really hope this news reach him soon, I thought so as I sent them out.
Diablo told me: 「Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.」How low are you looking down on Falmas Kingdom? That actually caused me to worry about him. But I’ll leave it to him.
Everyone would encounter failure at some point, it won’t be late to consider things when it happens.
After that, Gazel also returned to Dwargon. His ministers seem to have be furious so he went back in panic……Something must have gone wrong with his body double.
You could imagine that.
I swear not to follow his footstep. So I need to plan everything perfectly
With that thought circling in my mind, I saw Gazel off.
Another day passed.
According to the message sent by Benimaru, they were successfully teleported to their destination.
However, this doesn’t mean everything would be smooth-sailing onward.
The thirty-thousand men army as well as the refugee were very restricted in terms of movement. Even if they are all strong beastmen unlike humans and the arrival time to the destination won’t be prolonged for long, still….
No need to worry, I’ve already planned out solutions.
「Just like that, I’ve prepared the area for reception, so we can teleport the non-combatants back to the town in Tempest Federation. 」
I pat on Benimaru’s shoulder as I finish my sentence.
「Oh yeah….. You can do that….」
Benimaru gives a look that says 「Why didn’t I realize that earlier」 and sighs.
No no no, this type of teleportation spell would consume a lot of my magicules. And the more people there are the more magicules it costs.
I didn’t have much strength left after teleporting the twenty thousand people yesterday. I can’t spam the spell too much, so it hasn't been a waste of time.
Besides, this spell has some brand new elements that may topple common senses. I would definitely come up with ways to actively exploit this in the battlefield. Furthermore considering that there is probably very few people who can cast this type of large scale magic, we thus will turn the table around and have the advantage.
Anyhow, after sending everyone off yesterday, Rigurdo has since finished preparing the location for the refugee to spend the night. So I only intend to teleport them back.
That’s how it is, to teleport everyone back as soon as possible.
They are also coping quite well. Those who are teleported back got used to it very quickly. No one showed any sign of distress, that’s impressive.
I told Rigurdo to lead everyone here.
And I can continue to work on a certain something left over from yesterday.
I hope I could get this done on time with the Walpurgis Banquet and pray there wouldn’t be any emergency.
⃟ ⃟⃟⃟ ⃟
Everything has been smooth-sailing since and the day of Walpurgis Banquet has finally arrived.
I finished the work at hand before lunch and enter the final stage after noon.
I finally got a breath as I seem to have caught up in time.
「Rimuru, this is….」
「How about it, isn’t it amazing?」
「You are a genius!」
Who are you by the way…… to put my question aside, I don’t have time with her.
I need to rest myself well for the night.
That’s why, Ramiris, I’m gonna ignore your silly talk.
As such, I finished my lunch and entered the final stage of work.
I put the finalized product in my 「Stomach」 and head to the Dryad residence where Treyni-san lives.
Veldora also wanted to follow, but I told him to endure it for now. Although it’s unlikely, I left him there in case the town goes under attack.
Right now, the town of Tempest Federation is under the protection of Veldora’s 「Barrier」. It can also prevent Clayman’s eavesdrop, but it will be problematic if the barrier is removed.
I told him to bring him out next time, and I, Ramiris and Treyni-san set out.
I feel kind of sorry for him, however, I did tell Beretta to stay with Veldora.
He definitely would be handled like a servant, so I also feel sorry for Beretta. I’ve got to compensate him next time.
Like that, we activated 「Dimension Manipulation」 and changed location.
As I arrive at the residence, I see the insect Mamono Apito and Zegion.
When I first rescued Apito, it was around fifty centimeters long. Now it has grown healthily to fifty centimeters. It makes me happy seeing it is able to grow up healthily.
The other one, Zegion, has grown to around seventy centimeters. It seems to have grown quite strong now that the lower Mamono won’t even dare to mess with it.
It seems that no mamono around here could beat Zegion, its strength is rather mysterious. I once told it to not be stubborn in battle, so he shouldn’t have fought any uncertain battle.
Zegion is aware of his limitation unlike Gobta or Gabil who would get cocky everytime they improve. Zegion is a very reliable individual.
Apito happily approached us after discovering me and gifted me some hone.
Thanks, this is an amazing medicine! Knowing so, I gotta take a bite fast.
Honey is the perfect solution to smooth tiredness.
As expected of the super rare and effective medicine that would cure anything illness.
「R-Rimuru, wait up——no, Rimuru-san? I have something to ask you…..」
Ramiris starts to ask me with an anxious tone.
「What’s wrong?」
「T-that insect, wouldn’t it be a legion bee...right?」
「No idea, I don’t know.」
「No idea.. I mean, are you seriously——!」
Ramiris is greatly shocked by it, so what if it is a legion bee?
「Rimuru-sama, as that sama has mentioned, I am the highest ranked breed among the Legion Bees, the Queen Bee. If you so desire, shall I summon my subordinates?」
Oh oh, that sounds cool. But there’s no need for that right now.
「You can summon them when this residence is in danger. If you want to find your more of your companions, you can discuss that with Treyni-san and then summon.」
「There is no need. Then I won’t summon them now.」
Apito flaps its wing and left happily with a “Buzzzzz” sound.
That buzz sound sounds both beautiful and cruel, and seem to be able to cut people in half with just its sound. Could it be that the Legion Bees are some type of dangerous mamono?
——N-no way, right? Apito has been collecting honey for me, how can it be dangerous?
Besides there is Zegion.
Zegion bows to me in silence and follows Apito away.
It really has some celebrity like style, resembling a lot to an insect king.
It may even grow stronger and evolve. I’ll invite him to be my subordinate by that time.
I turn back to see Ramiris all speechless with Treyni-san comforting her.
「You were right, it says it’s a Legion bee. And it seems to be a queen as well!」
I try to talk to Ramiris.
「I heard it too! Seriously, you…….Uhh, never mind. Your ability seems to have no bound. Speaking of that, the other one also seems…no, there’s no way…..」
Etc, she begins to say some bizarre things.
It’s annoying trying to get in her head, plus there’s no time, so i won’t put this on my mind.
Whatever Ramiris says is probably not important, probably.
We’ve reached our destination.
Below the core of Treyni-san——The Giant Spirit Tree.
I take out the completed work from my 「Stomach」.
As for what it is, it’s actually a dark orb.
There is no light reflecting on it nor is there any shining from it. However, this object carries certain power.
Its usage would be…...
Treyni-san——to be more accurate, Dryads, are the offspring of fairies. They are spiritual life form that gained their bodies by merging with trees. This created their physical bodies that are made up of magicule, which allows their astral body to possess and leave at will.
But no matter how they do it, their core remains within the forest, that is the Great Spirit Tree.
It would seem that the location of Walpurgis Banquet is set in a special dimension where Treyni-san may be rejected from entering. Considering that,I decided to operate a big surgery to free her core from its restrain.
Unlike Beretta, who doesn’t possess a body in the physical world, Treyni-san has one. That’s why in order for her to possess onto a new body, I need to transfer the core of her current body to the new one.
With a new core that is, I’ve got that part covered.
I am able to produce 「Holy Magic Core」17 under special conditions and with the necessary ingredients. The orb I just took out is the vessel for the「Holy Magic Core」.
To explain these, it is like extracting the magicule stone from a mamono and getting rid of the magicules in it. It is very hard to turn it into one without any attribute, I failed several times before success. And I spent the day before collecting the necessary ingredients for creating this vessel.
In order to create 「Holy Magic Core」, I need to balance the holy aura and monster aura within the vessel.
If it’s for Beretta, you only need to take the same amount of both before reversing their properties. But it won’t work on Treyni-san.
That’s why, apart from the holy aura inserted to the vessel by Treyni-san, I need to control and release the same amount of monster aura into it.
Come on, 「Wisdom King Raphael」. It’s time for your operation.
Once it begins, Treyni-san, without hesitation, transfers her holy aura into the vessel. Meanwhile, I insert the monster aura.
This is a delicate operation that we are both following through.
The Great Spirit Tree begins to gradually wither as it loses its life force. It is this moment that the orb starts to glow and distinguish in a cycle.
It is just like heart-beats.
Light and shadow interweave.
Afterward——
The orb begins to gives off a hazy green glow.
It is the ignition of the fire of life.
《Announcement. Mixed in individual name: Treyni’s Attributes, 「Holy Magic Core」creation successful.》
As predicted.
「We did it. From now on this orb would be Treyni-san’s core.」
「Thank you, Rimuru-sama!」
「Thanks, Rimuru! Now we can bring Treyni along without a problem!」
「Yeah, we should. But, speaking of that…...」
Now she won’t get cut off from communicating with her core, now would she be missing when we enter a different dimension. But I still think there’s something missing.
「Treyni-san, since this tree was your core, do you mind if I take it?」
「Of course, please use it as you wish.」
I express my thanks and begin to execute the idea I just came up with.
「What are you doing?」
「Hehe, just sit and watch!」
I begin to cut down the woods and process it into shape.
These are parts of a highly simulated humanoid doll.
「Ohoh, OHOHOHOH! Could it be that you want to——!!」
Ramiris has seen my process of producing Beretta and seems to have realized my intent.
That’s right, I’m utilizing the Great Spirit Tree that was affected by Treyni-san’s magic to create a temporary body for her.
Like that, three hours passed.
I finally finish making the doll since afternoon.
I’ve strengthened it with 「Magical Steel」in the inside and polished the wood that it’s its appearance. It is surprisingly comfortable on the hand and it’s very much near completion.
「Ohoh, could this be….」
Treyni-san who seldom shows surprise looks rather shocked
「Right, isn’t it a fine job? If you don’t mind, you can use this as your body.」
There’s no need to ask for an answer.
Ramiris is overjoyed and started to hurry Treyni to try it on——
Treyni-san is also very grateful and possesses the new body while thanking me.
From that moment onward, this doll would become Treyni-san’s core body.
Just like that, a completely independent Dryad is born.
Once the「Holy Magic Core」, which is often compared to as the heart of mamono, is possessed onto the doll, the burst of magic begins to spread throughout the surface of the wood. What follows was the surprisingly damping of the white wood grain that makes it as smooth and polished as human skin.
No, it has surpassed the human skin to become a beauty beyond the human realm.
Unlike Beretta, whose face was made up of his skull, the wood used is carved such that its head has a simple sketch of Treyni-san’s face. But as soon as she possesses into it, it begins to show a gente look that is resembles closely of real humans.
Even though it is wood carving, it is able to open its mouth and blink.
The rationales are all mysteries. The only explanation is that she is a mamono.
Perhaps it was because the wood was once her core, the two coexists very well. Anyhow, the operation turns out to be successfully due to my flash of idea.
For some reason, even her power was increased.
Before I inserted my monster aura, 「Wisdom King Raphael」 extracted the perfect amount and formed the 「Holy Magic Core」 that is perfectly in sync with Treyni-san’s holy aura. In other words, her magicule count is doubled as a result.
Apart from obtaining both holy and monster attributes, she seems to have picked up new skills as well. Shion’s magicule storage has always been the highest within my companions, yet her presence now feels stronger.
This is definitely stronger than Orc Disaster.
But it still couldn’t reach the same level as Demon Lord Karion. They both are nonetheless, very strong in their own way.
She seems to be equal to Disaster Rank S.
She’s not Calamity-equivalent Special A Rank, which is what applies to a demon lord…..
The rank system made by the freedom association probably couldn’t find the equivalent of this type of special Majin. I personally think she’s close to Demon Lord’s level, it is probably the correct guess.
Dryad Humanoid Fairy——A wise mamono that can rival Demon Lord. Now that Treyni-san has undergone this transition, she has become a powerful Majin that follows Ramiris.
Raphael must also be surprised too.
《Answer. It’s all within my prediction.》
See, isn’t it surprised!
I know, it’s being sour for losing.
《.............》
Raphael has no comment.
After achieving the small triumph mentally, I went to state farewell to Treyni-san’s sisters.
Treyni-san’s sister Trya and Delis witnessed the whole operation. They both looked quite jealous. Speaking of them, shouldn’t I reward the hardworking moderators that’s been watching over Jura Great Forest, running a surgery or two with them won’t matter much…… But that would need to be on hold for now.
We’ll discuss more when I return safely from the Walpurgis Banquet.
If they all decide to follow and server Ramiris, it would be a headache when Jura Great Forest no longer has moderators.
I return to the town having all these thoughts processed.
The preparations are complete.
I raise my head unconsciously and find no trace of the moon but the beautiful stars shining across the galaxy.
Oh yeah, tonight is the night of the new moon.
Under such beautiful night sky, the bell of war has rung.
At this very moment——
Covered by the shining light of stars under the night sky, I walk towards my battlefield
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