The first people to be thrown by this unimaginable defeat were Gradim's Three Generals. They were stout allies, fascinated by the Beast King's path and sharing in his dreams. Their anger and grief were palpable enough to affect the entire war situation around them.
The first to react was Baraga. He stopped engaging Gabil, turned on his heels, and rushed to Gradim's side.
"Sir Gradim!!"
Everything below Gradim's head had been obliterated by Carillon's Beast Roar. The chagrined face told the whole story. It would be impossible to revive him from this state.
"Oh, how…how horrible… Right when his long-cherished wish was almost fulfilled…"
Gabil arrived, following the lamenting Baraga. He remained on guard, his treasured Vortex Spear pointed straight at him.
"Sir Carillon," he said, eyes still on Baraga, "my congratulations for your great victory! I am truly amazed by your brilliant authority on the battlefield!"
He was offering praise to Carillon for defeating an enemy general, and he meant every word of it. Gradim, with his God-class offense, was more powerful than Gabil despite not even being a demon lord yet. And even if it was a coincidental stroke of luck that sealed it, it was only natural for him to commend Carillon.
But the receiver of this praise looked oddly pale.
"Whoa, whoa, I hate to say it, but he didn't just…?"
He was deep in thought, seemingly unable to give Gabil a coherent reply. "Mm? What is the matter?"
Gabil wondered if he was feeling well. Carillon turned away, looking terribly concerned, and then he gave the shocking truth.
"Sorry, guys. I know I came all this way to pitch in, but it looks like it's over for me."
"What? Are you hurt?!"
"No, not that. It's that 'awakening' thing. I think the souls Gradim was supposed to get are all swarmin' for me instead. Man, what a curse. Now I get why he was so damn defenseless…"
"What?!"
Carillon's tone was self-mocking. Gabil, sensing the levity of the situation, couldn't hide his shock.
"So, yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm going to sleep right here. Try to protect me when you can, all right?"
"But of course! You may rest assured of that."
Gabil smiled, hoping to reassure Carillon. Carillon returned it, then turned his back to him. "Hope I see you guys when I'm back up," he said, and then he fell asleep. He took it as stoutly as possible, but that's just the way evolutionary sleep works.
Baraga was less than excited about this. If things had been any different, he would have been running guard duty, not Gabil—and it would be Gradim enjoying his slumber at the moment, not Carillon.
"Noooooooo!! Never! You will reap all the benefits after doing nothing at all to sow them! I refuse to let this pass!!"
He seethed at Gabil and Carillon, enraged. In his hand was a shining relic of Gradim—his White Tiger Claws, a God-class weapon that embodied and projected the will of anyone it acknowledged as its master.
"White Tiger Claws, lend me your power. We must avenge Sir Gradim!"
The claws shone more radiantly, as if responding to Baraga's call. Then the light converged into the form of a single spear.
"Ah… You have recognized me as your master!"
Baraga rejoiced. In his hand was the newly reformed White Tiger Claws—now called the Azure Dragon Spear.
"Your name was Gabil? Then let me kill you and dispatch the thief who lies before us!"
"Ha! I, too, have made a man-to-man promise. Know that I will never allow the sleep of Sir Carillon to be disturbed!"
With that roared-out challenge, the battle between the two giants resumed.
As she soared through the air, locked in high-speed combat, Frey was also sizing up the ground situation. For this, she used the extra skill Celestial Eye, a form of vision that observed a given range and offered a panoramic view from corner to corner for the user.
"…Oh. So that's how evolution works."
Her keen mind immediately told her what was happening on the ground, giving her the right answer even as she kept fending off Nazim.
"No… Sir Gradim…"
"They say luck is a part of one's skill…and I suppose it's really true." "You! How dare you mock Sir Gradim! You can't even lay a finger on me!"
"That was not my intention. I was merely stating facts; I didn't mean to make light of you. And it's not that I can't touch you; it's just that I haven't yet. I wish you wouldn't jump to conclusions like that."
Frey, a passive woman who rarely made bold moves on her own, possessed commendable force as a former demon lord. Her magicule count didn't hold a candle to the Vermilion Bird's, but a mixture of speed and technique let her hold her own well against Nazim.
"Big talk, coming from someone who's done nothing but evade me so far." "We'll see who has the bigger mouth once this is over."
She held her own verbally as well. Some people have a natural gift for making other people dislike them, and Frey was very much that type. Not even the demon lord Milim could outclass her on that front.
And Frey wasn't just fleeing her opponent, either—she was observing her, looking for weaknesses. Strengthwise, she had nothing to beat her with. She was faster, but Nazim had more endurance. She appeared to be in a losing battle…but then again, victory can often arise from unexpected places.
"You're panicking, aren't you?"
"What? Where did that come from—?"
"I've finally gained the power to see people's souls. My 'eye' has adapted to it, but let me tell you, having this 'insight' is so convenient…"
Frey could tell that her Celestial Eye had improved itself. It made her smile. This could give her an advantage after all. And the information she just received, she felt, would be the key to her victory.
"What are you seeing?"
Nazim's talons grabbed Frey's upper arm as she spat out the words in disgust. This small victory made her grin. Harpy claws have a Magic Interference effect that can block the skills of anything they grab.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! You're a fool, you know that? So engrossed in conversation that you let me catch you!"
Her tone brightened. She was assured of victory, and that just proved she was panicking all along.
Frey remained calm through the crisis, observing Nazim, checking over every action of hers.
"Take this! Shock Wave!!"
So Nazim's barrage began, seeming to make this a one-sided affair. Frey's clothes were torn by the impact, but her expression wasn't contorted by anguish. She continued to coolly observe Nazim; it struck her foe as strange, but she dismissed it as a bluff. It pained her to admit it, but her twin sister Frey had a sharp mind. Nazim was the more powerful fighter in terms of simple force, but a crafty trickster like Frey was a handful to deal with.
Trying to con your way out of my talons, then? No… I'm sure she's looking for an opening, trying to turn the tables on a moment's notice.
So Nazim continued toying with Frey, believing that a continued attack was her best option. But Frey remained utterly unconcerned.
"Maybe a little more?"
It was a small muttering, but it rang loudly in Nazim's ears. "What?!" she demanded without thinking.
"You're going to awaken pretty soon, aren't you? Your magicule count's rising
more and more compared to when we began, it looks like. And once you awaken, I suppose you'll fall asleep like Gradim. That's all I have to wait for, huh?"
Frey was smiling like a fiend as she spoke.
Nazim turned pale. Yes, she was aware of the symptoms she was feeling. This, indeed, was the cause of her panicked impatience. Frey had her all figured out.
"S-so what, then?! I'll just kill you right now and retreat to a safe place!"
The gut-wrenching truth to Frey's words only added to Nazim's disquieting alarm. She had to be rid of her before the evolutionary sleep began—it was the only way. With that decision made, she turned her fierceness up a notch, attacking with her full force—but she now lacked the means to realize this was exactly what Frey wanted.
"Shock Wave…!!"
A fierce electric shock churned its way through Frey for the nth time. But it didn't burn her, or even hurt her at all. The impact threw her off-balance a bit, but otherwise, nothing.
This is madness! How can she be so carefree about this?
But by the time she realized as much, it was already too late.
"Looks like you're wondering about something? But now I'm sure of it. Our mother, the previous queen, wanted you to be happy in a world where our flock was irrelevant."
"What?"
"If you knew the queen's secret, you would have to be killed. That's why she banished you without telling you anything."
"Don't give me that!" Nazim shouted in a rage. "How could a newborn chick survive after being abandoned like that? She had every intention of leaving me for dead!"
But Frey calmly dismissed her.
"And yet you survived. That is proof positive that someone was taking care of
you in hiding. Mother always did spoil you like that."
"…?!"
It was something Nazim always wondered about. She questioned how she managed to survive in her very young days, before she could even remember. It was her mutant instincts, she presumed, that saw her through that ordeal—but after hearing Frey's words, she began to wonder if there was another explanation.
Still, after all the hatred that had accumulated in her mind, Nazim wasn't about to change her stance.
"You're bluffing! Now I'm onto you. You're trying to trick me and gain the upper hand, yes? It would've been cute of you to simply beg for your life, but your pride as a former demon lord wouldn't allow it, now would it?"
Frey, having exhausted all other options, was making her believe she had some grand scheme ready to take her down. Thinking about it this way made sense to Nazim—in fact, she was all but forcing her mind to make that conclusion. So, assuming she was being hoodwinked, she upped the intensity of her electricity.
"Die! Maximum Shock Wave!!"
The full force of her violent electrocution attack struck Frey. And that was the moment she had been waiting for.
"It's too bad. You were let off the hook, and now you've come back yourself to die."
"Huh?"
"There is only one queen. I killed our mother in order to seize her throne. And if you hadn't been abandoned, we would've had a duel to the death as well.
"Then I would have killed you!"
As a rare fighter-type harpy, Nazim had absolute confidence in her battle skills. She lost out to Frey in flight speed, but conquered her in everything else. There was no way she could lose in a fight—and even now, she was on the verge of victory. She wanted to sneer at Frey and her act, barely worthy of
being called the mutterings of a sore loser. But Frey's next words made her change her mind.
"A harpy queen needs to have certain abilities, you see. One born with them may be recognized as the next queen. The mistake you made was being born as part of me."
"Quit going on like you know absolutely everything about me—"
"Oh? Well, let me give you the executive summary, then. The queen has an incontrovertible advantage against all attacks from her own king. In other words, I have immunity against all harpy-based offenses."
"Don't lie to me! That's absurd!"
There was a corner of Nazim's mind wondering if this was true, but she dismissed it as impossible. If that story was true, then it instantly contradicted Frey's claim that she killed the previous queen.
"I'm sure you're trying to throw me off guard with your lies. You should have thought of something more plausible!"
"It's a sad thing that you don't believe me…but it's true. And by the way, it's not a given that an old and new queen must fight each other. Normally it would be two sisters vying for the throne—and whichever one seized the other's powers for her own would win it all."
That, and the winning sister would also obtain the power to become a potential demon lord.
"What…?!"
"But I had to kill Mother because you were imperfect. But what I truly can't forgive you for is how Mother wanted you to live, and you trampled all over that wish. I don't know if you were born before or after me, but I truly wish you could've lived out your years peacefully somewhere else."
"Stop that! Think you've already beaten me? I have other skills besides my natural harpy abilities, you know. If I tap into them—"
"Too late. I've already accumulated enough energy. And I hate to see you suffer any further, so let me finish you off with a single blow right now."
"N-no…!"
It was only then that Nazim noticed Frey's wings had gained a purple tint. Her beautiful wings of pure white, covered in a golden mesh, had been discolored by the lapping waves of violet electricity. The realization of what it was made Nazim freeze up.
Was she storing the electricity I released into her? How powerful could that be…?!
She tried to escape in a panic, but the talons holding Frey's arm refused to budge. The queen's own slender hand had latched onto Nazim's arm as well. If Nazim had awakened before encountering Frey today, the outcome might have been different…but, at least, that would remain a hypothetical for all time.
"Good-bye, my sister. Echoreflection!!"
"Wait—?!"
Frey did not hesitate. She discarded all hesitation once she became queen.
All at once, she released her stored electricity. This was the ability she had acquired—the unique skill Duplicator, letting her take any attack an opponent lands on her body and strike right back with the same thing. It wasn't an easy skill to use, given how it required her to take damage—but since the attack came from a fellow harpy, Frey could dominate in it, despite facing an opponent she'd normally have little chance against.
So, hit by this vast store of electrical energy all at once, Nazim was instantly scorched, carbonized, and killed.
"I don't care whether you're my older or younger sister, but Mother spoiling you certainly gave me a hard time. Although I do envy you a little, Nazim. At least you know for a fact your mother loved you…"
It was a small measure of goodwill toward Nazim as she plummeted to the ground. But the words didn't reach her. The reunion between the two harpy sisters had come to an end, and they had come no closer to ever understanding each other.
And would that it could've ended there.
"…What? The souls gathering toward Nazim are coming for me now!" A sudden feeling of drowsiness overtook Frey.
"It can't be… Evolutionary sleep? Oh… So they want to take their resentment out on me instead of Nazim…"
Frey wasn't exactly going to turn down an invitation to become a true demon lord…but this wasn't the time or the place. She thought Carillon looked ridiculous down there, in fact. She was going to laugh at him later, but now this didn't seem so funny to her. No point complaining about it, though.
"Lucia! Claire! Protect me throughout this. Carillon as well, please." "Yes, Lady Frey!"
"As you wish, my queen!"
The two of them promptly took action. Frey then flew to Carillon's side. It'd be easier to protect these targets, she reasoned, if they were together rather than separate. Carillon had Sufia of the Three Lycanthropeers protecting him as well, and the three of them together would help increase the chances of survival.
And besides:
Good heavens. I came here to help out our forces, but now I'm just slowing them down. Falling asleep in the middle of a battlefield… I never thought I'd make an error like this in my life.
She was inwardly writhing in shame. It was truly the last thing she was expecting. But still she was lured into falling asleep, unsure whether she'd ever wake up again.
Gabil was locked in mortal combat with Baraga—and it was the Azure Dragon Spear in Baraga's hands that proved to be the deciding factor. It was unacceptable from Gabil's point of view that a difference in weapons would determine the outcome like this, but the reality was that even his prized Dragonskin ability couldn't provide much defense against the Azure Dragon's spear thrusts.
"Inflicting wounds on the likes of me… A worthy foe indeed."
"Kah-ha-ha! I'd say the same of you. I meant to finish you off in a single blow, but you're far more of a handful than I expected."
Both of them were severely wounded. But neither of them stopped attacking. They were only hurting themselves further, but neither cared.
"The fact you fight at my level after my awakening is truly amazing. But I cannot let myself be defeated!"
"Hmph! Even without awakening, Sir Gradim was far stronger than you. If he had pulled off the feat, you wouldn't have even given him a struggle."
"Nonsense! There are many who serve Sir Rimuru who are stronger than I! You are a good fighter, no doubt, but compared to the likes of Lady Ultima, you are but a minnow in a pond!"
It didn't dawn on Gabil that this was tantamount to calling himself a minnow as well. He didn't exactly have the gift for words that some of his compatriots did, but in his mind, he meant everything he said.
And while he might have been struggling to hold his own, he still kept an eye on the war situation around him. Daring to expose himself a bit, he attempted to guide Baraga away from the sleeping Carillon, successfully shifting their location little by little.
Lady Sufia has rushed to our aid, so I'm sure Sir Carillon will be fine. Now he won't be caught in the thick of it if we unleash some larger-scale moves.
In his own way, Gabil was strategizing. And as he did, Frey defeated one of the Three Generals.
"What? No! Now Nazim is slain, too?!"
Following in the steps of their leader, the woman they had informally treated as his second-in-command was now also dead. Being confronted with this made Baraga furious.
"Y-you will pay for this! This spear will be used to avenge my friends' deaths!" Now he was truly coming into his own.
"A true Chimera Knight is a warrior who has obtained the power of Animalize, previously the exclusive privilege of beastmen. Do you see what I mean? We have been granted The Beast, a specialized medical treatment, to artificially integrate man and beast's powers together. That is who we are—the ultimate in warpower."
As he gave this speech, Baraga's body began changing rapidly. He had been undeniably human before, but now he was showing more and more of the characteristics of a dragon. It made his military uniform bulge, but it managed to hold out without tearing, as he transformed into something resembling more like a dragonewt than a full-on dragon.
"Ahhh… This feels good. Unlocking true power is such an uplifting feeling!"
It was the first time Baraga ever tested this transformation out. He thought it was possible for him, but he never told anyone about it, keeping it his little secret. But now that Gradim—whom he admired and respected—was dead, all the fetters on his mind had been lifted. With his comrade Nazim fallen as well, there was no more reason to hesitate further.
"Come to me, all of you!"
Baraga was calling out to the troops serving under him, currently running berserk across the battlefield. These poor soldiers, reduced to unthinking magical beasts, still obeyed the orders of this overwhelmingly strong presence, their instincts recognizing him as the superior one among them. The same was true for those somewhere on the spectrum between human and beast.
Then Baraga lunged upon them all. Their magicules flowed into him—almost visibly, like a pulse—and the devoured victims dried up like mummies, their lives scattered to the winds.
"Wh-what a feat! Those were your soldiers, weren't they? And now you've—"
"They were nothing but fodder for the enemy as they stood. They should be thankful they got to die serving me."
"How selfishly evil of you! I refuse to let this outrage go unchecked!"
Gabil charged with his spear, his instincts telling him that Baraga would be trouble if left unchecked any further. Judging by the situation, he was likely
procuring energy from his soldiers to bump his magicule count up to the maximum this current form allowed him. His magicule count was still up there with Gabil's—on the verge of what you could call an artificially awakened demon lord—so it'd be harsh to criticize Gabil for panicking a little. That haste, however, led to the worst possible outcome.
"You fool! On the battlefield, the first to die is the one who loses his presence of mind. Did you think I'd be so preoccupied with my meal that I'd let my guard down?!"
There were two purposes to Baraga's actions. One was to shore up his newfound power capacity. The other was to make Gabil act too early, and it worked—he was all but jumping into certain death.
"What?!"
By the time he realized it, he was too late. Baraga was using his feet to nimbly work the Azure Dragon Spear, and as Gabil flew in, the tip pierced his stomach. His magisteel breastplate did not cover his abdomen, and not even Gabil's Dragonskin skill could withstand an attack from a blind spot he wasn't even aware of.
"Gah… Gwahh!"
Gabil spat out blood, an open hole in his stomach. The sight made Baraga laugh at the top of his lungs.
"Kah-ha-ha! Now I will feed upon you—the greatest honor you will ever receive!"
It would have been the end for Gabil. But fate was not about to allow it.
Confirmed. Activating unique skill Braggart… Successful. The subject Gabil's fate has changed, and he has avoided death.
It was the World Language. Even Gabil himself had forgotten about the unique skill Braggart, but now its power had just altered his destiny.
He'd acquired this unique skill when Rimuru became a demon lord, but its effects had remained unknown at the time. All he knew was that it had the effect of either increasing or decreasing the power of his attacks. They'd get
stronger when he was on a roll mentally, but weaker when he felt more timid or fainthearted. The power suited Gabil's personality to a tee, but it wasn't exactly the most convenient of unique skills to tap into.
"Gwah! Huh? I am rather sure I was run through in the stomach just now…"
It made him worry a little. But he was never one to sweat the details. So he easily shunted it from his mind and readied his spear toward Baraga.
"No! What just happened?"
From his foe's point of view, this reality wasn't so easy to accept. He had finally come up with a plan to ensnare and kill Gabil, this powerful enemy. Once he had him overwhelmed, it was assuredly in the bag. This just seemed unfair.
"This is complete nonsense! In that case, I'll make sure to pierce your heart next time!!"
All the magicules Baraga absorbed made him rapidly grow in power. Now, he thought, it'd be child's play to defeat Gabil, dirty tricks or not. So he grabbed his Azure Dragon Spear with both hands.
Once again, the two fighters were staring each other down. Once again, Gabil was at a disadvantage. He got a karmic saving throw just now, but lightning wouldn't strike twice for him. Unbeknownst to Gabil, the unique skill Braggart's Change Destiny feature required a long cooldown time before it could be reactivated. No matter how much he got fired up, he could only tap into that skill once a day at most.
So Gabil had no other secrets left at his disposal. Even worse, after this marathon battle, he had rapidly depleted his physical strength. Coming back from the brink of death, as he did just now, would require an extended period of rest for most people.
But despite all that, Gabil beamed, showing no signs of fear.
"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! Your technique is sharp as a tack, but I have yet to lose. With a master as excellent as mine, you shouldn't expect to win that easily."
Gabil sharpened his focus, preparing to respond to whatever Baraga tried on him.
…And then fate made its choice.
It wasn't because of anything Gabil's skills did for him. It was just the moment Ciel was born within Rimuru's mind. And just when he was about to expend his remaining energy on a final decisive strike, a voice from the heavens reached out to help him.
Do you desire power? Then let me give it to you. Please agree to my upgrade for your unique skill.
…?!
Gabil didn't ask what that meant. The voice felt so warm, so familiar, that just listening to it had a calming effect. So, without hesitation, Gabil agreed to it within his mind.
The effect was dramatic.
A wise choice. I will sacrifice the unique skill Braggart to grant you a new ability.
As soon as the voice disappeared, a new power awakened in Gabil.
The ultimate gift Moodmaker, as granted by Ciel, included five effects: Mind Accelerate, Alter Destiny, Control Unforeseen, Control Space, and Multilayer Barrier.
Mind Accelerate raised his perceptive speed up to one million times. Alter Destiny was an upgrade from the Change Destiny skill in Braggart. This could be activated at Gabil's will, although it was still limited to one use per day.
Control Unforeseen was, in turn, an upgrade from Braggart's Unexpected Effects skill. Up to now, he could boost his attack power only through unintentional actions; now he could trigger this at will. It still acted based on his mood, however, so only when he was excited and driven would his attacks gain more strength.
Control Space was the same skill already available to Benimaru and the other top officers. Its chief application was for Spatial Transport, letting the user return freely to anywhere they previously visited as long as no external interference had taken place. Said interference could also be used to keep your
enemy from escaping battle on you. This made it extremely useful.
Finally, Multilayer Barrier was a defensive technique that Rimuru had already put to great use. A combination of various single-purpose barriers, it could protect the user from virtually any kind of attack—and thanks to Gabil being under Rimuru's authority, now he had access to it, too.
Gabil correctly understood the effects of a skill that had been mostly opaque to him until now. Ciel laid it all out for him in his field of consciousness, after slowing it down a million times over for him. It was a truly moving experience.
Then, without thinking, he said:
"Amazing… Truly amazing! I feel undefeatable!!"
Already Gabil's emotions were soaring to new heights, and in his case, that was the best thing he could possibly have done. He smiled, banishing the gloom from the air, and that alone proportionally boosted his powers.
"Wh-what's going on?! Your powers have ballooned out of nowhere! What have you done?!"
"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! Sorry to burst your bubble, but I truly have a great master. And as long as I enjoy his protection, I cannot be defeated!"
It was big talk from the ebullient Gabil, even though there was still every chance of losing this battle. His body was teeming with almost-overflowing power as he spoke. Now it'd be difficult to stop his momentum.
"Prepare to die!"
"Ha! Allow me to carve my power into your body!"
So the pair of them, both as strong as an awakened demon lord, clashed with all their might. The exchange lasted a single moment—and it was Gabil who won. The Azure Dragon Spear, swung with abject recklessness, was bounced away by Gabil's Vortex Spear. It left Baraga wide open, and before he had time to regain his footing, a thrust from Gabil left a large hole in his chest.
"Gahahh! I… I'm not done yet… With my recovery skills, this much means nothing…"
Baraga, too, boasted the consummate healing skills exclusive to beastmen. By
taking in energy from those who served him, he could heal a given level of injury almost instantly. He tried using it to fix this one up as well…but things didn't work out that way. Much to Gabil's own astonishment, the combination of Alter Destiny and Control Unforeseen activated for him, and together they took away Baraga's healing abilities. Alter Destiny could work just once a day— but that limit only applied when used on the same target. As Gabil had just discovered, he could also invoke it against an enemy.
Just as Baraga himself said, the first to die in battle was the one to lose his presence of mind.
"Th-this is more powerful than I thought…"
And so Gabil had gained not only new strength, but an undeniable victory by his own hand.
Meanwhile Gozaline, the final survivor out of the Three Generals, was up against an unexpectedly formidable foe.
With the defeat of their commander Gradim, the Magical Beast Division had fallen into great disarray. Before they could even attempt to fully regroup, a huge force of demons flew into the picture. "Huge," perhaps, was overstating it —they were about five hundred in all—but their qualities made each of them a one-man army.
These were the Diable Chevaliers, a fearsome force under the direct command of the demon lord Rimuru. And while Chimera Knights were nearly twice as powerful as them in terms of magicules, they were having surprising difficulty gaining the upper hand in battle—that's how much more capable they were as fighters.
Seeing things not go their way made Gozaline's frustration grow. And it was right at that moment when destiny came knocking.
What's that…?
A writhing shadow appeared at the edge of her vision. Something about it made her instincts set off alarm bells. She turned her eyes away from the battle, trying to figure out what it was. She was right to do so, for if this shade
had been left unattended, she would have died without ever knowing what happened to her—although it could be said that she'd have been happier that way.
The shadowy figure was undulating right where the wreckage of the Demon Colossus was lying. Now it stood before Gozaline, who was still trying to figure it out.
Before her now was a handsome, topless young man with black hair that reached down to his waist. His skin was a dark shade of brown, with a dull sheen to it. It almost seemed to be metallic in nature—but in fact, from the waist down, the man had merged himself with the ruined Demon Colossus. Before Gozaline's eyes, the wreckage melted into liquid metal, changing its shape as the man's lower body did the same.
"Oh my… I'm naked, aren't I? How mortifying."
The man's tone of voice, extremely ill-befitting his good looks, was identical to that of the enemy Gozaline had just been fighting.
"I hesitate to ask…but are you Lord Gadora?"
The man grinned at her. "Well, of course I am! Or did you think you had me beat back there? Well, not if I have anything to say about it."
The mysterious nude man was Lord Gadora himself.
"Are you kidding me? You used a self-destruct spell to end your own life! How can you be alive when you burned away your existence like that?!"
Gozaline was having trouble trying to comprehend this, but Gadora's words were putting her into full-blown panic. She tried to seize the conversation, not wanting to be swept away by him any further.
"Ah, I remember now… I used the elemental magic Sacrifice to do myself in, didn't I? And you think I died from that? Well, a man of my stature can never truly die by suicide. And I'd advise you to never rest on your laurels until the battle is fully at an end."
Gadora quickly created some clothing to put on as he spoke. It wasn't very flattering for him, but—he figured—it beat remaining naked like this.
"Enough blather! Answer my question!"
Gozaline, for her part, wanted to be rid of Gadora without a second thought. But she found herself taking a cautious stance. He was supposed to be completely dead, yet here he was, back to life. She couldn't know if he'd be fully honest with him, so regardless of his response, Gozaline intended to put all her energy into her next attack.
Knowing this old man, I'm sure he's up to one trick or another. Maybe he prepared some kind of substitute sacrifice in advance. He wants to disturb me, I'm sure, but I know my power can crush any stupid game of his!
Her magisteel body, despite appearances, was extremely heavy. Even if she just rammed into him, it'd still be a shuddering impact with enough speed. What's more, if she launched a High-Frequency Mince Strike with all her tentacles, they'd turn into living bullets that shredded anything they touched.
Gozaline concentrated all her strength in her legs. Picturing herself as a cannonball, she triggered an explosion in the earth to gain propulsive force— another one of her secret abilities.
Now her aim was squarely upon Gadora—but the old sorcerer, unaware of this, began to offer a sincere commentary on what just happened.
"That's right! I have been reincarnated. You see, I prepared a mysterious art known as Reincarnation in advance, for a situation just like this one. Using it means saying good-bye to this world for a while, but it also grants me a new life while retaining all my memories. It's a wonderful thing, you know."
"…And?"
"Well, the success rate isn't all that high with it, but the potential rewards you reap are incredible. And by this point, I've been reincarnated so many times that it's all but guaranteed to work."
It's a fact—the first time you attempt something is when you're least likely to pull it off correctly. Adalmann had failed at this, and it certainly wasn't because Gadora was unskilled.
For himself, Gadora always had a few magic spells set up in advance that could be invoked instantly when needed. People like Razen could maybe
prepare one or two of these at a time, but Gadora always had at least three ready at all times. One was a teleport magic for a quick escape; another was a self-destruct spell to take his own life—and he made sure that the Reincarnation spell was always active, so he'd be safe even if death took him.
He was clearly a cautious caster, but this time, something unforeseen had happened. Upon invoking Reincarnation, Gadora's soul had escaped from his physical body. Protected by magic, the soul was supposed to reenter the cycle of reincarnation, searching for its next body—but then a certain promise came into play.
Gadora had previously asked Diablo to become his apprentice, but this application had been put on hold. Normally Diablo would have rejected it immediately, but the demon had taken a liking to Gadora, thanks to their shared high praise of Rimuru's magic. "You are an interesting man," Diablo told him at a party, "and I never dislike interesting people. I will make you one of my own—if I decide that you are truly useful to Sir Rimuru."
The sorcerer assumed this was just Diablo's way of saying no while being polite about it, but still he did his level best, hoping to win the demon's approval. However, by that time, he had already fallen into his seductive trap. His Reincarnation spell had been rewritten, unbeknownst to him. Now, if he chose to die for Rimuru's sake, it was possible for him to be reborn as a demon.
Demons, of course, were a race born with fighting abilities. And since Gadora was now one—with his old memories and all—it was only natural that he'd have a very special incarnation.
The one hitch was his physical body. As spiritual life-forms, demons needed those in order to remain in this world. Gadora would normally have to either possess someone's corpus or contact Diablo and ask for a summoning, but with Ciel manifesting in Rimuru's mind, fate was working quickly for him as well.
If you seek a physical body, I will grant it to you. I will give you more power as well. So…
So, the voice concluded, please be useful to Sir Rimuru.
This was a dream come true for Gadora. "Of course," he all but shouted, and with that, the contract was concluded. This was the birth of a brand-new race—
the metal demons.
Now his body was clad in black, as perhaps befitting his roots in a dark tribe. His hair, eyes, and skin were all dark shades—but they also had a metallic luster to them, giving him something of an artificial, manmade atmosphere. But he wasn't modeled after the old Gadora. Instead, he was based on a previous incarnation—his very first life, in fact, as a young man. It was reproduced from the memories engraved in his soul, not based on anything from his newfound species.
In fact, thanks to being a new race, he wasn't bound by any of the typical restrictions demons faced. The current Gadora's magicule count was comparable to the out-of-control Clayman, and together with his knowledge and experience from previous lives, he was no doubt far stronger now. Gadora truly felt reborn, and as if to savor this, he was now feeling rather talkative as he sized up Gozaline.
"So you've become a 'metal demon'? This brand-new thing?" she asked him.
"It certainly seems that way, yes. And let me warn you, I've become quite a bit more powerful. I'd suggest surrendering right now, in fact, because you don't stand any chance at all. Do so, and I'll spare your life, in the name of your former comrades."
"Only a fool would agree to that!"
Ready and waiting for the opportunity, Gozaline rushed toward Gadora, her tremendous speed turning her body into a massive bullet. Gadora, she thought, was too busy prattling away to cope with it at all—but the next moment, her eyes widened in surprise. Just before she reached him, her body was forced against her will in another direction.
"Strange, isn't it? Well, to put it in simple terms, I used magic to manipulate the local magnetism to create a powerful magnetic field. Apply a current to it, and I can place an electromagnetic force on a given target, like I did just now."
The target, in this case, was Gozaline. For someone like Gadora, well studied in the science of other worlds, there was a lot he could do with his magic. Corralling Gozaline's greatest skills was no sweat for him.
"You…"
Gadora aloofly stood here, a large book in his left hand. He used his right to turn the pages with care.
"How do you like it? Now do you understand my powers? Now go ahead and surrender for me, please."
Gozaline interpreted this as condescension. He didn't mean it that way, but to her, this was a wound on her pride as a strong woman. That's why surrender wasn't an option.
"All right. I didn't want to break this out, but I see I must make up my mind!"
So Gozaline swallowed her pills and launched The Beast. This was going to unlock untold force within her, just as it did for Baraga. But Gadora had no reason to wait for it.
"Oh dear. Well, in that case, you can be the subject I'll test my new power out on!"
Gadora looked on with delight, like a scientist staring at a guinea pig. "Ultimate gift Grimoire… Unfold!"
The book in his left hand glowed with an ominous light. Inside of it was all the magic that Rimuru—or, in essence, Ciel—controlled. Seeing all the beautiful magic formulas that lined the pages, Gadora's face lit up in ecstasy. Then he selected the one most suitable for this exact moment.
"Limited Hellflare."
This was an art developed by Benimaru, but Rimuru had made it into a skill for his own purposes. And since magic is itself a kind of skill, it was listed in his Grimoire.
"…Huh?"
It was an inferior version compared to what its inventor could conjure, but it was still no slouch power-wise. And with it, before she understood what was happening, Gozaline was set ablaze, instantly scorched beyond repair.
"Ah, I wanted to brag about it a little more. But oh well."
Gadora attempted to stroke his beard as he muttered this, only to find nothing there—not even a little stubble.
"Ah, damn it all! I look like a young man now, don't I? Well, I can't have that. My hair's dark as night, too—I'll need to invest in some dye, I suppose… Oh, wait! Actually, I can cast some transformation magic to handle that, can't I? Let's see…"
So he gleefully began flipping through his Grimoire.
Thus Gradim and the other main leaders of the Magical Beast Division were all dead. But there was still danger on the battlefield—and the source of that danger was currently delighted to see Gradim's head rolling in front of him.
"What a lovely piece of prey to dine on!"
The one who took this head in hand and devoured it without hesitation was Vega the Power, one of the leaders of Cerberus. He had been undercover in the Magical Beast Division under orders from Yuuki, and as he chewed on the remains of Gradim, he found his body beginning to teem with power. His limber physique, looking like it belonged to a carnivorous beast, grew one size larger, until he was as tall as the six-foot-eight Gradim. The upgrade to his musculature made his uniform look swollen on him.
"Hmm… Not bad…but not good enough yet."
But as Vega muttered to himself, he kept finding more and more tasty prey: the charred Nazim the Vermilion Bird; the dismembered Baraga the Azure Dragon; and Gozaline the Black Tortoise, now just a pile of melted metal. Silently, he snuck up to their resting places, quietly partaking in each one without anyone noticing—a feat made possible by his own innate power, the unique skill Scavenger.
...…
...
…
Vega was born in Englesia's royal capital. He wasn't aware of it, but one of his
parents was a former magical inquisitor for the government who was turned into a magic-born. Taking in too many magical elements, his father could no longer return to human form; in a craze, he attacked his mother, and Vega was the result.
He was thus a castoff from birth, a freak. The gestation was only about three days, and he had full sentience and awareness from the day he was born. But as an infant with no reason or language skills, he was feared as a monster by those around him, including his mother. Instead of being given love, he was nearly killed and forced into hiding.
But over the next decade or so, Vega found ways to survive. He ate rats, scavenged for scraps, and did whatever it took to stay alive. Finally, after a fight, he consumed a human being who was near death. And that's when he realized it. All around him—there was so much prey everywhere.
Now that he had come to prey on humans as well, Vega had turned into a monster in name and deed. The order naturally came to dispatch this abomination, and it was Yuuki who took charge. With the help of Shizue Izawa, who was already acting as his instructor at the time, he successfully captured Vega.
But although he should have been rightfully executed, Yuuki felt that Vega's strength was too much to let go to waste. He was gifted with a stout body and exceptional fighting senses, and Yuuki also thought he had the potential for further growth. With the right training, he could even become a useful pawn for him.
So Yuuki tricked Shizu into believing he had taken care of Vega. He then reached out to Damrada to have this "monster" raised in the Empire—and now he had grown up to become a fearsome warrior.
...…
...
…
And fortunately for Vega, the battle between the Diable Chevalier reinforcements and the Chimera Knights was growing more and more intense.
Thanks to that, he could fulfill his personal mission without attracting attention. The limbs of a tenacious beast, a body of hard magisteel, the power of a magic repelling dragon, even wings that could soar through the sky—Vega found them all in short order.
Even better, he had picked up the Azure Dragon Spear, a God-class weapon. It had not yet recognized him as its master, but Vega didn't mind. He poured his own power into it, forcing it to become one with him, literally bending its very will. It was the power of Control Metal, a skill he had picked up from the consumption of Gozaline.
Taking in a God-class weapon like this transformed Vega's entire body into an even more ominous form. The eerie, alien-like armor covering him made him truly unidentifiable as a magic-born—and by this point, Gabil and the others were finally taking notice.
"Wha?! Look! Another giant mystery magic-born!"
Gabil's forces let out exhausted whines at his excited shouting: "But Sir Gabil, we've got our hands full!"
"Indeed."
"It's battle after battle here. Our supplies are running low. What should we do, Sir Gabil?"
Their consternation was understandable. Team Hiryu was heavily fatigued and reaching its limit. If the Diable Chevaliers had arrived any later, the front lines would have fallen long ago.
After all, they had been heavily relying upon the Beast Master's Warrior Alliance, along with the Heaven Fliers, and now they were both away from the front. "Oh, crap," Sufia first said. When Gabil asked what was wrong, she replied that she was "like, insanely sleepy." Then it dawned on him. It had begun—the evolutionary slumber that was a key part of the Harvest Festival, at the worst possible moment.
Carillon and Frey were both very close to awakening, so this much was a foregone conclusion. It was an irresistible, unbearable physiological phenomenon, and there was no point complaining about it.
So Gabil and his crew were struggling to keep this patch of space protected all by themselves. Other units were also engaging the enemy at their own discretion, but Gabil's force was anchored to this spot, further adding to their intense fatigue. Seeing Vega show up in the midst of this made the blood drain from his face.
"Do not worry, Sir Gabil. Allow me to reason with this one first. His name is Vega, and he's a friend of that young boy Yuuki."
The sudden presence of Gadora did much to calm Gabil.
"I hope that you will, then!"
"You are in good hands."
The two men, who had become friends somewhere along the line, smiled and nodded at each other. Then Gadora stepped toward Vega.
"It's been a long time, Vega."
"Hmmm? Ohhh, old man Gadora, eh? I heard you switched sides to the demon lord Rimuru, but I guess that story was true?"
"Mm-hmm. And that means I'm fighting alongside Yuuki here. But I'm glad to see you! If I weren't around, they would've treated you as their enemy."
"Really?"
Vega glanced at Gadora, who approached him in a friendly, aloof manner. Then he immediately averted his eyes. To him, there was far more interesting business to attend to.
Now he was staring at Carillon and Frey—and around them, even more delicious-looking things to prey on. His mouth was salivating profusely, his mind ecstatic as it pondered how the meat would taste.
"I can serve as your middleman with them, so if you could kindly lend a hand to us—bwaah?!"
Gadora had tried to pat Vega on the shoulder in a friendly manner, but Vega's fist quickly knocked him away. He'd taken it straight to the face, caught completely off guard. Vega, by now, had powered himself up to the point where he surpassed an awakened demon lord, one with over twice as many
magicules as Gadora. Even as a metal demon with excellent physical defense, he was still no match for Vega, whose entire body was God-class magisteel. With a single blow, he was knocked into unconscious silence.
"L-Lord Gadora!!"
I knew I couldn't count on that man, Gabil thought as he shouted. Given the amount of confidence Gadora brimmed with, he couldn't be blamed for thinking that. Now his hopes were banished, his mind filled with disappointment—and even worse, Vega's powers were beyond imagination.
Now this monster was eyeing Carillon and Frey, not bothering to hide his intentions as he licked his lips. His purpose was clear—if he wasn't defeated, he'd gain access to even more almighty power. They didn't even know if they could win, and if Vega succeeded, he'd become truly unstoppable then. Gabil, at least, would have no chance of winning, so everyone would just have to do their best against him.
I always enjoy standing out like this, but this is perhaps too much of a good thing…
He was beginning to regret this a little.
Gabil was ready to step forward, but stopped when he realized someone was in front of him.
"Ehhh, Gabil, lemme take care of this one for ya."
"Oho! Sir Laplace, is it not? Why are you here?"
"Wellll…"
Because everybody left me alone, he almost said before falling silent. It would make him look far too awkward.
"…Why do ya think? To help ya out, of course!"
"Ahhh! How wonderfully reassuring, Sir Laplace!"
"Yeah. Y'all can rest easy with me around!"
Forcefully concluding his chat with Gabil, Laplace turned toward Vega, his
(presumed) friend.
"So, Vega, why'd ya punch out old man Gadora like that?"
He spun around lightly as he asked. It annoyed Vega.
"Huh? Ain't it obvious? Because the old man was tryin' to block me." "Block you?"
"Uh-huh. Can't let someone blockin' me from a good meal keep on living. And that's why you better stay out of this, too, Laplace. You're an old friend, so I'll let you off the hook this time."
Laplace stopped spinning.
"You got a funny sense of humor, y'know that? Don't ya think you're forgettin' your place a little?"
The timbre of his voice was the same as before, but the atmosphere around it was so tense that it felt like something entirely different. But Vega didn't care.
"Huh. My place? You think you're in a place to give me orders?! I heard that bastard Yuuki got defeated by Ludora, and I only take orders from people stronger than me!"
He guffawed at that, his laughter echoing across the battlefield. "Well, that sure ain't funny. You got no gift for comedy at all, man." "It wasn't meant to be funny—rrk?!"
The guttural laughter abruptly stopped. In an instant, Laplace came right up to Vega, clutching him by the neck.
"Yo. Some respect, huh? Or else it's your ass."
He lifted him into the air, despite being half his size.
Vega struggled, arms and legs flailing about. Breathing was no longer necessary for him, but he still wasn't used to that, so this treatment was still deeply disconcerting. Laplace, meanwhile, landed an explosive knee on his body —and hanging by the neck as he was, he had no way of escaping it. He cowered on the ground once Laplace loosened his grip, trying to catch his breath.
"W-wait. I'm sorry I got carried away. I'm calmer now! Please forgive me!"
Laplace was thinking of giving Vega a kick to the head, but this pleading made him reconsider. "I ain't as nice as my boss," he coldly muttered. "Don't expect any second chances."
"I… I know."
"Right! So be nice and stick with me, won't you? And don't try anything funny, or I'll make sure you pay for it."
Vega nodded. "All right. So what are we doing now?"
"I'm gonna be headin' over to our president. I'm figurin' she can probably do something to help Teare and Footman get back to normal. We gotta find a way, right? Or else we'll never save the boss. So whatever ya do, don't stray from me, okay?"
"Right, right."
Vega nodded deeply in agreement. His eagerness to please Laplace suggested just how scared he was of him. Laplace just sighed at the sight.
"Everything all right, then?" Gadora asked worriedly, now back on his feet. "Old man!"
Vega instinctively braced himself for combat.
"Ah, Lord Gadora! You are well now?"
Gabil was happy to see him, if a little surprised.
"So you were all right, eh, old man?"
Laplace wasn't surprised at all, as if he had expected this.
"But of course. I did lose consciousness for a moment, but I was fully prepared with my emergency measures. I was just pretending to be down because then I could catch him off guard and hit him with one of my best spells."
The ultimate gift Grimoire was equipped with Mind Accelerate and Parallel Computation, almost as if that was a given. With it in hand, even when he was knocked out, a parallel line of thought would take over after that.
"I see, I see. It fooled me as well!"
"Man oh man. What a guy, huh?"
"Yes, well, I didn't spend all these years wasting my time, y'see. But shouldn't we be concerned about Vega instead?"
Laplace tried to change the subject, but Gadora wasn't done pursuing Vega yet.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I'm afraid I can't trust you very much."
"Why not?!"
Vega acted like he had no idea. It exasperated Laplace.
"To be honest," he said with a shrug, "I don't trust 'im, either. But he's still one of mine, y'know? And I get it if you want him rubbed out, but I really wanna trust him here. Besides, I can't do anything without my boss's permission anyways. He'll listen to reason as long as he doesn't get carried away, so how about we cut him some slack just this once?"
What a headache, he bitterly thought.
The main problem with Vega was his astonishing lack of intelligence. He was too loyal to his own desires, and he never seemed to care about other people's feelings. But he wasn't all bad. He never really did well in a group, but give him an order, and you'd be assured he would carry it out, at least to some extent. Between that and his undeniable strength, it'd be a pity to do away with him right now. His occasional problematic outbursts might tax his patience one too many times, Laplace feared, but for now, he'd stick to his side and keep a careful eye on him.
He had caught him just in time today, but Vega was one step away from causing serious problems. If he had laid so much as a finger on Carillon or Frey, Laplace wouldn't have defended him one bit—in fact, he would've disposed of him right there. The mere fact that he attempted what he did was bad enough, but…
"Well, I don't have the authority to make the call, but I can certainly understand your line of thought. I'm familiar with Vega myself, and as long as he causes no trouble for Sir Rimuru, I don't see any issue with that."
Gadora was familiar with Vega as well. And while it didn't feel right for him to speak on his behalf, he still wanted to give some muted feedback.
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about…"
Laplace seemed just as anxious as he gave that vague warning. Only Gabil among them could find it in himself to laugh it off.
"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! We are all men here—we learn from our mistakes. Very well; I will trust in him, too! Vega, was it? Listen to Sir Laplace and try to become the best warrior you can be!"
He clapped Vega on the back as he spoke.
Despite everyone's apprehension, now was not the moment to stand around worrying. Laplace wasted no time taking Vega away from the scene.
"Do you think that was the right thing to do?"
"I wouldn't expect any problems. If this helps Vega grow a little, it'll benefit all of us. If not, I'm sure Laplace will do what needs to be done."
"…A rather sinister line of thought there."
"Gwah-ha-ha-ha! Flattery will get you nowhere with me, I'll have you know!"
Gadora hadn't meant that as a compliment, but he held his tongue. No need to stir up yet more trouble. It was starting to feel a little more relaxed around here, but the battle was still ongoing. Remembering this, the two of them mentally switched gears and prepared to reenter the fray. Then some good news arrived.
"My brother, I have word from Sir Moss that Sir Rimuru has defeated Lady Velgrynd! Our main forces have stormed the enemy's main airship and are now engaged in a final battle with their top brass. We need to keep up the fight over here!"
The voice of Soka, back to the front after some rest, rang high as she gave the news. It was a massive morale boost for everyone on Rimuru's side and a major demotivator for the Empire.
The Chimera Knights, the keystone of the imperial forces—the ones who weren't on an insane berserker rush, that is—now realized how bad their situation was. They were without a commander, and they couldn't expect any more reinforcements, even as their enemies seemed to continually grow in number. Taking out the enemy commander also seemed hopeless to them. Trying to kill the former demon lords who were now sitting ducks on the battlefield would simply make them surrounded and annihilated. If they had a functional military chain of command, things might have been different—but there was simply nobody in charge.
A number of them were already fleeing, having seen the writing on the wall. Meanwhile, Rimuru's forces were overjoyed.
"Wowwww! His Majesty has done it!"
"H-he beat Lady Velgrynd? I can't believe it…but maybe I should've expected that from him!"
"We've won. This is nothing more than a rout now!"
Gabil and Gadora were no exception, of course.
"Ah, wonderful! I always knew Sir Rimuru was cut from a different cloth!"
"I suppose so, yes. I had grown much stronger out of nowhere, so I thought something like that had happened. That voice must be connected to Sir Rimuru, just like Sir Diablo presumed…"
"What did you say, Lord Gadora?"
"Ah, never mind. We still have a job to carry out here. Let's go!"
There was such a thing as having too much curiosity. Gadora knew that well, and so he decided not to pursue this any further—that, and he wasn't sure getting Gabil involved in the question was such a good idea.
Gabil nodded back at him, his thoughts turning toward the battlefield. And with his loudest shout of the day, he gave the order to charge.