Guy Crimson lowered his hand from his forehead, his crimson eyes sweeping across the newly expanded circle of Demon Lords. The lighter atmosphere surrounding Rimuru's recognition evaporated instantly, replaced by a suffocating, ancient gravity.
"Now for the primary reason this council was convened," Guy said, his voice quiet and heavy. "Loki. Give the council your account of Feldway's appearance during our duel."
Loki ceased twirling his coin, resting his hands flat against the obsidian table. "It wasn't an eastern warlord or an awakening hero. It was Feldway."
A sharp, collective shift rippled through the older members of the council. Luminous Valentine's heterochromatic eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, while Dagruel's massive frame sat bolt upright.
"The duel was interrupted before either Guy or I could strike a decisive blow," Loki continued, his eyes entirely serious. "Feldway didn't just display the authority of the First Angel. He claimed that Heaven had authority over my angelic half and tried to recall me through it. Before retreating, Feldway told me directly that the Heavenly Star Palace would call for me again when Veldanava's resurrection begins."
Loki paused, glancing across the table at Rimuru before adding a firm clarification. "And before anyone starts spinning conspiracies about my own origin in light of Feldway's claims/ My nature as the Eighth Primordial is not the result of Veldanava secretly designing another demon. My soul occupied an anomalous dual-aspected possibility that already existed between the original demon and angel systems."
Guy nodded slowly, validating Loki's words. "I can confirm Feldway's identity. He is the first of the Seven Angels of Origin created by Veldanava. If he has descended from the Heavenly Star Palace, it means Heaven's remaining forces are actively moving again."
Guy leaned forward, placing his elbows on the obsidian table as his crimson gaze hardened. "Feldway is not alone. If he has begun moving openly, we should assume that the angelic forces still aligned with him are moving as well. These are not human armies you stop at a border. They operate through spiritual bodies, dimensional passage, and authority tied directly to Veldanava's old system. If they are mobilizing, assume the forces built around their authority are preparing for a coordinated descent."
Leon Cromwell leaned back slightly. "The body you fought in the Barren Lands. Was it his original one?"
Loki's expression tightened. "No. The vessel carried Feldway's authority, but the connection between soul and body was wrong. It was a substitute."
Leon's eyes narrowed into cold, calculating slits. "So the entity that disrupted your duel and attempted to drag you back to the celestial realm was operating through a temporary proxy."
Guy tapped one long finger against the stone table. "That substitute body was dangerous enough, but it was still only a vessel. Nobody here should assume we have seen the limits of Feldway's true body."
Rimuru frowned, looking between Loki and Guy. "Wait—so that substitute body managed to withstand your clash with Guy, targeted Loki's angelic aspect directly, and it still wasn't his actual physical form?"
"Pretty much," Loki said with a grim chuckle. "Comforting, isn't it?"
"Not even slightly," Rimuru muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his new seat.
Luminous Valentine folded her hands together, resting them delicately on the table. "Did his attempt to recall you rely on physical proximity, Loki? Or does his authority bypass dimensional distance entirely?"
"It bypassed ordinary distance," Loki answered directly. "The recall wasn't a physical leash or a spatial portal; it targeted my angelic nature from within. It was an intrinsic command line built into the origin system."
At the mention of Heaven's remaining forces, Dino, who usually slouched in his chair with supreme indifference became noticeably quiet. He pulled his hands into his sleeves, his gaze dropping to the dark stone table as a tense, uncomfortable stillness settled over him. Luminous and Leon both noted the sudden shift in his demeanor, eyes lingering on the Sleeping Ruler with quiet suspicion, though neither pushed the matter in the open chamber.
"He made his ultimate objective clear," Loki pressed on. "They intend to resurrect Veldanava."
At Veldanava's name, Milim went completely still. Even Ramiris stopped fidgeting.
Milim's boisterous demeanor vanished instantly. Her small hands clutched the armrests of her chair, her expression twisting into a raw, emotionally complicated strain. It was not simple joy at the prospect of seeing her father again, nor was it outright disbelief; it was a fractured mix of childhood grief, protective instinct for her current life, and deep, uneasy dread over what a forced resurrection might cost the world. Frey gently placed a reassuring hand on Milim's shoulder, feeling Milim's magicules surge beneath her hand.
"Don't talk about him like he's a weapon you can just bring back," Milim said, her voice dropping into a quiet, trembling register that lacked any of her usual boisterous humor. "If they're trying to force Papa back into the world... I want to know if it's really him, or just something using his name."
Dagruel rumbled. "If Feldway truly means to restore the Star King Dragon, the balance we've maintained for centuries won't survive unchanged. An entity of that magnitude being forcibly pulled back into physical reality will rewrite the power structure of every continent."
Rimuru leaned forward, looking across the ring of ancient rulers. "So we need to know where they're moving before they can hit one of us alone. If Heaven is mobilizing, an isolated nation won't survive a focused strike. At minimum, we need a shared intelligence network."
"Do not mistake shared danger for unified rule, newly minted Lord," Leon responded coldly. "A shared network is one thing, but do not assume this council will operate under a single military command. I will share intelligence regarding angel movements near my borders, but I will not place my forces or my domain under Guy's or anyone else's authority."
"Agreed," Luminous added smoothly. "Lubelius will exchange information on spiritual disruptions and unusual celestial phenomena, but our armies remain our own. A unified command structure creates a central point of failure and invites betrayal."
Ramiris hovered near her seat, wringing her hands nervously. "I can keep watch around the Dwelling of Spirits! If something starts tearing through the dimensional boundary near my realm, I'll report it right away!"
"That is sufficient," Guy said, accepting the boundaries without argument. "None of us are foolish enough to surrender sovereignty, even under a threat of this scale."
Loki observed the exchange with a quiet, knowing smirk. He understood the political reality of the council better than most: even a shared existential threat would not automatically forge trust among ancient monsters who had spent centuries defining their own borders. Mutual survival would buy cooperation, but never subservience.
"So we watch our borders, share what we see, and prepare for the worst," Rimuru summarized, digesting the unspoken tension around the table.
Guy nodded, his crimson aura flaring subtly as he delivered his final assessment.
"An intelligence exchange will suffice for now," Guy stated, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "Protect your own lands, but keep your eyes on the skies. Feldway's failed retrieval attempt in the Barren Lands was not a defeat, it was likely only the first move in a resurrection plan that is already well underway."
---
Find early chapters on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]