Rimuru's POV
There is no way Feldway survived that. As the dark void subsided, the only thing left there was a portal and tears in the Space-Time realm.
Did he escape?
<No Master. I have confirmed that 788 strikes managed to hit successfully. Nothing can be stated about his current status.>
It is better to assume he is alive. I quickly look around but am unable to find him. It seems that he quickly retreated. It seems that most of the Insectars have been dealt with as well. I slowly descended down to the castle, which was relatively unscathed.
Most of the battle has already ended. Seems like Elmesia did a number on the Insectars. Meanwhile Sylvia also played an important role in defeating the Insectars before the surprise attack. I land near Sylvia.
"Sorry about that." I say.
"You mean that attack? It's fine. It's not your fault anyway."
No. It is exactly my fault. But I won't say that.
"It seems that things have mostly been dealt with." I say looking around the Insectars corpses, with a few elves amongst them.
"Seems so. There were some casualties, but it is better than expected."
"I guess so. By the way. What deal was he talking about?"
"Ah. That? He asked me to join him. He wanted my a bit of my magic essence and soul in return for our 'survival'."
"Hoh? And why wasn't I told about this?"
"Maybe because I have no reason to."
"Well, I guess that's true."
I was thinking of taking her to Ulgrassia as the ruin might belong to Lightning skill she owns, considering it is one of the elements, but I guess not.
"Well then, I will be taking my leave."
"Wait. Why did you come here?"
"To help you of course."
"How did you know that they were invading?"
"I have no reason to tell, do I?"
"Tch."
"Well then, I will be taking my leave." I say so before teleporting. Obviously, our relationships with each other as Nations won't change, but our trust in each other has literally hit rock bottom. The only saving grace is that I can still trust Elmesia. I am not sure if she knew about this as well, but, it's not like I can do anything.
I pass through the portal and come out at the beach, facing towards Hyme. Before I could even fully pass through the portal, Diablo was kneeling in front of me, as if he already knew I would come through.
"How may I help you milord?"
"Give me the details about what happened here."
"Hai. It seems that the Insectars coming through the portal are of a special kind and immune to water. They come straight out of the portal and five into the ocean. The mermaid soldiers are able to hold them back for now, but I am not so sure about how long they will survive."
"Hmm? Why?"
"It seems that the one leading this attack is Veldora-sama's elder sister, Velzard-sama."
Velzard? I see. That makes sense. Three places, the commanders. Feldway, Velzard and Zelanus. Well, I am sure Milim can hold her own against him. Carrera is also there, so I can rest easy.
As I looked over the battlefield, nothing much could be seen from the ground, but inside the sea was a different matter. Nearly a hundred feet down, water was a mixed colour of red, white and green due to the blood of the Insectars and mermaids.
It is better if I don't intervene, but if Velzard were to fight, then I would have no choice but to fight. I guess it would be better to bring that redhead Guy as well. They are partners after all.
Slowly, but surely, the tides begin to shift towards Hyme. They had the homeground advantage, and were getting used to the Insectars. The Insectars acted purely on instincts, making it easier to guess their next move.
Just when the Hyme soldiers began to breathea sigh of relief, as if to make a laughing stock of all their efforts, a single individual made her appearance. This individual was the True Dragon Velzard.
Without even batting an eye, the entire ocean froze. All the Insectars and mermaids who were in the ocean were frozen. They weren't dead, but they weren't alive either. They were just Frozen there, without a clue.
<Notice. It seems that the individual Luna used the molecular barrier to create a safe space for the mermaids. Nearly 70% of the army managed to survive due to this.>
I see. So she created an air dome inside the ocean using what I had given as a gift to them. I am glad to know that it has been useful to them. Obviously this would prevent them freezing, but they are literally inside a cage which they cannot escape from. After all, they are surrounded by ice on all sides.
I quickly contact Guy.
'Oi. Get your ass here.' I tell him.
'Huh?'
'I have sent you the coordinates. Come here quickly. Your partner is here.'
'Velzard?'
'Yep. So come here quick.'
'Tch. Fine. Hold her for me. I will be there in a minute.'
Before I could even finish my conversation, Velzard made her next move. She passed small amount of mana into the now Frozen ocean, causing it to crack. Before it could split completely, I pass my own mana into the ocean to counter her and stop her from killing everyone.
She was surprised at first, bit soon noticed me and walked towards me. She didn't bother to teleport, so I assume that's how sure she is of her victory. Well, the longer she takes the better, after all, I only have to stall her.
"Demon Lord Rimuru. What brings you here?"
"Nice to meet you again, Velzard. You doing well?"
"Answer my question." She said grumpily.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
She just gives me a literal death glare and then dashes straight at me. I quickly jump backwards and sidhe her hand, but what I hadn't expected that she would have summoned her sword. Her sword, with a longer reach aimed straight for my guts. I blocked it with my arm. My scales were able to rework most of the attack, but my bones were shattered, and my muscles were torn apart. Though it healed in less than a second, I still felt the pain, and it wasn't a good thing.
Looks like I will have to fight her. I thought I could but time to let Guy come here, but that doesn't feasible anymore. I make two swords from my magicules. Of course, these swords are disposable. I don't want to risk my real sword breaking. It is a mythical class, true, but there is a large gulf between the performance of my sword and hers. Instead of taking a risk, I believe this is the better choice.
Before I could counter, Velzard had already began attacking me. Hey attacks in and of itself weren't that strong. Rather, the attacks were weaker than both Veldora's or Velgrynd's. But the problematic thing about her attacks were that they were difficult to predict. And, her Ultimate Skill, focusing on defense is nigh impossible to break through. Only Azatoth can break through it. But, if I use that skill improperly, she will know about that skill and take defensive measures against it. I only have one trump card against her, and I have to make sure to use it at the right time.
I am sure that if I use Azatoth, I will defeat her without any trouble, but the problem is that there is a chance she will escape. I don't want that to happen. I will not let her escape like Feldway.
And so, or battle continued to remain in a stalemate. I made sure to give her a few opportunities so that she believes that she has a chance to win. I only have to buy time and make sure she doesn't retreat. And, it was all with it. After a few minutes of the to and fro battle, Guy came crashing in between us.
--------------------
I hope you guys like it.