Rukia met up with them outside of the wall, with her sword in hand. And despite her condition and the bizarre lack of her husband, Renji's presence, neither Ichigo nor Chad said anything to the small, pregnant woman to try and get her to return to town where she would be safe.
Rimuru found it odd. But decided not to comment since the Ichigo's friends were already upset with, he and the others enough as it was.
Besides, the pregnant woman was coming with them because she felt that they were untrustworthy when it came to the girl's wellbeing. Which was just a reflection on just how badly he had messed things up.
He understood this very well. And still had plans to somehow make things right again no matter how long it took him to do it since trust was often a very fragile thing. But right now...they had much bigger concerns.
They traveled as quickly as their individual skills would let them. But before long, they reached the designated place where they could see the massive beast in the sky, almost less than a mile away and moving slowly towards Tempest.
"The area where you'll be fighting Charybdis is right up ahead." Rimuru said as he pointed to a clearing, through the trees just a short way ahead of them.
Ichigo nodded her head curtly and moved to get ahead of them with Chad and Rukia following at her heels. The two somehow managing to keep up with the girl's accelerated speed, easily.
Rimuru shook his head at the three's back but found a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He had the oddest feeling that he and the others were going so see something spectacular from the three friends before the battle was over and done.
"Everyone, find a good place to observe the battle." He called out as he separated from his friends and went to catch up with Ichigo and the other two.
Ichigo's first impression of the soul devouring beast, Charybdis, was underwhelming. Unimpressive. The thing was oddly weak for a catastrophe class monster. And after taking a second or so to try and pinpoint why, she understood.
The creature was barely revived. So, its power level was much, much weaker than it would be if it were allowed to eat it's fill of souls.
"This is what's been freaking everyone out?" She heard Rukia ask in disbelief before shrieking. "It's weak! Really, weak. Chad, I bet that you could knock that thing out of the sky with a sneeze!"
"Probably." Chad drawled as he stared at the whale-like beast. Rimuru finally joined them a few seconds later, riding on Ranga's back.
"Everything okay?" The lord asked curiously as he looked from one face to another as if to gauge what they were thinking or feeling. Ichigo looked, extremely put out. One of Rukia's eyes was twitching. And Chad...was Chad? There was pretty much no expression at all there for him to read.
The guy must have one hell of an outstanding poker face. Rimuru thought as he then asked Ichigo. "Can you, do it? Can you beat him? Charybdis, I mean."
The girl heaved an aggrieved sounding sigh as Rukia decided to reply to his query for her. "She could do it with both hands tied behind her back and no weapons at all."
"In her sleep." Chad chimed in.
"No, in a frigging coma!"
Rimuru blinked at the two and plastered the most non offensive look that he could muster onto his face as he glanced back at Ichigo again. She looked like she was starting to get a headache. A really, really bad one.
He just hoped that it wouldn't affect her so much that she decided not to fight since everyone was literally placing their lives and very futures in her hands.
"Okay you two, that's enough." She finally said, causing her two friends to go quiet as she stepped forward with one of her arms held out. He blinked in confusion and a moment later a massive sword, bigger than Shion's own, appeared out of thin air.
A moment or so after that, she was air born. Massive, wings covered in opalescent multicolored feathers protruding from her back.
Rimuru couldn't help but stare at Ichigo's form in awe. The girl had been unnaturally beautiful before today, but here and now- she possessed the sort of breathtaking radiance that make his heart flutter and tremble with some unnamed emotion that he was sure that he'd never felt before. Not even in his previous life.
And seeing her take Charybdis and it's flying Megalodons apart was something awe worthy too.
But in a more terrifying way.
Renji hadn't lied when he had said that Ichigo could destroy the creature easily. Charybdis had no real way to defend against her. Every attack it launched to try and fend her off was systematically demolished. Its massive body was ripped open and torn to shreds without her even breaking a sweat.
As he said, terrifying.
But what really stuck with him out of everything that he saw her do, was when she had landed on the beast's side and punched a hole in it and pulled something out. After that Charybdis practically fell apart with an angry scream.
Its pieces fell from the sky like rain. The massive muscles, tissue, bones, and flesh hitting the ground all around them with the kind of ferocity that shook the ground under their feet like an earthquake.
Ichigo startled him so badly by suddenly landing in front of him that he screamed and dove for the nearest cover that he could find while poor Ranga nearly fainted from fear. The wolfs eyes rolled back in his head and he flopped over onto the ground and lay very, very still.
"Are you done cowering?" Ichigo asked in an impatient tone as Rimuru peeked out from around his...rock? at her. And saw that she had a person, tucked underneath her arm.
Blinking at her, he then quickly moved to see if the person tucked under her arm was still alive. He was startled to find that the person was alive, and that it was the beastman from before. The one that Milim had attacked in town.
But the man was in bad shape and fading fast.
Helping Ichigo to gently lay him on the ground, Rimuru began to work on healing him before he died.
Carrion let out a low whistle of appreciation from his hiding place. He had been on his way to search the new country of Tempest when he had found out that his subordinate was first missing. Learning of Charybdis's revival had certainly thrown a great big wrench in his plans.
But it had also served as an opportunity to see for himself what sort of strength and power the newly created country held within its walls.
He had hidden himself in a place that was concealed from the others in the lord's party and watched the fight carefully from the very beginning to its end. And he had to admit, that as powerful as he was as a demon lord- he wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the young woman that had utterly destroyed the creature.
Not only that but knowing that Tempest had even a single fierce and strong creature like the young woman at their beck and call made them dangerous. Very, very dangerous.
So much so that any idea of destroying the country would be pure folly. It would be best to avoid any conflict with them if only to avoid the wrath of the young woman from being unleashed on he and his people.
Watching as she landed and sent someone scurrying for cover, Carrion was caught between snorting and outright laughing. That is until he saw what she had tucked under her arm. Or should he say, whom.
"Phobio." He breathed, sadness clawing at his heart as he quickly took stock of his subordinate's state. It didn't take a genius to know that the man was dying.
But because he could see the woman and someone else lowering the dying man to the ground, he held onto a small kernel of hope that blossomed in his chest as he saw the two of them begin to work on healing the man's injuries while there was some small trace of life still in him.
Carrion stepped out of his hiding place and began to slowly, so as to give them more time to do what they could for Phobio, make his way over to the pair.
He knew the exact moment that Phobio was alright from the way that the man suddenly jumped up and started to bow and profusely apologize for the trouble that he'd caused. The feeling of joy that filled him carried his feet faster so that he could get the man and retreat since he had no idea whether or not one of the pair would decide to pass judgement on him.
Naturally it was unexpected for him to hear the smaller person heard telling Phobio that everything was fine. There was no harm done.
Carrion was so startled to hear anyone say that, that it was a wonder that he didn't trip over his own feet and land in an ungraceful heap on the ground.
Still... He should still collect Phobio and get the hell out of dodge, just in case. The second that Phobio saw him, his expression morphed into one of happiness. And then immediately fell again in utter sorrow and despair.
Up close like this, Carrion could see the pair's features a bit more clearly.
The shorter of the two had effeminate features but wasn't dressed as a girl. He/She's chest was also flat as a board and smelled like a male. So, all he could do was assume that He/She was a male that introduced himself to him as Rimuru Tempest.
The other, was definitely a female.
He knew this with absolute certainty for a variety of reasons. Her features were otherworldly, delicate, and oh-so-very lovely. Her hair was long and copper hued, her eyes the glittering color of yellow gems. He was sure that she was a goddess of some kind as she introduced herself to him as Ichigo.
Yet even so, he took a moment to shake his head and introduced himself to the pair and told them why he was there.
The shorter of the pair, turned out to be the ruler of Tempest. And the otherworldly creature at his side...his assistant. Carrion's jaw dropped open from shock upon hearing this information.
His mind practically screaming that the ruler of Tempest was all kinds of a fool to make such a desirable young woman nothing more than his mere assistant!
He held his tongue about the subject though and grabbed Phobio and was about to leave when he was more or less conned into a non-hostility agreement by the one called Rimuru.
Agreeing to the other lord's idea, he could only be pleased with how things had gone as he tossed Phobio over his shoulder and waved at the pair before taking off.