"Sensei! Sensei!" A voice of five children echoed in the outside halls of a certain room in the Monster Nation, Tempest. Rimuru's office.
"You kids! I told you Rimuru-sama's busy! Please wait and do not disturb him!" Came the familiar voice of Shuna, the reliable princess.
Rimuru looked up, putting down his pen and staring blankly at his door.
The door flung open after a few more yells and arguments outside. Five children entered, followed by a troubled and exasperated young lady.
"—Sensei—!!" They shout out loud as they hastily run into the demon lord's arms. Still confused, Rimuru shot Shuna a questioning look to which he got a "Good grief" reply
As he embraced his five troublemakers, the demon lord softly chuckled. "I thought you guys had school. What are you doing here?"
"School sucks but we still finished everything fast to meet up with you! You promised to take us out on a panic, didn't you?" Came the reply from Kenya.
"Yes, that's right! You ought to stay true to your words!" Alice said. The other three didn't say anything but they all had exited faces.
"Okay, okay. Fine. Shuna. Can you please empty my schedule for the day?"
The six of them exemplified the ideal teacher-student relationship. A relationship characterized by mutual respect, enjoyment, happiness, and fulfillment. The oni princess simply sighed and smiled as she observed the demon lord and his five students engaging in their usual antics.
"Understood."
"Thanks."
"""Yayy!"""
They all went outside, accompanied by Shuna, Shion, and Diablo, a cheerful atmosphere ever-so present around them. They were headed on to a particular spot, the cliff that provided the best view of the capital city of Tempest.
They were joined by others on their way.
"Rimuru-sama? Where are you going?" Benimaru asked as it was unusually crowdy.
"To the cliff. We plan to have some picnic. You should join us!" The Demon Lord relaxedly replied as he invited his supreme general. Gobta and Gabil who they came across to, and even Souei and Geld also joined them.
Finally, they spent the entire afternoon in such a location, forgetting their worries of the day while relieving their stress in the company of their friends. Thinking back on it now, they were so happy back then. Indeed, those were happy times...
.........
......
...
How did this happen? Where did it go wrong? No... where did I go wrong...?
The Other World was a vast void that extended into infinity. In such emptiness, physical beings have no hope of even lasting a moment, nor can their brains endure the extra-dimensional model of the place. Everything will be incomprehensible and unpredictable for them.
For decades, Rimuru was stranded here, forced to constantly battle Insectars, Phantoms, and Cryptids all on his own.
Endless hordes of them came at him and he was forced to go beyond his natural limits. He was past the breaking point multiple times, but the worries and desires... his feelings kept him from losing himself.
At some point and by some consequential circumstances, he made it back, but wished he didn't. The country he worked so hard to build, the friends he made... they were nowhere to be found.
Bitterness and remorse. An insurmountable combination of those two assaulted his exhausted self, far beyond the scope of human endurance. Self-blame and misery overwhelmed him.
He had vivid memories of it. The streets that were normally teeming with active monster races, working orcs, and playing little goblins. All of that was now history, as all that remained was an ashen wasteland. The Jura Forest, which had previously been a sea of greenery, had now been burned to a gray color.
Worse, he discovered the lifeless and soulless corpses of his trusted subordinates, indicating that, while Tempest had long since been destroyed, the mightiest of his inner circle were still alive for a few days before his return.
Diablo was the only survivor.
Perhaps sensing his presence, the demon went straight to his face and apologized profusely for failing his lord, bowing and kneeling as low as he could. He suggested he was punished to the utmost, but he cannot be blamed—who was to blame?
He stared blankly at Shuna's despairing expression, Shion's disfigured body, and Benimaru, whose head was pierced atop the flagless flagpole of Tempest.
They had been dead for a few days, and their souls had long since vanished. Even with all of his wonders and miracles, he cannot reverse true death, the vanquishing of the soul. In a few hours, their bodies would be reduced to magicules.
Countless other monster corpses, including the majority of his friends and closest subordinates, were crucified to rot and nastily arranged in the streets as if to demonstrate dominance and victory.
He kept fighting all this time, not losing hope. The worry for Tempest and his friends, as well as the desire to once again reunite with them.
All his points of motivation got invalidated with the reality before him, as his mind finally reached the breaking point.
Why...?
Despair and regret. His emotions were at odds. Raphael's nigh-omniscience could not save his lord from his mental anguish; his mind had gone numb to save him from complete emotional collapse.
He couldn't even feel the pain because it was too much.
He was enraged.
Oh, he was enraged.
He needed to find someone to vent to, anything.
He raised his hand, preparing to throw a punch at his butler as hard as he could.
He understood it was worthless venting, but he couldn't do anything. The demon did not dare to defend himself, fully prepared to face his lord's wrath.
...
It did not arrive.
Rimuru exhaled a sigh.
It is what it is... He bemoanedly justified himself, the pinnacle of sorrow present on his face.
He was spared of the pleasure of lapsing into insanity due to the sheer degree of torment. He requested that his butler fill in the details, the exact and complete details.
As per Rimuru's request, Diablo—though pained—specified every single detail. He did not wish to see his lord suffer. But he cannot lie in front of him. As such, he honestly delivered the cruel events.
The Scorch Dragon Velgrynd was the one who destroyed Tempest's main forces. Those who remained were taken care of by the single digits of the empire. The men were all killed, the women were exploited, and the children were mercilessly murdered. They were treated as if they were animals.
As Diablo finished... Rimuru finally snapped. For Rimuru whose mind was already broken, he had no more left in him to resist the hellish environment raging in his heart.
Rage.
Rage unlike anything Rimuru has ever felt before assaulted his mind. In an instant, he lost his rational thinking.
He was above a veritable hell before he knew it.
Screams echoed in the distance as the empire's petty humans futilely attempted to save their worthless lives. The skies were purple, and storms raged across the continent as the Eastern Empire burned to extinction.
These cretins, humans... trash... I will eviscerate each and every one of you... There is no requirement for survivors... There is no need to fight fairly... That's right... more... despair more! Show me more agony!
"Haha..."
He chuckled, the emotions backing it infinitely complex.
"—HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"
Before it turned into a full-blown maniacal laugh. The red moon's illumination of his figure in the storming sky only served to exacerbate the imperials' madness.
For what seemed to be the day of apocalypse, a demon lord's evil laugh and presence amidst the disastrous chaos is insanity personified on maddening proportions to mortal eyes.
Rimuru never wavered from his ideals. To create a country in which any race is accepted without prejudice. A place where everyone lives in rainbows and sunshine. What a sick joke.
The petty lie that is "equality" is nonsense spouted by weaklings who cannot look upon the darkness. Nothing but an excuse to cover up life's ugliness. He didn't lose sight of his desires even after the war with Falmuth. But now, not an iota of his ideals remained.
It was retribution... judgment... the blessing of perdition... a billion died.
As Velgrynd was with Michael in the heavenly star palace, no one here was strong enough to endure the wrath of a god.
Decades has passed since then. Guy managed to pacify Rimuru, but he became different from the Rimuru he knew. There was still this facet of playfulness in him but apathy and cold blood were all it hinted.
The world was engulfed in some apocalyptic war—the greatest since the grand design construction.
The other side was the Angels and Phantoms, Michael, two of the True Dragons, as well as Insectars. Their goal was the resurrection of Veldanava. Opposing them were the Octagram and their armies.
They may be the mighty demon lords, but the disadvantage was very hard to overcome.
.........
......
...
So where did everything go wrong?
The Demon Lord Rimuru stared at the battle scenery in front of him, sentimentally gazing at four of his now grown-up students as he questioned reality.
The person they were fighting was the last of his subordinates and his trusted butler, Diablo.
Because the Primal Demon recognized the value of these humans' lives to his lord, he adopted a defensive state in battle as the four desperately attempted to dispatch him.
Tempest had vanished from the face of the earth. The good times have been gone for a long time. What followed was nothing but anguish and devastation...
The Demon Lord Rimuru sighed. He thought he had become fully unfeeling, and he didn't think it was bad. But now, he felt... betrayed.
Emotions he hadn't felt in a long time came rushing back as a crippling tidal wave.
Four of his students who he hadn't seen in decades were attempting to murder him. The lovely and emotional reunion he expected was just a false dream.
He had hopes about that vague moment. That he can have someone with whom he can truly express the bottled-up feelings he has suppressed all this time, even if only for a few moments.
Of course, he tried sometimes with Diablo, but the demon revered him as a god beyond his own standing. Diablo never treated him as an equal nor friend, but an entity who he will forever serve.
The Octagram's a complex mess of a group, and things can never be guaranteed when it comes to them. Showing a weakness can lead to a future of good and bad possibilities.
Although they are allies and genuinely trusts each other, there's an unspoken rule of just not showing their hidden sides to each other.
It was then that he coincidentally encountered his students—former students—on his way to do something in a certain human nation.
When they came across each other, it was usually with a mutual look of bemusement on both sides.
After a while, however, the four's expressions turned to frown, then to anger, contradicting Rimuru's face which was about to show a genuine smile of relief and glee.
"You damn demon-lord!! We will end your tyranny here by our own hands!!"
They had become heroes of mankind, and Rimuru was looked upon as a symbol of fear for decimating all of the Eastern Empire and mercilessly slaughtering all of its population. As such, even his students turned on him.
Chloe was the only one who stayed faithful... the quiet girl who was actually a hero of time and space was the only remaining student who believed him... trusted him... loved him... but she was in a different place as of this time.
Do I really have to lose you guys, too?
He stood emotionless, trying to shake off the lingering sentiment. He had learned, so even if he was certainly hopeful... a slight hint of doubt appeared in the deepest part of his soul, beyond the reaches of his own consciousness. He is an objective individual and pragmatist who prioritizes the most logical decisions than rash emotional ones.
He looked up into the bright night sky, an aurora of blood visible on its flaming clouds, as the countless stars hidden behind the chaos captivated him... if only for a brief moment.
He may have imagined it, but he saw his deceased friends' faces in the dark outer space.
He telepathically directed his butler, his voice trembling unbeknownst to him.
Kill them.
The demon's eyes went wide, but he did not let it showcase an opening for the heroes to take advantage of.
But... He tried to double-check. It's not that he cared about the heroes. Deep inside, he felt intense fury and anger at them for daring to betray his lord. The only reason he is tolerating them is because they were Rimuru's precious students.
It's fine... or are you going against me?
...Never, my lord.
After gaining confirmation, Diablo gave his usual sickeningly terrifying smile. On his handsome face, a crazed grin appeared. Rimuru nevertheless didn't forget to remind Diablo to make it as painless as possible.
Rimuru turned around and teleported somewhere else. Despite his emotionless demeanor, his mind was a never-ending tangle of emotions and thoughts.
...Was there not a better way? Should I have just sealed them? Should I have just run away?
He simply ordered the execution of his students. Chloe is the final one.
Kenya's eyes told Rimuru everything he needed to know: they no longer saw him as a teacher, but as a mass murderer—a true monster. Their bonds are now irreparable. It was clear that even if he ran away here, he can't envision them stopping in hunting him down. They were even going after the other members of the Octagram, and if they confront Guy, hell and despair was all that awaited them. As such, he at least wanted to spare them from that and grant them painless deaths.
What will Chloe think of him? What will his student think of him now that he has ordered the death of her classmates? Uncertainties plagued his thoughts...
※
"Grahh... Urgg"
A groan of pain from a barely conscious woman's voice jolted me out of my reverie.
What was I doing again...? Oh... right.
I looked down, my right hand clutching the rib of Hearst, the platinum haired "apostle" who had attempted to assassinate us earlier.
Her monotonous and oppressive demeanor was missing. This insect claimed to lack a built-in emotional function.
Regardless, terror.
Every particle of her radiated pure, unadulterated terror... I liked it. The anguish pleasured me.
I cracked a smile.
In the dark valley I was in, a deranged grin of total savagery shone a colorless glimmer. The lack of light obscured the blood on the ground, and no sound dared to emerge.
My ambition began to flare, consigning her to the dark recesses of madness for the longest of times that otherwise contradicts its fleeting ephemerality in actuality.
I slowly tore her synthetic ribs as she struggled in my left hand's grip. A scream—a wailing cry—tried to escape her lips as the agony pierced her soul. I slashed her throat with my black nails and plucked her limbs out like flowers as I gripped the apostle's head, scanning her entire intellectual information.
"........."
My crazed smile widened in depravity as I crushed the head into smithereens, its brain materials gushing out. My hands were soaked in blood, and my black garments were covered with crimson splatters. My skin—snow-white in color—looked like the cold winter snow sprayed with crimson red blood under the shadows of a frigidly eerie night.
My eyes, two small golden crystals, were the only source of light in the profound blackness where not even the wind dared to make a sound.
...You will come to regret trying to manipulate me.