Chapter 378: Next Step

"The pair that attacked us after we killed all those ants, it definitely didn’t seem like a coincidence that they appeared when they did. Not sure exactly how long they were watching us for, but I definitely had a moment where I felt like we were being watched. Assuming they were camping out there, they must have been there for a while," I remarked thoughtfully.They likely waited till we were done fighting the ants so that we’d be as worn out as possible before they made their move.

Fortunately, they weren’t strong enough to make use of that, but we might not be so lucky next time.

"<Well, we have attacked and killed a lot of Monsters since we ended up in this world, looks like they’ve responded accordingly. The Demon Lord’s Generals must have paired up and are laying low near some of the Monster territories, waiting for you to attack>," Surmised Superbia in response.

"<Heh, considering how easily the Boss took down that Archdemon, and now that there are five of us Apostles, two Generals shouldn’t be a problem at all>," Chimed in Invidia with a smirk.

"<Hm...I wonder, would Fenelza also be on the hunt for you, Master? If they haven’t figured out that your plan is to use her to warp you back to Earth, it’s possible>," Pointed out Luxuria.

"Huh, that’d make things a lot easier. Though, we don’t have any idea which of the Monster territories are being stalked by the Generals, so we don’t really have a way to narrow down where she might be," I responded after taking a moment to mull it over.

It was the next day, and after getting some rest, I summoned all the Apostles to discuss our next step.

I’ve maxed out my Power Level now, so it’s time I start gunning to capture Fenelza and get back to Earth.

But I can’t rush this, I need to plan it out as thoroughly as possible. Even a single slip-up could prove disastrous, so I can’t afford to make any mistakes.

Ai, got any ideas? You’ve been kinda quiet.

<I’m busy>

<Since the stat-increasing effects of Devour and Drain aren’t necessary anymore, I’m trying to reconfigure the System>

<If I pull it off, I should be able to increase some of your time limits and decrease cooldowns>

Woah, for real? That sounds awesome. Alright, then, I’ll leave you to it.

"<Hey, Master, does Command work on targets that are unconscious>?" Luxuria suddenly asked me.

Huh. That’s a great question. Ai?

<Yes, it should>

<Command affects the body, not the mind>

<It basically hijacks control over the target’s body and forcibly sends signals through the body like the brain normally would>

<Resisting Command is essentially the target trying to wrest back control of their body to their mind>

<So, yes, Command should be effective on an unconscious target>

"Looks like that’s a yes. I’ll test it out on a weaker Monster later, just to make sure," I remarked, feeling pretty encouraged.

"<Hm...I have a thought, Chief. Why not just send us to attack the Monster territories? You no longer need to consume Monsters, so it isn’t really necessary for you to risk yourself, is it? Since we cannot be killed, there’s no risk>," Pointed out Ira.

"<That sounds like a lot of work>," Frowned Acedia apprehensively.

"Hey, that’s a great idea...right now, we need to cause as much chaos as we can, to throw the Demon Lord’s forces in disarray.

And if we launch multiple simultaneous attacks instead of just targeting one area at a time, that should be a lot more effective," I responded with a nod.

"<Agreed, that’s a solid plan. Like he said, there’s no real risk in the five of us going out there and attacking recklessly. If we end up encountering an enemy too powerful to fight, we just have to let ourselves get destroyed and flow back into you>," Added Superbia in agreement.

"<Is it possible that they’d be able to track that, though? I mean, it’s pretty instantaneous, but still, maybe there’s a Demonic Art or something that’d let them track our energy signature after we’re destroyed, which would lead them right to you, Boss>," Remarked Invidia warily.

"Good thinking, I didn’t even consider that. I have no idea if that’s possible," I shook my head.

Ai?

<Highly unlikely, but I suppose it’s not impossible>

Hm...think I’ll take that risk.

Because if this works, it’ll go a long way to raising the chances of our plan succeeding.

"By the way, just how powerful is the Demon Lord? Am I at least close to his level when I’m at full power?" I inquired, glancing between Luxuria, Acedia and Ira.

"<I’m really not sure, I only saw the Demon Lord up close once, when I was selected to be deployed in a Dungeon, but...in that brief encounter, he certainly felt a lot more intimidating than I’ve ever felt with you, Master. No offense>," Responded Luxuria sheepishly.

"<No clue>," Shrugged Acedia as I turned my attention to him, before shifting my gaze to Ira.

"<I believe you might be a bit below half as powerful as he is with your full power? I am no certain though, it has been a very long time since I last laid eyes on him.

But his raw power alone is not the extent of the threat he poses, far from it. He possesses a wide range of dangerous abilities and Demonic Arts, but I do not even know what exactly they are.

He is so fast and powerful that most of my comrades were killed before they even had a chance to discern what his abilities are, he massacred more than half our army in a matter of minutes, the war was all but over after that>," Recalled Ira bitterly.

"Well, that’s not particularly encouraging to hear. Alright, then, we’ll avoid the Demon Lord at all costs, we’ll only go after the Generals.

We’ll just have to hope that they haven’t wised up to our plan...all they’d need to do to thwart us would be to hide Fenelza away somewhere.

Or worse, kill her off. If that happens...I’m not sure we’d have any other way of getting back to Earth," I remarked with a grimace...