In Edina Archipelago, there was only one warp gate in the capital and main port city of Lazak, and it was a small one at that.
Reinhardt had swiftly arrived with his people not long after the incident began, initiating a wide-scale response.
Upon arriving in Lazak, Eleris immediately destroyed the warp gate, while Liana summoned lightning in the vast area to sweep away the monsters. Reinhardt and Olivia, of course, as well as Luvien and Gallarush, all focused their efforts on eradicating the monsters in Lazak.
As a result, the situation was quickly brought under control.
Nonetheless, the gate incident left an indelible scar on Lazak.
Countless buildings were ablaze, and the streets were littered with corpses.
Though the monsters had been nearly eradicated, the streets were filled with the wailing of the people.
Gate incidents fundamentally bring fear and chaos to the people.
In the midst of fear and panic, it was not only difficult to properly deal with the monsters, but even if it was possible, massive casualties were inevitable.
There was no way that every location with a small warp gate would have an archmage or a combat force stationed there.
Despite taking immediate action, Lazak had suffered massive damage, and it would not have been much different anywhere else.
If it were not for a city with powerful mages and knights, the scale of the damage would have been even greater, and the number and size of the monsters emerging from the inevitably larger warp gates would have been much larger.
Seeing Lazak turned into a living hell in just one day, Liana and Olivia could not help but lose their spirits.
Even if this had all been done to save Reinhardt, it was an incident caused by the minions of the Demon King.
Eleris, who had activated Akasha with her own hands, couldn't say a word as she saw the depth of the sin she had committed.
The situation in Lazak had been somewhat resolved.
That's why they had all gathered in front of the main gate of Angel Capital.
Demon King Valier, Eleris, Luvien, Gallarush, Olivia, Airi, and even Harriet and Liana.
They all stared intently at Valier.
Eleris, who had activated Akasha, could not even lift her head.
Yet, in Valier's expression, who had inadvertently triggered all these events while trying to prevent them, there was no sign of despair.
Everyone felt misery and anguish for what they had done, even though they were not responsible for it.
It seemed as if the Demon King didn't think about such things at all.
"Since Lazak has been sorted out, there's no time to waste. It seems like we can handle the monsters coming from the small gates with just our forces... Airi, how many islands in the archipelago have small warp gates installed?"
"...Saint Louie, Port Ramz, and Greenwind."
"Good, let's split into three groups. Eleris, take Liana and check the coordinates for Saint Louie and go there. The Lord of Thursday and Senior Olivia will go to Port Ramz. The Lord of Friday will take Harriet, who should be returning soon, to Greenwind and sort things out there."
The plan was to divide their forces among the three other ports in the small nation of Edina Archipelago, which could be called relatively large cities.
The Demon King's judgment was that having only two of them in each city would be enough to handle incidents arising from small warp gates.
"We need to move quickly. If the monsters destroy the city and escape, we may have to embark on a tedious hunt."
As if there was no time to dwell on the unfolding catastrophe, Valier briefly relayed instructions on what had to be done next.
It seemed like the appropriate attitude for a leader, but also appeared excessively cold.
However, an order was an order.
Following the Demon King's command, the Vampire Lords promptly began casting spells.
Those hiding in Angel Capital, still fearful of the situation, silently watched the city's saviors beyond the main gate.
Valier paid them no attention.
Although it was his role to save them, it seemed as though they no longer held any significance to him now that they had been rescued.
"Airi."
"Uh, ah… yes?"
Airi still didn't understand the situation. Valier simply said what he had to say.
"Let's go to the Edina Palace."
"The palace...? Why the palace?"
"Starting today, I'll be the king here."
It seemed as if that was how it would be since he had decided so.
Valier was unnervingly calm.
About everything.
—---
Deep into the night.
-Whirrrrr
In the burning Imperial Capital, mages hurriedly tried to extinguish the fire.
The most powerful human forces had gathered in the capital.
Nevertheless, the Imperial Capital, the city with the highest concentration of large and small warp gates across the entire continent, was the most dangerous city.
Thanks to the strongest human forces rushing to suppress the situation as soon as it broke out, the gates' crisis in the capital was suppressed within a day.
However, the damage was extensive.
Major city facilities were destroyed and burned, about 30% of the city was demolished, and even more citizens had died.
Just like the port city of the Edina Archipelago, the Imperial Capital was filled with the screams and wails of countless people.
And this was actually better compared to other places.
In every place where warp gates were installed in the empire, even greater calamities were wreaking havoc.
-Kaboom!
With a monster the size of a cathedral collapsing to the ground, bellowing its last breath, the final monster in the capital fell.
-Clang!
Ellen Artorius, who had shattered the monster's entire skull by plunging the Void Sword into its cranium and detonating magic power, landed safely on the ground after sliding down the monster's back and waist.
Now everyone knew that Ellen had not only acquired the strangely transformed Lament but also the cape of the Sun God, Lapelt.
"Is this the last one?"
Upon hearing Ellen's words, those who had hunted the last monster nodded nervously.
What had happened, had happened.
They were already overwhelmed by just focusing on their response.
Just as the current Demon King didn't express any feelings about everything that had happened, Ellen, who considered herself the cause of this crisis, was no different.
Likewise, the knights of Shanafel, who had hunted the last giant monster, arrived at the scene where Ellen was.
"Ellen… why… why did you help the Demon King escape?"
At Saviolin Turner's words, Ellen looked at her quietly.
Until now, they had been too busy dealing with the situation to discuss it, but now it had to be addressed.
Ellen had assisted the Demon King's escape.
Although there were no casualties, Ellen's actions might lead to another war in the future.
However, Ellen didn't make any excuses or rationalizations for her actions.
She didn't say that this had happened because they couldn't trust the Demon King.
After all, Ellen herself hadn't trusted the Demon King either.
"Do you plan to arrest me?"
"…"
"I don't think you can."
And so, Ellen confronted the Empire with reality, not excuses.
She was no ordinary Swordmaster, but one who possessed two sacred relics.
In fact, Ellen had defeated more monsters today than anyone else, save for Saviolin Turner. She had single-handedly cut down hordes of powerful monsters, not just the smaller ones that emerged like in the Edina Archipelago, but also those comparable to giant beasts, capable of reducing an entire village to ashes in just an hour.
It was inconceivable to treat Ellen as a criminal under such dire circumstances.
The Empire should be grateful for Ellen's cooperation, especially at a time when everything was far from over.
"Please tell me where I should go. There must be many dangerous cities."
Ellen felt a sense of responsibility for the situation.
"And if you have something like an awakening potion, please give it to me."
Thus, Ellen had no intention of resting.
There was no time for sorrow or depression.
Nor was there time to regret her actions.
Just as she didn't blame Reinhardt for doing nothing, as if nothing would have happened if she had not intervened.
Ellen didn't choose the path of dwelling on regret and self-blame, wondering if things would have been different if she had trusted Reinhardt more.
She couldn't save herself or anyone else through a tragic contemplation of the disaster that had occurred.
She had to make decisions in the time she had.
She had to act in the time she had.
She had to save at least one more city, one more person.
Because that was the only thing she believed she could do.
Not regret or self-blame, but doing the best she could under the given circumstances.
The Demon King and the Hero.
In a sense, both had become stronger than ever before.
In a way, neither of them had ever wanted.
—---
The palace of the Kingdom of Edina was located on the outskirts of the port city of Lazak, on a high hill by a cliff.
It was nowhere near the size of an imperial palace, nor was it as elegant as the White Palace Arunaria in the capital city of the Saint Owan Duchy, Arnaca.
Rather than a palace, the fortress-like structure reflected the level of the Edina Kingdom.
Still, it was a royal castle of a nation, not as humble as the castles or mansions of local lords.
Being on the outskirt, it had been spared the direct impact of the Gate incident.
It was not difficult to be led inside the castle.
The city had experienced a disaster, and those who had resolved it were me and my companions. It seemed that people could guess as much by looking at us as we walked towards the castle.
And Airi had been doing business in this city for quite some time. Moreover, the Angel Capital project had been conducted under the support of the royal family.
Airi's friend.
And the person who had suppressed the great disaster, which could have led to the kingdom's destruction, in just a few hours.
It would have been strange if the doors hadn't opened.
The king we met inside the castle still looked pale, and the attendants were understandably confused about the situation.
"Who are you, my lord?"
The royal guards.
Knights who protected the king.
I looked at each of their faces.
"While the people of the capital die like dogs, this bastard of a king is trembling and hiding here..."
My sudden outburst made the king and the royal guards tense.
"I won't bother with lengthy explanations."
Using the Ring of Sarkegaar, I summoned Alsbringer and draped it over my shoulder. The sudden appearance of a demon and a soul-bound sword made everyone feel like they were swallowing a lump.
“From this day forth, all the islands of this kingdom and the Edina Archipelago belong to me, the Demon King Valier."
Upon hearing my brazen declaration, even Airi's face turned pale.
There was no time for persuasion or debate.
I looked around.
"Bring forth the stubborn one."
It was clear that everyone had not yet grasped the situation.
—---
Of course, there was no one who would obediently hand over their country when asked.
The first to react was a knight standing beside the king.
"Scoundrel! Even if the situation is suspicious, how dare you appear out of nowhere and threaten His Majesty!"
He descended the steps of the throne and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't draw it."
"What...?"
I said to the knight.
"If you draw it, you will die."
"You reckless...!"
Shrring!
Clink!
The knight's sword had barely left its sheath before it was struck by Alsbringer and shattered as if it had exploded.
I didn't kill him.
But the knight, who had lost his sword before he could properly grip it, could only stare at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"If you try again, the warning will not be the end."
I was willing to shed blood if necessary, but there was no need to do so deliberately.
Perhaps he was the most skilled knight present, for when he froze, none of the other knights or guards dared approach me.
I walked past the knight who had been blocking my path.
None of the other knights or guards could obstruct me either.
-Step by step
I ascended the steps to the throne and stood before the king.
"Move."
"What...?"
At my simple command, the king could only stare at me, frozen in place.
"I said move."
No one dared to touch me. The moment they tried, they instinctively knew their throats would be in danger.
The king looked around, but in the face of the Demon King's appearance, there was no one willing to risk their lives to protect their lord.
It wasn't a matter of loyalty.
It was because I was not just a mere thug, but the Demon King.
The Demon King who had caused an uproar throughout the entire continent.
In a country that had almost been destroyed by the Small Gate incident, which they had been unable to prevent, the Demon King was too great a name for the soldiers and knights of the Edina Archipelago to handle.
It was because I was not a simple outlaw or bandit, but the Demon King.
No one knew what would happen if I started to act. That's why my mere presence was enough to stimulate people's sinister imaginations.
The aura of fear surrounding me could be used to my advantage whenever I wished.
That was why I could do this, barehanded and with only Airi by my side.
The son of the former absolute ruler, Valier.
No one could touch me, as they all imagined the fearful possibilities of what I could do.
I watched silently as the king, trembling, stood up from his seat.
-Thump
I sat down on the throne the king had vacated.
I didn't particularly like the gray stone throne carved from rock, but it wasn't unpleasant either.
It was easy to take the seat of power.
Was it supposed to be this easy to seize a country?
But this was only the beginning.
Just because I sat in the seat of power didn't mean everyone would accept me as their ruler.
Sitting on the throne didn't make me king.
However, I had made the owner of the throne stand up by himself.
That was what mattered.
"Half of the world."
"The master of the Darkland."
"Leader of all the demon races in the world."
"Lord of the demon realm."
"In the name of Valier."
"I promise a peaceful retirement to the previous rulers of the Edina Kingdom, the kings and royals who have voluntarily abdicated their thrones."
That was my first royal decree.
