Although Myulan didn't know the exact identities of all the beings who made up the "Ten Great Demon Lords," she did know one important fact:
Not all of them had completed their Awakening.
Even among the Ten Great Demon Lords, only about half were truly awakened beings.
If Ren Kuroda and Rimuru really managed to pull Milim over to their side, then the situation would become extremely dangerous for the others. Two powerful Awakened Demon Lords, combined with the Storm Dragon Veldora and the Dragon-Majin Milim, would form a force that could genuinely rival the remaining nine Demon Lords.
Unfortunately, although Milim had left Rimuru a method to contact her before she departed, when Rimuru tried reaching out to her now—
There was no response at all.
Just as Ren and Rimuru were beginning to wonder if something unexpected had happened, the door suddenly burst open.
Benimaru rushed inside, looking unusually tense.
And he brought another piece of shocking news.
Something had happened to the Beast Kingdom.
Demon Lord Milim had suddenly appeared in Carrion's territory, and without any warning whatsoever, she had immediately launched an attack.
Although both were members of the Ten Great Demon Lords, the gap between them was enormous. Carrion was merely a title-bearing Demon Lord who had not awakened, while Milim was one of the ancient Demon Lords who had been awakened for ages.
The difference in strength between them was almost unimaginable.
In short—
After Milim's rampage, the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania had been completely devastated.
As for the strongest warriors under Carrion—the legendary Three Beastketeers—they had been forced to escort the refugees of the Beast Kingdom while searching for a new place to settle.
At the same time, they were seeking an opportunity for revenge.
Because according to the intelligence they had gathered, Milim's sudden attack had not been her own will.
She had supposedly been manipulated by Demon Lord Clayman.
Since the earlier incident involving Phobio transforming into the Tempest Disaster had never occurred, the relationship between the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania and Rimuru's Monster Federation was still fairly neutral.
Phobio's understanding of Rimuru's city also remained stuck at an earlier stage.
In his mind, the town was merely a place that happened to be protected by Demon Lord Milim.
"This city looks even more prosperous than our Beast Kingdom of Eurazania," said Sophia, the White Tiger Claw, one of the Three Beastketeers.
She gazed at the town before them with a hint of unease.
"It's definitely a good place… but will the ruler of this forest really agree to shelter us?"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"After all, the one who destroyed our homeland was Demon Lord Milim. And if Phobio is right, the lord of this forest seems to have a good relationship with her."
To be fair, the orc tribe had remarkable rebuilding abilities.
The town had previously suffered significant damage, but in front of an orc workforce numbering over a hundred thousand, that kind of destruction hardly mattered.
In just a few days, the streets and buildings had already been almost completely restored by the orcs and goblins.
"If they refuse to take us in," Phobio said coldly, "then we'll just take the place by force."
He scanned the town dismissively.
"The monsters living here don't seem that strong anyway."
"And besides—Milim is the one who made us homeless. If we take over territory under her protection, what's wrong with that?"
When Phobio had previously visited Rimuru's city, he had nearly been killed by Milim with a single punch.
Now that Milim had also destroyed his homeland, it was impossible for him not to harbor resentment toward her.
"Let's go in and take a look first," said Albis, the Yellow Serpent Horn and the strategist of the Three Beastketeers.
"If they're willing to take us in, that would be ideal."
"But if they refuse… then we'll have to consider other options."
Whenever important decisions needed to be made, Sophia and Phobio usually deferred to Albis's judgment.
And truthfully—
Albis had already considered Phobio's proposal.
Among monsters, there was no such thing as right or wrong.
Only strength mattered.
Those with the strongest fists decided the rules.
Albis personally disliked the idea of plundering others.
But if it meant protecting the people of the Beast Kingdom…
Then perhaps she would have no choice.
However—
The moment the Three Beastketeers stepped into the town—
Even warriors of their caliber immediately felt multiple dangerous gazes locking onto them.
As the hosts of the city, Ranga and Benimaru appeared first in front of them.
Soon afterward came Geld, Diablo, and several others.
From another direction not far away, Medea stood with Wiz and their group, quietly observing the situation.
The Three Beastketeers were stunned.
They had only taken a single step into the city, yet somehow they were already completely surrounded.
The oni standing before them.
The massive orc warrior.
The flying lizardman Gabiru in the sky.
The gigantic wolf-like beast.
And the elegant demon dressed like a butler.
From every one of these figures, Albis and the others felt an unmistakable sense of pressure.
None of the monsters surrounding them were ordinary.
At the very least, each one was on their level—or even stronger.
And that wasn't all.
Albis and her companions could also sense another group standing some distance away.
The aura coming from them was equally dangerous.
Normally, even a Demon Lord would be fortunate to have two or three monsters or majins of this caliber serving under them.
Yet here—
Nearly twenty such high-level beings were gathered in a single place.
Sophia slowly turned her head toward Phobio.
Her eyes practically said:
"This is what you meant by 'not strong'?"
Thankfully, they had listened to Albis earlier and refrained from acting recklessly.
Otherwise—
Wouldn't they already be dead without even leaving behind bones?
This wasn't an exaggeration.
As beast-type majins, they possessed instincts similar to wild animals.
Although some of the monsters in front of them were concealing their power, Sophia could still sense something terrifying.
Among these figures—
There were many who could easily kill her.
"You three should be from the Beast Kingdom, correct?"
Benimaru stepped forward as the host and spoke calmly.
"At the moment, our Monster Federation is in a somewhat special situation, so we're maintaining heightened security. I hope you can understand."
His gaze remained steady.
"May I ask why you've come all the way from the Beast Kingdom?"
As the temporary representative of Eurazania, Albis had no choice but to explain the kingdom's situation truthfully and state their purpose.
After witnessing the strength of Benimaru and the others, Phobio's earlier idiotic suggestion was clearly no longer an option.
They had no intention of committing suicide.
Demon Lord Milim had been controlled by Clayman and had attacked the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania?
When Ren Kuroda, Rimuru, and Veldora heard this information, their first reaction was disbelief.
According to the intelligence they possessed, someone like Clayman—a third-rate Demon Lord—simply did not have the ability to control a being like Milim.
However—
Considering Milim's personality, almost no one in the world could force her to do something she didn't want to do.
Yet she had obediently followed Clayman's orders.
That made the situation difficult to dismiss.
Perhaps Milim really had fallen under some kind of control.
But the power capable of controlling her probably did not originate from Clayman himself.
Which meant there was only one possibility.
Someone far more powerful was standing behind Clayman.
"So the enemies we'll need to deal with at minimum are Clayman, Milim, and whoever's backing Clayman," Rimuru said thoughtfully.
After a moment, he began assigning roles.
"I'll handle Clayman."
"Veldora will stay back and hold the line in case the person behind Clayman shows up."
He then looked toward Ren.
"As for Milim, I'll leave her to you."
"You've fought her before, after all."
Rimuru smiled slightly.
"You should have the strength necessary to hold her down."