The light of the magic circle flashed away, and I was back in the woods, just a few miles from the city where my kids were stolen. Today was the day I would get the answers I needed.
Brimming with both motivation and magicules, I approached Rura.
I was ready.
Even from a distance, I could hear the alarm bells ringing. Without the mask that Yuuki broke (the thought made my hatred start to boil all over again), my aura was massive, and I was having a hard time trying to control it.
Well, not that I needed to, at least not yet.
Shaking my head, I stopped bothering trying to rein in my crazy amount of magicules. I had more important things to focus on first.
In the air above the city, I could see the army assembling, and civilians thronging the streets. It looked like an evacuation was underway.
So much the better for me.
Rura was covered by a powerful anti-monster barrier. I might be able to break through, if I had to, but it was imbued with a weakening effect that I did not want to deal with when confronting Yuuki.
While I was a teacher I tolerated it, but now I needed to be at full capacity.
So what first, then? I thought, glancing down at the soldiers who were marching under me, shouting threats. Right now I was out of reach high above them.
[[Rura's barrier is powered by four crystalline nodes guarded in towers on the outskirts. I recommend destroying those first.]]
Alright then, I nodded. Thanks, Sage. Angling my wings, I shot off toward the nearest one.
I would make this quick–in and out. Smash the crystal, leave as many people alone as I could. Whatever Milim said, I was better than that–I could do this with minimal loss of life.
An apprehensive feeling appeared in the back of my mind that seemed to be coming from Wise One, but I ignored it and shot down to ground level. Smashing through the top of the tower could cause rubble to crush people.
Blowing back the guards in front of me, I tore my way through them and to the gate of the tower grounds, knocking people back with my hands and wings.
Behind me, [Magic Sense] told me about the resulting deaths my charge had caused, but even when I was being gentle as possible I knew I couldn't spare everyone. My aura was causing enough damage on its own–and I couldn't afford to be too careful here. Shoving it out of my mind, I blasted the gate with [Black Flame].
Tearing through the little yard to the tower, I leaped over a bunch of assembled men, kicking their weapons away, and smashed through the door like a battering ram.
The crystal was in the center of the room, surrounded by a circle of more guards. Without hesitation, I dashed forward and through them before any of them could react, then raised a hand and chopped through the crystal, causing the device to shatter into dozens of shards.
Then I doubled back, punching a guy into a wall when he got in my way, left the tower and shot into the air toward the next quarter of the city.
I did the same with the second as I did with the first, violently smashing my way inside, just to be met with something that caused me to pause: someone stepping forward to stand between me and the group of normal soldiers. His clothes and armor indicated he was a Temple Knight of that racist church.
How do I deal with this?
I knew they'd be here, but I didn't want to tangle with them directly. It was too risky… yet here's this guy. Right in the way of my goal. I swallowed nervously.
"Stand down, m-monster!" The knight shouted, brandishing his spear, "if you leave quietly, I-I won't have to unleash the p-power of my g-god Luminous upon you, foul creature!"
Yeah, that wasn't really an option, though.
Crap, how do I deal with this?!
Wise One seemed to be about to say something, but its voice was lost in my ears as I became distracted by a glance at the knight's feet.
He was shaking–literally trembling at the knees.
Is he that scared of me? He really didn't seem all that confident, even though I was pretty sure I was the one on the back foot here. I've never been hit with Holy Magic before… what would it do to me, anyway?
"Begone! H-holy Spear Strike!" Just as I was starting to contemplate darting past him to get to the crystal, the knight stepped forward and unleashed a holy attack. At the exact same time my brain got back on track, and I thought, What if it's an insta-kill kind of thing when it comes to monsters!?
I had been too off-guard to run, or even notice the attack charging up, and I flinched as a beam of holy light hit me head on.
It dissipated against me, and I peeked an eye open, analyzing the odd tingling feeling that washed over me. It almost didn't even sting.
Looking at the holy knight, he was as shocked as I was. Absolutely horrified, his mouth working in a silent plea for help. We stared at each other for a moment… and then he tipped backwards on the floor. Unconscious.
Guess I didn't need to be so worried after all.
The guards surrounding the crystal were even worse off. Some of them had dropped their weapons and were praying. The one at the front of the group, all body-blocking the crystal, had tears in his eyes as he grimly brought his sword up between us.
What a circus.
I shook my head in exasperation, darting forward and slamming my way through them with little resistance. Once the crystal was broken, I moved on.
The third was much the same, just barreling through some human obstacles and dipping right afterward.
The fourth crystal… hoo boy. Is this a 'hoo boy'? Or are these guys weak too?
[[The main party in sight are all ranked A according to the guild system. Analysis failed on the individual in front–possession of a Unique Skill is surmised. Other individuals are B or C-ranked.]]
So should I be a little more careful here?
[[Correct.]]
About twenty adventurers were standing between me and the wall surrounding the tower, four of them A-ranked, who seemed to be in the same party.
I stayed hovering in the air just above them, wings flapping idly. A few mages seemed to have erected a hasty barrier–it looked easy to break, but I worried it might take me one second long enough to leave me exposed to the A-rankers.
"Demon!" The guy who seemed to be in charge of this motley crowd, a huge, muscle-bound dude, shouted up at me. He was the one Wise One said had a unique skill.
Man, he really was massive. Just towering over all these other guys, and looking like he'd burst out of his own skin with all that muscle.
"I am called by many names!" He roared. "The Giant of the West, The Boulder, Earth Cleaver!" He raised a huge, spiked club above his head. "But you will know me as… Tiffany!"
In any other situation, that speech might've had me laughing myself out of the sky. But I still couldn't help a smirk at the guy's funny name, holding in a chuckle.
"I will be the bringer of your demise!" Tiffany shouted.
Sage?
[[Your path is clear.]]
I didn't need to be told twice. I threw myself at the obstacle in front of me, determined to make it crumble like everything else.
My fist hit Tiffany square in the chest, too fast for him to block. As our eyes met, I saw him smirk.
"GuUuUuUuUuh," I shuddered, my entire body vibrating with the force of my own blow.
Maybe he wasn't trying to block me.
Flapping my wings, I tried to regain some distance, but another one of the A-rankers was behind me, whacking me out of the air, and in a second I was surrounded by mooks.
Wise One!? I asked, a little bit frightened as I started playing defensive.
[[Effect of Unique skill confirmed. Unique Skill [Bulwark]: reflects some degree of kinetic force directed against the user back to the attacker.]]
I jumped up, trying to get back into the air, but someone grabbed my ankle and yanked me right back to the ground.
"Let go!" I snarled, whipping around and literally chopping the man's arm bone in half with my hand. He let go with a scream of pain, while I took to the sky again.
Looking down, someone else was still holding on, on my other arm. With an annoyed sneer, I grabbed him, and did a flip, whipping them into the ground on top of a few other guys.
I heard a crunch that could make a grown man nauseous, but I paid little attention to it.
"STOP!" I roared, calling on my [Coercion] skill for the first time in a while, and putting as much force into it as I possibly could. Waves of menacing aura pressed down on the people below me, and the majority fell to the ground, some crying out in fear.
Only a handful of B-rankers and the A-rankers held onto their composure.
"It has a coercion skill!" One of the A-rank adventurers shouted, "don't fall for its bluff!"
I didn't think the handful of guys here who just died of shock would call it a "bluff", but whatever.
I dove again, aiming to take out one of the B-rank adventurers still standing. An A-ranker got in my way, but I dodged them, striking the first adventurer in the back.
He fell to the ground, and after a minute started shouting that he couldn't get up. Meanwhile I grappled with the A-ranker, who was trying to pull me down while I was in the air, for a second before kicking him in the face and escaping.
Two other B-rank adventurers were defeated, and then I had to focus on the party of A-rankers.
"Fast little squirt," one of them said as they regrouped, spitting on the ground. "And here I was hoping it wouldn't be that much of a threat, being that small."
"Size doesn't matter when it comes to demons," Tiffany rumbled. And he seemed to be just fast enough to catch my intent before I moved, because he added, "it's go time."
Tiffany stepped between me and one of his party members whose head I was trying to knock in. Thrusting his palm against my chest, he used his skill somehow to create a force that sent me back, flapping my wings for balance as I landed back on the ground.
"If you step aside, I'll leave you unharmed," I threatened, hoping that despite the miniscule chance I could end this quickly. This was taking too long, I couldn't let Yuuki get away before I found him.
"Not a chance!" One of them dashed to my right, raising a big axe above my head. I hopped back and the weapon cleaved through the brick pavement.
Taking the opening, I kicked the guy in the stomach, then grabbed him by the collar and dashed forward to escape a blow from his compatriots.
Whipping around, I used just a bit of [Gravity Manipulation], and threw the guy across the city before his companions could reach us. I still wasn't very good with that skill, but I could apply it to objects at least.
Three to go.
"Mark!" One of the adventurers shouted, and I took advantage of his distraction to cross the distance, winding up a right hook.
"Not so fast!" The third knocked me out of my trajectory, and a wall of a nearby building fell away from the force of my fist.
Following the momentum I leaned forward on my hands and did a sweeping kick which connected with the guy's head. He fell to the ground, out for the count, and I did the same to his companion.
"Alright, big guy," I hissed, turning around. "Just you and me now."
"Hm." Tiffany looked at his fallen companions at my feet. "Wish we had more time to prepare; a month isn't long to get to know new companions."
He obviously thought I couldn't do much to him, but he thought wrong. While he was busy yapping, I dashed toward him as fast as I could.
"Oogh!" Tiffany's pained shout was lost on me, I was too busy shoving my sword through his gut.
Then I lit it on fire.
"AAAAAAH!" Tiffany screamed, losing concentration. I guess his skill works best on blunt-force weapons, I thought as I used [Sticky-Steel Thread] to keep him in place, and twisted the blade.
His screams cut off, and I got out of the way just before Tiffany would have collapsed on me, unconscious.
Dang, he's tough. I was hoping that would kill him; but he was out for the count. Now I just had the crystal to destroy.
Cries of shock and despair rose from the city as the barrier disappeared above the people's heads. Surely, everyone in the city believed they were in serious danger, if they hadn't already figured that out.
Zig-zagging across the city as I headed to the Free Academy, trying to mentally block out the panic I was causing, I scanned as deeply as possible for any sign of Greater Spirits. Any sign of my kids.
It was an ugly situation. Buildings were on fire. People were rioting. Windows were broken, the streets were thronged with people trying to flee.
Scaring everyone was a price I was willing to pay, though. I could dwell on it later.
As I approached the school, my [Magic Sense] picked up a human signature, standing alone at the campus gate. When I landed in front of them, I saw that it was Captain Reiner. The one who'd taunted me in that prison cell.
At first I almost ignored him, but suddenly a thought occurred. This is good, I realized. He'd probably know what happened to the kids, or at least something about it given his position.
If I could get the information I needed from him, I wouldn't have to face Yuuki. As much as I would like to finish him off for what he did, this was the safer option.
"Captain Reiner," I said, folding my wings behind me but keeping them ready in case I needed a quick getaway.
He was obviously expecting a fight, but seeing I had opened up the option for dialogue, Reiner smirked and answered, "Rimuru Tempest. I thought you would show up here again. Here for round two? Not satisfied with what you took already? I will say, you've put on a better show than last time, but that won't last for much longer."
"Took?" I frowned. "What do you mean 'took'?"
"Aw, don't play innocent with me, you little monster."
I kinda wanted to smack him for the condescending tone, but not only was I unsure I could hold back enough not to kill him in this state, I needed to keep him talking.
Fortunately, he was happy to oblige without me even doing anything. "Things like you make me sick," he sneered. "Back for seconds, and not even slightly remorseful for what you've done."
What is this idiot even going on about? Whatever it was, it was making me dangerously angry.
"Seconds?" This was getting confusing. "I'm only here for answers, nothing else. Tell me what happened to my students."
"What happened?" Reiner stared at me, then broke down in laughter. "What happened!?" He roared, and I thought I detected rage in his voice. Pointing his sword at me, he growled, "you happened! You were entrusted with the safety of those poor children by the Grandmaster. I hear they loved you. Yet you stole them away for your own sick enjoyment! Tell me, how did they taste?"
"T–!?" I was appalled. "T-taste!? I've never eaten any children! Who would do that!?"
"You, apparently," Reiner said severely. "You poor thing. You must have been so crazed and feral you didn't even realize what you were doing. I recognize that bestial look in your eyes, there's nothing left in you. But if you have even a shred of sense left, surrender yourself to me. You can still do good while living under the control of humani–"
Before another thought could even cross my mind, I closed the distance between us and caved in his face with my fist.
Reiner's titanic figure fell backwards, his body hitting the ground with a loud, final thump.
Whoops. Dangit, that guy would've been so much easier to get information out of than Yuuki.
[[There was only a 0.01% chance he had any knowledge worth retrieving.]]
[Wise One] sounded pretty mad itself, and I couldn't say I didn't agree.
After that assurance from my partner, I was confident we didn't need to dwell on this. I didn't bother looking at the mutilated corpse, and just walked past it as I headed toward the school.
Focusing my [Magic Sense], I couldn't find so much as a single soul anywhere in the building, and my kids definitely weren't here. It seemed to have been evacuated.
But… could Yuuki's "anti-skill" work on stuff like [Magic Sense]?
I would be just like him to wait until my back was turned, and spring out of some empty classroom to deliver the final blow.
"YUUKI!" I bellowed, my aura tearing up the courtyard trees. "GET OUT HERE YOU COWARD!"
No response.
If he wasn't coming to me, then I would find him. With an enraged shout, I summoned [Black Lightning] and blasted the walls of the school apart.
"Hey Yuuki!" I roared, walking forward and firing an aura bullet into some of the inner walls.
Inside the building I started a fire with [Black Flame], watching with a cold tightness in my chest as it caught on and engulfed everything in reach, without me even needing to control it.
"YUUKI!" My aura was becoming destructive with rage, cracks appearing in the walls and ceilings. I gathered it around me, and then blasted it, causing over half the building to explode from the inside.
I fired a [Hell Flare] and obliterated half of campus, then shot an aura bullet in the other direction to take out the sole remaining wall.
I was now under the open sky, which roiled with storm clouds caused by my rampaging aura. A small part of me thought I should control it, since I was inside the city, but it was quickly blotted out by the maelstrom of emotions welling in me.
That coward. I come all this way, and he doesn't even have the guts to face what he did!
He's probably escaped already, I thought, and bitter grief welled up in my chest.
"HEY, YUUKI!" I shot into the air and then came down, hard, on a pile of rubble, crushing it beneath me and throwing all sorts of magic around. "If you don't show your ugly face right now, I'll smash your stupid little adventurers' guild too!"
While I waited I looked at the mass destruction of the school grounds, and felt a pang of guilt, but it only lasted a moment.
Without my students, the memories in this place were just empty and painful. It was only fitting that the building itself became the same.
Frankly, I was doing Rura a favor. Who knew how many other people Yuuki had betrayed, in a place where they were supposed to be protected by him.
At that thought, the storm above became worse as my aura was filled with rage.
The adventurers' guild wasn't far, but I made sure to smash every building in between to splinters, and a few extra for good measure. Just in case Yuuki was trying to hide nearby, laughing at me.
I landed just out of sight of the adventurers guild headquarters, putting my wings away. Scanning the whole area with [Magic Sense], I peeked around a corner, cautious of any traps Yuuki might spring on me.
The guild was guarded by a couple dozen adventurers. Was this Yuuki's doing? …did that mean I'd found him?
[[Unknown. It is also possible they are simply too stupid to flee.]]
Wise One had a point.
In that case, they're just asking for it if they get hurt.
First I wanted to comb the building, every scrap of it, for Yuuki. I couldn't just smash it this time since, besides being slow going with the magic reinforcements, the magic circle to reach Yuuki's offices was inside. I couldn't risk breaking that before I'd eliminated all possible hideaways.
Some of the adventurers were patrolling the ground right outside, and I saw a few more in the windows. I didn't want to deal with them, as every second was a second wasted by this point.
I ran headlong for the door to the guild. It wasn't empty, there were even some adventurers guarding the door, blocking my way. I didn't have any patience for them.
I blasted my way past them and entered the building.
Shocked screams and shouts rang out from all the people collected inside, but I didn't pay much attention. I had one target and none of these people were him.
Using my wings and [Gravity Manipulation] to move as quickly as possible, I smashed into every room I could find, looked around for Yuuki, and moved on to the next. The building was organized into wings that all started at the reception, so I had to keep coming back to the front, and it was shaving precious seconds off my clock.
Just as I was racing back after checking the last one, I heard shouts.
"There!" One of them pointed at me, and I ignored them, skidding across the floor and then booking it for the Restricted area, where Yuuki kept the magic circle.
The adventurers were fast. I smashed through the door and activated the circle, turning around just in time to see their expressions of shock and anger right before I disappeared.
[[Notice: self-destructing magic circle detected. You will be unable to return.]]
That's exactly what I want, I thought.
Instead of the offices, however, I wound back up under the stormy sky, where it was starting to rain heavily.
I'd teleported in mid-air, and quickly caught myself with my wings, flapping rhythmically to hover. Below me, hundreds of people were packed into the street, panicking as they tried to throng out of what seemed to be one of the poorer districts.
When I appeared, their faces all turned up at me in terror.
Sage, why am I…?
I didn't get a chance to finish my question, because something about the air brushing against my wings forced me to flip around on instinct, just in time to catch a fist from Yuuki to the face.
It was on.
We crashed a few moments later right into the colosseum, tumbling through a handful of streets on the way.
"Shame the gladiatorial barrier ain't up, huh? Not that it'd do much." Yuuki was mocking me right away, trying to make a game of all of this. I'd never really noticed it before, but he always had done that.
"Just what's wrong with you, bastard?" I couldn't really spit, but I could feel the slime in my cheeks bubbling.
Yuuki chuckled as the bricks under his feet crackled from the force of him leaping. "Really, a lot more than you'll ever know." He was atop the edge of the stadium in a moment, beckoning me on like some edgelord.
I lifted all the tiles around me with [Gravity Manipulation], launching each of them at insane speed while pouring a bit of magic power in to turn them into magical weapons.
An attack Wise One concocted on the spot.
I fell back as I did so, not wanting to give Yuuki any chance to close the distance.
Yet all of the tiles simply fell to the ground with thick thuds. I knew something was wrong in an instant.
I tried to lift myself back into the air with the skill, but I simply couldn't.
[[It appears the individual, Yuuki Kagurazaka, can disable any skill. Physical contact with the skill user or the skill's effect is not necessary to do so, as previously speculated.]]
I enabled [Thought Acceleration] at full power. I needed time to think about what I'd just learned. That's… impossible.
I didn't even know what I'd do to deal with an ability like that. I was completely out of my depth yet again.
It made my stomach twist with anxiety.
"Sh… o… ck… ed?" Yuuki spoke to me with thought communication, and while it was slow to me, I knew exactly how he felt. Assured.
I saw it clearly as Yuuki raised his fist and leaped toward me, yet…
My reflexes were too slow to respond, even in [Thought Acceleration]. He'd reach me long before I got out of the way.
Did all of that training mean nothing? Was he holding back that much last time?
I could tell this was Yuuki at full power. Slowly. Delicately. Sparks of energy emerged from his form and scorched the area around us as he glided through the air.
It would've been beautiful if he wasn't such a bastard, and IF THE ATTACK WASN'T AIMED AT ME!
A moment later I could feel [Gravity Manipulation] return to me, but that was worse. I knew what I'd lost.
[Ultraspeed Regeneration] wasn't working. I couldn't feel the skill within me.
That was only an instant before Yuuki's fist collided with my face, and then everything went dark.
I melted to a puddle on the ground.
Everything was fuzzy, but I could still see Yuuki looming over me, holding something in his hand. I tried to collect myself, but the process felt painfully slow. I needed to get away!
"Really should've taken a bit longer, Rimuru. I was expecting more." Yuuki shoved the strange purple gem into the mass of slime sitting before him, me.
The world around me went into a thicker haze and I could hardly feel a single sensation.
But, I could feel that something was deeply wrong.
Sheer terror and helplessness filled me as I realized that I couldn't even move anymore. Not like before when I was wrapped in a barrier and held in place against my will, this was different, something coming from the inside instead of out.
I wanted to fight, to thrash, to get away from Yuuki, but I couldn't!
"Alright, Rimuru. That was an orb of domination, so you're under my control now. Can you still hear me in there?"
It confirmed exactly what I was afraid was Yuuki's motivation, and it made my nonexistent blood boil! I wanted to kill him, my rage had blasted to the surface. I tried to lash out, to punch him in his smug, self-satisfied face, but nothing happened.
All I could do was return to my human form and say, "Yes." I was standing so eerily still, I wasn't breathing or doing any of those little human motions I felt like I should be.
No blinking, no idle sway of my arms.
Not even looking around idly.
My gaze was fixed on Yuuki.
Yuuki inspected me closely, even getting handsy with my arms. Making me do a few poses, before speaking again. "Can you evolve into a Demon Lord or what? I know you ain't there yet, so tell me what you got."
That's… what I had Wise One working on…
I couldn't say that, so I used all my might to twist the answer.
[[The method has been determined. Based on this individual's choice of battleground, it appears most likely the required sacrifice is a number of souls. The exact amount is currently unknown.]]
That gave me what I needed to know. "I don't… I can't. Not enough."
"Huh…" Yuuki tapped his chin ponderingly. "Not enough… Well, we're right here. Go ahead and take what ya need from Rura."
I felt disgusted. "No! I can't… you can't! These are your people! They–"
Yuuki pressed a finger to my lips and said "Quiet," and I immediately fell silent, my own mouth clamping shut and cutting me off. "That wasn't an offer Rimuru, and these aren't my people. Maybe they were fun toys for a while, but I've gotten tired of them." Yuuki huffed. "Harvest what you need. Now."
The calm chill of his tone made my skin crawl, but I couldn't say no.
My body moved on its own, my very spirit brimmed with energy as a dark chaotic aura emerged from my form. My entire magical force was on display for the world to see, and for Yuuki to command.
In an instant, I ascended into the sky and looked out on the city before me, the people of Rura… the friends and loved ones my students had made in their lives here.
"I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry…" I said into the air, apologizing to all the people below me. The fact they couldn't hear me was beside the point.
The clouds above me parted as my aura commanded, Wise One then directed thousands… no, hundreds of thousands.
Every water spirit in the city, or in the country.
I knew what this attack was. I had been saving it for special circumstances, but it really was the best for this terrible act.
It had to be paired with another though, so earth spirits were used as well. Small metal spikes were formed and lifted into the air all over the city while the storm crackled with thunder.
Paired with small droplets of water, ready to guide the sunlight to its targets.
I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to watch… Not that it really helped.
Instead, Wise One spoke for me. "DIVINE PUNISHMENT: MEGIDDO! VENGEFUL STORM!"
The light of the sun shot through the city while the storm released all the built up energy. Lightning and light skewed and burned, cut and sizzled.
In an instant, a city of a million had its population cut in half.
Then, in just a few more moments, it was down to thousands.
I'm sorry…
{{Notice: Conditions met, acquiring Unique skill [Merciful]... successful.}}
I activated the skill without a second thought. It allowed those who had already given up to pass without any of the pain and suffering others had endured.
They deserved it. A painless rest.
With my new skill, I consumed their pain, their fear, and…
[[One million, forty thousand and six hundred souls have been harvested. The efficient use of them in what is to come will be paramount with such a quantity.]]
I felt drowsy, as I drifted from the sky… falling right back down to the stadium before falling asleep.
"Wow, that was fast," I mused as I watched Rimuru plummet out of the sky, apparently unconscious. He either exhausted himself, or this was the start of his Demon Lord evolution.
All those people dropping dead in an instant was crazy to see as I watched the spectacle from the wall of the colosseum.
I had no clue the slime had such a technique in his skillset. Whatever it was, it was impressively efficient; I'd make sure to make use of it again in the future.
{{Notice: Conditions met, required number of souls acquired. The Harvest Festival of individual, Rimuru Tempest, will now begin.}}
Perfect.
I had surmised as much, but it was still great to hear a confirmation.
I walked up to Rimuru's… er, flailing form. He looked like a slime again, but didn't seem to be doing too good a job at holding himself together. Changing all shapes and colors rapidly as I assumed he was in the middle of the process of becoming a Demon Lord.
It was interesting to watch, but I wished he'd finish it up already. I wanted to get him out of here before any trouble showed up, but with him being essentially a liquid right now, I didn't think moving him would be easy.
Although, the chances of that were close to none, considering that Rimuru wiped out much of the citizens.
He really was an idiot, like most people are. Rimuru should've at least tried to stay away from me after what happened when we last saw each other. But for some reason, he decided to deliver himself to my doorstep.
I would've found him regardless, but it was certainly convenient.
Oh?
Something had changed. Rimuru had gone still, resting on the cracked floor of the colosseum, now in his usual bun-shaped slime form. A little bigger, and with a new sheen to his surface, but not that different.
Then, without me needing to say a thing, he warped into his human form. Taller, a little more slender, and more mature by a few years.
Sheesh, he got even prettier. But I wasn't jealous since he was all mine.
Yet, the look in his eyes was anything but pretty.
Cold, calculating, and angry as he watched me approach. Did the evolution affect his personality too? Rimuru definitely wasn't happy about what happened to him before I ordered him to evolve into a Demon Lord, but his demeanor had an entirely different quality to it now.
Regardless, he wouldn't be able to do anything about that anger. The connection I could feel with the orb was still intact. That was a small concern I had, the evolution severing it, but things had turned out just how I wanted.
I lifted his chin and looked Rimuru in the eyes, "Aw, don't be mad at me, Rimuru! If you just accept your situation, you'll be happier. I even have a beautiful elf lady for you to mee–"
A blur of motion, then a searing pain in the center of my chest.
"Wha–?!"
Oh. Rimuru had put his hand right through me. He pulled away and I stumbled back, falling to a knee while holding the wound with my hands.
How was he able to attack me? That shouldn't be possible.
I was bleeding badly. This would be fatal if I didn't do something about it.
"Heh… so you found a… loophole. Heal me now, that's… an order."
Rimuru popped a potion into his hand and uncorked it.
I weakly reached for it as he glared down at me with the same cold, blank expression. My vision was spinning as the blood loss really started to hit me, but I was still able to see Rimuru as he dumped the potion into the dirt at his feet.
What? I stared at it, my head swirling with dizziness.
"Rimuru…" My voice was getting weak, but at the same time, rage surged in me. I stood up and said, "Knock it off…! You're not…"
Another hard to follow movement as Rimuru tried to strike me a second time, but I managed to barely get out of the way in time. The desperate move I had to make to do so knocked me off my feet though, leaving me splayed out on the ground. I was still wheezing, my head was spinning…
Honestly, the situation sucked.
Now it's on, you little shit.
I liked to save my penultimate skill for special occasions, and this qualified. I'd instigate anything I needed to keep Rimuru under my control.
That slime belonged to me.
I cycled the energy through my body, feeling the magicules surge as I stared up. Rimuru would be none the wiser.
In an instant, I sprang to my feet, surging with power as my skin mended itself like repairing cloth. My pain subsided and my head started to clear.
{{Notice: Individual Yuuki Kagurazaka has met the requirements to Super Evolve into the species: Saint.}}
I had a feeling I could force it to happen if I did it right. Now all I needed to do was beat the smug little slime before me into submission.
"You shouldn't have done that, Rimuru!" I was winded from that attack earlier, but l'd recovered enough to do something like it.
So I dashed toward the slime while gathering fighting spirit and magical energy in my fist. He shouldn't have the reaction time to dodge. Not yet.
Yet, Rimuru managed to delicately dance right out of my way, before attempting to shoot that black lightning thing at me.
He wasn't getting away with that. I disabled the skill and watched as the lightning disintegrated in front of me.
This was a real fight.
The slime was on the other side of the colosseum before I could steady myself for another attack, gaining distance and waiting for me.
The plan was surprisingly well thought out for Rimuru.
I tried to approach in a zigzag pattern to avoid any projectiles he'd inevitably fire at me, yet something I didn't expect was the response.
Rimuru shot a barrier filled with purple energy at me while pairing it with a storm of lightning between us.
I canceled out the barrier spell on instinct…
Only to get struck by lightning a moment later.
There was no avoiding it this time and my shoulder was reduced to charcoal in an instant… Regeneration helped, but it expended a ton of energy to get back to the same strength I usually had.
Fuck.
I let Rimuru think that had really done me in for a moment, letting my regeneration work slowly for a moment, before stumbling backwards. I needed him to come closer, and more than that… I needed to see what had changed.
I called on [Instigator], feeling the power I'd been gifted upon entering this world well up within me.
I need to see these skills… I need to see Rimuru's power.
It was like a switch had been flipped as a new layer was added to my vision, in front of me I could see Rimuru. The real Rimuru. A mass of orbs of light held together in a thick slime with almost mechanical wires chaining them all together in an elaborate, but orderly, lattice.
{{Notice: Acquiring unique skill, Astral Sight… Successful.}}
I could see his soul, see his skills. There were two orbs in the center, a shiny gold and a deep red with elaborate and concentric rings of magic power rotating around him.
It almost seemed like Rimuru had two souls inside himself, similar to Kagali's extended stay inside me… This was different, though. It was less a parasitic spirit, and more two cores of the same soul existing in tandem.
I only had one myself, and only a handful of orbs of light. Rimuru had… Thousands.
Thousands of skills. I didn't even know how that could function, it was grotesque… Yet it was also beautiful.
I guess that's just what a slime is supposed to be.
"Who are you, exactly? I know you aren't Rimuru, I can see that now."
My opponent didn't even flinch, no change in expression or movement; entirely unshaken by me calling them out. I just needed to try again.
"You can't win against me, y'know. It doesn't matter who or what you are, I won't let you get in my way."
Still nothing. They just began to attack again.
Well isn't that just peachy. With my new skill in mind, I was able to respond to this thing's new strategy. As it activated one skill, moving a tiny bit of magical power into it.
Along with that skill icicle spears appeared all around us.
I could see it for the bluff it was.
A larger mass of magical power was moved to another skill as a storm of fire appeared behind me.
So, anti-skill had its true target. While I simply blocked the icicle spears shot in my direction.
Leaving us in a standstill as I nonchalantly approached. I had to really play up that they couldn't win. "If you care at all about Rimuru, you'll stop attacking me. If I somehow die, he'll never be freed from the Orb of Domination's effects. Just a puppet with its strings cut, completely useless."
Yet I still got nothing in reply. This one was a hard cookie, whoever they were.
"And the longer this goes on, the more he'll be punished for this. Rimuru won't enjoy what I have in mind for him. I don't think you will either."
"Notice: The individual, Yuuki Kagurazaka, has been previously catalogued as a 'filthy liar.'" That was all I got in response.
It was a bit more procedural than anything I'd heard… Aside from maybe the voice of the world. Just who was this?
I couldn't let myself dwell on it, I had to end this now. This creature was only getting stronger as we fought.
I could see as the orbs of light were being pulled together, coalescing around the core of its soul. Several large orbs were forming in the center, brighter and denser than the rest.
It's almost like it knew I could see past its strategy.
I charged up my fists and moved in the same lightning stance I'd adopted recently. A little trick I'd learned from some upcoming idiot.
Then I began my approach, blocking bluffs while canceling each of the powerful skills it attempted on me.
Lightning, fire, poison gas… the whole nine yards, really. And more skills at once, dozens were being used all at the same time.
It took incredible focus to even use three skills at the same time. This was pure insanity!
Maybe. . . I'm out of– No! He's just a slime!
I could see through it all. This monster was amassing a lot of power in one skill, saving it for the very end.
So I canceled it right as I got to them, preparing my strike.
But, I was wrong.
In reality, that was the bluff. I was pierced by hundreds of beams of light from spheres of water I hadn't even seen…
The magic power in them was so small that Rimuru's aura completely drowned them out.
I'd been played.
Beams of light pierced my skull, preventing me from even thinking for just a moment.
In that time… I didn't know what happened.
Remorse. I'd stolen the victory from my master and made it my own. Yet, it was a necessary action for his safety.
Rimuru was in a weakened state, and now, we needed rest.
I had saved that foul being for later. Master could do what he wished with it.
I spatially relocated us back to our location of origin in this country, and allowed us to return to dormancy.
I had far more work to complete.
I was floating. Vaguely aware of being somewhere, but all my senses were encased in darkness.
What had happened?
Why was I here?
Where was here?
And suddenly, with a feeling like falling, I was whisked away, and my feet found solid ground in the void.
[[Victory has been secured]], Wise One's voice rang out from the abyss with a thick layer of smugness.
Oh.
Thanks, partner.
It was then that I noticed I wasn't alone in here.
Yuuki looked around suspiciously, before fixing his gaze back on me.
"YOU!" I let all the rage that had been festering in me since the start of this crapshow burst forth. Stalking toward him, I shouted, "YOU ENSLAVED ME YOU FILTHY TRAITOR!"
"Rimuru, listen–" Yuuki tried to plead his case, raising his hands and taking a step back, but I socked him in the face, hard. We may not have had corporeal forms, but in here, I could make sure he felt it.
"SHIZU WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU!" I roared, standing over him and trembling with rage as he propped himself up from where I'd knocked him on the floor.
"She's dead!" Yuuki said spitefully, climbing to his feet. "Her feelings don't matter. They don't even exist now. I respect her, but I'm not going to follow rules from someone who's long gone!"
"And that's your problem," I said coldly, my anger boiling down into something hard and solid in my chest. "You don't respect her, you don't respect anyone. Not even your friends who've been on your side from minute one!"
"Rimuru," Yuuki said seriously, "this won't help you. Just surrender."
"Pfft," I gave a laughing scoff, turning away. "Right. It's a waste of my time, talking to someone as delusional as you."
"That was a neat trick, I'll admit," Yuuki smirked. "How'd you manage to snap out of it?"
"That was my partner," I said, turning back and taking a step forward to close the distance, and Yuuki unconsciously backed up. "And I'm not going to explain anything to you, you're going to be doing the explaining this time."
"At least tell me where we are, bud…?" Yuuki lifted his hands in a friendly-seeming gesture.
I hit him again, and Yuuki went rolling across the floor. "Fine… My own [Stomach], I think?" I cocked my head.
[[That is correct.]]
"Your what?" Yuuki glared at me incredulously, getting up again.
"See now why I never lost my appetite?" I smirked, but Yuuki just gave me an unamused stare.
"Alright. Let me lay this out," I gestured to the space around us. "I've won, and you're gonna tell me what you did to my students!"
"You really shouldn't underestimate your opponent like this, Rimuru," Yuuki smirked. "You know my companions have Spatial Motion. No matter what kind of prison, they'll find me."
"You don't get it, Yuuki." I stalked toward him, shoving against his chest and glaring up at his stupid grin. "This is my space. It's my skill. Nobody can get in, or out, without my permission."
"So you say. And I'll grant you've gotten stronger, but you're no demon lord, Rimuru. Not a real one, at least. You don't stand a chance of holding off against my companions. Each of them is as good as three Demon Lords on their own." Yuuki was smiling, but finally, finally, I was starting to get a handle on reading him.
In other words, he was bluffing. I was as strong as a demon lord, and he knew it. He was just hoping I would fall for another lie.
I just looked up at him seriously, debating on how to extract the information I needed.
"If this place is inside a skill, then I can counteract it," Yuuki said. "No skill can hold me."
"You don't understand." I said, turning away. I may as well get him in the loop. "You might as well be dead. Your skills won't work, you're not even conscious. I'm all that is keeping you alive, and it's in your best interest to cooperate."
"Suppose you're right," Yuuki said. "Then the longer I keep quiet, the longer I live."
Then he fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
"You're not going to like living longer here," I said darkly as he stopped writhing, breathing ragged gasps. He looked up and balked at my expression. "In here, I have the power to stretch that out so it feels like it lasts millions of years. I can make you suffer as much as I want, as long as I want."
"Cute," Yuuki scoffed, almost chuckling. "We both know you. You're too nice to torture somebody for that long, let alone an old friend like me. You don't have the guts."
I just turned away again, facing forward. As I did, Yuuki collapsed to the ground again, screaming and writhing.
I let it go on for a bit, tilting my head as I listened. The sound of that backstabber finally getting his comeuppance was gratifying.
Yuuki's struggles subsided, and he lay there, breathing heavily.
"That was only a month. Feel like calling my bluff again?" I asked, turning around. "Or do you need another round to let it fully sink in?"
"You… you really are a bad slime," he gasped, struggling to his feet. "What do you want to know anyway?"
I didn't like his tone, so I put him through another round. As the screams subsided, I said, "tell me what you did to my kids. And tell me where they are."
"They're…" Yuuki paused for a second, and suddenly started screaming as I put him through another week of torment.
"Don't even think about lying," I snarled, looming over him. "If you take too long, I'll give you the full treatment."
Yuuki remained silent, so I activated it again. It took five more tries before he finally started to give in.
"A business partner!" He blurted out, looking exhausted. "I… I sold them to a business partner, okay?"
"Who?" I glowered.
"T-the… the Eastern Empire," Yuuki said. "They're way across the continent, they–AAAUAUAGHHH!"
"And you're sure you're not lying about that?" I asked calmly.
"Why would I?" Yuuki hissed, glaring balefully up at me. "It's not like I could gain anything at this point! You've got me completely cornered."
Glaring, I made a threatening gesture with my hand.
"Th-the Eastern Empire values otherworlders," Yuuki started babbling. "They use them in their military. I-I didn't think you were coming back, I needed them off my hands… GYAAAAAAH!"
"I already knew you sent me to die," I growled. "That one was payback."
"Hnnf… F… fair enough," he said, trying to hide his nerves. "It wasn't easy for me. I actually like you–when we were friends I enjoyed it! I had to do it–AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIGH!"
That one lasted a full year in Yuuki's mind while I just glared in disgust.
"Don't even try to provoke my sympathy at this point," I grit my teeth. "You've lost that privilege."
I tilted my head slightly, thinking, and Yuuki braced himself. After a second or so without excruciating pain, he opened his eyes to peek at me.
"Goodbye, Yuuki," I said. And just like that, as he collapsed again he began to dissolve in front of me, looking at his hands in horror as he screamed.
I didn't bother looking as he faded away to nothing, his scream getting cut off suddenly as he did.
A smirk crossed my face. I had stretched my [Thought Acceleration] ability to the max for him–what was seconds for me would have been nearly eternity. It felt like a fitting end for him.
With Yuuki gone, a weight lifted from my chest, and I sank back into blissful unconsciousness.
A/N: Just a friendly reminder that this is a three-person project written by me, AgentT123, and WatcherMagic. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and see you next month! (Sorry for the late post, working retail around a holiday is rough :/)