172 And then the war begins.

"Master Koganeios. Kobolds, deployment complete.

One of the captains, who had not been given a name, reported back. It's much faster than I expected. As expected of soldiers under the instruction of the Demon Lord.

Even incompetent soldiers who don't even have a shred of intelligence can become soldiers who obey their superiors' orders once they are exposed to the Demon Lord's magical power. Compared to the time when they were living in the wild, even low-level demons are a great fighting force.

How are the humans doing?

It seems that they are building forts and gathering soldiers in defensible locations around here. But it seems they're all asleep.

"Man sleeps at night. Humans sleep at night. They are an inferior race that cannot see well at night without magic.

The Demon Lord instructed, "Wait at the designated place until I give the signal. The instructions were simple: "Wait at the designated place until the signal is given, and when the signal is given, attack the area in charge at the discretion of each general.

The unique class in charge of each unit is given a magic stone. If you put magic power into the stone, it will glow after a certain period of time. This is the signal to start the war.

You can see how much magic power is in the stone. The signal for the start of the war will be lit soon.

"Then, when it's time to start, shall we make a surprise attack on the fort?

I crossed my arms and pondered. Therein lies the problem. It is obvious that this is the most effective way to hit the enemy's forces. ....... If the surprise attack is successful, the enemy will already be inside the fort and will have made some preparations.

There is no need to rush into the holed up enemy soldiers. There are several villages around, aren't there?

The troops attacking the Mejis side will be stopped in the Mejis demon world, but the Ghanaian side can attack the Ghanaian territory from the start. The Ghanaian demon world is the demon lord's domain, and the humans are aware of the fact that it would be suicide to set up camp there.

However, most of the people living in Garne have taken refuge in Garne's home country in the center. As for the hardest places to attack, you can wait until you meet up with the other troops.

Yes, there are some. ...... But it seems that the evacuation is already done, and only a few soldiers are stationed as guards.

The humans know when we are going to attack. They've had months to prepare. They've at least evacuated the weak. But no matter.

"Our army is not going to take the humans' territory. We're going to destroy it. If they want to stay in their strongholds, we'll set them on fire so they'll want to jump out of them. We'll start with the nearest village.

Once the territory is ablaze, we can't ignore them completely. If the soldiers jump out, they will not be well prepared. We will lure them out and kill them without fail. As for the fortresses, you can attack them slowly when their strength is reduced. If we do so, the Ghanaian soldiers will start to come out.

If they decide to ignore us and insist on siege, then that's the time. Let them see their territory being invaded while they are helpless, and let their morale drop.

So be it.

Wait. Each village has its own guards, right? When we invade, we'll take them alive. Tell your men not to kill them.

You want them to give up the information?

They're soldiers. If you torture them half-heartedly, they'll die before their hearts are broken. There's another use for it. We use them as bait for our army in front of the fort.

They have a strong sense of camaraderie. If they see their comrades being eaten alive in front of them, some of them will jump out. Even if they don't, you can certainly poison their minds.

I see. ...... You're right, Kogagyosu!

We must remind the people who have lived in peace for hundreds of years. This war is not a simple matter of taking each other's land, but an uninterrupted killing war that will continue until one of us is destroyed.

"It's here!

At last, the magic stone began to glow. That's the Demon Lord's permission to attack. Now, let's be the first to open fire on the humans' territory.

We'll go through the darkness with armed soldiers. We'll deploy the sensitive ones on the outside and prepare for the use of detection magic.

I'm the one who's ahead of you. If I can't detect it, it will be impossible for anyone else to. And my senses are telling me. Sight, no problem. Sound, no problem. Nose, no problem. Detection magic and warding, no problem. Our advance is still unseen.

I've heard that a certain amount of troops have been deployed on the border between Mejis and the Mejis Demon Realm. Compared to that, how careless they are.

They must be pouring most of their strength into their home country. It was only after everything had progressed to the point of no return that they realized that their decision was fatal.

In the end, our Kobold troops arrived at the village without coming into contact with the enemy.

More information comes to your nose. We can clearly see that many humans have been living here. At the entrance to the village, traces of the recent comings and goings of many people remain, indicating that it has not been long since the evacuation.

He instructs his soldiers to deploy and surround the village, and sneaks into the village with some of his forces. There was no sign of life in the houses. It seems that he was right in assuming that the village had been evacuated.

There's the lookout.

Only in one of the houses in the village could a torch be seen burning. And beside it are two chairs with armed men sitting on them. It's possible that there are a few people in that house, but it won't affect them.

Don't let me forget to stop the bleeding. It only takes a little blood to kill a man.

I will instruct my men who are skilled in stealth to surprise you from the shadows. The men wasted no time in approaching the seated enemy soldier and instantly severed his arm and leg with their weapons.

"Gaaaah!

They couldn't aim for the throat because they had been instructed not to kill it. Naturally, there was a human scream. But no problem. We roar too, and give the order to the troops outside the village to charge. More roars echoed from outside the village, and the earth shook as they came closer.

It's a good thing I gave the order to charge, but I wonder how many soldiers there are in this village. The result will inevitably be disappointing.

There's no way I'll be satisfied with just a hand-to-hand combat with the guards. Let's burn the village to the ground and get ready for the next one.

"Hmm?

As I walked toward the enemy soldiers, I noticed that something was wrong with my men. I ordered him to stop the bleeding, but he's looking down at the enemy soldiers with a strange expression on his face. Idiot, if you don't stop the bleeding soon, the bait will die.

"Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?

As I approached a position where I could see clearly, I understood why my men were so confused. A human whose arms and legs had been amputated and who was supposed to be screaming in agony. But it wasn't a man.

"Gaaaah! Gaaaaaah! Gaaaaaah!　Gaaaahhhh!

Although it had the shape of a human, its face did not move like a mask, and there was no blood flowing, as there should have been. And above all, the magic you feel is that of a demon.

You can find a lot more information on this at .......

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Think about the reason for this. I know that the Purple Demon King has a hand in the affairs of humans. So it's not unnatural to leave the surveillance of such a place to the demons that exist in numbers.

But if that's all there is to it, why not just let the demons hide in plain sight? Where is the need to have them pretend to be human?

What happened when you pretended to be human? This is what happened. So this is a--

"A trap?

By the time I realized it, it was already too late and most of the soldiers had already rushed into the village. And just as I was about to do so, all the houses in the village started to burn with fire.

This fire is not just burning. It's a special kind of magical fire. It's a special kind of magical fire that's no match for higher level demons, but it works well enough for lower and middle level ones.

To do this means that there are no soldiers or even humans in this village.

"Master Kogakioth!

Don't panic! We just need to get out of the village.

A roar rises from outside the village. This doesn't belong to our kobold troops. No. These are the voices of the humans.

The number of these voices, we're surrounded! We didn't come across any of them on our way to this village!

I suppose it's fair to say they were lurking, but if they were on our march route, there's no way they wouldn't have noticed this nose. So they were anticipating our route?

This is all part of the plan. ...... No, that's impossible. This strategy was decided at my own discretion just before the war started.

I'm not sure what to do if we're attacked straight out of the gate in preparation for such a haphazard strategy!

The shouts of my men, the whistling of arrows, and the sounds of magical explosions echoed all around me. They seem to have trapped their troops in the burning village and are using long range attacks for containment.

"Master Kogakioss!

We need to rebuild. Get all the men to the center of the village!

"But then we'll be in flames!

"When you reach the center, destroy the burning houses around you! We can handle this if we get rid of the burning ones! Once we have the numbers, we'll make a break for it and get out of this village!

"Yes, sir!

If we panic and try to scatter out of the village, we will only become a target for bows and arrows and magic. The damage from the flames is relatively moderate, so be prepared for some damage and look at the big picture: ......!

As I made my way to the center of the village, my men, who had already arrived, were destroying buildings one after another. They blow away the rubble and gradually create unburned space. The heat that lingers around is annoying, but it's much better than being burned directly by the fire.

As my men begin to gather, I begin to see who has been pierced by arrows. They must be the ones who were shot first on the outside. In other words, it is safe to assume that there is little hope for the rest of the army. At this point, nearly 20% of the troops have been lost. Even though they were mainly lower- and middle-ranking soldiers, it must have been a painful loss.

We've got the numbers. All right, then, let's break through their encirclement with a single point--

A loud human roar. This time from one direction. The earth shakes beneath your feet. You can tell from that that the humans are charging at you.

Nonsense, it's suicide. It's true that our forces are densely packed and not fully re-positioned. But this village is now a place we set on fire with our own hands.

Humans are vulnerable to being burned. Even more vulnerable to breathing the smoke of the burning. If we were to fight on a burning battlefield, the advantage would definitely go to us, the demons.

The earth tremor is getting closer and closer. It's too fast. Is that a horse? How can a horse run through fire without fear?

"Master Kogakioth! What's this?

"What a nuisance! Listen with your ears and you will understand! It's just a bunch of stupid humans charging through the fire with their horses!

Our troops are occupying the area where the fire was set. That means they'll be fighting while being roasted in the fire. Come if you want to die. It's certainly not a good idea to stay here, but it's a worthy choice if it means fewer foolish enemy soldiers!

"Well, then, we'll just--

"Then we will--" "Each of you, take your positions to intercept! Fight near the sea of fire they've unleashed! It'll be hell for them!

That's a good bark. But a sea of fire is no problem for us.

I saw something leap from the flames. One by one, those who noticed looked up.

The presence reflected in the flames, it was a human being. A man clad in armor, wielding a huge hammer. It was flying towards us.

The mallet was filled with an enormous amount of magic power that was clearly visible to the naked eye, compressed with violent force.

And then the man's hammer swung down, crushing his subordinates in its path as it plunged into the ground.

The sound and impact of the explosion hit them all at once. Many of those who were slow to react took the full impact and were blown into the sea of fire.

Those who remained were also reduced in number, blown high into the sky by the earth that had been raised by the impact, or swallowed into the cracked earth.

With a single blow from a single person, the edge of the gathered troops suffered catastrophic damage.

The man who wreaked such havoc was an old, thin man. The man slowly returned to an upright position from his hammering position and turned to face us.

"Who the hell are you ......?

You're the commander? I'm not sure what to make of it. --My name is Borberaktian Gofagovales, of the Rakdor Squadron of the Knights of the Taze. This is the hammer that will crush your invasion!

This man has a lot of energy. The mere mention of his name frightened the intermediate demons around him, and the lower level demons retreated. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything you like.

I'm not that strong, though.

Don't be modest, a monster that can blow the surrounding area into a sea of fire with a single blow can't be weak.

I'm taking it easy. In the first place, a sea of fire is nothing compared to shattering a mountain. What's more, you're blind, but you don't seem to understand the situation.

"What?

The situation around us, changed by Borbelaktian's blow, is that our forces are disorganized and part of the sea of fire is ......!

If he had leapt for a more central position, the damage would have been even greater.

But he aimed for the edge of the massed forces. He wanted to clear the surrounding area of fire.

So he created just the right space for them.

I could've blown them up a bit more if I'd really tried. I could've blown it up a bit more if I'd really tried, but if I took the credit alone, I'd have to pay for it when I launched.

"Whoa!

With a roar, cavalry emerged from the flames. The horses are more than one size too big, and the knights on each of them are as powerful as the Borberaktians in front of them.

You've made a path for the cavalry: ......! But with one blow from you...

"Let me tell you, Tarzan's horse can run through a crack like this with his eyes closed. They've been trained differently.

The enemy's cavalry did not slow down in the cracked ground, but ran through the raised ground without difficulty. The enemy cavalry did not slow down due to the cracked ground, but ran over the raised ground without difficulty, and with their momentum, they pierced the terrified troops.

"Gosh, fight! The number of cavalrymen is much smaller than ours! Outnumber them!

I admire the way you quickly gathered your troops in the center to make a breakthrough while surrounded by fire. I admire you for quickly gathering your troops in the center to break through the fire, but because you gathered them so quickly, they are all in different positions. The long spearmen, who are effective against horses, did not even have enough space to hold their spears. You can't defeat Taze's cavalry with sporadic spears.

When we surrounded the village, we had evenly distributed our troops, but it turned out to be a bad idea. Because they all rushed to the center, there was no formation. If a soldier equipped with a long weapon tries to swing it, he will be caught by his allies. Some of them can still fight back, but the cavalrymen are handling the thrusting spears as if they were experts.

Are you saying that you were aiming for this situation?

"Of course not. Who do you think is in command of us? Who do you think is in charge of us? Marith-Thawz, the wisest of all the Thawz kings.

"Gofagovene.

"Sir Gofagovales of Raggedyddo has entered the village. The mission appears to have been a success.

Sir Gofagovales, Ragdoll Squadron, has entered the battlefield. The mission appears to have been a success.

"Lord Reynaud of Reynaud's company has entered the fray in the hills. The operation appears to have been a success.

Reports of the start of the battle arrived one after another from the large number of communication crystals lined up in a room in the Garne Kingdom. The reports were compiled by several people and reproduced on the map.

At the moment, the strategy I prepared seems to be working perfectly.

"It seems to be succeeding more and more. You are a wise king.

"It's easy when you know where to stand and where to march.

"Mmm-hmm! So it's all thanks to her!

It's annoying, but true. It goes without saying that the more information you have about your opponent, the better off you are in war. And the Golden Demon Lord's power of "rule" specializes in this point.

In the virtual world created by the power of the Golden Demon King, the demons are created in the same number and in the same position. In other words, if you can find enemy soldiers in the virtual world, you can locate them in the real world as well.

The greatest advantage of this is that the enemy will not be aware that they have been detected. You can give the enemy the false impression that their actions have not been read.

It would be much easier if even the unique class of demons that lead each unit were in the virtual world.

"Don't be extravagant. The virtual world does not create a demon lord. I'm not going to be the only one. It's safe to assume that all of Scarlet's generals are receiving magic power from him.

It's a shame that not everything is possible, but it's still very effective. It is possible to locate a unique class of demon just before it makes a decision, and if it moves from there, it is considered to have made a decision.

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, it's possible that you'll be able to find it on the internet.

I'm back. It seems the destination has not changed.

"Lud Fain, may we take a short break? Your mistress may be able to assist you with the general functions, but it is your mind that processes the information.

I'll rest when I'm tired. But you really do have a crappy power, don't you?

I'm sure Garnet's future is secure.

No one can be sure until you've fixed yourself.

That's good. I like the way the Gold Demon King's face is contorted. Thanks to Rudofein, the frustration of working with the Golden Demon King is all but gone.

"I still can't decide about this point in Mejlis. Rudofein, monitor the movements of the demons here, here, and over here.

Yes, sir.

When you know which way they'll move, east or west, please. I've made arrangements for it to move in either direction.

...... Both?

The mistress is impressive, but so is the Wise King. I have found several possible routes of advance based on the enemy's position, and I have made preparations for intercepting them and for fighting them effectively in all of them.

So far, the enemy's advance has been within our predictions. All the enemy's advances are within our predictions. If the enemy moves against your predictions, you can reassess his moves and prepare more strategies.

It is useless to devise a one-sided strategy if your opponent is playing against you. Even in a board game, you will continue to read your opponent's moves ahead of time. With the power of the Golden Demon King, if you can't do this, you're not fit to be a king.

"You mean our king is not fit for office?

"Ludfen, I don't want to weep pitifully at a crucial moment, do I?

In fact, if the Golden Demon King was as intelligent as I am, the threat of Garne would have forced all nations to be wary of him. I'll be grateful for that.

The demon's strength is not as strong as it seems. The fact that they're armed is troubling, but their skill level is lacking.

You're right, though. I'm sure you're not the only one.

They're no match for the Tarzan knights.

One of the ...... plans was to burn the entire village and send the cavalry into it. Wouldn't that kill them?

"Smoke inhalation is dangerous, yes, but all Tarzan knights can create wards around themselves and their horses. Once the wards are sealed, it is possible to remain unbreathed until you leave the village while disposing of your enemies. That's what we train our horses to do.

"So, the creature in Tarz is not a demon? I don't think it's human.

That's not what we need to worry about. We need to find out what we're up against. All of the demons we've identified so far have moved and started fighting. Since they started moving at about the same time, they must have received the order to start attacking.

That's right.

They started moving at different times, but about the same time. I'm not sure what to make of that.

And there is no regularity in their actions. There is one thing to consider from this.

The Scarlet Witch is not directly in charge. The Scarlet Witch isn't directly in charge, and it's likely that each unique class of demon in the area is acting on its own.

I know what it is. Scarlet used to be a soldier. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I'm not sure what to make of that. The Scarlet Witch King is a man who belonged to the army. He was a general, but they don't know all the details.

But the way he moves his troops this time is too far removed from military strategy. It is true that if each general can move his troops freely, it is difficult to read their movements.

However, if the troops are spread out, their ability to break through will be weakened, and ambushes like this one, where the troops were able to read the enemy's movements, will sting as much as possible.

My friend said. The Scarlet Witch King does not underestimate the Gold Witch King. The Scarlet Witch is not underestimating the Gold Witch, and is working on the assumption that she knows the power of governance.

"Hey, Marito. Can you hear me?

Speak of the devil. A transmission came in from a friend. We've just finished our respective commands and we have time. We should exchange some ideas.

I hear you. How's it going over there?

"What can I say, Taze's knights are amazing.

It was nice to be praised so frankly. I slightly heard Sir Ratzel say, 'Yes, yes, yes.

In the meantime, let's share our information.

I've already given my friend a map of the demons' distribution. I've already given my friend a distribution map of the demons, and I'm going to give him a short description of their movements, with some numerical shorthand.

It's like the whole army is on the move.

Yes, it does. We're using the Golden Demon Lord's virtual world to search the perimeter of each of our bases, but so far we haven't found any ambushers.

"......, wait a minute.

Even through the crystal, I can sense that my friend is thinking about something. There was something else he noticed. Even if you don't have any knowledge of military strategy, your friend's sense is high enough to be appreciated in this respect.

"Is there anything that doesn't add up?

No, what I've learned so far is that the Scarlet Witch King is a very meticulous man.

"Can I ask you to explain a few things?

"You see the first few points of the battle? That's about the same time, right?

Yes, they are. Yeah. There's a few more that were delayed and some that are still moving.

If the delayed ones and the ones still on the move were moving to different locations, where they would have entered the battle the quickest, when do you think the battle would have started?

Move a piece on the map back a bit in your mind. The time when the movement was reported, and the possible paths that each of them could have taken, count backwards to the place and time that would have led to the shortest possible battle. .......

So that's it. I'm sure you're a meticulous demon king.

"What?

You have to explain it to me so I can understand it!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it. The Scarlet Witch is the only one who can do it. The Scarlet Witch King must have calculated the time in anticipation of this.

The reason for the delay is that he left it up to the demons to decide. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Maybe the Scarlet Witch wanted to delay that realization. I think that's why he tried to create a time error.

That means ....... Okay, I'm going to cut the communication once.

"Yeah, hurry up.

I'm going to cut the communication once. I'll cut the communication once.

"What the hell, we were trying to communicate.

I agree with you, though. It's about time the Scarlet Witch's army made a move.

How can you be so sure?

This realization was bound to happen sooner or later. The Scarlet Witch would have no problem with that. And yet, the fact that he's deliberately delayed means that he intends to do it early.

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you're going to need to be able to pay for it. In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

For now, he has the upper hand, but there is a strong possibility that he will be overturned. Until the moment of victory or defeat, he is an opponent that you can never let your guard down.

My friend is probably aware of this and is watching the battlefield closely. We too must keep our heads on a swivel.