Apocalypse Reborn: Demon Lord 9

Apocalypse Reborn: Demon Lord 9

…

Killing the Academy by myself and with my existing forces would take too long and cost too much, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on something I was putting off.

Contacting the Conquerors and bringing them under my banner.

You’d think that with my absurd stat line, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring them into the fold.

However, I wasn’t working off them being Conquerors and me being the leader of the Descendants.

I was looking down a long barrel of fuck ups by the Academy, led by the Descendants, and the Conquerors doing everything in their ability to survive, escape, and thrive despite being marked for slavery by Descendants, even prior to the rise of the Academy. Suffice to say, I was dealing with multiple generations of fuck ups by my people towards the Conquerors and their people.

Having a good stat-line and a strong reputation isn’t enough to overwhelm the negative modifiers in place between our people.

At least, not in the timeframe that I wanted it solved.

So, I changed my goal from bringing them aboard completely to something simpler.

Taking them along for the fight as a massive mercenary force against the Academy.

No.

Not just a fight.

An unabashed, unquestionable victory against their ancient foes.

Even then, it was a fifty-fifty chance on whether they’d accept or not, since they were honorable to a fault.

…

The Conqueror’s tent city in the desert region was easy enough to find. Our people were slowly starting to cultivate the place with the Citadel as the focal point in the region. The region was being cleared of monsters and tribes unwilling to surrender, so people were starting to find wealth and riches aplenty. While the desert regions lacked food production, they made up for in gold production in game, which was represented by lots of desert plants and easily-accessible caverns with rare metals and gems. Later in the game, farther down the tech tree, desert regions could be exploited for oil and more exotic materials needed for high-end units.

Early and mid-game, though, the region was difficult to hold with limited units. Trade was essential for survival without a supporting region providing access to a larger store of foodstuffs. That was why Conquerors were the most viable for a desert region start. They needed less units, their population went into hibernation instead of dying off when food was lacking, and they were on neutral diplomacy with most factions at the start of the game instead of in conflict.

Meaning that I was easily able to lure them into my desert region with contractor work available for clearing out monsters and mapping out the area.  I also made a point to put a very diverse population in control of the Citadel. Lots of Beast Tribe people, along with Descendants from both settlements and wilder areas. Merchants were also invited and they took to the place easily, since shipping the products from the desert to nearby regions was an easy way to make money. With jobs available, and the lands diverse in population, along with the outlawing of slavery… the Conquerors were pulled in.

I’d hoped for a thousand or so of them, but instead found a massive city of tents that could easily house ten thousand near one of the largest, artificial lakes made by the Ancients in the region.

There was a bit of a commotion as I landed on the main road leading into the city on my gryphon, while clad in full armor in the scorching desert heat.

Even with the physical benefits of being a final boss, the Conquerors towered over me. Each one was swaddled in linen robes of various colors to shield their bodies from the sun. Their scimitars were massive and they had tall shields made from the hide of hunter monsters. While I usually wouldn’t hesitate to attack a city on my own, in this case, my natural instinct was to withdraw, to evaluate, and to plan instead of just attacking without thinking.

Basically, my Demon Lord instincts were telling me to not fuck around when fighting these guys, because I could still get bodied.

Frontal assault would be a mutual kill.

They wouldn’t be able to win if I thought about my approach, though. I’d need to be careful, assassinate key figures, sow chaos, and generally act like a superhuman spy instead of a warrior or soldier. The common Conqueror wouldn’t be able to do much to me, but their quality in their numbers was a threat. Not only that, but they had a martial culture that would make them willing to make that sacrifice.

Any other nation out there will look at the prospect of losing fifty percent of their population to kill me and balk.

The Conquerors will see it as a mythical act of their warriors and people felling a great and terrible beast.

Pretty cool, in all honesty.

Anyway, I declared myself to the guards, who were holding their posts, and their weapons, despite the fact I was hiding nothing and appearing before them full armed and armored.

Everyone across this entire continent knows that I practically killed the Children of the Elm on my own.

“I am the lord and master of these lands. Conquerors of the Dessert, I come in peace with the intent to speak to your leader of war against the Academy.” Dismounted, I took a seat and so did my gryphon. He fanned himself with his wings, giving me a breeze and shade as he did, and idly I lowered the temperature around the two of us. I sat in the middle of the path that led into the tent city of the Conquerors. A figure in pitch black armor with a horned helm, along with a great and terrible beast covered in enough armor to break the backs of six horses.  “They have attempted to take my life with an assassin. Now, I will go into their lands and destroy them as a warrior should. But I have need of more warriors for my cause to face them.”

The warriors at the threshold exchange glances, before one nodded at the other, who promptly sped away at full speed towards the center of the town.

I would, of course, not be allowed into their town.

Not because I was powerful, nor because I was fully armed and armored, but because I was a stranger that they did not accept.

I knew this, the fact that I sat before their guards, told them that I had expectations of them.

The remaining guard gave two sharp whistles and another four guards appeared from the nearest building, which had a simple shopfront to hide the fact that it was a guardhouse.

“A tent will be fetched for you, along with water and bread, honored guest.” The guard was afraid. He was old for his people with pure white hair, sunken eyes, and a bit larger than the rest of the younger Conquerors. The years of surviving combat gave him good instincts. His body was ready for combat, to give his life to wound me, so that everyone else may have a sliver of a chance to win. The older people of the Conquerors did not think of how to preserve their lives, but how to spend them well. “The Conquerors will listen to your request.”

“I understand.” I stated simply and let it end there.

Time to hurry up and wait.

…

The Deliverer is centuries old and is the largest Conqueror because of that age. Standing nearly ten feet tall, the rest of his kin looked like children in his presence. With a few feet, he’d be the size of a Troll or a Giant. However, with his size and a lack of proper maintenance of his body and the egregious amount of food that he would need, his strength was ultimately just enough for him to stay awake and out of the comas that Conquerors slip into when lacking in nutrition.

The Deliverer was carried my way on a throne suspended upon a platform with a shade covering him in his simple robes.

They set him at the boundary of his realm, of their tent city, and to his right and left were veritable walls of Conquerors from basic warrior to their own Champions.

They arrived ahead of him, along with the tent and food that they promised, and they tried to stare me down before he arrived.

Keyword: tried.

I didn’t flinch and I made a measure of their greatest individual.

The Deliverer is a man of focus and will. Someone who looked upon centuries of near starvation, of allowing his body to wither away, and accepted it as the price to lead his people to prosperity. In the bright yellow eyes, practically gleaming beneath the shadowed hood of his robes, I saw intelligence, wisdom, cunning, and ruthlessness. The loyalty and deferment showed by all his soldiers and warriors towards him told me that all four were tempered by someone with a strict code of honor and ethics who ruled because he was himself and chosen by his people.

The Deliverer is a true ruler.

Someone who can take a Citadel and truly raise up a civilization and bring those who bend the knee to him to prosperity.

My initial goal was to get a few hundred soldiers, but I knew better now.

“The Conquerors are honorable and true. Not once have any of your people raised a hand against those under my protection in these lands. Even with all your strength and power, even with all the needs your people now have, you acted justly.” I stood and gave a bow of respect towards the Deliverer. There were a few mutterings at my words, but they were silenced as the Deliverer understood what was going on, stood up, and returned my bow before standing like a titan before me. I met his eyes. “The Academy comes for my lands. Already they have tried twice to kill me, once through the Scholars, and the latest through an Assassin. As strong as I am, I cannot destroy them without risking everything that I have built, especially against the coming threats that once felled the Ancients themselves.”

The Deliverer spoke for the first time after I finished my initial pitch.

“The tales are true, then? Beyond this continent, there remains the foes that broke the world entire?” His voice was like a rumbling rockslide, or like a continuous stream of thunder. “Foes that you intend to face after uniting the whole continent under your rule as emperor?”

“It is. Now, I move to gather all that are able regardless of their lineage and race, and turn this continent into a fortress that will repel the entire world.” I turned and looked around, facing the gazes of the warriors and soldiers that came to protect the Deliverer without being ordered. All these people stopped what they were doing when the simple announcement came that the Deliverer needed ample protection. Of course, their gazes were upon him, but I had just the way to get all their attention. I undid the clasps on my right hand and unveiled the four rings I used to control the Citadel. I took one off, the one for the Citadel of this desert land, and it gleamed in the sunlight. “Join me and my army, and I will recognize you and your people as vassals who hold dominion over these lands. The ring is subordinate to my own will, but if I am not present, Deliverer… this land’s Citadel will be for your people to use to prosper and to grow strong in for the battles to come.”

“A whole kingdom for my people, but at what price?”

“Your people will fight beside my armies and myself. First, against the Academy, then against all others who would lay claim to Citadels, and finally against the peoples that ruined this world long ago.” I held it my hand. The ring is power, magic, wealth, and influence all in a single, little trinket. “In these lands, you shall be able to make your own laws, so long as they do not invalidate my own. Your enemies will become my enemies, and your allies my own.”

“We have less foes and allies than you do, young emperor.” The Deliverer reached out his hand and without question a warrior came forward and provided him with a weapon. He tossed it my way. I caught the massive thing with my left hand and it felt like a toy. “Show us your strength and your will. You have called us worthy and honorable to be your vassals. We know you are just yourself, but there is more to this world than justice. Strength and power reign supreme. If we are to be your vassals, then you must prove worthy of us.”

Alright.

Time to Demon Lord, I guess.

Taking the weapon from my waist, a maul, I tossed it towards the warrior who gave me his. The young man gave a grunt as he caught it. For him, with his great size, it was like a one-handed tool hammer and it must’ve been horrifically light since it was made with Citadel alloys.

He looked my way questioningly, but his question died on his lips, as his weapon was already breaking apart, glowing white hot, and cracking along its spine as I imbued it with power and kept it together at the same time.

Tempted as I was to just swing with one hand, that would’ve been inappropriate for the challenge, so I returned the ring to my index finger and held the blade properly with both.

Then, carefully as to not hurt anyone, I turned to the left at the massive lake that they camped upon.

And, then, I made a single, downward slash with all the strength I could muster.

The blade erupted and broke apart, the energies contained within it turning the metal to dust, while what little mass it had was used to give the magic I used just a little weight to increase and enhance and speed up. The swing made my body groan with effort, as I gave it my all, and if I didn’t take care not to get hurt I would’ve burned my hands and ripped my palms apart at the action.

I can’t afford to bleed.

At least, not for the trifling act such as bringing rain to the dessert.

I turned back to the Deliverer, as the lake began to fall around us in miniscule amounts, and I found him kneeling with hand outstretched.

All the rest of the Conquerors knelt beside their great leader.

It’s always nice to find someone smart and capable.