This report caused a great panic within the Western Saintās Church.
.
The connection that was lost with the subjugation team was quickly discovered.
They were strictly ordered to report at regular intervals, so a loss of connection indicated some misfortune.
So upon hearing this report, Hinata immediately decided to set off to Tempest.
But, at that moment came the surprising news of Storm Dragon Veldoraās revival.
Which resulted in Hinata, who was preparing to set off, to be summoned by the Holy Empire Ruberionās most influential officials.
The Seven Celestial Sages these wisemen are called.
It is said that each has transcended a hero-class existence and is a legendary being that is often in charge of rearing new heroes.
These beings are completely secluded and never appear in public,
And are only discussed as legends in fairy tales and other such stories.
Nor are the Seven Celestial Sages an existence that Hinata could talk about.
Obviously, they are not an existence that the Templar Knights would know about.
So why does Hinata know of themā¦
Because she is the last disciple of the Seven Celestial Sages.
They typically train their successor personally, and no one knows when the successor takes over.
In other words, the fact that they all trained one person is beyond unusual.
Hinata was just that excellent.
And because she was so excellent she was able to learn all the skills and battle abilities that they could teach her.
In a sense, you could call her a work of art.
Few people from the Holy Empire of Ruberion could order Hinata around.
In other words, you could even say that all power was vested in her.
After inheriting her post from her predecessor, she began her reign in the top echelons of the country.
Who could order her?
The current emperor and the Seven Celestial Sages.
Furthermore, only the Seven Celestial Sages can directly meet with the emperor, so Hinata has never met him.
Nor has she even heard this voice.
Which is why, when discussing beings who can order her, only the Seven Celestial Sages remain.
This time, she was summoned directly by them via telepathy.
And she was told about Storm Dragon Veldoraās rebirth.
Thus, though she had prepared troops to set off to Tempest, she decided to put that order on hold.
As a result, her attack on Tempest while Rimuru was away did not occur.
Which was fortunate.
Had she attacked Tempest along with her Knights Templar while he was away, thereās a high chance the battle would have went in her favor.
Anyways, Monstersā Country Tempest narrowly escaped death.
Was this a failure on Hinataās part? By no means.
What surprised her, that is, wasnāt only the report she received from the sages.
As a messenger she sent to Tempest, Reihim, has returned.
But his appearance was completely different. A thin layer of dirt and tattered clothing covered his body.
His eyes darted, his body vehemently convulsed.
He looked as if he tasted unimaginable fears.
100 trusted Knight Templars guided Reihim into the main chamber.
Cardinal Nicholas also came to hear his report.
Reihim was brought into the chamber as he was. He was offered to change, but he adamantly refused.
And, insisted that he had urgent information that had to be shared.
Thus he stood in the main chamber, inside the towering cathedral in the center of the Holy Empire Ruberion.
In all of the empire, this was the most holy and impregnable place.
And there he knelt.
Hesitantly, he lifted his face to confirm Hinataās presence.
He seemed a little relieved seeing her there. And then he stood, his expression quickly turning into even a deeper despair.
Reihim removed the tattered clothing that covered his body.
Seeing what was beneath, the Templar Knights covered their faces.
Even Hinata looked repulsed.
Everyoneās gaze was focused on Reihimās exposed body.
As a myriad of faces were protruding from it.
Still alive, some showed anguished expressions, others of despair. There were even some mad ones smilingā¦
As if mocking the holy land upon which he stood.
ćFirstā¦ behold my body. It is the punishment for evoking their Kingās wrathā¦
I was a fool. A terrifying, a truly terrifying enemy I have made!
A demon lord.
By our hand we gave birth to a new demon lord!ć
Perhaps even proudly, Reihim declared in a loud voice, his eyes bloodshot.
And thus he told them of the terrifying demon lord and his birth.
Without concealing any of Reihimās wrongdoings.
He was not ordered to do so. Rather, he himself was obsessed to disclose all this.
To free himself from the torment, to be forgiven by god.
He thought he needed to confess his sins. Butā¦ surely he could not be forgiven with just this muchā¦
The templars trembled upon hearing of a new demon lordās birth.
And when they heard about his absurd power, they could no longer hide their astonishment.
Before his light attack, every anti-demon barriers, large scale magic barriers, and even holy barriers are utterly foolish.
And none have ever heard of such magic.
If faced with an attack that cannot be blocked, even those gathered in the room could not survive itā¦ perhaps.
But Hinata did not tremble.
Based on what Reihim reported, it was an attack that used the rays of the sun, she figured.
And if you understand the nature of the attack, itās easy to counter it.
Seeing the stoic Hinata reassured the Templar Knights; thus, they calmed down.
If their commander Sakaguchi Hinata did not fear the demon lord, then there was no chance they would be defeated.
Their confidence was directly tied to their unwavering faith in her.
The report continued.
The news that Arch Demon had appeared again provoked an uproar.
This wasnāt something they could ignore any longer.
It is absolutely crucial that an arch demon, which harbors the Demon Lord Seed, be immediately destroyed.
Besides, if it was a simple Arch Demon that was born depending on abilities, three Knights Templar should be able to destroy it.
And if they brought five knights, there was no way they could lose.
But this would prove difficult if they allowed it to continue existing and accumulating experience.
They had to destroy it now. Such was the rule regarding dealing with an appearance of an Arch Demon.
ćHinata-sama, this is an urgent matter. My team will subjugate this demon. Please order us!ć
ćIn that case, we shall also go. Please order us to attack!ć
The young templars exclaimed following their elders example. The others too, in lieu with common sense, did not oppose the measure.
After all, the sooner they subjugate the Arch Demon the better.
Butā¦
Reihimās story did not end.
He still had things to say.
ā¦ Rather, he hasnāt even mentioned the main points yet.
But the templars could not have known of this.
Which is why they could discuss such pointless things as subjugating an arch demon.
ćPlease wait a moment. Do not pay any heed to the Arch Demon subjugation.
The light magic I mentioned. As I just said, when it hit us, we were completely wiped out.
However, that doesnāt portray the scene appropriately.
There were 15 thousand of us. And this elite force was completely destroyed by a single monsterās terrifying attack.
I meant that literally.
Not as an army, but every single individualā¦
Massacred. Thatās no exaggeration. Thatās exactly as it happenedć
Silence enveloped that holy room.
A heavy atmosphere in which no one could utter a single word.
A monster which could massacre 15 thousand men. It made them recall a certain legend.
A legend speaks of a monster which became a demon lord after destroying a city.
Truly, the monster fit the description of the word āDemon Lordā. The monster sowed chaos and destruction.
Beings that exceed human capabilities are usually limited to the Special S Class Dragons.
Currently, three of them remain and one has been sealed until now.
These three beings are designated Special S class.
But in reality, it wouldnāt be unusual to recognize two more special s ranked individuals from among the demon lords.
The reason they are not recognized so is simple.
They were mostly active before the church has been formed and have yet to produce any further causalities.
In other words, should they resume their rampage, they will be recognized as Special S ranked beings.
They will be recognized as a being that cannot be defeated by human hands. Thatās what Special S rank means.
As for their activity before the church had been established, thatās a tale of a thousand and a few hundred years ago.
According to traditional records, it would have been a thousand and two hundred years ago.
Even then, two beings called demon lords and which would now have been recognized as Special S rank existedāLord of Darkness Guy Crimson and Destroyer Milim Nava.
Furthermore, some believed that other demon lords awakened as true demon lords, but none of these openly wrought havoc.
Which is why, in order not to increase the peopleās anxiety for no reason, every demon lord has been classified as S ranked.
A being that canāt be opposed with human strength alone.
Because when a generation lacks a hero, they had to declare that humanity would not lose against demons.
But, this new monsterā¦
Just became a demon lord but may be immediately recognized as a Special S rank.
Heavy silence continued to rule the room.
A silence which displayed a desire to reject accepting the birth of a new demon lord.
Simple demon lords and true demon lords are an existence that towers over humans.
Butā¦
ćHmph, itās pointless to stand here in silence.
Hey, Reihim. Did you see it awaken?ć
Ending the silence, Hinata asked.
In response
ćYes. I believe an offering of 15,000 lives was sufficientā¦ć
He replied, confident.
ćIs that soā¦ć
Hinata muttered and began to think.
As things stood, she was fortunate not to have gone to Tempest yet.
If her opponent was an awakened, if he turned into a True Demon Lord, then the number of troops didnāt matter.
Even if you gathered powerful soldiers, should they lack the strength to oppose that monster directly then they are useless.
The subjugation armyās disaster only proved this point.
Moreover, even though the monster hasnāt awakened by then it was still capable of destroying the army alone.
From time immemorial a hero and her carefully selected team would venture to defeat the demon lord.
And since thatās the caseā¦
ćI guess Iāll have to go, huh?ć
She muttered.
If the opponent is a demon lord, Hinata would have to go herself.
And since there was no need to further increase the number of corpses, there was no need to send out normal soldiers.
An elite few.
Perhapsā¦ a hundred knight templar could win this battle and have a higher chance of victory than a larger force.
Hinata accelerated her thoughts.
Again and again and again.
Because she had to ascertain her victory.
And as if interrupting her thoughts a pained expression appeared on Reihimās face.