Book 13: Chapter 6: Advent of the Demon Lord
A fierce skirmish erupted between the fleets of the Banfield Family and the subjugation force as they exchanged fire with optical weapons and live ammunition.
The Banfield Family had split their forces into three, and Marie was leading one of the fleets to the enemys rear while battling against the ships in the outer perimeter of the enemys formation.
Inside her ship, Marie was issuing orders to the fifty thousand units under her command.
Take out as many enemy troops as possible while passing by!!
She had long abandoned her ladylike facade and was shouting in excitement.
It was worth noting that her excitement wasnt out of anger.
(Finally, a chance to deal a heavy blow to the Empire!)
Marie had a rather tragic past.
To save her friends life, she had obeyed the orders of the emperor some 2,000 years ago. Yet her loyalty was met with betrayal as the emperor had her petrified and sealed away.
Betrayal was something she could not tolerate. And to add insult to injury, the emperor had exiled her friend to a barren planet, driving their family to a corner.
She felt nothing but hatred toward the emperor and the Empire for turning her into stone.
Obliterate everything in our path. We need not show mercy towards Lord Liams enemies, she said quietly.
The fleet began attacking the enemies with even greater vigor as if to respond to her determination.
The optical weapons and live ammunition fired by her troops sunk countless enemy ships, causing explosions wherever they passed.
Her adjutant stared at the enemy fleet with narrowed eyes. It wasnt out of pity, but rather amusement.
The enemys morale seems to be rather low.
Even with the numerical advantage, the Imperial Army's morale was low due to factors such as a shortage of supplies.
This was starting to reflect in their performance on the battlefield, with several ships attempting to flee, resulting in collisions between allied troops.
Marie didnt think much of this.
Saves us from wasting our ammunition and energy. How are things going for Lord Liam and the minced woman?
She was more concerned with how the other fleets were doing.
Obviously, Liams well-being was her priority. As for Tia, she couldnt care less whether the woman survived or not, but it would pose an issue if she couldnt join up safely.
Her adjutant checked the report and let out a whistle.
Lord Liams fleet is as impressive as always. As for Tia-dono, she seems to be holding up quite well. In fact, theyve shaved off more enemy troops than us.
Marie clicked her tongue when she heard the last part.
Tsk! Shes a decent commander, Ill give her that.
Should we urge the troops under us to work harder?
No, our focus should be on reuniting with the others. On the off-chance that we end up suffering high casualties, Id be too ashamed to face Lord Liam.
She very much wanted to rack up more achievements, but she knew there was no reason to force herself here.
Besides, its quite fun chipping away at them little by little, she said with a smile.
The three fleets have safely rendezvoused behind the Imperial Army.
Watching the scene from the bridge of Argos, I cross my legs to show my composure.
Even amid a fierce battle, one would be safe as long as theyre aboard Argos.
After all, its an iron-clad battleship built entirely out of rare metals.
Its performance is superior to other ships in every regard, making it a safe haven even on the battlefield.
It seems Tia and Marie have joined up successfully.
Eulisia reports on the enemy fleets status while I watch as our troops reassemble into formation.
The enemies have distanced themselves from us once more using the unmanned ships as shields. We believe theyre currently in the middle of setting up formation.
Checking the holographic image of the battlefield, Im once again dumbstruck by how slow the enemy fleets movements are.
Theyve shot themselves in the foot by bringing along the inexperienced conscripts.
If the enemies had instead spread themselves out within the territory, things mightve been a bit trickier.
Nah, the result wouldve been the same. We wouldve just had to hunt them down one at a time.
Either way, their defeat is pretty much set in stone.
But for some reason, Im getting this unpleasant feeling.
Seeing that my mood has changed, Eulisia becomes slightly on edge.
Is there something wrong?
Something ominous is coming our way. Someones trying to interfere with the battle.
Eh?
Eulisia cocks her head, clearly oblivious to what Im saying.
Standing up from my seat, I issue an order.
Bring me my favorite sword.
U-understood.
Despite being unaware of whats going on, Eulisia heeds my order and goes to retrieve my sword.
In the meantime, I watch as the enemy fleet starts exhibiting unnatural behaviors.
A quiet mutter escapes my lips as I gaze into the distance in the direction where the unpleasant presence is coming from.
Now, the question is whether this guest of ours is the one responsible for forcing Master to put down his sword. If it is, its my duty as Masters disciple to avenge him.
C-could this be!?
The Guide, who had been overseeing the Imperial Army, also sensed a presence from another world around the time Liam detected the evil presence.
A pitch-black vortex that couldnt be seen through appeared above the Imperial Army, which quickly fell into chaos.
What appeared from within was a giant spaceship covered in silver plates, with countless lifeforms pulsating through its gaps. The spaceship also featured countless skulls and bones as decorations
The Guide quickly recognized that an existence even greater than himself had arrived.
That octopus from before aint squat! I see, an existence similar to myself must be coming from another world!
The Guide nodded repeatedly, having grasped the situation.
Since a war of such magnitude is occurring, the amount of negative energy generated must be enormous, enormous enough to attract powerful beings from other worlds! AHAHAHAHA!!
The Guide gave a hysteric laugh, pressing his right hand on his slightly aching stomach.
Liam, you did well, but youve fought too hard! Youve brought an even greater evil into this world!
The negative energy generated by an intergalactic war was enough to summon an existence even more powerful than the Guide.
Knowing this, the Guide became confident.
This could work. This could definitely work. Its a shame that I cant kill Liam with my own hands, but now that hes caught the attention of such an evil entity, what awaits him is a fate worth than death. Hehehe this is the end for you, Liam.
The pain coming from his stomach intensified, but the Guide bore with the pain, convinced that Liam was done for.
Well then, I shall watch the battle from a distance. I wouldnt want to anger the other party and run the risk of being killed as well.
And so the Guide left before the evil entitys wrath could reach him.
Farewell, Liam. Let us never see each other again.
Smiling ear to ear, the Guide zipped through space, disappearing from the scene.
A fleet of unknown origin has appeared directly above us!
The operators confused shout rang through the bridge as Marquis Hampson hurried to confirm what was happening.
Check where its from, and tell our men to be extra cautious, he said, clicking his tongue.
The chance of it being reinforcement was highly unlikely.
Knowing full well that it could be a hostile force, he had his subordinates double-check just in case.
If it turned out to be an enemy ship, they would shoot it down immediately.
However, even after some time had passed, the operator seemed unsure.
Theyre not responding to our calls.
Then they must be enemies! What are you hesitating for!?
Marquis Hampson yelled in frustration, demanding to know what the operator was confused about.
Ill display the image on the large monitor!
Flabbergasted, the Marquiss expression hardened when he saw what was on the monitor.
!?
The design of the spaceship that had appeared directly above them was distinct from the ships manufactured by the Empire.
Whoever designed it clearly had terrible taste as it featured bones and skeletons, the likes of which only space pirates would appreciate, giving it an eerie atmosphere.
The mysterious fleet gradually approached the subjugation army.
Theyre about to ram us! Duck!
Sir, we have allied ships on all sides! We cant move!
The helmsman declared that it was impossible to avoid the collision. Hence, Marquis Hampson sat down and braced for impact.
Thereafter, the super-dreadnought class battleship shook violently, and the mysterious spaceship became docked to the ship.
Recognizing the possibility of hostile troops boarding the ship at any moment, the Marquis quickly deemed the mysterious fleet as part of the enemy force.
Did the Banfield Family acquire a new type of ship? They must be looking down on us if they think something like this would be enough to take us down! Prepare the knights and the close-quarter combatants. The enemies will be here soon.
Since the enemies went through the trouble of docking with their ship, they were probably going to send in troops and rush them. That was the only logical explanation the Marquis could think of.
The operators voice soon echoed through the entire ship.
C-confirmed the entry of enemy troops!
Intercept them! Dont let even a single person return alive!
In anticipation of battles conducted onboard, the ship had been equipped with various instruments which would put the hijackers at a disadvantage.
However, something strange soon happened.
Were not getting any communication from the response team!
Did they get wiped out already? Show me the footage.
Communication from the response team had been cut off.
Sensing something amiss, the Marquis had the operator play the video recording of the battle.
What he saw left him stunned, and for tens of seconds, everyone was silent.
The first word to be spoken was
Undead!?
The monitor displayed figures of ancient warriors and wizards engaged in combat with their response team, which was equipped with powered suits.
What drew everyones attention was the fact that the enemies persisted in battle even when their limbs were torn off.
Even when their heads were blown off, they quickly recovered and got back up.
One of the knights that belonged to the response team was shown shouting in the footage.
[Why isnt any of the equipment working!?]
As a countermeasure against potential attacks from the undead, the field commanders had equipped the team with items like holy water and silver bullets; however, none of them seemed effective against the invading enemies.
One by one, the members of the response team were slaughtered, only to rise and join the ranks of the enemies.
The Marquis shivered when he witnessed this.
Youve gone too far, Banfield!!
He naturally assumed that this was the work of a forbidden spell that the Banfield Family had cast. However, he was met with an unexpected response from behind.
Actually, that was all me.
!?
He immediately turned around, just in time to see the knights guarding him drawing their swords and slashing at the intruder.
Protect the Marquis!
There were six of them in total, and the target of their attack was a large man in full body armor.
When the intruder saw how swift the knights response was, he spoke in a happy voice.
Youve got some good knights there. Pity theyre not good enough to serve as an appetizer.
Then, with a swing of his greatsword, the intruder butchered up all six knights.
When he saw this, the Marquis jumped out of his seat and drew his pistol.
Monster! Identity yourself!
The intruder responded calmly, not bothered by the gun pointed at him.
My name is Farabar, ruler of another world! Im what youd call a Demon Lord.
Demon Lord? Who do you think youre trying to fool here!?
As far as the Marquis was concerned, Demon Lords only appeared in fairy tales.
He quickly pulled the trigger, intending to pierce the self-proclaimed Demon Lord with his optical pistol. However, the gun only managed to make Farabars armor glow red.
The Demon Lord smiled when he saw this.
You see, I actually have a favor to ask of you. I want to enjoy a fleet battle with Liam, so why dont you guys join my immortal army?
What rubbish is this monster trying to !?!?
Before the Marquis could finish his sentence, Farabar had closed the distance and grasped his head.
You should feel honored, for you will serve in the glorious immortal army for all of eternity.
Stop! STOOOOOOOOP!!
His instincts screamed that he had to escape. However, the Marquis failed to struggle free and ultimately became an undead.
Thereafter, Farabars vassals rushed into the bridge and suppressed the rest of the crew.
Thrusting his sword into the floor, Farabar spread his arms out.
Umu, Im ready to fight now! Show me what youre made of, Liam Sera Banfield! If you fail to entertain me, I shall shower death upon this world!
*****
Brian (): Im worried for Lord Liams safety. Its painful.
Wakagi-chan (*`): Less negativity, more positivity! Volume 1 of Im the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! has been doing extremely well, so much so that more copies are scheduled to be printed. The anime for The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs has been confirmed as well. Its just one good news after another, isnt it? Volume 1 of That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us is scheduled to be released tomorrow. Ill do my best to make sure that it sells out as well!
Brian (*): Please show much love to Mob Seka. The new volume will come out tomorrow, December 28th.