To put it in perspective, just 20 lizardmen warriors could go toe-to-toe with a B-rank ordinary ogre.
And when a human army exceeds a hundred, its combat strength skyrockets.
With 50,000 human elites, as long as no True Demon Lord with over a million EP appears, a mere Demon Lord Seed would be well within the Kingdom of Falmuth's ability to handle.
"That's a bold move, old man!"
"No choice."
Razen said, "This time, the nobles in the kingdom are truly desperate."
In the original story, the Jura Forest only disrupted Falmuth's commercial trade.
But Damien had effectively severed the kingdom's financial lifeline.
With no income and the Rosso, along with other Western nations, fanning the flames, the already irrational nobles of Falmuth couldn't sit still.
With a population of tens of millions, the Kingdom of Falmuth had a regular army of about 400,000.
Of those, no more than 100,000 could be considered elite.
To fully reopen the trade route, Falmuth was committing nearly half its forces to this war.
"I really want to see what this legendary Demon Lord looks like!"
"It's gotta be tougher than regular monsters, right?"
Shogo Taguchi didn't care about politics, economics, or military strategy... he just wanted a good fight with a strong opponent.
Having gained such immense power, what was the point of crossing worlds if he couldn't let loose?
"You'll get your chance, Shogo."
Razen was pleased with their attitudes and turned to Kirara Mizutani.
"I-I get it, okay?"
Kirara jolted, not daring to refuse. "I'll go along!"
"Then prepare well. I'll notify you when it's time."
With that, Razen turned and left, leaving the trio staring at his back.
Bang!
As the door closed, Shogo's fiery enthusiasm and Kyouya's calm demeanor vanished instantly.
"Damn that old bastard!"
Shogo slammed his fist into the wall. "Those guys are just using us as pawns!"
Being summoned here wasn't their choice.
Sure, seeing another world and gaining power was great.
But the problem was, their lives were entirely in the hands of the Kingdom of Falmuth.
To control the otherworlders, the summoning mages had left a failsafe in the trio.
If they made any move out of line, Razen could instantly trigger the restriction in their minds, killing them on the spot.
"This is what it means to have no freedom."
Kyouya said gravely, "What do you think... can we use this chance to break free from that old man and those idiot nobles?"
"Hey!"
Kirara said nervously, "Isn't that too dangerous? If we fail, we're dead!"
"Relax, Kirara!"
Kyouya reassured her, "The kingdom still needs our strength."
Having spent so many resources to summon them, there was no way they'd kill them so easily.
The mages who performed the summoning paid the price of being unable to cast magic for a long time to bring the three to this world.
"Y-Yeah, I guess."
Kirara avoided Kyouya's sharp gaze. "But how do we escape the kingdom?"
"With that old man's restriction still in our heads, no matter where we run, they'll catch us, right?"
"True."
That was the core reason keeping the trio trapped in Falmuth.
Otherwise, in such a vast otherworld, how could they be confined to this small place?
"For now, let's play it by ear."
No one knew what would happen in the Jura Forest.
Maybe Razen would just die!
If Razen perished, the leash controlling the trio would snap instantly.
"Heh."
Unbeknownst to them, their every move was under Razen's surveillance.
"Trying to escape my control?"
Razen sneered disdainfully. "Still too young."
Such useful weapons... how could Razen let them go so easily?
And just as the trio schemed to kill him, Razen coveted their youthful bodies.
Yes, literally their bodies.
Razen possessed soul reincarnation magic, allowing him to transfer his soul into another's body through a special ritual.
This was how he'd gained centuries of life and power rivaling top-tier Demon Lord Seeds.
"Too bad it's not time yet."
The trio was still too weak. Razen needed them to grow stronger.
Ideally, they'd acquire a Unique Skill granting physical immortality, freeing him from the decades-long reincarnation cycle.
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
In the tranquil Jura Forest, time seemed to stand still, all worries and noise far removed from the mundane world.
As the sun slowly set, its golden rays bathed every treetop and leaf, cloaking the forest in a warm, golden glow.
In this serene forest, a girl clad in blue-white armor, wielding a golden knight's sword, sat on a rock, awaiting the latest report from her dispatched scouts.
"Marshal!"
Appearing before Artoria was none other than Souka, one of the four Dragon Lords recently named by Damien.
As for Artoria, she was appointed by Damien as the supreme commander of the three armies.
The three armies were the Dragonewt Legion, the Lycanthrope Legion, and the Wolf Cavalry.
The Dragonewt Legion numbered 5,000, nearly a third of their entire race.
The Lycanthrope population was 260,000, with 30,000 serving as the Monster Kingdom's standing army.
Add to that over 60 million Wolf Cavalry.
Together, the three armies totaled 40,000, nearly matching Falmuth's forces.
And the Monster Kingdom's individual soldiers far outclassed humans.
Even the weakest of the 40,000, the Lycanthrope warriors, had B-rank strength.
As for the Dragonewt and Star Wolves...
Their A-rank-level power wasn't meant for mere human armies.
"Any movement from the Holy Empire of Ruberios?"
"According to Lady Violet's report, they've dispatched a 3,000-strong Holy Knight Order."
Souka added, "Led by none other than Hinata Sakaguchi, the leader of the Ten Great Saints!"
***
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