There are four of our kind in the forest.
Uruk Heizen, since that guy brought seven of them, we haven't seen such a great force.
'Is the Poisonous Snake King that scary? I don't think there's a need to form an alliance to catch him.'
If so, Sloan might be too much of a challenge to deal with.
Of all the people Sloan has killed so far, the strongest one is Uruk Heizen.
Of the remaining ones, the only one weaker than him is 'Darong', who is at the 51st rank.
So, this means that there are at least three people in this forest who are stronger than the Uruk-Haizen, and that the Serpent King can only be defeated if we unite.
'This is going to be tough… .'
Thinking about it like that, I don't know why, but my throat started to feel very parched. Could it be because of the ominousness about the future?
"Here! Eat as much as you want!"
"… Yes, thank you."
Riley handed me a potion that was as fresh and cool as ever.
I always wonder, where on earth did she get it from? But I don't think that Riley, a saint, would have gotten it by such mean means.
Could it be that it was created through prayer? Some priests claim to know how to use the power of 'creation of all things'.
"Come on, eat it! You should eat it while it's cool!"
I willingly agreed to do so. I picked up the potion bottle and drank it down in gulps.
It was a pretty big bottle, but it didn't take long to finish. It was so sweet and refreshing.
My throat, which had been parched from tension, quickly became moist. My mind became slightly clearer. My body, which had accumulated fatigue from the harsh march, also completely recovered.
"Thank you."
"Hehehehehe… . Don't mention it! Your happiness is my happiness, right?"
I always feel this way. Riley seems to be the nicest person among these crazy women. She's on a whole other level of personality than these rapists and violent men.
"Riley! We don't have time for this. Send a scout team!"
"Scouts…? Understood!"
"Huh? I thought reconnaissance was my job."
Riley is doing reconnaissance, not someone else? Something seems off.
"Of course you're the best at spotting traps… but not at detecting monsters, right? Riley!"
"Yes, I understand."
Come to think of it, I've never really seen Riley's power. She always stood in the back and recited healing spells through prayer.
Seeing her like this, I thought the only reason she was at this party was to heal the wounded. But maybe that wasn't the case?
"Eyes and ears of the great One in heaven. Come down here and share your wisdom with us."
I put my hands together and prayed, and heaven answered.
Her body sparkled for a moment like the sun. Immediately afterwards, sunlight poured down on this unholy forest.
Just as when all things were first created in that light, the body spontaneously came together to form the shape of a winged angel.
Are they the lowest class of angels? And yet there were fifteen of them. How could they summon so many? Wasn't this something that only the most devout priests could do? Oh my!
"You who are the eyes and ears of the Goddess, please find the ungodly people in this forest and let them know."
The angels flew in an instant. Their speed was almost mythical. Was it because of their agile bodies?
Meanwhile, one angel didn't fly away. He just stared at me. What the fuck.
'Did you notice my disguise…?'
That can't be. The horns and tail that exude an unholy aura are hidden in advance. If I were a top-tier angel, wouldn't I know? How could such a low-level being recognize me?
"Huh? What's going on?"
[… .]
"Is there anyone ungodly around here!"
[… .]
The angel stared at me for a long time, then flew away into the forest. He didn't tell me who I was. That's a relief.
"When do you think you'll be able to figure out the location?"
"It won't take long! Angels basically have the ability to teleport… . Ah! You figured it out! Huh?! Wait a minute! Something's weird."
Riley must have finally figured it out. That my people are here. And that this is the biggest crisis of all.
Maybe one of them will die. Of course, it's true that Sloan is an out-of-spec monster. But they have their own unique abilities.
'Maybe I can take this opportunity to… escape this hellish party?'
Is it finally time to betray? I smiled inwardly. Now is the time for liberation!
***
The 48th rank, 'Palat', tensed his muscles.
[Damn it… What kind of idiot can't manage his subordinates to do something like this? It's so annoying.]
Palat, who had always believed that it was justice to control the monsters under his command with his fists, was very angry at his own people who were unable to manage their subordinates.
[What happened to the special forces?]
[They were all eaten. They must have been digested and turned into poop by now.]
[Damn it! It's already like that?]
[Yes. We've run out of available troops. What are you going to do, Palat? Are you going to retreat? Or are you going to step forward now?]
No way. Palat didn't want to fight the Serpent King.
There is nothing to be gained by fighting a monster powerful enough to stand against the Demon King. I only willingly joined this expedition because the Poisonous Serpent King's territory was located along the trade route.
[That won't do. His men might still be there. If that happens, we could be put in danger.]
[Is that so? It doesn't seem like it to me.]
[…What are you trying to say? Are you saying I'm a coward?]
[I didn't say that, my compatriot. But… . Your actions are becoming more and more cowardly. Just like Valytics.]
[Are you comparing me to your fellow brats?! Ha! You're insulting me!]
The 44th rank, Haram listened to those words quietly and then continued speaking.
[Don't insult Valytics. He's doing great things for our people.]
[I didn't know you would defend Ballistics.]
[I admire the courage of the Palatine. He willingly does for all of us what only he can do.]
[You're doing a really great job. Really.]
What on earth is that little Valytic doing? All the Demon Kings except Haram laughed at their cowardly compatriots.
[By the way… something is coming this way. Something very unpleasant.]
[Are you human?]
[Wrong. This is…. A servant of the goddess!]
Several beings that harmed the grass and gave off light flew in. Although they were the lowest-level angels, they could emit divine powers that could melt most monsters just by standing still.
[For the great goddess! Hurray!]
The angels charged towards the four demon lords, brandishing flaming spears and swords, imbued with a divine power that was dizzying to look at.
[Is this all you can do? Thousands of years is a long way to go!]
If it were a one-sided monster, no matter how many there were, it would be possible to slaughter them in an instant. However, the opponent is the 'Demon King'.
An overwhelming evil that could not even be compared to ordinary monsters. Thus, the rushing angels burst out in the order in which they had rushed in first.
[It seems like there are other people in this forest besides us.]
[No way! Isn't this the territory of the Poisonous Serpent King! There's no way a human would enter. And there are this many… . Are they even bishops?]
[Ughhh… I don't think I have the luxury of time to spend elsewhere. But if I can summon this many, I'll have to kill them.]
[Who's going to go? It's just killing humans. Let's just have one person go.]
Palat willingly volunteered for the mission. He had already suffered a considerable blow due to the destruction of the special forces unit… .
The stress built up because of that. To relieve it, I had to kill someone.
So Palat moved quickly along the source of the divine power.
[Let me go first…]
At that moment, Palat pierced through the darkness with his eyesight, which was exceptional even among his kind.
Something is flying. It doesn't have wings, does it? It's going too fast to be a bird.
Seriously…. It's too fast!
"Found it!"
Kwaaang!
The unexpected guest was Sloan. She made a round fist with her brown hands and swung it with all her might.
"Huh? It didn't explode in one go. This time, finally…!"
[Ah! Yes, you! A warrior… . Now, wait, Ballistics? Ballistics, that guy is here.]
"Huh? Valitics? That's the weakest Demon King."
[You smell like Valitics. Especially from your mouth… Did you eat that guy?]
Sloan couldn't quite understand what he was saying and swung his fist.