"What a cunning method."
Luminous said, "You demons have actually occupied the Great Jura Forest and secretly developed to such an extent."
"So the recent rumors about anomalies in the Great Jura Forest, which have stirred the entire continent, were also caused by you?"
"Something like that."
Ultima said as she opened a portal. "But you said one thing wrong."
"What?"
"The master of the Great Jura Forest is not a demon."
Ultima continued, "Rather, the four of us are merely that great one's servants."
"Servants…"
Luminous could not imagine it.
What kind of existence could make Ultima willingly lower herself to serve and praise him?
If this was true, if there really was a being who could make even Primordial Demon Progenitors willingly serve and submit, then he…
Luminous did not dare to think further.
His fearsome nature far exceeded her expectations.
As for the reason for calling her over this time, was it to demand an explanation?
Luminous sighed softly. She felt nervous and regretful that she had not clarified things before sending Hinata and her troops to assist the Kingdom of Falmuth.
"Ah, one more thing."
Ultima stepped into the teleportation circle, then turned back and smiled. "Those knights under your command, and Hinata, are currently safe in prison."
"Is Hinata still alive?!"
"Hmm."
Ultima said, "However, this is only temporary."
"You understand what I mean, right?"
"Hmm."
Whether Luminous could save Hinata and the others depended on her sincerity.
"Let's go."
Luminous stepped past Ultima. "I want to speak with your master personally."
"Tsk!"
Ultima's mouth twitched at her words. She really felt like hitting someone.
Fortunately, Ultima knew what Luminous was about to face.
This was not an invitation to afternoon tea.
....
Monster Nation, Demon Lord's Castle.
Rin returned from the Great Prison, bringing Hinata with him. She had already changed back into her pure white knight uniform.
The girl followed behind Rin, her face flushed crimson.
Hinata had, in the end, performed the naked dogeza earlier.
Yes, she had proven her resolve to Rin.
However, she had still underestimated the sheer shamefulness of such an act.
Even Hinata, who prided herself on her iron will and unwavering resolve, could not help showing girlish embarrassment whenever she recalled what had just happened.
In front of Rin, she felt she might never be able to hold her head high again.
She could only hope that Rin would keep his word and spare the Holy Knights.
As for Rin, he had originally intended for Hinata to pay a price.
How could he possibly forgive someone who had led an army to attack the Monster Nation with nothing more than an apology?
That humiliation was undoubtedly a tremendous blow to Hinata.
The same saying applied.
Different punishments carried different weight for different people.
For someone like Hinata, even a simple dogeza could break her, let alone a completely naked one.
Such an insult.
If anyone else had demanded it, Hinata would have fought them to the death.
But it was Rin.
Relying on his absolute strength and his status as the Creation Dragon God, he had forced Hinata into that position.
And Hinata's choice had satisfied Rin.
"Hmm?"
At the same time, Rin received a request for spatial transfer. "Are they back?"
"Approved."
As the thought settled, a dark vortex appeared in the main hall.
"Buzz!!"
Two figures stepped out of it, none other than Ultima and Luminous, who had arrived from the Holy Empire of Lubelius.
"Rin-sama!"
The moment Ultima appeared and saw Rin, she immediately knelt on one knee. "Mission accomplished. I have brought the Demon Lord Luminous!"
"You've worked hard, Ul."
Rin gestured for her to stand by his side, then looked down at the silver-haired girl standing below.
She was Luminous Valentine, one of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
"Hinata!"
Luminous did not look at Rin right away. Instead, her gaze locked onto Hinata standing beside him.
Seeing that Hinata was unharmed, Luminous finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Luminous-sama!"
Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She was deeply grateful that Luminous had come to save her.
But the problem was that the Monster Nation was nothing but a quagmire.
Luminous coming here was no different from stepping straight into a trap.
"I forgive your transgression."
"Go on."
Rin signaled that he would not restrict Hinata's movements, allowing her to rush over to Luminous and be thoroughly examined.
"Next, it's your turn, Luminous."
Rin sat on the throne, resting his cheek on his hand as he looked down at the two figures below. "Attacking my territory without any warning, do you have nothing to say?"
"I do not accept such an accusation!"
Luminous was not as fragile as Ultima had imagined. She met Rin's gaze directly. "Before this, I had never heard of any force established in the Great Jura Forest."
"Without an established power, this place is ownerless land, a neutral zone that anyone can freely pass through!"
In other words, Luminous denied that she had sent troops to attack the Monster Nation.
Since Rin had not established a country, the so-called borders and territorial claims of the Monster Nation did not exist.
You could say, "I live here, so this is my territory."
But Luminous did not know that.
Since she did not know, then this was not war, but exploration, adventure, and pioneering.
No matter how it was framed, Luminous would not admit to the crime of war.
Once the nature of war was acknowledged, the conflict between the Monster Nation and the Holy Empire of Lubelius would have to continue.
It was impossible to simply say, "You hit me, and I let it go."
If they did not retaliate, where would the dignity of the Monster Nation be?
In short, after recognizing the terrifying strength of the Monster Nation, Luminous absolutely could not allow such a situation to occur.
The Holy Empire of Lubelius could not withstand the might of the Monster Nation's forces.
"Heh…"
Rin smiled. He did not think Luminous was being overly arrogant or disrespectful toward him.
He was a reasonable person.
As long as the other party could present facts and logic, Rin did not mind playing by the rules of the game.
Of course, someone like the King of Falmuth was a different matter entirely.
Rin had severe intolerance toward stupidity.
He hated idiots.
In short, Rin accepted Luminous's statement.
After all, Luminous was different from Hinata and the others.
She had not personally attacked the Monster Nation, nor had she led an army to invade it.
From Luminous's perspective, the entire incident should have unfolded like this.
One day, Hinata prepared to raise troops to subjugate the monsters in the Great Jura Forest and reported the plan to Luminous.
Luminous knew the Great Jura Forest well. It was neutral, ownerless land.
If Hinata wanted to hunt monsters there, Luminous had no reason to refuse.
It was just that an accident occurred during the process.
As the fog of war cleared, the Holy Empire of Lubelius discovered Rin's Monster Nation.
"Regarding this matter, I apologize to you and am willing to compensate the Monster Nation for its losses."
In terms of position, Luminous refused to acknowledge that this was a hostile war against Rin. This was a matter of dignity.
But in practical terms, Luminous chose to concede.
There would be compensation, but in name, it could not be called war reparations.
"What do you think of this?"
After finishing her words, Luminous took a deep breath and then nodded toward Rin as she asked.
To be honest, Luminous could not see through Rin at all.
Since stepping out of the teleportation channel, she had been carefully observing him.
The other party clearly emitted no aura or pressure, yet he gave her a sense of suppression at the level of life itself.
Yes, life level!
It felt like standing before a higher existence, naturally placing her one step below.
This left Luminous deeply unsettled.
She could not imagine that after already awakening as a True Demon Lord, there could still be a being more noble than her in this world.
"Alright."
Rin had already punished Hinata and the others, and Luminous, as their superior, had shown sufficient sincerity.
"Hoo~"
Seeing Rin relent, Luminous finally relaxed.
"Since that's the case, I'll take Hinata back first."
Luminous said, "As for the specific matters, I will let—"
"Crack crack~"
Before Luminous could finish her sentence, the space-time of the entire main hall was suddenly enveloped by an invisible force, and faint translucent cracks appeared.
This instantly put Luminous on high alert.
"You!"
"What does this mean?"
Luminous entered a combat-ready stance and stared at Rin, believing he was about to make a move.
"You've misunderstood something."
Rin shook his head. "I only said I forgive your transgression."
"But I never agreed to let you leave just like that."
"Moreover, since Miss Luminous has come all this way, wouldn't it seem that my Monster Nation lacks etiquette if you don't take a proper tour?"
Without question, Rin had invited Luminous over with no intention of letting her leave easily.
"This, is it house arrest?"
"That's not the case."
"I merely hope you will be a guest here temporarily. Once the affairs of the Monster Nation are settled, whether you stay or leave, I will not interfere."
What were the current affairs of the Monster Nation?
The most important task, naturally, was the expansion into the new world, the God Slayer Ultimate Skill Plundering Plan.
Once Luminous returned, the existence of the Monster Nation would inevitably be exposed to the world.
Rin did not really care.
With his current strength, no one in the Cardinal World was worth his concern.
It was just that.
Things should be handled one at a time.
Dealing with enemies one by one had always been Rin's style.
"Isn't that a bit excessive?"
Luminous clenched her fists as faint crimson magicules quietly surged around her.
Seeing this, Ultima flashed forward and appeared in front of her. "Don't be foolish, Luminous!"
Hinata, whose seal had already been undone, stood beside Luminous.
Even with her mental defenses shattered, Hinata was still an Awakened Demon Lord who had faced death head-on.
She was afraid of Rin.
But no matter how afraid she was, Hinata would not lack the resolve to fight to the death.
For Luminous, she was still willing to fight to the end!
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh whoosh!"
As the fluctuations of magicules spread from the Demon Lord's Castle, figures appeared one after another in the great hall.
As Rin's subordinates, his spatial blockade naturally did not restrict his own people.
Thus, Rimuru, Diablo, Testarossa, Artoria, Treyni, Justeaze, Carrera, and Ogerpon all appeared.
With the arrival of eight Awakened Demon Lords, the magicules within the Demon Lord's Castle seemed to boil, surging to an unimaginable level.
"This…"
Seeing this scene, Luminous's pupils instantly contracted.
Every single one of them was at least as strong as Ultima.
From several of them, Luminous even sensed a fatal threat.
True Demon Lords.
Eight of them, and with Ultima included, a total of nine Awakened Demon Lords!
At this moment, despair filled Luminous's heart.
She had originally believed that with the Ten Great Demon Lords backing her, no matter how confident Rin was, he would never openly challenge Guy and the others.
She was wrong.
The Monster Nation's strength surpassed that of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
Even among the Ten Great Demon Lords, there were only seven True Demon Lords, and only four possessed Ultimate Skills.
There was no comparison.
The gap was too great.
Luminous knew very well that she could not leave.
"Oh my, oh my, why is it so lively today?"
Velzard appeared beside Rin, sitting sideways on the armrest of the throne, one arm wrapped around her younger brother's neck.
"!!!"
If Velzard's appearance alone was enough to shock Luminous,
Then the next figure made her completely abandon all restraint and curse aloud.
"Veldora! You bastard, you actually revived!!!"
That's right.
Sensing the disturbance at the Demon Lord's Castle, Veldora, who had been cooped up at home reading manga, rushed over immediately.
However, what he did not expect was.
The moment he appeared, he was greeted with curses.
"What's going on?"
Veldora looked completely confused.
Who on earth had he offended?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)◇◇◇
◇ I'll be dropping two bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)