Interlude 2: The Game Among The Heavens
It was a record of battles, a heavenly game continuing on for many years—a game between the demon lords and the Heroes, with supremacy over the planet hanging in the balance.
But to Velgrynd the Flame Dragon, it was a game with no meaning. She had no interest in it, nor did she care who won in the end. Why go through all this trouble, she reasoned, when the two sides could just fight it out directly to determine the better player? Of course, Guy and Ludora had tried that many times and never settled upon a victor, and that’s where this game came from. The only rule: No direct confrontation.
There was no point complaining about it, but that didn’t mean Velgrynd enjoyed it very much. Besides, if she was being honest, she felt this whole game put her side at a disadvantage. The only pawn Guy had who could defeat Ludora was Velzard—as long as they could do something about her, Ludora was the winner. But the same was true of Guy; only Velgrynd had a chance of beating that demon lord. The thing is, Velgrynd herself thought it’d be a difficult slog at best. Velzard had a concrete chance of winning against Ludora, but Velgrynd just didn’t feel fully prepared against Guy. Hence, she thought, they were the underdogs to start with.
What a pain…
She meant that.
Velgrynd was never a fan of scheming behind the scenes; spending hundreds of years meticulously preparing for everything was simply out of her wheelhouse. So she left all that to Ludora, simply following his orders. As long as Ludora wanted to win this, she would spare no effort to pitch in. If he wanted her to fight, she would—she’d figure out what to do against Velzard, and she’d make sure they won.
Guy was undoubtedly the strongest of demon lords, and Velgrynd’s sister, Velzard the Ice Dragon, was the worst possible match in battle for Velgrynd. They were basically natural enemies, and a head-to-head battle against her would be difficult to win. If the two True Dragons fought each other, they’d take each other down at best—at worst, it’d mean reincarnation and going back to the drawing board for Velgrynd.
But even that was being too optimistic, perhaps. Velgrynd’s element was heat; Velzard’s, ice. Two polar opposites, one symbolizing acceleration, the other shuddering to a stop. If they fought for keeps, the outcome would be disastrous. Neither would survive; both would fall. In other words, there was a good chance both Velgrynd and Velzard would disappear entirely. The sisters would be reincarnated, but their current selves would fade to nothing—they’d inherit their memories, probably, but they’d still be different people.
That scared Velgrynd. She didn’t mind fading away like that, but she didn’t want to lose her love for Ludora. Clinging to something as trivial as love—it made her laugh at herself.
“Complete victory,” as she defined it, meant both she and Ludora were safe. That’s why they needed some insurance… But that insurance was proving difficult to handle.
What a load of trouble he is. Apparently, he lucked out enough to break the seal, so why hasn’t he even come to see me?
Velgrynd was peeved at the “insurance” that was Veldora; it never occurred to her that he might be afraid of her. The Veldora she knew would have begun a worldwide rampage long ago… But for reasons known only to him, he was currently buddying up with a newly christened demon lord. When Velgrynd heard that he even participated in the most recent Walpurgis council, she suspected years of being imprisoned in a seal had driven him insane.
Still, it was hard to believe that Veldora, as much of a fan of large-scale mayhem as he was, would sit silently in front of a million-strong army. She was sure he’d step out and make himself known, but instead she was shocked. Veldora was still holed up in the depths of the labyrinth, refusing to show himself. That was completely unexpected.
He’s always done what he pleases… But why hasn’t he shown up this time?
Veldora was extremely protective of his territory, just as he was in the last imperial invasion. Anyone who infiltrated the Forest of Jura, Velgrynd assumed, would unavoidably have an encounter with its guardian dragon. That, in turn, was precisely what Ludora wanted. To him, a strong army was nowhere near as important as a few individuals who had transcended their limits—and last time as well, the few who survived were successfully evolved.
Only those who hold on to hope under extreme circumstances—hatred, fear, despair—can break through the shell of humanity and reach the next level. Even if it literally annihilates an army of one million, it’d all be worth it if it awakened a few people. Such were Ludora’s thoughts, and Velgrynd saw the wisdom in that. That was why Ludora never gave the IIB’s more detailed reports to his army. He wanted to mislead their commanders so they’d be more motivated than ever to fight.
To Velgrynd, the sheer confidence of every corps commander was almost farcical to see. There was very little chance—none at all, in fact—that this mission would work out. An army enhanced through “science” or whatever had no hope of beating Veldora. Thus, once again, there would be unthinkable amounts of death… But that’s what gave her hope.
Hee-hee-hee… I wonder how many survivors will awaken this time. The more people who receive Ludora’s powers, the better a chance we’ll have to win. I’m looking forward to it.
Yet despite Velgrynd’s anticipation, the results of this invasion left her speechless.
“They were all wiped out?”
“Pfft. I was surprised myself… But you as well, eh? Quite a while since I’ve seen that look on your face.”
“Don’t make light of this. Neither of us was expecting a defeat so huge that absolutely no one’s left alive. That means your aim to get even one single awakened has failed.”
The idea was to give as much experience to their soldiers and officers as possible, raising them up to be at least Imperial Knight material. Those were the people who’d become awakened in operations like this. That was the hidden objective of it all, but instead, they had zero survivors.
Claiming the attack on Veldora turned out better than this was, if anything, underselling the issue. Only through interacting with the greatest strength in the world, experiencing the despair that wrought, and living to tell the tale could a human being enhance their chances of evolution. That was why they organized this gigantic army for the invasion—but if nobody survived, then it was all for naught.
As if that wasn’t enough, all the Imperial Knights they had sent on undercover missions into the forest had gone silent as well. They had consumed a large number of valuable game pieces in this—a major loss with no gain in return.
“Well, that’s how it goes.”
Velgrynd was less than happy with Ludora’s nonchalant reply, but one look at his eyes, and her anger disappeared. The sheer frustration in his gaze was too intense to bear for long. She could tell he felt the same way she did.
So she switched gears. It didn’t matter to her if they lost an entire army. They’d have no complaints if some awakened came out of it, but even failures like this one were no great problem. However, they couldn’t afford to ignore the adversary that engineered this loss. If a million imperial troops were literally wiped off the map, their opponents’ strength was no laughing matter, either. They needed to be 100 percent sure who did this.
“Do you think he did it again?” Velgrynd asked, regaining her composure.
She had seen no sign of violence from Veldora at all, but they had reports that the Storm Dragon destroyed an army of twenty thousand over in Farmus. The IIB didn’t have any operatives in that rural nation, so they couldn’t learn more about that incident, but this time was different. They should have had a full grasp of the situation, and the files would be coming to Velgrynd, addressed to the Marshal, in short order.
If Ludora found out about this defeat before her, it was only because he had the power to do so. She was eager to get a viewpoint from this man she trusted so immensely. If she had to guess, her fun-loving brother would never miss the opportunity to go on a rampage. If a million soldiers were attacking his turf, Veldora would have to come out—and then they could gauge just how much power he had. She assumed they’d find out if he truly could control his aura now, to the point that they couldn’t even spot his presence.
To Velgrynd, her brother’s growth was a joy to behold. He might be a fool, but she still cherished him. But he was also a handful to deal with. She had to recruit him to their side at all costs, lest he join Guy’s side instead. Velgrynd was always looking for ways to make that happen. Learning about his growth was vitally important to her.
But:
“He didn’t. Amazingly enough, not even I am able to gain much in the way of detail.”
Ludora told Velgrynd everything he knew—the major failures of the opening battles; the legions entering the labyrinth who still hadn’t been heard from; the awe-inspiring magic that wiped out the rest of their forces; and Caligulio’s awakening in the final battle. That—and the exact way the Armored Corps found themselves defeated, as if he was there to watch it himself.
“You’re kidding me.”
“It’s true. All four of the remaining Primals are aiding the demon lord Rimuru’s camp. If they decide to throw everything they have into battle, your brother hardly needs to lift a finger.”
“Then the balance of this game has utterly collapsed. I wonder if Guy is just as upset about this? Or is it exactly what he wanted?”
“Good question. If this is what Guy has been after all along, it’s time for us to admit we’re at a huge disadvantage in this battle.”
Ludora chuckled. They had spent years upon years building their strength, preparing for the best possible moment to strike—steadily, never rushing anything. And now, in the blink of an eye, someone else had acquired an unimaginable amount of strength. This was Rimuru, the Newbie, the smallest of little specks they never even noticed before. It was time to admit as much. And Velgrynd, sensing that, began kindling a burning desire to fight this threat.
“But you haven’t been able to fully grasp the scene inside the labyrinth?”
“Heh-heh… You got it. Annoyingly enough, not even my power can break Ramiris’s own.”
It made sense to Velgrynd. The Labyrinth Master had been all but impenetrable—not exactly an impartial referee for this game, but definitely not someone involved with the pieces on the board. Until now. Now she was completely favoring the demon lord Rimuru. Regardless of how their game with Guy turns out, she was planning to set up shop in the Forest of Jura that the Empire just attempted to invade.
Ramiris did not have any great power herself. She seemed negligible enough to Velgrynd, someone who’d never have any effect on the game. But her Mazecraft skill was likely capable of shutting out all information between the labyrinth and the outside world. That, she now realized as she rolled her eyes, was going to be cumbersome.
“But didn’t Ramiris lose her power as the Arbitrator?”
“She certainly did. I neglected her since she was no threat to us, but her labyrinth may just be the greatest hiding place in the world. We could see into it through Bernie’s and Jiwu’s eyes until now, but…”
“But now you can’t, out of nowhere?”
Ludora nodded. “I’m sure this was a ploy to catch me off guard.”
“I suppose it was. This is certainly more troubling than I thought…”
Velgrynd understood just how serious this was. Basically, they had no idea what happened inside the labyrinth. Normally, she’d default to assuming Veldora did something, but now she felt there was more to it than that.
“The main issue here is that Rimuru’s apparently stuck some powerful compatriots of his inside the labyrinth as well. Your brother is the highest ranking among them, but who can say how much this newcomer has tamed him…?”
“The Veldora I know would never meekly take orders from someone else. And while you may be another matter, I doubt Rimuru could bind him down with a skill of any sort.”
Their reports indicated he was working in tandem with the demon lord Rimuru, but Veldora was never the type to do other people’s bidding. He openly defied Velgrynd—and Velzard, his other sister—all the time. She felt safe assuming that no one could subdue him by force.
So did the demon lord prepare something that could actually make Veldora his lapdog? Velgrynd tried to imagine what it could be but gave up.
If such a thing existed, we wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble over the years. Perhaps I could ask the demon lord Rimuru himself?
“Best to hear it from the demon lord, I’d say.”
Velgrynd’s muttering made Ludora laugh out loud. “Ha! I’m glad you’ve come to the same conclusion I did.”
This demon lord Rimuru could no longer be ignored by either of them. Given that he’d already tamed Primals, it was safe to assume that Veldora was similarly at his beck and call. If that were the case, they’d need to figure out how to wrest Veldora from Guy’s camp first.
“If we’re going to make a move, now might be a good time for it. Guy has no doubt let his guard down now that our first advance failed. A demon lord as patient as he would no doubt expect us to retreat and wait for our next chance.”
“Good point. He’s always been careful with his movements, never taking major risks. Perhaps a quicker move is better advised here. We have little time to lose anyway.”
Velgrynd was delighted. Finally, Ludora was looking to settle matters with Guy. They would no longer bide their time, and she could use this opportunity to seize control of Veldora in short order. Perhaps their momentum could also crush the newcomer demon lord Rimuru, too, bringing them toward an all-or-nothing confrontation with Guy.
“Heh-heh-heh… Allow me to handle this, then. I’ll go out there, kick some ass, and then you can come over and lay the groundwork. I believe in you, Ludora.”
“Of course. And if we can just get our hands on Veldora, the rest will take care of itself. Tatsuya’s come up with a rather interesting plan as well, so I think we can make up for this debacle very shortly.”
Even the nightmarish Primals would be no match for a True Dragon like Velgrynd in a head-on matchup. If they defied her, she’d smash them to the ground so they didn’t cause needless trouble later.
There may be others in the camp who’d cause problems for us… But if I’m out on the battlefield, it’s all moot anyway.
Now Velgrynd was exuding confidence.
“Well! How about we make those fools shed some blood to warm up?”
Their attention was turned toward a group of people arrogant enough to defy Ludora, a band they had allowed to go free so far. That would end today. Anyone who plotted a coup against the emperor would see no possible outcome except death. That was why Velgrynd made the suggestion, but Ludora just grinned and shook his head.
“I’d rather keep them alive than kill them.”
“Oh? That’s uncommon to hear from you. I thought you’d be kind enough to grant them a painless death.”
“No, I need them for Tatsuya’s proposal, you see. He was hoping to set off another big battle over here, in order to attract Guy’s attention.”
“Hmm. Rather like Kondo, isn’t it? I’d never even think about using imperial traitors against our enemies.”
“Don’t like it? Well, I wouldn’t call Tatsuya’s plan very humane, certainly… But I do believe it makes logical sense.”
Velgrynd gave this a vague nod. No matter how outlandishly cruel this plan was, it didn’t matter to her. She just wanted to give the traitors divine punishment with her own two hands.
Here was a True Dragon who loved Ludora, but she certainly didn’t love humans at all. She didn’t have a vendetta against them—no desire to kill them down to the last man—but anyone foolish enough to betray the emperor needed to die.
Well, all right. If it’ll help Ludora, I will let them go for now.
With that, Velgrynd moved on.
“So what’s Kondo’s plan, exactly?”
“I’ll talk about that in a moment, but first, we need to review our current strategy.”
Velgrynd immediately knew what he meant.
“Ah, right. With things how they are, a two-pronged strategy is kind of pointless.”
“Exactly. Let’s withdraw for now. We can always attack Luminus later.”
“Yes, once you and I persuade Veldora to join us, everything else is bound to come together, too. But I’ll call Gradim and his forces back as well, just in case we run into any resistance.”
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all. For now, let’s keep the rebels subjugated and take down Dwargon while we’re at it. That should be enough to fully distract Guy.”
With that, their scheming was over. Velgrynd stood up. It had been millennia since she had waded into the game. And now the table was set for a tragedy that would later be called the Red Purge.
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