{"id":3619,"date":"2025-10-11T12:38:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T12:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2025-10-11T12:38:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T12:38:39","slug":"chapter-3-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3619","title":{"rendered":"CHAPTER 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>I do remember saying something like \u201cGive your all,\u201d yes. Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019m not losing my marbles yet. It\u2019s only been around three years since I was reincarnated, even. No need to worry about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I watched the big screen, I began to wonder if those words were really mine after all. Did I really say that? After all, the screen was showing my army pretty much kicking everyone\u2019s ass out there. Which is great. Super. No problems there. But the content was just too much to watch. It was such a lopsided thrashing that I just kept my mouth agape the whole time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gobta was acting very cool, very non-Gobta-like, as he stormed around the battlefield and crushed tanks with his bare hands. Unified with Ranga, he both looked and raged like someone who deserved being called part of the Big Four. And Gabil, to his credit, had transformed into a real strong-looking dragon-ish kind of monster, smashing up enemy ships with some kind of crazy powerful energy reaction. And not just him\u2014everyone on Team Hiryu had undergone transformations, too. I realized at once that this was Dragon Body at work, but since when had they mastered it so well\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, that Dragon Body skill\u2014something I left for later and <\/a>never got to\u2014I had no idea it was so amazing. It\u2019s got a time limit, and you can only be active in it for around ten minutes, I guess\u2026 But the crazy power more than makes up for the disadvantages. It\u2019d be suicide if you used it the wrong way, but it\u2019s a nice little card to add to your deck, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even Gabil and company lost the spotlight to that giant midair explosion. I don\u2019t know what the heck they did, but the enemy\u2019s flagship had a thermonuclear meltdown or something, and it took out the Empire\u2019s entire airship force with it. That surprised even me, but as a result, the Empire\u2019s airpower was essentially destroyed\u2014every single ship crashed to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kicked off a major offensive by the Tempest forces. With Gobta\u2019s and Gabil\u2019s forces joining up, everyone could see that we had gained the upper hand in the war. Even in modern warfare, helicopters had an overwhelming advantage against tanks\u2014and in much the same way, Team Hiryu was mostly using breath attacks from the air, inflicting heavy, one-sided damage on the Empire\u2019s ground forces. And because they were such small targets, the tank guns weren\u2019t even a threat. Really, as long as they don\u2019t hit you, it\u2019s not worth worrying about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Empire didn\u2019t just sit there and take a beating, of course, They tried fighting back several times\u2026but we squashed every attempt they put up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big performers in that respect were Veyron and Zonda under Ultima\u2019s command. Those two were definitely old demons, all right. They seemed to have an eye for spotting the strongest among their foes, and regardless of whether they were squad captains or regular soldiers, they only chose the most powerful\u2026and tore them apart. Their butler and cook outfits (respectively) weren\u2019t exactly appropriate, but for the imperial troops, they became a symbol of fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the enemy\u2019s supply units, Hakuro was slashing away at them with his sword, offering no mercy. Apparently some of them even tried to introduce themselves first\u2014\u201cGoddamn you! I am ranked ninety-seventh\u2014!!\u201d and so on\u2014but Hakuro\u2019s white blade made them spew blood before they could finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cForgive me,\u201d he said to the bleeding masses. \u201cSir Rimuru is <\/a>watching this battle. He has ordered us to go at full power, and thus I can offer you no mercy.\u201d That really<\/em> wasn\u2019t how I meant it, but now I understand how much of a big deal it was to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know, though\u2026 I couldn\u2019t really withdraw that order now. If I butted in at this point, it\u2019d just cause confusion on the field. So I took the long view and decided to watch how the battle unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This turned out to be a pretty good decision. Frankly, the imperial soldiers Veyron, Zonda, and Hakuro picked off were equal to or better than paladins in ability. That, and their gear was pretty insane, even better than the spiritual armor worn by paladins\u2014Legend class in quality. Looking at the big picture, they were way stronger than any of those guys, a fact that shocked me when Raphael gave me the results. I wasn\u2019t sure how they got this kind of equipment, but they did, and that was that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe the people granted this gear were the heavily rumored Imperial Guardians, huh? Gadora told me about them, this group handpicked from the best the Empire had to offer, including otherworlders. There were around a hundred of them, he said, and I guess the \u201crank\u201d stuff they mentioned was proof of their membership. If people like that were given a chance to really<\/em> strut their stuff, things might\u2019ve been a lot more chaotic out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was smart of us to take them out before they were fully ready, just like Hakuro did. Veyron and Zonda did the same, too, taking action before anyone knew what was going on. They all had a good eye for spotting the most fearsome of our foes, like they had stats floating above their heads. If all their champions had bonded together, I don\u2019t think killing them would\u2019ve been so simple, but it\u2019s their fault for being careless on the field. Got a problem with that? Well, you should\u2019ve gone all out from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, of course, could be said for us as well. If we showed any needless mercy to the enemy, there was a good chance they\u2019d take advantage of it. If that happened, the damage would\u2019ve been unthinkable. I refused to let us do anything foolish like hurt a friend to rescue an enemy soldier. I couldn\u2019t help but want to show a little compassion sometimes, but that would be the same as letting up because I assumed victory was in the bag. We were fighting <\/a>a war here\u2014best to keep our minds hardened and let them all do their best till the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So regarding the surrender I was expecting to receive from them\u2026 Well, while I was admiring the exploits of Hakuro and the gang, something strange was going on in the Empire\u2019s command HQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report. Activation of the large-scale destructive magic Death Streak confirmed. The user is the subject Testarossa.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing Raphael\u2019s report, I hurriedly projected things on the big screen. There they were, Testarossa and Ultima, standing around with big smiles. Nobody else was alive. The nearly one thousand tanks the Empire had left were silenced, all the infantry deployed around them fallen. It\u2019d have to be in the tens of thousands, I estimated. Death Streak, was it? That\u2019s one ridiculously dangerous spell\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understood. Death Streak is a type of nuclear magic, a magical death ray that kills all living creatures. As a side effect\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raphael was happy to analyze and explain the situation to me, but I really don\u2019t think I could be blamed for almost shouting \u201cDon\u2019t use that<\/em> kind of dangerous magic!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultima\u2019s nuclear blast was called Nuclear Flame, apparently, but this<\/em> move seemed several times more dangerous. Not that Testarossa was stopping her, either, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, the moment that<\/em> spell triggered, that pretty much decided the match. There were no surviving enemy commanders left, and it was only a matter of time before we weeded out the remaining troops. So our battle with the Empire over on the Dwarven Kingdom side ended in a fantastic victory for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The imperial army, which we considered to be a decoy, was annihilated\u2014literally wiped off the face of the earth, and not just <\/a>in strategic terms, either. It was absurd. I didn\u2019t think telling them to \u201cgo all out\u201d would result in something like this<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, Benimaru was starting to act a bit scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026If this<\/em> was the result, was there any damn point<\/em> to my strategy in the first place?! What the hell\u2019s up with our intelligence officers down there?! You said they were under your control, Sir Rimuru, but can you explain this, please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I had been keeping a few things to myself. Benimaru didn\u2019t need to yell at me with a freaky smile like that. I mean\u2026 You know. Did we really have<\/em> a strategy at all? And look, Benimaru, you\u2019re not the only one who wants an explanation. In fact, I wanna get some answers on this, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026But I couldn\u2019t just shout out everything on my mind, so I glanced at Veldora for some assistance. He averted his eyes. I knew this in advance, but it was pointless to rely on Veldora for situations like this. The same went for Ramiris; she wouldn\u2019t pitch in, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, um, I told you, right? Those are the new guys that Diablo recruited and brought in for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know they\u2019re Diablo\u2019s people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No dancing around the topic, then. Ah well. So I decided to be honest and tell him everything. If it was Benimaru and Geld, I was sure that revealing that these ladies were super-freaky Primals would be greeted with a smile and a nod. Besides, Diablo was responsible for everything related to them, so if something came up, we could discuss it then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed with this theory, I prepared to tell the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo uh, do you know what a Primal is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Primal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benimaru didn\u2019t seem to, but Shuna, currently offering us some coffee, interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re referring to the Seven Sovereigns, the source of all demons? I overheard a conversation about them the other day, so I got curious and looked it up, but I was surprised to see that Diablo is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t know the Primals\u2014 the origins of all demons\u2014had such <\/a>a fancy moniker. And really, why was Shuna smiling so peacefully as she unveiled all this classified information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smell of coffee drifted across the Control Center, easing the tension a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm\u2026?\u201d Benimaru seemed confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, you didn\u2019t know, my brother? Well, it\u2019s not just Diablo. Testarossa, Carrera, and Ultima are all sovereigns of demon-dom as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shuna\u2019s smile almost blinded me. Faced with it, Benimaru could no longer state any doubt. And seeing him fall silent like that, I thought: Wow, Shuna\u2019s actually a pretty big deal, huh?<\/em> I was steeling myself to tell this horrifying secret, but having it revealed so readily was sort of a disappointment. Kinda felt better this way, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiablo, I want you to explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery well, Sir Rimuru. Benimaru, I must admit that I am as she says, a Primal Demon\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sipped at my coffee as I listened to Diablo\u2019s speech. Mmm. Tea is great and all, but I do like me some coffee, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026All right. I understand,\u201d Benimaru said. \u201cThat certainly explains everyone\u2019s strength, then. But if that\u2019s the case, I wish you had told me about it from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, you know,\u201d I began, \u201cI thought people would get all scared if they knew the truth. Me and Veldora are one thing, but I didn\u2019t want you guys to have more unnecessary stuff to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was worried for my friends, so I kept quiet. I made sure to emphasize only that point. Let\u2019s not dwell on how I gave them bodies and names and stuff, if we could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I<\/em> wasn\u2019t afraid of them, neither!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Ramiris was on my side. Hopefully everyone else wasn\u2019t too freaked out by this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe your concerns were unnecessary, Sir Rimuru. If you have accepted them, then we all welcome them as our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Benimaru is right. Nobody here would discriminate against others based on strength or appearance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Benimaru smiled as he said it, Geld preaching stone-cold fact to me. They helped me banish my worries for good. Not even Shuna had any concerns about Diablo and the rest of the demons; the fact that they were still treating each other as they always had was proof of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, great, then. Now I feel bad for worrying so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHa-ha-ha! You should have more faith in us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly. But I do have to thank you for worrying about us enough to assign Carrera and the rest to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a little awkward, but I was glad Benimaru and Geld accepted it. But what about Gabil and Gobta and the rest? They seemed to be doing fine, as far as I could tell, and let\u2019s hope they continue to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re all getting along well with Diablo. I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be okay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shion gave him her stamp of approval, not that I was ever worried about her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, Shion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean exactly what I said, Diablo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shion, my first secretary, and Diablo, my second, glared at each other. Being called a Primal sounds real pretentious, but this<\/em> was how he mainly acted. Once again, I was relieved that I had worried over nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that behind us, we discussed the day\u2019s events a bit longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI assigned Testarossa and Ultima to the field army because if the enemy had a demon lord\u2013class threat on their side, I thought we\u2019d be in trouble. Then, well, they put in a little too<\/em> much of an effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was all thanks to that order I sent out, but I really didn\u2019t expect everyone to go this<\/em> out of control. It was just so wild, so over the top\u2026and so cool<\/em>, too. They just annihilated an entire enemy army, and they didn\u2019t flinch even once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeh-heh-heh-heh-heh\u2026 Seems they got a little too excited and carried away, didn\u2019t they? I\u2019ll be sure to give them a good<\/em> lesson about it later,\u201d Diablo said cheerfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cKeep it in moderation!\u201d I didn\u2019t forget to add. But ah well. Diablo could take care of himself, and I was sure he\u2019d continue educating them\u2026again, without overdoing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, we surveyed our damages. Just two hours after the start of battle, all the fighting was over. It looked like we had a lot of injured on our side, but as for the final damage report\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll casualties have reportedly been fully healed!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cheery voice echoed across the Control Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the demons who had gone into battle had been given Tempest-made High Potions, ten per person. That allowed them to immediately heal most wounds. And that even applied to people I thought were dead at first; in fact, they were only playing possum, and even their severed limbs had already been fully healed with Full Potions. They were playing the decoy role with serious aplomb, just as Benimaru ordered them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told you, didn\u2019t I? I told<\/em> you not to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou sure did. And I trusted you and everyone else, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything went according to Benimaru\u2019s plan. The one random element he didn\u2019t expect, apparently, was the demons\u2019 performance. As a result of that, despite going through a lot<\/em> of potions, we didn\u2019t suffer a single casualty. It was an utterly unbelievable way to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, we weren\u2019t totally unscathed. It seemed Gabil and Team Hiryu suffered some fairly serious bodily fatigue due to the side effects of the Dragon Body skill. I was pretty wowed by that move, but sure enough, the ten-minute time limit wasn\u2019t the only minus. The moment battle ended, the overexertion crashed on them like a tidal wave, and they all lay prone on the ground, as if paralyzed. This wasn\u2019t an \u201cinjury\u201d per se, so potions wouldn\u2019t help them. After taking in all those magicules and becoming so strong, maybe this was the body rejecting all that foreign matter out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fatigue penalty seemed to apply to all of Team Hiryu, not just Gabil. But I was fine with that. Best to have them think \u201cYou should be glad it wasn\u2019t worse\u201d and leave them be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>It would later transpire that this paralyzing condition lasted for around twenty-four hours, so after some debate, we decided to limit Dragon Body activations to no more than once every other day, tops. Their full strength scored them the win this time, but invoke that move at the wrong time, and it could come back to bite them. A real double-edged sword, you could say. So I advised Gabil to be very careful with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Next we turned our attention to the Empire\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Magitank Force led by Lieutenant General Gaster had two hundred thousand troops; Major General Farraga\u2019s Flying Combat Corps had forty thousand. That, as confirmed by the wizard Gadora, was the first size of the imperial forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we didn\u2019t take any POWs this time. They were all dead\u2014around two hundred forty thousand in all. What a massacre. And look, it\u2019s not that my heart didn\u2019t ache over it. But when I became a demon lord, I did it by killing twenty thousand people by my own hand. By this point, I guess I was just done making excuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, after killing all two hundred forty thousand members of this force, I guess their souls were being \u201coffered\u201d within me. A little while after battle began, I started feeling the souls accumulating at a frantic pace. This must be what collecting souls from the people working for you feels like, that classic demon lord perk. Thanks to that, I had an exact grasp of just how many enemy soldiers we beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\u2026I mean, really, this<\/em> many human souls? Because, like, ten thousand was enough to upgrade me from regular to \u201ctrue\u201d demon lord. What would two hundred forty thousand do to me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer: Nothing! The moment I awakened to true demon lord, that must\u2019ve been the end of the road. Makes sense. Otherwise, Guy Crimson would\u2019ve been busy eradicating the entire human race, reaping souls all over the place. He kept the needless <\/a>slaughter to a minimum because he instinctively knew there was nowhere higher to go from here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was when I received an unexpected notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report. The amount of acquired souls has exceeded the set limit. It is now possible to awaken subordinates connected to you via your soul lineage. The following people are eligible\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pretty outrageous even by Raphael standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, if you gave a set amount of souls to a qualified receiver, you could awaken them. I assumed capturing excess souls was pointless, but even if they didn\u2019t affect your own evolution, you could still use them to evolve the people under you. As Raphael put it, several people close to me had met the requirements for this awakening. Giving them the souls I had acquired would, it seemed, grant them the same kind of awakened strength that I enjoyed as a true demon lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of souls required was one hundred thousand. Sheesh. I didn\u2019t think ten times<\/em> would be needed to awaken someone else. No wonder nobody else knew about this until now. Maybe someone like Guy did\u2026but who could say? Even if he did, it wasn\u2019t like he could execute on it all the time. Besides, it\u2019s a lot easier to befriend a demon lord and have him boost you up than try to do it yourself. Maybe that was how the Walpurgis got its start\u2014a gathering of the big bosses, a way for Guy to see who was really worthy of joining up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But maybe there was some other reason for it. Maybe I was giving him too much credit, and he really didn\u2019t know after all; I couldn\u2019t dismiss that notion. At the very least, a hundred thousand souls was nothing to sniff at. It was killing an entire city, basically, so you couldn\u2019t be casual with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway. As of right then, I had around two hundred fifty thousand extra souls on me, which would let me awaken two people. My pool of qualified subordinates: Ranga, Benimaru, Shion, Gabil, Geld, Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera, Kumara, Zegion, and Adalmann\u2014twelve in all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u2026Create a soul corridor to evolve a subordinate?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on how Raphael put it, I guess I could awaken people even if I wasn\u2019t physically nearby. A soul corridor would allow my target and me to be unaffected by time and space, kind of like how Veldora and I used to be; it would also strengthen the bond between us, which wasn\u2019t a bad thing, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my case, awakening made me incomparably stronger than before. It evolved my unique skill the Great Sage into the ultimate skill Raphael, Lord of Wisdom. If someone like Benimaru could evolve to that level, then I had no reason to hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But hang on. What was the deal with that \u201csoul lineage\u201d thing? If I had to guess, it referred to the soul connection we had after I gave those people names. Naming a monster causes an evolution, and I definitely wasn\u2019t shy about doing that<\/em> all the time, but I also knew it was kind of dangerous. I wasn\u2019t afraid to name with confidence because Raphael was now assessing the safety risks for me. Get it wrong, and I\u2019d be stripped of all my power and maybe even die\u2014that or be permanently weakened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my case, I had Belzebuth\u2019s Stomach, a tremendously useful skill, and I used it to store any excess magicules I had. If I was short, I could apparently borrow some from Veldora, too\u2026 But either way, Raphael managed all that, and I didn\u2019t need to worry about a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So<\/em> unfair, isn\u2019t it? Normally you needed your own magicules to name something, which made it no small feat. I bet that was even true for Guy. That\u2019s why so few people were really connected to others at the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as far as I was concerned, my friends were irreplaceable. I meant that, too. And I didn\u2019t mind experimenting on myself, but I wasn\u2019t gonna use my friends as guinea pigs. Raphael was recommending this option to me, so I didn\u2019t think<\/em> it was dangerous\u2026or I liked to believe that. But something told me this was playing with <\/a>some serious fire. Besides, I didn\u2019t even know who I should pick, and there were a bunch of other problems, too. If magicule energy was the main factor, I really thought Soei would qualify as well\u2014but he didn\u2019t, so it made me wonder about the conditions for staging an awakening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything about it was so unclear, which really gave me pause. During my Harvest Festival, there was a long period of dormancy before I evolved, known as my Initiation. There was no guarantee that wouldn\u2019t happen again this time, so I really wanted everything worked out in advance. Most of all, however, this war wasn\u2019t over yet. The imperial army\u2019s main force, some seven hundred thousand of them, was on the march toward our capital. Going on wacky adventures during such urgent times really wasn\u2019t a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the answer is no for now. Let\u2019s leave this matter until things settle down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

I ordered the goblins to go on salvage duty, collecting the intact tanks and surviving airship wreckage for me. Gabil and the dragonewts would be knocked out for a while longer, so I had the Wyvern Riders transport all the stuff they got over to the Dwarven Kingdom. I wanted them to have all the recovery time I could give them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I sent the Blue Numbers to join up with the goblins. This was on Benimaru\u2019s suggestion; he said there was no need for them to hurry back to the capital, since even if they did, they wouldn\u2019t be in time for the final battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazel, to his credit, also asked if I needed any reinforcements. I told him we had no problems for now. The dwarves, too, were still in the middle of war. Hostilities at the Central entrance were done, but the East exit bordering the Empire was still staked out by an imperial force of some sixty thousand. Gadora identified them as Yuuki\u2019s division, deployed as a diversionary tactic\u2026but we didn\u2019t know what was to come, so I really didn\u2019t want to drop the ball with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>I was sure Gazel could take care of that\u2026and in fact, I was sure he was fully on the case that very minute. Our mission right then was to settle the score with the Empire\u2019s main force. The opening battle was a huge victory for us, but the enemy still had a force far too enormous to downplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of numbers, we were at an overwhelming disadvantage\u2026but my staff couldn\u2019t have been more motivated. Shion couldn\u2019t wait to get cracking, even saying stuff like \u201cI can\u2019t let those demons hog the spotlight! I have to go out there and show them what real<\/em> strength means!!\u201d She sounded so frustrated<\/em>. I almost wanted to ask exactly who was her enemy in this war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAren\u2019t you supposed to be my bodyguard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment I pointed that out, she regained her composure in a big hurry. Nothing good comes from being too<\/em> eager to fight, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Shion wasn\u2019t the only one raring to go among us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy lord! Ultima\u2019s been bragging shamelessly, saying our forces achieved a huge victory in the first round! Oooh, I can\u2019t wait to get my turn! Would it be all right if I went over and put in a few choice words?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrera\u2019s cheeks were flushed as she flew into the Control Room. I had ordered her to stand by with the rest of the Second Army Corps, but I guess the demons were all Thought Communication-ing with each other. Her fellow demons boasting about all the murder they committed must\u2019ve been more than she could stand\u2026but I couldn\u2019t have her working solo right then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few choice words?\u201d Benimaru asked. He knew Carrera was a Primal, but he still dealt with her the same way. Maybe I really was worrying too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I thought I could give them a little nuclear magic as a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that with the most endearing smile. Jaune, the Original Yellow, sure lived up to her reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDenied!\u201d came Benimaru\u2019s disgusted reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCarrera, please be patient until further orders,\u201d Geld added. \u201cYour actions take on meaning only when they\u2019re applied at the most critical moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Carrera wasn\u2019t too happy about that, but she had no intention of disobeying Benimaru. She reluctantly nodded at Geld\u2019s rebuke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right. I just wanted to show you what I could do, but maybe there\u2019s a time when that\u2019ll be more effective, huh? I\u2019ll sit tight and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glad she saw things our way. It looked like she respected what Geld had to say; maybe they were a better pair than I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHa-ha-ha! Carrera, life is about more than going on the rampage, you know. It\u2019s only when we become a sword for our leader that we can truly shine!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Shion, I understand you. Maybe I\u2019ve been a little too hasty, huh? I\u2019m going to go cool off a little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you really one to talk, Shion?<\/em> I thought. It was a nice thing to say and all, but coming from her, it sounded so unconvincing. Weren\u2019t you<\/em> the one who wanted to go on a big rampage just now? But let\u2019s hold back on that. It\u2019d be a bad idea to rehash the conversation when it was over now. I gave Shion a judgmental frown as Carrera left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So morale definitely wasn\u2019t a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our side, we had the forces inside the labyrinth as well as the rested Second Army Corps. Everyone from my top officials to the soldiers deep down the chain of command seemed to be in high spirits, eager to give it their all\u2014they must have heard my orders. The Empire, meanwhile, totaled seven hundred thousand troops. We\u2019d never compete in numbers, but this was quality over quantity. The other side might still have had some strong characters lurking in the background, but we had one killer defense mechanism in the labyrinth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key to victory is gonna lie in the labyrinth. Veldora\u2026 Ramiris\u2026 I\u2019m counting on you guys!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, of course. Do not fear. I\u2019ll take care of everything!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight, exactly! We\u2019re all backing you up, so you just rest easy!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their eager replies soothed my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important thing here was how we\u2019d avoid casualties, and luring the enemy into the labyrinth was the best way to do that. Inside <\/a>the Dungeon, we could reduce the wear and tear on our army down to zero, and that wasn\u2019t all\u2014we could also add the monsters of the labyrinth to our forces, letting us make up for any numerical disadvantages without much hassle. Count the lower-level monsters, and the total number would add up to several hundred thousand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen we\u2019ll just have to see how much the Empire believed in Yuuki\u2019s cajoling, huh?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it the other way around? You can\u2019t trust him, and that\u2019s exactly why he\u2019s led them to have their suspicions of him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, that does<\/em> make a lot of sense!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was sure Benimaru was right. If you looked at Yuuki as an enemy, he was quite a nuisance. We might\u2019ve been in a temporary partnership, but there was no way to trust him as an ally. Maybe the feeling was mutual on the imperial side?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomeone that fishy, maybe it\u2019s safer to have him infiltrate the enemy instead of fight with him as allies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was an unusually accurate statement from Shion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least we don\u2019t have to expend any effort worrying about whether we\u2019ll be betrayed,\u201d Benimaru added with a nod. \u201cThe imperials, on the other hand, probably don\u2019t consider Yuuki to be a complete ally. They\u2019ll be wary of him, suspicious of whatever he has to say. In other words, they don\u2019t really<\/em> know how the sixty thousand troops by the East exit of Dwargon are going to act. The Empire might make their strike there, so we\u2019d best tell Gazel to be on his guard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnowing King Gazel, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll need to worry. But no, there\u2019s nothing more annoying than an untrustworthy ally. If I were you, I\u2019d be the first to crush him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I already told King Gazel about Yuuki, and like Benimaru said, I\u2019m sure he took all necessary measures without me checking up on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our main concern should have been the Empire\u2019s main force. Even as we spoke, they were attacking from multiple sides, trying to surround us. The only thing left in our city was that huge gate, so there was no great need to panic, although we still couldn\u2019t help being nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>My main concern was that they\u2019d skip Tempest entirely and instead attack Farminus, the new kingdom established by Yohm. He had people like Razen and Gruecith around to defend it, but that nation honestly didn\u2019t have the wherewithal to wage large-scale war at the moment. We were still in the middle of providing them support as they reformed their ways, so we really didn\u2019t want it to become a battlefield. It\u2019d be up to us to provide reinforcements, of course, and that\u2019d really complicate matters as far as I was concerned. So along those lines, we were glad it didn\u2019t seem to be turning out that way. Regardless, we couldn\u2019t let our guards down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Empire didn\u2019t trust Yuuki and instead opted to whiz right by us and into Blumund\u2026then we\u2019d have Geld\u2019s force attack them from the rear. It\u2019d be easy to send the Second Corps over with my teleport spell\u2026but we\u2019d still have a ground war on our hands. The Second Corps would get far less support from the labyrinth, and I was sure it\u2019d be a tough battle. We should have been able to recruit a good number of volunteers from the labyrinth, but even so, we couldn\u2019t force monsters out of there if they didn\u2019t want to go, so the numbers would have to be smaller. Besides, if we fought on the ground, we couldn\u2019t leverage the labyrinth\u2019s features at all, and thus we\u2019d have to be prepared for serious casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, we really wanted the enemy to enter the labyrinth. Bringing the battle there, in Benimaru\u2019s eyes, was both the safest route and the one most likely to succeed. If we fought on the ground, we\u2019d lose our advantage in the labyrinth; we\u2019d have to fight them head-on, in a level playing field. Which was how it usually was, of course, but in war, the key to victory was all in building an edge for yourself. I didn\u2019t think the labyrinth was exactly fair<\/em> or whatever, but if we won, then hey, we were in the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So while (hopefully) the labyrinth would serve as the main battlefield, our basic strategy was still the same even if we fought on the ground. Job one for us was to ferret out the strongest fighters on the opposing side, and just like how we used the goblins as bait for that before, we\u2019d use Geld\u2019s force for that this time. That common core was in each of Benimaru\u2019s proposed strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Really, I guess they were doing this to protect me, their supreme <\/a>general. I care deeply for all my friends here, and Benimaru and the rest put me first just as much\u2014or even more, in fact. I didn\u2019t want them to get killed for my sake, but Benimaru\u2019s much more of a tactician than an amateur like me\u2014he kept damage to almost nothing in the previous battle, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as long as I left everything to him, I could just sit back in my chair and relax. That, and I wanted to keep trying to make people feel secure in relying on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

We had set up a large gate on the ground in order to make it easier for imperial troops to come storming in, but looking back, maybe that felt a little too<\/em> deliberate? I, at least, was a bit worried they might think it was a trap\u2014but my fears were unfounded. I didn\u2019t know if someone out there was granting wishes for me today, but in the end, it turned out just as I had hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe enemy\u2019s fanning out in front of the main gate!\u201d the operator reported. On the big screen, we could see rows of imperial soldiers lined up in an orderly fashion. If Argos was presenting this to us, it had to be true, but Soei\u2019s group was monitoring them as well, so this definitely wasn\u2019t illusory magic or whatnot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Empire had clearly taken the bait, and all seven hundred thousand of them were on the scene, not bothering to stick to stealth any longer. Their attempt at intimidation, maybe, not that it\u2019d work on us. We had zero intention of surrendering by now. Maybe we\u2019d run to fight another day, but capitulation was never gonna happen. Besides, we couldn\u2019t hope for a more ideal setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve won,\u201d I muttered to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Benimaru briskly replied, \u201cwe have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factually speaking, indeed, we were already guaranteed a tactical victory. Once we were all in the labyrinth, we\u2019d take zero damage\u2014as long as we took our time, we were guaranteed to win. Beyond that, as long as they didn\u2019t have some kind of unimaginable champion who could beat a demon lord, we had an insurmountable advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cGood thing those greedy bastards let the labyrinth catch \u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery true. I thought Sir Rimuru\u2019s bait was a little too obvious, but I\u2019m glad they took it for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, well, looks like you did a good job on it, Gadora.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The enemy was now revealing their full extent to us. If they had spread them out a little more around the forest, we might\u2019ve been anxious about the stronger among them hiding out somewhere. Spreading your forces thin is generally a bad idea, I think, but right there, having them all together like that actually helped us a lot. I imagined they were gonna start filing into the labyrinth soon, so really, the only question was how much of the army they\u2019d keep on the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, either way, I imagine it\u2019s not strategically sound for the Empire to skip our nation. If they decide to blockade this labyrinth gate and keep marching west, that\u2019s trouble, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, if they left, say, a hundred thousand out of seven hundred thousand, that\u2019d be enough to surround the gate easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, if the remaining forces marched over to the Western Nations, they\u2019d have little to worry about behind them. If that happened, by the way, we\u2019d still be able to transport ourselves in and out\u2014but our destinations would be restricted to places we had spent some extent of time in before, and we couldn\u2019t access anyplace with space-freezing barriers over it. Practically speaking, if we could undo the seal on the entrance to the Dwelling of the Spirits (Ramiris\u2019s old haunt), we could come and go through that. Still, though, we\u2019d essentially be trapped in the labyrinth, left helpless as we watched them overrun the Western Nations\u2014and if it came to that, we\u2019d have to find a way to force ourselves out and attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So in the end, it might wind up turning into a ground war anyway. But we couldn\u2019t avoid that, really. So before that happened, we\u2019d want to cut down the enemy\u2019s strength as much as we could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre we going to send a warning to their ground forces?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, maybe we can agitate \u2019em into deploying more soldiers inside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veldora and Ramiris had some interesting opinions on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cYou know, there\u2019s something to be said for that\u2026 But nah, no warning,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo? Why not?\u201d Veldora asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know about the words we put on the gate already, right, Ramiris?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! Right, there was<\/em> that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had actually carved a message on the massive gate. It read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THROUGH THESE GATES, THE WEAK ARE UNWORTHY TO PASS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how were they gonna react to that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to see what they do when they read it,\u201d said Ramiris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndeed, if it were me, I\u2019d snap and come storming through the gate. Although, I\u2019d nonetheless keep my troops at bay,\u201d added Benimaru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure that was exactly what Benimaru would<\/em> do. Trap or not, he\u2019d totally ram his way in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would pay it no mind. I am all-powerful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, sure, Veldora. I didn\u2019t ask you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe, I dunno\u2026 If Beretta insisted on going, then I guess I\u2019d follow along, that kind of thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramiris\u2026 If you\u2019d be too scared of it, then don\u2019t press your luck, okay? And you name-dropping Beretta is just making him snicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf anyone is foolish enough to ignore that warning, they forfeit their right to Sir Rimuru\u2019s mercy. They have no right to complain about what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t know why he was looking so gleeful about it, but yeah, Diablo was correct. This message did<\/em> have the nuance of a warning, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, if they\u2019re too much of a coward to go through the gate, they deserve to be in this battlefield in the first place. We must annihilate them all and make them understand the folly of antagonizing Sir Rimuru!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shion? If you put it that<\/em> way, then we\u2019re all gonna have to fight ourselves, aren\u2019t we? Can you maybe think a little before you provide advice in the future? You\u2019re making Geld crack up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Really, though, the rest of my main staff were of similar minds. Super motivated, all of them, and super eager to dedicate more victories to me. Testarossa and Ultima donated a whole bunch of souls. Whether they knew that or not, everybody here seemed eager to follow in the pair\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testarossa\u2014or demons in general, really\u2014apparently have a taste for the residual emotions left in each of those souls. There are assorted ways of consuming these, but Testarossa told me she loves to see faces frozen in fear the most. That smile of hers really is<\/em> scary. I probably would\u2019ve been petrified pre-reincarnation, but by this point, well, that\u2019s how it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is fine and good for demons, but what about the other monsters? It\u2019s not like they\u2019d know what to do with the souls they\u2019ve collected. I learned about all this only a few moments ago, besides, and I\u2019m still wondering why it\u2019s this big competition now. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s like the spoils of war for them or something, but I really<\/em> don\u2019t need those kind of spoils\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Seven hundred thousand, though, huh? If we really did<\/em> score all those, that meant I could awaken seven more people. The fact that thoughts like this were naturally coming into my mind now was frightening, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026No, no, no. I gotta stay firm with myself. Can\u2019t have my mind turn monster on me.<\/em> With that resolve in mind, I faced the big screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re on the move.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Row upon row of imperial soldiers were now moving in formation, calmly storming the gate as if they weren\u2019t scared at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust as planned,\u201d I muttered. If at least half of them can go in for us, it\u2019d make things a lot easier later\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benimaru gave this a calm smile. \u201cI have no intention of letting even a single soldier escape. I\u2019ll go in, too, if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geld nodded. \u201cMy Second Corps has approximately seventeen thousand troops. Compare us by numbers, and it looks dire, but in ability, we don\u2019t miss a beat. We can take advantage of the terrain to entrap the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cGreat to hear. And if I burn the inner halls with my flames, anyone left standing oughtta be strong enough to put up a worthy challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Carrera would be glad to help with that. She\u2019s been wanting to let off some steam for a while now, so I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be eager to exercise her skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, there\u2019s no doubting the power of a Primal. It\u2019s a tough act to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hang on. This conversation was going a lot differently than I expected. Benimaru and Geld were going on like this was already won. Real bold of them, considering how I was still a little worried about this. Carrera had become a part of their strategy as a matter of course, too; there wasn\u2019t even a shred of hesitation about tapping a Primal\u2019s power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not fair, Benimaru! If we\u2019re aiming to wipe out our foes, that\u2019s where I come in!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Shion was stepping up. Yet again, she\u2019d forgotten that she was supposed to be bodyguarding me\u2026 But then, there was no place safer for me than the Control Center. Team Reborn, the force Shion led, prided themselves in their relentless tenacity. It\u2019d be a shame to leave them idle this whole time, so if this turned into a ground melee, I\u2019d like to get them out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\u2026yeah, I could<\/em> see myself giving deployment orders to Shion if she wanted them, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShion, calm down. We need to gain an accurate gauge of what the enemy\u2019s doing first. Depending on how things go, though, I may need to tap your abilities, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d have to be content with that for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeh-heh-heh-heh-heh\u2026 If Sir Rimuru needs a bodyguard, I alone can more than fit the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, if Diablo\u2019s volunteering for that, then if things really<\/em> get hairy, we could call Testarossa and Ultima back. They can teleport in no time flat, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you say so, Sir Rimuru, then fine. In that case, you\u2019ll be up, Shion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH I do remember saying something like \u201cGive your all,\u201d yes. Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019m not losing my marbles yet. It\u2019s only been around three years since I was reincarnated, even. No need to worry about that. But still\u2026 As I watched the big screen, I began to wonder if those words were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3620,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions\/3620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}