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Slime World · Jura-Tempest Federation · Reception Room
"It has been a long time! Rimuru-sama, Kaito-sama! I have completed the mission and returned!"
The moment Kaito and Rimuru pushed the door open and stepped inside, Diablo placed his right hand over his chest and bowed.
"Hahaha! Just as I expected of you, Diablo! You've worked hard."
Kaito smiled and praised him.
"It is an honor to serve the two Lords. How could it ever be called hard work?"
"Now, if you would permit me to make introductions."
Kaito and Rimuru followed Diablo's gaze to the three figures seated on the sofa, calmly drinking tea.
From their appearances: one was a white-haired woman with the air of an older sister, and the other two were younger girls.
"This is White, a Primordial Demon just as I am."
Diablo gestured toward the white-haired woman.
Kaito took one look at her and understood immediately.
Primordial White. The future King of Slaughter. One of Rimuru's Twelve Guardian Kings.
Meticulous, proud, ruthless, and extraordinarily skilled in the precise manipulation of magical energy.
She had once served as the guardian deity of Silbelia, a vassal nation of the Eastern Empire. On Princess Blanche Nam Silbelia's twelfth birthday, White had appeared before her with a single offer: she would grant the princess one wish, in exchange for use of her body.
The wish, unexpectedly, was simply to be her friend.
That wish made Blanche the first friend White had ever known.
On Blanche's sixteenth birthday, imperial nobles who coveted both the princess and her sister moved against them in betrayal. Driven to despair, Blanche chose to surrender her body to White entirely.
White did not waste the gift. She razed the nation of Silbelia in retribution, an event that came to be known as the Blood-Stained Lake Incident.
Afterward, unwilling to see Blanche's body come to harm, she returned it to its rightful owner. She then placed a special sealing spell on her, buried her safely away, severed her own connection to the present world, and retreated to the Demon Realm.
Later, Diablo had forcibly subdued her and brought her back out.
After undergoing soul awakening at Rimuru's hands, she had gained the ultimate authority over life and death. The skill was known as King of the Underworld. Among the seven Primordial Demons, only Guy and Diablo stood above her.
Rimuru would eventually appoint her as a diplomatic military officer, and she would go on to bring the Western Council to heel without spilling a single drop of blood.
'With Testarossa here now, Robin's role as diplomat is no longer necessary. I'll find her a different position later.'
Kaito made his decision. Primordial White, Testarossa, would take the diplomatic post. The gap in combat power between her and Robin was simply immeasurable.
"Heh heh... I heard Black say that his two masters are worthy lords worth pledging to."
Testarossa elegantly raised her teacup and took a small sip.
"However, it is not so easy to earn my allegiance."
She smiled brilliantly at Kaito. If he hadn't caught the cold edge behind her eyes, he might have thought she was flirting.
"Oh my! And what would it take to prove myself worthy, Demon?"
Kaito returned the smile just as brilliantly.
"Simple. Defeat me, and I will swear allegiance. The only question is whether you dare accept."
Testarossa held his gaze, her tone carrying a light, teasing lilt.
"That goes for us too! Defeat us, and we're yours!"
"Mm!"
Primordial Yellow and Primordial Violet, sitting on either side of her, both nodded in agreement.
"My, my. So confident, all three of you." Kaito let out an amused breath. "Tell you what, I won't be unfair about it. All three of you can come at once."
A flash of irritation crossed Testarossa's face.
"Very well. Then let us step outside..."
"No need to go outside." Kaito waved a hand. "Right here is fine. It'll be over quickly."
"You've got some nerve, fellow!" Primordial Yellow shot back. "We are Primordial Demons. How dare you treat us like nothing?"
"Heh heh. What's there to be afraid of from a yellow-haired girl like you?" Kaito tilted his head. "Especially with a figure like that, flat enough to run horses on."
Primordial Yellow's composure shattered on the spot.
Demons had no gender before receiving souls. But one glance at the appearance she had chosen for herself made it abundantly clear that she very much considered herself a girl.
"I... you... just you wait! I'll show you!"
"Yellow! Don't be rash. I can feel it, this one is not simple."
Primordial Violet watched Kaito with a guarded expression.
"Teach me a lesson?" Kaito repeated slowly, savoring each word. "You? A yellow... haired... girl?"
With a casual flip of his right hand, an ancient longsword materialized in his grip.
Tenkuu, the high-quality imitation of the Xuanyuan Sword. Kaito's destined weapon, making her return after a long absence.
The moment she appeared, Tenkuu seemed particularly energized. She immediately broke free from Kaito's hand and began looping around him in excited circles.
She had feelings about the recent state of affairs. Her master had been spending far too much time with that shameless philanderer, the Conqueror's Banner. Her status as the boss was dangerously close to being forgotten.
Kaito watched her spiraling around him and couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Alright, alright. It's my fault. I shouldn't have kept you in storage for so long."
At that, Tenkuu slowed, drifted back to rest in his right hand, and gave a single small tremor of her blade.
'Fine. You're forgiven. But don't let it happen again, Master.'
"Heh heh..."
"Oi! Are you quite done over there?!"
Primordial Yellow's repeated disrespect had not gone unnoticed. Diablo, who had been standing silently to the side, let a sharp glint enter his eyes.
"Yellow." His voice dropped to something very quiet. "Disrespect Kaito-sama once more, and prepare to wake up in the Demon Realm."
Primordial Yellow opened her mouth. Then closed it again.
She couldn't beat Diablo. She had never been able to beat Diablo, even in the Demon Realm. And that was before he'd grown considerably stronger from absorbing souls.
"Alright, Diablo, no need to frighten her." Kaito shrugged. "Since you're all so eager, let's begin."
He looked at the three Primordials.
"If any of you can make me move a single step, I lose."
He said it without a trace of bluster. And in truth, it wasn't overconfidence. The three of them had not yet undergone soul awakening. In the present world, they were far weaker than they would eventually become. At best, three S-ranks. Barely a warm-up for someone standing at the absolute peak of this world's combat power.
"Then I shall not hold back, my future Lord."
'I'd honestly prefer 'Husband Lord'.'
Kaito kept that thought firmly to himself.
"Fire Magic! [Fire Tornado]!"
As Testarossa's voice fell, a roaring pillar of fire in the shape of a dragon surged toward him.
Simultaneously, the other two launched their own attacks.
"Forbidden Magic! [Death Poison Generation]!"
"Take this, fellow!"
Primordial Yellow hurled a gleaming golden spear.
Three attacks. All arriving at once.
Kaito did not move. He simply said, quietly:
"Tenkuu."
Tenkuu was already there.
She intercepted the golden spear with a sharp clang, sword body meeting spear shaft with precisely enough force to kill its momentum completely. The spear clattered to the floor, powerless.
Then Tenkuu gave a gentle sway, and two faint arcs of sword energy bloomed outward, dissolving the other two spells without effort.
Having handled all three, she flew back to Kaito's eye level and hovered there, blade trembling rapidly.
'Well? How was that, Master? Praise me.'
"Heh heh. Very well done. As expected of you."
Kaito smiled warmly.
The brilliant smile on Testarossa's face had faded. She was studying Tenkuu now with serious eyes.
"...A mere weapon deflected my magic."
She was quiet for a moment.
"It seems I underestimated you. I apologize for the rudeness."
A pause.
"But what comes next will not be child's play."