Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"Oh my, so this is the Devil World? These enemies are terrifyingly strong!"
Borsalino, dressed in his yellow suit and a freshly issued Justice coat, stepped out of the Dimensional Gate.
"Kizaru, the enemies here are not ordinary people. Take this seriously."
Kuzan followed him through, hands in his pockets as usual.
"This... this... what a... what a shameless guy!!!"
Rias and the others stared at Kizaru walking over and shouted in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey. Isn't that a little rude to say to someone you're meeting for the first time?"
Before Kizaru could say anything further, the chorus of shocked voices reached him.
"It's true! I think Rias and the others are completely right!"
Rimuru looked at Kizaru and nodded in full agreement.
"Your Majesty, whose side are you on anyway!"
Kizaru turned to Rimuru with a speechless expression.
"Rias and the others aren't enemies."
"Uh... then who are the enemies?"
Hearing that the beautiful girls in front of him were not enemies, Kizaru looked genuinely puzzled.
"That old man over there, and the ones trying to stop us."
Kaito pointed at Lord Phenex and the crowd of high-ranking devils behind him.
"I see. It seems I can finally be of some use to the Jura Tempest Federation."
Issho, also known as Fujitora, stood with his cane sword in hand, his eyes now fully healed, and smiled quietly.
"The Army's First Legion has arrived! Legion Commander Giyu Tomioka reporting!"
"The Army's Second Legion has arrived! Legion Commander Sanemi Shinazugawa reporting!"
"The Army's Third Legion has arrived! Legion Commander Gion reporting!"
"The Army's Fifth Legion has arrived...!"
"Navy..."
Legion after legion continued to pour through. The tens of thousands of troops made many of the high-ranking devils break out in a cold sweat.
Every single soldier among them had the strength of an Intermediate Devil or higher. Not one was below that level. Among them, auras of Devil King-level power could be felt numbering no fewer than two hundred. And those above the Devil King level were no small number either.
"Kaito-sama, all legions have arrived. Awaiting your orders!"
Benimaru, dressed in a magnificent Commander-in-Chief uniform, stepped before Kaito, saluted sharply, and called out.
"Haha, alright, stand easy. Before we start fighting, I'll give the other side a chance to surrender."
"Kai-chan, having fun over here without me? Rimuru-sama told me you're flirting again."
Just as Kaito was about to head over to address the other side, a slightly resentful voice reached him from behind.
"Oh my, look who it is. Isn't it my dear Secretary-General, Kanae-sama?"
Turning to see who it was, Kaito's expression immediately brightened and he went straight over to smooth things over.
He couldn't help it. Kaito genuinely felt he owed Kanae Kocho. Sakuya and Rimuru had always been able to stay close to his side. But Kanae, as his Secretary-General, had to manage everything he left undone as a hands-off boss, which meant the two of them spent far less time together than anyone else did.
"Ara Ara. So the great Prince actually remembers he has a secretary?"
Kanae looked at Kaito trying to flatter her. She was pleased inside, but kept her expression composed and teased him anyway.
"Hehe, I know, I know. I was wrong. Don't go back tonight, stay here! A brief separation is sweeter than a honeymoon..."
Seeing that Kanae still wasn't budging, Kaito went straight for his trump card.
"You... keep your voice down, everyone can hear you!"
The moment the words registered, Kanae's face flushed. She gave Kaito a light pat and dropped her voice to an embarrassed murmur.
"Hehe, nobody heard anything. Did anyone hear anything?"
Kaito called out loudly to everyone around him.
"No... no..."
"Right, we didn't hear a thing!"
"Ah, what was I just doing... why can't I remember..."
The high-ranking military officials of the Jura Tempest Federation immediately busied themselves looking elsewhere, all claiming they had heard absolutely nothing.
Not that anyone would dare say otherwise. The last person who shouted 'Long live Rimuru-sama' at the wrong moment got quietly reassigned to the Imperial Guard Legion under some excuse. They even suspected the Imperial Guard Legion wasn't brought along this time partly because of that incident.
"Ahem... back to the matter at hand. Sirzechs, these are all the troops I have. I'll give you time to gather your army so you can't say I won unfairly."
With Kanae appeased, Kaito's expression turned serious. His tone carried a quiet edge as he spoke to Sirzechs.
"Mr. Kaito, is there truly no possibility of peace?"
Sirzechs looked out at the overwhelming force before him and asked with a grave expression.
"Surrender and announce your incorporation into the Jura Tempest Federation. Do that, and this war ends now."
Sirzechs opened his mouth to respond, but Ajuka Beelzebub put a hand on his arm and stopped him.
"Alright, Sirzechs. Can't you see? The other side planned this well in advance. The Phenex incident was just a pretext. Even without it, they would have found another reason to declare war. Gather the army."
"Hmph. Lord Devil Kings, I told you long ago that this man is trouble. If we had moved against them earlier... Ah ah ah... Uh... Uh...!"
Lord Phenex never finished his sentence. Testarossa, dressed in a white gown, appeared before him without a sound.
She pressed black flames laced with curses directly onto him.
The moment the flames made contact, Lord Phenex began bleeding from every orifice. His own hands moved without his control, clasping around his throat. His mouth opened, trying to speak, but nothing came out. He could only watch with wide, terrified eyes as his own hands slowly twisted his neck.
"Hmph. Disrespecting my master. Letting you go like this is already lenient."
Testarossa produced a white silk handkerchief, wiped her hands with an expression of distaste, and let it fall to the ground.
"Ajuka, notify all devil families to mobilize their forces. We are most likely fighting a war of annihilation."
Sirzechs stared at Testarossa, his eyes fixed and wary. The flames just now had sent a chill through him. He had the distinct feeling that if he touched them, he would share Lord Phenex's fate.
Kaito and the others watched as the other side began to gather their forces, making no move to stop them.
As time passed, the devil families who received the order began frantically summoning their armies. The Agares Family, Glasya-Labolas Family, Bael Family, Belial Family, and other prominent noble devil clans all dispatched their full combat strength.
"Holy cow, are there really this many devils? Didn't they say pure-blooded devils were rare? This is what 'rare' looks like?!"
"As expected of cunning devils, always keeping secrets from the rest of the world!"
Kaito stared at the army of over two million already assembled in front of him, with more still pouring in, and let out a loud, exaggerated shout of surprise.
Rimuru looked at the other side, then looked back at their own, and felt that the gap in numbers was not looking great. She turned to Kaito.
"Kai-chan, there are so many on their side. Shouldn't we call for more people?"
Kaito waved his hand without a second thought, the look on his face oddly reminiscent of a school principal addressing an assembly.
"No need! No matter how you cut it, 130,000 against 2 million. The advantage is ours!"