When you thought about it, the strategy of gathering all the Demon Lords in one place and crushing the enemy with their combined might had a fundamental flaw.
It meant abandoning the citizens who revered those Demon Lords.
While it was a surefire way to win the great war, it could also lead to the worst possible outcome—losing the vast majority of the population.
If the sole objective was to defeat Velda, it would be optimal. But against someone of
The Eight Star Demon Lords would need to take him on.
No—the Eight Star Demon Lords alone might not be enough.
Against a monster like this, the quickest and safest approach would be for everyone to attack at once. But doing so would very likely result in the destruction of their respective territories.
That was the reason
Well, even if the Eight Star Demon Lords all showed up, victory wasn't guaranteed.
If they were defeated one by one and the Transfer Gates were used to rotate through the besieged locations, the final few nations would have been reduced to rubble.
The miscalculation lay in the enemy's combat strength.
This was based solely on Ciel's projections—estimates of what would happen if Vega and
The capabilities of Four Calamity Heavenly General Vega had reached the absolute ceiling of Ciel's predictions.
If he continued to rampage on the surface, it was expected that he would surpass that limit entirely.
Furthermore, since the exact number of Seraphim was unknown, they couldn't determine the enemy's Awakened Demon Lord-level combat strength with any certainty—a fatal blind spot.
Well, the estimate was around ten at most. But now, that turned out to be less of a threat than anticipated. With Guardian-class forces on his side, they could be handled.
The real problem was the Four Calamity Heavenly Generals.
If they were called the "Four," there had to be four of them.
It would be too much to call them the Four Calamity Heavenly Generals if there were actually more than four.
Fine. In the projections, Vega and Kagali were confirmed. The third seemed to be
Most likely, that final member was
Dagruel, one of the Eight Star Demon Lords, and Luminous—he had considered them roughly equal in combat strength. But that was only because Luminous had awakened her Ultimate Skill. That was what put them on par.
Dagruel was an abnormally powerful Demon Lord. They hadn't been able to fully gauge the extent of his abilities.
In a pure contest of strength, he would undoubtedly overwhelm Luminous.
Based on Vega's power, it could be predicted that Luminous would lose against Dagruel.
That was why he had sent
And yet, an unsettling premonition still lingered.
He had decided to sortie against Milim personally because he judged there was no time to waste.
The Monster Nation had
Though preparations had been made for the worst-case scenario, a shred of unease still gnawed at him.
There was also the matter of Leon's confidence.
Kagali, Four Calamity Heavenly General, had undoubtedly headed toward Leon's territory.
There was bad blood between Kagali and Leon, and she harbored a deep grudge against him.
The question was how strong Kagali had become.
Vega's power surpassed Luminous's. Compared to Leon, depending on the circumstances, Leon too could fall to Vega.
Vega had become that abnormally powerful. And if Kagali, his equal in rank, had grown equally strong, then even Leon's victory was uncertain.
He should have taken some measure before the distress call came.
That was his judgment as he hovered in the sky above the battlefield, watching the fight below.
Vega and
The combat strength analysis of Vega, Kagali, and the Four Calamity Heavenly Generals needed to be revised sharply upward.
As expected, there was a significant difference between watching on the big screen and witnessing a battle firsthand.
Just to be safe, he contacted Guy through mind communication.
He would inform him of the current situation. The rest, he would leave to Guy's own judgment—he trusted him to act as he saw fit.
It was about time Chloe made contact with Guy as well. Better to have things taken care of while he could.
With all preparations complete, he began his quiet descent.
The source of his unease was perhaps the fact that he had left everything to others. But now was the time to trust his companions.
He had done everything he could, and Ciel had confirmed there were no further strategies to employ.
There was simply nothing more to be done in the current situation.
If that was the case, then he would do his job—the most critical task on this battlefield: eliminating the one trying to control Milim.
--- While Rimuru had reached the sky and was surveying the scene below...
Carrion was fighting a desperate battle.
"Gwahahahahaha!! Is this the best the so-called Lion King has to offer? It's so pathetic it's not even worth mentioning!
The true Beast King—that is, I, Lord Vega—am so far beyond you that you can't even reach my ankles!
How about it? Kneel down and beg for your life, and I might just make you my subordinate!"
"Tch! Don't look down on me! This Carrion has pledged loyalty to Lady Milim!
I don't have a head to lower for the likes of you!"
"How insolent...
A mangy dog that had its fangs pulled by that wretched Milim!!
If you swear to serve the great Lord Vega, I'll spare your life...
Go regret your foolish decision in the next world!!"
Vega roared.
And then he unleashed a barrage of energy bullets, each compressed to a diameter of fifty centimeters.
There was no way to block them. Carrion's superhuman intuition—the closest thing he had to a sixth sense—detected the devastating power contained within.
He dodged desperately, but Vega had no intention of letting him escape. He fired energy bullets at Carrion in rapid succession.
"Son of a—!!"
Carrion screamed as he deployed a magic barrier in front of him, pouring every ounce of his magic power into it.
He understood perfectly well that a direct hit would be the end of him.
The strategy was to angle the magic barrier to deflect the energy bullets.
During Milim's training, he had been drilled—over and over, to the point he lost count—on how to handle opponents with overwhelmingly superior destructive power.
Milim had laughed cheerfully throughout, never once letting him off the hook...
But the fruits of that training were now keeping Carrion alive.
His magic was being chipped away, but he was surviving. The deflected energy bullets wreaked havoc on the surrounding terrain, reshaping the landscape.
He deserved a pat on the back for merely holding on, Carrion thought.
Then, shrouded in the explosion's smoke, he slipped into a depression in the deformed terrain. He concealed himself in the shadows and held his breath.
(Seriously, what kind of power is that... If I hadn't trained against Milim, I'd be dead by now—) As he thought this, he remembered the friend who had trained alongside him.
"Hey! I'm gonna die! Do that one more time and I'm seriously gonna die, no joke!!"
That was what his friend always screamed from right beside him.
And yet, even while insisting he had reached his limit and couldn't go on, he had always bounced back and stuck with the training to the very end.
(Damn it! I'm still holding on. If I give up here, that guy's gonna laugh his ass off at me!)
Carrion grinned.
Despite the dire situation, Milim's training was genuinely giving him strength.
The key was simply not to die—that was what Milim's words boiled down to.
He finally understood that now.
In a battle against a vastly superior opponent, you had to gauge their strength and prioritize survival above all else.
Fortunately, his subordinates had followed the vice-commander's orders and evacuated the combat zone. The angel forces, wary of collateral damage, had kept their distance.
If Vega had been intelligent enough to use the angels tactically and orchestrate a coordinated assault on Carrion, he would be dead by now.
But Vega, in his overconfidence, had given no orders to his angel subordinates whatsoever.
(There might be an opening there. Either way—just hold on. And when the chance comes—) Carrion refused to give up.
By drawing out the enemy's strength and forcing him to reveal his hand, he would give Milim the advantage.
All he had to do was leave the rest to their leader, Milim.
"Tch! So clever, are we? Hiding like a coward with nothing between your ears! They call you the Lion King? A mouse's title would suit a coward like you far better!!"
"Shut up! It's called strategy, you idiot! Someone as dumb as you would never understand my plan!"
Carrion shouted back at Vega's provocation.
He refused to take the bait.
Using the Echoing Spirit technique, he made subtle adjustments to obscure his location.
Lured by his voice, Vega fired continuous magic bullets at empty spots.
These were more powerful than the earlier energy bullets—the terrain wasn't merely being reshaped; it was being obliterated entirely.
A direct hit would be fatal. Even Carrion wouldn't survive more than a handful at this intensity.
These were casual, unfired shots that could reshape terrain. A refined magic bullet would be even worse. If he took one head-on, his magic would be depleted in an instant.
At worst, he could receive a blow that left no room for recovery.
His grip tightened on the White Tiger Blue Dragon Halberd. He couldn't afford to lose his comeness here—the situation could spiral in an instant.
He contemplated using his trump card: Beast Demon Transformation.
The moment this ability activated, all damage sustained up to that point would be fully healed, and his magicule count would be completely restored.
Furthermore, his combat power would increase dramatically, and his abilities would be unrestricted.
Through his training with Milim, he had obtained the Unique Skill Lion Heart King.
This ability granted enhanced stats and damage-piercing effects against opponents of higher rank. And when combined with Beast Demon Transformation, it evolved into the Special Unique Ability: Lion Dragon Body.
An indomitable heart and an indestructible body.
He would gain truly unparalleled power.
But...
(To beat him, I have to use Lion Dragon Body. But ten minutes is brutal...)
That was right. Though it seemed like an invincible ability, after ten minutes elapsed, all of his magicules would be consumed and the transformation would end.
Currently, he was only using the Unique Skill Lion Heart King, and he was being overwhelmingly outmatched. He wanted to hold off on Beast Demon Transformation until he had sustained serious damage. But once he used it, he wouldn't be able to use Lion Heart King anymore.
The moment he activated it, if he couldn't finish Vega off in ten minutes, he would lose.
Without the stat bonus from Lion Heart King against higher-ranked opponents, Beast Demon Transformation alone wouldn't be enough to compete.
It had also been confirmed that Vega possessed a super-recovery ability.
Without a surefire strategy or a way to exploit a weakness, he couldn't afford to use his trump card. But neither could he afford to hold back and lose.
"Strategy, strategy, you say? Fuhahahaha, how laughable.
Even a small fry like you, straining your limited brain, can only come up with something so transparent!
Fine then... Killing you would be easy, but perhaps I should teach you true despair.
I haven't even used any of my abilities yet. Do you understand what that means?
Perhaps you're too stupid to grasp it, so let me show you."
With those words, Vega extended one hand forward.
The corpses strewn across the ground began to gather together, coalescing into a corrupted, malevolent life form.
Then he casually shot down the angels dancing in the sky and fed them to the newly born creature.
It was the moment an abhorrent being was born into this world.
A squirming, wicked humanoid form with raptor-like wings sprouting from its back.
But those eyes held no trace of intelligence—after all, it had no head. Yet it seemed to possess magic sense, as it accurately perceived its surroundings.
If one were to name it, perhaps "Evil Dragon Beast" would suffice.
Vega had activated his ultimate power—the Ultimate Skill, Evil Dragon Sovereign.
"Gwahahahahaha!! How do you like my adorable pets?! They're far too powerful for trash like you! Enjoy yourselves!!"
Vega bellowed with laughter.
The Evil Dragon Beasts numbered four in total.
They had consumed angels and absorbed their power, and despite being abnormally born creatures, their combat ability was formidable.
"Oh no... You've got to be kidding me..."
Carrion's superhuman instinct sounded a deafening alarm.
His instincts told him these creatures could be as strong as the former equal-rank Demon Lord,
Yet Vega, who had birthed these beings, didn't seem to have lost much power at all.
He didn't know how many Vega could create, but the corpses on the battlefield would only increase going forward. The angels would multiply as well.
It was only because his vice-commander had been skillfully managing the situation that only four had been spawned so far.
(If I don't destroy these evil creatures quickly, my subordinates are going to end up like this too!?)
A chill ran down Carrion's spine, and nausea and fury rose within him. There was no more time for half-measures or holding back.
"Go!! Hunt down the rat that's scurrying around in hiding!!"
Obeying the command, the Evil Dragon Beasts moved with terrifying speed.
They kicked off the ground, soared through the air, and blew away the surrounding smoke.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they found Carrion in his hiding spot.
Tch! Clicking his tongue, Carrion condensed his magic and fired a Beast Magic Particle Roar at the nearest creature closing in.
If these monsters could be mass-produced, then every moment he spent waiting for an opening pushed him further from any favorable position.
This was no time to bide his time.
The Beast Magic Particle Roar incinerated the first Evil Dragon Beast.
The devastating power of the magic particle cannon didn't wane even after destroying the creature—it continued in a straight line toward Vega, just as Carrion had intended.
It was a strike from a blind spot, and if all went well, it would connect.
However, the distance was a little too great.
It needed to be fired from closer range—otherwise, the power would halve at three hundred meters.
Though Carrion's power had increased since before, the Beast Magic Particle Roar was a perfected, high-efficiency technique. The number of times he could fire it had increased, and the preparation time had decreased, but the range hadn't extended proportionally.
Currently, there was no power loss up to two hundred meters, but at three hundred meters, the strength inevitably diminished.
Still, thanks to the training, it had been significantly improved, so there were no complaints. But in this situation, it might not be effective enough.
Just as Carrion had predicted, even with a direct hit, it failed to inflict a fatal wound on Vega.
"Gwahahahahaha!! How clever! Is this what you call your strategy? This level of attack means nothing to me—hardly a scratch!"
Vega laughed while taunting Carrion.
But the point of impact showed signs of a serious burn, suggesting the damage wasn't as negligible as Vega made it sound.
"Ha! Don't act tough! If it hurts, go ahead and cry about it!"
Carrion returned the taunt while sprinting at full speed.
He fired a magic cannon at the second Evil Dragon Beast that had closed in, then followed up with a sweeping slash from the White Tiger Blue Dragon Halberd, infused with refined energy.
The Evil Dragon Beast had tried to dodge the cannon and lost its footing. Unable to react, it was cut down.
(Three more! Wait—two!)
In Carrion's field of vision, he spotted exactly two Evil Dragon Beasts converging on him.
He was at the apex of a triangle. The two beasts formed the other vertices, with Vega at the center of the base.
If he adjusted his position just right, he had a finishing move that would strike all of them equally.
The sides were about a hundred meters each. Vega was looking down on Carrion completely, letting his guard down.
This was his chance.
(Now!!)
Thanking his luck, Carrion concentrated all his magic power and refined it into magic battle aura.
He focused to ensure none of it leaked, then channeled it into the White Tiger Blue Dragon Halberd. The moment the aura reached its peak concentration at the halberd's tip, he spun it with ferocious force.
"Uoooooh!! Take this! Scattered Beast Magic Particle Roar!!"
Nine streaks of light shot outward.
Three beams pierced each target. Though the individual power of each beam equaled a single Beast Magic Particle Roar, the scattered attack struck from multiple angles simultaneously.
The convergence point of the three beams amplified the power far beyond a single shot, thanks to the synergistic effect. This was Carrion's true ultimate technique.
"Tch! Serves you right for looking down on people! That's what happens when you underestimate your opponent!"
Carrion spat toward Vega.
The two Evil Dragon Beasts appeared to have been eliminated, but Vega still retained his original form.
Carrion moved in to finish him off.
Both arms had been blown off, his entire body was covered in severe burns, and there were gaping holes in both sides of his torso.
These would normally be fatal wounds, but against a troublesome creature like this, it was best to leave not a single cell remaining.
With that thought, Carrion gathered his remaining magic power and prepared to fire one last Beast Magic Particle Roar.
But then— An Evil Dragon Beast that should have been cut in half crept up from behind and lunged at Carrion.
The Evil Dragon Beasts also possessed terrifying regenerative abilities.
A simple bisection had been healed in a matter of moments.
And then— "Gwahahahahaha!! I told you it was clever, didn't I?
Someone like you isn't even worth my personal attention...
But you were troublesome, lurking in the shadows like that.
So I used myself as bait to lure you out!
How about it? THIS is strategy!!"
Guh...!!
Despair washed over Carrion.
Vega flashed a smug grin at the stricken Carrion.
And then, in the blink of an eye, his wounds healed completely—not a trace of the severe injuries remained.
It was as if he had never been hurt in the first place.
(Damn it! He was playing with me the whole time...!)
As much as it stung, he had to acknowledge that Vega's true strength far exceeded anything he had anticipated.
Vega regarded Carrion with contempt, as though looking at garbage, and fired a massive magic bullet.
He didn't care about the Evil Dragon Beast holding Carrion from behind—he intended to erase Carrion entirely.
The moment the magic bullet was launched, Carrion mustered every last ounce of strength to dodge.
He barely avoided a direct hit, but his entire left side was obliterated.
He was still alive—barely.
As a beastman with high vitality, and as a King among them, Carrion wouldn't die from something like this.
But turning the tide from this situation was, no matter how he looked at it, nearly impossible.
(Shit... So this is it.)
He had wanted to fight to the very last, but it seemed there was no other option.
His only remaining move was to bet everything on his final gambit.
Ten minutes. One all-out attack.
He would use Lion Dragon Body and go for the kill.
That was his decision.
All of his injuries would be healed, and his magic would be fully restored. But if he lost after that, there would be no coming back.
Even so, staying as he was meant death anyway. He had no choice.
Carrion steeled his resolve.
And then— "Don't underestimate me! Watch how a real man lives—watch a true warrior's way of life!!"
He roared.
He could feel Vega looking at him with that nauseating smirk, staring at him like a beaten dog.
Rage surged through him, and in that moment, Carrion forgot all about his pain.
Just as he was about to activate his ability— "Hold on a sec! The hero always shows up fashionably late, y'know!!"
A ridiculous voice rang out.
A voice from a friend he hadn't heard in ages—so out of place it was almost comical.
Leaping from Carrion's shadow was one of the Kijin.
Undeniably familiar—undeniably the genius that Carrion had acknowledged.
His name was
The thirteenth man who could turn this crisis around.