"Should we release the barrier now?"
"Go ahead and release it."
Damien temporarily suppressed his urge to seek out Velzard for a fight. "By the way, how are Treyni and Frey doing?"
"They've already awakened."
"Also, Treyni wishes to come and pay her respects."
"Let her come."
Damien was curious to see if Treyni had gained an Ultimate Skill after evolving into a True Demon Lord.
After all, not every True Demon Lord possessed an Ultimate Skill.
Even if they did, it might only be a standard Ultimate.
"Lord Damien!"
A faint green glow flickered, and Treyni's figure appeared amidst the ruins.
"Congratulations on becoming a true Demon Lord!"
Treyni immediately offered her congratulations to Damien.
"You too."
As he spoke, Damien opened Treyni's status panel.
[Treyni (Simplified)]
[Race: Celestial Spirit Queen]
[Magicules: 2.4 million EP (S-rank Demon Lord)]
[Ultimate Skill: Lord of Life - Isis]
The Ultimate Skill Treyni acquired was named 'Isis,' after the goddess of cosmic energy in Egyptian mythology, who governs life and death.
However, compared to the Lord of End, Apep, which could rival the Seven Virtues, Isis was clearly a tier lower.
Apep was the god of destruction in Egyptian mythology, the brother of Ra, with a status higher than Isis.
"In terms of strength, the Lord of Life is likely a standard Ultimate."
It was not as powerful as the Seven Virtues or the Seven Sins, but among standard Ultimates, it was on the stronger side.
If Ultimate Skills were divided into five tiers... Lower, Middle, Upper, Top, and Transcendent... then the God of the Void and the God of Chaos were undoubtedly Transcendent-tier.
The Seven Virtues and Seven Sins were Upper-tier Ultimates.
The Lord of Life would comfortably sit at Middle-tier.
As for Top-tier Ultimates...
Most Top-tier Ultimates bore true names tied to the Lovecraftian, formed by the fusion of two or more Ultimate Skills.
Because of this, Top-tier Ultimates possessed power that even the Seven Virtues and Seven Sins feared.
"Lord Damien."
"Ah, Frey."
Damien asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Better than ever!"
Frey was now completely loyal.
She had spent six hundred years unable to take this step.
Yet, after following Damien for just a few days, she had achieved her lifelong ambition.
In the monster world, the strong reigned supreme.
Yet, monsters were also inherently pure.
Defeated by Damien but not killed, Frey had seemingly been enslaved, but in just a few days, she was granted the awakening of a True Demon Lord.
For such a master, Frey admired him from the bottom of her heart.
[Frey]
[Race: Harpy → Divine Bird]
[Magicules: 2.2 million EP (S-rank Demon Lord)]
[Ultimate Skill: Lord of Skies - Horus]
Compared to Treyni, Frey's magicule count was slightly lower.
However, their Ultimate Skills were on the same level, both Middle-tier Ultimates.
In the current lineup of the Ten Great Demon Lords, these two women were probably on par with Luminous Valentine, who had yet to fully ascend to the Sin of Lust.
They might even be slightly stronger, though their magicule count was lower than Luminous's.
In terms of magicules, as long as one could activate an Ultimate Skill, the exact amount didn't matter much.
Take Damien, for example. With the God of Chaos, he could destroy a world.
So, whether it was 100 million or 210 million magicules, did it really make a difference?
There was no situation where one strike wouldn't suffice, requiring a second.
"Frey, how's Milim doing?"
Damien now had the confidence to face Milim directly.
Of course, he still wanted to avoid fighting her.
Milim's Ultimate ability allowed her to grow infinitely stronger, potentially leading to the world's destruction.
Unless Damien used the God of Chaos directly against her, provoking Milim would bring him no benefits.
"She's a bit rowdy."
Frey said, "But if it's just about stalling her for a bit longer, that shouldn't be an issue."
"Good. Keep stalling."
Damien said, "I'll meet her after dealing with Velzard and Veldora."
"Understood."
With Frey's intelligence, she didn't need Damien to say much to grasp his intentions.
Damien was fairly confident in her ability to handle this.
"Also, announce to the world that you've awakened as a True Demon Lord."
Having just completed his evolution, Damien's next goal was to unify the entire Jura Forest, then establish a nation.
Before that, he didn't want other Demon Lords or forces interfering and disrupting his nation-building plans.
"Rest assured, I know what to do."
Frey's lips curled into a slight smile, clearly pleased with Damien's decision to let her take the spotlight.
Vanity was a common trait, and Frey was no exception.
If she could also draw attention to help Damien, all the better.
"Carrion, you didn't see this coming, did you?"
Frey cast her gaze toward the distant Beast Kingdom of Eurazania. "While you're still fumbling for direction, I've already taken this step!"
There was no real enmity between them.
Frey simply didn't like the barbarians of the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania.
This was a perfect opportunity to give that fool Carrion a wake-up call.
'That guy may be a bit dim.'
Frey thought, 'But his potential is undeniable.'
If possible, Frey wanted to bring Carrion over to Damien's side.
By then, the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia, the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania, and the Jura Forest...
All the southeastern territories of the continent would belong to Damien!
"Hmm..."
"No, too hasty."
Frey shook her head. "I need to plan this carefully."
The success of her plan depended on her own talents.
If her actions forced Damien to step into the spotlight prematurely or, worse, clean up her mess, it would not only fail to elevate her standing in his eyes but also leave an impression of incompetence.
"Take it slow."
Frey flashed a radiant smile. "As a gift for Lord Damien, it must be meticulously crafted."
"Is this alright?"
Violet's voice sounded in Damien's ear.
"It doesn't matter."
Damien actually supported Frey's initiative.
Encouraging his familiars to take the lead was his decision.
Stepping into the spotlight was inevitable; Damien just preferred a gradual approach rather than having everything pile up at once.
"Besides, don't we have you watching over everyone from above?"
Frey thought she was the chessmaster?
Heh, as if.
There was only one true mastermind in this world, and that was Damien's top-tier strategist... Violet!
***
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