"There we go, you're all healed up now." I sighed in relief, getting several meows and hisses in response.
I chuckled at that, smiling softly. "Don't just thank me; Gob'emon was the one who brought the healing potions."
"I simply did as instructed." The hobgoblin in question just shook his head at that.
"Aren't you modest?" I said with a smirk.
I was currently sitting cross‑legged, two fluff balls purring in my lap. The black kitten was apparently very thankful for my help, and the white one had also quickly warmed up to me, although she seemed a bit more timid. As for the snake, well, it was keeping some distance yet looked over at me with clear admiration in its eyes.
Gob'emon had arrived about a minute earlier and had been quite alarmed by the destruction in the area but was quick to hand over the potions I needed. They were strange spheres, like bubbles filled with a blue liquid that glistened in the light. And oh boy, did they work wonders. All I had to do was burst them over the three injured creatures now lying around me, and the moment the liquid came into contact with their bodies their wounds were immediately repaired without a trace that they had even been there to begin with.
"Jokes aside though, I'm impressed you managed to defeat a Tremor Lord on your own, not that I'm surprised given your lineage." He hummed; I had already gone over and explained to him what had happened while the potions did their work.
"It was definitely... an experience." I muttered awkwardly.
"Are you well? You look pale." Gob'emon said, looking me over.
I simply shrugged in response to that. "I'm fine, just a little tired, as all." Although that wasn't entirely true.
(I can still see it, the way its body ripped apart as it was compressed.) I shivered at the memory.
Honestly, I was still a little shaken by my first kill, not because I felt bad about the whole thing but because of how it had all ended. I truly hadn't expected the battle to finish with such a gruesome and sickening display. Still, seeing that I had managed to save the lives of these three... it made it easier to accept what I had done as a necessity.
Either way, I decided not to limit myself even though a part of me wanted to. Sure, I could decide not to use my Deconstruction skill on living beings, but despite my disgust, it was, in fact, a very powerful weapon. In a world like this one I had to use everything at my disposal; of course that didn't mean I'd use it carelessly or without restraint, but it also didn't mean I wouldn't use it when it was actually needed.
For a while afterwards we just chatted until finally the time came to head back; however, I was stopped when I noticed the three pairs of eyes looking upon me patiently. "Oh? What is it?"
"It appears that they wish to follow you, Lady Suu." Gob'emon explained while nodding slightly, as if such a thing was only natural.
"Really?" I asked, somewhat taken aback.
The meows and hisses I received in response were more than enough for me to understand. "Are you sure?" I muttered as I crouched down in front of the three of them; their answers were clear. "Alright then."
(How am I supposed to say no when they're so dang cute?) I thought, my lips curving upwards slightly.
"Maybe... maybe I should give you names then." I mused after a second of thought.
"Are you sure, Lady Suu? Naming a monster can be rather detrimental if you're not careful." Gob'emon warned from next to me.
"It's fine. I mean, I am a phoenix, so I should have enough magicules to name these three, right?" I responded, and he didn't really have an argument for that.
"O‑of course; it mainly depends on you three." I muttered, turning back to them with a somewhat sheepish expression. "Do you... do you want me to name you?" My question was met by excited and eager expressions, making the answer once again obvious.
I was actually kind of excited to try this, mainly because I was curious what would happen if I named someone. After all, I'd kind of picked up on the fact that the evolution of a monster after being named is not only dependent on their race but also on the desires and species of the one who names them. And sure, there were some risks with the whole thing from the little I'd actually learned, but I wasn't too worried.
"Okay, if you're sure you don't mind." I muttered thoughtfully. "Now then, let me think..."
(I've never named anyone before... first time for everything, I guess.) I thought, feeling a little awkward.
Unfortunately, I had already offered and didn't want to back out of my words now, so I could only sigh as I mulled it over in my head. (Let's go with this...)
"How about these?" I said, finally coming to a decision.
The first I pointed to was the black kitten. "You will be Yin." Then I gestured toward the white one. "You'll be Yang."
"And you... you'll be Zeref." I mused as I finished by motioning toward the serpent.
Just then, as the final name left my mouth, waves of inky black energy poured out from my body, wrapping around each of them like writhing cocoons that pulsed rhythmically. I was alarmed at first, after all this hadn't happened when Rimuru had named me in the past, however my attention was soon pulled elsewhere. A sudden feeling of fatigue washed over me; it wasn't enough to knock me unconscious or anything, but it definitely startled me.
(Well... this is new.) I thought, shaking my head slightly in discomfort.
(It's not as bad as I expected it to be.) I mused internally. (Although I only named three individuals, unlike Rimuru, who has named several hundred at this point I think.)
"Are you all right?" Gob'emon asked worriedly.
"I'm... I'm fine. Thanks for the concern though." I smiled at him before turning back to the three currently undergoing evolution, at least that's what I thought was happening anyway.
The moment my eyes landed upon them, however, I paused. "Is it just me, or are they getting bigger? L‑like... like way bigger?"
"That does appear to be the case, yes..."
_ _ _ _Rimuru POV_ _ _ _
(I really need to be more cautious when naming people.) I sighed internally. (I mean, seriously, what would have happened if we had been attacked while I was out of it?)
(Still, it turned out all right, so it should be fine.)
I had woken up about half an hour ago and was now in my slime form as I sat in Shion's lap as Benimaru and Rigurd reported the current condition of the town. The other kijin had actually come by earlier, but after greeting me they had to leave to continue with their tasks; only three of them had remained: Benimaru, the red‑haired leader of the former ogres; Shion, the purple‑haired beauty; and Hakurou, the old swordsman.
Currently I was sitting in Shion's lap as Benimaru and Rigurd kneeled in front of me. Hakurou was sitting in the back, close to the entrance of the tent. As I listened to the reports, I was happy to learn there had been no signs of the orc army coming anywhere nearby. I was also pleased to hear that, despite the lack of hostile activity, my people had actively been thinking of ways to increase the security in the surrounding area.
"All right." I nodded as they finished. "Thanks for keeping an eye on things for me."
"It is no problem at all, my lord." Rigurd said, bowing his head out of respect.
Benimaru simply lowered his gaze slightly before adding, "I was simply fulfilling my duty."
(I should think of a way to thank them for their hard work... hmmm... thoughts for later, I guess.) I muttered internally.
"Anyway, is there anything else I should know about?" I asked curiously.
"Let's think..." Rigurd mused.
Before he could think of anything, Shion suddenly spoke up with a large bright smile. "Oh, Lady Suu has been making great progress!" she announced happily. "She doesn't stutter as much when talking to me anymore."
"That's right. Before, she seemed to have a panic attack from just a simple conversation, but now she is far more vocal." Benimaru nodded in agreement.
He then added, "I believe a part of this is thanks to Hakurou's efforts."
"Oh?" I shifted at that, my attention turning to the old swordsman in question.
"It was nothing; she was the one who took the initiative to ask me for training." He smiled modestly.
I already had some knowledge about this, but it wouldn't hurt learning more. "And how did that go?"
"She still requires much training; however, her progress has not been small." He explained, and from the way he smiled as he spoke, it was clear he had a favorite student. "Additionally, her work ethic is honestly quite intimidating. If I didn't make her take a break every now and then, she'd probably want to train from dawn to dusk."
(Honestly, Great Sage had already informed me a little about this, but it's still surprising to hear. I hadn't expected Suu to come out of her shell so much while I was completely out of it.) I thought, a pleasant feeling filling my chest. (Makes me feel kind of proud.)
Just then, a shadow emerged from the ground, coalescing into a familiar being. "My lord, I apologize for the interruption." Souei said as he finished manifesting.
"What's up, Souei? Has something happened?" I asked.
(Hopefully it's nothing bad.) I thought, holding back a sigh.
For a moment he seemed to think about how to explain before finally speaking up. "It appears that Lady Suu got into an altercation with a Tremor Lord."
"Is she all right?" I asked, alarmed. I didn't know what a "Tremor Lord" was, but from the way Benimaru shot up, it probably wasn't anything pleasant.
"She's fine, from what I can tell," he responded quickly. "However, the problem is that it appears she has returned with some... guests."
"Guests?" Benimaru and Rigurd echoed at the same time.
Seeing that he didn't exactly know how to explain, I transformed back into my human form and stood up. "I suppose we should probably go see for ourselves."
"Yes, I do believe that would be for the best."
With Souei guiding the way, it didn't take us long to reach our destination. I heard the crowd before I saw it. There, at the end of town, was a massive gathering of people, all of whom seemed to be gawking at something and whispering in awe. Thankfully, it didn't take long before the crowd noticed our approach and parted for us. Only once I was through did I see Suu... as well as the "guests" she had apparently brought with her.
Standing on either side of her were two large, two‑tailed tigers that stood close to three metres tall, with dark emerald eyes. One of them was noticeably more curious than the other, but both had a similar overall appearance with only a few differences. The more curious one was jet black with white stripes and had curved yet jagged white horns emerging from the top of its head. The other was the opposite: it had white fur with black stripes and black horns.
The main thing that truly surprised me, however, was the creature Suu was currently standing next to. What was that thing exactly you may be asking? A serpent, black as obsidian with rings of red running down its body, its eyes a deep, dark amber color that shimmered with a threatening glow. The creature was massive, to say the least, around twenty‑five to thirty metres long and about two and a half metres wide to be exact.
"Erm... Suu?" I asked, my eyes slowly panning over the group.
"Y‑yeah." She coughed, shifting uncomfortably as my attention landed on her.
"Who...?" I breathed, gesturing to the three creatures standing around her.
She shuffled nervously before rubbing the back of her head. "A‑ah, I made some new friends."
"I... I can see that..."
(((A/N: Yin's, Yang's, and Zeref's appearances below. Although I should add that the art isn't 100% accurate to what they look like, it's the best I could find. Also keep in mind that Yin and Yang's human forms will be described in the next chapter, in case you were wondering.
Yin and Yang...
Zeref...
And as always, reviews, power stones, and comments are all appreciated. Thanks for reading.)))