Attendance… plz…)
….
"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.
Shing!
A silver flash cut through the air.
Clang!
Altrouge drifted back exactly one centimeter, her expression unchanging. In the same instant, her position swapped with the Black Knight, Strout.
A massive silver demonic sword blocked the path of the Black Key. Black demonic flames roared to life, coating the blade and eating away at Rimuru's weapon, melting it into slag.
"Heh."
Rimuru tilted his head back. His magic circuits flared, azure mana surging through his arms. It formed intricate, holy patterns that etched themselves onto the Black Keys in real-time.
Bang!
Anti-magic energy exploded on impact. The demonic blade was forcibly knocked back by the shockwave. Strout grunted, retreating half a step, a flicker of surprise crossing his stoic face.
"Self-reinforcement. Anti-demon inscriptions…" Altrouge watched from the side, clicking her tongue in wonder. "That's the fighting style of an Executor."
"Is the magus hunting Dead Apostles actually a first-rate Executor in disguise?"
Rimuru stayed silent. He let the damaged Black Key dissolve into mana, then clenched his hands again. Two fresh Black Keys materialized.
These skills came from the unfortunate souls he had killed and consumed. This was his first time using them in actual combat.
Unlike magi, who spent their lives seeking knowledge and researching mysteries, Executors spent their entire lives honing the art of killing. Every spell they learned was practical. Every technique was designed for slaughter.
If a magus was invincible in their territory, their Workshop, then an Executor was the king of the encounter battle.
Aside from combat efficiency, Rimuru chose this style to hide his identity. If he fought like an Executor, no one would suspect he was a high-ranking Professor from the Clock Tower.
He knew he probably wouldn't finish this fight. Altrouge was toying with him, like a cat with a mouse, but that didn't mean she'd let him walk away.
He had to muddy the waters.
Since he couldn't guarantee that every witness (Executor or otherwise) would die, or that Altrouge wouldn't petty-revenge leak his info, he had to be someone else.
Seeing Rimuru refuse to talk, Altrouge wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased.
She narrowed her eyes. "Since you want to test yourself, then go ahead."
"I permit you to use full power, Strout. As for the consequences… it doesn't matter if we're exposed."
"As you command, Princess."
Strout paused, his rugged face showing a hint of emotion. He raised an eyebrow at Rimuru. "Hope you can survive this."
Whoosh.
Pitch-black demonic flames swallowed the silver blade entirely. Magic circles, glowing like holographic projections, began to spin around him.
His features twisted. His dark eyes elongated, becoming narrow and predatory. A strange black aura covered half his face, forming a helm of darkness that revealed only four glowing red pupils.
His leather trench coat transformed into steel armor. Black gauntlets and greaves, wreathed in fire, encased his limbs. He grew in size, towering over Rimuru's German disguise, easily pushing two meters in height.
Hey, hey. Seriously?
Rimuru took half a step back, forced away by the intense heat of the demonic flames. He felt his stomach drop.
I have no problem with a boss entering Phase 2 Rage Mode, but… I literally threw one punch! Transforming after one exchange is a bit excessive, isn't it?!
Rimuru shot a discreet glance at the sidelines.
Altrouge was beaming. Her crimson eyes danced with delight as she watched him, looking exactly like a spoiled child watching a monkey dance for peanuts.
Strout's true nature was that of a True Daemon. This towering, armored form wasn't just a power-up; it was his unsealed state. In Rimuru's estimation, the difference in power was like comparing a Servant conserving mana to one supercharged by a Command Spell.
Meaning… that damn, two-faced vampire brat didn't want to see how Rimuru would fight. She just wanted her henchman to squash him like a bug.
Pitch-black flames began to consume everything with form.
Rimuru didn't hesitate. Mana Burst.
Fifty-seven magic circuits roared to life in unison. High-speed calculations overlaid reality. Layers of steam erupted around him, expanding into a dense, white fog. But this wasn't just water vapor; it was saturated with holiness, a direct counter to the demonic.
The white purgatory clashed with the black inferno. Miraculously, the "Holy Mist" suppressed the demonic flames, hissing as it extinguished them.
It was based on a famous recipe from the Holy Church's alchemy: Holy Water. Rimuru had simply perfectly integrated it with his own hydro-manipulation.
Let's call it… Holy Mist.
But just as Rimuru named his new move, Strout moved.
The Black Knight stepped forward, the ground shaking under his weight. He raised the massive demon blade and brought it down with zero mercy.
Fast!
Rimuru barely had time to cross his Black Keys in a defensive X-guard. He pumped Reinforcement magecraft into every fiber of his body.
Clang!
It didn't matter.
The impact was immediate and overwhelming. The Black Keys were crushed against Rimuru's chest instantly. Then, his body reached its limit.
Boom!
Rimuru was launched like a cannonball. He smashed through aisle after aisle of shelving, metal groaning and twisting, before slamming into the far wall with enough force to create a spiderweb crater in the concrete.
Crash. Clatter.
Rubble rained down on him. The screams of terrified shoppers buzzed in his ears like static.
"Ugh… damn it! What is that… monster strength?"
Rimuru swayed as he stood up, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth.
It hurt.
For a slime that was immune to most physical trauma, pain was a rare sensation. His mimicry had held, though several joints in his human form had dislocated and were currently popping back into place thanks to his High-Speed Regeneration.
But that was exactly why he was shocked.
He was a half-Phantasmal Species. His physical constitution was already leagues above even top-tier human magi. And yet, a casual swing from Strout had ragdolled him.
This power… it was easily in the realm of Servants. And not just any Servant, this was A-Rank Strength parameter territory.
How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
Rimuru rubbed his chest, mentally kicking himself for underestimating the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. But at the same time, a question burned in his mind:
How on earth do the Mage's Association and the Holy Church actually kill these things?
….
+20 chapters on my p@tr3on: Kazuma_trash
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