Time began to race forward once more.
Because Chronoa had suddenly vanished from the public eye, the [Western Nations] had nearly fallen into major turmoil for a while. But when Adelio, backed by the names of the [Western Holy Church] and [Sarion], personally appeared at the Council of the West after several decades, the unrest naturally died back down.
The excuse worked perfectly: he had gone into hiding for a time to investigate the threat of the [otherworld], taking advantage of this brief period of peace.
It was only possible because, unlike in the East, almost no humans in the West knew much about the [otherworld].
And when the eyes of the [Western Nations] turned toward Adelio, the lone remaining [Hero] after one of humanity's greatest military powers had disappeared, he withdrew to the battlefield.
To prepare for the birth of a single [monster] that would bring about a great upheaval, now truly just around the corner.
*
Kaaang!!!
On the coast of the [Western Nations], lying in a straight line with the frozen continent.
Ever since the birth of the first [Demon Lord] in ages long past, this shoreline had become a battlefield unfit for human life, as demonic armies invaded it again and again at regular intervals. Now, it was changing once more.
From human territory to a battlefield of demons, and from a battlefield of demons to a training ground for a [Hero].
"Hmm... your defensive formation was solid, but it's still a little lacking."
Adelio, the ash-haired demon, tilted his head slightly and looked down.
Where his gaze fell were enormous craters, as though nuclear explosions had gone off there.
Huge pits littered with hundreds of fallen [Greater Demon]s and [Arch Demon]s.
Crackle... crackle...
It was still an incomplete [Arts], so he had drastically reduced its power before firing it, yet the instant the thunderous blast came down, the demons had been slammed from the sky straight into the ground.
Among them were Kan, Misery's closest aide who had not known defeat in centuries, and Misora, Rain's right hand. Even so, avoiding Adelio's [Arts] had been impossible for them.
Before race even entered the equation, the gap in level and skill between them was simply far too great.
"...At this level... they'd have the upper hand over the forces of the West, but compared to the Empire's elite troops, they're clearly inferior."
Ever since Adelio had begun holding back the demon armies as a [Hero], he had treated this battlefield as a training ground and drilled the demons here.
It was only possible because even most adventurers and criminal organizations avoided coming anywhere near this place, and the only eyes watching from nearby belonged to Sylvia.
Being outnumbered is a problem, but more than that, only having two at the [Devil Lord] level is a huge weakness.
For hundreds of years, Adelio had used every method he could to build a force capable of fighting the [Eastern Empire] with Guy's faction alone, but it was still nowhere near enough.
The rank-and-file soldiers, more than a million of them, could be wiped out easily enough with Nuclear Magic. But the [Imperial Guard], a force of one hundred warriors all at least at the level of sages, could only be fought by those near the top even among [Arch Demon]s.
...As I thought, it's impossible without [Tempest].
In any case, time was almost up now.
Lately, Shizu had begun turning her attention away from life as an adventurer, saying she wanted to become a teacher for "otherworlders" in circumstances similar to her own. Seeing that, it was almost certain.
Adelio was half convinced now that the [World] itself was moving to preserve its original course.
Though it does bother me why the [World] is only starting to move now... well, I'll probably understand once [Great Sage] appears.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Adelio let out a sigh.
Then he reached out toward the fallen demons and began casting healing magic.
It was the same dark-attribute healing spell he had once used on Jonne.
"...Lord Adelio."
Not long after he began the healing spell, a demon with a deep, heavy voice approached his side.
That demon's name was Kan. He had dark green skin, hair the same color as Misery's, and an eyepatch shaped like a helmet visor.
The second-in-command among the green-aligned demons, he was a high-ranking prehistoric demon of [Marquis] class.
Like his superior Misery, he was taciturn and diligent. Whenever Misery and Rain were absent, as they were now, he also served as Adelio's de facto deputy.
He had lived dozens of times longer than Adelio, but because he was the sort of demon who readily accepted the law of strength, he had followed Adelio well from the very beginning.
"Lady Misery just sent me a message."
"...A message? Right now?"
"Yes. She told me to inform you that she and Lady Rain are on their way here now."
Poof...!
The moment Kan finished speaking, one of the demons lying in a crater suddenly sprang up.
"I-I just received the exact same message too...!!"
The speaker was a blue-haired demon with proper demonic horns and pointed ears like an elf's, speaking in a rush.
Her name was Misora.
Like Kan, the second-in-command of the green line, she was the second-in-command of the blue line, and a high-ranking demon of [Duke] class, one rank above him.
And just as Kan resembled Misery, Misora resembled Rain.
Especially in personality.
...Just like Rain, she looks calm on the outside, but inside she's kind of a mess...
As a [Duke], the highest rank below the [Primordial Demons] and [Grand Duke]s, Misora was stronger than Kan in many respects.
Even among all demons, she was strong enough to rank within the top ten, so there was no need to say more.
...However, perhaps because she had spent so much time dealing with Rain's bizarre behavior, there were far more airheaded parts to her personality than Kan's, which made her more worrying as well.
...But why are they suddenly coming here?
Hearing that those women, famous for never leaving the White Ice Palace, were on their way, Adelio tilted his head in confusion.
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