"Great work out there, guys. I think it's safe to say we've made a decent dent in the Demon Lord's forces at this point," I remarked with a smile.

"<I agree, Chief. While it is little more than a fraction of the number of Monsters in the world, it is far from insignificant>," Responded Ira cheerfully.

"<My Lord, since I killed two Archdemons, can I go to sleep>?" Requested Acedia lazily.

"Uh, yeah, sure...great job," I responded, before chanting to withdraw him, his body fading and flowing back into me.

"<By the way, do we have any idea how many Archdemons, Dragons and King Ants there are? Besides the Demon Lord himself, those species pose the biggest threats>," Chimed in Superbia.

"<I'm not sure, but there have to be at least a few hundred. Before I was assigned to a Dungeon, there were about forty to fifty Archdemons here on Xostra. But there are multiple Demon settlements on the other continents too, so there's bound to be more. I've been to Ornoth, about a century and a half ago, but I haven't been to any of the other continents>," Responded Luxuria with a shrug.

"<I have not been outside of Xostra since the war ended, so I cannot add anything of use to that>," Ira shook his head.

"I see. Are the Monster populations evenly divided between the five continents?" I asked Luxuria.

"<I think so? There might be a higher proportion here in Xostra. I'm sorry, Master, but I'm really not sure>," She replied apologetically.

"It's cool, no need to apologize. We aren't here to take on every Monster in this world, after all, our primary goal is getting back to Earth. And thanks to the Enchantment on this forest, we should be safe hiding out here while-..."

"<Oh, that reminds me, Chief. I thought I sensed someone following me when I was leaving, though I didn't see anyone. I blasted the area behind me, just in case>," Ira informed me.

"Hm, all Demonic Arts are unique abilities, right?" I inquired, as I glanced at Luxuria.

"<Yeah, that's right. As far as I know, there's never been a case of a Demonic Art appearing in more than one individual. There have been some that are very similar, but not exactly the same.

Even with Demons who have died, whatever Demonic Arts they possessed are gone for good, those abilities don't reappear...again, as far as I know, anyway>."

"I see...I suppose it's possible that a Demon with a similar Demonic Art to that Concealment ability we encountered when we wiped out that ant colony was stalking you, Ira. Let's just hope your blast killed them, if so," I frowned warily.

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Point-of-View: Fenelza Zazzeka

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"This is getting annoying. The human is getting bolder, splitting up his forces like this. And of course, he happens to targets locations that were left unprotected. Not that it would matter, considering that we just lost two more Archdemons," Muttered the Demon Lord seethingly.

I had been assigned to oversee a Slime colony, along with one of the other Generals, and much to my relief, I have not encountered the human or his undead servants...at least, not yet.

"Perhaps we should sweep through the forest? It might take a while, but we are bound to find him eventually if we comb the entire place," Suggested one of the others.

"Yes, that could work...except, even if one of you does find him, he will likely kill you before you have the chance to return and report his location," Responded the Demon Lord icily.

He is certainly in quite a foul mood. While the losses we've suffered are far from devastating to our overall forces, it is not insignificant either.

"Maybe we should just ignore them and consolidate our forces here in the castle? Perhaps the human will get cocky and target the castle," Spoke up one of the others.

"And if he doesn't get cocky and do that, we will simply lose several thousands more of our forces for nothing," Scoffed the Demon Lord in exasperation, before shifting his gaze towards the doors of the throne room.

I followed his gaze and glanced back, to see a shadowy figure phasing in through the doors.

"Oh, it seems everyone else returned before me. Apologies for being late, my Lord. But I bring news that I believe ought to please you," He remarked with a smile...I think.

It is hard to discern his expressions when he looks like a shadow. The Fourth Seat, Spektar Penumbra, an Archdemon.

When he evolved from Greater Demon to Archdemon, he gained a Demonic Art that resulted in his physical body disintegrating, this shadowy form is all that is left of him.

"Hm? Go on, speak," The Demon Lord prompted him.

"Well, my Lord, I saw one of the human's undead forces...I believe it was the Dark Elf, he had a glowing body, and both arms intact. Most alarmingly, he was clearly far more powerful than he was before."

"I see, so the human turned that vermin into one of his undead servants, did he? And?"

"Yes, I did attempt to follow him, but...something strange happened. I began tailing him, but it seemed as though he sensed me. He unleashed a rather devastating blast, and was a lot more wary and cautious after that.

I did try to continue to follow him, of course...however, it was odd, I felt strangely disoriented as I stalked him, and before I realized it, I had lost him," Remarked Spektar, sounding perplexed.

"What? How careless, you-...," Began one of the others.

"No. I wonder, could it be...? The Witches, could one of them have enchanted the forest before we killed them all?" Mused the Demon Lord with a frown.

"Huh? I know some Enchantments can last a long time, but for more than two centuries?"

"But what if they fueled the Enchantment with their life force instead of Mana?"

"Oh..."

"Hm. It seems we finally have an answer as to how the Dark Elf evaded us for so long. Very well, then...gather a few hundred Monsters with flame and lightning abilities.

We shall raze the forest to the ground, Enchantment and all," Declared the Demon Lord, a dark gleam in his eyes as a wicked smirk spread out across his lips...

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