"Gikii!"
With a shrill, high-pitched cry, a goblin lunged at me from the front.
It gripped a crude club in its hands, swinging the weapon straight at my head. The blow was fueled by sheer momentum—a wild, aggressive strike.
However, it was well within my ability to handle.
I shifted my wooden training sword, parrying the incoming club with a fluid motion. The goblin, caught off guard by the ease with which its attack was diverted, stumbled and lost its balance.
I delivered a sharp knee to its midsection, and the goblin collapsed, foaming at the mouth as it writhed in agony. Its eyes rolled back into its head, but I had made sure to hold back just enough. It wouldn't die. If left alone, someone would eventually come along to mend its wounds with magic.
As the goblin fell, I sensed two more presences closing in from either side.
To my left was a pig-faced orc; to my right, a massive ogre. They moved in tandem, attempting to catch me in a pincer maneuver.
"Good coordination."
As the orc thrust its spear, I caught the tip with my wooden blade, entangling the weapons to divert the spear’s trajectory. The spear’s path shifted directly toward the ogre, who was just beginning to swing a massive fist.
The spearhead bit into the ogre’s flank. The giant monster flinched, its movements dulling for a fraction of a second. That was all the time I needed.
I drove my palm into the orc’s face with explosive force. Its nose shattered, spraying blood as its upper body snapped backward. In the same motion, I spun to avoid the ogre’s delayed punch and delivered a high kick to its exposed jaw.
Both monsters collapsed into unconsciousness at the exact same moment.
Suddenly, a presence approached from behind, moving without a sound.
I tilted my body and spun around. A kobold stood there, mid-thrust with a training knife. The creature’s eyes widened in shock when it realized its surprise attack had failed.
"Calm your heart. Your intent is transparent."
I stepped inside its guard, twisting my torso to put my weight into a sharp elbow strike to the kobold’s chest. The creature let out a strangled yelp before its eyes glazed over and it slumped to the ground.
Once I was certain the fight was over, I lowered my wooden sword.
A small army of my subordinate monsters stood in a wide circle around us, watching the display with visible tension. I addressed them in a flat, detached tone.
"Each of you must strive to sharpen your skills further. That is all."
I handed the wooden sword to a nearby subordinate and walked away. My departure served as a signal; the monsters began to chatter noisily among themselves as they returned to their personal training.
This was a training ground within the Royal Capital. Today, I had decided to personally oversee their drills at the request of my subordinates.
The Authority of Miasma was not the only thing I had gained within the Valley of the Dead. I had also inherited the memories and experiences of every soul who had perished in that cursed land. This included the swordsmanship of the Former Hero, as well as the specialized techniques of countless others.
I bore the weight of all their lives, and I intended to use that knowledge to cultivate the strength of my own forces.
Currently, the Demon King’s Army boasted overwhelming power. Our sheer numbers surpassed the military might of any other nation, bolstered by a massive legion of undead who knew no fear. However, if we allowed ourselves to become complacent, we would eventually be overtaken. We were now in the phase where the quality of our individual soldiers mattered as much as our quantity.
Dozens of days had passed since I defeated the Holy Sword Hero.
In that time, we had finally secured total control over the entire Kingdom. The region had been fully subsumed into the Demon King’s Domain; for all intents and purposes, the Kingdom had been wiped from the map. It was a major power with a centuries-long history, yet its end had been remarkably abrupt.
For me, this marked a significant milestone.
Of course, I remained vigilant against the threat of rebellion. I had not turned every inch of the Kingdom into a graveyard for the undead. Pockets of territory remained where the local lords had surrendered to avoid slaughter. While they were submissive for now, there was no telling when they might decide to bare their fangs. They understood the consequences of defiance, and I could only hope they would not make a foolish choice. I had no desire to actively exterminate a powerless populace.
Meanwhile, the neighboring nations were in an absolute state of turmoil.
My spies reported that intense, frantic debates were breaking out within the courts of every major power. The news of the Hero’s death had spread like wildfire. They had likely been watching the invasion of the Kingdom from the sidelines, but now, the realization was sinking in: they were next.
We had already finished identifying the nations that had provided military aid to the smaller states to provoke war with my army. The high-ranking officials we captured in the capital had been more than willing to talk. Those nations had been looting the resources of the fallen small states to line their own pockets while watching the conflict from a safe distance.
At this moment, succubi under Luciana’s direct command are infiltrating those countries to gather intelligence. Once we have the information we need, I plan to strike them first.
I have no use for nations that step over others solely for profit. In the coming days, I will personally lead a strike to deal them a devastating blow. I won’t destroy them completely; instead, I will use them as a grim example to encourage the other nations to cooperate. They will serve as a living testament to the terror of the Demon King.
Tasks were mounting, but I was making steady progress.
The Kingdom—the land where everything began—had fallen. The threat of the Demon King was finally being acknowledged by the world. To be honest, I found the world’s reaction to be sluggish. The various nations were likely too blinded by their own interests to see the bigger picture until now.
Until recently, they had viewed this as a localized disaster confined to a single country. Even when the neighboring small nations fell, they saw them as nothing more than expendable buffer states. The bystanders assumed the situation would eventually resolve itself if they just ignored it. It was a naive perspective, but such is human nature.
That era of leisure was over.
For now, I am focusing on the development of the Demon King’s Domain, but our invasion will eventually resume. When it does, the surrounding nations will be the ones to face the fires of war. This is no longer someone else's problem.
Humanity must be forced to exert every ounce of its strength if it wishes to survive.
As I was contemplating our future prospects, I noticed a frantic presence approaching from ahead. It was Grom, running toward me and waving his hand. He skidded to a halt in front of me, clearly agitated.
"Lord Demon King! I have been looking everywhere for you...!"
"What is it?"
Grom began his report, gesturing wildly as he spoke.
"M-My Lord, we have a situation! A certain group is currently making its way across the Demon King’s Domain!"
"A group?" I repeated, my tone turning serious.
This was unexpected. I didn't think anyone would be bold enough to trespass into our territory at a time like this. While I hadn't strictly forbidden entry, it wasn't exactly a place people visited out of curiosity. At most, I expected opportunistic merchants, reckless mercenaries, or perhaps a few spies.
However, I had left the management of such things to Grom and Luciana. For Grom to report this to me personally meant there was something unusual about these travelers.
"How many are there?"
"Approximately thirty, My Lord."
"Thirty?"
I was surprised. It was too many for a scouting party, but far too few for an army. It was an awkwardly middling number. If they were spies, they would be moving in much smaller, discreet groups. To move in a pack of thirty was practically begging to be noticed.
"Have you identified them?"
"Yes, we have."
Grom lowered his voice, casting a cautious look around to ensure no one else was listening.
"...It appears they are a band of elves from the Forest of the World Tree."