Chapter 146

Chapter 146

As all the Demon Kings gathered, it was only natural for Seere’s forces to be present as well. Nahun squinted slightly at Agreas, who appeared as the Supreme Commander.

‘…Where is Belzebut?’

As the proposer of the agenda, Belzebut, the most powerful and highest-ranking Demon King, was expected to take the role of Supreme Commander. However, the one who actually appeared as the Supreme Commander was Agreas.

The question of why Agreas was appointed as Supreme Commander arose not only in Nahun but also in other Demon Kings.

“Agreas, where has Belzebut gone?”

In response to the question from Marbas, ranked fifth, Agreas simply answered.

“Belzebut has some business to attend to and will join us during the war.”

“Ah… I see. So from then on, will Belzebut take command?”

“No. Even when he returns, I will still be the Supreme Commander.”

“What?”

“I am the Supreme Commander of this Heavenly Demon War. Belzebut has completely transferred the position.”

Upon hearing that Agreas would be the Supreme Commander, several Demon Kings appeared serious. Nahun understood their reactions.

Agreas von Dio.

She was certainly a Demon King strong enough to deserve her current rank of second. Effectively, she was the only one who could match Belzebut in pure strength and was even stronger than Barbatos, the representative of the martial faction. It was undeniable that she was considered a powerful Demon King by all.

However, the problem was… she was a Demon King who fell short in many other areas.

First of all, her personality was not one suited to lead others. Her judgment fluctuated drastically depending on her mood, and her arrogance reached sky-high levels of egotism.

While it is true that Demon Kings generally possess egotistical traits, Agreas’s level of arrogance was extreme. If she had not been ranked second after Belzebut, she might have already been killed by the other Demon Kings.

Using an army as an analogy, while she might be an excellent general willing to charge bravely into battle, she was very unfit to lead the entire army.

“There’s no guarantee that one with exceptional prowess will also be an excellent commander.”

“Huh?”

“I’m talking about Agreas.”

Nahun’s words made Seere nod in agreement.

“What should we do? Honestly… if it’s not Belzebut and Agreas is the commander, I can’t predict what orders she’ll give.”

From the perspective of Seere and Nahun, who originally intended to act cautiously, having Agreas as commander was not a favorable situation.

The most concerning thing for Nahun, regardless of what she did, was the ‘instability,’ and Agreas was the most unstable Supreme Commander possible.

‘It would have been better if Basago were chosen…’

While Basago had lower brute strength, his strategic mind was excellent, making him more suitable for a command position. After all, the commander wouldn’t necessarily fight on the battlefield.

“I guess there’s no choice. We’ll have to pretend to listen. Still, we should avoid overly strenuous battles.”

“Yes, understood.”

Agreas looked around her surroundings. After searching for a while, she spotted one of the Demon Kings sitting almost in the middle of the gathering.

Seeing her smile subtly, Nahun felt a slight unease. Memories of their eye contact during the meeting rushed back to him.

‘Why does this recollection have to surface…’

As he felt that unease, Agreas spoke.

“Our Demon Realm Alliance aims to invade the human world significantly and turn the battlefield of the Heavenly Demon War into the human realm. To achieve this, we must strike the various central factions of the human world.”

As Agreas stated that, a Demon stood up and presented a large scroll before them. The scroll roughly outlined the operation.

“These locations are our top-priority targets.”

Nahun felt relieved by the information on the scroll, realizing that they had a proper understanding of the human world. Three locations were identified as top-priority targets.

‘The Holy Kingdom, the Bismarck Empire, and the Piast Kingdom.’ It made sense for the Holy Kingdom and Bismarck Empire to be targeted since they were the greatest forces in the current human realm, and the Piast Kingdom’s selection was likely…

‘To strike the empire from the flanks.’

There was no other reason for prioritizing it. Agreas continued speaking.

“As you can see, our top targets are these three places. Therefore, we will split our forces and advance.”

“You’re going to divide the army?”

The perplexing voice came from none other than Barbatos. As one of the top fighters of the martial faction, he had a strong grasp of war, and he reacted with confusion.

Nahun agreed with Barbatos’s statement. There was no need to split the army; a single-point breakthrough was both safer and more reliable.

Barbatos seemed to share this thought, as he directly mentioned that point.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just break through at one point and defeat them in succession? I don’t understand why we’re choosing a more difficult path.”

“Ah, Barbatos. Did you just say it was difficult?”

“Is that incorrect?”

“To say it’s difficult when facing mere humans… Barbatos has gotten a lot weaker, haven’t you?”

“…!”

“We are Demon Kings. Great Demon Kings. We shouldn’t take our time with such lowly humans, right? We have our pride as well. There’s no need to invest time and effort into something as insignificant as them.”

That was an irrational statement. However, for those who generally despised humans, Agreas’s words held a strange persuasive quality.

Moreover, if Barbatos were to argue further, it would tarnish his reputation. Nahun slightly stroked his chin and muttered.

“…What’s the ulterior motive?”

“Teacher, what do you mean?”

“It’s strange.”

It seemed Ersha also found it strange, just as Nahun did. Believing that she shared the same thought, Nahun subtly asked her.

“Isn’t it certainly strange?”

“Yes. There’s no reason to employ such a tactic if there’s no hidden agenda.”

“Teacher, can you explain what that might be?”

In response to Seere’s question, Nahun answered immediately.

“No matter how unsuitable Agreas is as a commander, she is a Demon King who has reached rank two in the martial faction. Naturally, she’s adept at strategies and tactics as well. Plus, she has the Patriki faction by her side.”

“Yes.”

“So there’s no way she would devise such a ridiculous tactic. While she just mentioned pride to the other Demon Kings, there must be some other reason for her to have chosen this tactic…”

As Nahun spoke, his eyes widened. The most problematic aspect of dividing the army into three under Agreas’s tactics was that it could prolong the war.

Even though Agreas claimed she would deal with everything quickly at the same time, the reality was that humans were not such easy foes. Especially since the Heavens would surely be watching from above.

If the war dragged on, who would suffer the most damage?

‘Of course….’

The front lines. The longer the battle extended, the more the front lines would tire and take damage first. And those at the forefront in the Demon Realm were usually…

“What reason do they have to keep the Equites faction in check?”

“Are you suggesting that Agreas set forth such a tactic to keep the Equites faction in check?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for that, there would be no reason to employ such a tactic that would obviously prolong the conflict.”

Nahun felt puzzled. While the Equites faction was large, they posed no immediate threat to the Patriki faction. What on earth was the intent behind this tactic that seemed to wish for the weakening of the Equites faction?

As Nahun pondered this ulterior motive, Agreas, who had been explaining the operation, spoke.

“Now, I will name the vanguards of each army.”

Agreas began to call out the names of the Demon Kings.

“The vanguard heading to the Holy Kingdom, Jepar.”

“Leave it to me.”

“The vanguard heading to the Bismarck Empire, Barbatos von Eishval.”

“…Understood.”

“Lastly, the vanguard heading to the Piast Kingdom…”

Just as she was about to call out the vanguard for the third army, Agreas’s gaze landed squarely on Nahun. Feeling that gaze without any intention of hiding it startled Nahun.

“Seere von Debata.”

#

Not only Seere, whose name was called, but the other Demon Kings were also taken aback. Typically, when the Heavenly Demon War broke out, the ones who stood at the forefront were already proven martial Demon Kings.

Like Barbatos or Jepar. There were still plenty of candidates who could stand at the forefront. Powerful Demon Kings like Lezargie, Amon, and Marbas were available. Even Agreas herself could have taken that position, alongside the unique fighting force known as Samygina.

Yet, handing over the vanguard position to someone ranked merely 46th… to a young and inexperienced Demon King drew the inevitable backlash from the other Demon Kings.

“What do you mean by that, Commander!”

The first to object to Agreas’s statement was Phynox. She shouted as if in disbelief.

“There are many talented Demon Kings here, and among them, there are those who would honorably wish to stand at the forefront. And you expect us to send a mere 46th ranked Seere to that position? Are you belittling the other Demon Kings?”

Rather than doubting Seere’s talents, Phynox was acting in defense of her, having allied with Nahun. She understood how burdensome the position of vanguard could be and was stepping in to support Nahun.

However, Agreas dismissed her concerns with a brief remark.

“She is the most suitable.”

“I can’t understand that!”

“Anyway, the Piast Kingdom is the weakest among the currently prioritized human nations. It would be fair to say they are remarkably weak. It is because of that that we cannot invest many forces into the third army.”

Phynox was slightly taken aback. She didn’t know much about the human realm. After all, it was rare for Demon Kings to take an interest in human matters.

So she was unaware that the Piast Kingdom was actually an easier target than the others. Agreas explained that information to Phynox.

“That’s why I intend to put Seere von Debata in charge of the vanguard of the third army.”

“May I raise an objection?”

Immediately after Phynox finished her piece, another Demon King spoke up. Agreas narrowed her eyes at the individual.

“Very well, Astharoth.”

The strikingly beautiful silver-haired Demon King, who boasted a single horn on her forehead, introduced herself as Astharoth von Hoda, a high-ranked Demon King at rank 28.

“Even if you say that the third army is configured to be weaker than the other armies, I still cannot understand putting a 46th ranked Demon King in charge of the vanguard. Is Seere von Debata particularly high in rank within the third army?”

“That is not the case.”

“Then there is insufficient reason for this decision. Would you please explain the justification again?”

“…….”

Agreas frowned. Slightly angered, some Demon Kings had already sighed.

“Astharoth von Hoda. If you’re so discontent, will you stand at the forefront instead?”

“…I never said that.”

“Then keep quiet and follow my orders. Do you not remember that I am the Supreme Commander of this alliance? Naming the vanguard is not a request; it’s an order.”

It came out. This was the reason Agreas was unsuitable as a commander. Her judgment fluctuated significantly based on her mood, and when angered, she acted recklessly.

While such judgments might not significantly disrupt things when acting as part of the army, Agreas’s own power often compensated for such erroneous decisions. However, this was now…

“Sigh, I should have noticed this the moment the unsuitable one donned the crown.”

“What did you say?”

“Both of you, stop it!”

Marbas shouted, scolding them.

“Right now is a ceremony for departure. Do you intend to disrupt the alliance before the mission even begins? And Agreas, you also need to act rationally as a commander and make grand judgments. How can a commander start off by causing trouble with the Demon Kings of the alliance?”

At Marbas’s words, Agreas expressed her irritation through her expression, yet she held her tongue and ended the argument. Astharoth also quieted down.

Seeing the situation resolved in an instant, Nahun admired inwardly.

‘Truly the primal Demon King…’

Marbas von Gart. He had existed since the dawn alongside Belzebut as one of the oldest Demon Kings. The fact that he could resolve such situations stemmed from the respect the other Demon Kings had for him.

“Nonetheless, things have not changed.”

Although the tumultuous situation had settled, Agreas still appeared to be resolute in executing her decision.

“What should we do, Teacher?”

“Huh?”

“We agreed to act cautiously. But if we’re at the forefront…”

“Ah…”

Nahun thought it was unavoidable. He had not anticipated that they would be placed at the forefront either, but since their objective was the Piast Kingdom…

“If it’s on the front line toward the Piast Kingdom, it should be manageable.”

“Is that so?”

“Compared to the other two, it’s a truly insignificant country.”

However, the lone concern was the possibility of intervention from the Heavens. Frankly, it was hard to predict how they would intervene or where… so it was a source of anxiety.

“With things turning out this way, we have no choice but to conquer the kingdom as quickly as possible while minimizing damage.”

“We’ve done a lot of battles like that.”

Nahun looked at Seere, who spoke confidently. He also recalled just a short while ago when Seere had achieved a decisive victory with minimal casualties against Bifrons and conquered the hierarchy.

“Indeed.”

Nahun gently patted Seere’s head.

“I believe you have the ability to manage it well.”

#

The Demon Realm Alliance was divided into three groups: the first army headed to the Holy Kingdom, the second army toward the Bismarck Empire, and the third army directed toward the Piast Kingdom.

The command structure for each army was organized as follows.

===============================

Supreme Commander

Rank 2 Agreas von Dio

Deputy Commander

Rank 10 Bué

First Army

Vanguard – Rank 15 Jepar

Commander – Rank 3 Basago von Diaty

Supply Officer – Rank 9 Phynox von Hog

Second Army

Vanguard – Rank 8 Barbatos von Eishval

Commander – Rank 4 Samygina von Seos

Supply Officer – Rank 5 Marbas von Gart

Third Army

Vanguard – Rank 46 Seere von Debata

Commander – Rank 20 Morax

Supply Officer – Rank 28 Astharoth von Hoda

===============================

Though there had been some commotion in between, as Agreas intended, Seere von Debata’s forces took over the vanguard position of the third army.

“Agreas.”

Just before their deployment, Basago asked her.

“Why did Seere von Debata become the vanguard of the third army? I think it’s about time to explain that.”

“Oh, that. I do have something I want to test… She was told to do so by him.”

“Who? Him?”

“Yes, Belzebut.”

“…Belzebut ordered this?”

Agreas nodded in affirmation.

“Thanks to that, I’ve been stressed out. Honestly, even if I wanted to test something, I never meant to put those kids in the vanguard.”

“Wait. Why did Belzebut give such directives?”

“Well, I don’t know what he’s thinking either?”

Agreas chuckled lightly.

“Having gone to hell, he has to come back with something.”

With Agreas’s words ending, the portal connecting the 72nd floor to the human realm began to activate. Agreas stepped onto the platform, drew her sword, and shouted.

“It’s time to depart! Warriors of the Demon Realm! Show those lowly humans our greatness!”

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