Chapter 193: Preparations for Each

**The Demon Lords' Banquet**

At the banquet, I had successfully secured the cooperation of the Demon Lords.

Or rather, the crisis was no longer just someone else's problem for them, either.

To be precise, what I had accomplished was safely delivering a warning about the coming great war.

The Great War.

There was almost no time left before it began.

The Demon Lords each scrambled to begin their preparations in a panic.

I, too, ordered Geld to carry out various tasks.

The reorganization of the resurrected Imperial Army units was already complete, and the remaining four hundred thousand troops—after assigning three hundred thousand to defend the capital—were being put to work in sequence.

Coordinating with each settlement of the **Orc Tribe** to construct a large-scale industrial city.

Establishing connecting roads between the settlements of each tribe in the **Great Forest of Jura**.

Constructing a major transportation network that would become the lifeblood of logistics.

Under Geld's direction, each unit was given its objective and set to work.

There was no point in laying down railroad tracks if the trains couldn't be built in time. So for now, all that could be done was expanding roads after clearing through the forest.

The felled trees were also being transported to the planned city sites for use as lumber.

A massive project spanning several years had been set into motion.

The Great Forest of Jura was suddenly brimming with activity.

Among all of this, the highest priority was the installation of **transfer relay magic circles**.

The fabrication and placement of transfer magic circles capable of enabling unit-level deployment during emergencies took precedence.

The longer the distance, the less could be transported. Storing **Magicules** in **Magic Stones** so that even those who couldn't wield magic could use them—that was still a ways off.

But for preparations against the great war, that level of precision wasn't necessary. In the future, reusability would be a given, but for now, completion took a back seat to functionality.

All that mattered was recording the location data so that one could simply think of the destination and be transported.

It would consume the user's Magicules, but that shouldn't be a problem. Even when traveling ultra-long distances, there shouldn't be a case where someone died from overconsuming Magicules.

Low-ranking soldiers wouldn't be moving to reinforce—it would only be elite units being transported.

With that thinking, I had simple but functional ones installed in each city.

I had also insisted—ordering it strictly—that the magic-using members of the Imperial Army assist so that at least each Demon Lord's castle would be ready in time.

I felt bad about rushing Geld, but transfer magic circles that allowed mutual use during emergencies were essential.

That said, Geld didn't seem to mind being ordered around by me at all. If anything, he looked energized and happy to be working.

About a hundred members directly under Geld's command had apparently expanded their stomach capacities, so transporting materials wasn't a problem at all, and work was progressing at a pace that exceeded modern construction techniques.

If I could take time-lapse photographs of the Great Forest of Jura, it would be easy to see how it changed day by day. Thinking of that, I had aerial photographs saved in **Recorder Pearls**. I intended to use them as research materials later.

In any case, Geld was performing magnificently.

Adalman and Master Gadora were assisting Geld as well. With two magic specialists on the job, the installation of magic circles was proceeding much more efficiently.

At this rate, the major cities would have their circles installed without any issues.

One concern was whether Adalman, being an undead skeleton, was alright operating during the day. She seemed to be disguising her appearance with illusions, but was she really fine?

Well, worrying about it wouldn't help. She seemed to be functioning without issue, so it was probably fine.

And so, work progressed at a frantic pace.

The other executives were each busy assessing their subordinates' abilities and reorganizing their units.

The demons tended to lounge elegantly by my side, but they threw their subordinates into the labyrinth to undergo combat training.

It felt like the labyrinth was being used wrong, but worrying about it would mean losing.

It all started when Diablo first threw Venom in...

The other demons had started imitating him. And Venom kept getting stuck at Apito, one of Zegion's subordinates.

Actually, he always got stuck at Apito. The Top Ten of the Labyrinth weren't called that for nothing.

Well, Albert must have let him slip through to reach Apito's floor.

Albert had apparently been having a fun fight with Agera.

Despite holding only a low-ranking title, Agera's combat power was remarkably high. His swordsmanship had reached an extraordinary master level.

With Hakuro added to the mix, that area had taken on the appearance of a training ground.

It had become common knowledge among those training in the labyrinth that anyone interested in swordsmanship should practice there.

I was planning to quietly take advantage of that as well.

As for Apito, the concepts of going easy or looking the other way simply didn't exist in her vocabulary.

To put it bluntly, she treated people terrifyingly thoroughly. All one could say was "do your best."

Incidentally, Apito's abilities were as follows:

Name: Apito Species: Insect-Type Demon Blessing: Demon Lord's Blessing Title: "Insect Queen" Abilities: Ultimate Gift: "Queen Worship" ... Thought Acceleration · Insect Creation · Insect Domination · Super-Speed Movement · Space Manipulation · Multi-Layer Barrier Common Skills: "Magic Perception" "Heat Source Detection" Combat Skills: "Army Command" "Lethal Attack" Resistances: Pain Nullification, Physical Attack Resistance, Natural Attack Resistance, Abnormal Status Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance

Even asking an ordinary adventurer to defeat this would be impossible.

She was a powerhouse who surpassed the former Demon Lords—that was Apito.

Benimaru said something about reassessing his own abilities, had a room created for himself in the labyrinth, and was apparently undergoing intensive training with Souei.

Under Ciel's supervision, it wouldn't be strange if they were doing some kind of ultra-intense training.

Ranga was getting along great with Gobta. Ranga wagged his tail and looked extremely happy, but did Gobta look more and more exhausted with each passing day, or was that my imagination?

No, it was probably my imagination. I'd believe they were getting along and watch over them warmly.

Gobta, may fortune smile upon you!

Gabiru was training tirelessly in high-speed flight and high-speed maneuvering.

He had apparently improved his coordination with **flying dragons** to a much higher level, and could now supply them with Magicules to power them up.

He was already operating at a near-symbiotic level of unity.

Truly, for a show-off, his caution was remarkable. He was conducting every training exercise he could to be ready for any situation, and I had to admire that.

The enemies were angels, so aerial combat was naturally a possibility. I was counting on Gabiru's efforts.

Kumara had barged in on Zegion and was challenging him to a fight.

Despite being assigned to guard the ninetieth floor, she couldn't stand being inferior to Zegion, who guarded the eightieth.

But unfortunately, it didn't look like she could put up any resistance at all.

Moreover, Zegion was, frankly speaking, in the role of a supreme guardian.

He had yielded the eightieth floor to Apito and taken on an overarching supervisory position.

During this great war, there would also be a need to protect Ramiris, so placing the strongest piece at the most critical location made sense.

As long as Beretta served as Ramiris's adjutant, there was nothing to worry about regarding labyrinth management.

The question that remained was who would serve as the labyrinth's combat defense.

Zegion would guard as the supreme commander, and Beretta would exist as Ramiris's direct bodyguard.

It might seem wasteful to hold several of the "Twelve Holy-Demon Guardian Kings" in reserve.

But the labyrinth was the main stronghold. So it was best to keep things flexible and respond as needed.

As the coming battle approached, each person carried out their own preparations.

In the midst of everyone diligently preparing, what was I doing, you ask?

I was experimenting and training through various means.

On the seventieth floor, I received sword instruction from Agera.

Albert's sword technique centered on powerful cleaving strikes, primarily using a shield and one-handed sword.

Hakuro and Agera, on the other hand, focused on swordsmanship—specifically, the use of blades.

Without a shield, performing both offense and defense with a single blade—it wasn't so much a different school of thought as a completely different philosophy.

Since my weapon was a blade, Albert was unfortunately not suited as my instructor.

Striking with the sword, having it deflected, and gradually imprinting the techniques into my body through repetition.

There was nothing for it but endless repetition. Using optimal actions, I forced every form into my body so it could react instantaneously.

It seemed simple but was incredibly difficult. Yet I was enjoying the training.

And then, while resting my body, I contemplated the "God of Void."

This ability was extremely dangerous. During my previous bout with Chloe, I had only used the activation of "World of Stillness."

This ability to manipulate time was equally effective regardless of who activated it. If one could move within the "World of Stillness," there was no need to activate it oneself to respond.

In a sense, for those who could both move within stopped time, activating the ability was meaningless.

Since both could move, stopping time or not—the situation was the same.

According to Ciel's analysis, the most Chloe could stop was a few seconds at best. However, there was a possibility she could use something like precognition through foresight.

Was it like rewinding from a once-experienced state and redoing it at any given time? It was an ability I couldn't quite understand.

If this ability were used against me, I wouldn't be able to counter it. But only if it were used.

I had no intention of defeating Chloe, but the activation condition for this ability was "time movement." So to block this ability, all I had to do was stop time.

Within the "World of Stillness," Chloe's "time movement" could not be activated.

And while Chloe could only stop time for a few seconds, I could stop it for quite a long time.

It seemed I could stop it for about thirty minutes per day.

I couldn't understand it myself, but according to Ciel, it was apparently possible to activate abilities even within the "World of Stillness."

By weaving the laws of stillness into the energy being released, it was possible to exist in a state unconstrained by time.

Naturally, none of this would be possible without Ciel's assistance. I couldn't even perceive the flow of time on my own.

In other words, for someone like me who possessed this ability, anyone who couldn't exist within the "World of Stillness" was simply not a threat.

This was my understanding, synthesized from information gathered during the mock battle with Chloe and subsequent experiments.

What I was considering now was something different.

The reason Ciel hadn't intervened during the mock battle with Chloe. It was because she couldn't hold back.

What that meant was this: the "God of Void" was, in essence, an overwhelming mass of energy.

"Void Collapse"—an absolute factor of destruction.

Even for Ciel, repurposing this energy was an incredibly difficult task.

This ability simply wasn't something that could be used with restraint.

At first, I had experimented by using this energy for magic activation. With a basic fire spell, it produced a massive explosion.

Since the experiment was conducted inside the labyrinth's testing room, it didn't lead to a catastrophe, but I realized I should never treat it lightly again.

Currently, Ciel was happily analyzing it.

In any case, I had been running simulations in my head for the first time in a while.

Right now, my win rate against Chloe was over ninety percent. Well, assuming the mock battle had been at full power.

But I was predicting based on those movements and factoring in some extra margin. However, if I faced her using only swordsmanship, the win rate dropped below thirty percent.

I truly felt that I still needed more training.

As for Guy—I lacked information. If I could see even one genuine all-out fight, I could make predictions...

But such an opportunity seemed unlikely to come.

Incidentally, if Diablo, Zegion, and Benimaru—the three of them—faced Chloe together, the win rate came out to ninety percent.

Well, these were just simulation results. If one challenged her head-on with a straightforward approach, defeat was one hundred percent certain.

If we set aside notions of fighting fair or dirty and threw everything we had at her, the feeling was that we could win ninety percent of the time.

On the flip side, I couldn't help but think: just how strong was Chloe?!

She might even be stronger than Guy.

Well, that was assuming Guy couldn't move within the "World of Stillness."

And so I continued my analysis, preparing for the coming battle.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

Dagruel surveyed his kingdom from his vantage point.

Up until yesterday, subordinates of Demon Lord Rimuru had been installing transfer magic circles.

He had watched with admiration, thinking what diligent workers they were. And this morning, the construction team led by a general named Geld had reported the work complete and departed.

Dagruel gazed at the finished magic circle from a distance, marveling at its quality—it was capable of enabling unit-level transfers.

It was built like a stone platform, and when the stone lid was removed, there was a space prepared that could be further modified later. They had said it was just a rush job for now, but to Dagruel, it seemed like a perfectly magnificent piece of work.

(It seems it's designed for anyone to use, but just how far into the future does Demon Lord Rimuru look...?)

In short, he felt a genuine sense of awe toward the Demon Lord named Rimuru, who came up with ideas Dagruel himself would never have imagined.

But as if to dispel those feelings, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.

Without any presence, as if the person had simply materialized behind him—

"Hey, Dagruel. It's been a while. Glad to see you're doing well.

Now, time is short, so let me get to the point.

But before that, let me just confirm one thing...

You're still my **subordinate**, right?"

Hearing that voice, Dagruel thought, *Ah, so it's true after all*, and felt a deep sense of conviction settle in his heart.

The moment he'd heard that Diino had betrayed him, he had already suspected as much.

That fool would never have chosen to betray anyone of his own free will.

If there was someone capable of commanding Diino, there was only one person who came to mind.

That person was, to them, equivalent to a god—

"Haha! Of course, my Lord!

I, Dagruel, have been eagerly awaiting your return at all times!!"

He turned and dropped to one knee. And with his gaze lowered, Dagruel delivered his report.

Toward the figure who had, at some point, taken his throne.

That was genuinely from the heart. He had simply grown a bit attached to his current position, that was all.

"Mm. I believed you would say that, Dagruel."

The figure—Velda—nodded as though it were only natural and gazed calmly at Dagruel.

"Now then, I'll need you to work quite hard. And I'll be releasing your seal.

You should be able to exercise some control by now, I think.

I'm counting on you, Dagruel, **Tyrannical Giant God**."

Velda placed a hand atop the bowing Dagruel's head.

An ancient evil god from the age of myths, sealed away after challenging the "Star King Dragon" Veldanava.

A tyrannical king who scattered destruction across the earth. His extraordinary supernatural power had reduced countless nations to scorched earth.

The worst destroyer god, one who had plunged the people of an ancient magical kingdom into the depths of terror.

Even now, after having his abilities sealed by the "Star King Dragon" Veldanava, his fury was so great it was referred to as the "Wrath of the Earth."

One whose immense power had caused him to lose his reason and scatter destruction everywhere.

That seal was now being released.

(*Ah, if I can be of use to Lord "Star King Dragon" Veldanava, then that too is fine, I suppose.*)

The faces of his three sons flashed through his mind.

Whether it was better or worse that they weren't in this country right now...

There was no point in dwelling on it.

"Grooaaagh!! I am Dagruel, **Tyrannical Giant God**!!

With my own body, I shall crush and destroy all who would stand against you!

Please, give me your orders!!"

Using the force of his will to suppress the tyrannical power within, he roared.

Velda watched this display with an amused expression and issued a heavy, solemn command.