Chapter 93 - Territory

A few hundred years have passed since Rimuru and the others moved to the forest. Different monsters have inhabited the territory, experiencing either decline or prosperity. While Rimuru was willing to lessen the burden with non-sentient monsters, the situation with the sentient monsters living in the forest was a different story.

The key word regarding the non-sentient monsters was "LESSEN," which implied that there would still be times when they would be attacked by these creatures.

The ogres have flourished in the forest, establishing two villages, each home to more than a hundred inhabitants. Surprisingly, on rare occasions, Kijin were born among the ogres. Rimuru and the other ogres speculated that this was due to the purity of the lineage of the parents, who were purer than the average ogre.

To Rimuru's astonishment, an Oni had also established a village for the remaining Onis and Kijin, raiding humans and other sentient monsters for servants and laborers. They made their home in the south, as many monsters tend to congregate in that region.

Kagali's territory had grown significantly, now featuring five levels underground, organized from residential areas to the highly advanced technology hidden in the deepest recesses.

Rimuru made it a point to assist in their development, even acting as a mentor in magic for Kagali. She displayed remarkable talent in golem magic and the creation of automatons, likely influenced by Sylvia, an elf, who excelled in the art of creating homunculi.

Her territory, originally a sanctuary for the dark elves who survived Milim's rampage, had evolved into a stable and advanced nation. It housed more than just the dark elves; there were also regular elves who were relatives of the dark elves but had been away from the capital when the chaos dragon's miasma altered their races.

Additionally, minor lycanthrope races and some humans willing to work under them were settled in the fields, tending to agriculture and livestock.

They became self-sustaining and were known for their reasonable treatment of farmers and laborers, which helped attract more people to their territory.

However, it wasn't perfect. "Kagali-sama, the Beastman alliance has begun to march toward us," Clayman informed, receiving a magical orb from one of his scouts that displayed their movements.

What can be seen is the image of a large army of lycanthropes wielding their weapons and donning armor. At the very front was a strong Tiger Lycanthrope who seemed to be the very leader of the alliance.

"Man~ guess we'll be moving?" Laplace sighed, lounging comfortably in one of the chairs in the meeting room. "What do you think, Tear, Footman? Should we go now?"

"Hohoho, those animal tribes sure are bold to pick a fight with us," Footman exclaimed, standing up and cracking his knuckles with a grin. "It's almost comical, isn't it, Tear?"

"Yeah, yeah! They're so foolish to challenge us! Yah, yah!" Tear joined in, playfully punching the air as if envisioning her opponents.

Kagali sighed, observing her children's eagerness for battle. Hearing another sigh nearby, she turned to see Clayman sharing her sentiments. "Everyone, calm down! We can't have you all launching an attack on your own. I'm putting Clayman in charge; follow his orders for this fight."

Clayman turned to her, feeling a mix of gratitude and mild reproach for being saddled with his chaotic siblings. "Understood, Kagali-sama. Footman, Tear, and Laplace, as much as I love to see you wreak havoc, let's utilize the golems we have. It'll also help raise the morale of our residents to see our powerful golems marching into battle."

Kagali, having learned about her talent for golem magic, made sure to experiment and continue her research into the magic and its theories. Rimuru provided her with everything she needed to advance her skills. Her personal library was a testament to that.

As they made their way to the first underground floor, hundreds, if not thousands, of golems stood in formation. Organized into groups of a hundred for each formation, their varied forms were striking.

While most formations took on humanoid shapes, each standing more than seven feet tall, others bore unique alterations. One formation, for example, featured golems with four arms instead of the usual two, while others had folded wings on their backs. There was a particularly bulky formation imbued with reinforced materials, intended for the front lines and defense. All of them wielded weapons and wore armor, ready for battle.

Kagali was extremely proud of her golems, especially since even Rimuru praised her talent for crafting them beautifully and skillfully. His compliments motivated her to work even harder, eager to earn more approval from him.

"To think we can finally see Kagali-sama's hobby shine in battle," Clayman remarked, a smile spreading across his face as he observed the glow of the orbs in the golems' "faces" and their synchronized movements.

"That's true! The labor golems have proven to be very useful. These others have just been collecting dust—so much for the last line of defense," Laplace teased, earning a playful punch to his side from Kagali.

The entire first floor was filled with golems and traps, designed to serve as the last line of defense against invaders. Unfortunately, due to her children and Laplace's antics, the golems had never seen their moment to shine. While it was for the best—if they were attacked on the first floor, it would imply that the castle and city above had been besieged and conquered.

The golems began to march out through a tunnel specifically made for them. Large thuds echoed as they exited their underground lair, moving to a designated area away from the city. The citizens watched in awe and cheered as they noticed Amarita's sigil emblazoned on the golems.

Alongside them were Clayman, Laplace, Footman, and Tear. Kagali remained back at the castle, bolstering their defenses while the majority of their army and powerhouses were out defending their borders.

Meanwhile, in the centuries-old Holy Empire, several cities, towns, and villages worshipped their religion and the Goddess Luminas. Luminas had sent Hinata and Chloe to negotiate with the bordering nations of the barren lands, facilitating the construction of a large wall or barrier.

Due to the immense amount of magicules in the barren lands, the environment was not only toxic to humans but also a breeding ground for strong monsters. To make matters worse, the giants from the barren lands had begun skirmishing with the human nations along the border.

Chloe and Hinata understood the urgency of the situation, having come from the future. The giants were struggling to survive in the harsh desert, which was why the wall needed to be constructed as quickly as possible.

"Where is Luminas-sama?" Hinata asked, returning to Lune after her negotiation with the desert kingdom of Perdes. She glanced at Chloe, who looked worried.

"Ah, she inv— went to meet with Dagruel," Louise replied, massaging her temple as she recalled how Luminas had rushed out of the castle while Chloe had tried to stop her.

Luminas was clashing with Dagruel, their weapons colliding and causing ruptures in the air. Meanwhile, Chloe and Glassord watched from the sidelines. "I apologize," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"No, no, we are the ones invading, after all," he replied, as the two sympathized with each other. The climax of their fight was approaching.

Suddenly, a large demonic gate appeared before them, causing both the vampire and the giant to halt in their tracks, still prepared to counter any attacks from each other.

As the gates opened, a demon with long crimson hair appeared. "Yo!" he waved casually, as if the two hadn't just been fighting for their territories. "I wanted to talk with you two." With that, he turned and vanished back through the gate.

Luminas and Dagruel exchanged glances, contemplating whether to follow the demon or continue their battle. Ultimately, not wanting to provoke the primordial demon, they decided to enter the gate, joined by both Chloe and Glassord.

Upon passing through, they found themselves in a small dimension created by Guy. A large table surrounded by chairs was present, with Guy seated in one of the chairs. To their surprise, Milim and Ramiris were also there.

"Hey everyone!" the pixie with blonde hair exclaimed as she flew toward them. "Long time no see, Luminas, Dagruel." After her greetings, she returned to her seat.

"Whahaha! More people are joining us today!" Milim beamed, her excitement evident as Luminas and Dagruel took their respective seats.

Guy leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table, his fingers interlocked as he smirked at them. "I welcome you two. I have an invitation that you would do well to accept. But first, we're still missing someone..."

As if on cue, another portal opened, and Misery and Rain stepped out, dragging a large sack that wiggled with muffled voices inside. With a thud, they dropped the sack on the floor. As the opening widened, a head emerged.

"Aghhh... that was mean of you two!" the man exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head where it had made contact with the floor. "Where am I? Guy, what was that for?" He stood, looking around at the people seated around the large table.

Guy merely smiled and gestured for him to take a seat. "Now, let us begin."

"Wait, wait, you're not beginning anything without me." A sudden voice broke in, much to Guy's annoyance. Rimuru appeared from one of the portals, being escorted by Rain, who bowed her head and left, holding what seemed to be an expensive bottle.

Guy almost wanted to smash the bottle over her head, seeing her grin as she looked at it. "What are you doing here? You're not invited."

Rimuru made his own seat and settled between Luminas and Ramiris. "No, no, you didn't invite me. That's why I invited myself." He smiled at Guy, as if signaling him to continue.

Guy's eyes twitched in annoyance, but he chose to ignore Rimuru, recognizing that it wasn't anything serious. "I gathered you all here today, aside from that one, to invite you to join us. Milim, Ramiris, and I have chosen to create a group that basically controls the world, whether it be behind the scenes or out in the open."

"You can speak freely here; everyone has a voice," Guy explained, as Luminas raised her hand. Rimuru almost wanted to try butting in to see Guy's reaction, but he chose to listen instead.

"What benefit does this group of yours have? Are we allowed to decline? Is it even possible?" Luminas asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Yes, you can decline my offer, but it would be beneficial to join us. From what I've gathered, you plan on taking humanity under your banner—at least a good fraction of them. We can discuss how to take actions that can benefit us all. If not, there may be times when I or anyone else may interfere with your business, and fighting could happen. Honestly, the real reason is to manage the strong ones here; I can't have you all rampaging and causing trouble everywhere. We need organized chaos from now on; otherwise, you all will have to deal with me, and I don't want to do that—it's bothersome."

Guy explained this as if he were discussing something trivial and merely inconvenient.

"But you caused the barren lands," Dagruel interjected. Seeing how his people had suffered from Guy and Milim's fighting, he felt he at least deserved to point it out.

"Yeah, but we're sorry about that already, so it's all good," Milim chimed in, smiling and pointing a peace sign at Dagruel.

"That's not really the point..." Dagruel murmured, unsure how to reply to such a response.

"Moving on from that, I insist that you join. We can then distribute and claim which territories you want. As long as you manage your areas, everything is well and good."

Everyone began mentioning their respective territories.

Luminas claimed the west and the humans living there as her territory. Guy was more than happy to grant it to her, as it meant she would be doing most of the surveillance.

Milim surprisingly had a territory filled with dragons and humans. They had even managed to create a hybrid race now known as dragonewts—a sort of lesser version of herself—born from a dragon and a human.

Ramiris claimed her labyrinth in the south, close to the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion, a place brimming with spirits and where most humans had contracts with them.

Dino did not have a territory, nor did he want to bother taking one. He claimed to be too lazy and found it too tiresome to choose.

Meanwhile, Dagruel spoke up. "Guy, as much as I want to join this group, you know the barren lands situation. The barrier holding off the leaking magicules and monsters can only hold for a few thousand years, not to mention our food resources are barely enough for most of my people. I'm afraid I'll have to decline because I plan on taking the human kingdoms, Luminas' territory, as a place for us giants."

Guy placed his hand on his chin. "You don't really have to decline for that. As long as it is a known fact, you are welcome to attack each other's territories, and others have your consent for it." Everyone looked at Guy, who stared back at them.

"What? Isn't this the same for those humans with rules of war or something? Declaring war and having the support of other nations, either by helping or staying neutral?"

"Then it doesn't change much from my situation!" Luminas stood, slamming her hand on the table. "He'll still try to raid my territory." She pointed at Dagruel, glaring at him.

Dagruel sighed, looking at the person his friend Twilight called his masterpiece—and also his killer. "Then, what about this? I won't directly attack. In fact, it'll still be hundreds, if not a thousand years before the food shortage actually gets serious. I merely want reassurance. When the time comes that I really, really need the lands, that is only when I'll personally make a move. Other than that, only my giants will try to conquer."

A few back-and-forth exchanges ensued, with Guy trying to mediate in between. In the end, he gave Rimuru a glance, as he seemed to be enjoying the show, signaling for him to take action and stop Luminas' tantrum.

"Then Dagruel, when that time comes, I'll do something about your food shortage. I'll even lower the density of the barren lands for you right now," Rimuru negotiated, much to Dagruel's delight.

"Also, Guy, I am taking the Forest of Jura. Veldora said he doesn't claim ownership and gave it to me instead. Any complaints about that?"

Guy clicked his tongue. "Do what you want." He crossed his arms and turned his face to the side

A/N: To be honest, I feel like Dagruel was taking it really easy on conquering the western nations. I mean he and Glassord could defeat Luminas(I think) at least the Luminas in the Light Novel could not defeat him how would this one do.

I don't know how Guy started the demon lord group, like I know invitations are what really got everyone but the addition of the 2nd gen feels weird. I haven't directly mention them being called as demon lords because it feels weird knowing at least half of them aren't one. And Guy just coming out and calling their group Demon Lords, doesn't feel right.