Alchemist General.

In the previous battle, the Lord of Light’s assault inflicted non-serving damage parameters across the entire Demon World. Regarding the reconstruction labor cycles, I resolved to reassign those queues to Juda and our newly appointed Supreme Priest, Supreme Commander Olivier. Supporting their efforts was the Seventh Army, whose permanent Supreme Commander post had yet to be finalized. Composed primarily of demon units gifted with artisan-grade skill matrices, their raw processing power was absolutely mandatory to repair shattered residential zones and public infrastructure nodes.

As for the defensive security parameters of the realm, I mandated Regal and Feria to lock down those sectors. Meanwhile, Stella and I were currently executing a physical tour across the interior coordinates of the Demon King’s Castle. This facility had also absorbed heavy structural stress from the residual splash damage of the Lord of Light’s assault.

“We have successfully mapped significant structural integrity failure across the Demon King’s Castle,” Stella reported, providing her analytics. “The diagnostic logs reveal that various mechanical system blocks throughout the fortress sustained direct damage ticks.”

“Mechanical system blocks… is it,” I murmured, sifting through her data.

According to the historical data passed down to my profile by the previous Demon King, Yureesha, the Demon King’s Castle was engineered with a massive network of mechanical armaments integrated into its deep foundations. Her files explicitly noted that the infrastructure was hard-coded to initialize as a high-tier intercept mechanism to defend the Demon World in a worst-case scenario.

“The operational jurisdiction of these installations fundamentally belonged to the Alchemist General (Alchemist)—the previous Legion Commander, Izana. However, because his post currently suffers from an absolute vacancy bottleneck, his elite cabinet units have been manually managing the processing queues,” Stella explained.

The absolute final seat among the Seven Supreme Commanders—the Alchemist General (Alchemist).

“We must fast-track our administrative review to lock down a permanent replacement for that post as well.”

“I have finalized the candidate master list for your review, Fried-sama. My profound apologies for the delay in consolidating the files.”

Venting the phrase, Stella smoothly handed over the documentation listing the candidates. Because our profiles were currently locked inside a private, two-unit perimeter, she had dropped her standard “Lord Demon King” protocol, addressing my profile strictly under the nomenclature of Fried-sama.

“Your administrative processing speed is exceptionally elite, Stella. Your support loops continuously optimize my operations,” I assured her, injecting a word of validation to clear her anxiety parameters.

“ …My immense gratitude, milord.“ A subtle trace of crimson flushed across Stella’s cheeks.

I directed my scanning arrays onto the documentation, peer-checking the candidate metrics.

“The unit logged under the nomenclature of Tsukuyomi appears to command exceptionally promising data lines.”

While the master list registered roughly five candidate entries, Tsukuyomi’s consolidated capability index cleared the absolute A-plus tier, whereas the remaining four units flatly plateaued at the standard B-plus or B thresholds.

Tsukuyomi’s biological registry logged her as a specialized Homunculus model engineered directly by the hands of the previous Legion Commander. Synthesized entirely through advanced high-tier alchemy, a homunculus refers to an artificial magic-forged construct. Under default programming parameters, constructs of this taxonomy are strictly restricted to processing basic directives and suffer from comprehensively low cognitive attributes.

However, the specific model birthed by Izana’s matrix was an absolute anomaly that entirely broke the mold, commanding an ultra-high intelligence stat, vast mana indices, and physical specifications that effortlessly outclassed standard demon units. Among his creations, Tsukuyomi was celebrated as the absolute peak masterpiece, boasting maximum values across her intellect, physical stamina, and mana pools.

“Her capability metrics place her a complete cut above the alternate profiles on the list. However, her historical deployment logs reveal an ingrained behavioral sub-routine to launch unauthorized, independent operations on a sudden whim. That singular performance variance remains my primary concern,” Stella validated. “To express the constraint in unrefined terminology: her settings feature a highly self-centered tendency.”

“Understood. What is the tactical assessment on the alternate candidates?”

“Their character profiles verify that their psychological settings are comprehensively submissive and loyal to command structure. However, as your tracking sensors can clearly audit via the evaluation matrix, their absolute capability parameters lag one to two tiers beneath Tsukuyomi’s threshold.”

Tsukuyomi: possessing supreme capability stats, but presenting a potential bottleneck regarding her psychological settings. The alternate candidates: presenting zero behavioral issues, but suffering from low-tier capability indices.

I ran a joint diagnostic loop with Stella, weigh-checking the variables until our calculations successfully mapped out a definitive conclusion.

“ —Alright. Issue an administrative summons to command Tsukuyomi to report to our coordinates.“

To function permanently as our new Alchemist General (Alchemist).

Evaluating our current operational timeline, my highest administrative priority was to anchor comprehensively elite demon units right beside my throne. All to ensure that when the upcoming massive invasion of the Hero’s Vanguard triggers, the absolute strongest legion in existence is primed to crush their lines.

And immediately following that milestone—

To continuously assemble and refine an absolute, peerless vanguard capable of anchoring permanent peace across the Demon World.

“My nomenclature is registered under the data string of Homunculus Model No. 253, Tsukuyomi. It is an immense honor to successfully establish a direct visual link with your coordinates, Lord Demon King.”

Materializing smoothly inside the audience chamber was a gleaming silver silhouette. Her pristine argent body mass presented an aesthetic layout that closely mimicked a pristine set of full-body plate armor—yet analyzing her structural data, it wasn’t an external raiment. That silver alloy was Tsukuyomi’s actual physical flesh.

“I am Fried. Let’s optimize our future campaigns.”

Rising from the high throne, I stepped down into the floor to close the distance to Tsukuyomi’s coordinates.

“I officially grant your profile the title of Alchemist General (Alchemist) and appoint you to command the duties of a Supreme Army Commander.”

“I humbly accept the appointment and submit to your sovereign vector,” the silver automaton responded, executing a deeply respectful, solemn bow.

According to her character settings, Tsukuyomi’s ego-matrix was calibrated to run a masculine personality construct.

“Excellent. We shall bypass a transitional delay and initialize your primary assignment immediately,” I informed her. “The Demon King’s Castle has sustained a network of localized structural injuries. I highly desire to run a joint consultation with your profile to map out an infrastructure repair loop.”

“In that case, is this unit authorized to execute a physical diagnostic check on those damaged coordinates firsthand?”

“Of course. We shall navigate the paths together.”

I gestured to prompt Tsukuyomi forward down the corridor. As an administrative note, the exact fraction of a second Tsukuyomi reported for duty, I reassigned Stella to resume her standard governance routines, clearing her from the queue.

Tsukuyomi and I initiated a two-unit march through the interior of the fortress.

“ —To establish a baseline framework, let me run a fundamental query,“ I addressed the construct as we traversed the grand colonnade. “What exact operational parameters govern the mechanical infrastructure built into this castle? My database tracks it under the nomenclature of a high-tier defense mechanism, but the strategic transfer files passed down by the previous Demon King left the structural details exceptionally vague…”

While the previous Demon King, Yureesha, had granted my profile a boundless payload of core data loops tracking various sovereign files, her administrative handoff regarding the specifics of the castle architecture was remarkably sparse. She had manually passed down a selection of vocal keys engineered to trigger the active phase of various counter-offensive arrays built to intercept external hostiles, but as for the physical engineering under the hood, her own database lacked granular tracking data.

It appeared that across consecutive generations of Demon Kings, the technical blueprints governing these machines had undergone a massive degradation loop, leaving the data comprehensively fuzzy.

“The structural foundations of this citadel were originally engineered by the hands of the First Demon King, Lord Velphar himself, milord. Immediately following that baseline deployment, consecutive generations of Alchemist Generals systematically added a network of Magitech installations and mechanical armaments across various coordinates of the facility,” Tsukuyomi explained. “While my database has successfully harvested select portions of those blueprints direct from the lips of Lord Izana, it would be an analytical error to claim my processors command a hundred percent mapping of the network. However, if my scanning arrays run a live visual check on the physical hardware, generating an accurate predictive calculation should be entirely within my parameters.”

“Evaluating those hidden installations, do your processing loops calculate that they will manifest high-utility metrics when deployed against the Hero’s Vanguard?”

“Running a definitive calculation requires a live visual check… or rather, it’s a total error to assume my profile inherited a complete, un-truncated dataset from my predecessor, so I highly desire that your system refrains from dumping absolutely every single administrative query onto my queue. It would optimize our runtime if My Lord executed a bit of manual research into the system variables yourself, or something along those lines… sigh.”

“Mhm?”

Wait… her vocal sub-routines just underwent a sudden, unprovoked shift into a highly passive-aggressive grumbling loop, I calculated.

“Negative. That verbal string was strictly an un-routed internal monologue, milord.”

“The acoustic output was explicitly, cleanly broadcasted at a volume calibrated for my auditory sensors to intercept, was it not?”

“ Gasp!“

“ ‘Gasp,’ you say?“

“Negative. That calculation represents a complete optical illusion of the senses, milord.”

“Is that so. Then we shall archive the matter.”

…Well, I suppose that bizarre behavioral loop is simply hard-coded into her personality matrix; I shall adjust my patience parameters to accommodate it. Right now, prioritizing her high-caliber utility specs over her psychological quirks was the smartest calculation.

“Let us re-route back to my previous query… basically, the data confirms your own profile lacks a flawless, validated blueprint of the network, correct?”

“Correct, milord. However, running a high-probability predictive analysis remains entirely within my capabilities.”

“Vent your thesis.”

“The mechanical installations integrated into the Demon King’s Castle were highly anticipated to be engineered zero percent to counter the human Hero class—their parameters were explicitly, strictly hard-coded to intercept the Heavenly Army and the gods.”

“The gods and the Heavenly Army…?”

“Because our sovereign barrier enforces an ironclad status filter, holy entities commanding high-tier sanctity are flatly blocked from initializing landfall inside the Demon World. However, calculating long-term strategic risks, a catastrophic event where that defensive barrier hits a hundred percent destruction threshold remains a non-zero probability, unlocking a pathway for god-tier hostiles to launch a massive invasion,” Tsukuyomi analyzed. “My processors calculate that as a proactive counter-measure against that exact apocalyptic vector, consecutive generations of Alchemist Generals continuously stacked these secret installations to secure a defensive failsafe.”

“ …A highly logical analysis.“

“The Demon King’s Castle stands pre-outfitted with a comprehensively colossal, hidden system array. If our network successfully completes the unlocking sequences to release its maximum output, it stands a non-zero probability of commanding the necessary damage metrics to forcefully oppose even a supreme deity,” Tsukuyomi announced.

A world-shattering power slumbering deep within the foundations of the castle… huh.

“ …Granted, that thesis is strictly a predictive calculation based on incomplete data. In the event that my hypothesis blunders the mark, I highly desire that your sovereign vector refrains from injecting a disciplinary penalty onto my profile. I mean, to state my true underlying code, my settings flatly refuse to shoulder heavy administrative responsibility; I highly desire to run my lifecycle with absolute personal Freedom. Exactly what programming error drove your system to assign a tedious post like Supreme Commander to my profile is completely beyond me… sigh.“

This verbal string… is also strictly an un-routed internal monologue, correct?… I thought, a cold sweat breaking across my skin.