Attendance… plz…)
….
"Save… save me…"
The young man clawed at his throat with one hand, reaching out to Rimuru with the other. Survival instinct overrode his fear of the supernatural.
He knew Rimuru was the only one who could help him. He just wanted to live.
Rimuru stared at him in silence.
Then, he raised his hand.
Boundless transformed into a razor-sharp icicle.
Thwip.
The ice pierced the man's skull, instantly terminating his brain function.
Blood froze the moment it sprayed, crystallizing into scarlet gems that scattered across the floor. It was a mercy kill, executed with a strange, brutal beauty.
I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough yet.
Rimuru could have poured all his mana into keeping the man alive for a few hours. Maybe a specialized healer or the Church could have saved him.
But it was pointless.
Other magi wouldn't care about a mundane life. It was like spending millions to treat a beggar with terminal cancer, no one would do it. And draining his mana reserves to prolong the inevitable would only put Rimuru in danger.
"You really are… decisive."
Altrouge's interest in this strange magus deepened. He had tried to save the man with genuine urgency, but the moment he realized it was hopeless, he executed him without hesitation.
She wondered what kind of existence he truly was.
Rimuru said nothing. He cast a quick cleaning spell to scrub the blood from the floor, then released a cloud of black mist to swallow the corpse. He didn't intend to consume it for skills, a normal human offered nothing, but he felt obligated to at least handle the body of someone who died because of him.
"You're weird… Shouldn't a magus dispose of witnesses to protect Mystery anyway?"
"…That's the rule, yes."
Rimuru looked up to retort, but seeing Altrouge's innocent, uncomprehending expression, he felt a wave of exhaustion. Their worldviews were fundamentally different. Arguing was pointless.
"If hypnosis works, I generally dislike killing."
In the end, he just sighed. Dislike. Not refuse.
Because the man hadn't done anything wrong.
To traditional magi, hypnosis was risky. Memories could return. Subconscious dreams could leak. Unless it was a mass incident requiring large-scale cognitive manipulation to prevent social panic, most private magi preferred the permanent solution.
Dead witnesses don't remember.
It saved the Association and the Church paperwork. It prevented demerits on their record. Convenient, right?
The laughable part was that the Mage's Association and the Holy Church operated like lazy police forces. Resources were limited. Their policy was essentially: "If no one reports a crime, we didn't see it." They turned a blind eye to these "disappearances."
Since leaving the Clock Tower, Rimuru had felt this reality acutely.
He sighed again, dropping any pretense of politeness with Altrouge. He stood up and walked toward the door, but the Black Princess flickered into existence in front of him, blocking his path.
"Move."
"Where are you going?"
"Didn't you say it yourself? To handle the 'relevant personnel.'" Rimuru took a deep breath, his voice cold. "His wife and little daughter are waiting for him outside. I need to erase their memories of him being here. Otherwise what? Wait for you to kill them too?"
"…" Altrouge blinked. "You seem angry."
"No shit." Rimuru was completely done with this. "So, Great Vampire Princess, Your Highness Altrouge, please move aside. The Executors from the Burial Agency are closing in. You should hurry up and leave. I'll handle the cleanup before they get here. Okay?"
"You sound like you're coaxing a child…"
Hearing Rimuru's tone, Altrouge raised an eyebrow. She floated down until her feet touched the floor, scooping Primate Murder into her arms. A small, chilling smile played on her lips.
"And what if… I refuse?"
She lifted her eyelids, long lashes fluttering, and locked her crimson gaze deeply with Rimuru's golden one.
Before, you provoked me. Now, it's my turn… to provoke you.
Rimuru lowered his head, silently meeting the gaze of the crimson eyes on that exquisite, doll-like face. Her expression was serious, the perpetual playful smile usually dancing at the corner of her lips completely hidden.
"Phew… I guess there's no other way."
Rimuru raised his hand slightly.
Woosh.
In an instant, Boundless transformed into a stream of biting, cold water that spiraled around his arm. It condensed in his palm, hardening into a solid mass.
He clenched his fist.
BOOM!
The punch grazed past Altrouge's ear, ruffling her hair, and slammed violently into the restroom door behind her.
Mana exploded outward, carried by the shockwave of the water. The entire restroom shook, tiles cracking and plaster raining down.
Outside, the Executors who were sweeping the mall froze at the deafening crash. After a split-second pause, they all turned and sprinted toward the source of the noise.
"What is this?"
Altrouge slowly averted her gaze as chunks of ceiling fell around them.
Behind her, the air distorted. The Black Knight, Strout, and the White Knight, Fina-blood, finally stopped hiding their presence. The moment they materialized, their killing intent locked onto Rimuru like a guidance system.
"If you plan to make a move on me, you have to leave yourself an escape route," Rimuru said, rolling his wrist.
He knew he wasn't a match for this trio plus one beast. But that didn't mean he was going to let them bully him.
Drawing the other Executors here served a dual purpose: chaos, and a distraction to cover his retreat when things inevitably went south.
As for the wife and daughter… Rimuru could only pray they weren't foolish enough to stay in the mall. If this fight escalated, the entire building might be reduced to rubble. At that point, the "Gas Explosion" cover story would be rolled out by the Church and the Association to handle the cleanup.
And to be honest? Rimuru was a little excited.
For the past week, while he had met some strong Executors, none had truly pushed him. None were worthy of being called "strong" by his standards.
"In my past life, I learned that wealth comes from harmony," Rimuru murmured, lowering his eyelids. Boundlessreabsorbed into his body.
The next moment, he clenched both fists. Black mana solidified in his grip, forming the distinctive hilts and blades of the Church's signature weapon.
Black Keys.
"But I have to admit… challenging the strong? That's a romance carved into a man's bones!"
Rimuru laughed lightly. He leaned forward, his left hand snapping out like a viper.
….
Now +20 chapters on my p@tr3on: Kazuma_trash
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