A few days later.
The Demon King’s Army continued its smooth invasion of Imperial territory.
A significant factor was the total annihilation of the force the Empire had dispatched to the Forest of the World Tree. Even for a power as great as the Empire, cracks were beginning to show in their military strength. They had apparently been so desperate to secure the Forest of the World Tree and the elves that they were willing to commit an absurd amount of resources to the task.
While I understood their motives, I had no intention of helping them.
The Empire scrambled to pull soldiers from every corner of its lands to counter our fierce onslaught. Yet, even their most desperate measures did little more than slightly dampen our pace; our own casualties remained negligible. As the Demon King’s Army advanced, its numbers only swelled, bolstered by the corpses of the fallen turned into undead.
The Imperial Army, famed for its might, specialized in tactics that relied on overwhelming numbers—but those methods were useless against us. They simply could not achieve numerical superiority. Undead that knew neither fatigue nor pain could weather any blow they struck.
However, these factors were minor details compared to the real reason for our success: Grom and Henry were on the front lines. There was nothing in the Imperial Army capable of stopping them. No matter how many schemes the enemy devised, they proved as fragile as thin ice against the two Executives.
Henry’s precision sniping picked off commanders with lethal accuracy; once their coordination collapsed, Grom would unleash his miasma and high-level magic. It was a simple strategy, and its effectiveness was absolute. It was also near-impossible to counter. Even I might find myself at a loss if I were forced to restrict my own magic.
According to the periodic reports, they were currently moving through Imperial territory at a measured pace. They were reportedly advancing while being mindful of the physical exhaustion of their subordinates.
A sound judgment. There was no reason to rush. Living subordinates like the monsters and the elves were precious resources. Keeping them alive was far more important than a hasty advance. I had made sure to communicate that to them clearly; it would be troublesome if they attempted reckless maneuvers in a bid for greater glory.
Besides, I was more than enough to defend the Royal Capital. No matter what force came swarming, I could handle it alone. There was no need for the main army to rush back in a panic.
I spent my days processing paperwork and future plans while listening to the incoming reports from the war. Then, one day, a massive throng of humans arrived at the capital's gates.
It wasn't an invasion from a foreign power; rather, it seemed the manpower I had demanded from the Lords had finally arrived. To assess the situation, I teleported high into the air and looked down upon them.
Surrounded by my undead sentries, there were easily twenty to thirty thousand people. Most were able-bodied men, though women and children were scattered among the crowd as well. A long train of carriages accompanied them, presumably carrying food and daily necessities.
It was a substantial population, but the capital could easily absorb them. There was more than enough land currently sitting empty. Provided the food supply remained stable, I could likely accept ten times their number without issue.
Now then, time to go greet them.
As I descended before the crowd, they were overcome with shock and terror. I felt nothing; it was a reaction I had long since grown accustomed to. Succubus, who had been managing the logistics, took her place behind me with professional poise.
I addressed the crowd, my voice bolstered by Amplification Magic.
"As of today, you are members of the Demon King’s Army. I trust there are no objections?"
The people fell into a heavy silence at my blunt opening. They certainly weren't happy about it, but no one was foolish enough to voice their complaints. A wise choice.
I continued in a detached, businesslike tone.
"The Demon King’s Army is currently at war with the Empire. Therefore, you all shall—"
Mid-sentence, I sensed something approaching from my flank. To the naked eye, there was nothing, but the space itself was slightly warped. It was a cognitive interference spell, the same kind that had been used on the World Tree.
Acting on instinct, I ducked. Something whistled through the air right where my head had been. It seemed I had successfully evaded the initial strike. I reached out, seized the invisible attacker, slammed him to the ground, and discharged a light Electric Shock at point-blank range.
A burst of bluish-white light erupted, and the interference spell shattered. A man clad entirely in black appeared before me.
"Guh..." The man groaned, thrusting a dagger at me even as he lay on the ground.
I sidestepped the blade and crushed the hand that held it. Then, I seized the man by the throat and hoisted him into the air. Succubus’s professional mask cracked, her face pale as she rushed forward.
"L-Lord Demon King! Are you unharmed!?"
"I am fine. More importantly, it seems an assassin was hidden among our new recruits."
The man thrashed in my grip, but his efforts were futile. My strength was magically enhanced; no human could hope to break free from my hold. My gaze fell to the dagger on the ground. A Holy Attribute formula was etched into the blade. An Undead Slayer. Such a weapon was exorbitantly expensive, not something an individual could easily acquire.
"Identify this man," I commanded the agitated Succubus. "Which Lord sent him?"
Succubus quickly flipped through her ledger. Once she confirmed his identity, she named the Lord responsible for his presence. He was one of the first to pledge his submission. I had pegged him as a man who valued his own skin above all else, yet he had dared to plot this. It was somewhat surprising.
Naturally, I could not let this pass.
"I’ll be back," I told Succubus, and then I teleported.
I reappeared in the Lord’s town, then immediately teleported again, this time into the heart of the Lord's Manor. Ignoring the servants who collapsed in terror, I marched down the hallway, smashed through a wall, and stepped into the inner sanctum.
Inside, the Lord was lounging with wine and women. The group froze at the sight of me. I held up the gasping assassin, still firmly in my grasp.
"Do you recognize this face?"
The Lord's eyes bulged in shock before he tried to feign composure. His reaction told me everything I needed to know. He was complicit; he had authorized the attempt.
"I see. That is all I needed to know."
I funneled miasma into the assassin. Without even a chance to scream, he was incinerated by black flames, leaving nothing but ash.
I dusted off my hands and looked at the Lord. "The idea was sound, but your execution was sloppy. You'll need more than this to kill me."
"A-ah, uah... auaaaaah..."
The Lord could only let out pathetic, garbled whimpers. I seized him, dragged him through space, and returned to the gates of the Royal Capital. I ascended into the air, holding the man up for all to see.
"Everyone, look at this man! He is the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. I have just brought him here to account for his crimes."
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the crowd. Most already knew what was coming. It was my duty to meet those expectations.
"This is the fate of those who dare oppose the Demon King’s Army."
The moment the words left my mouth, the Lord began to change. His toes blackened, and dark spots bubbled to the surface of his skin. His skin split open, oozing viscous fluid as he began to liquefy and collapse into a bubbling mess. The transformation surged through his entire body.
I had inflicted the Curse of Corrosion upon him. He would experience the agony of death while still remaining conscious. His flesh rotted and sloughed off, dripping onto the earth.
Screams erupted from the crowd as they scrambled backward in horror. Before long, nothing remained of the Lord but his fine clothes and a pile of bones.
I descended to the ground and released him. The skeletal remains began to move of their own accord. With a dry, rattling sound of bone on bone, the thing that was once a man turned and bolted.
I felt the collective gasp of the crowd. They shivered with terror at the gruesome execution and the wretched fate that followed. It served as a perfect example.
I issued one final warning. "There may be other assassins lurking among you. I advise you to stop. There is no need to throw your lives away for nothing. If you have confidence in your assassination skills, I will gladly hire you. Devote that power to the Demon King’s Army instead. That is all."
My message had been delivered. I would leave the rest of the instructions to my subordinates. With my speech finished, I used Teleportation Magic to return to the castle.