Apocalypse Reborn: Demon Lord 3

Apocalypse Reborn: Demon Lord 3

…

Killing should be difficult, yet I barely gave all the times that I killed a spare thought.

In fact, I barely gave anything a spare thought, and hardly found anything to be difficult.

I suppose being born as the destined ender of the world has its perks.

“Get up, Red.” I was training my bodyguard. After a stint in one of the medical pods of the Citadel, and plenty of food, she rapidly grew in height and filled out a fair amount. Where there was once a tall, lanky woman with more than a few scars, there was now a warrior maiden with short red hair… and surprising ferocity. She looked good, of course, but I was able to ignore that fact pretty easily while fighting her. I guess hesitating when fighting someone pretty counts as a weakness. “You, too, Ilych.”

Khanrow and Riegert were probably the ones meant to find and take this Citadel as their own. Khanrow would be the faction leader, Riegert his first Champion, and Ilych was their champion in training. Ilych, surprisingly, was the Chosen One Champion. Meaning that she had a lot of potential to either be a great asset or a massive liability.

I was training them both.

Or, to be accurate, I was throwing them around the training round along with everyone else who wanted to be a Champion.

“Stop trying to engage me one-on-one. You’re both not good enough to do that. Come at me together.” I egged them on, one hand scratching my side while the other held my blunt, wooden sword over my shoulder. The two of them glanced at one another. Instantly, I could tell that they were going to coordinate and that they would coordinate very well. In that same instant, I predicted that Ilych would swing high, discard her main weapon and draw a practice knife, while Red would try and blind me with padded dirt that the pit was formed on, and then go for my abdomen with her weapon. I got ready to counter that instantly. “Come on.”

They charged at me, doing exactly what I expected, and I countered with a counter-charge instead of standing still.

They both tumbled forward after I cut at their legs and tripped them.

“That was a good attempt. You can try again in five minutes with some of the new aspirants.” I turned my back towards the two… and they didn’t hesitate to try and jump me. Good. They realized I didn’t say the fight was over. They were getting the hang of fighting dirty. That didn’t stop me from blocking their attacks without even looking back, though. I heard them coming. “Fight’s over for now. Next time, try to be quieter the next time you attack someone’s back.”

I never had any experience at combat or even teaching in my previous life, but in this one I lost count of the number of battles I’ve been in.

And, the meat-suit I was piloting was of incredibly high quality.

“I am of thankfulness for the training.” Red got up and made sure to be polite about things, and I nodded at her. Her vitality was nothing to scoff at, even if she was lacking in terms of intellect. How did the saying go? If you can’t be smart, be strong? Well, after getting healed up and getting taught how to use magic to enhance herself, she was rapidly growing stronger. Definitely a front-line orientated Champion. She’ll be slaughtering her way through the battlefield without any issue soon enough. “I will be in the training grounds until I learn all.”

“Make sure to rest and eat. I don’t want you dying just to learn.” I gave the young woman her marching orders and she bowed my way again. Ilych, meanwhile, had a grimace on her face as she got back up. Not much regeneration on this particular Chosen One, but plenty of firepower. She’ll need better equipment and better armor. Honestly, though, I’d rather have a glass cannon that I can beef up than Champion that can take hits but deal no damage. The best way to mitigate damage is to kill your opponent. They can’t deal damage, if they’re dead. “As for you, I need you to learn how to lead as fast as possible. Your father can’t explore every Ancient Ruin that we have.”

Ilych gave a decisive nod at my commands, before walking away.

I took a seat at the center of the fighting pit, barely winded despite having started fighting three hours ago, and going over my plans.

With Khanrow arriving and his troops being more civilized, we were able to construct the first residential and commercial districts without issue. Sure, everyone knew that the Citadel was ruled over by barbarians, but they kept behind their walls and as long as you paid your tithe/taxes they only went out to kill dangerous things in the area. Khanrow’s forces made up the policing forces and the regular guards of the realm, while mine were further slotted into the assault role, because that was what they were good at… and I wanted as many of them dead as possible.

I already pulled out all the people with prospects and futures and who were willing to learn from the army. They were the start of my efforts to create a strong military vanguard that was completely loyal to me. Whether in the battlefield or not, they’ll crack skulls at my command, and they’ll do it because they live in a place surrounded by Citadel Guardians who’ll do whatever I say. Well, I’ll make sure to give them all the benefits of minor aristocracy and other good deals, but it was the Citadel Guardians ready to keep them in line that made me fine with using them.

As far as I was concerned, the thousand or so barbarian/tribal people I managed to peel off from the larger horde was all that I needed. They were popping out babies like crazy already, which I encouraged, and they were going to be good troops in two decades.

The rest, meanwhile, I was going to use up until they all died.

They didn’t want to learn how to settle down, they didn’t want to learn how to read and write, and it was obvious they were eyeing up my new citizens like cattle and prey to abuse and use at their leisure.

I’m fairly sure that I’m a psychopath in my current body, since what bothered me most was that their existence would interfere with my industry, but I was doing the ‘right thing’ by letting them die in glorious battle and be celebrated as heroes.

I mean, I could just go out there and kill them all, y’know?

Wouldn’t even need the murder machines  produced by the Citadel.

It would barely be a hassle.

So, that’s why I’m not doing it and keeping my current course.

Extract and claim as many people from the continent as possible, kill off the barbarians I’d used to get the Citadel, create a loyal army from the salvage, and finally work on conquering the rest of the continent.

Hm.

Now that I thought about it, there was a better way to use the remains of the horde that didn’t die taking the Citadel.

Naturally, it was by taking another.

…

Interlude: Reigert.

…

Mages broke formations. Cavalry ran down the enemy. The infantry held the line or finished the job.

On the surface, everything that I now witnessed seemed normal.

However, while the core of the strategy was something that I knew, the implementation and deployment were beyond anything I’d ever seen.

“By the ancestors, they’re running rampant across the whole region.” Johann gingerly got off his horse, holding his rear in pain from hard riding. We took a hill after garrisoning in the recently taken town. The barbarian king’s war host had rode in, killed the leadership and all those who resisted, before declaring themselves the rulers and handing it off. The people in the town barely understood what had happened before the throng that we followed went off to their next objective… which was to aid in the taking of the entire region. “It’s like butchery is their culture.”

“Careful, Johann. They might hear you.” Khanrow made it clear the ruler of these barbarians already took those who could be civilized aside. Those that fought now were considered disposable. It was a sign of trust from the barbarian king to us. Granted, he had control over the Citadel, the constructs it created, and the loyalty of those who remained, but it still remained an act of trust. “How did the taking of the town go?”

“They were too terrified to say anything but yes to everything we asked of them. Don’t think we’ll find much trouble there… for now.”

“And, if trouble arises, I suppose you know what’ll happen?”

“More of this, I suppose.” Johann gestured hopelessly at the sight before us both. The neighboring region to the first Citadel was mostly flat plains. These were lands where the cavalry of the barbarians was in their element. The rising Citadel in the distance, amidst a flowing sea of prairie grass, was matched in height by the rising plumes of smoke from pacified villages. This land was being bent to the will of the barbarian king… while he rode into battle like an unstoppable juggernaut. “Captain, do you think—”

“No. That lad’s more than anything I can hope to handle.” I answered him earnestly. Straining my vision, I managed to catch a glimpse of the battle to the entrance of the Citadel. The barbarian tribes were losing men and horses to the army that came with the Citadel rising. They travelled lean and had only a night of rest before their leader unleashed them upon the region. Even with their stronger constitutions, they were naturally weakened and suffered in battle as a result. They died killing the monsters that jealously guarded the Citadel, but he stood out amongst them. “I can’t think of anything that can match him.”

“…Almost pity the monsters.” Johann muttered, and I agreed with a grunt. I watched as the boy walked into the battlefield without a weapon in hand and wearing little more than the pelt of a dead wolf on his shoulders and a loin cloth along with leather greaves and bracers. Wherever he walked monsters died. He crushed bones with his bare hands, his body deflected sharped iron and rebuffed hulking clubs, and fangs found no purchase on his skin. Whenever he was crowded by enemies, he stomped the ground and sent dozens flying, and he took stole the weapons of those he killed and smashed them into his foes in singular strikes that smashed his foes and the weapon alike. He used magic as he wished, sending waves of pure force, which killed dozens with a wave of his hand. Sometimes, he enrobed himself in pure force as a barrier to touch his foes and have them come apart in contact with his spell. “Khanrow made the right choice leaving this whole thing to that beast.”

And, there was the greatest achievement of the barbarian king.

Khanrow’s warband had been half-filled with numerous individuals who we knew needed to be cut off, who couldn’t be completely trusted due to their own ambitions and desires. They had planned a coup after hearing Khanrow’s decision to make us subordinate to the barbarian king… and the plan died the moment we all met the barbarian king.

Because with just a glance at him, those who looked upon him knew that he was truly powerful and that to ally with him was not subservience.

It was to follow a living calamity.

A force of nature in the shape of a barbarian princeling.

“We’ve tested a few poisons against him and he felt nothing. In fact, he asked us the next day to give him more to increase his resistance further.” Johann looked at my direction with wide eyes, while I could only shrug. “I told you a long time ago that the Ancients were beyond us, that they were strong beyond measure, and now there one is right there… beyond reproach. I have to wonder if he even sees the rest of us as peers.”

“…He probably doesn’t. Most lads that age already have enough trouble seeing other people as peers. Being beyond all of them, too? There’s now way.” Johann grunted and shook his head, before taking the reigns of his horse and starting to lead it away. “I’ll go back and make sure the village is in good shape. How long do you think that battle will take?”

“There are a few thousand monsters there, but they’re dying quickly.” I observed the battle once more. The barbarian king strode through the army of monsters and they were beginning to lose their nerve. He killed all that opposed him, slaughtering even the largest of ogres that came his way, and nothing they could do would even halt his steps. He was covered in the blood of his foes, and at his feet the cracked earth drunk deep and hungrily. The only thought in my mind was… what could’ve killed an entire civilization of these people? Besides, of course, themselves. “I give the battle another two hours. Get some rest, we’ll ride towards the Citadel at sunset.”

“Why sunset, captain?”

I observed the battle in the distance once again and shook my head.

“Because our king will most likely be finishing the job the monsters have begun.” The monsters were already breaking and running. After seeing a practical god of war march against them, even their feeble minds knew well enough to flee. There was no victory here for them, only a total defeat, so they were fleeing. What hundreds of mounted soldiers couldn’t do, what even barrages of mages couldn’t manage, that barbarian king did on his own after wading into the battlefield. That meant that he would either keep the remains of his force for another day, or deal with them himself. “Or, he’ll chase them and kill them with as many casualties as possible amongst the remaining barbarians that he marshalled. Either way, it’s best that we head over there at sunset to avoid seeing anything that we shouldn’t.”

Johann nodded quietly at my words, and I moved to join him and make way towards the town, when I suddenly felt like there was a blade at the edge of my neck.

I drew my axe and prepared to block the oncoming strike, but no such strike came.

“Captain!?”

I realized a moment later what had happened and laughed as sweat broke on my brow.

“It’s nothing. Just our king sending a message my way that he doesn’t like being spied upon.”

My estimation of the monsters he faced rose immensely.

They only broke after feeling that for nearly half an hour?