★135
ASTERI'S POV
Just as I was about to settle in and enjoy the moment, news arrived that threw a wrench into everything. The Demon Lord Council had called for a banquet.
Normally, I would've ignored it without a second thought. Because now, I have something far more important on my plate. My wives, my new life.
Ramiris and Rimuru pulled me aside and quickly filled me in on what had happened after the banquet. Their expressions said enough on their own: whatever this was, it wasn't just a casual gathering.
A bitter wind howled across the frozen continent as the Demon Lords convened once more. The meeting was urgent yet ominous. Deep within the glacial ruins of Guy Crimson's palace, a gathering unlike any before was taking place. Nine chairs sat around a round table, but only eight were filled.
Yeah, someone reserved a seat for me, but I had no reason to join them. Protecting the Cardinal World is their job, not mine.
The threat they faced was no longer a mere disturbance. It was war, a war of dominion.
Rimuru, the Ultimate Slime turned kingmaker, stood before his peers and told them plainly: Dino had betrayed them. Once thought a harmless slacker, the former Demon Lord had fallen under the influence of an absolute power, the skill called Ultimate Dominion, wielded by a being now calling himself Michael. The rouge skill.
But Michael was more than a skill-user. He had seized Rudra's body and memories. He now commanded angelic powers capable of manipulating the very souls of others.
With this skill, he could override the free will of anyone who bore an angelic-type Ultimate Skill. The same skill Rudra used on Sai, but it didn't work?
And he had already done it. Velzard, the White Ice Dragon, had been turned. Her younger sister, Velgrynd, had also succumbed to it but was later freed in battle against Rimuru. Both were True Dragons, and the revelation that such mighty beings could be controlled sent a shiver through the room.
Yet this was only the beginning. Guy Crimson, once a rival to Lord Veldanava himself, unveiled a long-guarded truth.
Veldanava, the Creator God, had birthed a system of powers, the Seven Virtues which manifested as Angelic Ultimate Skills. Each of these Skills, in turn, spawned twisted reflections: the Seven Deadly Sins, Demonic Skills born of imitation and human desire.
Where there was Justice King Michael, there was Wrath King Satanael. Where Raphael exists, there would be Beelzebuth. For Metatron, its demonic reflection would be Asmodeus, and so on.
Together, these fourteen powers formed a dualistic framework, the divine and the profane. Both were now at play in the unfolding war.
But the meeting turned tense. Some in the room, including Leon Cromwell, confessed to bearing angelic skills, specifically, Purity King Metatron. This made him a potential puppet of Michael, and trust quickly began to fray.
Rimuru, however, intervened. Using his experience and subtle observation, he vouched for Leon, declaring that Michael's control likely required proximity or direct influence. Leon, having acquired his Skill on his own and not as a gift, might yet be safe.
But the greater danger was growing. The enemy, Rimuru explained, was mass-producing vessels, undead elves, via a forbidden spell known as Dead Birthday. These were no mere undead. They were potential hosts for reincarnated higher angels.
If Michael's faction succeeded, they could create an army of awakened-level entities, each with the potential to rival a Demon Lord. The room fell into a grim silence.
'This wasn't a mere war, it was complete dominance over Grand Lord's World System.'
Rimuru also came to the same conclusion.
"The enemy's goal was not just conquest. It was to reshape the world."
There was some good news though. Velgrynd was now an ally. One of Michael's Three Phantom Commanders, Obera, had approached Milim seeking defection.
While some doubted her sincerity, Milim vouched for her, revealing that Obera was guarding Ivarage, the apocalyptic World-Destroying Dragon, deep within the Palace of Monsters.
And yet, even this was double-edged. If Feldway, the Phantom King and Michael's general, ever grew desperate, he might unleash Ivarage, a creature capable of destroying the Cardinal World itself.
""Hmm—now that's a problem."
I exhaled through my nose.
"I can't have some stubborn dragon ending the world just when mine has only begun."
My fingers curled slightly at my side, the weight of it settling in.
Then I shrugged, calm as ever, even if the timing couldn't have been worse.
"If it comes down to it… I'll step in myself."
'It's no use. Just give it up. Ivarage isn't something you can handle. It's a distant force of the Nether. Trust me—none of us are ready for that thing. Not you, not me, not even the Star God.'
'Nether?'
I frowned.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
He paused, almost reluctant before answering.
'I can't tell you. Not yet.'
'When the time comes, Karma will force it into your mind. By then, you'll understand what's really happening.'
"Nether...now Karma?"
I muttered under my breath.
"What the hell is going on?"
No answer. Of course. Entares had a habit of dropping cryptic warnings and vanishing, leaving me to stew in my own ignorance.
I clicked my tongue.
'You evil child.'
The discussion shifted toward war preparations.
Michael's army now included:
Feldway, the Phantom King,
The Three Phantom Commanders (one dead, one defeated , one active),
Velzard, a True Dragon under control,
Dino, now a puppet,
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of angelic undead hybrids are in production.
Against them stood:
Rimuru and his nation,
The remaining Octagram Demon Lords,
Velgrynd,
Masayuki, under her protection,
The defensive fortress of Ramiris' labyrinth,
Possibly Obera, if her loyalty proved true,
Lastly, Asteri and Star Island.
No more time could be wasted.
"Bastards. Just when I thought I'd finally be left off the list."
A bitter laugh slipped out of me, thin and humourless.
For a moment, I'd allowed myself to enjoy the peace. The wedding, the island, the illusion that things might stay quiet. Of course it couldn't last. Eternal peace is a dream.
"We need you, Sensei,"
He said.
"Regardless of your status, your role in this war will be a huge advantage for us."
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. The weight of it settled on my shoulders again, familiar and unwelcome.
"I was planning to join the war,"
I admitted, voice softer now, edged with resignation. "But… on my own terms."
"That's fine, just don't come too late."
The Demon Lords had been fractured, tested, and manipulated. But now they stood aligned. For the first time in centuries, their resolve was unanimous.
The 500-year circle of war is here, the Great Tenma War has begun. Is this a coincidence, the war is happening now.
"So what now?"
"Just wait. We might use your island as a safe ground for some of the skill holders."
"From what I've heard, most of them are Demon Lord–tier. I'm not babysitting weaklings like that."
"Not all of them."
He replied calmly.
"I'll bring the kids instead. One of them has an Angelic Ultimate Skill. They can stay with your stepson and his friends. Besides… I can't think of anywhere safer on this continent than here."
I paused, the tension in my shoulders easing just a little.
"Kids, I can handle."
I said at last, a faint smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"They'll love it here."
"Good. Once it's time, I'll send them."
"Once it's time, huh?"
"I still need to explain what's going to happen to my people. We have to get prepared too. It may take some time."
"Ok. I'll send a few hands over to Tempest. You can't send them back once they're there."
"I appreciate the help, but…"
"Think of them as an escort for the kids."
I knew exactly where to press. The moment the children were part of the equation, his resistance thinned.
"O–ok. Fine. That's it for now. I have to head back to Tempest. See you later."
He gave a casual wave, as if we'd just settled something trivial, then vanished in a blink—space folding neatly around the spot he'd stood.
The silence he left behind lingered longer than expected. I stayed where I was, leaning back into the chair, eyes closed, one hand resting against my chin.
For a moment, I just breathed. The quiet after all that chaos felt almost foreign.
'Star Supreme Commander, come forth with the Generals, will you?'
I sent the call without opening my eyes.
'Roger that. We'll be there in a minute.'
'Also, have their vice assemble the army.'
'Consider it done.'
The connection faded. I remained seated in the vast hall, alone but not quite.
Energy hummed through the walls and floor, a low, steady vibration. It felt like the calm before a storm I already knew was coming.
Part of me wanted to stay like this a little longer—eyes closed, thoughts drifting, pretending the world wasn't about to drag me back into another war. But that luxury had never really belonged to me.
So I waited.
To be continued...