An explosive blast from Razul, taken point-blank, just blew Shion and Ranga through the wall and outside.
Razul calmly walked in their direction. Their opponents, waging a pitched battle up to this point, were bruised from head to toe. But Shion was still calm, her emotions unwavering as she faced up to Razul like nothing was amiss. She looked dignified, not at all on the verge of collapse—perhaps an expression of her own personality.
Behind her, Ranga was groggily coming to his feet, steeling himself anew. He didn't have Shion's Ultraspeed Regeneration, so the damage he took slowly accumulated over time. To his credit, though, he boasted a host of resistances, enough defense to cancel out your garden-variety physical or spiritual attack. With Ultra-Instinct, part of the King of Magewolves package Rimuru gifted him, he also had evasion skills that bordered on predicting the future.
Getting beaten up in such a one-sided fashion would normally be unthinkable, especially when teaming up with Shion against a single foe. But one look at this scene, and it was obvious just how dangerous Razul was.
Shion took a step forward, covering for Ranga.
"Ranga, you can sit this one out."
"Don't be ridiculous, Shion. He is strong. If we work together, and this is the result, going it alone is hazardous."
"It's all right, Ranga. I think I'm grasping him a little now. I want you to stay there and build up your strength until I give the signal."
With that, she readied her sword in front of her, not waiting for a response. It was a beautiful stance, her core oriented straight toward her foe.
"Impressive. None of the demons could trade blows like this with me."
Razul seemed astonished. But compliments from someone without a scratch on him did nothing but humiliate Shion.
"Silence. I'm gonna rip that cockiness out of you with my bare hands!"
With that shout, Shion went on the move, holding her sword up high and swinging it down like the demigod-like ogre she was. It seemed like a slapdash move at first glance, but it was performed with a flawless, flowing stroke. But Razul didn't flinch. A sharp sound reverberated as the exoskeleton that protected him deflected the blow. As an insectoid, Razul was covered from head to toe with armor harder than steel, giving him matchless strength without extra weapons or armor. Even all the magic Ranga lobbed at him harmlessly bounced off the surface—the exoskeleton generated some kind of special force field that nothing worked against.
Parrying Shion's attack with his left arm, Razul used his momentum to throw a punch powerful enough to crush rock. A regular human being would be torn limb from limb. Shion, before now, wouldn't have thought twice about taking the blow—in her mind, either she'd withstand it or die, one of the two.
Now, though, Shion was more mature. Perhaps instructing others had in turn taught her how to keep an eye on the big picture. If she died here, it'd put her
whole side at a disadvantage. Even if she couldn't win this, if she could stretch this out long enough, someone was certain to help her. She could believe that now, so instead of blindly seeking victory, Shion's focus had shifted more toward survival.
She also had good reason to give Ranga some rest. If she forced him right now, he might be too tired to move later—so she resolved to bear the full brunt of this, while she was still able.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
Hee-hee… Now to earn my victory and win Sir Rimuru's praise!
On the inside, she was defiant enough to entertain the thought. Survival came first, but she wasn't giving up on victory, either.
This growth on Shion's part had given her more mental leeway to work with. This leeway, in turn, was accelerating the blooming of her still-untapped talents. Now, her whole way of fighting had changed. She was faithful to Hakuro's teachings, relying more on skill than brute force—and in battle with Razul, she was polishing that even further. That explained the beautiful, traditional moves she exhibited now, like a master sword fighter—real technical skill, in addition to her irrational violence.
The results…
A shock wave of force shot out from Shion's sword as she hammered it down, leaping at Razul. It was little more than a smoke screen to him, of course, but with that moment's distraction, Shion closed the distance between them. With a flowing movement, she unleashed her attack. Razul parried it again, but he could feel his arms starting to go numb. Shion's skill had just ratcheted up, somehow—even in the middle of battle, she was constantly growing.
Not yet! I'm not done yet…!!
That strike just now had the effects of her unique skill Master Chef attached to it. She had come upon the idea of using Guarantee Results to crack his thick exoskeleton. She got deflected, again and again, but she didn't give up, smashing her great sword down on the same spot, thinking about nothing but destroying that shell.
In effect, she was looking to bend the laws of nature themselves to crush the uncrushable. Razul was an overwhelming foe, but Shion persevered, sticking it out, never despairing if her abilities didn't work, constantly believing her wish would come true as she kept attacking. Razul, meanwhile, quietly parried her attacks.
The battle continued along. Razul didn't panic, showing machinelike accuracy as he dealt with Shion. Shion, meanwhile, was exercising her full force, even deploying her Ogre Berserker skill to strike with power beyond her limits. But even with that, this seemed like little more than a preliminary trial to Razul. The strength difference was just too much—Shion had to exhaust everything she had just to keep her head above water.
Razul's movements were like a gently flowing river—but suddenly, a mighty rain made that river overtop its banks. Thanks to constantly tapping her skills, Shion's spiritual force was at its limit. Should she lose her balance, the fallout would likely spell her defeat. And that wasn't all. With Ranga out of the battle, Razul had a bead on every move Shion made. After carefully probing her, he concluded that there was nothing left her for to bring out.
The next moment, Razul's aura ballooned. With ferocious force, he began an all-out attack on Shion, using at least twice as much force as before as he rained a flurry of blows upon her. A moment ago, Razul was a statue facing the torrent of Shion; now the opposite was true.
"Your strength is real. You may be proud of it. But you cannot beat me. At best, you could scratch my outer shell, perhaps? Give up and surrender at once!"
That was Razul's final offer. But Shion was unaffected.
"Hee-hee! Laughable. Did you think I was just raging here without any plan? My wish is to ascend to the loftiest peaks. If I cannot venture beyond them, not only will that impertinent Diablo chide me, but I won't be able to serve Sir Rimuru."
"What?"
"Slow on the uptake, insect? I mean that I will overpower you."
Shion's aura suddenly exploded out as she once again slashed at Razul with everything she had. Sword crossed against arm—and this time, too, Shion's attack was deflected. However, Shion merely smiled.
"Hee-hee! Just as I hoped for."
Standing back up, she faced Razul down once more.
"Ridiculous. Your attacks could never strike home."
But Shion only snorted at him.
...…
...
…
Shion recalled her own shallowness.
Power is a symbol of justice. As a monster, that was simple common sense, and the weak deserved nothing but to be exploited.
Born as an ogress, Shion was in the upper classes of the Forest of Jura. But at least one person worried for her—and that was her and Benimaru's teacher, Hakuro. Shion had thoroughly tempered her body, which gave her a measure of maturity, but she still didn't really understand the concept.
She didn't ridicule Rimuru's decree that monsters weren't allowed to look down on other species, but part of her mind simply thought it didn't apply to her. The weak are doomed to die—that was the natural order of things.
When she herself died, that was when Shion realized she had it wrong. One didn't fear being killed because they were afraid of death—they were afraid they'd be gone without being able to help anyone else. And when Rimuru rescued her, the sense of relief she felt—this realization that she wasn't forsaken, as if she had two parents protecting her—filled her heart to the brim.
After their battle against the Crusaders as well, Rimuru lectured her, and she changed again. Back then, she couldn't make herself all that angry against the humans she thought were her hated enemies. She questioned that, but Rimuru's words cleared away her doubts. Not all of humanity was evil—there were bad guys but also good guys. It was her job to judge them properly.
A person's value lies in the way they live. Strength, or weakness, didn't mean anything. Someone who seemed useless now could someday awaken to their talents in one field or another. It was up to each person, and not someone else, to decide their own value. Rimuru was trying to say that, and Shion understood —and when she did, she realized just how foolish it was to envy others.
Comparing herself to Diablo, Shion knew she was inferior. In her mind, she feared that Rimuru might abandon her entirely. But she was wrong. Realizing that Rimuru would never forget her made all those worries go away—and in recent days, the ugly emotions that used to dominate her heart had disappeared.
There was no need to envy others—all you have to do is surpass them. Shion turned those senses toward herself. Instead of seeing people as her rivals, she began to find meaning in surmounting her own limits. That way, she believed, she could always grow and mature—and even if it was slow going, with her long life span, she could reach dimensions that those with more fleeting lives could never see.
Once Shion started thinking that way, all her anxieties vanished—and that change of heart encouraged her growth. And that indomitable spirit was now blossoming under extreme circumstances…
Confirmed. The subject Shion's intrinsic skill Ogre Berserker has evolved to the unique skill Divine Berserker.
This was a happy accident, not something Shion aimed for—a miracle that occurred precisely because she kept struggling, never giving up on victory.
...…
...
…
"Let me tell you something—the goddess of victory always smiles upon those who never give up! Here we go—Divine Release!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Shion tapped into the freshly transformed unique skill Divine Berserker. Ogre Berserker had already used and abused her body; now every muscle screamed at the excessive burden. She used
Ultraspeed Regeneration to shut them up.
The unique skill Divine Berserker was, in essence, an upgraded version of Ogre Berserker. It wasn't a true berserker-type move, abandoning all reason and going into a murderous rage; instead, it simply boosted the user's stamina and spiritual force. Like Benimaru's Magic Burn, it was a bodily enhancement that granted her the essential force of a spiritual life-form. But it was no panacea. It had one major disadvantage. In Shion's current state, her physical strength would be loaded on top of her spiritual body—but it consumed magicules at such a fast rate that she'd be running on empty in short order.
Thus, the moment she triggered Divine Berserker, she was already nearing her physical limits. Shion was in this to win it—she had to settle everything with the next strike.
"What…is that power…? It's coming for me?!"
Under the influence of Divine Berserker, an eye-watering mystical force flowed out of every pore of Shion's body. At the same time, it honed every one of her senses, letting her feel just how much power was surging within.
"Now, Ranga!"
"Yes!"
Shion lifted Goriki-maru Version 2 high with both hands. A blast of Dark Lightning charged up by Ranga descended upon it. He had waited for the right moment to unleash it, and it was the most powerful force he was capable of right now. Ranga believed in Shion—even if that lightning damaged her, if that was her will, he wouldn't hesitate to act.
"You impudent…! My shell—"
Shion had no time for Razul's words.
"Chaotic Fate!!"
Her will now had the power to alter the results of every type of natural phenomenon. She threw all of it into her lightning-infused sword, thrusting it downward from on high…
Razul's exoskeleton had blocked every attack from Shion. On his left arm,
there was but a single scratch. However, that was all Shion needed. If something had worked before, even a little, she could utilize Optimal Action on it. Combining that with Guarantee Results to guide her hand was the true worth of her Master Chef unique skill.
…With a flash, the broken blade flew into the air. Shion's sword had finally been smashed into two pieces. But it was Razul who fell. His left arm was severed, a large gash cleaved open from the tip of his shoulder down the center of his body. The ruinous lightning that slammed its way through promptly fried all his major organs.
Now the battle was over.
Razul crumpled into a heap. He understood he would die soon. His eyes swiveled up to Granville, still fighting against Luminus.
Forgive me, Gren… I'm taking my leave before you. We will meet again, at that promised land…
The light faded from those eyes as his life functions failed him. Shion and Ranga had secured their victory.
Seeing Rimuru apply the mask to Chronoa, Luminus all but hoped it would win the day for them. This was a risky wager. Once again, Luminus had bet everything on Rimuru, who had earned Chloe's and Hinata's trust.
Luminus had pretended not to know anything about him, but given everything Chloe and Hinata said about him in the past, she was worried. She only joined the last Walpurgis because she heard Rimuru would be there. Him becoming a demon lord wasn't at all the story she heard. Even when discussing matters with Hinata, she continued to feign ignorance of the truth. But as Chloe's story gradually inched closer to reality, she stopped having any doubt about it. That was why Luminus was never hostile to Rimuru from the start.
Still, recent events hadn't turned out at all like how the Chloe and Hinata of the past put them. Things were starting to get inconsistent, and that scared Luminus to the core. The greater things started to diverge, the more it seemed like Chronoa, kept safe in the ark, wouldn't be revived in the correct manner.
Now that fear had come true—and unexpected events were occurring in a flurry.
Here, right before this musical concert she so looked forward to, her dutiful assistant Granville was turning traitor. To be exact, she knew he betrayed her well before now, but not even she expected him to march in here and so blatantly rebel against her.
Now Hinata was dead, Chronoa was revived, and Luminus's best bet for dealing with these irregularities was Rimuru, whose continued survival was itself an irregularity. That was her decision, and just as she hoped, Rimuru was attempting an appeal to Chronoa's soul.
That's the same mask Chloe wore. There's still hope!
Luminus internally cheered. But then Granville spoke up.
"You look pleased, Lady Luminus. Do you really believe that your beloved Chloe will come back?"
"What?"
"Chronoa is a living destructive force, is she not? And without the ark to contain her, the only way to stop Chronoa is to call back Chloe's soul. But do you really think that soul is slumbering within her?"
"Why do you know that?"
Luminus looked surprised for a moment. But come to think of it, Granville could have easily listened in on Chloe's and her conversations over the years.
"…Oh. So that's what you did…"
"Yes, I'm sure it's just as you imagined. There is no quicker and easier way to destroy this world. All I have to do is leave the matter to someone far stronger than I!"
Granville laughed, the madness readily visible in his dark, murky eyes. "Silence! Don't expect this to turn out how you want!"
"No? I suppose not. At every opportunity, this world has trampled over my wishes. And just now, my friend has passed away."
It was only then that Luminus realized one of the battles was over. Rimuru's officers had emerged triumphant. Razul was dead.
"Heh-heh-heh… Indeed, this world has been harsh to me."
"I don't care!" Luminus shot back, pushing him aside.
"…And that," he quietly responded, "is why I hope this whole world is destroyed."
"Enough with your nonsense. If you want to be hopeless, go do it by yourself!"
With that shout, she readied her beloved sword, named Nightrose after her original homeland. Granville responded in kind, turning toward Luminus and unsheathing Truth, his own blade from his Hero days. Both weapons were God class and boasting equal capabilities. And then:
"Hopeless? No, I am not hopeless. In fact, right now my heart is filled to the brim with hope!"
As he made the declaration, the energy being released from Razul's body flowed its way into Granville's. It was both his strength and his very soul. Now he had the powers of Maria, Razul, and himself pulsating within his body, creating a new hope for himself.
Confirmed. Conditions met. The unique skill Nefarious has evolved into the ultimate skill Sariel, Lord of Hope.
Granville, too, was reaching dizzying new heights in this battle—the ultimate peaks, mountaintops that only the chosen can reach.
The ultimate skill Sariel, Lord of Hope, much like Luminus's Asmodeus, worked in terms of life or death. Now they were fully an even match.
Standing there silently, Granville turned his dark, opaque eyes toward her.
"I am ready, Lady Luminus. It is time to break the cycle of fate and finish things."
"…So it is. I will accept your resolve. And worry not—I promise that I will kill you!"
They faced each other. It was a battle between two people awoken to ultimate skills—but it ended in an instant. There was a single flash of crimson red, as Luminus's Nightrose danced in the air. With a gloomy blue streak of flames, Granville's Truth blade took the blow.
"Requiem for the Dead!!"
"Fortitude!!"
It was a head-on clash between Asmodeus and Sariel. Under matching conditions, whichever side had the stouter will would emerge victorious. Granville, the nefarious Hero, thus had no reason to lose—and yet, it was Luminus now standing.
After putting the mask on Chronoa, I focused my consciousness and began diving into her spiritual realm. Not that I myself was doing this, of course; Raphael was handling all the controls for me.
I was expecting complete darkness, but it was actually pretty bright. There weren't any light sources around; I was sure this was just an imaginary landscape. So I jiggled along, trying to mentally move myself forward, when I realized someone was walking alongside me.
"Hey there, slime. It's been far too long. Or no, wait, it's Satoru, isn't it?" It was Shizu. She was a nostalgic sight, but I felt a little embarrassed.
"Oh, stop," I said, trying to joke about it. "My name's fully Rimuru these days. I'm not abandoning my past, but it's just awkward whenever I'm called that."
It's not that I wanted her to call me Rimuru. Absolutely not. No way. Still, though, having this imaginary landscape was kind of convenient. If you felt lonely, you could even have dead people drop in for a visit.
Shizu didn't have a mask on. Her face was visible, all of her burns gone, and it made me realize all over again how pretty she was.
My own look was modeled after hers, of course, which often made people think I was this fetching young lady—and looking at her now, I guess I couldn't blame them. As a former dude, I was still sorting my feelings out about it, but…
Having her here reassured me. I began to advance faster. She followed me, smiling.
Facing us up ahead was another pretty young girl. This was Chronoa, her eyes filled with hatred; she looked incredibly scary, like she was about to destroy the world. First, I thought, we're gonna have to talk this out. Hoping she was willing to listen, I opened my mouth—but before I could:
"…Are you Rimuru? It's…really you?"
…Well. That was unexpected. I was anticipating more of a, you know, hostile kind of thing.
"Uh, yep. The very one."
I nodded, and then Chronoa embraced me—a young, ravishing woman hugging a slime. Yes, I was digging this, thanks for asking.
Shizu giggled a bit as she watched. "You really worked hard," she said as she patted Chronoa on the head. "I wanted to see you too, Hero."
Hmm… Was it really all right for this encounter to be so, like, heartwarming? I could still feel intense warfare going on outside, but right now, this was making me feel all warm and fuzzy.
"So um, you're Chronoa?"
Looking at her, I was starting to think Chronoa was just Chloe grown up. They really did look alike.
"Yes. My name is Chronoa—an embodiment of corruption, shut inside Chloe. At the same time, I'm kind of her alternate self. If Hinata didn't name me, though, I don't think I would've had sentience like this."
Oh. I see. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell there was a complicated backstory involved.
"All right. So what you're trying to do…"
If she was intent on destroying the world, I'd have to stop her with everything I had. If this was Chloe's alter ego, I needed to get Chloe in this scene and perform a bit of a switcheroo. That's why I cut straight to the point.
But:
"It's fine. I've had enough of that. You're safe, after all."
Chronoa was perfectly calm and casual, even though it kind of gave me the creeps. I had been through all kinds of tough scrapes by now, and I survived them all. If you wanted to put me in even more danger, I'd have to say no thank you to that.
"Well, sure. I've always been safe, so…"
"You say that, but you sacrificed yourself to save me!"
Now Chronoa raised her voice. Sacrificed? I wasn't sure what set her off, but maybe I ought to just apologize.
"Ha-ha-ha! Sorry, sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
"Really? You promise?"
So I promised Chronoa I wouldn't do anything reckless. I was totally lost here. It's not like I was trying to be reckless.
…But hang on. If Chronoa had memories from the future, was she talking about something coming up for me?
…That possibility is likely.
Aw, man, really?! That sucks to hear… Or actually, maybe the other way around. I have to be glad I heard that. I swore not to pull any reckless moves, no matter what.
I waited a few moments for Chronoa to calm down before dropping the big question.
"So speaking of Chloe, do you know where she is right now?"
That—and was Hinata here, too? I was in a rush, but I wanted to proceed with caution. If I got on Chronoa's bad side, I might cut off any chance at getting more info. But my worries were in vain.
"She went astray, into the Unlimited Imprisonment deep inside my heart. I'm supposed to be the one locked in there, but two of the same being can't exist at the same time, so we got swapped out."
Judging by how forward she was, it looked like Chronoa cared a great deal about her. She seemed to see herself as a support for Chloe, the "main" personality, and I felt safe in believing that. So I moved on to the next question.
"And what about Hinata?"
"Hinata. Well…"
It was a shocking answer. She told me Hinata was already dead.
"What do you mean? Luminus told me Hinata jumped back in time with you…"
So she should have been just fine…
"You have it all wrong, Rimuru. Hinata died right here. Granville's attack can crush people's souls as well. That's why Chloe absorbed Hinata's soul and jumped back into the past…but Hinata couldn't withstand the time leap."
Huh? No, but… I mean, Luminus and Hinata had conversations. Loads of them. And besides…
"…Wasn't it Hinata who named you, Chronoa?"
"Yeah."
"So in that case…!"
"Hinata's consciousness alone was stored in her unique skill—the remains of her soul. That's why I could never take in her Measurer. If I did, her sense of self would completely vanish…"
The sadness behind her words showed me she was telling the truth. But hang on. Hinata's consciousness stayed here because her skill was rooted in her soul.
If you planted this skill back in Hinata's body, wouldn't that revive her?
"I understand what you mean, Rimuru. I—or Chloe—thought the same thing. But it just won't work. Like I told you, the remains of Hinata's soul are locked in the Unlimited Imprisonment, too. Everything in there is chaotically mixed together. I was born from that, so I hate to say this, but Hinata's Measurer is probably already integrated with everything else…"
If you had a will and energy along the lines of Veldora, that'd be one thing. But while Hinata was a Saint, she was still human—and as Chronoa saw it, the Unlimited Imprisonment was too much to withstand. We had Hinata's physical body right here. If the soul was safe, we could revive her. And yet…
"No, it's all right. Hinata's a really strong woman, so I'm sure she hasn't vanished yet. So let's call for her together, okay?"
My spirits fell as Chronoa grieved for her. It was Shizu who tried to assuage us with a calm smile.
My anxieties were now gone. We could grieve after we saw the results.
"Yeah… You're right. Chronoa, I want to rescue Chloe and Hinata from the Unlimited Imprisonment, but is there a way we can do that?"
"Well, I'm calmer now, so I think I can pick up on the other Chloe's presence. But it's gonna be hard to unlock the Unlimited Imprisonment. If we do that, I'm pretty sure that will destroy our body…"
When I asked what she meant, she explained that the Unlimited Imprisonment held all of their vast amounts of energy. I had forgotten that it was Chronoa here controlling the younger Chloe's powers. If we released a quantity of energy on the level of Veldora's, we'd probably vaporize Chloe's body—and right now, we had no way of verifying whether Hinata's heart was still there or not. We'll just have to trust in Shizu's confidence for now.
So if I wanted to nimbly control the Unlimited Imprisonment's energy while extracting Chloe and Hinata from there…could I use Raphael to intervene with it, maybe? Like, just probe around inside without breaking the whole thing open?
Negative. As it stands currently, this is not possible. We do not have access to the data particles, the smallest unit we can interact with.
Raphael could unlock the Unlimited Imprisonment as well, but since we couldn't access the information inside, that was all it could do. Veldora, who came back to life all by himself, was apparently a unique exception.
"All right! In that case, let me reassign that access. You have my permission to do whatever you want, Rimuru!"
…Huh?!
Just as I was pondering what to do, Chronoa gave me quite the unexpected offer.
These data particles were even smaller than spiritual particles, she explained, their mass about as close to zero as you could get, and they were found in everything that existed in the world. It was possible to observe data particles, although it was limited to spaces like inside my Stomach and Chronoa's Unlimited Imprisonment. They were the units Raphael apparently worked with when organizing my skill sets.
Now that I had the permission of the Unlimited Imprisonment's owner, Raphael had the right to interact with it.
Report. Consent received. Commencing intervention.
Hmm. Was it me, or did Raphael sound a little joyful? This must feel kinda similar to messing around with my own skills.
Things happened extremely rapidly after that. Before I could even try to stop him, Raphael was fully in his element.
Complete. The unique skills Unlimited Imprisonment and Absolute Severance will have Measurer added to them. The resulting sacrifice of energy will trigger an evolution to an ultimate skill.
Raphael kept on going, not even giving me the customary Yes/No prompt. Although maybe asking me for approval was barking up the wrong tree. These aren't my skills, after all…
…Wait. Isn't this kind of weird?
Despite my worries, Chloe's—Chronoa's—power was soon reborn into the ultimate skill Yog-Sothoth, Lord of Time. Even better, Chronoa—a conscious body, normally an alternate version of Chloe—was optimized into an informational body known as a manas, allowing her to switch out with Chloe at any time.
Was it really okay to let Raphael go hog wild like this? I honestly wanted someone to say no to me, but no complaints were forthcoming.
"You're always so reckless, Rimuru…but I still love you so much!" Chronoa hugged me, dropping a kiss on my right cheek. And what's more: "Hey, Chronoa! You can't just jump in front of me!!"
I detected something soft on the other side.
Chloe, just like Chronoa, hugged me close and kissed me. Even more amazing, Chloe was looking like a grown-up, too, virtually twins with Chronoa and just as stunning. I was really starting to love these imaginary landscapes. It's a damn shame this wasn't real life, but being surrounded by hotties was never a bad thing. I kind of wished I was a human, not a slime, in this vision. Maybe even the old me, back when I was a nice human-type guy. What's the harm?
As I let myself bask in all these peach-colored fantasies, Shizu looked down warmly at me. And so did someone else.
"Well, aren't you sitting pretty, Rimuru? You don't even know whether I can come back, but I can see that's not bothering you too much!"
It was Hinata. No, now wasn't the time to get carried away. I cleared my throat, my blushing cheeks giving away my embarrassment.
But hey, Hinata's still lookin' pretty as always. Should I start by complimenting her? Although I guess I did just see her a moment ago, didn't I? But still, no woman minds a little praise.
"Ah, I see you're—"
"Spare me your pickup lines."
"Um, okay."
She saw right through me. But I still really had to say this.
"But… I mean, I dunno if we want to call you safe yet or not…but I'm really glad to see you again, Hinata."
That much, at least, I really meant.
"Thanks," she replied—and her cheeks were just a tiny bit red. She's totally being shy, isn't she? Is she starting to fall for me?! Negative. That is incorrect.
Yeah, no way that could happen. Besides, she was already ignoring me and celebrating her reunion with Shizu. She had dropped the attitude now, her eyes tearing up a bit.
"I'm sorry, Shizu. I didn't want to cause trouble for you…"
"I know, Hinata. And I'm sorry I never noticed at the time. Also, thanks. You were the Hero who rescued me from Leon's castle, weren't you?"
"…That's right."
Seeing them embrace, I was about to cry myself.
"You really are a strong girl, Hinata," Shizu earnestly stated. "I think it was Measurer, the unique skill you created, that allowed you to keep it together in there."
She might be right, yeah. Hinata certainly hadn't changed at all. "I lost one of my other powers, though."
"Hee-hee! Well, that just means you don't need it any longer. You simply need to keep growing, all right? And face up to yourself."
"…But can I really be resurrected?"
"You're fine. You believe in it, too, don't you?"
"Well, kind of…"
Shizu and Hinata turned their eyes to me.
"How long are you gonna keep doing that?"
It took Hinata saying that to make me realize Chloe and Chronoa were still hugging me tight.
"I wanna hug Rimuru more!"
"That's right, Hinata. It's been two thousand years, so just a little longer…"
The way she phrased it could lead to all sorts of misunderstandings, I thought. I mean, I wasn't doing anything. These twin Chloes were just being buried in my slime body.
"You'll have all the time in the world later, all right? Because I really need to get going, and we need to revive Hinata soon."
With a smile, Shizu shooed the Chloes away from me.
"Where are you going?"
"You should know, shouldn't you, Rimuru? I'm just an illusion you're displaying here."
Well, no, this was an imaginary landscape, so…
"No dream goes on forever—you have to wake up sooner or later. I'm glad I got to see all of you. It looks like Kenya and everyone are in good shape, and when you punched Leon, Rimuru, that perked me up a little. I guess we had some misunderstandings, but now that I know that, I think I'm starting to like this world a little. So I don't have any regrets now. I feel happy."
Chloe and Hinata tried to stop Shizu, but she just smiled at them contentedly. They watched her, taking in what she was trying to say, and then they nodded back.
"Take care of Hinata for me, Rimuru."
"You can do it, right, Rimuru?"
"You better."
These three were really laying on the pressure. I couldn't stop sweating. Thinking about if I messed this up—no, that's not right. No getting weak in the knees. It's not my style to give up before even trying. I'm more concerned about Hinata than myself, so I couldn't lose my confident attitude.
"You got it," I declared. "I'm gonna help you right now, Hinata."
Words can become strength. Firming up my resolve to make this work, I left this landscape…
…and when I returned to reality, I was still in human form. Apparently, I
hadn't moved at all, striking that exact same pose while I was gone. I stretched and refocused myself. The last thing I saw in that space was Shizu smiling as she faded away. If I wanted to live up to that smile, I needed to make one more effort.
"Aha! You are safe, Rimuru!"
"How'd it go? Chronoa stopped fighting and fell to the ground—"
"I'll explain later. Can you guys stay on alert and make sure no intruders come in?"
"Indeed I shall!"
"Very well. But you will explain this afterward?"
Veldora, and even Leon, readily agreed. That was a relief. I doubted he would, but if Yuuki came back, they could take care of him.
So let's look at Hinata's body. Luminus's magic had healed all the wounds on it; it was now down on the ground next to Chronoa.
…Oops. There was a hole in her clothing around her chest, so I needed to cover that up with a spare coat I had on hand. It's these little acts of kindness that make a considerate man like me so appealing. Of course, what I really wanted was to have her not glaring at me—but I'd just tuck that thought deep inside my mind.
Now for the main event—the resurrection magic—and that would be a tall order if it was just me alone. I helped Hinata's consciousness surface back up, but her Measurer—her real self, in essence—was still left inside Chloe's Yog Sothoth. It had been absorbed to keep from disappearing, and it would be tough to separate them.
I would prepare some energy to replace that, make the swap, and cast the resurrection spell at the same time—and I'd need some help for that. I called out to her.
"Lend me a hand in resurrecting Hinata, Luminus!"
"Gn… Gah… Well done, Lady…Luminus."
Granville was on the ground spitting blood. After that strike from Luminus, the vitality was draining away from him—but his expression was now serene.
"You…"
Luminus could hear what he wanted to tell her. If you cannot even overcome this adversity, it will be impossible to protect the human race. If so, we may as well have our Hero protectors destroy the world.
She correctly understood that he was pinning his last hopes on her. She was prepared to accept that, and as proof of that—and to show her response to his feelings—she had faced up to Granville and struck him down. Now she could understand his emotions all too well. Granville didn't want to see Chronoa go berserk—he wanted her awakened correctly, so she could give hope to humanity. His awkwardness about it was still there, after a thousand years, and it made Luminus feel a little lonely.
"My… My hopes…are nothing compared with…the heavy weight of time she bears. With her joining you…and the demon lord Rimuru…"
In this world without mercy, justice without power backing it up was meaningless. Even someone with Granville's strength was left to wail at his own feebleness.
Just then, Luminus heard Rimuru's voice. He wanted to resurrect Hinata—and that meant he successfully awakened Chronoa…or Chloe.
I knew I could rely on him. He actually did it.
She offered him praise, if only in her mind.
"You have fulfilled your role well enough. Allow me to handle the rest. Just sit back and relax."
With that, she turned toward Rimuru.
Her strike was a fatal one, but even before it came, Granville had exhausted all of his life force. He was well past his natural life span, and not even Luminus could lengthen it any further. That wouldn't be the case if he were turned into a monster, but Luminus knew well that he didn't wish for that.
"B-before you go…one more thing, Lady Luminus…"
"What?"
"I… I want to give my hopes…to her…"
Luminus hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure whether to allow it. There was always the danger of Granville trying something. But she decided to hear him out. That was her softer side—and her more generous one.
"All right."
"Ah, bliss…"
Taking the hand Luminus offered, Granville shed tears of gratitude. Even as he did, his body began to glow and turn into tiny balls of light before dissipating.
"…Sleep well."
As if guided by Luminus's voice, the former Hero who fought for years upon years was released from fate and scattered across the world.
"Right. Here I am."
The pompous words could only have come from Luminus. She had just waged an epic battle, and there wasn't a single tear in her clothing. She must have won big, which made sense to me, but I really wished she could've come sooner.
"What? Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing."
I couldn't will myself to yell at her about it. It must be my classically Japanese "don't rock the boat" attitude coming to the surface. But enough about that. Let's go save Hinata.
"I'm going to intervene in Chloe's Unlimited Imprisonment, so I want you to retrieve Hinata's soul while I do. If there's not enough energy…"
"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it."
I appreciated that. Luminus really is a talented lady.
So we got right to work. I held my hand aloft over Chronoa's inert body, pointing out the location of Hinata's soul to Luminus. With a skillful touch, she
immediately began performing some kind of action on her—magic or a skill— probably the latter.
"Re…birth!!"
She set off her power. And since I was next to her, I realized—her skills were far, far above mine, at a level as high as the sky. I could never imitate that.
…Analyze and Assess failed. The skill is equivalent to an ultimate skill.
Yeah, I thought so. I mean, with Luminus, that's par for the course. It's why I felt safe letting her handle this.
Chronoa's and Hinata's lifeless bodies were before us. The pieces of Hinata that had assimilated with Chloe's soul were gathered together in the form of Measurer, her unique skill. Luminus used her powers to reach the soul I Disassembled from that mass for her. Carefully picking it up, she injected a concentrated measure of energy to replace it.
…
This was far more energy than what we were taking out, but it was probably necessary. As I watched, she then put her hand above Hinata's body as she returned her soul to it.
Immediately, the shine returned to her hair, her cheeks reddening as her heart began to beat anew. Then Hinata opened her eyes, her throat a little raspy but otherwise in good health.
We did it. Hinata was revived. And with the foreign matter removed from her body, Chronoa was also back in normal shape. She was beautiful before, but now Chloe's soul seemed to have a divine aura—I hardly believed it was human.
She opened her eyes. So will we have Chloe here or Chronoa? "Rimuru!"
That sounded like Chloe. She used to call me Mr. Tempest, but I guess I was more than just her teacher now. Otherwise, it was the Chloe I always knew. I smiled softly at this. She was no child any longer, looking very womanly—but wait a minute.
She didn't feel exactly right to me, and then I realized…whoa, she was back to
being a kid, actually. She had on a black outfit that matched her size perfectly, probably the Holy Spirit Armor at work. That's a relief, at least. Between you and me, I was a little disappointed, but let's just file that way back in my mind. Besides, to the outside observer, this was me embracing a little girl. Under different circumstances, that could easily have been a felony, and Hinata's glare was painfully boring down on me. Even Leon looked pretty peeved.
"What are you doing, Rimuru?"
"I'd like to know, too. In detail."
C'mon, Leon, calm down. And Hinata, if you keep grimacing at me like that, you're gonna get crow's feet, you know. Of course, it'd be suicidal to tell her that, but still.
I mean, how come, after reviving Hinata and stabilizing Chronoa, was I still not safe from mortal danger? I just have to say, this is absurdly unfair.
"Guys, guys, chill out. I'm tired, and we can't hang out here all day. Why don't we regroup elsewhere in a little while and sort things out?"
Everyone agreed to that.
So the battle was over. The only things filling the air right now were beautiful melodies.
Shockingly enough, Baton and everyone in the orchestra had continued practicing through the entire protracted war. Talk about insane willpower. I praised them profusely, of course, before ordering them to take five.
That—and I noticed something else.
"…Huh? Is it me, or is Chloe striking more of a presence now?" "Just your imagination."
"No, Rimuru is right. No doubt about it—"
"Silence! I didn't ask for a lizard's opinion!"
Veldora and I both jumped in our seats. Can you blame us? Luminus, who seemed pretty serene up to now, just lashed out without warning.
I figured we could leave the conversation at that, but one man didn't get the message. Not Veldora—he was often oblivious to this kind of thing, but even he was starting to wise up lately. We exchanged nods after he picked up on Luminus's rage.
"No, Rimuru and Sir Veldora are certainly right. At first glance, she appears to be merely a ravishing young woman, but her core essence, if you will… It's an improvement over Chloe, isn't it?"
This was the demon lord Leon himself speaking. He always acted so coolheaded, but I guess he had a to-the-point personality. And really, he paid way too much attention to Chloe. He was stuck to her like glue, in fact, not even trying to pry himself away. Between that and calling her ravishing, he wasn't even trying to hide how much he was spoiling her.
"Leon, you're being just as overly clingy as you used to be! Don't I always tell you that you'll never find a girlfriend that way?"
Chloe, for her part, was merciless with him. I have to say, Leon did a hell of a lot for her sake…but I'll refrain from commenting further. It's a little painful to think about. Though really, despite his cool demeanor and good looks, Leon's kind of an unfortunate case, isn't he? Ramiris called him a crybaby, and now I was thinking about being a little nicer to him.
After admonishing Leon, Chloe looked around the chamber.
"Well, looks like everything worked out okay, so I wanted to let you all know —I feel like I've truly awakened as a Hero now. Looks like the egg inside me, along with the one Hinata had been keeping warm, sort of combined into one. Don't tell anybody, okay?"
She smiled a little. I was surprised—and then I remembered something important.
"Chloe! That's far too delicate a topic to—"
We had to watch our mouths—Guy may be keeping an eye on us, after all. So I hurriedly tried to deflect the conversation…but I didn't need to worry.
"Oh, it's all right! I don't think anyone's looking at us."
Chloe declared us to be safe. And at this point, Chloe wasn't the little girl she seemed to be. All children grow up over time, leaving their parents' protection and setting off on their own. I was happy to see her mature, although it made me feel a tad lonesome.
Then I suddenly realized just what we were witnessing.
This was the birth of Chloe Aubert, the True Hero, wasn't it?
Hinata and Chloe hadn't completely separated. The hero's egg that Hinata had begun nurturing at some point was still left inside Chloe. Now she was one woman with two eggs, an impossible miracle that led to a Hero like none other awakening.
…Or maybe not. This wasn't a miracle, some surprise that occurred out of nowhere. With Chloe's unbending will, it was only natural that she made this happen. Despite the infinite, repeating cycles of death and birth, Chloe had overcome them all and still maintained her straight-minded, innocent pureness. That sheer will, powerful enough to push aside all hopelessness, was what engineered this miracle.
Only then did I see, from the bottom of my heart, just how great she was. I had to speak up.
"You really worked hard for this. I could learn a thing or two from you. From now on, I swear that I'll never give up, no matter what."
I meant it.
"You got it!"
Seeing Chloe smile and nod at me, I made a second promise to myself. From now on, I'd never let anything cloud that smile of hers.
Certainly, I couldn't be rosy about everything ahead. I knew that some force out there wanted me dead, and I naturally had to consider my response.
Right?
Affirmative. You must take every possible precaution.
These events made me realize that if I'm defeated, it's no longer exclusively my problem. Once again, I resolved in my mind to never show any mercy to my
opponents. It's important to understand the principles of other people, but if you wound up making sacrifices after overvaluing them, that's putting the cart before the horse.
I will take any measure for the sake of victory.
I made a secret promise to myself as I returned Chloe's smile.