Upon returning to the Royal Capital, I immediately brought the Demon King's army and teleported to the World Tree Forest.
We arrived in the heart of the forest.
We landed a fair distance from the elven village to avoid unnecessary confusion.
There was no need to go out of my way to greet the elves.
Now was the time to focus on the battle ahead.
The Demon King's army would strike the Imperial Army as we were.
I had already pinpointed their exact positions through detection magic.
I could see precisely what formation they had assumed as well.
I checked on the forces behind me.
Lining the spaces between the trees, packed tightly together, stood the Demon King's army—roughly a thousand strong in total.
Of those, two hundred were monsters, and the remaining eight hundred were ghouls and skeletons.
Against tens of thousands of Imperial troops, it seemed somewhat insufficient.
However, if the numbers were too great, the miasma in the surrounding environment would become too dense.
That could have a detrimental effect on the World Tree Forest.
I had no desire to corrupt the World Tree Forest.
Having subjugated the elves, the forest they guarded was now my property.
I had no wish to needlessly destroy it.
Furthermore, to simply annihilate the Imperial Army, this scale was sufficient.
They were merely an army of tens of thousands.
In the extreme case, I alone could reduce them to dust.
Not doing so is to demonstrate the threat posed by the Demon Lord's Army as an organization.
In the long run, strengthening the group rather than individuals proves more beneficial.
This will also serve as combat training for the Demon Lord's Army.
The soldiers of the Empire will be made to sacrifice themselves for that purpose.
"So this is the Forest of the World Tree, huh? Doesn't feel all that mystical."
Henry placed his hands on his hips, glancing around with interest.
He was the only high-ranking officer brought along this time.
Different orders had been dispatched to Grom and Luciana.
With sufficient combat strength here already, they were scheduled to handle tasks only they could perform.
"Fighting for elves—that's a first for me. Really gets the blood pumping."
Henry, bow in hand, was visibly excited.
A ferocious grin reminiscent of a carnivore crossed his face.
There hadn't been any large-scale battles recently.
The battle-crazed Henry might have been suffering from frustration.
He was an oddball who had joined the Demon Lord's Army because he loved fighting.
He was expected to perform splendidly this time as well.
"So, what's the first move?"
"Something like this."
I initiated the actions of nearly all the undead I had brought along.
Moving silently, they dispersed and advanced into the forest.
The undead had been given protective magics, allowing them to move freely even within a holy aura.
In addition, various enhancement magics were imbued upon them, designed to offer some resistance against both magic and fire.
They would possess dozens of times their usual defensive capabilities.
Even with a force of just under eight hundred, they should constitute a meaningful threat.
At the very least, they needed to buy time.
The moved undead were to be sent attacking the Imperial Army from the forest side.
Since they would advance in a straight line, it wouldn’t take much time.
This was purely a diversion, so they were expected to be destroyed.
If they could inflict even a small amount of damage on the Imperial Army, that would be a bonus.
"General, we hold position here?"
"That’s right. We transfer the moment the advance undead make contact with the Imperial Army."
"I see. An ambush, then. That sounds like fun."
While speaking with Henry, a man approached from the direction of the elf village.
It was Logan, walking with his staff in hand.
The sight of him put the monsters on guard.
I gestured for them to hold back and stepped forward to Logan.
I addressed him in an even tone.
"What do you want?"
"I wish to accompany your force. This battle will decide my clan’s fate. As the chief, I wish to participate."
"...Very well."
Kneeling before me, Logan receives my assent in return.
Even granting his request wouldn't cause any problems on our end.
There was no reason to object.
"Hahahaha, now that's a splendid proposal! Not just to accompany us, but you fully intend to fight alongside us, right? I'm counting on you," Henry said in a casual tone, extending a hand to Logan for a handshake.
He didn't seem to care that the other was an intimidating chieftain.
Logan paused for a moment, then scowled as he reluctantly accepted.
"..."
During the handshake, he sent a glance my way.
For just an instant, his eyes seemed to ask, "Who the hell is this guy?"
I turned my face away with feigned indifference.
Right now, with our subordinates watching, I couldn't appear too friendly.
It wasn't because I was at a loss for words.
After that, we continued waiting in place for a while.
I used sensory magic to monitor the undead's movements.
Advancing in a straight line, they were steadily closing in on the Imperial forces.
Before long, the Imperial army's activity became more frantic.
They had likely detected the undead and begun their attack.
Despite encountering an unexpected enemy, their response was remarkably swift.
Gradually, the number of undead dwindled.
"It's about time."
"Roger. All right, you lot, let's move!"
Henry Blarkin roared, raising his bow.
His monster troops responded with roars of their own.
Morale is high.
I have not a shred of worry.
The only thing giving me pause is Logan looking somewhat annoyed, pressing his pointed ears with his hand and wearing an irritated expression.
I understand the feeling, but please endure it.
I used teleportation magic to move the Demon King's army outside the forest.
It was a grassland zone dotted with gentle hills.
Lacking cover, it looked easy to fight in.
Ahead, countless tents were set up.
Beside them, familiar banners were planted.
It seemed that spot was a makeshift base established by the Imperial Army.
Beyond them were soldiers.
Clad in uniform armor, they were engaged in combat with the undead emerging from the forest.
From our current position, we could see the Imperial Army's backs.
By using the vanguard undead as a decoy, we had them in a pincer.
I extended my hand and fired black lightning.
Just as the lightning was about to hit the Imperial forces, it was blocked by the barrier of defensive magic.
It seemed they had prepared for even that.
After piercing through several layers of barriers, the lightning finally dissipated.
Whether from the recoil, I could see several spellcasters vomiting blood and collapsing.
"Good grief, as expected of the General. No mercy at all, huh."
Henry whistled, sounding like he was teasing.
He twirled his bow around in his hand.
The sound and light of the lightning had alerted the Imperial forces.
Some were starting to turn to deal with us.
But it was already too late.
The Demon Lord's Army's preparations were complete.
From here on, it was our turn to ravage.
"General, ready to go?"
"Yeah. It's all yours."
"Alright, here we go!"
Henry, looking gleeful, raised one arm.
And then he called out in a strong, clear voice.
"On guard!"
At his command, about a hundred monsters lined up horizontally.
Then they nocked arrows to their bows and held still.
The sequence of movements was flawlessly synchronized, executed with impressive precision.
The level of accuracy was terrifying.
The creatures wielding bows were elites under Henry's instruction.
This was likely the result of rigorous training steeped in blood and sweat.
"Fire!"
As Henry lowered his arm, the arrows were released simultaneously.
They arced through the sky and rained down upon the Imperial forces like a downpour.