He Controls the Seventy-Two Demon Gods! / Is He Preparing a Mage Army to Wage War on the Gods?

The reason the Sixth Administrative District had suffered such losses was that its administrators had colluded with outsiders, allowing nomadic tribes to enter and loot the area before dividing the spoils.

They always used all kinds of excuses to demand supplies from the capital.

And after the deputy officer finished speaking, he became even more miserable. It seemed he had tried to hide something during the interrogation, only to suffer another invisible attack.

"So that's how it is. Then you may go to Hell."

King Solomon smiled faintly and waved his hand from the throne.

In the next instant, the deputy officer lying on the ground seemed to be lifted by an invisible force. His body began to twist continuously, deforming grotesquely.

"No, no! Aaaahhh...!"

Still screaming, the deputy officer was ultimately twisted into something no longer recognizable as human.

His flesh split apart, and his bones pierced through his body. The sight was truly horrifying.

So what exactly had happened?

Watching this unfold, Brunhilde had not seen King Solomon use any magic. Could it be that in merely half a year, his magic had already reached an unimaginable, godlike realm?

Wait, she could sense something there, but she could not see it.

No, it was not that she could not see it. She could faintly make out distorted air rippling.

Could it be...!

Brunhilde summoned the Akasha System interface. After a series of operations, she saw something.

At that moment, an astonished expression appeared on her face. There truly was an additional figure at the scene.

It was a demon!

He was commanding demons?

He Had Subjugated the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons!

Though it looked somewhat humanoid, it possessed a twisted quality that instinctively terrified humans.

It had two horns on its head, a ferocious face, and a beak-like mouth filled with irregular sharp teeth.

Its limbs were long and slender, ending in Kamaitachi-like hooked claws. Its reptilian skin was covered in scales.

And behind it were bat wings and a tail, further proving its identity.

That was the appearance of the demon Brunhilde saw.

It was this demon, invisible to everyone else, that was torturing the deputy officer.

The reason humans could not see it was likely because the demon had been granted invisibility.

Yes, the demon had been granted invisibility, because it was not a particularly high-ranking demon. Normally, it would not possess such an ability.

So was King Solomon the one who had granted the demon invisibility?

As Brunhilde looked toward King Solomon once more, she could not help drawing a sharp breath.

From the beginning, she had noticed a lion and a large dog lying at either side of King Solomon.

She had originally thought nothing of them. But now, after using the Akasha System to glimpse the truth, she realized that neither was an ordinary animal.

They emanated unusual auras. The demon looked at the two of them with reverence in its eyes.

And Brunhilde understood their identities.

Malphas, the fifth-ranked demon among the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons, was a ruler of Hell commanding thirty-six legions and possessed the ability to uncover the truth.

Whether hidden treasures or secret matters, nothing could remain concealed before him. He could not be deceived, and he was skilled in healing arts and mechanical technology. He could also grant his summoner the ability to transform.

He usually took the form of a lion.

In other words, before Malphas, any lie spoken by that deputy officer would be instantly exposed.

And the giant dog had to be Grasya-Labolas, the twenty-fifth demon among the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons. It appeared as a winged giant dog and possessed knowledge of science, understanding of past and present, the ability to distinguish friend from foe, and the power to make people invisible.

That demon's invisibility was likely its doing.

Two mighty demons of the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons had actually submitted at King Solomon's feet.

Goll, who could now see the demon as well, felt an even more terrifying aura. When she turned around, she saw them.

"Sister Brunhilde, th-that lion and that huge dog... why do they feel so terrifying? It feels like they're radiating dark power. Are they Demon Beasts?"

"They are Malphas and Grasya-Labolas."

"Malphas and Grasya-Labolas?"

Names of Demon Beasts?

No, weren't those the names of two demons among the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons?

Right, some demons normally took the form of certain animals.

Once Goll realized that, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Two demons had submitted beneath a human's feet?

No way. Why was this becoming more and more consistent with the records they had seen in the historical footage?

Was Solomon truly a pure human? Or was he some god's illegitimate son?

If he were that god's illegitimate son, then something like this might be possible.

If not an illegitimate son, then perhaps an adopted son.

In any case, Goll found it far too outrageous. Could a human truly command the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons? That was impossible, wasn't it?

Therefore, she leaned toward the idea that it was an order from that Main God to the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons that had forced them to obey King Solomon.

"How did he make them submit?"

Brunhilde murmured as well, unable to imagine it.

To command the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons, one first needed the approval of someone—the King of Hell.

But what right did a mere human have to make the King of Hell lend him the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons?

Who did he think he was?

If he were a god's son, then it might be possible.

Could he really be that god's son?

In fact, Brunhilde had already selected a candidate for this Ragnarok—another human connected to that god, someone who could also be considered that god's son in a sense.

That human had been created by a god in his own image. That human was Adam!

And since Adam had been created in the image of a god, he naturally possessed some of the gods' abilities. For certain reasons, he had also turned against the gods and even slain one.

Of course, the god he killed was not the god who had created him, but an ordinary Snake God.

Though it was not an especially powerful god, it was still a god, and Adam had killed it effortlessly in an instant.

Naturally, he could accomplish such a thing, since he had been created in the image of that god.

In a sense, Adam was a god bearing the name of a human.

In short, King Solomon's ability to command the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons was likely related to that god somehow.

After that, Brunhilde continued watching until the sun set that day.

The instant the glow on the horizon vanished and darkness swallowed the sky, a sudden change made Brunhilde's expression shift.

The sky became covered in Magic Arrays. Countless Magic Arrays formed what seemed like an incomparably massive hemispherical Light Shield, enclosing the entire nation.

Such a vast spell was not something a single demon could accomplish.

As the sudden transformation unfolded, seventy-two pillars of light rose as well.

Seventy-two pillars of light meant that all Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons were in the Earthly World!

"S-Sister Brunhilde, l-look over there!"

Goll's voice trembled. Following the direction she pointed, Brunhilde saw that something unusual had happened among the crowds on the main streets.

The humans did not cause any commotion over the change. Instead, they seemed accustomed to it. Most continued doing whatever they had been doing, while another group left Brunhilde dumbfounded.

That other group formed orderly lines and walked toward stone walls.

A door appeared on each stone wall, resembling a gate leading into Hell. Once the doors opened, groups of people simply walked inside.

And there was not just one such door. There was one in each of the four directions of the Royal Capital.

Something was terribly wrong. It was too strange!

Brunhilde rose into the air. After leaving the Magic Array barrier, she looked down at the city below.

"This—!"

What entered her sight was an entirely different scene: the ordinary Royal Capital welcoming the night, with nothing abnormal at all.

After a moment of astonishment, she understood. This Magic Array was concealing the truth.

Then she would enter the other side of the gate and see what was happening there.

Was He Preparing a Magician Army to Wage War Against the Gods?

Although this was historical footage, the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demons had all appeared. Brunhilde had no choice but to be cautious.

So she disguised herself as a person from that era and blended into the line.

Gulp—!

That was the sound of Goll swallowing nervously. She followed behind as well.

When they reached the strange gate, Goll watched her sister walk fearlessly through it and disappear from sight. Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, she stepped forward too.

After the slight feeling of resistance vanished, she felt herself bump into a back. It was a familiar back that made her feel safe, and only then did Goll open her eyes.

"Huh?"

Goll could not help staring in astonishment, because the place before her was clearly where she had just entered.

It was as though after entering the gate, she had simply walked back out and returned to the same spot.

Could the gate be rejecting them?

"Sister Brunhilde, we—"

Her voice abruptly stopped. Goll's eyes widened as she noticed that something was wrong.

The city, which should have been bathed in bright silver moonlight, was now illuminated by the terrifying glow of a crimson moon.

The sky itself was also blood-red, as though it was naturally red rather than merely illuminated by the crimson moon.

The bustling night streets that should have been visible now looked gloomy and sinister, with scarcely any human figures in sight. Instead, countless demons roamed about.

A sudden strange cry made her look back toward the sky. She saw a swarm of demons flying in one direction.

What was going on? In the blink of an eye, had this city been occupied by demons?

No, had her sister somehow fast-forwarded time, jumping to an era when this city had changed from human territory into demon territory?

But had such an era ever existed?

"This is Mirror Space!"

Her equally stunned sister suddenly spoke those words.

Mirror Space?

After staring blankly for a moment, Goll understood.

Mirror Space referred to a space created at the same coordinates as reality, with scenery identical to those real-world coordinates.

Immediately, Goll wore a dumbfounded expression.

Among the people who had lined up to enter, one group began using magic and flew toward a certain direction.

Ah, another group used magic, strengthening their bodies as they leaped between buildings.

"Today's lesson will be practical training."

"Really? Our practical training class isn't until next week!"