Frey had no real interest in the Tengu.
Her true goal was to carve a path through the Kusha Mountains to the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion.
The Sacred Mountain was merely a foothold for the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia.
Only the Tengu would treat such a place as a treasure.
As a Harpy, Queen Frey indeed preferred high-altitude dwellings.
Coincidentally, the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion's capital was built atop a massive divine tree.
That environment perfectly matched Frey's vision of an ideal home.
So, attacking the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion seemed reasonable, didn't it?
"Assemble the army." Frey ordered.
"Yes!"
"But I'll lead this campaign myself."
"How can that be?!" Luchia, her confidante, exclaimed. "It's just some Tengu. We're enough... why should Your Majesty personally go?"
"No."
Originally, Frey hadn't planned to go herself.
Mere Tengu weren't worth her attention.
The strongest among them, Momiji, had magicules rivaling a Demon Lord Seed but lacked the strength to match.
Frey was one of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
True, she was still a Demon Lord Seed, not a true Demon Lord.
She knew her limits.
Unlike Clayman's delusional arrogance, Frey, having witnessed Milim's power, understood how weak she was compared to a true Demon Lord.
Still, that didn't mean Damien could dismiss her so easily.
"A newborn majin…"
"Or perhaps a Demon Lord Seed." Frey mused, shaking her head. "If he thinks that's enough to rival a Demon Lord, he's too naive."
She hadn't fought seriously in years.
'Let's show him,' Frey thought, anticipating her meeting with Damien. 'What a Demon Lord's terror truly means!'
Against a true Demon Lord, she had no confidence.
But against someone with mere Demon Lord-level magicules and no ultimate skill?
Frey was confident she could hold her own with her trump cards.
After all, even Clayman had a half-awakened ace.
How could she and Carrion be unprepared?
"I hope you'll entertain me, little upstart from who-knows-where." Frey said, a faint smile of anticipation on her icy face.
Meanwhile, in the Tengu's hidden village, Damien and his followers enjoyed Kaede's hospitality.
The Tengu's cuisine was similar to the kijin's but noticeably more refined.
"Lord Damien." Violet's voice came through.
Her true body wasn't present, but she could communicate with Damien anytime via consciousness.
"Hm?"
Damien set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief from Shuna. "Details?"
"The Harpy army is mobilizing, targeting the Kusha Mountains." Violet reported. "My deduction is they're coming for the Tengu."
"That was fast!"
Damien had expected Frey to take at least seven days to attack.
He hadn't anticipated the Sky Queen's decisiveness.
She must have issued orders the moment she received the intelligence.
Unlike Damien, who had Violet's near-omniscient insight into most of the world... save for areas shielded by barriers... Frey relied on teleportation magic and hawk faction reports, far less efficient.
This showed that, while not a true Demon Lord, Frey's resolve was impeccable. "A worthy leader." Damien remarked. "No wonder she holds a corner of the continent as the Sky Queen."
"Also…" Violet added, "Frey is coming herself."
"Personally?"
"Because of me?"
The Tengu alone wouldn't warrant Frey's personal involvement.
The answer was clear.
She was coming for Damien!
"Correct." Violet confirmed. "Without our presence, Frey would likely have left the invasion to her trusted subordinates."
Frey had been a Demon Lord longer than Carrion or Clayman.
Carrion became a Demon Lord 500 years ago.
Clayman, 400 years ago.
By the ranking of the Ten Great Demon Lords, where higher ranks meant greater age, Frey had held her title for at least 600 years.
The gap between a new Demon Lord Seed and a veteran was vast.
Six hundred years was enough for Frey to hone her unique skills to perfection.
"I see." Damien said. "Frey's soul strength has long reached the capacity for a million magicules."
"She lacks only the souls needed to start Harvest Festival."
Such an opportunity was the hardest to come by.
Without a unique skill for harvesting souls, advancing was incredibly difficult for Frey.
Damien found her supposed fixation on the divine tree absurd.
"If Frey is willing to sacrifice her people for a war over a tree, she doesn't deserve the title of Sky Queen."
The divine tree was just an excuse.
The Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion had a population of 100 million, including 20 million freemen... 120 million total.
If Frey could wage war against such a nation, she'd harvest countless souls.
Moreover, the ruling race of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion was the Elves.
Their soul quality was ideal for a Demon Lord's Harvest Festival.
Even with impurities, sheer quantity would suffice.
"Frey, Carrion, Clayman." Damien noted. "Their territories are isolated in the continent's southeast, far from human nations."
This made it hard for them to cause calamities or hunt souls, stalling their evolution into true Demon Lords.
Frey was luckier, with only the Kusha Mountains separating her from the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion.
If she could breach that barrier, she had a shot at becoming the eighth true Demon Lord.
***
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