Great Forest of Jura - Day 24:
A little into the borders that connected the Great Forest of Jura to the Animal Kingdom of Eurazania. The sounds of bones crunching and flesh being torn apart could be heard in the surrounding area, the ground and grass below painted red with the blood of dozens of creatures.
Standing on the branch of a tall tree and watching what could only be described as a bloody feast was none other than Gelmude. Gelmude was observing the approaching Orc Army with pride as they devoured and grew in strength.
'Ha! This Orc Lord and his army are turning out even better than I had hoped! It's only a matter of time until he evolves into the Orc Disaster and assumes control over the forest, not even that insolent Majin will be able to stop him!' Gelmude arrogantly thought, before his thoughts shifted to the fight with the Kijin. 'Though, the fact that he managed to name so many Ogres and evolve them into Kijin is concerning.'
Gelmude had informed his master, Lord Clayman, of this development. While he was still fairly confident that the Orc Lord could defeat the damn Majin who kept interfering with him once it evolved, Clayman had expressed a desire to take a few precautionary measures, if only to ensure there wouldn't be any surprises left in the forest or possibly even being sent by the other Demon Lords.
"Wow, they sure are a gluttonous lot, aren't they, Lord Gelmude?!"
Gelmude was brought out of his thoughts by his fellow Majin, who was dressed like a clown with a winking clown mask with rabbit-like ears. This was Laplace, who was a trusted comrade of Clayman himself, though he had taken to referring to Gelmude as 'Lord Gelmude' despite being considered an equal to his master. Still, Gelmude's ego appreciated the respect.
"Indeed Sir Laplace, I can't thank you enough for providing the Orc Army this sustenance. It should help deal with the numerous unknown variables that have been popping up in the forest." Gelmude said as he looked at the Orc Army devouring the dozens of monster corpses that had been laid before them.
"Don't worry about it! We're on the same side here, so this is the least I could do! Besides, Tear and Footman are the ones that did the actual hunting, had a blast doing it too! So everybody wins!!" Laplace says freely as he too looked down at the Orc Army feeding. Tear and Footman had gathered dozens of corpses belonging to all kinds of monsters found within the forest. From Knight Spiders, Blade Tigers, Black Serpents, Red Ants, lesser dragons and a few other species. While they would greatly boost the Orc Lord's power, the reason there were so many species was because of the various skills and abilities that the Orcs would get as a result of the [Starved] skill.
"It does sound like they had a lot of fun, indeed." Gelmude wasn't really interested in how they acquired the bodies, but he had to admit that the three clowns had to be very powerful. Some of the monsters were at least A-rank, even if they lacked the intelligence for formal training. "If those two did all the hunting, then where were you, Sir Laplace?"
"Ah, about that, Clayman has assigned me on a fun little mission of my own!!" Laplace exclaimed excitedly as he hopped from one foot to another. "With all the unknown variables showing up, Clayman figured it would be best to handle one of the biggest threats to his plans, namely the Dryads. I've been assigned to subdue the Dryads and get them under our control!!" Laplace shouted as he threw his arms into the air, absolutely thrilled by the task assigned to him.
"Subduing the Dryads? Is such a thing even possible?" Gelmude asked as he turned towards Laplace, the laughing clown was sure the Majin was sporting a confused expression under his plague mask.
"Don't underestimate Clayman, he's the craftiest of us all." Laplace responded as he wagged his index finger in front of Gelmude. "He's given me a foolproof method of subduing them and having them under him. You just worry about the other species throughout the forest and carrying out the rest of the plan."
"While I'm truly grateful for this assistance, Sir Laplace, I can't help but wonder if this is truly necessary? Soon, not even the Dryads will be able to stop the Orc Lord, especially once he evolves into the Orc Disaster, that is assuming he can't beat them already!" Gelmude boasted, though he was caught off-guard when Laplace started laughing.
"Bwahaha! You sound as confident as Clayman! Guess it makes sense, since you're his subordinate. But like I told Clayman, getting overconfident can cost you dearly, especially as far as wildcards like this Majin you mentioned before are concerned." Laplace says in amusement, his eyes taking on a dangerous glint that had shivers crawling through Gelmude. "In any case, monster corpses and the 'extra gift' from Clayman are just in case this Majin or any other hidden monsters in the forest prove more troublesome than anticipated. If nothing else, it will serve to push the Orc Lord closer to evolving. As for the Dryads, Clayman has other plans for them, I'm guessing he wants to add them to his ranks, maybe have a few keep an eye on the Orc Lord within the forest? Who knows what's going on in his head? Buuuut, I heard Dryads are the protectors of this land. That means they're pretty strong. Oh goody…looks like I get to have some fun of my own."
"Right…" Gelmude said, not sure what else to say to the clown. He then let out a sigh. "Well I suppose if that is the will of Lord Clayman, then that's how we will proceed. I'll leave the Dryads to you, Sir Laplace, happy hunting."
"I knew you would understand, Lord Gelmude!! No wonder Clayman chose you for this task, such intellect among his ranks is quite rare!" Laplace said in praise as he clapped his hands, before turning back down to the Orcs. "Now then, it looks like this greedy lot is done feeding, best take them to the next feeding spot before they start feeding on each other."
"Right." Gelmude said with a nod as he adjusted his hat, with how insatiable the hunger from [Starved] was, it really wouldn't surprise him if the Orcs started eating each other. But that would be a waste of manpower, and it had taken a lot of time and effort to get weapons and armor for over two hundred thousand Orcs. So if he could avoid any unnecessary casualties, then he would do so.
With that, Gelmude tipped his hat towards Laplace, before taking off into the air once more. The Orc Lord and his army immediately began to follow, having more than likely received orders through [Thought Communication] from Gelmude.
"Trample all, trample all, trample all!! The strength of this comrade we eat is now ours!! The abilities of this prey are now ours!!"
The loud war cry of the Orcs echoed for miles in the forest, as they continued to march into the forest that was home to hundreds of species in order to consume them all. All in an effort to sate their insatiable hunger.
"This is turning out to be a good show." Laplace said to himself, his voice unusually calm and leveled, a big difference from the happy carefree clown Gelmude had been speaking to moments ago. "I think I might stick around long enough to see how it all ends."
~~~
Rimuru POV - Canaat Mountains - Day 26
'...well shit.'
I couldn't help but think as I looked at the entity before me. It currently looked like a young human woman in her mid twenties, with bright purple hair that had lavender colored tips, violet slit eyes, and a slightly pale complexion. But this was not it's true form.
For just moments ago, it had been an enormous Dragon, larger than pretty much any other Dragon we'd come across thus far, but still smaller than the massive figure that was my mother. This being was none other than a Dragon Lord, the strongest Dragon type that existed within the Canaat Mountains.
She had introduced herself as the 'Spatial Dragon Lord'. That meant she was a type of Dragon that could manipulate Space, one of the five basic elements. Surprisingly enough, despite being a basic element, this was my first time encountering someone with that element, even among the dozens of Dragons I had devoured. Still, I had a feeling that this element was slightly more dangerous than the rest. And my situation was one in which I was facing an opponent who was no doubt stronger than me and had an element I wasn't all too familiar with.
"You two need to get back." I said once more to Zegion and Ranga, who were standing behind me ready to attack. But this opponent was far beyond them, if they weren't careful then one strike from this Dragon Lord was all it would take to end their lives. And if she manipulated Space in the way I thought she did, then even I wasn't safe from suffering a similar fate.
"But Master-!!"
"My Lord-!!"
Both of them were promptly shut up by the glare I sent their way, my eyes glowing with an eerie green. The statement was clear: 'This was NOT up for discussion'. Their heads lowered in submission as they understood I would not budge, and disobedience would result in dire consequences. And so the two moved away reluctantly, making sure to put ample distance between themselves and the Dragon Lord and I.
"What's this? You think you can take me on alone?" The Dragon Lord asked as her grin grew even wider and more wild, but her eyes seemed to carry some anger within them as well, which was reflected by a sharp increase in the amount of killing intent directed my way. "I'll make you regret underestimating me."
And just like that, before I could even say a word to her, she vanished. I barely managed to keep track of her movements as she suddenly appeared in front of me, my body instinctively arching backwards to avoid the high sweep that had no doubt been aimed for my head. She barely missed my face by a few inches, the tip of her foot cleanly cutting off a few strands of hair with terrifying accuracy.
A shockwave followed after the attack, flying over me and into a near by hill, to my shock it cut right through the hill, vertically splitting it in two before top part crashed into the bottom part.
But what truly frightened me was the fact that despite the hill having been split, there was no debris or impact sound, it was as though a large chunk of earth had been removed without a single trace of its previous existence.
'Oi, oi, what the hell?!' I shouted as I quickly leapt back and put some distance between me and the Dragon Lord, a nervous sweat trickling down the side of my head.
《Warning: The Dragon Lord is imbuing her attacks with the Spatial Element, tearing apart whatever space they come into contact with. Proceed with caution.》
'If even [Great Sage] is warning me like that…' I'd really gotten the short end of the stick here. Of all the Dragon Lords I had to encounter, why did it have to be one with such a lethal element?! Honestly, a Fire Dragon Lord or something along those lines would have been more preferable!
《Warning: Spatial distortion detected, evade immediately!》
I didn't even question it and swiftly leapt away once more, I watched in concern as the area I stood in before warped like a vortex right before my eyes, it seemed to suck in the surrounding air, before shrinking and exploding.
I had a feeling if I had been standing there then that would have quite literally been the end of me, I currently had no resistances for an enemy with the Spatial Element. Had it not been for [Great Sage, then…
"Oh, you actually managed to completely dodge that?" The Dragon Lord asked, sounding mildly surprised and even more excited. "Most can't even sense my attacks, let alone evade them. You must be a lot stronger than you look."
"Does that mean we can talk this out?" I asked with a nervous grin, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of my face. She was stronger than me Magicule-wise, and had an element I had no resistance against, so if I could get out of this without fighting, I'd take the chance.
"Ha! No chance in hell brat!" The Dragon Lord laughed, before her face became surprisingly serious, her eyes piercing into mine. "I don't know why you're here, but you came into my domain and slaughtered dozens of my horde members. Letting you go would be a sign of weakness to the other Dragon Lords, a weakness they may choose to exploit."
"Those Dragons were in your horde? If that's truly the case, then how come you're the first Dragon of the Space element that I've encountered?" I asked in surprise.
"What? Do you think Dragon Hordes are composed exclusively of Dragons of the same element? You truly are naive." The Dragon Lord mocked as she shook her head sideways. "Dragon Hordes prioritize strength, loyalty, and accomplishments in terms of its members, rather than the elements we individually possess. It would be particularly bad in my case, given that Spatial Dragons are rarer than other Elemental Dragons, with me being the only Spatial Dragon Lord in the Canaat Mountains!"
'That…makes sense, I guess. Regardless of the strength and number of the Dragons in these mountains, it wouldn't be too practical if all the Dragon Hordes were exclusively comprised of the same element, even if certain Dragons might prefer certain environments.' I thought before responding. "Well, I didn't know those Dragons were part of your horde. I'm not from these mountains and only came here to train and get stronger myself. I warned the Dragons I fought that I merely wished to train rather than usurp their territory, but they still attacked me without provocation! They chose their fates when they disregarded my warning."
I left out the fact that I devoured the dragons to gain additional power, since that would only make me look like a power-hungry conqueror, but I technically did prioritize training and refining skills and arts over devouring Dragons, and I technically did offer any Dragon we fought the chance to live if they ran away and not seek revenge, even if we were technically the intruders here. Only the moment they disregarded my warnings was when their fates were sealed.
"Oh? So you're an outsider? That explains the unfamiliar aura. A Dragon of your prowess would be known within the region, after all, you've almost broken through." The Dragon Lord notes before shaking her head. I couldn't help but tilt my head slightly in confusion. What did she mean by that last part? "Regardless, it only further proves that you are the invader here and that you killed members of my horde who were defending their territory, even if it was never your intention to kill them or claim my territory! And for that, you will suffer my wrath!"
'Damn it, this will be my toughest fight yet.' I mentally grimaced as I got into a fighting stance and prepared myself for the battle to come. '[Great Sage], does this Dragon Lord have any weaknesses I can exploit?'
《Answer: While the Dragon Lord's power is at least 4 times greater than your own, it is known that Elemental Magic is strong towards certain elements and weak towards others. The element of Space is strong against Wind but weak against Earth, so Earth Elemental Magic is recommended for best possible odds, with the user's [Storm Magic] also being a viable option due to having traces of the space element.》
'Got it, and [Great Sage], I need you to reactivate [Chosen One] at full strength and have it work in perfect sync with both you and [Desire] . If I'm gonna have any chance at even surviving this fight, I'll need all the luck and advantages I can get, I'll leave the management of my skills to you.' I thought, with [Great Sage] managing my skills and optimizing them, I could focus entirely on my foe.
《Understood. [Chosen One] has been fully reactivated till further notice. Assuming control over all skills for maximum efficiency!》
'Well it was worth giving diplomacy a shot. Besides, I get the feeling that she just wants to kill me for offing a portion of her horde.' I doubt it was anything personal like caring about the individual Dragons I'd killed. It was just a matter of dragon pride. I took a deep breath and spoke one last time. "For what it's worth, I apologize for killing members of your horde, and I will reiterate that I'm not here to take your territory. But if you insist on fighting me, then I'll give you a worthy fight. As you'll soon learn, I'm unlike any Elemental Dragon in the Canaat Mountains." I firmly informed her as I flared my own aura to the max.
"Hahaha, then show me what you can do, runt!" She screamed as her own aura flared once more, much greater than my own. But for some reason, it didn't shake me as much as it did before. It was much more manageable than the first time. Was this the effect of [Chosen One] ?
Regardless, not being heavily affected by her aura meant I could now move more freely without doubts or hesitation, I could act with more confidence than before.
'That's right…I can do this…' She may be more powerful than me, but I was more versatile in terms of Skills. It may not be enough to give me a decisive edge, but as long as I could cover the gap between us and break-even, then that was all I needed.
Between the enhanced luck of [Chosen One] , the high adaptability of [Desire] , and the analytical abilities of [Great Sage] , I had a solid chance.
And a chance is all I needed.
A few seconds of silence passed, the only thing to be heard was the gentle breeze blowing past us. We stared at each other for a moment, and then…she moved.
Just like last time, she vanished right in front of me and made a beeline for me, but this time I was ready and dashed forward myself to intercept her. I threw my fist forward as she did the same, our fists colliding as we met in the center.
A giant shockwave exploded around us as a crater formed right beneath us. She seemed genuinely shocked that I'd managed to block her strike, but it wasn't a mere coincidence. The fist which had collided with her own was imbued with the dark and chaotic energy of [Storm Magic].
This was a form of True Dragon Magic that represented entropy and destruction of the highest level. And while it may not be on par with what my Mother could do, I was at least strong enough to somewhat counter the Space tearing abilities of this Dragon Lord. Making this fight a little more even.
《Warning: Neither [Rapid Regeneration] or [Greater Heal] can be used to heal damage from Spatial attacks unless interference is removed. Proceed with great caution.》
'Damn it!' I couldn't help but mentally curse. It was bad enough that she had an element that could potentially cut right through me with one mistake, but to find out I couldn't heal any of the injuries that I received from this Dragon Lord, that only increased the need for me to tread more carefully.
The shock on the Dragon Lord's face quickly transformed into excitement as the two of us resumed our clash. She immediately claimed the offensive ground, her rapid swipes and kicks putting me on the evasive side of the battle. Her attacks were wild and ferocious, but there was technique to them as well. It was hard to believe that a Dragon was capable of such refined technique, but thinking back on our talk she had displayed Human level intelligence. And her Human form meant she had to develop a fighting style of sorts.
Not wanting to remain disadvantaged, I went low as she took another swipe at my neck before charging forward and closing the gap between us. Black Magicules encased both my hands, taking the form of Dragon Claws. I quickly swiped my right hand upwards, only for her to halt and lean backwards. My dark claws missed her skin by a few inches, but I took quiet satisfaction in the few strands of purple hair that I managed to clip from her hair.
'Heh, an eye for an eye.' I couldn't help but grin as I thought back to the hair she more or less destroyed with her kick earlier. It was a bit petty sure, but you can't blame me for having a bit of a competitive streak. 'Now to take the lead!!'
I pressed my assault, not wanting to give her the chance to reclaim control. Using my smaller form, which was that of a young adolescent compared to the Dragon Lord's adult Human form, I slipped into her guard. She was taller and had longer reach than me, but I was smaller and harder to hit, it was a small perk, but a perk nonetheless.
I threw various jabs at her with my Dragon Claws, I was more focused on connecting the attacks than putting any real power behind it. Fortunately, she didn't seem to catch on and blocked most of my attacks. She then surprised me by grabbing my left arm and swiftly slamming me into the ground.
Now, it didn't hurt given that I couldn't feel pain at all, but there was a great deal of discomfort that came with being slammed like that. I wasn't given much time to ponder, though, as she raised her right leg and brought it down, intending to crush my skull under the heel of her foot.
I swiftly rolled out of the way before pushing myself off the ground and leaping away. Her foot hit the ground with a force strong enough to deepen the crater, and spiderweb cracks formed all around her.
'Hey, hey, I'm not into that kind of femdom play!!' I mentally shouted with a gulp. Some men liked getting crushed under a woman's heel, but that was definitely not my style.
《Notice: Damage sustained, damage sustained 5%.》
It was only after [Great Sage] spoke that I realized I had a cut on my upper left arm. The fact that it wasn't closing up meant my healing skills weren't working. Looks like I hadn't completely evaded that heel when I rolled out of the way. The cut in itself wouldn't affect my ability to fight, but what concerned me was my inability to heal. Given that my foe was stronger than I was, she only had to land enough attacks for me to bleed out then I'd be done for.
'[Great Sage] , analyze the wound and try to find a way to regain my regenerative abilities. If you can't, then put all your efforts into analyzing and helping me adapt to her movements.' If I couldn't heal, then my only option was to minimize the amount of damage I took as much as possible.
《Understood: Beginning analysis in the spatial interference surrounding the wound.》
I felt I was pushing the processing ability of [Great Sage] with the number of tasks I was giving it, but I'm sure it would be able to handle it. Besides, neither of us could afford to be lax in this moment lest I die, I was relying on my partner for a lot of things so I could focus on fighting the foe in front of me
The Dragon Lord charged towards me once more. I reacted by stretching my right hand towards it, a black halo surrounding my wrist, before firing numerous [Laser Arrows] at her. The Dragon Lord didn't stop her charge even as the attack approached her, no, instead she dodged each black arrow with surprising acrobatic abilities and agility. Seeing as she was quickly closing the gap between us, I fired three more arrows hoping to use her close proximity to catch her off-guard.
Rather than being surprised, she smirked as she pressed forward. The arrows struck true this time, a large dust cloud forming from the impact. But not even a second later, she burst through the dust cloud right in front of me, her arm stretched out towards my face. My body moved before my mind could even process what was happening. Instinctively leaning towards the right as her clawed hand approached.
I barely managed to avoid having my head removed from the rest of my body, instead the Dragon Lord soared past me as I successfully leaned out of the way, though I was not unscathed. My left cheek was now sporting a rather large gash, blood slowly oozing out as the wound didn't close.
'If she lands enough cuts on me she could just wait for me to bleed out or weaken from blood loss.' I thought with a scowl, she was truly a troublesome opponent.
《Notice: Solution to Spatial Interference found, would you like to use the Unique Skill [Apex Predator] to devour this effect?》
'Yess!!' It wasn't even a question in my opinion. Still, it was a relief to know that I could somewhat counter the effects of her attacks.
Still, it was best to still remain cautious. Having to devour the Interference first meant that my recovery speed was slowed down drastically. It was better than not being able to heal at all, but it meant she could stack up enough attacks for it to become lethal.
I snapped out of my thoughts as I felt the Magicules around me shift, swiftly leaping out of the way as the space distorted and exploded. I kept on moving as the Dragon Lord triggered more Spatial distortions wherever I landed, numerous explosions going off as soon as I evaded.
'Getting caught in any one of those distortions would be enough to sever a limb or worse. Even with [Rapid Regeneration], I wouldn't be able to recover fast enough to keep fighting.' I thought nervously as I turned to the Dragon Lord who was grinning maniacally as she continued to target me with spatial distortions. 'In terms of ranged attacks, she has me beat. The barrier she has around herself minimizes the effects of my attacks and her offense is lethal to me. My odds were better in close quarters.'
With that thought, I used [Flash Step] to quickly close the gap between my opponent and eye, engaging her in close quarters once more. Shockwaves erupted through the area as we clashed, our movements a blur to anyone close enough to see.
I could feel [Desire] working to analyze her movements to copy them and [Great Sage] used that data and provided methods to counter. It was only because of that that I'd managed to avoid any lethal strikes from this superior opponent. [Chosen One] had to be buffing me up and increasing my chances as well, which was why I'd been able to land a few hits in myself.
"You're actually entertaining me, runt!" The Dragon Lord shouted with a feral grin, laughing maniacally as she tilted her head to the left as she avoided a swipe from my [Dragon Claw]. Faster than I could react, she grabbed my wrist and arm, and slammed me into the ground with enough force to literally knock the air out of me.
Despite the fact that I couldn't feel pain, I could still taste the metallic taste of blood in my mouth as I coughed and took in deep breaths. This was the first time I had actually bled, let alone tasted my own blood, since coming to this world. Actually scratch that, there was the time Hakurou cut of my arm, so these cuts from the Dragon Lord seemed minor in comparison, the only irritating thing about it was the Spatial interference that drastically reduced how fast I could regenerate.
The ground slam was quickly followed with a powerful kick to the stomach that sent me barreling through a large rock structure. [Pain Nullification] really was a godsend in these kinds of situations, but that didn't mean getting my ass clobbered was comfortable.
'Man, she's tough… And the fact that it hasn't taken effect yet means she has some serious regenerative abilities. Something beyond [Rapid Regeneration] .'
《Confirmed: It can be surmised that the Spatial Dragon Lord has the Extra Skill [Ultraspeed Regeneration].》
'That's just great. But the plan is still plausible…right?' I asked my trusted partner. Honestly, even with the likes of [Chosen One] and [Desire], I had to come up with an actual plan to engage this Dragon Lord.
Almost immediately after the battle started, I quickly learned that despite the effects of my Unique Skills, this Humanoid Dragon was still superior to me in all aspects. At most, my Unique Skills pushed me to barely break-even. Which was why [Great Sage] had provided me with a suitable strategy.
《Affirmative: The Dragon Lord's movements have already begun to slow down as a result of your continuous attacks. The sub-skill of [Storm Magics] , [Decay] , has already begun to take effect.》
[Decay], a sub-skill of [Storm Magic] that slowly destroys an opponent from within. It could be considered a far more potent version of the [Rot] skill, one that was capable of bypassing healing and regenerative abilities depending on the gap between the user and opponent. It was even capable of corroding spiritual life-forms. While the Dragon Lord was four times stronger, [Chosen One] worked in my favor to increase the potency skill.
The plan was simple but a lot harder to execute. Avoid getting diced while landing as many hits as possible. The Dragon Lord's [Ultraspeed Regeneration] was greatly reducing the speed at which the [Decay] was spreading. The good news was the more hits I could land, the more I could stack this effect, hence the reason I had been focusing on jabs rather than following all the way through with my punches. [Desire] worked to analyze her style to help avoid and counter her strikes.
But even with all that, she was still giving me such a hard time! Even though I felt no pain, I knew this body couldn't keep going. My Magicules were already starting to get questionably low from constantly devouring and healing Spatial-based wounds and the use of [Storm Magic] , which was still pretty draining in general.
"I'll admit you're far stronger than the average Elemental Dragon. With the power you've displayed, you should have evolved by now." The Dragon Lord said as she approached me while I dusted myself of dust and debris. She then stopped and looked at me curiously, her head tilting slightly to the side. "And then there's that magic you've been using, it's quite interesting. I've never seen anything like it, a Unique Skill perhaps?"
I couldn't help the nervous sweat dripped down my forehead. I still needed to buy a bit more time to allow [Decay] to start eating away at her. No doubt she was already starting to feel its effects, and the constant flow of Magicules towards her regenerative abilities was bound to be taking its toll, at this point a battle of attrition really was the best strategy.
"Who knows." I said with a cheeky grin as I said with a shrug before spitting out some blood to the side before wiping my mouth. "One thing's for sure, you're really strong. You're the strongest individual I've ever had the pleasure of fighting." I said as I got back into a fighting stance.
"Of course I am, I'm a Dragon Lord after all." The Dragon Lord said with a prideful smirk. "You were entertaining yourself, and you must be a real glutton for punishment if you want to keep going despite the gap between us."
"As a Dragon, I'm sure you understand one's desire to prove themself. I came to this mountain to prove my strength and grow stronger. Fighting someone stronger than me and coming out on top is the best way to prove my worth." I say with a feral grin, fangs and all, as my eyes glow with an eerie green, my aura surrounding my body.
"You really are a rebellious runt. Too bad you bit off more than you could chew." The Dragon Lord said, her eyes glowing purple as her own aura enveloped her. "I'll teach you a good lesson before I kill you!" With that, she dashed forward the ground beneath her exploding from the force of her step.
"Bring it!" I said as I also charged forward.
Our fists clashed in the center, a large shockwave exploding from the impact and causing cracks in the surrounding rock formations. I couldn't help but flinch from the force of it all. Our clash continued once more, enhanced fists and kick flying once more, though this time I struggled to slip in counter strikes of my own.
The Dragon Lord's attacks were becoming more erratic and ferocious, it was taking everything I had just to keep up and actually evade them. It seems she was giving up tact and was going full on offensive in order to not give me any breathing room, and unfortunately it was working.
As she brought her left foot to my side, I managed to quickly catch it under my left arm, firmly gripping it with both hands. The force of the impact was still enough to push me back despite my feet being firmly planted in the ground, but despite that, my grip on her leg remained firm.
Raising my left arm, I tried to bring my elbow down on her knee joint, but in a surprising show of flexibility. The Dragon Lord readjusted her position, bending her knee downwards and making me miss my target entirely. Due to my loss of balance, she managed to land a powerful backhand to my head that disoriented me despite not feeling pain. I quickly used [Flash Step] to create some space between us.
'Something is different, her movements have become faster, and she's reading my attacks more clearly than before.' It was almost as if my luck had suddenly shifted in the middle of the battle.
《Notice: Utilizing the sub-skill [Skill Disable] to suppress the target's extra skills [Ultraspeed Action] and [Predictive Calculation].》
I didn't bother questioning [Great Sage] and instead charged forward, black Dragon Claws forming around my hands. Though the drain of my Magicules was quite notable, so I had to end this fast.
Our clash started once more, and immediately I noticed the shift in favor. Where before she had been evading, blocking, and countering my attacks with practiced ease, the Dragon Lord was actually struggling to do so now. She was barely able to follow my attacks, and it seemed her body's physical capabilities were now on par with my own, if not slightly lower. To think two skills had given her such a big advantage…
No wonder Dragon Lords were on the upper end of S-rank or even Special-S rank, they really were on a different level. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a Unique Skill given the range of abilities she displayed. Given her Human level intelligence, it wasn't that far fetched.
"Wait, what's going on?!" The Dragon Lord asked in minor panic as I pressed my advantage. My hands and feet shrouded in [Storm Magic] as I continued my assault.
I ducked under a swing she took at my neck, using my smaller build to enter her personal space, and deliver a solid strike to her mid-section that had her coughing blood as she bent over. I followed that up by jumping as I twisted my body, delivering a roundhouse kick to the side of her head that sent her crashing into the ground head first. Her body rolled on the ground for a bit before she came to a stop in a crouched position.
"Y-you!! What did you do?!!" She shouted as she glared at me. More than likely coming to the realization that I had tampered with her Skills, well it was [Great Sage] but not like she would be able to tell the difference.
"Nothing much, I just figured you out, and suppressed some of your abilities." I said with a smirk as the black Magicules surrounding my arms grew in size. "This fight is over, without your abilities you can't beat me."
'[Great Sage] suppressing that Skill of hers gave me an advantage but drained a significant amount of Magicules, but I bet she's not faring any better. [Decay] has been eating away at her insides, and the constant use of her regenerative abilities in an attempt to slow it down has to be draining her as well. I still have enough in the tank for one last big move. I'll feint her then finish this once and for all.'
A black halo surrounded my right wrist as I stretched my arm out towards her, firing several [Laser Arrows] towards her.
"Ha! Don't get cocky on me, runt!" She shouted as stretched both hands towards the incoming black arrow shaped beams. Multiple Spatial distortions appeared between her and the incoming attack.
The chaotic beams struck the warped space, the entropic magic colliding against the Spatial distortion caused multiple explosions to go off. Filling the area around the Dragon Lord with a cloud of smoke. Taking the presented chance I leapt into the air, wings sprouting from back as black Magicules erupting encased them, leaving a dissolving trail.
'I only have one shot at this, it's all or nothing with this last attack.' It was a big risk too, I hadn't quite perfected this technique just yet, I was still working out the kinks in it. But, it was the best shot I had at landing a strong enough attack on this opponent. 'Here goes…'
The smoke cleared and the Dragon Lord turned to where I previously had been, she was surprised to see me not there, but that shock quickly vanished as she looked up to where I was descending from above her, most likely having sensed the amount of magic I was pouring into this last attack. But still…
'...You're too late!' I couldn't help but think with glee as I spiraled while increasing the speed of my descent, my wings narrowing around my body. The [Storm Magic] surrounding my wings enveloped my body in a rapid drill-like structure made of black Magicules. "[Storm Surge]!" I proudly called out the name of my latest attack as I crashed into the Dragon Lord at full force.
A large ground-shaking explosion immediately expanded, engulfing the surrounding area and flattening the surrounding rock structures. Ranga and Zegion, who had hidden behind one of the large rocks further away, were struggling to hold their ground from the high pressure winds that followed the large explosion.
It took a few seconds before the explosion died down, with the smoke following a few seconds later. When the smoke cleared, the Spatial Dragon Lord was still alive but likely wouldn't be for much longer. Its injuries were too severe and its healing capabilities too weakened, at this point if I didn't finish it off, then the effects of [Decay] would.
"…How? How did a mere Elemental Dragon defeat me, a Dragon Lord?!" The Spatial Dragon Lord asked in shock and hatred. "You're not a mere Elemental Dragon, are you? I suspected this somewhere during our battle but…you're a Unique Monster…aren't you?"
"Perhaps, it's not the first time I've been called that. My name is Rimuru Tempest, son and heir of the Storm Dragon, Veredia Tempest." I revealed to the Dragon Lord's shock and slight fear, at least that was until she closed her eyes and merely smiled in resignation. "To be fair, I DID give you a chance to walk away with your life. But you refused out of your pride, and this is the consequence. Any last words?"
"Defeated by the Son of the Storm Dragon…I can think of no better ending." She remarked in resigned acceptance. She was a prideful Dragon to the end, and even I could respect that as a Dragon myself.
Within a respectful nod, I placed my hand on her forehead and activated [Apex Predator], within seconds the black Magicules surrounded her being and she was absorbed into my being. Given how powerful this adversary had been, I knew I would be gaining a substantial boost in both raw power and skills.
With the danger finally gone, I allowed myself to collapse onto the ground as the physical and magical exhaustion of this battle settled in. I may not feel pain, but apparently fatigue was still fair game.
'I'll let [Great Sage] handle the assimilation process. After that fight, I could use a nap or two.' I muttered as I looked up at the clear skies. 'But still…it was a great battle, and a good experience.' The greatest takeaway from this battle was that raw strength and the amount of Magicules weren't the most accurate manner to measure one's power or capabilities. It was the Skills and abilities that one had, and the way they were used, that would ultimately decide the winner.
Despite the Dragon Lord being several times stronger than me, I only won because of the various Skills I had and how I used them together. In this instance, if I had been lacking either [Desire], [Chosen One], or [Great Sage] , then this battle would have been nearly impossible to win.
On the other hand, the most troublesome thing about the Dragon Lord was its Spatial based attacks that prevented me from healing and the fact that it constantly blocked my ranged attacks with Spatial barriers.
Being more powerful in terms of Magicules certainly didn't hurt, but having more powerful Skills and being able to effectively use them seemed like the way to go if I wanted to get a lot stronger.
《Notice: The Spatial Dragon Lord has been fully consumed and assimilated into the user. The user's Magicule capacity is now 5 times greater than before, and the Space Element has now been acquired. In addition, multiple Extra Skills and Intrinsic Skills have now been acquired. Would you wish for them to be listed?》
'5 times greater?! That's a lot…' I couldn't help but think, though it made sense given that the Dragon Lord's power was at least 4 times greater than mine before consuming her, so adding that power on TOP of what I already had prior would be 5 times greater in the end. I felt some strength return to me as the assimilated power became my own, the wounds I had were now healing up faster too. Despite all this, I didn't think I was quite ready to hear [Great Sage] rattle on about the details of the newly-acquired Skills, which had been confirmed to be quite a few. 'Can the skill listing wait a little bit? That fight was exhausting, not just physically and in terms of Magicule usage, but also mentally.' My Magicule capacity may have increased several times over, and somewhat recovered from devouring the Dragon Lord, but it was still on the lower end of the tank.
《Understood: Shifting primary focus to assisting master towards full recovery.》
'Thanks partner…' I thought with a smile. Knowing [Great Sage] was handling and speeding up my recovery allowed my to relax, and this was further cemented by the approaching buzzing sound and rapid footsteps I could hear approaching accompanied by the distressed calls of Ranga and Zegion.
With [Great Sage] handling the internal affairs of my body, and Ranga and Zegion being more than capable of protecting me from external threats, I finally allowed the tension to leave my body. I hadn't even realized how tense and alert I still was after going through my first true life and death battle, where I could have died all over again.
One would think after experiencing death once, you wouldn't be afraid of it anymore. But honestly it didn't change a thing. Still though, there was a certain thrill that came with fighting with your life on the line. And the victory was all the more sweeter, too.
As the tension left it gave way to exhaustion, my eyes becoming heavy as I slowly gave into the slumber. My last thoughts being I would have liked to have another high-stake battle like this one.
~~~
Great Forest of Jura - Goblin Village:
'My name is Rito Honokawa. And until a little over two weeks ago, I was a second year high-school student in the city of Japan. I don't know how I wound up in this world, if I'm being honest my head is still trying to make sense of it all, despite the amount of time that has passed.'
'All I know is that one moment, I was hanging out with my friends at an arcade, making bets and everything, only for my surroundings to shift instantly. I suddenly found myself in a lush green forest with nothing but trees and grass as far as my eyes could see. But almost as soon as I arrived…I was suddenly attacked by what could only be described as a monstrous creature. A large bear-like beast that had multiple metal-like blades sticking out of it! Honestly, I barely survived that encounter with my limbs intact. I would have died that day…if it hadn't been for him.'
'Looking back now, it almost seems funny. Back on earth, Goblins were considered to be among the weakest species to exist in any fantasy world. More often than not, they survived due to their large numbers and tendency to capture and breed any humans they captured, if the various manga and video games I'd seen were any indication. And yet, on that day, I was saved by a Goblin wielding an axe and machete. His name was Kataki, strangely enough. I explained my situation to him and, after some questioning, he took me to a village filled with other Goblins.'
'Now normally when one thought of a Goblin Village they thought of a shaggy place with huts or something like that. Or at least that's how it was portrayed in most fantasy games and anime. But this village was actually far more advanced than that and more akin to a town! While it was clearly still being constructed, they already had dozens of well-built wooden houses and seemed to be somewhat more developed.'
'Kataki took me to his house, which for some reason was built a little outside the village, when I asked him why that was, he didn't answer me, instead he told me to head into the village and seek the Goblin King. That he would be able to help me.'
'Against my own better judgment, I walked into the Goblin village. Surprisingly the goblins here weren't as ugly as most anime and manga portrayed. They looked almost human, with the exception of their green skin and pointed ears. Even more surprising was how welcoming these Goblins were. I was welcomed by a few guards and villagers almost immediately when I approached the gates.'
'To make a long story short, I was taken to see the Goblin King, whose name was Rigurd. I explained my situation to them, and they seemed rather surprised that Kataki had been the one to save me, and after some talk, I was allowed to stay within the village for as long as I wanted. At least until I figured out what I wanted to do with my new life here.'
'Since then, I had been crashing at Kataki's home, even though he was initially against it. I was grateful for him saving my that day, and wanted to find some way to repay that kindness.'
"Morning Rito!" A Goblin called out as he walked through the town's streets, Gobzilla, if he remembered his name correctly. Honestly, the name sounded so ridiculous the first time he heard it that it took a certain amount of willpower not to laugh.
Of course, it wasn't the only strange name around, as there were others like Gobdude, Gobichu, Gobzelle, and so forth. It almost sounded like someone had just smash 'Gob' with whatever else fit in. It wasn't until a while later that he learnt that monsters in this world didn't have names, at least when they were born. And that these Goblins had all recently received their names from their 'lord' which is what allowed them to evolve into Hobgoblins and Goblinas. It was strange, but he just assumed that this world just functioned differently from his home world.
Aside from the Goblins, Rito had been surprised to see a few other species present within the village. First were the wolf creatures known as Tempest Wolves, they were usually paired up with Goblins, especially the local guard and hunters. Next were the four Dwarves that he'd had the pleasure of meeting, Kaijin and the Dwarf brothers, they mainly worked in the various industrial and forging areas of this village. Making weapons, armor, equipment, clothing, and even day to day tools, along with teaching Hobgoblins and building up the village into a town. And lastly were the Kijin, he could tell at first glance that these creatures were strong, they just had that aura to them, most of them help with training the goblins and wolves in the village, but a few of them could also be seen in the blacksmith shops as well.
"Morning!" Rito called out with the wave of his hand. This process was repeated over and over as he walked through the streets. These Goblins were all very kind, he found it hard to believe they were the same horny and greedy little monsters portrayed as evil in his old world.
Rito casually made his way through the village, greeting those he came across. He still hadn't learnt the names of all the goblins, but he was getting there. His target was the blacksmith shop, as today was somewhat of a special day for Rito.
It was the day he would finally be getting his weapons from Kaijin and Kurobe. After spending a few days living in the Goblin Village, Kataki had decided that if Rito was going to stay with him, then he needed to get stronger. Fortunately for him, when his body was transferred between worlds, it was flooded with a large amount of energy, increasing the strength and other capabilities of his body to superhuman levels. He even got something called a Unique Skill named [Supporter]. According to the description, the skill basically allowed him to boost the stats of his allies by a significant degree, including his own.
It wasn't much in the way of combat abilities, but Rito couldn't deny its usefulness when it came to team-related scenarios. He preferred working with others anyway, so it worked all the better for him.
Despite his strength being comparable to that of a low A-rank monster and his Unique Skill, Rito lacked any kind of training, having been a civilian before this. Meaning even opponents weaker than him had an edge and would exploit his flaws. Hence the reason Kataki had started training him not long after he started living with him.
"Morning, Kurobe." Rito greeted as he walked into the blacksmith shop. As expected, the place was filled with various weapons and armor made of iron, with a few of them being partially made out of Magisteel. The place was hot, the heat coming from the furnace spreading throughout the room. 'They really need to make a better ventilation system in this place!'
"Ah Rito, glad you could make it." Kurobe said as he sat up from where he was by the furnace, wiping off some sweat from his forehead. Rito couldn't help but wonder how the guy wasn't absolutely cooked by now. "I take it you're here for your weapons, then?" The Kijin asked as he stood up and approached the black haired human teen, to which Rito nodded his head with an excited gleam in his eyes.
"Yeah! I've been pretty psyched about it since you guys told me they would be ready in a few days." Rito confessed, his voice reflecting his excitement. He had been told that the weapons they were creating would be a 50% Magisteel weapon, and that Magisteel was a highly conductive ore for Magicules and even spiritual essence. Naturally, Rito had been excited about getting such high quality gear.
"Hahahahaha, well then I won't keep you waiting any further then. Come along, follow me." Kurobe said as he beckoned him while walking further into the shop. Rito didn't wait to be told twice, quickly following after the Kijin blacksmith.
Reaching into one of the shelves in the back, Kurobe pulled out a wooden box and placed it on a counter. Rito watched with bated breath as he opened said box, and unraveled the cloth that covered the weapons inside. What he saw inside was beyond what he had been expecting, he could tell just by looking at the weapons that they were of far higher quality than the iron weapons he had been wielding up until now.
Within the box were two weapons, a machete and a battle axe, each designed to his specifications. They were both shiny black in color, with a silver lining along the sharp and pointed edges of each weapon, and had white hilts. Rito lifted the weapons as he looked at them in awe, Kurobe took a few steps back, gesturing for the boy to take a few practice swings. With a nod, Rito swung the axe and machete a few times, getting a feel of them but also making sure not to damage anything within the shop.
He went through a few motions that Kataki had been teaching him, and he was surprised by how much lighter these weapons were compared to the iron weapons he had been using till now. Not only were they lighter, but he could even feel traces of Magic within them. He would have to wait until he got to the training grounds before he could really test what they could do though.
"So? What do you think?" Kurobe asked with a smile as he approached the teen.
"This is great! They are so much lighter and the magic conductivity is far greater than the normal iron weapons I've been using!" Rito responded with a pleased smile as he put the weapons back on the counter. He knew from the folks in town that Kurobe and Kaijin were the best blacksmiths in town, and apparently Kaijin had been the best blacksmith in a nation of Dwarves. If that didn't say something about his talent, then what else would? "I'll have to test them out in training or on the field before I can give any proper feedback, though."
"That's absolutely fine, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. This weapon is made out of 50% Magisteel, I'm sure it will last you a very long time, especially since it will grow as you do." Kurobe said as he wrapped the weapons and gave them to Rito. The teen was surprised to hear the weapons had such an ability.
Kurobe escorted him towards the door of the shop, Rito then turned back towards the Kijin once more and bowed his head in gratitude.
"Thank you again for this! I'll make sure I put it to good use, I'll be sure to drop by and properly thank Kaijin as well." He said before standing up straight. With a wave and one more thanks, the boy made his way into the village streets once more, heading towards the training grounds and eager to try out his new weapons.
~~~
~~~
It had been a week since she left her home and had only recently entered the Great Forest of Jura. According to her father's spies, the presence of the Storm Dragon Veredia had disappeared from the forest she had been sealed in centuries ago. Something which her father could not allow, given his plans for the sealed True Dragon. If she had been freed or had somehow broken out of the seal, then that would have been more manageable, though extremely difficult to deal with, but he still claimed he would be able to resolve it.
Unfortunately, the problem was that the Storm Dragon had completely vanished from the forest months ago, and thus far, there hadn't been a single sighting or report of its whereabouts. Which would prove to be rather detrimental to his plans, as the Storm Dragon was the key to her father's goal to become the strongest being in this new world.
'Oh, right. I guess I forgot to properly introduce myself. My name is Sumire Makino, and I'm 16 years old. A few years ago, my father and I were summoned into this world, known as the Cardinal World, a world drastically different from our own. A world filled with monsters, magic, and all kinds of things you would only see in dreams or nightmares.'
'When we first came to we found ourselves in a nation called the Heavenly Kingdom of Angelus. A kingdom in this world that was known for worshipping Angels, which apparently were also a real thing here. They even had the corpse of an Archangel that they revered and worshipped. Apparently, it had perished in something called the Great Tenma War and the people of Angelus had kept it around since, praying to it as though it were a deity or something.'
'I initially struggled in this world, always crying and begging dad to take us back home, especially since I missed mom a lot. But even he didn't know the way back. However, the same could not be said for my father, who took to this world like a sponge in water. Having been a researcher in our old world, he was immediately drawn to the magic and wonder of this world.'
'Unlike me, who was physically transported via summoning from one world to the next, my father went through something called reincarnation. With his soul having been reborn within a golem body made from the corpse of an Angel. For a nation that worshipped Angels, this was a miraculous act. They viewed my father as an incarnated Angel, and he was revered. With that kind of influence and power, it didn't take him long to rise and become the leader of the nation, Taking its name 'Angelus' for himself..'
'But of course that wasn't enough…'
*Booomm!!*
Sumire was brought out of her thoughts by a ground shaking explosion occurring further ahead within the forest, instantly putting the young girl on guard. Jura was a forest that was home to various types of monsters, and she had ventured in expecting to come across quite a few. But surprisingly, her journey thus far had been smooth sailing, almost as though someone had cleared the monsters before she even got here.
Which is why the explosion put her on guard, she could even see a cloud of smoke rising into the nearby. Against her better judgement, she rushed towards the scene, sword drawn and shield grasped firmly in preparation for a confrontation.
"Come on ladies, let's calm down and talk about this! I came to you with a pretty sweet deal!"
The scene Sumire arrived at was, as she expected, a battle. A fight between four individuals, three on one by the looks of it. She was quickly able to identify three of the individuals as Dryads by their soft green glow, their spiritual aura, and how they fit the descriptions of the forest managers her father had told her about. They truly were the epitome of grace and beauty, just looking at them filled Sumire with a sense of calm.
The person, or rather the Majin, on the opposing end of these tree spirits was an individual dressed rather strangely for Sumire's taste, with a laughing clown mask on his face. He was also the one responsible for the words just shouted right now.
"I mean, having bodies of your own would mean being free to travel anywhere you please. You wouldn't be bound to this forest anymore! Not that you want to be here when the Orc Lord claims this forest as his own!" The Clown shouted as he dodged another barrage of vines and roots that sprouted from the ground beneath him in an attempt to pierce him. "I mean come on, all you have to do is swear loyalty to a Demon Lord and you can have this sweet body!" He pulled out an artificial body that resembled an androgynous individual. Sumire, who was hiding in the bushes nearby, couldn't help but be disgusted by the sight of it.
"Enough of this!" Treyni shouted in annoyance and disgust of her own as she stepped up in front of her sisters. "As we've already told you, we are not interested in your offer. We Dryads are the managers of this forest, a role entrusted to us by Lady Veredia. We would never abandon our duty to serve some lowly Demon Lord!" She said as she glared at the Majin, the energy around her intensifying as the wind picked up. "Spirit summoning: Sylphide!!"
At Treyni's call, the Greater Elemental of Wind manifested beside her, its voice Angelic and its form the very definition of ethereal beauty, Sumire couldn't help but be mesmerized just by looking at it. The gasp she let out in that moment was unknowingly heard by Laplace despite the current turbulence.
'Oh? What do we have here? A spectator?' Laplace ponders before turning his attention back to the Dryads, in particular Treyni.
"For disrupting the peace within this forest and bringing calamity to our doorstep, you shall face divine punishment." Treyni said as dozens of glowing leaves formed around her person. "Ariel Blade!" Treyni shouted as she, along with Sylphide, released multiple blades of compressed air towards Laplace.
"Whoa whoa, hey!" Laplace screamed in panic as he jumped around left and right dodging the wind blades targeted at him, accidentally dropping the Homunculus he had been holding. 'There's just no talking to these girls, sorry Clayman looks like they aren't interested. At this point, it's better to just have them fed to the Orc Lord.' Laplace concluded. Judging by everything he had seen, and what he knew of the Dryads, there was a chance that they were already working alongside the Majin that was going around claiming to be the new guardian of the forest. 'Actually, there's a chance they might even be working under him.'
"Say, you ladies wouldn't happen to know anything about there being a new guardian within the Great Forest of Jura, would you?" Laplace went on to ask, the answer he got to his question was numerous wind blades coming in once more, these ones moving a lot faster than the last.
The blades struck Laplace head on before the clown could properly react, a cloud of dust forming at the point of impact. However, when the dust settled, Laplace himself was nowhere to be seen. Neither the Dryads nor Sumire could tell where the clown faced Majin had disappeared.
"Whoops, seems I touched a soft spot."
"Kyaaa!"
Sumire literally jumped out of her hiding spot when she heard the voice of Laplace whisper against her ear from behind, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. The young girl swiftly turned around to face the clown, blade drawn and pointed at him, and her shield clutched in the other hand as she prepared herself for a potential fight.
'This Majin…he's strong. Not only did he manage to hold his own against three Dryads and even a Greater Elemental Spirit, but he managed to completely get past my guard without me even noticing him.' Sumire thought as she kept her eyes on Laplace, whose posture didn't even seem concerned, almost as though he didn't consider her a viable threat.
"Why are humans so jumpy, I didn't even do anything." Laplace said with a shrug before turning around and starting to walk away from the area. "Well, I suppose my mission ended as a failure anyways, so I might as well get out of here." He added as he threw his hands behind his head. Treyni was just about to prevent him from escaping with another attack, but…
"W-wait!" Sumire suddenly called out, her voice quivering slightly, prompting Laplace to stop. Turning his head back to look at the girl from the corner of his eyes.
"Hmm?" It was only out of mild curiosity that the clown had stopped, and because he didn't consider anyone here to be a threat to his life.
"Earlier on, you mentioned the Orc Lord…" Sumire spoke up, gathering the courage to speak without seeming like a coward. "What do you know about him and the army marching through the forest?" Sumire asked, that was one of the reasons she was here in the first place, to learn about the Orc Army that had been seen entering the Great Forest of Jura from the borders near Eurazania, even Treyni and her sisters stopped and turned to Sumire, now more curious as to who the girl was and how she was aware of what was going on.
"Oh? Are you curious?" Laplace said almost teasingly as he turned to fully face the girl and Dryads once more. "Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to share that information. If you want to find out how this particular story ends, then you're gonna have to stick around and find out! Toodles!"
Before any of them could react, Laplace threw four orange balls that appeared in-between his fingers onto the ground, a burst of orange smoke suddenly blocking their view of the clown. When it cleared he was gone, without a single trace of his presence remaining.
"…He escaped. How disappointing." Treyni said with a sigh as Sylphide vanished from her side, returning to the Spirit Realm.
"There's a chance that this Majin was working alongside Gelmude. Both of them spoke about being in service of a Demon Lord." Doris pointed out, to which Treyni nodded her head in agreement.
"Big sister, what do we do with this thing?" Trya asked her tone carrying hints of displeasure as she walked over to the body that Laplace had left behind in his retreat. Treyni and Doris couldn't help but also frown in disgust at the sight of it.
"Dispose of it." Treyni replied quickly in irritation. "To think that Majin tried to earn our loyalty by offering us a corpse without a soul. The nerve…"
"W-wait! You can't just throw that away!" Sumire suddenly shouted as she held her hands out to stop Trya. Her eyes widened immediately after as she realized what she had just done, shouting at a Dryad.
"And why not?" Treyni asked as she and her sisters turned their attention to Sumire, making the young girl more than a little bit nervous to be under the eyes of not just one, but three Dryads. Regardless, she gathered up the courage to speak, wanting to explain the value of the body they were just going to throw away.
"That body's a Homunculus. An artificial body, or humanoid vessel if you prefer, made for spiritual life-forms or souls to inhabit and gain a material form. It's a very rare and valuable thing that's only commonly found in the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion. But even then, Sarion refuses to share the methods of creating such a body and they most certainly don't trade it." Sumire said as she looked at the artificial body on the ground. "Honestly, I was rather shocked to see that this Majin was just casually carrying one around."
The only reason Sumire knew about this was because she had been looking into acquiring a body for one of her friends back home. The body she had acquired upon being transferred to this world was not suitable for her, and as a result was tearing at her soul. Sumire didn't expect to find one just being dumped right in front of her like this!
"Is that so? If that's the case, then we should at the very least bring this to Lord Rimuru, he may find use for it if it is deemed as something valuable in other nations." Treyni said to Trya, who promptly made the Homunculus disappear with her magic before turning her attention back to Sumire. "Now may I ask who you are? I am the Dryad Treyni, one of the managers of the Great Forest of Jura." She went on to introduce herself.
"Oh uh, my name is Sumire Makino of the Heavenly Kingdom of Angelus. It's nice to meet you." Sumire says with the bow of her head, Treyni and her sisters seemed to relax a bit more around her, as they were able to tell that she meant them no harm.
"I see, may I ask what brings you to this forest? Judging by the fact that you're already aware of the fact that danger lurks within these lands, I can only assume you're here to either observe or intervene?" Treyni asked, referring to the way that Sumire had questioned Laplace about the Orc Lord and his army.
"W-well, yeah! Given that our nation borders the Orc Kingdom, with both of us being between the forest and Demon Lord domains, it's only natural that we would look into why the peaceful Orcs had suddenly become so violent, and if perhaps they would pose a threat to us as well." Sumire explained as best as she could, her eyes shifting to the ground as she failed to meet the questioning gaze of Treyni.
It wasn't a lie by any means, though. With the Orc Kingdom being between Jura and Eurazania, and the Heavenly Kingdom being between Jura and Fulbrosia, the two smaller nations were also bordered with each other. The only reason they never interacted was due to racial differences and beliefs. Plus, neither wanted to earn the ire of the Demon Lords close to them by interacting with those on the other side of the border.
"You must be quite strong if you were sent here all alone, then I suppose we can count on your help when it comes to dealing with the Orc Lord?" Treyni asked with a bright smile as she clasped her hands in front of her. Despite the brilliant smile, Sumire felt that this wasn't the type of request that she could say no to, there was a certain amount of terror and even an ominous aura behind that smile.
"I-I suppose I could lend a hand." Sumire responded as she turned away from Treyni, her face going red with embarrassment from being coerced so easily. 'If father was here, I wouldn't hear the end of it from him.' She thought to herself, already seeing him giving her a stern lecture for not being more forward and easily bending to the will of others.
Well, she did have another reason for agreeing in the first place. Aside from investigating the situation with the Orc Lord, she still had to learn about what had happened with the Storm Dragon, and its whereabouts.
"That's wonderful, I'm sure Lord Rimuru would be very grateful for your aid." Treyni said as the ominous aura from before vanished, as if it had never been there to begin with. Her expression then became serious as she addressed everyone present. "The current situation is a lot more dire than we originally thought, though. If the Orc Lord and his army are truly being instigated by someone, then this means there's most likely a higher power at work. More than likely the Demon Lord that clown Majin was working for, it's also more than likely that it's the same Demon Lord that Gelmude serves."
"If that's true, then shouldn't we reach out to Lord Rimuru? He did tell us to call him immediately in the event of an emergency." Doris pointed out.
"Indeed, that's exactly what you're going to do, Doris." Treyni replied. "Focus all your efforts on trying to reach Lord Rimuru. In the meantime Trya, you will go speak to Souei and Apito about keeping an eye on the Orc Army's movements, they have the best reconnaissance abilities aside from our own abilities in relation to the forest. After that gather our sisters and warn as many tribes and species within the forest of the oncoming threat, as even the strongest species in the forest are potentially vulnerable to the Orc Army." Treyni explained as both Doris and Trya nodded their head in confirmation to their assigned tasks.
"What about you, sister?" Trya asked.
"I'll rally the allied forces under Lord Rimuru and make an appropriate evacuation plan for them, as well as countermeasures against the Orcs." Treyni responded. "The more allies we have in the incoming fight, the greater our chances of survival will be. So I'm counting on you." Treyni said as she placed a hand on Trya's shoulder encouragingly.
"Right, I won't let you down!" Trya said before vanishing in a burst of leaves.
"Doris, I'll leave you to contact Lord Rimuru. There's a chance that even with more numbers, we won't be able to win against the Orc Lord without his aid." Treyni said.
She was well aware of the Orc Lord's Unique Skill [Starved]. It, along with those it commanded, would be able to steal the powers and traits of those they devoured. Having greater numbers was both a boon and a disadvantage in one such situation. If they were able to kill the Orc Lord before it could gain anymore powers, then all the better. Otherwise, the longer the battle dragged out…
"Leave it to me." Doris said before she too vanished. Treyni then turned toward Sumire with a smile.
"Well then, I guess that just leaves us. Please follow me, Sumire." Treyni said as she began walking further into the forest.
"R-right!!"
~~~
Canaat Mountains:
"Ugh…" Rimuru groaned as he regained consciousness, sitting up straight as he rubbed the back of his head. The battle with the Spatial Dragon Lord had exhausting and had certainly pushed him in a manner that was beyond anything he had encountered since coming to this world. He could already feel that his strength had already returned, and his physical condition was perfect. In fact, he felt stronger than ever, no doubt due to consuming the Dragon Lord. His overall magicule capacity was several times larger than what it had been before the fight, and he could also feel a drastic increase in his physical strength. He would have to test his new power eventually, but for the time being, he needed to know just how much he had grown.
《Notice: Would you like me to list the skills acquired from the Dragon Lord?》
'Uh, sure thing partner. Go ahead.' Rimuru replied, it seemed [Great Sage] was ahead of him as usual. Then again, it tended to always show some kind of excitement when it came to meddling with his skills and abilities.
《Understood: The following Extra Skills were gained from the consumption of the Spatial Dragon Lord:
[Universal Shapeshift] - Allows the user to freely alter their bodily properties and disguise their appearance however they desire, with hardly any effort.
[Mana Manipulation] - allows the user to better control Mana, allowing for exceptional direct manipulation of Magicules and molecules in the air to manipulate and utilize various elements, while also allowing the user to disrupt the usage of magic by others. Also greatly increases the user's resistance to Magic.
[Predictive Calculation] - Allows the user to calculate something and predict the outcomes based on their calculations depending on the user's ability. Can be used to read the user's flow of power to prevent waste and predict the future of any actions or events with complex calculations.
[Ultraspeed Regeneration] - Grants the user incredible regenerative properties far superior to those afforded by [Rapid Regeneration]. Any injury and damage that doesn't instantaneously kill the user can be regenerated very quickly as long as the user has magicules.]
[Spatial Domination] - Gives the user complete control over the Element of Space. It allows the user to freely switch between spaces, performing teleportation easily, creating or imbuing attacks with the Spatial element, creating pocket dimensions, as well as block or restrict others from using Spatial abilities.
Furthermore, the user has also acquired the Extra Skills [Ultraspeed Action, [Ultraspeed Reaction, [Ultra Sense, and [Ultra Intuition]. Using [Degenerate, the 4 Extra Skills were merged and amplified to form the [Extra Skill: Ultra Instinct, allowing the user to detect and discern anything no matter how abstract and automatically act/react to any situation or threat with the best possible move with near-perfect timing and judgement.
After devouring the Dragon Lord, the Intrinsic Skill [Dragon Scales] has evolved into [Iron Scales] , greatly boosting the user's overall defensive abilities. 》
'Whoa, no wonder this Dragon was so hard to beat! I figured most of its skills were Dragon or Spatial related, but it was actually far more powerful than I gave it credit for. How the hell did we win that fight?' Rimuru couldn't help but think, with all these skills, that Dragon Lord should have been near impossible to touch.
《Answer: From the beginning of the fight, I was working to analyze and suppress the skills of the Dragon Lord using the sub-skill [Skill Disable] of the [Unique Skill: Desire] while you were focused on the fight. The luck factor of [Chosen One] also played a key role in our victory.》
'In other words, if I was missing even one of those Unique Skills, I could have died in that fight.' It wasn't a question, but a fact that Rimuru had to acknowledge. Throughout that fight, [Great Sage] had been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to support him, but it was only now that Rimuru realized just how close to death he had been.
《…That is correct.》
That pause from [Great Sage] was enough to let Rimuru know that he truly had been lucky in every sense of the word.
'Well, I suppose that means I just need to keep improving. Even with all these new skills, I can't afford to let myself become complacent. I can't always be relying on you to save my ass.' Rimuru thought in determination.
《…I don't mind. This is my purpose.》
'…even if you say that…' Rimuru shook his head sideways as he stood up. He knew [Great Sage] meant well. That it liked when he relied on it, but Rimuru wanted to lessen its burden by mastering more of his abilities faster. At least that way, it would have room to focus on the more important stuff.
《...》
Deciding to leave that conversation there, Rimuru looked at his surrounding and realized that he was in a cave. A rather large one for that, it must have been the den of the Dragon Lord, he could feel a faint trace of its aura and scent around the place. More than likely, Ranga and Zegion had brought him here after he passed out from the fight with the Dragon Lord. Walking towards the entrance he saw both Zegion and Ranga by the entrance, keeping guard.
"Ranga, Zegion…" he called out to them, prompting them to swiftly turn their heads towards him.
"Master/Lord Rimuru!" Ranga and Zegion shouted respectively. Ranga quickly crashed his body into Rimuru, nuzzling against him affectionately. Zegion, on the other hand, came close but didn't do anything overly dramatic like that.
"I'm so happy to see that you are awake, master!" Ranga said excitedly.
"Indeed, I'm glad to see you fully recovered, my lord." Zegion said, expressing his own relief at his full recovery.
"Sorry if I worried the two of you, but thank you for keeping watch and making sure I was safe." Rimuru thanked them with a smile as he rubbed the top of their heads.
At this point, he thought it was better for them to just go on back home, this journey had proved to be far more fruitful than he thought it would be. Having grown over several times stronger and significantly improved his technique in the last few weeks, along with acquiring multiple Extra Skills that would be extremely useful in countless ways in the long-run. And not just him, Ranga and Zegion had each grown considerably as well, with [Great Sage] hinting at the possibility of Ranga evolving soon due to having been exposed to Rimuru's Magicules within his shadow in addition to his growth from training.
All in all, the trip was worth it, there was no need to risk their lives further, or disrupt the status quo here within these mountains. He was likely already pushing it with all the Dragons he consumed, especially the Spatial Dragon Lord, and he wasn't eager to fight any other Dragon Lords even with his greater power and new skills. And that wasn't even considering the possibility of stirring up trouble for Dwargon if he tried fighting any more of the stronger Dragons, as Kaijin warned him beforehand.
《Notice: Strange magical signature has been detected nearby.》
'Huh?' Rimuru was caught off-guard by the sudden alert from [Great Sage]. 'Is it another hostile?'
《No, no hostile intent detected.》
Rimuru took a second to carefully think about it. On one hand, he had just come from a battle that he barely came out alive from. And more than anything, he just wanted to go home. But he couldn't deny that his curiosity had been piqued.
~~~
Rimuru had Ranga and Zegion get in his shadow, following the directions of [Great Sage]. With [Spatial Domination], he could now just vanish in an instant in the event that trouble awaited them at the source of this strange magic energy.
It didn't take him long until he reached two large gates that were built at the base of an enormous rock-like structure, intricate carvings by the pillars near the gates. These things looked to be very old, like thousands of years.
"Why am I getting a strange sense of deja-vu?" Rimuru questioned out loud as he gazed at the large gates. For a moment, he was almost reminded of the Sealed Cave where his mother had been sealed for the last three hundred years. 'Being this close to the gate, I can feel the strange energy that [Great Sage] was talking about…'
Whatever was beyond these gates had a strong presence, far stronger than the power that Rimuru had, even after eating the Spatial Dragon Lord. And he could sense no malice or hostility from whatever it was…in fact he couldn't even sense any emotions at all.
'Well, I won't get anywhere just standing around out here.' He thought to himself, before pushing the large doors apart. A bright light greeted him as he did so, forcing him to close his eyes shut.
…When his eyes adapted to the sudden light, they couldn't help but widen at what he saw.
"Well, what are the odds of that…"