Ascension Rebirth - Plan of attack

CHAPTER XXIX

PART ONE

An air of tension filled the room as all 13 [Demon Generals] of Vertloch were lined up along the red carpet leading up to the [Demon Lord's] throne. The one who stood above all of us, [Astaroth De Signa] looked at us as she began to explain the situation at hand.

We all stood keenly trying to listen in on what she wanted to speak out from that small mouth of hers.

Thinking back to when I first met her, paying heed only to her numeric values I judged her to be some stupidly strong character from the beginning. While even now that is still true to some extent I have become more aware now. I've also gained a few levels so I know, that where is right now isn't unreachable.

She's certainly powerful, I won't dispute that. However it would only really take the efforts of maybe 2 or 3 generals here to bring her down.

Of course I'm not suggesting we should all immediately mutiny against her, but I'm only trying to put it out there that she isn't some supreme being and that even she has her limits.

So then, Why am I saying all this? It's to show you a contrast between our current strength and the person we are trying to fight. When she spoke to us about the current predicament she uttered a name that I had knowledge of.

[Dian Cecht]. The same one from 500 years ago, or so I presume.

It had to be.

Astaroth brought her strongest hand all together, that can only mean that a threat that requires us to band together has come about.

In any case, I did have knowledge of this being.

Unfortunately I did not have a counter-plan ready for when I were to encounter him, in fact all I didn't even think I would from the beginning. According to Lorelei's story he was supposed to have been slain in the ancient capital of Arune. I was under the assumption that death was a permanent status.

After a little more contemplation I felt short-sighted.

My thinking wasn't nearly at the level it should have been, even after I've made the grand conviction of bring down the gods.

I grimaced at my own incompetence. This was an even that I should've foreseen happening.

Dian Cecht: the knowledge I have on him from my previous life mentions that he is the [God of healing]. Since that was the case why did I think that he wouldn't be able to find some way of reviving himself?

He's the one who made Nodens' silver arm and restored his godhood.

I'm not discontent at his revival, that should've been an obvious event. I'm simply disappointed in myself for not coming up for any sort of contingency plan for when he did.

After all this time I spent researching and planning, this is the extent of it. I didn't have everything under control, things were happening faster than I had expected.

Don't get me wrong, with the amount of powerful beings gathered here I have no doubt it would be easily handled, but what about next time?

If my unpreparedness catches me off guard at a crucial moment, what would I do then? I promised myself that I would do my utmost to ensure that nothing bad ever happens to anyone close to me.

… I'm well aware that this is simply my vain pride, but that's also a distinct part of who I am. I've come to accept that.

Amidst my internal monologue, Astaroth continues to speak.

"I'll let Kyrios take over the explanations. He has more details and knowledge about the situation and about the god Dian Cecht."

She turns over the spotlight to Kyrios who had been standing in the shadows this whole time. The enigmatic masked man walks up to the edge of the steps and begins to speak with that signature charismatic voice of his.

"As some of you may already have guessed, Dian Cecht is the name of a lesser god who serves the high god Nodens. However that doesn't mean he should be taken lightly, he was an infamous man who managed to conquer the strongest empire and brought the entire world to total war 500 years ago."

I try to match up what he says with the story that Lorelei told me. They aligned almost perfectly. She did tell me that Kyrios was alive as a child back then so it should stand to reason that he has first person knowledge on the events that went on then.

Kyrios continues.

"About a month ago, we brought back a statue from the old capitol of Arune. Unfortunately that was no statue but turned out to possess the god [Dian Cecht] sealed within. As a result of awakening he seized control of Raak's personal force and has fortified himself at his main base."

If I'm remembering correctly the number of combatants in a personal force of a demon general varies from person to person. For example I only have 1, Lilith, under my command. However from what I'm told the average number is around the 4000 mark.

Now there is actually a standardized demon army, called the [Vertloch military], but the ones in a general's personal force are elites. I don't have the exact numeric values of their levels so I can't tell you but they're formidable.

"I do not wish to bring disgrace to one of us but an accurate description of what is currently happening is needed, so if you don't mind, Raak?"

The Orc Warlord standing beside me starts to tremble. Whether that's because he's humiliated or due to losing his entire force is unknown but I can sort of understand what he's feeling.

He swallows his pride and begins to talk.

"… I, Even now, I do not have an accurate representation of what's currently going on, I was too much in a daze through slaying my own kin to get out alive, that I cannot recall properly but I will tell you what's happening. My brethren have been taken from me and manipulated! Dian Cecht has disgraced me!"

He shouts, then calms down by taking a few deep breaths.

"If everything is the way it has been when I escaped then Dian Cecht should be residing in the innermost part of my castle which is located just north from here."

Apparently demon generals don't actually reside in the [Sanctuary] all the time. That would be odd.

They all have their own lands that they govern themselves. There they raise and maintain their personal forces.

Incidentally [Vertloch Snowdown] was given to me by Astaroth. I didn't know this until recently when Enrich told me. Technically I've decided not to interfere in any decision making on behalf the people that live there so no one actually realizes that I own it.

Apparently since Astaroth owns the entirety of the northern continent she just gave it to me on a whim. Now I've no plans in making it known I own it, at least not anytime in the near future.

Afterwards Raak explained to us the logistical aspects of the castle and his personal force. He told us ever intricate detail and how to overcome his own defences in the most efficient way possible.

I could feel the anger and remorse in his voice as he did so. Trembling with anger and shame he continued to reveal more and more about his own forces and castle. In return the other generals respected his decision and simply kept quiet; not insulting or ridiculing him.

Thus our mission plan was laid out. Get past all of the brainwashed soldiers and dispose of Dian Cecht who was manipulating them. I suppose alive or dead didn't matter in this context, only that as the herald of Nodens his removal was necessary.

We are also to dispose of the enemy force as little as possibly since they're still technically our own.

I don't particularly like killing sentient beings either, but if it's for self-defensive purposes then I'll be willing to consider it.

I'm not so naïve as to think I can accomplish my goals without dirtying my own hands, that's something I've learnt from my previous life of a businessman.

Things that I've done back in my previous world can never be taken back but those will be the things that give me the nerves of steel I need to accomplish what I must. So if I ever need to tap into that same corrupt motivation from my previous life then so be it.

PART TWO

Once Raak had revealed everything he knew about the situation going on the discussions on how to actually solve the problem began.

I say that but it seems only a few people were really batting ideas out. Mainly Kyrios, Ordwell, Andras and Leanan Sidhe. Not to say that the others were dim but these four were the main brains behind the entire Vertloch military.

They make the plans and decisions and it was up to the others to agree or not.

For now I stood silently, observing them.

"Wouldn't a full on assault from a few of us easily handle this situation?"

Andras spoke out. It was the first time I've actually heard her voice but as her name implied it was filled with confidence.

"Hmm, I would advise against that. It could cause distress over the continent about the fact that we're technically fighting one another or that we've been compromised to this degree."

Ordwell objects.

That's true, it would be worrisome. If your country's military suddenly decided to start a civil war it could cause quite the unrest amongst the populace.

"But if we're quick wouldn't it be fine? We can contain the information and restrict the site of the battle. Besides all we have to do is defeat one man, even if he is a god with all of us here-"

Leanan Sidhe tried to add onto Andras' idea and that's when I decided to cut in.

"No."

I did have disagreements about their plans and whether or not this situation actually could be contained. In fact the information may have already leaked out by this point, it has been over a month after all, though of course with communicational technology not being developed that greatly it could've gone either way, but that wasn't what I was disagreeing with.

They all turned to me.

"Well then, does our newest addition have something to input?"

Leanan Sidhe smiles and asks me sarcastically. Maybe she didn't like the thought of a newbie interrupting her? Of course there was no guarantee that I would be correct about what I was thinking either.

These were just some thoughts that I figured might be good to factor in.

"Of course I have no solid evidence for this so you should take this with as much salt as you want but you may want to consider the possibility of there being more than just Dian Cecht or the mind controlled army."

There's a brief pause before Astaroth speaks to me.

"Did you have someone else in mind that would be there?"

"[Dagda], surely you know him as well, right? He was Dian Cecht's partner so it would be reasonable to assume that he was also resurrected."

"Hmm, certainly that is a possibility. Dian Cecht was never a laborious man, he wouldn't have so easily killed off my scouts after taking over Raak's fortress. There would have been no point to it. Whereas Dagda was known to be a violent man, he could've killed my men just for exercise purposes."

Kyrios added.

"Couldn't he have simply killed them off to blind us?"

Andras asked.

"Blind us from what? I've only sent my scouts to analyse the situation while Raak was still unconscious. It wouldn't have mattered either way after he woke up."

"I guess you have a point then. We'll also prepare for the likely battle with Dagda. I recommend [Albion] and [Gygant] to be the ones doing battle with Dagda, is that fair?"

Andras asks, however I cut in once more.

"Sorry to interfere again but I suggest [Cedric]."

They all look at me once more as I continue.

"Dagda is known to be a heavy hitter, but that's exactly it. Cedric has immunity to physical hits so he's the perfect opponent."

I turn to Cedric to which he nods in agreement.

"Fine, we'll go with Albion and Cedric. Is everyone alright with that?"

There are no opposition to my suggestions. The reason why we want to send out two people is because the most a single person could do to Dagda is stall them. With two people there is a greater chance of victory.

"Then who'll assault the main castle and Dian Cecht?"

Leanan Sidhe brings us to the next step of the battle.

"I'm honestly unsure about Dian Cecht's actual abilities, for the most part from what I heard he doesn't seem to use either magic or physical properties in his attacks. However I have heard that barrier spells are effective against his attacks so someone capable of projecting a strong barrier should suffice."

I suggest.

"If it's barrier magic then I'm good at it."

The one to speak out was Arachna who was next to me. Speaking of which, Lorelei was also an ice type magician, so a similar type of barrier would yield the best chance of success. Then there's also the point that Lorelei herself wasn't able to completely defend too well so another person good at barrier magic should be added.

I bring that point up without mention Lorelei's name. it's not like I want to hide that I met her but bringing that up now would only pose as a distraction. Keeping it a secret until a later time is the best option.

"If we need two then I can fill in for the other."

Unexpectedly Leanan Sidhe nominates herself. Honestly I was thinking she was the type of person who would use others to do her bidding, well that's the kind of character Leanan Sidhe is from the original stories after all.

Anyway, she does seem more like a magician type character than a physical one.

"I understand, then if I may suggest, I would also like Medusa in that mix. She can use her long ranged capabilities from within the barrier to attack [Dian Cecht]."

Medusa turns to me surprised. I was wondering what was up, then I remember no one actually formally introduced themselves to me. Ah, the name thing. So convenient.

"If that's the case then I don't mind."

She agrees with my plan.

"Thank you."

I reply with a smile.

"Then the next problem is what to do with the mind controlled soldiers. As strong as we are even we can't fight the two gods while being bombarded by elite troops."

I see, so we'll need another one or two generals to distract the bulk of the army. The reason why we aren't using our own armies for that is because it'd lead to needless deaths.

"If it's only distracting the soldiers, then I suppose I could do that."

I nominate myself.

Astaroth looks at me.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm honestly not too sure until I see the situation directly for myself but if it's simply distracting the army then I should be able handle it. Besides the rest of the demon generals need to stay back here in case of any unexpected emergencies."

Because I don't fully understand Dian Cecht's character it's necessary to plan for when or if he has any sort of retaliation to the capital directly. Even if I were to remain here during the unlikely counter invasion, there's nothing I can realistically do.

At the very least I should grit my teeth and help out in the front lines.

"I'll accompany him."

It was Raak who volunteered to go with me.

Ah, of course, he's the general of this army, why wouldn't he want to go as well?

It would also do well to add him since he knows the place best out of all of us.

"Thanks."

I eye him and give him my gratitude to which he looks to me direction and gives a non verbal acknowledgement.

"Very well then, are there any disagreements with the arrangements?"

Astaroth asked the demon generals.

None of them gave any sort of dissatisfaction.

"Good, Tiki, what are the projected chances of victory with the aforementioned conditions?"

Astaroth asks.

"Success. Rate. 87%."

Well that's still a B.

"That'll have to do, no, that's fairly good considering our opponents. Then you will all leave tomorrow morning. For now get some rest."

We were then dismissed.

PART THREE

After the meeting was over everyone just disassembled to their own private quarters in this building. Except for one person.

"Umm, can I help you, Miss Arachna?"

"Mmm~ I wonder."

It was Arachna who decided she wanted to embrace me from behind. Since I was a little older now the back of my head easily reached her breasts. Don't get me wrong, as a man this wasn't an unpleasant feeling but it was just a little…

"It was fine before but if you're touching me directly it's a bit cold."

Right, her body is like a block of ice.

"You ignored me when I tried to get your attention so this is your punishment."

"Haa~ is that so?"

Is this another Lina character?

"Master?!"

When Lilith came to pick me up she noticed a huge spider on my back, luckily she wasn't venomous.

"Oho, if it isn't little Lilith. It's been a while."

"It, it's good to see you too, master Arachna."

Lilith was trying to back away slowly.

"Sorry Lilith. I wish I could've brought you in. Oh, I know how about we bring you in to see your mother?"

I apologize and suggest.

"Eh? I, um. I don't know about that."

"Really? I'm sure your mother already knows you're here though."

"I, I haven't become strong enough to face her yet. Once I get stronger I'll definitely return to her so please don't worry about that for now."

"I see. Then I'll leave it at that."

"Thank you."

I guess she's been thinking about it in her own way as well.

"Yo, Morgant. It's been a while. I see Arachna has taken a liking to you."

He apologizes with his eyes(figuratively since he doesn't actually have them).

The first person to greet me is of course Cedric. Behind him is Andras, she simply just stares at me like I'm some sort of zoo exhibit. It's not the most flattering feeling but whatever.

"Cedric. I think it's been about 4 years?"

"That long huh? I've heard about what happened when you returned. Sorry I wasn't there."

"No, it may have been for the best that you left, I'm here now because of what happened."

"I see, if you've put it behind you then that's fine."

"Thanks."

"Hmm~ so this is the legendary Morgant Fallon, huh. You're a bit taller than what I expected."

Andras says while looking down on me, physically because she's taller.

"I apologize for not living up to your expectations."

I reply with a fake smile.

She winces but doesn't let it get to her pride too much.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm aware of our lord's rather, mischievous attitude but your addition may not have been entirely on just pure whim of hers."

"I'm honoured."

"Well anyway we should all head back and rest, we'll be busy starting tomorrow."

PART FOUR

Since I was a VIP in this place I was given my own lodging. Too bad I'll be leaving tomorrow.

The room was big, the size of an ordinary living room. A king size bed, a large glass window and glass door that lead to a veranda overlooking the entire city.

Above me was a chandelier made with [illumination crystals], which are basically what they sound like.

This room puts any and all 5 star hotels to shame.

Lilith was also given her own room across mine.

Admittedly this bed was a little hard to sleep in because of how huge it was compared to my small body. The beds in the orphanages were just perfect for my size.

I wonder if the children are fine after I left. It's a bit worrying but with Miko there it should be fine.

As I was thinking to myself by tossing and turning around in my bed I heard the handle of my door turn. It was doubtful that it was any sort of intruder considering where I was.

I tried to figure out who it was by the sound of the footsteps but I didn't hear any.

"Hi~"

Just then someone appeared directly on top of me, catching me by surprise. Anymore and I would've made a very unmanly scream.

It was Arachna.

Her silvery blue hair glistened in the red light turning light purple. Her red eyes looking directly towards me. Her smooth white skin reflected the light of the red moon.

"C, can I help you?"

"Yes~ I want you to become mine."

"I, I'm sorry?"

"I want you."

She's very assertive I give her that but, isn't this a bit too sudden?

"I'm sorry, I think we should start off as friends?"

I try to laugh it off but she brings her face closer.

"Uhh!"

A voice escapes my mouth involuntarily.

"Don't worry, it will only hurt in the beginning."

"I can't let you proceed any further than that Arachna."

?!

I heard another voice, this time coming out from under my blanket!

That child-like voice, it's Astaroth!

I was right! She crawls out from under my blanket and shoves Arachna off the bed. Arachna falls off and lands with a soft thud. Now it's Astaroth who's on top of me.

When did she get under my bed?!

She's considerably under dressed and considering how little she dresses normally this is an all new level of nakedness without actually being naked!

"Well I'll stop there. I know you aren't prepared."

I give out a small sigh of relief.

To that she has a small mischievous smile as she licks her lips. I can definitely feel danger to my chastity and shiver up.

She brings her face closer.

Mere centimeters away from my face she whispers.

"This is for sighing."

She kisses me!

I can feel tongue and all! This kid, no, this fiend!

"Mm! Mm~"

After a good while and I'm about to lose my breath she lets go.

"Pwah~ I'll come back for the rest at a later date, you'll need your strength for what's to come soon."

"Um!"

I stop her.

"Yes?"

She asks with that mischievous smile of hers.

"Why did you- um, why do you like me that much? I'm nothing as great as you think."

She stops and thinks for a moment then she looks up at me with those large red eyes of hers. Odd, I could feel my face start to get hotter, I wonder if I caught a cold because of Arachna.

"It's because you hold a special future."

She drags Arachna out of my room leaving me to contemplate on what just happened and what she said. I was fully aware that she had the ability to see into the people's fate, so her telling me that only makes me more worried.

That was my first kiss in this body right? Ugh, whatever, I'm too old to be thinking about such juvenile things- is what I want to say but I couldn't sleep at all because of what happened during the night.

Thankfully the red moon covers my redden face.

The next day we were separated into three teams.

[Diversion team] - which consisted of Raak, Lilith and myself.

[Assault team] - which consisted of Albion and Cedric

[Invasion team] - which consisted of Arachna, Leanan Sidhe and Medusa.

We took three carriages each and headed for the site where my battle against the gods officially starts.

END REPORT

[Status Menu]

Morgant Fallon. Level 42

NECROMANCER

DEMON GENERAL

SUCCESSOR OF THE COSMIC LEGACY

Strength: 230 (155+75)

Dexterity: 60 (5+55)

Intelligence: 50 (5+45)

Insight: 100 (45+55)

[Status point: 25]

[Skill menu]

(AUGMENT) [Strike+]: Level 27

(ACTIVE) [Summon Skeleton Knight]: Level 22

(ACTIVE) [Transfer Life]: Level 43

(PASSIVE) [Life Force Sensory]: Level 50 (MAX)

(ACTIVE) [Avatar of Nyarlathotep]: Level 1

(ACTIVE) [Wither]: Level 29

(ACTIVE) [Decay]: Level 40

(AUGMENT) [Aura Field]: Level 24

(ACTIVE) [Soul Gambit]: Level 17

(PASSIVE) [Physical Damage Resistance]: Level 50 (MAX)

(ACTIVE) [Obsidian Lance]: Level 40

(ACTIVE) [Obsidian Shield]: Level 39

(ACTIVE) [Reanimate Dead]: Level 30

(AUGMENT) [Enchanting Voice]: Level 23

(PASSIVE) [Lord of Ghosts]: Level 15

(ACTIVE) [Phantasmal Maelstrom]: Level 20

(AUGMENT) [Transformation - Black Pharaoh]: Level 1

(PASSIVE) [Mental Fortress]: Level 50 (MAX)