Chapter 422: Fall of the Armenia Kingdom
No, he was wrong.
Li Meng realized it.
Tabesa's choice was the best possible outcome for all of humanity.
After all, becoming his vassal race wouldn't cause too many changes to human society.
If the human kingdoms surrendered and pledged loyalty to him,
Li Meng naturally wouldn't go on a killing spree.
"Alright, we'll go with your idea!"
Li Meng reached out and climbed that towering mountain.
So soft, so tender...
Why are females naturally attractive to males?
Why does it feel so comfortable to touch?
Even after becoming a goblin,
Even after becoming a being comparable to a god,
Li Meng could still find pleasure in women.
"Master!"
Tabesa called out seductively.
That charming voice made Li Meng's scalp tingle.
"Tabesa, let's take a break."
Tabesa blushed slightly, a trace of shyness flashing in her eyes.
She nodded lightly, her gaze flickering.
Li Meng stood up,
Pulled Tabesa, and walked toward the inner room.
Time passed bit by bit, and the night deepened.
No matter how long the night, dawn would eventually arrive.
As the morning light rose in the eastern sky, a new day was announced.
As the light bathed the earth, the vast Menia City gradually became lively.
The once chaotic royal palace was undergoing emergency repairs.
By near noon, the Royal Hall was finally tidy again.
Although the glass was still shattered,
The hall was at least much cleaner.
Early in the morning, Bartro had sent people to notify the surviving royal ministers.
As the sun rose higher,
The ministers arrived at the palace one after another.
Soon, the Royal Hall was bustling.
Hundreds lined up, leaving a pathway in the middle.
On the left were officers of the Royal Guard.
The officers were also candidates for military command.
Any military matters of the kingdom would be handled by the officers.
On the right were the nobles in long robes.
There were nobles of honor and territory lords.
"We've lost, haven't we?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"I thought I'd die last night."
"Same here."
"Why has His Majesty summoned us today?"
"No idea!"
"Since we lost, why hasn't anything happened?"
"Did His Majesty surrender to the demons?"
"No... impossible!"
The king had not yet appeared.
This led the ministers to whisper among themselves.
Last night's experience had been too dangerous.
Many ministers had died in the war.
Not only had people died, but mansions were destroyed.
Some ministers' mansions had been reduced to ashes.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the Royal Hall.
Soon, King Bartro entered the hall escorted by Royal Guards.
"The king is here!"
The arrival of the king silenced the hall.
Everyone watched the figure walking towards the throne.
Bartro, in his luxurious royal robe, ascended the platform to the throne.
He turned and sat down.
Once seated, Bartro's expression turned serious.
"Today's gathering is for two announcements!"
"First, from now on, the Armenia Kingdom will become a vassal of His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!"
"Second, from now on, angels will no longer be the faith of the Armenia Kingdom. The spread of angelic belief is forbidden!"
Bartro's words stirred an uproar in the Royal Hall.
Aside from the Royal Guard officers,
The ministers were all stunned.
The Armenia Kingdom had become a vassal?
Also, who was the Demon God Emperor?
Bartro nodded at Tabesa, the High Priest, beside the throne.
Then he stood up, and both of them knelt.
The temple knights and divine-level powerhouses at the front also knelt.
"Hail His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!"
Bartro and the strong ones shouted together.
This scene left the noble ministers bewildered.
After three chants, the upper space of the hall suddenly shattered.
A rift resembling a black hole formed.
The next moment, tall, ferocious figures emerged from the rift.
Leading them was Li Meng, clad in black battle gear.
Behind him followed Adelaide, Kakada, and Myris.
The four walked as if on an invisible floor in the air.
Myris curiously stomped,
It felt like stepping on a water surface, soft and rippling.
"Demons... demons!"
The nobles stared in terror at the figures above.
Many nobles even collapsed in fear.
Kakada grinned menacingly at the terrified humans,
causing another wave of screams.
"Kaka, humans are so amusing!"
Kakada mocked them.
Hearing Kakada, Li Meng smirked slightly.
He stepped down, sending ripples through space.
A massive spiritual pressure engulfed the hall.
The humans' faces turned pale.
Those who hadn't knelt before fell to the ground.
Fear gripped their hearts, making them tremble uncontrollably.
It felt as if invisible hands were strangling their hearts,
Making it hard to breathe.
Even Adelaide and the others behind Li Meng were drenched in cold sweat.
Every step was arduous, as if burdened with immense weight.
"It's him, he's here!"
Vivian in the hall looked up with difficulty at the figure above.
Li Meng walked step by step towards the throne.
When his feet touched the ground, he was right before the throne.
He sat down without hesitation.
At that moment, the pressure vanished.
The hall echoed with the sound of urgent breathing.
Adelaide and the others hurried to stand by the throne.
"You are Bartro?"
Li Meng looked down at the kneeling Bartro.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am Bartro, King of the Armenia Kingdom!"
Bartro didn't dare lift his head.
Cold sweat dripped onto the floor.
Only now did Bartro understand why his aunt said humanity had no chance.
Just the pressure near this being was suffocating.
What kind of terrifying existence was this?
"Bartro, the war isn't over yet!"
Bartro trembled,
Lowered his head even more.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will immediately dispatch troops to attack the Free City-States!"
Li Meng turned to Adelaide.
"Adelaide, you three attack toward the southeast!"
There were dozens of human kingdoms.
The smallest had a few hundred thousand people,
The largest had tens of millions.
Due to the feudal system of the Holy Kingdom,
After its collapse, territories fragmented.
Various lords declared independence.
After centuries of conflicts, only twenty-odd kingdoms remained.
Among them, seven were the strongest.
The rest were their vassals.
"Your Majesty, the Dragon Kingdom is powerful. Should we send reinforcements to Orc?"
The Dragon Kingdom was one of the top three human kingdoms.
Adelaide worried that Demon King "Orc" might fail.
If he failed,
It would impact the others.
The Dragon Kingdom lay in the northwest of the Southern Continent.
If it wasn't dealt with, the demon army risked a backstab.
"No need, I'll deal with that mother dragon myself!"
Each demon king had their mission.
The Moon Demon race was attacking along the west coast,
The Lizardmen were attacking the Dragon Kingdom.
Upon hearing this, the demon kings reacted slightly.
They knew a giant dragon guarded the Dragon Kingdom.
Even demons feared angering dragons,
For an adult dragon rivaled a demon king's strength,
Even surpassing them in battle.
Dragons were the world's favored children,
Claiming to be its guardians,
Born at the top of the food chain.
Originally, the demons hadn't planned to attack the Dragon Kingdom.
But His Majesty the Demon God Emperor's arrival changed everything.
Mother dragon?
Hearing Li Meng's words, everyone realized
The guardian dragon of the Dragon Kingdom was still alive.
Rumors had said it had died centuries ago,
But who knew if they were true?
Regardless, the dragon hadn't appeared for a long time,
Making people wonder if something had happened to it.
Li Meng rose from the throne.
Not far ahead, space shattered, forming a rift.
He walked toward the rift.
Before stepping inside, his voice echoed:
"Adelaide, I leave the rest to you."
As his voice fell, Li Meng entered the rift.
It collapsed and vanished.
"Farewell, His Majesty the Demon God Emperor!"
Everyone shouted in unison.
After three chants, the humans finally wiped their sweat and stood up.
The departure lifted the oppressive atmosphere.
The mood on the throne platform was heavy.
Those three burly figures were fearsome demons,
Humankind's ancient enemies.
Humans and demons had never ceased warring.
Now, former enemies were colleagues.
Compared to Bartro's awkwardness, Adelaide seemed relaxed.
To demons, war was an essential entertainment.
In their eyes, there were no enemies,
Only worthy opponents.
Adelaide turned to Bartro.
"King Bartro, you are a king of humans, and we are kings of demons. Regardless of past grudges between our races, now we all serve His Majesty the Demon God Emperor. All old grudges should be wiped clean."
"His Majesty's goal is to conquer the entire Southern Continent. Our task is to fulfill that goal."
"The Armenia Kingdom is heavily damaged and lacks enough troops to attack the Free City-States. You need only send a war mage unit to join the demon army."
Adelaide didn't value human armies.
Though they had some professionals,
Most soldiers were ordinary.
Since the Armenia Kingdom had surrendered,
Bartro naturally wouldn't oppose.
The kingdom was battered and weak,
Just as Adelaide said.
"Very well, I will immediately arrange for a mage unit to join the demon army!"
Former enemies were now comrades.
Bartro felt bittersweet.
The appearance of the Demon God Emperor had changed both demons and humans.
---
Space Barrier.
On a surface like water, Li Meng walked slowly.
Spatial turbulence occasionally surged from all directions.
He didn't walk straight,
Often changing direction erratically.
"The space barrier is amazing, like shrinking the real world countless times!"
One step here equaled thousands of kilometers in reality.
The space inside wasn't flat.
Beyond the interface was void.
There was no gravity,
But the interface had stickiness,
Making the feet feel suction.
Normally, you couldn't perceive the outside world from inside.
Even if you left the barrier,
You'd appear randomly somewhere in reality.
Lucky ones would land on land,
Unlucky ones in the sky, underground,
Or even in space.
Yet Li Meng could pinpoint his destination.
Even he didn't know how.
In the space barrier, strange changes happened to him.
Information about the entire Augus Planet flooded his mind,
As if he became an all-knowing god.
He didn't understand why.
But he felt it was related to the shadow from his dreams.
Maybe the space barrier was dangerous,
And the shadow didn't want him to die here.
Thus he gained strange information.
Here, it was as if he had precognitive sight,
Sensing turbulence ahead of time.
[Master, are you heading to the Dragon Kingdom?]
"I'll go meet her, and the Dragon Queen too."
[Master, you must not fight anymore.]
"Using strategy to win? That's too much brainwork, not for me!"
[Master, your current power is enough to sweep through all human kingdoms on the Southern Continent. You just need to be patient.]
Patience, huh?
Li Meng stopped, contemplating.
The demon army had a million mercenaries, countless strong warriors,
Plus the surrendered Armenia Kingdom's elites.
Their strength could sweep the continent.
But even so,
Their casualties would be huge.
Just the Menia City battle had cost them nearly thirty thousand lives.
And there would be many more battles to come.
In life-or-death moments, humans could unleash unimaginable strength.