Chapter 956: All Influences

"How is the progress?" Qiel asked while walking to Laufey on top of a cliff.

"The progress is steady. I have brought at least 30 thousand demons with at least 4 Superior Demons."

"4 Superior Demons? That's quite big, but it's not enough." Qiel frowned, slightly worried.

"We still have more than two months, so I should be able to bring more. I'm not sure how many Superior Demons I can get, but that swarm should be enough to destroy multiple cities." Laufey nodded. "Once it's done, I'm going to destroy the city and get anything they've left behind, especially the secret of the Ardagan Family."

"Don't underestimate him. We have lost against him multiple times in the past."

"I know." Laufey nodded with a grim expression. He had suffered a lot of ridicule after that defeat, so he obviously didn't want to do this half-heartedly. "So, how is the situation over there?"

"All our spies have died. The Rune City is hard to penetrate due to the Sword Arbiter. However, the first Rune City should be quite amazing, considering our agents said he had a carriage that could move without a horse."

"Hoh?" Laufey squinted his eyes. "Is it possible for him to create a weapon?"

"Most likely. After all, he has a Master Blacksmith with him."

"Their strength?"

"I am not sure. The last time we spotted him was when he went back to the city with the Moon Temple's Saintess and a single paladin. According to our agents, it seems to be Aurelia."

"Moon Temple... I guess we can't attack them." Laufey looked at Qiel with a worried expression.

"Yeah. Our action this time will definitely garner the attention of all kingdoms. The fact that we can manipulate a demon army of this size means we can threaten their kingdom. If we kill the Moon Temple's Saintess after defeating the Ardagan Family, those royal bastards in the Greenwood Kingdom would rally all other kingdoms to subjugate us. That's why we can't harm the Moon Temple to buy more time to assemble more power."

"Since we don't know the condition in their main city, how many demons do you think we need?"

"I am not very sure. Right now, the Ardagan Family has four Grandmasters. The top powerhouse is still Dimitri, but Noel and Anna are extremely powerful. Sending a few ordinary grandmasters would be useless. Howard's strength might not be high, but he was the vice captain of the former Ardagan Family. His commanding ability far surpasses his combat ability.

"Also, they have Saintess Layla and Aurelia. Aurelia is known for her overwhelming ability, so killing two Superior Demons by herself might be possible, especially with Layla taking care of her protection. Layla is enough to stop a few Superior Demons with her barrier. And it's most likely that she will cover the entire city with the barrier, leaving only the already-built wall to counter our attacks."

"The Demon Banner Army?" Laufey frowned.

"I expect them to give some help. I'm planning to have Alexander make them busy. While we can stop a lot of captains and Oscar, they will definitely send one or two captains to help Noel."

"In that case, they have a total of eight grandmasters. But Noel and Anna are severely injured, right?"

"Don't underestimate them. Even with that kind of injury, they should have no problem killing one or two Superior Demons together. Besides, do you think that's the only connection he has?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am talking about the Tower Association or maybe other external allies that the former Ardagan Family has."

"Oh? So, we need more demons than this."

"Yeah. Still, I'm more concerned about the force outside the border."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Have you forgotten about another special person in that city?"

"...Greenwood Kingdom's second princess?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure about their size, but there should be more than one thousand soldiers and the vice captain of the Royal Army."

"Are you serious? If he is there, then the army he leads should be the royal army. Those soldiers are troublesome. Even if they only have one thousand, they can easily kill five thousand demons."

"That's why I want you to get at least eighty thousand demons with at least 15 Superior Demons... That's just to attack the city. We need another two Superior Demons and twenty thousand demons to stop the outside force. You and I will also be in the army that attacks the city." Qiel thought for a moment. "I'm thinking about adding two more people to the rank of the Devil Saint in order to win this battle."

"Two more people? Then, the four of us will attack them alongside the demons."

"Yeah. Unfortunately, the rest of the grandmasters have to be by Alexander's side to stop Oscar and the Demon Banner Army."

Laufey thought for a moment. "The Saintess's ability... how long can it last if we are the ones attacking it?"

"If I have to estimate, she shouldn't have a problem keeping that barrier up for a day. And Noel should use that time to eliminate the Superior Demons and us on that first day to relieve the burden on her barrier."

"Alright. I will prepare for an army of that size. You should take care of the rest of the preparation."

"I know." Qiel started walking away, but she remembered one thing and stopped. "Laufey."

"Huh?"

"Remember that if we fail to defeat them even with this, we will be the laughing stock of the entire kingdom. The Greenwood Kingdom will most likely attack us outside the border... especially the people from the Ezenholm Family."

"I know. If that city is fully developed, we might need at least a few hundred thousand demons to destroy it, but right now, it's only partly built. I will simply gather as many demons as I can."

...

Demon Banner Army.

"It seems that the Supreme Devil Organization has begun to move." Oscar said while reading the paper in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Milfa asked while furrowing her eyebrows.

Oscar gave the paper to her.

Milfa began to be concerned the moment she read the letter. "The Third Prince is forbidding you to help Noel."

Oscar remained silent, but he still looked concerned.

Milfa squinted her eyes and slammed the table. "Commander. Are you going to follow this? Do you remember what I said back then? Even if you are the commander, you are going to prioritize the Demon Banner Army, not your affiliation, right?"

Oscar nodded his head. "Of course, I remember."

"Then..."

Oscar still shook his head. "I am not going to move. I'm sorry, Milfa."

"You..." Milfa gritted her teeth as if ready to fight it out with the commander.

"I am not going to move, but if my captains just disobey my words, I can't really do anything about it. Demoting my captains in times like this? That's the most foolish decision I could ever make."

"!!!" Milfa widened her eyes in shock. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I will stop Alexander."

"Alright. I will bring Clara with me, since she is good at things like this and has worked with Noel previously."

"There is one more person you need to bring." Oscar took out a letter and handed it to her. It felt like he had prepared for this situation the whole time.

When Milfa opened the letter, she understood why Oscar didn't plan to move.

"Alright. That's enough." Milfa nodded.

"Don't rush there immediately. In the end, he is keeping his weapons secret, so if you go right away, the progress might become slower because he has to hide a few things no matter how he can trust you and the others."

"I know. I will ask Septa to give me the perfect time."

"Alright." Oscar nodded. Seeing Milfa leave, Oscar couldn't help but say, "The enemies are going to be something we've never seen before. May fortune be with you, Milfa."

Milfa abruptly stopped. Oscar's expression had shown her that he was restricted but still wanted the best for the Demon Banner Army and the future of the kingdom. Milfa knew that she shouldn't hold any grudges about his decision and politely bowed to him. "You, too, commander. May fortune bless you with its presence."

...

Silica Valley.

"Oh my. To think that he is truly asking me for help." The Water Lord looked at the letter with a smile. "This is quite interesting."

"Is it Noel Ardagan, Master?" A middle-aged man asked. He had become his personal butler after the incident.

"Yeah. It seems that the enemies are stronger than expected... Do you think I should help?"

"Considering our history and how you are praising him, I do think we should help. The Supreme Devil Organization had once attacked this place as well."

"That's true. My life is quite pricey after all... I guess this should be enough to repay him for saving my life from those evil creatures." The Water Lord smirked. "I'm going to go."

...

Muivell Royal Family.

"How is the situation over there?" The king asked.

"The situation is not looking good. We have suppressed a few noble families, but their desire to get a portion of what Noel has is quite strong. And Marquis Stargaze mobilizes all his force to suppress the Arbiters."

"The Void Arbiter?"

"We can send her, but it's going to be troublesome if the Sword Arbiter knows about this."

"Evan..." The king gritted his teeth. "How is the situation on the other side?"

"The Greenwood Kingdom won't dare pass the border. And there doesn't seem to be any movement from them yet. As for the Zaecuria Kingdom, we're afraid we can't stall them any longer. They should arrive within two weeks."

"Atracaeca Kingdom?"

"We are unsure about their condition. It seems they are split. Some of them want to mend the relationship with Noel Ardagan to learn runes. Some want the Supreme Devil Organization to succeed. But the majority is abstaining as of now. They know that if Noel somehow defends his territory, it's going to be extremely hard to destroy his city from that point on."

"Just leave the Zaecuria Kingdom alone. It's impossible to stall them completely. As for the Atracaeca Kingdom, try to incite their hatred so that more people support the destruction of the Ardagan Family. As for the Greenwood Kingdom..." The king covered his eyes.

He seemed to have a headache thinking about it. After all, the Greenwood Kingdom had sent them a letter stating that their princess was in the Ardagan Family. And Noel was also considered a part of the Royal Family as the blood of the Greenwood Kingdom's ancestor ran in his veins.

"Make sure to stop the Greenwood Kingdom no matter what."

Each influence in the kingdom had been anticipating this battle. They wanted to know whether the Ardagan Family could survive or not. Unlike the Stargaze Family, who sent their daughter to marry Noel Ardagan, they couldn't do much after all.

And Duke Lorelei had stolen the lead by directly going to Noel's territory and protecting the second city of Lounstein.

However, none of them had yet to realize that there were two more people who could change the tide of the war. The first was none other than the force that used the Greenwood Kingdom as a cover to hide their presence, the former Ardagan Family.

As for the second one, he was an elderly man. Despite his age, his body and face were still exuding youthful energy. He had short white hair and a long white beard. Each of his fingers had a ring that had been polished with different colors of gemstones.

He was currently reading the letter on the table as a smile appeared on his face.

"Hoho... It seems that the Lord of Lounstein is rather generous. Since he is going to pay such a high price, it appears that I'm going to annoy the hell out of the Supreme Devil Organization."