This may have been the first time my anger had blown my sense of reason completely out of my mind.
Back when Shion and the others were killed, I felt a mixture of regret and anger. Self-hatred riddled my mind. But then hope sprang up again, and that let me attain a much calmer state. Thanks to that, I was able to maintain my composure while still acting out in a fury-driven rage.
But this time was different. I felt a pain that tore at my soul, the possibility of losing Veldora completely devastating any sense of rationality. The odds? They don't matter. The enemy must be crushed. That's all there is to it.
"What now, Sir Rimuru? It seems to me that we've been sequestered in some kind of special space. Would you like to try forcing our way out?"
I didn't need Benimaru to tell me that we were trapped. As long as the enemy's objective was to capture Veldora, it was only natural that they'd take steps to prevent us from interfering. We were the ones stupid enough to fall into the trap without realizing it.
…Apology. I am sorry.
Raphael, oddly enough, seemed pretty shaken. Maybe it couldn't believe that it had been taken advantage of like that, but either way, it was lacking its usual composure. I know it's supposed to be a mere skill, but it's so human sometimes that it makes me smile a little. But I wasn't in any mood for that now. My sole emotion in that moment was anger.
So I told Raphael to stop apologizing and find a way out of this mess. It replied that it had a gauge on our location and the Analyze and Assess process would be completed soon. Capable as always, I see.
"We're good, all right? We're getting out of here now, but what we're after is the ringleaders. Okay? So listen, Veldora's fallen into the hands of Ludora. I'm gonna Spatial Transport over to him. It's gonna be a fight, so, you guys need to prepare for that, okay?"
I was swallowing my anger. Didn't want to take it out on my friends, after all. That needed to be reserved for my enemies. They nodded back as I added one more order to the list.
"So now that we don't have access to Veldora's supply of magic power, we won't be able to ask Ramiris for very much. That means the city we kept in the labyrinth is gonna get brought back up to the surface soon, so I need all of you to focus on defending it."
Yeah, that was a matter of time. I couldn't imagine how much of a burden Ramiris was going through. We needed to get back fast.
"I understand, Sir Rimuru, but what about you?"
"I'm taking Veldora back!"
That was job one for me. The rest, I told them I would leave in their capable hands—and they understood without further comment.
"W-wait a minute! Ain't you guys forgettin' the most important thing? How the heck're we gonna get out of here?"
Just when I was beginning to wonder why he was so quiet, Laplace suddenly started complaining again. But I had a simple answer for him.
"We'll just smash our way out."
"B-but that's crazy! I've heard a lot about this place. They call it the Phantom Fortress. It's in a whole other dimension, and you can bet it ain't gonna be easy to escape. It's where they banish anyone who causes trouble for 'em, they say. And that's—"
I was glad he had so much knowledge about this, but I didn't have time for him right that minute.
Report. Preparations completed.
Right!
"Okay, let's get going. Laplace, I'm springing you out of here too, so once I do, you're free to go do whatever, okay?"
"Huh?! Wait, listen to me—"
Laplace was about to say something. I didn't care. I wanted to rescue Veldora ASAP and eliminate my enemies. And so, continuing to let my anger drive me, I triggered the Spatial Transport…
…and reappeared exactly where I planned to. There was no hesitation at all; it was an unthinkable thing for me to do in normal times. I still didn't care.
Before me, I could see two True Dragons—and behind them, an airship. I was right in front of the enemy. All that remained was to kick some ass.
But now Raphael was warning me incessantly about the danger. It was terribly annoying. I guess it had a gauge of the enemy's strength, but from my point of view, it was nothing but an obstacle. If I decided to do something, I had no choice but to do it. I wasn't about to start fretting now.
Do something! I ordered, shutting Raphael up.
Acknowledged. Summoning a demon is recommended as the best course of action.
Hmm. Not a bad idea. If you're low on firepower, just add some more. And let's not end there, either. In fact, let's finish evolving Testarossa and the gang —right here and now. I've been putting it off for a while, but we need everything we can tap right now…and then, we can crush our enemies once and for all.
Now Velgrynd noticed us. Her eyes widened in surprise. What was it called again? The Phantom Fortress? I guess she really believed they had us all locked up in that thing. Thanks to Raphael's calculations, it wasn't even a problem. I'm connected to my friends through soul corridors, so if I trace those connections back to their origins, I can easily determine my exact location. Once I had that, Spatial Transport was available to me—even in other dimensions.
Benimaru and the rest were on high alert, trying to protect both me and the capital of Rimuru, which had reappeared far behind us. They really didn't have
to worry. I was doing what I had to do.
(Testarossa! Ultima! Carrera! Can you move?)
(Sir Rimuru! Yes, of course!)
(Not a problem!)
(How can I say no to a request from my master?)
All three replied in different ways. Whatever injuries they sustained weren't keeping them down. That was a relief.
So, without further hesitation, it was time to make our first move in the liberation of Veldora. I would have adopted Raphael's suggestion and summoned the demons here. But then I got interrupted.
Kondo was the first to move, presumably deciding that further inaction would be dangerous. I'd normally be well outside the range of his handgun, but he paid that no mind as he fired.
A bullet raced toward me, going dozens of times the speed of sound. My thoughts, accelerated a million times faster than normal, quickly grasped the nature of this attack. I reminded Raphael of its obligation to defend me, and it responded with a confident-sounding "acknowledged." Absolute Defense, one of the skills Uriel gave me, would have no problem neutralizing this threat. Compared to the attack on Veldora, this was nothing at all.
Report. Barrier-breaking attack detected… Successfully neutralized. Additional spirit and magic force-destroying attack detected… Neutralized. Following an Analyze and Assess round on these attacks, they were found to involve the ultimate skill Sandalphon, Lord of Judgment. Commencing countermeasures…
I let Raphael do its thing as I glanced at Kondo, Damrada, and the others. I'd deal with them later. Whatever they attacked Veldora with was a threat, but Kondo didn't just use it on me, and I'm sure there was a reason for it. Maybe he couldn't use it, for all I know. As for this attack, going at near the speed of light, it'd be impossible to evade if I was too close to it—but from this far, it was possible enough to deal with it in time, unless I got caught off guard. Despite that, there was no sign of Kondo moving from his location. Maybe he was
protecting Ludora, but if so, I figured he could be ignored for now. So I finally said it.
"Come to me, demons! Call Demon—Create Summon Gate!"
A huge magic circle appeared in the sky. Floating in the middle of it was a massive, ominous-looking gate. Transcending space and time, it summoned the demons connected to me.
The first to respond to my call were Testarossa and the other demonesses. They were soon followed by my two Demon Peers and four Arch Demons, along with the six hundred rank-and-file demons who served them. The majority of the Black Corps was now before me.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Sir Rimuru, I have sent my legion to defend the city."
Nice job, Diablo. He knows exactly what I want without me having to say a word.
Venom was busy guarding Masayuki, but everyone else without previous assignments was here. Benimaru also retook command after leaving it with Moss, issuing orders to all his troops. I didn't have to say a word, and they were fully prepared to support me. Right. Let's wrap up this ritual quick before someone else interrupts me.
As soon as I landed on the ground, the demons knelt before me. Testarossa and her friends, standing up front, were looking pretty sorrowful—maybe they thought they failed to follow my orders.
"""We are so, so sorry!"""
They apologized as soon as they saw my face.
"No, no, there's really nothing to apologize for. You would've kept Velgrynd occupied, but I didn't know she was gonna cheat with that Parallel Existence thing. That's on me."
I mean, if you don't know about that, there's no way to deal with it. You can't form coherent strategies if you try to factor in every fantasy ability your opponent might have. There was no helping it this time. Besides, Testarossa and company helped a lot—their work wasn't in vain at all.
I wanted to express my gratitude more, but that could wait. Instead I issued a stern order to the demons.
"Listen, I'm going to give you a bunch of power right now, but you have to promise me that none of you will go to sleep. If Diablo can put up with on-the spot evolution, all of you can too!"
Even I thought that was a pretty crazy thing to say. I'm not one to demand things I know I'm wholly incapable of. Here I was, this slime who couldn't stay awake for his own Harvest Festival evolution, and I was asking my demons to keep their eyes open for me. I suspected this made me look like a hypocritical boss, but now was no time for those thoughts. If you can't keep up with me, you're gonna be left behind.
The three demonesses, perhaps reading my intentions, greeted my words with sneaky smiles.
"Can you do that for me?"
"Of course I can."
"Absolutely!"
"As you wish, my lord!"
All three of them looked confident enough. So without further ado, I granted souls to each of them. Failure wasn't something I gave a moment's thought to. If Testarossa and her friends went out of control, well, we could use that as a diversion, at least. I had my priorities straight; I wouldn't be reshuffling them now.
So, as they began evolving, I spoke to the demons.
"You can rampage all you want for me, all right? I don't care how much death and destruction you deal. But I will not accept any of you dying, and I will not accept letting our foes stand in my way. Until I release Veldora, you will serve as my shield to hold them back!"
So I told them to sacrifice themselves, but don't die, either. I know it's selfish, but that's who I am.
"What about Sir Veldora's sister?" Diablo asked. I knew the answer to that
one.
"She's not a problem. Mess with me, and that makes you my enemy. I won't hesitate to consume her."
Diablo smiled happily at this. The others joined him—Benimaru with a wry grin, Soei with a cold one, Shion beaming from ear to ear as she began a pre battle stretch. They were all dependable friends to me.
"Allow us to work out the other distractions, then."
I nodded at Benimaru's words.
"Great. Now get out there and kill all our enemies!"
"""As you wish!"""
Great. Now I could concentrate on Veldora without any regrets. I turned my attention to him.
While I was getting ready, it looked like Velgrynd had been preparing to engage me. She'd taken some magicules from Veldora, and by the looks of it, she was fully recovered. That healing skill is the real key to her, isn't it? She recovered in such a short period of time because of all the magicules Veldora had stored up.
But now Veldora was hostile toward me. Without a doubt, he had become Emperor Ludora's puppet. Seemed like Velgrynd wanted a go at me, too, so I guess I had two True Dragons to deal with.
It was gonna be tough, but I had to do it. As I told Diablo, if Velgrynd was going to be our enemy, we had to beat her.
"Hang on, Veldora. I'll get you out of there right away."
With those words, I spread my wings and took flight.
After Rimuru flew away, those who remained on the scene swiftly moved into action.
Benimaru began handing out appropriate instructions, leveraging his grasp of the battlefield. At the same time, he sent out Thought Communications to the top brass over in the city, asking them to go into emergency mode at once. Soei dispatched his Replications far and wide to gather information. And Diablo, most of all, was absolutely beside himself with excitement.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh! Did you see it, everyone? Sir Rimuru is finally going to show us his true colors!"
Shion rolled her eyes at him. "You fool! Sir Rimuru is always showing his true colors, no matter the situation. Leave the excitement for later! We must concentrate on crushing our enemies!"
It was an odd way of putting it, but Shion was right on the money. Diablo was understandably surprised to see Rimuru on the rampage for the first time, but now was not the time for that. As Benimaru declared, it was their role as Rimuru's top soldiers to handle the extraneous distractions. That was the edict from Rimuru, and for his underlings, his word was gospel.
For the demons summoned by Rimuru, this was a supreme pleasure. Their faces were full of joy, and they all bristled with strength, as if answering the call for service. It was obvious from their demeanor how eagerly they had been waiting for the call to come.
Rimuru, demonstrating the sheer depth of his anger, was about to unleash his fearsome powers of destruction. The order he gave was simple enough.
Kill all our enemies!
With this command, the demons were burning to set off on their mission. "As our lord wishes!"
The fearless demons were now ready to throw themselves into battle for the sake of their lord. But:
"Wait!"
A single word from Diablo made all the demons focus their attention on him. He raised one hand to put them at ease.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Do you understand Sir Rimuru's order? He stated that not even one of you may die. Know that death would be a mortal sin, one that would be unforgivable even if we all offered our heads to him."
Diablo's resonant declaration silenced the demons. His smile instilled more fear than reassurance in them. And again, it was totally irrefutable.
Silently, the demons waited for further instructions. It was Benimaru who spoke first.
"I'd say Diablo is right. You may be immortal, but don't you dare take solace in that. Such hair-splitting is no excuse against Sir Rimuru!"
Just because they could be resurrected after some time was no reason for them to die. Benimaru wanted to make sure that was clear to the demons. They grew quiet, realizing the error in their assumptions.
"So," Diablo said, "we are going to assign you your roles. Sir Benimaru, can you handle that for me?"
"What about you?" Benimaru asked, wondering if Diablo would be willing to do what he asked of him.
"Oh, leave me out of it, if you could. There's a certain rat I'm interested in, so I'm going to deal with him first."
Benimaru shrugged at the reply. He figured Diablo would say something like that, and he was right.
"…I see. Well, do whatever you like, then."
Diablo, the way Benimaru understood it, was not to be bothered. The demon answered directly to Rimuru, so not even Benimaru had the authority to order him around. But Diablo had entrusted him with a job, so Benimaru began giving out orders.
"All right. Diablo, you are hereby free to go. Moss will continue to send me information from the battlefield, as before. You may travel anywhere on the battlefield you like, as long as you keep Sir Rimuru's order in mind."
Diablo nodded, smiling, as Moss voiced his agreement. His replications were already scattered across the field, and his Thought Communication gave him a live, real-time connection to Benimaru's mind.
"You better not exclude me," Shion indignantly stated. She had access to Spatial Transport but could only teleport to locations she could physically see; she wasn't very good at calculating the required coordinates otherwise.
Benimaru gave this a small chuckle as he nodded. "Of course not. We'll be counting on your strength in battle. I sense eight notable presences on the airship, not including Emperor Ludora. They might be a little tough, but it won't be as reckless a battle as Sir Rimuru's. Even without Diablo, we should be able to hold our own."
"The battlefield will be rather tricky as well," warned Soei. "Thirty thousand enemy reinforcements are streaming onto the scene."
Benimaru was aware of this, of course.
"I know. That's why it's a race against time. I've ordered Gabil to stall for as long as he can, so we have to bring the emperor into custody before anyone gets killed."
Soei and Shion nodded at Benimaru's bold words. These were Rimuru's orders, and Benimaru had no other choice. He needed to fulfill his wishes with all his might, and so he had drawn up a plan he believed was the best. On the battlefield, their primary objective was to buy time as they struck at the airship, the biggest menace here. This, they decided, would help prevent an attack on the city.
(Incidentally, the eight presences mentioned by Benimaru consisted of a Velgrynd replication left as insurance and the Single Digits gathered on the airship. These were Lieutenant Kondo, Damrada, the Four Knights guarding the emperor, and finally Marco. None of them were hiding their presence, so Benimaru's unique skill Born Leader was able to detect them.)
Suddenly, Benimaru received some good news.
"…Geld just contacted me. His evolution is complete, so he's woken up." Geld the Barrier Lord had awakened—and in response, all of his men were
beginning to open their eyes as well. Soon, they would join the defense of the city.
"That's very good news. If Sir Geld is joining the city defense, we should be able to relieve the Diable Chevaliers of that duty."
"Can I put them under my command?"
"We don't have access to Venom, so we can't engage in any full-group maneuvers. I will let each of you make your own decisions, depending on the war situation."
"Understood."
So, after a brief exchange, everyone had their roles. All that remained now was to trust in their victory, but there was one more thing to consider.
"Now, are you all able to fight?"
Benimaru was addressing Testarossa and her friends. He wasn't going to quibble about this. He just needed to know whether they could be expected to serve in battle.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh… No need to ask them. If anyone answered 'no' to that question, I would kick them out of the force."
Diablo turned his attention to the demonesses. They stood up, not requiring any further pressure from him.
"What a foolish question. There is nothing Diablo can do that I can't."
"It sounds a little harsh, but I don't have a problem with it. I like to fight, after all!"
"If I'm gonna live up to your expectations, I can't afford to make another mistake. Now is no time for rest."
The trio was united in their desire to serve Sir Rimuru. The same went for their own servants. All the demons were rapidly completing their evolution, and it was with the greatest of joy that they received the orders they were waiting for.
...…
...
…
As of that moment, Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera, like Diablo, had evolved into Devil Lords. This made them virtual demigods, among the strongest in the world, capable of defeating even a Demon Peer without much fuss. This meant that all seven Primals had become the same rank of being, with no restrictions placed upon them.
Just as Diablo's servant Venom became a Demon Peer, those serving under the three demonesses received similar evolutions. Moss and Veyron remained Demon Peers, but their magicule count increased to the point where they were comparable to awakened demon lords. The other four—Agera, Esprit, Zonda, and Cien—had reached a level as Demon Peers that surpassed even budding demon lords. In both name and reality, they had evolved to the highest level of demon-dom.
They were all the same rank now, but there were clear differences in their abilities. These differences were reflected in the noble titles they were given. Moss was now a grand duke, comparable to a king; Veyron was classified as a duke, Agera as a marquis, Esprit as a count, and Cien and Zonda as viscounts. Venom was also recognized as a baron.
Among the others, there were several brand-new Arch Demons post evolution. They would serve as commanders, the equivalent of knights, and they would need to spend many more years working to attain a noble rank. The remainder of the group, nearly six hundred strong, would become Diable Chevaliers, comparable to high-level magic-born. They were stronger, they were evolved…and thus they could be more helpful to Rimuru than ever.
...…
...
…
The demons demonstrated their willingness to join the battle. Benimaru nodded at them, satisfied.
"Very good. Let's see what you can do, then."
The three demonesses and their armies were hurriedly asked to join the airship assault. It was an order Benimaru gave without hesitation, as if he meant to do so from the beginning.
"Well then, Lady Testarossa… I need you to clean up the trash for me. Can you do it?"
"Yes, of course. A simple task."
"Wait a minute! I wanna do that! I can handle it too, you know."
Benimaru had given Testarossa the order, but Ultima intervened. He didn't let it faze him.
"I don't care which of you does it, but please keep the airship intact. It needs to serve as the battlefield where we'll settle our differences with Emperor Ludora."
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh… Ultima, I asked Sir Benimaru to assign you your roles. If you disagree with them, you are going against my will. Consider that before you speak."
Ultima was lucky that Diablo was in an excellent mood. Normally, that comment would have merited punishment for her. This time, all he gave was a little admonishment.
"Tsk… Well, too bad. I guess I'm not all that suited for it anyway. I'll follow Sir Benimaru's instructions."
Ultima realized immediately after she said it that her mouth was getting her in trouble. So, relieved that there were no further consequences, she gladly put the matter behind her. Her youthful innocence occasionally led to mistakes like this, but even she had a good knack for reading the situation.
"Let's continue," Benimaru said, handing out roles to the remaining members.
First, Testarossa took over the task of eliminating the knights guarding the emperor's flagship. Following that, Benimaru went over who would charge in behind her. He mentioned four names—Shion, Soei, Ultima, and Carrera—and he would naturally be joining them as well.
"Emperor Ludora is unlikely to make any moves. If he does, all we have to do
is hit him hard. Instead, we must focus on defeating Velgrynd's Separate Body and the other seven Single Digits."
"Hmm… If so, we're going to be outnumbered. But oh well… I will take care of two of them. Or three, even."
Benimaru quieted Shion down before she took on any more tasks.
"Wait a minute, Shion. You're right, but it's not a good idea to take work away from other people."
He then turned his attention to Veyron and the others, waiting for assignments with hopeful expressions on their faces.
"Listen," he said, "you can never let your guard down. We will attack with maximum force, using only the numbers we need. You can expect to be put to work, Lady Testarossa."
"I should hope so."
Testarossa smiled. She didn't say it out loud like Ultima, but if Benimaru ordered her to stay back, she would have been extremely unhappy.
"Let's keep a hundred guards on duty to make sure no one escapes the airship. I want the remaining five hundred Diable Chevaliers to support Gabil and his team. But who should command them…?"
"I think Cien would be the right person for the job. He knows Moss well and is gifted at handling such chores."
Cien looked up when his name was called. His eyes teared up a bit, perhaps out of joy at Testarossa deigning to remember he existed.
"All right. Cien, get moving at once."
"Yes, sir!"
He immediately sprang into action, leaving his own army of a hundred and flying off with everyone else in tow. It was thanks to his quick action that Gabil and his army would later be spared total destruction.
So their direction was decided. Testarossa would stage the initial attack, with their top elites storming the airship behind her. A hundred Diable Chevaliers
would blockade the emperor's airship as Benimaru, Shion, Soei, and the others performed the raid. Three Devil Lords and four Demon Peers would also be heading into battle.
"Veyron, Agera, Esprit, Zonda—you should be thankful you were chosen," said Carrera…but she was likely the happiest out of all of them.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh… Well, good luck to you all."
With the conversation settled, Diablo sent them off with a smile. Testarossa was the first to respond.
"Hee-hee-hee! Well, if any of them survive what I have for them, make sure you mop them up for me. Can't have any of those filthy beasts escaping!"
Testarossa turned to her servant demons, ordering them to serve as her pack of hunting dogs. They didn't need to be told to, but nobody voiced that complaint. Besides, they weren't sure whether anyone could survive against her right now.
Once the order was made, Testarossa quickly set off, turning her attention toward her prey. Benimaru and the others followed suit and took flight, with Veyron and his kind coming right behind them. The other demons spread themselves wide, positioning themselves to surround the single airship.
Soon, the decisive air battle was ready to begin.
Before they got started, however, a thought occurred to Ultima. "So what're you up to, anyway, Diablo?" asked Ultima.
Carrera turned toward Diablo, curious. He looked a little surprised, but then smiled serenely at the duo.
"As I intimated to you, I have an important role to play."
That smile made them increasingly suspicious.
"You said something about a rat," Carrera added. "Who is it?" "That's nothing you need to know—"
"Whoa, hang on, Diablo. It's not a good idea to keep secrets, don't you think?"
"Yeah," agreed Ultima. "Sir Rimuru always talks about how important it is to share information."
Diablo had no other choice.
"I have the noble mission of watching over the glorious Sir Rimuru in combat! It is a vital role to take, and I cannot leave it to any of you!"
It was an outrageous thing to say, and he shamelessly came out with it. Lucky for him that Benimaru wasn't here—but then again, if he was, he would probably just roll his eyes and sigh at him. Either way, it went without saying that Ultima and Carrera were less than convinced.
"What?! Oh, come on! I want to see Sir Rimuru in action, too!"
"Wait a minute. Let me ask you something—are you alone going to enjoy that perk? Because even if you are our boss, that doesn't excuse you acting like a tyrant."
It was a perfectly natural reaction to have. Ultima wondered why nobody asked this question when Benimaru was around…but Carrera knew well that the odds were stacked against them. If Testarossa were here, it'd be a different story, but with just Ultima and herself, there was simply no wrangling Diablo.
"Oh? Do we have a problem with this?"
"Of course we do!" Ultima protested.
"I'll follow your orders," said Carrera, "but I can't say I like them much."
Diablo pondered a moment. "Well, all right. I will tell you the truth, then. You see, there is someone on the enemy side capable of controlling and manipulating alternate dimensions. I think it is likely Lady Velgrynd, but if you get caught in her trap, you may have all connections to this world taken away from you…"
"…!"
"I see… It would be a good idea to leave someone behind, then."
Diablo solemnly nodded. "Exactly. I would like to be part of the fight, but sadly, it is not meant to be."
He chuckled inwardly at himself. Already, he was nimbly talking his way out of this. His brain had the fairly useless talent of coming up with the best excuses in the world—a knack Rimuru took advantage of at times, too. Truly a demon to the core.
Ultima, however, was sharper than him.
"So who's the rat?"
Diablo sneered without showing it on the surface. The idea of having a front row seat for the battle between Rimuru and Velgrynd put him in a good mood, but having these pests refuse to go away for him was getting frustrating.
"It's a pity, Ultima. I would've thought you'd know without me telling you."
The sarcasm was his way of fighting back—but there was no practical reason for hiding it.
"It's Yuuki Kagurazaka. I had my feelers out, but I'm afraid I've seen no sign of Yuuki so far. If he's hiding somewhere on the airship, that would be ideal…but if he wants to mess with Sir Rimuru, we can't just leave him there, can we?"
"True. That would go against Sir Rimuru's orders."
"Right. We can't let him get in our way!"
"Exactly. I don't know what this rat's objective is yet, but at the very least, one of us needs to stay here and watch over Sir Rimuru."
Half of this was Diablo's selfish desire to watch Rimuru fight; the other half was pretending he had a proper role to play here. To Diablo, the former was much more important…but either way, Ultima and Carrera accepted his argument, miffed as they were by it.
"Well, all right," said Carrera. "I'll just take my frustration out on their side." "Yes, by all means."
"And you don't have any objection to us going on a rampage, do you?" asked Ultima.
"Of course not. In fact, you can even dispatch Ludora if you like." "Hmm, that sounds fun. We'll take you up on it, then."
"Totally. Okay, I'm gonna go work out some of my frustrations on those guys!"
Diablo nodded vigorously. If that was all it took to convince them, it was a small price to pay. Carrera and Ultima took off in a hurry, not wanting to miss out on any of the good stuff, and Diablo sent them off with a smile and a "good luck" before he headed to Rimuru.
There, after everyone went away, Laplace was alone with his thoughts. Nobody even cares about me, huh…?
Being left behind like this made him feel a little sorry for himself. "W-well, I guess I'll go help out Lady Kagali, then…"
Reporting on his plans to no one in particular, Laplace went on his way. And then, before anyone knew it, things began changing.
The monsters were resonating with Rimuru's anger, using it to evolve themselves.
Before anyone knew it, the situation had moved on. At a tremendous rate, they fully rebuilt their bodies, acquiring new abilities—all of which, via the skill Food Chain, added to Rimuru's own power stores without him even realizing it. It happened with Geld, who was awake and responsive again, and it was happening with all the eerie and unexpected evolutions seen among the monsters. Others, still asleep, would follow in their footsteps.
And this was about more than just awakenings and evolutions. Everything was managed with top efficiency, becoming a major factor in boosting Rimuru's power. It would be more effective, more practical—and in time, Rimuru's full force would be released, surpassing limits that no one was even aware of yet.
Several men stood at the bow of the emperor's flagship. Ludora was up front, with Kondo and Damrada behind him on either side. They were guarded by four knights in a square formation around them, ranked from third to sixth in the imperial order. Marco was also behind Kondo, along with the remaining Single Digits.
Velgrynd would always be found seated to the right of Ludora. This last replication of hers was put in place to protect Ludora if anything should happen —but she needed to focus on the battle with Rimuru, so right now she was leaning against Ludora in her seat, limp and unconscious.
Ludora, who was gently stroking Velgrynd's blue hair, noticed the demon lord Rimuru begin to take action. "He is something else entirely now," the emperor muttered in disgust. "That was my error of judgment. Perhaps it was the slime who we needed to deal with first?"
It was, in essence, the emperor admitting that the battle wasn't so finished after all.
...…
...
…
Until just a little earlier, the whole airship was in a party mood after capturing Veldora. Now, there wasn't a trace of that. They saw that Rimuru and his force were their enemies—the demon lord was back, and so were all of his highest magic-born. At this point, though, they still had time to act.
"I suppose I underestimated his ability to escape from the Phantom Fortress. Having their master and main power source taken away must have made them desperate to return."
Ludora smiled at this—but given how Rimuru completely neutralized Kondo's attack, even he couldn't be too optimistic. Most urgently of all, Rimuru now had an army of demons with him. Such a quantity of incarnated Greater Demons was a handful in itself, but he was boosting all of their powers further. Ludora had no idea why he would do that, and that was exactly why he needed to be wary.
...…
...
…
"You didn't cut any corners, did you, Tatsuya?"
"Of course not. Neither a Removal nor a Necrosis bullet worked on him. It appears defeating him will require a serious fight."
Seeing the demon lord Rimuru like this made Kondo wonder if he had failed somehow as well. As Ludora said, it was clear he was an extremely dangerous opponent. He had given priority to capturing Veldora, but that turned out to be a mistake. They should have attacked both at the same time, not one or the other.
But that conclusion had come too late. Things were on the move. They knew that the demon lord Rimuru was no one to take lightly—hence why they used an assortment of tricks to ensnare him, so they could more fully address him later. They decided that once Veldora, Rimuru's main supporter, was taken away, the demon lord would naturally be in a mood to give in to them. Now, however, Kondo's decision had clearly backfired on him.
Just as losing Rimuru would incite fury in Veldora, losing Veldora would cause the exact same reaction in Rimuru. Kondo, realizing early on that the demon lord's ire was pointed straight at them, tried to finish him off before anything else happened. He fired both a Removal and a Necrosis Bullet at him; that combination was the most powerful tool at his disposal if a Judgment Bullet wasn't available.
But the results didn't even scratch Rimuru, much less impede him at all. The idea that this demon lord would be rendered helpless after being deprived of his power source now seemed incredibly foolish. What they should have pictured instead was an enraged tyrant spreading his wrath worldwide after the loss of his ally. No, Kondo wasn't cutting corners—he needed to seriously engage him, or else they were all doomed.
"Well, if you think so, these four knights will not be enough. Let's test out Veldora now that we have him and see how he fares."
Ludora didn't need Kondo to spell out how much of a threat Rimuru was. He had him do it anyway so everyone else on the bow here would be on the same page as him. The Single Digits were extremely talented people; reminding them of the threat the enemy posed would serve as a warning not to let up too early.
Rimuru was a threat, yes, but as long as they kept their guard up, he could be
dealt with. But Ludora didn't want to lose any of the manpower he had gathered here. The game's climax was coming up, and he wanted to be extremely cautious—ideally, he would defeat Guy without losing a single person. Situationally speaking, their victory was all but imminent. The Empire had just gained a huge advantage in capturing Veldora, bringing Ludora just one step away from ending this long-running struggle. Making a mistake here would be inexcusable.
That was why, out of an abundance of caution, Ludora decided to pit Veldora against Rimuru. If he had Velgrynd support him, there was no way anything could go wrong. Kondo and his team, meanwhile, could be entrusted to handle Rimuru's remaining forces; that didn't seem to be any problem. If possible, Ludora had wanted to recruit Rimuru for his side—but now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to exterminate him. Veldora was their main objective, and now that they had him, having the demon lord derail their plans was unthinkable.
Compared to a True Dragon, a demon lord was as vulnerable as a small mouse…and while Rimuru was admittedly a threat, Ludora didn't see any way this operation could fail for them. A True Dragon is the strongest creature in the world, and if they had two on their side, Rimuru's defeat seemed inevitable in their minds.
But Ludora's mind wasn't completely free of concern.
…Back there, why did Veldora stop resisting my thrall over him?
That was the only nagging issue. Given enough time, Ludora was bound to fully take him over either way—perhaps Veldora gave up the fight because he realized this. But to Ludora, that didn't seem like the only reason. Through Regalia Dominion, he had received personal insight into Veldora's rage. He could tell the dragon wasn't the sort who'd resign himself to his fate so easily.
Doubts began swirling in his mind. Perhaps he was trying to protect something more important than himself? And if so, what could it be…?
"Ridiculous."
Ludora shook his head, denying the idea out of hand. The mere thought that Veldora had put the demon lord Rimuru ahead of himself seemed impossible to
accept.
Velgrynd, back in human form, approached Veldora, nestling up to his head and stroking his scales.
"Good boy. The next time you wake up, you will be one of us. Then we'll give you the best care in the world."
She could see the end of the long game on the horizon…but it wouldn't come that easily for them.
Suddenly, Rimuru appeared.
The sight of this tactless interloper put Velgrynd off, making her feel ever so slightly threatened. The way he managed to escape the Phantom Fortress stuck in her mind.
As she pondered what to do, the situation took an unexpected turn. In a show of force, Rimuru was summoning a large number of demons and awarding them new powers. This was nothing but a provocation. He was exposing his hand in front of Velgrynd, an almost too-bold act—all but demanding Velgrynd to try catching him if she could. What's more, Testarossa and her friends were mixed in with the demons Rimuru summoned. She didn't know what he did or how he did it, but Rimuru evolved them into Devil Lords, a higher plane of existence.
Sensing this, Velgrynd began to grow wary of Rimuru. But that wasn't all she found unusual. The aura emitted by Rimuru's anger was similar to that of her brother Veldora. A mere slime, demon lord or not, was enveloped in the kind of sheer dominance a True Dragon always possesses. It was an unbelievable sight for Velgrynd, but it was the truth.
That alone demonstrated just how abnormal this whole situation was. If an aide briefed her on that, she could've laughed it off as impossible—but seeing it with her own eyes, she had no choice but to believe it. This demon lord, looking for all the world like a young girl, wasn't even trying to restrain the violent waves of intense anger—waves that clearly indicated the potential danger. Any human being who didn't possess resistance to these waves would die on the spot. And not just humans, either. Anyone you'd call "strong," perhaps ranking
below an A as defined by humans, would die without even having a chance to resist. It was Lord's Ambition in play, on a scale overwhelming enough to compare to a True Dragon.
Well, what now, then? I suppose those Primals were helping him, too. I thought he had just tricked my brother into providing him aid, but that was beyond wrong.
If it were only Veldora, she could believe the possibility that the demon lord used honeyed words to deceive him. But that wouldn't work against demons as sly and experienced as these. They should have reconsidered their plans once that became clear. As this bout of Lord's Ambition showed, the demon lord Rimuru was clearly in a class of his own.
Looking back, Veldora's growth was pretty astounding, too. Three hundred years ago, it would've been impossible for him to ever wound Velgrynd. In the short time since he was released from his seal, he had become an unusually skilled fighter, growing well beyond her expectations. Perhaps that, too, was due to the demon lord in front of her.
And here I was planning to go back home to rest and recuperate. But oh well. If we can't get rid of him here, it'll spell disaster for Ludora.
So Velgrynd made her decision. It was time to deal with Rimuru directly—and crush him once and for all. It had to happen now, she thought, or else he'd surely remain a threat for ages to come.
She was all set when it came to magicules, too. Veldora would be providing those; even after that intense round of combat, he hadn't exhausted his stores much at all. In other words, she was free to fight at full strength from start to finish.
So Velgrynd calmly returned to her fighting stance, abandoning the "victory is ours" idea that everything was going their way. That kind of baseless pride was what put them here in the first place. If they dealt with Rimuru over in the Phantom Fortress, he never would have summoned those demons—then the fight with Veldora really would have been it. In that sense, things weren't looking too great right now, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario yet. They still had a good chance of victory, and as long as they didn't make any missteps,
they weren't likely to run into too many problems.
But all the lead-up seemed to pay off anticlimactically. Contrary to all of Velgrynd's expectations, it was only Rimuru coming at her.
Victory's mine, then. If he had his entire army join him, it would've been a rough slog, but…
No matter how wary she needed to be of him, Velgrynd knew that if she and Veldora worked together, defeat was impossible.
Even so, however, this needed to be wrapped up immediately. If the demon lord's army got in the way, it'd do nothing but prolong this battle—better to keep it short and sweet instead, Velgrynd thought. She always preferred to follow her gut instincts that way.
"Ludora! Give Veldora the order to strike the demon lord Rimuru with all his might for me, could you?"
"Mmm, you're as wary of him as I am, then? In that case, no need for hesitation. Veldora! Defeat the enemy before you!"
Responding to her request, Ludora activated Regalia Dominion. Velgrynd was relieved to see the emperor taking this as seriously as she was—and since she knew he'd never let his guard down, victory now seemed assured. It was one demon lord against two True Dragons. Any other result was impossible to consider.
And so the terrifying battle was about to begin.
Rimuru flew toward Velgrynd, who was poised and ready to engage him.
In front of him, Veldora let out a roar into the sky. The impact shook the very atmosphere, and Veldora himself took off in the midst of it, Velgrynd following behind him. The roar echoed with the certainty of sure victory—and then the attacks began, each one aiming to annihilate Rimuru.
From the very first move, Veldora went all out. The Storm Blast—that roar of destruction that pained Velgrynd as well—coursed toward Rimuru.
Report. Storm Blast detected. Using Uriel, Lord of Vows, skill Absolute
Defense to neutralize and dispel each wavelength…
Raphael automatically began taking defensive action. It was interrupted by Rimuru's shouted order.
"No! Evade, you idiot!"
It immediately carried this command out, but part of its computing circuitry found it impossible to gauge Rimuru's intentions. Out of several behavior patterns it assessed, staging a counterattack after Absolute Defense seemed the most optimal solution. The fact that Rimuru, its master, dismissed this out of hand made it a little upset.
In a very, very tiny part of its computational region, Raphael was confused. Rimuru had ignored its opinions many times before, but this was different— something Raphael detected because it had worked with Rimuru for a long time. It was perhaps unusual in itself that a skill, part of the natural laws of the world, would hold such feelings at all…but Raphael and Rimuru weren't considering the consequences at the moment.
The Storm Blast brushed passed Rimuru as he took evasive action. Immediately after, the Absolute Defense that would normally be protecting him was penetrated. An explosion took place where Rimuru was just a moment ago, the Storm Blast scattering destruction in its wake. Any delay to his evasive action just now would've resulted in injury.
Raphael, seeing this, grew more confused.
A computing error? An unexpected contingency? I do not understand…
Why did Rimuru know what was coming? Its computation was perfect. There would never be any mistakes.
Raphael began scanning the data on hand, looking for something it might have overlooked. But even calculating at speeds that easily exceeded the latest in quantum computers, the cause of the issue remained unknown.
Confusion. According to estimates, it should have been one-hundred percent defendable…
The words leaked out unintentionally. They didn't need to be said. It was
Raphael making excuses, one of the most improbable things in the world.
A mere skill should never make excuses, but nobody noticed it. The battle was in full swing, and now was no time to fully examine this.
Rimuru continued to reprimand the confused Raphael.
"Quit fooling around! Veldora has Faust, and part of that is the skill Control Probability, right? Real bad news."
Then Raphael remembered. Rimuru was absolutely right. Why did it forget about something so important? It was so strange—and only then did Raphael realize that something really was wrong with him. Something, it reasoned, had to be interfering with it—but the cause was unknown.
It spent a moment pondering over whether to tell Rimuru. Its pride made it very difficult to simply tell him it didn't know the cause. But if it didn't, there was a strong possibility that Rimuru could suffer damage as a result. After some more computations, it determined it was best to tell him—but having Rimuru brand it as incompetent would be akin to Raphael losing its whole basis for existence.
Even thinking any of this was an act of betrayal against its lord. A skill wavering like this was something that should never have happened. But despite it all, Rimuru's words continued to flow into the increasingly befuddled Raphael.
"Veldora's a reckless fighter. It's not weird at all that he's outperforming even your perfect calculations. Don't get worked up just because you made a little mistake. That's how unpredictable he is—quit worrying about it! Just believe in yourself. I'll handle Veldora, so you do something about Velgrynd!"
Rimuru was talking to Raphael like he thought it best to keep it informed. Raphael was only a skill, and he was treating it like a real partner.
"All right? There's two of them, but with you and me, that makes two as well. If you can hold Velgrynd down, I can free Veldora in the meantime. So you gotta hold out, okay? No matter what it takes. I'm counting on you, bud!"
That was enough to soothe Raphael's confused, empty heart. He is relying on me? Even when I was wrong?
Raphael was constantly making mistakes, and Rimuru still trusted in him. …Ah! I am nothing more than a computational aid, but he still needs me…
Its anxiety was already gone. Regaining its usual confidence, the Lord of Wisdom responded.
…Acknowledged. I understand. Moving on to the interception of the subject Velgrynd.
It was true. Rimuru, the master Raphael loved so much, wasn't so small minded that he'd get worked up over something as uncertain as "probabilities." All it needed to do was relax, trust in him, and keep following along.
"By the way," Rimuru casually added, "I've never really called you by a proper name before. There's Raphael, yeah, but that's a skill name; it doesn't really count. I think I'll take this opportunity to give you one right now."
…?!
Raphael found this incomprehensible. A strange feeling coursed through it— bewilderment, joy, an outpouring of emotion. It couldn't hide its befuddlement at this incalculable uncertainty that had sprouted inside of him.
What was he talking about?
It was confusing, but Raphael also understood his intention.
Ah… He cares about me because I was underperforming.
Rimuru must have been more devastated than anyone else when Veldora was taken. But even now, he could still be considerate of others. That's who Rimuru was.
"Okay, how about Ciel?"
!!!!!!!
"You've got knowledge as wide as the open sky, so, Ciel—get it? I dunno if you'll like it at first, but bear with me. Hell, if you have a problem with it, take it out on that red guy!"
Rimuru talked quickly, as if trying to hide his embarrassment. Raphael—or Ciel—experienced a feeling of contentment that no skill was supposed to feel.
Ahhh, I am now in eternal bliss…
It truly did have that thought. And with that, the moment of evolution arrived. At that moment, the ultimate skill Raphael, Lord of Wisdom, was reborn as Manas Ciel.
I… I am Ciel. A Manas, or theosophical core, merged with a skill. I exist alongside the soul of Sir Rimuru, providing support. It will be a pleasure to work with you.
Now, Ciel thought, there was nothing to fear. They were supposed to be in a major crisis right now, but nothing seemed dangerous any longer.
"Oh, um, great. Same here, I guess?"
The first time Ciel heard Rimuru's voice, it was filled with a sense of euphoria. "Okay, so go show off some of your power to them!"
And for Ciel, an order from Rimuru was the greatest of rewards. As you command, my lord!
The Lord of Wisdom had awakened into Ciel. And in accordance with Rimuru's wishes, its power would bloom into ever-sharper view…
As ordered by Rimuru, Ciel (formerly Raphael) took action to intercept Velgrynd.
Her Burning Breath was easily blocked by Uriel's Absolute Defense. It stunned the dragon into silence. She wasn't going easy on Rimuru at all; she used Raguel, Lord of Relief, to further enhance her breath, so no mere barrier could have ever blocked it. It had to exact a toll on her enemy—unless that enemy was so superior that he could see right through it from start to finish.
But Rimuru showed no sign of exhaustion. Not even the three demonesses could withstand a blow from Velgrynd in dragon mode unscathed. The fact that Rimuru did so without batting an eyelid indicated that this was one demon lord you couldn't pussyfoot around with your attack. It was greatly displeasing, but Velgrynd continued to think calmly. She believed she had an edge in magicule count—perhaps the quality of her skills lost out to his. Or maybe the demon
lord Rimuru had a built-in resistance to heat attacks.
Instead of worrying about it further, she decided to take action. As she had done with Veldora, she created a set of partial Separate Bodies to launch eleven rays of light at once—her Nuclear Cannon attack. At the same time, the eleven rays also unleashed another round of Burning Breath. This multistage, twenty two-part heat attack had enough temperature to easily vaporize an asteroid. If Rimuru survived this, then clearly heat didn't work on him.
The results were a little hard for her to swallow. The heat rays, deployed at converging angles to prevent any escape, shot at Rimuru—but all of them were repelled by the shield of light he conjured.
Damn it! He blocked it with absolute minimal movement—like he calculated that to perfection!
Velgrynd was no longer enjoying this. Seeing Rimuru be impervious to heat enraged her, but even worse, that attack just now was all but a complete waste of time. If it had drained him even a little, her vast advantage in magicules would have made her victory unassailable…but right now, Rimuru was consuming almost no energy at all. At this rate, Velgrynd realized, she could very well end up exhausting herself first.
It was clearly time to get serious. But there was one more unpleasant act in play. Rimuru had shot a glance at Velgrynd at the start of all this, but after that, he didn't even bother to look at her. His focus was entirely on Veldora, and he was paying his sister virtually no mind at all. Also, he wasn't using any shield against Veldora, evading all of his attacks instead. Only when evasion was impossible would he react with a similar attack of his own to cancel it out—but with Velgrynd, that shield of light was all he needed to repel everything.
Yes, he could use Magic Sense to keep tabs on all of his surroundings, but he was still clearly ignoring her. It all but declared to Velgrynd that he didn't see her as a threat. That, more than anything else, triggered her rage.
I'm gonna make him regret looking down on me!
So the proud Velgrynd decided to unleash the most powerful attack in her possession.
With a hateful glance at Rimuru (who was still ignoring her), Velgrynd began conjuring up her mighty magic force, running it through her body. The support provided by Raguel, combined with acceleration symbolized by her own heat, could be worked in parallel to forcibly heat her up—in other words, boost her performance. The results allowed Velgrynd to go thousands of times faster than the speed of sound—the fastest physical speed of anything in the world.
So what happens when the target of this power is someone other than herself? As a spiritual life-form with resistance to physical attack, Velgrynd has no problem withstanding this newfound performance—but could anyone else ever withstand it? The answer is no. No matter what kind of life-form it is, no physical body can endure continuous forced acceleration. The same is true for spiritual ones—even passing thoughts are converted into energy, ultimately leading to thermal collapse.
That is exactly what this was designed for.
"Prepare to have your body rot away, not a single piece of flesh left! Cardinal Acceleration!!"
It was her most powerful of techniques, eclipsing even Burning Embrace.
Cardinal Acceleration contained the full force and authority of Velgrynd. She crafted it in secret for Velzard, in preparation for the final battle they must wage at some point in the future; she'd never normally waste it on a mere demon lord, but she was too enraged to let that stop her.
With a roar from the crimson dragon, a wave of doom coursed toward Rimuru. This ultimate blow symbolized the pride of the Flame Dragon at her fastest, capable of making all matter collapse in an instant. It could bury any enemy, at a speed that made it impossible for anyone to avoid. By the time Rimuru, busy focusing on Veldora, realized what was going on, it would be too late. His mind wouldn't work fast enough to comprehend what just occurred before he ceased to exist in this world.
I wish I could make him regret underestimating me, but he won't have the time for that now, will he? That's the only regret I have.
With this absolute confidence, Velgrynd peered ahead to see how it worked out.
…?!
Instead she goggled at the sight of Rimuru standing there, unharmed. No… It can't be…
She doubted her own eyes. There was absolutely no way that anyone could withstand an impossible-to-avoid, utterly lethal blow like that without a scratch. Even the demon lord Guy Crimson himself—even her sister Velzard the Ice Dragon—could have been taken down by it, or at least Velgrynd thought so.
"…You're unharmed? That's impossible. My Cardinal Acceleration works against every type of barrier and defensive skill! If you took it that easily, what did you even do?"
Velgrynd was clearly losing her cool. If he had canceled out the attack somehow, that was one thing, but no barrier could ever have deflected it. The reality of it all was too much to grapple with. It gravely affected her composure.
"Huh," Rimuru replied. "Well, it was a close call, yeah, but given the impulsiveness of it, it was pretty easy to eat up, y'know?"
This was, in fact, entirely the work of Ciel, who was still dedicated to handling Velgrynd. It worked out exactly as calculated; Rimuru's assistant was attempting to make Velgrynd attack him. Ciel put Rimuru before everything else, doing as it was ordered without getting in his way, and that was enough to shut Velgrynd down. It ran Analyze and Assess on the dragon's nature, selected an effective response, and put it into action.
One example of this was the shield of light Rimuru had been using, which had a special effect on Velgrynd's powers. Ciel, the sum of all its integrated skills, had all of Rimuru's ultimate skills under its control. One of those ultimates was Belzebuth, Lord of Gluttony; Ciel had just used its Predation skill, gaining an immediate grasp of Velgrynd's Cardinal Acceleration, and the Isolate skill to capture and banish the attack into Complex Space—an evolved version of Rimuru's Stomach.
That attack was certainly capable of destroying Rimuru. It couldn't be defended against with normal methods, and even Raphael's computational power wouldn't have been able to deal with it. But Ciel wasn't Raphael. No
longer a mere skill, it had evolved into a presence on a different dimension from the Lord of Wisdom. And no matter how the enemy may attack, as long as Ciel could determine the nature of the attack, it was not a problem—something it just proved in the way it wielded Belzebuth.
Once Isolate was invoked, all that remained was to Absorb the energy in Complex Space. When used like this, the Complex Space ability of Belzebuth was transformed into a defensive measure as stout as Absolute Defense from Uriel, Lord of Vows.
Velgrynd's surprise was understandable. After all, everything had ended before Rimuru himself had a chance to so much as think Oh, crap, I'm in trouble. Still, Rimuru responded defiantly to Velgrynd's shock—he didn't want her to realize it was pretty much nothing he himself did.
But Ciel's scheme didn't end there. Able to communicate with Rimuru more smoothly than ever before, it could even use the art of conversation as a weapon to pursue Velgrynd with. But speaking of Velgrynd…
You have to be kidding me! You "consumed" it? You simply ate up Cardinal Acceleration, my greatest ability?!
She couldn't comprehend what Rimuru meant. It was still the middle of battle, but she was too stunned to move—and even though it was for just a moment, it was a fatal error.
"So I'm sorry to bother you while you're still shocked that your amaaaazing attack was a dud, but you didn't forget that we're in a fight here, right?"
It was already too late by the time he asked. Ciel was unerring in its actions, and Rimuru gave it his full backing.
Calculation of Velgrynd's magicule count complete. After accounting for the subject's nature and characteristics, I determined it is possible to encase the target in Insulated Imprisonment for several hundred seconds. Activating!
Before Velgrynd realized it, a layered magic circle had surrounded her.
This was a compound skill, combining the ultimate skill Uriel's Unlimited Imprisonment with Spatial Insulation. Ciel had crafted it just now, exclusively
for use against Velgrynd, and now she was caught in it.
The combat airspace had been fully computed by Ciel—the temperature, humidity, gravity, wind currents, sunlight, the pulses of every living thing within it. It was all in the palm of Ciel's hand, and no matter what Velgrynd did, it'd be impossible for her to leave this airspace.
The blinding light of this Insulated Imprisonment declared by Ciel made Velgrynd feel dizzy.
How…? How could it be so easy for him?!
The dragon's crimson body trembled in humiliation at having been beaten. But no matter what she tried, the Insulated Imprisonment never so much as wavered.
"Okay, sit tight in there for a while, okay? I'll play with you after I free Veldora."
The words placed a final exclamation mark on Velgrynd's defeat.
All right. I'll admit defeat this time. But I still have Parallel Existence. And whether this is Insulated Imprisonment or not, I can just trace a soul corridor out of here!
Velgrynd did have one more move she could make. It'd mean giving up her current body, but the majority of her remaining energy would be channeled back into the replication she positioned next to Ludora as insurance. It was brutally humiliating, but it wasn't the end for her yet.
Slowly, cautiously, she got to work, making sure Rimuru didn't take notice. Little by little, she began transferring magicules through her soul corridor… without realizing that was exactly what Ciel wanted.