Chapter 220: Episode 69. A Melee (2)
I climbed on top of the Royal Observatory of Greenwich. It was a full moon that night. The battle had been going on for several days. I summoned the monsters that I had stationed in the observatory.
The monsters were not that much, and they were not really quality, but they were not that bad at all.
There were 500 saber tigers, 500 orcs, and some trolls and ogres. Doppelgangers were there, too.
“They can only copy appearance, but nobody will pay attention to details in a situation like this.”
Doppelgangers could transform their appearance to look like others. They were intermediate-grade monsters, so they were not that strong. However, they were incredibly useful in situations like this, especially when I tried to deceive others.
I had hidden 300 doppelgangers in the basement of the observatory, all of them transformed into death knights. I also added 30 actual death knights among them. Thus, a convincing death knight unit was completed.
“No need to increase my casualties.”
The knights were all for a show. I was only pretending to fight since I couldn’t escape the battle. I just didn’t want others to notice or even speculate that I had a part in this chaos.
“A melee…”
It had been two days. Ariel, Ufa, Pandemonium, and the angels were still engaged in a bloody feast. Before they noticed something was wrong and began to show distrust in me, I had to do something. It was too early to use Hope.
“The moment the victor emerges… Just when they think everything is over, they will be mistaken…” I declared.
After reading Hope’s effects in the Mind’s Eye, it was still not clear how strong it was. Therefore, I needed to take precautions to minimize the risks.
Patience… Waiting was something I was good at.
“It will be interesting,” I muttered.
I turned to look for Oswen. He had finished all the preparations at the forefront.
“Your Majesty, I, Oswen, am at your service. I will sweep all the enemies at your behest.”
Oswen’s sly tone was still the same. I could not sense the sincerity in his voice. He had followed me this far for only one reason: I had saved him and inflicted pain on the Hell Lord.
I grinned. “You sound like Maxium. Well, have you had any contact with him?”
“Yes. He said he got two dungeons of Ufa’s faction.”
“Sounds good.”
Oswen shrugged. “It was because Your Majesty had given him such strong monsters.”
Originally, Maxium was active in South America and tasked with interfering with Ufa. At present, Ufa was away. Thus, I had ordered Maxium to take over Ufa’s dungeons.
I also reinforced the troops with new recruits. I had given him the highest-grade monster, Mago, bone dragons, and 10,000 skeleton-type monsters. I loaned him all the high-grade monsters to catch Gustarte. Catching that wizard proved to be challenging. It was literally a melee.
“Ufa was incapable of sound judgment in the fight with Ariel.”
In typical situations, Ufa would send back many of his troops to the South American dungeons after hearing the news of attacks. However, Ufa was currently waging war against Ariel. He should have sent aid to his dungeons instead.
I was the one who benefited from his poor judgment. The task of conquering the dungeons was proceeding smoothly. It would be hard to invade some significant ones, but invading a few more weak demons’ dungeons was good enough.
I grinned with satisfaction. I was doing several things at the same time, but everything was going as planned.
“Your Majesty, which side will you help: Ariel Diablo, Ufa Blennon, or Pandemonium? You are not going to help the angels, right?”
Right now, everyone outside was the enemy. The tacit agreement had been broken. Once the fire started to spread, no one could put it out until the effects were visible.
“You know the answer to that.” I pulled out my sword and went on, “All who oppose me are my enemies!”
Clink! Clank!
Neigh!
Woo!
All the monsters cried out. The real death knights raised their swords.
Even though it was all a show, I never did things half-*ssed. I would ensure that we were noticed, evading suspicions.
“Let’s go.”
Whoosh!
The Flame of Pride burst into flames.
***
We aimed for the angels. Even if we weren’t attacking them, they struck us first anyway. We could not help but retaliate.
“Oswen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Who do you think will win?” I asked curiously.
Ariel and Ufa were engaged in a bloody battle near the ark. It was a close fight. It seemed like it would not end soon.
“I think Ufa will win.”
“Isn’t Ariel a better fighter than Ufa?”
“War does not depend on the stronger fighter.”
Oswen had a point. He had been a commander of the Underworld. Even though he had lost his ego, his experiences were still intact. I tapped my temple. In a one-on-one fight between Ufa and Ariel, Ariel was obviously the dominant one. If this continued, then the gap would widen.
On the other hand, in a fight among monsters, Ufa’s troops were leading. Ariel’s army, although stronger than Ufa’s, was outnumbered. His troops had the advantage. The gap between the monsters would increase more than the gao between Ariel and Ufa.
In particular, the silver knights were showing great performances, but I had used my Mind’s Eye to check on their skills.
“They will eventually fall at the same time, and everything will end,” I thought.
Great Mountains (Epic) was a great skill, but there was a weak point. When all of their strength was used up, they would all fall at the same time. Once they did, it would be harder to fill that role.
“What about the fight between Pandemonium and the angels?”
“Pandemonium will win. His ability in melees is excellent.”
I agreed. Pandemonium was the oldest demon. He had mastered demonic magic. He was used to situations like this. In contrast, the angels were forced to be on the defensive. It would have been just a matter of time before the victor emerged.
“What do you think Pandemonium will do once he wins against the angels?”
“I think he will strike both Ariel and Ufa… or join forces with Ufa. Pandemonium is akin to Ufa.”
Ufa and Pandemonium were aware of Ariel Diablo’s potential. In my previous life, she was the winner. She survived until the very end.
“Then we will have to help Ariel Diablo,” I decided.
“Weren’t you aiming for that from the beginning?”
On this battlefield, at least one of them would be eliminated. I was sure of that. However, it should not be Ariel Diablo.
It was not because I was honoring the victor in my previous life or something. I just wanted to be the last one fighting against her. It would be spectacular.
Besides, Ufa and Pandemonium were tricky and cunning. That was why I wanted to get rid of them—a more difficult enemy—first.
I didn’t bring many monsters, but they would be enough to create a distraction. I would help Ariel Diablo survive this battle.
However, I was having a difficult time deciding on who to strike first. Should I attack Ufa or Pandemonium? The result would be completely different depending on who I aimed at first.
“Please go for Ufa,” Oswen suggested. “Hashi isn’t a worthless child.”
“But it looks like there is a problem with the angels’ command system…”
“This is no big deal. By now, Hashi has a complete understanding of a melee.”
“Aren’t you overestimating her?”
“Your Majesty, Tashumal has arrived,” Oswen informed me. “She is with Hashi.”
I frowned. I didn’t understand Oswen’s words for a moment.
“Tashumal fell from favor. Other angels would not let her live.”
“She is not right next to Hashi. She just advises from a distance. It is not difficult to send messages using the angels that she has raised. Also, Hashi follows Tashumal very well. She will try as hard as a student trying to impress her teacher. It will make a difference. Of course, the outcome won’t change much, but the angels will be able to throw a punch.”
I did not fully understand Oswen’s explanation, but it was somewhat convincing. Anyway, Oswen was a better commander than me. I could not deny it.
I nodded and said, “Alright then. Let’s attack Ufa.”
I was decided. It would buy me some time if the angels fought hard against Pandemonium. Meanwhile, I would interrupt Ufa, then Ariel would deal with him by herself.
Just in case the angels attacked, Ufa had left many monsters in the rear. His troops were surrounding Ariel’s knights. If the angels came at him in this situation, he would be in danger. Thus, he had built a wall of monsters.
I decided to aim at the weakest spot. Even a solid wall would collapse if there was a gap.
The first one I saw was Groggy Infir. He was one of Ufa’s demons, and he loved succubi. I didn’t know what he had accomplished, but he had managed to summon the Succubus Queen.
Thousands of succubi were flying in the sky. Originally, succubi were intermediate-grade monsters at level four. However, they were enhanced due to the influence of the Succubus Queen.
I set the 30 death knights at the front. The remaining 300 death knight doppelgangers were placed at the rear as a shield. They wouldn’t be that much help in this fight anyway. They were just there to intimidate.
The succubi turned their gaze at me. Groggy, who was touching the Succubus Queen’s breast, saw me, too.
“Ha! Archduke Randalf Bruciel! Aren’t you supposed to be protecting the castle? Stepping outside the castle is too dangerous for you!”
His voice was full of ridicule. Soon, Groggy and the Succubus Queen descended from the sky.
“Here is a better view,” I replied, grinning.
Groggy laughed. “Then, just watch quietly. There is no place for you on this battlefield!”
“If there is no place for me, then I will make one,” I responded. “Oswen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Eliminate the man in front of me,” I commanded.
“Sure. It is easy work. But could Your Majesty take care of the Succubus Queen?”
“Isn’t it usually the other way around?”
“I think if you handle her, we will save more time,” Oswen said coyly.
Killing Groggy Infir was too easy for me. Oswen could handle him.
“With only those monsters?” Groggy mocked. “Get off your high horse! If you interfere, then I will kill you here.”
I clicked my tongue, annoyed. “First, cut off his tongue. That voice is disgusting.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Oswen complied.
Oswen and I prepared to attack. Groggy Infir’s face was red with fury. He didn’t take it well that we were ignoring him. He had been fighting for a few days now. It was natural to grow mad about small things.
“Alright! I was not pleased that you became an archduke anyway! The only true archduke is my master, Ufa!”
Thousands of succubi flew at me in a flash.
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