Novel Bin Volume 10 19
According to Marcho and Dan, the one who could pose the most threat among them was the [Insect] Demon Lord. Apparently, he had an A rank medal while the rest only had B rank medals.
It then made sense to take him down first.
The majority of his elites should have been taken away by the Creator as punishment, so he should be pretty vulnerable right now. In other words, if I was ever going to attack him, the sooner the better. And so, we began doing the necessary preparations as soon as we got back.
That being said, attacking now wasn’t risk-free.
For example, all of the enemy Demon Lords could have placed a few of their monsters in each other’s dungeons in hopes of getting the justification they wanted from the beginning. That would then lead to the worst-case scenario where Avalon would be attack once again.
But then again, that might not be the case at all. They should be expecting me to want revenge, so sending out troops and spreading themselves thin wasn’t something they would want right now. If they had some sort of guarantee that they would receive an equivalent force in return, then perhaps, but could they really trust and cooperate with each other in such circumstances?
If only the answer was a definite no.
Regardless of whether they put their own monsters in each other’s dungeons or not, I had little choice but to attack. After all, the rule protecting us new Demon Lords would expire after 2 and a half months. So, if I was going to get attacked by the others anyway, I would rather do it like this.
◇
Within the dome in the new residential district, the Darkness Dragons and their container carriages were lined up.
My monsters were hurriedly moving about: they were loading weapons, ammunitions, healing items, and all sorts of things.
This was all in preparation for defeating the sole A rank medal holder of the five identified enemy Demon Lords.
Duke, first and foremost, as well as the other monsters that held commanding positions were by my side.
"I hereby grant Duke the command of this mission. Duke, do what you see fit to accomplish our goals. You don’t have to wait for my approval. To everyone, treat Duke’s words as though it’s my own."
"I am not worthy of such honor, but I will do all in my power to meet your expectations."
This time, I wouldn’t be leaving Avalon.
Despite the risks I stated, leaving wasn’t necessary. If anything, it was more important that I stayed so that I could use [Floor Swap] in case the enemies do attack the city. If we close the city gates under the pretext of a random monster attack so soon after the last time, Avalon’s reputation would suffer.
So, instead of preemptively using [Floor Swap], I would stay on standby here while the very capable Duke leads the attack.
"Tiro, Raph, the two of you must defeat the most number and the strongest of enemies, alright? Remember, your growth is directly tied to the growth of Avalon."
"Gaugau!"
"Yes, your majesty! ...you know!"
The blue-furred Tiro as well as the black-winged Fallen Angel Raphael enthusiastically replied so.
The attack force’s composition was a little bit different this time.
Duke shall not only be a trump card but also be the head of the chain of command.
The land force shall be composed of the Red Lance, the Black Armor, the several Avalon-Ritters, and the artificial heroes resurrected by Duke’s Enhanced Resurrection.
Meanwhile, our air force shall be composed of the White Bow, the Darkness Dragons, and the Black Bird Nevans.
As for our forces in the other dimension, it shall be composed of the Ocean Singers and a large number of Abyss Howls. The forces there shall be led by the Ocean Singers that Ruhe picked.
Last but certainly not least, a few Dwarf Smiths would also be joining so that they could give maintenance to the numerous golems.
"Also, Kuina, without charging too far ahead, please protect everyone. As Avalon’s strongest monster, I could only ask this of you."
"Leave it to Kuina! Oh, and rest assured Kuina will be holding back just enough because I’ll be making sure Tiro-chan and Raph-chan gets properly trained in combat."
Kuina was such a helpful child. So long as she was part of the attacking force, I was confident most situations could be handled. Along with Duke, she was the attacking force’s trump card.
Moreover, even though the main goal of this fight was to crush the enemy, the secondary but almost as vital goal was the growth of Tiro and Raph.
Both were extremely powerful S rank monsters, but because I chose to let them be born at level 1 and be able to level up—as opposed to having an already high but also static level—they still were at a low level right now and thus couldn’t exhibit their true might. Defeating an A rank monster right now might still be too much for any of them, so any chance to let them grow further mustn’t go to waste.
By letting them form contracts with the three knights, they would gain the experience points of not only those they personally defeat but also of those that each knight defeats. If their group could slaughter all of a Demon Lord’s monsters, the two should level up a terrifying amount.
"My lord, our preparations are complete. We are ready to depart whenever you say."
"Great job on that. Also, please, if you deem reinforcements are in order, send word immediately. If the land force is having trouble, I’d likely send Aura; if the other dimension forces are in trouble, expect me to send Ruhe. Of course, if you think of something else, don’t hesitate to make a recommendation."
"Yes, my lord! We’d do everything to maximize the chances of victory."
It was Duke, so he was most likely going to make the right calls.
"...Duke, you just had a child, yet here I am sending you away. I’m sorry about that."
"Please don’t mind it, my lord. Rather, thank you for this opportunity to do something my child would be proud of."
"Then, I won’t say anything anymore. Except, of course, I leave the rest to you."
"Yes, my lord!"
With that, our meeting was over.
My monsters and golems then entered the containers, which was then carried by the Darkness Dragons toward the [Insect] Demon Lord’s dungeon.
The only Demon Lords in the anti-Procell alliance that could produce A rank medals were the [Pig] Demon Lord—who we had already defeated—and the [Insect] Demon Lord. After this fight, the others should be nothing more than small fry Demon Lords.
Because the others only had B rank medals, they weren’t able to make A rank monsters by themselves, which then meant that their war potential should be quite meager. Even if these other Demon Lords were able to work together, they shouldn’t pose much threat to Avalon as it was at the moment.
After all, a B rank monster was something they would need their original medal to make, whereas it was just something being produced daily by my [Maelstroms].
They might pose no serious threat, but it was definitely better to crush them as soon as possible. If possible, I would like the anti-Procell alliance be taken care of within three months.
And for that, I prayed that Duke would take down the [Insect] Demon Lord quickly.
◇
After seeing Duke off, I headed toward the city.
As important as it was to defeat the enemy Demon Lords, there were other things to do. Such as preparing for the time after I become a full-pledged Demon Lord. Unless I have prepared enough for when the rule protecting me has expired, I could end up falling prey to other, more dangerous Demon Lords.
And so, I wrote to [Wind] Demon Lord Stolas and [Viscosity] Demon Lord Ronove, two fellow new Demon Lords, to call for a meeting.
When I arrived at my estate, the Mythological Fox working as the maid informed me that my guests had already arrived. Thus, I hurried to the reception room.
"Hey there, Procell. Been a while."
"Sorry, I’m just nervous, w-What did you call us here for?"
"Welcome. I called you two to talk about our future. Soon, we won’t be new Demon Lords anymore. ...Marcho told me that ill-prepared new Demon Lords tend to become the prey of sly Demon Lords once they graduate and become adults. So, I say we prepare for it."
Upon hearing of the ill-prepared’s fate, Ronove gave a short shriek.
"I heard something similar from Astaroth-sama. According to him, there’s generally two ways to defend against such a thing: joining a strong faction or simply becoming strong enough to repel the others even by yourself. Which will you be going for, Procell?"
[Dragon] Demon Lord Astaroth really doted on Stolas, as evidenced on the extensive amount of education he had given her.
"Both. And if you two agree, the three of us are. In the next [Evening Party], which shall take place exactly one year after we were born as well as when the rule protecting us expires, my plan is for us to announce that we have formed a Procell Alliance."
In an [Evening Party], all Demon Lords would gather. And in the next one, us new Demon Lords would receive the blessing to become fully independent, while the Demon Lords at the end of their lifespan would have their life be celebrated before they were gone that same night.
Making an announcement at such an event made sense.
"But wouldn’t that be dangerous? If we announce that we’re forming a faction composed of only new Demon Lords and are not affiliated with any strong factions, wouldn’t the others target us more?"
"That’s why we’ll be naming our faction after me. I have already defeated the [Pig] Demon Lord, and soon, the [Insect] Demon Lord as well. That’s two older Demon Lords that have A rank medals. I think that’s enough to attach some amount of wariness to my name. Moreover, it won’t be just the three of us. In the next [Evening Party], Marcho and Dan... I mean, [Time] Demon Lord Dantalian, will also be announcing their support for with us."
Those two were originally at the end of their lifespan. However, for Marcho, she was reborn as my monster through [Rebirth], and for Dan, he had been continuously extending his lifespan through his [Time] ability.
"If the others know that two of the strongest Demon Lords would not only live longer but also support us, they would likely not dare make a move. Well, those that have common sense, at least."
"Oh, let me clarify something: while Marcho is going to be fully part of the faction, the [Time] Demon Lord is only going to be a collaborator."
Frankly, I was surprised that Dan was even willing to support us.
According to him: I’m not doing this for you, Procell. I’m doing this because Marcho has become your monster. I’m only doing this to help keep her safe. Not to mention, Fel would be sad if you’re gone.
A tsundere like always.
"That’s still plenty amazing. That pretty much means we’re going to be safe."
Ronove’s excitement was understandable. After all, their power really was overwhelming.
"Then, I approve of this plan. I’d like to add something though. In the [Evening Party], I want to announce that I have taken over [Dragon] Demon Lord Astaroth-sama’s inheritance, and that they’re my responsibility from that point on."
"I approve of that as well."
In order to take over Astaroth’s inheritance to her, Stolas and Enlil were currently undergoing much hardships.
Once Ast’s dragons have fully accepted them though, Stolas would likely all at once be named as one of the top Demon Lords. After all, a [Dragon Emperor] like Enlil commanding an army of dragons empowered by [Berserk] was a force to be reckoned with. If you couple that with Stolas’s Omnipresence which could create a copy of each monster, then you have a nightmare made real.
Even my monsters might not come out unscathed if we were to fight such a Stolas.
"Procell, I’ve been wondering about something. Why didn’t you call Belial to this meeting? Isn’t he your new ally?"
"About that, well, the timing of him wanting to be an ally was just too suspicious. That said, most of my suspicions have been cleared the other day... but I’ve thought of something, and I’d like your cooperation on it."
I then discussed my idea to them.
At this point, I was basically ready to trust Belial. To put a term on it, this idea of mine was just an insurance.
Once this was all over, I wanted to hold such a meeting again, but with Belial this time.
Oh, how I look forward to that day.
Stolas and Ronove then nodded to my plan.
All preliminary preparations were thus done.
After the meeting, Ronove consulted us about the dungeon he would make once he had a crystal again.
It won’t be long before we’re recognized as full-pledged Demon Lords.