"Why rush?"
Guy sipped his wine calmly. "A person like that will inevitably cross paths with us."
Damien would become a Demon Lord... a true one.
Guy was certain of this.
Thus, a seat for Damien at the Walpurgis Banquet was assured.
Guy wasn't in a hurry; he'd meet Damien at the gathering eventually.
"Don't keep me waiting too long."
Guy mused, "The new wind of the world."
He hadn't told Velzard one thing.
In the golden tree's aura, Guy sensed unprecedented new rules.
These weren't native to the cardinal world.
From Veldanava's creation until his death, the world's rules were set.
Later beings might wield great destructive power or forge civilizations.
But none could create new rules from nothing like Veldanava.
Damien was different.
He could bring new order to this world, making it more vibrant and complete.
In a sense, Damien, capable of traversing worlds, was even greater than Veldanava.
His future held infinite possibilities.
"What in the world…"
Outside the Jura Forest, like others, Shizue Izawa gazed at the golden tree, a second sun in the sky.
Without hesitation, she headed toward the Jura Forest.
Not to investigate.
Bathed in this light, her crumbling body miraculously recovered slightly.
Hope!
Undoubtedly, this gave Shizuka a glimpse of a cure.
Not for herself, but for her students, doomed by incomplete summons.
"If I can find the source of this power, maybe…"
No matter what, Shizuka had to investigate.
"Isn't this a bit too grand?"
Back at the Tengu Mountain battlefield, Damien looked at the golden tree's canopy, enveloping nearly the entire cardinal world.
It reminded him of a game from his past life... Elden Ring.
Of course, the two were incomparable.
The Sword of Promised Victory's radiance far surpassed the Erdtree of the Lands Between, its branches reaching into the cosmos.
Phew~~
Artoria gripped the holy sword, its restraints sealing its power once more.
She didn't know "art is an explosion." but firing a cosmic beam felt exhilarating.
"Sadly, such power can't be used lightly."
The Sword of Promised Victory was akin to a nuclear weapon for Damien's side.
Its sheathed state was its most intimidating.
Once drawn, the enemy wouldn't stand still to be struck... they'd fight desperately.
Frey?
She was fine.
Artoria hadn't aimed the strike at her, directing most of the power into the cosmos.
Otherwise, Artoria might have cleaved the Central World's continent in half.
"How is she?"
"Unconscious."
The Snow Empress controlled an ice coffin containing a woman... Queen Frey.
Even grazed by the Sword of Promised Victory's power, Frey was gravely injured and comatose.
However, Violet's rule manipulation mitigated the impact.
In half a day, Frey would awaken, her body mostly recovered.
"So, we need more seals."
"To prevent her from waking and lashing out."
The Snow Empress excelled at this.
Her temporal power could compress like space, creating unbreakable shackles.
'I'll craft a spacetime straitjacket for her.'
Frey's clothes were shredded from the battle, making it fitting.
"It's over."
The Tengu Mountain affair concluded.
"Snow, open a portal. We're heading back."
"Oh, oh!"
The Ice Empress, still awed by the Sword of Promised Victory, snapped to attention at Damien's urging.
A portal to the town appeared before Damien.
Before leaving, he gave Kaede and Momiji instructions.
First, Damien ordered them to organize the Tengu's affairs and relocate the Hidden Tengu Village.
In a world with spatial magic, geography was irrelevant.
With countless methods, they could move their base.
Kaede agreed, and the Tengu had no objections.
After witnessing Frey's battle with the Snow Empress and Artoria, none dared resist.
As for the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia's army, Damien spared them.
Capturing Frey was enough to make the nation hesitate.
A nation with a Demon Lord and one without were entirely different.
Beyond neighboring nations' reactions, internal turmoil would be a major issue.
'Your Majesty…'
Luchia watched as Frey's ice-sealed body was taken by Damien.
She wanted to rescue her but was struck by Shion, sustaining heavy injuries.
Fortunately, Frey was alive, not killed by Damien.
If they could ransom Frey, any price would be worth it.
"Lord Damien!!"
Upon returning, Shion hugged Damien, burying his face in her embrace. "We followed your orders and repelled the Harpies!"
"Well done."
Damien, used to Shion's boldness, gently pushed the tall woman away and praised Shuna and Benimaru.
"Snow, bring Frey over."
Damien dismissed the others, leaving only the Ice Empress, Egorpon, Artoria, and the Snow Empress.
With these four powerhouses, a weakened, sealed Frey couldn't cause trouble.
The Snow Empress waved, and the ice coffin appeared.
She dispelled most of its seals but left some as a straitjacket on Frey.
"Are you turning her into a familliar now?"
Artoria wasn't opposed but worried about Frey's safety.
***
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