Author's Note: I'll keep this one short, however I mostly wanna suggest that people enjoying the series join the discord as thats where I'ma start writing down important information regarding the series for both myself and others to keep track of it. Things like custom skills (I.E. Ultimate Skill Minerva), and other such things. Join if you're interested in that stuff or have ideas you wanna discuss with me as while I do read all reviews, its difficult to have a consistent conversation over them, at least compared to over Discord. Regardless, the Discord is below.

Discord Code: huVWBnR3CG

Fury of Tempest

Chapter Two: Rise of the Empire

Rimuru slept for three days yet again, his subordinates however woke up a bit earlier, eventually regrouping in the ruins of Rimuru City where the survivors regrouped and gave proper burials to the dead. Of course, the ones most concerned were the refugees from Eurzania, who now came seeking refuge in what was effectively a ghost town. Hearing what happened, many volunteered to help rebuild tempest to a degree, allowing for them to live in many of the abandoned houses. Aside from some sections of the city which were burned, much of the actual buildings remained intact, allowing for many to return to their homes and the refugees to have a place to stay. Nobody knew what would happen with Rimuru, especially since none of them anticipated it, regardless they all received their gifts, and most of them evolved.

Of the races remaining, Dragonewts and Goblins are the most plentiful. Goblins still hold the top spot in terms of numbers, as roughly 20% had successfully hidden with Geld and his men throughout 3 hidden areas. After Dragonewts were Orcs who only barely surpassed 300, though roughly 70% were children. A similar situation befell the Goblins, with roughly 40% being children, though their numbers were over 1000 total. As for ogres, their numbers were only in the dozens, numbering less than 100, and consisting only of the remnants of other Ogre villages they had convinced to join. Regardless of all this, Tempest was hit, and it was hit hard, its population a fraction of what it was, and its actual fighting force, as well as its most elite fighters gone in the span of days. However with one loss, there is another gain, as they now have the full power of an awakened Demon Lord on their side. Demon Lords alone rule over vast swaths of territory, even with far less subordinates than Rimuru now had, if there was any hope in maintaining Tempest, it resided solely in Rimuru, the central pillar of the Federation.

Rimuru woke up in a room, it was his room specifically, luckily spared from the fires, and the minimal damage taken to it was prioritized for immediate repairs. Though none of this mattered to him, as he needed to find out what the hell happened.

("Great Sage, what just happened? First thing I know I'm eradicating Falmuth's Army, the next I'm unconscious! Heck, when I ran out of magicules before in naming people I was still conscious when I slept!")

Notice: The Unique Skill: Great Sage has evolved into the Ultimate Skill: Raphael."

("Well that explains why you sound clearer.")

"Notice: I have always sounded this way, that is just your imagination."

("Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just explain what happened!")

"Notice: You have evolved into a Demon Lord after the requirements were met. The requirements including obtaining a Demon Lord Seed and fulfilling the soul requirement, both of which were met following the destruction of Falmuth's forces."

("Demon Lord Seed? What's that? When did I get my hands on something like that?")

"Notice: A Demon Lord seed is what allows an individual to evolve into a Demon Lord, however requires a number of souls in order to do so. You likely acquired one when you consumed the Orc Disaster, and the soul requirement was met when you killed all of Falmuth's army."

("Alright, I wasn't planning on becoming a Demon Lord, but given the state of this nation, I suppose the extra strength may be needed. Now what was that I heard before I passed out about some skills?")

"Notice: By evolving into a Demon Lord, you have acquired and evolved a number of Skills and Resistances. You have also acquired the Ultimate Skills: Raphael; Lord of Wisdom, Beezelbub; Lord of Gluttony, and Minerva; Lord of Caesar."

("Jeez that sounds kinda overpowered. I have a basic understanding of Ultimate Skills, but even I can tell having three of them is a lot. What do they do?")

"Notice: The Ultimate Skill Raphael is the evolved form of the Unique Skill: Great Sage. The Ultimate Skill Beelzebub is an evolved form of the Unique Skill: Gluttony. Lastly, the Ultimate Skill Minerva is a combination and evolution of a number of skills, using skills such as the Unique Skill Maakheru as a base. The skill was created out of a subconscious request. The skill empowers three categories, Loyalty, Justice, and Ruling. To simplify, Loyalty allows the user to make all agreements of subordination, alliance, or any other pact or contract pertaining to loyalty binding spiritually, with the spiritual link's strength itself varying based off how much loyalty they swear, with mere alliances holding a weaker spiritual link, whereas swears of fidelity or servitude hold far stronger links. Justice allows the user to judge one's soul, mind, and intentions, allowing the user to view their actions from many points of view, with the Ultimate Skill: Raphael being capable of analyzing all points of view almost instantly, utilizing Unique Skill: Maakheru as a base. Similarly, you can also kill those who have lost the will to fight or are otherwise unable to through this skill, with the painfulness and length of their death being judged by how "innocent" or "guilty" they are in the user's eyes. Lastly, Ruling allows the user to strengthen one's subordinates and those working under them and allow the transfer of information subconsciously from one subordinate to another as well as the providing of advice subconsciously to subordinates with administrative or strategic roles."

("That sure is a lot to take in. I'll look more into it later, right now I need to see if everyone's regrouped, and judging by the fact I'm in this room, I'll assume they have.") As he finishes this thought, he hops up, taking human form and stepping outside.

Just as quickly as he steps outside, the Demons he summoned appear beside him, "My lord, I have fulfilled your order and protected you while you underwent the Harvest Festival, please allow me and my subordinates to serve you from now on."

Rimuru thinks to himself; ("He wants to serve me? He does seem strong, really strong, in fact. It wouldn't hurt to have some extra firepower now that Tempest has been neutered militarily.") Exiting his thoughts he replies, "Sure, though I don't have much to offer you, the best I can do is offer you all names."

The Demon gets on his knees, bowing before Rimuru, "If you truly would grant us that honor, then we would gladly accept it."

("He's very enthusiastic, whatever. Regardless, if what Great Sa-I mean Raphael said is right, I'll have some kind of spiritual binding with him if he swears absolute loyalty to me. I suppose that makes him unable to betray me? Or at the very least allows me to punish him or know ahead of time if he does? Either way I'm confident that even in the worst case, I'll be prepared.") He finished his thoughts, nodding to himself as he thought up names for them. "You'll be Diablo." Rimuru nodded towards the main Demon who seemed to be the leader of the three. The name was unoriginal at best, for all intents and purposes it was just a generic Demon name, but then again that's coming from someone who named goblins 'Rogurd, Rigurd, and Rugurd.' "Your name will be Dracvir..." Rimuru says, pointing towards Diablo's taller subordinate, "and you're Melsh" he says pointing towards the smaller subordinate ("Those names mean absolutely nothing, but then again, at least they're kind of original this time… I mean I did kinda choose the small one's name after the word 'Marshmallow'"). Almost immediately after being named all three were surrounded in a dark cocoon as they evolved.

"Notice: 90% of Magicules consumed in the naming of the Demons"

("90 PERCENT?! That's a lot, naming the ogres back then took all of my magicules, naming just three demons took nearly as much.")

"Notice: Your magicules have increased 10 times following your evolution into a Demon Lord. For that reason, a fair comparison cannot be made."

("Oh yeah, I've made some real freaks of nature haven't I?")

"Affirmative."

As their evolution ends they appear before Rimuru in their evolved forms. Of all the three, Diablo changed the least, simply donning a butler outfit instead of his previous demonic suit. As for the other two, they took more humanoid appearances, losing some of their more demonic features, and the taller one actually gained legs instead of floating with his bottom half practically smoke. All three had taken on butler-like outfits similar to Diablo, which partially confused Rimuru, who ultimately voted not to worry about it.

"Now what to do with Falmuth and the Holy Church? I'm sure as hell not going to allow them to walk away from this unscathed, though I need to rebuild our military forces. Previously we had both quantity and quality, now we have neither really. Our fighting forces were out on the surface during the invasion, leaving only the Yellow Numbers under Geld remaining, and even then only a small fraction of it. There's no way we can fight with quantity, let alone the unity we had in both quantity and quality, all we're left with is to fight with as much individual force as we can… I'm sure I can, especially with this extra power, do it on my own, but Tempest needs a show of force. If I'm the only pillar in our nation's military, then we're limited in mobility, a two front war would be chaotic, and if I were to be unable to fight or caught up somewhere else again, the whole structure would collapse."

"Notice: Analysis of Unlimited Imprisonment is almost complete. Soon the Storm Dragon Veldora Tempest may be released, granting a vast increase in your military power, and likely making up for recent losses."

("Wait... you're saying I can free Veldora already? Jeez this new Raphael skill is powerful. It should've taken well over 100 or even 200 years to free veldora, but here we are.")

"You know what, I think I've found our solution." Rimuru says confidently, and though he had no real face on his slime body, one could see his prideful expression.

"What is it, my Lord?" Diablo asks, him and his subordinates still bowing.

"It's a surprise, but let's just say… the one who named me is going to have a grand return." Rimuru says hopping into human form, sprouting out his wings and flying off towards the cave. The cave itself was currently empty, even Vesta had left the cave to assist in reconstruction. Regardless, Rimuru thought it would make a great spot to bring out his superweapon, the nuclear bomb of this new world, the Storm Dragon.

Rimuru created a body double in front of him, a vessel for Veldora to inhabit as he broke the unlimited imprisonment and released the Storm Dragon.

The body double shifted and changed, adapting to Veldora as he was revived within it as he then shouted, "KYA HA HA HA! I am the Storm Dragon, Veldora Tempest! I am fully revived! All who defy me will be slaughtered!"

("Oh great, he had access to my memories didn't he… Lets just hope he didn't look through my memories of me 'looking up' E.I.L- I mean Elves.")

"Is that some kind of reference?" Rimuru mutters, staring at the reborn Dragon blankly.

"Yes, I had some downtime while in your stomach so I looked through your memories." Veldora states, paying no mind to Rimuru's mild annoyance at his invasion of privacy.

"Regardless I'm glad you're back, If you can look at my memories then I'm sure you know what's happened. We're short on manpower and firepower, and having a Storm Dragon on our side is quite useful. Not to mention it'll give us a pretty valuable claim to the forest, ensuring that they have to recognize our territory."

"Hmm, if you need the extra help, why not bring Ifrit back?"

"Ifrit? He's around? He should've been isolated in my stomach."

"Notice: Following the predation of Ifrit, the individual Veldora Tempest prevented its isolation and brought it to his area of your stomach."

"Huh, well I guess he is. Regardless, are you sure he'd be loyal to me? I sensed hostility from him when I first consumed him, I have my doubts he'd be loyal."

"There is no need to worry about that. I believe I have rubbed off on him, he's also expressed regrets about how he handled that Shizu girl, so I don't think he'll be a problem any longer."

("Hmm, while I trust Veldora, if it weren't for my new Ultimate Skill, I certainly wouldn't have easily considered it. However, so long as he swears loyalty and makes a bond with my skill, I should be able to keep a tab on him") "Alright then, I'll just grant him another body double to use for now. I'd like to make him his own skeleton out of magisteel or something, but for now that's inefficient, regardless I can likely use the core from Charybdis for the body as a whole." As Rimuru finishes, he creates another body double utilizing the core from Charybdis as a base for its core, releasing Ifrit into it as it transforms to the appearance of Ifrit quickly following.

"Welcome back to the real world, Ifrit! You didn't think I would leave my Shogi partner back in their stomach did you?" Veldora says cackling afterwards, Ifrit bowing towards him.

"Thank you, Lord Veldora. I also would like to thank you Lord Rimuru for granting me this second chance, I pledge my loyalty to you." Ifrit says bowing to Rimuru as Raphael spoke in Rimuru's head.

"Notice: Spiritual Bond of Loyalty Created between Ifrit and Rimuru Tempest."

"If you don't mind Rimuru, I'd like to grant him a name." Veldora says as he turns back towards Rimuru

"Yeah sure, go ahead, I'm low on magicules anyways." Rimuru says nodding, ("Wait, isn't Ifrit already his name?")

"Notice: The name "Ifrit" comes from his type of Greater Spirit, rather than his individual name."

("Ah, that makes sense then.")

As Rimuru finishes talking with Raphael, Veldora grants a name to Ifrit, "Since you were made from the Core of Charybdis, I will grant you the name 'Charys.'" As Ifrit receives his new name, flames swirl around him, evolving him into a Flame Lord, though his body doesn't suffer much visual change.

"Notice: Through analyzing the remains of Veldora Tempest, you have acquired the Ultimate Skill: Veldora, Lord of Storms. Allowing you to Summon Storm Dragon, Restore Storm Dragon, and provides Storm Magic. Furthermore, added abilities have been granted following the release of the individual now name Charys, similarly allowing you to Summon Flame Lord and Restore Flame Lord."

("That's awfully useful, I guess that means so long as I'm alive, Veldora's immortal. Not to utilize Veldora as a reusable nuclear option, but he very easily could be one. Anything else?")

"Affirmative: Utilizing Unlimited Imprisonment as a base, you have acquired the Ultimate Skill: Uriel, Lord of Vows. This skill allows increased manipulation of Space for defensive, offensive, and magical purposes. It also works in unison with other skills such as Ultimate Skills Beelzebub and Minerva."

("Holy crap, that means I have 5 Ultimate Skills.")

"That just means we're both basically invincible, just roll with it!" Veldora says cackling again as Rimuru notices his immense aura.

"Hey, before we head into town, shouldn't you calm down that Aura? You'll probably kill some of the people there, and those you don't kill will likely pass out in shock."

"Hmm you're right, how about this? Does this work?" As he finishes his sentence he crouches down, making a loud grunting noise and taking a form reminiscent of something he read in a Manga most likely. Despite that, it appeared to be working, for the most part at least.

"That's… actually working, wow good job." Rimuru says, staring at Veldora in confusion before beginning teleportation to the outside of the City.

As they entered the City, it was in a panic, everyone knew Veldora had returned, and with the current situation of Tempest, they knew they were in no position to handle it if the Dragon's rage fell upon them. Luckily enough, however, the Storm Dragon was literally right there to clear up any misconceptions.

Geld was the first to rush up to Rimuru, shouting towards him, "Great Rimuru, we felt the presence of the Storm Dragon's return! We must prepare for it! Who knows what will happen now that he's back, the whole forest will be in disarray!" Geld shouts before Rimuru puts his hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Geld, everything's fine, I got Veldora right here. Gather everyone up in the city center for me will you?"

Geld's face rushes through a mixture of emotions ranging from confused, concerned, and fearful as he nodded, "Y-yes Sir Rimuru." He then left to go gather everyone in the city center where Rimuru was standing, Veldora and Charys behind him and to his sides, and a grand crown on a pedestal behind him.

The crown itself was a magnificent item, it alone was the full might of Rimuru's skills being put to work in unison. What it was was a strange unity of what would've been considered Crimson Steel, a metal only known in legends, and Dragotite, itself a theoretical metal, though one invented by Rimuru in the process of making the crown. Officially, it's referred to as 'Dragon Steel.' Though, because it's been heavily infused with 'Storm magicules' or basically the very magicules from Veldora specifically, some could call it 'Tempest Steel' or 'Storm Steel' if they wanted to be specific about it. The crown was also lined with gems consisting of Mithril and Orichalcum, each one shimmering with both elegance and magical power. Each similarly infused with the magical power of the Storm Dragon. All of this created the 'Storm Crown' , a full show of might and unity of the Storm Dragon and Rimuru.

Rimuru himself cared little for the elegance of the crown. What was important was showing off the Storm Dragon, and confirming himself as his "chosen ruler." Ultimately, the crown was mostly ceremonial in that aspect, but having it be made of some of the rarest materials in the world, and better yet infused with the magic of the very dragon 'crowning' them.

"Welcome everyone. As many of you could tell, the Storm Dragon has returned… and he's right here, say hello Veldora." Rimuru says, pushing Veldora to the center as his face turns red with embarrassment and shock.

"Hey! You can't just put me out of the spotlight like that!" Veldora sighs before addressing the crowd, "I am Veldora Tempest the Storm Dragon! I was sealed away for 300 years in a cave before Rimuru Tempest, my sworn friend, freed me from it just moments ago!" Veldora shouts, holding Rimuru to his side and pointing his finger in the air triumphantly, Rimuru now the one embarrassed.

The crowd, after a few moments of confusion, erupts into cheers and chants at the news. Their worries were gone, and not only was the Storm Dragon not a problem, but they were now their closest ally. Those who cared about such matters right now knew that having the Storm Dragon on their side was the strengthening they likely needed to survive.

"Now let us begin with the ceremony." Rimuru says, the crowd looking more confused again as they mutter to themselves about what this "ceremony" is. "Veldora, if you will."

Veldora nods, picking up the crown and standing behind Rimuru. They had rehearsed a small bit for this moment, as Rimuru did not expect Veldora to do it right if they didn't. Veldora, despite his childishness, still took the matter seriously, understanding how important this was. "As the Storm Dragon and ruler of the Great Forest of Jura, I crown Rimuru Tempest, the very slime I named in the cave so long ago, as the Storm Emperor of the Tempest Empire!"

As he concludes, he places the crown on Rimuru's head, the gems glowing as small bolts of black lighting swirl around Rimuru's body for a few seconds. The crowd, though many not entirely knowing what was going on, cheered regardless, as the Jura Tempest Federation officially ended and the Tempest Empire began.