The feast celebrating Akira's return had ended, but the lights in the central administration building were not extinguished.
In the grand meeting hall, where decisions that changed the fate of nations were made, the leaders of Tempest sat around the massive round table.
In Rimuru's absence, Benimaru usually chaired the meeting as the Commander-in-Chief. But this time, the seat of honor was reserved for Akira, who sat quietly, his Dusk Cloak draped over the back of his chair. Beside him stood Diablo, with his unfading smile, serving him like his shadow.
The meeting was attended by Benimaru, Shuna, Shion, Hakurou, Geld, the commander of the Orc army, and Rigurd, the Prime Minister, as well as Gabiru, who was observing silently, contrary to his usual demeanor.
"So..." Benimaru began, his sharp gaze shifting among the attendees. "The threat this time isn't just a neighboring country or a greedy Demon Lord. We are facing entities that call themselves the 'Higher Administration', the very faction that controls the cycle of the 'Tenma War' and the angelic assault on the surface."
Diablo rose slightly and bowed elegantly to clarify the matter.
"Exactly, Benimaru-dono. This administration tried to erase Akira-sama because he disrupts their cosmic script. And since they failed, and Akira-sama was crowned as the God of the Void... they will not stand idly by. They will use the pawns of this world to wage a war of annihilation against us. The Tenma War, which used to occur every 500 years, will be accelerated and directed entirely toward the Jura Forest."
Shion slammed her fist onto the table, cracking the sturdy wood.
"Let them come! I will tear their angels to shreds with my sword! No one dares to threaten Tempest or Akira-sama and lives!"
"Calm down, Shion," Hakurou said firmly, his third eye closed. "Reckless enthusiasm will do us no good against celestial armies. We need a strategy, and information."
Akira intervened for the first time, and his calm voice made the entire hall instinctively fall silent to listen. He was no longer just a human guest; his words now carried the weight of the 'Lord of the Void'.
"The enemy will not attack with their own forces for fear of provoking the True Dragons and Guy Crimson. They will use the angels, and perhaps incite the Eastern Empire to march toward us. We must reinforce the border defenses immediately."
"I agree with you," nodded Geld, the massive, armored commander. "My Orc legions are ready to build new fortresses on the eastern borders within days, if necessary."
Before Benimaru could issue orders, the shadows in the corner of the hall distorted, and a tall, slender figure emerged. It was Souei, the commander of Tempest's intelligence and shadow forces.
Souei wasn't as calm as usual. His clothes were slightly torn at the shoulder, and his aura was turbulent.
The moment he appeared, Benimaru stood up immediately. "Souei! What happened? Where have you been?"
Souei knelt on one knee before the table, looking toward Benimaru, then toward Akira.
"I apologize for the interruption, but the situation is worse than we anticipated. I was on a deep reconnaissance mission within the territory of the Eastern Empire... The Empire has mobilized an army, and it is heading toward us right now."
Murmurs filled the hall, but Souei raised his hand to continue.
"That is not the worst of it. The sky above the Empire's camps tore open, and legions of angels descended from it. They are not attacking the humans... they are uniting with them. The Eastern Empire's army and the Army of Heaven are moving as a single force, and their numbers exceed one million soldiers."
"A million?!" Rigurd cried out in shock. "And angels allied with humans?! That violates all the historical rules of the Tenma War!"
"They have changed the rules," Akira said with a terrifying calmness, his left eye flickering with a faint blue gleam. "I told you. They are tearing up the script and writing a new one to destroy us."
"There is one final detail," Souei added, his cold face displaying a mix of confusion and anger. "I managed to see the Supreme Commander of this cursed alliance. He stands upon a flying chariot surrounded by angels, wielding a magical cane..."
"Who is it?" Benimaru asked sharply.
Souei fell silent for a moment, as if finding it difficult to utter the name. "It is the former Demon Lord... Clayman."
A deadly silence reigned in the hall.
Shuna's eyes widened, and Shion snapped a piece off the edge of the table without realizing it.
"Clayman?!" Benimaru roared, a fiery aura erupting from his body in sheer fury. "That's impossible! Rimuru-sama devoured him completely! I saw his soul fade away at the Walpurgis!"
"They have rewoven his existence," Diablo said, his smile fading completely, replaced by a terrifying demonic expression dripping with pure killing intent. "The Higher Administration... they dared to resurrect the trash that my master Rimuru disposed of, and made him a commander in their war against us? What an unforgivable insult."
The atmosphere in the hall became heavy to the point of suffocation. The anger of Tempest's leaders over the return of the one who had previously caused Rimuru suffering was enough to ignite the continent.
Amidst this chaos and rage, Akira rose from his chair.
The moment he stood, everyone instinctively calmed down, their eyes drawn to him.
"Clayman is just a new puppet in their hands," Akira said, walking toward the hall's massive window overlooking the safely sleeping city. "They are sending a ghost from the past to strike at your morale, and to prove that they can manipulate death itself."
Akira turned toward the leaders of Tempest. There was not an ounce of fear in his eyes, but a terrifying calm—like the stillness of a black hole before swallowing a star.
"He was defeated in the past by Rimuru. And now, I will erase him from the fabric of existence entirely, to the point that even the 'writers' won't be able to find a single letter of his name to rewrite."
Akira drew his black dagger and pointed it at the map placed on the table.
"Benimaru, prepare the army. Geld, build us a frontline defense. If they want to send a million soldiers and angels to drown Tempest... then we will open the gates of the Void for them, and not a single one of them will return."