Hello readers! I present to everyone chapter 42! What's going to happen in this chapter? Let's find out! Let's start this chapter!
(A/N: KKS - Kekkaishi, TS - Tensura)
Normal POV
They heaved a sigh of relief after they knew that the return was a success.
" So... do we just let Void keep attacking? We couldn't make the best out of that last attack. We're all going to be exhausted before we finish Void off." Naoki said
" This won't do..." Misaki sighed
" Could we do anything about that gate? That's what's sending otherworlders to this world, right?" Aichi (KKS) ask
" We tried it plenty of times, but nothing works." Kai said
" That's... pretty bad." Aichi (KKS) said
" Yeah."
" But as we suspected, only two worlds can enter here at a time. Let's think about this very carefully then. How will we go about this?" Ren ask
" I mean, our previous help has been plenty helpful. We just lack proper planning for the next attack and even if there were next attacks, how will we finally deal with them?" Leon ask
" Um..."
They turned to Aichi (KKS) as he fidgetted before pointing outside.
" No..."
" Uh... There's a new presence outside. I'm sorry, it came from the gate." Aichi (KKS) said
" Oh no..."
" One after another... What should we explain this time?" Miwa ask
" Just the same old thing..." Kai shrugged
Gaillard and the other Knights soon entered with a figure trailing behind him. The figure was wearing an unusually designed cracked mask with a red orb in the center. They had long silver blue hair flowing down their back.
" I found this one while I got the Knights assembled. What should we do?" Gaillard ask
" What a surprise... We were thinking what kind of Aichi and Kai we're gonna see again." Naoki said
" If you have a problem with me, then say it to my face." The figure said, hands on their hip
" No, that's not what I meant." Naoki said
" Jeez... I was suddenly teleported to another world. It's that thing in the sky, right? It's what sent me here." The figure said
" You're intuitive. That's correct. That gate suddenly opened because of our Aichi's power. Since then, there's been a lot of chaos and people from other worlds dropping by." Kai explained
" I see, I see. No wonder. And? You guys are hiding here for a reason, right? Please don't tell me that whatever force is doing this has a V in his name." The figure said
" ... Correct. How'd you guess that?" Leon ask
" Damn... That one again..." The figure sighed
" Huh?"
" No, I kind of dealt with something like that once. It wasn't a nice feeling. Fill me in on what's been happening before I arrived." The figure said
" Are you sure...?" Aichi (KKS) ask
" It's alright!"
" Okay..."
They settled down enough to start filling in on what has been happening as the figure nodded.
" So... No barrier, Void's forces are persistent and you might be running out of strength. Got it. By the way, how much can someone from another world interfere with affairs in a world that's not theirs?" The figure ask
" Huh? Well... As long as nothing gets damaged?" Aichi replied
" Hm... I see."
In the middle of their thoughts, Daichi started whining as Kai (KKS) tried to comfort him.
" His gums are itching. I'll go find something for him to chew on." Kai (KKS) said
" Wait a second." The figure said
They reached into their pocket and got a chewing toy out for Daichi.
" Use this. It's clean, so no worries about hygiene." The figure assured
" Oh... Thanks."
Kai (KKS) took the toy from the figure and Daichi immediately held onto it to gnaw his gums.
" You carry that around?" Shingo ask
" Uh, yeah! I have friends that have a baby, so I kind of have baby essentials at hand." The figure replied
" Hm..."
" A-Anyway, the enemies! Tell me more about them!" The figure exclaimed
" Okay..."
Once again, they explained the enemies they'd faced up until now.
" Songs, huh? Looks like those songs affect brainwaves, thus the pain. The scale must depend on the amount of power used during the song." The figure said
" I guess..."
" Hey, what kind of world are you from? You're talking about this as if you're used to it." Ren said
" Me? Yeah, I'm actually very used to this. I can't really be surprised by these things for a long time now." The figure said
" I see..."
" Also, since I'm here, those two should be following behind now that I've suddenly gone missing." The figure said
" Who?"
" The ones that you guys were hoping to see." The figure replied
" Another Aichi and Kai?!" Miwa exclaimed
" Yeah. I know them." The figure said
" But how will they come into a world that's not theirs?" Kai (KKS) ask
" It's as simple as breathing for them. Don't sweat the small details." The figure waved it off
" It's kind of a big deal though..." Jillian exclaimed
" Yeah..."
" Like I said, there's no need to care about those details. Just know that they'll come here sooner or later." The figure said
" Oh..."
" By the way, what's your name?" Aichi ask
" Me? My name is Rimuru Tempest." The figure, Rimuru, replied
" Tempest...? That's an unusual name." Naoki said
" Well, it's my family name. So just call me whichever you want." Rimuru said
" Then my name is-"
" Oh, it's fine. I've met some others like you guys before. You don't have to go through the trouble." Rimuru waved it off again
" Okay..."
Rimuru then looked over to Aichi (KKS) and Kai (KKS), at least from the movement of their head.
" Otherworlders?" They point a thumb at the two
" Yeah."
" Figures. It's a good thing I put this thing on..." Rimuru muttered, adjusting the mask on their face a little
" This might be a sensitive question, but how old are you exactly?" Tetsu ask
" My age?" Rimuru repeated, putting both his arms behind his head and looking up, " That might be a tough one... How old do I look to you guys?"
" About 16?" Asaka replied, unsure
" ... Damn... Can't remove this anytime soon then..." Rimuru muttered under their breath, adjusting the mask again, " Sorry, can't really tell you that."
" Uh..."
" I honestly would love to say things but I think I would feel more comfortable with my closest confidants and aides nearby, minus the ones that seem to love to spend their time talking long-winded stories about me..." Rimuru muttered out the last part
" We're alright with that." Ren assured
" Now then... what to do about this situation..." Rimuru wondered aloud
" I think rebuilding a barrier would benefit us. It might be easy for Void to break through, but his minions will have a harder time." Leon suggested
" That's true."
" You can leave that to me. I happen to know good barrier abilities." Rimuru said
" Really?!"
" Yeah."
Rimuru then seemed to flinch a little before turning to the door.
" Oh, they're finally here." Rimuru said
He ignored the sudden defensive stances Aichi (KKS) and Kai (KKS) had taken up.
" W-What's wrong?" Miwa ask
" Why... is there such an oppressive aura?!" Kai (KKS) exclaimed
" Huh?"
The door opened and as they had expected, another Aichi and Kai had entered, looking like they came from some traditional house because of their yukata attires. The two looked over the occupants in the room before their eyes fell on Rimuru.
" Rimuru!"
" Hey!"
As they approached, however, they paused and looked at Rimuru worriedly.
" Why are you wearing that again?" Aichi (TS) ask
" Huh? Oh! Don't be mistaken! I had to, you know. New world and such." Rimuru waved his hands in front of him assuringly, " ... If you don't like it, then I can remove it..."
There was a silent tension between them as the two newcomers exchanged worried glances.
" I said I'm fine! I'll remove it! So don't get upset!" Rimuru exclaimed quickly, removing the mask
With their face finally revealed, the others now see the gentle and shining golden eyes as they looked up at Aichi (TS) and Kai (TS). Rimuru was rather baby-faced too, making them conclude that they were a pre-teen or late teen and quite pretty.
" Hey, I can see your faces, you know!" Rimuru exclaimed, breaking their train of thoughts
" Well, uh..."
And they also noticed how Aichi (TS) and Kai (TS) now held amused looks, compared to their previous worried looks, it was a stark difference.
" You guys did that on purpose!" Rimuru concluded
" Looking at that mask again was nice and all, but I like this better." Aichi (TS) said
Kai (TS) just simply nodded.
" What are you guys doing?" Ren ask
Aichi (KKS) and Kai (KKS) had still been holding their stances as their eyes are now on Rimuru.
" Sorry, I wore the mask because I knew the two of you might be like this. You can sense it, huh?" Rimuru ask
" Yeah..."
" Sorry, sorry. It might look bad, but we're not hostile." Rimuru assured
They relaxed a little after a few moments and nodded.
" What?"
" If you guys have senses like them, you can probably see a certain aura around us. It may look like a hostile aura but it's actually just our energies." Rimuru explained
" O-Oh..."
" Anyway-"
" By the way, a little birdie told me that someone... some people went to a certain bar without permission. I wonder who they could be... After all, one of them went missing soon after exiting the bar and the other came in a panic to inform me." Aichi (TS) wondered aloud
Rimuru's face paled even more than their current pale skin, Kai (TS) matching their darkened expression as they looked over to Aichi (TS). He wore a wide smile, but they could all tell that it had a hidden intent behind it, a red glint shone in his eyes as he bore holes into the two.
" So?"
" A-Aichi... This is not the time-" Rimuru pleaded
But Aichi (TS) immediately cut Rimuru off with a stomp of his foot, causing a small crater to form on the floor. The two flinched and immediately kneeled on the floor.
" Really... I don't mind if the two of you run off to have some fun, but I am very disappointed to have found that you two sneaked off under our noses. Don't tell me it was for business purposes." Aichi (TS) said, his voice having taken a dark tone
" I-I was only there on guard duty..." Kai (TS) reasoned
" Did I permit you to speak?" Aichi (TS) ask
Kai (TS) immediately backed down and broke eye contact.
" Rimuru?"
Rimuru just flinched and sweated profusely at the glare from Aichi's (TS) eyes before breathing out shakily.
" I... I'll take any punishment..." Rimuru confessed
" So you did go there for personal reasons?" Aichi (TS) ask
" Yes..."
" And you went there for guard duty?" Aichi (TS) ask, turning to Kai (TS)
" Yeah... I swear I didn't drink anything from there!" Kai (TS) exclaimed
He looked at the two before sighing.
" Fine. I'll not tell Shuna-san this once and overlook this incident since we can't let them know that you somehow ended up in another world by accident." Aichi (TS) said
" T-Thank you, Aichi!"
" But you will still have to go through with punishment. You could have worried everyone if news broke out." Aichi (TS) chided
" Okay..."
After looking like he was thinking, Aichi (TS) then opened his eyes again after figuring something out. He looked at Rimuru while Rimuru raised an eyebrow in confusion, but it wasn't long before their face turned red.
" N-No!"
" You said you'll take on any punishment. This is a sort of punishment for Kai-kun too." Aichi (TS) countered
" C-Can't we do this when we're back...?" Rimuru pleaded
" No."
Rimuru and Kai (TS) slumped at that reply. The others had silently watched the exchange, being scared stiff by the pressure Aichi (TS) had shown.
" Let's not make Aichi angry, okay?" Miwa whispered, the others nodding in agreement
" H-Huh?! I don't..." Aichi exclaimed
Suddenly, Rimuru was swept up their feet into a bridal carry by Aichi (TS) after they stood up hesitantly.
" Hey! Not so sudden!" Rimuru exclaimed, face reddening again
" Wasn't that hard, was it?" Aichi (TS) ask
Kai (TS) looked like he wanted to say something but put it off as part of his 'punishment'.
" Now then, what were you discussing?" Aichi (TS) ask
" Uh... About the enemy... It's Void again." Rimuru whispered
" Him? I'm... not surprised anymore." Aichi (TS) said
" Right?"
" ... You don't seem like the ruler of a nation right now." Aichi (TS) said
" Why do you think that, I wonder..." Rimuru sighed
Aichi (TS) giggled lightly at that understanding before sitting down with Rimuru on his lap.
" Shall we start then?" Aichi (TS) ask
" O... Okay..."
The others settled on the floor uncomfortably as Aichi (TS) smiled at their expressions.
" Don't worry about this one. H... She's like a little sibling to me." Aichi (TS) corrected himself
" You don't treat me like one back in the nation, though... And what did you just call me?!" Rimuru exclaimed
" Hm? I'm not wrong, though?" Aichi (TS) countered
" ... That aside, you most definitely do not treat me like a little sibling back in Tempest! Okay, maybe you two are more toned down than the others, but definitely not as casual as now! I had ordered you and Kai specifically with the other executives but no one takes me seriously most of the time!" Rimuru complained
" How could we? As you've said, we're all executives and you're our ruler, we can't possibly talk to you casually in public. We can speak casually privately and I actually do prefer 'Rimuru-sama'." Aichi (TS) said
" And take those complaints to Diablo. That one worships you like a deity." Kai (TS) added, rolling his eyes
" I tried many times..." Rimuru sighed
" Huh...? Ruler? This kid?" Miwa ask
" Yeah."
" That's enough of me! Anyway, about Void's next invasion... I'll get a barrier setup, so don't worry about it. Aichi, Kai. Clear any minions if they might break the barrier, though it might be impossible." Rimuru ordered
" Understood."
" What do we do about Void?" Aichi (TS) ask
" Hm... How confident are you guys at holding back? I don't want to kill anyone for now." Rimuru said
" Leave it to us then!" Aichi (TS) assured
" ... If I think these two can't hold back enough, then I'll let you guys handle it..." Rimuru said
" That simple?" Leon ask
" Yeah. These two are actually one of my executives, so I count on them when it comes to smaller things as long as they don't get themselves hurt or... or killed." Rimuru said
At that, the atmosphere around Rimuru turned solemn as Aichi (TS) ruffled her hair as a way to comfort her.
" It won't happen again, not around you." Aichi (TS) assured
" What do you mean 'not around me'?! Listen carefully! Don't die! Not now, not ever! Got it?!" Rimuru yelled
A sudden surge of his rage exploded in the room as the others felt like their breaths were caught in their throats before they could breathe again a few moments later. They would have been in trouble if not for the cubes Aichi (KKS) and Kai (KKS) had conjured up to protect them, although they broke immediately after the surge disappeared.
" We understand, we understand. Please, calm down." Aichi (TS) assured
" No, you don't! I can't handle this! I don't want to sit for three days like that again, thinking that I got people close to me killed because of my own mistake! I can't handle seeing people around me die again! Don't tell me you can understand that!" Rimuru continued
" Please calm down! Your aura is going to put everyone in danger!" Kai (TS) exclaimed
Daichi cried out after another bout of the surge had hit them as Rimuru paused and quieted down, the aura stopping itself. Aichi (TS) carried Rimuru and stood up, moving outside. Kai (TS) watched until the door closed before turning back to everyone else, recovering enough to see him bowing deeply on his knees.
" I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Kai (TS) apologized
" I... It's okay. Please, don't." Aichi said
" ... People died... We had no one to blame but ourselves, but Rimuru took it the hardest... We assured her, we didn't want her to feel guilty, but seeing her people just dead... snapped her. We never wanted her to feel this way again, it was wrongly worded on our part this time. So I apologize, you guys didn't have to feel that, especially the baby. Pure anger and rage just bring that aura out." Kai (TS) explained
" We're alright, thanks to those barriers just now, so it's fine." Miwa assured
Ren put a hand on Kai's (TS) shoulder in assurance but felt the slight shaking his body was letting out.
" Trauma. Pure trauma brought them to this point. If this can put someone like Toshiki Kai in this state, I can't imagine what that Rimuru girl's going through now." Ren thought
" Lift your head. It's okay." Ren assured
However, that was unneeded as Kai (TS) shot up and turned to the door, wiping a few remnants of tears in his eyes.
" Something's coming." Kai (TS) informed
He ran out of the door to look for Aichi (TS) and Rimuru as the others ran after him. They only needed to look outside to see Aichi (TS) and Rimuru sitting on a bench nearby while their enemies had entered.
" It's those guys again!" Naoki exclaimed
" Not just them this time." Kai (KKS) said
Void had also flown down to land in front of his minions.
" Hey. I decided to drop by because I sensed great fury. I wonder who could have caused that..." Void said, looking over them before his eyes landed on the people on the bench, " Ah."
Aichi (TS) looked up, silently glaring at Void as he stood up and made his way over to the others with Rimuru still in his arms, this time with her face buried on his shoulder.
" We have no interest in entertaining you right now, Void." Kai (TS) said
" So cold. Did something happen to cause such displeasure? I actually enjoyed that fury. It was a great fury with hidden despair. Much to my taste." Void said
" Is that a threat?" Kai (TS) ask
" Did I ever hint at that?" Void ask
" Your eyes betray you. Unfortunately, Rimuru's not interested in any date plans." Kai (TS) said
" Huh?"
Rimuru immediately shot up and turned to Kai (TS).
" Kai, you ass! What the hell?!" Rimuru exclaimed, kicking Kai (TS) on his back
Kai (TS) stumbled from the kick before quickly regaining his balance.
" Oh, you're done sulking?" Kai (TS) ask
" Doesn't mean you can say that!" Rimuru exclaimed
" Then what should I be saying?" Kai (TS) shrugged
" At least not something like a date plan! What were you thinking?!" Rimuru exclaimed
" That was the only way to get you out of your sulking state." Kai (TS) huffed
" Huh?!"
Rimuru hopped out of Aichi's (TS) arms and approached Kai (TS).
" Well sorry that I got angry!" Rimuru said
" The anger was understandable, but we've got enemies here." Kai (TS) said
" I know that!"
" Are you two done?" Aichi (TS) ask, staring at them blankly
" ... Yeah."
Aichi (TS) shook his head and sighed.
" Anyway, let's just get this over with." Aichi (TS) said
" Are you sure?" Rimuru ask
" Why not?" Kai (TS) shrugged
" Fine... Don't lose." Rimuru said
" We won't." Aichi (TS) assured
Rimuru sighed. It was going to take a lot of her energy to not worry about the two, for other reasons.
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I'll see everyone in the next chapter!