Demon Realm Defense Council

A swarm of monsters stood in our way.

There were about thirty in total.

“They’re out again, I see.”

“These also appear to be weapons created by magic, Fried-sama,” Stella reported, scanning them with her third eye.

“Stay back, Stella. I’ll take them all down.”

I thrust my right hand straight forward.

“Homing Ray.”

The tracking light orbs pierced through all thirty monsters.

Oooooh… nngh.

With pained cries, every monster collapsed. They were annihilated in a single strike.

“Still… they just keep coming, don’t they?”

I must have defeated around five hundred monsters on the way here.

“Fried-sama, is your mana alright?”

“No problem. I still have plenty of strength left.”

I nodded to the worried Stella.

“Let’s move on.”

We started walking again.

A steep canyon shrouded in thick mist. In its depths, the demon I was looking for should be waiting.

A candidate for the new “Master of Sorcery.”

The time traces back to about half a day ago.

“I am glad you have come, my aides, my Demon Commanders.”

At a round table with eight seats, I addressed the three demons: Stella, Regal, and Feria.

I was dressed in my robe, crown, and held my staff. It was formal attire for a Demon Lord.

By the way, the staff was almost never used in actual combat; it was essentially a decoration. It’s supposedly an auxiliary tool for using mana, but I can fire off spells just fine without it. I haven’t really used it since my first fight with the Heroes. It had basically become a prop to help set the mood.

“Please, be seated.”

I sat down first and prompted the three of them.

Stella and the others bowed and took their seats. I looked across at the three of them.

Sitting in the seat to my right was a beautiful girl with long silver hair. She wore a black, military-style outfit. This was Stella, a Demon Commander holding the title of “Vision Eyes”—my right hand and closest aide.

Seated directly across from me was a skeletal knight clad in archaic metal armor. This was Regal the “Undead King,” the Demon Commander who led the undead legions.

And to my left sat a lovely maiden with pale pink hair reaching down to her feet. She wore a provocative outfit that could be mistaken for lingerie, and wings reminiscent of a bat’s sprouted from her back. This was Feria, the “Dream Demon Princess,” a Demon Commander specializing in mental-interference magic.

“So, that makes three Demon Commanders.”

There were eight seats at the round table. One was for me, and the remaining seven were for the Demon Commanders. Today, the Demon Commanders and I were holding a meeting regarding the defense of the Demon Realm.

“We have approximately two and a half months until the Heroes invade the Demon Realm again. We must finalize our interception preparations.”

I informed the three of them.

“O King, with your power, would it not be possible to simply eradicate the humans entirely?” Regal asked.

A golden light dwelled within the hollow sockets of his skull, piercing straight through me.

“…Do not underestimate humans, Regal. Especially the power of the high-ranking Heroes; it is quite formidable.”

I shook my head quietly. However, he did have a point.

Certainly, if I were to go to the human world and repeatedly fire off top-tier, wide-range destruction spells—like Mega Fire or Mega Thunder—I could potentially inflict catastrophic damage on a national scale.

But—that would be mere slaughter. It crossed the line of a “war for self-defense.” Such a massacre would only breed a cycle of hatred.

And there was another reason. During my fight with Lyle, my power had temporarily weakened. If the same thing happened again, I could be caught off guard.

“The national power of our Demon Realm was also depleted in the previous war. First, we must stabilize our position.”

“So, a defensive focus. In that case, should they dare to attack, my undead legion shall trample them,” Regal declared.

“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?” Feria looked at Regal with a smirk. “Aren’t you worried about getting counter-slaughtered? You okay?”

“What did you say?” Regal glared at her as she spoke in a teasing tone.

It was the same with Stella and Regal, but it seemed the Demon Commanders didn’t get along very well with each other.

“Feria, can’t you intercept the Heroes using mental interference, like with that ‘Nightmare World’ you used the other day?” I asked, partially to mediate.

“Ah, impossible, impossible~. My power was acting up back then, so I could spread a mental field that wide, but something like that won’t last long,” Feria said, shaking her head. “It’s super exhausting.”

“We have no need for deceptive powers like dreams,” Regal said arrogantly. “I shall scatter those insolent humans with my own blade.”

“Muscle-head,” Feria muttered under her breath. “Ah, but since you’re undead, you don’t even have a brain, do you?”

“Have you been mocking me this entire time?” A hint of menace crept into Regal’s tone.

Actually, his tone toward Feria had been ominous from the start. I really wished my executives would get along…

“Both of you are in the presence of the Demon Lord. Restrain yourselves,” Stella interjected.

“Fiiine~.”

“…Hmph.”

“That’s right, Regal, you were scouting for remnants of the Heroes,” I said, changing the subject. “What are the results since then?”

“Sir! Following my previous report, I have scouted the remaining regions, but no remnants of the Heroes were found. I believe they were all annihilated or expelled in the previous battle.”

“I see. Good work.” I offered Regal my thanks. “As long as the barrier of the Demon Realm is not broken, we can assume the immediate threat of the Heroes has passed.”

I looked over the three of them once more.

“Now, let us organize the duties of each army—”

In the Demon Realm, there are seven demon armies, each topped by one of the seven Demon Commanders. I consulted with the three present and re-assigned roles to their respective forces.

The undead and beastmen would handle the security of the Demon Realm’s perimeter.

Demons proficient in sorcery would monitor and inspect the barrier.

Demons with superior sensory organs, such as Eyes of Chaos or Ears of Chaos, would handle scouting and information gathering.

Succubi would prepare defenses against potential mental attacks, and priest-type demons, who excel at healing, would reconstruct the medical system for emergencies.

However, the majority of demons did not have particularly high combat power. A more robust defensive structure was needed.

“As I thought, we need more warriors who are a match for a thousand,” I muttered.

I didn’t know how much of the vast Demon Realm I could cover on my own.

“At the very least, it will be necessary to decide on successors for the three Demon Commanders killed in the previous war,” Stella said.

“And as quickly as possible, I presume,” Regal said, looking at me. “Furthermore, we should determine the whereabouts of Zegart the ‘Beast Emperor,’ who went missing during the invasion of the human world. He is truly a warrior of matchless might. Even for me, defeating him one-on-one would be difficult.”

…Is Zegart really that strong? I definitely want him to join the defense of the Demon Realm.

“Is there any way we can find Zegart?”

“Regarding that, we shall dispatch demons skilled in search missions,” Stella replied.

“How about I head out directly to find him?”

Using the same method as last time, I could return to the Demon Realm immediately upon regrouping with him.

“No, the area he was attacking has many Heroes—even for the Demon Lord, there is a risk of unforeseen danger,” Stella said, shaking her head. “Furthermore, I wish for the Demon Lord to focus on selecting the new Demon Commanders. We should establish our defense system as much as possible before the barrier is broken.”

“…That’s true, but…”

If that was the case, I wanted to find Zegart even more.

“I shall go find Zegart,” Regal volunteered.

“Oh, you will go?”

“Among those present, I am likely the most familiar with the geography of the human world. Furthermore, in terms of combat capability, I am the most suitable.”

“Regal really is only good for fighting, isn’t he?” Feria interjected again.

“O King, is this acceptable?”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”

Feria pouted her lips as if sulking.