Rudra:" what!?"
Velgrynd:" what does that mean!"
Velzard (thought):" I guess this fight is not over yet"
Hinata (thought):" spoke too soon"
Azathoth:" well I don't know you just have to wait you find out in the meantime I would like to introduce two more people who will be joining us. come in Lucia and.."
Elmisia:" mother?!"
Laplace:" oh boy.."
Veldanava:" dear "
Rudra:" sister "
Milim :". mother..." Milim didn't need to be told who was the woman standing in front of her having the same pink hair as her and looked like a older milim she slowly started walking towards her " i-is that.. you.."
Lucia:" Yes, it's me milim... I'm sorry I left you alone for so long" she opened her arms as milim come and hugged her tightly crying in her absence for the second time.
Everyone else left the mother and daughter, in the same moment rimuru woke up and seeing what was happening. He asked the one next to him
Rimuru:"ahu..hey velzard san what happened?"
Velzard:" oh you are finally awake, well that over there hugging milim is Rudra's sister who is also milim's mother and wife of my elder brother Veldanava " she said helping him up" and the other one is the former emperis of sarion "
Rimuru:" oh I see, but I didn't think I would get to see milim's mother of all people here. But it's good that she got to see them "
Velzard:" uhm I guess you're right about that "
Rimuru:" by the way, what happened while I was asleep?"
Velzard:" well to put it short. You started fighting against both veldora and velgrynd with you locking velgrynd up " with a smile on his face rimuru says
Rimuru:" that's good, I can get veldora back soon and make the empire pays for what it did"
Velzard:" you can say that but the show is not over yet "
Rimuru:" is that so "
Velzard:" yeah and I forgot to mention that your skill made a another evolution "
Rimuru:" wait you mean great saga but it already become a ultimate skill?"
Velzard:" Yes it did but you while fighting against velgrynd and veldora named it Ciel which in turn made it a manas basically making it a person of its self, giving it a Will of its own "
Rimuru:" that's good news " ( rimuru:" did you hear that great saga?, you will have a soul of your own but I already see you as a partner) ( great saga:" notice Thankyou master") ( rimuru:" you know I wish I could name you now but I'm not powerful enough yet but when the time comes I will) (great saga: notice I will be waiting patiently for it to come master)
Velzard:" you were talking to your skill right?"
Rimuru:" Yes I was. Although it's still great saga she been with me since I got to this world"
Velzard;" I see you care a lot about great saga"
Rimuru:" yes, and -" before he could continue talking to velzard something come up
Elmisia:" mother!"
Sylvia:" elmisia" she hugged her tightly with a smile
Elmisia:"but mother how -"
Sylvia:" don't worry about it we already saw everything that happened here but now" focusing Laplace " sarion it's you right" yuuki just watched without saying anything
Rimuru:" sarion? But isn't that the nation she rules and isn't that Laplace what's going on "
Elmisia:" yes mother I would like to know as well who is he " the rest just watched as Sylvia was not saying anything but azathoth had other plans
Azathoth :" well ladies and gentlemen Laplace here is a former Chosen Hero & Emperor of his Great dynasty "Sarion" named after him.... his wife Sylvia is the first high-elf and a mentor of Demonlord Leon Cromwell, his daughter Elmisia is the current Emperor.....Despite his preference of avoiding direct combat, Laplace is actually the most formidable combatant in the Moderate Harlequin Alliance, possessing both strength and intelligence. He is able to effortlessly kill Roy Valentin in a straight fight... Stronger than his lord the former Demonlord Kazarem..." After that a lot of people who didn't know were surprised by it seeing as how he looked like now " Sylvia, elmisia and Laplace I will give you guys some alone time but for now can we please continue with the reaction" they nodded and with that he smiled as the TV turned on once more
Leon (thought):" would have been better if he didn't say my name"
Rudra (thought):" did velgrynd truely lose to that slime..no the fight is not over yet" he wasn't really listening to what was being said the same goes for velgrynd
Velgrynd (thought):"I couldn't have lost could I?, but this fight is still ongoing so I might have gotten out of that. They's no way that I would lose that easily"
-----------------------------------6:47:06------------------------------------
As expected of 'Wisdom KingRaphael.' Oh wait, it's Ciel now. Somehow, it hadn't seemed to be in the best shape, so I had given it a name on a whim...but it seemed to be more pleased than I expected.
Rimuru (thought):" it might take time getting used to tho"
In fact, its response was not as mechanical as it had been before, but rather exceptionally smooth and human-like. I also felt that Ciel had become scarily stronger.
Lucia (thought):" it's voice is like that of the world but more smooth"
Ciel was in such good shape now that it was hard to believe that it had even been in a slump just recently.
There had been a few times before when it had gone into auto-battle mode, but this time it was utilizing the Skills to a much greater degree. Even the seemingly overwhelming Velgrynd was no match for Ciel. It was a perfect strategy designed by Ciel, in which it had boldly launched a special move, aiming for the moment when the magicule count decreased.
By combining my Skills with the effects corresponding to the target's characteristics, it was able to achieve this. That was easy enough to say, but the amount of computing power it would actually take to make this possible was completely beyond me.
After all, I was at a greatly significant disadvantage in magicule count. In order to contain such a superior opponent, Ciel had efficiently constructed an "insulated prison" with only superior attributes. In other words, this could also be called a calculation prison that operated according to the enemy's characteristics.
Velgrynd (thought):" it might have imprisoned me but not for long"
Guy (thought):" .."
The fact that Ciel was able to achieve this was the reason for its complete victory. The key to this strategy was whether or not we could withstand Velgrynd's attack. I trusted Ciel's calculation, but if it had read things wrong, I would have been the one who was finished.
Yuuki (thought):" that skill is a cheat code after all "
Why did I trust it so much?
That was simple. It was because my opponent was Veldora, and I had declared that I would let Ciel handle Velgrynd. Besides, I knew that Ciel could do it. And it lived up to my expectations perfectly-no, even more than I could have imagined. It used my Skills more skillfully than I ever could and fulfilled its role. As expected of my partner, I thought of Ciel as such more than ever.
An unexpected miscalculation had made Ciel more reliable, but I must not forget my purpose. I had to free Veldora before Velgrynd began moving. So, how many seconds could she be held back?
«Even if Velgrynd goes wild, the 'Insulation Prison' can still be maintained for the remaining 200 seconds. However, worrying about that is unnecessary.»
Uh, why? I was grateful for just the 200 seconds, but Velgrynd is still a threat. I can't ignore her...
Velgrynd (thought):" so what was that about the last time? "
Rudra (thought):" and that she is "
Veldora (thought):" I wish they could ignore me with their education "
«No. As planned, Velgrynd has turned to evasive action. I knew it was possible for her to transfer energy using the Soul Corridor, so it is expected for her to flee without worrying about this 'Split Body.'»
I see. Since any 'Split Body' can be the main body, there is no need to forcefully break the 'Insulation Prison.'
No, that's not it. Ciel had prepared an escape path in anticipation of this. That's right... Velgrynd had shown too much of her hand. She showed off 'Parallel Existence' and fought the three demon girls and Veldora and so on. All of these situations had been monitored, so Ciel must have had no shortage of material to analyze.
Testarossa (thought):" so we really do get to fight her in the end"
Carrera (thought):" finally, fighting against a true dragon will be fun"
Ultima (thought):" what is that atomic boom thinking about"
Rudra (thought):" that is true. We showed the enemy too much "
Guy (thought):" that's a bad take on their part "
Rimuru (thought):" I'm not sure if the three demoness can win against her... but I'm sure the plan wasn't to win against her in the first place but something else maybe"
Velgrynd's 'Parallel Existence' was not an inexhaustible source. Therefore, Ciel may have succeeded in deducing the total amount of Velgrynd's magicules by measuring it. Once that was known, it was possible to figure out how many more 'Split Bodies' they must face to defeat her.
Ciel, instead, took advantage of this. It had seen through Velgrynd's insurance policy and induced her into using it as a method of escape. After all, if I had such a useful power, I would use it as a means of insurance, too. However, it was impossible for my 'Clone' to reproduce an Ultimate Skill. It was a little disappointing, but I was willing to admit defeat in that aspect.
In the end, while the 'Parallel Existence' seemed completely versatile, it could only be used as a decoy or against lower-ranked opponents. Well, it was still extremely useful as insurance, and it could be a great asset depending on the opponent. I could think of many ways to use it, but it seemed to be ineffective against opponents of the same rank or higher.
Ciel had uncovered that weakness. I mean, its computational power was a bit scary.
Yuuki (thought):" yeah no joke"
Hinata (thought:" it is a scary skill to have.. and that this slime has it"
Everything was going according to Ciel's plan, as if it was predicting the future.
I couldn't help but be amazed at how far it has come, but Ciel was my partner. Better to stop worrying about unnecessary things and quickly get on with what we had to do.
Ciel had managed to make even Velgrynd-of the supreme True Dragon race-dance in the palm of her hands.
Luminous (thought):" I can't disagree with that"
Lucia (thought):" is this really the same velgrynd I met all those years ago.."
Ramiris (thought):" kinda scary if you think about it"
Rain (thought):" even velgrynd sama can't win against this skill"
Rudra (thought):" No....no..no.. this is not the end!!, I will make sure of that! My game with guy won't end here.. not without me being the winner.."
Hm, in that case, I can't lose.
‹All right. But just to be safe, I'll do everything I can to deal with Veldora so that we can wrap this up in under 200 seconds. Give me a hand, Ciel!›
«As you wish!»
Luminous (thought):" is 200 seconds really enough to finish this fight"
Yuuki (thought):" I'm not sure if that's enough time "
Rudra (thought):" that won't be enough time "
Guy(thought):" is it really enough?"
Elmisia (thought):" I'm not sure about this"
Sylvia (thought):" his an abnormal I'm sure it's just enough"
Veldanava (thought):" I wouldn't underestimate a slime who become a true demon Lord in 2 years "
Azathoth (thought):" let the fight being "
I-no, Ciel and I faced Veldora directly, which had been the original goal. This was precious time that Ciel had earned. It may be short, but it was infinite to us. It would be a shame on us if we couldn't make the most of it. It wasn't a question of whether we could or couldn't do it, but that we would do it.
With that resolve, I resumed my assault on Veldora.
I would liberate Veldora and take down Rudra. This was what I wanted to do, not just something that Guy requested.
Rimuru (thought):" so I'm working with that guy in the future.. kinda leaves a bad taste"
Draguel (thought):" guy already doesn't like this rimuru, I wonder how it will turn out"
Luminous (thought):" they're not on good terms"
I had been surprised by the birth of Ciel, but I switched back to my usual self. I was already calm now. But that didn't mean my anger was gone. I decided to save this anger until I could take it out on Emperor Rudra. The main priority had to come first.
Rudra (thought):" let's see if you can...rimuru tempest "
That being said, about Veldora... What I was trying to do was to talk to Veldora. Controlling Veldora was simple to say, but it would take an enormous amount of effort to bend a massive energy source such as a True Dragon to your will. In the first place, it would be extremely difficult to take away the free will of a spiritual life form.
As I saw it, there were several types of domination.
Charm control, where the person submitted wholeheartedly.
Coercive control, where free will was taken away and the person was forced to obey.
Complete control, where the person was not even aware that they were being controlled.
And so on.
In Yuuki's case, it was complete control, but in Kagali's case, it was coercive control. And Veldora's case was also coercive control.
Yuuki (thought):" wait, I was being controlled!?"
Hinata (thought):" someone was controlling him?"
There were distinct stages of coercive control. There were various patterns, from those who still had free will and resisted, to those whose free will had been erased and they became robots that never disobeyed orders.
Kagali didn't appear to have any free will left, but what about Veldora? Spiritual life forms were known for their strong wills. I didn't think the free will of such an existence could be erased so easily, so I thought it would be meaningful to call out to him.
However, Veldora's resistance was too intense. I suppose his orders were to eliminate the enemy-me, but he didn't even hesitate at all and attacked viciously. Even if I had left Velgrynd to Ciel, Veldora alone would have been trouble.
I still had my storm-based powers, so I could cancel out Veldora's attacks. However, it was too much for me to call out to him, as it took too much effort to cancel out those unbelievably powerful attacks. That was why I now decided to leave the defense to Ciel. The main problem was his 'Probability Manipulation,' but I trusted that the current Ciel could handle it.
Rimuru (thought):"I trust you great saga"( great saga:" notice I won't disappoint you master")
From now on, it's showtime-I thought to myself as I approached Veldora.
The storm raged about. But the place where I was remained as calm as the eye of a storm. Somehow, I felt a powerful sense of security. Veldora's attacks were canceled out, without me feeling as desperate as I had been before. There was little to no consumption of magicules. Moreover, I was in ridiculously good shape right now.
«Of course. Through the Soul Corridor, the monsters under your command have sent their 'Tribute' through 'Food Chain.'»
I see, so that's what it was!
Testarossa (thought):" our connection with him is helpful"
Carrera (thought):" so the soul corridor is boosting him"
Diablo (thought):"kufufufu anything for my lord" the rest felt better knowing that they were helping their master
I felt a surge of energy in my body earlier, but thanks to my friends, I was able to fight Veldora. Now that I knew that, I couldn't afford to make any mistakes here. Once I finally reached Veldora, I called out to him, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Veldora. Do you recognize me?"
There was no response. Rather, I got 'Thunderstorm' in return.
Yuuki (thought):" hahahaha"
Veldora (thought):" I'm not in control okay"
I was so annoyed that I couldn't help but punch him. However, or perhaps I should say naturally, it didn't work on Veldora's massive body. Unless I put not only my strength but also my magicules into it, I would not be able to do much damage. However, this was fine. My goal was to wake up Veldora, so I wouldn't hesitate to beat him up.
I kept hitting Veldora in the face as hard as I could. Once I was this close, most of his attacks would be out of range. On the contrary, it was too close that if he attacked, it would hit him as well. Well, since he was being controlled, he might shoot magic at me without caring about that, but Ciel would take care of that.
I punched and punched, and gave an occasional kick. But Veldora only roared...
«How about using 'Predation' on Veldora and sealing him in 'Imaginary Space'?»
Ciel made a terrifying proposal.
Veldora (thought):" I don't mind honestly"
Velgrynd (thought):" eat my brother!?!"
If I had to choose between 'yes' or 'no,' I would say 'yes,' but... Was such a thing even possible?
«No problem. The 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' has been placed under my command, so it can be executed immediately upon your order.»
How reliable...I must say.
'Predation' was a slime's Intrinsic Skill, and 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' was the result of its evolution to the limit. It had the highest affinity with me and was the easiest power for me to handle.
Ciel had optimized it, so it should work for Veldora as well. In addition, this 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' could be activated from anywhere in my Demon Slime body. In fact, I didn't even need to touch the target. As long as I could visually confirm, I could affect that space. Its power increases with proximity, so now that I was closer to Veldora, I could expect a significant effect.
In any case, the decision was made.
"You're a pain in the ass, Veldora! Don't make me worry!"
As soon as I shouted that, I tried devouring Veldora with 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' without hesitation.
At the same time:
‹Kuahahaha! It was a small mistake. Forgive me!›
I heard a voice I wasn't supposed to hear.
‹Veldora, right?›
‹Hm, it's me. Your sworn friend, the Storm Dragon Veldora!›
Guy( thought):" I'm not going to question"
Rudra (thought)" but how!!, I had him under my control"
Luminous (thought):" looks like his still in there"
Velzard (thought):" so you are still there veldora"
This couldn't be a trap. Because that response was so ridiculous. The owner of that cheerful voice could only be Veldora.
‹Hey, are you still conscious?›
‹Mm. To tell you the truth, I quickly detached my heart at that time. It was impossible to talk, but it did preserve my ego!›
Guy(thought):" I see"
Rudra (thought):" so that's how he is still conscious, no matter I won't let this stop us"
So that's it. He couldn't speak, but his consciousness still remained. Was it because the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' got to Veldora's body, that we could use 'telepathy' through our hearts?
In any case, I was glad that he was safe. But that also made me angry in another sense.
‹What?! Then hurry up and take your body back!›
Don't be so carefree after making me worry so much.
Veldora:" sorry about that rimuru, but it seems that I can not"
Rimuru:" no worries veldora, I'm sure I will get you back"
Velgrynd:" and you think I will allow you? Then forget about it!"
Rimuru:"sorry to say this velgrynd but I don't really care if his your brother, but I'm not sorry for taking my friend back"
Elmisia:" mother do you think that rimuru can win against the empire if he continues like this.."
Sylvia:" uhm.. from what I have seen..yes, yes he can. Race doesn't matter, the strongest true dragon of today can be an equal with a demon. That demon being just as powerful as the hero of the beginning, with that very hero being a human. So tell me what's stopping a slime from being stronger than all of them individually or as a whole.. the only thing I can think of is his very soul... and Will if they won't strong enough he would have died a long time ago. But his still alive and his only getting stronger.. sooner or later he might just be as strong as milim and guy but that's my opinion."
Elmisia:" I see.."
How upset I had been because of Veldora... Thinking about it made me want to complain.
Yuuki (thought):" complaining won't help"
Velzard (thought):" complaining to that brother of mine is a losing war"
‹If I could do that, I would have done so long ago! Rather than that, Rimuru, shouldn't you have been calmer and acted more cautiously?›
Speak for yourself. Not to mention...
‹You idiot! If I'd been calm, I would never have been so reckless as to take on two True Dragons at the same time!›
Rimuru (thought):" facts! I don't know what my future self was thinking"
I didn't need him to point that out to me.
After I had calmed down, I thought to myself that I was lucky to be alive. However, it would have been impossible for me to act cautious at that time. Cautious was not a word that could be used when dealing with True Dragons in the first place.
Draguel (thought):" true, but my fight against veldora has been fun"
Dino:" damn... this thing is not over yet.."his eyes were half closed as he fall asleep again
Ramiris:" and he thinks he can win against me!"
Rimuru:" a lot of people think that actually "
Draguel:" I don't blame them for it tho "
As I was thinking about this, Veldora happily warned me.
‹Oh, look out. I'm about to unleash my Black Lightning!›
Luminous (thought):" why is he so happy about it!"
Don't say that so casually as if it were small talk!
Moreover, it wasn't Black Lightning that was fired, but the Death-Calling Wind. In any case, Ciel canceled it out and we successfully avoided it, but what was the point in lying?!
‹You! What lightning?! That's the death-calling wind that destroys souls!!›
Veldora (thought):" I mean we have want over this, I have a problematic skill.. kufufufu"
I was annoyed and complained, but Veldora laughed and gave me an excuse.
‹Mmm?! My bad, Kuahahaha! It seems that I still don't fully understand my own body. I was able to get a sense of activating a technique, but the accuracy rate is only 50 percent.›
In other words, it was not helpful.
The enemy also has 'Probability Manipulation,' so it would be safer to just ignore Veldora's predictions.
‹Got it. That's enough, so you just shut up. It won't be funny if I fail at this critical moment by trusting some random statement, will it?›
Hearing me express my disappointment, Veldora began to panic.
‹Wait, wait Rimuru! I-I'll do my best. I will help you out somehow!›
Despite his desperate assurances, there was no basis for his remarks. This was a time where reason should prevail over emotion. Besides, I had already been assisted by him. Just hearing Veldora's voice was enough to calm me down.
Hinata (thought):" never thought he was that important to him..tho I still wonder about her.. how important was she to you.."
Azathoth (thought):" another lost soul... should I make a reaction on it..to show her"
‹As long as you're okay, that's all that matters.›
After making sure that he was safe once again, Veldora laughed loudly as usual.
‹Kuahahaha! Of course I'm okay. I am the strongest dragon!›
Velzard (thought):" you shouldn't make me laugh boy fufufufufufu"
I was relieved to hear that. And just as I was thinking that...
‹To begin with, it wasn't Rudra who cut off the Soul Corridor, but me. That means I didn't actually lose to them!›
Huh? What is he talking about, this old man...
‹What do you mean?›
‹Well, it's simple. Rudra tried to take control of me while I was focused on Kondou's attack. The fact that three people, including my sister, actually joined forces is just a dirty ploy-I was outraged. But I made the difficult decision to at least avoid the worst-case scenario.›
As the 'strongest dragon' isn't he being a little too careless? On the battlefield, there is no such thing as clean or dirty...
Rudra (thought):" so he truly cut off the connection between them"
Guy (thought):" nothing new can surprise me besides this new headaches"
‹Don't be so arrogant! Honestly, what the hell are you doing? Didn't I always tell you not to let your guard down?!›
‹Kuahahaha! I didn't expect to be lectured in this situation!›
Velzard:" Rimuru San.. you should give me veldora sometimes ..so.. that I can educate him...better this time. a week or so is enough"her voice had a mixture of pure evil and a loving and caring sister mixed together to form something that even Veldanava had a cold sweat. The only thing more dangerous then it was a slime subordinate with her cooking..
Rimuru (thought):"..sigh.. well veldora I guess this is were it ends.. I can't help you with both your sisters a slime can only do so much, but I do hope you enjoy the week with her I will not be hold liable for any inconvenience that will happen to you" turns to her on her lap" sure.. his all yours.."
Velzard:" Thankyou, he will be in good hands "with the veldora in question
Veldora:".. what's this feeling.. it's like I have been betrayed by a dear friend, but I might be wrong "
I couldn't help but be taken aback by Veldora's seemingly endless enjoyment.
He's an idiot, so I'll just move on.
‹So, that decision was to cut off the Soul Corridor?›
‹Yes, that's right. Because Rudra's domination would have affected not only me, but also you through the Soul Corridor.›
So, he had rushed to cut off the Soul Corridor to protect me.
Once I heard that, I couldn't be mad at Veldora anymore.
Velzard (thought):" doesn't matter, the education will continue"
‹Well then, just leave it to me!›
‹Mm! I won't worry about a thing, because I believe in you.›
Well, it's never a bad thing to be relied upon.
‹Ah, that's right. I'll set you free soon, so just wait here.›
‹Kuahahahaha! How reliable. I have the utmost faith in you, my friend Rimuru!›
The situation with Veldora was clear. He had lost control of his body, but his heart was safe. It seems that Veldora couldn't take back control now, so I would have to do something about it.
That's right, for example:
‹Ciel, if you have Veldora's heart, can you revive the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora'?›
No problem. The information of the power remains, so as long as the Soul Corridor is connected to Veldora's heart, the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora' can be restored.»
Guy(thought):" another ultimate skill?"
Rudra (thought):" how many does he have"
Luminous (thought):" that makes 4 right"
Elmisia (thought):" as mother said, his soul is really strong"
The problem was easily solved. In short, all I had to do was eat up the Veldora in front of me and recover his heart. The rest was just a matter of getting it done.
Velgrynd (thought):" I can't let that happen!!"
Now then, let's defeat him. The strongest opponent, Storm Dragon Veldora!!
..
......
.........
...............
The solution to the problem has been found. In that case, I'll just get it over with quickly. There were two problems. The time limit and the location of the heart.
There was still plenty of time. The current conversation had been prolonged by 'Thought Acceleration,' so in fact not more than a few seconds had passed. There were still more than three minutes left, although there was actual offense and defense going on in between.
The problem was the location of the heart. It was inside the body, so 'telepathy' should be possible through magicules. Nevertheless, it was difficult to pinpoint the location.
Gazel (thought):" so that's his goal for now"
If I accidentally destroyed the heart, it was all over. The mission would fail, and Veldora would have to be reborn. On the contrary, it would normally be more difficult to damage the heart. That was because it was the most protected part of the body. However, Veldora's heart was detached from his main body right now, so it was unprotected. If I had been careless and believed that I would not hit it, I could have accidentally hit and damaged it, which would have been unfortunate. Veldora would be released from Rudra's control, but his current personality would disappear, and our 'Soul Corridor' would not be restored. Only that situation had to be avoided.
If I could devour Veldora in one go, I wouldn't have to worry about this. Unfortunately, it was impossible to swallow Veldora whole in my 'Imaginary Space' without consent. I could weaken him and reduce the amount of magicules to some extent, or I could use 'Predation' little by little and be careful not to hurt his heart...
Looking at it this way, damaging him was out of the question. In fact, I was a little scared now when I thought about the beating I just gave him... It was difficult to think of Veldora as so fragile as I had thought he would be difficult to defeat or even damage. A shot or two of magic would not even scratch him and punching and kicking would be useless. Only by adding the effects of an Ultimate Skill to the various attacks would I be able to do any real damage at all. Even the most powerful holy magic, 'Disintegration,' could only do insignificant damage to Veldora's massive body.
This showed that the high durability of the True Dragon race was not a fluke. That's why he should have been able to withstand a few attacks, but there was always a chance. Especially now, Veldora was in a state of rampage without will. There was no telling what he would do, which was the sad thing about being controlled.
Unless I learned where Veldora's heart was, it would be safer for me not to attack him.
In that case, there was only one way. I had no choice but to do my best to find the heart by using 'predation' little by little. It was a race against time, but there was no other choice. There was only three minutes, but three minutes was three minutes.
Without worrying about how much time I had left, I activated the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' at full power and bit down on Veldora-
Draguel (thought):" that is problematic for him"
Yuuki (thought):" he doesn't seem to have any other way"
My body returned from its human form to its slime form. Rather than a fluid form, it revealed the properties of an amorphous viscous body. Following my aggressive 'Predation' intentions, I changed into the most suitable shape that Ciel had optimized for me. It would be more efficient since there were many contact surfaces.
My fluctuating body ate its way through the surface of Veldora's body, wrapping around it. However, the target was too big. No matter how much I stretched my body, from Veldora's point of view, I was a mere dot. It was a daunting task, but I couldn't give up here. I accelerated the aggressive erosion without hesitation.
At the same time, I activate the 'Soul Eater' to probe for Veldora's nucleus. This would have been impossible without Ciel's assistance. As I had thought from its extraordinary strength, perhaps Ciel had acquired computing power that could not be compared to that of the Wisdom KingRaphael. It appears that evolution upon getting a name was not limited to monsters.
Lucia (thought):" this is not an easy to do.."
Leon (thought):" can this even work"
Sylvia (thought):" with that Ciel..it can be done "
Guy (thought):" if you wins, he still have velgrynd and Rudra to deal with "
Now, thanks to Ciel, things were going well, but it wasn't without obstacles. I mean, I was in a lot of pain right now. Veldora's body had begun to resist the hostile presence. The 'Dragon Spirit Haki' of the Storm Dragon was disintegrating my body.
Between me, who was trying to devour, and the Storm Dragon who was trying to eliminate me-a fierce clash began.
It hurts, it's hot, it's painful. I shouldn't be feeling any pain, but an intense pain pierced my entire body. The heat should have been meaningless, but I felt as if I were melting at an unbearably high temperature. And then there was the agonizing suffering that I had felt for the first time in this world. The dangerous sensation that I was about to be wiped out of existence stimulated my survival instincts.
Rimuru (thought):" this will be the first time I felt like that, dangerou,pain, and suffering..all at once. Will I be able to manage it..no I have to "
Hinata (thought):" azathoth had mantion to me, that I had made him Suffer.."
However, I would not let go of the erosion. I will win. I will overcome this suffering and save Veldora. Besides, I'm not alone right now. I have a reliable partner in Ciel. I was going to devour the Storm Dragon and absorb Veldora's heart. For that, this level of suffering would be nothing.
‹Ciel, is that okay?›
«Leave it to me.»
It'll be fine. After that reliable answer, I further expanded the erosion.
Veldanava (thought):" he trusts her this much huh"
The only thing standing in my way was the energy I consumed. Normally, it would be restored as my own power, but with the True Dragon race, it was different. Instead of helping me, it was destroying my body.
I suppose the Dragon Factor was so powerful that it couldn't be bound by anyone. Yet, he was being controlled so this was quite troublesome, but now was not the time to complain about that.
Velzard (thought):" that's an ultimate skill for you"
Yuuki (thought):" I have been wondering... can Rudra control velgrynd as well since he already controls veldora what's stopping him from controlling her?. "
Velgrynd (thought):" shows that the True dragon race is the strongest in the world"
Every time a part of my body disappeared, my body would be reorganized with 'Infinite Regeneration.' By doing so, I was forcibly taking in the energy that I had eaten. It would have been much easier to discard it, but that was not possible. If I didn't 'Analyze and Assess' the magicules properly, I might damage Veldora's heart.
It was very troublesome, but this was the best process. This conclusion was made after consulting with Ciel, so all that remained was to repeat the whole process.
Draguel (thought):"the only thing left is to wait"
I abandoned my thoughts and continued working.
Time was running out, but the target was huge. I was worried that I might not be able to finish in time, but I believed in Ciel. We would make it in time.
«Since I was free, I've been doing some analysis work in my spare time, would you like to hear about it?»
‹...›
Luminous (thought):" you were free??"
Velzard (thought):" but how.."
Yuuki (thought):" since when were you free!!"
Rimuru (thought):" I will try not to think about it"
Just now, what do you mean that you were free?
What have you been doing while I've been in pain?
Feldway (thought):" this skill is giving me a bad feeling..."
«What I was doing was the 'Analyze and Assess' of Velgrynd's abilities. I studied the 'Scorch Dragon Cardinal Acceleration' isolated in the 'Imaginary Space' and figured out its laws.»
Velgrynd:" it what!!, to hell with that!. Do you think that you are better than me to try and copy my skill!?, I won't allow you"she was about to get up when azathoth stopped her, setting her down
Azathoth:" you should clam down, this is not even your biggest problem yet so sit down" with that she wasn't really clam but she did sit down
Velgrynd (thought):" I will kill you.."
Luminous (thought):" good show all around"
Diablo (thought):" I feel it.. my master Shall show them what true power is.. and maybe by the end of it the truth of the world"
No, no, no, I wasn't asking a question-huh, you figured it out?!
«Although I failed to recreate the power, it is possible to develop a similar technique.»
Hinata (thought):" still very impressive"
Yuuki:" I already saw that coming from last time.."
That's ridiculous, Ciel. Those were from the surface of my thoughts, but I suppose I should assume it was always being read. Let's be mindful of the mental boundary and think about stuff on the deeper level of my mind.
Anyway, it's amazing that it can copy Velgrynd's sure-kill technique. An Ultimate Skill should be impossible to reproduce just by looking at it...
Velgrynd(thought):"..."
No, wait? What else were you analyzing?
I got scared and decided to ask it outright, ‹What else did you analyze?›
Then, Ciel replied as if it had been waiting for me a long time.
«Yes! The analysis of 'Storm Blast' has also been completed. It is possible to use the ability by using the remainder of 'Storm King Veldora.'»
Wait, wait! The pain I'm feeling right now was blown away by the seriousness of this report! It's hard to believe that you could complete such a difficult degree of analysis in your spare time...
«No, it's true. And these are not important, the main point is what follows!»
I unconsciously reacted on the surface level of my mind.
Rudra (thought):" is veldora really going to lose to that slime.. velgrynd already lost but not truly. If we don't win this fight my game against guy will end in our loss"
Lucia (thought):" what's he thinking about so much?"
But that's fine. There was no point in hiding it anyway. I mean, it made sense when I thought about it. I did have the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora' left. If I used it, it wouldn't be surprising if I could recreate the 'Storm Blast.' It was awesome to be able to use a powerful ability, and to be honest, I was happy. That's why I was surprised, but it didn't seem strange to Ciel. Thinking about it that way, I was more concerned about what Ciel actually thought was important.
‹What is the main point?›
Velzard (thought):" what's he talking about?"
Azathoth (thought):" oh boy here we go again"
Draguel (thought):" something is going to happen... I can't put my finger on it"
Luminous:"..."
«Regarding the 'Predated' energy of the Storm Dragon earlier, I have successfully analyzed it. It is now possible to transform the body composition of my lord into the same species as "True Dragon" Veldora. Do you wish to proceed?»
.....
Guy:" what!.."
Rudra:" No.. that's not possible!?, how just how!! "
Feldway:" that's impossible!! The voice of the world won't allow such a thing to happen!"
Luminous:" I have gaven up all hope with that slime... but this is just too much to be possible?"
Velzard (thought):" so... that's.. the feeling I have been having but it's not like the others..no it's different.."
Diablo (thought):" kufufufu!, truely lord rimuru you shall show me the truth "
Carrera (thought):" that my lord! Kuahahahaha "
Ultima (thought):" this is good"
Testarossa (thought):" his truely remarkable, for he is my master"
Milim:" Oooh so that means bestie will be even closer to me!!"
Lucia:" Yes, I guess you are right about that "
Veldora:"kufufufufufu, this is great news indeed rimuru! Soon you will be my brother kufufufu!!"
Yuuki (thought):" his a cheat code, get over it "
Elmisia:"mother...is.. this tr-"
Sylvia:" Yes.. it's true elmisia.. that rimuru tempest is something else "
Elmisia:"....."
Velgrynd:" no..no..no..no.no..this can't be...that slime being the same as us true dragons!??, No! I can't I won't allow it!!" Without question she turned on her 'Scorch Dragon Cardinal Acceleration' at full speed towards rimuru.. most couldn't see it...as everything lit up, leaving most to wonder what what was happening..
Veldanava:" you should sleep for now velgrynd.." his hand was stopping her attack as she falls on the ground " I apologise for her outrage please continue" not a moment later velgrynd was already back at her sit asleep along with Veldanava. Most of them didn't understand what just happened...
Rimuru (thought):" I think I almost dead"
What? Just now, didn't you just casually say something very disturbing? Transforming my body composition into the same kind as Veldora's?
Do I wish to proceed? What the hell!
I'm a little confused. If my understanding is correct, that would mean I would become a True Dragon...?
«That understanding is correct.»
Huuuh?! Correct-you say?!
...Are you for real?
«Of course! So, do you wish to evolve into a True Dragon? YES/NO.»
Fufufu... Fuhaha... FUHAHAHAHA!!
Yuuki (thought):" really the three-stage laugh.."
I couldn't help but perform the three-stage laugh.
At a time like this, it still has to ask YES or NO-while thinking of such a trivial thing, I gave the command.
YES!
In an instant, the agony I'd been feeling vanished. Including pain, heat, and suffering. The new me was immune to the Storm Dragon's 'Dragon Spirit Haki.' It was because I could now use ' Dragon Spirit Haki' as well.
Draguel (thought):" the birth of a true dragon who was first a slime..."
Guy (thought):" I can't even destroy him right now because his the most protected person in the world..sigh.. those headaches"
Feldway (thought):" a... slime is a true dragon now"
Michael (thought):" it's unbelievable but we have to come up with a plan"
Feldway (thought):" Yes, we have to avoid this outcome at any means necessary"
Velzard:". His different.. from us"
Rimuru (thought):" I did it, my future self is a true dragon now"
In other words, the more I ate, the more energy I would gain. My magicule count was increasing rapidly. The rate of increase was so high that I was worried that it would expand beyond control and run rampant.
«No problem. I will manage it perfectly.»
I'm sure you will.
With Ciel, there was no need to worry about that. Now that I was a True Dragon, my magicule count was finally in line with Veldora's. And I would break through the limit. Here I am, reborn as a new 'True Dragon.'
At the time when this situation was left unattended, there was a fatal delay in the response of the Storm Dragon.
‹You have won, Rimuru. I'm surprised that you've become a True Dragon, but I guess I was right about you all along. Kuahahaha!!›
Veldora (thought):" indeed I was kuahahahaha!!"
Veldora boasted of victory, not really sounding surprised.
'I raised you'-he seemed to say, but it goes without saying that Veldora-san was not useful. Besides, it was too early to feel victorious. What was important was Veldora's heart, and its whereabouts were still unknown.
That's why I decided to put on the finishing touches.
"Now then, let's finish this!"
I can't allow you to call yourself my favorite "Storm Dragon."
"Devour all, 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth!'!!"
Hinata (thought):" they it goes.."
In obedience to my command, the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' devoured the 'Storm Dragon.' With pleasure. And with tremendous speed. Unlike before, the progression was one-sided. The devourer and the devoured. It was as if to embody "the weak are meat the strong eat"...
Testarossa (thought):" that's how it has been seen the beginning"
The curtain had fallen quietly on the epic battle without a sound. An evolution and a new birth had occurred, leading to a further destination. The residue of the leaked energy filled the surrounding area with a light so bright that was difficult to see. It was like the light of blessing. A light celebrating the birth of a new "type." It was the light emitted by my old body, which had not transformed into a "True Dragon," as it was converted into pure energy.
Luminous (thought):" he hasn't transformed yet"
Even this residue became my food and disappeared.
And just like that, I achieved my goal in flawless form.
When the light subsided, there was only one unidentified life form remaining. Veldora was gone. The slime-Demon LordRimuru-had eaten him, Velgrynd realized.
Gazel (thought):" this is not good"
.........
......
...
According to the investigation, Rimuru had been born from the magicule pool that leaked from Veldora. And yet, Rimuru devoured all of the Storm Dragon, his parent, and transformed himself into the fifth True Dragon-Ultimate Slime.
Immediately after, the slime began to take human form. He had a single sword in his hand and not a scrap of clothing. He looked around 15 to 16 years old. At a height of only 160 centimeters or so, it was not an exaggeration to say that he was of small stature.
Rimuru (thought):" I'm naked!!"(great saga:" notice it's recommended that master clams down ") " like I will be able to do that!!"
However, the amount of magicule contained within him was not only comparable to Veldora's, but it also surpassed it.
Velzard (thought):" wait.. surpassed it?, that means he has the second biggest magicules count within the true dragons aside from elder brother now"
His golden eyes were large and beautiful, as if they could see through everything. His silvery hair was lightly tinged with light blue, giving off a moonlit glow. He had no gender, and his face was more dainty than beautiful. However, the divine presence that he gave off was sublimely transformed into beauty. His dazzling white skin was cloaked in an aura of black and gold.
Then, Rimuru seemed to whisper something in displeasure, and the aura that covered his body transformed into divine jet-black, full-body garments. With 'Matter Creation,' a specialty of the demons, he had materialized the garments. Even with the magicules leaking from his body were used, there was no telling how strong the armor was.
Rimuru perfectly suppressed his excess energy in an instant. Then he grinned in satisfaction.
Gazel (thought):"..."
Hinata (thought):" I feel uneasy about that grin of his.. but not a bad look it's nice"
Velgrynd witnessed all of this from inside her prison. The transfer of energy had also been interrupted. She was completely stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing.
The battle between her brother, the Storm Dragon Veldora, and the demon lordRimuru, should have been overwhelmingly in Veldora's favor. There was absolutely no way that Veldora could lose.
Guy (thought):"what we have seen says otherwise"
If that were possible, then they would have had to be equals from the start...
A coincidence? It can't be...was that slime really just born there by chance?!
Sinking into a sea of thoughts, Velgrynd arrived at the astonishing conclusion. However, she could not admit it so easily. It was only natural. A monster being born in the vicinity of a True Dragon with a 'soul' that could adapt to the Dragon Factor-there was no way that could happen by chance.
Sylvia (thought):" so my suspicions were right about him getting stronger by the minute"
If he were indeed the fifth True Dragon, he could be considered a younger brother. However, Rimuru ate Veldora and evolved into a True Dragon. Velgrynd could not accept that such a being could be called a True Dragon. He was something similar to a True Dragon, so to speak. She could not and would not accept such a horrible existence. He needed to be exterminated here and now-Velgrynd's instincts told her so. That would be the only way to avenge her younger brother.
Veldora:" is he my brother?"
Veldanava:" no he is not"
Velzard:" then what?"
Milim:" is he not my uncle?"
Rimuru:"What am I then?"
Veldanava:" well as you can see, rimuru is not apart of my line of true dragons. I am everythingness with veldora, velgrynd and velzard falling under my line of Stardust, he is not apart of it"
Milim:" so he is not my uncle then "
Veldanava:" no more like a sub type he has his own line which I'm sure he is the first and last of like the primordials"
Veldora:" doesn't matter he is still a true dragon kuahahahaha!!"
Elmisia (thought):" so that's how it is then " everyone else got what he might even though he did not explain it better
To Velgrynd, Veldora was her cute little brother. He was cocky, rambunctious, and very difficult to deal with, but she envied his freedom. She had intended to use him as a pawn, but that was only a few years in the long life of a dragon. She had no intention of wiping him out, and she had intended to release him once she was done.
And yet...
.........
......
...
The moment Velgrynd realized that Veldora had been devoured before her eyes, she felt her sanity blown away by anger.
Rimuru (thought):" that's how I felt women,.. although you are still beautiful behind all that rage"
"How dare you...devour my cute little brother!!" Velgrynd roared in anger.
Velzard (thought):" she still cares for him at the very least "
Two hundred seconds had passed, and the 'Insulation Prison' shattered. The Scorch Dragon, now without reason and without regard for her own self-preservation, unleashed her hostility towards Rimuru.
It seems that I've been reborn as a new species after eating Veldora. The species seems to be called 'Ultimate Slime,' but with this, I am now a member of the True Dragon race-although, it's a subspecies. I guess I'm not related to slimes anymore, but I kept that thought a secret.
Rimuru (thought):" No! This can't be!!"
It's already done now, so no point in thinking about it.
I checked my new body. The main body that could be created without consuming magicules had grown considerably. Or rather, should I say I had grown up? Now I was about as tall as a high school student. A girl, though... Actually, that didn't really mean much because my apparent age could be changed as I liked. I just thought it was interesting to see myself grow up like this.
The important thing was whether I could relax and work or not. The volume of my slime form also increased, and it seemed to be around 70 to 80 centimeters in diameter. This was too big to be held, so I wanted to keep it small somehow. I'd check on that later.
Shion (thought):" no matter rimuru sama I will hold no matter the size!"
And, there was a problem. I wasn't wearing anything at the moment. In other words, I was naked. That was not good. Although my weird youki was leaking out and hiding my body, it still was ethically unpleasant for me.
That's why I made some clothes. I tried the 'Matter Creation,' which Diablo had taught me, and it worked surprisingly easily. I was told that the performance of the garment would be quite good, depending on the ability of the maker. It was very comfortable to wear, and the jet-black clothes looked cool.
Luminous (thought):"why end the show so soon!"
As for the grade I was curious about... It was mythical-grade.
Wah? Mythical-grade? Mythical-grade, huh? I see-wait, what?!
Yuuki (thought):" his slow huh"
Draguel (thought):" mythical grade huh understandable considering what he is now"
To be completely amazed was exactly how I felt at the moment. It truly felt like I had evolved, but I see. Perhaps, my current power was even greater than I had imagined. Thinking about it, there were a few things that came to mind.
Benimaru and the others had evolved into awakened demon lords, and their power was returned to me by the 'Food Chain,' so that was probably one of the reasons. Another reason might be that I ate Veldora and took in his power. It was also certain that the unusable energy that had been stored in my 'Stomach' had been analyzed and made usable.
Guy (thought):" so his subordinates are awakened demon Lords as well.."
Rudra (thought):" I had enough of this honestly"
For these various reasons, I felt like they all came together and blossomed all at once. This was the result of everything working well together. In short, it was all thanks to Ciel. No, it would be rude to drop the honorifics here. Out of respect for my partner, I shall call you Ciel-sensei!
«Please stop.»
I heard that, but I didn't care. Really, sensei was brilliant.
Elmisia (thought):" she actually feels like a person.."
I'll be relying on you from now on!
«Leave it to me!»
Hmhmm.
Now that I was dressed, I wouldn't forget my goal.
Yuuki (thought):" just because you were dressed!?"
‹Veldora, are you okay?›
‹Kuahahaha! Of course, don't make me repeat myself. More importantly, I'm amazed that you successfully managed to defeat my body!›
‹Well, yeah. Looking back on it, I lost control a little. But still, I'm relieved. Really!›
Veldora and I rejoiced in each other's safety.
Since we were able to converse like this, it appeared that Veldora's heart was safe. Now all that was left was to connect the Soul Corridor and restore the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora.'
«Successful without any problems.»
That's my Ciel-sensei. Even if I don't say anything, it's always working for me. It was a perfect job this time as well.
Sylvia (thought):" she fast that's for sure"
All right. I had accomplished my goal. Now that Veldora was back, I had no business with the Imperial Army. However, my anger was still alive and well, and I intended to take it out on Emperor Rudra. Besides, ending the war half-heartedly would lead to future disasters. Now that we had come this far, we had to be thorough. It was my duty as a king to eliminate the threat.
Rudra:"give it your best shot.. rimuru tempest"
Rimuru:"... you have my word"
Now that my anger had subsided, I was beginning to think that it was okay to leave all but Rudra alone, but I would do my job to the end without being distracted. Besides, even if I were willing to give in, there would be times when my enemies wouldn't keep silent.
As proof of this-I saw Velgrynd still alive and well, staring daggers at me from her prison cell.
I succeeded in freeing Veldora, but for some reason Velgrynd had become furious. There was no point in trying to defeat her, so I couldn't be bothered to deal with her, but...
The threat had to be eliminated.
«Velgrynd is no longer a threat. Although the analysis of all her powers is not yet complete, the countermeasures are perfect.»
Ciel-sensei's confidence was amazing. Or was it pride?
«No, it is a hard fact.»
Velzard:" Ara Ara, I like her already"
It would be ridiculous if we lost, but I guess we wouldn't have to worry about that. Even in the previous fight it had completely blocked Velgrynd's attacks. The current Ciel should be able to subdue her without much trouble.
Well, there was no change in our plan of taking this opportunity to hit the Empire thoroughly. I intended to finish them off right here, without leaving even a single drop of blood. As of now, the Black Numbers were on the rampage. There were several large whirlpools in the battlefield, and it appeared that there were no significant players left. If I was aiming for Rudra, I would collide with her anyway, so it was tactically correct to deal a blow to Velgrynd here.
Draguel (thought):" with his powers now, he can win against her"
The Empire had Lieutenant Kondou and Damrada. The four knights guarding Rudra were also very troublesome opponents. Yuuki was also being controlled by Rudra and had to be dealt with as an enemy. In addition, there should be one more Single Digit left. I didn't know what he or she looked like, but since this soldier was likely at the 'Saint' level, we needed to be careful. In other words, even if we exclude Rudra and Velgrynd, there were still eight strong enemies left.
Yuuki (thought):" yeah right I was being controlled by him.."
Hinata (thought):" I actually feel sorry for him"'
Judging by the signs on the battlefield, it seemed that there were a few others who could be considered "threats," so I would deal with them all right now.
To be perfectly honest, even those powerful people didn't feel like much of a threat to me right now. This was because the amount of magicules in me had increased nearly tenfold since I had evolved into a True Dragon. As a result, the quality and quantity of my powers had been greatly enhanced, and I felt that I was much stronger than before.
Since I hadn't released Veldora yet, I was at full energy. I was in great shape, and I felt like I could give Milim and Guy a run for their money.
-No, I shouldn't be too conceited. If I get carried away like that, I will surely fail. Let's just keep our guard up and act with caution.
Milim:" after that war, I wanna fight you rimuru!"
Rimuru:" hard pass!!"
By the way, while looking for signs of warfare, I noticed that the powerful opponents I had just mentioned were already engaged with Benimaru and the others. I was the one who had given the order, but I was still impressed by their quick actions. At the same time, I was worried about the possible casualties.
Were they obeying my orders not to die?
I hoped that they didn't act recklessly just to keep everyone out of my way...
Well, I could worry about that later. Right before me was Velgrynd, who looked like she was about to jump me. I would deal with her first, and then decide whether or not to go help them.
Luminous (thought):" this won't be much of a fight... but I don't care, seeing those dragons lose feels great!!"
In less than a second, I made that decision. Then, the next question was how to fight her.
First, how about using the 'Storm Dragon Release' of the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora'? With this, I could summon Veldora and take on Velgrynd in a two-on-one battle. That way, victory would be assured.
Come to think of it, it seems that my magicule capacity was not always full. It was probably because I had been letting Veldora run free. Veldora and I were like one and the same, and if one of us was safe, we could revive each other without any problem. It was different from Velgrynd's 'Parallel Existence,' but that cheat-like invincibility was noteworthy.
Elmisia (thought):" velgrynd already lost her cool a long time ago, how would she fight against him?"
If I thought about that as the price to pay, the magicule burden was not a problem. Besides, the surplus of magicules from Veldora was flowing into me, so I did not feel inconvenienced that much. In fact, the circulatory effect had revitalized my body.
That's why, although the 'Storm Dragon Release' had some disadvantages, the advantages were far greater. It used to consume about 90 percent of my magicules, but now the burden appeared to be about 30 percent.
With that in mind, I attempted to activate the 'Storm Dragon Release.'
"How dare you... My cute little brother!!" Velgrynd shouted.
From my perspective, this was a misplaced anger.
Yuuki:"you think?"
Rimuru:" I know"
"Aren't you the one who struck first?! You guys were the ones who tried to get me to fight Veldora in the first place!"
"Shut up! Veldora couldn't have been eaten by someone like you!! Although he wasn't all great, I never thought he could fall behind a demon lord... I will never accept that he disappeared because of this. I will never forgive you."
The enraged Velgrynd recklessly unleashed a heat ray (Blaster) at me.
Veldora:" but.. I am all that great.."
Unfortunately, it didn't work on me. But, well, this is what I learned from that conversation. I thought she was angry, but it was because I had eaten Veldora. She thought I had killed him and wiped him out completely. In that case, the answer is simple. 'Storm Dragon Release' will clear up all the misunderstanding. And yet:
‹Gawawawah! W-wait, Rimuru!› Veldora, the person in question, stopped me.
‹What's the matter?› I asked, worried...
‹Listen, Rimuru. My sister is furious right now because she thinks I'm gone. Is that right?›
‹Yeah, she is. So why don't you come out and explain, and maybe we can avoid unnecessary conflict?›
‹You idiot! Don't be crazy!! Showing that I'm safe with that kind of timing will be too awkward. All of my sister's anger might turn to me!!›
What a stupid answer. I felt like I'd lost after listening to it seriously.
Yuuki:"kuahahahaha!"
Velzard (thought):" you know what....I will make it the whole month of education.."
I was so shocked I thought I would stop breathing. When I heard Veldora saying that, I realized that I could not rely on him at all. But really...this person was useless at every critical moment, wasn't he? I felt like an idiot and was about to complain, but at that moment, Ciel also stopped me.
«Please wait. In any case, this is an opportunity to optimize Veldora's powers. I have his permission, so please wait to execute 'Storm Dragon Release' until after his Skill has been innovated.»
The tone was as clean and polite as ever.
Ciel said that it would innovate Veldora's Ultimate Skill 'Investigation King Faust' to evolve into the Ultimate Skill 'Chaos King Nyarlathotep.' Since it was an "evolution," it appeared that it would be terribly enhanced.
Sylvia:" another evolution?"
Elmisia:"seems like it"
What caught my attention was the statement that permission had been given by the person himself. To my surprise, Ciel's existence was known to Veldora.
‹Since when?›
«He was already aware of my existence just after Rimuru-sama evolved into a demon lord.»
That's what Ciel-san said.
‹I was aware, but I only became certain of it a short while ago. In the first place, I've never heard of a mere Skill developing an ego in all of history. However, the power of the deadly sins system seemed to have something like an ego, so I began to wonder if it was possible.›
According to Veldora, he had suspected something since the time of the Great Sage. He said he had been observing things from inside my Stomach, and there had been a lot of strange phenomena from time to time.
After the Great Sage became the 'Wisdom KingRaphael' due to my demon lord evolution, he felt that his suspicions were almost certain. He said that he had been talking with it before that, but he had thought that it was me he was talking to. Not that it bothered me, but I was curious about what kind of conversations they had.
Luminous;" how many know of the existence of Ciel?"
Azathoth:" the list is not that long"
In any case, Veldora was acquainted with Ciel. That's what was important.
‹In other words, you two knew each other. And you agreed to Ciel's proposal, is that correct?›
‹Yes, that's right! As much as I would love to deal with my sister, I cannot do so because of these circumstances. Sorry Rimuru, but I'll leave it to you!›
Hey, you're exploiting the situation. That's not what you were saying earlier!
I could have shouted at him, but I still felt sorry for him, so I stopped. Ciel also seemed like it wanted to play with Veldora's Skill. Even though I thought there was no need to do it now, it might be more troublesome to do after he was released.
Velzard (thought):" so it's decided then, but I'm surprised he knew about Ciel before anyone else"
Besides, I also wanted to test my own strength. I thought it was necessary to know how strong I was if I had to deal with Rudra after this. Velgrynd would be just the right opponent. The current me could fight with a bit of leeway, so I would be able to see how much I had grown in various ways.
It was time. I would keep an eye on my friends, but until they were in danger, I would prioritize testing my Skills.
«That's a good idea.»
Ciel seemed very happy, somehow.
I was motivated to fight with that in mind, but it also suggested something to me as a side note.
«By the way, as a result of various analyses, it is possible to combine the Ultimate Skill 'Storm King Veldora' and 'Covenant King Uriel' to create the Ultimate Skill 'Stellar Wind King Hastur.' Should it be implemented?»
Rimuru (thought):" they it goes again.."
Yuuki (thought):" I will say it again his a cheat code.."
Ciel-sensei, you don't seem to have the slightest intention of restraining yourself... Just how much room do you think I have to spare when I'm about to fight Velgrynd right now?
'I have no interest in Velgrynd anymore'-it was practically saying that out loud.
It seems to enjoy modifying Skills as a hobby, but I would have preferred to do that in times of peace.
For the time being, it is rejected.
‹You might be able to find a better way to improve it, right? So be careful for now and think about it slowly later!›
Elmisia:" he rejected it?"
Sylvia:" I'm not too worried about that. Knowing that skill will find a better one then it"
«!! As expected of Master. Understood. I will continue my search for greater heights.»
Mm-hmm. I'm glad to hear it's convinced.
I didn't quite know what it meant by "as expected of Master," but at least now I could concentrate on fighting. The 'Covenant King Uriel' was effective against Velgrynd. There was no way I was going to give up that advantage here, no matter how much I had the upper hand.
Of course, I probably could have won with only the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth,' But this was not a game, and I couldn't let my guard down. Even in an unlikely event, there was no room for failure.
Guy (thought):" just..end it already"
Rain (thought):" guy sama seems upset, is it about rimuru tempest"
I understood that Ciel thought very highly of me, so I would just ignore its flattery. Still, Ciel's enthusiasm for modding Skills was disturbing. Veldora was its current victim, but that was okay because he wanted it too. The problem, however, was what would happen after this battle was over.
I had a feeling that my friends who had awakened as demon lords would have to undergo some major Skill modifications as well. Ciel-sensei would probably be able to strengthen them as well. I had a feeling that it was waiting vigilantly for an opportunity to do so.
Perhaps it had already...
As I was thinking about this, the time to settle the score with Velgrynd had arrived.
The crimson flying dragon and I stared at each other in the sky. As soon as Velgrynd changed into her human form, the battle began instantly.
Lucia (thought):" using her human form, going for the energy efficiency of the human form?"
While firing a series of Nuclear Cannons at me, she slashed at me with her 'Blue Dragon Sword.'
So, what was the difference between human form and Dragon Mode? To put it simply, it came down to the difference in defense power. The attack power was exactly the same. The energy efficiency of the human form was far superior. Since the ability to continue the battle would increase accordingly, it could be said that the human form was more suitable for long-term battles.
Lucia (thought):" so I was right"
However, the Dragon Mode also had a considerable advantage. That was the fact that it was massive in size. The scale of the attack increased with the size of the body. The power would remain the same, but the range of the attack increased. This meant that the dragon form would be able to take on multiple enemies at the same time. It went without saying that even if the enemy was a single person, it would be difficult to evade all attacks unleashed from a large body.
Draguel (thought):" so why change?"
And then there was the defensive aspect. This was its true value. To kill a massive body, one needed a large-scale attack to match it. That was difficult to defeat with a sword, and even most magic was useless in terms of that scale. To begin with, there were few spells that could even be used against a True Dragon, but even if that was ignored, there was still no point in using single-target spells. Only a spell with a wide enough range could do much damage.
That's why, if anything, the Dragon Mode was stronger...however, Velgrynd had chosen to take her human form. Her intentions were probably to-
Luminous (thought):"she left all her defensive?"
Guy (thought):" she is too outrage to think"
Veldanava (thought):" she can't fight like this"
«It is presumed that she has abandoned her defenses to take down Master with certainty.»
That's about what it seemed like.
If that was the case, I would fight with that assumption as well. The murderous expression on Velgrynd's face enhanced her beauty. That murderous aura was imbued in her blade as she swung it down with a force that could cut me in half.
Naturally, I didn't intend to take it lying down. Leaving Ciel to deal with the magic, I intercepted Velgrynd with my favorite sword-the hihiirokane straight sword.
Hinata (thought):" that sword is powerful"
Velgrynd's Blue Dragon Sword was a type of broadsword. She was not hiding it before, but it was a weapon that Velgrynd had created with 'Matter Creation.' Its grade was comparable to mythical-grade.
My sword, on the other hand, had reached mythical-grade, perhaps in sync with my becoming a True Dragon. Velgrynd's Blue Dragon Sword was a threat, but my weapon would not be defeated either.
On the contrary:
Chiiing.
With a high-pitched sound, Velgrynd's Blue Dragon Sword snapped and shattered. I was surprised, but Velgrynd must have been even more so.
"What did you do?" she demanded, after leaping away.
I hadn't meant to do anything; I was simply taking the attack. That's why I didn't know what I did either.
Elmisia (thought):" it must have something to do with the swords"
«It was the difference in weapon performance. While Master's straight sword is a masterpiece forged by Kurobee with all his heart and soul, Velgrynd's Blue Dragon Sword is a mass-produced product simply made of condensed magicules. The density of the magicules is so great that it is equivalent to a mythical-grade sword, but it is essentially a dull sword by nature.»
Is that so?
I knew there were varying levels of quality within the same grade, but I didn't think that there would be this much difference within the mythical-grade. Sure enough, it was one's familiar equipment that could be relied upon. I was glad to find out about this. After all, even my clothes had been created by 'Matter Creation.'
Lucia (thought):" that's the problem with matter creation"
It was safer not to expect too much from something just because it was mythical-grade.
"It just became clear to me now, but there seems to be a world of difference in performance between even the same grade levels. The weapons you create are no match for my sword."
I didn't think she'd give up now, but I still told her.
Velgrynd was by no means a fool, so she seemed to see that I was not lying. However, she still seemed unconvinced, as several times after that, she produced her Blue Dragon Sword and slashed at me. I smashed through all of them. Finally, Velgrynd seemed to have accepted the reality. She glared at me in frustration and immediately moved on to her next attack. If her manifested weapons were no good, then she would have to rely on her own body. Velgrynd's claws extended, and she took a stance similar to that in Chinese martial arts.
Yuuki (thought);" I would think that she herself was a otherworlder "
Rimuru (thought):" she different"
Seeing that, I put my sword away.
"...What are you doing?"
An experiment, of course. I wanted to see how much I'd grown, so I stopped relying on my sword.
"Using a weapon would feel like I was bullying a weakling, so I'll take you on with my bare hands."
What's a fight without a little trash talk? If I could make her lose her composure, then it wouldn't be too much to say that the victory was won at that point.
Yuuki (thought):" that true, it should have gotten her worked up"
Hinata (thought):"I can see yuuki using that in a fight"
"Don't make a fool of me!!"
It worked. It was almost funny how easily Velgrynd fell into my trap. All I had to do now was play my cards right to seal the deal.
Velgrynd's claw attacks were fast. It was impossible to follow them with your eyes. But my current perception speed was extraordinary. Since the name "Ciel" was given to Wisdom KingRaphael-san, my 'Thought Acceleration' had been increasing. It had been a million times faster than normal, but now it was several hundred million times faster.
Surprisingly, even the speed of light could be recognized. That said, even if I could recognize it, it did not mean that I could move at that speed. That must not be misunderstood.
However, that wasn't to say that there were no ways around it. In addition to the activation of magic, the activation of 'Spatial Transportation' had become almost a thousand times faster. In other words, if the distance between me and the attacker was a certain distance, it was now possible to escape from a light-speed attack with 'transport.'
A second was stretched out to over a decade, and it felt like seeing the world at a complete stand still. The inability to move for such a long time could not have been endured by a normal person's ego, but Ciel had smoothly solved this problem by activating 'Thought Acceleration' during the key points.
Sylvia (thought):"this Ciel is scary if left unchecked"
It didn't matter to me how fast Velgrynd could move. At this point, I didn't need any swordplay or physical skills, and could push through with brute force alone. Velgrynd's superspeed attack was approaching. Its speed was several hundred times the speed of sound, and the old me would have had a hard time with it.
Now, however, it was no problem.
"Too slow."
While provoking Velgrynd with that, I 'Transported' behind her. However, Velgrynd was no slouch. Perhaps she had anticipated my actions, and she reacted immediately.
To be honest, I thought she was tough. After all, one couldn't be too careful against one of the strongest.
"I knew it. I didn't think you could move faster than me, so you were using 'Spatial Transportation.' It's amazing that you can transport so naturally without distorting space, but it can be dealt with if I know the source."
I thought she would be furious at my provocation, but she was much calmer than I expected.
Velzard (thought):"she is holding on better than I expected"
As expected of Veldora-san's sister... This was also as Ciel had expected.
Velgrynd's next move would be to-
"If I interfere with the space and lock it, you will not be able to transport in my area of control. That's too bad."
After all, that was the only thing she could do.
Naturally, Velgrynd also possessed 'Spatial Domination' and was able to interfere with a wide area of space around herself. If Velgrynd did this, I would not be able to use 'Spatial Domination' to transport.
It wasn't entirely impossible if I forced myself, but it would be useless if the location were exposed. It could also be used to escape, but since the destination of escape would be revealed, it would be meaningless in the end.
Once the transportation Skills were blocked like this, physical speed would determine the battle. For Velgrynd, this created a winning environment.
Draguel (thought):" is it enough to make her win?"
Luminous (thought):" that's not good is it "
That's why her next move would be-
"I never thought I'd have to use my trump card against someone like you."
"You think you've won just by blocking transportation? If so, I'll have to show you that you're wrong."
"You really are cocky. If it wasn't for that kid's revenge, I wouldn't have hated you. But this is it."
Rimuru (thought):" so we can still talk things over?"
Velgrynd took her stance.
She kicked off the air, turning herself into a bullet at supersonic speed.
The speed increased even further-
"Scorch Dragon 'Cardinal Acceleration'!!"
The voice echoed across the future.
Velgrynd herself became a crimson meteor, closing in on me at the physical speed limit of sub-light speed. Moreover, the meteor bullet could change its orbit.
By transforming her own body into a meteor bullet, Velgrynd had achieved the ability to change her trajectory at will. Or rather, this was the true nature of the Scorch Dragon 'Cardinal Acceleration.' Not simply a straight-line attack, but a tracking attack with the ability to shift directions freely. It was the ultimate destructive attack, possessing not only energy waves but also mass.
Ciel-sensei had analyzed the Scorch Dragon Cardinal Acceleration and had perfectly seen through its essence.
Velgrynd was terrifying, but Ciel-sensei was even more terrifying.
Veldora (thought):" that's a fact, it would be better if velzard, velgrynd and Ciel never meet!!"
The fact that I had created a Manas named Ciel on a whim would be the cause of Velgrynd's defeat.
«As planned, the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' is deployed all around Master. No matter the direction of contact, there will be no problem with Velgrynd's 'Predation.'»
That's exactly what it said.
Even if I tried to eat the target normally, the resistance of a willful being was a lot. On top of that, I was dealing with a True Dragon. No matter how hard Ciel tried, 'Predation' with the 'Gluttonous KingBeelzebuth' was impossible.
But even so...
Velgrynd, of her own volition, turned her body into a meteor bullet. By putting all of her energy into attacking, she had greatly reduced her resistance.
This was the result of that.
Velgrynd was now isolated in my 'Imaginary Space.'
Guy (thought):" I guess this is the end.."
Rudra (thought):" sigh... even if my soul is weaker I will still fight"
Draguel (thought):" he has now won 2 times against the true dragons in one day official"
Luminous (thought):" he did better than me for a slime"
Sylvia (thought):" this was a fight I couldn't have missed. Good thing I didn't"
Elmisia:" a slime stronger than a true dragon...."
Milim (thought):" I saw this coming a long time ago with my milim eyes"
Feldway (thought):" I think it's time that you showed yourself"
Michael (thought):" I think so as well"
‹How is this possible?! Why, what just happened?›
The moment she thought she had finished me off, she was suddenly sent into an empty space. It would be difficult for Velgrynd to grasp the current situation. It would take her a while to realize that she had lost. That's why I would tell her directly.
‹I've won. You just stay where you are.›
‹...I, I-I've lost?›
‹That's right. You won't be able to escape my 'Imaginary Space,' and I don't think it's possible for you to transfer energy even with your 'Parallel Existence.›
As for the amount of Velgrynd's magicules I had eaten, Ciel-sensei said it was more than 50 percent. The 'Split Body' on Rudra's side was at about 20 percent, and the remaining 30 percent or so was being restored. It seems that her body could only recover about 10 percent a day, so it should be possible to get back to 50 percent in about three days.
However, because I still had the 'Split Body' inside me, I didn't think she'd be able to recover that much. It was complicated because her ego existed on both sides, but there was no doubt that Velgrynd had been weakened.
Lucia (thought):" it's a good thing that dear put her to sleep.. otherwise..."
‹Just ask Veldora for the details.›
‹Ask Veldora? What are you talking about...›
Velgrynd looked confused, but it would be quicker to hear it from his own mouth than from me.
‹Kuahahaha! Sister, it's me. You seem to be in a not-so-good mood.›
‹Veldora?! You, didn't you disappear?!›
Veldora (thought):" of course I didn't, I'm the greatest true dragon kuahahahaha!!"
Next, I would let the siblings talk things over and settle down in a calm environment.
And just like that, I had won a complete victory over Velgrynd, and succeeded in capturing most of her magicules in the 'Imaginary Space.'
Thus, with the birth of my reliable partner Ciel, the reckless challenge of taking on two "True Dragons" at the same time ended more perfectly than ever.
Azathoth:" and that ladies and gentlemen is how I will end it for today"
Guy:" sigh.."
Rudra:" what's wrong red head"
Milim:" I think he's just overall mad"
Velzard:" not our responsibility tho "