The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King Chapter 14

Demon King Ashta’s Plan

The frontlines were in chaos.

The kobolds were shouting, and the wraiths cooley snuffed them out.

And then the lion-headed warrior sent the wraiths extravagantly back to their graves.

For a moment, there was an odd sort of balance to it, but this could not be sustained for long.

The kobolds had limited numbers, and there were even fewer wraiths.

The line would crumble soon.

And then it happened. Just as the last wraith was exterminated by Sabnac, the kobolds turned to attack me. But they became victims of my magic.

Well, martial arts.

My body was enhanced with magic, allowing me to dodge their attacks and retaliate with a fist full of power.

The kobolds went flying into the air with a single hit. The lion warrior saw this.

“Ho ho.”

He snarled.

“I thought there would only be a green infant here. But, you surprise me… So, you are Ashtaroth.”

“It’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance?”

I say lightheartedly, but Sabnac does not smile.

“I’ve heard the reports. The slender, magician-like man is the new Demon King. You match the description.”

“I think they forgot handsome?”

“I don’t have time for your jokes.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You smeared mud on my face. You used me to attack the humans so you could steal from my storage houses. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of such cowardice before.”

“I did ask for your protection, but I don’t remember signing any official documents.”

“So anything goes without a promise written on paper?”

“I suppose. …Well, that makes me quite the villain, doesn’t it?”

I laugh self-deprecatingly and pick up a fallen short sword.

It had been used by a kobold not long ago.

And I did not need to ask for permission.

“In this case, we must let our weapons do the talking.”

“I see. So you are fully prepared to have your head removed.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. It might be you whose head separates from his body.”

“You are below a novice with the sword. I see no reason that I would lose.”

“Yes, but my magic is quite different.”

“So this will be swords against magic then? Amusing.”

Sabnac spat, and raised his greatsword into the air.

It was a slow move, but I didn’t feel like pressing in for an attack yet. I would probably be split right down the middle if I did.

And that’s what happened.

A second later, Sabnac’s greatsword swung down and severed me in two.

It was a clean cut that went from head to groin, but I could still speak.

Because he had cut through an illusion.

Sabnac knew it immediately by the lack of resistance.

“Tsk!”

He snarled.

“You think you’re clever!”

“Maybe a little.”

I attack from the shadows.

I was not within his range of vision and was able to slide my short sword into his side.

–Or not, he moved out of the way with an inhumanely quick reflex.

“You’re quick. Like a cat.”

“I am a lion! The lion king!”

Unamused at being called a cat, the lion king swung his sword with all of the force he could manage.

The power was overwhelming, the blade barely slid past me and slammed into the ground. The impact was not too different from ‘meteor.’

A large hole appeared next to me.

I felt fear as I looked at it. But that would not do.

I had to calmly assess the situation.

In a one-on-one fight, he had an advantage.

I felt this now, and so I moved back while launching fireballs at him. Then I called the remaining orc soldiers that had been left near the throne room.

Even while Sabnac struck fear into them, they had held their shields ready and continued to guard.

“Fool! Do you think that orcs will make a difference?”

Sabnac immediately dominated the battlefield he was in, but surprisingly, he was struggling a little due to the magic attacks.

His abilities in a duel was unquestionable, but dealing with ranged attacks and magic were clearly not his strong point.

If I could maintain this condition, the battle might just end right here. But Sabnac still wore a smile that showed he was far from over.

And so I asked him.

“You seem pleased, Sabnac. Are you certain of your victory?”

“Indeed. All you can do is try to buy time. But I wonder, who will really gain by this battle stretching out?”

“What do you mean?”

“This ditch you dug is impressive for the time you had to make it, but it does not surround your castle completely. I hear that the back is unprotected.”

“How did you know?”

I pretend to be surprised.

“Because I am not a fool. My scouts have told me.”

“I see. I suppose you have a hidden unit somewhere that will attack us from the rear?”

“Well, it seems that I made myself clear enough.”

Sabnac said confidently, and he was right to feel confident.

Ashtaroth castle really wasn’t protected in the back, by moat or soldiers. If they did come from that side, they could flow into the castle, and all would be over. That was how unguarded it was.

“Soon, very soon, my best soldiers will sweep into this area. High kobolds, the strongest among my kobolds. And they will destroy your core.”

“And having my core destroyed means game over, is that right?”

“It is.”

“Well, I must stop that from happening then.”

“You don’t decide that.”

And then Sabnac pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket and threw it.

It smashed on the ground and emitted a magical light.

This crystal seemed to be infused with power, and it was a tool that allowed non-magic users to use magic just once.

This one was for ‘farsight,’ and now, Ashtaroth castle’s rear gate was displayed in the sky.

It switched to a bird’s eye view now. And you could clearly see that a group of high kobolds was moving towards the gate.

“This image is delayed by a dozen or more minutes. That means my soldiers will be here at any moment now.”

“I see, delayed. I thought something was strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean? Have you gone mad?”

“Hardly, I feel quite calm right now. Demon King Sabnac, your farsight is too weak. Do you mind if we switch to mine?”

I didn’t bother to wait for a reply, and with a few words, the spell was complete.

The newly displayed image was of the kobolds in front of the gate.

Sabnac looked at it with shock.

“Wh-what is?!”

Half of Sabnac’s high kobolds were not in the castle, but in a pit in front of the gate.

Yes, I had had a few engineers work to dig a hole in front of the gate.

And Sabnac did exactly what I had hoped he would.

I looked at him now. His shoulders were shaking and his expression was full of rage.

He was fighting the impulse to come and tear my throat open.

But I felt quite reinvigorated as I looked at him.

These were the moments of pure bliss that you felt right after your plan has worked.