Ruler Vol 3 Chapter 8
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Author: Anit666
Editor: Weasalopes
【???’s POV】
“Huh?”
Huh?
“Yes.”
Liera responded while making an amused expression.
“A war, you say?”
“Yes.”
I thought that Liera was just messing with me when she said she had something important to discuss, but this is beyond just important. This is catastrophic. The Demon King, Regina in this case, has formally declared war against us. And that too after all of my attempts to contact her have failed.
“The situation is dire.”
“Dire? How come? You should have been pulling the strings from the shadows all this time, right? Just do what you always do: weaken the Demon King and let the Heroes kill her. Rest of the demons will be handled by us. It’s as easy as that.”
She tilted her head as if she genuinely thought this. Despite how others might see her as a muscle-head who only wants to fight strong enemies, Liera is actually very smart. She has brains, and she knows exactly how to use them.
That’s why it’s difficult to determine whether she really believes in what she just said or she is just probing me. It’s possible that she is saying these things because she wants to shake me up and make me spout some information.
Too bad Liera, but better men than you have tried. And none of them succeeded.
“I see. Please give me the full details.”
“Understood. Chloe just told me this through Message. It happened when Sam finally returned from the dungeon. They were in the conference room of Reishu’s castle, when Sam pointed out that the Demon King was there. She came out, and declared that in 1 week, she would be waging war on mankind. She asked Sam to meet her at the Faraway Grasslands with his army. That’s where the final battle will commence. Oh, and she was also referring to Sam as her darling and husband. She said that during the events in the dungeon, they had grown closer.”
“Come again?”
Husband? Darling?
“Like I said, Leticia, that’s the Demon King by the way, was saying something like how fighting for their lives together in the dungeon had brought them closer. But even if that’s true, why would they be fighting each other?”
She posed a question in the end. The real question is whether Regina’s claims were true or not. If they had indeed gotten closer, then it’s more than possible that Sam’s entire party would betray us at the crucial moment. No, even before that, if Regina did call him her husband………
Ah, I see. That’s what she was aiming for. Sam’s involvement is secondary. Those words were intended to be a message to me.
Calling someone else Darling means that demon has moved on and broken free from the shackles that bound her, which in turn means I’ve lost all ways to control her. In other words, she intends to fight not as the 6th Demon King Leticia, but as the original Demon King Regina Zi Maxwell.
Other than Balgaar, the original Demon King was the only one who was able to bring humanity to the brink of extinction. And after being wronged for 5 millenniums, that Demon King has returned for vengeance. Along with her commandments and the Demon army, this is perhaps the third time when mankind will have to fight for their survival
And on our side are only us four- the members of the first Hero party once led by Susan- along with Samuel Hayden and Jack Hargreave. And I daresay that even they cannot win against Regina. Our only bet for defeating her is Liera. Only she can go toe to toe against her. But I’m not entirely sure whether she can win against her or not. There are some other minor players as well, like Karzark and Reishu, and Chloe Evans, but none of them holds enough power to turn the tide of the war.
Seems like if I want to increase the chances of our victory by even a percent, then I really have no other choice but to personally step on the stage.
“Liera.”
“Hmm?”
Perhaps it is only fate that she survived that dungeon. Without her, I would have lost after coming so far.
“Forgive me for saying this, but this time…… things are not in my hand.”
“What? What do you mean?”
The nonchalant smile on her face slowly vanished and she raised her eyebrows.
“I mean what I say. Things have gone out of my hand this time. In other words, the Demon King, Leticia, would not be as weak as the previous Demon Kings. Yes, this is the return of the Demon King that everyone feared. The walking calamity, our extinction. Leticia, is going to be as strong as Regina. No, she is going to be stronger.”
And what replaced that was a wide manic grin. Madness swirled in her eyes, and she was panting heavily due to excitement.
“I see. A Demon King stronger than Regina…. Fufufufuf hahahahahah BAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! SPLENDID!”
And she finally burst out laughing like a maniac. Her crazy laughter resounded loudly in the room. She’s as hopeless as ever.
“So, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Fufufufu, don’t worry. I’ll take care of Leticia.”
She replied with a wide grin. Her entire body was trembling due to excitement. And…… is that drool that I see there?
“But you’re not going to do it alone. Samuel and his party will be helping you. And this time, I will also be stepping onto the battlefield.”
However, her expression immediately froze and she quickly took a step back.
“You are going to participate this time? You, of all people?”
“Yes.”
Is it that surprising?
“Heeehhh……. Who would have thought that the geezer controlling everything from behind the shadows would step onto the battlefield himself?”
She exclaimed. The nerve of this woman always astounds me.
“Leave me alone.”
“Ok, ok, geez. But hey, do you think that you’ll be able to fight after sitting idly for 5000 years? Maybe you should train with me a bit, ya know.”
Hmm, the idea isn’t bad. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I’ve gotten rusty over those years. But I’m not really sure whether it’s alright to train with her……..
As I pondered her suggestion, my gaze unintentionally fell on her eyes. And for the briefest of moments, a cold, wrathful brutality flashed in it. For that brief moment, Liera Von Vetto saw me as an enemy and unleashed her entire bloodlust upon me.
I felt a shiver akin to a cold tongue licking my spine, and I involuntarily took a step back.
“Hmm? What happened? Why are you trembling? Did the idea of fighting me excite you that much?”
The bloodlust vanished without a trace and was replaced by a wide grin on her face. Which would have been completely fine had that smile reached her cold dull eyes.
“You……… didn’t you just release your bloodlust on me?”
“Ah, that?” Her smile widened. “I just got too excited when I imagined my epic battle with the Demon King and accidentally released it. Sorry to scare you.”
She snickered. Accidentally, she says. What a joke. But her answer prevents me from pursuing the matter any further. Seems like I’ll also have to watch my back.
The most eerie thing is that Liera has also become stronger. She alone has reached the level on which Susan once stood. Her power now surpasses all three of ours combined.
In other words, she has become too dangerous for me to handle. After Regina has been dealt with, I’ll eliminate Liera.
For now, I’ll train with the Knight Commander. The genius who became as strong as Reishu Zestringer at a young age of 25. If it’s with him, I should be able to bring out at least half of my power. And unlike Liera, he wouldn’t try to kill me.
“Is that so? Anyway, I won’t be training with you. Call the Knight Commander for me.”
“Good grief. Fine.”
“Oh, and also call for a meeting with the other two. I have a plan, and I want to share it with you all.”
“Understood. See ya then.”
She left the room with that half-assed farewell.
Now then, it seems like I’ll have to give up on winning this war and safely procuring Samuel. The enemies are too strong, and I cannot trust my allies. So, this time, I’ll have to put my own life on the line and use Grand Orfei right on the battlefield. Good grief, these ordeals are becoming harder and harder. But that doesn’t matter. After all-
It’s all for the glory of Goddess Phiria.
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