12 The meeting

I was heading to the meeting hall for the gathering I called yesterday. It's the spot where Rimuru and the other goblin chiefs hash out village issues—stuff I usually steer clear of.

Then I spotted the ogres blocking the path. Without those distinctive horns, I honestly might've walked right past them.

'Damn, they've really transformed after evolving.'

The red-haired Benimaru now looked more human—his massive frame had shrunk, and his once-gargantuan horns were now small, shiny, and darker than obsidian. Overall he looked charming and handsome.

Princess Shuna stood at about five feet, her pink hair cascading down to her waist. Her petite frame and horns lent her an air of vulnerability, compelling a protective instinct. She sent a small smile my way.

Then there was Shion, the other ogress. Her previously bulky muscles had slimmed down to a lean and toned physique, and her horns had shrunk like the others', though she sported just one, jutting from her forehead. She gazed at me, her eyes were literally sparkling.

'Without that horn and in a pair of glasses with a business suit, she'd be the spitting image of a top-notch secretary.' 

Soei, the ninja, hadn't changed much, though he seemed slightly smaller. But the elderly ogre swordsman, Hakurou, had undergone a dramatic transformation—he looked like he was in his thirties. A pair of small horns peeked from his temples, and he wore a short straight sword at his waist. His white hair and beard gave him a serene yet formidable presence.

'If he were a bit stronger, he'd make the perfect sparring partner for swordsmanship. But he's amazing to reach that level just by practicing the sword.'

And lastly, Kurobe—the guy just reminded me of the friendly uncle next door. Aside from a slight reduction in size, he hadn't changed much.

They had all evolved from ogres to oni.

They approached me with a determined look on their faces.

'What's with the seriousness?' I wondered.

Then, they all knelt, right leg forward and left leg back, like knights from an army. Benimaru, the leader of the ogres, was the first to kneel, and the others followed suit.

"Please allow us to serve under you, Shiro-sama!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Huh? What's this all about?" I asked while gesturing for them to rise. These monsters who were literally jumping to kill me yesterday are now saying that they want to work under me. 

"The ogres respect the strong, Shiro-sama. You are the one who bestowed names upon us and we have already seen your strength, you are a leader worthy of our service. If it's not too much trouble, please accept us as your subordinates," Benimaru said, bowing slightly.

I saw no reason to refuse. The orcs were on the verge of attacking, and even beyond that, these strong individuals could help me in leading the monsters. The weaker ones would follow without question.

'And I can offload my responsibilities onto them, Muhahahahaha!'

*Ahem*

"I see no reason to decline, but are you certain about this?" I inquired once more.

"Yes, we've given this thorough consideration, and none of us have any objections," Shuna responded.

"Alright then, let's delve deeper into this at the meeting," I said, heading toward the meeting hall with the six oni trailing behind me.

...

In the meeting hall, Rimuru was perched on the table in his slime form, in front of the leader's chair. The four goblin chiefs were seated to the sides, with the goblina Haruna standing behind him like a secretary. The dwarves Kaijin and the three brothers were also there.

The door creaked open, and I entered with the oni. Surprised expressions crossed their faces—perhaps at the sight of the oni, or maybe because their typically absent leader had finally shown up to an official gathering.

'What's with those looks? As if they're seeing some rare creature. I'm not that lazy, am I?' My eyebrow twitched at their reactions.

"Look who's finally graced us with his presence. Seems like leader-san has finally decided to show his face," Rimuru teased.

"S-shut up!" I retorted, grumbling, a tinge of red coloring my face from embarrassment.

"Greetings, Shiro-sama!" All of them stood up from their seats to greet me.

I walked toward the leader's seat and sat down, gesturing for the ogres and the others to do the same. I had attended lot of meetings in the past as a spy, so I was a bit amused seeing this in goblins.

'It's probably rimuru's doing.' I thought.

"We have a few guests, so let's start with the introductions first," I suggested, looking around. After seeing nods of agreement, I proceeded with the introductions.

Once the introductions were over...

"So, what's with the sudden meeting?" Rimuru asked curiously. Hearing this, the dwarves and the goblin chiefs also turned toward me.

"Hmm... I have both good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" I asked, a bit seriously different from my usually apathetic tone.

"The bad news," they all responded in unison.

"The bad news is that the orcs are going to attack this village," I announced bluntly.

"What?"

"O-orcs? W-why?"

After a few seconds of commotion, everyone settled down with solemn looks on their faces. I could see a hint of anger on the faces of the ogres, while the dwarves and goblins remained relatively calm.

"When? And how many of them?" Rimuru inquired.

"Benimaru," I called out. He nodded at me and began to explain the destruction of their village and the weird black aura surrounding the orcs.

"The orcs shouldn't be that str—"

Kijin started to say something, but I cut him off. "Continue the meeting without me. I've found something interesting, very interesting," I said with a grin on my face and vanished from the spot.

"And there he goes again," Rimuru sighed.

...

Near the border of the Great Jura Forest...

A crow was flying high, surveying the vast number of orcs clad in iron black armor marching toward the Jura Forest. Although orcs were considered weak, their sheer numbers were enough to lay waste to a human city.

Suddenly, the crow vanished, its feathers falling, and a human silhouette appeared in its place.

...

"Holy shit!" I couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the number of orcs. There were nearly two hundred thousand orcs marching toward the forest, carrying axes and clad in iron black armor.

'The goblins won't stand a chance if I don't interfere,' I thought to myself.

But what about the lizardmen and other creatures in the forest? Maybe I should just reduce the number of the army. That way, it will give them a chance to experience war, and if they die, I'll just revive them—well, if their corpses remain intact.

Thinking this, I summoned Venuzdonoa, the Abolisher of Reason. The demon castle Delsgade materialized in the sky, its surface etched with countless black runes that formed a three-dimensional magic circle. Innumerable black particles of light coalesced to create the shadow of a sword without physical form. I grasped the hilt, and as the shadow vanished, it revealed a dark longsword.

I began to channel magic into it, and it devoured the energy with voracious ferocity. Countless red lightning bolts struck the surroundings, and the magic energy ran rampant. A deadly aura of destruction began to spread, capturing the attention of the orcs.

'Heh.'

A smirk crept across my face. The fear and panic in their eyes seemed to awaken something sadistic within me.

But... the star of the show still hadn't arrived.

I gripped the hilt tightly and swung it toward the orcs. Just then...

"Ara, you do know that attack will literally destroy half of the forest, right?" A sweet feminine voice chimed in from behind me.

Finally...

I dismissed the magic energy and the sword, the demon castle Delsgade also disappeared from above.

"Oh... I was wondering when you would appear, stalker-kun—or should I say, stalker-chan?" I turned around with a wicked smile.

A girl with long red hair, crimson eyes, and a pale complexion stood there, almost ethereal, bathed in a touch of moonlight glow. Her red hair flowed freely, and a deep blue and crimson aura oozed from her body, her lips curved into a playful smile.

Three months, It has been three months since I tried to track the presence of the one watching me but to no avail. I coudn't find anything. But when I appeared above the orcs I felt the gaze more strongly. So I thought, why not just give stalker-kun a great show.

So I summoned the demonic sword to create chaos hoping that whoever it was would come out. That attack would have annihilated the forest out of map not even leaving a single tree, along with all the residents in it, and I had no intention to do that. I just shot the arrow in the dark.

And it worked!!

"Oh...you did all that for me? I am honored." She replied while giggling playfully.

"That's fine and all but who are you?" I asked with a soft smile on my face and my eyes turned bloodred.

"Ara, how rude of me, Nice to meet you, I am demon lord red. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

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(A/N: Welp we going AU with this one....

Fasten your seat belts this shit is finally starting to go down...

ALSO give me more POWWWWEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR stones if you liked the chapter...

Bye!!)