Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 143 Demiurge, Understanding Everything

Some time later, in a secluded area outside the Corrupt Royal Court.

The Lord of Hell knelt humbly on one knee, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. Just moments before, Albedo, the steward of the Great Tomb, had relayed the Lord of the Great Tomb's words to him.

"Demiurge, Lord Ainz is very disappointed in you."

“...Yes.” Its head lowered even further, almost touching the ground.

Its colleagues, however, spoke in serious tones and wore indifferent expressions. They looked at it as if it were a complete stranger.

“This time, there is no room for error. If anything happens again that displeases Lord Ainz, then unless Lord Ainz forgives you, I don’t think you need to continue existing as a member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.”

"……I see."

"Go, and don't disappoint Lord Ainz a second time."

Communication is interrupted.

The messenger from the Great Tomb, who brought the communication link, bowed slightly to Demiurge, applying the necessary courtesies that still needed to be observed, at least for now.

"Lord Demiurge." There were two instigators, and their setup was roughly the same as in the Holy Kingdom arc of the original story. The inorganic girl wearing an eyepatch and carrying a magical gun was an automaton named Shiz, and beside her was the spider-woman Antema wearing an insect mask.

They are the battle maids of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, close attendants of the Supreme Beings. And now, they have brought some fighting force to the place where Demiurge is.

"Lady Albedo has entrusted us with the Four Demon Generals to assist you. We will be completely at your command until this mission is over."

The Four Demon Generals represent the four great demons: Wrath, Envy, Greed, and Sloth. They are all level 84. In the Celestial Realm, they can essentially be considered upgraded versions of the Balrog. They are forces that can play a role even on the battlefield of bloodshed. However, in reality, there was no need for them to be dispatched.

Because Demiurge is a top-tier demon. It possesses the power to summon demon generals. However, in other words, the simultaneous appearance of four demon generals can essentially replace and compensate for all of Demiurge's power except for its rank-based advantage.

His fingers, resting behind his back, tightened slightly. At this moment, the Lord of Hell understood the words that the Guardian Steward had not yet spoken aloud.

Demiurge's greatest value to the Great Tomb of Nazarick lies in the wisdom bestowed upon him by the Supreme Being Ulbert. If this gift has been defiled, then Demiurge's value will be replaced by these demon generals.

This can almost be called humiliation.

With a fifteen-level difference, even if these four demon generals went all out, they might not be able to break through the suit Demiurge was wearing. Albedo's unspoken words were essentially the same as saying, "You're not even as good as an insect."

shame.

However, it can only endure it.

Because it had indeed committed a grave error, repeatedly disappointing the most esteemed and last Supreme Being of the Great Tomb. And the thought that the disappointed Lord Ainz might grow weary of the Great Tomb and, like the other Supreme Beings, turn away in a huff, sent shivers down its spine, filling it with terror.

"Lord Demiurge, what should we do next?"

Heidi was still talking.

While they claimed to be completely obedient, everyone present knew they were actually Albedo's overseers and spies. Their presence signified the Guardian's distrust of Demiurge's abilities and loyalty, and Demiurge had to bear the consequences of this defeat.

“I do have a plan.” It nodded, its mind racing. It needed to figure out immediately where it had gone wrong, disappointing Ainz. And the vast amount of information quickly coalesced under its complex thoughts.

First of all, Lord Ainz could absolutely defeat that native named Dust with ease. His surrender here must have a deeper meaning.

Secondly, Lord Ainz must have known all along that a hidden behemoth existed behind the Corrupted Royal Court. He knew it was most likely an organization composed of True Dragon Lords, a guardian force leaning towards the Order. Lord Ainz's indifference meant that there was no need to pay attention to this force.

Then, the fact that Lord Ainz traveled with only Nabeul must be due to his supreme wisdom and compassion. There must be some enormous flaw that we haven't yet discovered, forcing that Lord Ainz to personally intervene and eliminate this major hidden danger.

and so……

—I see, I understand now!

A glimmer of inspiration suddenly appeared in the mind of the Lord of Hellfire.

Lord Ainz will never lose, so this victory bestowed upon Dust by that lord is a reminder and warning to his foolish subordinates. The lord is using this method to declare Dust's importance and crucial role, hoping his foolish subordinates will resolve the problem before his patience runs out!
The key lies with Dasster.

The key lies in its royal power and great achievements—that's it! The reason why the True Dragon King's forces don't need to be considered is because the key lies entirely with this Dust. Because he is merely a native, yet he possesses the power to fight against Lord Ainz, who is using at least one-tenth... no, one-hundredth of his power.

—So that's how it is. Pawns of the true Dragon Kings, experimental animals… I understand now. My biggest mistake was allowing my subordinates to lure that green dragon. And I foolishly went even further, setting my sights on the rotten roots!
To seduce a Dragon King into attacking a pawn of the True Dragon Kings—there could be no more foolish thing to do. Clearly, because of his mistake, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had unknowingly entered into an irreconcilable hostility with the True Dragon Kings. And unbeknownst to him, Lord Ainz had wasted countless hours on covert battles with the True Dragon Kings!

Shame instantly overwhelmed its heart. Only then did it realize the enormity of its mistake. It truly deserved the harshest, cruelest punishment. But before that, it had to seize this precious opportunity to clean up the mess. —Lord Ainz… truly a gentle and benevolent supreme being. Even a fool like me can bask in this supreme glory.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick hasn't been attacked yet, the only reason being that Lord Ainz has managed to divert the attention of the True Dragon Lords. This battle has undoubtedly become a proxy war. What I need to do is successfully redirect their attention before the True Dragon Lords discover the location of the Great Tomb.

A force needs to step forward.

This force must take the blame.

Yes, Lord Ainz's statement about 'increasing pressure on the Holy Kingdom' is proof of that. Because the victory he sacrificed was precisely to imply that he would at least deploy a force worthy of a Supreme Being!

He exhaled a breath silently.

A confident light once again shone deep within the Lord of Hellfire's eyes.

“We must organize a march,” it said, a mask-like shape appearing in its hand. “We will become enemies of dragons and bring calamity to this land.”

"You intend to attack the army of the Corrupted Poison Royal Court?" Shiz's eyes flickered with data as she looked at it, somewhat puzzled. "According to scouts, the Corrupted Poison Royal Court has unified and mobilized all the demi-human forces on the Aberleen Hills. They will attack the Holy Kingdom's high walls in as little as an hour—this is exactly the arrangement you secretly orchestrated, yet you now intend to abandon it?"

“No.” Demiurge shook his head.

To draw fire for the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a mere Green Dragon King is hardly a bargaining chip. And coincidentally, on this continent, a clue to a true Dragon King is known to the world.

"This is where we're going."

A map of the continent, having explored a corner of it, appeared before the Lord of Hellfire. His fingertip then pressed against a spot on the edge of the human realm.

"From this moment on, I am the Demon Emperor Yadabawo. We are demons from 'Hell,' and we have an ancient hatred for dragons, so all forces related to dragons are our targets."

So……

"Achoo—"—Above Aincrad, near Ainz, someone suddenly sneezed. And whether it was a misperception or not, Ainz's non-existent nasal cavity felt slightly itchy.

It seems like something's wrong.

But it remained oblivious to the fact that something was wrong with it—the regent still leaned lazily on his throne. And no unusual information came from the Great Tomb.

Is it because Demiurge is about to launch an attack? Given his own orders, he'll at least deploy more forces to the Green Dragon King's army. Perhaps he'll borrow Mare's level 90 premium forest dragon? And this should force out some of the Regent's hidden cards?
possible.

But I still feel uneasy.

After some thought, it ultimately decided to trust its subordinate. After all, during its previous communication with Demiurge, it had vaguely sensed that the guardian was not in good condition.

—Let's find an opportunity to visit Demiurge. It seems like he's been the only one busy lately.

After much thought, I made a decision.

A moment later, a swift falcon pierced through the clouds outside the arena and landed on the Regent's armrest.

The languid yet incredibly majestic king then raised his eyes.

“It’s time,” he said, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

"Powerful warriors from the human world, and people of my lands, I have news to tell you. Just now, an evil force from the center of the continent is leading a large army toward the walls of the Holy Kingdom. And under its command is the evil power gathered from the entire Aberleon Hills."

He raised his hand, and one of the many mirrors floating above the arena flipped over. The enormous light screen atop the great high-walled fortress then displayed the scene on that side above the arena.

A vast, dark marching line appeared beyond the high walls.

However, within the light screen, all the guards on the wall stared intently upwards.

"Perfect, it will witness the power of the Holy Kingdom."

The clouds outside Aincrad suddenly dispersed.

The floating arena has been moving from the very beginning. And now, it has moved from above Kalinsha to the border where the Great Wall stands!

(End of this chapter)