Setting Up Defenses
The Demon King's Castle, Throne Hall.
Higashino Makoto sat on the throne, his long, silvery-white hair cascading down his shoulders, gleaming with a cold light under the illumination of the magic lamp.
Lilith stood to the right of the throne, her long green hair cascading over her shoulders. Three roses gleamed a dark red in the candlelight. Her eyes were fixed on him, and her tail swayed gently behind her.
Alice Kuonji stood to the left of the throne, dressed impeccably in her black maid outfit, her face expressionless.
The hall was filled with demons.
There were generals, captains, and leaders of various tribes.
Some wore armor, some wore robes, and some wore nothing at all, their bodies painted with battle symbols.
They gazed at the silver-haired man on the throne, their eyes swirling with complex emotions: wariness, hostility, curiosity, and a hint of inexplicable awe.
"I have summoned you here because I have something to announce."
Higashino Makoto's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every demon present.
"All demons engaged in war with humans, withdraw to your respective territories. Do not attack without my order."
The hall was quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.
"Withdraw? Why?"
"We're about to win--!"
"Humanity can't hold on any longer! A few more months of fighting—!"
"Demon Lord—Demon Lord—why did you—!"
Higashino Makoto looked at them, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion.
I said, withdraw.
No one spoke.
But their eyes still spoke volumes, filled with discontent, incomprehension, and resentment.
"Explain your reasons to them."
Higashino Makoto glanced at Lilith, who then lowered her head.
"... yes."
As he walked out of the throne room, Alice Kuonji followed behind him.
"Higashino, they don't understand."
"I know."
"Aren't you going to explain?"
"No explanation needed, that's Lilith's business."
"What if they don't listen?"
"Then I won't listen."
Alice Kuonji remained silent for a moment.
"Aren't you afraid they'll cause trouble?"
Higashino Makoto's tone was flat.
"Those demons who refuse to gather can be sent to the higher races as food. Consider this period of freedom as their last meal before they are executed."
Alice Kuonji didn't ask any more questions.
Higashino Makoto stood atop the highest tower of the Demon King's Castle, his golden eyes gazing at the distant land shrouded in twilight, with Alice Kuonji standing behind him.
"Mr. Higashino Makoto, aren't you planning to protect everyone?"
"I can't protect it. This world isn't very large, and my little world can directly cover it, but it's still quite big. My angels, monsters, and guardians are limited in number. If we spread our defenses out, we'll only be defeated one by one. It's better to consolidate our defenses and concentrate our forces."
What about those who are unwilling to shrink?
"You made the choice, you have to bear the consequences."
Alice Kuonji remained silent for a moment.
"Don't you think it's cruel?"
"Cruel? Perhaps, but I have no obligation to protect everyone. I am a gardener, not a nanny. A gardener waters, fertilizes, and removes pests from the flowers, but doesn't put every single flower under a glass dome."
Alice Kuonji watched his retreating figure for a moment before speaking.
"You're right."
Higashino Makoto raised his hand and made a light sweeping motion in the air.
A massive spatial rift appeared above the Demon King's city, about 100 meters wide and 200 meters long, resembling an open eye.
On the other side of the rift is the sky of Novas Etier, an artificial blue sky and white clouds.
Then the angels came.
Radiant Angel.
Levels 35 to 42, winged, wielding a long spear.
One, two, four, eight...
They emerged from the rift, forming neat rows, and hovered above the Demon King's castle, their wings gleaming golden in the setting sun.
Angels, countless as they were, gathered above the Demon King's castle.
The number summoned by Higashino Makoto himself alone is close to four thousand, and when you add the number summoned by the Guardians, the total number is in the tens of thousands.
Higashino Makoto summoned 10,000 this time.
All the angels, holding their spears, bowed their heads in reverence to the Supreme Beings of Novas Etilius.
Since mid-level angels cannot speak, Higashino Makoto also assigned a low-level demon called the Mute Bird.
Higashino Makoto looked at them.
"Go, spread the word to every corner of this continent. Inform all the settlements of the races that disaster is about to strike. If the superior races arrive, delay them a little; don't engage them in a direct confrontation."
Ten thousand angels simultaneously spread their wings and flew in all directions.
Golden rays streaked across the sky like shooting stars.
They poured out from the cracks, some landing on the walls of the Demon King's castle, some flying towards distant villages, and some disappearing into the forest.
"Alice Kuonji, ten thousand angels are enough."
Alice Kuonji spoke a few words to the communication crystal.
The rift stopped spewing out angels, but it remained open.
Then there are monsters, not angels, but monsters that are more powerful than angels, enhanced with Monster Cells, and automatically generated by the guild.
Cerberus, Chimera, Griffin, Centaur...
The levels range from fifty to seventy.
They emerged from the rift and crouched in the plaza in front of the Demon King's castle, kneeling silently before Higashino Makoto.
Higashino Makoto looked at them.
"Go, spread to every corner of the continent. Like angels, monitor and delay the enemy."
The monsters scattered.
Then there's the vampire princess.
Level 85, wearing a blood-red long dress, with long golden hair, pale skin, and blood-red eyes.
He could crush Muzan Kibutsuji with one hand.
"Owner."
She knelt down on one knee.
"Stay here for now. Once I obtain the blood of the superior race, you will disperse to various corners of the world through the portal. If you can't win, run. Just be careful not to die."
"Yes, sir."
She stood up and flew to the other side of the crevice.
Nine figures identical to her followed behind her.
A blood-red long dress, long golden hair, pale skin, and bloodshot eyes.
Alice Kuonji watched those departing figures.
"Mr. Higashino Makoto, hiring monsters above level 80 must be very expensive, right?"
"Expensive, but worth it."
"Does it hurt your heart?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
"... a little, but you get what you pay for, and it would be more painful if it died."
Alice Kuonji didn't ask any more questions.
Small world.
Higashino Makoto stood in the center of the small world, looking up at the artificial sky.
It has a diameter of 7,778 kilometers.
In his previous life, the longest diameter in Asia was only a little over 8,000 kilometers, and his little world could almost cover an entire continent.
The Scales of Justice and the Judgment of Sin.
The two World Item he had placed into his small world were now slowly rotating in the void, emitting a faint light.
He began to address racial issues.
The first measure is to shrink the defense line.
Recall all demons; abandon those unwilling to retreat.
Measure 2: Distribute surveillance units.
Ten thousand angels, one thousand monsters modified with Monster Cells, and ten vampire princesses, with the goal of becoming a superior race.
The primary objective is to delay, primarily to reduce casualties and avoid direct confrontation.
Measure three: Small-scale coverage strikes.
Using the Scales of Justice and the Judgment of Sin, they launched a large-scale Judgment attack.
The coverage area is 7,778 kilometers in diameter. However, it is uncertain whether it can overcome the immortality of the superior races.
Finally, a large-scale attack will be launched to protect the human race from massive casualties in the initial stages.
Afterwards, using the coordinates provided by the demons, they quickly killed the vampire princess, who had obtained the blood of a superior race, using teleportation magic.
Um...
There shouldn't be any major problems with this plan.
Higashino Makoto turned around and looked at the sky that was dyed red by the setting sun.
Lilith stood behind him, her golden eyes swirling with complex emotions.
She just tried it out and fought a regular angel; it was a stalemate.
The demons behind them were completely outmatched.
As for the vampire princess--
She was lifted up and beaten by the other party with one hand.
"Mr. Higashino Makoto, are you really a demon?"
"He's just a gardener who doesn't want his Garden to be eaten up by bugs."
Lilith remained silent for a long time, recalling the various materials she had previously researched.
There were only a few words about the so-called superior races, and she didn't have much of a real sense of those disasters.
"The superior races you mentioned... are they really that terrifying?"
"It's more terrifying than you think. They devour all living things, moving on to the next world after finishing one, like locusts, but ten thousand times more terrifying."
"You've seen him?"
Higashino Makoto looked up at the tattered "god," feeling His plea for help, and sighed.
"No. But I can sense that they are coming soon."
Lilith's tail swayed gently behind her.
"Then... can you win?"
"We will win."
Lilith looked at him, her eyes flashing with a complex light.
"... You are very confident."
"It's not confidence, it's a fact."
Higashino Makoto turned around and walked down the tower.
"Let's go, it's time for dinner."
"Yes."
Lilith followed behind him, with Alice Kuonji bringing up the rear.
Moonlight spilled onto the stone walls of the Demon King's castle, turning everything silvery-white.
In the distance, angels patrolled the night sky, their wings gleaming with a faint golden light under the moonlight.
That was Higashino Makoto's third day in the Fourth World. The defenses were in place; all that was left was to wait.
Waiting for the superior race to arrive.
Then... the killing began!