The moment Ren Kuroda's words fell, the Demon Lords present all reacted differently.
Behind Frey, the lion-winged beastman standing as her attendant blinked in complete confusion as he stared at Ren.
I'm pretty sure I don't even know this guy… he thought blankly.When exactly did we become "close friends"?
As for the other Demon Lords, some continued sleeping as if nothing had happened, others remained spaced out in boredom, while a few leaned back in their chairs with amused smiles, clearly eager to watch the drama unfold.
But without a doubt, the ugliest expression in the room belonged to Clayman.
Whether it had been intentional or simply because the gathering was originally formed as the "Ten Great Demon Lords," Guy Crimson had arranged exactly ten seats around the table.
Karion hadn't arrived—but Ren had just claimed his seat on his behalf.
Which meant…
There was now no place left for Clayman to sit.
Just moments earlier, Clayman had slapped Milim in front of the other Demon Lords to show off his dominance.
He had only just managed to build up a bit of prestige.
Now, however, Ren's casual move had stripped that dignity away in an instant.
Clayman's face darkened rapidly, turning an alarming shade of purplish red.
But just as it seemed he might explode in rage, his expression suddenly calmed—almost as if he had remembered something.
"Oh please," Clayman sneered.
"'Close friend'? Don't make me laugh."
"Wasn't it you and that slime beside you who attacked the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania and killed Demon Lord Karion?"
"And now you're pretending to save his seat at the Demon Lords' Banquet? There's a limit to how shameless an act can be."
Clayman briefly considered sitting down anyway and simply extinguishing the black flames on the chair.
But his instincts screamed that the fire was dangerous.
So instead, he remained standing and began delivering a dramatic speech.
Not only did he place the entire blame for the Beast Kingdom incident on Ren and Rimuru, he also portrayed himself as the next victim.
"First Karion," Clayman declared bitterly, "and now it will be me."
"These two despicable lowborn demonkin assassinated Karion through underhanded means in order to seize the position of Demon Lord."
"After that, they manipulated Karion's subordinates and joined forces with them to launch an invasion of my territory!"
"And I have evidence to support every word I'm saying."
He raised a hand dramatically.
"Allow me to show everyone what is happening in my domain right now."
With a flick of magic, a projection appeared in the air before the gathered Demon Lords.
Within the floating image, an army composed of Falmuth's forces, the Beast Kingdom's troops, and the Monster Federation's monsters could be seen crushing Clayman's subordinates.
In just a few short minutes of footage…
Clayman's army was being beaten so badly that even his castle looked like it was about to fall.
Clayman himself stared at the projection in shock.
Before coming here, he had specifically ordered his subordinates to hold back a little.
The idea was to stage a convincing act—to make his enemies look threatening while still keeping things under control.
But looking at the battlefield now…
Isn't this holding back a little TOO much?!
At this rate my entire territory is going to be wiped out!
How was this possible?
The soldiers under his command were high-ranking demonkin, and he even had dragon-kin who served Milim among them.
Yet the battle was completely one-sided!
Aside from Karion's former subordinates, weren't Ren and Rimuru's forces supposed to consist of nothing but ordinary humans and low-level monsters?
"Ahahahaha!"
A burst of laughter suddenly rang out.
Clayman turned to see Ramiris flying happily through the air, her tiny body bouncing with delight.
"Clayman, your house is practically getting smashed to pieces and you're still here giving speeches!"
"If my labyrinth were getting destroyed like that, I'd already feel like my butt was on fire!"
Her words instantly made the veins on Clayman's forehead bulge.
But even so, he didn't dare retaliate.
Despite having lost most of her power, Ramiris had once been the Queen of the Fairies who saved the world.
The other Demon Lords still respected her.
If Clayman dared to attack her here, Guy Crimson would probably be the first to turn against him.
Meanwhile, Rimuru, listening to Ramiris's carefree comments, wore an awkward expression.
Because the tiny fairy seemed to have forgotten something important.
Her precious labyrinth had been completely destroyed by Rimuru himself not long ago, which had made her cry on the spot.
Standing in front of the Demon Lords while his subordinates were being annihilated on screen, Clayman could only grit his teeth and shut off the projection.
Then he quickly reorganized his thoughts and continued speaking.
"I believe everyone has already seen the evidence."
"First Karion, and now me."
"These two lowborn demonkin have clearly grown arrogant. They openly trample upon the dignity of us Demon Lords!"
"As fellow members of the Ten Great Demon Lords, do none of you feel your status being challenged?"
"Today they attack Karion and me. Tomorrow… they may come for any of you."
Clayman's speech was surprisingly convincing.
Combined with the footage they had just seen, some Demon Lords—such as Dagruel and Dino—actually began to believe his story.
Seeing the mood in the room shift, Clayman felt a surge of excitement.
Those demonkin subordinates he had lost?
It didn't matter.
Minions of that level could always be replaced.
But after today's Demon Lords' Banquet, the other Demon Lords would undoubtedly remember Clayman.
And his influence among them would only grow stronger.
After all—
He controlled Milim.
Frey was his ally.
And with today's performance, Clayman believed he had secured a powerful position within the Ten Great Demon Lords.
From here on, the plan of the Moderate Harlequin Alliance, along with Yuuki and Lord Kazalim, could finally begin.
On the other side, Rimuru was starting to panic.
If Clayman kept talking like this, he and Ren would end up being branded the true villains.
Just as Rimuru stood up, ready to explain—
Ren moved first.
Rimuru originally thought Ren was about to defend them.
Instead—
Ren suddenly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right in front of Clayman.
Then—
BAM!
Ren's fist smashed straight into Clayman's face.
The smug expression Clayman had been wearing a moment ago instantly collapsed.
His body spun through the air like a high-speed drill, before slamming hard into the nearby wall.
Ren casually cracked his knuckles.
"Man, you just keep yapping without end."
"Aren't Demon Lords supposed to follow a simple rule?"
"Whoever has the bigger fist gets to decide what's right."
"Let's ignore the fact that everything you said was complete nonsense."
"But even if it were all true… so what?"
"You expect me to explain myself?"
"Not happening."
"The law of the jungle is survival of the fittest."
"And right now, standing in front of me…"
"You're the weak one."
Ren glanced around the table at the other Demon Lords.
"Ten Great Demon Lords? Whatever."
"If you've got a problem with me, come down here and fight."
"Did you think I came here to watch your little stand-up comedy show?"
"If anyone else here is unhappy, feel free to jump in."
"No need for this clown to keep hopping around like a monkey."
Rimuru:╮(￣▽￣"")╭
You were literally the one telling me earlier not to act impulsively…
What the hell is this?!
This is NOT the script we agreed on!