Several shadows of men and women sat around a large round table.
At the center of the table, a large crystal orb was placed.
At the far end of the table, a man was muttering a spell towards the crystal orb.
The man had a clown-like appearance. His name was Gelmut.
He was the organizer of this meeting and the leader of a certain plan.
The plan he had been working on for a long time was to create a new Demon King.
His ambition could not be realized if this plan failed.
And today was the final day of the plan.
He had successfully brought four of the capricious "Demon Kings" to this place.
He had to make it succeed no matter what.
It was impossible to move a Demon King with money.
What could attract their interest, a prey they were obsessed with, or an artifact that was difficult to obtain.
In any case, he had to pay a very high price.
This time, Gelmut had successfully moved four Demon Kings. In other words, it meant he had paid a very high price.
If a new Demon King were to be born, the other Demon Kings would not remain silent.
Those who falsely claimed to be Demon Kings would be killed by the wrath of the Demon Kings. Some even fought back against the Demon Kings who came to punish them.
Such individuals were recognized as Demon Kings by their own strength...
For several hundred years, such a capable Demon King had not been born.
The last Demon King to be born was the human "Demon King" Leon Cromwell.
With his powerful magic, he gradually increased the number of territories he dominated and proclaimed himself a Demon King in the borderlands.
One of the Demon Kings, the Curse King, declared war on him, but was defeated by Leon.
By Leon's hand alone.
Upon hearing this, the "Demon Kings" recognized him as a new Demon King.
However, such a situation where a Demon King is recognized by strength was rare.
Therefore, to claim the title of Demon King as a newcomer, one needed the sponsorship of at least three Demon Kings. If one were to challenge a newcomer Demon King, they would also have to face the sponsors.
Following this procedure, Gelmut was burning with ambition to create a new Demon King.
This time, he had reached the final step of making Orc Lord a Demon King.
To provide entertainment for the bored Demon Kings, he prepared a spectacle of the birth of a Demon King. Enjoying it was one of the conditions of sponsorship.
Of course, not only that, he also offered exquisite magical weapons and artifacts.
For Gelmut, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Orc Lord would slay Lizardmen and Goblins, evolving into a Demon King.
Today was the day of completion.
Becoming a Demon King, he would obtain sponsorship and destroy a human city at the same time.
This would announce the birth of a new Demon King to the world.
If that happened, Gelmut's ambition would be achieved. By manipulating Orc Lord from behind the scenes, he would be on equal footing with the Demon Kings.
However...
The crystal orb did not respond.
Gelmut's heart was filled with anxiety.
It was dangerous.
Angering the Demon Kings who were expecting a spectacle was unimaginable.
It wouldn't end well. At that moment, he might be torn into pieces.
Moreover, he wouldn't be able to die. Cursed, he would remain conscious as a piece of torn meat.
No, he couldn't let that happen.
Gelmut anxiously recited the spell again, but the crystal orb did not respond.
"Hey......, what are you planning to do?"
A voice colder than ice echoed.
In the silent room, the voice, filled with power, erased Gelmut's spell and reverberated.
Gelmut, drenched in cold sweat, stammered.
"Please, wait! I will immediately investigate the cause!"
His instinct told him that staying there was dangerous.
However,
Crack!
Something twisted and creaked,
Thud! Bang!
A large object whizzed past Gelmut and destroyed the door behind him.
One of the Demon Kings, a delicate and beautiful silver-haired girl, had lifted and thrown the large table with her left hand.
She had deliberately missed.
The table, worth a significant portion of a small country's budget, was a unique piece of art made from fragrant wood.
The heavy door, intricately carved, now revealed a large hole in the wall.
Despite the destruction, she didn't care,
"You......, are you mocking me?"
The girl said.
Gelmut, trembling with fear and anxiety, managed to say,
"P-P-Please forgive me! I will immediately investigate the cause!"
"Is that so? It's better to hurry. I'm generous, so I'll wait!"
Where is the generosity! He had no time to think.
Gelmut, convulsing with fear, passed through the destroyed door and leaped out of the large hole in the wall.
It was a conference room on the third floor, but there was no time to hesitate.
He leaped outside and immediately recited an emergency spell to teleport.
His ambition had flown away.
What occupied his mind now was the desire to live.
He never intended to mock the Demon Kings. He fully understood that they were absolute beings.
But, he must have mocked them.
Gelmut had a sense of pride as a high-ranking demon. He believed that while he couldn't defeat a Demon King alone, he could put up a good fight.
With four of them, he thought he needed to lower himself out of fear.
That was a mistake.
Demon Kings are revered because they are Demon Kings. They are not Demon Kings because they are revered.
Realizing this, he was terrified of his arrogant thoughts.
Being on equal footing with a Demon King was impossible for someone like Gelmut.
He understood this in his heart.
Discussing Demon Kings was impossible for someone who couldn't measure up to them.
Traveling at a speed close to the speed of sound, Gelmut rushed towards the swamp.
But it wasn't for his ambition.
He needed to put all his efforts into survival and resolve this situation.
??????????????????????????
What... is happening?
I soared into the sky and observed the battlefield in the swamp.
A confusing situation unfolded below.
What is happening?
I don't know either!!!
I tackled my own question.
From the sky, a sudden flash of light erupted, and with a loud boom, several orcs were sent flying.
Huh? As I observed that direction, a rumbling sound echoed.
Panicking, I looked and saw a black dome appear on the battlefield.
After a few seconds, it disappeared, leaving only the ground melted into a high-temperature glass state.
The orcs that had been swarming there were completely annihilated.
What...?!!!
I understood the situation in an instant, but my heart refused to accept it.
Moreover, a storm suddenly swept across one side of the battlefield.
A wide-ranging storm swept through, and lightning that had just entered burned the orcs to death.
The black-armored orcs on that side, unable to withstand the storm's ferocity, turned to ashes or were blown away.
What is going on? That was my honest reaction.
Shion, with a single sword strike, swept away a large number of orcs.
The blade of the great sword glowed with a faint purple light, enveloped in mana.
With each swing, a purple flash darted out, cutting down the orcs.
Naturally, those who were directly hit by the blade couldn't withstand it and were either cut in half or exploded.
The range of a single strike was about 10 meters, cutting down everyone in a straight line.
With a beautiful face and a slight smile, she unleashed her strikes like a dance.
It seemed she had endless stamina, as her continuous attacks left the surrounding orcs unable to approach.
It was an overwhelming power.
However, there were beings who even Shion could barely see.
Benimaru and Ranga.
First, Benimaru. What was that black dome just now?
No, I understood its structure the moment I saw it.
It was a combination of my "Area Barrier," "Heat Manipulation," and "Black Lightning."
First, "Area Barrier" fixes the space, "Heat Manipulation" accelerates the molecular movement inside, and then generates high heat.
Finally, using the mana inside the space as fuel, "Black Lightning" creates plasma and burns everything inside in an instant.
It can be called the skill "Black Flame Manipulation."
It might have been a skill that evolved from the Unique Skill "Mutant" and passed to Benimaru.
Since I have the "Great Sage," my judgment is almost certainly correct.
A characteristic of this skill is that it causes no external damage, unlike a nuclear explosion.
As evidence, when the barrier was released, no shockwave escaped to the outside.
It seems the purpose is to raise the internal heat to an extreme level by designating the area.
The internal heat is beyond imagination. If trapped inside, survival is hopeless.
The problem is that he is using such an extremely dangerous skill so casually...
And another one, or rather, one being.
Ranga.
This one suddenly evolved into a Black Storm Wolf and surprised me...
The skill he unleashed after evolving was shocking.
It was as if he was using "Black Lightning" without any restrictions.
It seemed he used his full power, and it didn't look like he could fire a second shot.
But with that one shot, he annihilated a portion of the enemy forces, which was surprising.
Unlike me, who unconsciously puts a brake on my power, these beings have no such restraint.
They use it without hesitation against enemies. In a world of the survival of the fittest, it might be a natural way of thinking.
No, it's probably me who is abnormal.
If hesitating to use it causes harm to allies, it doesn't make sense.
In the world I lived in, there was an unspoken rule not to use powerful weapons.
Weapons that only had meaning as a deterrent. But is that really true?
There's no point in spending money on weapons you can't use. So why do they spend money on weapon development?
Isn't it to use them when the time comes?
At least, using them against civilians might be evil, but using them on the battlefield might be just?
The side being killed doesn't change their guilt based on the weapon used.
And... to show the existence of strong power as a deterrent might not be wrong.
The battle had been going on for two hours.
Benimaru had fired four black dome attacks.
It seemed rapid firing was impossible, but it didn't require an enormous amount of mana.
Ranga had only fired once.
I thought it was too powerful, but it was indeed a full-power attack.
Most importantly, that one shot instilled a sense of endless fear in the enemy.
The orcs, fleeing from Shion, scattered in all directions.
I changed my mood and calmly observed the battle.
Surprisingly, I was very calm.
The initial attack was Benimaru's judgment, but the rest were attacks on the points I directed.
Aiming for densely packed areas, I cut down the enemy's strength.
I guided the enemy to Shion and struck them when they gathered.
I instructed Hakuro to eliminate the enemy commanders and generals.
It wasn't a battle. Silently approaching, he instantly cut them down.
The Unique Skill "Famine" increases the strength of those under its influence by eating corpses. It seemed he was careful to destroy the corpses he cut down.
Was it a form of "Ki Release"? He emitted mana from his fists to burn the corpses.
It was more like melting them...
Finding the enemy commanders and the few orc generals, I passed them to Hakuro to eliminate.
Thus, the battle was going in our favor without any casualties on our side.
The orc army's losses seemed to have reached 30%.
And finally, Orc Lord began to move.
Both sides reorganized their forces and faced each other.
I observed the scene calmly.
Even the pigs, who had been excited, seemed to realize they had lost their advantage.
Orc Lord stepped forward.
A hideous pig monster.
Slowly, he decapitated one of the two surviving orc generals and ate the head grotesquely.
With yellow, bloodshot eyes filled with hostility, he emitted mana.
Receiving that aura, the orcs seemed to gain strength, but...
(Benimaru, can you use that Black Flame Orb again?)
(It's a piece of cake!)
(Ranga, what about you?)
(My master! About 30% of my mana has recovered. I can't match the power of the last shot, but I can fire one more!)
(One shot is enough. Moreover, for the orcs, it's too powerful. Even half that power is enough to kill them.
Aim for the same range as before, but lower the power and fire!)
(As you command!)
(Shion, about now, give Orc Lord a flashy shot!)
(Yes! I can finally use my full power!)
What...? Wasn't that full power before? What's going on...
(O, Oh! Keep it up!)
I thought he was going to use his full power, but it was just a test.
This one might also have some strange power. I thought.
(Hakuro, can you kill Orc Lord? But not this time. Please hold back!)
(Oh, I understand. I'll let the young one have his moment...)
(Thank you!)
Thus, I prepared for the interception.
Most importantly, Orc Lord was no threat.
His abilities were still incomplete. I would end it now. Just as I thought that,
Squeal! Squeal!
An annoying sound echoed.
My "Magic Detection" picked up someone flying at subsonic speed from a distance.
He landed in the center of the swamp, where both sides faced each other.
A strong mana presence. A strange man with a clown-like appearance.
He was probably a high-ranking demon.
I also landed on the ground, followed by Ranga and Benimaru.
The clown-like man glanced around and shouted,
"What is this! You, Gelmut, have ruined my plan!!!"
Gelmut. As a high-ranking demon, the mastermind behind this.