Alabasta Capital · Alubarna
A Royal Army soldier stood on the city wall, observing the distant horizon, when he suddenly noticed a massive cloud of dust appearing from the south.
As the dust cloud drew closer, the soldier finally discerned its true nature.
Countless rebel soldiers, like a swarm of locusts, were rapidly approaching Alubarna.
Seeing this, the Royal Army soldier frantically rang the alarm bell, his face filled with panic as he shouted loudly:
"Lord Jackal! Large-scale rebel movements have been detected in the south! An estimated two million rebel troops are approaching from the south!"
"Damn it! They're coming this fast?"
Jackal, draped in a large cloak, muttered in a low, solemn voice.
He then looked up and loudly commanded the Royal Army soldiers on the city wall:
"East, West, South, Southeast, Southwest, hold all city gates to the death! Absolutely do not let the rebels step one foot inside the city gates!"
The soldiers, clad in armor and white windproof cloaks, holding long spears, shouted in unison:
"Yes! We swear to defend the Royal Capital to the death!!!"
Jackal looked at the morale of the Royal Army, and a sliver of confidence in holding the Royal Capital grew within him.
Meanwhile, at Alubarna's West Gate, Mr2 · Bentham shielded his eyes from the sun, looking at the distant dust cloud with a shocked expression.
"What an astonishing number! To actually want to stop them, the Princess truly is a crazy clown!"
"But will that crazy clown really come?"
The other members of Baroque Works ignored Bentham's frantic behavior.
Mr.1's partner, Salome, with her blue curly hair, spoke with a relaxed expression:
"Heh heh! Once the war begins, even the Princess will be helpless!"
"That's right, let this war begin quickly!"
On the city wall, as the rebels drew closer, the Royal Army soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, as if this could bring them a sense of security.
The captains of each squad loudly commanded their soldiers to quickly load ammunition into the cannons.
"What a powerful tremor!"
Jackal's adjutant, standing beside him, a drop of cold sweat running down his face, said as he looked into the distance.
"The enemy, after all, numbers two million! It's normal for the ground to shake, don't be afraid!"
Jackal also looked solemnly at the increasingly close rebel army in the distance.
"Lord Kohza! Should we begin the siege immediately?"
Kohza's adjutant, riding a camel, asked as he looked at the distant Royal Capital.
"No, inform everyone to set up camp on the spot!"
Kohza also said, looking at the Royal Capital. In truth, deep down, he couldn't believe that the Dance Powder incident was privately orchestrated by King Cobra.
After all, Cobra had watched him grow up since he was a child, and he still held great respect for the King in his heart.
But now, with the Royal Family lacking proof of their innocence, he could only personally lead his people to seek justice for the sake of the citizens.
Even so, he wanted to give the Royal Family one last chance.
"Lord Jackal! The rebels actually didn't immediately attack the city. What exactly are they thinking?"
Jackal's adjutant asked with a puzzled expression, looking at the rebels' actions below the city.
"I'm not sure either, but the rebels probably won't attack immediately."
Jackal looked solemnly at the massive rebel army below, a hint of worry flashing in his heart.
Just as Jackal was concerned about the number of rebels below the city.
At this moment, a team of several hundred desert riders in the desert not far outside the Royal Capital was rapidly rushing towards the Royal Capital.
"Yahoo! Charge! First place is mine!"
Zhong Chen, riding a camel, shouted, leading the way, closely followed by Milim, who was hot on his heels.
"Charge! Come on! Overtake A Chen! Little camel!"
Milim, riding on the camel's back, had an excited smile on her face. Seeing the two racing camels, everyone following behind couldn't help but shake their heads.
"Um, Your Highness Rimuru! Is Mr. Zhong Chen usually like this?"
Vivi looked at Zhong Chen, who was competing with Milim like a child, and asked Rimuru with an incredulous expression.
"Uh… well… A Chen is usually a bit… uninhibited! But at critical moments, he's also the most reliable!"
Rimuru explained to Vivi with an expression that said, "Don't worry, A Chen is still very dependable when it counts."
"I never expected Mr. Zhong Chen to have such a side!"
Zoro and the others said with emotion, looking at Zhong Chen's back as he rode the camel.
The first time they met Zhong Chen, the impression he gave them was that of a gentle and powerful super expert.
Now, they suddenly felt their expert filter had shattered.
"But this side of Mr. Zhong Chen isn't unlikable!"
"Awesome! I want to join too!"
Chopper looked at the backs of the two racing camels with an envious expression.
"Alright, Chopper, our main priority now is to quickly reach the Royal Capital and stop this war! Once this is over, you can play however you want!"
Nami comforted Chopper with a slight smile.
"Okay!"
... Slime World · Falmus Kingdom
Diablo looked at the city below, which had already been reduced to ruins, and asked his subordinate with a cold expression:
"Are the people in this city not planning to surrender?"
The demon in the black uniform quickly replied after hearing this:
"Yes, all the nobles have been purged! It's just that most of the commoners still refuse to surrender!"
Upon hearing this, Diablo turned his head and gave the reporting demon subordinate a cold glance.
"Do you not know Lord Chen's command? Do I need to repeat it to you again?"
Hearing Diablo's icy words, the demon's heart instantly trembled, and he quickly replied:
"Yes! This subordinate understands!"
"If you make this mistake again… you know the consequences!"
Diablo was displeased that this subordinate had not fully grasped Lord Chen's command.
If it weren't for the fact that killing him directly would affect his standing in the hearts of Lord Chen and Rimuru, he would have acted long ago.
In fact, one shouldn't be fooled by Diablo's always respectful demeanor in front of Zhong Chen and Rimuru.
But Diablo never held others in high regard in front of anyone else.
At most, he would treat Sakuya, Benimaru, and others slightly more seriously because of their good relationship with Zhong Chen and Rimuru.
As for the demons Diablo brought from the Demon Realm.
In his eyes, they were all merely tools to better serve Zhong Chen and Rimuru. If a tool wasn't useful anymore, he wouldn't mind replacing it directly.
In fact, it wasn't just these demons.
Even the three Primordial Demons Diablo later found in the original work.
They were merely tools he found so he could better stay by Rimuru's side.
Diablo looked at his subordinate's departing back and thought of Zhong Chen and Rimuru, who were far away in the New World, a graceful smile appearing on his face.
Thinking that Lord Rimuru wouldn't eat well or sleep well without him serving, Diablo couldn't help but shiver all over.
"Ah! Lord Chen! Lord Rimuru! This subordinate will soon be able to continue serving by your side!"