438 [Bonus chapter]The Path Of War[Pt 1]
“We should storm the Academy to destroy the weapon—or better yet, capture it for ourselves.”
This suggestion was brought about by none other than Serci, the meathead.
Abellion hadn’t asked for her opinion, yet she impulsively spoke. This caused everyone to stare at her with annoyance.
Once she realized her thoughtless actions, the monstrous Demon Lord profusely apologized.
“That’s all right.” Abellion, the merciful Demon King forgave her on the spot.
“My King, if I may…” Lydia, the one who brought this report, decided to raise her hand.
“What is it? You have a suggestion?”
“Yes, my King. Rather than storming the Academy, I believe it would be best to act discreetly. I currently have no idea where the weapon currently is, but it’s also possible that they may transport the weapon to another location while we invade.”
Lydia’s words were filled with sense, so all her colleagues listened with rapt attention.
“I believe I should continue my investigation—one that involves me alone.”
The Demon Lord of Blanc proposed to be allowed autonomy in order to investigate the device. Her plan was impeccable, as usual.
“I see. So, what would happen if you eventually find it?”
Ultimately, they had to decide on what they would do to the weapon.
“I believe it’s best if we destroy it. A weapon made by humans can not be trusted enough to bring to the Demon Realm. Besides, they probably designed it with the concept of Mana in mind.”
Since Demons utilized Miasma, such a device would be useless to them.
There were other risks involved, so it was better to simply sabotage the device.
“We have enough forces to destroy them, so I believe we should simply cripple their attempts at resistance.” That way, according to Lydia, victory was ultimately certain.
Abellion loved her idea, and decided to implement it.
As a Demon Lord, she had just raised herself on a higher pedestal. While her colleagues had also been trying their best, none could argue that Lydia’s role had yielded the most.
“Then, operate with the utmost discretion, Lydia. Destroy the device as discreetly as possible. If possible, beyond recovery. It would be entertaining to see the look of despair on their faces when they realize that the weapon they are relying on for salvation ends up being destroyed.”
As always, the Demon Lords were in awe of their great leader’s words.
“Now, then, Zenkiel… it’s your turn.”
The Demon Lord of Vert quivered a bit, clearly uncomfortable as he stepped forward.
Lydia of Blanc had just given a flawless presentation of her use to the King, but Zenkiel—who was usually so charismatic—now appeared timid.
“I approved of your two-pronged attacks on the respective enemy nations. Kyron also mentioned that you took four thousand Demon Beasts as troops. How was the yield?”
Zenkiel gulped as he pictured the disappointed expression of his master once he told him of his failure.
“I-I apologize, my King. They were all wiped out easily. I was unable to gain even the littlest of Intel.”
All the Demons in the great hall expressed immense surprise at what Zenkiel just uttered. Even though no Demon Lord would openly say it, they all knew that Zenkiel was the most capable of them.
For his plans to have gone up in smoke like that… was strange.
“Explain yourself, Zenkiel.” Abellion’s voice was calm.
It was that of a master trying to understand the failure of his subordinate. Zenkiel knew this well because he was the same to the members of his Nine Stars.
“My King, the Humans and Elves are too strong. Our original estimation of their power is too small. In fact, I currently do not have a full grasp concerning just what they are capable of.”
Before any word could be spoken, Zenkiel used Magic to demonstrate his point.
Unlike Lydia, he could not utilize Projection through Light Magic. Still, Demons also had Magic Technology and Artifacts that were discovered during the previous war.
One of them allowed the recording and projection of certain occurrences.
Lubick and his team were able to replicate the item, making it capable of monitoring long distances.
One end would be the transmitter and the other served as a receiver.
Zenkiel brought four Receivers from thin air, using his Spatial Magic, and then activated them.
He displayed the footage of the four respective scenes simultaneously. This allowed everyone in the room to watch just how the battle had gone down.
Everyone was shocked beyond words.
From the strange swordsman in the mountains, to the crazy duo in the North, to the bombardment of the Elves with purely destructive power… and then the most bizarre.
“What the hell…?”
“Is that a Golem?”
“It’s so big!”
“How does such a thing…”
The Demon Lords were initially puzzled by the size and design. However, after seeing what the construct was capable of, they fell into dead silence.
“A-as you can see… their capabilities exceed our expectations. In fact, I do not have a correct estimate of their strength.”
Those who had limited strength were prone to hiding it. But, the fact that their enemies had shown such unrestrained power, it meant they still had reserve strength.
“I… see…” Even King Abellion was flustered.
Still, though, as the absolute leader of the people who were before him, The Demon King maintained his supreme aura.
“So, Zenkiel, what do you propose?”
“As for that, I discovered something after this failure of mine. The enemies have a brilliant strategist aiding them. That is why our efforts to ensure no Alliance could be formed went up in smoke.”
The mastermind had countered the move of the Demons and utilized it to his advantage.
“He can see through our plans and counter them with a more sophisticated one. It is shameful for me to say, but based on what has happened so far, he is most likely more brilliant than I am.”
Another barrage of gasps filled the grand hall. Zenkiel had the most experience and maturity among all the Demon Lords.
In terms of intelligence and strategy, he was unrivaled.
Yet, this great individual confessed that he was inferior to another.