I decided to disperse the forces of the Demon Lord's Army and allocate them to deal with the Republican forces pressing in from various locations within my territory.
I would dispatch high-ranking and mid-ranking officers to serve as commanders.
The situation was unfolding simultaneously across multiple fronts.
If I gathered our strength to move as a single force, we wouldn't make it in time.
While a hint of unease remained, dividing our forces and deploying them immediately was the optimal choice.
I trusted them.
Some were perhaps dangerously close to losing their rationality, but I could only pray they would perform well.
Currently, those capable of contending with magical beasts or demons on their own were a precious resource.
They would have to do their best.
On my own part, I used teleportation to travel to the Republican capital.
I brought no subordinates with me.
Because personnel had been allocated to deal with the Republican army, this was the only move I could make.
I alone would be sufficient here.
When fighting at full power, subordinates could sometimes become shackles.
This time, I was at war with the Republic.
If so, it would be better to investigate their central capital.
I didn't believe Balk himself was hiding there, but there might be some clue to be found.
The internal uprising by the war faction had occurred in this place.
If Balk intended to turn the Republic into a new Demon Lord's Army, he might be secretly advancing his preparations.
Even if I found no clues, it wouldn't matter.
Rather, I would simply obliterate important cities, starting with the capital.
Just like in the Old Demon Territory, I would unleash a barrage of forbidden spells and reduce the Republic's territory to wasteland.
With a massacre of that scale, even the great Balk would surely take some form of action.
Until now, we had only been on the receiving end, but now we must take the initiative and seize the offensive.
Remaining reactive puts us squarely in the hands of our enemy's strategy.
The Republic should no longer be allowed to exist.
Just as Balk intended, it has become a nation of demons.
It posed the same threat as the Demon Lord's domain and had become an obstacle to world peace.
In the future, it would undoubtedly cause great anxiety among the people.
(Therefore, I shall destroy it thoroughly. It is time for the Demon Lord to truly show his power.)
Just as before, I appeared in the sky above the capital.
From there, I looked down upon the city.
The streets were overrun with a density of magical beasts that was nearly suffocating.
They wandered aimlessly, emitting groans.
For magical beasts, they were peculiarly docile, with no signs of attacking each other.
The sight was reminiscent of the undead under my control.
Balk must have subdued them with some method.
Upon observing the beasts closely, I detected interference from spells this time.
Just as suspected, they were being manipulated.
(Could these individuals remaining here be for the capital's defense?)
I survey the magical beasts, my thoughts turning to possibilities.
Perhaps they intend to use the first wave's fighting strength to wear down the Demon Lord's territory, then send in a follow-up assault for the kill.
In any case, eliminating them here would be for the best.
As I observe, the beasts notice me.
Those with wings and those with powerful legs all close in at once.
I ward off the incoming fire and frost breath with defensive magic.
Quite powerful, but manageable.
Without pause, the beasts launch their assault.
They unleash attacks with claws and fangs.
Their numbers left no gap to dodge the onslaught.
(But it is no problem.)
I dash through the air, swinging my keepsake sword.
Dismembered beasts fall to the ground.
Those that charge at me burst into fragments of flesh.
In the end, they are merely beasts.
They possess only enough intelligence to attack as a pack.
They may have tough bodies, but they lack the skill to use them effectively.
As I continue to swing my sword, I cast a spell.
A small fireball launched from my hand descends fluidly.
Then it plunges into the midst of the beasts and explodes.
The magical beast struck directly was blown apart, scattering as it burned.
The exploded fireball reconstituted itself by absorbing their magical power.
This time, it had swelled to roughly twice its original size.
The resurrected fireball then attacked other nearby magical beasts, exploding upon contact and absorbing their magic to swell further.
That fireball would detonate semi-infinitely as long as targets existed.
It absorbed the magic power of those it obliterated, increasing its own destructive force.
Due to magical capacity limits, it couldn't sustain itself against human targets, but against magical beasts, it displayed devastating power.
Left alone, it would automatically track and slaughter magical beasts.
That fireball was my own original modification of existing magic.
I developed it specifically for the mass slaughter of magical beasts.
Since it couldn't select targets, it became an indiscriminate attack and couldn't be used where allies were present.
But for a situation like this, it was the optimal solution.
I then turned my attention to the scattered remains of the magical beasts.
The corpses began to stir on their own, clustering together to form centipede-like masses of flesh as undead.
A single entity was endlessly generating humanoid abominations.
With materials scattered so abundantly, I combined them without restraint.
I then unleashed the resulting horde of giant centipedes upon the still-surviving magical beasts.
To avoid them turning on each other, I had them advance in the opposite direction from the exploding fireball.
The magical beasts smashed the centipedes apart with all their strength.
Roaring, they tore bodies asunder or crushed heads beneath their feet.
Then, with gaping maws, they began to crush and devour.
Countless centipedes were felled in the blink of an eye.
But the centipedes were undead.
Being nothing more than an assemblage of flesh, they had no vital points to speak of.
Even if ground to pieces, the separate chunks of meat would rejoin and rise once more.
The centipedes demonstrated their tenacity and began to counterattack the magical beasts.
The slain magical beasts likewise became undead, rising to claim yet more victims.
The tide was gradually turning.
(I should be fine now)
Watching the magical beasts devoured by the undead, I made my judgment.
The preparations were complete.
Left alone, the magical beasts would be exterminated on their own.
All that remained was to cancel the fireball at the right moment, and the undead would multiply on their own.
Against living creatures, my power held absolute superiority.
Even if magical domination had been imposed on them, it was meaningless before the authority of the Valley of the Dead.
It could seal away all effects and impose its own in their place.
Having unleashed my tool of annihilation, I began my survey of the capital.
Cutting down magical beasts as they approached, I made my way through the major facilities.
Along the way, I found various instruction documents and vials of magical beast potions.
All of them were in places that even my spies had been unable to reach. New intelligence on magical beast potions and the civil unrest came to light.
However, those were already things of the past.
They were of no use at this stage.
(There hasn't been much progress, but I suppose it can't be helped.)
I dispelled the fireball rampaging outside.
The remaining magical beasts could be left to the undead.
The harvest was meager, but I had managed to preemptively strip the Republic of a major fighting force.
If they were going to invade the Demon King's territory, then I would attack the Republic alone.
In terms of invasion speed, I was far quicker.
Until Balk showed up, I would demonstrate by destroying cities as many times as it took.
A man of his strong pride and conviction would not be able to silently condone my rampage.
Just as I was about to teleport to another city, I sensed a suspicious magical reaction nearby.
Moments later, the window shattered and something rolled inside.
It was a lesser demon.
Its eyes were rolled back, it was convulsing, and foam spewed from its mouth.
The magic within its body had been violently scrambled by some external interference.
The demon pushed itself upright with a grunt, its white eyes turning toward me.
"—Dwight Harvelt. It's been a long time. Has the Sage retired, then?"
The demon asked in a tone dripping with contempt.
Its foam-flecked mouth was twisted into a grimace of pleasure.