The World's Ego

Settling Matters

Third Person POV

Laplace peeked out of his hiding spot behind bushes as he shivered at the rings of energy emitting from Judah.

"He may not have gotten that much stronger but that thing he's got is bad..." He muttered under his breath as the chaos in the battlefield picked up, "... Heh... The enemies are really gonna hurt this time."

...

Although the situation in the battlefield was changing, Gladium didn't allow himself to falter. Once he defeated Carrion, he had enough time to regain control over the army and eliminate the insignificant ones that couldn't keep their sanity, even better, all he had to do was kill the pesky ex-Demon Lord Clayman, now called Keith, to stop the <Remorse> that he activated. His White Tiger Claw in his right hand glittered in a silvery white brilliance. It was a weapon loaned to him by the Emperor and had transformed into a mythical-grade weapon. It was a weapon that was capable of slaughtering spiritual lifeforms, a perfect match for Gladium, who possessed god-like speed. With well-trained footwork, Gladium toyed with Carrion, the legendary-grade armor being unable to protect him in the face of his White Tiger Claw.

"What's wrong, what's wrong? You said you were going to kill me, but was that all just talk?" Gladium taunted him

Carrion clicked his tongue, "Shut up. I thought it would be easier to kill you, but it seems my calculations were wrong..."

He was able to avoid getting fatally wounded thanks to his training with Milim. This, in turn, surprised Gladium as their power gap was the difference in their weapon performance. His and Carrion's strengths were similar but he had the weapon advantage. Understanding this, Gladium moved to eliminate Carrion, but something unexpected happened.

"What? The power... power is welling up?!" Gladium gasped

It was a sign of evolution, the beginning of the Harvest Festival for a Demon Lord. However, under these circumstances, this became an obstacle to Gladium. He wobbled unsteadily.

"Wh-What is this drowsiness..."

Observing this, Carrion tried to stir him up, "What's wrong? Are you tired already?"

He could tell that Gladium's power was beginning to increase. The magicules were gathering together and there was a huge amount of aura flowing out of Gladium. Yet, Gladium was barely able to hold himself up, wobbling in his steps.

"What's going on? Is this guy actually awakening?"

He remembered a story that suddenly came up in his mind. In the recent victory party, Rimuru had performed an evolutionary ritual and it had reportedly lulled some of the executives into an irresistible slumber.

"Wasn't it said that to become a True Demon Lord, you need to sleep? If that's the case, then isn't this the exact moment?! According to Frey's guess, 'souls' are necessary for evolution... Oh yeah, Gladium's subordinates are dying all over the place..."

All the conditions were met and what was needed to evolve into a True Demon Lord was a hateful 'soul'. It was not the case for all of them, but enduring the hatred of those they killed was one of the trials necessary for awakening. Now Gladium was left defenseless in this critical situation, a karmic retribution. The subordinates who had trusted him must have felt betrayed and their souls, filled with hatred, turned on Gladium, the object of their resentment. Carrion couldn't see it that accurately, but he had judged it to be the greatest danger and opportunity at the same time.

"It seems that heaven is on my side." He said

Seeing this, Gladium called out, "W-Wait! Wait just a moment."