I'm Actually Not Overpowered!

Heshu was right, as usual.

His leadership skills and maturity shined during moments like this, if only he decided to interact with everyone more.

"I see. That's great." Hogun nodded in agreement, and so did everyone else—even Adu, albeit grudgingly.

~We'll erect an additional barrier to seal off incorporeal entities like the Spectres. With that, our safety is guaranteed tonight.~

While Hogun didn't understand why the humans hadn't simply attacked when they had the prime opportunity to, he concluded that tomorrow would be completely different. Their odds would definitely be better.

Their troops would be rested and recharged, ready to deal severe damage on the humans. While he had nothing personal against the humans, the desire to please his lord and fulfil his mission burned inside him.

He had to win, at all costs!

~Then, since we are all in agreement, we should… wait, what is… what's going on?~

Hogun was still confused about what was going on with Heshu on his end, when a Mid-Demon charged into his room with a frantic expression on his face.

"T-they've started to make their move!"

Hogun's eyes widened the moment he heard the bizarre, almost impossible news from his subordinate.

'They had all day. Why now?!'

It was practically evening, wasn't it? How was this the ideal time for battle?

Hogun was still struggling with this thought, when a Demon General spoke through the Divining Orb.

~I'm guessing you all heard the news from your respective commanders. The monsters have begun to steadily advance.~

Since no one objected, they had to assume it was the same for everyone.

"Why would they make their move now, though?" Hogun found himself muttering.

~The Monsters seemed to be resting all day. We thought it was a trick, so we made our troops remain vigilant. Now that some time has passed, they're more energized and our soldiers are exhausted.~ Kiko's voice proceeded from the glowing sphere.

When she put it that way, it made sense. It was brilliant, really.

~Monsters can function optimally in the dark, and some are even more aggressive the closer it gets to dusk. If they manage to hold out until nightfall, the Spectres might show up again. That would be bad…~ Pierrus added.

Everyone had to admit, at this point, that they were in a difficult position.

~What if we ignore them? It's not like they can get past our barrier.~

For a moment, everyone considered Adu's suggestion. However, it didn't take very long for his idea to be debunked.

"Based on their behavior, it seems they're being controlled by humans, or at least something very intelligent. If they were aware of the weakness of our barrier, as well as our fear of Spectres, then it's quite possible they've figured out the weak point of this barrier." Hogun deduced wisely.

Since it was erected using a Magic Circle, the area underneath them was unprotected. This weakness could be easily exploited, as there were so many monsters among the ones advancing, that would be adept at digging through the earth and invading.

Besides, it was extremely risky to let them get too close.

"The humans have a similar barrier, so they already know how it functions. If they're sending their monsters, they must have some sort of plan."

No one could fault that logic. So far, their opponents seemed to have outwitted them on more than one occasion.

~We've really underestimated the humans…~

"Indeed."

A moment of silence pervaded the room, as they all racked their brains in search of a strategy to outwit the humans.

'We've never been pushed this far before. It's hard to think of anything…'

Demons had always been superior. This situation itself was an absurdity, thus practically all of them found themselves at a stalemate.

~Well, I think we should still keep the barrier active. We can pick off the enemies as they approach, and even if they're digging, we can kill them off by undoing certain portions of the barrier and attacking from there.~ Kiko finally broke the silence with a suggestion.

After considering it for some moments, the Demon Generals agreed to it.

This way, they didn't have to actively engage in an all-out battle. By attacking the enemies from a safe point, they could whittle down their numbers.

Once everyone thought it through, they realized it was the perfect course of action.

"Alright, Generals. Let's lead our respective groups to victory."

They had encircled the city of Dulum and it's surroundings, and their crimson barrier had covered the entire place like an all-encompassing fence. The monsters were still trapped in a cage, whether they liked it or not.

~Or… hear me out, we could just blitz the monsters ourselves!~ Adu came up with a simpler solution after being quiet for some time.

His idea suddenly put a hold on the execution of Kiko's strategy. This was simply because, logically speaking, Adu's plan was quite smart.

However…

"We should conserve our energy. We don't know if these monsters are all these humans have up their sleeve. Besides, let's not forget we still have to take down their city."

It would be foolish to waste energy on the mob when the bigger threats could lie within. Having no idea what to expect, it was better for the Demon Generals not to go all out.

~Tch, fine.~

"Seems we have all agreed." Hogun sighed in exasperation.

It was time to move out.

*

*

*

"This plan should work." Hogun smiled brightly, looking at the approaching monsters with confidence in their troops' abilities to fend them off from their protected distance.

Ultimately, they would be using guerrilla tactics.

'That Kiko… she can actually bring up smart ideas when it comes down to it.' Hogun was happy she wasn't an airhead as he had previously assumed.

Having reliable comrades was essential in achieving victory after all.

"Now, then… shall we begi—"

>SWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!<

Suddenly, a chilly wind was felt in the air, and a condensed surge of energy manifested.

Swirling spatial ruptures surfaced, and several of them spanned across the circular formation the demons had formed.

In an instant, these portals stabilized, surrounding all the demons from behind.

And then—

>THUMP< >THUMP< >THUMP<

—An army came forth.

"N-no way…!" Hogun's eyes widened, stretched to their limits as the sight caused his entire body to tremble.

Proceeding from the portal was a second army.

"T-this is bad."