Okay so this time, I can confirm that this arc WILL end with this chapter.

After this will be the familiar forest and then the Phenex arc.

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Ronmr - Yeah, pretty much.

Sidus flew through the air as Kuraima sliced through one of Laye's Dank Creepers, while Koneko, borrowing his baton, swatted some of Smar's minions out of the air.

"Koneko-san! Helenski-san! I'll leave the minions to you! Cover my back and get anything that slips past me!"

"Right."

"R-Right..!"

The Astral Champion ran forward, sword in hand, slashing at the two Brainiacs, who quickly warped away in a panic.

Mr. Thesaurus clenched his fist, trying to look menacing. "Grrr! Just because you've attained your Forbidden Move...it's still two against one, imbecile!"

Kuraima smirked. "Yet the odds are in my favor!"

The homeless-looking wielder of [Parasitus Cerebrum] opened his giant torso jaws, spewing out several minions, which the Astral Champion's [Appraisal] quickly identified.

There was a pretty long worm— nowhere near the length or size of Eatah's or Perfa's— with a singular eye that Kuraima's ability identified as a Devourer.

It charged at him, only to be chopped in half as Kuraima's heightened abilities allowed him to react quickly.

Another minion, an Eater of Souls, attempted to sneak around, but a glowing explosive rock from Helenski quickly ended that plan.

Smar attempted to capitalize on this distraction with a quick strike to his back, however…

...punching chainmail with your fists is a horrible idea. So much for being an "Intellectual", huh?

Kuraima hardly felt the impact, but it was enough to alert him. He swung Sidus around faster than the red brainiac expected, scoring a good blow against his midsection.

'Heh, this sword really pulls its weight, doesn't it? Wonder what its made of…'

He kicked Smar away, focusing his attention on his foe's purple partner in crime.

'Now, let's see...how do I do the mana thing?'

As if on command, Sidus' edge began to glow as did the magic veins on Kuraima's body, transferring his mana into the sword.

Mana: 80/100

He pointed his sword at Laye and swung, only for the man to dodge.

"Woah there buddy, you're gonna have to try harder than that to—"

*WHAM!*

A trio of star-shaped projectiles plummeted from above, smashing into the many-jawed homeless man.

"Talk shit, get hit!"

Laye teleported away, spewing more minions to distract Kuraima.

"Dude, what are we gonna do? The boss is gonna have our heads if we don't have his?"

"Well, you lazy neanderthal, we simple attack at precisely the exact same time!"

"...Okay, that's better than nothing, I suppose."

As the two teleported away to enact their so-called master plan, neither of them noticed a small blue pulsating ball of gel hop out of the bushes.

The two brainiacs reappeared above Kuraima, ready to dropkick him in tandem.

They fell from the air, missing as the Astral Page hopped out of the way. They teleported away, ready for a new tactic.

Three illusionary clones of Smar appeared, all three appearing as solid as the original.

"Decipher this!"

Kuraima looked around, watching the illusions come at him.

'Hm…let's see here…'

The fountain was still spraying water into the air. So when he noticed that only one of them was actually displacing the mist…

He slashed!

And he scores!

"Gah!"

As he did, Laye warped in, flying around in circles around Kuraima's head and spawning more minions.

Curiously, most of these minions held back, refraining from attacking Kuraima or his comrades.

Astral Page (Incomplete Balance Breaker) - 1 minute remaining.

"Go! One final all-out attack!"

Smar teleported away, reappearing with a horde of his own minions.

"We shall end this, at this very moment!"

Both brainiacs teleported away, reappearing around Kuraima. They both circled him, Laye spawning foul clouds of acidic gases, and Smar using his illusions once more.

Their intent was to overwhelm him with sheer numbers, as their minions also charged forward.

Helenski couldn't hope to kill them all, at least not without maiming the Astral Champion in the process as far as he was concerned.

[Rage] is fully charged.

[Adrenaline] is fully charged.

Yet, Kuraima felt calm. He didn't know how, but something just…came to his mind, as if by instinct.

Thanks to his powered-up state, the rate at which his boosts built up had also increased.

Sidus began to glow, brighter than before as he pumped it full of mana.

Mana: 20/100

He closed his eyes, a mixture of red and green auras flaring up as his [Rage] and [Adrenaline] activated.

Time slowed down for him.

He opened his eyes, gazing upon the monstrosities around him.

"Astrum Deus sends his condemnations."

And so, he swung wide. The momentum kept him going, coming full circle.

Yet he kept going, putting in his energy for a powerful jump, spiraling up and out of the horde.

Stars seemed to fill the sky.

And so, Kuraima gave them Heaven's Hell-Sent Gift.

Astral Stars rained down from above, threatening to turn night into day.

The monsters died in mass, with the two Brainiacs becoming knocked out in the process. Their bodies sewed themselves back together, giving them the appearance of normal humans once more.

Smar Tass, the wielder of [Sanguis Cerebrum] and Laye Z, the wielder of [Parasitus Cerebrum] have been defeated!

The Astral champion landed in front of the two short white-haired girls, with 15 seconds still left on the timer.

"So how'd I do?" He asked as Sidus faded into purple motes of light. "Hopefully, it was to your liking?"

"...It was okay." Koneko replied halfheartedly.

Helenski blushed heavily, twiddling her thumbs. "T-Those things you s-said about me…"

Kuraima chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Eeer, yeah, sorry about the whole 'abomination' bit…sorry. I...kinda got caught up in the heat of passion, y'know?"

He suddenly found himself pulled into a tight hug, as tears began to well up in her eyes. Utterly confused, he looked over at Koneko and mouthed the words 'Help me.'

She just shrugged, leaving him to deal with the clingy girl currently attached to him.

A few moments passed. His Balance Breaker ran out, but she kept on hugging for a good while before pulling away, wiping the tears off of her face.

"T...Thank you, Kuraima-san. T-This means a lot to me…"

"...O-Of course! What kind of boyfriend d-do you think I a-am?"

…

"K-Ku-san...can...can you do something for me?"

"Y-Yeah? What is it?"

She moved in for a kiss.

WHAM!

Only for a small, pink object to uppercut Kuraima's jaw. Panicked, Helenski accidentally let go, allowing the Astral Champion to go spiraling into the nearby bushes.

"So you're the one who has beaten up my pathetic underlings."

Floating above the remains of the fountain was a person in an oversized brown cloak. "I go away for one week, and THIS is what I come back to? Utterly disgraceful."

A multitude of slime-like creatures came hopping out of the bushes around them, gathering around the newcomer, including the absurdly small pink slime that just utterly decked Kuraima.

"If you want something done right…"

Two huge masses of slime appeared as the figure revealed their arms, both equipped with a glowing bracelet.

"...Then you have to do it yourself."

They threw off the cloak, revealing what one might assume is a man, wearing a generic mafia tuxedo outfit. However, "his" thin build and obviously feminine looks cleary gave their sex away as "female."

She pulled up her bowler hat, revealing a headpiece with a brooch on the center. It held two large jewels, both in the shapes of the Yin and Yang symbol, though lacking the dots.

"My name is Champ. And this is my Sacred Gear, [Limus Nucleus.]"

Then, Champ looked down at her arms.

"These are also my Sacred Gears, [Purpura Slime] and [Rubrum Slime]."

"Th...Three…?" Koneko asked, getting into a combat stand alongside Helenski.

"Indeed. I was born with the core that sits upon my head, but those who were conjoined with me in the womb...they were weak, and I reaped the spoils of war, as the strong always do."

The two massive globs, colored purple and red respectively, began to mold, taking the form of a pair of women in french maid uniforms.

"Now, we end this. Nobody leaves here alive…

...Except for me."

Champ, wielder of the Slime God's Sacred Gears, has awoken!

Helenski grimaced.

She didn't know how to describe the feeling that overcame her.

Whatever it was, one thing was certain;

This bitch had hurt the man she loved.

"Koneko-san. Take Ku-san and run."

"But...that'll mean…"

"J-Just do it! I'm the only one here strong e-enough to h-hold her off!"

"..."

"G...G-Go!"

The Kuoh cutie nodded solemnly and grabbed Kuraima, before hightailing it out of there.

Now that he was safe, Helenski looked up at Champ.

"I...I'm n-not gonna f-f...FORGIVE…y-you…!"

She shuddered, clenching her fists hard enough to make her fingernails draw blood.

"I...I'm gonna...gonna give y-you one last c-c-chance to b-back down…!"

"As if to taunt me, the world sends me a trembling child. Say, what can a child as you accomplish?"

"W...Well...if…if you don't back down…I...might…"

"I have no time for games, child! Spit it out."

"I MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY KILL YOU!"

Everything went relatively quiet for a moment.

Champ gave out a sarcastic chuckle, before throwing her head back in full on Tidus laughter.

You know the one.

She finally calmed down and sneered. "Don't make false claims so boldly, child." Then she shrugged, floating down to the shorty.

"Go on, hit me. I won't dodge or parry it."

"W...W-Well...if you say so…!"

Helenski reared back her fist.

For a split second, time slowed down for Champ. In that half a second when Helenski's face turned into one of rage and determination, the Apostle of the Slime felt a paralyzing chill go down her spine.

The shy girl's fist connected with her enemy's abdomen.

Several of Champ's ribs turned into a fine bone paste as her body threatened to snap in half, bending at angles that shouldn't be possible for the human body.

The resulting shockwave caused her to temporarily go deaf as her ears began to ring.

Then she was launched, smashing through several trees that surrounded the area.

All hell broke loose.

The slime army immediately mobilized, hopping towards her at high speeds.

The Nephilim swung her arms to unleash a wave of purifying flame that tore through their ranks in an instant, leaving only the Slime Maids.

The two moved gracefully through the battlefield, forming spears made from their gel bodies. They lanced forwards, aiming to gore Helenski through the chest.

What they didn't expect was for the somewhat short, somewhat plush girl to quick-step back several feet and launch a large ball of fire at them.

Unfortunately for her enemies, their slime was quite flammable. Their normally stoic facial expressions turned into those of agony and terror as their gooey bodies began to burn up.

They broke down, trying to snuff the flames out by warping and twisting their bodies, to little effect. Eventually, they resorted to shedding their mass, leaving behind a rapidly shrinking puddle of slime.

Now, there were four adorable knee-height slimes, who now took the appearance of small jousting knights riding on armored horses. One raised their lance and squealed, causing another wave of slimes to emerge and form into ranks like an actual army.

Another one of the knights, one of the purple ones, raised their own lance and formed several winged slimes.

The apparent leader squealed again, signaling the charge.

With great haste, the mini army closed the distance. However, when the time came to strike, resistance came in the form of a cocoon of stone encompassing Helenski's body.

They threw themselves at the cocoon, trying to brute-force the thing to no avail.

Suddenly, wisps of flames emerged from the barrier, draining the very life essence out of everything it touched. The slimes in its path instantly shriveled up and died, turning into puddles of sticky jelly.

The leading red knight called off the attack, but it was too late; blazing spears flew through the air and impaled anyone unlucky enough to be in the way.

As if that weren't enough, Helenski's shield finally exploded, sending massive amounts of Holy flame and exploding rocks into the surrounding area.

If Eatah didn't make this place look like a war zone, well, now it did.

Meanwhile, Champ finally re-entered the fray, clutching her stomach and stumbling towards the fight.

'I...impossible. I, who have worked all my life to become strong...was defeated by a chubby waitress?!'

She grit her teeth, shaking her head.

"No. I cannot allow this." She held her arms out, the jewels on her bracelets plus her headband glowing brightly.

"Balance Breaker: Statigel Shogun - Mage!"

Cyan-colored armor plates made of solidified gel with materialized on her body, her headband transforming into a jingasa (The conical samurai hat thing).

The four slime knights were pulled away towards her, fused back into singular globs of their respective color of slime. They reformed, taking on the appearance of kunoichi, wearing suits of armor almost identical in appearance to their master's.

They moved with blinding speed, circling around Helenski who now began to look panicked at the new development. They threw their arms out, spawning dozens of large dark purple orbs. When the three regrouped in front of the fountain, there was a massive field of floating mines.

"Abyssal Barrage!" Champ yelled as she snapped her fingers. The orbs glowed, moving towards Helenski at a steady pace, their starting positions making it impossible to escape.

"Sayonara."

The mines then all exploded, kicking up an insane amount of smoke.

For a split second, Champ could've sworn that she saw some kind of large, fluffy white dove with its wings outstretched in front of her opponent before the combination of explosions and intense smoke completely obscured them from view.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left other than a crater that was at least 5 ft deep.

Champ let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She felt...relieved.

And…hella sweaty. Come to think of it, it was rather hot out despite it being the evening...

...

...

...

"So this is the power of the Slime God? Pathetic."

Her mind blanked as an ethereal voice came from behind, her back arching in raw, primal fear.

Slowing turning around, Champ gazed upon Helenski.

But what stood there wasn't Helenski.

The short girl had grown into a staggering 7ft tall amazonian-type being. What was once plush weight had skimmed and toned muscles.

Her once black wings were now made out of pure flame, giving off intense heat and spreading a shower of embers with each move.

But most frightening of all was the cold gaze that fell upon her. A pair of black voids lit only by a pair of glowing orange irises.

Champ yelped and fell on her ass, her armor audibly clambering as she scrambled to back away. "Wh—Wha…?! What are you…?!"

"My name is Providence. You best remember that, sinner. My very existence is what you would normally call a Balance Breaker. However, I am no such thing. I am not merely a spirit bound to a magical cell."

The tall woman approached her menacingly. "In fact, I am not even a true part of this unruly Sacred Gear system. I formed a contract with this host, who I made sure survived long enough to be birthed into this sinful world."

She stopped moving, staring at the Slime God's wielder.

"Your desires...I can sense them. Feel them. You seek power, to be at the top of the food chain of society."

Providence never seemed to blink, her eyes locked onto Champ's own with robotic precision, staring deep into her soul.

"I will never understand you humans and all your filthy desires."

The Slime God's wielder quickly dove into a dogeza pose. "P-Please! I-I'm sorry! C-Clearly you're the s-superior being…!"

"It's far too late to beg for forgiveness."

"W-Wait! Please! I...I can be of use to y-you! I promise!"

"You couldn't even leave a scratch on my host. What makes you think you're in any position to negotiate?"

"A-Ah...I...I have many...associates, yeah! I...strength in numbers, right?!"

Champ couldn't even bring herself to fight. Even in her Balance Breaker, her body refused to acknowledge the fight in Fight or Flight.

A large spear began to form in Providence's hands. "Yet their collective efforts couldn't even finish off this host's lover."

"Ah...w-well...uhm...then...maybe we demi-gods should stick together, r-right?!"

The ground cratered as her hand was crushed beneath Provi's powerful stomp, being flattened as all the material giving it shape was instantly crushed into dust, as well as dispelling the entire suit of armor.

"How does it feel to finally meet a true apex predator? I know that feeling all too well."

Champ screamed in pure agony, only to be cut off as Providence grabbed her by the throat and held her up in the air.

"Enough with the prattle. Your attempts to bargain will only make things worse."

The goddess increased her pressure, threatening to crush the mob boss's windpipe.

"N-No! Stop! Please! Leave big sis alone!"

Providence looked down to see a young boy, about the age of 5 or 6, trying to kick her in the leg to no avail. Sitting upon his head was a large jeweled crown oozing with slime.

"Small child, what are you doing here?"

"Y-You're sniff b-bullying nee-chan...!"

"Bullying? What I am doing is purging."

A pair of skeletal hands and arms appeared as another person flung themselves into the fray. "Leave the boss alone! She's just trying to make life here better for us!"

"Better…? Have you got Sherlock Syndrome? She acts as nothing more than a tyrant."

"That's where you're wrong!" An eye-patched woman in black charged into the fray, wielding a sword and a shield that resembled an eyeball with teeth instead of pupils. "She pulled us all off the streets! She changed our lives for the better!"

"I-Indeed…" Smar suddenly spoke up, grasping his wounded chest, shambling forwards like a zombie. "She improved our livelihoods for the better. Boss bestowed us a reason to live on!"

Perfa was next. "We were all o-outcasts…exiled because of our powers. She found us, took us in…"

"Y-Yeah, she worked us to the bone, called us weak…" Laye sat up, putting his beloved housecoat back on. "But I think she's just...y'know, looking out for us."

"Beth….bethids." Eatah paused, before forcing her jaw back in place with a sickening snap. "What would your host think of you? What about your host's lover?"

That…that caught Providence off guard. She unconsciously loosened her grip on Champ's throat.

Then, the goddess sighed, dropping the Slime God's wielder.

"Fine. You win this time. The cafe manager would skin me alive if he found out that I had slain all of you."

She turned her back to them, walking out of the park as the gangsters rushed to their leader's aid.

"Y...You lot…" Tears had formed in her eyes. Not from the pain, but from hearing the heartfelt praises of her...underlings.

Providence paused, looking over her shoulder.

"I'll take you up on your offer, wielder of the Slime God's power. From now on, you work under me, my host, and her lover."

Champ looked at her for a few moments, then nodded. "I...I understand."

"Good. Pray that you do not cross me again, next time there won't be a chance for you to beg."

[The next morning…]

Kuraima opened his eyes, finding himself in his own bed.

He struggled to remember what happened last night, the memories of that fight having grown hazy.

Before he could get up, he realized that a pair of arms were wrapped around him, and that his "pillow" was rather...heartbeat-y, to say the least.

He looked up to see the serene sleeping face of Helenski.

…

…

…

Nice.

He smiled and decided to sleep a little longer.

From the open window a goddess, in the form of a fluffy white bird, watched over them.

'So this boy wields the power of Astrum Deus. How curious.'

—

[The following Monday…]

Just as Kuraima opened the door to head off to school, he was halted in his tracks by the sight of Champ, who was once again in a dogeza pose.

"P-Please forgive me and my underlings! W-We have w-wronged you and your lover, a-and as such, I...no, we will do anything you s-say…"

"...what?"

"...Anything…"

"...Okay, yeah, you're forgiven, now please get off of my porch."

"Y-Yes m—"

"Do NOT start with the "master" bullshit! Do I look like a harem protagonist to you?!"

"...W-Well, if you'd like—"

"Get the fuck out, I'm already taken by a wonderful girl and I'm a good boy who believes in monogamous relationships."

And that's how Kuraima got promoted to a Level 100 Mob Boss, thanks to his girlfriend.

Authors notes

This chapter's a bit of a mess because I was ready to get this arc over with.

But with that, I gotta say...

Holy shit, Grammarly did NOT like this chapter.