Chapter 291: Four More Kings

Chapter 291: Four More Kings

In Darkness City, within the Demon King's spiritual space---a special realm created through the medium of the Level 5 special building, the Spirit Sanctum. In this spiritual plane---months of development had made it highly comprehensive, increasingly fulfilling various functions.

Whenever Zhang Nu desired, he could revert to his human form within this spiritual world, experiencing life as he once did. For instance, at this moment, Zhang Nu, in human form, was sitting in a quiet, elegant café, cutting a steak while organizing tasks for the Dragon's Shadow Hero Guild.

Following the conclusion of the battle, the empire's offensive momentum had been severely weakened. As expected, it's unlikely the empire would organize another large-scale offensive in the near term, focusing instead on defensive strategies. This meant that the annexation of the entire southern territory was almost assured. To minimize losses and achieve the fastest and most efficient process, the cooperation of the intelligence system was crucial.

Zhang Nu told Su Yan, "I want to completely annex the entire southern territory of the empire within three weeks. What you and the Dragon's Shadow need to do is to coordinate with Darkness City's troops from the inside and assist in controlling these cities."

Su Yan immediately responded, "I've already arranged the tasks. The southern territory of the empire is already in a state of panic, and we have members of the Dragon's Shadow in each city, just waiting for your army to take over."

As she spoke, the admiration was evident on her face. She was somewhat puzzled about how two imperial Grand Dukes, along with the entire Guardian Knight Order, failed to penetrate even an inch into the Chaos Forest and were instantaneously annihilated on the Elro Plains. What Su Yan couldn't comprehend even more was how, in such a short period of time, Darkness City was already prepared to occupy the southern territory of the empire.

Judging from the current situation, the empire likely lacked the capability to prevent Darkness City from seizing and ruling the south. If Zhang Nu successfully accomplished this task, he would acquire at least a hundred million people.

To date, how many Demon Kings have managed to amass such a population? A force with over a hundred million people, while it may not necessarily reach the level of imperial power, would certainly be among the top contenders at the kingdom level. This formidable force, combined with the continuously growing population of Darkness City, would be powerful enough to compete with imperial-level forces.

Su Yan said excitedly, "Boss, with our strong army, those remnants of the empire probably can't stop you. It's only a matter of time before you become the first Demon King to conquer an imperial-level force!"

However, Zhang Nu cautioned, "The foundation and hidden strengths of an empire are more extensive than you think. Although the Thunder Empire may not be enough to halt our expansion, we must still be careful not to throw away our advantages."

Pausing momentarily, Zhang Nu added, "Moreover, the outcome of this war will undoubtedly shock various countries. If I'm not mistaken, forces from other empires and top-ranking Heroes will definitely get involved."

Holding onto such an abundance of resources without utilizing them seemed wasteful. Zhang Nu decided to put a portion of them to good use. He began with the high-quality souls, summoning Zhang Tiechui, the leading figure of Ironheart City and the federation's chief blacksmith; Jin Kui from Thunderclap City; Gru from Beast City; and Bai Jie, the fortress commander of Citadel of Eternity, to the main city.

The four subordinates quickly arrived, bowing respectfully and asking, "Greeting, my master. Has Your Majesty summoned us for a task?"

Zhang Nu spoke, "You are considered the elders of the Chaos Federation, or those who have made significant contributions. Each of you represents your respective races. I've decided to cultivate you to become monarchs, to become kings, to enhance your influence within your tribes and the federation."

The announcement took them by surprise. The Demon King intended to cultivate them into monarchs? Normally, becoming a monarch had little to do with cultivation; most beings who became monarchs naturally possessed the talent for it. Such talent wasn't common; it was extremely rare. Unless one had a strong lineage, royalty, or noble heritage, whether a race could produce a monarch largely depended on its fate.

However, to the Demon King, it seemed as though assigning a king title to giants, dwarves, orcs, and humans was as trivial as handing out fruit in a queue, seemingly effortless and inconsequential. Indeed, for Zhang Nu, creating monarchs was not a difficult task. He possessed monarch crystals, the most direct method, but chose not to use them due to their rarity and value. Instead, he preferred using the Soul Baptism from the Soul Altar, sacrificing high-level souls to bestow monarch potential upon his subordinates.

Given Zhang Nu's current stockpile of souls, this was not a challenging task. When Long Yi became a Dragon King, it only required one high-quality Level 6 soul, which demonstrated not only Long Yi's own strong background and talents but also the feasibility of the process. For Jin Kui, Gru, Zhang Tiechui, and Bai Jie, their talents might be average, but investing about ten Level 6 souls each would likely suffice.

The giants, dwarves, orcs, and humans are all major races. Creating monarchs for such races would be beneficial for future governance. Moreover, kings have a strong rallying effect. If the Chaos Federation were to have a Giant King and a Dwarf King, news would quickly spread, attracting nearby giants and dwarves to join. The proportion of elves in the Chaos Federation was increasing. While elves were among the first to follow the Demon King, it was important not to favor them exclusively. Other races needed attention too, making this initiative necessary.

Thus, the four were brought to the Soul Altar for Soul Baptism by Zhang Nu, who started the process by consuming souls. The process went smoothly, and the consumption matched expectations. After the baptism, they exuded a royal aura, successfully awakening as monarchs.

They knelt excitedly, expressing their gratitude to the Demon King. Jin Kui and Gru were particularly thrilled and surprised. Unlike the human mage and dwarven forgemaster, they weren't directly summoned by the Demon King, yet they were given the opportunity to become kings, allowing them to lead their races.

For Jin Kui, and even more so for Gru, this was an unexpected boon. Before pledging allegiance to the Demon King, Gru was merely a commander in the Beast City, not even a notable figure in the Chaos Federation, let alone the wider world. But after pledging loyalty to the Demon King, his life transformed dramatically. He could never have imagined that someone like him could become a king, feeling as if he were living a dream.

Pledging loyalty to the Demon King was the best decision he had made in his life, perhaps even in many lifetimes. Despite not being a direct summon of the Demon King, Gru's loyalty was absolute. He vowed to use his new status as the Orc King to attract more orcs and serve the Demon King."