After expressing my gratitude to Veldora and Ramiris, I turned my attention to unfinished matters.
There was still work to be done.
I decided to descend to the 70th floor of the Labyrinth.
Adalmann, having undergone his evolution ritual the previous day, was still in deep slumber. The Harvest Festival had begun in earnest, but his castle—reduced to rubble during the battle—remained unrestored. Because of that, Adalmann had been transferred to a guest chamber in the main building on the surface and placed under supervised rest.
Albert and Wenti were also resting in separate rooms nearby. Their awakening would not take long.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
The Imperial Army prisoners.
Adalmann had been overseeing them personally, and leaving them unattended for too long was unwise. More importantly, now that the chaos had settled, this was the perfect opportunity to extract information about the Empire directly from those who once served it.
I decided to see them myself.
Naturally, I was not alone.
My two secretaries accompanied me.
With these two at my side, there was no scenario where danger could even exist.
"Atem-sama should not need to go personally—"
"Then will you go in my place?" I asked calmly.
"That's right! You go talk to them!"
"Kufufufufu… in that case, we shall all go together."
Diablo's amusement was unmistakable.
Shion, as always, showed no intention of being left behind. I had already anticipated this. There was no world where I would allow her to go alone anyway.
At the moment, I was being held firmly in Shion's arms.
Both of them were in excellent condition, despite having gone through evolution only the day before.
Shion remained exactly the same—energetic, confident, and dangerously enthusiastic.
Diablo, on the other hand, was far from "unchanged."
His presence was sharper. Deeper. Something coiled beneath his smile.
"So," I said casually, "have you adjusted to your new power?"
"Kufufufu… thanks to you, Atem-sama, I have fully acquired my Ultimate Skill. Azazel, Lord of Temptation."
His voice carried unmistakable satisfaction.
"At last, I no longer need to endure Guy's
incessant boasting."
From Guy's perspective, Diablo was undoubtedly the more irritating one.
I was completely certain of that.
"If it bothered you so much," I said, "you could have obtained an Ultimate Skill on your own. You were already capable."
"No, no. That would not do," Diablo replied smoothly.
"If Guy had told me to obtain one, it would appear as imitation. That would be… distasteful."
I stared at him.
This was not logic. This was pride wrapped in obsession.
"Hmph," Shion cut in proudly. "Diablo is narrow-minded. Didn't the saying go—'to ask is a moment's shame, not to ask is a lifetime's shame'? Atem-sama taught me that. I always listen! Gobichi-dono even certified my cooking!"
I froze.
That… was not what had happened.
Gobichi had fled.
I chose not to correct her. Some illusions were safer intact.
Diablo, however, nodded thoughtfully.
"Ah, so that explains it. Gobichi-dono was hospitalized last time. Constant exposure to Shion's cooking would sicken anyone."
I sighed internally.
Yes. That tracks.
Benimaru would be hearing about this later. Thoroughly.
The moment we arrived on the hillside of the 70th floor, the reaction was immediate.
Every soldier in sight stood up at once and saluted.
Perfect form. Perfect timing.
Honestly, it was excessive.
I was the king of the enemy nation. The one who had annihilated their army.
Yet Diablo and Shion seemed quite pleased, so I let it pass.
"His Majesty Atem has arrived! Inform Sir Calgurio immediately!"
The camp erupted into motion.
A path was cleared through the rows of tents, leading toward a single large command tent. I was informed that Calgurio and his officers were holding a meeting inside.
When I entered, nearly a hundred officers stood simultaneously and saluted.
Their discipline was intact.
I took note of that.
Behind me stood Shion and Diablo.
Shion looked faintly disappointed that I had slipped from her arms.
I scanned the room.
"So," I said evenly, "all of the Empire's top brass is here."
"Y-Yes!"
Their voices overlapped in perfect unison.
I gestured for them to sit.
"Relax. I did not come here to execute anyone."
That alone caused a visible shift in the air.
"Adalmann will be unavailable for some time," I continued.
"So I came personally. If you have requests, now is the time."
Calgurio rose and bowed deeply.
"We are being treated generously. We have no complaints."
Stiff. Expected.
"Good," I said. "Then let us discuss what comes next."
"Yes!" Calgurio replied quickly.
"We… have a request."
That caught my attention.
"We ask that you allow us to remain here—for the time being."
I raised an eyebrow.
They explained.
Returning to the Empire would mean certain death.
I reacted instinctively.
"That's absurd. What kind of nation executes its soldiers simply for losing?"
Bernie answered before Calgurio could.
"An efficient one."
He explained calmly. Thoroughly.
And the more he spoke, the more disturbing it became.
A million lives sacrificed to awaken a single individual.
Madness.
"Hmmm…" I muttered. "Waiting for Veldora's revival… was that also part of it?"
"I cannot know Emperor Rudra's full thoughts," Bernie replied.
"But your interpretation aligns with the facts."
«Analysis complete. Hypothesis is internally consistent.»
—Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom
I scowled inwardly.
Using people as experimental material was not "interesting."
Still, the question remained.
Protecting 700,000 enemy soldiers inside Eterna was not trivial.
It would destabilize the Western Nations.
But sending them back was a death sentence.
I made my decision.
"In Eterna," I said, my voice firm, "we follow a
simple law: Those who do not work do not eat."
I paused.
"You will earn your place here."
Relief spread through the tent like wildfire.
"Yes!"
"At your service!"
Good.
"Then your first task is simple," I continued.
"The castle you destroyed—restore it. Design it. Build it. I will supply materials."
Calgurio bowed.
"As you command."
The discipline was immediate. Orders relayed.
With the matter of sheltering the defeated Imperial soldiers settled, only one objective remained.
Information.
Victory without intelligence was arrogance—and arrogance was fatal.
Because I intended to extract precise, actionable knowledge, I selected several of Calgurio's senior subordinates who had been directly involved in strategic operations. I ordered them to accompany me to the central war chamber, where a high-level council would be convened.
This would not be a courtesy meeting.
This would be a war council.
At this stage, the Empire did not yet know that Calgurio's force had been annihilated and resurrected. Their command structure would still be operating under false assumptions.
That advantage would not last forever.
We, however, were already aware of their movements.
I had personally informed Luminous Valentine of the confirmed mobilization of over three hundred airships advancing via the sea route.
‹Hmph. Let them come.›
Her reply had been calm—confident.
As agreed, Luminous would seal the northern approach, preventing Imperial forces from pushing south through holy territory. The Holy Empire of Lubelius was no ordinary nation. It housed elite Holy Knights, ancient bloodlines of vampires, and forces capable of engaging Demon Lord–class threats directly.
In the event that Lubelius faced overwhelming pressure, 150,000 Western Reserve Forces would be deployed in support.
Additionally, Testarossa's units were already positioned for immediate response.
Most importantly—
Hinata Sakaguchi stood beside Luminous.
That alone eliminated the possibility of a surprise collapse.
Still, war demanded vigilance, not confidence.
Once all participants had assembled, I surveyed the room and spoke.
"The council will begin."
Seventeen figures stood before me.
Including myself, there were eighteen.
At my right and left stood my secretaries—Shion and Diablo.
At the table were:
Grand Admiral Benimaru
Administrators Rigurd and Kaijin
Corps Commanders Gabil and Gobta
Advisor Hakurou
Intelligence officer Souei
Gadra, present as a key witness
Then came the three demons whose very existence warped the room:
Testarossa. Ultima. Carrera.
From the Empire:
Calgurio
Minits
Bernie
Jiwu
Introductions were made.
And then—
The Imperial officers learned the truth.
That Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera were Primordials.
The color drained from their faces.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
Their gazes burned with disbelief, fear, and a dawning realization of how utterly outmatched they had been.
Their discomfort was… understandable.
I chose to ignore it.
Any further delay would only fracture the momentum.
"Well," I said calmly, "tell me everything you can."
With a gesture, I activated Physical Magic: Anubis.
A three-dimensional projection bloomed above the table—airships, moving in disciplined formations across the sea.
The Imperial officers stiffened.
I turned my gaze to Calgurio.
"As agreed. Explain."
Despite the pressure, Calgurio did not falter.
"The Empire's Armored Corps includes an Air Assault Division," he began.
"A modern force consisting of four hundred airships."
He pointed to the projection.
"Three hundred are currently deployed. Each vessel carries a maximum of four hundred personnel. Operational crew requires fifty—leaving three hundred fifty passengers per ship."
Exactly as Gadra had reported.
"The transported force is the Magic Beast Corps, thirty thousand soldiers under General Gladium. Each soldier fights in coordination with a bonded magic beast."
A pause.
"In effect, they represent sixty thousand combatants."
The remaining passengers were logistical support, technicians, and sorcerer-class personnel responsible for maintaining the airships.
Command was assigned to Major General Zamud, a non-combatant strategist.
Then Calgurio bowed his head.
"I must speak plainly. Most of those deployed to Ingracia are apprentices. They are trained to operate airships—not to fight true battles. Their combat effectiveness will be… limited."
He hesitated.
"If possible… we ask that you show mercy to them."
The room went silent.
Then—
"You DARE?"
Shion's fury exploded.
"You invade our land, slaughter our people, and now you beg for mercy when you realize you're losing?!"
Calgurio went pale and bowed deeply.
I raised a hand.
"Enough."
Shion restrained herself—but only barely.
Calgurio swallowed and continued.
"We understand mercy cannot be guaranteed. Everything will proceed according to King Atem's will."
Good answer.
I leaned back slightly.
"Make no assumptions," I said evenly.
"Mercy is never promised in war."
Especially not when Magic Beast Corps were involved.
Their threat was real.
If Hinata or Lubelius suffered significant losses, compassion would become irrelevant.
War was not a game of ideals.
It was a game of survival.
I let the silence stretch.
Then I spoke again.
"The Empire believes this operation will proceed uncontested. They do not yet know Calgurio's fate."
That alone was decisive.
"Our defenses are prepared. Our allies are positioned. Still—there are no absolutes in war."
I glanced at the projection one last time.
"Next, we will discuss Dwargon and the eastern axis."
The real battlefield was only beginning to reveal itself.
And this time—
The Empire would learn what it meant to challenge a king who forges gods beneath his throne.