The Holy Empire of Lubelius.
At this time, under the command of Goddess Luminas, Hinata led her subordinates, the Ten Great Saints, along with three hundred Temple Knights and the ten thousand Temple Knights stationed across the Western Nations.
A massive wave of people advanced majestically toward the Jura Tempest Federation.
Among them, each of the three hundred Temple Knights possessed A+ rank strength, and the "Ten Great Saints"—who could barely rival a Demon Lord Species—had each reached the Sage Realm of human cultivation.
The most crucial figure was their leader, Hinata Sakaguchi, an existence in the Saint Realm who transcended Sages.
She was a terrifying woman capable of contending with a True Demon Lord.
She was the strongest person in the human world.
Hinata's presence was a source of reassurance for the Western Nations; with her there, they feared not even the Demon Lords.
As the elites of the Holy Empire of Lubelius departed in full force, their headquarters became vulnerable.
Taking this opportunity, a figure dressed as a clown stealthily slipped into this human utopia.
With the unique skill "Deceiver," Laplace easily bypassed the detection of the Holy Barrier.
"How strange. The Holy Church actually left no one behind; all the elites have gone."
Laplace was somewhat puzzled by the Church's baffling move.
"Well~ whatever. This is the perfect moment for me to seize."
"As long as I'm careful of the Holy Emperor, the rest won't be a problem."
Thus, Laplace waited for nightfall before commencing his operation.
Laplace cautiously bypassed the Imperial Court and crept toward the Stairway to Heaven.
Under the cover of night, the clown's figure rapidly approached the Nocturnal Palace at the mountain's peak.
Just as he thought he was about to reach his destination, a blonde middle-aged man in black robes appeared on the summit.
"Who goes there!"
"How dare you trespass into the Domain of God?"
Laplace's footsteps halted. "Shoot, I've been spotted."
"Damned rat, die!"
The black-robed man's eyes suddenly emitted an eerie crimson light. With a wave of his hand, terrifying blood-colored energy surged toward Laplace.
"Looks like the plan failed. Time to bail, time to bail."
Laplace didn't dare stay; he turned and ran, throwing three smoke bombs behind him.
Pink smoke instantly enveloped Laplace's figure.
As the night breeze blew, the clown's figure vanished without a trace.
The black-robed man frowned deeply. To be able to dodge his attack and retreat unscathed, this person was no simpleton.
Thinking of this, the man turned and entered the Nocturnal Palace to report the incident to Luminus... Meanwhile, within the borders of the Kingdom of Falmuth.
Youm was currently rushing between various city-states with the puppet king, Edmar.
"Lord Diablo, we've recovered most of the city-states now. Should we send word to Lord Rimuru?"
Diablo shook his head with a calm expression.
"It is not yet time. We need some decisive evidence; otherwise, we cannot eliminate the negative influence on the Jura Tempest Federation."
"Then what do you mean, Excellency?"
During this time, Youm had been completely won over by Diablo's methods.
A series of interlocking schemes had led the city-states everywhere to accept this new king.
Originally, Diablo had planned to use the puppet king to slowly take control in a stable manner, but the rhythm was disrupted by the actions of Footman and Tia.
The Jura Tempest Federation had suddenly become the target of public criticism.
Therefore, the original plan was cancelled. Diablo had to resort to methods like coercion or intimidation to find leverage over the ruling nobles of the city-states, eventually bringing them under his wing and establishing many new policies.
There were even some tough nuts who refused to yield until death. To save time, Diablo used his unique skill "Tempter" to place them under complete domination.
In short, various methods significantly increased the efficiency of Youm's group.
"The next city-state is the origin of the Fox God Holy Religion from that time. As long as we find information proving this cult has nothing to do with the Jura Tempest Federation, the external rumors will naturally vanish."
"On the contrary, the King of Falmuth led troops to attack the Jura Tempest Federation without authorization. As the victims, even if we were to directly annihilate this country, it would be perfectly reasonable."
"If I weren't worried that the Federation's economy would stagnate, I would have certainly wiped them off the map myself."
A faint murderous intent flickered in Diablo's eyes, making Youm and the others as quiet as cicadas in winter... Just as the outside world was in an uproar, inside the White Ice Palace, two people were leisurely drinking red wine.
"Try this. This is the highest-grade red wine from my country, a '02 Lafite. It tastes much better than what you have here."
Draco brought out an exquisitely packaged bottle of red wine and set it on the table.
"Little Raine, please open this."
Raine let out a soft huff upon hearing this and reluctantly opened the wine, pouring a glass for both Guy and Draco.
"It is indeed not bad."
Guy took a small sip, savoring the fragrance of the wine.
He set down his glass and turned to Draco. "Why come to my place so suddenly? Has there been a problem with the plan?"
"Not at all. For now, everything seems to be under control."
"Then what did you come to see me for? Don't you know I'm very busy?"
Guy complained.
"I might need to make a trip to the Nocturnal Palace, but I'm afraid I'll end up fighting with Luminus."
"I've come to borrow something from you to prove that I'm on the same side."
Draco had his own ideas. Luminus was the key to this plan. Although he didn't know if it would work, he had to give it a try.
"I see. But haven't I already had her launch the Holy War?"
Guy paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you still hiding something from me?"
When the two were laying out the strategy before, Draco had revealed many little-known secrets, which had draped him in a layer of mystery.
Guy found it increasingly difficult to see through this Otherworlder, and a hint of wariness inevitably arose in his heart.
"Don't overthink it. I want to go study the holy coffin. If my guess is correct, it could save a lot of trouble."
"Then do as you wish."
Guy shrugged. "In any case, if something goes wrong, you'll have to clean up your own mess. Don't count on me."
"Is that really necessary? It's not that big of a deal."
Draco felt that Guy, this corporate slave, was not professional at all. Shouldn't one face new work with a smile? Instead, he was throwing in the towel.
"Take it."
Guy nonchalantly tossed over a plain-looking black ring engraved with complex incantations.
"This is a communication ring that only Demon Lords can possess. It allows for calls with all Demon Lords regardless of the environment. The convening of the Walpurgis relies on this ring for communication."
"Oh? Is it really that magical? Let me try."
Saying that, Draco's spiritual power flowed into the ring.
(Hello, who is it? Don't you know this Demon Lord is reading manga!)
Discovered
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