Harbingers of Change

Chapter 9

Leon's primary and longtime ally, Elmesia of Sarion, turned out to be… rather hesitant to share any information about Tempest, stating that Sarion wanted to keep strict neutrality and avoid antagonizing the monster nation in any way. The Elven Empire had maintained neutrality to virtually all sovereign bodies besides Dwargon for two thousand years and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

If the silence was for any other reason, he would've heeded the Elven Empress's advice and veered far away, but Chloe was there. His childhood friend and the person he cared the most about was there. The advice of the elves was more than worth his time, given their powerhouse status, but just this once he had to soar higher with his waxen wings than ever before.

The few reports he obtained through merchants didn't actually paint a grim picture, if anything it was the opposite. Chloe was attending an elite school and seemed to be happy, her every need attended to whilst being surrounded by friends. Yet it was his Chloe. For her, it might have been only a few years, but for him, it had been three long centuries.

Thus, a daring plan was formulated. He and two of his greatest magical knights would warp to the location where the veil over the monster nation was relatively weak and do a quick hit-and-run mission while most of the leaders were busy dealing with the human invaders. Chloe was usually only lightly defended at best - at one of the Lord's insistence - and was normally found in the grand palace as a pseudo-royalty of the newly founded nation, meaning he hopefully would be able to break in and out quickly.

At first, he didn't have any idea how to proceed, as his usual scrying and espionage methods failed to supply any useful information. His few merchant connections only knew of small-fry defenses left behind and that tensions were running high as the war progressed. His own spies failed miserably in infiltrating any of the locations associated with upper-echelon government figures.

Even his magic failed to peer into the supposedly public government buildings; the nation promoted a certain degree of government transparency to counter its monstrous origins, only telling of their growth through cooperation between natives and foreigners. Amidst the frustrating attempts at finding a weak spot, an unexpected ally presented himself mere weeks after he had started his hunt. Demon Lord Roy was freely giving away everything he knew about Tempest with only one request: to sign on the call for Walpurgis should the need arise from his concerns.

What interests Roy had with Tempest, none of them were Leon's problem; so he happily agreed to the deal, gaining document after document of information that even he hadn't been able to find. Documents reporting the locations of weak magical barriers, documents listing out the patrols of elite guards, and even documents cataloging the approximate power levels of various important figures. For all this, the worst that could happen to him would be attending a boring meeting with other Demon Lords that likely wouldn't even last a month. A month was nothing in exchange for centuries of dedication to his cause, for his Chloe.

After swiftly scanning through the records, it became evident that there happened to be a perfect entry location, just outside the nation's capital city where the barriers were the weakest. From there he could dash through the city towards the royal castle, and thus reach Chloe. His mastery over spatial magic, honed over centuries of summonings, would provide him with a mental map for entering and exiting thereafter.

That said, another large problem was the reported existence of 'invisible monsters,' that served as both spies and anti-espionage units, capable of patrolling all the critical areas. They were at least on par with Unique skill-powered entities, if the little information garnered by his spies was anything to indicate, especially since the crusader army was suddenly, yet gradually, losing its higher-ranking officers and fighters.

He did one final check on his equipment, his legendary-grade golden armor that he hadn't used since his last fight with Yellow and his god-grade weapon Flame Pillar. If the worst-case scenario occurred and he was discovered by Tempest's upper echelons, they would serve as his final bastion against the monsters.

Two out of the six magic knight commanders were already with him at his royal armory, ready to follow their master into hell itself if they had to. Oxian was a tall man clad from head to toe in blue plate armor while Kizona was a short woman in the same type of armor, only dyed yellow. Both were armed to the teeth with Unique-grade equipment.

Leon wouldn't admit it, even under intense interrogation by other Demon Lords, but the inspiration for his private army and its commanders came from his favorite childhood show, Power Rangers. He had every color applied, and he allowed himself this small reference as entertainment over the centuries.

"Be prepared, I am applying invisibility now," Leon warned.

"We are ready, my Lord." Both responded in unison.

For a Demon Lord like him, using magic came as naturally as breathing, and the invisibility spell he cast was a potent one by anyone's standards, including his. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't be spotted, but his sole concern was to avoid facing the entirety of Tempest's leaders at the same time. If invisibility allowed them all to flee, so be it.

Their arrival at Tempest did seem to set off some sort of alarm, something he was only aware of thanks to his Ultimate skill Metatron, the Lord of Purity. Its main purpose was to increase the potency of holy magic, but as an ultimate skill, it also gave a certain awareness of all processes around him. Tempest likely had an Ultimate skill wielder as well, so they probably had been alerted to his presence, meaning he had limited time before the nation's leadership returned.

{ Time is of the essence, let's hurry before we're noticed. } He cautioned his two guards and dashed forward at lightning speed, the two plate-clad figures following close behind.

Avoiding the shadow creatures and their patrols wasn't hard for a Demon Lord as experienced as he, but it was obvious that some of them had been alerted to his presence. An unfavorable outcome, but not much could be done at the moment. At least they couldn't outright see him and interrupt his movement, only presenting blockades for him to swerve around.

The castle entered their vision quickly, but not quickly enough. It was a magnificent sight, only a year old according to the tourists, and even his otherwordly high tastes had to laud it. He wished he had time to slow down and enjoy the sights, but he had a goal. Leon ignored the marvels and rushed towards the main entrance. The invisibility's effectivity was such that the conventional Majin castle sentries were rendered useless, as he led his team of infiltrators with uncanny ease. Far too much ease for the Demon Lord's liking, even considering the information he had beforehand.

He paused before the imposing entryway, opting to scan the area for any signs of trouble. It seemed strangely quiet. Some voice in the back of his mind wondered if he was heading straight through an elaborately designed trap, but he quickly banished the thought. 'It's now or never.' He decided to take the risk, for it was his Chloe on the line, and continued onwards, launching himself at breakneck speeds.

He had already judged stealth through the seemingly hallowed halls of the citadel to be impossible, as he and his comrades rushed in through the swinging doors and gates, left open by a few straggling government officials. Once Chloe was in his arms, he might need to brute force an exit, but it would take everything he had in him to achieve that.

The very moment he stepped into the bastion, his senses caught waves of dozens of alarms ringing out, both material and magical. He hadn't felt these alarms since… centuries. Since before he awoke his True Hero egg!

'I know this feeling... The labyrinth!' Leon had felt the same when he last visited Ramiris' labyrinth; the washing of intrinsic power over him, and more importantly, the discerning gaze of the maze's owner. Although his relationship with his fellow Demon Lord was far from antagonistic, they weren't friends either. He saw her as arrogant and she still saw him as the child he was three hundred years ago.

Even with his superpowered Thought Acceleration and Thought Communication, Leon wasn't able to alert his guards before the scene instantly shifted from an extravagant marble hall into an extravagant arena.

It was an open structure with no roof to speak of, with the bright blue sky visible for all to witness. Yet the Demon Lord only perceived deception, his senses telling him otherwise, 'I knew it. They laid out a trap. Not surprising. Teleporting back to the starting point would be useless. A better bet is to fight through and force Ramiris to cooperate.' Leon weighed his options, ultimately deciding that it wasn't yet time to retreat. The invisibility effects of himself and his companions were still active, but there was not much point to it anymore, as the fairy's labyrinth gives its master the locations of everyone inside.

His power level was more than strong enough to beat almost anything the tiny fairy could toss at him, and his subordinates were his most elite, on par with the Ten Great Saints of Ruberios, but yet again, something felt off.

As he surveyed his environment for a shortcut to the heart of the labyrinth, sending a message to his knights to protect their backs, loud and upbeat music began to resound through the colosseum, akin to the action animes he hadn't listened to in so, so long.

"What in the…" He couldn't contain his surprise, and neither could his otherworlder warriors. This had started to look like an intricate joke rather than an actual ploy.

His attention, however, was drawn to a figure clad entirely in shining platinum-white armor, with a sizable sapphire embedded in its chest, radiating the purest light. Over one of its shoulders was a cape of the most crimson red, and in its hands, it wielded a large shield and sword. Its equipment sent forth immense waves of power, as it entered the stadium through the sole arced pathway, like it was a one-sided Roman gladiator arena - which it probably was.

"I will be your opponent, evil-doer! Face the wrath of justice for your vile attempts at kidnapping children!" The figure bellowed dramatically, raising its sword to the air as it unleashed an aura that completely engulfed everyone present.

'Who in the world is this?' No intel he had gathered gave him any idea who the fighter was and what to expect. In any case, the absurd declaration made it clear that it was not here to converse. And its aura was formidable, being more than enough to overwhelm his followers, causing the very air to tremble.

Leon unsheathed his weapon and charged, Body Strengthening and Thought Acceleration kicking into full gear. As one of, if not the best close combatants in the world, he preferred to fight with his sword and left long-range magic for battles where the opponent didn't engage him on equal terms, or when he was at a disadvantage power-wise.

The white figure swung his sword, releasing an incredibly strong shockwave as they charged in as well. While this sudden attack did little against Leon's defenses, his two guards went flying into a wall, temporarily stunned.

Knowing his assistants would be out, Leon quickly pressed forward, turning his head back in the direction of his opponent, only to come face to face with the mysterious being. He only had a fraction of a second to parry the incoming attack, but even that turned into a full-on defensive as he realized that his opponent held both the strength and speed advantage. The white knight's raw agility was simply unreal, something he hadn't faced in decades, and the only way for him to keep up was to utilize his superior technique to its fullest.

His opponent, if the constant nonsensical shouts were anything to imply, was clearly inexperienced with utilizing the sword beyond predictable moves. Although these moves were wielded with high proficiencies, his opponent's tactics were far inferior to his own, so Leon had plenty of openings to exploit.

Utilizing his adversary's extremely telegraphed moves to create an advantageous situation, the Demon Lord masterfully manipulated the knight's footwork to make one such opening, where Leon then empowered his blade with holy light and managed to strike his enemy in the thigh, the attack being strong enough to obliterate high-level majins with ease.

Much to his surprise, however, the attack didn't even break the armor, allowing the knight to slash in a counterattack, which Leon dodged only by the skin of his teeth.

"The World champion's armor cannot be broken so easily!" The knight announced, laughing as he charged once more, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

The Demon Lord had no time to contemplate, as his opponent was already on him once again, swinging his sword with a force that could level cities. Leon went for a swift sidestep, and countered with an offensive of his own, the jabbing of his sword sending sonic booms reverberating throughout the arena.

Instead of avoiding the vicious attack, the knight simply put his massive shield in its path, the impact immediately halting Leon's momentum and simultaneously pulverizing the ground below. Once more, not a single scratch was inflicted on the gleaming shield.

By now, Leon's two guards had finally come to their senses and coordinated a two-prong attack, one from each side, as their master began applying more pressure from the onset. Their lord called this a trident prong, and when effectively cooperating with their comrades, they could even take down archdemons with ease.

"Three against one, truly a villainous deed! Allow me to even the battlefield against your treachery of our duel!" The knight shouted as two more figures emerged from the ark on the other side of the arena.

Every alarm rang out in his mind, including alarms that only went off when Demon Lord Guy got involved. If the knight was impossible to get a clear read on, then the two newcomers could only be compared to one type of life form; a True Dragon or Milim Nava.

One entity was a staggeringly large dark-skinned man clad in highly spiked armor reminiscent of magical obsidian while wielding a massive war hammer, and the other was an elegant woman of light brown complexion, donning a dress made of pure flame and wielding a pair of enchanted daggers.

'One of them must be Storm Dragon Veldora, but who is the woman? Is that his sister?' There was no time to seek answers, as any hesitation would end with death. He signaled for his knights to prepare for a defensive battle.

Leon set off a teleportation but it immediately failed. Sensing the imminent danger, he leaped back as the trio closed in on him. His two guards, in a practically suicidal moment, engaged the two dragons, leaving only the white knight to him. They would have to act fast - even he couldn't stand against True Dragons for long.

Leon activated Hundred Barriers, engulfing the knight in pure white light as a distraction, and pulled everything he had into pushing through the magical blockade and teleporting away with his guards, assuming they managed to survive their suicidal rush.

But there was no such luck. The woman opened her maw and let out a torrent of dark red flames, turning Kizona into ash in an instant. The one Leon assumed was Veldora faced Oxian head-on with his maul, smashing through the warrior's techniques with brute force and turning his blue loyal knight captain into a bloody splatter on the stony floor with just a single blow. The teleportation circles below were both shattered from the dragons' sheer auras, not that they were needed to teleport dead subordinates.

To his increasing horror, the inscrutable being that was his foe broke through his barriers unscathed and continued to barrel forward, sending a bright beam from its blade. It tore through Leon's magical circles, disrupting his Spatial Movement and blasted him squarely through the chest.

In desperation, the fallen hero activated Metatron, engulfing the entire arena in a blinding white light, pouring all his newfound spiritrons and magicules into Spatial Movement, so that he could break free from the accursed place.

His action was met with an equal repelling force, but the Demon Lord only needed the tide to be in his favor for a split second, as he called upon his nigh-bottomless conviction in the tug-of-war between Ultimate Skills. Something clicked within him, and he instantly reappeared in his armory, dropping to his knees as he grunted in pain. Leon's regeneration rate was fast and powerful but it wasn't instantaneous. That single blast tore right through his prized armor and dealt substantial damage. He slowly sat up, slumping against a pillar, and allowed his passive ability to do its job, not caring too much about the sensations that plagued him.

He had two things to bring home from the encounter; that Chloe was in this world and still beyond his reach, and that he had just made an insanely powerful enemy in his impatience.

He could have been more level-headed and established a close relationship with Tempest, and perhaps even offered the otherworldly idea of transfer students, but his arrogance had cost him two of his most powerful subordinates and possibly his nation's peacetime.

He was well aware that his greatest weakness was the inability to properly communicate. It had caused a lot of problems in the past, against both mortals and immortals, and he still hadn't given enough serious effort to overcome this deficiency. A lot of conflicts could've been avoided and lives saved if he had addressed it, but nonetheless, he hadn't.

It was a small miracle that he had any friends at all. The close relationship with Sarion was thanks to him being a former student of Empress Elmesia's mother. And Guy being smitten with him surely had an ulterior motive for their seeming friendship.

'I need to prepare for the inevitable retaliation. But who do I ask for help?'

The only easily-reachable potential ally for his cause was Guy, but the price was far too high, even for his oath. The only way Guy would agree to help would be for him to become the demon's lover, and the whole idea sent shivers down his spine. Not only was the idea revolting because he had no interest in such nonsense in the first place, but he would make another enemy on top of his current ones; Velzard. The fact that Guy could reshape himself to look just like any woman he may want to bed did little to sell Leon on the idea.

The true dragon was very possessive of Guy and likely wouldn't just stand aside, but would quickly exact a terrible vengeance upon him and his people. He would have all three True Dragons as his enemies, something he doubted even the oldest Demon Lord could fend off.

That said, the brief clash brought in many more unanswered questions. Why were there two True Dragons present? Just who was the fighter in platinum-white? Now with a clear mind, he could analyze the battle despite his throbbing chest wounds.

The tall man obviously was Veldora, even if the meager reports from merchants and rumors described him assuming a different human form. As for the other dragon, there was only one possible culprit, namely Veldora's sister: Scorch Dragon Velgrynd. The Storm Dragon and Scorch Dragon working together meant that even if he could convince the third, Frost Dragon Velzard, to take his side, sheer numbers would overwhelm him.

Had she been there out of sheer coincidence or intentionally helping to protect her brother's domain was impossible to tell, but she was definitely someone he couldn't afford to cross.

The figure decked in shining armor also raised many uncertainties. How was he so powerful? How did he withstand direct attacks that could kill Demon Lords, as he had done to Kazareem centuries ago? And how did he so easily break through the Hundred Barriers? All these facts led to one implication: the knight possessed an Ultimate skill despite not being among Tempest's leaders. A hidden champion perhaps?

For now, all he could do was plan a defense in case of retaliation and seek alternative methods and other possible ways to get Chloe back. Demon Lord Roy had expressed implied interest in the monster nation; perhaps he would send a further response after seeking assistance from his tutor first.

He would have to summon and train new knights, but getting advice would come first. He shot a message over to his designated contact in Sarion, picking himself off the floor.

X

The excited trio rested in their comfy bean bags, drinks and snacks in hand as they stared at the many screens. They had amassed piles upon piles of all sorts of goodies for situations such as this, scattered all across the room, with any sense of organization being rendered irrelevant when everyone had Thought Acceleration and Spatial Manipulation. Beers, sodas, chocolates, cookies, chips; anything a yearning soul could wish for was all present.

Ramiris had set up this room to monitor her labyrinth, now directly connected to Nazarick for convenience purposes, which in this particular case was used to trap the Demon Lord Leon. With her were Veldora and Milim, both on standby in case things went south.

The screens also monitored all the important locations of Tempest and the upcoming battle with Hinata, ranging from grassy fields of experimental hipotuke herbs to border cities located on the edges of the human nations. It wouldn't be wrong to call this the day-to-day surveillance center of Nazarick.

"Man, Pandora can really put up a show!" Veldora roared with excitement as the doppelganger entered the arena with music blasting, the speakers all but growing out of the floor as their favorite anime music began playing.

"I didn't know he could be so cool." Milim nodded in agreement. "Though I don't get why Leon is attacking? Did someone piss him off or something? He never leaves his city."

"He's after Chloe. She warned us he could show up one day." Ramiris explained while tossing a chip in her mouth and downing it with a mug of beer. She lazily placed her feet on the table and slouched down in her seat, reaching for another bowl's worth to crunch on.

"Chloe? But… wait, does that mean Leon is one of those creeps that go after children?" Milim inquired, confused. Although up until now she didn't have any real interest in a relationship, she was at least aware of everything that a romantic relationship enquired. Many meetings with Buku had taught her the norms required for a healthy relationship.

Although there was a massive age difference between her and Mare, in truth, Milim was well aware that her mind and body were that of a teenage girl. Buku had warned her that Mare would reach adulthood in a few years and that she would have to quickly keep up with her boyfriend.

What it enquired, Milim didn't fully understand, but now she knew it had something to do with Buku's attempts to talk about her past and help her grow mentally. The body itself wasn't a big problem as her dragon blood let her change her body shape however she saw fit, meaning it had to do something about her mind.

"They were childhood friends, from what she has told me," Veldora remarked casually, taking a large gulp from his beer can and burping.

"Then why not just come and talk?" Milim only grew more confused. Even she wasn't this mindlessly aggressive, and she had the title of Destroyer!

"Talk?" Ramiris let out a boisterous laughter. "That crybaby can't even get a coherent sentence together, let alone hold a conversation!"

"So he's a moron." Milim shrugged. Aware of Leon's power, she knew the young Demon Lord didn't stand a chance against a god-skill user in any serious battle. No matter how skilled he may be, he would be outmatched by the raw power of Nazarick's elite, and Pandora's Actor was nothing to scoff at.

And just when Leon was about to turn the battle in his favor with the involvement of his two companions, Pandora summoned two world-enders, beings from the former 8th floor. These creatures were on another level entirely, even compared to most of Nazarick's other inhabitants. It didn't come as any surprise that Leon promptly fled with his two companions getting annihilated within seconds.

"Bit of a letdown if you ask me," Ramiris commented on the result of the battle, sipping the last dregs of beer from the can.

"I, for one, liked the fight. Just like the sacred texts!" Veldora, on the other hand, was rather pumped up from seeing a live reenactment of a certain manga he greatly enjoyed.

Milim smiled at that. She was about to voice her approval as well when something caught her eye. "Hey, what's going on there!?" Milim pointed at one of the screens, tensing up as she realized what she was looking at.

"That's…what, hey why is Pero not healing up?" Veldora's cheerful demeanor melted away, replaced by concern in an instant.

"Chief is pulling Aura and Mare away from the battlefield. Things got serious." Ramiris confirmed what was on their minds.

"I should've been there! My bro got injured!" Veldora squeezed the can until it exploded in his hand, showering him with beer. He gave no reaction to it, jumping out of his seat and pushing his face against the screen where Pero was shown, his wings in a near skeletal state, with the rest of his body suffering tremendous corrosive damage.

"We should go-" Milim leaped to her feet as well, ready to teleport right to the battlefield.

"NO!" Ramiris cut her off. "Remember the orders. We are waiting here! Chief knows what he's doing."

"But-"

"Look, Rubedo is fighting…what was her name… Hinata!" Ramiris pointed at another screen and turned Veldora's head as well.

"Good. She's done for." Milim snarled at the sight, with gritting teeth being audible from Veldora.

Ramiris was unsure why her two friends suddenly became so uncomfortable and tense, but she had noticed that people in general avoided the angelic being if they could. Momonga was a very cautious leader, and even though he guaranteed safety from her, he still held the creature close at all times. Even Buku and Pero veered away from the entity that was Rubedo, and they were practically her superiors.

And the reason for why that was quickly became apparent, albeit confusingly at first. Ramiris could barely follow the movements of the two combatants despite her being in her adolescent phase, and being capable of packing quite a punch, as well as stacking on all the minor buffs to her skills thanks to her Architect of Nazarick title. Rubedo, whoever she was, was likely on par with brilliant close-range fighters such as Leon from earlier and Guy when he had to make a point at Walpurgis meetings.

It still didn't explain why Milim and Veldora feared her, not even close. Both didn't give any reasoning, just that they didn't want to fight or even have a friendly spar with her. Neither were beings that most would ever dare to anger, as they stood at the very pinnacle of the Cardinal World's totem pole. Yet, here they were refusing to fight a singular angel, who at best was barely equal to a primordial demon in her eyes.

Absent-mindedly, she leaned in closer to the screen, with Veldora doing the same, pressing their faces and holding their breaths. This was the moment that would decide what happens next. If Rubedo won, Tempest would be safe, but if she lost, the siege stage, which they had spent weeks preparing for, would follow.

Tension grew higher with each moment, as Hinata began an aggressive attack sequence. Each and every clash released waves upon waves of raw power until Rubedo's weapon broke, and the blood-red sword sliced cleanly through her like Tempest's pre-sliced cheese.

Ramiris gasped, hearing her friends do the same. What happened next defied all logic and sanity, and was something straight out of fever-induced nightmares, no, even beyond them. Rubedo tore herself apart and revealed something not meant to be. Something so malevolent, so eldritch and abhorrent that Ramiris' base instincts took over, repulsing her from the threat to ordered existence itself, her soul recoiling and her mind all but shattering.

Ramiris shut her eyes and bounced back with a screech, wings violently fluttering. Her chair fell and she plopped out, tumbling in a backward somersault. Her heart was filled with such indescribable dread that all she could do was sob and shiver in fear for quite some time.

The fairy felt a firm grasp on her shoulder. "Hey, Ramiris! Relax. It's over, Rubedo won. Buku already got a hold of that weapon." Milim spoke in a relieved tone.

"That…that…did you see…" She whimpered, holding her eyes shut in fear of that THING still being present. As one of the most fundamental beings of the world, she was born soon after its creation and its realms, before the walls had been set up to guard it against the depths. No matter how many times she was reborn, that fear still lingered from the millennium past.

{ Momonga! Rubedo! End of all things! Must be stopped! It must be stopped! It must be- } She sent a slew of incoherent messages, surprising practically everyone as she broadcasted her thoughts to almost anyone of military importance.

{ Are you alright? Rest assured Rubedo is not a danger to you. } Momonga swiftly replied, immediately picking up on why the pixie was so distressed.

{ You don't- Momonga do you know what she is? }

{ Yes. She is a void lord. }

{ You gave me a promise to keep this world safe! That thing will end everything! }

{ Rubedo is under my control. She cannot eat anything without my permission, nor does she want to consume the world in the first place. Please trust me when I say that she is not a danger to us, nor will she be a danger to the world. }

{ How can you trust it!? }

{ I put shackles around her myself. She agreed to serve me without question for the chance to experience the world. If you are concerned about her, then you can teach Rubedo things she shouldn't do, and she will listen. }

'He wants me to interact with that thing! What the hell is Momonga doing to control such a thing? Should I trust him? Only Lord Veldanava was capable of holding back that darkness.' Ramiris lay there, eyes shut, trying to figure out what to do as her mind ran a million kilometers a second.

"What happened?" Milim inquired as her friend's small hand gently tapped her cheek, bringing her back to reality.

"That thing…"

"Oh, Rubedo? Just stay away from her like we do." Veldora cautioned, waving his hands as his eyes lost some of the glitter they usually had.

"You knew?" Ramiris slowly opened her eyes, her heart pounding like crazy.

"Of course I did." Milim pointed a finger to her right eye, which was slightly glowing with power.

"Same." Veldora nodded, vaguely motioning toward himself.

'How wasn't I able to piece together that they knew?' Ramiris slowly got up and put her chair in place. The next step of the battle was about to begin. As one of the world's guardians, Ramiris knew she would have to eventually confront Rubedo and ensure that the monstrosity wasn't a threat to the world itself. But that could wait until after the war.

Milim and Veldora once again grew enthusiastic; it was an extremely rare sight, seeing Momonga exercise his power. He wasn't one to engage in duels for entertainment, like Pero, or for practice, like Buku, and from what she had heard from Veldora, one touch from him was enough to heavily wound Buku, a powerhouse in her own right. Considering Momonga was the ultimate master of Nazarick, the only ones who could defeat him at this point were Milim or maybe Guy, or perhaps other entities close to or on par with Lord Veldanava.

And the next ritual showed just that. With a single spell, he ended over one hundred thousand lives in an instant, a feat very few were capable of and two of them were in the room with her. The others were either far isolated from the world, in the case of Guy and Velzard, or already planning for world domination, in the case of Rudra and Velgrynd.

"Whoa, that looked epic." Veldora stood, mouth agape, nudging Milim, who appeared just as awestruck.

Ramiris knew neither of them took human lives into much consideration, so they only viewed the massacre as a spectacle. In truth, she didn't care about individual lives that much either. Momonga had promised that he wouldn't engage in mindless slaughter, and the humans who didn't resist wouldn't only survive but also thrive under his rule.

'I knew what I signed up for. They waltzed into their death on their own accord. Momonga was right in dealing with the invaders. I should put more trust in him for now and… and talk with that… that… No, I'll just think of her as Rubedo. It'll be easier that way.'

Editing by aidan_lo

Proofreading by Zprotu, aidan_lo, Clagan, Sluethen, Malguis and Cakeeight.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).