Three days later still.
The false god finally made its move beyond the continent.
It had gathered several nations together and formed an allied army.
The allied forces had already begun crossing the sea.
They were surely targeting this continent where I reside.
Their military strength was considerable, and it was said that many individuals who could rival a Hero had joined the fight.
It seemed they genuinely intended to obliterate me.
(To think the heroes, who are supposed to protect the people, would side with the invaders of all things...)
Though exasperated by this fact,I had no intention of criticizing them.
This was simply unavoidable.
The mechanism known as the "World's Will" reflects human thinking,for better or worse.
Just because it produced heroes did not mean the situation would necessarily improve.
Given its nature,it could even lead to destruction.
This current event was a clear example.
The awakened heroes had voluntarily joined the side of the beasts.
I could not help but feel the depth of humanity's karma.
The problem was not merely the invasion by the allied army itself.
They had begun requesting support and material aid from the nations on our continent.
It was a ploy to offload the drudgery of cooperation onto us.
Furthermore,they had also declared a monopoly over the resources of the Demon Lord's territory.
Naturally, the various nations within the continent rejected this demand.
It was an order without prior consultation.
Even if the stated purpose was to subjugate the Demon Lord, allowing foreign armies passage through their own territory was undesirable on many levels.
Above all, their arrogant attitude had provoked strong resentment among the nations.
Several countries that refused the demand had deployed their navies to the sea.
They intended to block any landing by the Supreme Alliance.
According to spies, they were even considering direct interception.
The continental nations welcomed the destruction of the Demon Lord.
But they detested the intervention of the Supreme Alliance even more.
They probably could not tolerate their interests in the Demon Lord's territory being taken away.
Even within the continent alone, a fierce battle was anticipated.
Once the armies from across the sea became involved as well, the situation would grow increasingly chaotic.
If left unaddressed, war could erupt between nations both within and beyond the continent.
It was an exceedingly troublesome state of affairs.
Thanks to this, the Demon Lord's Army had to take urgent measures.
*(How troublesome. Things don't go as ideally as one would hope.)*
Watching the Demon Lord's Army's deployment preparations, I suppress my bitter feelings.
This is the training ground established on the outer perimeter of the Royal Capital.
It is quite far from the sea, but since I will be teleporting us with magic, there is no need to worry about the journey.
Prepared within the training ground were a vast number of ships.
Armed preparations tailored for naval combat were steadily taking shape.
"A large-scale war! Make sure none of you die!"
Henry urged morale between commands, keeping the soldiers' spirits high.
Thanks to him, they were proceeding efficiently. The tension on the field was maintained at just the right level.
Beside me stood Diera. She stood like a statue, watching the Demon Lord's forces. This time, she intended to join the battle as well.
During the beast subjugation, I had assigned her to defend the Royal Capital. It was practically a babysitting role. Clearly dissatisfied, she had volunteered to join the fight this time.
"By the way, is it fine to leave the other beasts unattended?"
"Problem. I've made arrangements. I had already requested the annihilation of the beasts from the other defense mechanisms through the Great Spirit."
I informed them I would defeat the False God personally. Some of the defense mechanisms agreed, and fighting continued across various locations. They were fundamentally inflexible beings, but I had learned that with persuasion, they could be mobilized. After my explanation, Diera gave a dissatisfied grunt.
"So those stubborn lot actually moved... They didn't lift a finger back when I was the reigning Demon Lord."
"All we can do is trust in the Great Spirit's persuasion. If it comes to it, I'll threaten them by holding the world hostage."
"...You're considering a rather brutal method, I see."
"A necessary stratagem."
As we exchanged these words, I employed detection magic.
The allied forces were just beginning to approach this continent.
From their perspective, they should be seeing land by now.
The war would begin soon.
I had to stop humans from fighting humans.
I am not omnipotent.
I tolerate some sacrifice, but every life lost must be utilized.
Never wasted.
--I will bring peace to this world.