Then... the system rang in his head. It wasn't the calm, neutral voice he had heard earlier. This time, the tone was sharp, rapid, and accompanied by a crimson red flash that completely covered his field of vision.
[CRITICAL WARNING!] [CRITICAL WARNING!] [Unknown entity detected in the immediate vicinity.] [Energy Level: Immeasurable.] [Threat Level: Absolute Annihilation.] [Advice: Do not move. Do not breathe. Do not show any hostile intent.]
Akira's eyes widened until they nearly popped out of their sockets. "Absolute annihilation?" his inner voice screamed. "What does it mean by immeasurable? A Level 56 goblin almost killed me, and now this?!" He felt a terrifying weight descend upon his shoulders, an invisible pressure that forced his knees to tremble. He didn't need to turn around to know someone was standing right behind him. The temperature dropped sharply, and a cold aura, sharp as blades, began to wrap around his neck. Akira turned around incredibly slowly, as if his body were moving through a swamp of mud. And when his eyes met the shadow standing there, he forgot how to breathe. It was a tall man, calmly leaning his back against the trunk of a massive tree. He wore a dark combat outfit, leaning towards black mixed with blue, embroidered with fine threads indicating a high military rank. His dark blue hair fell quietly over his forehead, but what truly terrified Akira were his eyes. Cold eyes, completely devoid of any human emotion, piercing directly through his soul like a blade slicing through a piece of paper. This was Souei. Commander of the Intelligence Division, and the unsleeping eye of the Tempest Nation. After 500 years since his master Rimuru's disappearance, the absence had only sharpened his features with cruelty and intensity, turning him into a living legend who erased the empire's enemies in silence. — "Level 56..." Souei finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in Akira's skull like a clap of thunder. — "A mutant goblin of Level 56, felled in a single strike by someone who doesn't possess a single ounce of mana in his body, nor carries any trace of magical energy (Magicules). This... is interesting." Akira tried to take a step back, but his feet refused to obey. The spiritual pressure radiating from Souei paralyzed his movements entirely. Akira swallowed his dry saliva, and tried to force his voice out: — "I... didn't... he attacked me..." He didn't finish his sentence. Because Souei was no longer leaning against the tree. In a thousandth of a second, and without any preparatory movement, his image vanished from there to appear directly in front of Akira. It wasn't speed; it was closer to absolute teleportation. Souei's face was mere centimeters from Akira's. The intelligence master raised his hand with terrifying slowness, and placed two ice-cold fingers under Akira's chin, lifting his head to force him to look into his eyes.
[WARNING! Soul defenses breached!] [System attempting to block data... Failed.]
Souei's pupils suddenly narrowed, and a rare flash of annoyance, or perhaps... shock, appeared on his calm features. He whispered in a very low voice, as if speaking to himself: — "Those fragments you just used... are not a normal skill. They don't belong to this world." Souei tightened his grip slightly on Akira's chin, and continued in a tone that made the air freeze: — "This void in your soul... it sickeningly resembles the void 'he' left behind." Akira's mind was spinning in an endless loop. Who is he talking about? Does he mean Rimuru? Did he discover the 'Empty Heart' system? — "Who are you?" Souei asked, and this time, the question carried an explicit command. — "I am... Akira... Akira Yuzuki!" he uttered with extreme difficulty. Souei let go of his chin, and slowly turned around, giving his back to Akira. — "A Japanese name, from another world. So, you are an 'Otherworlder'." Then he raised his hand in a swift motion. Before Akira could realize what was happening, or even try to activate the system's ability to escape, he heard a faint buzzing sound— Swish! He felt a sharp pain in his wrists and ankles. He looked down to find silver-blue threads, so fine they were barely visible, yet strong as steel, wrapping around his limbs and completely binding him in less than a second. Akira tried to resist and tensed his muscles, but the threads cut into his skin and drops of his blood scattered. — "I advise you not to move," Souei said without looking at him. — "These are Demonic Steel Threads. The more you resist, the faster they will sever your limbs." Akira froze in place. — "What do you want from me?" Akira cried out, desperation beginning to creep into his voice. Souei looked at him over his shoulder with a terrifying side glance. — "You are coming with me to the capital 'Rimuru'. Benimaru and the other commanders will certainly want to see this 'anomaly' that suddenly appeared in the Great Forest of Jura after five centuries of waiting." Akira felt Souei's threads pulling him forward with an irresistible force. His silent system, the dark forest, and this human monster leading him... Akira realized then that being a "host" in this world was not a privilege, but a curse that had painted a giant target on his back.