I teleported directly into the Audience Chamber.
My eyes immediately met Luciana’s. She had been buried in administrative work, but the moment she saw me, she bolted upright. Documents fluttered through the air like falling snow as she sprinted toward me.
"Lord Demon King!"
Luciana lunged, throwing her arms around me in a crushing embrace. Her strength was staggering, and my skeletal frame groaned under the pressure. Despite her appearance, she was a High-Ranking Demon and a powerhouse who had served as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Her physical prowess was immense, though it was a trait she rarely displayed so openly.
Perhaps caught in the throes of her agitation, she failed to restrain her strength. Hairline fractures began to spiderweb across my shoulders and arms. It was only a matter of time before my entire body was reduced to splinters.
"I was so worried," she muttered, her voice trembling slightly. "You didn't come back. You were gone for so long..."
It was a vulnerable side of her, one I could never have imagined from her usual demeanor.
"My apologies," I replied.
As I spoke, the bones of my arm gave way with a sharp crack and clattered to the floor. The sound snapped Luciana back to reality, and she hurriedly pulled away from me. Her eyes were rimmed with red, though she seemed to have stifled her tears at the very last second.
I stooped to retrieve my fallen limb and reattached it using miasma. Looking up, I spotted Diera standing at the edge of the room. She stood tall with her arms crossed in a defiant posture, a fearless smile playing on her lips.
"Thou hast done well to return. Truly befitting of a Demon King, I see."
"I still have work to do," I said. "I cannot afford to perish here."
Diera beamed at my response, nodding with profound satisfaction.
"Indeed, indeed! That is the spirit. I shall have thee working thy fingers to the bone, after all."
"What do you mean?"
"The state of the world has shifted in thy absence," Diera explained, her expression turning grave. "The Beasts of the Outside World have begun to manifest in rapid succession."
While I had been submerged in the Mental World, ten days had passed in the Real World. It seemed the invaders had begun to move in earnest. Reports indicated they were appearing in various nations across the globe, rampaging indiscriminately.
The Demon King's Army was currently in the thick of intercepting the beasts that had emerged within our territory. It was a fierce struggle, but for the time being, my forces were holding their ground.
That they had not been routed was nothing short of impressive. The Executives acting as the command center had clearly handled the deployment with great tactical skill.
Fortunately, the concept of the 'Beasts of the Outside World' had not yet reached the public consciousness. To the various human nations, the situation was perceived as a global outbreak of Variant Monsters appearing in multiple locations at once. Some regions had already sustained catastrophic damage; the chaos was so absolute that the 'threat' of the Demon King had been pushed to the back of everyone's minds.
"The other Executives are fighting across the various lands," Diera continued. "They wished to be here for thy return, but duty demanded they remain in the field."
"I see."
It was the only logical choice. Subjugating the beasts was far more productive than waiting for a leader whose return was uncertain. It was an exceptionally sound judgment.
"Now that thou art back in the Real World, I assume thou hast dealt with the beast that was devouring thee?"
"She is currently imprisoned in the Research Institute Basement, under the surveillance of the Research Institute Director. Escape should be virtually impossible."
"The Director is watching her...?" Diera muttered, a look of genuine pity crossing her face. "How tragic for the beast."
Luciana wore a similar expression. It was a telling reaction, revealing exactly how they viewed the woman.
The Director had started as a simple human researcher—a Mage of no particular renown. Of everyone here, she had the most mundane background. Yet somehow, she had evolved into a presence that even the Beasts of the Outside World feared. She didn't seem to care about such things herself, but she was undoubtedly the most successful dark horse in the entire Demon King's Army.
As if to break the awkward atmosphere, Luciana turned to me with a focused expression.
"Lord Demon King, what are your orders?"
"While we maintain the current front lines, I will head out to provide reinforcements to the various regions. Luciana, I want you to focus your efforts on information gathering."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Luciana gave a serious nod. The entire continent—no, even the other continents—were now exposed to the threat of the beasts. While the world's defense mechanisms appeared to be active, they were likely stretched thin. Furthermore, those mechanisms only acted to prevent the destruction of the world; they would make no effort to save the people living upon it.
In a crisis of this magnitude, steady information gathering was vital. We needed to consolidate our intel to ensure we acted with maximum efficiency.
"Diera, may I entrust the defense of the Royal Capital to you?"
"I would prefer to be out there carving a path through the enemy, but I shall bide my time," Diera said with a reluctant sigh. "My turn to shine will come a little later, then."
Despite her grumbling, she didn't object. She had effectively become an honorary Executive—once my sworn enemy, now a neighbor I could trust with my life. One truly never knows how the wheel of fate will turn.
I had been slow to react, but I would make up for lost time starting now.
In the brief window I was away, these creatures had ravaged the world. I didn't care what their ultimate goal was; I intended to wipe them out completely.
This world only needs one Great Evil.
I would show them the true power of the resurrected Demon King.