"Even if we manage to win the war against Milis, we would only be creating an even bigger problem if we simply returned to the Great Forest with no further action."
These words came from Lerov, the blue‑skinned demon of the Jinkan tribe.
Verdia, who was standing beside Rygar, nodded and added:
"That's true. The Conflict Zone on the Central Continent is the greatest proof of what happens when you defeat a region's ruling power and do nothing more about it."
Few knew the full depth of those events.
Today, the so‑called Conflict Zone was known as a lawless territory, a sea of ruins and makeshift fortresses contested by bands and militias.
But years ago, it had been far worse. Kingdoms rose and fell in a matter of hours; tribal wars and massacres occurred day after day.
It all began when a certain North God, a self‑styled solitary and ruthless hero, arrived and massacred every member of the evil cult that ruled the region.
Although many saw this act as heroic, the result was the collapse of the structure that, however fear‑based, had held those lands together.
Without a central power, the vacuum sparked an endless war among the factions that vied for control of the region.
Voices rose, one after another, with fervent suggestions and debates.
"Make the Beast God the new king of this land!" suggested a gray‑skinned warrior.
"Ha! The Beast God has no time to rule a kingdom!" said a beast‑race man.
Another spoke, "Wouldn't it be a waste to put someone with so much power in charge of just one kingdom? Let him rule the entire world!"
"This isn't just an ordinary human kingdom! Leaders need to be powerful! Look at Demon God Laplace, or Beast God Giger! They were true unifiers because they were strong!"
"Strength isn't necessary to rule!" said a human, with restrained gaze.
"All that's needed is vision, diplomacy, and intelligence. The Beast God is far more than that—making him king would be like chaining his arms and legs!"
The discrepancy was clear. Some members wanted Rygar to found a new kingdom and lead it by force.
Others argued that letting him become king would only delay his future prospects, though no one knew exactly what those prospects were.
Some said Rygar would never accept such a role.
Some proposed simply seizing the Kingdom of Milis and replacing the nobles and power‑figures with members of the Iron Legion.
There were also extremists who wanted something even greater: to conquer the Demon Continent and the Central, in a crusade to avenge thousands of years of persecution.
Verdia remained silent. Ghislaine and Eris, beside Rygar, merely watched, as did Aisha. They already knew the final outcome.
That decision had been made long ago, and Rygar had consulted them to hear their opinions.
When the discussion began to spiral out of control, Rygar raised his hand and let his aura slip free. His dark, resolute presence silenced everyone.
He stared at the council members with impassive, cold eyes. No one dared interrupt him.
"Milis will be destroyed to its roots; we will not allow that kingdom to continue existing after this war."
Silence. The words hung in the air like a suspended blade. Rygar gave them time to absorb the declaration before continuing.
"Of course, I do not intend to massacre everyone in the Kingdom of Milis. If, even after the destruction of its religion and its realm, people still wish to worship Milis for any reason, then let them worship. But no remnant of the Kingdom of Milis will be left intact. No power will remain in the hands of the church. Instead, the Iron Legion will create a new kingdom to take its place."
Some held their breath. Others widened their eyes—though they had expected something of the sort, it was different to hear Rygar declare it with such firmness.
"Obviously, many of you know this won't be an instant change. Milis has age‑old traditions. Transferring power to a new kingdom won't be free of complications. On the contrary, problems will arise one after another."
A demon spoke up respectfully:
"Pardon me… Beast God. With all due respect, if you know there will be complications, why not simply kill everyone who still worships Milis after its fall? Wasn't that what Milis wanted to do to demons and the beast race in various past wars? Why not return the favor?"
The eyes of many revealed that not all disagreed with that thought. Though they were a minority, some still supported the idea.
It was a cultural divide, both among races and worlds.
Some races simply bore deep grudges against Milis; others did not care as much about the lives or deaths of thousands of people.
In fact, even in this entire world, the annihilation of tribes and entire races was a less somber theme than in their previous world—it was more… commonplace.
Rygar fixed his gaze on the demon. For several seconds. Too long. A cold sweat trickled down the demon warrior's brow.
But Rygar only inhaled slowly.
Few comprehended the weight of the power he bore. The power to erase continents, to crush cities, to sweep away armies on his own.
It was tempting.
Many times, Rygar felt closer to a god than to a man. That arrogance, that drive for absolute dominion, had always surrounded him.
Fortunately, he had good masters.
Verdia had taught him about the world from a secular perspective. Gall Farion had taught him about purpose and why to wield his blade.
His other powerful teachers also taught him that true power should not be used in vain, that having something to fight for was even more important.
Each, consciously or not, helped him remember that to be strong did not mean abandoning his 'humanity,' even though he was not truly human…
If he slaughtered half the population of Milis, what value would life have for him? What would stop him from doing the same in Asura? Or on the Demon Continent? Just to avoid "minor complications"?
Each Milis civilian had families, lives, hopes.
There were whole villages that did not even know the names of their cardinals. It was not an absolutely evil country.
Proof of that was the former Demon Race Acceptance Faction, led by the former Pope, Harry Grimoire.
Fortunately, Rygar had a secret weapon for situations where logic alone could not resolve things.
He was strong.
Rygar lifted his eyes again to the demon.
And said:
"Why not kill them all at once?"
Silence fell once more.
"It's simple. Because I don't want to."
Faced with Rygar's irrefutable 'logic,' the demon fell silent. In any case, the final decision belonged to their leader—because he was invincible.
Taes asked, "I suppose you'll be the king of this new kingdom, right?"
In fact, everyone assumed that. Taes only wished to leave no doubt. Rygar nodded and said:
"Initially, yes. I will be king."
Several conversations erupted at that point.
How would a kingdom be formed? Many other things would need to be decided: territories, positions, titles… there were too many things to administer.
At that moment, however, another respectful voice sounded. It was Lisena: "Beast God, if you will be king, does that mean your lineage will be royal?"
Everyone looked back at Rygar when she asked. He looked at her for a moment and said:
"I have yet to decide that definitively. But, for now, yes. Succession will be hereditary. I may change that in the future, if I find it convenient."
Eris seemed lost in thought—until the Demon King, Gretta, noticed and spoke up provocatively:
"Very well, Beast God. Then it's important to establish a successor soon… When do you plan to have children?"
Both Ghislaine and Eris discreetly glanced at Rygar, as did everyone else in the council chamber, of course.
Rygar smiled bitterly and said: "Soon. Very soon… Let us wait for the war to end first…"
Taes spoke seriously: "On the contrary. It is because these are wartime that an heir must be clear."
Rygar cast a murderous glance at his friend and said: "After the war."
Taes stifled a laugh but said no more.
Soon, other topics took precedence: titles, territories… many things had to be decided only after they won the war, but others could be preliminarily established.
Fortunately, Verdia had already participated in the creation of a new kingdom before.
So, following her guidance, he managed to gather most of the necessary parameters: conquests, consideration of clan strength, assessment of battle prowess, and so on.
A basic structure formed quickly.
Of course, it would need refinement, but that would wait until after the war.
Positively, Rygar's strength made all his 'suggestions' far more acceptable. It was no joke.
Everyone in that hall, though fearing Rygar, felt more respect and reverence.
Thanks to that, literally everything Rygar said seemed to carry far greater weight—as if they were hearkening to the counsel of a superior being.
Thus, the meeting proceeded without major complications.
Afterwards, the discussion turned to the scenario of possible defeat.
In truth, few paid much attention to that possibility.
Only a few, who had not yet heard extensively of the level of power of one of the Seven Powers, harbored doubts.
But the reality was clear for all to see: Rygar was simply too fit to lose a war. In fact, he was like a walking war machine.
Capable of raising earthen walls and fortresses, launching fire blasts, summoning lightning storms over enemies, and casually provoking natural disasters.
That alone made him a gigantic threat, worthy of the greatest mages ever known. But most importantly: he was not just a mage.
His physique was extraordinary. No commander, friend, or foe could stand against him. No army could contain him.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Iron Legion's chance of losing this war was near zero. Therefore, only some basic contingencies were prepared—retreat plans and emergency maneuvers—nothing too elaborate.
The meeting had already lasted almost a full day. During that time, Lisa summoned two more assistants to help record all the decisions made.
The war council was gradually drawing to a close. Many topics had been addressed, too many to list them all.
In broad strokes, everything was taking shape for the Legion's great march.
Various tribes, races, and clans were being allocated into divisions, each with their respective commanders.
But the most important point to decide was the generals. The troops and their subdivisions would be organized under them.
Ornthorn and Kilian would co‑lead one division.
Another would be under Gretta's exclusive command, who would also concentrate the greatest number of Saint‑level warriors.
Ghislaine would pair with Verdia, and Taes would follow with Lerov.
These would be the four main vanguard forces.
All these forces would enter Milis territory, bypassing the Holy Country and gradually wearing down its forces.
The goal was to eventually encircle the capital, Milishion.
Milis would certainly like, and even try, to force them to advance directly on the capital, luring Rygar into an all‑out battle where they could concentrate all their power against him.
But the Iron Legion had no reason to do that.
Now that they possessed absolute strength superiority thanks to Rygar, they could very well weaken Milis across the country and then strike Milishion when it was already depleted.
As for the possibility of Milis concentrating all its armies in the capital while cities fell… it was unlikely.
Abandoning their people and cities went against Milis religion's core tenets.
Unless the Pope wanted to provoke an internal split, he would try to defend his territory. In fact, he would probably try to wear down the Legion, not the other way around.
And that was where Rygar and Eris came in.
Nothing needed to be said about Rygar.
With his overwhelming speed, he would traverse battlefields in hours, slaughtering any enemy in his path.
He would also move among the Legion's armies, ensuring reinforcements against large‑scale ambushes.
Eris, mounted on Ezkalor, would play a similar role.
She would fly across the battlefield, supporting other armies and eliminating enemy detachments alongside the red dragon.
She would avoid confrontations with entire armies but be merciless against smaller groups and support forces.
Basically, all contingencies were ready. Now, they only had to march on Milis… and make them regret the day they declared war on the Iron Legion.
With the meeting adjourned, everyone looked visibly exhausted. Yet there was a gleam in each eye.
That meeting had fulfilled its main purpose: it showed the entire Legion that, with Rygar at their side, Milis would fall. One way or another.
Rygar rose. Immediately, everyone present did the same. He looked calmly at those assembled and said:
"There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been discussed in this meeting."
He paused briefly, staring into each pair of eyes with intensity.
"I have observed each of you. All here are capable leaders, commanders, and tribal chiefs. All experienced warriors."
The council members felt honored to hear praise from the Beast God himself.
"Under my command—and yours—the Legion will prevail. Show Milis that wars are not won with faith… but with strength."
Having said that, he began to walk out of the chamber. Ghislaine, Eris, and Aisha followed him immediately. Verdia soon joined them.
No one moved until he had completely disappeared from the room. Most could barely contain their excitement.
The moment had come. The march would begin. The war lay ahead.
As everyone began to disperse, one last voice rang out in the chamber. It was Taes.
"Do not break any of the rules that the Beast God has imposed… If he hears of heinous acts being committed by the Legion… nothing will save you from his wrath."
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