The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

I was walking on top of the outer wall.

I was not taking a leisurely stroll, but trying to grasp the situation, making full use of multiple magic spells.

“…Hmm.”

The cannon battery on the walls turned to face me.

I sensed a rising magic power.

They must be preparing to attack.

They were in range of the fallout, but it seemed like they planned to fire the shells at me regardless.

“That's bold.”

I muttered, and immediately cast a spell.

Black ivy grew from the base of the cannons, and entwined itself around the weapons like tentacles.

The operators desperately tried to adjust the aim of the cannon barrels, which had been misaligned by the ivy , but they were a beat too late.

The mis-aimed shells launched into the Imperial City.

They pierced the wooden clock tower, smashing it into a million pieces.

The adjacent buildings were also destroyed, sending up a huge cloud of dust.

I wonder how many people had been caught up in the blast.

I grew the ivy further, and guided it in through the barrels.

Soon, there were screams from inside.

I tightened my hold on the operators who were inside the cannons.

I let the miasma spread and transformed them into undead.

Now there was no need for me to worry about being shot at.

The cannon battery itself would be left undestroyed.

They were valuable weapons.

I was planning on bringing it back later and analyzing its internal structure.

If they could be miniaturized and transported, it could be useful on a variety of battlefields.

It would greatly strengthen the war potential of the Demon Lord's army.

We had archers and mages in our ranks, but the precision and destructive power of this cannon battery could not be overlooked.

I looked across the outer wall.

The scattered cannons were either covered with ivy, or otherwise damaged, and all of them were unusable.

Every single cannon in the vicinity had been neutralized.

I had done it all by myself.

Now there would be no more unnecessary interference.

Although it would not be a big blow for me to be hit by a shell, that was no reason to allow myself to be hit.

This war is going well, isn't it?

The Imperial City was in chaos.

The undead were already roaming everywhere, and people were running for their lives.

There were countless people being eaten alive.

Fires were breaking out all over the place.

It was pandemonium

I sealed the gates out of the city with magic.

In addition, I placed a barrier to prevent teleportation.

It was strong enough to not be easily broken, even if it was directly hit by large scale magic.

With this, no one would be able to escape from the imperial capital unless the barrier was subjected to a concentrated bombardment.

The Empire is a country that has operated behind the scenes many times before.

I think it's about time they were inflicted with irreparable damage.

If they can learn their lesson from this tragedy, I hope they will quietly cooperate with other countries.

The Demon Lord alone was enough to forcibly exercise his iron hand.

I only had a few reasons to be in the Imperial Capital.

Judging from the devastation of the city, I had been able to inflict a reasonable amount of damage.

That just left robbing all their weapons and documents, starting with the cannon batteries.

I also want to find the countries and organizations that are connected to the Empire behind the scenes.

Especially in case of the cannon batteries, it was hard to believe that the Empire had developed and manufactured them alone.

There must have been some other force involved.

Otherwise, there was no way the Empire could have completed these weapons so suddenly.

We must know who it was, so that I could determine the future movements of the Demon Lord's army.

There are only a few places that research and manufacture secret weapons.

If I visit the important facilities, I was sure I could find what I was looking for.

It wouldn't take long if I used transfer magic.

There was also the option of interrogating an executive.

I could also temporarily summon Luciana and rely on her charm.

I forgot to mention that I also had to kill people in the upper echelons of the country.

They didn't have to be totally wiped out, but it was obvious from the way the Empire had been conducting itself so far that the majority of them were pro-war.

In order to encourage them to cooperate with other countries, we must first eliminate those with an expansionist mindset.

There are moderates and centrists in these kinds of countries as well, and I want to create a situation where such individuals can take power.

As I was thinking about the future of the empire, I suddenly felt bloodlust coming from behind me.

It was an intense and violent presence, almost like a demon that had lost its reason.

Without looking back, I used my short-range transfer magic and moved forward.

However, the bloodlust still followed me.

…Who is that?

While wondering that, I generated a miasma shield and held it up as I turned around.

A roughly-made battle axe crashed into it.

Purple lightning bounced off my shield, making a crackling sound.

I could see the surface of the miasma shield wearing away, while the purple lightning grew in strength.

This force…it’s pushing me back!

I didn't force myself to go against it, but instead levitated, and allowed myself to be pushed away.

I made a force field in the air, landed on it, and looked at the owner of the battle axe.

Standing on the outer wall was a man so large that he resembled an ogre.

His brawny physique was wrapped in vermilion full-body armor.

Occasional sparks of purple lightning ran across his body.

His blue eyes, peeking through the gaps in his helmet, were filled with a ferocious, predatory light.

His strength was evident at a glance.

That large man pointed at me.

“You're that necromancer Demon Lord, aren't you?”

“So what if I am?”

As I spoke back, the large man slowly raised his battle axe.

His bloodlust grew sharp in a blink of an eye.

The purple lightning emitting from his axe grew larger, making his entire body glow.

It was no longer a level of power that a human being should display.

“It’s decided now… I'll beat you to a pulp!”

The next moment, the big man's figure disappeared.

No, it was speeding through the air, leaving flickering afterimages as it approached me.

It was too fast for me to keep up.

Is this a combination of body enhancement and lightning magic?

The reason why I couldn't evade his previous attack, even by using transfer magic, was probably because of this technique.

It seems that he chased after me as I shifted locations, at a speed that far surpassed a normal person.

I transformed my miasma shield into a spear, and parried the battle axe that he was swinging down at me.

If I had not gained combat experience and skills in the Valley of the Dead, I would have been cut down without being able to resist.

The impact broke the spear, which turned into black powder as it dispersed.

At the same time, I felt a strange numbness in my fingertips.

It seemed that lightning magic had been poured into my fingers when the spear met the axe.

It was a more troublesome attack than I thought.

“Oho…!”

The large man let out a voice of admiration.

The movement of his eyes showed that he was feeling intense joy.

After I fought off his attack, I used transfer magic to put some distance between us.

The big man didn't chase me.

He jumped into the air and returned to the top of the outer wall.

"Hahaha! That's a good move! Let us enjoy this to the fullest!”

The big man laughed heartily.

He was not being sarcastic or snide, he was really enjoying the fight.

Among the people I knew, his way of thinking was closest to that of Henry.

I never thought I'd meet him here…

I knew this man.

Although I didn't remember what he looked like, I was pretty sure it was his fighting style and personality.

There are very few people who can wield a battle axe with that level of skill, while also controlling body enhancement and lightning magic.

It is beyond the realm of admiration or imitation.

In other words, he was no doubt the real deal.

Although I did not know him personally, his name was known throughout the world ten years ago.

At the time, I had heard of him as well.

However, I never dreamed that we would end up fighting like this.

Is this also my fate as a Demon Lord…?

I thought in self-ridicule.

I can't help but feel that way about this encounter.

–The man known as “Doldar the Thunderbolt” was a great pirate, who was once a candidate for the hero.

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