Meanwhile, the Western Nations were facing a danger unprecedented in their history.
The Cidre Frontier Defense Force, always busily handling the demon threat, suddenly found its main offense gone. No longer able to push back the demons who visited their territory regularly, they sent out an emergency request for reinforcements.
"Ridiculous! The demon forces are advancing southward?!"
"What could Margrave Cidre possibly be doing?!"
"We can't think about that right now. Every nation needs to deploy its troops and build a layered set of defense bases! Otherwise, we'll have a
marauding army of demons right here, in the capital of Englesia!"
All the representatives at this emergency Council session were in an uproar.
Being composed of councillors from all its member nations, the Council of the West held a great deal of political power—but when it came to sudden crises, there was always going to be time wasted. That was the biggest disadvantage of a majority-vote system.
The defense of the northern regions was left entirely in the hands of Margrave Cidre of Englesia. It was a large, powerful kingdom, and still a good half of its military strength was stationed up north, forming a bulwark against Guy Crimson. They were joined by several members of the Crusaders, as well as a team of A-ranked adventurers from the Free Guild, which functioned as a subsidiary of the Council. That was how important a defensive line this was. Losing it could be a matter of life and death for humanity, and thus the panic around the Council chamber was understandable.
Currently, they were just barely hanging on to the base defined as their last line of defense, and even that was thanks to the paladins and adventurers stationed there. Considering the situation, they needed to deploy troops there immediately, but time would not allow it. This wasn't a monolithic dictatorship; it was a federation of independent nations, and each representative needed permission from their home state.
The only thing the Council could do right away was call for emergency backup from the Free Guild. They could also ask the Council's host nation of Englesia to deploy its regular forces, but the request was likely to fall on deaf ears, since it'd leave the capital more exposed. Besides, Englesia was already shouldering the burden of defending the north; nobody would fault it for asking other nations for support in an emergency.
Like the lesser-known Council members were currently shouting, it was time to create a federated, multination force. The problem, however, was that all these disparate armies would be led by the brand-new member nation of Tempest, the land of monsters. The Council had unanimously voted for it, so there was no room to complain about it now—but leaving precious military resources in the hands of monsters presented a thorny dilemma to many councillors.
"Order, all of you, please!" shouted the chairman. The noise gradually died down as all eyes turned toward him.
"Right now, we can't afford to waste a single minute. Instead of debating among ourselves, we must immediately contact our home nations and have them send forces our way. The demon lord Rimuru's representative, Lady Testarossa, is in attendance today, and I understand she is well versed in military affairs. If Sir Rimuru appointed her, I am sure leaving our forces in her hands will not be an issue."
The chairman's words were greeted with some sporadic disagreement, but no one stood up and spoke on the record against it. With no better ideas forthcoming, lodging complaints now would only make things worse.
Now all eyes were on Testarossa. If the Council was raising an army, she'd be its de facto commander—it was only expected that everyone was appraising her abilities now. She was a young woman, a rarity among the councillors, and a beauty the likes of which one rarely lays eyes upon. Many councillors had the impression that Tempest featured a lot of pretty faces, but no one was foolish enough to say as much here. Everyone's focus was on whether this woman Testarossa truly had any power.
It may have been an exaggeration to say, but on this debate rode not only the future of each councillor, but the future of humankind itself.
"L-Lady Testarossa," began one councillor, finally drumming up the courage to speak. "Um, I fully recognize that asking this might be considered rude, but are you capable of commanding a military force?"
Testarossa gave him a gleaming smile. "Do not despair, councillors. My master, Sir Rimuru, has ordered me to defend all the nations that belong to the Council of the West. In fact, my own personnel have already been deployed across the land. And also… Moss?"
"Yes. According to the latest information, reliable reinforcements have now arrived in the north."
"Wh-what?!"
"Is that true?"
The councillors didn't even have the time to realize that Moss was likely one of Testarossa's assistants. What he had to say sent the hall into another furor.
"S-so what reinforcements are these, Lady Testarossa?"
"Moss?"
"Yes, my lord. A dragon airship from the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion is currently on its way to the area. I am sure that high elf's forces are more than capable of dispatching the low-level demons threatening the region."
"You heard him, Chairman. And, Moss, she is more than just a high elf.
She is a sworn friend of Lord Rimuru."
"Ah…! My—my apologies…"
"Don't make that mistake again, all right? From now on, you will refer to her as Lady Elmesia."
"Y-yes, my lord."
Moss withered under the gaze of Testarossa's crimson eyes. He turned pale, realizing he could no longer behave like the demon-world prince he once was. Angering Testarossa would lead to his ruin—and even worse, disrespecting someone Rimuru recognized as a friend was an error he couldn't forgive himself for. Testarossa, likely realizing that, let him off with just a warning this time. If Moss didn't correct his insolent ways, she'd no doubt punish him for it the next instant. That applied even to him, a great demon who had served Testarossa for ages. She was a woman possessed of kindness and ruthlessness in equal measure.
The Council she sat in was a scene of chaos. The words she and Moss exchanged provided an overview of the situation, but there was still no evidence to back them up. Opinion was clearly split on whether to trust them.
"I will speak for my nation when I say that I trust Lady Testarossa."
"Indeed, our nation's of the same opinion. I want Lady Testarossa to command our forces!"
"It would be the height of irresponsibility! If something should happen, it will be far too late then!"
"Exactly! If this talk of reinforcements turns out to be a ruse, the demons will trample all over human civilization!"
Unity was now in short supply across the Council as the debate continued to heat up. Testarossa calmly watched matters unfold, listening instead of offering her own opinion. After a little time had passed, though, she suddenly spoke.
"Ah, it was you? I thought you might be here."
The sudden statement invited confusion among the councillors, many failing to understand what she was talking about. Only one among them—the person her eyes were presently aimed at—broke out in a cold sweat, the color draining from his face. It was Prince Johann Rostia of the Kingdom of Rostia.
"Wh-what are you saying about me?" he asked, trying his best to hide his apprehension. But Testarossa simply arched her lips upward. It made him lose his patience.
"I—I knew monsters weren't to be trusted! Only we can step up to defend humankind. Guards! Guards, come out now!"
He was now dramatically shouting, sweat running down his face in a portrait of despair. Meanwhile, Testarossa's smile only broadened.
Following Johann's orders, soldiers began to pour into the Council hall. Some of Johann's personal guards were among them, their presence putting him more at ease. Testarossa elegantly played with her hair as the other councillors sat there, bewildered.
Johann's behavior was beyond illogical. Even if Testarossa did have some malevolent intent, any unlawful violence would never be allowed in a hall of laws like the Council. No matter how important a figure Johann was in here, such arbitrary behavior would never be smiled upon.
"Your name was Johann Rostia, right? Prince of Rostia? A very high figure, aren't you?"
"Wh-what of it? Flattery will get you nowhere—"
"Sir Johann, who were you talking to in a magical call just now?"
"Wha…?!"
"And why did you send out an order to have this nation's defensive barrier destroyed?"
"H-how did you…?"
"Would you mind explaining?"
Testarossa was relaxed, as if chatting over tea, as she painted Johann into
a corner. The other councillors looked on in awe. Now was no time for confusion. They all immediately ordered their staff to check on the state of Englesia's barrier. But before they had an answer, the entire land around them began to rumble.
"It—it's true…?!"
"Destroy the barrier? If you do that, there's no defense against the monsters. We'll lose countless citizens!"
"What could possibly be the meaning of this, Sir Johann?! Answer me!"
When confronted with someone in a panic, most people are hardwired to either fall into a similar panic or take a step back and calm down. Johann was the latter. Realizing that his plans were complete, he let a relaxed smile creep upon his face.
"Sir Girard, the barrier is gone now. It's time to call them out…"
The councillors, seeing the figure Johann was addressing, were startled.
"It— It's the head of the Sons of the Veldt, that mercenary gang…"
"…Girard!"
"…The Veldt's connected with Sir Johann, too? Not just Gaban?!"
"But what's Sir Johann going to do with them?"
Ignoring these cries, Girard walked up to Johann, standing beside him.
"Yes," he said, "our contract is now ratified. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Oh, not at all. The last hope of our mutual master Granville Rozzo happens to match your mission as well. No need to hold back now. If you're
going to raze this land, be as showy as you can about it!"
Now Johann's laughter rang loud across the hall, the light of reason no longer visible in his eyes. His face was transformed into something fiendish as he revealed his true colors to all. At long last, the councillors realized Johann had betrayed them—but the kingdom's defense barrier was already destroyed. And as they gradually understood this, despair began to reign.
"Have at it, Ayn."
"You got it!"
The woman Girard called Ayn began to cast a spell—a summon spell.
Ayn was an elementalist and the leader of Green Fury, the team that made it far into the Dungeon not long ago. But this was no spirit she was summoning this time. It was, in fact, the very deity the Sons of the Veldt worshipped as their spiritual leader.
A large, oval-shaped transport gate appeared, a living personification of power stepping through it. It was a beautiful girl with green hair and a crimson-red maid outfit—but everyone witnessing it could sense how dangerous she was. After all, despite her attractive looks, the aura she unleashed plunged the entire hall into hopelessness. The magical inquisitors who ran in, sensing the danger, were frozen in place; their instincts told them that any movement could very well kill them.
This was Mizeri the Demon Peer, stepping out from the darkness.
Despite the overwhelming despair, Johann looked supremely pleased with himself.
He recalled the last time Granville called for him, after Gaban's fall reduced the Five Elders to four—Granville Rozzo of the Rozzo family, Margrave Cidre of Englesia, King Doran of the Kingdom of Doran, and himself. They had all come together at Granville's bidding, and he had a fearsome final order for them.
"Maribel is dead—and with that, the Rozzos will likely meet their doom soon. Perhaps, depending on how one looks at it, we could reconcile with the monsters after all. If they show no interest in human territories like Lady Luminus, it may even be possible to coexist. But the demon lord Rimuru is seeking nothing less than complete rule over humankind. He must be stopped at all costs."
"But, Sir Granville, any attempts along those lines are doomed if we have no realistic way of resisting him."
"I understand what Maribel was concerned about, but if we've lost our Chaos Dragon, there's nothing we can do. We have Razul under our control, but we can hardly move him around…"
Doran was being realistic, with Cidre offering his support and Johann in agreement. Johann knew well the threat Maribel posed, as young as she was, and the demon lord Rimuru's victory over her filled him with fear. For now, he thought, our best plan is to pretend to do Rimuru's bidding as we build up our power. But Granville, perhaps sensing this internal weakness within Johann, fired back.
"Have you fools all lost your nerve? No matter how much chaos is in the world, no matter how much we sacrifice, we humans must retain the right to rule over ourselves. Am I wrong?"
His sheer vigor took Johann and the others aback. Granville rarely wore his emotions on his sleeve, which made his deep-seated anger and rage all the more clear to them.
"I am tired. If this keeps up, the human world will perish and the demon lord Rimuru will rule over us all. If that is the fate we're doomed to face, then why not stage one more final resistance? You may do whatever you choose, but I'm going to take one last risk."
Once he was done, he gave his three companions some time to consider their choices. Either they could follow Granville's orders and resist their fates, or they could align themselves with Rimuru. Only Doran among them decided to separate from the group—choosing to resist as he normally did, on his own turf, to keep the Rozzo name alive.
"My territory is located far from the scene of conflict. As a survivor from the Rozzo family, I will observe and care for your true and correct history."
Granville nodded at Doran. "Very well. This will likely be the final time, so I say this to you as my final request. It may be too late, but I wish there to be no ill will."
Doran listened to Granville's resigned words, tears in his eyes…and then he departed, alone.
Johann, too, realized this would likely be their final meeting. But he had no regrets. Considering the suffering Granville must have gone through as the Rozzo family patriarch, joining him on the path to almost certain death seemed a perfectly reasonable proposition. Cidre, who also stayed, was of the same opinion.
So the three of them worked out their final operation. Granville would use the Guild Grand Master Yuuki to stage one last challenge against Luminus. Cidre would abandon his northern defenses and allow the demons up there to march for the Western Nations. Johann would destroy Englesia's defensive mechanisms and kill the core members of the Council. Tempest's representative would likely be among them, and with her murder, they'd even be able to stage a confrontation between the demon lords Guy and Rimuru.
Once they pulled all of that off, human society would be in shambles. Doran, left behind, could opt to rebuild by himself, or maybe another nation would lead the way. Perhaps humankind would find some charismatic savior to guide them. Granville had some other motivations in mind as well, it seemed, but that didn't matter to Johann.
"…But you're truly sure about this? I am asking you both, in essence, to die for me."
"What are you saying? As a member of the Rozzo family, my heart is always with you, my master!"
"As is mine. I cannot join your frail body on its final journey, but at least allow me to fulfill my duty to you."
Johann and Cidre didn't hesitate to answer Granville. It was quite the opposite of what Johann thought a moment ago, but he had a good reason for that. Everyone in the Rozzos took the absolute rule of Granville as a given. They depended on him; it was all but impossible to imagine prosperity without his patronage. So if Granville was now venturing forth to his final battlefield, even the previously indecisive Johann was ready for it.
I'm sure it's just as difficult for King Doran to bear. He must feel helpless, like a child abandoned by his parents.
By comparison, Johann counted himself as a happy man. Until the final moment, he'd be able to take pride as a member of the Rozzo family.
So as ordered by Granville, Johann made contact with the Sons of the Veldt, a demon-affiliated group he and Gaban were familiar with, and won their promise to join in the effort. Their mission: to summon Vert herself and plunge the world into chaos. And for the Sons of the Veldt, like any paramilitary group dreaming of a world at war they could profit from, it was the greatest—and most self-centered—thing they could ever wish for.
And now, here in the Council, Johann's job was done. The Sons of the Veldt's dreams were coming true before his eyes. Their god—the Demon Peer Mizeri—had heeded the summoning. And with Mizeri, a threat more fearsome than any demon lord, laying waste to Englesia would be a simple task.
Heh-heh-heh… The rumors called this nation's magical inquisitors the most powerful presence in the kingdom, and this demon's frozen them stiff. It's all over for Englesia. My homeland of Rostia will be caught up in it, no doubt, but I can apologize to my countrymen in the afterlife…
Satisfied with himself, Johann looked around the council hall. Then he witnessed something he couldn't believe. One figure there was breezily smiling before Mizeri, the personification of all fear. The boy next to her was similarly unfazed—a little bored, even.
Wh-what are they doing?!
Then he remembered who they were: Testarossa, councillor from Tempest, and her assistant Moss.
"Yes, you've certainly come up with an interesting scheme. Sir Johann.
Were you trying to destroy this country and plunge the world into chaos?"
"And what if I was?"
Johann didn't like anything about Testarossa's reaction. She acted totally unaffected in front of Mizeri, this calamity ranking above all demon lords, and it bothered him. But he quickly reconsidered matters. Testarossa is on the stronger side of monster-dom, no doubt, but her confidence would be her downfall.
There's such a thing as being too strong for your own good, I suppose. It makes you fail to see the abilities of your adversaries. It dooms you.
And this strong woman would soon be wailing over the reality she faced. Simply imagining Testarossa pleading for her life gave Johann a sadistic rush.
"How comical can you get? All of this, despite the fact that my presence here makes your scheme an immediate failure."
"Heh-heh-heh… Such nonsense," Johann said with a self-assured smile. The more Testarossa shone with confidence, the greater her despair would be in a moment. Glorious expectations filled his mind.
"L-Lady Testarossa!" shouted the chairman, interrupting them. "Now's not the time for such casual talk. You must flee at once and send a report to Lord
Rimuru!"
"Chairman? What did you want me to tell him?"
Accurate information about the demons was scarce within the Western
Nations. Compared with the experts in the Eastern Empire, this made the West seem eminently ill-prepared for them. The chairman was no exception, and not even having Mizeri on hand would tell him much about her or her race. However, the simple fact that she served the demon lord Guy Crimson, the greatest evil anyone here knew, made her a threat.
Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and here it was definitely working in their favor. If the chairman and other councillors knew more about demons, having
Mizeri here would cause them to abandon all hope. The chairman didn't realize how lucky he was to avoid that as he kept shouting at Testarossa.
"Tell him that one of the demon lord Guy's chief agents has invaded our capital! He'll surely not abandon us then!"
Even the chairman knew this was wishful thinking at best. No matter how much the demon lord Rimuru sought to live hand in hand with humans, it was impossible to imagine him going out of his way to make an enemy of Guy. Anyone who spent a moment to work out what he stood to gain or lose could see that.
But, the chairman thought, there was always a chance. He couldn't fully give up yet. He had seen the demon lord Rimuru for himself, and he trusted in his words. A demon lord so emotional in nature—so human in many ways— might just throw all his potential stakes out the window and come riding to the rescue. He knew it was a stupid hope to have, but he couldn't help but kindle the thought.
That was the only reason why the chairman could keep his sense of reason in front of this terror. And now Testarossa was smiling at him.
"You realize that I am here, yes?"
The chairman wasn't sure what she meant. He would find out quickly.
But he wasn't the only one confused by this. Johann was as well, and Testarossa's cavalier attitude was sorely testing his patience.
"You think I will let you? Sir Girard, it is time to give everyone here a dose of reality."
Girard, despite Johann's order, was among the many here unsure what to make of this.
Why…? Why is Lady Mizeri not making a move?
Ayn, Girard's right-hand girl, had lost consciousness upon summoning Mizeri. The effort no doubt took years off her life span, but she deserved enormous praise for being alive at all. However, without a supernatural power along the lines of Mizeri's, she might never wake up again.
Girard, even as he took pride in Ayn's masterwork, was already seeking an opportunity to retreat. With all of her powers beyond imagination, it'd be easy for her to kill everyone present. In fact, she could burn the entire capital of Englesia down with her purgatorial flames. Before that happened, he planned to scoop Ayn up and get the hell out of here. The people of this city would serve as the Sons of the Veldt's offering to Mizeri, and then Girard and his friends would be added to the ranks of those his deity recognized as peers.
That was the plan, at least. But things were going completely off the rails.
From the moment she appeared here, Mizeri hadn't done a single thing except stare at Testarossa. Now, at long last, she spoke.
"Unbelievable, Blanc. Why have you received a physical body?"
"A pity you saw fit to call me that. I've been granted the wondrous name of Testarossa now. You don't like being called Vert, either, do you, Mizeri?"
"A… A name? You? It can't be…"
"Oh, but it is. And I hate to spoil your grand welcome, but I'm afraid I wouldn't lose to you right now. If you still want to fight, though, I'd certainly be interested. In fact, I'd be happy to put you to sleep for a thousand years or so."
She snickered, an elegant laugh meant entirely to taunt Mizeri. She had a body now and a name as well—and even better, she was a Demon Peer just like Mizeri. They were the same.
At first glance, they'd seem to be a pretty even matchup. However, under normal circumstances, Testarossa would have the disadvantage, given how new she was in her body. However, that assumed Testarossa wasn't as belligerent as she was. Here you had Mizeri, who mostly performed officestyle duties under Guy, against Testarossa, a fellow Primal Demon who had spent far more time fighting for influence with other demons. You didn't need to crunch the numbers to see the difference in battle experience—and what's more, Testarossa's associate Moss was with her.
I may have more magical energy than she does, but I cannot afford to take on two Demon Peers at once—especially if one is Blanc or Noir, the more dangerous ones of them all. Sir Guy merely ordered me to stir up a small commotion in the capital, not risk my life attempting to defeat a fellow Primal Demon. If anything, it is more my duty to return alive and inform Sir Guy of this.
Mizeri coldly gauged matters. She instantly recognized the difference in strength between them, and just as instantly, she made the best choice possible for her.
"You don't need to provoke me…Testarossa. My goals today do not involve you. I have destroyed the capital's barrier, and that, I feel, is enough to fulfill my mission."
"Oh, are you running away?"
"I am. My life belongs to Sir Guy. It is not something I have the right to throw away."
"Ah. I see. I will look forward to the next opportunity, then."
"As will I, to be sure. I hope you get accustomed to your new body quickly, because when you lose, you shouldn't expect your excuses to work on me."
Testarossa's smile broadened. Mizeri greeted it with a completely emotionless stare. The two watched each other for a while… Then, out of nowhere, Mizeri vanished.
"…What?"
Girard was the first to react. With Mizeri gone, everyone who remained didn't have the scantest idea what just happened.
To Girard, it looked for all the world like this god—this superhuman presence that Girard's gang viewed as omnipotent—had just been talked into submission by a councillor with good looks and nothing else.
To Mizeri, the Sons of the Veldt were nothing but disposable tools, something she set up on a whim to watch over and collect intelligence from human society. She could replace them at any time, so the fate of Girard and the rest were of no concern. They had been completely forsaken, but that reality wasn't one Girard was willing to accept.
"N-no! Dammit! Thanks to you, our god has gone back!"
Enraged, Girard began swinging at Testarossa. He was above A in rank, and that wasn't just for show—his speed with a sword made it impossible for most people to track his moves. But to Testarossa, he may as well have been frozen in place. Besides, she didn't even need to a lift a finger. Moss was still there, and Moss had no reason to let this insolent violence go unanswered.
With a piercing ting, Girard's sword was cut in half—and in another instant, Moss had Girard restrained.
"Don't kill him. And don't kill the lofty Sir Johann over there, either."
"But, Lady Testarossa, these two insulted you—" The next moment, Moss was deafened.
"Do I have to say it again, Moss?"
"N-not at all, my lord! It was selfish of me to second-guess you!"
He fell to a knee, immediately regretting his gaffe. Testarossa's good mood as of late had made him forget, but she could be an extremely egotistical woman. The same was true of Ultima and Carrera. "Birds of a feather flock together" described them well.
"If you understand that, I will forgive you once more. What a generous person I am, aren't I, Moss? Don't you agree?"
"Absolutely!"
Moss was as obedient as he was smart. Despite the occasional mistake, he had been serving Testarossa through all her selfish whims for over ten thousand years, a feat that no one else could ever duplicate.
Thus, Johann, Girard, and Ayn were all in custody, bound down along with the soldiers who served them.
"It—it wasn't meant to be this way…"
Girard, thoroughly defeated by Moss, had a cooler head now. Gradually, the conversation between Mizeri and Testarossa ensconced itself in his mind, helping him comprehend it.
Our god recognized her as an equal…? Blanc… By Blanc, did she mean the Original White?!
He was aware of the Primal Demons, hence why he noticed Testarossa's true identity. The moment he did, his ego all but imploded. Now he understood just who their enemy was…and that his soul would never enjoy another day of peace in his life. As strong as he thought himself to be, it was valueless against the Primal Demons.
"Ah-ha…ha… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa!!"
Insane laughter echoed out of Girard. In a strange way, this was actually a happy ending for him—they were all handed over to the magical inquisitors and weren't even cognizant enough to realize it.
Johann, meanwhile, looked like he had aged a couple decades, sitting on the floor and staring into space as he mumbled.
"I—I failed…? Sir Granville's hope, his final request… I couldn't do it…"
"No, you couldn't do much of anything," Testarossa scoffed, her words bearing lethal poison as she whispered them into his ear. Her sweet breath tickled his eardrums, numbing his very mind.
"Dammit… Dammit! If—if only you weren't here, everything would have worked out perfectly!"
"Oh, would it have? Well, sorry about that. I suppose I got in the way, but you'll just have to chalk that up to fate, won't you? Now, I think some people are waiting behind me, so I'll just step out of the way…"
Without another word, Testarossa ran a snowy-white finger across Johann's jawline, then left the scene for the magical inquisitors to take over. "N-no. Stay away! Don't come near me!" Silently, the inquisitors seized him.
"Halt! No! No, let me go! Wh-who do you think I am? Do—do you bastards have any idea what you're doing?! My homeland won't take this
sitting down! You're setting off an international incident!"
Johann screamed his head off. Nobody reacted; nobody lifted a hand to help. Of course they didn't. With these many witnesses on hand, Johann was all but assured to face justice.
"No crying, now. No carrying on. You must atone for your crimes. You'll have friends joining you, won't you? I'm sure it'll be loads of fun."
"Damn all of you! You accursed demon! I hope you burn in hell!"
"Hee-hee… Hee-hee-hee. Yes. I like that. Ah, why is the howling of the truly lost such sweet music to my ears? But you're cursing the wrong person. Any crimes committed in the Council, you realize, are judged in a court of law. And if those crimes include treason, plotting against the state, or other insurrectionist behavior, that falls under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Englesia. Too bad, isn't it? I'm afraid I have no legal right to personally punish you. I could have done it anyway and called it self-defense, I suppose,
but you're a little too weak for me to claim that."
Testarossa let out a blissful laugh as she faced the frantic Johann.
Everything she said was in compliance with international law. With the law as her shield, she had cornered Johann with an incontrovertible argument.
Thus, Johann was now in custody. And much like old Count Gaban, he would likely be dealt with in secret so that he'd never see the light of day again.
When you looked purely at the externals of all this, Testarossa had just banished a demon bent on destroying the kingdom. She had saved the councillors, the Council itself, and all of Englesia, too.
To say the least, it solidified her position within the Council. Nobody could compare with her in brains and brawn. The chairman wanted her in far more important posts now. Her reputation would be known far and wide shortly.
Now Testarossa's rule over the West was complete.
"Do you think he read all of this?" she said to Moss. "Ah, we're all dancing on Sir Rimuru's palm, aren't we? What a truly, truly wonderful ruler!"
"Yes, there's no telling how deep his talents run."
"I firmly agree. But today's events might drive Guy Crimson to get more serious. And if he does…"
"We'll have to firm up our powers. No matter the storm facing us, we must show the public that no one shall block the path of our master!"
"I'm glad you understand. May you remain just as diligent going forward.
I expect great things from you. And tell Cien for me, won't you?"
"Absolutely, my master!"
Testarossa gave him a satisfied smile and an elegant nod.
Over in the north, Cien—one of Testarossa's demon servants—was holding his own until Elmesia's Magus forces could arrive. Thanks to Guy not being all that serious about this invasion, the demons saw their position weaken in due time—and in the blink of an eye, they had retreated.
Thus marked the end of the disturbance in the West. But in a way, the true upheaval was only about to begin.
...…
...
…
"Hey, I just received word from Mizeri, but why the heck does Blanc have a name now?"
"Oh, you mean Testarossa? Well, it proves that she, too, understands the glory and wonder of Sir Rimuru."
Diablo was all too eager to explain things to the nonplussed Guy.
"And it sounds like they're making mincemeat of my minions out there…
Guess this little prank blew up in my face, didn't it?"
"Naturally. It is all according to Sir Rimuru's plan. And Guy… You, too, are being taken advantage of."
Diablo, completely unbeknownst to Rimuru, was keeping up with his taunting. If Rimuru was here, he'd probably be holding Diablo's arms back and screaming "Have you gone insane, you fool?!" in his face.
"So did that bum Rimuru name Testarossa?"
"Yes, he did."
"And her getting a physical body and evolving to a Demon Peer…?"
"All the blessings of Sir Rimuru, yes."
"…Oh."
Diablo's smile widened as Guy's headache intensified. Raine, stationed behind him, turned white at the enormity of the news.
Ugh, are you serious? We've somehow maintained this delicate balance of battle skill for the past millennium and a half-ish, and now it's all crashing down…
Guy had to resist the urge to laugh. A three-way deadlock between Primal Demons; the East in a standoff with the West; Luminus in a staring contest against Daggrull—somehow, everything had balanced itself just right. That was now gone in the course of a single day.
Suddenly, he was struck with a dark foreboding. He turned to Diablo.
"Hey, so if Testarossa's now above the other two, what're they up to right now?"
"Ultima and Carrera, you mean? Sir Rimuru put them to work as well, of course, and let me assure you, they couldn't be happier…"
"Wait! Hold it right there!"
Guy stopped the smiling Diablo before he went into full gear.
"What? I am getting to the good part."
Being interrupted just when he was about to banter away offended Diablo. Guy, as always, wanted nothing but the facts.
"It's gonna be another long story, isn't it?"
"It would have to be, wouldn't it?"
That was up for debate, but Guy had no intention of doing so.
"Well, I'll listen to the whole thing later, so…um, this Ultima and Carrera you mention…"
"Ah yes—Ultima is Violet, the Original Purple, and Carrera is Jaune, the Original Yellow. You really must call them by their names, because they have a rather short fuse if you don't. In fact, they've all but forgotten their old monikers as of late."
"They have…?"
Guy was at a loss for words. Come on… What the hell could that bastard Rimuru be thinking? Noir, I can understand—he's always been a strange one. But if Violet and Jaune are jumping on his bandwagon, it's not so funny anymore. And Blanc, too? The proudest out of all the Primals, and now she's also serving someone else…?
He mulled this over as Diablo kept casually chatting.
"I invited them, mind you. Having more work to do is certainly a welcome thing, but if I cannot support Sir Rimuru directly, there's no point to it. Don't you think so?"
"…Huh?"
Now Guy eyed him with great suspicion, wondering if he heard him correctly. He may have wielded absolute power in this world, but now Diablo was verbally toying with him.
"This way, you see, I can give the trivial duties to—er, that is, I was looking for companions to work alongside me, and their schedules were free, so I invited them. Having these stupid power struggles for all time is simply ridiculous, so I told them to grow up a little and help out Sir Rimuru!"
Guy internally cursed the proud Diablo. This is all your doing?! If anyone needs to grow up here, it's you!
"…So Rimuru brought them on after you invited them? And gave them names? And bodies?"
"Exactly. Thinking about how rudely they treated Sir Rimuru at first fills me with murderous rage, even today. However, they're proving to be quite helpful. If Sir Rimuru is not bothered by it, then I am open to generously forgiving them."
Diablo was strange enough, but Guy knew full well that Rimuru was beyond abnormal. Naming Primal Demons was something your average demon lord should never be capable of doing. It was lethally dangerous, opening you to the risk of either dying or simply being poofed out of existence. Besides, even if a Primal Demon's power was recognized and praised, that demon would never bow down and serve anyone. If they were named, they'd repay the favor by consuming the namer's soul—that's all.
This wasn't just a matter of being crazy or overly confident in oneself.
I think I better talk things over directly with him, Guy concluded.
"Right. I'm gonna go pay a visit to Rimuru soon."
"Oh? I will pass on that. It will only invite more trouble."
God dammit…
Guy was already balling his hands into fists. But losing his temper would
put him out of the game. Diablo was a unique case—if he ripped him apart right now, he'd just resurrect himself. Guy was fully aware of that, so he never took the bait.
"Nah, think about it. I want to hear more about your story, y'know, and we can't really relax and chat over matters amid all this stuff, can we? And Deeno's been telling me about how prosperous Rimuru's lands have become.
I'm getting kinda curious."
He put a hand on Diablo's shoulder, acting buddy-buddy as he spoke.
"Sigh… Well, all right. In that case, you are welcome to visit. I'm sure Sir Rimuru would be delighted."
Diablo, for his part, never minded when people complimented Tempest. Feeling a bit better, he accepted Guy's request.
If Rimuru were here, he'd probably be screaming even louder now. Good lord, he thought when Diablo briefed him on it later, he's learning all the bad lessons from Shion and none of the good ones…
Thus, unbeknownst to Rimuru yet, Diablo and Guy's conversation came to a close.
"In any case, if all of you are on hand, I'm outta here."
"Yes, I'm sure Sir Rimuru will handle things here…no matter what happens."
"Will he? Well, tell him I said hello."
"I will. In that case, I look forward to seeing you again soon." With that, Guy was gone.
* * * Diablo sighed.
"It seems I somehow made it through that, I suppose. If Guy decided to interfere with things, I couldn't say what would happen then. Even I have trouble dealing with him, after all. Keh-heh-heh… I need to get stronger…" Only his echoing laughter could be heard.
Deep inside the cathedral, a fierce battle was taking place.
The chop unleashed by Louis had enough slashing force to cut through any obstacle, the accompanying shock wave continuing to pursue Laplace even after he retreated far away. Laplace still had no trouble dodging it, however, breezily smiling as he did.
"Well, huh. You're Roy's brother, then? You twins or something? I'd quit while I was ahead if I were you. Ya can't beat me, y'know."
Despite darting around, pretending to look for an escape, Laplace was still as talkative as ever. Louis, meanwhile, remained unaffected. Being evaded didn't concern him, as he continued swinging both arms at Laplace.
They had made their way outside the burial chamber, a kind of natural progression as Laplace continued dodging Louis's strikes.
"Yes, as you say, Roy was like my twin brother. We were equally as powerful, and we looked similar, too. If there's any difference, it's that he had a violent streak, and I was far less emotional. But I will inform you that I
am superior to him in one way—my eyes are much keener."
"Yeah? So what?"
"I can take my time observing my opponent's skills, movements, and targets. It's been clear to me for quite some time that you're trying to strike me where I'm unguarded."
"…Huh. Better'n your brother, then, eh? But good eyes ain't gonna be enough to beat me."
"We'll see about that. Also, my name is Louis. I'm more than just someone's brother. Roy and I were never on the best terms, in fact."
"Hmm. Can't say I care much."
Laplace seemed carefree, in his element, as he traded blows with Louis— or really, dodged the one-sided rain of blows coming his way. His eyes showed in the most eloquent terms that he, not Louis, was doing the observing.
"You must be tired by now, no?" Louis shouted. "Time for you to go to sleep."
He stepped up the intensity of his attack.
"I'm tellin' ya, you're wastin' your time."
"Am I? Let me go stronger, then."
Although the tone of his voice hadn't changed, Laplace suddenly began to feel uncertain. Whenever he had a foreboding like this, it usually wound up true. With a leap some would describe as exaggerated, he instantly jumped back from the fray. His intuition was correct—Louis's attack fanned out, pulverizing the space he stood on a moment ago.
"…?! What the hell's all that power…?"
It had clearly skyrocketed in that last swipe. If Laplace was still hopping around, making fun of Louis, he wouldn't have been able to defend in time. The damage would've been terrific.
"Phew… Now I'm getting used to this. If you evaded that, you're certainly not one to be trifled with."
"You wanted to put me off guard so you could do me in with one shot?"
"Mmm… I won't say that didn't come to mind, but I think I can win without resorting to such underhanded measures."
"Huh?"
Laplace had taken Roy down. Roy, at that time, had certainly underestimated him, but even discounting that, Laplace was a far better fighter. And Laplace took the fight seriously—Roy might've been a stand-in for the demon lord Luminus, but he was an even match for the demon lord Kazalim, a sort of father figure to Laplace and his cohorts. He'd never go into a fight against someone like Roy unprepared.
"What you saw just now was an application of Bloodray. It hides its magical presence in order to reduce my opponent's wariness of me. Of
course, it won't work again now that I've shown it to you, will it?"
It was sort of like revealing his hand, but he explained the skill to Laplace anyway. Hearing that gave him an even deeper sense of foreboding.
This ain't good. Is he buying time for himself? What's this guy after?
Laplace's intuition was already sounding the alarm. If this keeps up, he decided, one of these tricks was bound to snare him—so without hesitation, he tapped one of his innermost secrets.
"…That's why you must die here!"
With that declaration from Louis, the area around Laplace exploded. The shock wave focused itself around the center, offering Laplace no avenue for escape. The waves of blood particles were already locked onto him. The fight was over—anyone would conclude as much.
The flames burned high in the air as a human figure inside them collapsed.
"It's too bad. Roy and I used to be one and the same. We were separated by the power of Lady Luminus. And with Roy dead, I've regained my original powers."
Once, there existed a Bloody Lord too violent, too vicious for anyone to handle. Luminus managed to defeat him, adding him to her forces—but he was still so vicious that he caused constant trouble for the rest of Luminus's ranks. Thus, she split him into two separate men—naming one the Holy Emperor and her right-hand man, and the other her stand-in as demon lord.
In other words, Louis was complete once more, regaining the powers he previously enjoyed. From the start, no matter how much more powerful
Laplace was, he was convinced he could win. And that was why…
"Whoa. That was really cuttin' it close."
Laplace dragged himself up, a sight that gave Louis pause—a moment's hesitation that Laplace wasn't about to ignore.
"Let's go, Footman. If this keeps up, you're gonna die!"
"Hoh-hoh-hoh! I hate to say it, but it looks like you're right."
Footman had already been battered from head to toe by Gunther. He was the most powerful of the Three Servants under Luminus, and while he lost out to the fully restored Louis, Footman still had no chance. Laplace had kept careful tabs on their battle even as he fought his own, and his conclusion was dead-on accurate.
Even if I gave this all I had, I couldn't take down the whole lot of 'em, and they'll probably kill Footman first. Best to run while the runnin's good. I'd say our diversion worked well enough—no need to expose ourselves to danger over it!
So Laplace, shouting out loud to distract Louis, sprang into action. It worked. In another moment, Laplace and Footman were away from this deadly battleground.
All that remained in the burial chamber were Luminus and Maria Rozzo. Luminus, perhaps hesitating to attack Maria, had yet to really throw herself into battle. The fact that Maria could keep up with her high-speed fighting was proof enough that she was no fake. It was definitely Maria—the kind, affectionate Maria she knew.
Granville must've been preserving her corpse. So this is a death golem using her body…or maybe not? This unconscious shell is a servant generated by Raise Dead necromancy. So he's stooped low enough to tap into forbidden magic…?
Anyone who's lost a loved one has fostered hope of seeing them alive one more time. But it's a lost cause. Even Luminus could see why Granville would resort to necromancy—but it was all theoretical, something to imagine and not act upon. To someone as far removed from death as Luminus was, she had no way of understanding the true nature of sadness.
Maria was a Saint for the Hero Gren, acting as his servant and confidant. He comforted her as well, trying to relieve the heavy burden of her position. They enjoyed an intimate relationship, one that their then-foe Luminus envied.
What would it take for Granville to make her a zombie servant? And if she's this strong, that couldn't have been the only forbidden magic he cast. Maria was using a litany of special skills to hold her own against Luminus, including what seemed to be several uniques. Luminus wasn't sure how to handle this, and that made her worry.
She is astounding but still weak. I doubt that fool Gren thought she had a chance against me. So why, then…?
Suddenly, intense anxiety attacked her. Something told her she was overlooking something extremely important…
"Lady Luminus, the invaders gave us the slip. Louis is currently pursuing them, and I was about to join him…"
Just then, Gunther came back in to report. The moment his voice trailed off, Luminus saw what was wrong. Something was missing from the chamber. Something vitally important. Now even Luminus's heterochromatic eyes could see it as they followed Gunther's gaze.
The coffin of spirit-infused ice, the relic they took such great pains to store here, had disappeared.
Luminus fell to confusion, unable to speak or accept this reality. It was something that should never have happened. It threw her, exposing her to Maria's full attack.
"Lady Luminus!"
She could hear Gunther's concerned shouting, but she couldn't listen. The pain racking her body was the stimulus she needed to keep a cool head. She appreciated it.
The rational part of her brain began to consider her options anew. Calming her desires to scream against it all, she faced up to her reality. No matter how much her emotions refused to accept this, her cold analytical skills gave her the facts. The coffin of ice had been stolen, and that was that.
In another few moments, Luminus harnessed the anger bubbling up within her to stab right through Maria's chest.
"You would go this far, Granville? You… You have incurred my full wrath, Gren!!"
With a scream of fury, she unleashed her hidden magic force. In an instant, this unprecedented level of mad tyranny destroyed the burial chamber. A swirl of chaotic magical force pooled around her. She had created a dimension of death, one nobody would even dare approach.
"Guntherrrrrrr!!"
"Yes, my lady!"
"Find them. Find the invaders!"
"As you wish!"
There was no need to say more. Realizing Luminus's intentions, Gunther quickly sprang into action. As truly angry as she was, not even Gunther could be completely safe here.
If we fail, Lubelius itself could fall… He ran away at full speed, compelled to act.
Luminus, left alone, struggled to control her rage. If she made a move right now, her analytical side told her, it would only make things worse. It was natural for her to keep her thoughts separate from her emotions. But even with that, this came as a massive shock.
This cannot stand. We must keep it safe until the time comes, or else it may spell doom for the entire world. And if even I cannot handle the fallout…
The ark was given to her by a trusted friend. Mishandling it could unleash disaster, so she had kept it sealed and under strict guard. Carefully, she analyzed her situation. Only she could undo the seal on that ark. It was a tremendously powerful barrier, one whose holy force could even burn the body of Luminus, the one who installed it. But now it had been carried off.
…Who could have done it? Anyone capable of taking it away must be at least as powerful as me…
Someone classified as a demon lord or better.
All the chaos Granville sowed in the cathedral must have been just a diversion. Who would he leave this true mission to? If Granville was willing to offer himself as bait, he must've been sure this person could steal the ark—a bet that certainly paid off.
…No. It's too soon to call this lost. Weakness is a sin. Right now…
Right now, what did Granville want with the coffin? First, she needed to find out. She knew she hadn't told him anything about the ark—it was supposed to be the most closely guarded of secrets. Not even Gunther and Louis knew any details about the girl sealed inside. And here was Granville, using every card at his disposal—he must've been absolutely resolved in this mission.
It was almost eerie to Luminus. His drive to succeed today was malicious. He wanted to get this done, no matter what the fallout was. "All right. First, let's find out what your true motives are." With that whisper, she turned her eyes toward the cathedral.
I had gotten my intentions across to Leon. He crossed swords with me, and to the outside observer, it must have looked like a serious sword fight. And it was! If I stopped for even a moment, he'd cut me down.
Wait. Did he really understand what I wanted from him?
As far as I could tell, Leon must've understood that Granville was behind
all this. Now all we'd have to do is this bit of sword sparring for a while, until the time was right, and then we'd be fine. That's what I thought anyway, but Leon was really giving me no time to rest. He was crazy fast. Hinata's pace with a sword was amazing enough, but Leon sure wasn't any slouch. Like her, he was a traditionalist with the sword, showing off a beautiful stance. Since my education from Hakuro, I had begun to teach myself a thing or two—I fight with more than just a sword, so I can't really help it. With Raphael watching over me, I'm pretty sure I'm not doing anything that'd hurt myself, at least.
But enough about that. We were talking about how sharp his attacks were. I thought he was really out to kill me, but his face had almost no expression on it. It was hard to tell whether he really meant to harm me. I began to grow a little worried about trusting him.
Understood. There is no problem. Using Predict Future Attack to synchronize our plans.
That was a relief, then. I would just keep leaving this to Raphael's autobattle mode.
But that wasn't my only concern. For a while now, I'd been detecting rumblings underground. I thought the bedrock might be moving; such was the enormity of the shaking. It's probably the work of Luminus, I thought, a figure who still wasn't present. We've had problems up here; she had problems down there… This sure wasn't your run-of-the-mill scandal, no. I was definitely an involved party at this point, and if it was anybody but me, it'd probably become a huge diplomatic fight—not that Luminus would care, but regardless.
Shion and Ranga were still struggling against the insectoid Razul. Hinata seemed to be keeping it even with Granville, but I had the impression that Granville hadn't tapped his full skills yet. If that fight dragged on, I had a feeling Hinata would be at a disadvantage soon. So no, things weren't really going swimmingly for us. I wasn't even sure what I should try to wrap up first.
But as I analyzed the battle, I suddenly detected a huge burst of magical power from down below. That was Luminus, for sure. The cathedral's flooring flew into the air, opening a circular hole six or so feet in diameter. The blast of heat that shot up from it broke straight through the ceiling, ascending to the heavens. Its power was ridiculous, but I'm sure it was kid stuff to Luminus.
"It seems you're serious about antagonizing me, Granville."
Luminus appeared from the hole, carrying a beautiful woman in her arms —and the moment she did, she clearly indicated that she wanted Granville dead. Now things are gonna move, I thought. Leon must've thought so, too, because his eyes were on Luminus.
"Heh-heh-heh… Well done, Lady Luminus. Not even my servant could halt you, could she? She was a masterpiece of mine, you know. I infused her with the power of only my best handpicked otherworlders."
"You fool. Pool together all the fake imitations you want; an unconscious doll could never beat the real thing. You, of all people, should know that!"
"Oh, I do, of course."
Granville, faced with an enraged Luminus, remained serene. The speed of Hinata's sword grew sharper against him, but Granville easily parried every strike, as composed as ever. She could steal her opponents' skills, but apparently that didn't work on him. Arts, unlike skills, couldn't be used immediately after taking them. It's the difference between reading about baseball and winning the World Series; only through continued training could you hone those arts. Granville's strength was the result of years of that kinda training—and now he was humming along, as stable as the unmoving earth.
"Strong, isn't he?" Leon whispered to me. "They don't call him a former
Hero for nothing."
"No. He's a bit better than I thought."
"In that case," Luminus said, ignoring us, "what were you doing with this?"
She laid the woman in her arms down. It looked like she was sleeping, but she wasn't. She was most definitely dead, a corpse that had been used for servitude. With no soul inside, pumping her with energy was a pointless endeavor. I knew that well.
"…Why do you continue to denigrate Maria, even after her death?!"
I guess Luminus knew this woman. Maria, huh? Her face resembled Maribel's a little. Did that mean she was…?
"Because I needed her. Everything was for the sake of this exact moment." Before the quizzical Luminus, Granville removed the glove on his left hand. The magical patterns on it were glowing, and now Maria's corpse was glowing with it.
"What are you…?!"
It was Luminus who said it, but everybody there was thinking the same thing. Leon stopped engaging with me, watching over the proceedings. There was no point keeping the act going. I almost forgot why we started in the first place.
Then, before our eyes, something unbelievable happened. Maria's body turned into a ball of light, flowing straight into Granville's glowing hand. As it did, his body began pulsating with power—visually, not just in terms of magicule energy. This process was revitalizing his body's cells. His white hair turned a shining blond, his withered skin regaining its youthful luster. There, in front of us all, was Granville Rozzo from his younger days, the Hero of years past, his eyes dead sharp.
"You… You took all the Love Energy I gave you and injected it into Maria!"
Granville nodded at Luminus. Love Energy, if I recall correctly, is a type of energy meant to retain one's youth. So he mixed that with some other powers to rejuvenate himself, and the result is the Granville we're looking at now?
"Lady Luminus… Or how about I just call you Luminus? I still need to settle things with you—I realized some time ago that I can't die until I do. Now that Maribel is dead, my ambitions have been crushed—but still, above all else, this is what I desire!"
"You…!"
"Don't toy with me!!"
Luminus and Hinata both responded simultaneously.
The young Granville turned toward Hinata. "Ah yes. Hinata, I still need to provide you with my guidance. You are the most talented of all the apprentices I dealt with. You always strove to improve, never afraid to make an effort and polish yourself. I will gladly praise your excellence any day.
But…"
With that, Granville casually swung his blade. The effects were beyond belief.
"Meltslash…?! No! You can control spiritual particles with no casting delay?!"
Hinata dodged it, which amazed me. But Granville's ability to handle Overblade skills with such nonchalance was jaw-dropping, completely beyond anyone's imagination.
"Hinata, I always wondered why you never became a Hero. It takes more than talent and hard work. Unless you have the love of the elemental spirits, you will never qualify to be one. But you had that love, and yet…"
"Well, sorry. Whether they loved me or not, sometimes things are just beyond your reach, I suppose."
"If you awakened your Hero side, it would have helped my ambitions immensely. So here's a word of advice. You hold darkness within your heart, don't you? Did you kill someone close to you in the past? Your parents, your brother, a friend?"
"Shut up!!"
Hinata had retreated to avoid his Meltslash, but now she shot back into position, lunging at Granville. Something about what he said must've touched a raw nerve. Anger filled her eyes.
The high-pitched ring of sword against sword filled the air. Granville remained steadfast…as Hinata was helplessly blown away.
"Ngh…!!"
There was just too much of a difference. Seeing Hinata treated like a child made me doubt my eyes.
"You never accepted the elemental of light. You have to overcome this. The darkness is just an illusion your heart creates for itself. You must forgive your past self and take pride in the present—the way you live. Then you will accept the light—"
"I told you, shut up!!"
Granville's cold eyes sized up the enraged Hinata.
"It's a pity, Hinata. If I had more time, I could have guided you. But if you can't understand me, then it's best for you to face the truth. How will you ever save the world if you can't even protect what you hold dear?"
My instincts told me this was bad. With this conversation, everyone's eyes were now focused on Hinata. What if Granville wanted that? And what he wanted…
Report. According to Predict Future Attack, his goal is—
His sword swung down in a slash. It was Disintegration, and there was no way to stop it. It was more of a stabbing move than a slash—call it Meltstrike if you want. It came down at close to light speed, and no doubt it'd gouge its way into its target. So I ran as fast as I could toward them.
According to my calculations, not even me at full speed would reach them in time. But if I could use Belzebuth to consume it—and the air around it… Even if I couldn't capture these spiritual particles moving at light speed, I knew they were targeted toward Chloe, so I could get ahead of them.
"Chloe!!"
By the time I finished shouting, everything was over.
Hinata was the first to move. Without a moment's hesitation, she stepped between Chloe and Granville's line of fire. Sacrificing her own body, she took the Meltstrike blow to her chest. It stabbed right through her, and she collapsed to the ground coughing up blood—but all it did was lower the speed of that beam of light a little, as it extended toward Chloe.
The next person to move after Hinata, surprisingly enough, was Venom. Just like Hinata, he tried to sacrifice himself to protect Chloe—he must've been awfully faithful to Diablo's orders, because he had kept himself focused on protecting the kids over everything else. That's why he was in time for that moment.
"Gah! …Oh man, owww!"
There was a large hole in his stomach, but he seemed pretty chill about it. That's a demon for you. As long as your soul's safe, any damage to your body was apparently just window dressing. If Granville was aiming for him, it might be a different story, but for now, he could tend to himself.
Then, thanks to the minuscule amount of time Hinata and Venom brought for me, I made it over. Consuming the air in front of Chloe, I all but instantly teleported in time. Now I just needed to activate Uriel's Absolute Defense to protect Chloe.
"Huh? Mr. Tempest? Miss Hinata…?"
No offense meant to Venom, of course, but Chloe was focused solely on Hinata. That was understandable. I was worried for her, too.
Luminus ran up to Hinata, gauging her wound.
"Miss Hinata! Miss Hinata, don't die!!"
"Chloe! Hey!"
Before I could stop her, Chloe started running. The other kids were taking her cue, so I hurriedly used Paralyzing Breath to knock them out. Giving Venom some healing potion, I tasked him with protecting them.
"Ch… Chloe?! Is that really Chloe…?"
Leon was acting incredibly suspicious, but that'd have to wait. Chasing after Chloe, I ran up to Hinata, keeping a careful eye on Granville as I sized her up.
…Whoa, look out. "Hey, Luminus…"
"Silence! The spirit particles are eating into her fast! Too fast!"
Her physical wounds were now healed, but Hinata was growing weaker by the moment. The Meltstrike particles were destroying her spiritual body, and in time, they'd start whittling down her astral body as well. And at that point, not even Hinata could—
Just then, Hinata barely opened her eyes.
"G-good! Good, Hinata. You gotta stay awake for me!"
"N-no, Lady Luminus, I… Hurk!"
Oh man. HInata was in serious trouble. But not even Luminus, much more versed in holy magic than I was, could rescue Hinata from the brink of death.
That's how fearsome Granville's strike was.
"Ch-Chloe, I'm glad you're safe…"
Even with blood flowing from her mouth, Hinata tried her hardest to sit up. Her will was like steel. I'm sure she couldn't see any longer, but her lips were still taking the form of a smile. She turned toward Chloe and raised a shaky right hand, the one holding her Moonlight sword and bearing the Holy Spirit Armor bracelet.
"…Chloe, I want you to have this. I… I couldn't be much of an… instructor to you, but I know…you can surpass me…"
Her voice was hoarse, but it was clearly coming through to the sobbing Chloe.
"Miss Hinata…"
Chloe's hand gingerly touched Hinata's—
—and the next moment, Hinata's body began to glow, the light seemingly flowing into Chloe through her fingers. Was I seeing this right? Because not even Luminus was reacting at all. It was like time was stopping…
"N-no!" Chloe screamed. "This can't be happening! It's too early!
Why?!"
"Uh, Chloe?"
The moment I tried calling for Chloe…she vanished, almost like she was never there at all.
…I snapped back to attention.
What was that?
"Chloe? Where's Chloe? Rimuru… What did you do to Chloe?"
"I—I have no idea what just happened…"
Leon had me by the shoulders now, demanding an explanation, but I was clueless. Seriously, where did Chloe go? Did she really just disappear?
But at least Leon seemed to believe me. He looked around the area, panicked, and even I couldn't hide my confusion. I had absolutely no clue what was going on.
…Unknown. This is an abnormal situation. Failed to grasp the full extent of what happened to the subject Chloe Aubert.
And surprisingly enough, Raphael—whom I could usually rely on for well-nigh everything—didn't have any idea, either. But right now, I had no time to just stand there and ponder this.
The disappearance of young Chloe was not a concern to Luminus. Her own friend was more important to her right now. Her Resurrection spell had deployed itself, but it feebly dissipated into the air, much to her shock.
"Why?! Barely any time has passed since her death! Why…?"
…But Luminus could "see" it. Even with Hinata's body back in perfect condition, her insides—her soul, the most important thing of all—was lost. "Hinata, forgive me. I was here for you, and still you had to endure this…"
A single tear fell from her eye. It was greeted by a boorish voice interrupting her.
"I wish you wouldn't wail like that. This, too, is exactly as I aimed for.
My final plan is going quite smoothly, Luminus!"
Only Granville was smiling at this sequence of events. It greatly irritated Luminus. Now she wasn't even allowed time to mourn Hinata's death.
"You will pay for this. You will. I will tear you apart!"
The scream was as loud as it was furious. Her face was reddened with intense rage—the rage she felt by having Hinata, her favorite, taken before her eyes.
Her mind was filled with despair at how powerless she was, incapable of doing anything. It stirred her demon-lord heart in ways that couldn't even compare with when Veldora laid waste to her kingdom long ago. The emotions stimulated her mind, like ripples on the surface of a cup filled to the brim with water—and the trembling force on her previously suppressed emotions caused a change inside her.
The World Language echoed, like a bell calling Luminus to the loftiest of heights, like none that even her almost limitless abilities had taken her.
Confirmed. Conditions met. The unique skill Lust has evolved into the ultimate skill Asmodeus, Ruler of Lust.
At that moment, the massive power within Luminus evolved into even more intense, vicious heights—into the realms of the ruler of the skies.
Asmodeus, the evolved skill she just gained, held sway over life and death itself. The powerlessness she felt at Hinata's death was exactly what awakened Luminus to it. But she did not react. Now, her instincts told her, even this ability would be meaningless.
"It doesn't matter any longer! It's too late… I was useless right when it counted, and it doesn't matter to me anymore…!!"
All but ignoring the World Language, Luminus continued to seethe with rage.
"So you wanted to settle matters?"
"Yes, Luminus. You've evolved, haven't you? I hadn't anticipated that, but it's a fine thing to see."
Her blue-and-red heterochromatic eyes blazed as they stared straight at Granville, full of hated. Suddenly, the disappeared girl flashed into her mind —but she banished any sentiment from it.
"This wasn't what I heard would happen…but that no longer matters. Prepare to face the afterlife, Granville!!"
And so open battle began between Luminus and Granville—the culmination of a rivalry that had lasted over a thousand years.
All I could do was watch as Luminus treated Hinata's mortal wounds. The Resurrection spell was administered perfectly…but had no effect.
I couldn't believe it. As long as the soul was intact, Resurrection should also work, restoring the spiritual and/or astral bodies as needed. So what went wrong?
Understood. The soul of the subject Hinata Sakaguchi appears to have vanished. It is impossible to restore lost data particles by any method.
Her soul's…gone?
No, I knew it. That was the second time Hinata fell, so I could tell the difference all too well, and I was sure Luminus did, too. But a soul would normally never fade out of existence this quickly. I supposed we were holding out hope that we had just lost sight of her soul by some mistake, but that was a fruitless dream.
I didn't think Luminus would be this thrown by it, though. She and Hinata must've been closer than I knew. And this was my business, too. I started to think about why this was happening, which made it hard to collect my thoughts. Now wasn't the time for regrets.
"This wasn't what I heard would happen…but that no longer matters.
Prepare to face the afterlife, Granville!!"
With Luminus's scream, I realized just how out of it I was.
Spacing out in battle… What was wrong with me? That's just asking to be killed. I had to save my sadness for later and do everything I could here. Luminus's words seemed odd to me, but I could think about what she meant later. I had calm down. Things hadn't been settled yet. If I lost my temper and got defeated, then Hinata's death—and the efforts of everyone else—would have been wasted.
It was a pretty forced effort, but I successfully managed to move on. If Luminus's scream had come any later, things probably would've gotten even worse—because the next instant, the whole cathedral was engulfed in a massive explosion.
The light and shock wave from the blast burst out from the entrance to the middle of the site. Its speed was intense but still yawn inducing compared with the speed of light. Keeping my mind cool, I stepped up to protect the children and musicians. I turned an eye toward Shion and the others out of concern, but Diablo—who had returned at some point—had put up a protective barrier for them.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh… Sorry I'm late."
"No, I'm just glad you made it!" I said, thanking Diablo. However, the real surprise was Shion. Ranga had noticed both the explosion and Diablo, but Shion still seemed to be entirely focused on the enemy in front of her. Her expression was terrifying, her face flush, as if intoxicated by the blood around her. It was oddly kind of alluring albeit definitely improper for a battlefield…but ah well. Despite being on the defense before, it looked like she was holding her own, which was good. I think I'll leave Razul to Shion and Ranga for now.
I examined the cause of the explosion. The first thing that struck me was a gigantic aura—an evil presence, one that felt like your spine was freezing solid. This was more than just a bad feeling. It was an intense pressure, like the sky was falling down on you—although didn't it feel a bit like the highlevel elemental spirit that fused with Chloe? It resembled that but seemed a little different as well. The sheer size of this presence reminded me of what I felt with Chloe back then.
Report. The object is a material body. Unusual amount of existential energy detected. Its maximum level is equivalent to that of the subject Veldora.
Great. We've got a monster here! At least Raphael could measure it this time, although that didn't calm my nerves much. If this was operating on sheer instinct like the Chaos Dragon, I could deal with that…but if it was sentient, I was screwed. Especially if it actually had battle experience—just imagining that scared me. I'd lose without a fight then. We're talking energy several times my own…and either way, I had a feeling I'd have to deal with it.
Would this be enough to be considered dire straits by this point?
Then the smoke cleared, revealing an incredibly beautiful woman, naked as the day she was born. She stood there, eyes closed, her lustrous dark hair fluttering as she shone in a silvery light. It was like something out of a fantasy, and I was immediately smitten.
But now wasn't the time to stop and stare.
"Are you the one who took my ark?! And you've even undone my spiritual seal and awoken Chronoa…"
Luminus was now shouting at a much more familiar figure who just entered the scene. It was Yuuki. So he's in on this, too? Part of me still wanted to believe in him, but I guess Raphael was right after all—and given the choice, I was always going to trust Raphael first.
I thus felt no surprise at all as I turned my icy gaze to Yuuki.
"So you're involved in this?"
"Oof, guess you know, huh? But that works, too, so…"
He spoke entirely off the cuff, not being shy at all. I was dealing with the real Yuuki right now, no doubt, but he's a lot more shameless than I thought.
Behind him were two unfamiliar people wearing masks—an
asymmetrical one leering at me and the other one looking angry. I assumed those were Laplace and Footman from the Moderate Jesters, and although I had a hunch about it before, I guess they really were linked with Yuuki.
"So you're Luminus? My name's Yuuki Kagurazaka. It's an honor to meet you."
"Silence! How did you undo the seal?"
"Well, about that—I've got this really unique thing called Anti-Skill that lets me cancel any type of magic or special skill."
"…I see. Rather daring of you to reveal that."
Luminus shot Yuuki a look full of loathing, although her senses were still firmly attuned on Granville. They were in a dead heat, and neither of them could afford any false moves. Granville himself was also eyeing the darkhaired girl, even as he dealt with Luminus's attacks and fired back with his own. Duels between two experts like this went far beyond the realm of mere "skill."
"Yeah, well, Rimuru already knows, so there's no point hiding it. But I want to ask you something, too—well, not you, but Granville over there."
"Heh-heh-heh… I can guess what it is, but go ahead."
Yuuki sounded casual, but his eyes were surveying the area around him, never resting. As long as Leon and I had freedom of movement, he knew he couldn't escape too easily…assuming he planned to, that is, but I'm sure he did. I really had no idea why he was even showing up at this point; something told me he didn't anticipate this turn of events. With as many question marks as there were, moving around would be dangerous. I'd have to figure out from Yuuki and Granville's conversation just what kind of situation we had fallen into.
"So about the Hero I heard was sealed inside that ark… I mean, 'controlling' her turned out to be super-easy. The seal just came right off!
What's the deal with that, Granville?" Hero? That girl's a Hero?!
This was making even less sense now. Why would a demon lord keep a Hero sealed away? And given how much Luminus seemed to care for her, this wasn't any kind of normal sealing.
"You are right! Because this is both a Hero…and not a Hero. Right now, that child is a personification of evil, by the name of Chronoa…"
It was Luminus who answered Yuuki, her voice filled with intense rage and a surprising fretfulness. Calling this girl Chronoa a "personification of evil" sounded pretty foreboding to me—she must've been something really dangerous.
"Heh-heh-heh… You did very well, Yuuki. Not even I could dismantle the elemental seal on that ark. That's why I took advantage of you. Now that she's released, nobody could ever defeat her. Attention, demon lords! Attention, servants of evil! All of you will die here today!"
Granville erupted into laughter as he shouted. Awfully kind of him. Revealing everything without prompting like this sure helps me a lot…not that it makes this situation any better.
"Wow. Guess I lost this game of wits, huh? You sure got me good…"
Yuuki sounded surly about it. Sooner or later, though, this stalemate had to end. And now, with a relaxed motion, the dark-haired Chronoa started moving. With a light shake of her head, her eyes opened—and that was the signal for the free-for-all to begin.
I could ask Luminus what she knew later. For now, I had to survive.
"Diablo, handle this area for me."
"…Yes, my lord!"
It looked like he wanted to say something for a moment, but he meekly agreed, perhaps sensing the atmosphere. He probably wanted to fight, I think, but now wasn't the time for a back-and-forth conversation. I wasn't going to change my mind, and I'm sure he knew that.
So that just left one question: What would I do now? Luminus and Granville were at a stalemate. Shion and Ranga were fighting hard against Razul. Yuuki's group was trying to escape, and while I didn't plan to let them, they were much less dangerous than Chronoa. I couldn't just leave them be, though, which posed a difficult issue. They might stab me in the back— and forget about us fighting together here. Leon, meanwhile, had been acting like he was in his own little world for the past while—I honestly couldn't put much trust in him.
Thus, I had few allies and lots of enemies. It was a disastrous situation, way too difficult to handle.
Chronoa's eyes were open. She looked naked to me before, but now I realized she had a single bracelet around one wrist. It was glowing, emitting black particles that wrapped around her body—a system something like Hinata's Holy Spirit Armor. Her armor, however, was pure black and much sturdier than what Hinata wore.
Next, Chronoa summoned a single sword, a beautiful rapier not unlike Hinata's Moonlight, albeit with a jet-black blade.
Report. Although its shape is identical, its latent statistics are incomparably higher.
That sword and armor were both apparently way better than Legend class.
Her sword was as strong as mine, or maybe stronger, which meant it was God class. I guess I could no longer be optimistic. It's wasn't just a matter of knowledge—she may have even had me beaten in skill, and I had a feeling her weapon could penetrate all my defenses. This was seriously becoming a do-or-die situation.
Report. The hostile subject Chronoa is—
I know, okay?!
I didn't need Raphael's analysis to understand how scary this girl was.
Following my instincts, I deployed Absolute Defense and commenced evasive maneuvers. Immediately after I began, a dark beam of light smashed through where I was just standing. It continued in a straight line, demolishing all obstacles it hit along the way. It was only stopped after breaking through a cathedral wall.
That was beyond crazy. If I was one step slower, I would've taken that head-on. Would I have withstood it? It all would've come down to luck.
Negative. Even with Absolute Defense from the ultimate skill Uriel, spiritual particles can still make their way through. It is only through predicting their movements and making the particles interfere with one another that they can be canceled out. The hostile enemy's attack variation is greater than originally pictured, and prediction is therefore difficult. To sum up—
…You can't defend it, right? Okay, then. "Absolute" Defense, my ass. But now was no time for whining. I'd have to thank my own quick-wittedness for dodging that.
And Chronoa was aiming her attacks at more than just me. Her next strike headed straight for Yuuki. He couldn't quite dodge it, suffering a slight cut on his cheek. It wouldn't be nice to cheer for that, but hopefully nobody minded if I let out a bemused giggle.
Still, Chronoa's attacks were astounding. Even Yuuki's Anti-Skill was helpless against attacks purely physical in nature. I suppose I had Cancel Melee Attack, but Yuuki enjoyed nothing that convenient. He had powered up his whole body, but he was still merely human. I had thought of Anti-Skill as a major threat, but maybe there were a lot of holes to it after all.
I had the time to ponder this while other people were fighting. Better come up with some kind of strategy before I'm aimed at again.
Suggestion. Deploy Summon Storm Dragon, part of the ultimate skill Veldora, Lord of the Storm?
Yes No
Hey, that sounds nice!
I hated to use one of my most secret moves in front of such a big crowd, but it'd be even worse if I kept it hidden and fell into a hole I couldn't get out of. If I lost someone like Hinata, it'd be too late after that. Luminus's relationship with Veldora gave me some concern, but now was no time to hesitate.
So I leaped at Raphael's suggestion. I had been practicing in secret, so it felt natural now. Opening a soul corridor to Veldora, I called for him.
(Mm? Rimuru? Well! I hope you are happy with yourself, going on a nice field trip without me.)
Great. He was dolefully pouting at me. And this wasn't a field trip. I wish he wouldn't lodge these accusations at me, but I didn't have the time to argue.
At times like these, you had to speak your mind.
(Veldora, please, I need your help. Lend me your powers!)
With a soul corridor, you could communicate your emotions more directly than with Thought Communication. Normally, you wouldn't use a corridor for conversation, since any lies could immediately be spotted out, but if you really wanted to bare your soul, this was the best way. Thanks to that, I could tell Veldora seemed surprised.
(Oh-ho? You need my power? Well then, you will find few companions as trustworthy as I. I can certainly understand why you rely on me so!)
Crap, did I egg him on too much? No, I'd be okay. Veldora was bound to step up for me.
(I'm short on time. Can I call for you?)
(Pfft. A silly question. If you ask me so nicely, I could only respond in kind! Please go ahead. I will exercise the full extent of my force!) Veldora turned out to be just as trustworthy as I hoped.
Consent acquired. Launching Summon Storm Dragon.
And in just a scant few moments, a gale-force wind blew over the cathedral…
Leon was struck dumb.
Was I too late…?
The girl called Chloe was without a doubt the childhood friend he had been searching for, an effort he spent hundreds of years on. He had even dirtied his hands with certain forbidden methods in the attempt…and now she was here. She was here…but that little girl was gone.
At first, Leon thought that Rimuru had done something—but he quickly dispelled the thought. As he saw it, the only conclusion to make was that something truly unexpected and mysterious had happened.
No… I can't give up on this yet. Just now, I met her. There's going to be another chance, I'm sure of it!
He decided to cling to that thought, persuading himself it was so. It helped him regain control, but by that time, things had suddenly begun to unfold quickly. A new enemy appeared, demonstrating unstoppable force. Her identity was unknown, but he could tell she had Rimuru playing defense. And Leon was no impartial observer; there was no guarantee he wouldn't be targeted next.
Next Yuuki was attacked, dodging the strike with everything he had. Seeing that promptly made Leon realize that he was standing in a battlefield —but that realization came a little too late.
People knocked out of battle were already strewn near the cathedral wall. Leon had no way of knowing, but Rimuru had deposited them there so they wouldn't get caught in combat. They were still alive but completely unconscious, so Leon wasn't particularly wary of them. In normal times, he'd never make an error like that, but the shock of seeing this girl he pursued for so long suddenly disappear had made him lose his composure. Put it all together, and he had let his guard down—and that's why, for that one moment, he reacted too slowly.
A small blast of magic shot out from near the cathedral wall. It didn't look very lethal as it made its way toward Chronoa, who was currently preparing another attack on Yuuki. It certainly wouldn't damage her, but the blast did exactly what its creator intended.
Chronoa turned around, her eyes settling on Leon.
"Tch… Trying to push her on me?!"
Despite his reluctance, Leon had to cast off all the niggling concerns in his mind. If he took his eyes off Chronoa, he'd be dead the next instant. Unless he seriously fought this out, even a demon lord like him would have a disadvantage—and even with a full effort, there may be no way for him to win this. That was how strong a threat Chronoa had become—and with the way things were, Leon could no longer distract himself with other issues.
One side of the battle was cheering at this. It was Yuuki's group.
"Nice job, Teare!"
"What a great idea. I didn't think she'd help out like that, but now I'm glad I took out that insurance."
This move on Teare's part was originally meant to antagonize Rimuru against Leon, but the opportunity never arose, so Teare kept playing possum.
Her perseverance was rewarded at the perfect time.
"Hoh-hoh-hoh! Now we can get out of here once Teare makes it back."
Being targeted by Chronoa made Yuuki sweat bullets, but now he was his usual composed self, kicking back as he observed the fight between her and Leon. Thus, he could easily see Teare clambering her way from the cathedral wall. He headed off to rescue her before Laplace finished up their preparations to retreat—and by the time he was back with her, Laplace's spell was complete.
"All set, Boss. Let's blow this joint."
"I hear you," Yuuki replied with a nod. "I think Rimuru's up to something, so it'll be dangerous to stay put. We better get out of here fast."
He raised his hand up high, knocking out the magical barrier that covered the whole of Lubelius.
"Hoh-hoh-hoh! Nice one, Boss."
"Whenever I see it in action, your skill seems like such a cheat…"
"Hey, if it lets us scram in a hurry, I'm all for it."
As Laplace implied, escaping the center of this city with magical means would normally be impossible. Thanks to Yuuki's power, though, they could modify anything and everything to their liking. It was a cheat, as Teare put it, but if it got them out of here alive, nobody was going to complain.
"I dunno who's going to survive this, but whoever it is, I'm sure we're gonna be enemies next time we meet. Anyway—good luck, guys!" With those final words, Yuuki and his team left the battlefield.
I could see Yuuki and his cohorts escape. I resented that. Making good on their retreat, with all these threats left for me to deal with—but when I thought about it, this actually worked well. Someone like them, who could be either friend or foe—well, definitely foe right now—but teaming up with someone like that, I had no idea when they'd decide to betray me. It might've even become two on one against me, so having just one enemy to deal with now definitely boosted my chances.
The Western Holy Church held a great deal of influence among the Western Nations. If I made a public statement, and it received Luminus's agreement, Yuuki would pretty much lose all standing in the West. Besides, the Free Guild was backed by the Council, and the boss of the Council was currently in active warfare against Luminus. If we won today, Yuuki was no longer a threat.
Convincing myself that his escape wasn't worth feeling down about, I sized up the enemy in front of me.
"Rimuru, is that not…the Hero who sealed me away?" Veldora asked.
"Seems to be."
"Ah, I see. She is not masked, but the area around her lips is identical. I see my eyes do not deceive me. Beautiful, is she not?"
Veldora's speech accelerated as he bragged about her. Now really wasn't the time for this. I wondered if a True Dragon even knew how to assess human beauty. It certainly lent more credence to the theory that Veldora lost after falling for her good looks.
"I agree with you, but right now she's our enemy. Luminus sealed her away, I guess, but she's out of anyone's control right now. I think she was meant to be insurance against you, so do something about this!"
"How rude of you. Why are you ordering someone as irreproachable as me to 'do something?'"
Who do you think you're talking about here, man…? I almost had to applaud his audacity. But I didn't have the time to put up with his nonsense.
"Enough jokes. Just take her on and buy me some time!"
"Kwaaaah-ha-ha-ha! Absolutely! We have a score to settle, besides. I was just thinking about how I wanted a rematch. It is all right if I defeat her, I assume?"
Wow! My hero!
Although, whenever anyone says that in a show or video game, they're basically doomed to lose afterward.
"Yes, of course! Have at it!"
"Leave it all to me. I was defeated last time because I was in my dragon form. Now is a good chance to show you how I've grown."
I'm glad he's so confident, but hasn't he actually gotten weaker since then? I don't really see the logic behind being stronger as a human instead of a dragon…but I didn't want to rain on his parade when he was so enthusiastic, so I sent him off with a smile.
Not like losing would kill him—that much I could be assured of.
"Are you all right, Leon?" I asked, turning toward him. Chronoa was still looking right at us, so I kept an eye on her.
"Yes, somehow. Don't leave yourself open. She's stronger than you can imagine."
I decided to heal Leon a little. His sword was already cut in half, and he was thoroughly battered and bruised. I was impressed he held out this long. Thanks to his efforts, I had enough time to successfully summon Veldora.
"I realized that the moment I saw her. You saw how wary Luminus was.
I'm not expecting this to be an easy win."
That was why I broke out Veldora, one of my last resorts.
"And so you called for Veldora? I won't ask how you did that, but having you as an ally is certainly reassuring. But even a True Dragon will have his work cut out for him."
That I knew as well. Chronoa, after all, was the very person who sealed him away.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. I used an excessive amount of magic force to keep my sword intact, but this is nothing fatal."
Of course, he couldn't save his sword in the end. And as unconcerned as he looked, I was detecting a lot of fake stoicism. I didn't have the excess capacity to protect Leon, so maybe this was the right thing to do after all?
Good thing I kept my summoning to Veldora only.
There was actually one other person among us.
"Are you all right, Sir Leon? It is good to see you again."
This was Charys. My summoning hadn't gone perfectly after all, because Veldora insisted on bringing Charys along with him.
"Are you…Ifrit?" Leon asked.
"Yes. I have now received the name Charys and am in the service of Sir
Veldora."
"Ah. Well, glad to see you in good health."
"I…was unable to read your true intentions. Thus, I failed to reach an understanding with Shizue Izawa. Receiving Sir Veldora's guidance has helped me realize just how foolish I was."
"…Has it?"
Leon nodded, although I wasn't wholly sure he was paying attention. He seemed to be brushing Charys off, but I didn't want to call him out on it. They both had similarly serious personalities, to be sure.
"Rimuru," Leon said, "please buy me some time. I have a trump card of my own to reveal."
I considered the chance he'd try to run, but even with what little time we had spent together, he didn't strike me as that kind of guy. Let's trust in him, then.
"All right. I'll go support Veldora. Charys, defend this area until Leon's ready."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
We were all set to go. Leon promptly got to work on…something, with Charys protecting him—the old master-and-servant team reunited. Me, I went back to the battlefield. It was time to kick off the final fight.