I, the one who killed the Flame Spear, have captured a city.
The undead are ravaging the remaining populace.
Desperate counterattacks are seen here and there, but their efforts seemed mostly futile.
Initially numbering a hundred, the undead have now swelled to a force of tens of thousands.
This is the result of transforming the humans within the city.
In recent years, spells designed to counter the undead have advanced, becoming capable of great effect with short incantations.
Even inexpensive holy-element magical weapons have appeared.
All of it was to annihilate me, the Demon Lord, and my subordinates.
However, these countermeasures are not perfect.
Powerful undead possess resistance to holy attributes.
They protect their bodies with the miasma that clings to their entire form.
The undead under my command all possessed some degree of resistance, great or small.
Furthermore, with their overwhelming numbers, losses are minimal no matter how many are struck down.
Even if felled by an attack, their remains can be purified of holy energy and reassembled as new undead.
To me, such half-hearted countermeasures were mere margin of error.
The battle was decided.
I only need to transfer my subordinates and leave the rest to them.
I contacted the nearest Demon Lord army via telepathic message and transferred a portion of them to this city.
In exchange, I sent a portion of the undead from this city to that Demon Lord's army.
Now, both sides should have their shortages filled.
Having finished my business, I transfer to another continent.
There is more than one task to attend to.
They must be dealt with in rapid succession.
Below me lies a small continent.
It is composed of countless small nations and two great powers, cut off from any interaction with the lands across the sea.
The two great powers had been locked in conflict for years.
Though a cold war had persisted since my activities began, relations collapsed when both nations' saviors perished in accidents.
Each side declared the incident a conspiracy by the other, worsening ties further.
If left unchecked, a full-scale war would erupt, claiming countless human lives.
While I could deploy my Demon King's army, the animosity between these nations runs deep.
There was a high chance they would continue fighting even while ignoring the devastation caused by the undead.
Thus, I concluded that more forceful means were necessary.
"Now, let us begin."
With a word, I generate a mana sword in one hand and raise its tip skyward.
From there, I channel a hundred times the normal amount of mana into it.
As the destabilizing formula is forced into stability, the sword swells to an immense size.
Eventually, it grows so long it seems to touch the horizon.
When I pour in miasma as well, the gigantic mana sword is stained jet black.
As a final touch, I reinforce it with the supernatural abilities of several beasts.
Subjected to these multiple modifications, the mana sword now contains overwhelming destructive power.
It screeched as it sparked with blue-white fire.
If the power backfired, my body would explode into pieces.
Even controlling the spell was an ordeal.
Once I stabilized its form, I directed my gaze toward the ground.
Using detection magic, I meticulously confirmed there were no humans in a straight line.
Convinced there was no problem, I swung down my magic sword.
A slash of black aurora was released, cleaving across the continent below.
With a deafening roar, the unyielding earth was ripped apart.
Immediately, I invoked spatial magic.
I sealed the continent’s cross-section, preventing collapse from the edges.
Furthermore, I manipulated the ocean currents, guiding them into the fissure in the land.
Then, I pulled the severed halves of the continent apart.
After a short while, the continent was split in two, separated by the sea.
By severing the entire continent, I had physically separated the warring nations.
The sea between them was now polluted with dense miasma.
By its very nature, it could never be traversed.
(I overdid it slightly, but it’s mostly according to plan)
With this, the conflict had come to an end.
There would be no reason for the two nations to fight anymore.
Surely, great chaos would ensue on the now-divided continent.
However, if the Demon King's Army were to launch their invasion in rapid succession, there would be no time for unnecessary speculation.
(Perhaps it is time to move to the next stage...)
I recall my conversation with Gwen.
The world's will, which should have been heading toward a savior, had stagnated somewhere.
The timing is uncertain, but it will manifest eventually.
In what form, I wonder?
As things stand, there is no way to devise a countermeasure.
The method of grooming a substitute into a hero is dangerous.
There was a fear it would end in a repetition of the savior's failure.
Even if executed now, the effect would be minimal.
It would put us on the back foot, but I had no choice but to deal with it after the opponent appeared.
The next hero to emerge would surely be an existence without precedent in history.
It would inherit a power that countless saviors could not bear.
Considering that its emergence is predicated on defeating me in my current state, it was likely to become an extraordinary, rule-breaking hero.
(I must stay focused.)
I am the irrational evil that slays justice.
In general, evil is destined to be crushed, but overturning that fate is the mission of the current Demon King.