"This is… Red Demon? He has been caught and brought back?" Marshal Demon-Crocodile King muttered in astonishment.
"Your channels of news lag somewhat.
"Red Demon launched a large-scale invasion of that stretch of the universe upon his own authority — and did it without His Majesty the Demon King's leave, carrying the whole Red Demon Legion in with him.
"That trouble is in fact the smaller one.
"The point is that he lost.
"And lost 800,000 interstellar warships besides." Marshal Serpent King said it coldly.
Of that campaign of the Red Demon Legion's, word had long since spread through the Demon Race.
A matter of that size — how should it be kept hidden?
An expedition of a million demon interstellar warships, and but 200,000 fled back in disorder at the last.
And of those 200,000, a third were gravely damaged and wanted a major refit.
It might fairly be called a rout.
Which made Marshal Red Demon's guilt very great indeed.
And perhaps knowing how great his guilt was — that even returning among the Demon Race, His Majesty would not spare him.
Marshal Red Demon had simply taken his remnant force and fled before ever reaching Demon Race territory.
And had secretly sent word to the kinsfolk of his own family holdings, to find means of carrying off some resources and fleeing with him.
By the look of it now, Marshal Red Demon's plan of flight had failed.
"Some three days ago, near enough.
"The Hell-Baron Legion, sent in pursuit of Red Demon, took him successfully.
"You know as well how strong the Hell-Baron Legion's capacity is in the matter of pursuit; that fellow has said before that none can escape his hunting.
"And once he was brought back, His Majesty gave his orders.
"The Red Demon Legion's designation struck out; everything of the Red Demon family struck out; the fleets formerly of the Red Demon Legion all folded into the nearest demon legions; and the holdings for the present managed directly by the Demon King.
"Every soul of the Red Demon's blood hanged.
"I hear it was a full 3 million — all hanged upon the Red Demon family's chief world; a whole plain turned outright into a graveyard of hanged men." As Marshal Serpent King said this, there was excitement in his eyes, and a kind of fervor.
Hearing it, Marshal Demon-Crocodile King and Marshal Demon Knight were both silent.
They gave that Red Demon nailed above them one last look, and followed Marshal Serpent King into the Demon King's palace.
Within the palace stood a grim throne, a throne heaped up out of skeletons, its back some tens of meters high; and upon it were some tens of corpses besides, and upon the heads of certain of them corroded crowns.
These corpses were, without exception, nailed dead upon the throne with black nails.
They were the bodies of the leaders of interstellar races who had fought the Demon Race and been destroyed root and branch by them.
This is His Majesty the Demon King's chief interest.
Whoever defies him is nailed dead.
And upon the two sides of the hall stood eleven whole giant stone statues — and one place besides that had become a ruin.
There had been twelve giant statues here, standing severally for the Demon Race's twelve marshals and twelve demon legions.
As for which one was gone, it wants no telling.
Marshal Demon-Crocodile King walked slowly into the great hall with his head lowered.
Within it five had already come ahead of them — but two of those knelt upon the ground.
At a glance Marshal Demon-Crocodile King knew the reason.
The two kneeling were the marshals of the Ghoul Legion and the Balam Legion.
The reason for their kneeling was nothing but that they too had taken part in Marshal Red Demon's action before, and had lent Red Demon some demon interstellar warships besides.
"We make our obeisance to Your Majesty." The three newly come demon marshals knelt upon one knee and said it together.
"Mm." Upon the throne, that armored giant of five meters gave out one cold sound.
After half a minute's silence.
"Rise, all of you," the Demon King said coldly.
The three demon marshals rose.
But those two knelt still.
"You two rise as well," the Demon King said again.
"Your Majesty, we are guilty. We are willing to take our punishment!" The Ghoul Marshal lay prone upon the ground, not daring to raise his head.
"I said, rise." When the Demon King spoke this time, a plain chill was in his voice.
Seeing it, the Ghoul Marshal stood up at once and meekly, but kept his posture bowed.
And the Balam Marshal did likewise.
Marshal Demon-Crocodile King glanced at the Hell-Baron Marshal, who had come early and stood beside them.
The two met eyes and nodded slightly in greeting.
"Ghoul. Balam.
"Your business I shall not for the present pursue.
"But if hereafter you commit any further fault.
"Then you may look to keep company with the Red Demon outside." The Demon King said it coldly.
"Yes!" the Ghoul Marshal and the Balam Marshal said at once.
The Demon King's cold, grim eyes swept over the six in the hall.
"The word of the great offensive upon the front you will all have had.
"The Wrath Legion, the Agares Legion, the Amon Legion, the King-of-the-North Legion and the Black Angel Legion have all launched this fiercest round of attack.
"From five directions, against the Angel Race's heartland — which is at the same time the War Angel King's king-world, the War Angel Star Region!
"There lies near five parts in ten of the Angel Race's military-industrial system.
"Take the War Angel Star Region, and the Angel Race's strength falls at a stroke.
"At present the offensive goes smoothly throughout; but hereafter the Angel Race must assuredly send more interstellar warships to hold us off.
"So I command that, saving such garrison legions as your several holdings must keep.
"Every other legion fleet is to set out for the front, and must reach its destination within half a month, and relieve the legion fleets that led the attack before.
"Hell-Baron — your legion fleets take the part of the field's overseers." The Demon King gave his next orders outright.
With no intent whatever of consulting them.
Such is the Demon Race: a Demon Race of strict and rigid rank, where all is as the Demon King says.
The six demon marshals present saluted together and said with one voice, "Yes!"
"Withdraw." The Demon King shut his eyes, as though composing himself in rest.
Marshal Demon-Crocodile King turned and made ready to leave with the other demon marshals.
He marked the blood-thirst in Marshal Serpent King's eyes, and the fervor in the others'.
This was the strongest wave of attack in these years past — such as had never been.
Though since the Demon Race's strength grew, the fighting against the Angel Race had never ceased.
Yet upon the front line facing the Angel Race, the number of demon legions deployed had averaged only three.
At the most, in a few military actions, six.
Most of the time the several demon legions rotated by turns, and so kept a state of high pressure upon the front.
But such a thing as this — all eleven demon legions mobilized and sent up, an attack of so high an order — had never happened.
It seemed His Majesty the Demon King meant to launch a general assault upon the Angel Race.
Within the great hall.
"Now, are you satisfied?" The Demon King sat upon his throne, as though speaking to himself.
"I wish Your Majesty a great victory."
A voice came from the shadow behind the throne.
"That starship technology you promised me before — when do I have it?" the Demon King said coldly.
"Let Your Majesty set his mind at rest. When Your Majesty's armies break the War Angel king-world. I shall present the technology of the quasi-T6 interstellar warship in both hands." The voice sounded again.
"It had best be so." Within the Demon King's level words there seemed to lie a threat.
Thereafter, no more sound.
As though nothing whatever had happened.