"Kuro, we've got a problem," Sighed Az, as the door to the throne room suddenly opened and he walked in.
"You didn't knock...this must be urgent," I replied jokingly.
"Yeah, yeah...the detection barrier was breached from the south, and the nullification barrier also responded. Looks like someone's trespassing," Remarked Az with a frown.
"Seriously? Alright, I'm on it...I'm mobilizing all the invisible monsters I've got between the physical barrier and the detection barrier, I'll find them in no time," I responded, before closing my eyes and focusing.
The Wyverns, Lesser Dragons and Krakens are all just a distraction...yes, they do serve as security as well, but as far as I'm concerned, their primary purpose is to distract enemies from the existence of my invisible monsters.
Oh, and the nullification barrier doesn't affect those monsters, their invisibility only wears off if they sustain a certain amount of damage, not to mention that they're also cast with a soundproof spell, meaning that identifying them through either sight or sound is impossible.
I'll have them fan out in a wide net, it'll be next to impossible for them to miss any intruders. Hm, what should I do after finding them? Ideally, capture and interrogate some of them, kill the rest.
There we go, found them, there's two of them...that was easy, I-...oh, wait, just found two more. And four more...I count eight in total, looks like it's the Laus Domain. Oh, interesting, I see an Elf with Demonic features.
I've neglected spying on the Laus Domain a bit for the last couple of days, I just assumed they'd take some time to recover after the battle in the Rustlands. Looks like that was a mistake.
To be fair though, it's pretty tiring to constantly spy on my enemies through my monsters, most of the time there's nothing worth watching, it's just boring and tedious.
Okay, let's see...there's an Elf and a Halfling headed straight this way from the south. They were well within the nullification barrier, so they can't use teleportation or invisibility. They were sneaking forward slowly, but it won't be long before they come across the physical defensive barrier.
As for the other six, they had all split into groups of two. Two groups both consisting of a Fairy and a Halfling were at the east and the west, and had just entered the nullification barrier.
As for the last group, it was a Halfling paired with the Elf who had Demonic features, and they were the only ones still staying outside the nullification barrier, they were using both teleportation and invisibility, so I kept losing track of them, but it looks like they're headed for the north of Abyss. I was using my snake monsters, with their heat senses, to track that particular pair.
I see, each pair is looking to move in from a different direction. Hmph, well, the moment they all come across the physical barrier, they'll die. But I think I'll avoid getting directly involved for once, these lackeys are beneath me.
"Az, go call over some of our Warriors and Sentinels, let's say...four of the former and six of the latter?" I decided, after mulling it over.
"Sure about that? Isn't it better if we go with Archwarriors and maybe one of us Destroyers?" He responded doubtfully.
"No, not this time...see, I don't want us to have to always and only rely on our best, I want the lower-ranks to also get used to tasting success by their own efforts, not to mention experience," I explained objectively.
"Fair enough, I suppose," He replied with a sigh, before adding, "I'll go use Call spells to tell them to come here as soon as possible and have them teleport here."
"Sounds good, appreciate it, dude."
"Sure, don't mention it."
When we realized that the nullification barrier prevents teleportation, Az had to manually add the exception of all Abyss citizens being able to teleport, by registering their Mana signatures.
Oh, looks like the fourth pair have reached the north...and sure enough, they're heading this way now. Should be a while before they come across the physical barrier though, they're moving at a pretty cautious pace.
The east and west pairs were also moving quite slowly, and were both about a couple of kilometers from the boundary of the physical barrier. Hm, the south group are close though, they should reach the physical barrier in about ten minutes, at least.
Right on cue, someone knocked on the door, snapping me out of my focus on the intruders. This had better be whoever Az called, I don't have much time to explain the situation before sending them over to where the enemies are.
"Come in!" I responded, prompting the doors to open.
"Hey, I called them over, like you asked...four Warriors and six Sentinels," Remarked Az, before the ten he'd called walked in.
The six Sentinels included Selesa, Misen, Prato, Lusk, a Demon, named Jhin, and a Vampire General, named Tearstrom. And the four Warriors included Ekai, Siert, Zero and one of the Vampire Knights, Cleon Ramdir, a well-spoken Vampire with neat medium-length black hair with three red streaks, and a closely-cropped beard and mustache.
"Alright, we don't have any time to waste, so I'll get right down to why I summoned the ten of you...there are a handful of intruders skulking about, they've made it past two of the protective barriers already. I'd like all of you to take care of this, intercept them as they reach they physical barrier," I informed them, "They've split up into four pairs, and each pair is approaching from the north, south, east and west, respectively. The first pair is just a couple hundred meters from the physical barrier. I'd like to divide the ten of you into four groups, specifically, the four Warriors in two pairs and the six Sentinels into two groups of three. Any questions? You've got one minute to ask."
"Are these intruders from the Rustlands or the Laus Domain?" Inquired Misen warily.
"It's the latter," I answered.
"Hey, uh, they wouldn't happen to include the Elemental Sages, would they?" Asked Selesa, looking a bit apprehensive.
"Nope. One of them has Demonic features though, that one might be tough...Zero, I'll leave that one to you and whoever you pair up with," I remarked, earning a slight look of dismay from him.
"Very well, if I have to...I would prefer to face the weakest of the intruders, if I have to face any at all. The stronger the opponent, the more troublesome the fight," He sighed wistfully, but didn't refuse, so that was something.
"Alright, well...if there's nothing else, I'd like you all to form your groups, and make it quick. It's about time I send some of you to intercept the first pair of intruders," I stated, as they began pairing up.
Ekai and Siert stuck with each other, while Zero paired up with Cleon. Misen and Selesa joined up with Jhin, while Lusk and Prato joined Tearstrom.
"Which of us are you assigning to the first pair of intruders, sir?" Asked Prato.
"Hm...Ragiu, Selesa and Jhin, I'm sending you three out first. Any objections?" I inquired, deciding on their group.
"Nah, I'll just get anxious if I'm waiting, so I'm cool with going first," Replied Selesa affirmatively.
"I agree with that notion, best get it over with as soon as possible," Added Misen in agreement.
"I have no objections either, my lord. By the way, I would like to make a request, regarding this assignment," Remarked Jhin, meeting my gaze.
He's among the stronger Demons under my command, and he had possession of the body of one of the former Platinberg S-Ranks, whose name is irrelevant. He had Fire Magic and a chameleon Anima.
His eyes resembled a chameleons', except for the third eye on his forehead. He had an upwards curving horn growing out the left side of his neck, a thin green tail that was slightly coiled at the end, scales on forearms, neck and chest, and silky long green hair that fell over his face. He had some pretty interesting abilities, and mixed his human and Demon powers a lot more efficiently than most other Demons.
"What's your request, Jhin?" I responded.
"I would like one of the bodies of the intruders, my lord," He replied, before adding, "On that note, should we capture or kill them?"
"Oh, right...capture if possible, otherwise, feel free to kill them. As for your request, that's fine. I take it you want a stronger host body?" I surmised in reply.
"Not quite...allow me to rephrase my request, I would like for you to transfer the life force of one of the intruders into me. I have grown rather attached to my current host body, I am rather fond of its capabilities, you see...however, I am aware that I am not strong enough as I am, but since I do not desire a new host body, I would like to instead strengthen this one," He explained.
"Huh, I see. Sure, that's fine by me. And if multiple intruders are captured, you can have all their life forces if you want, after we're done interrogating them, that is. Is that fine?" I proposed, after mulling it over.
"Yes, of course, I thank you sincerely, my lord."
"No worries. Now, then, the enemy's almost at the physical barrier...I think it's about time I dispatch your group...," I stated, standing up as I got ready to teleport them...
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