Rimuru POV:
It's been hours since I left the ogre village, flying above the trees as fast as my draconic wings could carry me. I had already gone through three goblin villages that had been thoroughly destroyed without a single survivor left alive. It had been nothing but a scene of gore and blood, and the stench of rotting flesh everywhere, and given my now sensitive nose it was not a fun time for me.
Seeing gory things was not a first for me given my previous life. One doesn't work in special forces without seeing their fair share of corpses and even becoming a bit numb and desensitized to it all. Covert ops, assassinations, heck even dealing with drug cartels and the likes. I'd seen all kinds of morbid scenes in my life, and while they still disturbed me to some extent, I had gotten used to it over time. It was different from back when I saw my first corpse or had my first kill.
It took me a while before I reached the location of the next goblin village, and as expected it had been reduced to the ground as well. The condition of the goblin bodies was something very few people would be able to stomach, I barely could despite seeing this in the previous villages.
The only difference in this village was that they were signs of the attack being recent, unlike the previous villages. A fireplace still had some smoke coming out of it, the area wasn't yet filled with the overwhelming stench of rotten flesh, and lastly there were still some fresh paw prints on the ground.
'The attack more than likely happened yesterday or last night.' I thought as I looked at the mutilated corpses of the goblins all around me. From torn limbs, chunks of flesh ripped open, large gash marks, I could tell these goblins had never really stood a chance. And given that I hadn't seen any dire wolf corpses in each village I visited in any of the villages I had passed through I can assume it was just a one sided slaughter, 'This isn't even a territorial war anymore, no it never was. From the very beginning it was mass genocide.'
The wolves were quite literally preying on the weak and looking to eradicate them. This was the fourth village I'd seen now, and based on the time span of the rumor mill in the ogre village the attacks had been going on for two weeks now.
The wolves weren't attacking everyday, if they were they would be a lot more destroyed goblin villages. More than likely these brief pauses are when the current alpha Black Wolf had been taking over other wolf packs and taking their males to further grow his fighting force.
If I was lucky, the wolves wouldn't be attacking the next settlement tonight, if not, then I just had to hope I made it there in time.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I sensed one, no three, magical presences forming a few meters behind me. I swiftly turned around and drew my blade, holding it in both arms as I pointed it in the direction my [Magic Sense] guided me to.
It wasn't long before the air around me changed and three glowing leaves appeared in front of me, carried by a gentle circular breeze. Said leaves then began to glow brighter and brighter until I was forced to close my eyes, but I kept watch through [Magic Sense] so I would not be caught off guard in the event that this was an attack of some kind.
When the light eventually died out I was surprised to see three girls of unnatural and angelic beauty appeared in front of me. They appeared to be around sixteen years of age, eighteen at the most. All three of them had green hair and eyes, and seemed to be dressed similarly, they were most likely sisters then or had a close relationship. They all had a green aura surrounding them that felt relaxing, their scent reminding me of the morning breeze of the forest, and strangely enough they each had two vines surrounding them rising from the ground.
I also had to admit that they were really beautiful. While I couldn't really see their figure, I could tell they were each well shaped, had a sizable bust ,especially the one in front, and they carried themselves in an almost regal and serene manner that just added to the mystery around them.
I mentally slapped myself, sharpening my eyes as I tightened my grip on the blade I had pointing at them.
"Who are you?" I asked sternly, as beautiful as these girls were I could tell they were each strong, judging by their aura alone they were each way stronger than any of the ogres in the village.
I had assumed the ogres were the strongest species in the forest based on their words, but maybe they weren't, or maybe these girls weren't from the forest. Either way I couldn't let my guard down even if I was stronger.
"Please do not be alarmed Rimuru Tempest, we mean you no harm." The girl closest to me responded. The fact that she knew my name did not earn her any favors in my opinion, having a potential enemy know about you whilst you were in the dark was a disadvantage. Basic knowledge for any kind of soldier, knowledge was power, without it there were too many unknown variables that could lead to one's demise.
"That wasn't an answer." I responded firmly. At the very least I could tell they were being honest and had no actual intention of starting anything with me, but that didn't mean that I had to lower my guard.
My [Unique Skill: Desire] had the ability to manipulate and sense the emotions of others. While I hadn't had many opportunities to test out the first ability, I had gotten very good at using the second. Through [Desire] I could sense how someone was feeling and their intentions, and if I knew the person well enough or got enough time to get a proper read, I'd even be able to tell what they wanted based on their emotions alone.
None of the girls in front of me were being particularly hostile or had any malicious intent. If anything they seemed happy and almost excited despite the calm expressions they had on their faces.
"Ah, please forgive my rudeness Lord Rimuru." The elder caught me off guard as to why she would address me in such a manner. I was further shocked when she and the other two dropped on one knee and bowed their heads. "My name is Treyni, and these are my sisters Trya and Dorris."
"We are honored to finally meet you Lord Rimuru." The sisters, Trya and Dorris said simultaneously. The key word that I latched onto there was 'finally'. These girls knew me somehow, and by the looks of things I can only assume they have been watching me or something along those lines.
"My sisters and I are Dryads, caretakers and managers of the forest, assigned by Lady Veredia…your mother." Treyni said as she raised her head and met my eyes with her own, a teasing smile that unnerved me if only a little.
There were a lot of things to unravel in Treyni's last statement. The first being that they were dryads in this world.
As in the tree babes that every teen most likely saw in an ecchi fantasy manga or something along those lines. While the ones in front of me weren't dressed quite as revealingly as one would have hoped, they were still very pretty nonetheless.
Shaking my head sideways I quickly focused on the more important parts of what they had just. The part about them being the managers of the forest really got to me, and the manner in which they spoke about my mother. Perhaps they had been direct subordinates of hers or something.
Through [Desire] I could tell that Treyni had been nothing but honest with every word she said, meaning she really had been appointed manager by my mother, it would also explain how she may know about me, though I needed to be sure.
"How did you know about me? I've kept my heritage a secret since coming into the forest?" I asked as I sheathed my blade. I had no reason to keep being suspicious of these girls anymore, I could tell they held no ill will, besides I could always react with a skill or art if need be.
"We Dryads have knowledge of essentially all that happens within the forest, being connected to the plant life." I suppose that made sense, they were tree spirits after all, "But the main reason we know of your existence is because Lady Veredia would entrust your egg in our care whenever she left the forest. Aside from Lady Veredia, we too have been eagerly awaiting the day you would awaken my lord."
I was a bit surprised by that one, of all the things I expected Treyni to reveal, that was certainly not one of them. And once more I could tell there was no deceit behind their words. [Desire] really was useful for picking out stuff like that.
Still though, if my mother trusted these dryads to not only make them the managers of her domain, but to also watch over my current body prior to my birth, then that meant they could be trusted. And judging by how they were behaving, they were also more than willing to pledge themselves to me as Veredia's heir and the current guardian of the forest.
"If you knew that I had come into this world, then why are you only showing yourselves now?" I asked. She had basically admitted to having eyes all over the forest due to plants. There was no way they hadn't known I was staying within the ogre village, or the week I spent traversing the forest before meeting the ogres. For people who claimed to have been eager for my arrival, they were rather late in welcoming me.
"Please forgive our late introductions. Ever since the 'disappearance' of our lady, there has been a major shift in the forest. We have had to keep a closer eye on things than we'd normally have to. It kept us from properly introducing ourselves until now." Treyni responded with a somewhat guilty expression, one that was shared by her sisters.
Well damn, I didn't mean to guilt trip them or anything like that. And I couldn't really fault them for it either, I'd indirectly given them more work by devouring my mother, so I had no right to ask why I was only meeting them now.
"Don't worry about it. I should be the one apologizing for not lending a hand sooner. Mother warned me about the changes that would take place with the absence of her aura." I responded with a reassuring smile, one that quickly helped them ease up and start smiling and giggling again. Still though there were urgent matters to be tended to right now, "So can I assume that you're also here because of the goblin situation?" I asked as I doubted they would only come here for introductions and greetings if they had been putting on hold for so long.
"Yes, to be more precise we've come to lend our aid to you however we can. As you've already concluded, the extermination of the goblins cannot be allowed to continue, lest the balance of the forest be lost." Treyni explained, it seemed she was the spokesperson of the dryads as the others had yet to speak since getting here.
Still though, I wasn't going to reject any help, especially from spirits that had the ability to see the events occurring all over the forest. Bringing a hand to my chin I closed my eyes in thought. Whilst stopping the dire wolves was the priority, I'd rather not have to wipe them out either. As Treyni said, balance in the forest had to be maintained, besides I had to think about the female wolves and pups that were somewhere out there in the forest.
"I see, I really appreciate it. My two major concerns at the moment are which goblin village will be attacked next and the young and female wolves from different packs that according to the ogres have banded together." I said as I looked over the ruins of the goblin village and the corpses scattered all over, "If possible I'd like to deal with this situation without killing many of the wolves, most were likely forced to follow the black wolf into his grand ambitions of taking over the forest. Not to mention the whole issue with the abandoned females and young doesn't sit well with me."
"If I may," Oh it seemed one of the sisters had decided to speak up, Trya if I remember the name well, ", I've been keeping track of the other wolves left behind. They seem to be doing well together under the leadership of a decently strong female dire wolf." She explained, good to know they weren't suffering or at a loss of what to do, but still the situation could not remain as it was.
"I see. My plan was to intercept the wolves at the next goblin village they plan to raid. Trya, would you and Dorris be able to convince abandoned wolves to come there as well, preferably after I've dealt with the issue at hand?" I asked, it would certainly save me the trouble of flying all over the forest trying to find a few dozen wolves.
"With relative ease my lord, us dryads are relatively well known and respected by all intelligent species within the forest, since most times we act on behalf of Lady Veredia." Trya said with a smile.
《Notice: Dryads are well known as the keepers of the forest, and will not hesitate to give out 'Divine Punishment to those who mean the forest harm. Many creatures in the forest benefit from their protection and acknowledge their strength. However, due to their long lifespans, they are rarely seen by other species, only being spotted once every few centuries.》
[Great Sage] to the rescue with an in depth answer! Most of the info was stuff that I'd already pieced together from what they had told me. Still that part about 'Divine Justice' did pique my curiosity, given their elegance and gentle features I honestly could not see them killing monsters or humans. Still though, the strength I felt from them was no joke, especially Treyni who seemed to be a cut above the other two.
"Then I suppose it's a good thing I was about to suggest Treyni come with me when I confront the wolves. Hopefully your reputation in the forest will help put an end to this before any more blood can be shed unnecessarily." I said before facing Treyni who nodded her head in agreement to my request.
Having the dryads here seemed to make things a lot easier for me. Even better was the fact that Treyni apparently knew the next goblin village that was going to be attack next, having been keeping track of their activities. It certainly saved me the hassle of having to fly up all over the place for the rest of the day.
With our plan finally set Trya and Dorris left by doing some sort of plant teleportation. Seeing as the wolves had only been attacking the goblin settlements at night, and the sun was just reaching its peak meaning it was noon, I decided that Treyni and I would go to the next village by foot.
It would give me the chance to actually get to know her, and through her a bit about her sisters too. I also had some questions regarding my mother too. Then there was the fact that these dryads were the managers of the forest.
If I was going to be the guardian in place of my mother then chances were I was going to be interacting with Treyni and her sisters a lot more in the foreseeable future.
~~~
It had been about two hours since we departed from the ruined goblin village, Treyni and I had just been making light conversation, getting to know each other better. I had to remind her on several occasions that she didn't need to be so formal and respectful, but I guess it would take a while for the message to stick.
I partially understood why they were that way though. Treyni had told me about her past, how she and her sisters had left their previous home after the queen of spirits died and were left with nowhere to go. Apparently Veredia had taken them into the forest, and given them a place to call home. In exchange they swore their loyalty to her, and were appointed the managers of the forest.
However they were further surprised and touched by the trust my mother had shown them when she entrusted the dryads with the egg that held her child, her heir, in other words me.
Naturally they made sure to repay that trust with nothing but their best efforts, and along the way they also became invested in the well-being of the young lord or lady within.
In a way you could say they had been waiting for my birth just as much as my mother. Though maybe not to the same level.
I did ask Treyni if she knew I was a reincarnation, though I was more subtle about it in case she didn't know. She understood the message and confirmed that they did know I was an otherworlder.
However they also knew that the only reason Veredia's egg had not hatched after over two millennia was because the hatchling within had no soul, and that the only way it would gain one at that point was through reincarnation. However, what neither the dryads nor my mother had expected was that I would retain all the memories of my previous life. Though according to Treyni that was a good thing, as it showed I had a powerful soul if it could transfer between worlds unscathed. This meant my potential for growth was that much higher.
But in the end all of that was irrelevant, as far as they were concerned I was Veredia's child, the details of my former life weren't a concern for them. Veredia had accepted me as her child, and me her as my mother.
That being said I did ask her to keep the fact I was an otherworlder a secret for the time being. I doubted many monsters would take kindly to the fact that an ex-human was about to become the guardian of their forest. With that said, I also asked her to keep a tight lid on the fact that I had consumed my mother as I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention towards me or the forest in general.
"It seems we have guests Lord Rimuru." Treyni said as she looked on ahead of us, prompting me to do the same.
I was rather surprised when multiple small humanoid figures appeared not too far ahead in front of us. More specifically these were goblins, I could tell just by their green skin and rather short bodies. Not to mention their appearance matched that of the many corpses I had seen before. Still though these guys looked less than ideal.
From their torn clothings, their battered bodies and even their poor weaponry. If all goblins were like this it was a miracle their race had survived this long. Then again it was probably due to a high fertility rate or something like that.
"Strong ones…do you have business here?" One of the goblins asked, he seemed to be the leader of this group, he had a red bandana around his head. However just like all the other goblins he was shaking in fear, though held on tight to his weapon.
Judging by how they had addressed Treyni and I they were well aware that they would not win any confrontation, and thus were trying diplomacy. However, using [desire] I could also tell that they were greatly troubled by something and wanted to ask something, but were simply too scared to do so. Perhaps it had something to do with the wolves?
"Yes, we're investigating changes that have occurred in the forest since the disappearance of the storm dragon. Is there any particular reason you are blocking our path? Are you perhaps planning to rob us?" I asked, trying to sound stern, it was probably a bit overkill given that these guys were already shaking in their boots, but seeing them look like they were about to piss themselves was also kinda funny.
"You are mistaken, Strong One! We would never dare to steal from one as strong as you, not to mention a dryad of the forest!!" The goblin with the red bandana said as he immediately went down on the ground and groveled, an action that was copied by the rest of the goblins as they threw down their arms and groveled. "However, if you are still offended, I ask that you spare my comrades and take my life as payment!"
'Wooow, I have to respect that kind of loyalty. Though it's also kind of stupid to sacrifice yourself without knowing if I would even keep my word.' I doubt I would get anything from eating the goblins, so there wasn't really a reason to do so.
Besides I wasn't that stone hearted as to kill him for no reason.
"That won't be necessary. Get up, all of you." I said as I casually waved off their behavior, I could have sworn I heard Treyni giggle from behind me, but when I turned to look at her she had regained her serene composure. I let it go and turned back to the goblins who once again stood straight, "So what do you want from us then?"
"Well, our village is just up ahead you see. And we felt two strong auras approaching it and came to investigate immediately." The goblin with the red bandana explained. I had no idea what they would have actually done if we were dangerous foes but I decided not to voice my opinions. "That being said, seeing a majin of your prowess, with a dryad no less, there is a request that we wish to ask of you. So would you please do us the honor of coming to our village?!"
I turned to Treyni to see what she thought about this. I mean it was obvious they wanted to ask for our help with the impending attack. The dryad merely looked back at me with a somewhat amused smile. I sighed knowing that I wouldn't be getting anything from her.
Was this some sort of test? These dryads had literally just shown up and offered their assistance in my mission, but now that I really thought about it they hadn't really offered their own inputs or thoughts on my plan, they just went along with whatever I asked.
Whether that was the extent of their loyalty or if they really were testing me in some way I didn't know. Guess I'd find out later.
"Your village huh." I said as I turned back to the frightful goblins. "Very well then, I'm willing to hear you out. Take us to your village."
"You have our deepest gratitude Strong One!" All the goblins exclaimed in unison as they bowed their heads.
And so the goblins lead us to their village…
~~~
Treyni and I were taken to the goblin village, if it could even be called that. The place was extremely basic and very substandard. The houses looked frail and didn't have any proper support, one blow from the big bad wolf they would come falling faster than the straw house of the little pig.
The goblin chief was a frail old man who looked like he was going to keel over any minute now. I was surprised that they had allowed such an old goblin to continue running the village. They tried to be hospitable, but they didn't really have anything to offer, so I merely asked them to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the reason they had asked us to come.
And so the goblin chief and the goblin with the red bandana, who was apparently his son, explained their situation to us. As expected the dire wolves had already begun to attack this village. They had already suffered considerable losses since the attacks began.
There had once been a named warrior, he was the goblin chiefs eldest son, he gave his life to deliver some information on the wolves. A real trooper in my eyes. But given the lack of strength, that named goblin may have died in vain had I not come here today.
"...I see. Your situation is indeed quite dire." I muttered. I might as well save this village whilst dealing with the wolves. It had always been the plan to intercept them before they struck the next goblin village. Given the state of things I had partially failed, but as long as they were survivors then it wasn't a complete failure.
"We have heard your request to intervene in the dire wolf raids," Treyni suddenly spoke up, bring the attention of all present to her, myself included. She hadn't spoken a word since we encountered the goblins, so part of me had just started to ignore her. "but what are you willing to offer us in return?"
'What?' I was actually surprised to hear Treyni ask that. Wasn't she supposed to be the protector of the forest or something along those lines?
"The individual whom you've requested aid from is no ordinary majin. His name is Rimuru Tempest." She started once more, my eyes widened in alarm as I realized what she was about to reveal. However it seemed I was too late, "He is the son of the Storm Dragon, our Lady, Veredia. And the next lord of these lands. Surely you have something you can offer him after making such a request."
I was shocked, the goblins were terrified as their heads went down against the ground and they immediately began to beg for my forgiveness.
I was more surprised that Treyni had put the goblins on the spot like that. I mean seriously, for a second there she nearly reminded me of the ogre chieftess!!
Those two should never be allowed to meet I decided.
"Please forgive us, Lord Rimuru!! We had no idea!" The goblin chief said as both him and his son were shaking like leaves, I kinda actually felt sorry for them.
But at the same time I had to remind myself that this was how this world worked, 'survival of the fittest' as my mother had told me. Given that, there was no reason for me to expect the people of this world to function with the same morals as my world.
In this particular situation I was the stronger being whilst the goblins were weaker. My responsibilities as guardian were to the forest, my mothers domain, rather than the creatures that actually dwelled, or at least that's what I got from Veredia and Treyni. Whilst they had both worked to protect the domain, they had never really involved themselves with the disputes that took place within the forest. Not unless it threatened the forest as a whole.
Was that an example I was going to follow? I wasn't quite sure yet…
The way I saw it, without mother here to establish her dominance the forest was likely to collapse from within or get taken over from the outside. Such was the effect when a major power vanished.
"As for what we can offer…I'm afraid we goblins don't have anything that would be of value to give to you." The goblin chief said in resignation. Even I could tell they didn't have anything of value, which made me wonder why Treyni had brought it up in the first place, "All we have to offer is our unflattering loyalty! So please Lord Rimuru, grant us your divine protection!!"
The son and chief were once more groveling. This was starting to get old and uncomfortable real fast.
Looking to the entrance of the hut we were in I saw a few goblins peeking in from the other side, I could even sense a few more on the other side of the walls, most likely trying to listen in. One thing I could tell from their desires was that they were all desperate, and they were all scared.
They were just as scared of me as they were of the dire wolves, maybe even more so. But they were also desperate enough to risk asking for my aid and possibly failing than to just let the dire wolves kill them off.
As for them suddenly swearing their loyalty to me I had no idea what to make of it. Feeling out Treyni's emotions, I realized she was just curious to see if I was satisfied with the offering, and how I would proceed. Meaning she had been expecting this, I didn't know if I should be annoyed at her pushing this without at least telling me or if I should be nervous of her manipulating nature.
Still, these goblins had far more to benefit by me taking them in than I did. They were the weakest species in the forest by default, and with their current numbers it wasn't like they were an army or anything.
Regardless I couldn't leave them to die, I was already dealing with the wolves one way or another, might as well save a goblin village whilst I was at it. I would figure out what to do with their sworn loyalty after that.
"Very well then, I accept your loyalty. From this day on you're now my subordinates, under my divine protection." I said as I allowed a smile to come onto my face, if only so they wouldn't be so fearful of me. I then summoned a barrel filled with the processed healing potion and placed it in front of the two goblins. "To mark this occasion take this barrel of healing potions. Take it and use it to tend and treat your wounded."
The two goblins looked at me wide eyed as tears began to fill the corner eyes. The chief's son was quick to call in other goblins into the tent to help carry the barrel out, while the chief groveled once more.
"Thank you so much for your generosity, Lord Rimuru!! We are eternally grateful to you and from this day forward we are your loyal servants!" The chief said once more, barely able to contain the tears that threatened to pour out of his eyes.
"Good, see to the injured for now. Then gather the rest of the village outside as soon as possible. It's time we deal with the wolves before they can do any more harm." I said seriously.
"Right away my lord." The chief said as he swiftly stood up and followed his son and the other goblins.
I already had a plan in mind to deal with the direwolves, but it hinged on them being the prideful creatures I was assuming they were. Especially the pack leader, if it worked then he would be the only casualty by the end of the night. If not, then a few more direwolves would die before the rest either fled or submitted, and in the worst case scenario I'd have to kill them all.
Either way, it was all coming to an end tonight.
~~~
Black Wolf POV:
I stood upon a large stone slab gazing at the full moon that stood at its peak in the night sky.
"Tonight is the night." I declared to my pack through [Thought Communication]. My pack numbered a little over two hundred. All males and our numbers made us strong. I'd proven myself as the strongest direwolf in the forest, fighting and defeating all the other wolf pack leaders in the forest.
My efforts had been rewarded by my evolution into a black wolf. My superior strength recognised by the Voice of the World itself. Now it was time for me to extend my reach to the entire forest, starting off by eliminating the weaker races.
"Without the Storm Dragon to grant its divine protection, it's the perfect opportunity for us dire wolves to rule this forest!" The members of my pack responded with excited howls. "We will tear through our foes with our mighty fangs and claws, for we are the apex predators of this forest!!"
The pack responded with louder howls that filled the night sky. Good, they were excited. That meant they would fight to the best of their ability.
I leapt off the pillar and began a full sprint into the forest, the pack following close behind. We ran faster than the wind itself. Within minutes we had arrived at the goblin village, only to find two figures standing in our way. The first one shocked even me, it was unmistakably a dryad. The protectors of this forest and the ones who gave out divine punishment.
As soon as my eyes fell on the second figure I knew they were undeniably strong. Even more so that the dryad beside him. The aura they were radiating made my own instincts yell at me to retreat. It almost felt as though he were the predator and I was the prey. But regardless I wouldn't retreat, we direwolves were prideful creatures who never turned tail.
And so I stepped forward and addressed them, "Who are you? Why would the dryads of the forest and a majin stand in our way and protect the goblins." I asked.
"My name is Rimuru Tempest, I am the son of the Storm Dragon Veredia, and the goblins you wish to attack are under my protection." The majin, Rimuru Tempest, declared firmly. "Direwolves, you have two options, either you submit to me or die at my hand." the majin added before unleashing even more of his aura, causing my pack and I to tremble as we tried to keep upright despite the pressure being released.
'This majin, is he truly the son of the Storm Dragon?'
"Father, perhaps we should reconsider." My son spoke up from beside me.
He was a direwolf unlike any that had come before him, unique in appearance. He had silver fur surrounding his neck and appearing at the end of his limbs and tail. He also had a star shaped mark on his forehead formed by a darker shade of fur.
"Shut up!!" I barked at him, quickly forcing him to take some steps back. "We are wolves, apex predators of the forest! We do not yield to anyone!" Despite my words even I knew that I stood no chance against neither the dryad nor the majin.
Regardless, retreat was not an option not when there was such an opportunity to expand our reach within this forest. I was sure we could overwhelm these two with our superior numbers at the very least.
"Attack!!" Numerous wolves charged forward at my command, ready to utilize their greater numbers for coordinated attack.
I watched as the majin cast a single glance towards the dryad who responded with a nod. In the next second, numerous vines and tree roots sprouted from the ground and effectively trapped the charging wolves.
Strangely enough none were killed, but they were still unable to set themselves free, their limbs held securely and their jaws snapped shut.
"Have you made your choice then?" The majin Rimuru suddenly said, drawing all eyes on him, his expression cold and his voice sending shivers down all who heard, friend and foe alike. "Very well then. Leader of the dire wolves, for the massacres against the goblins, abandonment of the females and young of your own kind and threatening to disrupt the balance of the forest, I Rimuru Tempest shall give you the death penalty. Do you have any last words?"
"As if I would allow myself to be defeated that easily!!" I shouted in blind rage as I charged towards my opponent. Deep within I knew this was suicide, that I stood no chance against this being far superior to me, but if I was going to die, I would die with my pride intact.
I leapt into the air, claws out and fangs bared, ready to tear into the flesh of my foe as I descended upon him. Only for my body to come to a halt as several sturdy strings suddenly wrapped around my limbs and neck, effectively holding me in place in mid air. Struggling proved useless, if anything it only made it painful as the string began to dig into my skin, drawing blood.
"I never had any intention of harming your pack just so you know. I only wanted you to stop your crusade. But I can see now that you have no intention of doing so." The majin spoke as he calmly walked towards me, his aura covering his right hand in the shape of a large three pointed claw, "Take comfort in the fact that should your pack submit to me, they will be cared for, along with all the other wolves you abandoned. [Dragon Claw].
The world went dark before I could even blink or respond, though his words did bring at least some peace to my soul. Knowing that my son and the rest would be cared for.
~~~
Rimuru POV:
My attack cut right through the black wolf's neck like a knife through butter, his head falling to the ground with a loud 'splat' sound. Stepping back I released the strings that bound the now headless body allowing it to drop next to the decapitated head.
It was unfortunate that it had come to this, but it had been expected. And even if he had given up and submitted to me I wouldn't have been able to trust him in the long term. I could sense his level of ambition through [Desire] and that meant he would more than likely betray me for his own goals. Hopefully, with the death of their leader and my show of strength, the other wolves would fall in line. Still though, it wouldn't hurt to further prove my superiority just so they didn't try and usurp my authority.
"Devour my prey, [Apex Predator]!!" I called out as I consumed the downed alpha wolf with my unique skill. His strength added to my own through [Assimilation], increasing my power by a small fraction whilst [Great Sage] analyzed its skills.
《Notice: Black Wolf skills have been successfully acquired. User has acquired [Thought Communication] and [Menace]. Due to already possessing the skill [Keen Sense] has been converted to magicules through [Assimilation] and used to further increase your strength.》
'So skills I already have are just added onto the strength absorbed from my prey. That's good to know.' It meant that nothing would go to waste when I devoured something. Talk about efficiency!
Turning to the other two hundred or so wolves I spoke whilst unleashing [Menace, "So what will the rest of you do now? Will you submit to me or go your own ways?" I wanted to make it clear that they were free to leave as long as they didn't cause trouble, but if they chose to fight then their lives were forfeit.
The unique dire wolf with a star pattern on his head stepped forward with his head lowered submissively , I remember hearing him address the black wolf as father, guess that made him the new pack leader. The rest of the wolves followed suit without complaint, bowing their heads in submission, even the ones Treyni released from her vines.
"We yield to you 'Strong One', our pack will follow you!!" The unique wolf declared as all the rest howled in agreement.
It was quite a strange sight, to see over two hundred wolves bowing down to a single individual. But I was glad that it was over. From behind me I could hear the goblins celebrating and praising Treyni and I. Treyni herself looked very satisfied with the turn of events.
Great, there were no complaints. Now all that was left to figure out what I was going to do with the sudden increase in subordinates?! That's not even counting the other two hundred plus wolves/pups that Dorris and Trya would probably be bringing in by the morning.
That was something I would figure out in the morning, for now I really wanted some shut eye after such a stressful day.