I walk along the top of the outer wall.
This is no leisurely stroll.
Wielding multiple spells simultaneously, I strained to assess the situation.
"…Hm."
The turret installed ahead swiveled to face me.
I sensed a surge of magical power.
They must have activated the spell formula.
We were at quite close range, but they seemed intent on firing anyway.
"Bold."
I murmured, and immediately invoked a forbidden spell.
Black vines sprouted from the base of the turret, wrapping around it like tentacles.
The barrel, wrenched off-target by the vines, fired a shell a beat too late.
The stray shell soared into the Imperial Capital.
A devastating impact pierced through a wooden clock tower, reducing it to splinters.
Neighboring buildings were caught in the blast, and a massive cloud of dust and debris rose into the air.
Several people had been caught in the destruction.
I extended the vines, sending them into the barrel.
Soon, screams rose from within.
The vines had crushed the operator inside the turret.
I then let the miasma spread through them, transforming them into undead.
Now there was no risk of being fired upon.
I left the artillery emplacement itself intact rather than destroying it.
This was a valuable weapon.
I had intended to bring it back later to analyze its internal structure.
If it could be miniaturized to become portable, it would be usable on various battlefields.
It would significantly bolster the Demon Lord's army's fighting power.
While there were also archer and mage units, the precision and destructive power of this artillery could not be ignored.
I scanned the outer walls.
The scattered emplacements were either completely shrouded in vines or entirely frozen over—all rendered inoperable.
Every nearby emplacement had been neutralized without exception.
I had done it all myself.
Now there would be no further unnecessary interference.
Though taking an artillery shell wouldn't have been a fatal blow, I had no desire to volunteer as a target.
The battle was going well.
The Imperial Capital was in utter chaos.
Undead already wandered everywhere, and people fled in panic.
Countless humans were being eaten alive; the scene was one of screams and hellish uproar.
Fires had broken out in several places along the edges.
I had sealed the gates that served as entry and exit points with magic.
I had also placed a barrier to impede teleportation.
It should be sturdy enough not to breach easily even from a direct hit of high magic.
Now, no one will escape from the Imperial Capital.
Unless it takes concentrated artillery fire like that, it shouldn't be broken.
This is a nation that has meddled with us time and again.
I believe it's about time we inflicted irreparable damage.
If they've learned their lesson from this tragedy, they should meekly seek cooperation with other nations.
The exercise of coercive power through force is something only the Demon King needs to do.
My objectives in the Imperial Capital are few.
Judging by the city's state, suitable damage has been dealt.
The rest is to seize the artillery emplacements and other various weapons, along with their documents.
I also wish to know about the countries and organizations connected to the Empire behind the scenes.
Especially regarding the artillery, it seems unlikely the Empire developed and manufactured it alone.
Some country must have been involved.
Otherwise, completion would have been difficult.
To decide the future movements of the Demon King's Army, I should grasp that information.
There are limited places capable of secretly researching and manufacturing such weapons.
If I go around the key facilities, I should find what I'm looking for.
Using teleportation magic wouldn't take much time.
There's also the option of interrogating a high-ranking official.
I could temporarily summon Luciana and rely on her charm ability.
I had forgotten that the upper echelons of the government would have to be eliminated as well.
Total annihilation wasn't necessary, but the majority among them were hardliners.
A glance at the Empire's actions thus far made that painfully obvious.
To encourage cooperation with other nations, the first step was to purge those with imperialist ambitions.
Even in a country like this, moderates and neutrals existed; I wanted to arrange for them to rise and seize power in that vacuum.
As I pondered the Empire's future, a murderous aura suddenly closed in from behind.
It was intense and savage.
In nature, it resembled that of a maddened monster.
Without turning, I used short-distance teleportation to shift forward.
Yet the killing intent still clung to my back.
(Who is it?)
Even as the question formed, I generated a shield of miasma and wheeled around to brace myself.
A crude battle axe collided with it.
A crackling burst of purple lightning.
I saw the surface of my miasma shield being chipped away.
The force of the lightning intensified.
(This power... I can't hold it back.)
Making that judgment, I didn't resist forcefully. Instead, I lifted my feet and let myself be blown backward.
Creating a force field in midair, I landed and looked at the axe's owner.
Standing on the outer wall was a man of such immense stature he could be mistaken for an ogre.
Clad in crimson full-body armor that emphasizes his imposing frame.
Occasionally, the purple lightning coursing through his body would flash.
Peering through the gaps in his helmet were eyes of a sharp, savage blue, holding a feral gleam like that of a predator.
A powerful warrior, unmistakable at a glance.
The giant pointed at me.
"So you're the necromancer demon lord, are you?"
"And if I am, what then?"
As my words met his, the giant slowly raised his war axe.
In an instant, his killing intent sharpened to a razor's edge.
The discharged purple lightning intensified, bright enough to illuminate his entire body.
This was no output a human could possibly produce.
"Isn't it obvious... I'll cleave you apart, utterly and completely."
The next moment, the giant vanished.
No—he was dashing through the air, leaving afterimages, flickering as he closed in on me.
The sheer speed was beyond my ability to track.
(Is this a combination of physical enhancement and lightning magic?)
Even my teleportation couldn't avoid the attack because of this technique.
He had chased after me, teleporting away, at a speed that far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
I transformed my shield of miasma into a spear, redirecting the descending war axe to the side.
Had I not gained combat experience and skill in the Valley of the Dead, I would have been cut down without resistance.
The spear shattered from the impact, dissolving into black powder that dispersed into mist.
At the same time, I perceived a subtle numbness in my fingertips.
It seemed lightning magic had been channeled through on contact.
A more troublesome attack than I'd anticipated.
"Oho...!"
The large man let out a voice of admiration.
Judging by the movement around his eyes, he was expressing intense, fierce delight.
I dodged his follow-up strike while putting distance between us with a transfer.
The large man didn't pursue.
He kicked off the air and returned to the top of the outer wall.
"Ha ha ha! Not a bad move at all! This is going to be quite entertaining!"
The large man laughed heartily.
Without sarcasm or malice, he was genuinely reveling in the fight.
In terms of those close to me, his thinking was similar to Henry's.
(To think I'd encounter him here...)
I knew this man.
Although I had no memory of his appearance, his fighting style and personality left no doubt.
There was almost no one else who could wield both physical reinforcement and lightning magic with that level of proficiency while wielding a battle axe.
He had surpassed a realm reachable through admiration or imitation.
In other words, it could only be the man himself.
I had never met him directly, but his name was already known throughout the nations ten years ago.
Back then, I too had heard whispers of him.
Yet I never dreamed that we would end up fighting like this.
(I suppose this too is a fate tied to being the Demon King...)
I think to myself with a hint of self-mockery.
One could certainly call our encounter one that made such an outcome inevitable.
――The man they called "Dolda of the Thunderclap" was once a great pirate who had been put forward as a candidate for the hero.