Chapter 426: Heroic Spirits Assault the City
Before Leohart could show displeasure, the white-haired handsome secretary-general beside him snapped, "Belgas, show some respect."
Belgas didn't even glance at him - he didn't even regard Satan with importance, let alone a mere lackey.
After Belgas appeared, especially after mentioning Zolgear, the expressions of Mio and the other two turned grim.
Haruto particularly remembered what kind of demon this creature, who resembled a purple-skinned alien more than anything, was and what his intentions were.
When Belgas shifted his malicious gaze to Mio, a sharp glint flashed through her sapphire cat-like eyes.
It wasn't time yet. A character who hadn't even reached Satan-Class wasn't worth exposing himself for.
Or rather, with Mio's capabilities, she could handle this completely on her own.
Not to mention Lucia and Sheila were standing by to provide support.
Although Belgas was an elite of the Cardinal Council, his strength was merely average.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to scavenge for leftovers only after Zolgear's death.
Belgas stared greedily at Mio. If not for the Cardinal Council's plans taking priority, he would have been unable to resist tasting what the former Satan's daughter was like right now.
"Your Majesty Leohart, regarding the matter you were just discussing with Her Highness Mio... Shouldn't such important affairs first seek the Cardinal Council's opinion?"
Leohart's earlier good mood instantly vanished. Seeing that soft methods hadn't worked, the Cardinal Council was now showing their true colors openly.
He said coldly, "What? Does the Cardinal Council think I'm not fit to be Satan?"
"No, no, no, everyone has witnessed Your Majesty's dedication over all these years."
Though disgusting, Belgas still had his wits about him. Knowing full well he was no match for Leohart, he naturally wouldn't confront him directly.
If he dared nod, Leohart would dare take action.
In that case, even if he didn't die, he would surely be severely injured.
While he couldn't admit it directly, he could phrase it differently.
Belgas' tone shifted as he said calmly, "Although Your Majesty Leohart has done excellently, perhaps Her Highness Mio could do even better."
"Hah, she's just a little girl who knows nothing. How could she do better than me?"
"Of course she couldn't, but if under the Cardinal Council's guidance..."
Belgas grinned, his meaning already clear without being stated outright.
Supporting Mio was just a pretext - finding a new puppet Satan was the real goal.
By this point, even a fool could see what was happening. The Cardinal Council was determined to challenge Leohart's position as Satan.
"Hey, you think I'll become Satan just because you say so?"
Mio sneered, "Even if I were to become Satan, my first act would be to eliminate the Cardinal Council."
Faced with Mio's unrestrained words, Belgas remained completely unfazed.
Since he had come to cause trouble, he had made thorough preparations.
"Whether you're willing or not doesn't matter - we'll make you willing."
As he spoke, magical energy flashed in Belgas' eyes, and soon powerful spatial fluctuations appeared outside the Demon King's city.
There were magical barriers within the Demon King's city. Even with the Cardinal Council's authority, they couldn't cause disturbances directly inside the city without alerting Leohart.
Two seconds later, the spatial fluctuations fully spread, and humanoid flesh monsters dozens of meters tall began attacking the city walls and barriers.
Leohart's expression changed dramatically as he roared, "How dare you!"
"Your Majesty must not misunderstand, these Heroic Spirits were not arranged by us. Listen, these are supporters of Lady Mio Naruse acting spontaneously."
Though Belgas claimed otherwise, his smug expression showed no attempt at concealment.
As if to complement his thinly veiled deception, the demon controlling the humanoid monsters shouted through amplification magic: "You vile usurper of the Demon Lord's throne, quickly return our Lady Mio Naruse to us! As the daughter of His Majesty Wilbert, she is the rightful heir to the Demon Lord's position."
While few might know Mio Naruse, Wilbert's reputation was truly effective.
Even after more than a decade since his passing, numerous demons still cherished and respected him.
This was inevitable - as a typical dove-faction Demon Lord, he not only achieved peace with the hero but also single-handedly restored most of the war-torn civilian livelihood.
Demons being a long-lived race, during peacetime, it would take centuries for Wilbert's prestige to diminish.
Mio was bewildered. Since when did she have supporters?
Wait, since when was she kidnapped?
The inexperienced young girl needed more time to grasp the key points, but Leohart and others required no such delay.
Their previous plans were clearly impossible to continue under these circumstances. The urgent priority was to eliminate all the attacking demons.
In just this short time, under the assault of the creatures called Heroic Spirits, the city walls and defensive barriers had completely crumbled. Terrifying attacks began falling upon the town.
In the outskirts near the walls, some unlucky demon civilians had already suffered casualties.
No one paid any more attention to Belgas. Leohart and the handsome white-haired Secretary-General hurriedly mobilized troops to begin defense.
Ramsus also teleported back to his residence.
After discussing with Sheila and the others, Haruto decided not to get involved in this matter for now.
This attack was arranged by the Cardinal Council themselves, and the old demons hadn't even shown their faces yet.
Moreover, in war-like situations like this, their presence wouldn't make much difference.
Just like Ramsus returning home to protect his own residence.
Rescuing civilians and similar tasks required organized troops familiar with the city's layout.
The Demon Lord's Castle, now engulfed in smoke and turmoil, completely lost its previous peace and beauty.
Sheila held Haruto while Mio and Lucia stood by her side. The four of them watched from the sky as houses collapsed and demon civilians cried out, their disgust for the Cardinal Council reaching its peak.
"What exactly are these things?"
Mio frowned as she watched the continuous emergence of muscular humanoid monsters dozens of meters tall from spatial rifts.
"These are called Heroic Spirits, weapons excavated from ancient ruins."
"The larger their size, the greater their combat power. Dozens of meters is just the most common type, roughly A-rank in strength. Those over twenty meters possess S-rank strength."
"Wasn't it said these things were rare? Why are there so many appearing at once?"
Although Sheila and Lucia could be considered locals, they only knew superficial information. After giving a brief explanation, they themselves fell into confusion.
"Wasn't it said that only people with strong mental power could control these things? Looking at them now, aside from the operator on the shoulder of the leading forty-meter tall purple Heroic Spirit, we don't see any operators on the other Heroic Spirits..."
The so-called Heroic Spirits could be considered biological weapons, somewhat similar in principle to Gundams.
The difference was that Gundams were made of steel, while Heroic Spirits were made of flesh and blood.
Another distinction was that the operators weren't inside them, but outside.
If an operator merged with one and used the Heroic Spirit at maximum power, they risked being assimilated.
"Assimilation" sounded nice, but in reality, it meant being devoured - in other words, death.
Haruto, combining his own memories with intelligence obtained from Sona, understood more about these so-called Heroic Spirits.
"Because the old fools in the Conclave have mastered the King of Heroic Spirits and reached an agreement with the Outer Gods behind these Heroic Spirits."
While Leohart was the one excavating ruins, when it came to such ancient things, how could the young Satan compare to those old fossils?
The existence of Heroic Spirits could greatly supplement his forces' combat power. Anyone with mental power reaching C-rank could control one.
Even those with A-rank or S-rank strength could significantly enhance their combat capabilities by using Heroic Spirits.
Additionally, Heroic Spirits were weapons designed specifically for warfare.
Both their size and their ability to fire energy beams from their mouths were designed for the battlefield.
If it weren't Heroic Spirits attacking this time, but the same number of similarly powerful experts, the city walls and magical barriers might not even have been breached yet.
"King of Heroic Spirits? Outer Gods?" Sheila's elegant brows slightly furrowed as if she had thought of something.
Unlike the younger generation, she knew some secrets about such matters.
"You mean the Child of Chaos? Wasn't it said to have been sealed away?"
"If it could be sealed, why couldn't it be unsealed?" Haruto jumped from her arms into Mio's, offering no further explanation.
"Mio, keep me with you from now on. I estimate the Conclave will soon make a move against you and Leohart."
It seemed those old fools still hadn't given up, wanting to first test whether they could handle things themselves.
If they could resolve it independently, they wouldn't need to share the benefits with the Old Satan Faction.
"More content from your memories?"
Haruto's transmigration, or rather, the awakening of his past life's wisdom, was no longer a secret.
Faced with Haruto's almost prophetic actions, the three women teased with interest but didn't press further.
Things unfolded much as Haruto had predicted. The Conclave wasn't yet prepared for a final confrontation with Leohart - this Heroic Spirit attack was merely to force Leohart to compromise.
As the army launched an organized counterattack, the destruction caused by the Heroic Spirits immediately slowed.
After about half an hour, as if an agreement had been reached, the Heroic Spirit army began to gradually withdraw.
Just then, Haruto's group received a magical message from Leohart.
Returning to the palace hall, Belgas had already left, leaving only Leohart with an unpleasant expression and his secretary.
"Naruse Mio, regarding the matter of the Satan position, I may need to trouble you."
Seeing the girl holding the black cat, the young Demon King's expression softened slightly.
It was fortunate that Mio Naruse wasn't allied with the Sacred Assembly, otherwise this situation would have become truly troublesome.
"Go ahead, tell me how you need me to cooperate."
Mio Naruse stroked Haruto's soft, smooth fur, growing increasingly fond of the sensation. She began considering whether she should actually get a cat of her own.