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Chapter 219: The Third Trial (7)
Vulcan's expression eased.
'That's a relief.'
He had confirmed Kim Minwoo's skills through the recent battle.
If they had continued fighting, Kim Minwoo would have been cut in half, and he himself would have lost an eye, as Kim Minwoo had warned.
Considering that, Kim Minwoo was weaker than him.
However, that didn't mean he was weak.
Vulcan had the Demon God's Stone embedded in his heart.
His power was enough to challenge even the high-ranking Demon Lords.
Considering that the position of a Lord wasn't just a title, but a position with a lot of power and benefits...
'It's amazing.'
The most valiant human he had ever seen. With his undead, he could easily defeat most low-ranking Demon Lords alone.
Even against a Great Demon Lord, he was skilled enough to buy some time.
He was far stronger than Kalrung, the vice captain, so he couldn't help but feel reassured by his joining.
Just then,
Kim Minwoo spoke.
"Let's recap. The Demon Lords won't give up, will they? The Demon God's Stone must be very valuable."
—Since they've united, that's likely.
"What about using their greed?"
—...Using their greed?
"There's only one stone, but seven Great Demon Lords. Have they decided who gets it?"
Kalrung then joined the conversation.
—They must have reached an agreement on that. Baal will probably take it. He's the most powerful Demon Lord.
"Then the other Lords will be dissatisfied."
—Being the strongest means he has a lot. He'll have a lot to share.
"But wouldn't it be just scraps? If the Demon God's Stone is really that valuable."
—That seems likely... So, is there a way to use their greed?
"Vulcan. If you and the mercenary group join forces, how many Lords can you face?"
—We could manage one somehow. But two or more... honestly, it would be difficult.
"Then from the Lords' perspective, you're a fish already caught. Since all seven of them have united this time."
—That's right. So what?
"Do you have a map or something that shows the demon world regions?"
—I know the terrain somewhat.
Kalrung, saying so, plunged his nails into the ground. The hard rock was cut like tofu.
Swipe, swipe.
With each swipe of his hand, plausible terrain features appeared.
—The demon world's land is, broadly speaking, round like this. Each region is ruled by a Lord.
"Mark only the areas ruled by the Great Demon Lords. Even a rough estimate is fine."
—Alright. Here. Here. Here... .
Kalrung marked dots on the round shape. Kim Minwoo's eyes gleamed as he saw it. The land of the 5th Lord Marbas, where they were currently located, was in the north of the circle.
If it were a clock, it would be 12 o'clock.
Paimon was at 11 o'clock, and the other Lords were scattered in various locations.
Baal, who was said to have the most powerful force, was at 6 o'clock, the opposite side.
The demon world was vast.
It took three days to get here from the neighboring land of Paimon.
And that was the time it took while flying at the speed of a Balrog.
This meant that even if the Great Demon Lords moved, they wouldn't immediately gather in one place.
Unless they used some kind of teleportation.
He looked at Kalrung.
"One question. How did you know that the Lords, who are far away, have started moving?"
—In the demon world, there's a special insect called the Void Worm. Once a male and female mate, their minds resonate with each other. If you train these worms... you can communicate through a shaman.
"It's like a magic crystal ball."
Was it like the way people communicated with crystal balls in fantasy worlds?
Vulcan chuckled at that.
—It's not something to be compared to such trivial human magic. The resonance range of the Void Worm is almost infinite.
"You can instantly send messages no matter how far apart you are?"
—Yes. They're that precious. We don't have many in our mercenary group.
"Paimon gave you a pebble like this to find you. Are they that rare?"
—Even the Lords wouldn't have many. The Void Worm's habitat is very rare. Also, it's a hassle to train the worms and find a shaman who can resonate with their minds.
"What's the downside?"
—The number of times you can send a message is limited by distance. If you're far away, it's hard to send even one message a day. The Void Worm gets tired.
This was starting to make sense... .
"The worst-case scenario is that all seven Lords gather and attack. Right?"
Vulcan and the other Balrogs nodded. Then they wouldn't be able to do anything. They would have to run.
"But what if they come separately? Wouldn't it be much easier if only two, or even three, of them did that?"
—It would be much better than all seven coming together. Or, how about we attack Marbas first? He'll be alone for now.
"Not really."
—Why not?
"We might be able to catch one Lord. But there are six left. The rest will be more vigilant, and we'll probably never get another good opportunity."
—Hmm... then what should we do? Should we spread a rumor? Like, that I've become weak or something?
Kim Minwoo chuckled.
"Isn't that too naive a plan?"
—...What?
"Do you think the Demon Lords will rush over just because of a rumor? You said they're cunning, right?"
—...Ahem.
Vulcan looked sheepish, as if he realized it wasn't a good idea.
—Damn it! Why are you laughing? Do you have a better idea?
He turned to Kalrung.
"Kalrung."
—Yes.
"Do all the mercenaries know? That the Demon Lords are coming?"
—Not yet. I just heard the news and came to report it.
They didn't even know that the Demon Lords were joining forces to attack Vulcan. When he entered Vulcan's cave, he only brought Kalrung, Kim Minwoo, and Longlong.
"Are there any Balrogs who might betray you?"
—...Betrayal?
"All the Demon Lords are coming, you know. Are all the mercenaries that loyal? So much that they won't be swayed by this?"
—... .
Kalrung fell silent.
Were the mercenaries loyal?
Of course, they were loyal.
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But it was closer to the concept of worshipping the strong. And thanks to Vulcan, they had moved around a lot, but they had never really faced any real hardships.
That's why they had a strong internal bond.
However, that bond wasn't perfect.
Thanks to Vulcan, they had come together and found their voice, but it was also true that they had lost their individual freedom.
There were definitely Balrogs who harbored discontent. And if this nightmarish news reached them... .
—...Perhaps some of them might have different thoughts. We should tighten our internal discipline at this opportunity... .
"No. We should use them as bait."
—Excuse me?
"We should use them as bait to lure the Demon Lords."
—What do you mean by that...?
"We need to lure the Demon Lords, right? And only a few of them. Correct?"
Nod.
"To do that, the ones who arrive quickly in this nearby Marbas territory need to become impatient. For example, guys like Paimon from the neighboring territory."
—That's right.
"What if someone who betrayed the mercenary group delivered favorable news to them?"
—Ah!
Kalrung's eyes lit up.
He finally understood what Kim Minwoo was saying.
—I see! If a 'traitor' delivers plausible news... .
"Surely those with different intentions will emerge. The nearby Marbas will be the first to get impatient."
What if we send the traitor when about two or three of them gather?
Will the other Demon Lords wait patiently for Baal, who is far away at 6 o'clock, to arrive?
It's a golden opportunity to steal the Demon God's Stone, isn't it?
And there was also the guarantee of authenticity. From the traitor's perspective, it wouldn't be a false surrender, but a real one.
Whether they rummaged through his mind or dug through his memories, it would be difficult to find anything suspicious.
—If it works, we might be able to defeat three of them individually. Paimon, Marbas, and Amon. They're the closest.
Ranks 5, 6, and 7, respectively.
They might be able to cleanly wipe out the lower-ranked Lords among the Great Demon Lords.
—But... what about the remaining Lords?
"Why worry about that now?"
—Huh?
"There's no such thing as a perfect plan. We just have to take care of the most plausible thing first. If we succeed, three are out, right?"
We can think about the rest after we succeed.
* * *
5th Lord Marbas.
Two Demon Lords had gathered in his office.
Amon, the 6th in rank, with the face of a wrinkled owl.
And Paimon, the 7th.
These were the lower-ranked Lords among the seven Great Demon Lords.
Also, the territories they ruled were close to each other. It wasn't strange for them to be friendly.
Marbas, who resembled a lion's head, roared energetically.
—Keuhung! It's been a while. Lord Amon. And Lord Paimon as well. How have you been?
—Hoot hoot. What's there to see in a wasteland? It's been a boring few days.
Amon replied with a unique hoot. It sounded like a bird mocking.
Then, Paimon said with a mischievous smile.
—I had a little fun. A human came and killed my son. It was quite an interesting event.
The eyes of the two Demon Lords sparkled with curiosity. Humans, creatures inhabiting the middle world. They were the main prey of demons.
And a human had killed Paimon's son.
It was a story that couldn't help but pique their interest. Paimon, having captured their attention, continued.
—Keuhung! So, you're saying that human went to find Vulcan?
—Yes. I wanted to burst his eardrums with my melody... but then I thought, wouldn't that be a trivial ending?
—Hoot hoot. Indeed. Trivial. To do only that after he insulted your honor. And there are seven Great Demon Lords!
Amon laughed happily, as if he had grasped Paimon's intentions.
Lords had their own unique powers. Dying from one power was far less painful than dying from seven.
—Keuhung! I'll ask Lord Baal and the other Lords. They'll gladly help. He owes us a great debt.
—Hoot hoot. Of course. He's taking the Demon God's Stone, so naturally, they should grant such a request. But... .
Amon's face became serious.
—We're fine, but how did Baal persuade the other Lords?
—I wonder... .
The Demon God's Stone.
It was a treasure that all demons would covet. The seven Great Demon Lords were no different.
How hard they had struggled to suppress their boiling greed every time they felt the Demon God's energy from Vulcan!
The reason Vulcan had been safe despite this was because of the problem of dealing with the aftermath of obtaining the stone.
What if a lower-ranking Great Demon Lord obtained the stone?
They might be able to jump to 3rd or 2nd place in the ranking. Given enough time, it wouldn't be difficult to reach the most glorious position.
Naturally, there would be a lot of opposition.
Suppressed and weakened after taking over Vulcan's forces, and then facing opposition from other Great Demon Lords?
In the worst case, they might be destroyed.
That's why they could only watch, drooling like it was a pie in the sky.
'I was the same...'
Paimon smacked his lips.
Amon and Marbas.
Both were 'friendly neighbors' with similar rankings in neighboring territories, but what if he got the stone?
It was obvious.
Those kind smiles would immediately turn demonic.
Their eyes would turn red with the desire to rip out his heart and steal the stone.
He was no different.
That's why the three gathered here had agreed to let Baal have ownership.
He was already number one.
Whether he had the stone or not wouldn't have a big impact on them.
But the top Great Demon Lords, ranked 2nd and 3rd, were different. If they got the stone, they could immediately aim for Baal's position. What did he offer them to make them agree to the transfer of ownership...?
Just then,
Creak!
The door opened.
Marbas' subordinate rushed in.
—Master! You need to come quickly. The mercenaries have surrendered!
—...What? Those Balrogs?
—Yes! A significant number have surrendered, and they brought strange news. They say Vulcan has become very weak. I heard he was seriously injured... .
The eyes of the three Demon Lords widened.
Vulcan was seriously injured?
—Are you sure?
—I caught a few of them and thoroughly searched their brains! At least, it doesn't seem like a lie.
Not only had the number of mercenaries decreased due to the surrender, but Vulcan had also become weak?
'Wait a minute.'
'If this is the case...'
'Do we really need to wait for the others?'
The three Demon Lords exchanged glances as if they had made a promise.
Sharp teeth appeared on Marbas' lion face. His mane rippled with excitement.
—Keuhung! We can't miss this opportunity. How about we move first?
—Hoot hoot. It seems like a golden opportunity. Paimon, what do you think?
Paimon was silent for a moment. A cunning smile spread across his camel-like face.
—Interesting. But if we move alone, it could be a problem later. Shouldn't we contact the other Lords?
—Keuhung! It's just a waste of time! Do you think they'll allow us to move alone? We have to go! Or we might miss the opportunity!
Marbas spoke urgently.
Greed flickered in his eyes. If they played their cards right, this was an opportunity to get the Demon God's Stone for free.
How could they miss such a chance?
—Hoot hoot. Calm down, Marbas. Paimon has a point. We should think about the aftermath.
—How about this. We move first, but we also send a message to the other Lords. That way, we'll have an excuse later.
The eyes of the three Demon Lords gleamed with greed. Their desire for the Demon God's Stone began to overwhelm their reason.
One thing was certain.
There was no more time to wait for the others.
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