(Ashen POV)

The moons slowly drifted together in the sky, and sure enough, the lunar mages in Apoctaclass were revealed. Thirteen in total, with two being the strongest warriors amongst the elders, honestly it was surprising. It was incredibly lucky and almost suspicious, but I paid little attention to it besides recognition. Eleven lunar mages were sprawled across the city, encompassing a variety of people and races. The most notable of which, was the Arachnid Champion, Fro’lath, a level 212 warrior. Their level alone was impressive for this world, but to be a lunar mage as well, was more fuel for the fire. I’d have to get Julia to come down and give some lessons on lunar magic to the new mages. The alignment also showed three lunar mages that were known before, all old and of high levels.

Krith Valtroid, a Zallamari who once held the position of an escort of the demon lord. He commanded three Corps of the demon army but has now retired to train new soldiers and warriors. Level 221, second strongest excluding Xylith. Next was Raegobra Vatross, a Rahkken elite, known for her agility. Rahkken were like Arachnids and Nagas mixed into one, with the connecting region from the spider half to the human half being elongated and snake-like. She commanded 3 Corps of the demon army and is still in service to the elders in the case of an emergency, Level 229, the strongest demon excluding Xylith. Lastly, the esteemed Tok’tak’terra, a Rock Giant, known for his enormous stature and strength. He was best known for his defensive capabilities and commanded 4 Corps of the demon army, Level 219, currently assisting in the construction of the city’s walls.

The other lunar mages had simple backgrounds, one was even an adventurer of the dungeon. Misfortune brought some interesting news when night fell, with it, the alignment ended. So the Onnonbrook Kingdom wishes to re-spark the flame of war? They were destroyed by the wildlife before I had the chance to put up a proper fight, a shame. But since they wish to use so many lunar mages in combat, I might just have to take serious action. Lunar mages are powerful, I won't underestimate them. Their ability to cast lunar variants of all types of magic means they are a potent foe. It was tricky, I would have to kill or incapacitate all of them at once, otherwise, they could support each other and cause a never-ending fight, theoretically of course. Still, fighting alone may prove to be my downfall. Let's just hope they can wait a month before starting the war again.

As night was reaching its peak, Xylith and I went to rest for the night. "Good night, Xylith." Having already put on my sleeping robes, we rested for the night.

Her tired face showed a kind smile. "Good night, my love." With a small kiss, slumber rolled over us like a wave.

Another blank dream, empty of thoughts, nothing as it always was. "My Lord, apologies for the intrusion, I humbly beg your forgiveness, but it is time." Misfortune had the pleasure of waking me up, but Xylith laid undisturbed.

"I'll forgive your uninvited entry into my quarters this time, but refrain from doing so unless a dire emergency arises." She was kneeling at the doorway, head facing the floor, not taking in a sight of my room. "Let's go, I already know why you've come for me." The church is finally going to harass me directly, it took them long enough.

"My Lord, if you'll allow it, may I ask a favor?" Misfortune let a single bead of sweat roll down her face, the first time she ever had sweat since coming here, it was serious.

"Fine, but let's converse elsewhere." In a flash, I clothed myself in my usual armor, and we headed for the throne room, at the top of the main tower.

After clearing the room of maids and guards, she made her request. "My Lord, in defense of King Erik, may you and the dragon god, Oronix, stand witness to his trial?" Her voice went flawless, but she showed signs of worry, fear almost.

"Misfortune, if I am not mistaken, then Saint Luix denies my godhood, right?" She nodded, and I continued. "Then with the dragon god Oronix by my side, the argument would be more valid, and Saint Luix would be forced to accept me as a god, that was your plan, was it not?" I figured as much, pretty clever if they were to play fair, which I doubted.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yes, my Lord. You are correct." Her nervous demeanor only worsened.

"Fine, I'll see what difference it makes, but there's something else, isn't there?" She started to freeze up a little.

"My Lord, your intuition is as sharp as ever. I understand if I am out of line to ask this of you, but I humbly beg. The tomes of knowledge within your bed chambers, if there were any you would allow me to read through, it might help in my investigations." She started to sweat small beads, the first time she looked so nervous.

"I'm sure you're aware of the stance I've held in the past. Fine, I'll set aside some choice tomes for you to borrow for your research. But I highly doubt they will turn out to be useful in your investigations." A lot of it was theories of magic, monster guides, alchemy guides, and the like, rarely some history or lore, but they were also there.

Maybe in one of those, she would find the answer to whatever was eating her up inside. "Thank you, my Lord. As for the trial, it's supposed to start at noon, but it would be best to commune with King Erik beforehand." I figured as much, well, first I have to get Oronix.

"Fine, transport King Arthur while I get Oronix." She bowed and silently slipped into nothingness. "Oronix, I summon thy will, heed me in my time of need, indulge my bitter self, and release yourself of your lonesome vows, Summon Oronix!" Though completely unnecessary, it felt right, as that chant was required to summon fragments of Oronix, but this time, something much more unique happened.

Our senses linked, sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, the soaring through the skies, and the sudden descent before telepathy. "Oronix, apologies for bothering you, but I have need for you."

His voice boomed in his epic tone, even through telepathy. "Is there a fight?" His voice made me believe he wanted me to say yes, but alas, I'd disappoint this dragon god.

"Not yet, but a saint from the Six Churches is putting King Erik on trial, and as it is holy in nature, I wanted you to accompany me there. If things turn sour, you'll get your fight." Would I gain anything from destroying the Six Churches? Surprisingly, I would have a lot to gain.

His eight heads stood upright with a god’s dignity, likely mentally preparing himself for the trial. “Fine, I’ll join this trial you speak of, but I will not take sides.” Fair enough, I wouldn’t even ask him to, it was a trial after all, even if it were rigged, Oronix wouldn’t let it slip.

With a flash, We teleported outside of King Erik’s royal castle, the guards jumped like they always did. “Oronix, can you take on a smaller appearance? The meeting is inside, and I doubt King Erik would appreciate his roof being crushed.” Oronix nodded with one of his heads and glowed for a brief second.

His body turned much smaller, almost humanoid, if not for the eight snake-like heads, almost a gorgon if I had to admit. “This is the best I can do.” He was almost the same height as Neb’ila, so it would have to do.

We continued inside, a guard trembled trying to show us the path. "Ashen? You came?" King Erik spoke like he didn't expect me to actually show up.

"Misfortune asked me to, and even then, I'd rather be present when war is being declared on my kingdom." He took a deep breath, nodding in recognition of what I meant.

"Ah, Ashen, it's been too long, nervous?" King Arthur and Misfortune arrived, along with two other faces.

"King Arthur, if anyone is nervous it's likely you, seeing as you're so far from home." He chuckled at my remark.

"I believe this is our first time meeting directly, Ashen." The presumed dwarf king said, his stature was remarkable, not only was he built strong, but his magical prowess was on terms with Xylith even. "I am the king of the dwarves that neighbors your castle, Fairn Thunderback. I've been mostly dealing with Sir Ayers and Lady Misfortune, but I've been long awaiting to see you in person." I'm sure we will have plenty to discuss in the coming weeks, but now we have other issues.

I looked at the other new face, and Misfortune seemed to recognize him but was surprised to see him here. "Ashen, I am the king of the Beastland Hordes, Thal Waterfang. I've come to determine whether or not I will side with you or the church in this trial " Was he just here to sate his curiosity?

"Do as you please, Thal, but do not boggle the trial when it starts, I'd rather not deal with annoyances." A stern face shot between us, and he made up his mind on the spot.

"Ashen, if I may ask you one thing?" Nodding, he continued. "Why do your underlings follow you?" He seemed to have some sort of goal that the answer would get him to, but what? What did he want?

Misfortune answered in my stead. "We follow Lord Ashen because he has the interest of us all at heart. He cares for us deeply and doesn't abuse his ranking or power. He treats us like family, so we treat him like a father, our lord. Does that answer your question?" I had no idea they felt this way, I treated them well because it was the right thing to do, and it felt right…

"Yes. Ashen, I want to speak with you after this, would you care to?" Thal seemed to already have his own plan going, but didn’t seem like he was going to side with the church.

"Of course, I'll be in touch soon after this, the same with you too, Fairn, Arthur, and Erik. We all need to hold a discussion at some point." The room fell dead, the doors opened and who I can only guess to be Saint Luix walked in.

Small elegant footsteps, each clinking with metal. Wearing pure white plate armor, with white cloth overtop, with massive pauldrons that looked like two small shields came from their shoulders. A yellow symbol was the only coloration on them, located on their chest. It looked like a rudimentary sun setting behind the horizon, with three moons around it. They wore a helmet, but their build let me guess they were male, on the slimmer side though. They walked with a large sheathed sword and a large silver staff with an amber gem at the top. Beside them were four mages, each with a crystal ball, likely for transmitting the trial to the other countries. They each wore white and gold robes and wore plain white masks. They had staves, but they were on their backs and were only wood, each with a different color crystal at the top.

A loud assertive voice, barely feminine, came exploding from Saint Luix. “King Erik, your trial begins now!” King Erik was sweating in his throne, and everyone else present was standing on either side of the room, away from either of them.

The air grew thick quickly, and then I realized why. “Saint Luix, to ensure a fair trial, please refrain from using magic.” She looked at me with a wave of anger unexplained by words, her face covered by her helmet, but I knew her face was chock full of hatred.

The air returned to its normal state, and she nearly snarled at me. “How do you suppose we ensure a fair trial without lie-detecting magic?” She sounded so bitchy, it was almost suffocating.

I reached into my pocket dimension and pulled out a magical device that looked like a three-way scale, and placed it on a pedestal in-between her and King Erik. “This magical device can detect lies from you, King Erik, and any of us. If you doubt me, go ahead and try it.” The four mages inspected the device for a few minutes before they said it was clean, of course, I wasn’t stupid enough to attempt that.

As the four mages spread out again, she nearly screamed. “Fine, then the trial shall start in earnest now!” She said in her dominating voice. “King Erik, you are accused of conspiring with the demons, and are thus declared an enemy of mankind, how do you plead?” She didn’t have to even ask, she was so confident he would deny it, she likely had evidence that would end the trial immediately.

Gulping, King Erik drew a long breath before speaking. “It is true I have connections with the demon lord, Ashen, but to declare myself an enemy of man is overstepping exaggerations. I have had a diplomatic relation with Ashen in the interest of safeguarding my kingdom and its people.” The scale fidgeted slightly but remained neutral, meaning he was just about to be declared a liar but was more right than wrong.

“Even so, siding with the demons is an affront to mankind, and is considered treason of the highest caliber, and is deemed as a betrayal of the gods.” She seemed so smug, like everything was controlled by her like she was so smart, it pissed me off.

Oronix seemed rather intrigued by her declaration of divine betrayal. “Which divine rules have King Erik broken exactly? As far as I can recall, he hasn’t broken any as of yet.” That caused her to shout.

She snapped with rage. “Siding with the demons! Have you no brain!?” Oronix took some offense to this but said something that I took close note of.

I could sense his latent anger for her disrespect, but he subdued it. “As the dragon god, Oronix, I would think I know the ten rules of the gods. And King Erik hasn’t even come close to breaking one. Even for the ones that don’t apply to just the gods, he hasn’t broken a single one.” I would have to ask him about those rules another time, just to be safe.

His words finally shut her up, if only for a moment. “The dragon god?” She whispered to herself, then continued just as loud as before. “Regardless of whether it is a strict rule of the divine or not, it doesn’t disregard the blatant risk that he poses to mankind.” Why was she so determined to make King Erik a ‘bad guy’?

King Erik spoke again. “If protecting my people in a civilized and peaceful manner means being rejected from humanity, then so be it.” The scale didn’t even react, he was dead-set on his ideals.

“Then you admit to siding with the demons?” She tried so hard to twist his words into what she wanted to hear.

King Erik knew there was no reasoning with an idiot, even if that idiot led a cult of tens of millions. “If you cannot see it any other way, then yes.” He played into her hand, but not without force. “If being peaceful is a crime, you are innocent, Saint Luix. If this makes me an enemy of my people, so be it. But instead of slaying my innocent people, I ask you to target my head alone.” She was practically grinding her teeth in rage at his comment on her but was satisfied with his confession.

“Then it is official, King Erik is an enemy to mankind, and is hereby sentenced to death!” Not wasting time, she fired a spell at King Erik, and I teleported in front of him to block it. “The hell do you think you’re doing?”

I smiled, genuinely smiled, a devilish smile. “Was it not clear? I am the aforementioned demon lord, Ashen. If King Erik was to be sentenced to death in front of me, why wouldn’t I save him?” She was about to say something but I interrupted her, which pissed her off even more. “As both demon lord, and the King of the Demonican Kingdom, I hereby declare the Bandarainian Empire a vassal, any objections?” King Erik had full faith in me at this point, if not, he would have been scared for his life from her spell earlier.

“Lord Ashen, I agree to our vassalization. As of now, the Bandarainian Empire is in your full control.” I know many in his kingdom would be opposed to his decision, and many would think he was a traitor, but I had an idea.

“While it’s on the table, the Dvaerrock Republic would also like to become a vassal to the Demonican Kingdom.” He had a lot to gain from us, and so did we.

The beast king did something strange too. “Despite my pride, the Beastland Hordes would also like to become a vassal of the Demonican Kingdom.” He had his reasons, I’m sure, but the Beastland Hordes was on the opposite side of the continent, it would be harder to protect.

“I accept both of your requests and recognize both your nations as vassals. As such, I hereby declare war on the Raizz’Harria Church.” She looked surprised but somehow pleased.

“As Saint of the Raizz’Harria Church, I recognize your declaration of war and return the favor. This war begins now!” The four mages dropped their crystal balls and withdrew their staves, and Saint Luix shot magic spells off rapidly, but Oronix protected Thal and Fairn.

Misfortune was quick to dispose of the four mages, and I let her face Saint Luix alone, as that seemed to be what she wanted. “Saint Luix, it was foolish to think a war with lord Ashen would be a light one. As the new god of Fire, and the renowned god of Magic, he will make quick work of whatever pitiful resistance you could muster, but he has granted you mercy. He has selflessly indulged in my request to face you myself.” Saint Luix tried so hard to hit Misfortune with a spell, any spell, that she nearly caused the building to collapse.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!” She finally revealed her true colors, all that pent-up frustration must have been driving her crazy.

“Whose the one in charge of your church? Because nobody as incompetent as you could ever be placed in an actual leadership position.” Saint Luix used a skill, her staff swung at Misfortune and cracked her wooded skin.

“Shut up! You insolent bitch! You don’t have permission to talk to me in such a way! DIE!” She slammed her staff down in the same manner, Misfortune used an arm to protect her head.

“My lord, do I have permission to do as I please?” I nodded and left her to handle the situation.

The last thing any of us heard was the sound of blood splattering, teeth rolling, and the chilling sound of bones snapping. I teleported everyone to the conference room in the guild base, so we could further discuss what just happened. Why did the other two vassalize? I hadn’t expected them to even show up, let alone do all that. Was this the way to a peaceful co-existence with the world? To create relations with countries, and slowly conquer the world? I didn’t particularly care about world domination, but wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. I suppose I had to accept my new destiny, maybe it was for the best. But with the war I just declared, I would have to think about it at a later date. The conference room was empty, so the few seats we just used up barely filled the room.

“Fairn, your empire focuses on mining the mountains, right?” Taking a closer look at him, he was adorned with many rings and jewels, much like premium, or a stereotypical king was depicted.

“Yes lord Ashen.” He replied quickly.

“Firstly, you needn’t call me Lord, just Ashen works, that goes for you too, Thal. Arthur already got used to it, so I doubt it will trouble you for long. Secondly, I would like to start a trade network between all of our nations. If you can provide metals, stones, and crafted goods, then that covers a quarter of what’s needed. The Bandarainian Empire can supply food and plant goods. Thal, what can the Beastland Hordes offer?”

“Labor mostly, but there is a decent income of fish, lumber, and animal goods. Normally I would say protection, but that seems to be your specialty.” The Beastland Hordes was a nation built off of strength, not unlike the castle in that sense.

“Labor, fish, lumber, and animal goods are plenty and leaves the last quarter for me to cover. Protection and administration will be covered by the Demonican Kingdom.”

Arthur interjected. “Ashen, while everyone else is doing it, I might as well follow suit. The Britgar Holy Kingdom would also like to become a vassal of the Demonican Kingdom.” I should have foreseen this, but even I had no clue of the sheer leap in diplomatic relations.

Even putting aside the sheer shock of it all, I had to face issues, large and small. "Though it doesn't particularly matter as of this instant, shall we discuss the way power over your domains are split?" They would all retain their land, and most of their rule, at the cost of taxes and some tasks later down the line.

Arthur spoke first. "Well, I for one say demihuman discrimination should be outlawed, along with slavery." Nobody seemed to object, so he continued. "As for the economy, I for one am fine with swapping out the Britgar Holy Coins with Demonican Coins." Again, everyone agreed, it wasn't much of a difference anyway. "As for migration, free travel, I believe, should be allowed, with tolls at important places of course." Arthur knew the difficulties that migration would have when dealing with intercontinental travel, but figured I had something to remedy that.

I cleared the questions that were forming, without them needing to be asked. "Though it will take some time, I may be able to establish a gate network, if not something better. As for the Britgar Holy Kingdom, and the Beastland Hordes, the best I can do on short notice is a dedicated teleportation spell circle. Though it might not have the power or reliability of a gate, it will work as a quick alternative until I can get them up and running." My list of chores has only ever grown, I should start on some of them sooner rather than later.

Arthur continued. "Then, as for the state religion, I vote in favor of Ashen, the God of Fire." I nearly forgot the Britgar Holy Kingdom had fully adopted me as its religion. Speaking of, I should check on that.

[Current Followers: 2,137,528] [Titles Gained: Major Deity, Wide-spread Deity, God-Emperor, Reigning-Deity, Subjugator King, Heart of the Masses, Ruler of the Masses, Voice of the Masses, Hope of the Masses, Shield of the Masses, Protector of the Masses, Lord of the Masses] [Awarding 6,125 Attribute and Skill Points] [Holy Cathedral Selection Available] [Religion Name Unassigned]

Well then, I need to check that more often, 2 million in nothing flat. And all those titles, and the points, it's practically a gold mine. But what was this about a Holy Cathedral? Could I designate a building as the main place of worship? And I could also name my religion now? Well, there's a lot of pressure. Maybe I'll let my followers decide, but as for the Cathedral… was there even a choice? The black castle was the literal only candidate, it was even called Pantheon, it doesn't get much clearer a choice than that. But that implies there would be other gods alongside me, and that's relatively correct. Oronix was the first clear example, but even the Plane Lords were considered close enough due to their followers' faith, and even Galvahanna could fit, as long as he actually got followers of course. It was also likely that there will be more gods under me, but that's for a later time.

"If there are no objections, then let's discuss the next topic" Arthur led the conversation well, it's like he planned this all out at some point. "Social Hierarchy, more specifically, what the rankings will be and how they should be treated." Nobles, more or less, this I was expecting and had made some plans prior.

"There will be little change in the social structure of each kingdom. Because there are mostly just commoners, nobles, and royalty in all of your kingdoms except the Beastland Hordes, those systems can stay. But I want them all to be regulated somewhat, so a noble from one kingdom is about equal to one from another kingdom. As for the Beastland Hordes, I will give Thal the right to sort out the same for his country. The Demonican Kingdom will have its nobles and commoners as well, but I will void the position of royalty, as I have my own chosen few who I have decided will not be measured on the same system, for reasons we can discuss later." Mostly the NPCs from the castle, as their power and position can highly complicate things.

Before anyone could respond, Misfortune appeared carrying the mutilated body of the saint and plopped it on the conference table. "Apologies for disrupting your discussion, but I have dealt with this nuisance, and have learned some things I must report immediately." I looked over the saint's broken body, she was alive, if you can call that mangled state living.

"Go ahead." What did she learn that was so important?

"The gods worshipped under the church she came from are plotting to personally descend and try to kill you. Though I doubt their strength to do so, I cannot refuse a threat of this nature." Do the gods want to fight me in person again? Oh well, I guess people never learn the easy way…

“I understand, do with her as you see fit, but try not to kill her, she might be of some value still.” The saint’s head moved slightly, and a small bit of spit shot from her mouth.

Gasping through punctured lungs, she wheezed. “Up yours, demon scum.” Misfortune went over to the saint’s body and snapped her arm again, and nothing but a blood-curdling scream was audible.

“I’ll see to it, that your will is done, my lord.” She dragged the saint out by some random point, a trail of red followed them.

A quick spell removed the blood from the room, and I returned to the conversation at hand. “Disregarding that, I believe we settled all that was needed. When the time comes, I will eventually incorporate all your kingdoms into mine, and when that time comes, you will all have control over your regions. I’m not one to leave generous hands empty.” After a little more chit-chat, the meeting ended, and I let them stay in the castle for the meantime, so they could be safe-guarded, and so they can’t be targeted at all.

Not even the gods could enter this place without great force or permission, and most forms of magic would fail to activate against the castle or have little to no effect. The second-best guild base in terms of defense, only beaten by the Arste Whitland guild. Their base was more akin to a massive fortress, focused entirely on defense. They had walls similar to the castle, but they dedicated far too much time than what was necessary to get monster sacrifices. Though only their guild members know exactly how many monsters they infused into their walls, it was said to be upwards of 1 billion. A quest that started in the third year of the game’s life, the very update that reworked the guild system.

If my guild base and members could be found in this world, who's to say others can’t be either. What if there were entire guilds out there, just scattered about the world. If there were world bosses, then surely it’s not impossible. Too many unknowns hinge on time, answers will come soon enough, but there’s this nagging sensation in my mind, telling, urging me to seek these things out. I already confirmed it wasn’t a spell or skill, but I knew it wasn’t just my curiosity. Could someone be tampering with my mind subtly? Is this a preemptive assault? An attempt to lower my guard? A million possibilities, but all were likely not the case. As I walked the castle halls, I let my mind slip into thought, but that didn’t last long.

My brother's voice snapped my thoughts away. "Ashen, something on your mind? You've been spacing out a lot more frequently as of late. Get your head in the game, I don't want to see you looking like a headless chicken."

"It's nothing, I have a lot of thinking for the future, best to get some done while I'm idle." He seemed annoyed somehow.

“If you always concern yourself with the future, you’ll never live to enjoy today.” He got that from a book or something, he wasn’t wise enough to come up with that advice on his own.

“Alright Socrates, maybe a little preparation will do you some good.” Long-term planning is very critical in the survival of a nation, be it a large or minuscule one.

If he couldn’t see that, then I might have to revoke his position as head of the military. “Was it Socrates that said that?” No, probably not. “Regardless, we had a short time of peace, and you up and declare war again! Couldn’t you at least wait until they declare war on us first?” And give them time to set up their forces? No.

“Do you know what a preemptive strike is? If not, then I’ll demonstrate.” I slapped his head.

“Ow! I know what a preemptive strike is, no need to hit me to prove a point!” It was a light slap on his head, it wouldn’t hurt that much.

Oh right, my stats increased a bit, oh well. “Furthermore, by capturing the church’s saint, we have both a hostage and their strongest unit, presumably. Considering that Misfortune took as long as she did to beat her, I’d say the saint was rather strong for this world. Probably around level 250, perhaps she would pose a challenge to Xylith.”

“So if we assume the other churches have saints of a similar level, it’s not hard to guess they were already planning on fighting Xylith. Even if we leave the heroes absent from the battle, with the saints’ level advantage, and their numbers, it’s rather obvious who would have won the battle.” Xylith and her strongest warriors would be at a disadvantage, but that’s not including her recent leveling, and all the mana enhancement she’s been going through.

“We should assume the other churches will be quick to learn of the war and will be eager to join if they think they could win. For that reason, Saint Luix will be vital in keeping our war with the Raizz’Harria church.” I’d also like to take the battle to their homefront, but without proper information on where that is, I’ll have to focus on a defensive war again.

We parted ways, Aerys left for Apoctaclass to inform them of the recent events and the new war. As the day passed to night, I whittled down my list of chores while organizing my information on what happened. I installed barriers in the new villages that were being developed and created Battle Towers, some eager to brave its dangers already started battling the monsters inside. I also strengthened the barrier in Wheatberg, as it was overdue for an upgrade. I paid a visit to the old lord, and I informed him of the war, and he took defensive measures for the town. He ceased all entry and exit of the town, the recent immigration boom would have to be put on pause. The few that tried to sneak in and out were caught by guards and promptly arrested.

Most of the immigrants that were arriving at the town set up a little camp a few kilometers away, a temporary assortment of tents, wagons, carriages, and whatnot. The guild was informed of the war and was given three choices. Take a temporary leave of the town, and return when the war has been concluded. Take a job as a guard and soldier for the town’s defense. Or pause all guild activities outside the town’s immediate area, until the war concluded. Many were understandably enraged by the options given, as it was more or less, join the demons in a war against the Raizz’Harria church, or quit your day job. A good amount of adventurers simply decided on keeping their guild affairs within city limits, some even quit the guild altogether. Another large chunk left for one of the nearby towns, in search of a better opportunity, and the last little bit decided to join the guard.

It was understandable, they joined the guild, not the army, so most of them left or kept on doing what they usually did, even so, the amount that did join was more than I expected. Considering their enemy would be one of the six churches, the most popular religions, it seemed odd that there were so many willing to fight them. Be it a personal grudge or some other reason, I wouldn’t complain about the extra protection for the town. Before long, I left Wheatberg and returned to the castle for the night. After a quick meeting with Premium, Misfortune, Titan, and Planthra, I went to sleep for the night. In the morning, Xylith had gone to train with Premium again, her skills had improved quite substantially, so Premium couldn’t be careless anymore. And after I talked with King Erik, I finally got my next task to complete.

“O’racia, the Orc Kingdom, shares its borders with both the Dominican Kingdom and my own, so I believe it would be best to attempt some sort of diplomacy with them. Even if they refuse to aid in our war, starting some sort of relationship with them would surely help in the future. I’ll even write a letter of introduction, well, something like that. It would be foolish to say their king has no clue about you, so it’ll be more about reputation and the like.” He took a minute to quickly write up a sizable letter and even sealed it with the Bandarainian Empire’s royal crest.

“Thank you, Erik. I will let you know how the situation goes when I return.” So I went off, to pursue the orcs, and realized I have yet to see one.

Orcs, be them in any world, they hold a certain reputation to them, so let’s hope this world continues to surprise me with new tricks. So I teleported to the closest border we shared and started walking to the wall. I was surprised, they had a large wall surrounding their entire border, nearly on par with Apoctaclass, but only one layer. Guards were stationed every twenty meters, along the entire wall, inside, outside, and on top. I knew they all spotted me before I reached the closest gate. Surprisingly, monsters and the like were common outside their walls, and I was attacked several times by all sorts of creatures. From wolves to bears, and even a wyvern, I was entertained just a slight by each interruption. But I finally reached the gate and was met by a hundred guards, all wearing some rather quality gear. The orcs were similar to ogres, but their bodies were larger, more muscled, and were light pink. They shared few similarities with the brutish orcs of Sugarea, but their appearance was still quite intriguing for me. Oddly enough they had stubs for horns, bone-white, but barely protruded from their heads.

A guard shouted out when I was about ten meters away. “Halt demon! Come any closer and we’ll rip you to shreds!” I merely flicked the letter from King Erik to them, and one of them recognized the crest.

It took a moment, but he announced, “That’s the royal crest of the Bandarainian Empire.”

Another spoke. “But why did he have it?”

“Gentlemen, I’d rather keep things short, I’m here to pay a visit to your king, or any available representatives of your nation. Even your captain, or commanding officer shall do." After a few moments of silence, a better-equipped orc walked forward, an eyepatch covered his left eye, and he carried two swords.

“What do you want, demon?” His status was at least higher than any of the other guards here, so I’d have to make do with him.

“I wanted to enter your lands and speak to your king, and I decided to take more peaceful means to do so.” If I wanted to, I could teleport past the wall and be on my way, but I’d rather make a good impression.

“And what purpose would you have with the king?” I could tell he had no intention of letting me get past.

“I was hoping to develop diplomatic relations, but if you don’t want a demon in your lands, I fully understand.” The guard who held the letter handed it off to the captain, and he glanced over it quickly.

“Why does a demon have a letter stamped by the Bandarainian Empire’s king?” A valid question.

“The Bandarainian Empire has just agreed to a vassalization request from the Demonican Kingdom, and has written a letter of introduction for me to the king of O’racia.” The news hadn’t spread too far yet, likely just within the church's higher-ups.

“Then who might you be?” It took longer than expected but the question finally got asked.

“Ah, apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I have a collection of names, but you can call me Ashen.” Demon Lord, god, king, it’d be a shorter list to name all the things I’m not.

“So you’re the fabled demon lord that’s flipped the world on its head. Here I thought you’d be more impressive. I’ll see what I can do to get this letter into government hands, but I won’t promise anything.” More impressive? Right, to him the armor I wear isn’t some end-game gear, it’s just some plate armor on fire.

Just so they didn’t underestimate my legitimacy, and not out of a twitch of annoyance that he disrespected me like that, I teleported behind him and patted his back. “That would be most appreciated. If you have the time, perhaps you could explain a way for me to be more ‘impressive’, I’m running out of ideas.” The guards’ attention nearly froze, but the captain had stronger nerves than I expected. “But for now, I’ll take my leave. If you have an update for me, send a message to the Black Castle, or the Bandarainian Empire’s royal castle. Either way, it’ll end up in my hands.” With a teleport spell and a [Dark] spell, I disappeared into a pitch-black shadow, only to end up back at home.

As tiring and annoying as that was, it was effective enough, I'll just have to wait. "Lord Ashen, do you have a moment to spare?" Rubidia asked, her short stature made me glace over her at first.

"Of course, is there something I can help you with?" She had a pile of papers in her arms and a slightly concerned expression.

She shuffled through some papers and pulled a few sketches from them. "Though I don't have conclusive evidence yet, I think I found another one of those 'World Bosses' you spoke of." There was a rough sketch of a gigantic humanoid figure, with skin resembling slabs of cracked metal. "There seems to be at least a dozen scattered around the world, but this one is on that floating island that roams the skies."

"Any idea on when it'll be close?" If my memory serves me right, that's Xalik, the Tyrant, the third World Boss ever to be added. Galvahanna was second and Oronix was first, each having devastating levels of strength.

"Well, from the way it's moved over the last few months, it should come near in two weeks or so. But I've also managed to track down another." She pulled a sketch of a cloaked man with heaps of chains dangling from all over his body, I had fought him dozens of times and knew him well, Zredlich, the Hated.

So there were two World Bosses to visit now if I could help it, I'd like to collect them all. Something inside me feels like it's the right thing to do, or maybe I'm just nostalgic. "Alright, thank you Rubidia, I'll put the information you've given me to good use, please continue to track down the others, I'm sure there are still more out there, we just need to keep searching." She scurried off to continue her work and I decided to practice some of my magic for a while.

Fire. It's a neat thing, sometimes dim, unmoving, docile. Other times a blaze, a scorching wave, an inferno. It's unpredictable at the best of times, but I guess that's why I like it. Fire is powerful, and many living things fear it, but people almost break that rule. We love it, we use it every day for mundane things, to the point where it's lost that wild potency it once had. But in the world of magic, that's not the case anymore. Fire is a force to be feared, it's no longer a tool but a deadly weapon. Simple things without magic turn into deadly superweapons with it. A fireball has the same impact as a bullet does if you flip the setting. A bullet in a fantasy setting is scary, so small so fast, so deadly. But a fireball is the near opposite. So big, so slow, so deadly. But what kind of comparison is that the two are quite different, so it's unfair to judge one another. Oh, magic, what an interesting subject, it joys my heart to no end.

Snow started falling again, it lightly filled the surrounding mountains, and soon enough the land on either side of them. Wheatberg would look nice with a blanket of white, maybe I should have put a tree up there. Oh well, for now, I'll enjoy the weather by myself. Perhaps this year was the best I've had, though I was whisked away from my old life into this crazy world, I think I much prefer things here. It's, simpler, more understandable than my old world. Sugarea was the greatest thing to happen to me, and for that, I'm eternally grateful for it. I doubt I'll ever return to play it properly again, but it'll live on in my heart forever. A disturbance behind me. Outside the castle, a familiar force. I teleported to the source, a purple portal. I was going to enter but a present popped out and it shut right after. A gift?

A white box with a red ribbon ending with a bow on top, iconic. "To Ashen, from The Puppet Master." Why would she bother?

I opened the box, inside there was a letter and one of my skull seeds. Consuming it made my body jitter, and a lava tear fall from my eye, but it gave me a message.

[The Crystal Fire Skull has reached level 4 of 20] [Awarding 200 Attribute and Skill Points] [Additional Ability Unlocked: Allocate Soul]

[Allocate Soul: Utilize a controlled soul to accomplish tasks that don't require a physical body]

So I could have all the souls I've gathered work for me? [Allocate Soul].

[Select Soul to Allocate.]

Ulgroth, the one who hurt Mina.

[Select an action to Allocate.]

Mana generation.

[Selection Confirmed,]

My senses detected a minuscule increase in my mana recovery, so I started to do the same thing with all the other souls.

[Titles Gained: Soul Singer, Soul Whisperer, Soul Commander, Soul Puppeteer, Controller of Souls] [Awarding 300 Attribute and Skill Points] [Soul Manager Menu Available]

The soul menu was just an easier way to configure the souls. And so, I continued the process with hundreds of thousands of souls. And in the end, something unexpected happened, and six clones of myself appeared before me...