Surrounded Elves' Forest
In the Intermediate World, the representative races among the various species were undoubtedly the elves and dwarves.
However, the majority of the continent's land was still under human territory, while the northernmost reaches of the continent were uninhabited extreme lands of ice.
Consequently, the forests where they lived and the deep caves in the mountains all fell within human territory.
Even within the territory of the Holy Kingdom of Astraea, there were three forests inhabited by elves in the southern vicinity, as well as caves where dwarves once dwelled.
Among them, the elves' forest located in the southwestern territory of the Holy Kingdom of Astraea was positioned with exquisite precision between the border of the Sardinia Kingdom and its neighboring lands.
Thanks to this elves' forest, the Sardinia Kingdom could share a border with the Venice Kingdom yet never touched the Holy Kingdom of Astraea, which is why, despite the Holy Kingdom becoming the Dark Empire under the former hero and now Demon King Kim Jae-hyun, the situation there remained far less turbulent than in the Venice Kingdom.
However, after rescuing Irene, Jae-hyun did not charge toward the Habsburg Empire or any other nations with his Forces of Darkness.
On the contrary, he had enforced ironclad vigilance, and the people of the Dark Empire showed almost no change from their lives under the Holy Kingdom.
They still lived ordinary lives, and thanks to Jae-hyun's orders, they cooperated with one another, so rather than harboring hatred, they helped each other openly.
One day after rescuing Irene, the third day of securing the Holy Kingdom of Astraea as the Dark Empire.
Jae-hyun sat upon the newly constructed imperial throne as the emperor of the Dark Empire and Demon King, while Irene sat beside him as empress and Great Archdemon. Wearing a simple white t-shirt on top and a short red skirt with black stockings on her slender legs, she kept smiling bashfully with an unmistakably joyful expression.
Jae-hyun, on the other hand, sat with his cold face unchanging, quietly observing the situation across the Dark Empire from his throne.
The statues built in honor of the Astraea Goddess lay in utter ruins, and every temple once dedicated to her had been converted into temples praising the Demon King Jae-hyun.
Furthermore, the former capital known as Pantheon, now renamed Pandemonium, had attracted countless stunning beauties of every marital or virgin status to its numerous corners within the Dark Empire.
Regardless of noble or commoner origin, all had sworn loyalty to Jae-hyun and become his Dark subordinates.
Even the black mages who had once served the Holy Kingdom's magic were now loyal to him, and using teleportation magic, they had united across every region of the Dark Empire.
Thanks to this, a considerable number of beauties had already gathered inside the capital.
Their presence was no coincidence; they had come to be selected as Irene's handmaidens.
"Born as the daughter of a merchant, I got to command handmaids and even act as empress. The world is truly unpredictable."
Jae-hyun gave a brief nod in response to Irene's remark.
"First, select the handmaids yourself. I need to focus on observation."
"Understood."
Although the Dark Empire was not yet fully stable, Jae-hyun had no intention of leaving the capital and was in no hurry to do so. Selecting Irene's handmaiden was important, but once she would choose them herself, his priority was observation.
He did this to stabilize the Dark Empire now firmly in his grasp. The humans who had resisted had been slaughtered or sentenced to brutal punishments, and the betrayers were suffering the most horrific torments as they received the price for their treacheries.
Currently, Jae-hyun kept his eyes closed, yet he saw everything at once. It was the gaze of the one who rules over all darkness.
The detailed dominion of every subordinate in the Forces of Darkness was laid bare before him, and the terrifying volume of information was processed instantly without a single glitch.
It was a speed that no supercomputer could match.
As the ruler of all darkness, his gaze began to resent the territories beyond his direct control, hidden in the inky blackness like a faint glow that stood out too sharply. He wanted to extinguish that light completely, as if white paint had been splashed onto a newly purchased black suit.
Kim Jae-hyun, who inherited the complete knowledge of every past Demon King including Laylana, knew he was the only one who had ever endured such a position.
Among the more than forty million subordinates in the Intermediate World, he was the sole Demon King who commanded them all.
'Elves' Forest.'
Among the dwarves' caves and elves' forests within the Dark Empire, Jae-hyun chose the elves' forests as the first target to eradicate.
He had occasionally met the elves in the past as fellow comrades while he was still the hero. Yet the elves, who despised both humans and dwarves, had openly displayed their hatred even toward him, an outsider.
Even though the previous Jae-hyun had possessed a kind personality as a hero, he had not been close enough with the elves to overcome their dislike, so he had spoken little with them, limiting conversation to what was necessary for war.
Nevertheless, as one who had fought alongside them, he had known their secrets.
The elves' forests housed young World Trees that sprouted from the branches of Yggdrasil, the World Tree present in each forest.
These World Trees interconnected with one another, and the World Trees across the continent had protected their forest habitats with barriers while also linking the elves' spaces. As a result, the elves' living quarters were all connected, allowing teleportation between distant forests without leaving traces.
This spatial linkage had proven vital in the war against the Demon King's forces, enabling surprise attacks by moving through connected passages that left no teleportation footprints and achieving massive results.
But now every territory within the Dark Empire was under his direct watch. The more than forty million Forces of Darkness scattered across the empire were all his eyes and ears.
The elves' forest serving as the buffer zone between the Sardinia Kingdom and its neighbors could be overlooked, but the two elves' forests deep within the Dark Empire's territory had been isolated from spatial connections for a long time.
In other words, the elves living in those two forests were now trapped like rats in a cage.
[Ungkor, Lucien. As Demon King, I command you. Leave approximately twenty of them alive. Capture all female elves without regard to age.]
Jae-hyun issued the order through mental linkage to Ungkor and Lucien.
"Understood."
The muscular man with reddish-black hair, around thirty with a thick mustache and goatee, answered while gazing at the forest inhabited by elves before him. At the same time, a Dark Elf woman with long flowing black hair reaching her waist and pointed ears, radiating peerless beauty, answered from outside the elves' forest further south, which he also oversaw. This was the Dark Elf Queen, Lucien.
The man over two meters tall, wearing armor depicting an evil demon in crimson red, gripped a massive whip in his hand.
Although he appeared as a human male, his true nature was far from human. He was Ungkor, the lord of the Balrog race, a specialized combat race among the demons of the Demon World.
"Leave around twenty alive to kill as they wish, and capture every female. Heh heh heh!"
He was exhilarated by the prospect of battle, a rare treat for Ungkor, the lord of Balrogs and one of Jae-hyun's eight subordinates who received the least favor.
The Vampire Queen Selina, Dark Elf Queen Lucien, Succubus Queen Lillian, and Dark Dragon Lord Serphius had all been female and had won his favor by offering their bodies to him. The butler Adrammelech, always loyal, and the Incubus King Baros, skilled at reading the room, had also earned favor. Even the leader of the Fallen Angels, Mastema, had gained it through calm preparation.
Male demons, however, lagged far behind. Among them, Ungkor held the lowest favor. Yet Jae-hyun possessed deep respect for his strength and had taught him various methods to become even more powerful.
Many lords of races in the Demon World had been elevated by learning from Jae-hyun, so in a sense they could all be seen as his disciples. As a tyrannical ruler who would mercilessly kill subordinates who displeased him, Jae-hyun felt no affection, but the knowledge was real.
"I want to kill them all, but I must hold back."
To carry out Jae-hyun's command, the Balrog lord and his army had surrounded the elves' forest. Everyone wore human forms, hiding their true massive appearances.
Thus, the Balrogs, who possessed powerful strength comparable to dragons yet few in number, numbered only around three hundred as they encircled the forest.
However, if they were all high-ranking demons capable of battling dragons, the situation would differ.
Even in human guise, the Balrogs' strength remained formidable. Moreover, not only Balrogs had joined; human warriors and mages who had become Forces of Darkness had lent their support to bolster the force.
Though their skill was inferior to the Balrogs, they would prove invaluable for mopping up after the battle and managing captured elves.
The mages, all at or below sixth circle and unable to cast teleportation magic or draw circles, possessed binding devices for instantly restraining captured elves and could produce them on the spot.
Leading this army, Ungkor's crimson eyes scanned the forest.
"The forest's encirclement is complete."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Lucien offered a simple compliment to the Dark Elf beauty who had reported to her, then examined the forest. Since the forest she oversaw was far larger than Ungkor's, she had mobilized not only many warriors and mages but also a substantial number of Dark Elves' forces.
Fifty thousand human soldiers gathered alongside ten thousand elite Dark Elves.
Yet the elves living in the forest before her currently numbered up to one hundred thousand, including non-warriors, so she dared not be complacent.
Even one casualty would be painful. For the Dark Elf Queen, who had become such a target, the slightest loss would be an unforgivable humiliation and a great humiliation that could never be washed away.
The beautiful Dark Elf Queen gazed at the forest she had encircled with her army and smiled. She looked forward to the elves' warm blood that would soak her sword.