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- Felix -
It's been a little while since Saeko has left so I decided to check in on her. I can visit the Ogre village as well while I'm there.
As I'm flying towards Jura to check in on Saeko I feel a Thought Communication incoming.
Oh? A Thought Communication from Milim.
"Felix! Wanna watch something interesting with me and some of the Demon Lords?!"
"Hello Milim, something interesting? What's going on? And which Demon Lords?"
"Hmm, I won't tell you what we are watching, it's a surprise, we can watch it together with Clayman, Frey, and Carrion, as Clayman invited me to a tea party."
Only Demon Lord Seeds then? That should be fine.
"Hmm, I see, yeah I don't mind, it's been a while since we've seen each other anyway."
"Yay! Come to Clayman's castle then!"
"Yeah yeah, I'll see you there."
I quickly have Raiden fly me there, with me boosting her speed with Gravity Manipulation we should be there in no time.
…
It didn't take us long to reach Clayman's kingdom, The Puppet Nation Jistav.
The wetlands that we had to get through were a pain, but since we were invited we didn't have many issues.
The castle was quite easy to find, it looked ancient but no less monumental, the perimeter of the castle is lined with towers connected by arched viaducts.
Once I got closer I was quickly escorted in by a Dark Elf along with Raiden, man this place is fancy as fuck.
The walls are made of marble, and decorated with harmonious ornamentation, there were some large windows accented by stained glass, moldings and wrought iron.
There was expensive artwork all around, exotic furniture and according to Odin some rare magic items are on display.
Damn this guy has taste, killing Clayman and becoming a Demon Lord has never sounded more appealing than now.
I would get his territory if I did that, the fucker deserves it if all I've heard about him is true, but nah, now's not the time.
- Clayman -
His plans for Jura were going well so far, Gelmund reported that everything was going according to plan three days ago.
Soon he would Awaken into his full might, soon he would no longer be weaker than his friends.
Footman…
What did he think he was saying when he asked if he was the one making the decisions?
He only has one master that he serves.
Even his friends look down on him.
He invited Milim and Frey to watch the Orc invasion with him, soon with the help of Frey his plan to control Milim will be successful.
Though there might be a thorn in that plan due to Milim's apparent new as she called it, Bestie. She said he was some sort of Daemon, likely an Arch Daemon or else someone like Milim wouldn't even take notice of them.
She invited him to this get together he is hosting, without asking him first, damn her.
Just how much will she look down on him?
Still someone far beneath him, but he was not called the Marionette Master for nothing, he will investigate.
Soon enough Milim, Frey and Carrion arrive though this Daemon still hasn't arrived yet, the insolence.
All of a sudden Milim shoots up off her seat, "He's here!"
A few moments later the door to his conference room opens and in comes his subordinate and the Daemon.
"Aha! You're finally here Bestie! It's been soooo boring without you to fight and cook!"
"Hello to you too Milim, I miss our fights as well, so what did you invite me here for?"
"Umu, we are going to watch a big fight!"
"A fight? I see."
"Ah! I forgot to introduce you! Felix, this is Frey, Carrion and Clayman!"
"Nice to meet you three" he says with a short bow.
He ignored all of that though, the moment this Daemon stepped in he got a sudden strange feeling.
What is this… What's with this spine chilling sensation…This Daemon… Has he seen him somewhere before?
Is he overthinking things?
But what is this uneasiness he felt?
He can't feel how strong this Daemon is as he is concealing his Aura, though from the way he looks he must be an Arch Daemon.
"Why are you hiding your Aura?" Milim asked. "I want my other friends here to know how strong my bestie is!"
"Hmm? It's just something I'm in the habit of doing, you should know this by now Milim, but fine, I'll release it if you're asking."
….
All of a sudden a massive Aura was unleashed from the Daemon.
This is utterly absurd.
What kind of monster have you brought here Milim?
This kind of power, he has only felt on a few occasions…
The kind of power that belongs to those old monsters…
Those on the level of my Master, the True Demon Lords.
Beings far beyond my power.
He was barely able to maintain his composure and shield himself from the Aura.
He looked to the side and saw that both Frey and Carrion were in similar situations, though Frey had long since let go of her composure and showed a face of pure shock, while Carrion was trying his best to put on a confident look.
He clenched his fists in anger, just how long will he be weak? Just how far does he have to go to not be a burden on his friends anymore?
Thankfully the Daemon reigned his Aura back under control.
What kind of Arch Daemon is this?
Could he be another one like…. Guy? His sclera are black, maybe he is the Primordial of Black?
But Noir is supposed to have black hair and Gold eyes with a red line.
No, those who are part of that lineage are known to be eccentric, he may have just changed his physical form.
Just who have you brought into my country Milim?
"Who is that Dragon? A new subordinate of yours?"
"Ah yes, this is Raiden, she became my subordinate recently."
"Hmm, she is stronger than that Kijin, Umu, only the best subordinates for my Bestie! Oh, your Kijin follower isn't here with you?"
Those words that Milim spoke caused his heart to skip a beat.
Gelmund had reported a Kijin was able to hold back the Orcs enough for some Ogres to escape….
Could it be?
"It was really funny when she tried to cook for you!"
"Ugh, don't remind me of that, she completely misunderstood what I told her and simply said she would impress me with her cooking in the future. Ah I know! You can taste her next batch!"
All of a sudden Milim paled, what sort of monstrosity is this Kijin that she is able to make Milim tremble in fear?
Is the Orc Invasion doomed to fail?
"Ahh! No, I think you should try it! She is practicing for you after all! You shouldn't dodge your responsibilities!"
"You're one to talk Milim. You know, you should try some of Middray's meals."
Why is Milim trying to whistle?
"I heard he has been trying his best to make dishes worthy of you. It's your responsibility to reward your subordinate for his efforts!"
Ah yes, this must all be a dream, now it all makes sense.
"Anyways, didn't you call me here for something Milim?"
"Ah yes! I forgot, Clayman, let's start."
This… Hmm, no he must calm down.
"Yes my guests, I have invited you all here to show you an interesting invasion I have discovered."
He looks towards the Crystal Ball and willed it to show the ongoing battle.
The other four raptly watch with attention.
He watched as the Orcs started marching towards the marshes the Lizardman call home, "Trample all! Trample all! Trample all!"
The battle finally started with a Lizardman cutting down an Orc, "There is no need to fear these pigs anymore than before! These marshlands are our domain! We will not lose to these dimwits whose feet are held by the mud!"
Fool, he thought, as if mere Lizardman and Goblins would be enough to combat an Orc Lord.
The lizardman and goblins were gaining some ground on the Orcs, but the battle has yet to truly begin.
"Right! Withdraw for now!"
Hmm? Could the foolish Lizardman be more intelligent than he gave him credit for?
He smirked as he watched as the Lizardman started to scream in surprise, it seems that the Lizardman did not know the true abilities of the Orc Lord…
"The Orcs… are eating other Orcs?"
The Orcs quickly recovered and continued their march, "Trample all! Trample all! Trample all! The strength of this comrade we eat is now ours! The strength of this prey we eat is now ours!"
"Hmm, that's interesting, so they can grow stronger as they eat other living things huh?" the Daemon said.
He didn't already know that? Any of the Primordials would already be aware of such a thing. Could he not be a Primordial? Rather could he be just a normal Daemon?
Just how did he get so strong then?
"Umu! That's what makes the Orc Lord so dangerous for those weak guys!"
"I see, hey Milim, about how strong is the Orc Lord?"
Another thing that a Primordial would already be aware of.
"Hmm? It's super weak! Even Clayman can easily deal with it!"
Veins popped on his forehead once he heard Milim's response.
This cretin!
"I see… I guess I don't have to worry about Saeko and Rimuru then."
He controlled his emotions as he processed what the Daemon had said.
So his subordinate was there…
He also mentioned another person, Rimuru.
Sigh, it seems the invasion won't be successful then, even if this Saeko and Rimuru are taken care of, this Daemon will likely wipe out the Orcs in retaliation.
He will have to deal with this Daemon once he has Milim under control.
Best to keep his own involvement secret, he knew enough that whenever one angers a being of his caliber… things don't end well.
Still, he might as well enjoy the battle.
He focused back on the battle and saw as one of the Orcs managed to grab the leg of a Lizardman and quickly pulled him down and begin to feast, "H-Help! G-Gabiru-s-sama!"
"Retreat! Now!"
He smirked as he watched, unfortunately for the Lizardman, it was too late.
"Gabiru-sama, we're already surrounded!"
It seems that this Gabiru will learn of one of the abilities that the Orc Lord has.
"Impossible! Webbed feet and scales on an Orc?!"
"They just ate one of our men! It was then that their movements changed!"
"Oh? What an interesting ability, to be able to gain the Intrinsic abilities of the races they eat." said the Daemon.
"Eh, they are still weak though."
"Almost everyone is weak compared to you Milim."
"That's true!"
"Maintain close formation! Keep the Goblins in the center! Leave no space between you! Shield the Goblins while breaking through the Orcs formation!"
The Lizardman may have had a chance to escape if they did not bring the Goblins to the battle, of course they could just leave them to die, but it seems they won't.
Fools.
"Trample all! Trample all! The strength of our allies' will become our own! The enemies' power will become our own!"
"Do not fear! Show them the strength we Lizardmen are known for!"
Hmm? But Lizardmen aren't known for strength or really anything at all?
He wondered how far this Gabiru's delusions went.
Ah, it seems the Orc Lord will take the lead now.
"Wh-What an intimidating aura…"
"So that's the Orc Lord huh, kind of weak to be honest."
"Hahahahahaha you're no better than Milim, most things are weak compared to you though that isn't the Orc Lord but an Orc General " said the Beast Master.
It seems that Carrion has gotten his nerves in check.
"Ah, no wonder it was so weak, and that's true, the only person I have trouble fighting is Milim."
Those words chilled his blood, this Daemon couldn't fight on par with Milim could he?
No, Milim must have been going easy on him so as not to hurt her friend.
"Ah! That annoying Skill of yours is such a pain!"
Ah, thankfully it's just a skill, that can be dealt with using a Holy Barrier. The Daemon should be weakened enough under it to be unable to use any skills.
He looked back at the Crystal Ball, oh, it seems the Lizardman is challenging the Orc General to a one on one fight.
He has courage, he will give him that.
Hmm, this Gabiru is doing quite well against the Orc General, at least he has some ability.
Unfortunately ability simply isn't enough to beat a much stronger foe.
He knows that best…
"Lizards are best suited to crawling on the ground. Now die!"
Oh?
A Goblin saved the Lizardman at the last second.
This fight is truly getting interesting.
"Yo-You're the true leader of that village!"
Huh? What is this Lizard talking about?
Even the Goblin is looking at him in confusion
"That's Gobta, Captain of the Goblin Riders."
"The Direwolf!"
"I am Ranga, I have come to help you under my master Rimuru Tempest's orders."
It seems that this Rimuru will finally make an appearance.
"Rimuru? I don't know who you are but if you stand in my wa…"
BOOOOOOOM
"It seems like it's already started"
"Great Lizardman magic? I must end whoever is using that magic."
It seems that those explosions were able to wipe out most of the Ogres.
"Who are you?"
"You've forgotten us? How rude, and after you went and devoured our whole village."
It seems that the Ogres have also joined in on this attack.
Oh? It seems that they have evolved into Kijin, could they have been named?
These Kijin are quite impressive.
The Direwolf is also quite impressive, it was able to wipe out quite a few Ogres with its skill.
"Oh look! There's Saeko, oh wow she got stronger! Did you get her a new sword?"
He looked towards where Milim was pointing and saw a Purple haired Kijin slaughtering her way through Orcs.
She was quite impressive, her swordsmanship was more focused on brute force, but she was strong.
"Yup, I got her one at Dwargon, it was quite an impressive sword though I plan to upgrade it, it's only Unique Grade after all."
Only Unique Grade! One of his best subordinates has a Unique Grade sword and he had to fight tooth and nail for it from the Eastern Empire!
Gelmud! What is he doing there! He had explicitly ordered him to stay away!
And who is this majinn with blueish silver hair?
Just what are you doing Gelmud?
"What's the big deal! You are ruining the Great Gelmud's plans! A new Demon Lord who would do my bidding was about to be born!"
…
It seems that Gelmud needs to be marked for elimination if he survives this encounter.
"Oh is that possible? Does the Orc Lord have a Demon Lord Seed?" asked the Daemon
"A Demon Lord Seed? What's that?" Asks a curious Frey, Carrion also looks interested.
Don't tell me they didn't even know?
"Uhm, It's possible, the Orc Lord can evolve into an Orc Disaster which will might give him a Seed." says Milim
"Hgmh Hgmh. Can we not change the subject? What is a Demon Lord Seed?"
"They don't know Milim? Aren't they you know… Demon Lords? How can they not know a crucial part of the process?"
"Ehh, because they are Fake Demon Lords! Te heh."
….
"Okay sure, makes sense… anyways a Demon Lord Seed is something you need to have to ascend into a True Demon Lord. Once you have one you just need to fulfill a certain requirement in order to undergo the Harvest Festival."
"Ah, you had to spoil the fun Felix! Oh well, Guy would kill you if you do it unprovoked anyways. So it's better for your sake if we don't reveal it"
"I see… thank you for sharing, know this, The Beast King Carrion now owes you a favor."
"I owe you a favor as well, I give you my thanks." says Frey.
"Ah, no problem, Milim told me about it so just owe your favors to her. Though if you insist I do know of a very pleasurable way that you can repay your favor Miss Frey."
"Hahaha, for a moment there I thought I was included in that Ahahahahahaha."
"Oh? That sounds like fun, just don't tire out too soon."
"What are you three talking about?"
"Ah, nothing Milim, it's nothing."
He ignored the four and paid attention to the battle; it seems that Gelmud was going to attempt to evolve the Orc Lord into an Orc Disaster.
"Anyways… Hey Milim, how strong is an Orc Disaster?"
"Umm, a newly born one will probably be really weak, maybe a little stronger than Saeko?
"Hmm, then Rimuru and Saeko should be able to handle him."
All of a sudden while Gelmud was giving his speech the Orc Lord approached him.
"What do you mean by evolving into a Demon Lord?"
"You will become the Demon Lord 'Orc Disaster', and rule over the entire forest of Jura! That is what both he and I desire!"
"Oh? There is someone else behind the scenes?" said the Daemon.
He thought of multiple ways of torturing Gelmud as he hoped the subject would change, he couldn't use Marionette Heart to kill Gelmud as such an ability would be detected by either Milim or the Daemon. Even something as minor as communication might be detected. That bad feeling I had when I first saw the Daemon is returning.
Thankfully it seems that something had happened on the battlefield to distract the Daemon for now.
Looks like Gelmud has become desperate, killing his own allies in the hope that it will be enough for the Orc Lord to evolve, though this mysterious majin foiled his attempt.
It seems Gelmud has been beaten, he was easily subdued by the majin and is now attempting to negotiate.
Fool.
"Damn you! You're finished! I'm going to make you regret this!"
The majin slowly approached Gelmud.
"You said he earlier, who was it you were talking about? Who's the real mastermind?"
"No, leave me alone!"
It seems that Gelmud still has some sense, he knows the consequences of revealing information.
"Hey! Orc Lord! Help me!"
….
"I'm so very hungry."
It seems the Orc Lord has finally had enough of Gelmud.
"Hahahaha little man trying to order around someone stronger than himself, he learned the hard way that doing so generally ends with you losing your head, literally hahahahaha!"
"Indeed, the Orc Lord might evolve once he finishes eating that majin." said Frey
"It looks like it's evolving, I wonder exactly how much stronger it will get?"
"I am the Orc Disaster! I am the one who will devour all in this world!"
"It seems the Orc Disaster is already getting a big head huh Milim, If Rimuru wasn't going to kill it, it would have been fun to commence an act of jumping"
"What is jumping the way you said it, it sounds like fun?!"
"Oh yeah, forgot you people in this world wouldn't know what that means."
This world? Could he be an otherworlder? No, he is a Daemon, maybe he was summoned to another world, maybe that's how he got so powerful?
"It's basically when a group of two or more people keep hitting a target back and forth between each other, giving the target no time to act"
"Woah! That sounds like fun! We should do that sometime Felix!" Does Milim have stars in her eyes?! How does that even work?!
"I too would like to join you when you commence this, jumping."
Even Carrion?!
"Neh Neh we should go do this to Ramiris' Golem! That will make her stop taunting me with it. I wonder if Guy dislikes anyone enough to join in on the fun."
He pretended he didn't hear a word of what they were saying. Otherwise he might have an aneurysm out of sheer stupidity
"My name is Geld, Geld the Demon Lord!"
Everyone in the room stopped for a moment…
Even he was surprised by the audacity of this pig.
"The Audacity of this bitch." That Daemon is surprisingly crass for one of his power, but he finds himself agreeing with the statement nonetheless.
"Eh? A Demon Lord? But my master is stronger than you and he said that he is not a Demon Lord? As expected of Felix-sama!"
He looked towards the Daemon but found him looking to the side whistling….
"Hey Milim unlike you he appears to be fully capable of whistling hahahahahaha,"
"Ahhh, that's no fair! Watch, I can do it too!"
"Hahahaha, no you can't Milim!" It seems the Daemon is joining in on this stupidity.
These are some of the strongest beings in the world….
Maybe reaching the top of this world makes you crazy?
Guy lives in a literal wasteland, Dino sleeps all the time, Valentine is playing God, Leon has no friends, Ramiris doesn't appear to actually be strong and appears to be a placeholder due to a friendship with Guy and Milim, Dagruel might be the only normal one on the council.
This Daemon is likely already on the path to becoming a Demon Lord if his knowledge about Demon Lord Seeds says anything. Especially with how close he appears to be to Milim, Guy might not act if he initiates a Harvest Festival unprovoked.
This only makes his plan more imperative, he must awaken if he wishes to keep his seat on the council.
"Wait, did that Majin just turn into a slime?!" Carrion says sounding surprised
Ah, it seems he was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot about the Orc Disaster.
"And now he appears to be eating the Orc Disaster. A monster renowned for its intense levels of gluttony, how ironic." Frey says with a small laugh
He watched as the slime consumed the Orc Disaster, ending the battle in its victory.
"It seems the battle is finally over, I for one am surprised that he chose to spare the Orcs after he killed their King."
"Ah well, that's Rimuru for you, he can be a bit too nice at times."
So that's Rimuru then, he will keep an eye on that slime.
"Interesting! Very Interesting! I want to meet this slime myself!"
He took the opportunity to say, "But Milim, we have a non-aggression pact with the Forest of Jura."
"It's all good, Rimuru is my friend and I will introduce her."
"Ah, let's go now then!"
"We can go in a few days, Milim, give them time to recover before dumping a Demon Lord on their plates. Especially you of all Demon Lords"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"You're a very acquired taste."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Nothing at all, just wait a week or two, I'll stay with you so we can spar a bit."
"A fight! Yay! Okay we can go later! Let's go fight now!"
His Heart skipped a beat there!
"I would prefer it if you took your activity elsewhere. My Castle and possibly the entire cliff it sits upon would not survive your fight."
"Yeah yeah, I'm also going to investigate whoever was behind this, and when I find them, I think I'm going to kill them."
…
Well then, he hopes that if the Daemon ever discovers he was behind the Orc Invasion Milim will already be under his control.
"Oh! Can I fight the two of you!"
It seems that we will be down a Demon Lord soon. The Nine Great Demon Lords just doesn't have the same ring to it.
"Mwahahahaha silly Carrion if you join in you'll die!"
"Yes, while she could have been a little more tactful about it, wait nevermind Milim and tactful is a contradiction, anyways see you guys later, let's go Milim, Raiden."
"Yes Felix-sama!"
Ah yes, he has a good subordinate, she knew her place and did not speak until she was called upon. To the point that he forgot about her despite her level of power being just a single category below Carrion, Freys and his own.
"They both just dissed me and left. Bitch I see that hand, don't you try to console me like a child. They dissed you as well unless you think you're stronger than me?"
He's surrounded by idiots, where did he go wrong?
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Beta Reader: @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Support me or read ahead on: https://www.p@treon.com/theogbasilisk
Author's Note:
A lot happened in this chapter, we finally got to meet some of the Demon Lords, Clayman is doubting his life currently and wondering where he went wrong.
We also got a hot dragon girl subordinate. Saeko is doing Saeko things. Big thanks to Lulu as well, this chapter would have turned out completely different without his help. You could almost say he helped right some of this chapter.
If you guys are wondering why Demon Lord Seeds like Frey and Carrion wouldn't know about Demon Lord Seeds, remember, Rimuru himself didn't know about them until Great Sage brought it up, so I don't think people like Frey or Carrion would know unless they were told, which they likely weren't or they would be plotting their own ascensions.
This has probably been my favorite chapter to write so far, I hope you enjoyed it!
Anyway thanks for reading!