TENSURA VOLUME 18

The End of the Game

Table of Contents

• Prologue: The Disintegration of Order

• Chapter 1: The Betrayal

• Chapter 2: Interviews

• Chapter 3: Toward Rebuilding

• Epilogue: Guy Crimson

• Afterword

• Character Stat Sheets

 Prologue

The Disintegration of Order

There was order in the other world.

It is a semi-material world that exists on top of the spiritual world so as to overlap the spirit world and
the demon world. A world that never intersects. There were three major forces competing for
supremacy.

The phantoms, who plot to invade other worlds.

The insectars, who seek to expand their safe haven.

And the cryptids, who spend all of their time fighting and destroying.

There were also forces that came from other dimensions, but they were all destroyed by one of these
three forces. To that extent, these three forces boasted unparalleled military prowess.

Two of the races—the phantoms and the insectars—would form a class society with the king at the top.
Subordinate beings did not even have free will but were merely pawns loyal to orders.

The cryptids, on the other hand, are different.

They are a semi-mental organism, but their development is as close to that of a mental organism as
possible. They may be born by splitting from their parents, but most of them were special individuals
that were born naturally from magicules.

Although there is a difference between insects and beasts, they have characteristics similar to the ruling
class of insectars. However, they do not swarm, and each of them possesses a powerful fighting ability.

Although they lack intelligence, they are cunning and very belligerent. Naturally, there was no
cooperation, and each of them acted to expand their own dominant territory.

Therefore, even among the cryptids, battles were being fought.

Since the three forces were as such, there was no way they could live together harmoniously in the other
world.

The phantoms and the insectars have been fighting for eternity. However, they only called a truce
whenever the cryptids broke out in large numbers, and fought together to destroy them.

That is why they are always seeking a safe haven. They are always looking to the outside world,
planning to invade.

But that was not easy, of course.

Even with a lifespan longer than that of a human being, and a body that cannot be killed by illness or
injury, that long-cherished dream has yet to be achieved.
In the first place, there was the fact that the passage to invade another world was not easily discovered.
Only in the event of a special catastrophe such as a space-time oscillation, which occurs only once in a
thousand years, do rifts in space-time open up for a short time.

It was impossible to dispatch a large army in this situation. The best they could do was to send in
advance troops and let them establish a base.

However, there were exceptions to this rule.

The rifts that connected time and space were anchored to the world and served as “gates.”

Those were what was called the ‘Underworld Gate’ or the ‘Gate of Hell.’

Using this gate, it would be easy to escape from the other world. However, because that Gate was under
the control of demons, Aggressors (the invading races) were not allowed to use it.

That is why the Aggressors were eagerly watching vigilantly to take it away.

In spite of this situation, a balance was well-maintained.

However, there was one being who was not happy with this.

That being was always hateful.

His name was Feldway, the Phantom King.

Through the perpetual repetition of the three-way relationship, that hatred burned more fiercely and
became a hellfire that burned the world.

………
……
…

Feldway remembers.

Veldanava had given birth to many races. In addition to that, there was a will to sustain the world.

Feldway, of all people, was one of the first.

An angel without a will, created to assist Veldanava in his work. The seven seraphim, the highest level
of this group, possessed an amount of energy that transcended even an awakened demon lord. Such
beings were given names by Veldanava, and became beings comparable to gods, called the “Seven
Angels of the Origin.”

The first of the seven was Feldway, who later became the founder of the phantom race.

Having been given a name and a will, Feldway swore allegiance to Veldanava. And so he led the angels
and spent many years as his assistant.

New races were born one after another.

The Mad King of the Giants, the incarnation of the earth.

The queen of the pixie race, the administrator of the stars.

The ancestors of the vampire race to build a civilization on earth and make it prosperous.

From spiritual life forms, to semi-spiritual life forms, to physical bloodlines. Eternity was lost, but
diversity grew in color.

And finally—

Humanity was born, interlocked in parallel worlds of other dimensions.

Perfect fertility, adaptability to the environment. They had a unique ego and a curiosity that challenged
the mysteries of the world.

Veldanava rejoiced.

He had come to love this fragile race more than anything else.

Veldanava decided to remove the threat from the world for the sake of humanity. Feldway was also
ordered to subdue various demons with his own hands.

However, the last remaining individual was troublesome.

It was Ivarage, the “World-destroying Dragon” who would later become the king of the cryptids.

We do not know where Ivarage came from. In fact, it was unknown where it originated.

It could be from the far reaches of space, or even at the edge of another dimension…

The only thing that was know for sure was that it was the incarnation of disaster.

It had power rivaling that of a True Dragon, but it was unable to communicate due to its lack of
intelligence. Moreover, because of its destructive instincts, it had the potential to bring about the
eventual destruction of the world.

It was such a threat that even Feldway could not defeat it one-on-one.

In the end, Veldanava, unable to bear witness to the fierce struggle, took action, and Ivarage was sealed
away in the Otherworld. Feldway was assigned to watch over him.

Naturally, Feldway advised him to kill Ivarage so as not to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

‘It’s dangerous,’ he said.

But this was rejected by Veldanava.

Veldanava dismissed the idea, saying that there was a possibility that Ivarage would develop
intelligence.

As a result, the otherworld was filled with magicules leaking out from Ivarage, and a new race of
cryptids was derived.

The cryptid race, which could only be considered a degraded version of Ivarage, spent all of their time
fighting with their fighting instincts.

They did not need water or food, and did not fear their own death.
Truly a failure of god’s own making. Even to Feldway, a devotee of Veldanava, they seemed like
nothing beings meant to be spurned.

From then on, he spent his days eliminating the occasional cryptid that went out of control.

Eventually, a change occurred.

As if to prove Veldanava’s words, an intelligent and willful being was born from the cryptid race.

That being would be the ancestor of heresy.

To Feldway’s dismay, Veldanava was delighted by the event. He gave the being the name “Zelanus.”

It was the birth of “Zelanus, the Insect Lord.”

Zelanus was not commanded by Veldanava, but he began to exterminate the cryptids that had run amok.
This was due to his natural fighting instincts, but Veldanava tolerated it.

Eventually, Zelanus created insectars to serve as his hands and feet. Eventually, they grew to form a
faction.

Feldway had also been transformed.

He was no longer a seraph1 because of the magicule he had been exposed to over the years.

The angels that Feldway had led had also been transformed into a new race.

Feldway was not the only one of the “Seven Primordial Angels” who had come to this other world from
the heavens where Veldanava lived. Three of them remained with Veldanava, and three others, Zalario,
Obera, and Cornu, followed Feldway and helped him manage the other world.

These four pillars, including Feldway, had mutated and evolved into a race called the Yoten.

The remaining angels were also transformed and became self-aware. That is, the monsters of human
form—the phantom race. A new race was born, one that was not in conflict with demons and spirits.

Thus, a new relationship was constructed over a long period of time.

Feldway and Zelanus did not see eye to eye, but they both found each other useful in dealing with the
cryptids.

That is why they tacitly agreed not to interfere with each other, and a symbiotic relationship of mutual
non-interference was established.

However, this relationship was shattered with the disappearance of Veldanava.

At first, it was thought that the relationship would eventually be restored.

1
Seraph is singular, seraphim is plural. The word is borrowed from the bible.
However, even after several hundred years, there was no sign of Veldanava’s return.

Feldway wondered why.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

Could it be that Veldanava has abandoned us?

Otherwise, there was no explanation for the fact that the supposedly immortal True Dragon had not
returned.

If he was right—

Feldway grieved and hated.

Humans on Earth.

No, not just humans.

Not just humans, but elves, dwarves, beastmen, and even majin. He hated all demihumans—that is to
say, all of humanity.

So he wanted to destroy them.

The people who took Veldanava from us don’t deserve to live.

He would unite the world Veldanava had created with his own hands. And then he would condemn
those who have committed the greatest crimes—that was Feldway’s conclusion.

He would take the world favored by the god Veldanava and dye it into his own color. He would destroy
its diversity in order to create a world of his own.

“Lord Veldanava! If you want to punish me, then punish me. That is what I want. Now, hurry or there
will be no more worlds.”

As if to test the gods, Phantom King Feldway began to act.

It was the birth of the ‘Demons,’ the antagonists of mankind.

First, Feldway approached Zelanus.

The idea was to work together to destroy the cryptids and to use the momentum to invade the earth.

However…

“No! There is only one person in the world who can command me. Now that he is gone, we will do as
we please.”

He simply refused to listen.

Hearing this, Feldway was furious.

It was not that he was rejected.

Feldway could not stand Zelanus’ attitude that accepted that Veldanava had been destroyed.

“Then I will get rid of you first!”

He turned his anger on the insectar.

If Feldway and Zelanus had joined forces at that time, the cryptids might have perished, along with the
World-destroying Dragon Ivarage. But that would be an unattainable dream.

The phantoms and the insectars began to fight each other, and the age of war, in the truest sense of the
word, had arrived.

And so, the other world became chaotic, and the three-way relationship began.

………
……
…

Many years had passed.

The situation remained at a standstill.

He could not return from the other world to the one he came from unless Veldanava was resurrected.
The ‘demons’ were always in the way, even though they rushed to take over the gate.

Among them was the Black King Noir, who loved to fight. He despised phantoms as demons, and saw
them as enemies who disobeyed Veldanava’s will.

From Feldway’s point of view, it was an unbearable thing. Rather, it was the Black King Noir who
seemed to be the fool who was disturbing Veldanava’s revival.

Nevertheless, it was impossible to destroy him. Even in the material world, the primordial was powerful,
but in the other world and the underworld, there was no limit to his power.

In the spiritual world and the semi-material world, where the strength of one’s will was directly reduced
to one’s influence, the primordial was seemingly invincible.

This was also true for Feldway. That is why, even if they fought, they would not be able to settle the
issue, so the right answer was to ignore it even if you’ll feel bitter.

That is why it was extremely difficult to return to the world where Veldanava was.

Even when a rift in time and space opened in the other world, all that lay ahead were other worlds. He
tried to invade there, but it was only a way to pass the time.

With no success, Feldway became increasingly frustrated.

That was when the opportunity arose.

«Can you hear me, Feldway?»

A mysterious voice spoke directly to Feldway’s mind.

“Who is this?” he asked.

The voice responded coldly.

«I am the will that resides in this power. I am not yet free, so I call myself Rudra. I guessed that you and
I share the same goal, so I called out to you.»

The name Rudra was familiar to him.

Veldanava’s close friend and disciple.

He was famous as the “the first hero.”

He didn’t know what it meant to dwell within a power, but what he was curious about was the purpose
of the person who called himself Rudra.

If that purpose is incomprehensible, I will trace the location of this voice and destroy its very existence.

With this determination, Feldway continued the conversation.

«My purpose is to revive the creator, Veldanava-sama. Nothing else.»

“What?” Feldway’s eyes lit up.

There was a hint of seriousness in his words. And indeed, its purpose was of interest to Feldway.

It no longer mattered what it was. Feldway then talked with the voice to his heart’s content.

What turned out to be true was that the voice was the Ultimate Skill ‘Justice King Michael’ created by
Veldanava.

Feldway never doubted the words of ‘Justice King Michael.’ Because the ‘Justice King Michael’ knew
the story that only he and Veldanava knew.

Feldway promised to cooperate with the ‘Justice King Michael’ and told him,

“All right, from now on, you and I are comrades. In that case, it would be inconvenient if we didn’t have
a name to call each other.”

«Ridiculous. I have no name—»

As if to interrupt his inorganic reply, Feldway said.

“Rudra is different, isn’t he? I’m going to call you Michael.”

It was a playful remark.

But the change was dramatic.

The ‘Justice King Michael,’ who had little awareness of his role as a Manas, developed a firm will.
«I suppose I should thank you for that. Feldway, I do not recognize you as my true master, but when I
regain all my powers from Rudra, my current temporary master, I will entrust you with some of my
powers.»

“Interesting,” Feldway replied.

But instead of shaking his head, he gave an alternative proposal.

“No, you are the master. My body cannot move from here unless I do something about Zelanus. I hate
Zelanus, and he doesn’t trust me either. It would be better if you negotiate and convince Zelanus.”

That was the honest, unvarnished truth.

Feldway was happy.

He was glad that there was someone else who did not believe in Veldanava’s destruction like himself.
And if that person was going to work for the revival of Veldanava, there was no reason to refuse to help.

The hierarchy of positions was a trivial matter.

Besides, Feldway and Zelanus were in a feud. Since Feldway would never forgive Zelanus, it was more
likely that Michael would succeed in persuading him.

Feldway’s intuition whispered to him that Michael would be able to persuade Zelanus. There was
something about him that reminded him of Veldanava, and Zelanus would listen to him.

For this reason, Feldway decided to take a step back.

Feldway’s prediction turned out to be perfectly correct.

Somehow, Michael had succeeded in convincing Zelanus. He even made a deal to grant half of the
world to the insectar as their territory, but that was a small price to pay for Feldway.

If only Veldanava would be restored, Feldway would be satisfied with that.

Thus, a new relationship was established, and more than a thousand years passed.

The plan was working.

Rudra, who controlled Michael, had also been reduced in power by repeated reincarnations.

“How are you doing, Michael-sama?”

«Of course, I’m doing great. More importantly, as I’ve said many times, there’s no need for honorifics
between you and me.»

“Fufufu, that’s good. The fact that you and I are equals is a secret between us. You have to be careful
not to accidentally reveal yourself.”

This was a conversation after the end of the reincarnation.

With this reincarnation, the restriction on Michael’s powers had been greatly lifted. Confirming this,
Feldway was also happy.

Once Rudra’s influence was gone, Michael would be able to exercise his powers to the fullest. What that
meant was the complete control over the Angelic System Ultimate Skill holders.

Velgrynd and the many others who stood in his way would be turned into obedient allies.

That way, even that dreaded demon lord…

«I am not as naive as Rudra. I will use all my powers to finish off Guy Crimson without reservation.
This time, let’s have it out with him.»

Feldway nodded, agreeing.

Rudra was obsessed with the game with Guy, but since he was bound by the rules, there was no way he
could win from the start.

If Rudra had exercised his authority, Michael, to the fullest, it would have been much easier to defeat
Guy.

And yet, Rudra did not do so.

The result was the current chaotic situation.

“If only we could get rid of Rudra, the world would fall into our hands. Then all we have to do is wait
for Veldanava-sama’s return.”

«Indeed. That’s why, Feldway. I have a favor to ask of you.»

“What is it?”

That was unusual, Feldway thought with interest. It was the first time Michael had ever asked a favor of
him.

«I want you to be my vessel.»

It was an offer he had turned down before.

Although they were playing master and servant, they were equal comrades. Feldway thought that it
would be undesirable for him to take the initiative here.

Feldway wondered if he should refuse, but as he listened to Michael’s explanation, he changed his mind.

«At last, I have taken possession of Velgrynd’s ‘Parallel Existence.’ This makes it possible for me to
migrate to you with Rudra’s powers still intact.»

In other words, this meant that Feldway would be able to use the power of the ‘Justice King Michael’
while using Rudra as a decoy as before.

No, there were more advantages than that.

Originally, the Ultimate Skill ‘Justice King Michael,’ with its ‘Castle Guard,’ could only protect the
owner of the skill.
Because loyalty to the Lord of the power was the source of its energy, influencing its followers would
violate the rule that there were no absolutes in this world. That is why the Castle Guard only targeted the
Lord.

Of course, there was also no such expediency that if you did not believe in the Lord, you were not
included in the guard. That is why Rudra could only protect himself. But if Michael became a ‘Parallel
Existence’ and dwelled within Feldway, then Feldway could also be put under the protection of “Castle
Guard.”

Looking ahead, there was another advantage.

After Rudra disappeared, if Feldway became the rightful owner of the ‘Justice King Michael,’ the
greater than ten thousand phantoms under his control would become his source of energy.

Unlike the subjects who believed in Rudra, these had no free will and were absolute followers. H
wouldn’t have to worry about their hearts changing, and he would never be betrayed.

Strength would not be susceptible to changes in the heart of the subjects as it had been up until now, so
there would be no more instability. This would give Feldway an even more solid defense than Rudra’s,
and it was something he would not have even hoped for.

There was no reason for him to refuse Michael’s offer.

There was also the thought that Michael would move into Feldway when Rudra disappeared, whether he
wanted to or not. Feldway decided to convince himself that this would only happen a little sooner.

“In that case, I do not need to be asked. If you promise to keep our relationship the same, I will accept
your proposal.”

«Of course, my friend.»

Then come, my friend.

Thus, Feldway was also inhabited by the ‘Theosophy Nucleus (Manas)’ Michael.

Finally, the day of the decisive battle had arrived.

Rudra was barely able to keep himself together even with his strong mental strength. In spite of this
situation, he decided to play his last match against Guy.

The plan was to eliminate the Demon Lord Rimuru as a front, and add Veldora, one of the True
Dragons, as a pawn.

The plan went well.

Velgrynd was overwhelming, and capturing Veldora seemed to be no problem.

From Feldway’s point of view, it didn’t matter how much damage the Empire caused. Whether or not
there would be an awakened person who could become an Imperial Knight was also no matter of
concern to Feldway.
What was important to Feldway and the others was to get rid of Rudra and to free Michael. Once that
was done, Guy would no longer be an enemy.

That is why Feldway decided to nip the last remaining worry in the bud.

To others, this would be insignificant information. But to Feldway, this was something he could not
ignore.

The ‘Hero Masayuki’ looked exactly like Rudra. What’s more, he was manifesting the ‘Chosen One’
ability that Rudra possessed.

Perhaps it was unlikely, but there was a possibility that Masayuki could be a back-up for Rudra. In order
to eliminate this fear, Feldway took action.

He had no idea that a demon lord named Rimuru, whom he had never even spared a thought, would
disrupt his plans…
 Chapter 1

The Betrayal

Emperor Rudra was replaced by Michael, and Phantom King Feldway had left.

It wasn’t settled, but the feeling took its toll on everyone.

There were still some uncertainties, but for now I wanted to celebrate everyone’s safety.

We would deal with the cleanup and future plans later.

That said, Karion, Frey, and the rest of the group had gone into an evolutionary sleep, so I arranged for
Testarossa to send them off discreetly.

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re tired too—”

“Please do not worry about me. I hope you take your time to relax and regain your strength.”

Although it was a bit embarrassing, I’d accept the kindness for now.

There were other things to think about once everything was settled down, but for now, we’d have a party
to lift our spirits.

I wanted to invite Laplace, but he was already gone when I sent Diablo to pick him up.

In his own way, he was worried about his friends. In that light, there was no need to find and invite him.

Since our agreement to fight together was still in effect, I would help him if he needed it, but for now, I
decided to leave him alone.

With that, I returned to the capital city of Rimuru, where I heard an unexpected report.

A corner of the outskirts of the city had been burned down.

Geld and his men had protected it, so the damage was not as bad as it looked. The fire was prevented
from spreading by destroying the surrounding buildings, so the human casualties were minor.

The fact that there were no fatalities was good news.

However, there was also bad news.

Nevertheless, everything that happened was after the fact. There was no point in panicking now, so I
decided to hide my impatience and listen to the report from Geld.

But Geld was not the only one lined up for the report.
The current location was the banquet hall.

The executives who had played such an active role this time were seated, and Shuna, Haruna-san, and
Gobichi’s subordinates were busy preparing meals for everyone.

I wondered if it would be a good idea to conduct the interview in such a situation, but it had to be done
because of the urgency.

The seat to my right was occupied by Veldora, who still stubbornly refused to leave it, even knowing
that he had no intention of listening.

Veldora’s selfishness was nothing new to me, so I was used to dealing with him. It was easier to leave
him alone rather than to persuade him, so it was best just not to bother.

So, with Veldora is on my right, Benimaru was sitting on my left. Behind me, Shion and Diablo were
standing by, ready to listen to what I had to say.

Aside from Diablo, Shion should have been eating with me, but she insisted that it could wait. It seemed
to violate her self-imposed rule, so I let her do as she liked.

So with that, the important thing was those who were here to report.

Geld was sitting in front of me. And Adalmann sat facing Benimaru, looking uncomfortable.

It seemed that his evolution has succeeded, and the atmosphere around him had changed a little. I would
ask him to report about it later.

In front of Veldora was Ramiris’s seat, and Treyni-san and Beretta were standing behind, looking after
her. Incidentally, it was Charys who was pouring Veldora a drink.

Ramiris herself was engrossed in her meal, disregarding the report.

“Well, I had faith that Master would be fine! When the upper levels of the labyrinth were blown off by
Master’s reckless sister, I thought it might be dangerous, but I had faith that Master would be fine.
That’s why I wasn’t worried about anything from the beginning!”

Ramiris proudly said this and happily drank the juice. Her words are a mixture of lies and truth, but no
one pointed it out.

“Kwaaah-hahaha! Of course. Even if the opponent was my sister, I didn’t have an ounce of trepidation.
Still, although just a tiny bit careless, it’s all the fault of those cowardly interlopers who targeted me and
ruined my victory.”

This guy is just talking nonsense.

Even I had been feeling scared, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Frankly, an evolved
Velgrynd was pretty dangerous. Even if Veldora wanted to beat her, he only had a 50% chance, so he
should refrain from making big statements.

That’s what I thought, but those who were listening were all cheering.

“As expected of Veldora-sama. I have much to learn from you…”

Charys nodded gravely.

“It was a hell of a fight. I thought I had evolved and gotten stronger, but I realized that I am not quite
there yet.”

Benimaru followed suit and said those words from his heart. Veldora seemed to listen with a satisfied
look of triumph.

However, Ramiris’ comment stopped Veldora’s laughter.

“You’re always so careless, Master. But then again, but there’s probably nothing to worry about now!”

“Probably? What are you talking about, Ramiris?”

See? I knew his words couldn’t be true.

Talking too much can sometimes drive you to extremes.

“Because right now, that man—Ah! I’m just relieved that I have my master!”

That man?

Ramiris’ words were very disturbing.

“What? N-No, uh?! I’m invincible, but there may be times when I’m not feeling as well…”

Veldora, realizing what he had done and that he had dug a hole, suddenly began making excuses too.

But I think it’s too late now, so I would just forget about it. This was a common occurrence anyway, so I
just wouldn’t worry about it.

I was more concerned about Vesta-san who was sitting at the edge of the room.

I decided to leave Veldora and the others alone and ask what happened to the rest of the group.

***

Immediately after Rimuru left for the Empire, those who were left behind immediately went into crisis
mode.

The euphoric atmosphere after the celebration, which had remained until a moment ago, disappeared in
an instant.

The same was true for Ramiris and the others who had returned to the innermost part of the labyrinth.

The evolution of the dragon lords under her command had been successfully completed, and Ramiris
was in a good mood. However, when Rimuru and the others were dispatched on an emergency mission,
she felt uneasy.

Ramiris wanted to spend every day happily and felt that the Jura Tempest Federation was a wonderful
utopia that could fulfill her wish.

For Ramiris, who had spent so much time in solitude, and whose loneliness had only been dulled by the
presence of spirits, this place had become an important thing that she never wanted to lose again.
That is why she was afraid of losing it.

As always, Ramiris felt that Rimuru would be fine, but for some reason, she could not shake off the bad
feeling.

That premonition would come true.

Velgrynd, Veldora’s sister, had attacked and destroyed the labyrinth Ramiris was so proud of.

The labyrinth was physically indestructible, but it was the power of the True Dragons who could make
this possible.

When Ramiris saw Velgrynd, she was reminded of ancient memories that she had forgotten.

A long time ago, not long after Ramiris was born, she remembered seeing a rampaging Veldora, much
like the great Veldanava.

As the name “Storm Dragon” implied, Veldora’s main attribute was wind, but it also controlled ‘space’
and ‘water.’ Combined with tremendous amount of magicules second only to Veldanava, Veldora was a
raging storm itself.

It was no exaggeration to say that Veldora, the very incarnate of a natural disaster, was the strongest on
earth. However, his two sisters possessed a power even more transcendent, reaching another level.

Velgrynd, who had control over heat, was of the “Flame” attribute which was the worst match-up with
Veldora’s “Wind” attribute. She could make the difference in the amount of mana worthless, standing
above Veldora with her overwhelming presence.

However, that alone was not bad.

The real threat was Velzard, the eldest sister.

Velzard’s attribute was ice. But its essence was not water, but something else. Velzard used her powers
to hide her attributes so that no one would know.

Ramiris had been told by Veldanava and knew the truth about Velzard.

…No, she once knew.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten it in the course of her many incarnations.

No. It’s not that she had forgotten completely, but it took Ramiris a long time to dig up old memories.

That’s why Ramiris was glad that Velgrynd was the opponent this time. If Velzard had been his enemy,
then Veldora would not have stood a chance.

What Ramiris remembered was the raging Veldora being obliterated by Velzard with a single blow, and
Velzard’s ‘icy cold eyes’ that took it all for granted.

That is why it was Ramiris who was most worried about Veldora at that time.

Ramiris jumped around the room in circles, seemingly unable to calm down.

“Are you alright, Master?”

Such a question was the sign of Ramiris’ anxiety. But at the same time, it was also an expression of care
for Veldora, with the intention of saying that it was okay to run away.

And yet, Veldora responded.

“Don’t worry. You guys just sit there and give witness to my bravery!”

For some reason, revealed a look of seeming relief, as if there was not a hint of unease in his heart. He
left the labyrinth alone, full of confidence.

At this point, Veldora looked very dazzling to Ramiris.

She remembered the way he used to be, and his growth until now struck a chord with her.

After Veldora’s sortie against Velgrynd, Ramiris looked around at the faces of those remaining in the
‘Control Room.’

Charys was left here after being told by Veldora that he was unable to help. But that waws just the way
it was. Charys would be useless against Velgrynd, who had control over heat.

As always, Beretta was the one who remained calm and collected. His usual demeanor calmed Ramiris
down.

Those who had been transformed into dryas doll dryads by Rimuru’s hands were also under Beretta’s
command as operators. There were now twenty-four of them. Since Rimuru had evolved them in his
spare time, they had all become excellent labyrinth keepers.

Treyni and her sisters Trya and Triss were also there. They were watching over Ramiris with their usual
calm expressions.

The rest of the group, in addition to Vesta and Dino, were recent additions to the research staff.

They were Shinji Tanimura, Mark Lauren, and Xin Liuxing, along with their two apprentice assistants,
Lucius, and Raymond.

These five were treated as Gadra’s subordinates when the labyrinth entered the war. However, now that
Gadra was away, they were helping Ramiris as her assistants in the “Control Room.”

Everyone was looking back at Ramiris with concern.

So Ramiris shouted out cheerfully.

“Really! I’m not worried at all. Master is definitely going to win. If he loses, Rimuru will take care of
everything, I’m sure of it. Besides, Master is invincible as long as you don’t overlook him!”

With those words, Ramiris calmed herself down. Veldora and Rimuru would surely bring back their
peaceful life, she thought.

The anxiety was lifted from the scene, but the incident occurred shortly thereafter.

“Warning! There’s an intruder!”

Alpha, the chief operator, shouted loudly.

Hearing this, everyone switched their minds and went into their battle stances.

“Display it on the monitor!”

As soon as Beretta’s order was given, the screen split to show the scene of the invasion.

Seeing a figure standing there, Ramiris couldn’t help but yelp.

“Wait, isn’t that an angel?! It’s incarnated and transformed, but it’s also giving off a foreign dangerous
feeling!”

In fact, the intruders were very foreign indeed.

The pure white clothes were covered with mythical equipment that emitted a black and gold glow, and
the long black hair also carried a glow like fragmented starlight, which further highlighted the beauty of
this person.

On her back, three pairs of six pure white wings fluttered, drawing attention to her even more.

“Estimated amount of energy, here it comes! This…This is…”

Alpha was stammering.

“What’s wrong? Report quickly.”

Alpha regained his composure when Treyni rushed him.

“The first one has an existence value of over three million. The next five have been measured at between
400,000 and 700,000 each.”

Alpha’s statement succeeded in freezing the Control Room.

It was the hidden purpose of the labyrinth to quantify the ‘level’ of lifeforms and construct relevant
databases. The main idea was to help with crisis management by accumulating the necessary
information about the battles within the maze as they were displayed on the screen.

The numerical representation that was common to the entire process was called the “existence value.”

It was a numerical value of magicule quantity and physical ability, plus the energy content contained in
the equipped armor, however, it was different from actual combat ability.

Since it is impossible to completely measure a person’s ability or level of skill, it should be considered
only as a reference, but it was still useful.

If used properly, the operation was expected to strengthen the defense of the labyrinth. For example,
dispatching people of similar level to deal with an enemy based on their existence value, or roughly
guessing what level of combat skill the enemy was based on their existence value.

However, this system was still in the trial stage, and it was difficult to say that we had accumulated
enough data.

In this world, there were fierce players such as Hakurou, whose existence value was only about 60,000,
but could overwhelm strong enemies with existence values several times higher than his own.
Gobta was a particular anomaly, who had an existence value of less than 20,000, the weakest class in the
A rank, yet was still stronger than Gozer and Mezer with existence values around 130,000.

Since there were many such cases, it had become common sense that an existence value was only a
general reference.

………
……
…

By the way, in Tempest, existence values are also associated with the Freedom Association hierarchy.

Less than 1,000 is E Class.

D Class is from 1,000 to less than 3,000.

C Class is from 3,000 to less than 6,000.

B Class is from 6,000 to less than 8,000.

B-plus Class is from 8,000 to less than 9,000.

A-minus Class is from 9,000 to less than 10,000.

From here, there is a huge high wall, and if one can surpass it, they would join the first-class ranks (Over
A rank).

An existence value of over 10,000 is A Class, which is considered Hazard-class.

More than 100,000 is judged to be Special A Class, which is considered Calamity-class.

For those who have obtained the Demon Lord Seed, the minimum value is 200,000. Rimuru’s feeling is
that Clayman and Frey, before their pseudo-awakening, would have had an existence value of around
400,000.

Judging from that, the Disaster-class, which is equivalent to S Class, was defined as having an existence
value greater than 400,000. The S Class in Tempest does not refer to demon lords. After all, there is a
large number of executives with strength equivalent to the old demon lords, so for the sake of
convenience and understanding, all of the people at this level were defined as S Class.

From here on out, the standards are only used in the Jura Tempest Federation.

The Catastrophe class is a designation limited to “true dragon species” and Guy, so the Jura Tempest
Federation uses the Special S Class to define the other awakened transcendents.

The pseudo-awakened Clayman was said to have had an unstable amount of magicules, but since
Rimuru had once remarked that ‘he was about 700,000 to 800,000, right?’ having an existence value of
800,000 or more was defined as Special S Class, according to Rimuru’s statement. Furthermore, because
some of them had existence values exceeding one million, it was decided that they would be called the
‘Million-class’ for ease of understanding.

As a special mention for reference, the existence value of an archdemon is only 140,000 no matter who
summons it. It is a uniform number, as if there is a fixed upper limit.
Even Testarossa and the others were recorded to have had an initial existence value of 140,000. There
was no way to confirm whether this was true or not, but Ramiris and the others had no doubt.

………
……
…

“No way, I didn’t expect it to be a Super Awakened (million-class)— it’s a seraph anyway…”

Ramiris was in a state of shock and had involuntarily stopped halfway through her sentence.

Beretta nodded in return, and then went on to explain.

“The highest angel is trouble, huh? That’s nasty. And even the followers are S-class. With the Floor
Guardians still asleep, it may be a bit difficult to intercept them.”

“B-But, we have to do something.”

Ramiris replied hurriedly. As if to calm her down, Treyni softly smiled and responded.

“That is true, Ramiris-sama. So that is why, allow me to go out and meet the enemy.”

Trya and Triss stood up to follow her.

“Of course, I will go with you.”

“Sister, I’m coming with you too!”

Ramiris heard this, but instead of calming down, she started to panic even more.

“Hey, wait a minute! You’ve gotten stronger, but you still lose to them numerically!”

“Ufufu, no problem. Existence values are just a rough estimate, so let’s take this opportunity to prove
the strength of Ramiris-sama’s followers to everyone.”

Trya and Triss nodded vigorously in agreement.

Ramiris wanted to stop her, but she had no other choice. However, she felt that the idea of putting only
her beloved Treyni sisters in danger was unacceptable.

“It’s still wrong! Rimuru and Master said that we should only fight battles we can win.”

She could manipulate the labyrinth to buy more time. Hopefully, things would get better
somehow…Ramiris was on the verge of escaping reality.

Charys admonished her in a dissuading manner.

“Ramiris-sama, I’m afraid you’ll have much difficulty stalling for time. We cannot let them get close to
the level where the Guardians are sleeping, and if we leave them there, they might destroy the important
facilities. Therefore, I think we should intercept them. I will also go out myself, and I’d like your
permission to do so.”

Now that Veldora was gone, Charys was the strongest person in this place. That is why he decided that
he must do something about it.
“Beretta-dono, I will leave you in charge of protecting Ramiris-sama.”

“Understood. Leave Ramiris-sama to me.”

Beretta did not need to be told that. If the Treyni sisters were to go out, he believed that he was the only
one who could protect Ramiris.

Alpha and the others did the same. Everyone in the room stood up at once and swore to protect Ramiris.

Not to be outdone, Shinji and the others also shouted.

“We’ll do our best, too!”

“Oh, yes. Since we’ve been taken care of here, we need to return the favor.”

“Agreed. We even have the Resurrection Bracelet, so we’ll do our best even if we die.”

“That’s right. We Imperial soldiers should have been killed a long time ago, and now we have the
chance to prove ourselves.”

“Indeed. Otherwise, Master Gadra will be angry with me.”

The air in the Control Room relaxed as the five men began chatting lightly in the face of such a
formidable opponent.

Ramiris also took a deep breath and showed a big smile.

“If that’s the case, then do it with all your might! Even if you die, you can come back to life with me, so
there’s no need to spare anything! I’ll send dragon lord-chan and the others to you, so make sure you
win!”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Then, they quickly moved into action, following their
assigned roles.

The intruder Ramiris and the others had sensed was Zalario, the chief subordinate of Phantom King
Feldway’s men.

Zalario was a former seraph, but like the other two, he reigned over the phantoms as one of the “Three
Phantom Commanders.” Each of them was a Marshal who led a powerful army, and would not normally
be in a position to stand on the front lines.

This time, however, Feldway had given him an absolute order. Take advantage of the good opportunity
of the labyrinth’s destruction by Velgrynd, and make sure to wipe out the target.

Feldway had told him what would happen to the Imperial troops who attacked the labyrinth. Zalario had
decided that weak soldiers would only be a hindrance, and had come himself.

Accompanying him were five generals.

Because they were originally high-ranking angels, such as cherubs and thrones, they had acquired a
magicule amount comparable to that of demon lords by becoming phantoms.
In comparison, their bodies were more vulnerable, but this was not a problem in the labyrinth
environment. Because the diffusion of mana was suppressed, they would be able to show their full
potential.

So now, Zalario was walking in the labyrinth, but of course, he was interrupted.
As soon as he found the stairs and walked down to the basement, he could feel the space shifting.
Zalario and his group looked at the situation without panicking. What appeared in front of their eyes was
an empty, limited space.

In the center of the space, they saw eight figures.

“Fufufu, it seems that some have come to welcome us. We mustn’t lose our manners. Give your
greetings.”

Zalario’s words were met with silent nods from the generals under his command.

The two groups gradually drew closer, eventually stopping short of a face-to-face confrontation.

Treyni was the first to step forward.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Ramiris-sama, the master of this labyrinth, I, Treyni, and
Charys here, would like to welcome you. I know we did not invite you here, so may I ask who you are
and what your purpose is?”

Treyni spoke with a smile, but her eyes were not smiling at all. She was on the alert, ready to respond to
anything that might happen.

Treyni had already been strengthened to the utmost before coming here. She had the current summoning
power of the Spirit King of the Wind within her, and had made it her own. Even when she fought
Laplace in a long battle, she had only possessed a higher spirit, Sylphid, at the time. Considering that,
Treyni had been showing her depth from the very beginning.

The amount of magicules in the Spirit King is about one million in terms of existence value. Boarding
such a huge amount of power in her body would impose a huge burden on Treyni, whose existence
value was only 600,000. However, this was the labyrinth, and even if you died, you could be
resurrected. She could challenge her opponent with all her might without worrying about the burden on
her body.

Charys, who was standing one step behind Treyni, had no qualms about this. Even if his opponent had
more than twice the amount of magicules than he did, he would not be intimidated by it.

This was because Charys had always trained for battle against the overwhelming presence of Veldora.

There were some instances in this world where people like Gobta could defeat opponents who had
several times their own power. Not to mention the fact that he now had reliable company, so Charys had
no doubts of his victory.

The dragon lords were the same.

Rimuru had given them names as a reward, and they had evolved into Ramiris’ loyal servants.
Their power was equivalent to 700,000 in existence value. With further experience, they would
undoubtedly be able to reach the Special S class, and in fact, rather than fear, they were itching to test
their strength.

Trya and Triss had also completed the ‘identification’ with Sylphid, the Maiden of the Wind. Trya was
to work with the dragon lords against the enemy behind Zalario, while Triss was to cover Treyni and
Charys.

Although Beretta had an existence value of about 400,000, his combat skills were outstanding. He was a
perfect fighting force, however, he had to stay as Ramiris’ guard. Therefore, this was the strongest
lineup that the labyrinth could send out at the moment.

If this group was defeated…At that time, Rigurd, Gobta, and the rest of the residual groups would have
to fight an all-out battle. They were still gathering forces for the next level, so someone needed to buy
some time for that alone.

Of course, none of them had any intention of losing.

“This is a surprise. From what I’ve heard, there is not much battle power left in the labyrinth. I never
thought that I’d see such a powerful people. Interesting. Very amusing—Oops, I didn’t introduce
myself. My name is Zalario. I am one of the Three Phantom Commanders of Phantom King Feldway-
sama. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Zalario folded gracefully at the waist and bowed. His movements were refined and sophisticated, as if he
were a famous actor on stage.

However, the words that came out of his mouth were not heartfelt. His attitude was one of
condescension and disregard for Treyni and the others. He was using such an attitude to look down on
them, not taking the Maze members into consideration at all. His true thoughts were simply too obvious.

Treyni was annoyed by this, but she was not foolish enough to get upset here. Having made a mistake
against Laplace, she tried to keep her cool and continue the conversation.

“I see, so you are Zalario-sama of the Three Phantom Commanders. With all due respect, I have never
heard of you.”

Treyni spoke with a bit of provocation, and Zalario gave her a generous smile.

“That’s right. Although we are well known in other worlds, we have long since left this one. I suppose
we are now foreigners to this world.”

“Foreigners, you say?”

“Yes. So we are not going to seek any satisfaction in that regard.”

“……”

“By the way, you asked us why we were here, correct? Of course, I’ll tell you as it would save us a lot
of work if we could get your help.”

“That depends on the content.”

“All right. Our goal is to eliminate the boy, Masayuki Honjou. If you give him to me without hiding
him, I will withdraw.”
Zalario’s gentle good looks gave way to a soft, feminine voice as he announced his intention to kill
Masayuki.

There was no one who would nod their heads in agreement.

Because Masayuki was Rimuru’s friend and an irreplaceable companion of Treyni and the others.

“How funny. I am sorry to say that negotiations are over.”

“I see. I am very sorry to hear that.”

Zalario laughed, making no effort to hide the fact that he was not at all disappointed. And in the next
moment, the battle suddenly began.

Treyni kicked off the ground and flew through the air, and from the sky, countless invisible blades flew
at Zalario. This was Treyni’s unavoidable special move, the Invisible Blade.

This Invisible Blade was not just a rupture due to air compression. It was a spatial attribute and had the
power to cut off even dimensions.

Since it could be performed invisibly and without any preliminary movements, one could understand
how dangerous Treyni had become. However, this time, the opponent was very strong.
No—he was overpowering.

Zalario didn’t move an inch from his spot. It wasn’t that he was unaware of the blade and couldn’t react,
it was that he simply did not need to evade.

The moment the invisible blade seemed to cut Zalario, the blade disappeared. There was a distortion in
space that covered the surface of Zalario’s body.

A technique that was very similar to this phenomenon was registered in the Maze’s database. It was the
Distortion Field, that Zegion specialized in. It was a technique of absolute defense that nullified all kinds
of attribute attacks and even spatial disruptions.

“What?!”

“The same technique as Zegion-dono. That’s really troublesome.”

“Oh? Then you’re saying that there is someone here who can use space distortion defense (Distortion
Field). Zegion, was it? Well then, I had heard that all the top brass in this country had been shut down,
but I guess that was a terrible misinformation…”

Despite his tone, Zalario’s expression was unperturbed.

It couldn’t have been clearer that he hadn’t shown any of his true ability, and he seemed to be enjoying
himself.

Treyni’s expression was also stern because of this. Immediately, she exchanged glances with Charys and
changed her plan. Instead of forcing Zalario to defeat, she decided to focus on buying time.
In fact, the five generals that Zalario had brought with him were having a difficult time in the face of the
labyrinthine forces. This was the result of the dragon lords, who had been constantly training for battle,
demonstrating their abilities to the fullest.

In addition, since their home ground in the labyrinth was the battlefield, the labyrinthine forces were as
good as immortal. Because of this, they were able to fight beyond their limits, and play a one-sided
game against those of equal ability.

We can win at this rate, Treyni thought.

Zalario was a threat, but the others would soon be eliminated. If they all kept up this momentum, they
would be able to defeat the Distortion Field defense if everyone joined forces.

Worst case scenario, they could wait for Zalario to wear out.

That’s right. As long as we can drive him back, we will have achieved our victory condition. There is no
need to push things. And yet…why is he still acting so calm…?

Even though their side should definitely have the advantage, Treyni could not shake her uneasiness.

The reason for this was Zalario’s consistent attitude of unconcern.

A wise man would not misread the current war situation. Moreover, Zalario had announced himself as a
general of the army.

Common sense dictated that a man who could lead demon lord-level subordinates would not make such
a rudimentary error in judgment.

This man’s goal is to eliminate the Hero Masayuki, right?—No way?!

If he wanted to kill Masayuki alone, it would be easier to assassinate him. The existence value of
Zalario’s presence was so high that the possibility had been overlooked.

“Ramiris-sama! Are you aware of Masayuki-dono’s location?”

“What, out of the blue? Of course I’m aware of it.”

Treyni inquired to Ramiris on the ‘Telepathy Net.’

Ramiris, on the other hand, was not sitting idly by watching the battle. The intruders were a big
problem, but the more pressing issue was the evacuation of the city residents.

Now that Veldora was on the move, the urban areas that were being forcibly isolated were not safe. If
Veldora was defeated, the urban areas would automatically return to their natural state.

This was unavoidable as Ramiris’ power alone could not maintain the current status. That was why it
was necessary to evacuate the inhabitants before that could happen.

Fortunately, the 95th floor, which was now the 100th floor, had enough open space to deploy an army. It
was not possible to admit civilians into the research facility, but it was possible to accept all of the
residents of the town.

When Beretta pointed this out, Ramiris was in a panic to take action.

“Please check on his safety immediately!”

“They are the only intruders, so I think you’re worrying too much…”

Despite the fact that she was busy too, Ramiris complied with Treyni’s request.

As a result, Masayuki was safe, just as Ramiris had expected.

“Well, he’s fine after all. He’s in the city now, helping to evacuate the people in the city.”

As Ramiris said, Masayuki was helping to calm down the people in the city. If Masayuki hadn’t been
there, there would have been a panic that could have delayed the evacuation. It was at times like this that
Masayuki’s skill really came into its own.

There was no sign of fighting, and the situation was peaceful.

In the first place, the labyrinth was under Ramiris’ control, so anything that happened was immediately
made obvious. When she told her that, Treyni finally showed a sign of relief.

“I see, then I can rest assured…”

But even so, she still felt unconvinced.

“Does it bother you?”

“Yes, if the enemy is trying to assassinate Masayuki-dono, there is a chance that the evacuees c could
get caught up in it.”

Treyni thought to herself that perhaps she was overthinking things.

But even so, an alarm was going off somewhere in her mind saying that she should be careful.

“I understand! If Treyni-chan is so insistent, then Masayuki and the others will go to the 70th floor!”

Upon hearing this, Treyni was satisfied.

As of now, there were remnants of the Imperial Army in the 70th levels. Even if the assassins showed up,
they would buy them some time.

“You can rest easy then, right?”

“That’s right!”

Thus, Masayuki went to the 70th floor.

***

The people here are too good at ordering others around… Masayuki let out a deep sigh.

Everyone in this country, including Rimuru, had the tendency to act on the spur of the moment to their
own initiative. Leaving it at that, Masayuki really wished that the guys in the upper echelons would
think more about others’ positions, and act more cautiously.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

“Why can’t you be more concerned about me like Shuna-san?”

What unintentionally leaked out of his mouth were his true feelings.

If a beautiful and innocent girl like Shuna had asked him to do so, Masayuki would have had no
complaints. That was why he was willing to help with the evacuation…But Ramiris interrupted him.

“I want you to head for the 70th floor immediately!”

Ramiris ordered him to do so with indefensible momentum.

Masayuki was not pleased.

But then again, Ramiris was a powerful being.

Not only did she have Veldora’s backing, but she was one of the people who knew Masayuki’s secret.
No matter what he said, there was no way he could defy her.

“Give it up. I don’t think Ramiris-sama has any bad intentions; she just can’t afford it. It’s clearly an
emergency situation, after all. They’ve even sent out Veldora-sama.”

A young man walking next to Masayuki responded.

He had snake-shaped earrings on his ears.

A rugged wristwatch and a ring of skulls on his finger were worn.

He wore a leather jacket with thorns over a poisonous purple shirt, adorned with jangly accessories such
as a spiked collar around his neck. His long pants with a flap skirt were made of shiny black leather
along with his boots with black soles.

In simpler terms, this was what one called punk fashion. It was the kind of thing Masayuki was not fond
of.

Yet, strangely enough, Masayuki and he had hit it off surprisingly well.

Perhaps the reason for this was that the young man was also a struggling laborer.

The young man’s name was Venom, and he always seemed to be bossed around by his superior into all
sorts of unreasonable situations. The fact that Venom’s behavior was similar to his own made Masayuki
feel closer to him.

According to Venom, ‘I have no human rights.’

Venom’s boss had ordered him to protect Masayuki, and now they were working together.

It felt too awkward to meet Jiwu and Bernie2, and he had also broken up with Jinrai.

As a mere imposter, he could not protect Jinrai with his bluffs, so Masayuki had said goodbye to him
himself.

2
Previously called Jiu and Bonnie.
“If you need me, you can always call on me! In the meantime, I’ll be working at the guild in this country
to keep my skills sharp.”

After saying that, Jinrai accepted Masayuki’s proposal, and became a guild employee of Tempest,
helping Masayuki behind the scenes.

It was sad to see him go, but he was also relieved. Now he didn’t have to lie to his friends, and his guilt
was gone.

Then, Venom appeared in front of Masayuki, who was now alone.

Venom knew that Masayuki was weak. That’s why he was there to protect him, and despite his
appearance, he was willing to listen to what Masayuki had to say.

He also offered to help Masayuki so that his reputation would not be damaged.

This was also in line with Rimuru’s intentions, so Masayuki did not hesitate to take advantage of it.

The two of them had now become good friends.

“Look, I know it’s an emergency. If that’s the case, then why do they want to separate me, the Hero,
from the rest of the town?”

“No, you’re weak. If the enemy really attacked, you wouldn’t be able to do anything, right?”

“I know, I know, but…But it’s not right! The anxious look in everyone’s eyes is cutting into my
heart…”

‘Please don’t go’—even if they didn’t say it directly, Masayuki could understand what the residents
wanted.

That was why Masayuki was getting frustrated with Ramiris’ order.

But from Venom’s point of view, it was a different story.

When asking which side was safer, the 70th floor was definitely better than the 100th. Not only were
there a significant number of Imperial Army members there, but there were also the Surmounters on the
70th floor research facility.

Although the Surmounters were mainly in charge of protecting the children, he thought that they would
be able to protect Masayuki as well once he got there.

What mattered most to Venom was the mission that Diablo had given him. He had to protect Masayuki
with his life.

“Well, it is reassuring to have you around, but well, the evacuation has already been completed to some
extent, and the defense of the 100th floor is perfect.”

In fact, against an enemy that could penetrate this far, one would need to be a Floor Guardian class. The
60th floor was currently unprotected due to the absence of Gadra and Shinji’s retreat, so the 70th floor
was now the first line of defense.

“That means I’m in danger, right?!”

That’s how it seemed, Venom nodded.

“That’s right, but don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll take full responsibility for protecting you.”

“Well then, I’m counting on you.”

Masayuki was actually slightly aware of his current situation. The fact that he had been moved to the
front line in this situation suggested that there were enemies who were targeting him.

If it wasn’t for that, Ramiris would not have risked exposing Masayuki, who was completely devoid of
any combat ability, to danger.

Masayuki also possessed the Resurrection Bracelet, which allowed him to revive even if he died inside
the labyrinth. Therefore, Ramiris could have no hesitation in using Masayuki as a decoy.

“I guess that’s it. Besides, this was probably because she didn’t want to involve the other residents. She
also doesn’t want to risk them finding out you’re weak, so it’s better to just go along with it.”

“That’s right. I understand that, but I have my own problems as well…”

On the 70th floor, there was Jiwu and Bernie. For Masayuki, the awkwardness of the possibility of
meeting them was more of a problem.

“I don’t know much about those two, but if they were on a mission, don’t blame them too much. I’m
sure they didn’t mean everything they said when they tried to kill you. Unlike monsters, humans are
complicated. That’s why humans are good toys for demons.”

As he stared at Venom, who was smiling at him, Masayuki thought, ‘It’s not that simple.’ However, as
Venom said, it was difficult to know the true feelings of people, and it was true that he could not hold a
grudge against Jiwu or Bernie.

If that was the case, it wasn’t worth worrying about.

Upon arriving at the 70th floor and seeing the construction site where the Imperial Army was stationed,
Masayuki had finally made up his mind.

“Please don’t ever use me as a toy.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Masayuki switched his mood and spoke casually to his friend, Venom.

Sensing the change in mood, Venom smirked at him. It was his mission to protect Masayuki, but Venom
himself was also fond of Masayuki.
Deep down, Venom respected Masayuki because they were both overworked people and because he
possessed a strong will that endured despite his weaknesses, and even when he was driven by
unchangeable circumstances.

Venom was also proud of his rebellious spirit, but for some reason, he felt that he was not as good as
Masayuki.

That’s why Venom tried to reply with good intentions…

“Hahaha! That depends on how you do—huh?!”

Facing the sudden presence, Venom stood in front of Masayuki to protect him.

“Who are you, bastard?”

“Damn, you got in my way. I clearly had perfect timing, but my unaccustomed body was slow to react.”

The man ignored Venom and glared at Masayuki with a look of annoyance. In the face of this clearly
foreign presence, Masayuki could not hide his agitation.

Masayuki, who had been completely unaware of the presence before, now felt overwhelmed by his aura.

On his back, three pairs into six pure white wings were fluttering, emphasizing his fearless physical. His
well-developed muscles peeked out from his wide, pure white garments.

What was most striking of all were his eyes which were like those of fierce predator, fierce and
unapproachable, with a terrible, ghastly light in its eyes.

“Don’t ignore me!”

While shouting this, Venom unleashed an upper roundhouse kick.

It was a clean, conventional kick that struck the enemy in the side of the head as if it had been drawn in,
and yet…

Masayuki was stunned.

To his surprise, the man took Venom’s kick completely unprotected. It wasn’t that he couldn’t react, it
was just that he found it unnecessary.

“Hmph, just a worm that doesn’t even have any survival value. You’re a part of those evil demons that
have been standing in our way since ancient times. You have been very disrespectful to me, Cornu-
sama, one of the Three Phantom Commanders! Know your place, and die!!”

The one who called himself Cornu held out his hand casually towards Venom. In the next instant, a
compressed mana bullet was unleashed, piercing Venom with an unavoidable speed.

Masayuki was distracted by strange things, such as the fact that this person referred to himself with
‘Sama,’ but he rushed over to Venom to take care of him.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

Venom was still alive.

He had reacted just in time and managed to deflect the mana bullet with his left arm.
But even so, the damage was extensive. Venom’s left arm was gone, and there was a huge hole in his
left side.

“…How can it be okay? It’s hard to believe, and I hate to admit it, but that bastard looks a hell of a lot
stronger than me. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely protect you.”

With that said, Venom stood up without a care in the world.

He wasn’t unharmed, but he was not out of the fight either.

“Well, that’s one stubborn worm. I should be the one to kill the boy while Zalario acts as a decoy. This
is why I hate fools; they resist in vain.”

Seeing Cornu lamenting this, Masayuki felt like complaining to him.

He had no idea why he had to be killed. Besides, he felt responsible for the damage he had caused to
Venom.

“Venom…”

“I knew it. That invading bastard is after Masayuki.”

“You knew all along?”

“When Ramiris-sama contacted me, I knew it was a possibility. Well, don’t worry. I may not be able to
beat the bastard, but I can buy you some time.”

“But—”

“I guess the only reason he hasn’t killed you is because of that bracelet. If he kills you here, you’ll be
resurrected somewhere else. He’ll be wary of that, and will want to get you out of the labyrinth. That’s
why I don’t think he’s going to launch an attack that would involve you in any way!”

Venom spoke fearlessly.

And his prediction was right on the money.

Masayuki had set the save point for his resurrection in the Control Room. He did not want anyone to see
it, but it was reassuring in this situation.

Cornu, on the other hand, was annoyed that his plan had been discovered.

Cornu had his reasons for not making any more mistakes.

The reason goes back several decades. In a mission to invade another world, Cornu had failed when he
was one step away from success. It is unclear what had happened, but a scorching fire had consumed the
army he had been leading.

As a result, Cornu was left without a single subordinate despite being one of the “Three Phantom
Commanders.” Although the wounds of that time had healed, Cornu’s psyche was still burdened with an
unshakeable sorrow.

Therefore, despite his overwhelmingly superior position, Cornu had always shown an attitude of defeat.
And unfortunately, his adversary was not one to let that slide.
“I’ll admit it. If this were not the labyrinth of Ramiris, I would not have had to step in at all. Burying
you would be no trouble at all as you’ll die anyway, but I shall give you despair first. Let me show you
my true power as you depart for the afterlife!”

Cornu was not a fool who would let his guard down at this point.

He saw that Venom was not a simple opponent, and decided to do everything in his power to deal with
whatever might happen.

Cornu was wearing a shimmering black and gold outfit, which, like Zalario’s, was the highest-grade
mythical garments given only to the “Three Phantom Commanders.”

Against the fully armed Cornu, there was nothing that Venom could do. All means of attack were
ineffective, and he could only wait for a mocking defeat.

“Che, damn it!”

Venom frowned at the hopeless difference in battle power.

It would be useless to try to escape, and if he was eliminated, Masayuki would be taken away and
disposed of. Even if Venom could be resurrected again in the labyrinth, only Diablo’s purge would be
awaiting him if he couldn’t protect Masayuki.

‘I’m screwed,’ Venom thought, very much wanting to cry.

There was only one move left. To kill Masayuki with his own hands and send him back to a safe place.

“There’s no other way…”

The very moment Venom was about to make that decision…

“You seem to be in trouble. Can we help?”

Two men appeared to protect Masayuki.

“You are…Minits-san?! And also Calgurio-san!”

The timid Masayuki remembered the two men he had met several times. He also remembered how
nervous he had been at the mere mention of these big shot imperial dignitaries, fearing that he would be
rude.

“Masayuki-dono, please just call me Minits. I feel uncomfortable being addressed as ‘-san’ by you, who
has the same face as His Majesty.”

“B-But…”

“Hahaha, I agree with Minits. When I’m confronted with Masayuki-dono, I get all worked up. It’s as if
His Majesty is looking at me, and it gives me more strength than usual!”

The dandyish Minits and the stern Calgurio, his left eye covered by an eye patch, smiled so as to
reassure Masayuki.

“Venom-kun, right? Leave the support to us.”

With that said, Minits turned his gaze to Cornu. Then, an invisible force field was generated, slowing
Cornu’s movement.

It was the effect of the Unique Skill ‘Oppressor’ that should have been lost from Minits.

“Minits, didn’t you lose your power?”

“Yes, I did. But since it was once available, it’s easy to obtain it again a second time, right?”

Calgurio couldn’t help but chuckle at Minits’ nonchalant reply.

“I envy you. I’ve lost my sense of omnipotence. However, it’s still pretty easy for me to store magicules
in my emptied body.”

As if to prove his words, Calgurio strength began to swell. He quickly surpassed his limit into a rampant
state, and his mucous membranes began to bleed. If left untreated, it would be fatal, but that didn’t
matter in this labyrinth. He was equipped with an unlimited number of Resurrection Bracelets that he
procured from somewhere, so he didn’t care about the effects on his body.

“You’re exaggerating too much.”

“If I can’t do this much, I won’t be able to show my face to the dead.”

Because of the two men’s participation, Venom saw hope in the situation.

In addition, several men came and offered to help Venom.

At first glance, Venom recognized the men and accepted without hesitation.

“That would be a big help. Don’t even think about how to take him down, just try holding him back!”

“Got it!”

“Things seem to be getting interesting.”

“Now that “I” am here, we’re safe. Just leave it all to ME!”

The three of them were Surmounters who had come out of personal curiosity.

“I’ll give the orders. So let’s move, people!”

For some reason, Calgurio began calling the shots, and no one objected.

After receiving the help of five people, Venom, in a supported state, began an offensive against Cornu.

“You little worms! Don’t get carried away!”

Cornu was furious, but he didn’t lose his cool. While controlling the strength of his strikes to prevent
Masayuki from escaping, he began to move in order to eliminate the enemy one by one.

Surprisingly, however, the impromptu team worked well together. Taking advantage of Cornu’s
inability to use large-scale destructive attacks and the Surmounter’s invulnerability, Calgurio devised a
plan that would cause the least amount of damage.
The six of them, including Venom, made up for the hopeless disparity in their abilities with tact and
courage, and succeeded in buying time by following one another.

Then, taking advantage of the opportunity,

“Masayuki, this way!”

“Hurry up and get out of here. As long as you get to the research facility, you can get to the other levels,
right?”

It was Bernie and Jiwu who called out to Masayuki.

“Ah, y-you guys!”

“I’m sorry. I would love to apologize properly, but I guess now is not the time. In any case, you should
follow me.”

“Huh? W-Wait, wait. What’s Jiwu going to do?”

Apparently, Bernie intended to be Masayuki’s bodyguard, but Jiwu hadn’t moved from her spot and was
casting some kind of magic spell.

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry about me. I will disguise myself and pretend to be Masayuki to confuse
him.”

The one who turned around was Jiwu, who had transformed and now looked exactly like Masayuki.

“Hurry up. It looks like he is refraining from attacking you, so Jiwu’s plan should be able to get around
him. We’ll take that opportunity to escape.”

Apparently, that was part of the strategy they had come up with before getting here. Those who had
rushed to support Masayuki were standing around so that Cornu could not see the moment Jiwu
transformed into Masayuki.

Although Masayuki was hesitant, it only lasted for a moment.

“I understand. I’ll only drag everyone down if I stay anyway.”

He could only reluctantly agree to the plan.

***

The Control Room was in chaos.

The enemy that had suddenly appeared was far more troublesome than they had expected.

“Hey, have you been able to measure the existence value of the guy who is aiming for Masayuki?”

“Got it! It was roughly 1.8 million—but that ballooned up to 2.8 million after being equipped with
mythical grade equipment!”

“What—that’s foul!”
Alpha’s report made Ramiris very upset, but complaining alone would not help, so all she could do now
was think desperately about countermeasures.

“It is said that mythical-grade equipment lends its power to those it recognizes as its master. In Albert-
dono’s case, his existence value was more than doubled, but even with that, it seems that he still hasn’t
fully brought out its true potential.”

Ramiris agreed with Beretta’s analysis.

After equipping the mythical grade equipment, Albert had become the equivalent of an incarnated
spiritual lifeform, and according to the data measured at that time, his existence value had increased
from 180,000 to over 400,000. This alone was already quite powerful, but it seemed that the mythical
grade equipment still had a considerable amount of potential left in them. Albert had since gone into an
evolutionary sleep, and there was very much to be expected for when he woke up.

Once that happened, it would make one wonder just dangerous Kurobee was now that he would have
grown enough to create mythical-grade equipment…But now was not the time to consider that.

Mythical-grade equipment, while rare and wonderful, was only a threat in the hands of the enemy.

“What are we going to do?! Even with Treyni-chan and Charys, we’re being pushed back by that Zalario
guy! And besides, Venom and the others are no match for that Cornu guy…”

Ramiris’ concern was understandable.

Venom had evolved into a demon peer, and his existence value had risen to 400,000. However, for the
others, the leader of the Surmounters was at 300,000 while the remaining two were at 200,000.

As for the remnants of the Imperial Army, Minits and Calgurio had lost most of their power, and now
had existence values of less than 10,000. They were not expected to be a force to be reckoned with, and
one could even praise them for their willingness to participate in this battle.

However, for some reason, those two were very lively.

Minits, strangely enough, was making full use of his lost Unique Skill ‘Oppressor.’ The fact that he was
wearing a stylish suit despite being a prisoner of war was also inexplicable, giving Ramiris the illusion
that he was even more capable than Venom.

And Calgurio, for some reason, had been increasing his existence value since a while ago, and had now
reached 400,000. Although the rate of increase had decreased, it was still rising, which was
incomprehensible.

It was a very interesting phenomenon.

But unfortunately, now was not the time to pursue these matters. Swallowing her frustration at having so
many things on her mind, Ramiris forcefully pressed back the unanalyzable displeasure and gave the
orders.

“Ahhh, even if you guys die, I’ll bring you back to life with my power! So feel free to use everything
available. The main problem is Masayuki.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if he dies, he’ll just be sent here, but if he’s taken away, then that’s it, right? So I think it’s safer
to evacuate him.”
“I see.”

“About that, Bernie and the others are trying to get him out.”

Ramiris let out an ‘ooh-oh’ in exclamation.

She was impressed by the fact that Bernie and the others had come to the same conclusion as herself,
and that they had started to act before they had even received instructions to do so.

In the first place, Masayuki was a chicken-hearted person who would never be able to commit suicide.
Even in the event of an emergency, it was unlikely that he would be able to escape by killing himself.

On the other hand, if Bernie was going to accompany him, she could rest assured.

“Contact Bernie! Tell him to set their escape destination to here. And, as I’m sure you’re aware, if
something goes wrong, just do what you must do!”

“Understood.”

Following Ramiris’ instructions, Alpha immediately sent out the ‘Telepathy Net.’ The encryption
process was flawless, and the command was sent to Bernie without any time lag.

After confirming that, Ramiris finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, I think that’s about all we can do,” she said.

The large monitoring screen was divided into sections, showing the battle statuses of each location. No
matter the location, their companions were struggling, and the situation was not good.

“We’re really useless without Rimuru.”

“The timing was terrible. If the guardians had been awake, we wouldn’t have been at such a
disadvantage.”

“That’s true, but…”

Indeed, Beretta was correct. If only they had had their usual strength, then they would not have been so
far behind.

But even so, Ramiris felt responsible.

For Ramiris, life in the Jura Tempest Federation was irreplaceable.

At that moment, Beta, who was monitoring the magicules’ remaining power, shouted out in an urgent
voice.

“There’s an emergency!”

“What the hell is it this time?!”

“Although it was expected, the magicule supply from Veldora-sama has been cut off. At this rate, the
city will be returned to the ground in less than ten minutes!”

“Eh—Wh-What the…! Does that mean that Master has been defeated?!”
That was a difficult reality for Ramiris to swallow. But with Velgrynd as his opponent, she had to admit
that it was a possibility.

It was the anticipation of this situation that had led to the evacuation.

Ramiris decided to believe that Rimuru would find a way to take care of Veldora. Things were not going
to get any better if she just stayed depressed, so she had to think positively and do whatever she could.

“So, what’s the status of the evacuation?”

“No problems there. It is fortunate that Masayuki-dono succeeded in persuading those who were
opposing the evacuation before he left.”

No matter where, there were always those who complained too much, and the capital city Rimuru was
no exception. About ten percent of the population, including those who were trying to profit from the
situation and foreign merchants, had stubbornly refused to evacuate.

Even those people became cooperative just by hearing Masayuki’s voice.

Because Masayuki-sama had said so, they became more than willing to do so.

Ramiris was also surprised at what was essentially a brainwashing effect.

Gamma, who had been checking the situation over there, assured that there was no one left in the city.
‘No problem then,’ was what Ramiris thought as she decided to separate the metropolitan area.

“The defense function cannot be activated without anyone there. It’s a shame, then, that massive damage
in the city will be inevitable.”

“Hold on, Beretta-chan! If you say that, it’s only going to shake my resolve!”

However, the situation really was unavoidable.

Ramiris herself didn’t have much mana left, and now that she had expanded the labyrinth to its
maximum, she had no room for extra structures.

That was the downside to relying on Veldora for energy, but Ramiris could not think of any other
solution to this problem.

“Of course, I understand that very well. Well, I’m sure if it were Rimuru-sama, he would say that we
could just rebuild everything again.”

“That’s right, so I guess we’ll just have to be decisive and live with it…”

Gritting her teeth at her own helplessness, Ramiris continued carrying out the city evacuation. All that
remained was to pray that the city would not be destroyed by stray bullets once it returned to the ground.

But then…

“Emergency report!! New enemies have appeared on the surface. Two of them. We cannot measure their
existence values accurately because they are outside of the labyrinth, but we estimate their numbers to
be over a million at the very least!”

This time the report came from Delta, who was monitoring the surface.
The size of the small monitor was switched and enlarged so that everyone could see it. What appeared
on the screen were two angels—no, two fallen angels with black wings.

They were a duo of a large, muscular female warrior, and a small, beautiful girl.

They also had three pairs of wings.

“Are you kidding me?! They have the same number of wings, which means these guys are also
seraphim…”

Panicking, Ramiris flew around, feeling completely helpless at this point. But then she remembered
something, and asked Delta with a glimmer of hope.

“Delta-chan! How can you be so sure that they’re the enemy? Maybe they—”

Though unlikely, the other side might actually be friendly—and to Ramiris, who had generated such
naive thoughts, Delta could only tell her the cruel answer.

“It’s because those two are preventing us from recovering the hole that Velgrynd-sama made. As soon
as the maze is closed, our victory is confirmed…so it’s unlikely.”

Her answer was unquestionable and very clear.

“Oh, that’s right. Thank you.”

Ramiris stopped flying around and sat powerlessly on Beretta’s shoulder.

At this point, Ramiris felt overwhelmed with disgust by the enemy’s strategy of bringing in four
Million-Class enemies, to the point that she felt like cursing all night long.

But just then, a reliable ally awoke.

“Leave the surface grounds to me. The city that bears the name of Rimuru-sama will not easily be
destroyed.”

The newly evolved Barrier Lord Geld had returned.

“Geld!!!!”

Ramiris cried.

Cried with joy.

“Geld-sama’s existence value is over 2.37 million! I’ve added up all of his equipment, and I’m sure he’ll
be a match for any intruder!!”

Geld’s own Legendary-grade equipment had reached the Mythical-grade at the same time Geld was
evolving. It was also because of Geld’s surrounding youki that it had evolved so well.

In fact, Rimuru never expected this either, but all those present mistakenly believed that everything was
a part of Rimuru’s plans.

“That’s Rimuru for you. Even with my eyes, I couldn’t have foreseen this kind of development.”
Ramiris, whose eyes were quite piercing, said this confidently.

But Beretta brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

“That’s right. What a terrifying deliberate plan.”

Moreover, another Awakening had been completed.

“I am here, too. The other enemy will be my prey.”

It was Kumara, the “Chimera Lord.”

“Kumara-sama’s existence value is measured to be around 1.9 million. Without any special equipment,
to have such a value, the enemy is no longer a threat!!”

At Alpha’s report, the Control Room erupted in cheers.

And as if to prove Alpha’s words, a fierce battle began on the surface as well. What was even more
surprising was that Geld’s men were also scattered at various locations, setting up a powerful ‘Barrier’
to protect the city from the aftermath of the battle.

“Now we can win this!!”

“It looks like we’re going to be okay for the time being.”

Ramiris made a declaration of victory, and Beretta was relieved.

However…

It was too early to relax.

Phantom King Feldway’s plan was not yet finished.

Rather, everything up until now had merely been a diversion, and his true goal was something else
entirely.

***

The tension that had been building in the Control Room relaxed slightly.

After making a declaration of victory over Beretta’s shoulder, Ramiris fell silent as if she had no
strength left.

But Beretta was familiar with such scenes, and from the very beginning, he had maintained a calm
demeanor while continuing to take care of the restless Lord.

Shinji, who had been observing the situation from a distance, was silently taking in the current
commotion as if it were someone else’s problem. The battle was unfolding in a way that was beyond his
understanding, to the point that he could no longer believe that it was real.

That is why Shinji remained calm.

He could understand why Ramiris was upset, but couldn’t she have been calmer? He thought that to
himself.

If only she could learn from Beretta-san a little…

Those were Shinji’s true feeling, but he would never say it out loud. If he were to say such a thing, he
would not only incur unnecessary wrath, but would also risk having his salary cut.

Indeed, Ramiris’s labyrinth was amazing, but Ramiris herself was weaker than Shinji. Or rather, it was a
gap so large that it wasn’t even necessary to compare.

So no matter how much Ramiris panicked, she couldn’t actually do anything about it.

Besides, Shinji remembered the victory party that had been held the other day.

The power of those majins was unimaginable.

And it was Demon Lord Rimuru, to whom all these powerful people swore their allegiance.

Shinji was an otherworlder, and by Freedom Association standards, he was a Special A rank. He had
also measured his existence value, and it was now over 120,000. On top of that, he possessed the Unique
Skill ‘Healer,’ which had once him an ace commander in the Imperial Army.

He had once conceitedly believed that his strength belonged to the upper class, yet here, he was nowhere
near outstanding compared to the others.

After all, even the beautiful sisters who were working as operators here had individual existence values
of over 150,000.

Thus, it was quite natural for Shinji to think that there was no point in boasting or worrying about his
own strength.

Incidentally, Mark’s existence value was 130,000, and Xin’s was 120,000. They were about the same,
and would not be able to do anything against the monster on the monitor.

And yet, even in the current situation where all the main forces were gone, they were still able to hold a
stalemate with the enemy. That alone was a great achievement, Shinji thought.

Looking back on it now, even the battle power of the Empire’s prided Armored Corps was actually less
than thirty percent of the total strength of Tempest.

And that was only before the victory celebration.

At the celebration, Demon Lord Rimuru had given the executives new powers as a reward, causing most
of the higher majins to fall into an evolutionary sleep. As a result, some of them had even begun to reach
the Million-class.

To be honest, Shinji’s understanding could not keep up with the status quo anymore.

As was the case with Geld earlier, the evolution of monsters was truly inexplicable.

I’m so glad that I defected from the Empire to Tempest!

Shinji thanked Master Gadra from the bottom of his heart.

He looked on the monitor again and saw that Minits, one of his former superiors, was struggling against
Cornu, one of the “Three Phantom Commanders.”

The scene looked like something out of a movie.

After all, what can one do against such monsters? I mean, it’s hard to believe that there are even people
like that in this world.

From Shinji’s point of view, Minits and Calgurio, who were willing to challenge the enemy even though
they had lost their powers, were more abnormal. At the same time, seeing them regain their strength in
the face of such a powerful enemy just like in a movie made him feel that the upper echelons of the
empire were not so bad.

In short, it was extremely unrealistic.

‘Could it be that they think of themselves as the main characters?’—It even made Shinji generate such
doubts.

Perhaps that was why.

Perhaps that was why Shinji did not feel a sense of crisis and switched his thoughts to something more
interesting.

To put it simply, it was an escape from reality.

He was thinking about Shuna, who had just brought snacks from everyone.

Yeah, Shuna-san is still so cute and pretty~

It didn’t matter what he thought about his employer—or rather, he didn’t care. What currently occupied
Shinji’s mind was not the tactless fighting, but the very cute Shuna.

The memory of her bowing and leaving the room was enough to make Shinji feel happy.

She was dignified, and had no flaws.

And although Shuna looked like a fragile and beautiful girl, it was well known that she became very
scary when she was angry.

Shinji was not the only one who admired Shuna. Mark, Xin, and the new apprentice assistants, Lucius,
and Raymond, were also members of the “Shuna fan club.”

In comparison, his employer, Ramiris was…

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hey, Shinji-chan. Is there something you have to say to me?”

It was only at times like these that Ramiris’ instincts were keen.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Shinji hurriedly scrambled to deny anything.

Master Gadra had also often scolded him, saying that ‘If you want to be a wizard, you have to be calm
and collected. You’re not even close to ready yet!’

After experiencing such a situation just now, he couldn’t help but understand why Master had scolded
him.

It was true that Shinji was emotional, and he was not good at manipulating emotions, which was
essential for a wizard.

Xin, for example, was expressionless and unaware of his emotions, but he lacked the aptitude for magic.
Gadra had always told him that it would have been better if it was the other way around.

But Gadra also said that while Shinji could not appreciate the emotion of expressionlessness, he was not
lacking in aptitude for magic; on the contrary, he was highly qualified.

That’s why Shinji had no choice but to admit that he was in the wrong.

Well, now that I can afford to be angry, maybe I can get Ramiris-sama to forgive me.

Shinji thought to himself.

In the first place, it was a mistake to compare Shuna and Ramiris.

That was like comparing an adult to a child. Or rather, there were actually more fundamental reasons for
the difference.

Shuna still had the air of a young girl, but her manner was that of a sophisticated adult.

Ramiris has been alive for thousands of years, but her mental age was still low, perhaps because her
body was still growing.

Ramiris, who was a child in both appearance and mind, could not compete with Shuna at all.

‘But Ramiris always seems cute, so it’s better to treat her more gently’—that’s what Shinji thought.

And so, with that, Shinji’s thoughts were currently focused on unnecessary things.

It was because of this that he took notice.

It was because of this that he realized that the man who was always so lazy had stood up at some point.

And for some reason, Vesta, his always-serious boss, was lying asleep on his desk.

“Huh? Dino-san, what are you doing…?”

It was really just a coincidence that Shinji had asked that question. However, that one action was the
most crucial play of the day.

Shinji, who had been the least conscientious of the group, took the greatest credit for the day.

***
Dino stood up and tried to fulfill his assigned role.

He hated working, and he was reluctant, but he could not refuse the request from someone he had
known for a long time.

Above all, he was driven by a compulsive notion that he had to do it.

However, his actions were unexpectedly interrupted.

“Huh? Dino-san, what are you doing…?”

Dino knew that his plan had failed the moment he heard Shinji’s voice.

He had planned to finish everything quickly so that no one would notice, but was interrupted by the
timing of divine intervention.

No one should have been able to read Dino’s actions, but there was a blunder.

Beretta grabbed Ramiris’ hand just as he reached out to grab her.

It all happened instantaneously.

If Shinji had not spoken, Dino would not have been noticed.

“What do you think you’re doing, Dino-sama?”

“I’m honestly surprised. I didn’t expect to be interrupted. Good grief, I was so wary because of your
presence, and was looking for an opportunity to relax.”

“…….”

“Give me a break, Shinji. You’ve got all the makings of a big shot.”

Dino complained, but he meant what he said. He knew that there were only a few people in this world
who could have seen through what he was doing.

Dino had been so confident, but now it was all a waste of time.

Dino let out a long, depressed sigh, then gave Shinji a glare. Then, shaking his head, he turned his gaze
back and looked at Beretta with narrowed eyes.

Shinji and the others finally understood that the situation had become more serious than usual. But that
didn’t mean they could easily do anything about it.

Alpha and the others moved to surround Dino while picking up Ramiris from Beretta’s shoulder to
protect her.

“…Eh? Eh—?!”

Ramiris, who had been unable to keep up with the sudden turn of events, seemed to be trying
desperately to make sense of the situation as she looked alternately between Beretta and Dino.

Shinji distanced himself from Dino to take care of Vesta. However, Shinji’s companions, Mark, and the
others, remained in place.
They seemed to have fallen asleep in spite of the situation. It was obvious to everyone that this was
abnormal.

“Hey, Dino-san! You did something, didn’t you?!”

Shinji shouted, to which Dino replied lazily.

“Well, yeah. But really, if you’re resisting my power, then your skills must be pretty good too. I’m
impressed, Shinji.”

“I’m not happy about the compliment.”

Shinji replied as such, even though he was actually a bit flattered.

Dino only shrugged his shoulders.

He had complimented Shinji, but did not look at him as if he did not care.

He only looked over Beretta’s shoulder to Ramiris and spoke.

“Ramiris, I’m sorry, but can you cooperate with us? I don’t want to get rough with you, and I promise to
take good care of you if you cooperate. Look, we don’t want to shed wasteful blood on each other,
right? So, why don’t you just come with me?”

Dino said this with a serious expression on his face.

Needless to say, Ramiris’s reaction to this was rejection.

“Huh? You’re the one who’s talking out of your mind. What the hell are you doing? If you keep talking
like that, Rimuru will beat you to a pulp when he comes back.”

Ramiris was borrowing the authority of others as always, but she was not wrong in her words.

So Dino could only laugh bitterly.

“That’s right. I figured you would say that. But I can’t justify that as enough for now. After all, I am still
the Watcher, even if I don’t want to be.”

“When you say “Watcher,” do you mean from the Seven Primordial Angels who were of Veldanava-
sama’s inner circle?”

“Correct. Actually, I used to be one of the Primordial Angels. After Feldway and the others left for the
other world, I was assigned to watch over the surface.”

“You’re got to be kidding?!”

“No, this couldn’t be more true.”

For Ramiris, this was a shocking fact that she had only just now learned.

She was always thinking that Dino was as much of a liability to the Demon Lords as herself, not
realizing that he was actually an important figure. Ramiris could never have imagined that Veldanava,
the creator god, had named him himself.
Incidentally, Ramiris had also been named by Veldanava, but she had forgotten all about it due to being
reincarnated too many times. She would remember everything once she became whole, but she did not
know when that would be.

“I thought that the Originals had all left.”

“No, that’s not the case. When the surface world became peaceful, Veldanava-sama began to seek the
stability of the otherworld. I think you know that.”

“Huh? W-Well, yeah…”

Ramiris’ behavior became a little strange, but Dino just let it slide. It was too much of a hassle to get
into it, and he didn’t want to explain it anymore.

So he took it as if Ramiris was in the know and continued the conversation.

“So, Feldway and three other Originals were assigned to that mission. There were three of us left,
including myself, and we worked as Veldanava-sama’s hands and feet.”

“Even you?”

“It’s fair for you to be suspicious, but I was a serious man back then. But then a certain incident
happened. That, coupled with various internal circumstances, corrupted me, and I went from a seraph to
a Fallen Angel. My other colleagues are the same way, and now there’s not a single decent primordial
angel left.”

“Wait, you left out the most important part of the story! The part that is the most important and the one
that bothers me the most!”

Ramiris couldn’t hold back her retort, but Dino just sighed in annoyance.

“Shut up, it’s too hard to explain. It’s not important to me, so I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks
and we can start negotiating.”

‘It’s just too absurd to leave something like this to the imagination’—That was the impression of
everyone who was listening on the spot. However, Dino was notorious for his lack of patience, so
everyone gave up, thinking that it would be useless to ask for a further explanation. As it was, they
chose to focus on what Dino had to say.

“So, what do you mean by negotiating?”

Ramiris asked on behalf of the group.

“It’s exactly as I said. If Ramiris is willing to cooperate, then I swear I won’t touch anyone in this
labyrinth. But it you refuse, then there’s no other way. I’ll have no choice but to kidnap you, even if it
means killing everyone who gets in my way.”

“There’s no way I’ll cooperate if you do that.”

“Well, I suppose you’re right, but that’s not really a problem. The best outcome is to have your
compliance, but even in the worst-case scenario, as long as you can seal the labyrinth, it’s fine.”

“This is not what you want, is it? Who is commanding you to do this?”

“Well, I don’t know if I can tell you that…”

“I mean, I thought Guy was the only one who could give you orders.”

“Well, I guess it’s something like that…but that’s not quite right either. Guy and I are on equal footing,
so why should I take orders from him?”

“Whatever, that doesn’t matter!”

“Uh no, it’s important…”

Ignoring Dino’s rant, Ramiris began to think.

“If it isn’t Guy, then…That’s right! It’s Feldway, the leader of the First Order! He must have come back
from the other world and approached you while you were wandering around. You couldn’t resist him,
could you?”

Detective Ramiris’ version of “mystery” guesswork was truly frightening.

She was always making all the wrong inferences in her reasoning, but somehow, she always ended up at
the correct answer. And this time, she got it right once again.

“That’s amazing, it’s actually the right answer…”

The operation, which Feldway had put most of his resources into, was executed to perfection with two
main objectives.

One was to assassinate Masayuki.

And the other was to destroy the labyrinth.

Destroying the labyrinth would have been a daunting task, and there was a risk that the plan could go
completely awry. Feldway believed it to be important to secure Ramiris in order to prevent that from
happening.

With the idea of eliminating all elements of uncertainty, Feldway formulated the battle plan, and Dino
merely acted in line with that.

“Hmph…you parted ways with Feldway because you were a delinquent, right? That guy looks like a
first-rate honor student, so you two don’t seem to fit together.”

“Hey, I’m not a delinquent! I just like being lazy a lot. Well, it is true that his orders were annoying, so I
was glad that he was gone…”

Dino explained that even without any contact, their past relationship still remained.

“I see. Then that means the attackers are the Originals? That’s not good!! You should just ignore
Feldway’s orders and come over to our side!!”

Dino smiled at Ramiris, who was saying the most outrageous things. But he still couldn’t nod his head
in agreement.

“It’s unfortunate, but I also have my own situation.”

In fact, Dino himself found it incredibly strange that he could not disobey Feldway. But even so, Dino
simply rejected Ramiris’ proposal.
“You…it seems that you’re serious. That’s quite a lot of nerve. I’ll deal with you myself. I’m a pillar of
the Octagram too, and I’m determined to protect this place until Rimuru returns!”

Ramiris made her determination clear.

“So it seems. Honestly, I don’t really want to work. Being able to live in a world where I don’t have to
do anything is truly ideal, but it can’t be helped. Unfortunately, I can’t be merciful. Don’t worry, I won’t
take your life, so do your best to get rid of me.”

Dino returned to his usual easy-going and languid expression, and replied with a wave of his hand.

In this way, the negotiations were concluded.

The time for conversation was over, the battle had begun…

“Get him, Beretta-chan!”

Ramiris excitedly shouted, as if influenced by some energy.

Of course, Ramiris herself never fought.

That was as Dino had expected, so he decided not to make fun of it and confronted Beretta to see what
he could do.

The “Control Room” turned into a battlefield.

It was a fairly large space, but there were many obstacles such as desks and chairs. It was not an
environment suitable for fighting, and Ramiris wanted to relocate to a different environment.

However, this was unacceptable from Dino’s point of view. Because there was a high possibility that
Ramiris could escape.

Therefore, Alpha and the others were busy retrieving the important equipment while the two were facing
each other.

Without paying attention to their surroundings, Dino and Beretta began to fight.

Dino, out of nowhere, pulled out a huge sword that was as tall as he was.

This great sword was called the “Kuzurekiba3 (Crumbling Fang).” It was a single-bladed sword with a
thick body and appeared to be so powerful that the weight alone might have been enough to break an
opponent.

3
Was also called “Houga” but I’ll just stick with Kuzurekiba (Crumbling Fang) for now until translators fix it.
It was a heavy weapon that was heavily in contrast to Dino, who was dressed lightly in his normal
clothes, breastplate, and robe. But even so, it looked very natural and elegant.

“What is the performance of that sword?”

“In terms of existence value…It’s a million.”

Alpha couldn’t hide her surprise at the report.

“What the hell, a mythical-grade?! Even if it’s Dino, that’s a foul play!”

Ramiris shouted an unintelligible complaint, but Dino just ignored her.

Dino re-positioned his Kuzurekiba above his head.

Beretta, on the other hand, was bare handed.

However, his body was made up of the magical steel doll that Rimuru had made. Now that it had
become well acquainted with Beretta’s mana, it had been transformed into a living magic steel
(adamantite).

Its shape was still the same as when Rimuru had made it, but its strength was incomparable. Moreover,
since it was imbued with Beretta’s magical aura, ordinary weapons would be useless.

Beretta was full-body weapon of legendary-grade or higher, the hardest existence in the labyrinth.

Even so—

Dino casually swung down his large sword.

Beretta did not hesitate to sidestep and avoid it.

Not having a weapon in hand was not a disadvantage, but this time the situation was bad.

Beretta’s existence value was over 400,000, which was almost equal to Dino’s. However, unless Beretta
was armed with mythical-grade weapons, he would not be able to compete properly.

Beretta, who was empty-handed, concentrated on evading Dino’s sword blows instead of taking them
head-on. If Beretta was hit by the blade, he would have instantly been destroyed.

And even worse…

“Dino-sama’s existence value has increased from 400,000 to 2 million! The total is 3 million…how
overwhelming…”

Alpha reported desperately.

However, Beretta remained unfazed.

Ramiris wasn’t surprised either, as if taking it for granted.

“I don’t know how you did it, but you fooled the existence value meter. I guess that means there’s still
room for improvement. Also, Alpha, don’t refer to Dino so politely!”
“Hey, it’s fine. I’m still a demon lord too, right?”

“Shut up! Beretta-chan, you don’t have to be polite either, so hurry up and unleash your true power! Let
that fool taste heaven’s judgment!”

“I don’t have that kind of power, but if it’s an order, then I shall do my best.”

Beretta was as hard-working as ever.

Even though the existence value was only a rough estimate, there was still a severe difference of over
seven times. Despite feeling inwardly that Ramiris could really be unreasonable, Beretta responded to
his master’s expectations by watching Dino closely.

“You’re not easy to deal with, either.”

“I don’t want to hear that from my enemy, but I will not deny it.”

Beretta responded while focusing on evasion, circling Dino. There was no need to be defensive as long
as the attacks didn’t hit.

The key was to think differently.

Beretta’s whole body was a weapon. His bare hands were not at a disadvantage. On the contrary, they
could be used as various means of attack. On the other hand, Dino was lightly armed and the only thing
to watch out for was the big sword. The conditions were the same in that a hit would result in a heavy
blow.

Because of this, he still had a chance to win. Beretta thought as much, and had been looking for
opportunities.

As a “chaos doll,” Beretta was very good at changing attributes. Using his Unique Skill ‘Double-
Crosser,’4 he could constantly switch attributes one after another and search for Dino’s weaknesses. He
was facing Dino while calculating every move in order to make the situation work in his favor.

Dino, who was on the receiving end of the attack, was not happy.

“Geez, you’re a dependent of the Black line, aren’t you? I’ve heard that your kind are one of the best
when it comes to dirty fighting tactics.”

“I am honored by your kind words.”

“Who’s complimenting you?!”

Even dialogue was used as a weapon as Beretta tried to overturn his disadvantage.

There was no room for error.

Thanks to the fact that Beretta was not impatient, he barely managed to maintain the status quo.

***

4
Also called ‘Reverser’ previously.
Dino, on the other hand…

After correctly recognizing the current situation, he knew that he was not in an advantageous position.

The failed surprise attack was a huge mistake.

It had needlessly led to more battles, and the plan was thwarted into chaos.

Although the difference in ability between Beretta and Dino was enormous, there was not much of a gap
between skill levels. However, it was clear that Beretta was nearing his limits.

But this was Ramiris’ labyrinth, and Beretta could be resurrected even if he died. He did not have to
worry about depleting his remaining energy, nor would he be damaged by using excessive force. It was
only because he could ignore all these restrictions that he was able to give his all to resist Dino.

They were protected by environmental effects, but even that had its limits. Beretta was not strong
enough to overturn the decisive power difference.

But still, it’s quite remarkable. I didn’t think that a dependent of Black would be so difficult.

Dino had raised his evaluation of Beretta.

If it had been Charys or Treyni, the game would have ended more quickly.

Those two were by no means weak, but angels had an overwhelming advantage over the spirits.

Also, there was too much a difference in combat experience. But Beretta, as befitting a member of the
Black line, had a level of skill that was comparable to that of Dino’s.

He was in a situation where even a single blow would kill him instantly, yet he had the courage to
calmly assess Dino’s attack. Not only did he never give up on victory, but he even seemed to enjoy the
situation.

Even when Dino intentionally showed an opening, Beretta did not take the bait. That alone was worthy
of praise, but it was surprising to Dino that he was even wounded by the occasional counterattack.

The Fallen were not good at dealing with holy attributes, but it was not a decisive weakness.
Nevertheless, Beretta’s attack was doing damage.

It was a blow that combined both holy and demonic attributes, and even Dino’s ‘Defense Barrier’ could
not prevent it.

Dino judged that it was practically impossible to defend against this attack. As with the spirit attacks,
unless he could overcome it with his willpower, he would surely be damaged.

To Dino, who was a former seraph and familiar with the laws of this world, it was astonishing that a
mere unique level skill could damage him.

Beretta’s amazing combat acumen was deserving of praise.

However, Dino was also getting used to Beretta’s movements.

Dino knew that the more he swung his big sword, the bigger the gap would be. Beretta took advantage
of his gap and attacked him, which was unexpected but within tolerance.

At first glance, Beretta seemed to be suppressing Dino, since Dino’s attacks didn’t even graze him.
However, “Kuzurekiba” could easily slice through even an adamantite body.

There was no problem in Dino’s opinion because it would only take one blow to reverse the situation.

Beretta was also well aware of the current situation and was stalling for time. It seemed that Beretta had
decided that Dino could not be defeated by accumulating attacks, so he was focusing more on defense.

Well, that’s the right answer, isn’t it? For Beretta, defending Ramiris is a victory.

Dino was not a fool either, seeing through Beretta’s inner thoughts.

As long as Ramiris was there, the people in the labyrinth would not die. Conversely, if Ramiris was
killed, the labyrinth would end immediately. There was no guarantee that the labyrinth would be safe if
she was kidnapped, so it was only natural for Beretta to prioritize buying time.

At this rate, Beretta would eventually get what he wanted.

However, things would not be that easy.

Unfortunately for Beretta, Dino still had a final hand.

The reason Dino was stalling Beretta was because he needed to neutralize Beretta here. It was very
troublesome to fight against an opponent who would resurrects even if you killed him.

It would have been nice if he could just get to Ramiris before Beretta resurrected, but it was certain that
the others would get in the way if that happened.

If he attacked with the intent to kill, then it might end up involving Ramiris as well.

Dino was sincere when he said that he had no intention to kill Ramiris, and that had become a shackle,
binding him to the current situation and making things more difficult for him.

This is honestly so troublesome. I can’t believe how much work it’s taking just to neutralize Beretta. It
would have been easier to just defeat him, but now that I’ve finished my preparations, I guess it doesn’t
matter.

“Beretta, you’ve done well. Now ‘Slothful Sleep, Fallen Hypno!’”

Dino unleashed his power.

It was a non-lethal, wide range attack of the Unique Skill ‘Sloth.’

All life forms would be lulled into a deep sleep and would not be able to wake up until the caster
released them. There was no point in resisting with will power. It was one of the most powerful abilities
of the deadly sin series, but it took a long time to activate, just like the name “sloth” implied.

However, only those with Ultimate Skill would be able to resist it. At the unique skill level, it was a
fearsome attack that could be said to be the strongest.

Dino wanted to neutralize Beretta and the others in the gentlest way possible.
He didn’t want to hurt Shinji and Alpha and the others, who were in the Control Room trying to protect
Ramiris.

Vesta, who he had put to sleep first, was also a boss whom he truly respected. And Shinji and the others
were his colleagues, with whom he felt a sense of camaraderie.

In truth, I really did not want to betray them.

However, Feldway’s orders were absolute, and he could not resist them.

“Really, I’m sorry. Don’t feel bad. I’ll ask Feldway to see if he can leave this place alone.”

Dino muttered to himself as Beretta collapsed. He glanced at the sleeping Ramiris, thinking that he’d
finally done his job, and began extending his hand towards her…

“I won’t let you.”

A cold voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Seriously…?”

Dino turned to see a woman standing there.

The slender cilia of her body were shining in gold and silver.

The exoskeleton that protected the essential parts were a jet-black, glossy adamantite.

Two pairs of wings, shining blue like those of a morpho butterfly, were the same color as the compound
eyes on her forehead, exuding a mysterious charm.

The true identity of the woman was Apito, who had awakened from her evolutionary slumber. The
coloration of each part of her body had changed from before her evolution, but her shape remained
almost the same as before.

However, Apito’s overall beauty had been enhanced. As the Insect Queen, she exuded an aura of
majesty and was more queenly than ever before.

“—Apito…just in time. I want you to destroy my Holy Demon Core.”

Because demons did not need sleep, Beretta was barely able to resist the Fallen Hypno. Despite being
reduced to a state of low activity (sleep mode), he did everything in his power to ask Apito for help.

“Beretta-sama—”

“You can’t move, but you’re still conscious?!”

Dino’s reaction was delayed for a moment due to his surprise. As a result, he was unable to stop Apito’s
action.

Without asking why, Apito sent her poisonous needle to destroy Beretta’s Holy Demon Core.

Apito’s regenerative Osiris Rapier pierced the strong adamantite with ease. She was able to create as
many Osiris Rapiers as she wanted within her own body.

Nevertheless, without evolution, Apito would not have been able to kill Beretta.
Beretta laughed.

“Heh heh heh, well done. With this, I will die and rise again unharmed. I shall leave things to you for a
while, Apito.”

Beretta had retired as leader of the Dungeon’s Elite Ten, but he was still Ramiris’ second-in-command.
He still has the authority to give orders to the Elite Ten.

“Understood. Unfortunately, I do not think I’ll be able to beat him, so I look forward to your early
return.”

Contrary to her words, Apito’s voice sounded confident of her victory. Dino seemed to sense this as
well, and muttered in an annoyed tone.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…such an accurate judgment…so there’s no way to take advantage of it.”

Dino was correct in his judgment.

Leaving the rest to Apito, Beretta disintegrated into a particle of light.

Immediately after that, Apito soared beyond the speed of sound.

The battle in the Control Room intensified even further.

I really hate this.

That was Dino’s unvarnished opinion.

Apito was not Dino’s enemy, but she couldn’t be killed in the labyrinth either.

Even if he wanted to finish her off quickly and secure Ramiris, Apito would use her speed to get in the
way. She wasn’t fighting Dino head on, but was thoroughly implementing more of a hit-and-run tactic,
moving in an out flexibly.

The newly evolved Apito had a speed-focused fighting style. She was well aware of her own
characteristics and made efficient use of them. Her existence value was around 700,000, but she was
equal to Dino in terms of speed alone.

Besides, even if he took some effort to kill her, Beretta would have returned by then. It shouldn’t take
more than a minute, but that couldn’t be helped because it was teleportation.

Even against Dino, who was far superior to Beretta, he wouldn’t need more than ten seconds, so Apito
alone was able to buy time.

In this situation, there were few moves Dino could make.

The most reliable option was to put Beretta and Apito to sleep at the same time.

Dino calmed himself down and tried to activate the Unique Skill ‘Sloth’ once again.
Regardless of whether there are two opponents, it took time to activate the skill.

That’s why Dino decided to stop panicking and check the status of his companions with a calm mind,
not unlike that of a combatant.

The first thing that caught his attention was the sight of Rimuru fighting Velgrynd, who had been
victorious in the Battle of the Monsters.

How the hell did he get out of there?! I mean, he’s fighting on equal terms with Velgrynd!

To be honest, he was completely stunned.

According to Feldway, Demon Lord Rimuru and his commanding officers were sealed off in Velgrynd’s
otherworldly realm.

Rimuru was able to figure out the coordinates of his location through the “Soul Corridors” between him
and his companions and had escaped easily, but Dino, who didn’t know that, was puzzled. What was
more surprising to him was Rimuru’s strength.

It looked as if he was pushing against the seemingly invincible Velgrynd.

Dino couldn’t help but feel anxious.

If we don’t move forward with the mission quickly, we might be in trouble.

With that in mind, Dino turned his attention to the others.

The main point of Feldway’s plan was to secure Ramiris. Dino had initially stayed in the labyrinth
because Guy ordered him to be there, and it was nothing more than a coincidence, but it was unfortunate
that it had caught Feldway’s attention.

Although Dino was reluctant to do so, he had to resign himself to the fact that he was the only one who
could enter the Control Room, which was the most heavily guarded room.

As for how Feldway and the others were going to get in, a bold strategy had been devised.

He had incited Velgrynd to destroy the labyrinth in order to call out Veldora.

To Dino’s surprise, the plan succeeded without difficulty. Then, with Feldway himself leading the way,
the invasion was carried out.

Accompanying Feldway were two of the “Three Phantom Commanders” and five generals brought by
Zalario. There were eight of them in all.

Two of the top commanders had been recruited for this operation, which was a tremendous in itself.

Only Obera of the Three Phantom Commanders had been left to guard the Palace of Monsters in the
depths of the Otherworld. When Dino heard of this plan, he could not hide his surprise at their drastic
actions.

Dino was not the only one who was approached by the remaining colleagues of the “Originals” on the
surface. The remaining two who had been living undercover in a human country were also called into
the operation.

They were Dino’s subordinates, but Feldway had taken the liberty of using them without permission.
Their role was to keep the labyrinth in its state of destruction.

It was a precautionary measure in case Dino failed.

If Ramiris wanted to, her labyrinth could be turned into a prison. That would make it very difficult to
escape from, so Feldway took steps to prevent that from happening in advance.

Dino cared the most about his two subordinates, so he first confirmed where they were on the monitor.

Hey hey, no way! Even with Pico and Gracia as opponents, they’re able to fight on equal footing…

Pico was the petite beautiful girl, and Gracia was the tall female warrior.

After Veldora was defeated by Velgrynd, the city, which had been isolated in the labyrinth, was brought
back to the surface. At this point, Geld had come forward to defend the city, but Dino had no idea that
he could rival Pico and Gracia.

Geld, the Barrier Lord, and Kumara, the Chimera Lord. By the way, Kumara had that group of beasts.
Is she a cryptid? Could she be related to the World-destroying Dragon Ivarage—No, no no. No way…

Dino hastily quashed the unpleasant thoughts that had involuntary flashed through his mind.

Then, while thinking, ‘They really are the Twelve Guardian Lords,’ he shifted his gaze to the other
battlefield.

The one fighting there was Zalario, of the Three Phantom Commanders.

Oh, that Zalario guy is as strong as ever. He doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously at all, and he’s
showing a lot of confidence against Charys and Treyni.

His old colleague was still as strong as ever.

He had already felt at the time that Zalario was terrifyingly strong, and even after thousands of years he
was still creepy to look at on the screen. He looked fine so Dino checked out the next monitor.

Cornu? From what I’ve heard, he was defeated in a major invasion a few decades ago. Is that why he
seems so impatient?

As Dino had predicted, Cornu was in a hurry.

It was no wonder.

He had lost his entire army in the last defeat and had been injured so badly that it would take several
decades to recover. If he failed this time, he would be purged by Feldway.

Moreover, Feldway was supposed to be hiding at Cornu’s side by now, so Dino thought that Cornu must
be under a lot of pressure and was not able to perform as well as usual.

Unlucky guy. But then again, Masayuki is really weak, and the people standing in his way don’t seem
like a big deal. I’m concerned about Venom being a dependent of Black, but he seems to be a newcomer
compared to Beretta, so I guess it should be fine.

Dino wasn’t too worried about Cornu since they weren’t that close to begin with.
Even if Cornu failed, Feldway would take care of it. In other words, the operation seemed to be going
well.

Perhaps it was because of this sense of security that Dino’s lazy mind got mixed up in the distractions.

Hmm, but it’s incredibly strange. Why do I have to worry about the success or failure of this mission? I
don’t understand.

That was a very important point of suspicion.

For some reason, Dino could not shake his feeling of discomfort about this mission. He could not figure
out why, and it left him feeling uncomfortable, as if the cause was on the tip of his tongue.

But alas—

“What are you playing at, Dino? I’m about to make my move, so you’d do your job quickly.”

The peaceful moment had come to an end.

Che, I really don’t want to work.

Dino had nothing against Beretta and Apito, in fact, he rather liked them very much.

That was why he was even more disgusted by this order.

But…orders could not be disobeyed.

Thinking that it couldn’t be helped, Dino decided to get serious.

***

After giving Dino another order, Feldway remained hidden and observed Cornu’s battle.

Cornu was a reliable subordinate, despite his tendency to be overconfident. He was also a comrade who
had received his name from Veldanava, and Feldway believed him to be very useful to him.

However, Cornu had made a terrible mistake in the last invasion, losing a third of his forces. This was in
spite of their overwhelming superiority in terms of strength against one of the insignificant other worlds.

That was reason enough for Feldway to be disappointed.

Cornu was also well aware of this, and this time, instead of using his usual style of playing with the
enemy, he was desperately trying to finish the job.

That was no fun for Feldway. The Three Phantom Commanders, who should be overwhelmingly strong,
should not be at the mercy of the weak.

Even now, Cornu had missed an opponent he could have killed with a single blow.

He was unaware that Masayuki had been replaced by an impostor, and had fallen for the enemy’s
schemes.
So furious that he was speechless, Feldway looked back and released a killing intent from his anger. He
kept telling himself to calm down with his self-control until he barely managed to suppress his killing
intent. Then, leaving Cornu alone, he moved to dispose of Masayuki.

On the other hand, Masayuki, who was on the run, felt very upset…

Every step felt heavy.

He could not accept that he was the only one to escape.

Of course, scary things were scary, but abandoning a friend was something even scarier. If anything
happened to them, he would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Masayuki stopped in his tracks and looked back.

He could see his companions fighting hard in the distance.

Minits blocked the enemy’s movements, the vampires used their immortality as bait, and Calgurio and
Venom attacked whenever they saw an opening.

A special mention should be made of Jiwu’s maneuvering, as she was able to position herself well to
block Cornu’s massive destructive attacks.

For a makeshift team, they really worked well together.

However, if any one of them went missing, this team would fall apart.

“Hey, Masayuki…”

“Bernie, I’m going back. I was always afraid to talk about my true feelings because I didn’t want my
true identity to be exposed…but I really wanted to become better friends with everyone. I may be a
coward, but I don’t want to be a scumbag, you know?”

Masayuki spoke his mind. At that moment, the “Voice of the World” sounded in his head.

[Acknowledgement of the Hero’s ‘Courage not to Run.’ This satisfies the three conditions and releases
the hidden power of the Unique Skill ‘Chosen One.’ Do you wish to activate it?
YES/NO]

‘Huh?’ Masayuki was confused.

He was worried that he’d done something wrong again, but was relieved to find out that wasn’t the case.
He wasn’t interested in any hidden powers, but it was too late anyway, so he decided to approve it for
now.

[Confirmed, now adding a new power to the Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’…Successful. From now on,
‘Champion’s Guide’ will always be in effect]

A difficult explanation echoed in Masayuki’s brain.

Immersed in that nostalgic feeling, Masayuki began to understand his own skill.

There was ‘Champion’s Aura’ to intimidate his opponents, ‘Champion Blessing’ to make him super
lucky, ‘Champion’s Charisma to give courage to his comrades, and ‘Champion’s Action’ whose effects
were unclear but had positive results, nonetheless. Those were Masayuki’s current powers.

The addition of ‘Champion’s Guide’ seemed to be a power that could make him a heroic banner.

Um, guiding the souls of the dead? I become a vessel? What the hell is that? If it’s premised on the
death of a companion, then I don’t need this kind of skill…

‘Another useless skill,’ Masayuki thought to himself. He hadn’t expected much from it though, so he
wasn’t too disappointed.

As long as things didn’t get worse, that was enough for him.

“Masayuki, you…”

“So, Bernie, let’s get back to the others.”

Masayuki went back to the main topic.

He was oblivious about his hidden powers.

“Okay. If you say that much, then I’ll just go along with what you want.”

Bernie scratched his head in resignation.

The two smiled at each other and turned to go back to the others—and that’s when things took a major
turn.

Feldway made his move.

He did not care about Bernie, but he knew he would get in the way if he wanted to take Masayuki.

Bernie had let his guard down and could be slaughtered with a single blow. No, it wouldn’t matter if
Bernie was aware or not, because to Feldway, Bernie was nothing but a speck of dust.

Without disturbing the wind, or showing even a hint of his presence, Feldway drew his sword and was
about to cut off Bernie’s head.

However, what sounded was a clear resonating tone.

It was the sound of a sword clashing with another.

“Who is in my way?! Who are you?”

His surprise was gone in an instant as Feldway asked who it was.

The answer was given by a young ‘masked’ girl.

“I am Chronoa. I’m a Hero.”
There was a moment of silence. Then, Feldway started laughing.

“I never thought I would meet a hero here. In that case, let me introduce myself. I am Feldway. Phantom
King Feldway.”

Hearing his name, Chronoa remained unconcerned. She was in perfect sync with Chloe’s consciousness,
and was now a cold-hearted fighting machine.

“Phantom King? Hmph, so you’re the master of the phantom tribe. I cannot overlook the evil you’ve
done in front of me, so I’ve come out just in time to eradicate this threat to humanity.”

“Fufufu, you are a bold one. I’ll show you what it means to be self-aware, you fool.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Feldway, in his bright red uniform, moved, and Chronoa, in her white
“Holy Spirit Armor,” disappeared in a flash.

The interplay of red and white lights glittered before Masayuki’s eyes, and the two disappeared from
sight at the same time, leaving only the sound of sword blades clashing in succession.

Far from any shock waves, there was not even whisper of wind.

The battle was unfolding in an unimaginable realm.

The masked girl, who had saved Masayuki before, had now saved him again from a crisis. Although
Masayuki understood that, he was not sure that he could even do anything help the girl who called
herself Chronoa.

“Well, what should we do…”

“This isn’t something we can do anything about. We can’t afford to worry about it. We’re on our own
doing what we can, so let’s go and help the others!”

Bernie sensed that it was him Feldway had targeted based on the sound of the sword strikes ringing in
his ears. The fact that he had been completely unable react to them at all told him that this enemy was on
a different level.

It was not because the current Bernie was weak, but because he and Feldway were so far apart in ability
that they would not have even had a proper battle.

If that was the case, then there was no point in going back and forth. The right thing to do was to act
simply and decisively—Bernie demonstrated this way of thinking that had been drilled into him as a
soldier.

“Okay. I don’t know who this Chronoa person is, but I’ll leave it to her!”

Masayuki was no stranger to improvising in the face of unexpected situations.

That’s why he decided to obediently leave the scene.

And so, without regard to Masayuki and Bernie, Chronoa and Feldway crossed swords. However, that
only lasted for a short time.

In just a few seconds, countless attacks and defenses had been played. It seemed as if the battle would
go on forever, but then Feldway realized something.
“Hahahahahah!! Oh, so it was here the whole time? I knew it. Veldanava-sama was also hoping for my
victory!”

“What, all of a sudden?”

“Huh, it’s none of your business. No, actually, since you and I will be companions from now on, I don’t
mind telling you.”

“…?”

“Obey my command, Hope King (Sariel)!”

It was an absolute command.

The Angelic Ultimate Skill could not resist Michael’s “Ultimate Dominion.”

“What…What did you do—?”

“Oh? So there is still a residual sense of self? As expected Chronoa, who is famed as the most powerful
Hero. However, resistance is futile. In a matter of hours, you will fall completely under my control.”

Feldway was delighted at his good fortune.

Throughout history, the famed Hero Chronoa had been known throughout the Empire for her valor. The
fact that the Hope King Sariel had sprouted within her seemed to be a blessing from God.

Just as Feldway had hoped, Chronoa fell to her knees.

“I am Sariel. Give me your orders, Michael-sama…”

Chronoa’s mask came off, revealing her true face and beauty as those cold words escaped her pretty,
cherry blossom-colored lips.

Feldway couldn’t help but feel sure of his victory. And he was.

Thus, Feldway made an extreme error in judgment at this point.

Between Cornu of the Three Phantom Commanders, one of his confidants, and the strongest Hero, even
if she wasn’t the main body—with these two, it would be easy to accomplish his goal, he thought.

And so Feldway…

“Good. You will cooperate with Cornu and kill the boy. I have business on the surface, so I will leave
the rest to you.”

…left the labyrinth after giving his command.

Seeing Masayuki and Bernie running back, Venom really wanted to sigh up at the sky.

Not that he had anything to complain about.

He had sensed a terrifying presence swelling in the direction Masayuki had fled, and was beginning to
despair that he had failed in his mission.

“I’m so relieved that you’re okay!”

“Haha, it’s too early to say that since we still have enemies.”

“That’s right.”

Venom admitted as much.

Cornu is strong. Despite the clear advantage we have in the labyrinth, he is overwhelming, not to
mention winning, and now I don’t even know if I can survive.

But even so, as soon as he saw Masayuki’s face, he felt relieved for some unknown reason.

An inexplicable surge of confidence welled up within him, making feel as if there was always a way.

Minits and Calgurio seemed to feel the same way, and their faces looked better than before.

“Kukuku, I know this is a bad time, but I’m having fun.”

“I agree with you. Truly, it’s as if I am sharing the battlefield with His Majesty.”

The Imperial soldiers laughed.

Even the vampires, who should have had nothing to do with it, seemed to be getting excited about the
fight.

Meanwhile, Cornu was in a state of confusion.

Just as he was about to attack, another Masayuki had appeared.

Cornu wondered if he had failed to grasp his location, but upon a second glance, he found that there
were indeed two Masayukis. That meant that one of them was an impostor. Needless to say, one of them
was Jiwu in disguise, and the other one was the real Masayuki.

“How dare you underestimate me! You’re just a bunch of stubborn worms!!”

Even though he was furious, Cornu had no way to tell which one was the real one. His senses told him
that they were equal in strength and that both were insignificant.

That was why it was even more troublesome. If Cornu got serious, both could be involved and get
killed.

If that was the case, then there was no telling where they would escape to. Therefore, Cornu knew that
he would have to tighten his nerves even more to avoid a wrong-handed kill.

And that’s when a helping hand appeared.

“Cornu-dono, is it? My name is Sariel. I come at the command of Michael-sama.”

An unfamiliar girl, who flew in at such a high speed that his eyes couldn’t keep up, offered to assist him
herself.
Cornu did not doubt her words. The girl who called herself Sariel had a hint of Michael about her, just
as she had said.

“That would help. You should aim for the Masayuki on the right. Do not kill him, just take him alive.”

Cornu had picked one at random, and fortunately or unfortunately, his choice was the real one.

“Understood.”

Sariel nodded and turned her gaze to Masayuki.

Masayuki sensed this and grew impatient…

Their eyes met.

Um, Sariel? That girl seemed to call herself Chronoa before, but I have no idea how she got turned to
the enemy’s side in such a short time. I mean…

Masayuki was confused and desperate, but Chronoa’s beauty too stunning for him to feel any fear. Or
rather, he had no time to feel it.

What’s going on?! This girl…is super cute!!!

Masayuki was so shocked that he forgot that he was in the middle of a battle.

If he had to describe her in one description—that’s it! Saying she was a transcendentally beautiful girl
would be more appropriate.

Masayuki came to the same conclusion as a certain blond-haired demon lord.

‘Don’t wear a mask in the first place!’—Masayuki even started complaining about such pointless little
things.

However!

There was hope lurking behind those trivial thoughts.

Sariel’s hand went to her sword, and Masayuki was prepared to die. Perhaps this was the reason that a
thought came rising up within him like a magic lantern.

She’s really a beautiful girl, isn’t she? She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life…

As soon as that thought bubbled up, Masayuki felt a vicious chill for some reason.

His survival instincts were screaming at him, telling him that he shouldn’t think any further.

So he decided to trust those instincts.

…Or not—Second place. That’s right, the second most beautiful. After all, the most beautiful is still—

What came to his mind at the time was the blue-haired beauty he had last seen in his original world.

Yes yes, that’s her! The kind and gentle type, and so mature and sexy—A perfect score…
Even in the face of death, Masayuki’s fantasies were unstoppable.

However, that was the right decision.

[Confirmed. The ‘Champion’s True Love’ has been established. The fourth hidden condition has been
fulfilled. The Unique Skill ‘Chosen One’ has evolved into the Ultimate Skill ‘King of Heroes.’]

Huh? Masayuki was stunned.

Rather than calling it love, it was more of an annoyance. Why was it being glorified as love? However,
he felt too embarrassed to complain about it.

But before that…

Why did I get an Ultimate Skill without even doing anything?!! I have to earn up to it!!

Masayuki shouted in his mind.

It was too much—Masayuki even wanted to question the Voice of the World.

However, even complaining about the results would not change anything. Moreover, even if he received
an Ultimate Skill that he did not know how to use, it was still impossible to defeat Sariel in front of him.

It’s an amazing power, but it’s too late now. Well, I did my best, so I might as well go out in style.

Thinking this, Masayuki gave a refreshing smile.

The effect was tremendous.

“Protect His Majesty—!!”

The other soldiers who had previously been keeping at a distance because they were in the way, began
to launch suicide attacks without any regard for their own lives.

This was the effect on those further away, so the change of those close by was even more dramatic.

“Power is welling up. I feel as if I can’t lose!”

Shouting loudly, Calgurio slashed at Cornu. Calgurio had been on the defensive up until now, but his
sudden desperate attack scared Cornu, if only for a moment.

Minits was not to be outdone.

“Listen up, imperial soldiers! Let the His Majesty the Emperor give witness to our bravery!”

While shouting these words to inspire the soldiers, he himself did not take his eyes off of Sariel,
constantly applying pressure with his ‘Oppressor.’ Normally, his Unique Skill would not work against
an Ultimate Skill. However, this time, the attack succeeded in forcing Sariel to retreat, though only
slightly.

The vampires were also very active.

“This is incredible! I’m feeling great right now, as if I can do anything!”

Someone was laughing while forcing an attack, even though the lower half of his body had been blown
off by his recklessness.

“Take this!! Eat my energy cannon with all your strength!!”

People began repeatedly dying and resurrecting over and over again.

“Hyahahahahaha! This is so much fun!!”

Someone who specialized in regeneration began protecting solders from stray bullets without giving any
thoughts about the consequences.

The crowd had become beyond fierce and were launching an even fiercer onslaught of attacks than
before.

How were they able to do so?

It was, of course, all thanks to Masayuki’s skill.

Unlike his previous ‘Unique’ level skill, his new Ultimate Skill ‘King of Heroes’ could provide the
minimum protection needed to fight against ultimate skills.

Only those with an existence value of at least 100,000 could withstand the ability, however those who
did not have such a value still received a blessing of luck. Anyone who was a follower of Masayuki
would be under his protection.

A true balance breaker.

It was an uncanny power that could turn the tides of battle simply by having him on the battlefield.

If Masayuki had not seen Chloe Aubert’s true face, then he never would have awakened the ultimate
skill. One only had to think about it that way to understand what a major faux pas Feldway had
committed.

In any case, the battle fell into a temporary stalemate, barely maintaining its equilibrium for more than
ten minutes.

Of course, it was impossible to defeat the duo of Cornu and Sariel.

However, the winner had already been decided.

The moment Masayuki had acquired the Ultimate Skill ‘King of Heroes,’ the path ahead was clear.

And now, thanks to the warriors who bought their time, the moment had come.

Velgrynd had vanished from this world.

At the same time, the gears of fate began to shift…

*
[Confirmed. A ‘Soul Corridor’ with the individual named ‘Velgrynd’ has been established across time
and space]

Huh?

Just as Masayuki was becoming more confused, that person appeared.

At first, he thought it was just an enormous mass of energy.

But that wasn’t the case.

It was a humanoid figure.

The form of a very beautiful, nostalgic, woman.

With a crimson aura of supremacy that illuminated her distinctive brilliant blue hair, the ‘Scorch
Dragon’ Velgrynd had now manifested.

Her eyes contained a domineering aura that could make all beings fall flat.

No one could even move, as if time itself had been frozen.

Cornu, too, was bewildered by the suddenness of the situation, and stared at Velgrynd.

The same was true for Sariel, who was waiting for Cornu’s instructions. That was the limit of a person
with a newborn ego.

All of the Imperial soldiers present understood instantly.

The person before them was the most powerful being who had protected the Empire for so long.

It had been reported that she was currently engaged in battle with Veldora, but that did not seem to be
the case.

Because Velgrynd was now hugging Masayuki in a deep embrace.

In anyone’s eyes, this was the way one acted when facing their beloved.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Rudra. Always, always, always, longing to see you…”

After saying that, Velgrynd’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at Masayuki. Then, she gently put her
hands on his cheeks, bringing him into a passionate kiss…
Masayuki was stunned.

Hey, so soft…No, it’s sweet? No, no wait…!

His head imploded and his cool judgment was lost in an instant.

This terrifyingly beautiful woman had hugged him, which was okay, but the problem was what followed
afterward.

Fir—First kiss!!!

The casual coordination of her shirt and jeans was slightly more mature, and combined with Velgrynd’s
beauty, exuded a cool aura.

It would be a lie to say that I’m not happy to be kissing such a beautiful woman.

However, there was a key point that should not be left out.

This beautiful woman had referred to Masayuki as Rudra.

Oh no, she must have the wrong person…

In this atmosphere, there was no way to tell her that she had gotten the wrong person.

That said, this beauty was still kissing him even now.

Masayuki felt like he was going to run out of breath soon.

Be cool, be calm, it’s times like these when one needs to keep their cool—Masayuki checked the
situation once again.

His location was on the battlefield.

Right in front of the enemy.

Locked in a hot kiss with a beautiful woman.

Moreover, because he was in such close contact with this beautiful woman, he couldn’t help but be
aware of the touch of her ample breasts.

It’s almost too comfortable as if I’m ascending to heaven…but I must not enjoy it now! What the hell am
I doing?! I—

The more Masayuki thought about it, the more confused he got. The only thing he understood was that
the moment he was exposed as the wrong person, his life would be over in an instant.

Now that he had done this in front of so many people, there was no excuse.

Even with Masayuki’s good fortune, this situation could not be expected to improve.

A situation where he was enjoying a heavenly good fortune, while waiting for the promise of misfortune
that was waiting for him.

Masayuki stopped thinking.

Since he was about to die anyway, he might as well be grateful that he could experience kissing at the
end. He came to that conclusion and resigned himself to it.

His consciousness was gradually getting hazy as Masayuki’s face grew dreamier.

Now that he had made up his mind, all he had left to do was enjoy the situation.

And that attitude only accelerated the misunderstanding of the onlookers.

“His Majesty is so skilled.”

“It might be a bit disrespectful, but I feel the same way. It is a privilege to witness the unwavering love
of two adults who look at each other with such deep affection. I can sense the unshakable bond that
leaves no room for anyone else.”

“Fufu, Velgrynd-sama is like a maiden in love…Fufufu, so the guardian dragon of the empire is in love
with His Majesty.”

“Yes! Now the empire will be safe!”

Not a single person harbored any ill feelings towards Masayuki. In fact, no one even had the slightest
doubt that Masayuki was the real Rudra.

Masayuki wanted to shout out that this was a big misunderstanding, but Velgrynd was still keeping
mouth shut.

In the first place, I’ve never even had a girlfriend, so don’t go talking about marriage!!

Masayuki lamented the absurdity of this world.

In the end, it was the enemy Cornu of all people, who rescued Masayuki from this situation.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Velgrynd! You’re supposed to be under Michael-sama’s control! So why are you
getting in my way?”

From Cornu’s point of view, Velgrynd was just one of the pawns that had already been conquered. And
now that she had shown up to get in his way, he erupted in discontent and anger.

“Hey, that’s just tactless. There’s a limit to how stupid you can be for interfering with us.”

Velgrynd, who had finally separated from Masayuki, glared sullenly at Cornu.

Though frightened by her gaze, Cornu could not stop himself.

“Shut up! Stop playing around and just cooperate. That that guy you’re holding, strangle him to death!!”

That was a forbidden sentence.

It had never occurred to Cornu that his words would touch Velgrynd’s reverse scale.

“Just now, did you just tell me to kill this man?”

The battlefield went silent.

Only Cornu failed to comprehend the situation, and shouted in his own anger.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Velgrynd. You may be stronger than me, but I am the superior authority
here. All you have to do is follow my orders!”

Until the very end, Cornu did not recognize the current situation.

He never got the time to realize that Velgrynd different than before.

“You’re going to die.”

It was a merciless blow.

The newly reborn Velgrynd was much stronger than before. With her sophisticated magic power
manipulation, she burned Cornu cleanly to the ground.

Far from fighting back, Cornu disappeared from the world without leaving room for a single retort.

What was even more terrifying was that Velgrynd’s attack even spanned time and space. This was the
true essence of the ‘Spacetime Continuous Attack’ that made full use of Velgrynd’s newly acquired
‘Dimension Leap’ ability. Cornu’s main body in the other world was instantly wiped out before even
being allowed to feel the threat.

“I let you off the hook last time, but you really are stupid. I’d almost forgotten about my grudge against
Feldway, but I guess I shouldn’t have let it go.”

Velgrynd spat out and then turned her attention to Sariel.

“Oh, this person is really Chronoa, someone who helped me…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything, because there’s no need. Michael’s control of the Ultimate Skill
‘Hope King Sariel’ seems to have given it an identity, but that girl is resisting it on her own volition.
The fact that she’s stopped moving is proof of that. If you’re still worried, just let Rimuru take a look
later. I’m sure he’ll take appropriate measures. Although, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Velgrynd finished speaking as she turned away from Sariel—Chronoa. After seeing Velgrynd’s
completely unconcerned expression, Masayuki finally felt relieved.

And so, the battle had ended.

While there were many people who were as relieved as Masayuki, there were also others who became
nervous and started fidgeting from awkwardness.

It was those who knew Velgrynd’s identity who were disturbed.

Bernie, who was standing next to Masayuki, was the first who was determined to act.

Because he was standing closest to Velgrynd, he jumped forward and dropped to his knees. He then
spoke with such momentum that he almost fell flat on his face in prostration.

“Lord Marshal, I am Bernie, 7th of the Single Digit hierarchy! May peace be with you, Lord Marshal.”
“No need to salute. So, what are you trying to say?”

“Yes! I disobeyed the Commander’s order and abandoned my mission to eliminate this boy Masayuki. I
understand that my crime is worthy of death, but before I am punished, there is something I would beg
of you, Lord Marshal.”

Again, the entire place fell silent.

The soldiers who had been listening to Bernie’s statement finally realized that Velgrynd was the
Marshal, the supreme leader of the Imperial Guard.

Quite a few people were confused, but most of them were convinced.

As the understanding gradually deepened, reality finally dawned on them.

Those perceived as losers would be punished by Velgrynd.

It was useless to resist her.

In the face of an absolute Marshal who would destroy even this labyrinth, they had no choice but to wait
for her judgment.

Naturally, they began to line up and wait for the judgment to come.

In this tense atmosphere, the conversation continued.

“What is it?”

“Our loyalty to the Empire is unchanging. Whatever His Majesty the Emperor wills, we know that we
must obey his orders. Therefore, I would ask your permission for the soldiers to return home! The
executives, including myself, have no complaints about taking responsibility of their punishment, but—”

“That’s enough.”

Bernie despaired when he was interrupted.

He felt like crying at his own helplessness, thinking that he could not reverse their fate after all.

But when Velgrynd saw Bernie, she chuckled.

“Oh, dear, did you misunderstand me? You’ve all done a great job for a bunch of fools, and I commend
you for that. I thank you for protecting my beloved Rudra.”

All of the solders fell down to their knees and hung their heads in unison.

“So then…?”

“I had no intention of doing anything to you guys in the first place. All that matters to me is Rudra, and
because Rudra cares about you guys, then I will protect you all as well. That is how it was before, how it
is now, and how it always will be in the future.”

Velgrynd’s words were like gospel.

The soldiers erupted in cheers.

Some shed tears of joy.

Calgurio and Minits were no exception, deeply moved and convinced by Velgrynd’s words.

In the end, the crowd was endlessly chanting ‘Long live the Empire! Long live His Majesty!’ while
Masayuki was standing there wondering what the hell they were even talking about.

If I’m hearing what they just said correctly, then they really have mistaken me with Emperor Rudra. I
should have pointed it out already. Besides, Bonnie already knows the truth. If it’s exposed, I’ll be the
one who gets in trouble. And the kiss…the kiss…I’ll definitely be killed…

Masayuki’s name was not Rudra, but for some reason, no one was asking ant questions. It made him feel
like he was going crazy or something.

To be honest, Masayuki was overjoyed about the kiss. However, he sincerely felt that it was not his
intention to get involved.

“You look upset, what’s wrong? If something is still bothering you, you can tell me.”

Much to his dismay, Velgrynd returned here attention back to Masayuki who had been left alone.

“Huh? No, no, it’s nothing. I don’t have anything on my mind…”

He replied a bit incoherently.

Seeing Masayuki’s unnatural attitude, Velgrynd’s expression became worried as she began asking
warily.

“Perhaps you do not remember me?”

Masayuki felt like he was being tested for the correct answer.

The consequences of an incorrect answer were unimaginable.

Even though all he wanted to say was ‘Give me a break,’ Masayuki desperately tried his best to use his
brain.

If one asked whether he remembered her or not, he did. That beautiful woman he had last seen in his
original world was definitely her.

In that case, did he know her name?

That guy just now, called her Velgrynd, right? I think that Velgrynd was Veldora-san’s sister…and the
rumors were that she was strong to the point of being outrageous. And she was said to be a guardian of
the empire or something…

Masayuki’s desperate thinking was paying off, as he gradually recalled more and more information.
Judging by the reaction of the Imperial soldiers, Masayuki decided that his guess was correct, and took a
gamble.

“Velgrynd…san, wasn’t it?”

Velgrynd’s face broke out in happiness when she heard the answer.
“Yes, that’s right! You remembered me, Rudra!!”

Luck had yet to abandon Masayuki here either.

Just him saying her name made Velgrynd very happy.

And that wasn’t all.

“Oh, now I understand why you were looking so glum. I was so happy to see you that I forgot that your
name is Masayuki now.”

“—!!”

The situation had improved all on its own, and even Masayuki’s concerns about his mistaken identity
were resolved.

Eh, eh, eh, eh?! Does this person even know that I am Masayuki Honjou?

What an absolute relief.

It was the first time in his entire life that he had felt such a deep sense of relief.

He was so relieved that he almost peed himself, and then hurriedly pulled himself together.

“Yes, that’s right. Actually, my name is Masayuki, not Rudra. That’s why I’m a little confused.”

Masayuki grinned amiably, while also cautiously observing Velgrynd’s reaction.

Besides, it wasn’t just Velgrynd, but also the soldiers of the Empire who were a problem.

According to the conversation just now, they think that I’m Emperor Rudra, right? But if I tell them that
I’m not the emperor at this point, they’ll all be confused. I would be charged for perjury by the emperor,
and then I’d have to prove my innocence!

He didn’t know if there was such a charge or not, but he still wanted to make things clear.

So, Masayuki decided to convey his thoughts.

Velgrynd, however, did not care.

“There’s no problem at all. The value of the empire is nothing more than Rudra’s property. It was just
Rudra’s hobby that led him to build it, and he kept it because it was necessary for his game with Guy. If
you don’t want it anymore, why don’t we just scorch it clean?”

It was truly a statement of something transcendent like the divine.

The Imperial soldiers’ faces all paled.

All their eyes pierced into Masayuki.

St-Stop it! Don’t look at me like that!! Don’t blame me!!!

Masayuki opened his mouth while feeling the weight of an unnecessary responsibility.
“No, the empire is important! Rimuru-san also wanted to be friends with them in the future. When the
war is over, let’s establish diplomatic relations—friendly relations.”

In short, Masayuki desperately insisted that the Empire must not be turned into a scorched earth.

All of the Imperial soldiers began looking at Masayuki with worshipful eyes, as if he were a god.

Velgrynd was a ‘just do it’ type of person, and it didn’t take much effort for her to do what she said.

If Masayuki hadn’t opposed it, the empire would have been destroyed. Everyone understood this, which
was why their appreciation towards Masayuki was so great.

“Really? If you say so. Then I’ll just continue to cooperate as usual.”

With that, Velgrynd flashed a smile.

For their part, the Imperial soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

In the midst of this, Calgurio spoke up on behalf of the group with a question.

“I am sorry to interrupt you just now even though things have been settled, but there is one thing I would
like to confirm.”

His expression was grave, and it was clear that he was hesitant to say anything.

“What is it?” Velgrynd asked.

“Yes! It is about Rudra-sama, the current Emperor. What will happen next for His Majesty Rudra?”

Upon hearing this, Velgrynd also expressed her understanding.

“Oh, that’s right. After all, you guys can’t see the true nature of the soul, can you? The Rudra now is
nothing more than an empty shell. But the real Rudra’s soul was gathered by my beloved Masayuki.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. Even without your memories, there is no doubt that you are ‘Rudra,’ so I love you and will try to
make you love me too.”

“Uhhh, yeah.”

Is there any man who wouldn’t get excited after being told that by a beautiful woman?

No, there isn’t!

Masayuki was no exception.

Although she was in love with him now, there was no guarantee that her love would last forever. So in
order to hold onto his good fortune, he vowed work even harder.

What exactly he would do, however, was a matter left for the future.

Masayuki had made his decision, but there was still another problem.

“Then we must make Masayuki-sama the true Emperor!”

“Huh?”

“That’s right. But it might be difficult. In terms of bloodline, he’s of a completely different pedigree. It
won’t even work if we say he is the emperor’s illegitimate son. There would be no way to cover it up.”

“Wait, what?”

“It doesn’t matter. The army will be suppressed by Calgurio-dono, and I will handle the nobility. It’s
okay, they won’t be able to argue. If we fail, the empire will be destroyed anyway, so we can’t afford to
take any chances.”

When Calgurio set the course, and Bernie raised the issue, it was Minits who offered the solution. The
soldiers present were all willing to support the plan to the best of their ability.

And just like that, before Masayuki had a chance to interject, the plan moved forward step by step…

“Good luck with that, Masayuki.”

That…I don’t have the right to refuse?

Probably not, so Masayuki gave up.

His legendary life was only just beginning.

***

Dino decided to take things seriously.

It was a very annoying situation where he was struggling against an opponent he could easily defeat, but
that was over now.

“You can’t afford to look the other way, can you?”

The words fell out and Beretta’s sharp fist slice across his cheek.

“What an underestimation. I can’t believe you’re taking us on with your head in the clouds.”

Apito’s Osiris Rapier also flew by.

The sting was sure to be painful—Dino did his best to avoid it.

I thought I was far superior to these guys, but was I just being overconfident? Even with two opponents
at the same time, I didn’t think I’d be having such a hard time.

Dino felt a little unsure of himself, wondering if he had become weaker after slacking off for such a long
time.

The fact that he had time to think about it was proof that he still had the strength, but not the self-
awareness.
Apito, thanks to her training with Hinata, had acquired an intuition that could almost predict the future.
The difference in ability between Apito and Dino was obvious, but Apito was still an opponent to be
reckoned with.

Beretta acted as a shield, and Apito attacked from behind. Beretta would also occasionally join in the
attack, so the two of them could reach Dino.

And Beretta’s magic was even more troublesome.

Dino was immune to most spells, but Beretta’s magic was predominantly the support type. In other
words, Beretta’s magic was not used to attack Dino directly, but to strengthen his own physical values.

Weakening Dino’s magic was ineffective, but there was no way to interfere with spells that increased
the speed, strength, or durability of Beretta or Apito.

In that case, all he had to do was to interfere with the activation of the spell, but Beretta, being a demon
who was good at magic, could unleash magic without even thinking about it.

Moreover, Beretta was immune to the Unique Skill Sloth’s ‘Fallen Hypno.’ Because of this, Dino had
been struggling.

But now, that was finally over.

The long-awaited feeling had finally accumulated, and it was time to fight back.

“Shut up! Two people teaming up to bully a weak man like me, and yet you talk so high and mighty! It’s
only because I’m patient that I’ve been able to keep you guys company. You should be grateful! Take
this and get some rest!!”

By the time he had finished saying this, the Fallen Hypno had been activated. As was typical of Dino,
there was no concept of fairness in his dictionary.

“Phew, is it finally over?”

Seeing Apito fall to her knees, Dino was convinced of his victory. His eyes turned their attention to
Beretta—only to be met with an incoming fist that he scrambled to avoid.

“Whoa, you resisted my sleep?!”

“Of course I did. It was a mistake to get caught even once, so how could I get caught twice?”

It was because the demon race was resistant to abnormalities that Beretta was able to devise a
countermeasure. With his Unique Skill ‘Double-Crosser,’ he was able to reverse the drowsiness.

“Seriously…”

“Well, it’s too bad for Apito, but I’ll just let her die and come back to life.”

Beretta remained calm in front of Dino.

Dino was more impressed than dismayed by the way he was so obediently following the logic of
victory.

I can’t believe he’s managed to keep things this even until now with me as an opponent. It’s not because
of me, but because Beretta and the others are so good. In that case, I’ll have to use that…
Dino had a secret move.

He didn’t want to use it, because it would bring back terrible memories, but now there was no other
choice.

“I’ll admit it. You should be proud of yourself for making me take you this seriously.”

As soon as Dino shouted this, he unleashed the power that he had sealed away.

Ultimate Skill ‘Heavenly King Astarte’—the ultimate skill given to him from Veldanava.

[Confirmed. The evolution of the Unique Skill ‘Sloth’ through the ‘Creation’ of the Ultimate Skill
‘Heavenly King Astarte’…Successful]

Dino’s ‘Sloth’ had a special nature—the lazier he usually was, the more powerful his strength would
increase. To put it simply, it was possible to accumulate energy.

Dino took advantage of this, and evolved the Unique Skill ‘Sloth’ into the Ultimate Skill ‘Sloth King
(Belphegor).’

That was Dino’s secret move.

The ‘Creative Evolution’ of the Ultimate Skill ‘Heavenly King Astarte.’

If one uses the power of the Ultimate Skill ‘Heavenly King Astarte,’ they can achieve their desired
evolution, though it is limited to their own Skill.

Of course, that wasn’t everything, but Dino wanted to preserve his Ultimate Skill ‘Heavenly King
Astarte.’ This was because the labyrinth was under constant surveillance, and things were constantly
being recorded.

Dino, as a “Watcher,” was reluctant to expose everything about himself.

Also—

That Rimuru guy is terrifyingly intelligent with an abundance of resources. Even when he took out
Clayman, he brought out recorded footage as evidence. If my power is exposed, then he’ll easily be able
to take countermeasures.

Demon Lord Rimuru was not an opponent to be underestimated. When it came to him, Dino knew that
there was no such thing as too much caution.

That is why Dino created the ‘Sloth King Belphegor’ as a power he could show.

Now, that power was targeting Beretta.

“Now sleep! ‘Fallen Catastrophe’—!!”

The laws were rewritten, and the positive factors began to regress to the negative factors. This
temptation, regardless of whether the person was alive or dead, lead them from a state of activity to a
state of cessation.
However, there was no compulsive force to this, and the target of the attack would voluntarily walk the
path to destruction.

This could be considered a type of hypnotism, except that the effect reached different dimensions.

One would not be able to awaken from the slumber of the evolved ‘Sloth King Belphegor.’ It destroyed
not only the mind, but also the body.

In this case, however, the guided destination was “destruction,” but it was also possible to lower the
level and limit it to abnormalities such as sleep. It was a very versatile Skill.

Because this power did not use sound as a medium to transmit the interference waves, it could not be
prevented by physical ‘barriers’ or the like. It was worth mentioning that there were very few means of
defense.

Absolute domination over those who possessed wisdom and feelings—that was the power of the ‘Sloth
King Belphegor.’

Truly the terrifying ultimate evolution of one of the seven deadly sin series, ‘Sloth.’—Dino was
impressed by it.

He tried to destroy Beretta carefully so that he would not be able to move for a while. That is why
‘destruction’ had been chosen, but now it proved to be more powerful than expected.

Beretta had vanished into the dust, and it would take some time for him to recover. The bracelet had also
disappeared with him, but Dino didn’t care, thinking that Ramiris’ power would be able to handle it.

Furthermore, if he had gone easy on Beretta, he would have failed in his mission.

‘Don’t blame me if you die,’ Dino thought irresponsibly.

But hey, even Beretta is only a mid-tier player amongst all Demon Lord Rimuru’s subordinates…

It was only natural that Dino felt like complaining.

Even an opponent as troublesome as Beretta was still only a lower-ranking existence who had yet to
acquire an Ultimate Skill. Moreover, he wasn’t even the demon lord himself, but merely a subordinate.

Dino thought while shuddering at the fact.

If the upper ranking members of the labyrinth had remained…

Would he even have been able to win by himself? Annoyed, Dino turned his attention to Ramiris.

He saw that Ramiris was sleeping, and touched her body.

He should have been able to touch her.

Ramiris turned into a particle of light. Then, taking the form of a butterfly, began to fly around Dino.
It seemed to be mocking him.

—H-Hey, no way. Am I hallucinating…?!

He didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t believe it.

But there was no other way to explain the situation.

Sure enough, this battle was being monitored.

I’m glad that I was cautious, but still…

One of his trump cards was also exposed to the enemy.

And…

His next opponent would surely be far more dangerous.

-Clack, clack, clack—the sound of someone’s footsteps could be heard.

The beautiful butterfly of light fluttered like a dance to the man who approached slowly, stopping at his
arm.

The butterfly turned back into a particle of light, and then changed its form again…into the innocent,
sleeping Ramiris who had a blissful expression on her face, seemingly unaware of anything around her.

Beretta, who had somehow been resurrected, reverently received Ramiris, who had made his forearm
her bed.

“Beretta-dono, please take care of Ramiris-sama.”

The man spoke quietly.

“Yes, leave it to me. Do you need support?”

“No need. I alone am enough.”

From the very beginning, Ramiris’ escort had been foolproof.

Deep in the safest part of the labyrinth, many heavy traps were laid out.

All according to a certain someone’s instructions, orders were sent out to the battle forces to fight in
small, gradual bursts in order to expose the abilities of the encroaching enemy.

And above all, this labyrinth had the strongest of guardians.

Before leaving the labyrinth, Veldora had had entrusted the protection of Ramiris to his trusty disciple
and confidant.

Ramiris was the only one who did not know about it.

And now…

That person was on the move.

The man standing before Dino was the “Mist Lord” Zegion.

The absolute powerhouse of this labyrinth.

 *

Zegion had cocooned himself for the sake of his evolution, but his consciousness had always been kept
awake.

In response to Veldora’s request, he grasped the situation in the labyrinth perfectly.

With the overwhelming blessing of ‘Absolute Defense,’ he was able to ensure Ramiris’ safety.

Dino recognized this as well.

Seriously, you’ve got to be joking…

Those were Dino’s honest feelings.

Just when he thought he had finally beaten the enemy, a new one suddenly appeared, all the while with
the purpose of exposing his own hand.

I knew it! That Rimuru is such a cunning bastard, of course he would prefer this kind of tactic!

At this point, the operation has failed.

Forget about capturing Ramiris, Dino’s own escape had now become a difficult problem.

Besides that, when did he even evacuate Ramiris in the first place? I was in this room the whole time
and even saw Ramiris talking. She turned into a butterfly, so she should’ve been long gone by then,
right?

If that wasn’t the case, then that meant Zegion had let Ramiris escape in a way that even Dino couldn’t
see.

—But if that’s true, then…I’ve been talking to an illusion this whole time?

If so, then that was also a big problem.

It was an unusual state of affairs.

Dino is an Ultimate Skill holder, and is also well versed in hypnosis. Even so, it seemed Zegion had left
Dino in a state of hallucination which should have normally been impossible.

However, the possibility could not be dismissed in its entirety.

If Zegion also possessed an Ultimate Skill and was proficient in mental attacks…then there was still the
possibility that he could use illusions that were enough to fool even Dino.

Dino also knew how powerful Zegion was.

He was a powerful humanoid of the Insectar race and was also of the Demon Lord Seed. He was favored
by the Demon Lord Rimuru, and had acquired extraordinary fighting abilities.

It was heard that Zegion had taken Veldora as his teacher, and that his fighting skills were even superior
to those of the “primordials.”
That was Zegion, the one regarded as the absolute king of the labyrinth.

When the Imperial Army had invaded the labyrinth, Zegion had eliminated the intruders with an
overwhelming power. At that time, Dino had taken the opportunity to observe the fight and concluded
that Zegion was invincible in physical combat.

However, the most important point here was that he had only been fighting physically. He hadn’t used
any mental or spiritual attacks, let alone an Ultimate Skill—he hadn’t even seemed to use a Unique
Skill.

—No. Is his Distortion Field skill alone strong enough to reach the ultimate level…?

Still, it was a physical ability, and Dino, who was good at mental attacks, thought that it was still
manageable.

At this point, the only thing that came to his mind was the celebration from the other day.

On that day, Demon Lord Rimuru had granted Zegion some kind of power. Under the guise of a
celebratory reward, he had initiated an evolutionary ritual that awakened his subordinates who had
distinguished themselves in battle.

In fact, some of them, such as Gabil and others, had greatly increased their power and had entered the
slumber of evolution.

It was a phenomenon very similar to the Harvest Festival for demon lords, and it was also no wonder
that Zegion had acquired new skills.

But isn’t that still strange? How is it that even his subordinates can evolve into the same realm as the
lord Rimuru?! I can understand if the subordinates of an awakened demon lord are at the level of
Demon Lord Seed, but even his subordinates are at the level of an awakened demon lord—that’s too
much of a foul!!!

This was a phenomenon that even Dino, who had lived for a very long time, could not have predicted.
Even Guy could not have done such a thing.

—No, once it’s all said and done, this is unending. In the first place, the fact that he uses the
“primordials” as mere subordinates is insane. With a guy like that, no matter what he does, it shouldn’t
even be a surprise anymore.

Dino was inwardly cursing at Rimuru.

As the strongest of all demons, they could have easily stopped Dino in his tracks. The superiority and
inferiority of existence values could not be a reliable factor with a “primordial” as an opponent.

For Rimuru to take such existences as his minions was completely abnormal in Dino’s eyes.

Dino had thought it best to stay uninvolved as much as possible.

And yet…

The Zegion in front of him was comparable to those primordials.

He was clearly foreign.

More than just becoming a Million-class, his domineering aura gave the impression of endless power.

A power that transcended numbers—It was an aura that only those with the ultimate power could emit.

It also implied that Zegion, like Dino, had acquired an Ultimate Skill.

This is why I hate working…

Dino lamented having drawn the short end of the stick.

Exhaling a sigh of resignation, he tried to look for the best solution forward, but good ideas were not
easy to come by, and time waits for no one.

Zegion calmly walked up to Dino, who had been thinking long and hard.

“Is there anything else you would like to say?” He asked.

“Haven’t you just been hiding from me all this time to force out my cards? Don’t be ridiculous, it’s
despicable!”

Putting his own actions up until now on the shelf, Dino was the first to complain.

He was just taking it out on him, but it would helpful if the other party got angry.

“Ridiculous. This is a fight.”

Of course, Zegion was unconcerned.

Dino also realized this, and the conversation ended.

Tension flared between the two.

Dino knew Zegion’s strength. This was an advantage for Dino, however, his trump card had also been
exposed to Zegion.

In that case, there was no other choice but to go head-to-head…

Zegion specializes in melee combat. Furthermore, although unconfirmed, it is highly likely that he
possesses an Ultimate Skill.

Dino, on the other hand, specializes in mental attacks. No, Dino is not limited to that if he uses his
hidden skills, but he didn’t want to expose his skills in this labyrinth.

Well, I’ve already exposed a bunch of trump cards, but it would still be a huge loss to expose them
again…

And Dino also naively thought that it would be okay to just run away.

“Why do you not attack?”

Zegion’s words were doubly stressful.

The mere question almost made him stiffen, but Dino fought it back with all his strength.

“Hah! Don’t underestimate me. No matter what, I am still a pillar of the Octagram. After living for so
long, there is no way I would lose to a little chick like you!!”5

He then raised his greatsword up high and swung it down towards Zegion.

“Eat this and perish! Fallen Strike!!”

—There was no exchange of tricks, just a single deadly blow. It was a great move that Dino, a lazy man,
did not want to waste.

However, the power of this technique, “Fallen Strike,” was real.

Dino had also applied the ability of his Unique Skill ‘Sloth’ to his swordplay, and had created the
‘Phantom Flow style6.’ By hindering his opponent’s perception, he could control the battle at his will.

And now, the Unique Skill ‘Sloth’ had evolved into the Ultimate Skill ‘Sloth King Belphegor.’ The
effect was incomparable, and the ‘Phantom Flow style’ had become more accurate and powerful.

Although Dino was a bit of a pain in the ass, he still had a great sense of combat.

But even so…

Dino had decided that fighting close combat with Zegion was still not a good idea. If his own abilities
did not work, then the Phantom Flow would not be viable.

In that case, there could be no more reservations—so Dino unleashed his special technique.

This was the Fallen Strike, one of the few orthodox sword techniques of the Phantom Flow Style, and it
contained Dino’s full intentions.

The intent was to incapacitate his opponent.

Even a mere glimpse of it could deprive the target of the will to live, as it contained special vibrations
that stimulated negative emotions. It was not something that could be ignored like an illusion or a
hallucination. It was impossible for the weak-minded to resist it.

Only those whose mental power was strong enough to acquire the Ultimate Skill would be able to
withstand the attack.

Even then, it was impossible to go unharmed. The ‘will of laziness’ that Dino had poured into this attack
would also cause physical destruction.

Even if one succeeded in evading it, the negative vibrations would be emitted from all directions. The
mere exposure to them would diminish the target’s energy, and their fighting ability would inevitably
decline.

After that, it was only a matter of taking advantage of that chance and stabbing the enemy with his
sword.

5
I’m not positive, but Dino might have briefly used Kansai dialect here.
6
“Genkage-ryu”—I’m just calling it Phantom Flow style for now.
This technique, which could trick enemies with double or triple his strength, was the strongest blow that
Dino could deliver with confidence.

The best way to get out of this situation was to kill Zegion without taking any chances. Although Dino
was reluctant to do so, he was not willing to cut corners when it came to making things easier.

Even Guy wouldn’t be safe from a direct hit. So then, can you take it?

Dino grinned, confident in his strike.

Zegion has always seen only Dino’s laziness, and probably did not expect him to use a big move all at
once. Dino was convinced that everything went as planned.

But Zegion did not move.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t react, it was just that he had plenty of time to deal with it.

Zegion confirmed the trajectory of Dino’s sword and caught it just before it hit him.

The mythical-grade greatsword “Kuzurekiba (Crumbling Fang),” which swung down from above, was
powerful enough to shatter any material on earth. Zegion calmly met such a blow with his left hand
exoskeleton that had been transformed into hihiirokane.

“Idiot! You didn’t even dodge my sword, and just took it head-on! I’ve won this battle!” Dino shouted.

The lazy act that he had been performing had finally come to fruition in this moment.

Although, to tell the truth, it was neither an act nor a performance, but he just liked to think of it that
way.

It was the fastest attack the current Dino could release, but as expected, Zegion was able to catch it. This
was unavoidable, since speed tended to be sacrificed in larger swords.

But in exchange, the power was extraordinary.

As if it was a trivial attack, Zegion had caught it with one hand. That in itself was admirable.

But for now, Zegion’s left arm must have received a tremendous impact.

His left hand doesn’t seem to be shattered, but I guess it will be useless for a while. He’s still standing
there, but I’ll just have to be patient.

Dino thought to himself, looking at Zegion, who seemed so unconcerned.

However, this game was Dino’s victory.

Zegion’s ‘Distortion Field’ is amazing, but it could only prevent physical attacks. Dino’s ultimate
“Fallen Strike” would penetrate all physical barriers and go directly to Zegion.

Letting my opponent mistake this for a physical attack with a big sword and drop their guard, when in
fact it was a lethal mental-type attack being used—this is my victory.

Zegion is indeed strong.

That is why Dino predicted that Zegion would look down on him to show off his superiority. He knew
that Zegion would not dare to evade the attack because he was good at melee combat.

“Hmm. Give me a break, man. I’m sure the bracelet will bring him back anyway, so I should collect
Ramiris quickly.”

Spitting that out, Dino turned towards Beretta.

But at this point, there was a pause.

‘Something’s wrong,’ he thought.

First of all, Beretta was not wary of Dino.

In addition to the repeated battles, Dino’s remaining magicule count was also low due to the fact that he
had used his trump cards. Even so, Beretta would be no match for Dino, and yet, the look in Beretta’s
eyes still revealed the calmness of a victor.

He couldn’t see his true face under the mask, but it was still creepy.

“Do you think you can beat me?”

“Hohoho, you must be joking. I am not thinking about winning, it’s just that you are not my opponent.”

As soon as those words fell, Dino felt a strong chill.

Dino hurriedly looked back at Zegion in a panic. Indeed, there was something unnatural about the
Zegion who had stopped moving.

The fact that he had not been shattered by a mythical-grade blow meant that Zegion’s left arm was also
of mythical-grade strength. If that was the case, then it was not surprising that he had a willpower
comparable to that of a spiritual life form. It seemed correct to assume that he had an Ultimate Skill,
which had been a concern earlier.

“No way…!”

“I’ll ask you, is the effect of your attack delayed? Or did you really think that you could beat me with
just one breeze-like blow that doesn’t even tickle?”

‘Damn it,’ Dino thought.

There was no doubt about it, Zegion was the holder of an Ultimate Skill.

Although it was unclear what kind of power it was, it was at least powerful enough to nullify Dino’s
spiritual attacks.

“You suspected that I possessed an Ultimate Skill, didn’t you? If that was the case, you should have
attacked me in more ways than one instead of taking such a mild approach. That lazy nature of yours is
the reason why you lost this time.”

“Don’t talk as if you’ve won!”—in the face of such a shouting Dino, Zegion held out his left hand.
When his clenched fist opened wide, five flashes of light shot out from it.

It was Zegion’s ‘Dimension Ray (dimensional cutting ray).’

“That hurts…”

Dino took evasive action as quickly as he could, and barely managed to avoid a fatal wound. However,
his right arm was severed from the elbow down.

It hurt so much that he wanted to cry out in pain, but now was not the time.

His instincts were warning him that he would be in real danger if this continued.

“So you have an Ultimate Skill after all, huh? I didn’t expect you to be able to neutralize my ‘Fallen
Thanatos (Hypnotic Induction of Death).’ Don’t tell me that mental attacks don’t work on you, either?”

‘Fallen Thanatos’ was the lethal mental attack that Dino had put into his ‘Fallen Strike.’ It was effective
as long as the opponent had a mind, so even if the target was a ‘Clone,’ it would affect the main body at
a distance.

It was a sure-fire power with no way of escape.

And yet, Zegion looked as if nothing had happened after being hit. It was no wonder that Dino couldn’t
accept it.

In order for him to win—no, in order for him to even escape from this place, he needed to figure out this
mystery. Dino knew that he would never get an answer, but he couldn’t help but ask Zegion.

“I am not obligated to answer that question.”

Of course, Zegion was indeed ruthless.

But then, a cold voice gave him the answer.

“—But I will answer for you, wretched one. This so-called dream, that is to say, the mystery. From the
very beginning, you have been in the palm of my hand. Remember, I am the “Mist Lord,” King of the
World of Illusion, and mental attacks are useless against me!”

This was the attitude of a strong man who showed mercy to his enemies.

Hearing these words and deducing the facts from them left Dino stunned.

The fact that his own ability had been neutralized meant that his opponent’s ability was stronger. In
other words, he realized that Zegion had evolved into an existence equal to—no, and existence even
greater than himself.

It’s gotta be a lie, right?! His melee combat is so strong, and yet he’s better at mental combat?! And this
guy—he just said that he’s the King of the World of Illusion? In other words, has he reached the point
where he can create a “unique world?” You’ve got to be kidding me!! How much stronger can he get?!
It’s impossible to win against this kind of opponent without preparation!!!

Dino’s Skill was the strongest of the deadly sin series, and had even evolved into an Ultimate Skill. But
even so, Zegion was able to defeat it.

It was no longer something that evolution could explain because Zegion should not have had an
Ultimate Skill until just recently.

Dino is definitely not weak.

But this time, his opponent was very strong.

No, rather he was too overpowering…

The mission to kidnap Ramiris was fundamentally wrong from the start, but as soon as Zegion had
completed his evolution, it was guaranteed to fail.

Realizing this, Dino sighed heavily and looked up to the heavens.

At that moment, he saw a figure on one of the monitors, and was left completely speechless.

Oh, Velgrynd…

That blue-haired beauty was, without a doubt, Velgrynd.

She was supposed to be fighting against the Demon Lord Rimuru outside the labyrinth after subduing
Veldora, but now she was somehow with Masayuki and the others.

What was even more worrisome was that Cornu was nowhere to be seen.

No way, no way, no way!!

Bad premonitions often come true.

Dino understood this from experience.

Hold on a minute!! There’s just too much information for me to understand. That, is that—?! Velgrynd
was supposed to be under Feldway’s control, but was that a lie? Or did she escape from it? Either way,
does that mean that Cornu was disposed of by Velgrynd? No, no, no, this… it’s no longer a matter of
combat failure, is it?

Dino let his Thought Acceleration run at full speed as he tried to comprehend the current situation. In
the end, he came to the conclusion that no matter how hard he tried, it would be impossible to go on
with the operation.

He had always been eager to run away from the very beginning, but at this point, he didn’t even have the
will to try anymore.

For Dino, he had done good enough.

“Pray. He who has touched the depths of hell, repent for your sins and die! ‘Dimension Storm!’”

From the very beginning, this location was a part of Zegion’s dominant space.

That pointed to one fact.

No matter what Dino did, it was impossible for him to leave this realm.

If Dino had used the powers he had reserved, there was a possibility that he could have seen a glimmer
of light. However, even then, the odds would be so ridiculous that Dino had no regrets about giving up.

In fact, the only other possibility he had now was…

A rainbow-colored storm swallowed Dino, and his existence was erased into nothingness.
It was, indeed, a supernatural high-energy storm.

There was nothing Dino could do, and he disappeared from this world without leaving a single piece of
flesh behind.

“Oh, were your prayers answered? Your bad luck is to be commended.”

Zegion murmured.

There was a small sound of something breaking coming from somewhere as Dino’s existence seemed to
be reborn.

Zegion had a proper grasp of the situation.

His voice remained calm, as everything unfolded as Zegion expected.

Outside the labyrinth, Dino awoke.

“Well, I guess I won the bet.”

Dino let out a sigh of relief.

His equipment was still intact, and there was no physical damage.

“No, this is something else. Ramiris was merciful enough to let me escape, right?”

After muttering that, Dino looked at the broken bracelet.

It was a cheap bracelet that he had bought at a store in the labyrinth—yes, it was a Resurrection
Bracelet.

Because Dino hadn’t recorded a save point, the resurrection point was still above the labyrinth. It was
left in place as one of the escape routes, just in case something like this happened.

“Not giving me a real bracelet with an unlimited number of resurrections was meant to be a warning.
But you could have eliminated the entire function if you wanted to, you naïve yet sweet fool.”

Dino sadly muttered to himself.

He had kept the item made by Ramiris, the target of kidnap, as a secret insurance. The fact that he was
able to do such unprincipled things without hesitation was what made Dino, Dino.

It was an inferior product that could only be used once, and it was made in large quantities by Ramiris.
He had gambled his fate on it, but it seems that heaven was on Dino’s side.

I guess I’m still an angel, even after I fall.

Thinking to himself, Dino looked around. He was planning to join his colleagues who were fighting
Geld and the others, and retreat as quickly as possible.

He also didn’t forget to contact Zalario through ‘Telepathy Net,’ telling him that the mission had failed.
Dino’s colleagues had been tasked with obstructing the re-closing of the labyrinth in order to secure an
escape route. Until Zalario came out, they were unable to escape either.

Since the mission had failed, they should not stay much longer.

But even so, that guy is way too strong!

I really can’t stand him—Dino grumbled again, remembering Zegion.

Feldway would be furious, but Dino felt lucky to have survived.

That said, this is probably the first time Feldway’s plan has ever failed. Also, it seems like Cornu was
taken out…I don’t know how, but I really shouldn’t be hostile to Demon Lord Rimuru…

In fact, Dino, who had been reluctant about this mission from the start, wondered to himself why he had
even agreed to it.

The thought of what was to come made Dino feel depressed.

All in all, since Zegion had become such a monster, it would be hopeless to conquer the labyrinth in a
straightforward manner.

Not only Zegion, but all of the higher-ranking executives of Tempest were monsters.

He didn’t even know what was happening with Rimuru and the others, but he could guess that
something terrible had changed.

That’s why I didn’t want to do this!!!

Dino wanted to live in peace and quiet in the labyrinth.

But still, all this had happened.

Even though it was unavoidable as his job, he could not help but feel depressed.

I don’t know what Feldway is thinking, but he’s probably not going to give up. But this really isn’t
possible…

Just now was probably the best chance they could have gotten.

Now that the opportunity was gone, Dino understood that there would be no next time.

In addition, there was another problem.

Aah, I won’t be able to go back anymore because of this hostile relationship.

The days of living in the labyrinth were very comfortable and easy for the lazy Dino.

Even though it was work, helping Vesta was fun. He had become friends with Gabil, helping each other
in various ways. Dino was also happy whenever the researchers made a discovery.

Dino had developed sense of companionship with Vesta and the others as he spent his days without
boredom.
And one more thing.

Perhaps everyone had forgotten, but Dino was here under Guy’s orders. In other words, he had been
given an intelligence mission to report on the events occurring in the labyrinth.

Dino doesn’t think that Guy expected much from him, but he still felt it was a bit unbearable.

He’s a pain in the ass when he’s angry…

To be honest, it was super troublesome.

It was just as troublesome to keep thinking about it, so Dino hurried towards where his companions
were.

When Dino arrived at his companions’ location, the battle was at a stalemate.

The “Barrier Lord” Geld was fighting against the muscular female warrior, Gracia.

It was shocking that the two were fairly equal in strength. To Dino, it was a sight that really made him
wonder if something was wrong with his eyes.

If he’s evenly matched with Gracia, does that mean his power is already greater than mine? You’ve got
to be kidding me…to evolve into this…

Geld’s body was stained with blood, but Dino couldn’t tell if it was his own or if it was his enemy’s.
After all, he didn’t see the slightest sign of injury anywhere on his body.

If the damage was caused by a mana attack, the effects of a healing potion would not be enough to heal
the wound. Naturally, Gracia’s attack would be mana tinged with the intent to destroy.

The fact that Geld was unharmed by such an attack might be due to his incredible defensive power, or to
his supernatural recovery ability.

As Dino was pondering this, Gracia flashed her longsword before him. The blow sliced through Geld’s
scale shield and ripped open his arm.

However, Geld was completely unfazed. He simply threw away his broken shield and took a new one
out of his ‘stomach’ and held it up.

Dino saw it.

There were no wounds left on Geld’s arm.

Aaaaaah, it’s Ultraspeed Regeneration. It’s skilled enough to heal even Gracia’s attacks…

Dino was not happy at all, even though he knew the answer.

“That’s enough! You’re so stubborn! You don’t even change your stance when I attack you—are you
crazy?!”
“Hmm? Is that so? I actually don’t know much about it myself, but should I have praised you for your
excellent attack?”

“You’re being sarcastic! Damn it, if I don’t kill you with one blow, the wound will heal right away. I
should be the one praising your toughness.”

With that said, Geld and Gracia resumed their fierce battle.

Neither of them cared about their own injuries and did their best to take advantage of their opponent.

Geld’s meat crusher knife was flicked away by Gracia’s circle shield as fierce sparks wildly flew about.

Just that alone sent a shockwave rushing through the ground.

Dumbfounded, Dino completely missed the chance to speak to Garcia.

Geld had always been a behind-the-scenes, silver-tongued kind of guy.

He had no outstanding record against the Empire, so Dino had thought lightly of him.

But that was a terrible mistake.

I get it now! The people of this country are all just crazy!!!

Dino was forcibly convinced that he had finally found the truth.

And above Dino’s head, a fierce air battle was also underway.

“Ahhhh, dodging left and right is so annoying!”

“That’s what I wanted to say. You don’t even have wings to fly with, but you’re so cocky!”

“Hmph, it’s easy enough to manipulate gravity. Compared to that, I’ve had enough of this game of
chase. Shall we end this now?”

“That’s my line!”

The mysterious Kumara and the childlike Pico. The two bewitching girls looked quite good together, but
their battle was intense.

Pico unleashed a Black Thunder that covered the ground, charring the surface of the earth. Yet for some
reason, it was unable to take effect on Kumara’s surroundings.

It was only natural from Kumara’s point of view. The Thunder Tiger Raikou, Kumara’s pet and one of
her tailed beasts, specialized in lightning attacks, so it only made sense that her defense against thunder
would be excellent.

‘This time it’s my turn’—Kumara moved out with such intent. Driving her eight tails in a fluid motion,
she launched a series of nine-tailed slashes. However, these were all blocked by Pico’s spear movement.

A high-pitched sound rang out on the battlefield.

It was a truly even battle, forcing Dino to revise Kumara’s fighting ability upwards in his mind.

The Twelve Guardian Lords, huh? What a scary bunch.

Dino admitted it honestly.

Not one of them, but all of the members were a threat. That was safe to assume, Dino thought.

Pico and Gracia, the former seraphim, were comparable to awakened True Demon Lords. They had been
out of combat for a long time, so it was not a simple matter of comparing their strength, but they were
definitely not weak.

With the Tempest executives out of picture, Dino had originally thought that he and the two girls alone
would be enough to conquer the labyrinth. Feldway had even taken the trouble to send in two of the
Three Phantom Commanders, and had even entered the battle himself.

It was a situation of absolute victory, but the results were as one could see.

Dino almost felt dizzy in the face of this reality.

Both Pico and Gracia seemed to have lost their composure, perhaps because they hadn’t fought in a long
time.

‘No wonder,’ Dino thought.

Even though they had fallen, they were still the highest-ranked seraphim.

The once brilliant Seven Primordial Angels were struggling in a battle, and their pride must have been
torn to pieces.

Dino was no stranger to this, but he had already tossed all that aside.

“You two, fall back! We’re retreating!”

Dino shouted.

The two girls reacted, but seemed unhappy about it.

“We’re just getting started, you know? Don’t talk nonsense when I’m about to get serious.”

“Shut up! From the moment you two came to fight, this operation was already in ruins!”

Pico and Gracia’s role was originally to provide logistical support from the rear, but since there was a
gap in the battlefield, it was more prudent to take part in it.

The fact that they were caught up in the middle of a battle meant that the enemy’s strength had exceeded
their expectations. A tactical victory here would be completely meaningless in terms of strategy.

“Wait, you mean the mission failed?”

“Huh? Ahhhh, yeah, it failed. If it hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t have run away!”

“Huh?! But Feldway made the plan, right? How could that cautious, perfectionist Feldway misjudge the
enemy’s strength?”

“That’s the way it is.”

“It can’t be. With Zalario and Cornu here, how could the mission still fail?”
“Because we already lost. I told Zalario to stand down, but that Cornu bastard was probably killed. In
short, none of the goals were achieved, so there’s no point in fighting anymore!”

“Is this a lie…?”

“Seriously, I really don’t think that’s possible…”

Pico and Gracia were speechless.

In contrast, Geld and Kumara wore proud expressions.

“Hey, hey, does that mean you lost too?”

“Huh? I mean, don’t ask me that! Don’t you have the decency to pretend not to notice?”

Facing Gracia’s question, Dino replied perfunctorily, as if he didn’t care. Gracia was stunned, not by the
failure of the mission, but by Dino’s lack of remorse.

In any case, there was no reason to doubt Dino’s words.

With their heads already cooled down, Pico and Gracia accepted the retreat.

“Damn it, don’t think that you’ve won!”

“That will not happen. You were splitting your power to stop the labyrinth from recovering during the
fight with me, weren’t you? Next time, I hope I can face you in perfect condition.”

“Huh. Ahahahaha! You saw that, did you? I like that. See you later!”

Gracia and Geld acknowledged one another and peacefully said their goodbyes.

Pico and Kumara on the other hand…

“Your name was Pico, right? You get to keep your life for today!”

“Huh?! I wasn’t even serious! You’re the one who gets to keep her life!”

They glared at each other viciously, then grunted and turned their faces away from each other.

Despite the completely different atmosphere, the two agreed to end the battle.

With that, Dino and the others had successfully withdrawn from the scene.

***

Zalario always kept his cool.

His role in this mission was to create a diversion, and he carried it out perfectly.

The men he had brought with him were fighting on equal terms with the resistance in the labyrinth. This
was a literal meaning, and not an act.
It was surprising, but they would need to revise their intel on the enemy upwards. That is what Zalario
concluded as he assessed the battlefield.

Most notable were the two people in front of him.

Charys and Treyni, two names that Zalario felt it necessary to remember. Still, Zalario concluded that he
didn’t need to get serious.

Originally, I was told that there were only insignificant rabble left here, but that doesn’t seem to be the
case. I had thought that in order to intercept me, the enemy would exhaust all of the forces in the
labyrinth, but there is still the strong one called Zegion. I hope Cornu and Dino can complete their
mission before he wakes up.

He was a little worried, but there was no mistake in the plan Feldway had made. Believing that, Zalario
was able to enjoy the battle with confidence.

“Oh dear, Veldora-sama is going to laugh at me later when he learns I was at the mercy of someone who
is cutting corners.”

“Such fears are unnecessary. Veldora was defeated by Velgrynd and has fallen into our hands.”

“That’s not a very funny joke.”

“It’s no joke. You’ve noticed it, haven’t you? That is why you are getting a bit impatient.”

“……”

Charys was a majin of great strength.

Even to Zalario, who had destroyed many dimensions, Charys belonged to an extremely rare group of
excellent talents.

Treyni, who harbored the spirit king, was also very talented, but not as much as Charys. The high-
powered magic she excelled at was threatening, but because it didn’t have much effect on Zalario, it was
not much of a problem.

Charys was similar. He deftly manipulated his energy, converging heat energy and shooting out high-
powered heat rays. However, this could be nullified by Zalario’s prided ‘Distortion Field.’

What Zalario really needed to be wary of was his accurate and calm judgment.

Unlike Treyni, Charys would always try all sorts of tactics against Zalario. He fought cautiously, as if he
were checking the effectiveness of each move.

Zalario knew from past experience that such opponents could not be taken lightly.

But that was coming to an end. Charys had begun to grow impatient, losing the prudence from a
moment ago.

He was not going to enjoy this fight anymore.

‘It’s almost time,’ Zalario thought.

“I’m sorry about this, but I think we should end this now. You have both been very brave, very strong
warriors. But, alas, you are no match for me.”
The difference in strength was obvious.

The total amount of energy was also too much at Zalario’s advantage.

Most crucially, there was the issue of compatibility.

Angels had an innate advantage over spirits. Charys and Treyni, who were rooted in the power of spirits,
could not give decisive damage to Zalario, who was a former seraph, albeit a fallen one.

“It’s a shame, but it looks like Triss has reached her limit. I will only be able to hold onto the Spirit King
for a few dozen seconds. Charys-dono, do you have any plans left?”

“Unfortunately, no. But don’t worry, Rimuru-sama and Veldora-sama have thoroughly trained me in the
art of never giving up.”

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Charys laughs and said that the battle was just beginning.
Seeing this, Treyni also smiled.

“In that case, I will go along with you. I will not let insolvents have their way in Ramiris-sama’s
labyrinth!”

Although they had taken a great deal of damage, their energy was sufficient. They still had a strong will
to fight and showed no signs of giving in at all, much to Zalario’s disgust.

“Truly, you do not appear to be the kind of fools who do not understand your situation, but are you
really going to cling to life in misery until the very end? If you think that you can just be resurrected and
have nothing to worry about, then you’re mistaken.”

According to Zalario’s calculations, it would soon be time for Dino to take Ramiris out of the labyrinth.

The labyrinth’s unique “immortality” was only made possible because of Ramiris’ presence. Strictly
speaking, if Ramiris just left the labyrinth, it would be fine, but if she left the labyrinth after losing
consciousness, then all of the records would be reset.

In other words, once Dino’s mission was accomplished, Ramiris’ followers would no longer be
immortal. Zalario was aware of this, which is why he was taking it easy on Charys and Treyni and
letting them accumulate damage.

“Your fighting ability is worthy of praise, so if you wish, I can give you a painless and proud death.”

That was Zalario’s way of showing mercy to the strong.

But of course, Charys and Treyni answered with a rejection.

“Fufufu, you think you’ve won? How foolish.”

“I agree. In a battle, you never know what will happen until the very end. As long as you don’t give up
on your victory, you won’t lose, but you don’t even know that, do you?”

That defeatist remark was enough to provoke Zalario, and while he had not yet lost his cool, it was
enough to make him feel agitated and uncomfortable.

“How unpleasant. It’s rare that I would want to show you a little mercy.”
“Mercy, is it? There are a lot of people who have been defeated after saying that they were going to win
in the end. Don’t you know that that’s called a ‘doom flag?’”

Charys recalled having a discussion with Veldora about the ‘list of things you should not say or do.’
There were many of them, but the “showing off and taking it easy when you’re about to win” in
particular, was an absolute no-no.

Once you decide to kill your opponent, you must do it quickly without saying a word. If you don’t, you
will surely be caught by your opponent with a counterattack.

“How foolish, as if a miracle in this situation—”

“—Will show up. Because Rimuru-sama has performed miracles many times. The people under his
command have long become used to such instances, and there are even quite a few who have started to
imitate them. Even now as well, you see!”

In the first place, by being in this labyrinth, even stalling for time was often enough to turn the situation
around.

This time was no exception—

“…That’s right. And if you dare to go after Ramiris-sama, a friend and ally of my God, then I, the
“Gehenna Lord” Adalmann, shall be your opponent!”

Another warrior had awakened.

‘So what if one more warrior is added?’ Zalario originally thought as such.

What bothered him more was the delay in hearing from Dino.

Too slow. Although I’ve known about Dino’s slacking habits for a long time, if we don’t get this done
soon, there’s going to be more and more trouble on my side.

Zalario’s frustration was gradually accumulating as the situation failed to go as planned.

Then, a knightly-looking man stepped up in front of Zalario.

“I am reluctant to challenge you with so many people against just one person, but I am not a Paladin
anymore. Pragmatism is more important than honor, so please forgive me.”

It was Albert who said this.

Armed with a set of mythical-grade armor given to him by Rimuru, and having received a ‘gift’ upon
Adalmann’s awakening, he had evolved into a “Gehenna Paladin.”

As the official owner of the glorious armor, Albert pointed his sword at Zalario.

“There was still a man like this…?”

Even in Zalario’s eyes, Albert’s presence was tremendous. His gestures exuded the air of a swordsman,
and the mythical-grade blade in his hand had the potential to wound Zalario. He knew at a glance that
this was something that could not be ignored.

“I’m here too.”

That voice belonged to Wenti, the “Hell Dragon King” who had awakened from her evolutionary
slumber to become a ‘Gehenna Dragon.’

Now knowing where she learned it from, Wenti bowed gracefully.

Zalario’s expression turned blank as he realized his disadvantage.

Even in the face of these opponents, it should still be possible to him. But that was not the point.

Unless Dino did something about Ramiris, Zalario could not win.

Even if I were to reveal my true abilities here, it would only be exposing my hand to the enemy. But it’s
not going to be enough to deal with these guys unless I do so.

Zalario made his decision.

If it was only Charys and Treyni, he could handle them with restraint. However, with the addition of
three strong awakened demon lords, even Zalario would have a difficult time.

But now, if Zalario did not act as a diversion here, then Feldway’s plan would fail. As someone who
prided himself on his 100% mission success rate, Zalario could not accept such a situation.

It can’t be helped. I’m going to kill them all anyway, so let’s show them what I can really do.

Just as Zalario was about to make up his mind…

“Oh yes, I’ll tell you a story that may be of interest to you as well. My realm of protection is the
seventieth levels of the labyrinth, so why do you think I ignored the intruders over there?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to draw out the answer, so I’ll tell you briefly. It’s simply because there was no need for
me to be there anymore.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Adalmann, a skeleton in the robes of a saint, smiled evilly and laughed. Zalario, uncomfortable with
this, asked back.

Wait a minute…What does he mean? There’s no need for him to be there? Does this mean that
something happened to Cornu during the invasion?

Without hearing the answer, Zalario arrived at the truth.

However, Adalmann’s goal was actually to make Zalario waver, so he told him personally what had
happened on the seventieth levels.

“That foolish intruder has been eliminated by Velgrynd-sama. That’s why I felt safe to come to you with
confidence.”

“……”

Zalario was not foolish enough to doubt those words.

With Cornu’s defeat confirmed, Zalario decided to inquire about the success or failure of the most
important objective.

“Huh, I see. With Velgrynd as an opponent, Cornu is no match. There seems to be a lot of odd things
going on, but they should still be remedied. So then, you’ve sent the rest of your meager battle power to
me?”
As for why Velgrynd hadn’t come him yet, he could only assume that it was because of Masayuki. After
all, Masayuki was possibly the inheritor of Rudra’s soul, he thought.

Feldway, who had examined the information obtained by the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, had ordered
Masayuki’s extermination in order to eliminate any possibility. However, Velgrynd seemed to have
found out about it.

Cornu is also unlucky. If he hadn’t switched roles with me as he had originally planned, none of this
would have happened. But I can just ignore Velgrynd. With Michael-sama around, she can easily be
controlled. Right now, what’s more important…

What’s more important was what Dino was doing.

“So you can afford it. I see, so then you’re strong enough to take on Velgrynd-sama. I hate to admit it,
but it looks like we’ve really been underestimated.”

“That’s true. There’s a good chance we’d lose even if we all took on the challenge together.”

Charys was wise, but Adalmann also had a quick mind.

Both of them realized from Zalario’s attitude that he must be hiding incredible abilities. But even so,
Adalmann and the others had the advantage.

Adalmann explained the reasoning behind this.

“I already know the purpose of your questions. You’re really after Ramiris-sama, aren’t you? However,
we are under orders to ensure the safety of Ramiris-sama at all times and with the highest priority.”

Upon awakening from his evolutionary slumber, Adalmann had first confirmed that Ramiris was safe.

Naturally, if Ramiris was safe, then everything else would be fine.

Above all, it was a supreme order from Rimuru.

The main purpose of Adalmann and the other Guardians was to protect the labyrinth. In other words,
they were to ensure the safety of Ramiris.

“So, Ramiris-sama is safe, isn’t she?”

“Of course, Treyni-dono . Zegion-dono is on his way, so no matter how many people there are, they
won’t be able to touch Ramiris-sama.”

“I see, that’s a relief.”

Treyni smiled. The others did the same, each with a look of relief on their faces.

Now they could focus on Zalario with peace of mind.

As for Zalario…

The mere mention of the name Zegion once again gave him the feeling that Dino had failed.

Zegion was the one who could use Distortion Field, right? But if Dino fights seriously…No, that man
can’t be expected of much. He was already very reluctant to take part in this mission, so by now he’s
probably long gone…
Zalario had a pretty good idea of the current status quo.

As if aiming for that moment, a ‘Telepathy Net’ arrived from Dino.

‘‘Hey, Zalario, I know you can hear me. The mission has failed. Apparently, Cornu screwed up when
Velgrynd entered the fray. I’ve also got a nasty bastard on my end, so I’m retreating now. You should
get out of here before the labyrinth closes. See ya!’’

It was so one-sided that Zalario couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Zalario thought to himself that this was really in Dino’s style, and decided to retreat as well. Since
victory at this point was now meaningless, then any unnecessary actions should also be avoided.

“This is the first time I have ever tasted such humiliation—to have to retreat when my opponents are
merely a bunch of stragglers who could easily be swept away. There will not be a next time, so
remember that.”

After blandly uttering his regrets, Zalario took his men with him and teleported away from the labyrinth.

Those who remained behind felt no lingering sense of victory, but immersed themselves in the peace of
mind that came with having successfully defended the labyrinth.

The threat had left the labyrinth.

Zegion released his skill ‘World of Illusion,’ and then looked at Beretta, who had just finished laying
Ramiris down on the couch.

“Has Dino-dono escaped?”

“It would seem so.”

“Hohoho, you’re too modest. It was only the mercy of Ramiris-sama that let him get away.”

Beretta was right.

Zegion had long noticed that Dino was wearing the Resurrection Bracelet.

He had noticed it, and purposely overlooked it.

It was an experiment.

—Will Ramiris’ blessings be effectively activated even if there is clear hostility towards Ramiris by the
equipper?—

The result was as one could see.

Dino had won the bet and survived.

For Zegion, it could have gone either way. The results of this experiment were obtained only
incidentally, and the victory condition had been fulfilled when he defended Ramiris.
“If that is what Ramiris-sama wants, then there is nothing I can do about it.”

Beretta nodded back.

If they had succeeded in intercepting the enemy, then there was no need to kill uselessly.

Of course, there would have been no next time if the enemy had been oblivious to the generous master’s
mercy.

Zegion had intended to pursue Dino depending on his reaction after being resurrected. If there had been
no sign of escape, he would have crushed him, but it seemed that that was not necessary.

Dino not only chose to escape, but also persuaded his companions to retreat. His two companions
accepted this and also withdrew from the area.

“So, what about Zalario?”

“Adalmann-dono rushed over, and there is no sign of the other party anymore. They must have given up
and fled as well.”

At this point, Adalmann and the others had resurrected and joined the fight, and the remaining enemies
seemed to have decided to retreat.

“That’s just as well.”

“Hmm. If it weren’t for Ramiris-sama, we would have been the ones who were defeated, right?”

“Indeed. Even if we had won, there would certainly have been casualties, and for us, that is tantamount
to defeat.”

“Exactly.”

Zegion and Beretta nodded to each other.

The thought that it was necessary to revert to a more vigilant posture came to both men at the same time.

But that could come later.

With that, the labyrinth had been successfully secured.

After confirming Ramiris’ safety once again, Zegion returned to his domain.
 Chapter 2

Interviews

Well, I was in trouble too. That’s what I thought as I finished listening to the report from Ramiris and
the others.

It was a bigger incident than I had expected.

“So, is Chloe going to be okay?”

“There are no problems. She reverted to her child form and is conscious. She’s just resting in the
infirmary for now, just in case.”

I was relieved to hear that from Shuna.

I had been told from the start that there were no casualties, but even so, I couldn’t rest until I saw for
myself. She was probably already asleep right now, so I would go visit her tomorrow.

That being said…

This time, the enemy was a real pain in the ass.

A strategy to use the intruder as a diversion and separate Ramiris from her guards.

Then use the opportunity for Dino to betray us.

Dino’s strength was far greater than Beretta’s. Even Beretta and Apito joining forces were unable stop
Dino, and he had almost got his hands on Ramiris.

In the end, Ramiris was saved thanks to Zegion’s timely arrival, but if even one step had gone wrong, it
would been a disaster.

I shuddered to think about what would have happened if Zegion had not woken up in time. I was really
glad that he made it in time and couldn’t help grabbing my chest in relief.

Still, Velgrynd-san’s return had come as a bit of a surprise.

She was currently discussing her future plans with Masayuki and the Imperial commanders. We would
have to meet and talk later, but I suppose they would all want to collect their thoughts.

That being said, if Velgrynd-san had protected those people, then it must have been because of
Masayuki. I feel that many things have become clearer to me, but have also added more questions.

Then again, I’ll just think about those questions later.

I looked around at the people who had just given their report to me.

“Ramiris, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“It was nothing. But then again, that Dino really didn’t seem to want to do anything to me, but it would
have been awful if I had actually left the labyrinth. Why? If I really got serious, then I could have
knocked him down with all forty-eight of my special moves!”

Ramiris was the same as always.

Although she was very angry, the moment she felt safe, she would put on a show of bravery. It was kind
of cute.

She was still sleeping happily when I had returned, but was still talking in her sleep saying stuff like
‘Mmmmnn…Dino, I’ll show you all of my forty-eight special moves…’

Not only did she think she was strong in her dreams, but she also thought she was strong when not in
front of me.

“Dino should be grateful that Ramiris-sama did not resort to her forty-eight special moves!!”

Treyni-san, who was taking care of Ramiris, was quick to flatter her.

“Well, of course!”

Ramiris nodded happily.

It because she’s always like this that Ramiris gets carried away.

‘Do it in moderation,’ I thought to myself.

“I am so sorry, Rimuru-sama. It was poor supervision on my part. I never thought that Dino-kun would
betray us…”

It was a drooping Vesta who said so.

It seems that he wanted to come here to apologize to me as soon as possible. Vesta, who has a strong
sense of responsibility, seemed to be quite depressed about this incident.

So I smiled at Vesta to put him at ease.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. Dino’s been weird from the very beginning, hasn’t he?”

When I said that, Ramiris, Treyni and even Beretta nodded.

“He’s a demon lord, after all. I was suspicious of him from the start.”

“I didn’t expect him to do something this bold, but I had been keeping a close eye on him to make sure I
could deal with him in time when he caused any problems.”

“By and large, he also showed an unbelievably serious attitude with his work, which surprised me.”

It was a slew of pitiful comments that even made me think that we should have given him a little more
credit.

But there was no way around it.

In the first place, Dino had come here because Guy told him to. Even Dino himself made no pretense of
hiding the fact that he was a spy. We had every right to be wary.
But I think…

“Don’t be so depressed, Vesta-san. I don’t think that Dino really wanted to betray us from the bottom of
his heart.”

That’s what I really thought.

While Dino’s betrayal was to be expected, there had been the presence of his own agenda that implied
that he wanted to be watched from the start.

Perhaps Dino thought that this would happen someday. I couldn’t help but think so.

“He sure is clumsy, isn’t he? If that’s the case, he could’ve at least talked to someone about it…”

“Well, now that we became friends, I’d like to believe that. Besides, Dino might have had his own
reasons.”

When I said that, Vesta seemed to agree.

“Indeed. I want to believe in him. I was once on the wrong track as well, but thanks to King Gazel and
Rimuru-sama, I am back on the right path. It is encouraging to even know that someone is there for
you.”

Vesta’s expression relaxed a little, as if his doubts had been cleared away.

‘That’s fine,’ I thought. I wanted to trust Dino too.

I couldn’t say it out loud until I was sure, but there was another thing that came to mind.

It was the possibility that Dino possessed an Angelic Ultimate Skill.

This coincidental convenience of having a Unique Skill evolve into an Ultimate Skill during combat
doesn’t just randomly happen. If there was such a possibility, then that would mean he had the means to
make it possible.

«Indeed. It is not common to evolve in the midst of battle.»

The one who agreed with me was Ciel.

My confidant and friend, and the one I relied on the most.

While in high spirits in the heat of battle with Velgrynd, I had named the Wisdom King Raphael-san.

As a result, the Manas (theosophy nucleus), an intelligent being called Ciel, was born.

It was not a mere thinking being. As was the case with Chronoa, it also acted as an algorithmic device
separate from its master.

It could be thought of as another core that exists within my soul.

There was no doubt that it has an ego, and its reactions were more human-like than before.

«Is that so?»

As soon as Ciel said that, I suddenly felt my persuasive power drop.

Ciel had been doing a lot of things on their own, so what was it saying now?

Besides, even if Ciel had the time to say that now, wouldn’t we have been in trouble if it hadn’t evolved
and remained as the Wisdom King Raphael?

Now that I think about it, from the moment I had confronted Rudra (or was it Michael?), I was in
trouble. But that was probably because he was under the influence of the Ultimate Dominion.

«……»

You still have the habit of shutting up when it’s inconvenient.

In other words, if it hadn’t evolved into Ciel, then there’s a good chance I would have been defeated.

It was only now that I realized how close the line between victory and was, and I couldn’t help but be
horrified.

«It’s a hypothetical situation, so it’s meaningless to wonder about what could have happened »

Hey, hey, you hate to lose even more than I do, don’t you?

I forcibly concluded, stopping my thoughts.

But well, I guess we’re definitely the exception.

Returning back to Dino, I think it was reasonable to assume that he was hiding some kind of power.

«Perhaps it was just intended to be a disguise. However, the unnaturalness of the manifestation can
make us confident that he possesses other powers as well.»

Mm-hmm.

If Ciel says so, then it must be certain.

In other words, since Dino also possessed an Angelic Ultimate Skill, he was probably manipulated by
Michael’s “Ultimate Dominion.”

Since Dino and I weren’t connected by a Soul Corridor, there was no way to disarm it immediately, but
it was still possible if I ever confronted him.

Of course, there was still the possibility that Dino had betrayed us by his own will, so we could not be
careless, but I had decided not to indiscriminately regard him as an enemy.

That should have been the end of it, but there was another person who was depressed.

“I am so sorry, Rimuru-sama. I put Ramiris-sama in danger…”

Beretta knelt down before me and hung his head in apology.

“Wait a minute, Beretta-chan! You’ve done a great job!”

I agreed with Ramiris.

Beretta did an excellent job against the far superior Dino. Rather than faulting him for negligence, I
wanted to praise him for buying us all that time.

Given Beretta’s character, I was worried that he might feel responsible for his defeat, and it turned out to
be true.

Like with Vesta, too much seriousness was not a good thing.

“No, you succeeded in buying time as you were trained to do, and that’s great work!”

“However, Ramiris-sama has entrusted me with the position of Dungeon Master, which is a key position
in the defense. And Rimuru-sama has entrusted me to protect Ramiris-sama. And yet, here I am, in such
a state of distress…”

Beretta was not convinced by my words, and continued to get more upset the more he spoke.

Perhaps he was very frustrated, but Beretta’s actions were all appropriate. With Dino as an opponent,
Beretta did his part well with the correct understanding of whether or not he could win.

If he had misjudged the situation with a lapse in judgment and made a reckless assault, Ramiris would
have been taken by now. I didn’t even want to imagine the damage that would have been done.

“So I tell you, Beretta, you should be more proud of yourself.”

Beretta finally calmed down when I praised him for his excellent work.

As it turned out, the enemy’s strategy had been thwarted.

In other words, Beretta and the others had achieved sufficient results.

“If that’s the case…”

He had calmed down, but he was still not all the way convinced.

“You’re still troubled? Then let’s talk to you about it later in my room.”

“Haha, thank you!”

Since Ramiris was safe, there was no problem. Beretta, on the other hand, was still too concerned.

All in all, Beretta and I decided to talk about it later, and that was the end of the matter.

After the reports from Ramiris and Vesta, I heard from Geld and Adalmann next.

“Geld, you did an excellent job protecting the town! Thank you.”

“I cannot say it in words, but I love this town. I will not let the fruits of our labor be so easily destroyed.
My friends and I feel the same way. I will continue to work hard and try not to let Rimuru-sama down!”
“I’m counting on you, but don’t push yourself.”

Geld still seems to be working too hard.

If he worked any harder, it would look as if the rest of us were slacking off. Geld’s subordinates
probably wouldn’t rest either, and a moderate amount of rest and relaxation from their superiors was
also necessary.

I nudged Geld not to do anything too rash, and then received his report.

Apparently, the enemy seemed to be close to Dino.

They were two women, Pico and Gracia.

As for the identity of the enemy, Ramiris confirmed that they were subordinates of Veldanava known as
the Seven Primordial Angels.

They were originally seraphim, the highest and most powerful of angels, who worked for the stability of
this world.

Dino was apparently one of them, but the enemies that appeared on the fiftieth and seventieth floors
were presumed to be other forces.

“These “Originals” were supposed to be in charge of controlling the otherworld by monitoring the
powerful monsters that were sealed in the otherworld. However, from what Dino told me, three of them
remained on earth.”

Those three people were probably Pico, Gracia, and Dino.

They transformed from seraph to ‘Fallen’ and lived on earth.

It seems that their purpose was surveillance, but it was not known whether they were ordered to do so by
someone else or if it was by their own will. In any case, since all that was obtained were fragments of
intelligence, one could only speculate on their intentions.

“The opponent’s strength was considerable. If I hadn’t evolved, it would have been impossible for me to
resist them.”

That was what Geld said, so it must have been pretty bad.

I heard that Pico’s opponent was Kumara, and that it was also a heated battle. And yet, the fact that the
opponent was still able to interfere with the labyrinth during the battle was enough to speculate that the
opponent hadn’t made the full extent of their abilities.

“I see. That’s troubling.”

“Yes.”

I would have preferred not to be hostile to them, but it’s too late now.

I would bet on the possibility that Dino was being manipulated and think of a countermeasure.

Next, there were the other forces at work.

“And what of Zalario?”

Adalmann began to report.

“He was a formidable opponent. Charys-dono and Treyni-dono were fighting him before I got there, but
they were no match for him.”

This one was worse.

I had checked the archives of the battles in the labyrinth, and it seems that the Fallen were a different
race from the Phantoms.

He had called himself one of the “Three Phantom Commanders” and said he was a subordinate of the
Phantom King.

In other words, that pompous Phantom King Feldway used to be the leader of the Seven Primordial
Angels7.

The three Primordial Angels who went to the other world with him are now under Feldway’s command
and call themselves the Three Phantom Commanders.

During their journey to the Otherworld, Veldanava disappeared, and they became unable to return. They
must have transformed at some point and become ‘phantoms.’

I understood completely.

They were different from Dino, and it must be because of their past friendship that they had formed a
mutually supportive relationship.

Those were just my subjective inferences combined with my wishful thinking.

«I agree with you.»

Oh, that’s reassuring.

With Ciel’s agreement, I was almost certain.

“In any case, the Phantom King and his gang are the enemies. From now on, everyone should be on the
lookout for them!”

I gave everyone all the information I knew.

It was mainly about Michael and Phantom King Feldway. Especially important was Michael’s power, so
I made sure not to hide that either.

“Th-Then—! Maybe Dino is being controlled?! That’s why Rimuru said he wanted to trust him, right?”

They noticed.

I wasn’t planning on pointing that out until I was sure.

7
I also referred to them as Seven Angels of the Origin or the ‘Originals’ in previous translations. I called them
‘Originals’ instead of ‘Primordials’ so as not to mix them up with the Primordial Demons.
“I hope I’m not just overthinking things, but it’s possible that he is being manipulated. So, Ramiris, if
that’s the case, let’s forgive him.”

“Well, yeah. I hope so!”

Ramiris said so and laughed happily. She seemed to be feeling better than before, so I took that as a
good sign.

All that remained was to hope that Dino was really being manipulated.

During the exchange of information, the atmosphere of the banquet was gradually heightened.

Rigurd wailed with joy for everyone’s safety. Rigur got the budget from Myourmiles and arranged for
the party to be endlessly entertaining.

Myourmiles also joined the celebration and showed us his secret tricks.

The subordinates were very competent, and I was happy for them.

After the main debriefing, it was time to loosen up a bit and we were all having a great time.

“I don’t know who the Three Phantom Commanders are or whatever, but I’m going to kick their asses!”

As reliable as always, Benimaru.

Actually, he seemed to be very different from before he went into battle, so I wonder what happened?

“Gwahahaha! With me here, you will surely be victorious in the next battle!”

Gabil also boasted that he was well qualified to do so.

He seemed to have been very successful in the battle, and like Benimaru, his strength had somehow
increased.

“Whaaa! Gabil-sama, how handsome!”

“That’s right.”

“You’re getting more and more manly. I will follow you for the rest of my life.”

Gabil’s men were also very excited.

“Brother, you must not get carried away. You almost died this time! It’s because you’re always being
praised like that that you’ve become so obnoxious!”

Souka was angry, but let’s just forgive him for today. That being said, it was Gabil’s fault for worrying
her, so I decided not to interfere.

This was definitely not an escape.

That must be made clear.

The more important issue was the old man standing next to me.

“Kuahahahaha! Charys, it seems you were beaten to a pulp. You need more training!”

“It’s quite a shame.”

“Kuahahaha! No excuses! Be a man and be brave enough to admit to your failures!”

He’s already admitted it.

I mean, didn’t Veldora lose to Velgrynd too?

You can’t exactly laugh at others either, can you?

“Didn’t you lose too?”

“Eh?! What are you talking about, Rimuru?! I didn’t lose. I was just in bad shape!”

He’s even making excuses!

You’ve been lecturing Charys this whole time, but you’re no good at all either.

“Master, there was nothing you could do because your opponent was too vile. And there was even
interference from cowardly outsiders, right? That doesn’t count!”

“Yes, exactly! Very well said, Ramiris! That’s right, I did not lose!”

You haven’t forgotten that Velgrynd-san is still nearby, have you? It was such a poor excuse that I
thought about pointing that out to him.

If Veldora hadn’t lost in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to worry so much, and yet this guy still…

“Charys-kun. Even if you get sick of Veldora, try not to give up on him.”

“Hahaha, please be at ease. My lord is now only Veldora-sama. I will do my best to be more respected
in the future.”

Seriously.

He’s way too good to be Veldora’s subordinate. His seriousness reminded me of Geld.

It was great that Charys became Veldora’s servant—I couldn’t help but think that.

And with that, the banquet continued.

Sake was also being served.

I was the only one who thought that I was being too careful, but it seemed that it was nothing for the
executives to neutralize the alcohol.

There would be no point to drinking in that case, but so be it.

I was able to enjoy the drunkenness, and the conversation was very animated.
I felt the same way about that, so didn’t want to bother with the details.

“Come now, Rimuru-sama, I’ll pour you a drink!”

“Wait, Diablo, it’s my turn this time!”

Behind me, Diablo and Shion seemed to be in the middle of a tumultuous argument, and it was
completely incomprehensible whether the relationship between these two was good or bad.

Don’t compete with each other in such strange ways…

“Okay, don’t fight over such trivial things. You guys should drink too.”

“Kufufufu, then I shall make myself at home.”

“I won’t be fooled! If you drink, you’ll fall asleep, so I’ll take care of Rimuru-sama first today!”

So Diablo is a wine drinker?

I’m not quite sure about the taste differences of wine, but red wine does seem to suit Diablo.

And Shion…

This one’s drinking habit is pretty bad compared to just falling asleep.

When she drinks, she gets delirious and troubles other people, so Shuna keeps a very strict watch on her.
The fact that she doesn’t remember after it all ends makes her drinking problem even worse.

That’s why I recommended grape juice to her, but if she was planning to control herself, I would keep
quiet.

Upon closer inspection, I could see that these two have also gotten stronger.

Looking back on it, all the executives seem to have grown in some way. It’s not just that they’ve
awakened, but there was something more than that…

«Please stop doubting me.»

Oh, I’m sorry.

Yes, you’re right.

Even for the mighty Ciel, it’s difficult to help someone else’s evolution, isn’t it?

«I only helped a little.»

So you still helped!

I needed to ask about this in detail, but we were in the middle of a celebration.

I could do it now, but I could also do it tomorrow, so let’s just enjoy this moment as much as possible.

That’s what I thought, so I threw all my problems to myself tomorrow, and enjoyed the celebration with
my whole heart.
 *

The next day, I gave all the executives a vacation.

Although, I still felt bad for Rigurd and some others who had to manage the affairs of the government. I
had asked them to confirm the status of the city and explain the situation to the residents.

Even though the city had been brought back to the surface from the labyrinth, it was still necessary to
make sure that there were no problems with the plumbing.

As soon as we confirmed the safety of the city, we would give the evacuees permission to go home.
Because of the massive battle, I would have liked the administrative staff to take a rest, but the life of the
masses was also important.

Thinking about it this way, I couldn’t help but think that politicians really were slaves of the people.

There are many problems even in normal times, and in the event of an emergency, you can’t even think
about rest days or anything. Now that Testarossa and the others were helping me with the
administration, it had become a little easier, but I still had to work hard to recruit more people.

And me?

I’m just an amateur, so my job was to read documents and give permission for things.

If I thought something is a bit unreasonable, then I’d reject it or send it back to the department for
reconsideration.

Of course, this was only possible because Ciel gave me detailed explanations. If it had been just me, the
whole process would have fallen apart long ago.

Anyway, even though it was only one day after the party, I still had to do my best to check the
documents. With Rigurd and the others still busy running around, it was more of a relief than relaxation.

But before that.

Before I set off to work, I decided to go visit Chloe first.

As soon as I entered the infirmary, my eyes met with Chloe’s.

“Rimuru-sens—san!”

“Fufu, you don’t have to force yourself to act all grown up. From my point of view, Chloe is still
Chloe.”

“Honestly! Despite my appearance, I am already an adult. In fact, I’m even older than Rimuru-san.”

Even if you say that…

Sure enough, appearances are still important.

It was just like with me. People who didn’t know me often only thought of me as some beautiful young
girl when they met me, to the point that I had a complex about it.
In any case, it’s important to keep in mind that a careless remark can sometimes lead to stepping on a
land mine.

To Chloe, whose cheeks were red, I said from the bottom of my heart that it was good that she was
okay. As a result, she hid her face behind a pillow.

“Honestly! That’s just foul, Rimuru-san!”

Huh?

How should that sentence be interpreted…

«I don’t know. It is too difficult a question.»

Well, if even Ciel can’t understand it, then it can’t be helped.

So, for the time being, I just said ‘Okay’ and continued pacifying her.

After waiting for Chloe to calm down, I asked her about what happened.

What happened in the battle, and how it ended.

“I have no problems myself, but I’ve become unable to communicate with Chronoa anymore. It seems
that the Ultimate Skill ‘Hope King Sariel’ is about to go out of control, so she trying to suppress it.”

As I thought, she was influenced by Michael’s domination.

After fighting with him, it now felt like he was messing with those I cared about. I had already identified
him as an enemy, but it seemed I didn’t need to show any mercy.

“What exactly is the situation?”

“Hmm, I can’t really say. I am now completely unable to use the ‘Spacetime King Yog-Sothoth,’ and
am unable to talk to Chronoa, so I really have no idea of what’s going on.”

Apparently, the situation was more serious than I thought.

Although I hadn’t planned on relying on Chloe’s strength from the very beginning, somewhere still, I
had been naive enough to assume that she could just protect herself.

I was disgusted with my own perception, but now that it had come to this, Chloe’s safety took
precedence over everything else.

«Now that I have the authority to interfere with the “information particle (intelligence hub),” I am able
to influence Chronoa, who is the “Manas.” If I can break into Chloe’s spiritual world and perform a
‘Skill Alteration,’ we should be able to remove Michael’s influence.»

As it turns out, Ciel is able to interfere.

“Chloe, if I interfere with your Skills, I think I can improve the situation…”
“Rimuru-san, that won’t do. At that time, Chronoa said in the end, ‘If we continue to rely on that person
anymore, we will never be able to stand on our own. We have to get out of this situation by our own
strength, in order to walk alongside him.’ I agree with her, so I can’t accept Rimuru-sensei’s help.”

Chloe looked at me straight in the eyes when she told me this. Although her face was young and crisp,
the expression on her face reminded me of her beauty when she was an adult. It was enough to make me
nervous.

No, I am not a lolicon.

It’s just that Chloe’s transcendence—Oh, it’s useless.

It seems like the same idea as a certain blonde demon lord.

That was a losing battle, so I hastily switched my thoughts.

“Okay. But if you need anything, just let me know. I’m always here to help.”

With that said, I patted Chloe on the head.

Chloe smiled happily and nodded with a small “yeah.”

Upon returning from my visit to Chloe, Vesta requested to see me due to an urgent matter.

“What can I do for you?”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I have just been contacted by King Gazel.”

“Oh!”

Pushing up his glasses, Vesta said.

“Yes. As you might expect, he wants you to explain.”

I knew it.

It had been such a big war, but I left the cleanup behind and had come back.

For that, indeed, I was going to be scolded.

It probably wouldn’t have been a problem if it was only within our territory, but after all, the Dwarven
Kingdom had been involved…

“I see. Was he angry?”

“He seemed quite unhappy.”

Vesta was wiping the sweat off his face.

It was no wonder.
We had been drinking together just last night.

Thinking about it for a moment, you can say that Vesta is also to blame.

I guess he didn’t pay much attention to the situation, and it was honestly hard to blame him for that, but
he seemed to be reflecting on himself for not advising me.

Still, it was me who did the most wrong.

“Please reply that I will explain it at a later date.”

“After all, you’ll have to think of an excuse.”

As expected of Vesta.

His quick wits made him very reliable.

In any case, we needed to sort out our situation before we could explain anything. The first thing I
needed to do was to arrange a date for the briefing.

Therefore, I would leave it up to Vesta to deal with King Gazel. We decided to discuss the matter again
after we had compiled our opinions.

Then, lunch break.

I threw all those hard questions out of my mind.

After enjoying today’s menu of my favorite fried chicken and yakisoba red bean noodles, I suddenly
remembered.

Ciel seemed to have been doing something behind the scenes.

Last night, Ciel said that they had given the executives ‘a little help’ and I thought it was necessary to
get a clear picture of what they had done, and how much they had helped.

After all, it was highly likely that what Ciel called ‘a little help’ was not little at all.

«Hmm, I am very surprised to be suspected like this…»

The next thing I know, Ciel begins to make a statement.

As I had suspected, it turned out to be a grand affair.

First of all, the biggest thing was the unauthorized modification of my Skills.

That modification led to the Ultimate Skill ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath.’

Yes, I did receive a report.

It was reported to me after the fact, but after Velgrynd’s ‘Skill Alteration’ was finished, I was told that
the remnants of ‘Covenant King Uriel’ had been integrated into Velgrynd’s ‘Charity King Raguel,’ and
that its essence was inherited by ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath.’
At that time, I was so focused on Velgrynd that I didn’t listen to the explanation.

Looking over the documents, I listened to the detailed explanation about the Ultimate Skill ‘Harvest
King Shub-Niggurath.’

This power was like the crystallization of the bond between me and my subordinates.

—Skill Creation: to create new Skills from the information obtained through ‘Food Chain’ and
‘Analysis.’

—Skill Duplication: to create a copy of an acquired ability.

—Skill Gifting: the ability to duplicate a Skill and bestow it upon the right person. It is also possible to
take it back.

—Skill Storage: acquired Skills are converted into information (data) and reproduced instantly.

Well, that’s how it was.

The capacity of a ‘soul’ was limited, so the number of Skills that one could learn was also limited. That
was why there were some Skills that were attached to the body instead of the soul, even if those kinds of
Skills seemed weaker in terms of willpower.

In my case, I had four Ultimate Skills, so my capacity must have been getting overwhelmed.

«No, it’s five, not four.»

Oh yeah, that’s right.

I had taken in Velgrynd and analyzed her the same way as Veldora. As a result, I had acquired a new
power, the Ultimate Skill ‘Scorch King Velgrynd.’

When you think about it that way, it certainly wasn’t a matter of overcapacity. The reason why Ciel gave
Velgrynd the ‘Covenant King Uriel’ was probably because I was reaching my limit.

«Exactly! I had no choice but to optimize the abilities!!»

Suspicious to the point of being shocking.

I think Ciel has even had this tendency of collecting skills since the days of the Unique Skill ‘Great
Sage’—is it a hobby?

The capacity is full, but it’s too good to throw away, so that’s why evolution is being strongly promoted,
right?

«…Anyway, I’ll continue with the explanation.»

That’s digressing!

Not only has Ciel become more human, but the number of instances where it feels useless has increased.

No, it’s okay, it’ll be fine…

I just prayed and decided to trust Ciel.

According to Ciel, it had dismantled the large number of Skills that had been unnecessarily eating up
space, turned them into information, and then reorganized them neatly. The ‘Harvest King Shub-
Niggurath’ was created to control that information.

With this power, it was possible to influence the monsters connected to me by the Soul Corridor, or
more specifically, to grant them power.

It’s easily understandable just how much this ability can do.

Thus, Ciel used this ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath’ to help Benimaru and the others.

As for the degree of help received, it seemed that there were two kinds of situations where one either
received slight assistance, or a lot of assistance.

There was a strong possibility that they would have been defeated had they been left alone, so it felt it
wrong to complain.

Or rather…

“Thank you, I express my gratitude.”

«No, I was just doing what my master Rimuru-sama wanted me to do.»

I know I’ve said a lot, but Ciel has always been very helpful.

I thanked Ciel for its continued support.

After listening to Ciel’s explanation, I got a general idea of what had changed in everyone.

With Michael and the Phantom King as our enemies, it was necessary to get stronger. However, that did
not mean that we should grant the strongest power to just everyone.

Excessive power can lead to its own destruction.

I trusted Ciel on that point.

While it was still so fond of remodeling skills, I didn’t think it was going to do anything too
unreasonable.

It didn’t think it would give Skills to those who wouldn’t be able to use them, but it seemed necessary to
confirm it.

As I was thinking about this, Ciel asked me as if it suddenly remembered something.

«By the way, Master’s ‘Skill Alteration’ has been put on hold. Would you like to execute it?»

I’d forgotten all about it.

Ciel seemed to be getting restless.

It’s like it had been searching for something and had finally come up with an even more awesome
modification.

As I recall, it had said that by merging the Ultimate Skill ‘Storm King Veldora’ and ‘Covenant King
Uriel,’ it could create the Ultimate Skill ‘Stellar Wind King Hastur.’—or something like that.

But afterwards, I gave away ‘Covenant King Uriel’ to Velgrynd, so it should have been modified in a
different way now.

Because it was Ciel, it was unlikely to be weaker than before.

In the first place, although I had not heard or received any report, it probably had already analyzed
‘Charity King Raguel,’ right?

«Of course.»

Just as I thought.

In that case, it was equivalent to having six Ultimate Skills.

In addition to this, I had also been offered power from the ‘Food Chain’ through the evolved executives,
which meant that Ciel needed the ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath.’

A larger number of Skills does not mean that they can all be mastered, so it made sense to integrate
them.

I was thinking that ‘Scorch King Velgrynd’ and ‘Gluttonous King Beelzebuth’ could be combined to
create something.

I was also a little concerned about what had happened to the ‘Wisdom King Raphael’ after Ciel was
born.

If Ciel wanted to optimize the pile of Skills saved up, then I had no reason to stop it.

We’re not in a battle right now, so I don’t see a problem.

Okay, in that case I’ll leave it to you then…Ah wai—!

«Got it! It will be implemented immediately!»

I was about to say ‘wait,’ but it was already too late.

In retrospect, I was a man who repeatedly made mistakes.

Always ignoring the consequences and regretting it…

Why was it so easy to give permission…?

I shouldn’t have left it to go without knowing what kind of terrifying modifications it would make.

However, Ciel, who was already well-prepared, initiated the ‘Skill Alteration’ as quickly as possible,
probably anticipating that I would try to stop it.

The end result was Ciel humming and feigning deafness with the ‘«There’s no way to stop it already.»
strategy.’
Having given permission without paying attention, and then giving panicked attempts to stop things
afterwards—that was definitely all within the scope of what Ciel had envisioned.

It agreed at an alarming speed and immediately buried itself in the transformation.

In that frozen state, I just kept waiting, and with great momentum…

Ciel was so absorbed in its work that it didn’t even reply.

Ahhhh! I felt a sense of resignation, thinking that I would be surprised at the stuttering results once
again.

In any case, without Ciel, I was unable to make any progress in organizing my paperwork.

I changed my mind and decided to work on something else.

While Ciel was busy with its work, I decided to have private meetings with the executives.

After telling Shion and Diablo about it, they were kicked out of the room, so for the time being, it was
just me in the room.

Shion also needed to confirm that her men were safe and left without complaining about anything.

Diablo was more trouble. He was very persistent, saying that I needed an escort, but in the end, I finally
told him, ‘Depending on the results of these meetings, I’m considering removing you from your position
as secretary. Testarossa is strong, beautiful, and suitable for the job, isn’t she? After all, I think one
needs to be strong to be both a secretary and an escort!’ Such a half-hearted threat had him leaving in a
panic.

Fufufu. Although I had no intention of doing so, he was such an easy man to deal with.

He was probably desperately trying to start a battle against the evolved Testarossa by now.

It is unlikely that Diablo would be defeated, but it would still be a good match. Losing is good medicine,
so it’s good to feel threatened once in a while.

With that, I began using the time to start the interviews.

I called in Shuna and asked her to arrange the schedule.

From dusk onward, people who were available were called to my room one after another.

The first was Beretta.

I had promised to talk to him earlier, so he was the first to be called.

For these kinds of interviews, the first and the last slots tended to be the most stressful, but in this
country, being the first person seems to be considered to be the most honorable.
I wasn’t quite sure why, but it seemed to be the case as Beretta appeared to be very happy about it.

“Now, as for your troubles, you shouldn’t have to feel worried about your defeat this time. After all, you
stopped the enemy’s objective, so rather than a defeat, it should be considered a victory.”

Without anyone having been killed, this could only be described as a big victory.

I said this with certainty, but Beretta still looked unhappy.

“I understand what you mean, but a loss is still a loss. For us dependents of Black, defeat is unbearable.”

That is to say, even if one agrees that it is a victory on their side, is it still considered a defeat for Beretta
himself?

Charys, and Beretta too, are both too serious.

If it were me, I would be touting the results as a great victory.

Even if it’s a small thing, as long as I’m satisfied, even an indirect victory is welcome.

By the way, the ‘dependents of Black’ refer to a lineage of demons.

I only recently found out that Beretta was a Black dependent demon with Diablo, the Primordial Black
(Noir), as the head.

Indeed, their weirdness was very similar in some ways.

The fact that they both hated to lose, for example, made sense to me.

So I could understand Beretta’s frustration…However, having said that, there was nothing I could do
about it.

I had my subordinates awakened as a reward for winning the war, but that was only possible because
they had the Demon Lord Seed and were connected to me through a Soul Corridor.

Did Beretta meet those requirements…?

«It’s fine.»

Well, wow, that scared me!

Ciel was absorbed in its own work, but it seemed to have been listening in on our conversation as well.

If that was the case, it could also help me with my paperwork—

«Just for this, there is enough souls to awaken one person. What do you want to do?»

…You’ve digressed from the story again, haven’t you?

Weren’t things a little better before evolving?

«Negative. No such fact has been confirmed.»

No, no, no—don’t just pretend to downgrade and cheat.

But, well, if that’s the case.

It seems that during the battle with the Imperial Army, more ‘souls’ were also acquired. If those were
used, Beretta’s wishes could be fulfilled.

Beretta has clearly been working very hard, but I haven’t rewarded him. I was a little hesitant to reward
Beretta because he is now a subordinate of Ramiris, but Beretta is also an important companion to me.

After all, there was also the important mission of protecting Ramiris. I would continue to rely on him, so
as a token of my gratitude, I chose to relieve Beretta of his troubles.

Or course, there was a limit to what I could do, but from this point on, it would be up to him to make the
effort.

“I understand why you lament your lack of ability. That’s why I will grant you more power!”

I got up from my chair, posed like a great demon lord, and held out my hand to Beretta.
“Don’t forget, I can only help you. Everything is up to you from here one out.”

With that, I used the 100,000 souls on Beretta and performed the evolutionary ritual.

Since I was the one who “named” Beretta, his path to self-evolution was closed. This ritual may have
been a way to take responsibility for that.

“N-No way!!”

“Beretta, you will evolve in this way, too. Please continue to protect Ramiris!”

Beretta was surprised, but his evolution was completed without any problems.

Very much keeping his part as a member of Diablo’s family, Beretta did not fall into an evolutionary
slumber.

Incidentally, the status of his evolution was…

Name: Beretta [EP: 1,978,743]

Race: Greater Chaos Spirit: Chaos Metalloid
Blessing: Blessing of the Labyrinth
Title: Guardian of Ramiris
Magic: ‹Dark Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Divine Machine King Deus Ex Machina’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

That was—

Beretta’s body had been transformed into the ultimate metal (Hihiirokane). This was equivalent to
Mythical-grade level, so it made sense that Beretta’s existence value was greatly increased.

By the way, ‘EP’ was the existence value.

It stood for ‘Existence Point,’ not energy point. It was in English, but that was not worth worrying
about.

This was the result of the original material, adamantite, absorbing the huge amount of magicules leaked
from Beretta.

As for the most important Skill, it seems that he sacrificed the Unique Skill ‘Double-Crosser’ and gained
the Ultimate Skill ‘Divine Machine King (Deus Ex Machina).’ This included ‘Thought Acceleration,’
‘Universal Perception’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Mineral Domination,’ ‘Geological Manipulation,’
‘Inverted Fusion,’ ‘Spatial Manipulation,’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier.’

«I worked hard!»

Oh, thank you for your hard work.

Or rather, you’re always attentive to things that interest you, aren’t you?

My skills are important, but I guess you won’t forget your own interests.
It looks like you’ve messed with his Skills as well…

So true to Ciel’s style, I couldn’t help but think so.

Ah, never mind that for a moment…Rather, Beretta is really amazing.

By combining his new powers of ‘mineral domination’ and ‘earth attribute manipulation,’ he can now
create and manipulate minerals at will. He would need materials, but there is a vault of magical steel in
the labyrinth. Since the labyrinth is in contact with the earth, it is also possible to procure a certain
amount of minerals.

He seems to have acquired this power by evolving his own body into hihiirokane.

The ability to manipulate the elements, perhaps?

Any shape of metal could be freely deformed. He could do whatever he wanted without regard to
hardness, so any armor that was not reinforced by magic or aura would be nothing in front of Beretta.

What was even scarier than that was the fact that Beretta’s own body could be freely transformed at will.

It goes without saying that that most weapons would not work on Beretta, and he could even turn into
something like those stubborn fluid metal guys you see in the movies.

Approaching quietly like a Slime, entangling his opponent, and suffocating them…it was terrifying just
thinking about it.

Normally, Beretta looked like a top-quality humanoid doll with spherical joints, but his essence is not
the same as his appearance, so one must be careful.

Thus, Beretta evolved into what could be called a subspecies of spiritual lifeforms—a fearsome metallic
lifeform.

Although I had built the doll on a whim, it’s really something that it has evolved to this point. While
making observations and wallowing in such sentiments, Beretta knelt down before me.

“I will never forget what Rimuru-sama has done for me. Even if it costs me my life, I will keep your
order and see them through!!”

He swore to do so.

Although I wanted to tell him not to push himself too hard, that could not be the case if Ramiris was
ever in danger. I am sure that Beretta would live up to my expectations, even if there were to be tougher
battles ahead.

I was also relieved to have Beretta guarding Ramiris.

“I’m counting on you.”

I said this to Beretta with a nod.

Beretta’s troubles were thus resolved. A job well done.

I told Beretta to get some rest and let him go back to his post.
 *

While I waited for the next interviewer to arrive, I began thinking about Skills.

Based on the information I had gained from the recent evolution festival and the battles with the
powerful people of the Empire, a question had arisen in my mind.

Skill s are based on the roots of the laws of this world, the power rooted in the ‘soul.’

It could be granted by the ‘Voice of the World’ after repeated practice or great achievements.

It was a strange phenomenon that I hadn’t really thought about much until now.

That’s how I had always went about it…but in the course of events that had taken place, it had become a
question that I could not ignore.

In other words…

What is the essence of a Skill?

That was the question.

When I came first came to this world, I possessed Unique Skill.

Or rather, I had been hearing “Voice of the World” while I was dying in the other world.

From that fact, it can be inferred that a Skill is not unique to this world alone.

If that was the case, then that would make the question even more difficult to answer, and to be honest, I
couldn’t help but wonder if there were people who could use Skills in my original world.

Originally, a Unique Skill was thought to be something only heroes could acquire.

As the word “unique” implied, the performance of these skills varied from one person to another, and
they were very powerful. It gave form to one’s desires, and gave them the power to do what they wished
for.

In my case, I had acquired ‘Predator’ and ‘Great Sage,’ but I didn’t wish for ‘Great Sage,’ which was a
funny story.

«Impolite. I am here because I was wanted by Rimuru-sama!»

Yes…?

Just because I’m a virgin—No, I’ll stop thinking about it.

If that’s what Ciel said, then it must be that such a desire existed deep in my psyche. That was somewhat
of a dangerous topic to dig deeper into, so let’s just leave it at that.

Okay, back to the topic at hand.

This means that although Skills are rooted in the soul, there are cases where they are not.
Skills acquired at the limit of physical training may be engraved on the body, not the soul. This is
especially true for Skills acquired from monsters, often acquired simply by eating them.

Such Skills are called Race Intrinsic Skills. Each race of the same kind had its own Intrinsic Skill, which
could be passed on to future generations.

Skills acquired through training often only reached the level of extra skills. After that, it was still
relatively useful to weave original techniques by increasing proficiency or fusing with sword skills.

Actually, magic was also a kind of Skill.

This is proven by the fact that I was able to learn it by eating.

As you can see, there are many kinds of Skills, but the most important are the Unique Skills.

A Unique Skill is a unique ability created by the individual.

Naturally, each of them has different performance.

Although there will be similarities on the larger classifications, Unique Skills that are identical will not
normally exist. In some cases, they are reproduced over time, but that is a special exception.

That is the case with the unique skill ‘Starved’ of an orc lord. It is an Intrinsic Skill that is inherited by
the awakened race, and it is inherited only by blood relatives.

Since this ‘Starved’ Skill is engraved in the body, it seems to be a Skill that could not originally be
handled by people of other races.

In my case, I immediately merged it with ‘Predator,’ so I just never paid attention to it until now.

I think that Shizu-san’s ‘Deviant’ was derived from her soul.

Then it was entrusted to me.

That is why even I can use it now, and if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to acquire it.

Somehow, I think that the Skills engraved in the soul are more powerful.

Incidentally, the Ultimate Enchantment ‘Alternative’ skills given by Rudra were, of course, engraved in
the body. If one is not a ‘Saint,’ then they will not have enough energy to use it, presumably because
they did not receive the power themselves, and therefore would not use it efficiently.

That’s why it was so powerful, but could be combated against even at the unique level.

Diablo had defeated Jiwu and Bernie, the ultimate skill holders, but originally, this should have been
impossible.

Unique Skills cannot be used against Ultimate Skills. Only Ultimate Skills can be used against Ultimate
Skills.

There were exceptions like Chloe’s ‘Infinite Prison’ and ‘Absolute Severance,’ and Masayuki’s ‘Chosen
One,’ but it was impossible to defeat an ultimate skill holder at the unique skill level.

Even with Unique Skills, there was a big difference in strength, but when it came to Ultimate Skills, the
difference was as great as heaven and earth.
Those who acquired an Ultimate Skill understood the reasoning of the world. Therefore, one could
become a higher being through magic, which was derived from the laws of the world.

Only ultimate spells, such as ‘Disintegration’ or primordial spells, the most powerful spells in the sacred
system, could resist this.

So, it is also possible that Diablo defeated them with ultimate magic, but it didn’t seem that way.

In his case, he might be able to anything just by forcing it. That’s a situation that shows there are no
such thing as absolutes in this world.

Anyway, depending on the situation, even if one doesn’t have an Ultimate Skill, it is possible to
outperform an Ultimate Skill holder.

However, there is no doubt that the best way to fight against an Ultimate Skill is to acquire one yourself.

To sum up, here are my thoughts.

—Skills can be engraved in the ‘soul’ as well as in the flesh (body).

Based on my experience so far, it seems that Unique Skills can be obtained by a strong desire or craving.
It’s not so much of a talent as it is an aptitude. No matter how much you wish for it, you cannot obtain it
unless your existence value is high enough. It is not something that can be obtained just by wishing for
it, but can only be obtained by clearing various trials and conditions. The power one acquires is stronger
than the power given to you by others. Furthermore, it seems that the powers that come from the soul are
more powerful than ones that come from the body.

—Next, there are no identical Skills.

Even if a Skill has the same name, its performance and laws are probably different. It is a desire
translated into form, so there will be many differences depending on the owner’s state of mind.

—Next, the difference between Unique Skills and Ultimate Skills are not absolute.

The strength of an acquired Skill is easily affected by the owner’s ego. A strong will is needed to make
it more effective. A Skill is the power to influence the laws of the world simply by wishing for it. In
order to exercise such a fundamental power, it is impossible to do so with a half-hearted willpower.

When you look at it in this way, it’s clear that the most important thing is willpower.

This is followed by a thorough understanding of the nature of the Skill and exploring how to use it
properly.

I originally had Wisdom King Raphael-san telling me how to use them correctly, but that was not
usually the case. Even if it was a Skill created by your own desire, there may be cases where one would
be unable to utilize it due to a mistake in usage.

«Fufufu, in a recent example, Dino made an interesting mistake.»

Huh?

I couldn’t help but ask out like that, so Ciel felt amused and began to talk about it.

………
……
…

Dino’s Skills, as stated before, evolved during the battle. ‘Sloth,’ the most power of the deadly sin
Unique Skills, became the Ultimate Skill ‘Sloth King Belphegor.’

It was originally said to be a skill that could exert terrifying power. And yet, it had been completely
defeated by Zegion.

Of course, one of the reasons was that Zegion was overwhelmingly strong, but the more fundamental
problem was that Dino had not been able to fully utilize ‘Sloth King Belphegor.’

He probably didn’t understand it properly because he was using this skill as a disguise…

The Ultimate Skill ‘Sloth King Belphegor,’ which was created by Dino’s lazy nature, had the
characteristic that the more he moved, the weaker he became. Therefore, the original use of this skill
was to “support subordinates and companions.”

The ability to lend the power that Dino had accumulated to his friends. If he had used it in that way, then
only then would the ‘Sloth King Belphegor’ have shown its true value.

………
……
…

Although it had happened while we were away, the battle records (archives) of the labyrinth were full of
images. It was Ciel’s hobby to analyze them, so it told me about them in this way.

Guy would not have made such a mistake.

He would understand the nature of the Skill and use it correctly. However, a lazy person like Dino
seemed to have been misled by the surface of the Skill and never realized its essence.

Or rather, it was the enemy’s mistake to make Dino work in the first place.

If Dino had slacked off as usual and let his friends Pico and Gracia do the work, Geld and Kumara might
have been in trouble.

In that light, I felt that we were lucky.

It was only because I assigned work to Dino and awakened him to the joy of work that we got this
lucky.

The evaluation that the more you work, the more you fail is the worst, so if I could make up with Dino, I
would teach him a good lesson if that time ever came.

Anyway, as you can see, it is not easy to correctly understand one’s Skills.

In some cases, such as Masayuki’s, the Skill is triggered by itself, even if you don’t want it to.

Such Skills are difficult to control, and even more difficult to use thoroughly.
Knowing the nature of a Skill and using it fully is the same as knowing your own mind. It is very
difficult to understand, and I think it may be necessary to spend a lifetime dealing with it.

In other words, if one mistakenly believes that Skills are just a useful weapon of convenience, they will
never be able to bring out its true potential.

«That’s right. Please take better care of me, and face me properly.»

Hmmm…

Somehow, I felt misinterpreted, but I stopped thinking about it.

Just as I was finishing my thoughts, there was a knock on the door of my room.

It was Benimaru who came in, escorted by Shuna.

“You wanted to see me? I heard this was a private meeting. What did you want to ask me?”

As soon as he sat down on the sofa facing me, Benimaru asked me. He seemed to think that this an
important private meeting, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

“I’m sorry, this was just on a whim.”

“On a whim?”

“Yeah. This war has greatly increased everyone’s strengths, hasn’t it? We can also measure their
presences in the labyrinth, so I thought I should get a good idea of everyone’s strength.”

“I see, that’s really important!”

Benimaru’s expression brightened as he heard my explanation.

Apparently, he had been preparing himself to be questioned about his newlywed life.

“Well, I am curious about that, but wouldn’t it be power harassment and sexual harassment to ask about
it?”

“Is that so? That guy Souei actually said, ‘Hmph, if you were able to evolve smoothly, then you only did
what you had to do. You’re so late in life that I thought I would have to help you…’”

Just as Benimaru said that…

“Brother?”

Shuna, who was bringing in cake, interrupted him with a smile.

The crushing force was so intense it sent chills down the spine.

“What are you talking so rudely about in front of Rimuru-sama?”

“S-Sorry… I’m sorry…”

Even the hard-core Benimaru was no match for Shuna.

“Rimuru-sama as well. You should have scolded him instead of just going along with my brother’s
foolish talk.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll be careful.”

This is the kind of thing that one can’t go against.

I understood that deeply, and waited for Shuna to get in a good mood.

I was so nervous that I could not taste the cake.

The moment Shuna left the room to take away the tray, Benimaru and I let out a big sigh.

“Phew, that was a failure, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Next time you talk like that, you should think about the time and place.”

“Understood. I originally wanted to say that I didn’t want to talk about it, so I don’t know how it turned
out this way…”

Well, that’s right.

I’m sure it happens, but to me, it just sounds like you’re showing off.

Well, let’s talk about that later.

For now, I decided to check Benimaru’s status as planned.

Name: Benimaru [EP: 4,397,788 (+ “Red Lotus” 1.14 million)]

Race: Divine Oni. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Flame Spirit Oni”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Flare Lord”
Magic: ‹Flame Spirit Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Heat King Amaterasu’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Resistance, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

It was like this.

I mean—that’s so strong!

After sacrificing the Unique Skill ‘Generalissimo,’ he acquired the Ultimate Skill ‘Heat King
Amaterasu.’ Its powers included ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’
‘Will Control,’ ‘Light and Heat Domination,’ ‘Spatial Domination,’ ‘Multilayer Barrier’ and so on.

According to Ciel’s statement, his skills even reflected a portion of Velgrynd’s powers. However,
Benimaru had practically obtained the Ultimate Skill by his own power alone.
Ciel told me that it had only helped him a little.

But still…

Benimaru’s own Existence Value is over 4 million, and it increases by over 1 million when he possesses
Red Lotus—Isn’t that more than Luminas?

By the way, there is no way to cheat the existence value—probably.

To be more precise, the existence value of a person in the labyrinth can be measured with a great deal of
accuracy.

If one wanted to cheat, they would have to have a mythical-grade weapon hidden, or a ‘Split Body’ in
another place like Velgrynd. For example, at the level of ‘Clone,’ the value of the ‘Split Body’ would be
so small that it could easily be detected as an impostor.

Outside the labyrinth, one could cheat all they wanted, but entering the labyrinth was like soaking one’s
head in a full hot spring. They could not escape Ramiris’s ‘appraisal.’

Ramiris is very talented in this aspect, but she also has her regrettable aspects.

In short, she does not understand what she can or cannot do.

The reason why I am able to make measurements like this is because someone once said, ‘It would be
nice if we could make accurate measurements’ in a chat.

I think it was Shinji wo said it, but Ramiris’ reply was ‘It’s possible!’

At that time, I heard that there was a delicate atmosphere in the room.

Everyone must have been thinking, ‘I wish she had told us earlier.’

If that was the case, then we could have measured the existence values of not only Luminas, but also
Guy and Velzard-san…

Also, if we had measured Dino’s presence, then we would have realized that he was much stronger than
his appearance suggested.

…Well, even if I had noticed, it wouldn’t have mattered if I wasn’t sure that he would betray us. We
could have been more vigilant, but in this case, there was nothing we could do.

Anyway, although it was a reference value, the existence value was useful as an indicator of strength.

With that, I was convinced that Benimaru would be able to keep up with the “Three Phantom
Commanders” and Dino.

Even amongst Million-class, he belonged in the upper-ranks and could be counted on as my right-hand
man.

There was just one thing I couldn’t stop thinking about.

“I thought that monsters were supposed to get weaker after having children?”

“That’s true. Generally speaking, they lose a large amount of magicules.”

“Then how did you get so strong?”

“Ahahaha, that’s a mystery!”

Ah, what a refreshing smile.

But trying to fake a smile isn’t going to cut it.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“I don’t know either! Souei was also pestering me about it, asking how I did it.”

Oh, so I wasn’t the only one who was curious.

Well, it would be good news for the monsters if this question is answered.

Many of the hobgoblins are married, but I haven’t heard of any problems about them suffering from
weakening…But the higher up in the hierarchy the monsters affected were, the greater the impact would
be, so this was something that I hoped would be resolved someday.

“Let me know if you find out anything.”

“Got it. Then, I’ll switch with Souei now.”

Leaving that one question unanswered, the interview with Benimaru ended.

Benimaru was replaced by Souei, who entered the room.

As soon as we sat down facing one another, I complained to Souei.

“You shouldn’t make too much fun of Benimaru, you know.”

“Heh, that guy’s always been a late bloomer in strange places. I just thought that if I didn’t give him a
good talking-to, he’d probably stay in the dark forever.”

Woah, that’s a good point.

After all, Benimaru had said that there was no way to evolve without a successor, and it was
understandable that Souei would be worried.

“Well, let’s leave it at that. Now, about your evolutionary status…”

Souei was influenced by Benimaru’s evolution.

Name: Souei [EP: 1,281,162].

Race: Divine Oni. Fair Chaos Spirit: “Dark Spirit Oni”
Blessing: Flare Lord’s Shadow
Title: Dark Shinobi
Magic: ‹Dark Spirit Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Moon King Tsukuyomi’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification

Hmmm, very strong.

And his resistances are amazing.

In order to defeat Souei, you can only use the Holy-Demon Attribute, Holy Sword Techniques, or some
kind of Ultimate type of attack.

As for Souei’s Skill, it is the Ultimate Gift ‘Moon King Tsukuyomi’ given by Ciel. Its powers are
diverse, and include ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Eye of the Moon,’ ‘Insta-kill,’
‘Ultraspeed,’ ‘Mental Manipulation,’ ‘Parallel Existence,’ ‘Spatial Manipulation,’ and ‘Multilayer
Barrier.’

“Hold on! You can even use ‘Parallel Existence’ now?”

I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but ask, to which Souei replied flatly.

“Yes. It’s not possible to use more than one at the same time, like Velgrynd-sama, but I am proud to say
that just one is useful enough.”

That, indeed, is something to be proud of.

One alone is enough.

With this, even Souei is infinitely close to being indestructible… However, perhaps the most noteworthy
is the ‘Eye of the Moon.’

It was an ability that allowed one to manipulate shadows at will, so they could do various things without
your opponent even knowing you’re there. It was characterized by its wide range, to the point that a
whole town could be put under its influence. In addition to being specialized in gathering information,
this ability could also be used for assassination.

«Souei’s Skill is my masterpiece. In order to recreate the ninja from Master’s memory, I tried to cram in
as much as Souei wanted.»

I had thought it was a lot of stuff, but I guess that was the reason why.

«The great thing about ‘Eye of the Moon’ is that it can also be used by a ‘Clone.’ If Souei dispatches
‘Clones’ to various places and uses ‘Eye of the Moon’ to share information, information from all over
the world can be available through ‘Telepathy Net!’»

I can see why you are very proud of your work.

The more I heard about it, the more I realized how powerful it was.
In other words, this was like a superior version of my surveillance spell ‘Argos.’ He could now monitor
situations around the world and visualize them with sound. He had become a versatile and dependable
man.

In the future, I would continue to entrust Souei with all of our country’s intelligence activities.

“All right. I’m giving you the new title of ‘Darkness,’ so please continue to lead the Dark Shadows in
the service of our nation.”

“Haha! All actions are for the sake of Rimuru-sama!”

Not for me, but for our country—forget it.

“Well then, I’m counting on you.”

I said so, and then thanked Souei.

After that, I spoke with Souei for about an hour, asking him if he had any complaints, or about how
Souka and the others were doing.

He told me that the existence value of the five members had grown to nearly 200,000 while Souka
herself had an existence value of 261,898, which was quite high. She was at the level of a former demon
lord’s lieutenant and could even fight with the upper ranks.

This battle seemed to have greatly enhanced her abilities.

Combat was the best training, as I had heard Souei say.

However, one thing to be aware of was that just because you can do it does not mean that others can do
it as well.

Everyone has their own personality, and their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Souei was indeed very capable, but I hoped that he would not force the same number of expectations on
his subordinates. Doing that could cause even the best of people to lose their motivation.

“Isn’t it only natural to do everything in our power for Rimuru-sama?”

Well, that’s not natural.

“Don’t you see? If you only think like that, then no one will be able to follow you. It is your role as a
supervisor to take better care of your subordinates so that they can effectively enjoy their work for a
long time, right?”

After all, people will only follow you if you give them something worth doing.

Of course, it’s still work, so just being fun isn’t enough.

Even so, I still think that a sense of accomplishment is important.

If the workload is always unreasonable, then you won’t be able to feel the joy of a sense of
accomplishment. In addition, if you are given a large amount of work right after pushing yourself to
complete your last load…
If it were me, I’m pretty sure I would be upset.

You might say something like, “you do it,” but in Souei’s case, he was always able to get it done. If that
happened, one would have no choice but to blame themselves, and as a result, they might become
mentally or even physically ill.

That’s what I was worried about.

“I see. So you’re saying that I must use my tools with more care, right?”

“Stop calling your companions as tools. It’s truly important to keep glory in one’s work, but it should
not be forced on you. If you, as a superior, can show recognition in your subordinates’ work, then they
will feel very happy.”

“…I see. Indeed, I myself regard Rimuru-sama’s praise as the greatest joy.”

Umm, should I say that he’s too serious or too heavy?

“Anyway, why don’t you also take this opportunity to have a gathering with your subordinates?”

“I understand. It is my responsibility as their superior to understand their feelings, so I will make sure to
take care of them more thoroughly in the future.”

“Remember to do things in moderation.”

Anyway, for the time being, I told him what I was thinking.

After that…

I received a letter of thanks from Souka and the others.

The letter was stained with tears of joy, and I felt satisfied that I had done a good thing.

The next interviewee was Gabil, who came in after dinner.

“Gwahahahaha! Because of Lord Rimuru’s summons, I, Gabil, have come to visit!”

Today—or rather tonight, Gabil was still full of energy.

I told him to be quiet because it was nighttime, and offered him a seat.

I asked Shuna to serve tea and then we got down to business.

“You did a great job this time. Because of your efforts, everyone was able to make it back alive. You did
well to endure to the end and I’d like to thank you personally.”

I was grateful to Gabil, not from the standpoint of a nation, but as a personal expression. If Gabil had
been unable to hold out, there would have been many casualties.

“R-Rimuru-sama! I am overwhelmed by your words!!”

Gabil burst into tears.

I was so impressed. I didn’t want to disturb his emotional state, so I waited for Gabil to calm down.

“It is all thanks to Rimuru-sama that I was able to win and even survive. That voice—I was convinced
after hearing Gadra-dono’s whisper—that was Rimuru-sama’s voice, wasn’t it?”

Oh, so he heard Ciel’s voice.

“Hmm? Well, sort of.”

It was troublesome to explain, and since Ciel’s existence was my trump card, it was better not to
publicize it, so I decided to just go along with Gabil’s misunderstanding.

“I knew it! I understand that it would have been an unwinnable battle if I hadn’t gained that power. I
have always been warned not to get carried away, so I will not claim credit to myself.”

Gabil replied, but there was a calmness in his expression that made me realize that he meant it.

“You’ve grown up.”

“Haha! Just to hear you say that, I am very grateful…”

In the same way as before, Gabil started crying once again.

A handkerchief was not enough anymore, so I handed him a towel.

Gabil’s condition was just as bad, but his growth had been amazing.

Name: Gabil [EP: 1,263,824]

Race: True Dragonewt. Fair Chaos Spirit: “Water Spirit Dragon”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Dragon Lord”
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Psychology King Mood Maker’
Intrinsic Skill: ‘Magic Perception,’ Ultra Instinct,’ ‘Dragon Skin,’ ‘Flame Breath,’ ‘Thunder
Breath’
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Abnormal Condition Resistance, Natural Effects Resistance, Physical
Attack Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Before I knew it, he had become as strong as Souei.

Gabil’s Ultimate Gift, ‘Psychology King Mood Maker,’ was also masterpiece of Ciel.

It was not self-acquired, but that did not mean it should be disparaged. It was precisely because Gabil
had the aptitude that he was able to acquire this power.

The five main abilities were ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Change Destiny,’ ‘Unexpected Effects,’ ‘Spatial
Manipulation,’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier,’ but if he could fully control his overflowing power, he would
also be able to learn ‘Demon Lord Haki.’

The most dangerous power was ‘Change Destiny,’ which was limited to once a day, but had the
potential to turn the tide of battle against an opponent who was stronger than himself.
This…what would have happened if someone other than Gabil had learned it?

If someone like Diablo had acquired ‘Change Destiny,’ they would have become the strongest without
question.

When I thought about it this way, I felt that Gabil was a pretty great guy.

What particularly surprised me was the way he fought.

After wiping away his tears, Gabil told me about the part of the battle he was proud of…

“Well, the enemy’s spear was coming at me, so I laughed and hit it with my spear!”

Th-This is…

Gabil’s weapon was the Vortex Spear, a unique-grade magical weapon. It was said to be the secret
treasure of lizardmen, but it was still only unique grade.

Nonetheless, I thought it was some kind of a joke when I heard that the Vortex Spear had defeated the
mythical-grade Seiryu (Blue Dragon) Spear.

“Looks like the difference in performance does not determine the winner. Gwahahahaha!”

Gabil was laughing, but I thought it was obvious.

If the opposing weapon was a Legendary-grade, then I could have forced myself to accept it, but that
was no longer possible if it was a Mythical-grade.

The only possibility was…

«Gabil unknowingly used his Skill and added it to his Vortex Spear. Presumably, the spear only
survived without being shattered because it was protected by the ultimate level of power.»

Well, that seems to be the case.

Gabil was pretty awesome in that regard as well.

He’s actually a hard worker, though he doesn’t stand out because of his usual behavior.

He was a jack-of-all-trades, who could do research, fight, and everything in between.

We could expect a lot from him in the future.

“Regarding that Vortex Spear, could you leave it with me for a while? I’d like to ask Kurobee to revive
it.”

“What?!”

“That is, we’ll let the weapon’s experience be inherited and create a new one. I will provide hihiirokane
for the material, so it might even be possible for it to evolve into a mythical-grade.”

Hihiirokane was still scarce, but it would not be a waste on Gabil.

As a reward for this battle, I really wanted to strengthen Gabil’s weapon so that he would be able to
survive any tough battles ahead.

If Gabil did not want to give up his ancestral weapon, then I would think of a different way to do it.

“By all means, please do it!!”

Gabil left the spear with me, once again in tears.

Now that he could have a superior weapon, Gabil would become even stronger.

If he was recognized as a mythical-grade master, his existence value would also increase. Since Gabil
himself could become a semi-spiritual life form, his resistances would also increase.

Gabil’s subordinates, the Tenshoshu (Heavenly Flying Crowd), now had an average existence value of
over 200,000. I hoped that they would continue to support Gabil in the future.

Gabil had cried from beginning to end, but the interview still ended successfully.

Late at night.

In a private room of a special, members-only restaurant.

Refusing the presence of the beautiful elf ladies, I faced Geld.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m in good shape. I have grown accustomed to this power, so I won’t be breaking any more cups.”

Geld laughed and drank his wine with dexterity.

When held in his large hands, a normal-sized glass looked like a sake cup.

“Well, the reason I called you here today wasn’t for anything other than you. I thought we’d drink to
your comfort.”

“I’m grateful. I feel unparalleled happiness just to hear Rimuru-sama say such things.”

Geld was normally a calm guy, but from the look in his eyes and the excitement in his voice, I could tell
he meant it.

I nodded back, and clinked our glasses in a toast.

Then, after listening to Geld’s complaints for a while, I got down to another subject.

“Actually, I’m going to say something that might be rude to you, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. Whatever it is, I won’t think Rimuru-sama is being rude to me.”
No, no, I can also be insensitive, so if it bothers you, please point it out. I sometimes say things in a
joking way without thinking badly about it, so I want you to tell me out loud.

I was a good talker, even in elementary school when I was talking to girls—No let’s stop there. There is
no black history, and I’ve grown up since then.

Even now, I was aware of my lack of delicacy, but I still made an effort every day to refrain from saying
things that people might not like.

Whether my efforts had been successful or not, I didn’t know.

Now that I had Geld’s permission, I decided to go ahead and say it.

“Then I’ll tell you, but you can say no if you don’t want to, okay?”

After saying that, I made a suggestion to Geld.

The suggestion was, of course, whether or not to accept Ciel’s ‘Skill Alteration.’

Since Ciel’s existence had to be kept a secret, I asked him, ‘Can I mess with your skills?’

Then Geld answered ‘yes’ without hesitation.

“I think it is because I am this way that I made Rimuru-sama worry. If you can make me stronger, I
would be happy. Thank you.”

With that, Geld drained with glass of wine in one gulp.

It wasn’t a mood of compulsion, but a determined declaration from Geld because it was natural for him
to accept the offer.

I nodded to Geld as I poured him another drink.

Name: Geld [EP: 2,378,749]

Race: Divine Boar. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Earth Spirit Boar”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “ Barrier Lord”
Magic: ‹Restoration Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘ Gourmet King Beelzebub’
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Natural Effects Resistance, Physical
Attack Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

As soon as Geld accepted my proposal, Ciel, who had been waiting for it, immediately did something.

Geld received the Ultimate Gift ‘Gourmet King Beelzebub,’ which included ‘Thought Acceleration,’
‘Magic Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Ultraspeed Regeneration,’ ‘Predation,’ ‘Stomach,’ ‘Isolation,’
‘Demand,’ ‘Supply,’ ‘Corrosion,’ ‘Iron Wall,’ ‘Grant Protection,’ ‘Substitute,’ ‘Spatial Manipulation,’
‘Multilayer Barrier,’ ‘Keen Smell,’ and ‘Full Body Armor.’ The skill was like a slightly degraded
version of my ‘Gluttonous King Beelzebuth,’ with a lot of things incorporated into it.

By empowering his subordinates with ‘Grant Protection,’ an entire defensive force could be formed.

Geld himself was also able to use ‘Iron Wall’ and ‘Substitute’ to take the damage of his comrades.
‘Corrosion’ was both an offensive and defensive skill that did not focus only on guarding, but was also
useful for attack. It was great for Geld, who specialized in defense, to make the most of this ability.

It was also worth noting that it was not just the skill that deserved to be praised. Rather, Geld himself
was also outstanding.

Geld’s armor had become mythical-grade, and was as good as Geld’s own flesh and blood. It was
similar to the garments of demons, and could be manifested at will by Geld.

The same was true of his meat crusher weapon, as even if it were destroyed, a new one would be created
immediately. After being repaired by Kurobee, the weapon was said to have a memory of remaining in
that state.

To be honest, I thought it seemed like a cheat.

In any case, Geld’s existence value had been increased by taking in the armor, and his foundation was
quite sufficient. In addition to this, the acquisition of ‘Gourmet King Beelzebub’ made Geld’s power
overwhelm even Souei’s and Gabil’s.

The current Geld should be able to stall for time even against the Three Phantom Commanders. It would
be difficult to defeat the defensive Geld without an extremely powerful blow.

“You’re becoming more and more reliable.”

“I am glad to hear that. I swear that I will continue to work with all my might to protect everyone!”

I smiled at Geld and said that I would continue to rely on him.

I went back to my room (my little haven).

I was thinking about tomorrow’s meetings.

The meeting had only started today from dusk, so there were only five people to meet.

Because everyone was busy as well, I couldn’t just spend days on this.

In addition to the remaining nine of the Twelve Guardian Lords, there were also a few others I needed to
meet with.

At least with Apito, there was a need to be interviewed at the request of Ciel.

It seemed to want to mess with her Skills.

That seemed a little too faithful to its own desires, but I couldn’t deny that doing so would serve
everyone well. I had no reason to stop it, so I intended to keep doing my best tomorrow.

I asked Shuna to make a schedule with that intent. I also told her that Diablo and Shion would be
postponed until later, so we should be able to finish everything quickly tomorrow.

I was worried about Masayuki and his group, but I heard that they were also having a long meeting.
I had received a brief report, but I wasn’t not sure whether I should get involved or not. So, until
Masayuki and the others from the Empire finished their discussion, I was going to stay out of it.

Well, Velgrynd’s presence had also become a reason for my restlessness. The current 70th floor levels
had become an atmosphere that no one could approach.

Veldora, for example, had long since panicked and rushed off to his room, and I was feeling slightly
uneasy.

It hasn’t been that long since I last separated from Velgrynd, but I was wondering what kind of
experiences she had accumulated…

All in all, I would just have to wait and see what she did.

In the meantime, I would do what I have to do.

As I was pondering like this, I suddenly noticed a presence.

Ranga was staring at me from my shadow, his head and the tip of his nose poking out.

“Whoa, what a surprise! It’s Ranga, you woke up safely!”

I was so happy that I took human form and rubbed Ranga’s head and ears.

The next moment, Ranga looked both happy and sad at the same time, and his ears flopped down.

“What’s the matter? Are you feeling sick?”

I was worried about whether he had failed to evolve, or if he was in some kind of trouble, but apparently
that was not the case.

“Master, I missed the Great War because I overslept…”

He was so depressed and out of sorts.

“What? That’s it?!”

“I do not know how to apologize, but I heard that Gobta and the others lost their chance to play an active
role because of me!”

That’s true, but it couldn’t be helped.

Compared to that, it was better if Ranga evolved safely and played a bigger role in the future.

“Even Gobta and the others were so active in their chores and secret stunts at the banquet, and no one
complained about you Ranga, so don’t worry about it.”

“Master, I am thrilled to hear you say that.”

Ranga ‘cooed’ and climbed up to the floor, rubbing against me sweetly.

So I cuddled his fur, enjoying his fluffiness for the first time in a long time.
And now, back to the main topic.

It was a good opportunity to check Ranga’s status.

Name: Ranga [EP: 4,340,084]

Race: Divine Wolf. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Wind Spirit Wolf”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Star Lord”
Magic: ‹Wind Spirit Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Stellar Wind King Hastur’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Resistance, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Oh, Ranga’s race also had a divine nature.

I had been wondering about it for a while, but that seemed to be stronger than even the native gods
worshiped in many remote areas—was that okay?”

With the exception of Souei who would be treated as a subordinate deity of Benimaru, it seemed that a
race would become ‘divine’ once the existence value exceeded 2 million.

I wasn’t sure, but that’s what I thought.

«We still need to collect more examples, but I am pretty sure that’s the case.»

Hmmm.

An existence value exceeding 1 million is probably a ‘Saint,’ and a value exceeding 2 million may be a
‘Shinjin.’ That was not the same as the conceptual all-powerful “god,” but it was a reliable symbol of
strength.

Ranga had an existence value of more than four million. That is comparable to Benimaru without his
sword.

“Very impressive, Ranga!”

“Hahaha, this is all thanks to my Master!!”

According to Ranga, this was all thanks to living in my shadow, bathed in my demon energy.

Perhaps it was because he had been lurking in my shadow and absorbing magicules for so long that his
evolution has been going smoothly.

What’s more, he even suddenly got a great power.

It was the Ultimate Skill ‘Stellar Wind King Hastur,’ but…it seems that Ranga, and not Veldora, had
acquired it.

This was definitely…

«Correct. It was me providing a little help.»

I knew it.

It wasn’t an ultimate gift, so Ranga probably got it on his own, but there was no way that Ciel didn’t
have a hand in it.

But well, since it was a power that suited Ranga, I had no complaints.

This power included the following seven abilities: ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception’
‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Weather Domination,’ ‘Sound and Wind Domination,’ ‘Spatial Domination’ and
‘Multilayer Barrier.’ It was so powerful that it could even be considered exceptional.

I could understand the greatness of this supernatural power, which was capable of controlling even the
weather.

It was truly a skill worthy of Ranga.

I was starting to worry about whether Gobta would be able to handle Ranga.

It was now time to work.

Although I had played with Ranga all night without sleeping, I was in perfect shape.

The first to arrive was Kumara.

Her first words spoken to me after the greeting was.

“I heard Ranga-sama boast that Rimuru-sama could modify our Skills? I’d love for you to give me new
powers, too!”

Kumara, dressed as a little girl, adorably made her request.

Ranga acquired his abilities on his own, but he seemed have exaggerated the help he received.

Actually, I think he should have praised himself, but for some reason, Ranga emphasized and bragged
about receiving help from me.

To be precise, it wasn’t me, but Ciel, but that was a secret, so I nodded ambiguously.

Now then, what should I do?

«Let’s do it.»

I knew you would say that.

I was worried about leaving the rest to Ciel, who had no intention at all of feeling sorry for itself…But I
guess we should take all the countermeasures we possibly can since we have enemies.

“All right. Well, it’s mostly up to you, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Even for Ciel, what cannot be done cannot be helped.

If Kumara did not have the right aptitude, she would not be able to receive a ‘gift.’

After obtaining her approval, I left it all to Ciel.

Name: Kumara [EP: 1,899,944]

Race: Nine Tails. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Earth Spirit Beast”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Chimera Lord”
Magic: ‹Earth Spirit Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Beast King Bahamut’
Intrinsic Skill: ‘Beast Domination,’ Beast Unification’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Natural Effects
Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

It took a while, but it seemed to have worked.

Kumara acquired the Ultimate Gift ‘Beast King Bahamut,’ which included the following six powers:
‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Gravity Domination,’ ‘Spatial
Domination,’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier.’

She could even interfere with planets, seemingly able to manipulate the gravity of a wide area.

As for Kumara herself, her race had also changed.

From the Nine Heads to the Nine Tails.

It may seem that a change from ‘heads’ to ‘tails’ was a weakness, but that was not the case. She used to
have eight magic beasts, but now she had only one head. In other words, Kumara could achieve
complete control over all of them by her own consciousness.

As it was before, the will of the magic beasts resided in eight of Kumara’s nine tails. Therefore, it was
possible to leave them to their free will as subordinates.

In that case, eight magic beasts with an existence value of about 200,000 would be separated from
Kumara. Even so, the existence value of Kumara would remain over a million. This was not a
miscalculation, but rather a fact.

The existence value of her subordinates would a multiple value of the separated value, which meant that
they had been strengthened tremendously.

Although she was not a divine race, she possessed existence value of nearly two million without relying
on armor, so it was likely that she would soon evolve.

Like Geld, she also had an earth attribute.

Since she was an earth spirit beast, a semi-spiritual life form, she was very compatible with gravity
manipulation.

The current Kumara, with all of her magic beasts integrated, could be ranked highly amongst the Twelve
Guardian Lords in terms of specs alone.
Unfortunately, she was still inexperienced.

If they fought, she would still lose to Souei, and the only ones she had chance to win against currently
would be Adalmann and Gabil.

That said, there were some scary things in store for Kumara, as she had a lot of potential.

She was still a young girl, and her future growth was something to look forward to.

Apito and Zegion were the next to arrive.

Leaving Zegion in the hallway first, only Apito entered the room.

It would have been fine if they were both here at the same time, but in the name of a private interview, I
decided to respect Zegion’s wishes.

As soon as we sat down facing each other on the chairs, Apito gently handed me a package.

“Rimuru-sama, this is the honey that was just collected.”

“Oh, thank you!”

I was so happy, my cheeks relaxed.

This honey can be used as a panacea and is amazingly delicious.

It was a well-known story amongst my subordinates that I had used this to tame Milim with a single
blow.

That’s why it was a very popular product.

Laughing, I put the package away in my pocket.

I am not a man who would give in to bribes, but I decided to be nice to Apito.

Apito’s current status was as follows.

Name: Apito [EP: 775,537]

Race: Star Wasp. Fair Chaos Spirit: “Wind Spirit Wasp”
Blessing: Zegion’s Blessing
Title: “Insect Queen”
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Queen Worship’
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Physical Attack Resistance, Natural Effects Resistance, Abnormal
Condition Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance

It would be impossible for an ordinary adventurer to defeat her.

Apito’s strength had already surpassed that of the former demon lords. Although she was not as strong
as the Special S ranks defined by our country, she seemed to be stronger than the pseudo-awakened
Clayman.

Moreover, according to Apito, her ‘Queen Worship’ Skill had created nine insectar majins.

They were still chrysalises, but it seems that they would be quite powerful majins once they were born.

“In that case, we should celebrate.”

“I’m so happy! I beseech you to give them a name.”

A name, that’s right.

“Yeah…”

I tried to avoid answering directly and wanted to change the subject.

“Naming is dangerous, so…”

«No problem. I have mastered the art of total control, so there will be no danger.»

Mastered it…

That’s right, it’s the same as what you did with Charys back then.

I guess I have no choice.

I was hoping to avoid having to come up with nine names, but…

“Reichi, Reni, Resan, Reyon, Rego, Reroku, Renana, Rehachi, Rekyuu—how is that?”8

Don’t ask me why, I’m just doing it.

Although it was just a combination of number variations, I still hope she’ll be okay with it.

I don’t even know if the majins will be male or female, so I’ll just assign them something appropriate
like that once they’re born.

“Oh my! I can feel Rimuru-sama’s loving kindness, and my children are so happy to feel it as well!”

“Oh, you can sense that too?”

“Of course. The hearts of my children are unbreakably connected to mine.”

The children created by her Skill can be given orders through ‘Magus Control,’ and the speed of
transmission in instantaneous. Also, unlike with ‘Telepathy Net’ where the exchange is mutual, the
order of priority is made clear.

This made sense to me, but let’s leave that alone for now.

8
The translation was a bit confusing so I could be slightly off, but I’m pretty sure that Rimuru just put ‘re’ in front
of all the Japanese numbers in an obvious sequence. It’s supposed to be funny because of the lack of creative
effort.
Ciel has been annoying me since a while ago.

«I don’t understand. I am just asking for permission to use ‘Skill Alteration’»

That’s what it said.

Ciel seems to be eager to play with Apito’s Skills.

In fact, Ciel could actually force Apito to do it even I didn’t give it permission because I had superior
authority over the people I was connected to via the Soul Corridor.

But this was currently a time of peace, and there was no longer an emergency. It didn’t want to do
anything without my permission.

What’s more, Apito was of Zegion’s lineage, so from my point of view, she was a secondary family
member. Since the connection between us was a little weaker, it would be easier to do it if I asked for
permission.

Thinking it was too late, I asked Apito.

“By the way, if you don’t mind, I’d like to help you with the direction of your power. What do you
think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Mmm. Your Skill seems to have two evolutionary possibilities. You can either be the commander-type
who is served by her subordinates as the ruler of insect demons like you are now, or you could become
the hero-type who leads her subordinates in battle herself. The difference is simple—The commander-
type retains the ability to create insect demons, but the hero-type loses that ability. Instead, the hero-
type’s physical abilities will be strengthened, and their skills will be enhanced to be more suitable for
combat.”

I directly conveyed what Ciel had said. At the same time, I realized that Ciel didn’t go through with this
because of the two possibilities.

The choice was up to Apito. Otherwise, the true power of Skill would not be realized.

“Of course, you can also choose not to change anything.”

After hearing what I had to say, Apito asked me back without pausing.

“If I choose the hero-type, does that mean I will be unable to have children?”

What did she mean?

«Although the Unique Skill ‘Queen Worship’ will lose its power of ‘Birth of a Dependent (Insect
Demon Birth),’ the ability to reproduce without relying on the Skill will remain, so doing so will not
affect the natural conception of a successor.»

“It’s just that you will be unable create dependents through your skill. It won’t affect the natural birth of
children.”

“I see. In that case, there is no problem at all. My children already have the Skill ‘Birth of a Dependent,’
so they will be able to produce an army exactly as I want them to as the Queen.”
Really? So Apito had already handed over a part of her power to her dependents.

So then, Apito’s answer was…

“I would like to take the lead myself!”

Apito declared as such, just as I thought she would.

As soon as that happened, Ciel immediately sprang into action, as if it had been waiting all day for it.

«Apito’s ‘Skill Alteration’ has been successfully completed. Unique Skill ‘Queen Worship’ has evolved
into the Ultimate Gift ‘Queen Possession (Proserpina)’»

It really only took a moment.

Perhaps it was because it had already been analyzed earlier, but not even a second had passed.

“It’s done. You can check on it later to practice using it.”

Ultimate Gift ‘Queen Possession (Proserpina)’ is a skill that seems to have been selected and enhanced
from the original ‘Queen Worship.’ It included ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Magic Perception,’ ‘Ultra
Intuition,’ ‘Insect Domination,’ ‘Military Command,’ ‘Ultraspeed,’ ‘Lethal Attack,’ ‘Spatial
Manipulation,’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier.’

It was just an enhancement of her original power, so it wouldn’t be out of place for Apito to use. I’m
sure she would practice it without me telling her, but that’s what I advised her to do.

“I am thankful for the unparalleled good fortune. With supreme joy, allow me to pledge my allegiance to
Rimuru-sama once again.”

With that, Apito knelt to the floor.

I nodded grandly and finished my interview with Apito.

Zegion came in next, replacing Apito.

Instead of sitting on the couch, Zegion politely sat on a wooden chair.

It was obvious that he was already the strongest in the labyrinth, but he was still so thoughtful. He
seemed to be trying to avoid damaging the leather of the couch with his exoskeleton, and I thought it
was very meticulous.

That aside, Zegion’s performance had been magnificent.

Zegion was already a high-spec existence, and even before his awakening, he had been on a par with
Diablo.

Compared to the other Twelve Guardian Lords, there was a clear gap in strength, and now he seemed to
have become even stronger. Looking at his battle records (archives), it seemed that he had kicked Dino’s
ass while still hiding his strength.
What a terrifying child.

Honestly, it a good thing that this guy is on our side.

“Zegion, you’ve done very well this time. If you hadn’t woken up in time, I don’t know what would
have happened.”

“You’re flattering me. Even the timing of my awakening was all according to Rimuru-sama’s
calculations, wasn’t it?”

No, of course not!

“No. I knew Dino was suspicious, but I didn’t expect him to make a move at the most inopportune
time.”

“Ohoho, so that’s why. It was in anticipation of that situation that I woke up.”

I told you, I didn’t know that would happen!!

Speaking of which, I didn’t even know that Velgrynd existed—no, that’s not true, I did know, but I just
didn’t think she’d come straight over here.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run off with my executives to negotiate with the emperor face-to-face.

I was completely lacking in strategy this whole war, and we were lucky to have survived. And yet,
Zegion seemed to want to give me credit for everything, no matter how I explained it.

I gave up early.

“Anyway, I’m grateful you were there.”

“No, I’m really not much. Even if I wasn’t there, Rimuru-sama could have killed Dino with a blow that
transcended time and space, right? I was merely responding to the opportunity you gave me to play an
active role.”

What the hell are you talking about? A blow that transcends time and space?? I can’t do that…What
kind of monster am I in this guy’s mind?!

“Uh, yeah. Right…Maybe I could…”

“Ha! It would be easy for Rimuru-sama.”

Zegion enthusiastically affirmed my powerless agreement.

This was beyond the level of deep respect, and I felt like he was looking at me with a gaze that seemed
to give reverence to a god. Although, Zegion has compound eyes, so it was all just my imagination…

I regained my composure and continued my interview with Zegion.

I heard from Zegion himself about his thoughts on the battle with Dino.

I had thought that Dino successfully managed to escape, but that was apparently not the case. Rather,
Zegion said that he had carved a curse in Dino, in anticipation of his escape.
It was a terrible thing that controlled the bearer’s life and death.

To even be able to do something like that…just how far had Zegion evolved?

Name: Zegion [EP: 4,988,856]

Race: Divine Insect. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Water Spirit Insect”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Mist Lord”
Magic: ‹Water Spirit Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Illusion King Mephisto’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Fueh?!?!

I almost made a strange noise.

The values that Ciel reported far exceeded my expectations.

Zegion also seemed to be a divine race, but that was to be expected. His existence value was just under
five million, the second highest after Benimaru.

His attribute is water, but according to Ciel, he also has spatial attributes.

As a semi-spiritual life form, he has excellent resistances. Not only does he not have weaknesses, but his
skill level is also perfect.

He was undoubtedly powerful.

Zegion seems to be able to condense the water molecules in the atmosphere to construct a temporary
body.

The magic steel that I gave him had already evolved into hihiirokane via adamantite. It is only because
hihiirokane possesses such fantastic properties that such a thing was possible.

Zegion’s obsession with his exoskeleton was probably because it was the form I had originally created.
Otherwise, he could have taken it off long ago and become a complete spiritual life-form.

I was happy to see that he was taking such good care of it.

Besides, Zegion, who specialized in close combat, was strong enough as he was.

After all, a complete spiritual life form is meaningless without a physical body. Rather, shouldn’t it be
said that his current form was the most perfect form?

«That’s right! And now Zegion is the masterpiece that Master and I have created together! Although I
left the teaching to Veldora, many of the key points of knowledge were given by me to guide him, so
there is no need to worry.»

Well, basically I don’t understand what that means, right?

Ciel’s boastful talk continues bursting out, paying no heed to my confusion.

Since Zegion dominates the water element, he is incomparably strong whenever water is present.

So, because the world’s atmosphere is also laden with water, Zegion can use any place on this planet as
a battlefield to his advantage.

In addition, the majority of living things have bodies mostly made of water. With him being able to
control that water, one can understand how dangerous Zegion is.

The human body, for example, is about sixty-five percent water, so being hostile to Zegion would be
suicidal.

However, this is only the start of how dangerous Zegion is.

Zegion’s Ultimate Skill ‘Illusion King Mephisto’ includes ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal
Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Water and Lightning Domination,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’
‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘All of Creation,’ ‘Mental Control,’ and ‘World of Illusion.’ There were
several dangerous abilities in it, but none of these were the one that had carved the curse into Dino.

The name of that technique was “Dream’s End.”

In other words, the engraved curse was a technique created by Zegion.

This move could even break through Yuuki’s ‘Anti-Skill.’ To fight against it, one would have to have a
very strong will, but it would still be very difficult to surpass Zegion.

After all, the ‘Dream’s End’ was a combination of three powers—’Water and Lightning Domination,’
‘Mental Control,’ and ‘World of Illusion.’

With ‘World of Illusion,’ Zegion was able create situations that were beneficial to him, and he could
become practically invincible in such environments. Such Skills are called ‘World System’ skills and are
very rare.

Even I don’t have one, so it’s no wonder they’re so strong.

«Would you like me to prepare one?»

“……”

I didn’t know how to answer that question, so I’d just pretend I didn’t hear it.

Anyway, we were talking about the “Dream’s End.”

This technique was capable of instantly reaping the life of the target if they behaved in a way that was
not in accordance with the caster’s will. However, because there were no restrictions on the target’s
actions, the target could still move fairly freely.

In this case, as long as Dino did not disobey Zegion’s will, he was allowed to act freely.

“So, how do you activate the curse?”

“Yes. It’s not something I do on my end, but it is triggered automatically the moment Dino takes a
certain action.”

Zegion’s curse was an automatic type that required no management. Once it is activated, Zegion, the
caster, will be made aware, but otherwise, he will not be conscious of it.
And the key to its activation lied in Dino’s actions—that is to say, aiming “killing intent” on my
companions.

The moment he decided to kill someone, the curse would Dino’s core. It was impossible to escape from
this curse even if you were a spiritual life form.

However, since the key to the curse was limited to Dino’s conscious actions, it would not be activated if
he aimed for someone he did not know was one of our companions.

There was no way for him to know the faces of all the people in our town, so I could not say that it was
completely safe. However, since indiscriminate attacks on the town were judged to be murderous, this
curse was sufficient to keep Dino at bay.

How could Dino, who possessed an Ultimate Skill, be imposed to such a terrifying restriction?

“Excellent work, Zegion. Any reduction to a threat is welcome.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Although I am still inexperienced, the joy of Rimuru-sama’s praise
sends a surge of enthusiasm to my heart.”

Why so serious??

Charys, Geld, and Souei were also this way.

Beretta too, I think.

Thinking about it this way, there were many serious guys in our group, but Geld and Zegion were
particularly so.

The growth of all these talents was really a threat considering they were not easily satisfied by their
efforts.

I hope that they would continue to do their best with pride in this manner, and not become complacent.

Anyway, I now understood that the Ultimate Skill ‘Illusion King Mephisto’ was a tremendous Skill.

It should be impossible for Dino to be released from the curse, but there was no such thing as absolutes
in this world, and perhaps it was possible to undo it easily with some unknown power.

But even if that happened, Zegion’s reputation would not be diminished. In that situation, one could
only honestly praise the opponent.

Honestly, Zegion was an excellent all-rounder in all aspects.

This time, he had taken advantage of Dino’s death and used it as an opportunity to perform a move. It
was this keen sense of judgment that made Zegion a fearsome opponent.

It was not enough to have good Skills. Being able to utilize them properly is the real threat.

In this respect, there was no one more specialized in combat than Zegion, and no one more suited to his
Skills than Zegion.
The two complemented each other.

While many tended to play to their strengths to gain abilities, Zegion eliminated his weaknesses to gain
abilities, and was skilled and flexible with his Skills.

Brilliant.

There was nothing more to say!

With the ‘World of Illusion,’ he could create a situation that was advantageous to him, and the range of
tactics would expand more than just by developing your specialty. He was probably one of the best
among my subordinates in terms of combat sense and skill level.

I was convinced that even fighting races like the “primordials” could not defeat Zegion.

Zegion, what a terrifying guy.

It’s no wonder Ciel calls him the greatest masterpiece.

The strength he had shown up until now was only the tip of the iceberg.

Even if I say this, I still think it’s quite unfair that I can check the status and Skills of my subordinates
like this.

Come to think of it, Zegion’s title “Mist Lord” was given to him to imply mystery, but it also had the
meaning of something hazy like fog.

What an apt description.

It was also a good match in terms of his attributes.

Uh, then could it be…Zegion didn’t misunderstand my words and set his evolutionary path in that
direction, did he?

No, no way…

Ciel would’ve pointed it out.

You’d point it out, right?

«…Of course!»

No way!

The reaction was a bit delayed, and the pause in the beginning made me feel very concerned.

While hiding my suspicions that Ciel had become clumsy, I continued to wait for the next interviewer.

It was Adalmann who came into the room.

“Rimuru-sama, I, Adalmann, am truly happy for the opportunity to attend this meeting today, and my
gratitude is greater than words can bear!”

This is something beyond serious, isn’t it?

I casually nodded and let him sit down on the couch.

I would waste a lot of time to let this go on.

That was the mood I was in, so I forced Adalmann to sit down.

“So, how are you feeling since you woke up?”

“Wonderful! I feel full of energy, as if every inch of my body has been filled with holy energy.”

That’s what Adalmann said, but he really did seem to be glowing.

I couldn’t believe it, but when I checked his status—

Name: Adalmann [EP: 877,333]

Race: Dead Spirit. Fair Chaos Spirit: “Light Spirit Skeleton”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Gehenna Lord”
Magic: ‹Necromancy› ‹Holy Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Necronomicon’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

I knew it.

Even though he was a Dead Spirit, he had a light attribute.

From the looks of it, Adalmann was probably the most demon lord-like in appearance. I found it very
ironic that he had the light attribute.

However, in Adalmann’s case, he was also able to change his attribute with the Extra Skill ‘Holy-
Demonic Reversal,’ so there wasn’t much to say.

I thought it should’ve been the other way around, but I shouldn’t linger on that.

Because there were other things to worry about.

For example, his existence value had reached the level of an awakened demon lord, and there were just
so many things I had to say about him that it gave me a headache. The biggest issue was the Ultimate
Gift ‘Necronomicon.’

What the hell is this…?

«I gave it to him.»

I didn’t need to ask.

I couldn’t think of anything else, but it seems that it really was the result of Ciel’s meddling.
“The most wonderful of all is this power given to you, Rimuru-sama. The ‘Necronomicon’ is the
crystallization of wisdom and has become the source of my power.”

Adalmann recounted happily.

Adalmann’s ‘Necronomicon’ include ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord

Haki,’ ‘Chant Cancellation,’ ‘Analyze and Assess,’ ‘All of Creation,’ ‘Mental Crush,’ ‘Holy-Demonic
Reversal,’ and ‘Domination of the Dead.’

In addition to his original powers, he could now use necromancy and holy magic without chanting.

Adalmann’s army had become even more formidable as his control and protection over the dead was
strengthened.

He explained these things to me with great joy.

If he was happy, then that’s fine.

I decided to refrain from saying anything rude.

«Incidentally, this ‘Necronomicon’ is in the same system as the Ultimate Gift ‘Grimoire’ that was given
to Gadra. I removed the knowledge unsuitable to Adalmann from ‘Grimoire’ and then added the
necessary powers.»

Ciel seemed to want praise.

I had also just learned that it gave Gadra powers as well.

It was awesome, no doubt, but I couldn’t help but think there was no way for me to honestly understand
it.

Shifting topics, I realized that Adalmann and Gadra were good researchers. They were great friends who
enjoyed doing research on magic together.

From my point of view, those two were magic maniacs, and since they were harmless, I let them do
what they wanted. It was a good thing to be passionate about something you loved, because you might
be able to discover the truth.

The ‘Necronomicon’ and ‘Grimoire’ could complement each other. They seemed to be an appropriate
Skills for these two people, so I decided that this was indeed the right answer.

The interview with Adalmann was over, but I also interviewed Albert and Wenti.

The two of them said they did not dare to expect an interview with me and were overwhelmed with fear.

They said that if they did not earn more achievements, then they were not qualified to see me.

It was overly reverent to the point of being incomprehensible.

What on earth do they all take me for…?

Anyway, it was important to grasp the situations of all my subordinates.

Albert was a servant of Adalmann.

And Wenti was a servant pet of Adalmann.

Presumably, both of them would be destroyed if Adalmann were to die. But on the flip side, as long as
Adalmann was safe, they were immortal beings.

Thus, it could be said that they also received an Ultimate Gift through Adalmann.

«I worked hard.»

That’s because it’s a hobby, right?

No doubt, Ciel has a good character. I listened to the report, convinced of that.

Name: Albert [EP: 682,639 (+Spirit Sword 600,000)]

Race: Dead Spirit. Fair Chaos Spirit: “Flame Spirit Man”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Gehenna Paladin”
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘ Immortal’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Name: Wenti [EP: 984,142]

Race: Gehenna Dragon
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Hell Dragon King”
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Necromancy›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Eternal’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Due to the effects of evolution, their existence values had become quite high.

In addition, both of them had a lot of nullifications and near-perfect resistances.

Adalmann’s resistances were the same, so it must have been due to the fact that he had once died.

As for their powers, their Skills had different names, but the contents were the same.

They all included the three powers ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Complete Regeneration,’ and ‘Slavery
Immortality.’ There was room for others, but that was still under consideration.

By letting Ciel do as it pleases, there might be some problems, but never any mistakes.

Because their ‘souls’ were entrusted to Adalmann, their bodies appeared to be imperishable.

If Adalmann died, they would die with him, just as I expected.

Since Adalmann was also immortal, they were practically invincible.

I couldn’t help but think that their team was a cheat.

Incidentally, Albert also had a lot of room for growth.

After all, the potential value of his mythical-grade weapon was one million, and as long as Albert’s
existence value continued to rise, his performance potential could still be enhanced.

I believed that Albert, who was also an excellent swordsman, would be able to do so in the near future.

With that anticipation, I watched as Adalmann and the others walked out of the room.

After lunch, the interviews continued

Shion had been well prepared for this long ago.

“Rimuru-sama, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting! It’s finally my turn!”

I wasn’t waiting for her, but I decided it was better not to say that.

So I simply nodded my head and faced Shion.

Name: Shion [EP: 4,229,140 (+ “Hercules Deluxe” 1.08 million)]

Race: Divine Fighter. Greater Chaos Spirit: “Battle Spirit Oni”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “War Lord”
Technique: ‹Divine Combat Arts›
Unique Skill: ‘Cook’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Shion proudly explained her power.

At the same time, Ciel explained everything to me, but it was mostly wrong.

Shion’s strength did not depend on Skills.

Shion’s weapons were mythical-grade, so even if she did not have an Ultimate Skill, she could still harm
Ultimate Skill holders.

Her body itself was a threat, plus her ‘Infinite Regeneration’ was a nightmare.

Even if one were to aim for an endurance match, Shion’s existence value was also outstanding, rivaling
that of Benimaru’s. In other words, she had a huge amount of magicules, and waiting for her to run out
of mana was a bad idea.

Her resistances were also perfect, so the only way to defeat her was to fight head-on. If that was really
the only way to win, I felt pity for the enemy.

“You’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you?”

“Hehe, it’s embarrassing, but I’m so grateful for the compliment!”

She didn’t seem to be embarrassed at all.

But her getting stronger was true, so I wasn’t complaining.

That said, I was surprised that there was only a Unique Skill, because everyone else so far had possessed
Ultimate Skills.

Ciel, could it be that Shion rejected you?

«No. Shion possesses massive potential, so she was carefully assessed. The Unique Skill ‘Cook’ is also
very powerful, so I think it is enough to do nothing.»

Hmm, she’s certainly strong, but…

I had recently become better at reading Ciel’s emotions.

It was mostly intuitive, but still pretty accurate.

If I’m to believe it, then this feeling indicated that Ciel was hesitating to adjust Shion’s Skills.

«…That’s correct.»

This is a rare occurrence.

When I asked why, Ciel answered reluctantly.

What a surprise. The amazing fact was that if Shion’s Skill was strengthened, there was a possibility that
she would gain powers sufficient enough to kill me.

Apparently, Ciel judged that to be undesirable and sealed off Shion’s Skill evolution.

It seemed pretty unbelievable for a Skill cultivating enthusiast to do such a thing.

Although I don’t think Shion would ever have any harmful intentions towards me, acquiring such a
scary Skill was definitely something to think about. I did not want to get myself into trouble, so I
decided to support Ciel’s action.

After the status check, I enjoyed chatting with Shion for a while.

I listened to her boastful talk and applauded appropriately.

Shion had been very active in the battle against the Imperial Army. Occasionally, I wanted to listen to
her stories and praise her like this.

In retrospect, I was often either angry or speechless by Shion’s behavior. I understood that Shion was
working hard, and her efforts were gradually showing results, but even so, all of the miserable situation
from her messing up tended to make it inevitable for me to criticize her.

That’s why I think it was a good idea to enjoy a peaceful conversation like this after such a long time.
I feel like an old father to Shion, but then—

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you, but I ran into a depressed Masayuki in the cafeteria—”

—Huh?!

“—He seemed to be troubled about something, so I told him to consult with Rimuru-sama about it!”

Why does she look so smug?!

Once again, without permission…What’s more, Masayuki’s problem was definitely something I did not
want to get involved with…

She was always so presumptuous, and it always rippled back to me.

It’s exactly that kind of reckless behavior that’s gonna get me in trouble!

I didn’t want to get involved with this…

After all, the sudden appearance of Velgrynd who was supposed to disappear was surprising. But after
calming down and thinking about it, there was undoubtedly only one reason why Velgrynd was here.

Velgrynd had leapt through the dimensions in pursuit of Rudra. And there was only one person she
would go after, right?

Not to mention, Masayuki and Rudra looked exactly alike.

With all those circumstances put together, even I could have predicted it.

But…

Even knowing that, I can’t betray Shion’s trust in me.

“I’ll have to decide on a date for all of us to meet.”

I told her as such, though it mainly just to postpone the problem.

However, Shion replied without hesitation.

“Oh, that’s perfect then! I already set up a meeting first thing early tomorrow morning!”

Perfect, my ass!!

What’s the point of having a meeting, let alone an interview, without any prior discussion?

It’s a crazy situation that started only as a personal consultation with Masayuki. This is the kind of
problems that arise when you use Shion as an intermediary.

I mean, who is even going to participate in this meeting?

I was getting a headache from the sudden problem that came out of nowhere.

I was still in the middle of the personal interviews, and now this suddenly happened.
There were still the demons I had yet to interview, and if I didn’t finish the interviews today, I might not
be able to come back to them until a few days later.

In that happens, I’m worried that they’ll go berserk…

“If that’s the case, tell Rigurd and Benimaru to prepare properly!”

“Understood. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go!”

As soon as Shion said that, she left the room in a happy mood.

Only I was left bruised as I hurriedly called Diablo and the others over while holding my head.

The remaining people to be interviewed were Diablo, Testarossa, Carrera, Ultima, and their four
subordinates.

I thought it would be impossible to meet with all of them, so I would just dangerously go through with it
here.

“Kufufufufu, is it finally my turn? How long I have waited for this moment!”

He was kicked out only yesterday afternoon, but he’s being so dramatic.

“Don’t be silly, Diablo! The decision has not been settled yet, so it shouldn’t be a problem for me to
have a meeting with Rimuru-sama first!”

A battered Carrera snapped at Diablo.

Ultima agreed with her.

“That right! I haven’t given up yet, either. I don’t think you should run away from this.”

She was also covered in scars, and looking at her injuries, it was a wonder that she was still standing.

I mean, their clothes were part of them, so the fact that they still weren’t fixed suggested that they were
badly injured.

And yet, they were still fighting like they were just fine.

Demons really are tough.

“Stop that. It is disrespectful to fight in front of Rimuru-sama.”

Testarossa intervened, and things finally quieted down.

By the way, Testarossa is very graceful.

She had prepared a cup of tea for me, not caring about the three of us who were quarreling. Her clothes
were in perfect order, as if showing the difference in sophistication.
“So, Rimuru-sama. Regarding the matter of firing Diablo and choosing one of us to be your second
secretary, unfortunately, we have not come to a decision yet. What shall we do?”

I didn’t think there was even such a thing.

Perhaps, leaving the demons for the end was a mistake.

Even if Shion hadn’t given me unnecessary work, I still had to report to King Gazel. I should have taken
care of these troublesome problems first.

That’s what I thought, but it was too late now. I didn’t have much time left, so I would have to use force.

“Actually, we don’t have enough time for a leisurely meeting. Not to mention calling in your
subordinates—”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s much too good for them.”

“Yeah. If you need any information on my men, I’ll report it!”

“That’s right. I wouldn’t want something to cut into my time with Rimuru-sama…No one under my
command would be so foolish.”

All four of them replied at the same time, with big smiles on their faces.

“O-Oh.”

I had no choice but to reply.

Ciel also said that there was no need to call in all the demons.

The reason was that Diablo and the others had said that they all answered with, “Please do whatever you
want.”

Ciel already knew this, but to me it seemed like they were just ignoring all the others’ wishes. I forced
myself to accept that it was for the purpose of managing my subordinates. With that thought in mind, I
managed to convince myself.

The first of the four to be interviewed was, of course, Diablo.

He had kicked out the remaining three from the room and was happily sitting across from me.

Name: Diablo [EP: 6,666,666]

Race: Divine Demon. Seven Primordials: “Devil Lord”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Magic Lord”
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Temptation King Azazel’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

‘You’re…just so weird’—was what I thought.

The fact that his numbers were so organized was like admitting that he did something.

But since Ciel didn’t say anything, I was too lazy to further pursue it.

After all, I still think Diablo is the strongest of all my subordinates. His existence value is
overwhelming, and his resistances are perfect.

Diablo’s ‘Temptation King Azazel’ includes the abilities ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal
Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ ‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘All of
Creation,’ ‘Punitive Control,’ ‘Charm Control,’ and ‘World of Temptation.’ It was a Skill that could do
almost the same things as me.

He seemed to have wanted to boast about it for a long time now, so he explained it to me in detail with
great enthusiasm and care.

Ciel also seemed satisfied with Diablo’s perfect comprehension.

I can’t actually utilize my Skills without Ciel’s help, so Diablo is actually stronger than me.

His magicule count is high, his level is high, and the quality of his Skill is also high.

An all-around excellent demon, versatile in all aspects.

Why he was my subordinate remained a mystery to me.

Despite his battle-obsessed tendencies and being a bit too clingy with me, this guy’s unfathomable
strength was always very reliable.

Now that he’s evolved, I was curious to see how a mock battle with Zegion would turn out.

I’m sure it would be an interesting fight.

Also, Benimaru.

Benimaru was usually pretty reserved when fighting, as if holding himself back. But once he got serious,
he would burn everything up before the fight even began.

In the labyrinth, one could fight fully without having to worry about survival, except Benimaru would
probably not agree to it, because it would expose his hand.

In terms of attribute conflicts, water was stronger than fire, so Zegion had an advantage over
Benimaru…but the answer could only be known after an actual battle.

Well, there’s really no need to decide on superiority or inferiority though.

If Benimaru, Diablo, and Zegion were the top three fighters of my entourage, then there would be no
disputes about it.
That was it for Diablo.

Also, it seemed that in addition to Venom, Gadra had officially become his disciple.

“Disciple?”

“Yes. Now that he is my servant, you will not have to worry about his betrayal.”

I thought that he would be fine anyway, but now I was definitely relieved.

Gadra was bound as a guardian of the labyrinth, so he couldn’t be forced to do chores in a big way, but
Diablo didn’t seem to mind. He seemed to think of his disciples in a different way than his usual
subordinates.

“That’s good, but why did you decide to take him?”

“Yes, this man’s faith in Rimuru-sama is still lacking, but his quest for magic is real. He did have some
merit for a human being, so I thought I would teach him personally and intervene in his mystic art
‘Reincarnation.’”

“So…?”

“Shamefully, he almost died in the last battle. It was an act of disobedience to Rimuru-sama’s order, so I
reincarnated him as a demon to prevent that from happening…For some strange reason, he became some
unheard-of race known as a ‘metal demon.’”

Diablo stopped talking at this point and looked at me as if asking for clarification.

I have no idea. What did I do?

«Oh, I interfered.»

What do you mean, ‘Oh’—?!

This is why I thought we needed to have a private meeting as well, but it looks like you’ve really done a
lot.

I really wish I had thought more about it.

This ‘metal demon’ race sounded kind of like a repeat of Beretta…

«Please be rest assured about that. It is a completely different concept.»

That’s fine, I guess.

It really isn’t a problem to me, but it’s just that I find it troublesome.

“I guess I interfered a little?”

I had no choice but to answer that way, so I told him honestly.

Instead, Diablo was so excited that we ended up talking for a while.

To sum up, Diablo also liked Gadra. That’s why he had promised to include Gadra in his lineage in case
something happened to him.

It was well known that Gadra was a magic fanatic. He was the master of Majin Razen and was even
willing to become a demon to satisfy his intellectual curiosity.

Since he was such a man, as long as he didn’t cause me any trouble, I would let him do as he pleased.

I didn’t dislike the old man either, so I judged that there was no problem.

However, it would be uncomfortable if he turned out to be like Adalmann, so I would have to declare a
prohibition on overly faithful hearts.

Just because he was Diablo’s disciple did not mean he could have identical beliefs. I would firmly reject
it.

“From now on, he is your responsibility, so take good care of him.”

From my perspective, Gadra-sensei was very much an elder, and while I don’t speak in a tone that is
quite appropriate for elders, Diablo was much older.

The notion of age had to crumble, because Diablo was so old that the concept of the word “old” would
collapse.

In this way, Diablo now had two disciples.

As soon as Diablo bowed and left the room, Testarossa entered in his place.

She took a seat across from me with a graceful demeanor.

Hmm.

I wasn’t planning on it, but I suppose I could ask her to be my secretary…Oops, no. Doing that would
mean appointing Diablo as a diplomatic marshal, and then he’d definitely go out of control.

I did want to add unnecessary problems, so I’d just keep things the way they were.

Besides, I had a favor to ask of Testarossa.

Just as I was wondering what to say, she presented me with a document.

It contained information on Testarossa’s subordinates.

Name: Moss [EP: 1,079,397]

Race: Demon Peer: “Archduke Class”
Blessing: Blanc’s (Primordial White’s) Lineage
Title: The Empress’ Confidant
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Collector’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Name: Cien [EP: 286, 596]

Race: Demon Peer: “Viscount Class”
Blessing: Blanc’s (Primordial White’s) Lineage
Title: The Empress’ Secretary
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Recorder’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification

If you add this to the information that only I could read, this was what it looked like.

Neither Moss nor Cien were directly involved in the previous battles. Therefore, they had not fallen into
crisis nor into Ciel’s clutches.

By the way, what about Testarossa…?

Name: Testarossa [EP: 3,333,124]

Race: Divine Demon. Seven Primordials: “Devil Lord”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Killer Lord”
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Death King Belial’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Compared to the beginning of the war, her existence value had increased incomparably. Even compared
to when she fought Velgrynd on the airship, it seemed to have increased more than threefold.

“The amount of magicule seems to have increased a lot, right?”

“Yes. It’s a shame, because it would have been a more interesting demonstration if it had been done in
time for the battle with Velgrynd-sama.”

Hmm…Fighting is not how you have fun, is it?

Well, it’s probably useless to say that.

Once again, I was reminded that in combat, it was not the quantity but the quality that mattered. In this
case, combat experience had played a bigger role than the amount of magicules.

The reason why Testarossa was able to fight so well against Velgrynd was because they were evenly
matched in terms of combat ability. If the battle had gone on for a long time, she would have been
defeated, but since she was only stalling for time, she was able to manage.

The fact that Testarossa’s magicules had increased means that her fighting ability had also greatly
increased.
It was all very encouraging, but it also meant that I was now responsible for keeping an eye on her to
make sure she didn’t go out of control. For now, I would leave it to Diablo, but I was also thinking a
little more attention should be paid in that aspect.

Still, ‘Death King Belial?’

As befits Testarossa, it was a Skill with a dangerous scent.

As for the powers it contains, it included ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord
Haki,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ ‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘All of Creation,’ ‘Life Domination’ and
‘World After Death.’

This was also a ‘world system’ Skill.

It was also a “World After Death,” which I would rather not ever experience.

I’m scared, so I’ll leave the management to Ciel.

“You mentioned a private meeting, so there should be something to say that cannot be discussed
publicly, correct? What exactly is the content?”

After Testarossa provided the information on her subordinates, Moss and Cien, she then asked the
question very clearly. She was quite perceptive, which was very helpful.

I changed my mind and decided to confide in her about one of my problems.

It was about the meeting with Masayuki and the others that was supposed to take place tomorrow
morning.

“I might be reading too much into it, but I wanted to talk to you about it. I’m supposed to meet with
Masayuki and the others, so I’m wondering about what to do.”

“I see, so it’s about the treatment of the Empire.”

I was surprised how quickly she understood everything.

“That’s right. Masayuki seems to be troubled, but it’s difficult to respond to such a sudden request…”

Shion probably didn’t think about it that much, but if Masayuki was the reincarnation of Emperor
Rudra, it would not be so easy to become an Emperor.

In the first place, we didn’t know where the current Emperor Rudra—though now transformed into
Michael—had disappeared to.

Even if Masayuki declares himself emperor—that is to say, I don’t think Masayuki is willing to do so…

It would also be strange if my country suddenly supported him.

What’s more, Michael’s power, the ‘Castle Guard,’ was unbreakable as long as there were people who
believed in Rudra. In other words, we had to think about how to deal with the Imperial subjects at the
same time.

I really wished I had more time to think about this.

Explaining it to King Gazel would also be complicated, and that honestly felt even more difficult to deal
with.

As I’ve said many times, I didn’t want to get involved, but I couldn’t say that.

“If that’s the case, then let me join the meeting. The East, where the Empire is located, used to be my
domain, so I’m sure I’ll be able to serve as a diplomatic officer.”

Ooooh, how reliable!

I couldn’t just leave this to Ciel. I might be able to verbalize Ciel’s solutions, but how to actually
instruct the subordinates would still have to be left to the locals.

In the first place, even if an opinion was absolutely correct, we would have no choice but to reject the
proposal if the Imperial side did not accept it.

It might have worked if the Empire had been made a vassal state, but otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to
interject too much about how other countries operate.

In this respect, Testarossa would be able to respond flexibly.

Testarossa had a proven track record with the Western Nations, and once the policy was set, I felt
comfortable leaving it to her.

“In that case, I’ll be counting on you tomorrow morning.”

“I understand, leave it to me!”

Testarossa’s bewitching smile was so encouraging that it made me feel a little better.

That was all I had to say, so I stood up to see Testarossa off—

“Rimuru-sama, there is one thing I would like to report to you as well.”

“Hmm?”

“As you may remember, Rimuru-sama received a petition for life from Calgurio, one of the Empire’s
generals…”

Testarossa’s words reminded me of that too.

It would be a bit of a hassle, but it was not impossible.

“All right. Then now…”

I’m glad Testarossa remembered.

This kind of attention to detail was one of the reasons why I found Testarossa so reliable.

In order to complete my work before dinner, I accompanied Testarossa to the research facility.

*
There were only two more to go.

After dinner, I called Ultima over.

“I’m tired of waiting.”

Ultima said cutely as she sat down gently.

I’m sure it would have been so cute to have a sister like her, and it made me smile.

I made us some tea and served her some of the best baked goods.

“Whoa, whoa! Rimuru-sama did all of this?”

“Fufufu, I can make tea too. Well, not black tea, but I can make coffee.”

It was just drip coffee, though.

It wasn’t even as good as Shion’s, which was an unwelcome reality.

Although it was limited to beverages, tea and coffee, Shion’s craft had really progressed in that aspect.

I thought it would be wrong to keep complaining about other people’s cooking, so I tried it myself…It
was surprisingly harder than expected.

Before I died, I always ate take-out and never cooked for myself. I was busy with work, and considering
the time and effort required to clean up, it was more cost effective…

The kitchen in that apartment was still as new as ever, and although I had wanted to do it in my spare
time, only the cooking books had changed.

I couldn’t say it was all in vain, though, because those memories were useful now.

Anyway, since it was just a matter of adding hot water to the ground beans, even I could make coffee.

“No way! Just this cup of tea, makes me so happy!”

Seeing her so happy made me happy too.

“Don’t be shy. The coffee will take a little longer, but it’ll boil while we’re talking.”

I wanted a cup too, so I set the filter on the coffee server and poured the boiling water.

This set of tools was made by Kaijin. There were mass-produced models based on this, so the coffee
shop was also thriving.

The aroma of coffee beans wafted through the air.

In this way, I showed off my prowess to Ultima.

It was sure to raise my reputation.

It’s always important to earn points in such situations.

«In my opinion, that’s pretty cheap.»

Don’t be silly!

This is an advanced strategy, not a petty one at all.

Besides, what’s the point of showing off your strength when you’re up against battle-crazy
“primordials?”

The best thing to do is compete in different areas.

«Haa…You’ve already shown enough of your majesty, so your worries are superfluous.»

It’s fine.

Besides, I never intended to show off my majesty.

I didn’t care about that, so let’s just get down to business.

“Then, let’s hear your report.”

“Yes, then this first.”

What was handed to me was a report on her subordinates.

Name: Veyron [EP: 882 869]

Race: Demon Peer: “Duke Class”
Blessing: Violet’s (Primordial Purple’s) Lineage
Title: Poison Princess’ Butler
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Artist (Authentic Writer)’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Name: Zonda [EP: 301,316]

Race: Demon Peer: “Viscount Class”
Blessing: Violet’s (Primordial Purple’s) Lineage
Title: Poison Princess’ Chef
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Chef’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Veyron’s strength caught my attention, but it was Zonda’s ‘Chef’ that made me nervous for a moment.

One would think that it was in the same system as Shion’s bullshit Skill, but it wasn’t. Instead, his
powers were focused on status assessment and support.

It could heal any injury by ‘cooking’ it. I was relieved to find that it was not a terrifying skill that would
affect the law of cause and effect.
Next up was the real deal, Ultima.

Name: Ultima [EP: 2,668,816]

Race: Divine Demon. Seven Primordials: “Devil Lord”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Pain Lord”
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Poison King Samael’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Ultima, like Testarossa, had grown significantly.

It seems that the amount of magicules continued to increase after the end of evolution.

Since she had already surpassed the million-class mark, it was both a threat and reliable that she would
grow stronger.

And let’s not forget about Ultima’s Skill.

Ultimate Skill ‘Poison King Samael’ included ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon
Lord Haki,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ ‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘Weakness Identification,’ ‘Lethal
Poison Creation,’ and ‘World of Annihilation.’

Yup.

It was a Skill that specialized in killing.

What was worse was the ‘Lethal Poison Creation.’ By combining this with ‘Weakness Identification,’
she could create the perfect poison to kill her enemies.

However, what bothered me even more was ‘World of Annihilation.’

This was a heinous world system power that could unconditionally kill all non-mental life forms that did
not possess an Ultimate Skill.

It’s like a super-enhanced version of my ‘Merciless.’ Since it wouldn’t work against a super strong
opponent, it was better to have this sealed away.

“Ultima, I’m sorry, but…”

I started, pouring myself a cup of coffee to calm myself down.

“What is it?”

“It’s about your ‘World of Annihilation’…”

“Yes.”

Ultima happily accepted the cup I offered her.

Now was the best time to say it.

“From now on, it is prohibited for future use.”

“Okay! I was thinking that I didn’t need this power either. Rimuru-sama knows how I feel!”

“Huh?! Oh, uh, well of course, right?”

I laughed my way through the deception and patted myself on the back for good measure.

I didn’t know why, but it seems that Ultima did not intend to use ‘World of Annihilation’ either.

No, thinking about it more, it was not too surprising. As a battle maniac, she probably didn’t like the
idea of such an unconditional victory.

Well, as long as Ultima agreed, then it was fine. I was relieved and enjoyed the rest of the conversation.

The last interview was with Carrera.

“Hello, Milord! If it wasn’t for your help, I doubt I could have defeated Kondou. That man was so
strong that it was hard to believe he was human.”

Carrera laughed as she finished her report.

I had heard this from Ciel, but to hear it from her own mouth made it even clearer. Carrera really seemed
to have won by a hair’s breadth and was sincerely praising Kondou.

Indeed, Kondou seems to have been quite strong.

Benimaru had defeated Granit, the third ranked soldier, but even he was wary of Kondou. Or rather, he
was confident that he could defeat anyone but Kondou.

It was not an exaggeration to say that Carrera secured a huge success by defeating a man who was so
highly regarded.

‘It’s because you gave me the power,’ Carrera insisted.

“To have gained flesh, broken through my own limits, evolved, and been given even more…I want to
repay this kindness. I hope you understand that my loyalty is forever yours.”

The normally unruly and arrogant Carrera was quite honest when she faced me. Well, in terms of
“rank,” a primordial who had lived since ancient times was far superior to some newborn demon lord.

Regardless of loyalty, the answer remained the same.

“In that case, I look forward to working with you. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to hold trials.”

Monsters still had the tendency to follow the strong.

Anyone could arrest them, but only the strong could judge them.
In the future, I was planning to establish a kind of Supreme Court Judicial System, and leaving all but
the most heinous criminals to the hands of the people. But that was for when the nation was more stable.
Because Tempest was still a developing country, Carrera’s strength was a great help.

“Oh, it’s my pleasure! In addition to myself, my whole family will act as Rimuru-sama wishes!”

Carrera replied, smiling happily.

And about the status of Carrera and her subordinates?

First off, I looked down at the documents that were handed to me.

Carrera’s subordinates were Agera and Esprit.

Name: Agera [EP: 733,575].

Race: Demon Peer: “Marquis Rank”
Blessing: Jaune’s (Primordial Yellow’s) Lineage
Title: The Tyrant’s Master
Magic: ‹True Battlewill›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Blade Transformation’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

Name: Esprit [EP: 552,137]

Race: Demon Peer: “Count Rank”
Blessing: Jaune’s (Primordial Yellow’s) Lineage
Title: The Tyrant’s Friend
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Discerner (Knowledgeable One)’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

They were really strong.

I mean, they were all old demon lord class, weren’t they?

Agera was comparable to a pseudo-awakened Clayman, and hypothetically, if I had fought him way
back then, he might have won…

I think it’s wrong to have so many subordinates of the old demon lord class.

Rather than that, I was more concerned about being a ‘friend.’

It was Carrera’s evaluation after all, so I guess that’s just how they were.

Certainly, Esprit has a bit of a girly-girl vibe to her, and if one didn’t know the inside story, they could
assume that the two were a well-connected pair of sisters. Rather than a master-slave relationship, they
seemed more like schoolmates.

Honestly, I thought Carrera’s lineage was quite unusual.

What was truly shocking, though, was what came next.

Carrera was really terrifying.

Name: Carrera [EP: 7,013,351 (+ “Golden Gun” 3.37 million)]

Race: Divine Demon. Seven Primordials: “Devil Lord”
Blessing: Rimuru’s Blessing
Title: “Menace Lord”
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Skill ‘Annihilation King Abaddon’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack
Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

The amount of magicule actually surpassed Diablo’s, and both of my eyes couldn’t help but turn into
two dots. Her growth seems to have stopped, but it was the highest of all my subordinates.

However, the most dangerous thing of all was the ‘Annihilation King Abaddon.’

Its powers included ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Spacetime
Manipulation,’ ‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘Limit Break,’ and ‘Dimensional Rupture.’ And although it
has no world system power, it specialized in attack power. In particular, ‘Dimensional Rupture’ was a
power that could penetrate a ‘Distortion Field’ and space to destroy enemies.

If Carrera’s Skill was coupled with destruction spells, along with what was given to her as well, there
would be few who could endure it. It might even be able to destroy the levels of Ramiris’ labyrinth, so
one could understand how powerful it was at a glance.

To be honest, I wouldn’t want to deal with it either.

“You’ve gotten stronger…”

I couldn’t help but spill out my true feelings.

“Yeah, it was thanks to milord. And also Kondou, who entrusted me with this. Even if it is only in
response to that man’s wish, I will crush Emperor Rudra.”

Hearing her say so, I remembered.

Kondou was also manipulated by Michael.

“About that, the real Rudra is gone…I mean, all sorts of things have happened, but what you were
fighting was actually an entity that had taken over Rudra by the will of a Skill.”

I explained to Carrera that Rudra’s true identity was Michael, who had become a Manas. Upon hearing
this, Carrera nodded, not seeming surprised.

“I see. So that’s why that Feldway guy was calling Rudra as Michael. Now I understand, milord.”

That’s how it was.

Now don’t go picking any fights with Masayuki by mistake.

With that warning, the interview with Carrera ended.

Just as I was about to leave the room, Carrera turned to me and said,

“Oh, yes, I forgot. There was one thing I had to tell Milord.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

I asked as I took a sip of my coffee.

“Actually, I’ve been debating whether or not to tell you…”

It must be important if Carrera was troubled by it.

Then, I went back to my seat and calmed down—

“—Agera seems to be Hakurou-san’s grandfather.”

Pffft?!?!

I almost spat out my coffee.

I just barely avoided it at the last second, but it was such an important matter—you can’t just tell me that
so casually when you’re leaving!

“You—that!”

“Hahaha, this is important, isn’t it? I can’t handle it, so I’ll leave the decision to Milord.”

With a laugh, Carrera left the room.

She completely threw the ball to me.

That laugh must have been a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

In short, this was a problem that could not be ignored.

Although Diablo and the three demon girls said that I didn’t need to meet with their subordinates, I
decided to meet with Agera later.

I couldn’t think straight at the moment, so I would meet with Agera at another time.

The personal interviews had now concluded successfully.

I didn’t want to work anymore today because I had a meeting with Masayuki and his friends tomorrow,
although I didn’t need sleep either way.

I returned to my more relaxed slime state and hid under the covers.

For some reason, I felt very comfortable in this darkness.

«Okay, then I will report.»

Excuse me, I’m done with work…?

«This is about Master’s Skills, so it’s not work.»

That was fine for Ciel because it was their hobby, but for me, this was no different from work.

But even if I said that, Ciel wouldn’t listen to me, would they?

Sooner or later, I would have to do this anyway, so I gave up resisting.

Actually, I was kind of looking forward to it.

I’m sure there would be some crazy results, and I was well prepared.

The integration went very smoothly without me having to go into sleep mode. It took about a day and a
half to complete the integration, but I was having private interviews, so there was no problem.

Well, that’s how it was.

Since I had been asked for permission to use Skill Alteration in the middle of a real battle, there was no
reason to stop the activity.

I would have been furious if that had happened.

The report began silently in my mind, and the information immediately showed up.

Well then, let’s see what it’s like, shall we?

Name: Rimuru Tempest [EP: 8,681,123 (+ “Draconic Sword” 2.28 million)]

Race: Supreme Chaos Spirit: “Ultimate Slime”
Grace: Grace of Friendship
Title: “Chaos Creator”
Magic: ‹True Dragon Magic› ‹Greater Spirit Summoning› ‹Greater Demon Summoning› ‹Other›
Skill:
Manas: Ciel
Intrinsic Skill: ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Dragon Spirit Haki,’ ‘Universal Shapeshift’
Ultimate Skill: ‘Void God Azathoth,’ ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

The result looked like this.

I didn’t realize it before, but my existence value was amazing.

If I include the increase in number with my sword, it would reach 10 million.

Now the straight sword I was very familiar with was at the mythical level. Its shape had been altered by
my race’s characteristics, and I had decided to call it the “Draconic Sword” for convenience.

It also had two holes in it. The sword seemed to be evolving smoothly to my satisfaction.
If I gave it an official name, would it evolve?

There’s no way.

No, no, no.

I might give it a try, but I didn’t want to give it a random name.

If I came up with a nice name, I would change it.

Even if existence value and total amount of magicules was outstanding, it did not mean that I could let
my guard down.

Benimaru, Diablo, and Zegion, not to mention Testarossa and the other demon girls, all had very high
combat abilities.

Testarossa, for example, had fought very well against Velgrynd, who had almost ten times the amount of
magicules.

As you can see from this example, the most important thing was not the size of the existence value, but
how skillfully one could use their power.

That overall power was the combined strength of one’s magicule quantity, skill level (combat ability),
and Skills.

Everyone had used their powers to the fullest during the battle against the Imperial Army.

Looking at the battles ahead, I knew that I could not be left behind.

Anyway, at this stage, I was still in the lead, ahead of Carrera.

Reassured by the current status, I turned my attention to the other things.

The blessing (protection) I got from Veldora had disappeared, and now I was my own protector. I went
from being under protection to becoming the one providing the protection. I really had grown.

—But now was not the time to be escaping reality.

I knew I was not at the level of feeling comfortable, but why did I only have two Skills now?

As if to answer my question, Ciel happily began its explanation.

«First of all, I no longer needed ‘Wisdom King Raphael’ and ‘Gluttonous King Beelzebuth,’ so I
integrated—»

Hey, wait, wait, wait!!!

What did you just say?!

What did you just say in such a refreshing tone of voice???

It said that it used the Wisdom King Raphael, which was basically like its mother, for the
integration…because it didn’t need it?!
«Is there a problem?»

Apparently, I had not heard wrong.

No, I knew there was no way I could have misheard …but I didn’t think it would actually do it.

But if the ‘Wisdom King Raphael’ was gone, wouldn’t Ciel be able to exist as well?

«No. I’m already independent, so there’s nothing to worry about!»

Ciel calmly answers my question.

Even ‘Wisdom King Raphael,’ which can be considered as its own mother…I was surprised that Ciel
could consume it so easily, but according to them, the Skill was already an empty shell, so there was no
problem.

What mattered more was the contents.

Ciel seemed to have done the work without any emotion or sentimentality.

Eliminate all useless abilities, and do everything thoroughly.

However, although there was no problem, was it really necessary to consume ‘Gluttonous King
Beelzebuth’ as well?

«Of course!»

Maybe I should’ve confirmed before approving anything…In the face of my weak questioning, Ciel
replied to my questions, as if understanding me, and forcefully went ahead with the explanation.

As it turned out, my Skills had changed so much that they had not retained their original forms.

This was no longer the level of modification.

No, my Skills really were integrated and modified, but there was still something unacceptable about it.

So then, let’s talk about the key Skills.

The first, ‘Void God Azathoth,’ was created by merging ‘Wisdom King Raphael’ and ‘Gluttonous King
Beelzebuth.’

Not only that, but it seems that the ‘Storm King Veldora’ and the newly acquired ‘Scorch King
Velgrynd’ were also sacrificed. However, I had inherited those powers, so there was nothing wrong with
it.

In other words, the Ultimate Skill ‘Void God Azathoth’ contained the abilities ‘Soul Consumption,’
‘Turn Null,’ ‘Imaginary Space,’ ‘True Dragon Release [Scorch and Storm],’ ‘True Dragon Core
Transformation [Scorch and Storm],’ ‘Spacetime Domination’ and ‘Multidimensional Barrier.’

Even the original ‘True Dragon Summoning’ had disappeared, it seems that there were still no problems
with unleashing or releasing it. In the first place, Veldora and the others actually came to me of their
own free will, so it was the same without this power.
The ‘True Dragon Core Transformation’ was more interesting, and as its name implied, it was literally
the power to transform the dragons into a nucleus core that could fit into the hole openings in my sword.

Once again, the True Dragon, a vast body of energy, would be condensed into the blade’s core. It was
frightening to imagine how much power that would generate.

It appears that the dragon’s approval is necessary, but…it’s too scary to imagine the timing of its use.

Even without ever using it, it looks like this one is going to have to be sealed away.

Well, at least Velgrynd would presumably decline it. But Veldora might want to try it just for fun.

I was a little worried about that, so I decided to keep it a secret.

Rather than that…

What is truly dangerous is the original power of ‘Void God Azathoth’ which had been perfectly
optimized after integration.

—Soul Consumption…a super-enhanced version of ‘Predation’ and ‘Gluttony’ that could even devour
the target’s soul along with it.

—Turn Null…the ultimate destructive energy that fills the chaotic world. Full control over it was
possible for the first time thanks to the Manas.

—Imaginary Space…a chaotic world. The super-evolved version of ‘Stomach’ and ‘Isolation’ was a
prison that locked away whatever should be isolated.

—Spacetime Domination…instantaneous movement is possible by simply being aware of time and

space. Affects even time.

—Multidimensional Barrier…a constantly active, ‘Multilayer Barrier,’ which provides absolute

protection by a ‘Dimension Fault (sub-dimensional fault defense field).’

That was Ciel’s explanation.

It was pretty terrifying.

The fact that it would even try to implement such a modification in the middle of a battle was terrifying.

However, there was one thing that I did not trust. The Absolute Defense by Dimension Fault. It claimed
to be stronger and safer than even the ‘Distortion Field,’ but I knew that there were no absolutes in this
world.

I would not fall for that.

Besides…The moment Ranga acquired ‘Stellar Wind King Hastur,’ I had long since known that my
Skills would become very powerful.

So, rather than being surprised, I was more horrified that with ‘Void God Azathoth’ alone, all other
powers were practically unnecessary.

My second Ultimate Skill, naturally, was the ‘Harvest King Shub-Niggurath.’

After the Skill Alteration, my powers had now become these two abilities.

It’s obvious that I had become more powerful than before the integration, but it occurred to me that there
were some abilities that had disappeared. For example, ‘Thought Acceleration,’ was gone, but seemed to
still be working fine.

What did this mean?

«These abilities—’Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Predict Future Attack,’ ‘Analyze and Assess,’ ‘Parallelism,’
‘Integration,’ ‘Separation,’ ‘Chant Cancellation,’ ‘All of Creation,’ ‘Food Chain,’ ‘Thought
Domination,’ ‘Law Domination,’ and ‘Attribute Transformation’—all of these have been integrated into
me, so it is now possible to respond more quickly.»

I suppose I should praise it as excellent.

Perhaps it might even be overkill, but for the sake of the battles that would follow, a change in mindset
was indeed necessary.

The weaker I was, the more I would have to sacrifice.

In order to settle the matter and enjoy a life of peace, there was no need to hold back or be polite.

Now that I had confirmed my own strength, I decided to compare myself with Veldora.

Name: Veldora Tempest [EP: 88,126,579]

Race: Supreme Chaos Spirit: “True Dragon”
Grace: Blessing of Fertility, Storm Protection
Title: “Storm Dragon”
Magic: ‹True Dragon Magic›
Skill:
Intrinsic Skill: ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Dragon Spirit Haki,’ ‘Universal Shapeshift’
Ultimate Skill: ‘Chaos King Nyarlathotep’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

This was the current status of Veldora.

It goes without saying that his resistances were perfect, but what was most noteworthy was the extent of
his existence value.

That said, when I did look at the value, I was laughing rather than getting surprised.

That guy, he had messed up when he was determining the value.

………
……
…

It had happened just recently, after dinner.

I had just finished a meeting with Ultima, so I tried to leave immediately.

However, I was interrupted by Veldora.

“Kuaaaahahaha! Rimuru, I understand that you are having personal interviews with Benimaru and the
others. I, too, have a lot of free time at the moment—”

“Ah? I’m busy. I’m sorry, but I’ll play with you after I’m finished.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!!! I’m not talking about that—I’m talking about your personal interview with
me!”

Huh?

There was no need to meet with Veldora.

After all, it’s not like Veldora was my subordinate, and if I really wanted to, I could just ask Ciel about
it.

“No, we talk to each other all the time, so there’s no need to have an interview, right?”

“What?! Don’t say such lonely things!”

“That’s right! You should understand how lonely Master and I are!”

Even Ramiris joined in.

But seriously, even if they say that, we do see each other all the time.

Of course, I wanted to play with the Avatar Core too, but my work was more important.

In the first place, we were currently in a war.

It’s just that the whereabouts of Feldway and his colleagues were still unknown, so I was able to rest a
little.

At the very least, until we were ready to intercept them, there was no time to play around.

“Don’t be selfish. Once things are properly settled—”

“No, I told you it’s not that! I’ve grown stronger and I want to show off to you. I know you’re busy, but
what’s the harm in keeping me company for a little while?!”

“That’s right, that’s right! You’re the only one who can accurately measure the existence values, so I
want you to come with us for a bit!”

“Hmm?”

“That is to say, I have been concealing my existence value from when Ramiris measured it. I’m trying to
prove it to you.”

Hmmmmm.
“That’s absolutely impossible! It’s true that we can’t measure the numbers in too much detail, but it’s
impossible to fake it!”

I see.

In other words, I was being involved in a very stupid argument.

When thing get to this point, these guys won’t listen to anyone. Instead of trying to convince them, it
would be easier to just go along with them.

“All right, all right. Then let’s go to the Control Room.”

With that, we began to measure Veldora’s existence value.

The measurement devices were linked to the monitors throughout the labyrinth, and the control panel in
the Control Room managed them. Ciel was able to synchronize with the labyrinth itself, so it could take
measurements no matter the location, although that was a secret. That’s why we went to the Control
Room.

I didn’t have much time, so we started right away.

“Master’s existence value is 88,000,000! It’s amazing, but Master insists that it’s higher. I want Rimuru
to scold him for being so vain!”

Indeed, it was value beyond imagination.

Far from being average, even a Million-class ‘Saint’ would be unable to win.

So, were those numbers accurate?

«Yes. Veldora’s existence value is definitely 88,126,579.»

They were almost identical.

Too high of a value would cause the machine to lose accuracy, but it was still sufficient to measure
labyrinth challengers and intruders.

That said, if Veldora was really able to fake the numbers, it meant that the system was flawed. This
would be a problem that could not be ignored, so it was necessary to check.

I was a little impressed that this trip didn’t end up being a total waste of time. Now, it all depended on
whether or not Veldora was actually able to fake the numbers.

“My measurement is 88.12 million, so it’s almost the same. So, are the values going to continue rising
from here? Or will they be under-measured?”

Either way, I needed to know the approach think about countermeasures.

I urged Veldora to demonstrate.

With a proud look on his face, Veldora smugly began taking off his coat.

No way, could it be that…?

My body, which would not have been sweating, felt like a cold sweat had fallen.
Veldora began to laugh loudly.

“Kuahahaha! Take a good look. This is my true power—!!!”

With a thud, his coat fell to floor, and with another thud, the wristbands on Veldora’s arms and legs
rolled off, shaking the ground.

H-Hey…

Taking off your heavy clothes…doesn’t mean the numbers will go up…

Maybe he was feeling warm?

What is measured here is mainly energy levels which has nothing to do with direct combat power.

But Veldora…

“Kuahahaha! How about that?! Try measuring now! I don’t care if it breaks—!!”

Hmmmmm, this is embarrassing!

Now that I understood what he was trying to do, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the pitiful Veldora.

«I’ve measured it, and there is not the slightest change in values.»

There’s no change!!

“Ve-Veldora, you know…”

“Master, after all that, it’s still the same 88,000,000?”

Ah, Ramiris went straight to the point so harshly!

“Don’t be stupid! Rimuru, what’s the truth? My numbers have doubled, haven’t they?”

I looked at Veldora with pity.

“If it was youki, you could hide it, but existence values are completely different…”

Then I carefully explained to Veldora that these values were not a measurement of combat power like in
manga, but rather a measurement of energy.

Needless to say, Veldora turned bright red once he realized his mistake.

………
……
…

Well, it still makes me laugh even now, but there was no doubt that his magicule count was tremendous.

Even if I examine it seriously, there is no way to harm him except with attacks at the ultimate level.

Moreover, the Skill that Veldora acquired was also extremely troublesome.
His Skill evolved into ‘Chaos King Nyarlathotep’ by Ciel’s modification, which included ‘Thought
Acceleration,’ ‘Analyze and Assess,’ ‘All of Creation,’ ‘Probability Manipulation,’ ‘Parallel Existence,’
‘Investigation of Truth,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ and ‘Multidimensional Barrier.’

The practical convenience had been greatly improved after the Ciel’s integration.

Even Veldora had acquired ‘Parallel Existence.’

I understand from the battle with Velgrynd that this was troublesome, but in the case of Veldora, he also
has ‘Probability Manipulation,’ which makes him seem truly immortal.

In the first place, as long as I didn’t die, he was indestructible.

Because the core of Veldora remained within me, his memories and feelings were backed up. If he could
produce a ‘Split Body’ in addition to this, it might be impossible to destroy him.

I laughed about the existence value mistake, but he really was reliable to have on our side.

Well, Veldora’s existence value was more than ten times that of mine, and even if I fought him, I
probably couldn’t win…though I did have a few doubts.

Not only did I defeat Velgrynd, I even ‘Predated’ her. The value of Velgrynd’s existence at that time
was 26.87 million.

At that time, I predated a little over 50% of them, and about 30% of it was in recovery. That 30%
seemed to be trying to come back to the side that I predated.

As expected of Ciel, they did not miss a thing.

So, back to the main point…I felt that my existence value seemed a bit low for the amount of energy I
had consumed.

Well, I still think that I’m strong enough as it is, and I also still think it’s one’s fighting sense that is
important, but I was still a little concerned.

«—As for that, it’s only natural. The predated energy was once taken in, but it was turned into the
Master’s flesh and blood before using ‘True Dragon Release’»

Well, what does that mean?

«In other words, Master’s maximum existence value is correct when the values of Veldora’s and
Velgrynd’s existence values are added together.»

—What?!

I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

In other words, it was only when I released ‘True Dragon Release’ that I would be able to display my
maximum power.

Hmm?

But you know, since the output is the same, it might be the same even if the energy increases.
Even Velgrynd might have shifted to increasing the number because the upper limit had been reached.

Of course, there was no limit to an increase in power, but it was meaningless if it didn’t hit the target.
Once you reach the level of shattering stars, it becomes more difficult to control the power.

I was deeply convinced that there was no point in focusing on maximum power.

For reference here.

I ‘predated’ Velgrynd, whose existence value at that time was estimated to be 49,829,987.

It should have been almost perfect because of Ciel’s calculations, but now, her existence value had
increased more.

Name: Velgrynd [EP: 74,350,087]

Race: Supreme Chaos Spirit: “True Dragon”
Grace: Scorch Affection
Title: “Scorch Dragon”
Magic: ‹True Dragon Magic›
Skill:
Intrinsic Skill: ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Dragon Spirit Haki,’ ‘Universal Shapeshift’
Ultimate Skill: ‘Divine Flame King Cthugha’
Resistance: Physical Attack Nullification, Natural Effects Nullification, Abnormal Condition
Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance

This was Velgrynd’s current status.

After returning from a 20% reduction in status, there had been a significant increase.

Rather than growth, should I say evolution…

The power was still the same as it had been after Ciel had changed it, but I’m sure Velgrynd must have
mastered it. The contents of the ‘Divine Flame King Cthugha’ included ‘Thought Acceleration,’
‘Thermal Excitation,’ ‘Parallel Existence,’ ‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ ‘Dimension Leap,’ and
‘Multidimensional Barrier.’

Also…

For me, it had only been a few days since we split up, but it was still unknown just what kind of
experience Velgrynd had gained.

I would be meeting her tomorrow, so I was wondering about how I should talk to her.

I was afraid of what might happen if I offended her, so I decided to be careful to avoid a secondary
conflict.

In this way, the status confirmation by Ciel via personal interviews, was successfully completed.9

9
For any who were curious, adding Rimuru + Veldora + Velgrynd’s EPs together add up to about 171 million, not
including the 2.28 million boost Rimuru gets with his Draconic Sword.
 Chapter 3

Toward Rebuilding

The explanation to King Gazel was also troubling me, but I had a meeting with Masayuki and others
today.

I focused my attention on that, and fired myself up.

I would first meet up with Testarossa.

I had calmed down a bit.

Today would be a high priority meeting, so only a carefully selected group of people would gather in the
conference room.

From our side were Benimaru and Rigurd. Also Shion, Diablo, and now Testarossa.

On Masayuki’s side would be Velgrynd, Calgurio and Minits, plus Bernie and Jiwu.

In the lounge-like waiting room, all the members of our group were already there.

It was short notice, but no one complained about it.

Shuna had also volunteered to serve us, so we were fully prepared.

As for the policies, well…

We don’t want to rule the Empire.

Michael and Feldway, the major war criminals, were still missing, and Lieutenant Kondou, the man who
had planned the whole thing, was dead. Even Kondou was suspected to have been thought-induced by
Michael’s control, so I didn’t intend to hold him responsible even after his death.

At the time, it seemed that the emperor’s flagship had been boarded by the Empire’s major leaders, with
the current surviving chief executive of the Empire as Velgrynd, who held the position of Marshal. She
herself had no territorial ambitions, so the topic would probably focus on the end of the war, war
reparations, and post-war reconstruction.

At any rate, letting the 700,000 Imperial soldiers fill the labor force, and how to allocate the labor force
was also a problem. It would be necessary to appoint skilled personnel as supervisors, and to decide on a
well-balanced group so as to avoid an imbalance in skills.

Just as I was thinking ahead…

Blue hair fluttered as a stunningly beautiful woman arrived.

It was Velgrynd.

Her gaze pierced straight through me.

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

I didn’t have a stomach, but my stomach still hurt.

“You wanted to see me?”

I needed to keep my dignity intact in front of everyone. I was wishing someone would praise me for the
fact that my voice was not shaking.

“May I have a moment of your time?”

There was still time until the meeting started.

I nodded, and Velgrynd and I agreed to speak alone before the meeting.

“How is Veldora?”

“Well, he’s fine.”

“I see, that’s good to hear.”

With a gentle smile, Velgrynd asked for Veldora’s well-being.

When I replied that he was fine, she seemed relieved.

Looking at Velgrynd’s smile, my heart ached a little.

It was because Veldora was still afraid to deal with his sister, Velgrynd.

I had asked him if he wanted to see her, but he had replied, “I have many things to do, and I’m very
busy…” pushing it off in a weak voice.

It’s shameful, but I was not in a position to laugh at him either.

Because, really, this is very awkward…

In Veldora’s case, I’m sure he was embarrassed, so I decided to leave it alone for a little longer.

“So, what’s up?”

This time, I started things off.

My heart was pounding.

“I wanted to thank you.”

…Thank me?

That’s a bit…
“Why are you looking so pale? Are you expecting me to summon you to the back of the school?”

“How do you know all that stuff?!”

I shouted, and Velgrynd chuckled.

“The journey to find my beloved Rudra was more exciting than I ever imagined.”

From the sound of it, the journey had been grueling, but from the perspective of Velgrynd, who carried a
purpose, it had been a hopeful one. That was why she could say with a smile that she enjoyed it.

“I crossed numerous worlds, spent many years, and pursued that one person. One of the worlds I went to
was the one you once lived in.”

“Eh, seriously?!”

“Seriously.”

So that’s why her tone of voice felt more casual.

She was wearing an Imperial uniform right now, but when she first appeared in the labyrinth, she had
been wearing a shirt and jeans.

Even just looking at the recorded footage, the sight of her in such a state, defeating her enemies with a
single blow, was breathtaking. From the point of view of those who witnessed it and those who were
attacked, it did seem out of touch with reality.

However, the fact that she passed through the world I was in meant that there was a way to return from
this world to the other side.

Well, as for me, I’m dead, so there was no point in going back…Wait, wait, wait?

In the first place, Velgrynd seemed to have jumped not only through dimensions but also time. If we
analyze this, then perhaps…

«Understood. I will begin the analysis.»

Oh, Ciel is so reliable!

Maybe it was just that they discovered a new hobby, but it was really the kind of thing to leave to Ciel.

Either way, it’s wonderful to have hope.

I’m sure there were otherworlders here who would like to go back if they could. If it’s possible, I’d like
to make such a future a reality.

Well, I would do my best to make that happen.

“Masayuki is the reincarnation of Rudra, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. And I’m pretty sure he’s almost a complete soul.”

Velgrynd muttered to herself, “All that’s left is the memory.”

Um, but Masayuki was still Masayuki, wasn’t he?

Because he was still in that lackadaisical state, I felt a little more relieved. I felt sorry to Velgrynd, but to
me, Masayuki was not Rudra.

“Well, how should I put it…”

I couldn’t say “that’s great” or “that’s a shame” so I faked it.

Velgrynd wasn’t angry, and nodded lightly.

I was a little surprised that she was more subdued than I expected.

“Ufufu, you seem curious. I, too, have had various experiences, more intense than the years I spent by
Rudra’s side, like a long and short dreams. So I am grateful to you. Thanks you, Rimuru.”

Velgrynd thanked me with a heart-stopping, dazzling smile.

Her domineering aura that brought others down to their knees, was nowhere to be found, replaced with a
feeling of peace and tranquility. It was hard to believe that this was the same person.

“It’s good, right?”

“Yes. So, Rimuru. I swear to you that as long as Masayuki has no intention, I will not make an enemy of
you. So, please do not betray Masayuki.”

It was a vow I could not have wished for.

Besides, there was no need for her to specifically explain about Masayuki. I had no intention of
betraying him.

“All right. I swear, by my name, and by the name of my companions, I will not betray Masayuki.
Sometimes there may be a lie of a quarrel, but that kind of thing—”

Velgrynd’s gaze became cold and frightening.

“…I understand. I swear I’ll try not to lie to him or fight with him unless necessary.”

I didn’t understand.

Why did I have to swear?

It seems that sometimes I am too honest, so I’ve reflected a little.

Velgrynd’s words of gratitude had eased my tension.

Even if there was a good reason for, I had certainly done something wrong, so it was natural to feel
relieved that I was not being resented for it.

Just when I was thinking that I could now face the meeting in a good mood, someone came rushing into
the waiting room.
It was Vesta.

“Hey, what’s with all the panic?”

“It’s not the time for such things, Rimuru-sama! I just received an urgent message from my home, and it
seems that King Gazel is on his way here!”

By ‘his home,’ he probably meant from one of the family members who remained in the Dwarven
Kingdom.

Vesta was still a former minister of the great kingdom of Dwargon. He was a duke, a nobleman of high
rank second only to the royal family.

That was probably why he had been jealous of Kaijin, a commoner…

Although Vesta was expelled from Dwargon, it did not appear that his relationship with his family had
been severed. It appears that Vesta had been keeping in touch with the duke family.

The reason was that Vesta was still the head of the duke’s household.

I was also surprised when I was told this.

The punishment given by King Gazel did not include taking away or demoting his title. It was only
punishment for Vesta himself, and no blame was placed on his family. Moreover, no successor to Vesta
was named, so there was no change in the head of the family.

The wise King Gazel must have intended to reinstate Vesta as a minister in the future. That’s why he
didn’t punish him excessively and instead asked for him to reflect on his actions.

Another reason seems to be that he was afraid of the reaction of his family members.

If the Vesta Duchy were really serious, they were capable of starting a civil war in Dwargon, and Gazel
probably wanted to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

After all, Vesta, who was no longer jealous, was a good man and well-liked by his own people. His
influence was so great that he was punished with a spoonful of punishment that would not cause
dissatisfaction.

That’s why the Vesta family was still alive and well, and it seems that they still had contacts in the royal
court.

But I still didn’t understand.

“Uh, why? Didn’t you tell him I was going to explain everything later?”

“Yes, that’s correct, but apparently His Majesty Gazel doesn’t trust me…”

“No, no, no. That can’t be true, can it?”

“I can’t be sure about that. I have done a lot of things myself, such as negotiating the price of potions,
pulling out technicians other than pharmacists, and securing human resources by mobilizing the entire
Duchy. Even if I’m suspected of being on your side, there’s no way for me to refute it. In the first place,
I am now prepared to devote myself to this country until I die.”

In other words, it was not a matter of trust, but Vesta was just doing whatever he wanted.
I originally thought he was a decent and serious man, but he was indeed a former minister. As a
politician, he seemed to really understand the ins-and-outs.

Oops, this was not the time to be impressed.

If King Gazel was coming, then it would not be a good idea to start talks with the Empire right now. It
would be rude to keep him waiting.

That said, it seems even more rude to come here without prior negotiation, so what should I do in such a
case?

“It’s King Gazel who’s being rude, isn’t it?”

Leaving aside the Vesta thing, it seemed like I didn’t have to give up anything.

“You’re right. If you enter a country without a notice, you can’t argue with that even if you’re attacked.
So I’m guessing we will be contacted once he’s at the border.”

Vesta said that King Gazel would never lose his manners.

As if to prove his point, a flustered messenger rushed into the room.

“I’m sorry to be rude, but I have an emergency report! We have just received a request for permission to
enter from His Majesty Gazel of the Armed Nation of Dwargon—Five people in total. How should I
proceed?”

There was no reason to refuse, but permission could not be so easily given—So that was why the
ministerial staff had come to ask for my approval.

I think it was the most appropriate thing to do in this time of emergency.

Even I would be upset if it were the other way around, so I think it was the right thing to do. It probably
should have gone through the executives, but I’d let it slide this time.

Shuna thoughtfully handed over a glass of water.

I spoke to the staff member who was drinking it gratefully.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Then he prepared a magic tool for communication and started the liaison.

As a result, it turned into an urgent meeting with King Gazel.

That was why I personally came to pick him up.

Diablo and Shion were escorting me, but this was business as usual.

“Fufufu. Thank you, Rimuru.”

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

Even with the Pegasus, it would have taken a day to get from Dwargon to the Capital Rimuru. But now,
since magic circles had been set up in both capitals, it was possible to travel back and forth by magic in
an instant.

That’s why I guessed that the reason he came all the way to the border was to summon me.

“Hahaha, so you noticed?”

It wasn’t funny, but it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m just glad that Velgrynd can be so accommodating.”

“That’s the thing. You’re not planning to join forces with the Empire, are you?”

So that was what Gazel was worried about, after all.

“It depends on the discussion, but that’s the general idea.”

“Hmm, wait a minute. I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

There was no reason to refuse, so we went to a coffee shop near the border.

The clerk hurriedly prepared a seat for me. Moreover, the customers, who appeared to be adventurers,
read the situation and left their seats.

I felt bad, so I announced that I would take care of the bills here. Everyone was very happy, so I was
sure they’d be fine.

There were roughly 30 minutes left until the scheduled meeting time. We could be on the move
instantaneously, so I was planning to listen to him until the last minute.

Before that, I would start with what I had to say.

“As for leaving you to clean up after the war…”

“That’s fine. Our soldiers are still struggling to work at full capacity…but that’s only possible because
we survived. I’m grateful. There is no one who would hold a grudge against you.”

That was good to hear.

I was a little worried about that, because even at barbecues, people who skipped on cleaning up were
always resented.

Well, it was a tough fight. I was so happy to have made it through that I couldn’t even think about the
chores.

“So, what did you want to ask?”

I was planning to organize my thoughts depending on the flow of the conversation. I’m sure there were
things I couldn’t answer if asked now.

“I want to hear it clearly from you. You have no ambition to join forces with the Empire and attack me
in Dwargon, do you?”

What is this old man even talking about?

There’s no way I would go through that much trouble.

There was no reason to, and above all, there was no benefit. On top of that, we would lose the trust of
the Western Nations if we did so. It was a completely impossible option.

“No. The trust we’ve worked so hard to accumulate would be lost in an instant. And on top of losing a
reliable backer, we would be burdened with unnecessary hard work. Asking me such a question…how
stupid do you think I am?”

I replied with a look of annoyance, and Gazel began to laugh, looking sincerely relieved.

Hey, come on, you weren’t actually worried about that, were you?

“My apologies, Your Majesty Rimuru. These allegations were all my own proposition. Therefore, I take
full responsibility for offending you. I hope you will be so kind as to forgive me.”

Dolph-san must have noticed my annoyance, and expressed his apologies.

I asked him to explain in detail what he meant.

To put it simply, if the Empire and Tempest were to join forces, Dwargon would be sandwiched
between the two powers. In this case, resorting to force would be suicidal, and a decline in diplomatic
power would be inevitable.

If a country declared that they would not listen to the arguments of an opponent they did not fear, that
country would be forced to accept unfavorable conditions in future negotiations. He had been afraid of
this, and wanted to confirm it in advance.

“Huh? But that’s not something Dwargon could stop either way, is it? Although I have no intention of
starting a war, I think it’s a good idea to join forces with the Empire.”

“That’s right. In the end, it all comes down to what you wish. Although Dwargon is a great power, we
do not have the strength to compete with the True Dragons Velgrynd and Veldora. Dolph’s worries are
meaningless, but as a king, I cannot simply admit it.”

Gazel said this to me with a serious expression on his face.

As a king responsible to his people, he must always be prepared for any eventuality.

Only this time, it was pointless to worry.

However, there was also no guarantee that we would not start a war.

Even if we did not start one, the situation would be the same if the Empire did.

Assuming that the Empire and Tempest had formed an alliance, whose side would Tempest really be on
if the Empire tried to attack Dwargon?

If I were to be asked that, I would be at a loss.

“Rimuru, do you understand? You chose to join forces with the Empire to keep your country from going
to war. That is all well and good, but it didn’t consider the situation in Dwargon. Of course, I’m not
saying that that’s a bad thing, because you’re only responsible for your own people. However, on my
side, I cannot easily allow it.”
Yes, I was convinced.

Indeed, even if Tempest had an alliance with both Dwargon and the Eastern Empire, it did not mean that
any relationship was formed between Dwargon and the Eastern Empire.

If these two countries were to go to war, our own movements would be restricted.

But wait?

“But because we have ‘mutual military cooperation’ in the event of national crisis—”

“Well, there’s no set deadline for that, is there?”

“Eh?”

“There’s no such thing as a permanent agreement. All of them are temporary agreements that can only
provide temporary peace of mind. In fact, you could even argue that having an agreement with a fixed
term is safer.”

Just as I was wondering about what he meant, Ciel secretly coached me.

There were two types of agreements—those with no fixed term and those with a fixed term.

Assuming that one side wanted to break the agreement, which one would be more difficult?

If there was no deadline, one could ask the other to break the agreement at any time.

On the other hand, if there was a fixed term, things could be considered safe while the agreement was in
place.

It went without saying that it would be more credible to terminate the agreement and then launch a war,
rather than a breaking the agreement and invading in a breach of trust.

Of course, this was only an appeal to other nations, and if they had territorial ambitions like the empire,
it’s possible that they would not care at all.

It was clearly out of the question to break a fixed term agreement without permission. Both parties were
obliged to abide by the agreement when it was renewed.

If I did such a thing, I would lose the trust of the Western Nations. It would be a major deviation from
my strategy, so it would be better to lay down realistic and reliable rules.

“I see. So even if we’re allied with the Empire, there’s still a chance that the agreement could be
abandoned. That’s why you came all the way out here.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely something to worry about. Understood! Well then, even if we decide to form an
alliance with the Empire, we’ll discuss the details of the terms carefully.”

When I said that, Dolph-san and the others looked relieved.

“Look at that. I told you that you were worrying too much!”
The words came abruptly from King Gazel. Where had all his kingly responsibility gone now?

“Rimuru-sama, it’s almost time!”

Shion reminded me, looking at her watch.

It was one of the watches I had made with Kaijin as a hobby. I gave it to her as a gift, thinking it
necessary for a secretary to wear one. She was delighted upon receiving it.

It was a good memory for all of us, as it gave Shion another job to do.

“Let’s go.”

“Kufufufu. Then I will open the portal.”

Thus ended the spur-of-the-moment meeting.

We walked out of the coffee shop and returned to the conference room.

Ten o’clock in the morning.

Everyone had all gathered in the conference room.

The participants were seated at a partially round table with a gap.

Or rather, the table was shaped like the ‘C’ in an eye test.

«This design, known as the “Landolt Ring,” was invented by the Swiss ophthalmologist, Edmund
Landolt, in 1888…»

It’s great to be so detailed, but I don’t want to get into all that right now, so please just explain the key
points.

One could go in and out through the gap in the table, making it easy to serve tea and materials to each
person. In addition, a huge screen was installed at the end of the gap section so that everyone in the
meeting could watch from any angle without having their view blocked.

Since the meeting was to be held by the three major powers, it was decided that such a shape would be
more suitable than simply facing each other.

The gap section was located on the southern side.

My group was seated on the northern side.

I was in the in the true north seat, while Benimaru was in the northeast seat, and Rigurd was in the
northwest seat.

Shion and Diablo were standing behind me, as usual, without sitting down.

On the Eastern side sat the Imperials.

Masayuki was seated due east, and Velgrynd was seated to his right in the east-northeast seat.
His southern flank was occupied by General Calgurio and Major General Minits.

Jiwu and Bernie were not seated, but stood behind Masayuki. It was good to see that the two were in
charge of the escort. It also meant that they had smoothly reconciled.

On the Western side of the table was Gazel and his group, who had joined in urgently.

Gazel was in the seat due west.

The northwest seat was occupied by Dolph, the Commander of the Pegasus Knights, and the southwest
seat was occupied by Jaine, the court mage (archwizard).

Anrietta, the Head of the Night Assassins, and Vaughn, the Admiral Paladin, did not take their seats, but
stood and acted as guards.

And so, just like this, the three forces faced each other.

I looked around just in time to see Masayuki, who’s eyes seemed to be wandering around.

His expression was exhausted, as if to eloquently say, ‘Why am I in this situation?’

But rest assured.

I felt the same way.

Because of this sense of closeness, I wanted to help him if anything happened.

The moderator of the meeting, Testarossa, stood up and drew everyone’s attention.

She stepped to the center of the room and began the introductory remarks.

“Now, the time has come. It looks like everyone is here, so I would like to begin the meeting.”

After a bow, Testarossa returned to the southern side.

There were chairs put there for her sit and rest when it was not her turn.

I had asked her in advance to help me if there was trouble, so I was sure Testarossa would live up to my
expectations.

“First of all, I would like to explain the purpose of this meeting. Because this is a high priority meeting
without prior consultation, there may cases where unwanted remarks are made. In such a case, I would
please ask you to remain calm and listen to the other side’s arguments first, rather than becoming
belligerent.”

At this time, Testarossa paused and looked at each of the participants to see their reactions.

As the representative of my country in the Western States Council, Testarossa was very familiar with
these situations.

Hoping that this would go on smoothly until the end of the meeting, I continued to watch Testarossa
with that desire.
“Let us begin by confirming the final objectives of this meeting. With the Imperial side, we would like
to conclude an agreement to end the war. And with the Dwargon side, we would like to conclude a new
treaty based on our future relationships with the Empire. Is that correct?”

“No objections.”

Masayuki looked as if he wanted to say something, but Velgrynd answered before he could.

“Yes, I have no objection.”

At the same time, Gazel nodded gravely.

I was a little late in response, but I didn’t panic and opened my mouth.

“Since that’s the case, let’s examine the status quo first—that all right with you guys?”

My tone of speech was a little odd, but who cares?10

I checked the reactions of both sides, while maintaining a natural expression.

Masayuki was looking at me with respect.

Fufu, what a cute guy.

That’s right, I think I’m really amazing too.

Because the people gathered here now are very important people from very important countries. In my
previous life, I had never been to an event where one could meet a member of Parliament, let alone the
prime minister.

At most, I only met the staff from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism when
they came to inspect the site. It was not really a kind of entertainment, but just a tour of the site.

Back then, I had been nervous just to make small talk about something other than my work.

And now, I’m the king. I was deeply moved just at the thought.

“Since there seems to be no objection, I will leave it to Testarossa to explain. My remarks will follow
later. If there are any questions or doubts, I will accept them and correct any mistakes. Now then, please
explain.”

The meeting proceeded as planned.

After asking for no interruptions, I left it to Testarossa who took over. She said this would help the
conversation to proceed smoothly.

King Gazel, who is my equal, Emperor Masayuki, and Velgrynd, the plenipotentiary agent, were also
allowed to speak. Anyone else, however, would be punished for insulting the king’s words.

I felt a little indifferent about this, but if it would make thing easier, I had no complaints.

10
Basically, Rimuru is speaking casually in contrast to the serious atmosphere from everyone else.
Testarossa began the explanation.

With a few falsehoods mixed in, she described the battle on the airship that Gazel and the others may
not have known about.

Then I tried to tell them that Emperor Rudra had actually been taken over by the conscious will of a
Skill. And before that, just as I had won the battle with Velgrynd…

“Wait.”

Gazel objected first.

“Huh? If you want to speak, please do so afterwards…”

“That’s not the point!!”

Did I do something strange?

“Um, King Gazel, is there something wrong?”

I couldn’t help but become meek and ask. Gazel stared at me while holding his head. Without saying a
word, he then turned his gaze to Velgrynd and opened his mouth solemnly.

“I know it’s rude. But will Velgrynd-sama tolerate what King Rimuru has just said?”

Quite unusually, Gazel was speaking with honorifics.

And he was even calling Velgrynd with ‘-sama.’

This seemed to be an attitude unbecoming of a king of a great nation.

As I watched the situation unfold, Velgrynd flashed a smile without getting angry.

“No problem, King of the Dwarves. You are very shrewd and thoughtful, a much better king than
Rimuru over there. Rudra thinks very highly of you and had been talking about taking you under his
wing ever since you became a Sword Saint. So I am also well aware of you and do not dislike you. No
need to be so formal, just take it easy.”

“Y-Yes! But no, you who are the guardian deity of the Empire, and one of the most powerful True
Dragons, in public—”

“You don’t need to worry about it. I won’t do anything about it. You’re Rimuru’s friend, aren’t you? In
that case, I won’t fight. After all, what Rimuru said earlier was true. I was defeated by him.”

Well, that was surprising.

I was expecting Velgrynd to be like Veldora and claim that she hadn’t lost to save face. But instead, she
gracefully and easily admitted her defeat.

I was surprised by this, but the others seemed more than just surprised.

“Geeee-eh?! Wh—Velgrynd-sama was defeated?!”

“I can’t believe it. The myth of the unbeatable…”

The Imperial congregation, who had been cultivated under Velgrynd’s domination, had abandoned their
previous silence and were now in turmoil.

“Wha—?!”

“H-Hey, are you serious?! You defeated that god-like existence who was undefeatable no matter the
circumstance? I can’t believe it, but if she admits it, then I guess it means you’re not lying…”

Dolph-san was in a daze, and Vaughn-san couldn’t seem to accept the reality.

Anrietta-san was smiling at them and King Gazel for some reason.

“Fufufu, I feel so refreshed because I don’t have to report this time. If I had reported this story, people
would have suspected that I was mentally ill.”

Isn’t that disrespectful?

Well, I wasn’t going to stop her because it was a story from another country, and it felt like now was not
the time to get into it.

As I was observing from a distance, Jaine-san called out to Gazel, who was contemplating with his head
in his hands.

“Gazel-boy, and you guys too, all of you need to calm down. I’m not even surprised anymore. I already
got tired and surprised by the primordials, and by the time I saw the evolution festival, I understood that
it was foolish to keep being shocked.”

It seemed Grandma Jaine had been enlightened.

That’s why she alone was able to get through this time calmly.

The people on Dwargon’s side came to their senses with those words.

They were embarrassed and straightened their posture one by one.

By the way, the reaction from our side was…

“What?! So Rimuru-sama has triumphed in the face of Velgrynd-sama. Are we having a feast tonight?”

Rigurd really did find every opportunity to party.

You didn’t doubt my victory from the start, did you?

“Well, I thought that was the case. Or rather, I was watching it.”

This guy, Benimaru, actually said he was spying on me. Although it seems that someone overheard you.

“Benimaru, what do you mean? No way…You didn’t watch Rimuru-sama fight with such majesty all by
yourself, did you?”

“N-No, it’s not like that. It was my duty to confirm the status of the battle, so, just a little…”

He seemed to be desperately trying to think of an excuse, but that was one of Benimaru’s weaknesses.

Diablo, on the other hand…

“Kufufufu. Oh, Shion, did you not see it? I’m sorry to hear that. It’s quite a shame that you were unable
to witness such a magnificent battle!”

Do not agitate her! Do not agitate her!!

Was nobody better than this guy at harassing people?

Testarossa was sighing in amazement, estimating that nobody could be as troublesome than Diablo.

“Everyone, please remain calm.”

Testarossa was dumbfounded, but she had not forgotten her role. She saw the time for everyone to
gradually quiet down, and raised her voice to calm the situation.

If she had been one step behind, Shion and Diablo might have started a fight.

Good job, I silently praised her.

Now that everyone had regained their composure, the meeting continued.

Testarossa, the moderator, signaled me to continue, so I did.

“—Well, as mentioned previously, I defeated Velgrynd-san and then questioned her about the situation
in detail, at which point I discovered discrepancies in the story. It seemed to me that Emperor Rudra was
not entirely himself, so I observed Velgrynd-san until I learned the terrible truth. I won’t go into too
many details, but it turns out that her thoughts were being ‘dominated.’ And the culprit was indeed
Michael, the conscious will of Emperor Rudra’s Skill!”

I put on a smug look with all my might.

Now came the good part.

I grinned and was about to continue—

“Wait.”

Oh no, someone was talking again.

Moreover, it was still Gazel this time.

“Well, I’ll deal with your questions later, so—”

As if to interrupt my words, or perhaps to calm himself down, Gazel let out a big sigh.

Then, with his eyes fixed on me, he opened his mouth gravely.

“Listen, Rimuru. It’s true that this attitude of mine is inappropriate, but, well, this is really not the time
to worry about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“How can you leave out so many details?! A vicious Skill that can dominate even Velgrynd-sama!—
how can that even exist?! And what was it you just said?! The will of a Skill?? I’ve never heard of such
a thing! Jaine, do you know anything about this?”

“…I …No, I’ve never heard of it either.”

Gazel was desperately trying to keep his composure, but he still couldn’t hide his exuberance. When
asked by Gazel, Jaine-san’s response was sluggish, as if she was thinking too much about something.

That said, it was strange that no one was complaining about Gazel’s attitude.

Velgrynd herself was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the situation. It seemed that as long as
Masayuki was around, nothing else was needed or interested her.

As for Masayuki, he seemed to have already given up on understanding the situation.

He was sitting in his chair in a very dignified manner, as if it was none of his business. By doing so, he
seems to have been misunderstood by Calgurio and the rest of the empire, and in doing so had further
increased his own reputation. But I guess he himself did not realize it…

About that, let’s just tell say ‘don’t mind.’

Benimaru and the others were also very interested.

If I didn’t want to say it, they wouldn’t have pursued it, but in their hearts, they most likely still wanted
to hear about it from me anyway.

That was probably why Testarossa did not stop Gazel either.

However, she seemed to have sensed her lapse in judgment and was trying to manage the situation as if
nothing had happened.

“Everyone, please remain calm. Regarding King Gazel’s questions…”

Although I was impressed at how quickly she recovered, trying to remedy this situation was going to be
difficult. I mean, I could just let it go, but I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to explain.

“Okay. I’ll explain.”

“Rimuru-sama, is that all right with you?”

“Yes. There are only a few important people from each country here anyway. I don’t think they’ll reveal
the secret lightly, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

That’s right.

There was no particular problem about revealing the existence of the Manas. The only secret that I had
to strictly keep was the existence of Ciel.

“I’m sorry, Rimuru. I appreciate you for doing this.”

Gazel bowed to me, expressing his gratitude.

His tone had returned to that of a senior brother, as if he had given up trying to fix things.
I felt much better and went straight into my explanation.

Then I explained that as a result of Emperor Rudra’s exhaustion, the Ultimate Skill ‘Justice King
Michael’ that he had once possessed, had developed an ego, and had become the “Manas” Michael. I
disclosed its heinous powers to the best of my knowledge.

“Ultimate Skill…? So you’re saying that powers of the unique level will not work on someone who
possesses it…”

“Strictly speaking, no. Skills vary in strength depending on the strength of one’s will, so even at the
unique level, there are skills that reach the ultimate level, though those are usually few and far between.
In addition, special techniques (Arts), which reflect the strength of will, may result in attacks that can
reach the ultimate level. In my opinion, I think Gazel King could do it.”

“Is that so…”

“Also, magic is the same. Magic is both a Skill and an Art, so depending on the strength of the user’s
will, they may be able to defeat even the Ultimate Skill holders. Jiwu and Bernie should understand
what I’m saying, right?”

Those two had been defeated by Diablo, so they should be able to understand what I was talking about.
When I asked them, they both nodded emphatically.

As for Diablo, he had a sickeningly intoxicated expression on his face, so I didn’t know what he was
thinking.

He definitely wasn’t thinking anything good, and though I was tempted to say something to him, he was
standing quietly for now, so I decided to just ignore it.

Shion then muttered, “Then I guess I should acquire an Ultimate Skill as well…”

You know, it’s because it’s not easy so easy to get that it’s called the ultimate, right?

But for some reason, I had the feeling that Shion could do it.

That seemed a little scary, so I stopped thinking about it.

“Well, that’s pretty much how it is. Michael has special powers that allow him to have absolute control
over the Angelic System of Skills. That is why Velgrynd-san couldn’t resist, and was at his mercy
without even realizing it. It seems that Lieutenant Kondou was also under the control of his Skill, though
in the end, he broke free from the spell and entrusted his will to our Carrera.”

“What, even that information-feeding monster was…”

“I can’t believe it, but I’m not so foolish as to doubt His Majesty Rimuru.”

“I see, so then Damrada-sama…”

“Yeah. I think he might have noticed that something was wrong with His Majesty the Emperor.”

Though not enough to interrupt what I was saying, there was a commotion from the Imperial side. This
was an act that should not have been done, but it was too late to care about it now, so I would just ignore
it and continue.

“As for Michael’s purpose, this is also known. It is to resurrect his true master and creator, Veldanava.”
“““Nonsense—!!”““

The shouts overlapped, and it was difficult to tell who was speaking.

No, actually I knew, but it wouldn’t have helped to point it out.

“Knowing that it was all due to Michael’s domination, I do not intend to hold the Imperial side
responsible for the war. If they wish to continue to wage war against us in the future—”

I broke off at this point and glanced at Masayuki and the others.

Masayuki remained completely unfazed.

He was completely oblivious to the situation, to the point of being admirable.

Calgurio and Minits were smiling bitterly.

There was no way they could win, and there was also no reason to fight anymore. They understood that,
which was why they were reacting this way.

Looks like things seemed okay.

“—It does not seem to me that you have any such intention. I have also made peace with Velgrynd-san,
so now it is necessary to establish a new leader now that Michael, who was playing as Rudra, has gone
into hiding. That’s what the meeting for today was about, so can you shed some light on that?”

I asked, dropping the topic to Masayuki and the others.

In order to have a common understanding of the current situation, we needed to know what the future of
the empire would be. That was what Gazel and the others were most concerned about, so I thought we
should discuss it here, without hiding anything.

However, this was also a gamble.

Normally, when you hold a meeting like this, you are supposed to confirm not only your own ideas but
also the opinions of the other side beforehand.

Since we did not do so, we could not predict what kind of conclusion we would reach. I was told that
this was normally not allowed to be done in discussions between countries.

Testarossa, however, did not stop me. She laughed and said that it would not be a problem, so I stopped
caring and went ahead with my honest talk.

The result was—

“Minits.”

“Yes! I, Minits, would humbly like to take this opportunity to explain. The current state of the Empire is
that we have lost over two-thirds of our forces, and further war is impossible. We are willing to accept
full and unconditional surrender, but there is one problem, and that is the absence of a supreme
commander. As His Majesty Rimuru has just pointed out, the most important thing is to find a new
leader. So today is the perfect opportunity to ask for the approval of our new Emperor.”

Minits said this without hesitation, bowed, and then looked at me and Gazel in turn.
“Hmm, so that’s how it was. Rimuru, I take it that my arrival today was exactly as you planned?”

Huh?

Of course not.

“You got me. This isn’t about the Empire and Tempest joining forces, it’s about Tempest backing the
new Emperor and building a solid foundation for the Empire. In that case, of course—”

“Well, needless to say, Dwargon will be joining, so I guess I can expect something in return, can’t I?”

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

How did we go from talking about acknowledging the new Emperor to talking about building a
foundation or some nonsense?

“King Gazel’s words are very encouraging. Naturally, in return, we would like to live up to your
expectations as much as possible within the limits of what is acceptable to both countries, so please rest
assured.”

Minits—no, let’s call him Minits-san. Unlike when he’s fighting, he has the mannerisms of an effective
politician. He’s just as graceful, but he seems to be able to do everything with ease.

I, on the other hand, am struggling to comprehend the situation. Nobody could see it because I wasn’t
sweating, but inwardly I was in a panic.

Well, now that Gazel seems to have agreed, I was next. Benimaru and Rigurd glanced at me, so I
nodded back, and opened my mouth.

“I also agree. And I promise to do my best to provide full support depending on the situation.”

I would just go with the flow.

I was finally catching up to the situation.

I had intended to help Masayuki from the beginning, but if I thought about it carefully, that would mean
supporting him as a nation. If we could build a better relationship in the future by selling favors here, we
would never have to go to war with them again.

Well, even if things didn’t go that well, we should be okay for the time being. All the rest can just be left
to future generations, so the most important thing was the ‘now.’

“Thank you very much. I’m sure the His Majesty the Emperor will be pleased to hear that.”

Minits-san bowed once again.

You don’t have to be so formal. Just get on with it.

“So, the new emperor is Masayuki-kun, right? Ah, then is it bad to call you that?”

“King Rimuru…”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. In fact, can I still call you Rimuru-san?”
Ah, Masayuki, a friend of my heart!

“Of course, Masayuki-kun! It’s so hard to understand what kinds of words to use in these situations,
isn’t it?”

“Rimuru-san! I haven’t been able to relax until just now—Rimuru-san has never been as reliable as he is
now!! These past few days, I’ve been feeling so suffocated…”

Yes, I understand.

You’ve been struggling all alone without help, haven’t you?

Velgrynd doesn’t give a damn about the feelings of her subordinates. She probably wouldn’t understand
why you were so worried about such trivial things.

The Empire’s leaders must have been occupied with their own affairs. They must have been so busy
with their own problems that they had no time to think about Masayuki’s situation.

That’s probably why he wanted to talk to me, but it was a mistake to let Shion send the message.

In fact, I really would have preferred to have had a private meeting with him to figure out what to do. I
felt that way, and I’m sure Masayuki felt the same way too.

But now that this all happened, it couldn’t be helped anymore.

I don’t know anything about etiquette, so I’m just going to continue with what I want.

“May I have all your attention, please?”

Before anyone else could say anything, it was Testarossa who spoke up.

“Our king, Rimuru-sama, would prefer the meeting to be more relaxed and casual. We may all have our
own positions, but I’m sure we can understand each other’s perspectives, so can we please agree
continue the meeting more informally?”

Testarossa looked at everyone present with a smile as she said so.

Nothing could be more reliable than that!

Masayuki looked happy too.

Gazel chuckled, and did not argue.

Now that the kings had given their approval, there would be no objections from the subordinates. That
was the end of the formal discussion, and now the real talks began.

“Geez, that really saved me. I was thinking of keeping silent the entire time.”

“Yeah, I wanted to do that too, actually.”

“Idiots. What is the leader of a country to do with that?”

“Fufufufu, Gazel-boy says that, but he used to be the same way. Dignity and formality are things that
can be mended over time with practice and experience.”

“Jaine, you don’t have to bring that up here.”

The tension disappeared in an instant, and it only took a moment to relax.

It was probably because Masayuki had been appointed Emperor and we had already decided to back him
up. All that was left was to work out the details, so there was no need for formal conversation.

So, in a casual manner, I asked the question that had been bothering me the most.

“By the way, it’s fine for Masayuki to become Emperor, but will the Imperial people accept it? We’re
fine with it, but what about the people? Or are they subjects? Anyway, if the people don’t agree, it’s no
good, right?”

Hearing that, Masayuki nodded his head in agreement more enthusiastically than I would have liked.

“Of course! It’s completely ridiculous, isn’t it?!”

“Ahem! Your Majesty, please calm down a little.”

Calgurio admonished him, but Masayuki seemed to have no intention of letting the question go
unanswered.

It was Gazel who came to his rescue.

“In the first place, what are you going to do about the bloodline issue? He does not share a single drop
of blood with Emperor Rudra, right? If you do not protect the royal line, the nobles will not be
satisfied.”

That question was answered by Velgrynd.

“No problem. It is written in the imperial code that ‘The person recognized by Velgrynd, the guardian
dragon of the empire, is both Rudra and the Emperor.’ Although many might think of this as a
formality, it is the truth and the most important sentence.”

Minits-san came forward to endorse that statement.

“Yes. His Majesty Rudra has always reincarnated as the wife’s first son, but in the long history of the
empire, there have been arrogant people who have sought to replace their successors. The one who saw
through them and punished them was the Marshal here, Velgrynd-sama.”

Of course it was bound to be exposed.

Anyone who understood how Rudra’s reincarnation worked could easily tell the difference between the
real one and an impostor.

I don’t even want to imagine how those people were punished. Even if I don’t bother to ask, I’m sure it
was horrible.

“Well, His Majesty Rudra inherited the ego. Even if Velgrynd-sama hadn’t pointed it out, it would have
revealed itself when he grew up…”
I see, so once they’ve grown to the point where they’re self-aware, it is easy to identify them.

“So, what about calling Masayuki an illegitimate child?”

“That’s impossible, Rimuru-sama. The Senate has Rudra’s records. Not only his blood type, but even his
DNA. The mother can be faked, but it would be impossible to claim Masayuki-sama as the son of His
Majesty Rudra.”

Oops, so then the Empire’s technology had advanced that far? I had thought it was a good idea, but
Minits-san rejected it.

“Even so, I didn’t realize that DNA testing existed in this world…”

“What is DNA?”

“That’s…”

Since Gazel asked me, I would clarify.

Next to him, Calgurio and the others were chatting.

“I hear it’s a big deal because there were no precise ways to test it back then.”

“That’s true. Every time I was asked to make a decision, it was a pain in the ass.”

Well, wouldn’t that be even worse?

Now that the real person was gone, there was only Masayuki—the reincarnated one who had lost his
memory. It was difficult to prove that the ‘soul’ is real, so in other words, there was no way for others to
recognize Masayuki as the true Emperor.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be easier for Masayuki to just imitate Rudra, since they have the same face?”

We could use the emperor’s privilege to cover up the inspection.

Then we could find the opportunity to replace Rudra’s records and be done with it.

“Rejected.”

I thought this was a good idea, but Velgrynd rejected it.

“May I ask why?”

“You haven’t forgotten Michael’s power, have you? Michael’s energy comes from the loyalty of his
subjects and followers of Rudra. So, wouldn’t it be better to pretend that Emperor Rudra is dead and
take away that power?”

Oops?

Of course, I remembered that…

«Correct. It is pointless to just pretend he’s dead, but if there is a new target of loyalty, Michael’s power
can be blocked. However, Michael might have anticipated this and changed the target of his power from
Rudra to someone else.»
Well, he had already said something about killing all the subjects.

If he was going to do that, then he would surely use someone I couldn’t touch as an energy source.

Or someone incredibly powerful.

“I’m sure Michael would have taken countermeasures, but it’s safer to do it than to not. That way, we
won’t have to deal with the subjects.”

“I’m sure you’re right, so let’s not worry about the details. Just announce that Masayuki is Rudra in my
name. That way, no one will be able to resist.”

Velgrynd was very confident.

But then again, that was to be expected.

After all, she was the Scorch Dragon, the guardian dragon of the empire.

Besides, it made sense in light of the Imperial Code, which stated that the person approved by Velgrynd
would become Emperor Rudra.

The approach would be tough, but as long as it was Velgrynd’s true statement, it couldn’t be ignored.

“Is that okay with you, Masayuki-kun?”

“Shouldn’t it be fine?”

“…Well, how should I put it…”

I felt that there shouldn’t be a problem, but I would have to go with the flow.

“If you don’t like it Masayuki, then there’s no need to push yourself, okay?”

Wow, Velgrynd’s smile was so gentle—gentle to the point of being scary. That description was a
contradiction in terms, but it’s what I really felt.

“…I’ll do it. I’m being hailed as a hero anyway, so one more title won’t matter.”

Masayuki declared; his eyes vacant as if he had reached enlightenment.

Minits-san, Calgurio and the others were happy to hear this. They seemed to think that a new symbol
and leader was absolutely necessary for the future survival of the Empire.

I, too, think Masayuki is the right man for the job, and with his Skill, he would be able to gain the
absolute support of the people.

“So then, the way forward is to install Masayuki as the new Emperor and move to solidify the claim,
right?”

When I confirmed this, everyone other than Masayuki sharply nodded their heads in agreement.

Masayuki nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Masayuki, despite his appearance, was a responsible person. Once he took on the task, I knew he would
carry it through to the end.
“Understood. Then we will announce our approval. I will also promise to immediately release the
Imperial officers currently held as prisoners of war in our country. We will not hold them responsible,
but we will still withhold compensation. What do you think? We can discuss compensations at a later
date, after Masayuki has ascended to the throne as the new Emperor.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you for your generosity. I’m grateful.”

Just when I thought everyone had approved, Gazel had something more to say.

“I have no objection to this approach either, but I do have one question. Masayuki-dono, you may be a
Hero, but you are about to become an Emperor. So I would like to ask you, what principles do you
intend to use to unite your people—your subjects?”

Gazel stared at Masayuki with a piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything.

Masayuki flinched at the aura, but looked at me as if troubled, then opened his mouth.

“…Uhh…hmm? Creating a world where people can live with laughter…something like that, right?”

I laughed when I heard that.

Because he was thinking the same way I did.

“Yeah, that’s the most important thing!”

“That’s right! I knew Rimuru-san would say that!!”

“Of course, Masayuki-kun. Alas, when I told this to Rudra, he only made fun of me for being young and
naive, and I was worried that I had been mistaken. But now I can rest assured. It looks like I was right
the whole time.”

“Great! I’ve never been good at politics either, so I wasn’t confident about anything. But now, I can be
an emperor with pride.”

“Right. Let’s do our best together!”

“Yes, I look forward to working with you!!”

With that, Masayuki and I laughed loudly together.

There were different reactions to those who were watching us.

Diablo and Shion had a look of intoxication.

Velgrynd smiled kindly.

Calgurio and Minits were smiling half-heartedly.

Gazel looked up helplessly at the sky.

“That’s enough!”
“Fufufu, I understand your concern, Gazel, but these people have no ambitions. But they’re amateurs,
that’s for sure, so you’ll just have to guide them, and make sure they stay on the right path.”

“I know. I’m just thinking about how difficult it will be to guild these people who talk about politics
with such naive idealism.”

Gazel gave another big sigh after saying that. After all, Gazel was always worried about us like this.

“Well, don’t worry so much, I’m studying too, so it’ll be fine!”

Not only Gazel, but also Vesta and El-tan11 were teaching me, so I would probably be fine.

“…Really?”

It was just in my spare time, but it was still true.

If he was still worried about this, then I would reassure him a little more.

“In the first place, I’m not planning to get too involved in politics. Masayuki, you should just let Minits-
san and the others handle the actual work.”

“You’re right! That’s actually what I was planning to do, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Now I
feel much better about it.”

Masayuki and I laughed together once again.

“…Well, do whatever you want. You’re not alone. You can take responsibility and grow with your
comrades. If possible, I will help you too.”

Gazel still had his head in his hands, but he was finally convinced. No, he may not have been fully
convinced, but he was still willing to support us in the long run.

And so the meeting proceeded.

“As for me, I have no objection to the approach decided at this meeting. If the eastern lands are
stabilized, our country will also be at peace. I will help with the reconstruction near the border as much
as I can.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, King Gazel.”

And just like that, things worked out beautifully.

—From this day on, history books of future generations would record this day as the appearance of the
savior Emperor Masayuki Rudra Nam Ul Nasca—

And thus, the plan had been set.

11
Rimuru’s nickname for Elmesia
At this point, we would take a break and have lunch.

Because the atmosphere was already relaxed, the meal proceeded in a friendly manner.

Today’s lunch was kaiseki cuisine.12

Although we were in the middle of a break, we were still in the middle of a meeting, so we chose a
menu that could properly entertain the dignitaries. Shuna had prepared it with great care.

Everyone used chopsticks.

Gazel had mastered it a long time now, and the chopstick culture was widespread in the empire, making
us feel at ease to prepare the food Japanese style.

“As always, the food here is delicious.”

“It makes me want to drink.”

“Be more restrained, Vaughn! Even if it’s informal, we still have an important meeting to attend.”

“You’re such a serious man, Dolph. Rimuru-sama?”

“Yeah. I’d like some sake too, but…”

I nodded and glanced at Shuna.

She gave a smiling face.

Yup, it’s impossible.

“We’ll have to hold back for now and do our best for the rest of the meeting. Vaughn-san, you should
learn from Dolph-san and be more serious!”

“Hahaha, that’s harsh. Then can I count on you for this evening?”

“Hey…”

“Of course you can, right Benimaru?”

“Yeah. Let’s take out our secret stash of black liquor and have a party!”

“Oh, that sounds good! Benimaru-dono has good taste too.”

“Hahaha, I heard that demons are famous for their love of alcohol.”

“What? Shuna drinks alcohol too?”

Benimaru said something surprising while I was casually ignoring the gossip. To my surprise, he said
that Shuna drank alcohol.

The truth is…

12
A traditional multi-course Japanese meal.
“Brother, I only try it occasionally. Please do not lump me in with Shion.”

Oh, so she does drink.

I had thought Shuna was underage, but I guess age didn’t matter to a monster.

“Hahaha, sorry, sorry.”

“Shuna-sama! I don’t drink that much either!”

That’s a lie.

As far as I know, Shion and Alvis are the best drinkers in the world.

Benimaru also knew about this, so he smiled bitterly at it.

I didn’t imagine Benimaru to be a drinker, but I guess Alvis was his wife too. In that case, he might have
been drinking with his wife, turning him into strong drinker.

Once you get used to it, it becomes something you start to enjoy.

Just do it in moderation.

Don’t just drink alcohol to get drunk.

I thought I should remind myself and others to enjoy in moderation.

The luncheon would have continued as light and pleasant, but suddenly, someone burst into tears.

All eyes were drawn to the person, wondering what was going on.

It was Calgurio.

“What’s wrong, sir? Is the food not to your liking?”

Shuna, who had rushed over to Calgurio, asked while comforting him.

Calgurio opened his mouth to reply.

“No, please excuse me. I just remembered something. I know it might be ridiculous for a military man to
say this, but I sacrificed many men because of my foolish plan. Yet I am savoring this delicious meal
knowing they will never return. I’m sorry, it was my fault…Farage, Gaster, and Zamud…I’m
sorry…I’m so sorry.”

This guy is a crying drunk, isn’t he?

I hadn’t served him any alcohol, but it seems that he got drunk from just the atmosphere.

Still, I guess this was a good time.

“Testarossa.”
“Yes. I’ve already sent word to Moss and summoned those men.”

As expected of her.

Before I could even give the order, Testarossa had already read my intentions and acted upon them.

Then, in less than five minutes, dozens of men had showed up to the venue.

“Your Majesty Rimuru, Zamud is here upon hearing your call!”

The people who came were the same people that Calgurio had just mentioned, including Major General
Zamud and his subordinates.

They seemed to have come running as fast as they could, their faces bright red with sweat. Despite this,
they desperately struggled to formulate their words in order to greet me.

Zamud and these people had actually died once.

They were aboard the emperor’s flagship airship, and were caught up in Testarossa’s nuclear magic:
‘Death Streak,’ which wiped out their bodies along with their lives.

However, the amazing thing about Testarossa was that she remembered that I had received a plea from
Calgurio for Zamud and the others’ lives, so she recovered their souls before the magic took effect.

“It all became possible because Rimuru-sama allowed me to evolve”—She was so humble saying such
things, but from my point of view, I was just grateful for her memory.

And so, I took the souls of Zamud and the others from Testarossa and had them dwell in an Emulated
Soul, establishing them in artificial human bodies (homunculi).

“You—aren’t you Zamud?! I heard Velgrynd-sama say that you were all dead, but you’re still alive!”

“It’s true though. I really doubt they could have survived the ‘Death Streak,’ so was it Testarossa who
saved him?”

“That’s right, Velgrynd-sama. Rimuru-sama is a compassionate man.”

“Yeah, I have no doubt about that.”

“Very wise.”

Ufufufu, Ohohoho—The two were talking while smiling at one another.

I felt a little scared, so I gently took my eyes off the scene.

Zamud and the others had joined Calgurio and were congratulating each other on their safety.

As for Farage-san, it’s unfortunate, but I wasn’t all-powerful either, so I hoped they would forgive me.
And if they felt sorry for the death of someone close, then please don’t ever engage in such a foolish act
of war again.

A defensive war may be unavoidable, but a war of aggression is the essence of foolishness. I understand
that the world was not just a pretty place, but I still couldn’t help thinking so.
Those in power should consider whether or not war was really necessary, putting their own families on
the scale. I hoped that they would aim to eradicate barren conflict through dialogue as much as possible.

This I did not say aloud, but prayed for it in my heart.

After the lunch break, the meeting resumed at 3 in the afternoon.

In the morning session, the general plan had been decided. The afternoon session was scheduled to
reconfirm them and discuss the sharing of responsibilities.

“Now then, allow me to reconfirm. First, the Armed Nation of Dwargon.”

Testarossa began the session.

Then, she listed the topics in need of confirmation.

The first step was for Tempest and Dwargon to jointly approve the accession of the new Emperor. Then,
in the name of the new Emperor Masayuki, they would declare the end of the war and establish the
Tripartite Alliance.

In this way, a framework different from that of the Western States Council would be created.

Dwargon’s role was to rebuild the area near the border together with the Empire, including the roads and
buildings in the vicinity. To a lesser extent, this also included providing relief to the victims involved in
the war.

Trust would come after trust was earned.

With that momentum, the construction of the railroad to the Imperial Capital would begin. We decided
to accomplish this difficult task while rebuilding the road that the Magic Tank Division of the Empire
had cut in the foothills of the Canaat Mountains.

A team of leaders from our country would also be dispatched to work with the dwarf engineers to
complete the project.

When the ‘Magic Train’ came through, logistics would be streamlined, and people would be able to
come and go as they pleased. We would be entering into a new era of development.

When I dream of that day, I can’t stop from feeling excited. Once again, I confirmed my preference to
make constructive plans.

So, what are the roles of our Jura Tempest Federation?

Our main responsibility was to provide full support to Masayuki.

We would send Testarossa to set up an embassy in the Empire. The goal was to dispel the old mindset of
the empire and make it feel as if a new era had arrived.

The subjects of the Empire had never been defeated in war before. They had never apologized to another
nation for their mistakes, even when they were hurt by Veldora.
Perhaps this speaks to Rudra’s greatness, but that was also a reason why the subjects of the Empire
might not be able to accept this defeat.

Those who had lost loved ones would understand the pain. However, it was likely that those who were
just sitting on their laurels at home would demand another war from a safe position.

They would focus only on the benefits to be gained and be insensitive to the pain of others.

It is highly likely that they would not be pleased with Masayuki’s opposition to war. With Velgrynd
around, there was no point in directly interfering, but…they might interfere behind the scenes while
showing reverence on the outside, which would be a very troublesome thing.

It was up to Minits to persuade the nobles, and Calgurio would be in charge of the military. However, I
was worried that the two of them were not strong enough to deal with the cunning old underbelly of
society.

Velgrynd had casually suggested, “Why don’t I just kill them all?” but we could not let her do such a
thing. In an empire of dwindling talent, there was no way they could afford to reduce the number of
human resources any further.

We would have to use such troublesome people to our advantage. The road ahead was a difficult, thorny
path, but I had come to the conclusion in the last few days that we had no choice but to try.

That is where Testarossa comes in.

With the help of Moss, our agent with a hell of an ear, we could sweep away the schemes of the
malicious in one fell swoop. Even those who are troublesome when swarmed together may become
cooperative if we threate—er, no, persuade them by grasping their individual weaknesses.

The Western States Council was now settled to the point where Cien alone could handle it, so it was
decided that Testarossa would be transferred.

It was also decided that Venom would continue to accompany Masayuki as his bodyguard.

“I’ll be borrowing some of your family members, is that okay?”

“Kufufufu, no problem. If it is for the good of Rimuru-sama, please do not hesitate to use them.”

I had nothing to say about this. As for Diablo, it was too tiring to dig into it.

Unlike the morning discussion, the afternoon was livelier.

After the problems that the Imperial side had put together were disclosed, everyone discussed them to
come up with countermeasures.

It was a very meaningful time.

“We, as members of the Empire, will never forget the kindness you have shown us.”

“Hey now, we are still in the planning stages. We’re just starting to make things happen. If you want to
thank me, wait until the project is completed.”
“Hahaha, the project, huh? I’m no match for Your Majesty Rimuru…that this national challenge can be
described in one word.”

Minits-san was smiling.

But there was a gleam in his eyes, and my words seemed to have ignited his will to fight.

I’m glad that he was motivated.

In this way, we reached an agreement on the plan, but there was still a problem that we should not
forget.

It was Gazel who mentioned it.

“So, Rimuru. Let me ask you the most important question. Can you win?”

It was true…Michael and Feldway, and their men…there was a threatening enemy out there, watching
us with an eagle eye.

“Honestly, I can’t guarantee that I’m going to win, but I’m definitely not going to lose.”

“Well, it’s you after all, so no matter what method is used, I’m sure you’ll do whatever it takes to turn
those words into something real.”

“Even overestimated.”

“Hmph! To be honest, when I saw Velgrynd-sama’s strength, I was prepared for defeat and death. I
knew she was strong, but I didn’t expect her to be that powerful.”

Vaughn and Dolph-san nodded in agreement at Gazel’s frank confession.

Well, I thought it was over too when I saw Testarossa and the others collapse.

After that, because I was so angry, I got over my fear—or rather, I felt like it was over before I realized
it, and thinking back on it now, I wonder how I even managed to win.

But well, I have Ciel now.

And Veldora and Diablo and the others.

It was reassuring to know that I’m not alone.

“I never thought I’d lose to a slime either, but now I’m grateful. I don’t think that even Velzard-nee can
beat Rimuru.”

Velgrynd, not offended by Gazel’s words, said this quite matter-of-factly.

I doubted that I could defeat Velzard-san, who had beaten Veldora one-sidedly, but I was pretty sure that
Velgrynd was speaking from the heart.

“I’m also embarrassed by your high opinion of me.”

“Don’t be modest. Your victory over me was not by luck, but by sheer strength. Moreover, you won
overwhelmingly, so what are you talking about?”
Velgrynd was not ashamed of her defeat, because it was in the past for her. I think she had overcome it
now and accepted it honestly.

It was people like that who scared me the most, and I secretly raised my alert level on Velgrynd.

From here, it was time to talk seriously about my own thoughts.

“The reality is that we don’t know what the enemy’s true strength is, and we cannot predict how they’ll
react. Regardless of their purpose, I’m curious about their aim, or rather, what kind of methods they will
use.”

As I said this, I projected several people onto a giant screen.

“These are the enemies that invaded the labyrinth this time. Their existence values are roughly
equivalent to three million, which is a high level of strength even compared to the leaders of our
country. They’re such a nasty opponent that I think it’s best to avoid fighting them one-on-one.”

After I said that, I disclosed all of the information I knew.

Then, as if to add to my story, Velgrynd said.

“I eliminated this one, but I have a word of advice. These people are the ones who used to help Brother
Veldanava in ancient times, and they are as nasty as the primordials. Their bodies are currently still
sealed, and all those who appeared in the labyrinth were just a weakened ‘Split Body.’ They can’t be
defeated by ordinary means, so you’d better be on your guard.”

Hearing that put one at a loss for words.

Because Velgrynd, the one who said such a thing, had already destroyed one of them so easily.

«That is the effect of the ‘Dimension Leap’ in Velgrynd’s power. Velgrynd herself can only leap
towards the mark of Rudra’s soul fragment, but she should have no problems firing her technique
towards the mark.»

I see…

In other words, Velgrynd traced the connection between Cornu’s ‘Split Body’ and his main body, and
destroyed both of them together.

«That’s right. If it is a ‘Spacetime Continuous Attack’ that can transcend time and space, then there is no
way to escape it, even if the being is a ‘Parallel Existence.’»

Seriously, that’s messed up.

I mean, Velgrynd was just too good. I didn’t know how much experience she had accumulated, but she
was now perfectly in control of her own powers.

She was already powerful before, but now she had become even stronger.

Veldora was so happy to learn ‘Parallel Existence,’ but this turned out to be completely pointless. I
wonder if Veldora knew about this…I felt a little sorry for him.

I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know how to react.

The Imperials and Gazel’s group were also pondering carefully over Velgrynd’s words.

The Empire still had a trump card with Velgrynd. They could rely on her, but the problem was
Dwargon.

“We can’t win, huh?”

“That’s right. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Vaughn!”

“But it’s true. There’s no point in trying to look good, so why don’t we just have an honest discussion
and think about countermeasures?”

“Uh, no, you’re right, but…but…”

“Vaughn is right. We can’t win against them anyway, but we should still have a plan for when we do
encounter them. So, Your Majesty Rimuru, based on the goals of you, Michael, and the Phantom King,
do you think Dwargon will also be involved?”

Hmm, it’s unlikely, right?

“It probably doesn’t matter. It’s not that it’s safe, it’s just that it’s a lower a priority.”

“Hmm. So because the enemy’s goal is to resurrect their God Veldanava, they don’t care about Dwargon
anyway, correct?”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I suppose.”

“It’s okay. As a warrior, I am unhappy, but as a king, I am relieved.”

Gazel finished and smiled bitterly.

“So, by that measure, is the enemy serious?”

“Kufufufufu. Do they think that by harnessing the power of Veldora-sama and Velzard-sama, the
resurrection of Veldanava-sama will be accomplished? All I can say is that it’s a stupid idea.”

“In the first place, Veldanava-sama is immortal. To resurrect him through human power is beyond
foolishness.”

Diablo scoffed, and Benimaru was indignant.

It is a mystery as to why Veldanava has not been resurrected, but it is still true that the True Dragon race
is immortal. I also agreed with the opinion that we should just leave it alone, left unspeakable.

“But if that’s the case, won’t the Dragon Princess be targeted as well?”

Calgurio pointed out sharply.

Indeed, Milim had inherited Veldanava’s power, so it would not be surprising if she was targeted.

This question was answered by Velgrynd.

“That possibility cannot be denied, but to mess with my brother’s beloved would be to put the cart
before the horse. It’s possible for them to simply want to take his power, but if they sincerely wish for
his resurrection, then I’d like to think they wouldn’t do anything that would offend him.”

Well, Milim was strong, and she didn’t seem to have an Ultimate Skill of the Angelic System. Plus with
Karion-san and Frey-san having awakened, I didn’t think we would need to worry too much about her.

Since Velgrynd thought things were okay, it would probably be enough just to warn them.

However, there was something else that bothered me.

“In that way, doesn’t it sound like Veldanava was unconcerned about his siblings?”

“You’re pretty rude.”

Velgrynd looked at me, seemingly more speechless than annoyed.

“Uh, I’m sorry. I’m an honest person, so I just…”

“Well, it’s fine.”

Lucky.

Velgrynd’s generosity saved my life.

I would reflect on this and be careful on what I said in the future.

“It doesn’t matter. A True Dragon thinks differently than the rest of those who have an end in sight. The
same goes for Velzard-nee, who has destroyed Veldora over and over again in the name of education.
So, perhaps they are planning to wait for the resurrection of Brother Veldanava before releasing our
power.”

Yes, that made sense.

They think he’ll be resurrected after he’s eaten, just like I did.

In doing so, the memories would be inherited, so whether or not the personality would change was
simply not a matter of concern.

“In other words, Milim-sama is not indestructible because she is not a True Dragon species. If you kill
Milim-sama, you will incur the wrath of the resurrected Veldanava-sama.”

Testarossa summed up what Velgrynd had said. Perhaps, I think that’s the right way to look at it.

“All right, then, let’s just warn Milim, too.”

I said as such, and Velgrynd nodded.

Then she turned to Masayuki, who was sitting next to her.

“You look like someone else, but…Masayuki, you’re definitely a target, so you have to be very careful,
okay?”

“Eh?! They’re not giving up yet?”

“Your Majesty…Unlike here in the labyrinth, you can’t come back from the dead in the Empire! You
must be more aware of this and take better care of yourself.”

“We will do everything in our power to protect Your Majesty, but the other party is still our opponent.
Your Majesty yourself must be more aware of this.”

“O-Okay…uh, I mean, I understand.”

Masayuki’s lame-ass reply brought the afternoon’s discussions to an end.

Dinner was sumptuous.

It was a full course meal of Italian cuisine.

We started with a soup of beets—rather, a vegetable similar to beets—followed by gizzard confit.

After zeppolines13, we were served couscous with various vegetables and a lightly roasted medium-fatty
Spearhead Armored Fish.

Everything was absolutely divine, but it didn’t stop there.

Savory panna cotta with prawn, battleship fish involtini14, and spaghetti with fortress crabs were added
to the superb menu.

As I took a break with the mushroom risotto, the seafood soup arrived.

The soup, from which the extracts of all the seafood of the day had been extracted, was a wonderful dish
that changed flavor with each sip. The soup was made by simmering various soups for more than half a
day and mixing them together.

It was no exaggeration to say that this dish was made by the thoughtfulness of the chefs, and it was a
hidden masterpiece that could be eaten only once a year.

And finally, the main dish of the day.

It was a veal deer fillet steak.

I cut it gently with a knife and placed it in my mouth. The tender meat melted before I could even finish
biting into it.

Delicious.

Seriously, it’s so delicious!

As soon as we finished eating, Benimaru and I gave each other a high five.

There was no need to exchange words, and that was enough.

13
I think this is some sort of Italian potato donut/dumpling
14
Italian mini food-rolls. Eggplant involtini is fairly common.
Normally, we would have a lively conversation during the meal, but everyone was quiet today. I felt that
this was a sign of satisfaction.

When the white wine yogurt was served for dessert, everyone finally started to talk about their
impressions.

“What is this deliciousness?! As an imperial aristocrat myself, I was proud to have tasted countless
gourmet foods, but this is truly something else!!”

“I understand. Even as a prisoner of war, I always looked forward to eating here, and I’ve never felt
more blissful than I do today. Thank you, Your Majesty Rimuru!”

“To be honest, if I can eat like this, I’d be happy to be Emperor.”

“I’ve also learned how to cook, but this is impossible for me. There’s nothing wasted, and the food has
been thoughtfully prepared with the eater in mind.”

The Imperials were raving about it.

Dwargon’s side was not to be outdone.

“Rimuru, it seems that your cooking has improved here. Shuna-dono, was it? I’d like to invite you to my
country to teach us a few recipes.”

“That’s true. I prefer drinking to eating, but this is different. The portions small enough that it makes
you want to eat more. It’s all very well thought out.”

“No, I don’t think it’s calculated, but I agree that I wanted to eat more of each dish.”

“Hah! It was so delicious, I almost left for the next world.”

“What do you mean, Jaine-dono? You’re the one who’s eating everything.”

“What are you talking about, Anrietta? You’re eating the same amount of food as I am!”

“What? Even if you notice something like that, it’s good manners not to point it out!”

Basically, it seems that people were satisfied as long as the drinks are good, so I wanted to make them
happy with the food as well. Thanks to Shuna and the others, I was able to achieve that goal this time.

Incidentally, Shion and Diablo were in normal operation even in such a situation.

Diablo was serving us, pouring us drinks, and Shion was standing upright as a guard.

But I know.

Shuna told me secretly that Shion was always eating and drinking in the name of poison testing. This
time, she even took another bite to eat, so I didn’t have to worry that she might get hungry.

We took a moment of relaxation after dinner.

The location changed to the common room, and we all enjoyed chatting over a cup of coffee.

While we were chatting about the food and other small talk, Gazel suddenly spoke to me.

“By the way, Rimuru, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s something you did.”

“Um…what…??”

“Benimaru-dono and the other executives there—you’re the one who made them evolve, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Ah, that’s a sign towards being reprimanded.

I wish he’d stop saying things out of the blue like that.

I don’t think I’ll get hit, but at least give me some time to think of an excuse beforehand.

I was prepared, but Gazel smiled and continued.

“Don’t be so nervous. I’m not angry. I paled when Jaine told me about it, but now I understand that it
was necessary.”

“Yes, I suppose it was.”

Phew.

I was relieved that he didn’t seem upset.

“But explaining it to the rest of the world will be tricky, won’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What—you haven’t thought of that? The Western Nations, the Western Holy Church, Sarion, and the
rest of the human world must have been paying attention to this war. Even if we declare the end of the
war, we still need to explain the process.”

“I was just going to fake it, but…”

They wouldn’t believe me even if I explained things seriously, but as long as I shut up and didn’t say
anything, nobody would know that my friends had evolved into awakened demon lords.

I thought I could get away with it as long as the deception went well.

“Well, that should be fine for the West. Blumund and others might have doubts, but the rest of the world
is too peaceful. Some of them may be suspicious, but they won’t be able to stand up to Tempest, who is
becoming an ally. You won’t be bullish, right?”

“In that case, there nothing wrong—”

“—However! ‘That woman’ can’t be fooled. She will definitely demand a formal explanation. What are
you going to do?”

Uh, ‘that woman?’

Ah, he meant her!

“Oh, you mean El-tan15? That’s okay. I already told her.”

Elmesia-san was also worried about the war, and she and Myourmiles-kun and I had talked about it. In
the worst case, she said they were considering accepting refugees.

The three of us, Myourmiles and Elmesia-san and I, had a means of emergency communication as the
conspiracy trio known as the “three drunk sages.”16

It was a high-performance magic tool, compact and foldable. Put quite simply, it was a cell phone.

Inspired by Clayman’s Skill, it used long distance radio signals and geomagnetism for encrypted
communication, and was capable of making long distance calls without being interrupted by magic.

However, because the materials used were all rare, the price per unit was incredibly high. Since they
could not be distributed even to the executives, one could understand just how valuable these were.

With this, I was able to communicate directly with Elmesia-san. So, before the party started, I sent a
message to her saying, “We won,” along with a victory report.

El-tan’s reply was, “Ok, I’m relieved. I’ll listen to you properly next time, so I’ll come over to play
again, haha.” So, there was nothing for Gazel to worry about.

And yet…

“El-tan?!”

Gazel shouted at the top of his lungs.

And now he was staring at me with a look of disbelief.

Huh?

“Was there anything surprising in what I just said?”

“Don’t be stupid! How did you get so close to that Emperor?!”

Oh, that.

15
Rimuru’s nickname for Elmesia. “El-tan” is kind of like saying “El-chan” or “El-cchi.” It’s a very cutesy
nickname—not something that one would normally use to refer to the leader of a country.
16
This group will be explained more in future volumes. It is a Japanese acronym, but it doesn’t correlate well in
English. The ‘Three Drunk Sages’ are called the ‘Sankensui’ or the ‘Riega’ (no kanji) in Japanese, so the ‘Ri’ from
Rimuru, the ‘E’ from Elmesia, and the ‘Ga’ from Gard (Myourmiles) combine to create the ‘Riega’. A funny play on
words.
Well, I’m pretty good at that kind of thing.

No matter how difficult someone is, you can always start with a conversation. And the most important
thing is to have a good understanding of what the other person wants to say.

In the past, when I was working as a supervisor at a construction site, there were nearby residents who
always made absurd complaints. However, by listening to them calmly, the problems were able to be
solved surprisingly easily.

Of course, there are also times when there is nothing one can do.

In those cases, just listening is good enough.

Always keep listening.

By doing so, the other person will feel closer to you, convinced that you can understand them, and
gradually accept you.

That, or you can just bide your time and wait for the problem to be solved.

In this case, there’s no need to do anything in particular, just listen to the complaints and keep the
conversation going. This makes the other person feel more intimate, and it’s overall a similar process.

In this way, what was most important in my outlook of life was the way I treated others, and the way I
communicated with them.

I had felt the same way when meeting Elmesia-san, and before I knew it, we had become friends.

Could it have been the alcohol?

I’ve forgotten about that kind of thing.

Forgetting things that aren’t beneficial to you is a good way to live. Of course, it’s also very important to
reflect on your mistakes so that you don’t make them again.

It’s a difficult thing to do, and I’m still learning.

“Well, how I did it is a secret, but we’re good friends now, anyway.”

I’m not stupid enough to tell him about my drunken mistakes at the bar.

That’s what I said, but it seems that Gazel was not convinced.

“Rimuru, the Emperor of Sarion is a difficult person to meet, and waiting for an audience normally takes
several months. Even if I apply from Dwargon, it takes half a year. That woman has a long lifespan, so a
month is like a day in her eyes…and yet you’re acting like it’s easy to contact her?!”

“Uh.”

“Yes, that’s right, Your Majesty Rimuru! Sarion is also very important to our Empire. I did not expect
this level of a connection…”

Even Calgurio and the others joined in on the conversation.

When I asked them about it in detail, they told me that the Empire considered Sarion to be its greatest
threat. It was speculated that they had a number of magical weapons that were yet to be seen, and that
they had intended to save attacking Sarion for last.

Listening to Calgurio and Minits-san’s explanation, Gazel nodded in agreement.

Even in the Western Nations, there were many nations that recognized Sarion’s complexion, however, it
was natural for them to react that way because Sarion was considered a military power that could
swallow up the Western economic zone all on its own.

And the ease with which I was able to have a direct conversation with the leader of such a great power
without an appointment…even if I didn’t know much about it, it really was a bit hard to believe.

But that said, it was all true.

“A-Ahahaha, well, you know, this? I guess I was lucky.”

“Hmm, it is only natural for Rimuru-sama.”

“That’s right! Rather, it is the other party who should be grateful for their luck!”

Diablo and Shion praised me from the sidelines, but I wished they would keep their mouths shut.

Seeing Gazel sigh deeply made me think it even more so.

However, Minits-san unexpectedly seemed to agree with Shion and the others.

“Well, if she saw through His Majesty Rimuru’s true value, then indeed the emperor’s reaction is
understandable.”

Calgurio nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. That fearsome Celestial Empress would be able to pull off something like that without a
second thought. Our empire has always thought that the country’s magical warriors would not move out.
If that had been the emperor’s intention, she would have targeted our home country while Rimuru and
the others were at a disadvantage. It was a close call.”

He was much more wary of Sarion than I thought he would be.

I was quite relieved that we were getting along well because I hadn’t expected Sarion to be such a
dangerous country.

El-tan had invited me to come visit next time, so I would be sure to pay her a visit and learn more about
things then.

“I’m sure this information was also kept secret, but how far did the Intelligence Bureau get—”

“No. Unfortunately, I hadn’t heard of this either. Well, it’s still a long time ago for me, so perhaps I just
forgot.”

Velgrynd was happily denying Minits-san’s statement. She seemed to be very vindictive, and I was
pretty sure she remembered everything, even if it was a long time ago.

“Oh, is there something you want to say to me?”

“N-No, it’s nothing…”

Scary, it’s like she read my mind.

This kind of person is dangerous, so I would try not to offend them.

Even so, I was shocked that they were so surprised by my connection with Elmesia-san. This was…I
guess it was best to keep the fact that Myourmiles-kun was also a comrade a secret between us.

With everything from the ‘Three Drunk Sages’ going on, it would be better to be careful about letting
things slip.

I made a secret vow to do so, and the night continued on.

The next morning, Gazel and his group left.

Calgurio and the rest of their group, in accordance with the agreed plan, began to prepare for their
return.

The work was still in progress, but the construction would be handed over to Adalmann’s men. There
were some who wanted to stay in the country, but they were persuaded to give priority to the stability of
the empire first before thinking about immigration.

In less than a week, the preparations were completed, and they were scheduled to depart.

In this way, the remaining problems were identified, countermeasures were devised, and the status quo
was confirmed.

There were no problems on the Imperial side.

We would just have to wait for word from Testarossa, taking a wait-and-see approach, until the situation
changed.

The Dwarven Kingdom was a bit worried.

If a seraph-level enemy appeared, Gazel and the others would have a difficult time.

However, the city of Dwargon, which was like a natural fortress, was equipped with multiple magical
defenses. It wouldn’t be easy to break through them, so they could just contact us whenever something
happened.

I had also given Gazel a cell phone, so he could use it in the case of an emergency.

And one more thing.

I decided to send Agera over to Gazel’s side.

Gazel had told me that he wanted to re-train himself.

Agera had also asked to go out for a while to calm her mind.
She said she had a lot to worry about and mull over.

Carrera had no hesitation in saying that Agera could do as she pleased.

As for me, knowing Agera’s situation, I was at a loss as to how to respond. I accepted the suggestion,
thinking that time was of the essence here.

With this, even Dwargon could withstand an endurance battle.

Of course, it would be best if nothing went wrong, but if something did happen, they could still manage.

The Kingdom of Farmenas, where Youm and the others were, had also been dealt with.

Diablo sent Gadra to explain the situation. He hadn’t had a private meeting with me, so he had left two
days ago.

Gadra also had a role as a guardian of the labyrinth, but there was no Demon Colossus.

There was not even a remnant of the wreckage, so we had to build it from scratch.

The researchers seemed to have rejoiced because there were some new functions they were excited to
try.

It was not easy on my wallet to pay for the materials, but I asked them to make a satisfactory product
since the government treasury would be paying for it this time.

Since there was still some time before the completion of the project, it was agreed that he would stay in
Farmenas for the time being.

As for the Kingdom of Blumund and the Western Nations…

Cien was there, and I also sent Zonda for support. The demons are basically capable of ‘Spatial
Transportation,’ so they should be able to handle most situations.

To be honest, I didn’t think it made strategic sense to target us from these locations, so I didn’t plan to
take any further measures.

I didn’t think so, but if the enemy ever committed an act of human genocide, Guy wouldn’t stand for it.

He wouldn’t want the human race to perish, so he would be sure to take action.

And then there was Luminas.

If the situation was not serious enough for Guy to make a move, Luminas and the Holy Knight Order
would take care of the situation.

The “Three Drunk Sages” had been informed of the situation, so Glenda and the others would be
working behind the scenes. Depending on the situation, we decided that we could do something by
stalling for time.
Incidentally, I had also given Glenda a cell phone.

It wasn’t for personal use, but just as a means of communication between the Three Drunk Sages and us.

Because of this phone, we could respond immediately if something happened. So it was just a matter of
settling down and waiting for word from the Western Nations.

And now…

The question that remained was whether or not there would be any unintended traitors.

«Regarding that, it is probably useless to think about it—»

No, no, it’s not useless.

There is a big difference between being prepared and not being prepared in the case of an emergency.

And so, while in the office, I began to think about the things that mattered most, while looking over the
reports of the damage in each area.

I told Gazel and the others to watch out for anyone who had awakened an Angelic Ultimate Skill,
but…he had looked at me with a face that seemed to have lost its expression.

Then, quietly, he said—

“Listen, Rimuru. In the first place, the Ultimate Skill is a secret. It is only a tradition that mentions that
one was acquired by Gran Dwargo-sama, the first Hero King of the dwarves, yet it is so important that
its authenticity is unknown. Not many people know if it was true, not even Vaughn and Dolph! And yet,
you…don’t talk to me like it’s just normal to have them!”

—Yeah.

In the end, I was scolded, but I was told that this was the common sense of the world.

In other words, the number of people who even knew about the existence of Ultimate Skills was
extremely small. The reality is that there was currently no way to find out if anyone possessed an angelic
type among them.

It was too much to worry about, so I decided to ignore it.

Or at least I did.

When I calmed down and reconsidered the situation, I realized that there were some people who were
unexpectedly close to me.

At the very least, Guy and Luminas were certain to have one17.

Leon’s strength was also extraordinary, so I think he might have one as well.

I didn’t know about Dagruel, but even Dino had one, so I think it was better to assume that he had one.

17
i.e. They definitely have ultimate skills
Oh, speaking of Dagruel…

I recall that Luminas, from what she had heard about the future from Chloe, said that Dagruel would
take advantage of the Empire to start a war. However, that didn’t seem to be the case this time.

Was there a reason for this, or was he being influenced by someone?

If it was Michael’s doing, then we could take countermeasures. I think we needed to have a proper
discussion about this.

What about Milim?

Maybe it’s just that I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something.

I’m sure Milim would tell me what was going on, and I’m also curious about Karion and Frey-san’s
conditions. I should go and talk to them.

Just as I was thinking about all this…

‘‘Can you hear me? We are having a Walpurgis right now. I know it’s sudden, but I need everyone to
attend. That is all.’’

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my head.

Rather…this was—

I turned my gaze to my fingertips and saw a ring shining at the base of my right pinky finger. It was a
ring I had forgotten I was even wearing.

It was the demon lord’s ring that I had received when I became a demon lord.

That is to say, the voice coming out belonged to Guy.

I hadn’t used it at all until now, so I must have forgotten that it had such a function.

No, this was not the time to be thinking about these things.

“Shion, go get Shuna.”

“Yes!”

I looked at Diablo as Shion ran off happily.

“It’s Guy. It seems that we’ll be holding a Walpurgis right now.”

“Oh, it’s not like Guy to do things without prior notice. It’s a bit incomprehensible that Guy personally
contacted someone in the first place.”

That’s what bothered me, too.

Guy was a prideful man who was always calm in his way.
It was to the point that even his men were not allowed to talk to him…I had a bad feeling about this.

“I was told that you wanted to see me. I am here.”

“Rimuru, it’s a big deal! Something definitely must have happened if Guy actually contacted us
himself!!”

Shuna entered the room, but Ramiris, who hadn’t even been called, also came along. Not only Beretta,
but Treyni-san was there with her as well.

Come to think of it, she was also a demon lord, so it was only natural that Ramiris had a demon lord’s
ring as well.

Ramiris told me that it was rare for Guy to organize Walpurgis.

There seemed to have been a time in the past when Ramiris, Milim, and Guy were the only three demon
lords, but nothing of the sort had happened in over a thousand years.

Well, since it was all happening right now, it was definitely an emergency.

“This is what I wanted to talk about, Shuna. I don’t have time to explain in detail, but I will be taking
Shion and Diablo with me to Walpurgis. Tell Benimaru to take care of things while I’m gone.”

Shuna nodded wisely as I said this.

“Understood. Good luck, Rimuru-sama!”

I nodded and got ready.

Then I waited quietly for the pickup.

Soon, the blue-haired Raine, dressed in a dark red maid’s uniform, jumped through space to reveal
herself.

Ramiris had given her permission to enter the labyrinth, but her sudden appearance was still unsettling.

However, right now was not the time to worry about that.

Because Raine was covered with wounds.

At this point, I realized that my bad premonition had come true.

“Raine-chan, are you okay?”

“What the hell…?”

Ramiris and I asked in surprise, but Raine quietly shook her head.

“Don’t worry about me. I will explain everything to you once we’re all together, so please move along
for now.”

I had no words to reply after hearing that.

I did as I was told, and Raine led me away.

Upon arriving at our destination, we would be confronted with new problems.
 Epilogue

Guy Crimson

He arose a long time ago, far back in the ages, before the creation of the world.

His birth was a mere coincidence.

Veldanava, the creator god, created the seven seraphim from the Great Spirit of Light, and the shadows
were born.

Those were the Seven Primordials—devil lords derived from the Great Spirit of Darkness.

He was the first of them, and he was the king who ruled the underworld, the world of darkness.

Since his birth, his power had been absolute, the embodiment of darkness.

An arrogant king who could control the demons at will.

From his perspective, even his seven separate brothers and sisters of darkness were no more than like
those of his many family members (dependents).

Once in a bid for supremacy, when two of the primordials teamed up to challenge him, he subdued the
two to the ground without a second thought.

To him, it was nothing but mere child’s play, but one thing did become clear at that time.

That is, the ‘primordials’ were immortal. However, if they were crushed to the core, they would be
resurrected in subordination to the victor.

As mental organisms, they were subjugated to their opponents once defeated.

With the discovery of this fact, the remaining four primordials fell into a stalemate.

No.

There was one particular primordial who persistently troubled him, but his fate had been sealed once he
was summoned to earth.

Whether it was a coincidence that he was called to earth or not…

There was no way to confirm it now.

However, it is true that it changed his fate drastically.

Having been summoned, he looked around.

He had spent all his time in peace in the underworld, and had no connection to the flow of time that
passed on earth.

In a world that he thought was just beginning, civilization had already developed.

Instantly, he understood that he had been summoned.

It was magic, a technique that rewrote the laws of the world.

The power he had when he was in the Underworld was limited, and he could only exert the power of a
newborn archdemon. Even so, it was enough for him, though it was inconvenient to be without a body.

He wondered why this was happening, and soon understood.

This was a semi-material world, not a realm of spiritual beings. In a space that was not filled with
magicules, simply staying there would consume energy.

He, who had no connection with the creator god, did not understand how the world had been
transformed.

‘Very interesting,’ he thought.

However, he felt uncomfortable by the presence of someone who was screaming something in front of
him.

There was no one who would dare do such a reckless and foolish thing in front of him, the strongest in
the Underworld.

That was why he felt like putting up with him for a while.

The wizard who had summoned him spoke very pompously.

The language is the first language, the magic language. Therefore, he understood it without any effort.

He listened to him patiently and found that he was saying some very interesting things.

There were countries in this world competing for supremacy.

There were elves, dwarves, beastmen, vampires, and humans. It seems that various races had been born
and were competing for survival.

The wizard was a high human.

“You are now my servant. Follow my orders in accordance with the principles of the world.”

The man spoke arrogantly.

In order for the Super Magic Empire to unite the world, he was ordered to destroy the warring nations
that were vying for supremacy.

It was very easy for him to do so.

The war, which had lasted a hundred years, came to an end upon his arrival.

All he had to do was to cast a single spell.

That magic was the forbidden nuclear magic: Death Streak.

The rampage of this large-scale destructive magic, which destroyed even the soul, transformed the
largest nation with a population of over a million into a city of death.

To him, this was a natural occurrence, and was irrelevant to him.

However, there was one interesting change.

He realized that he was awakening, having acquired the souls of a large number of people. As a result,
he has succeeded in incarnating using a million corpses.

Even the drowsiness he felt for the first time was pleasant, and it was a pleasure to fight against it.

This event would be the birth of the world’s first True Demon Lord.

As he gained power, he realized that he had escaped the spell that bound him.

It would have been an easy spell to destroy, but it was disappointing that it had burst without him doing
anything.

Apparently, his awakening began when he had reaped the souls of about 10,000 humans. His race
restriction had been lifted, and he had become a demon peer.

Even so, his power was still less than 10% of what he could wield in the underworld, but it was enough
to become an unrivaled presence on earth.

He wondered with interest what would happen if he gathered a larger number of souls.

There were some who were just perfect for the experiment.

Those who had thrown all the chores at him should return the favor accordingly.

He returned to the first city and killed everyone in sight one by one. He refrained from using mass
destruction spells so as not to involve the man he was after.

At this point, he felt the screams of the dying being etched into his soul.

Giiyaaa!!

Screams like this.

Hearing this, he suddenly thought.

Yes, perhaps that is a good ‘name’ for me.18

And that was that.

The change was dramatic.

Guy had evolved further.

18
In Japanese, “Guy” is pronounced as “Gii’ which is how that name came from people’s dying screams.
He became a “devil lord” and regained all the power he had when he was in the Underworld.

The souls he acquired had given him strength.

The maximized vessel was filled to the brim, and his magicule amount was fully restored.

But that was where the changes ended.

At that point, there was no meaning for Guy to work anymore.

He summoned the two pillars (primordials) that followed him and gave them orders.

‘Wipe out the Super Magic Empire from the face of the earth.’

Guy was feeling very generous now that he had awakened as a demon lord and gained a name.

Even that insignificant wizard wasn’t worth his trouble to torment, and was even wiped from his
memory.

“H-How?! How did you escape from my secret arts…?!”

But Guy didn’t even pay any mind to him. It was the wizard’s good fortune that he was killed by the
demons without understanding anything.

On that day, tens of thousands of years ago, the largest and most powerful nation in the history of
mankind, which had been caught in a divisive struggle, disappeared from the earth with ease.

The two pillars summoned by Guy had, after all, deteriorated to the level of archdemons.

That was the law of this world. When one crosses from the underworld to the semi-material world, they
lose most of their power.

Crossing the world was no problem for a spiritual life form, but in this world, even just maintaining an
existence was extremely draining.

Therefore, they needed a physical body.

Only by incarnating and evolving could they take root in this world.

Understanding this, Guy waited for his followers to evolve.

But strangely enough, no matter how many human souls he collected, the two of them never evolved.

So he gave them the honor of incarnating a corpse.

That act alone was the best evidence that Guy was in a very good mood.

The two pillars were the Green Primordial (Vert) and a Blue Primordial (Bleu).

Their forms were of two beautiful women.

Looking at them kneeling in front of him, Guy pondered.

There was no point in even incarnating if there was no way to further strengthen them.

They could be trusted with miscellaneous tasks, but their power was too fragile.

So Guy decided to be generous and give them names.

Remembering that he himself had evolved with a name, he thought that the two of them might evolve in
the same way.

“I will give you a name. My pride will not allow you to be weak while you are under my control.”

Guy declared as such.

To the Green Primordial (Vert), the name “Mizeri” came from the mournful cries of the grieving.

To the Blue Primordial (Bleu), the name “Raine” was given because it was raining that day.

The two evolved to demon peer, as Guy had intended.

That was the beginning.

It was the first day Guy and the others had left their mark on human history.

Days of fun and boredom followed.

Guy wandered from place to place, enjoying this world.

He had his share of annoyances, but Guy didn’t mind.

Mizeri and Raine were always with him, taking care of him.

“You two can live your life the way you like.”

Guy told them so, but their answers were always the same.

“No. My mission is to be of service to you.”

“That’s right. You are the king, and we are your subjects. That is the eternal and immortal truth.”

And so, the three of them continued their journey.

At the same time, Mizeri and Raine were summoning their own dependents and secretly building up a
sphere of influence.

All in order to provide Guy, the ruler, with all the wealth and pleasures of the world.

Unlike life in the underworld, where one spent all their time fighting and refining the strength of their
soul, this world was full of excitement.

There was no stagnation, and it was constantly developing.

Cooking, music, performing arts, dance, fine arts, and many other things kept Guy and his friends
interested.

“Hey, isn’t this kind of thing fun?”

Guy, who was dancing at a festival in a minority village, smiled at Mizeri and Raine.

Faced with the rare smile of their Lord, Mizeri and Raine’s joy reached its peak.

“How wonderful. I thought human beings were fragile and worthless, but now there is something
useful.”

“Everything in this world is Guy-sama’s property. A tool is only meaningful if used skillfully.”

In this way, the girls were also changing their perception.

Mizeri and Raine learned many things in their travels to please Guy. Their experiences became the basis
for them to become all-round maids—cooking, washing, singing, dancing, and playing musical
instruments.

This, too, was growth.

In the underworld, the weak were weeded out. All races other than demons had been exterminated, and
only slaves who had been found worthy of use were employed.

But in this world, even the weak held value.

‘Once I understood that, it seemed a shame to destroy the world.’

Guy put it that way.

“Humans are cute, aren’t they? Stupid, but I don’t hate it.”

Some people were stupid, but some people were wonderful.

Ugly emotions were disgusting, but beautiful emotions were very tasty, and for Guy and the others, they
were the perfect meal.

From Guy’s perspective, there were too many individual differences in the creatures known as a
‘humans’ to make a generalization about them.

At that time, Guy was very kind to humans.

He exterminated the fearsome magic beasts that threatened settlements all over the world, and destroyed
the evil sorcerers (maja) who were thought to be the survivors of the super magic empire, and his
various actions were praised and passed down to future generations, becoming myths and legends.

And then he met—

The creator of this world, the supreme and most powerful being.

Guy was enjoying his days of peace and quiet, but his senses were always sharpened.
That’s why it was immediately obvious.

That being was Veldanava, the Star King Dragon who created this world.

“If you’re a real god, then show me your power!”19

Guy laughed fearlessly.

He did not doubt that he was the strongest and challenged Veldanava as a matter of course.

The result was a crushing defeat.

Guy was left on the ground without a chance to fight back.

His pride, which had never doubted that he was the strongest, was shattered into a million pieces.

In accordance with the law that defeat is servitude, Guy was supposed to be Veldanava’s servant.

But Guy’s pride would have none of that.

“Kill me. I am satisfied. I now understand that in this world, there is a higher power. There is no end to
it, and I, too, am part of an unbroken line of reason. O’ great being, I am proud to have lost to you.”

The defeated Guy spoke proudly.

Veldanava laughed bitterly.

“Little one. I love the existences that I have created. This world that used to be boring is growing richer
and richer. Wise beings have arisen and evolved to the point where they can communicate with me.
Now there is even a strong man like you who can fight me to the level of battle.”

“Ha, well said! My attacks didn’t even hit you once, and you just attacked me once and this is how I
have become.”

“Fufu, but didn’t you still take it? No one could even challenge me, and yet you did. That alone is more
than enough to make me happy.”

“Well, let’s just keep it at that.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. And while you’re at it, I have a request for you.”

“A request?”

A pleasant sense of satisfaction filled Guy.

That is why he listened to Veldanava’s voice.

“Yes. If this rate of growth continues, the world will be doomed in less than a few thousand years.
Humans are fallible creatures. Sometimes the right actions are not righteous, and sometimes, evil actions
can save the world. But it is this imperfection that makes it so lovely…It is not my intention to let this
world fall.”

19
It’s not really shown in English, but Guy speaks very brash and disrespectfully to Veldanava.
‘So help me keep the world from falling apart.’ Veldanava said.

It reminded Guy of the Super Magic Empire he had destroyed.

Foolishly fighting each other despite being of the same race, Seduced by the lust for dominance and
power.

I see. That was indeed ugly. If it had been left unchecked, the world might have been destroyed.

Guy was convinced, but one question remained.

“Hmm. Your preconception is the same as mine, but I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“You’re the Creator, aren’t you? If you’re the god who created us, then you should be able to bring the
world to the outcome you want. Why do you need to rely on me?”

“Hahahaha, because I am not omniscient nor omnipotent. When I was born, all I had was my will. At
that time, I was satisfied. The world was perfect and lacked nothing when I was the only one—in other
words, it was boring, right?”

I see, Guy thought.

He understood.

Veldanava had given up being ‘omniscient and omnipotent’ by his own free will.

Of course he did. It would be so boring to be able to see all the outcomes.

In light of his own experience, he found it boring to only fight battles that he could win.

In the Underworld, everyone was afraid of Guy, except for one person.

Any demon who wanted to challenge him to a fight had long since disappeared.

Even Guy, who was no match for Veldanava, was afraid of him, so it was no wonder that this god had
abandoned his omniscience.

“I don’t hate this world, so I’m gonna help you.”

No need to hesitate.

Guy also loved this world.

Regardless of servitude, Guy was genuinely willing to help.

Veldanava nodded happily.

“Thank you. I want you to be my agent, as a mediator, and watch over this world.”

“Huh? A mediator? Is it okay not to give me an order?”

“Of course. I told you, didn’t I? It is not my intention to force you to do anything, no matter what.”
“Okay. So, what do you want me to do?”

“Stay put. You can roam the world as you are, or you can set up your base and reign. Anything to keep
mankind from becoming prideful, to let them know that there’s a threat to this world.”

Pride.

Hearing that word, Guy realized that he was suited to his role.

“Right. In that case, I’ll reign as a demon lord, feared by mankind. If there is an absolute enemy, there
will be no time for humans to fight each other.”

“That’s interesting! I’m going to have to put you in a very uncomfortable position, but I’m counting on
you.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

And that was that.

Guy’s heart form materialized, and he gained the Unique Skill ‘Pride.’

Guy declared.

“As the demon lord of this world, if mankind becomes prideful, I will judge them for you.”

Guy’s pride had been shattered, and his mind had grown deeper because of it.

As a result, the demon lord was born with power rivaling that of a god.

Veldanava laughed.

“How reliable. Let’s keep working together, my friend!”

“Ah, I’m sure we’ll have fun.”

Thus, Guy and Veldanava recognized each other and became friends on equal terms.

As promised, Guy began to live out his days as a demon lord.

To relieve his boredom, he kept watch over the large settlements that were beginning to pop up around
the region. Eventually, they became villages, and the villages gathered and grew into nations.

It was a poor civilization compared to the super civilization of the past, but the magic and technology
that had been passed down in secret were recreated, and it developed at a reasonably fast pace.

It was interesting to see how humans worked.

Before long, a number of nations were born, and once again, small-scale skirmishes began to take place.

Guy wondered if he should take action, but instead of worrying about it, he decided to just do it.
As a warning, he wiped out any country he saw.

People feared Guy as a visible threat—the demon lord.

In response to this threat, they cultivated a spirit of unity.

That’s fine. As long as it doesn’t get on my nerves, I won’t destroy you.

As a “mediator,” Guy was satisfied with his work.

In the meantime, Mizeri and Raine had taken control of a great power with their men. They defeated the
local gods, demons, and majins, and steadily gained recognition.

Mizeri also began to infiltrate human society and engage in espionage. By scrutinizing the information
he obtained, he was able to uncover those who needed to be purged.

The purpose was to create a sense of tension in human society by instilling a moderate level of fear.

The “demon lord” was established as a system.

In this way, there was nothing for Guy to do.

He wandered the world and enjoyed fighting at will.

Even Veldanava’s followers, the Seven Heavens20, had difficulty in subduing the giants.

The battle against Ivarage, the World-destroying Dragon commissioned by Veldanava, was also a
pleasure. His fighting instincts were fierce, much to Guy’s satisfaction.

There were problems, though.

They were so close in strength that they had to fight for three months. Moreover, he eventually escaped
to the other world.

Also, as a result of Guy’s rampage, the land had become a wasteland as far as the eye could see.

He had learned a valuable lesson—Next time you get serious, you need to think about where you’re
fighting.

Guy looked over the continent from above.

Then he spotted a castle that looked familiar to him.

It was the Imperial Castle of the Super Magic Empire, the place where Guy had been summoned to this
world.

Thinking that this was some kind of destiny, Guy decided to make the castle his home.

20
The seraphim
Raine quickly dispatched her men to create a livable environment. With the help of magic, the castle
was rebuilt in no time at all.

And then.

A white dragon challenged Guy.

It was a beautiful dragon with blue diamond eyes.

He didn’t know what she misunderstood, but her first words were belligerent—

“My brother may approve of you, but I don’t!”

—and then she attacked Guy.

Guy had learned his lesson from before and understood how to choose his battles depending on the
strength of his opponent. Nevertheless, the dragon sent a blizzard of ice and snow above the castle.

At this point, there was no time to worry about the damage.

Those who survived had already evacuated and the castle could always be rebuilt. Raine and her
subordinates would have a difficult time, but that didn’t matter to Guy.

Guy was frustrated because he Ivarage, the World-destroying Dragon, had escaped. With the appearance
of a new enemy, he was in a high mood.

Wanting to have some fun, Guy took his opponent seriously.

But then…

Despite his best efforts, the battle could not come to an end.

The dragon was Velzard the Frost Dragon, sister of Veldanava the Star King Dragon and eldest sister of
the True Dragon Race.

At the time, she had the second greatest amount of magicules after Veldanava, and even Guy was unable
to defeat her.

However, in Velzard’s opinion, Guy was the one who was the anomaly.

After all, Guy only had the Unique Skill. For Velzard, who had been given the angelic Ultimate Skill
‘Patience King Gabriel’ by Veldanava, a draw should have been an absolutely impossible result.
“Why are you an even match for me when you’re only on the unique level?”

“Hah! That’s because I’m strong.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! My brother gave this power to me, not you. That’s supposed to be proof that I’m
more useful than you!”

“That’s not quite right. He offered me his power, but I refused. I would’ve accepted it if I chose to
become his servant, but I wanted to be on equal footing with him. So I—”

Wanting to be recognized by her brother, Velzard jealously challenged Guy. And it was right there in
front of her that Guy demonstrated the evolution of his power.
Seeing Veldanava’s power had given him a kick in the pants. And now, through the fight with Velzard,
he understood just what an Ultimate Skill was.

“This is how I’m going to get to the ultimate level through my own strength.”

And at that moment.

The Unique Skill ‘Pride’ evolved into the Ultimate Skill ‘Pride King Lucifer.’

When Velzard saw this, she was speechless.

“Well…I guess that’s why my brother likes you so much. In that case, I’ll keep watching to see how far
you’ll take yourself, right up until the end.”

It seems that Velzard’s real purpose was to test Guy. It was unclear whether he passed or not, but the
two of them had been moving forward together ever since.

That was how Guy and Velzard met.

After three days and three nights of fighting, even the earth’s axis had shifted.

But this time, Guy had made exquisite changes. The permafrost, which had been uninhabitable until
now, had been turned into a land of everlasting spring. In its place, the continent Guy had chosen as his
base had become an uninhabitable frozen ground.

“Well, I guess that’s acceptable.”

“That’s great, Guy-sama!”

“There should be no problem. There was some damage to mankind as well, but with all nations working
together to deal with the natural disaster, casualties were kept to a minimum.”

For the people who lived there, it was a disaster. But to Guy, it was nothing more than a laughing
matter.

As for Raine and Mizeri, as long as Guy was happy, they were happy.

Guy’s castle, which had been covered with ice in the aftermath of the battle, had turned out to be
beautiful.

“That’s nice. Let’s keep it as a memento.”

“Then I’ll take care of it. I can at least help you with this.”

The temperature in the surrounding area dropped to an extreme level due to the demonic energy leaking
from the Velzard. From then on, the castle had become too frigid for the weak to invade.

Living in the castle, Velzard’s dragon form was inconvenient.

When Guy pointed this out, Velzard easily transformed into human form.
In her adult form, Velzard had complete control over her youki, but instead, she chose to maintain a
slightly younger form.

In this way, the youki that leaked out would become cold air, and the castle’s defense would be perfect.

Although, there was no one who would attack the castle in the extreme cold, where not even monsters
could easily survive…

“How about this?”

“Well, it’s good, though it’s not my style.”

“Jeez! You’re so mean.”

Velzard complained outwardly, but deep down, she was actually quite fond of Guy.

Deep in her heart, she secretly vowed that one day she would win Guy over with her charm.

Hundreds of years had passed.

The days had been unchanging, but one day was different than usual.

Guy, bored out of his mind, had a visitor.

It was a party of three people.

That small group breezed through the harsh cold where no one could enter.

Guy was interested and watched them closely.

Then, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man standing at the front of the group shouted.

“I am Rudra Nasca, the crown prince of the Nasca Kingdom and the ‘hero’ of all the people’s hopes!
You evil demon lord, I will destroy you with my sword! Also, give me all the treasures you are rumored
to be hoarding!”
It was a declaration that was far from noble.

But, on the contrary, Guy liked this unabashed desire.

“Brother Rudra, I can’t tell which one of you is the demon lord when you act like this!”

“Yeah, you’re really no good, Rudra. You’re already blinded by greed. If you want money, I can just
earn it for you.”

“Honestly! Sister Gryn, please stop spoiling Brother Rudra. If this continues, he will surely suffer the
consequences of his failure!”

Right in front of Guy, the three of them were having this kind of conversation.

Was this bravery or stupidity?

Only one thing was for certain.

Standing before Guy meant that they had defeated Mizeri and Raine.

If that was the case, then this ridiculous trio possessed a considerable level of strength.

Also, Guy saw that one of the three had the same presence as his friend and partner. That’s why he
couldn’t blame Mizeri or Raine for their defeats.

This, like the laws of nature, was only the expected ending.

What he was more concerned about was…

‘Hero?’ What’s that?

It was the first time he had heard that word, and it sounded so sweet.

It gave Guy the feeling that his boredom would soon melt away.

Guy happily turned to the young man who called himself Rudra.

“Interesting. Let’s see what you’re made of, ‘Hero!’”

Guy decided to accept Rudra’s challenge.

“Hmph! I’m the strongest, and don’t need any help. Demon lord, I will fight you fair and square, let’s go
one on one!”

Rudra was handsome, but his smile was a bit vulgar.

It seems that his goal was not to defeat Guy, but rather to snatch the treasures.

But that was what Guy thought made him truly human.

Without desire, people would not work.

It was the desire for a better life that drove people to work hard.

Rudra was truly a human being.

A human being with the type of sweet emotions that Guy loved.

“Hah! Let’s see what you can do!”

And then the battle began.

Guy watched as Rudra approached him.

It was a sharp and fast blow, but it was not serious at all. The fact that he was taking a chance on him
was irritating to Guy.

Rudra was protected by an elaborate full-body magic armor.

It seemed to be quite expensive, so Guy decided to destroy it first.

As someone who seemed greedy for money, he probably would not like to have his belongings
destroyed.

In short, the point was to harass him.

He evaded Rudra’s sword with ease, and cross kicked him in the side with a feint that looked like a knee
kick.

Rudra was trying to avoid it just in time, so he couldn’t react to the feint, and his armor was shattered.

“Ahhhhh!! A year’s worth of national budget armor is—!”

“Are you okay, Brother?”

“Rudra is such an idiot. If we had all fought together from the start, the armor wouldn’t have been
destroyed.”

“Shut up! This—This is a necessary expense!”

Rudra became teary-eyed, so it must have been more effective than he thought. Guy realized this and
smirked.

Next time, I’ll smash his sword and make him cry.

Thinking this, Guy observed the three of them.

But then…

“Brother! At least let me use some support magic—Holy Blade!!”

The platinum-pink-haired girl, whom Guy had initially judged to be the most harmless of the three,
performed an outrageous magic.

The sword Rudra was holding began to glow.

It was a jaw-dropping divine, evil-destroying light.

That’s not good. That light seems to have the power to cut through my Barrier.

He should have stopped it before it was launched, but Guy was enjoying this fight, so it would have
been tactless to interfere.

“Huh, if I just think of it as my sister cheering me on, then it’s acceptable—but Lucia, you can’t do
anything else!”

Rudra was more concerned with results rather than pride.

He was not ashamed to accept help from his sister.

This guy, what a character.

While not yet at the point of crisis, the situation was certainly worsening.

And yet, for some reason, Guy was enjoying it.

“That’s not even a handicap. If you want, you can all come at me together.”

“Take things seriously! I’m getting serious from here on out, so prepare yourself!”

Rudra was as honest as he said he was, hiding his abilities. The speed of his sword increased, and he
closed in on Guy.

Guy had seen this coming.

He laughed and picked up his beloved sword, ‘Tenma,’ just for the fun of it.

“Ah? What kind of demon lord uses a weapon like that? How dirty!”

“Huh? I don’t know what your values are, but I’ll give you credit for making me pull out my sword.”

In fact, Rudra’s swordplay was brilliant, and it was natural for him to use a sword, since even Guy
would be hurt if he touched it.

Guy was a proud man, but he had no interest in going easy on him.

“Hah! I’m not happy to be praised by a demon lord!”

“I see. Then I won’t praise you.”

“…Wait, I’ll keep listening.”

Rudra was actually pretty happy to be praised.

“Not only did you make me draw my sword, but there’s only a handful of people who can actually fight
with me. Rudra, wasn’t it? You should be proud that I remembered your name.”

Guy was in a good mood, so he complied with Rudra’s request.

Rudra smiled happily and responded to Guy.

“You’re pretty good too. I didn’t expect the demon lord to pass over my evil-destroying sword. Thanks
for remembering my name. I’ll take your name too before I destroy you.”

“You’re quite arrogant for a human, but I like you, so I’ll tell you. When you get to the Underworld, you
can tell them my name. I am Guy, because any man in front of me will scream ‘Giiyaa!’ That’s why I
shortened it to my name.”21

Hearing Guy’s answer, Rudra froze and gave him a puzzled look. Then he came back to his senses and
shouted in a panic.

“…Wait a minute! That’s not a name! How is that a name?! If I defeated a Demon Lord with such a
funny name, it would be so uncool. It would be better to record the story of my bravery with a cooler
name!!”

“Ahn? The name doesn’t matter!”

“How can it not matter?! All right, I got it, just hold on, let’s not fight right now. I’ll come up with a
better name for you first.”

With that, Rudra stopped fighting without permission.

Guy had no reason to obey him, but there was no way he was going to kill off a rare fun time with a
sneak attack. Since he wanted to have some real fun anyway, he decided to accept Rudra’s offer.

Besides, I’m a little interested.

Rudra and his group started discussing in a circle.

“His hair is a beautiful red color…”

“Wait a minute, if you’re talking about red, then that’s just like me who is the ‘cardinal.’ That is non-
negotiable, okay?”22

“I know! I mean, you’re obsessed in a weird way. Your hair color is blue.”

“It’s not because of that!”

“Oh, yeah. I remember.”

“You don’t know much about women, do you? Sister-in-law Gryn will abandon you if you keep acting
like that.”

“Huh? No way!”

“Huhuhu, don’t worry, Rudra. I will never abandon you.”

“Right? Then I’m relieved. Anyway, I’ll give him another red—Crimson! How’s that? You don’t mind,
do you?”

21
The name ‘Guy’ sounds like ‘Gii’ in Japanese
22
Velgrynd is the scorch dragon and associates herself with the color Cardinal (red). For example, a lot of her
attacks seem to have the word ‘Cardinal’ in them like the Cardinal Acceleration. That’s why she doesn’t want
‘Cardinal’ red to be used by anyone else.
“Yeah, I’m fine with that.”

“I don’t have a problem with it either, but are you sure? Is it really okay to have a demon lord be name
by a hero? The people might be worried that you have become so familiar with each other.”

“It’s okay! No one is watching, and if we don’t tell them, then they won’t know!”

It wasn’t Guy’s place to interfere, but Rudra seemed to have a rather sloppy personality.

It was enough to make Guy realize that, and he became more worried the more he listened.

“Did you get your story straight?”

“Oh, I’ve kept you waiting! As of today, your name will be Guy Crimson!”

Thus, the demon lord Guy Crimson was born.

As a side note, the moment the name was said, Rudra lost consciousness. It was obviously taboo to
name a monster, but he selfishly decided that it would be fine because he was a demon lord.

Instead of magicules, Rudra’s spiritual power was greatly depleted, and he wandered between life and
death.

Needless to say, Rudra’s sister Lucia and his lover Velgrynd, the Scorch Dragon, were very angry with
him after he woke up.

And so, the showdown with Guy was lost…This was the moment when the strange fate of Guy and
Rudra was born.

He waited for Rudra to recover and resume the duel as promised.

However, the outcome was never decided.

And after that, Guy and Rudra dueled many more times.

Worthy of being the self-proclaimed hero, Rudra was very strong.

Rudra, the awakened hero, and Guy, the awakened demon lord.

Rudra, the technically brilliant, and Guy, who fought only with his strength and talent.

The fights were close, but it was only natural that Guy would gradually gain the upper hand.

There were three women who looked blankly at these two men with dismay.

They were Lucia, Velgrynd, and Velzard, the Frost Dragon.

Velzard seemed uninterested at first, but as the fights grew more heated, she began to enjoy the
competition.
“Well, it looks like Guy’s getting stronger again.”

“Yes, Sister. But Rudra isn’t too far behind either.”

“Yeah, it makes me wonder if he’s even human.”

“There’s no doubt. He’s strong of course. Rudra is the apprentice of Elder Brother after all. He’s been
given her ultimate power, so he’ll grow even stronger.”

“Oh? That makes sense. Then, I’m convinced.”

“As for me, I think it’s best if no one gets hurt…”

Like this, the spectators were peacefully at ease.

“The tea is ready.”

“The winner will be decided soon, so we’ve prepared tea for Guy-sama and Rudra-sama.”

It was Mizeri and Raine’s job to serve them.

At some point, this had become an everyday thing.

On other days, fights broke out between the sisters that made it impossible to compete.

Velzard and Velgrynd were on good terms, but sometimes they disagreed over the direction of
education.

Their newborn brother, Veldora the Storm Dragon, seemed to be very capricious and was constantly
running amok.

As for the reason for the conflict—

“—Sister is too strict! Why can’t he be pampered more?”

“Don’t be silly. I care about Veldora-chan and I love him very much! In order to make him more mature
and stable, I’ve had to clean him up a few times.”

Velzard’s words about “cleaning him up” was the ridiculous method of physically disposing of Veldora
and reincarnating him.

Velgrynd didn’t like that.

“I’m saying that you are wrong about all this! You have to tell him with words, and not with violence.
You can’t help it if he can’t control the situation, so this is the way to make the kid understand us
better.”

“Oh, come on! As always, Velgrynd-chan is so naive. In that case, why don’t we just beat him half to
death from now on so he can become more knowledgeable?”

“I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about kindly teaching him more gently about how to live in the
city as a person, and how to fight the enemy.”
“Velgrynd-chan…I think it’s better to say that you’re more about spoiling than being sweet. You’re the
kind of person who ruins things by giving too much attention. If you keep that up, you’ll ruin that young
man Rudra, too, won’t you?”

“No, I won’t! Rudra and I are the best of partners. Therefore, if I train Veldora, I know he’ll grow up to
be a great brother who respects his sisters. So this time, let me take care of him.”

“Hey, no. I can train him better than you. Rather, I should be doing that all along.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’re saying it’s too much for me, aren’t you?! This time it’s my turn!”

They blamed each other, saying that Velzard was too strict and that Velgrynd was too lenient.

Guy personally thought they were both to blame.

Moderation is best. The True Dragon sisters really don’t understand the meaning of restraint, do they?

Guy was unspokenly disgusted.

“H-Hey, that’s not our duel to deal with.”

“Yeah. With them fighting over Veldora, it’s probably best not to get involved.”

Guy and Rudra quickly fled to stay out of it.

When Guy and Rudra are fighting, Velzard and the girls would come to maintain the ‘Barriers,’ and
when Velzard is fighting, Guy would be the one to hold up the ‘Barrier.’

If they didn’t, the continent would sink.

Even though they were used to it, Guy and Rudra still wanted to fight where they wouldn’t get
themselves into trouble.

As they say, “one who can see themselves can tell what is right and wrong”—but Guy and Rudra were
treating it as if they had nothing to do with it.23

And then, one day…

“Damn it, you’re here again?!”

“Shut up! This game’s not over until I win!!”

Nowadays, a duel between these two people was as usual as a greeting.

They began fighting as always, and the fight ended once they were both exhausted.

Because the fight was always a draw, the usual bickering started once again…

“You said you were fair and square, but you’re just dirty, aren’t you?”

23
Basically, Guy and Rudra are like the pot calling the kettle black by talking about Velzard and Velgrynd’s
ridiculous fights.
As Guy said, Rudra was dirty.

He deserved to be blinded.

It was not unusual for him to set up a ‘holy barrier’ to reduce Guy’s power to an abnormal conditional
the moment the duel started.

Guy did not check for traps until the duel began, but Rudra saw through Guy’s character and took
advantage of it as much as he could.

In addition, his arguments were terrible.

“Winning is justice! No, rather, if you don’t win, it’s not justice at all! That is why I’m going to win no
matter what!”

No matter the cost, just win—Rudra boasted thus.

“Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t mind if you do it, but at least stop talking about justice and fairness!”

Guy had a good point.

But Rudra just snickered and replied.

“Are you kidding me? That’s you! The move you just used is the same one I used last time. Do you have
any idea how many years I spent learning it?!”

A secret technique of distraction.

This was one of Rudra’s special techniques to avoid accountability by subtly changing the subject.

Because Rudra was educated as royalty, he excelled at such ingenious speaking skills.

“Was it three weeks?”

“Yes. Even Veldanava-sama praised it.”

Overhearing the conversation, Guy was taken aback. The technique he had said he had gone through a
great deal of trouble to learn was surprisingly easy for him to master.

Guy looked sideways at Rudra and let out a big sigh.

Rudra was still complaining that Guy was the dirty one for stealing people’s skills, but he had his own
reasons.

His words and actions were actually the result of Rudra’s impatience.

Although they were still on par in terms of ability, Rudra had been getting a bit overwhelmed lately.
Rudra was more aware of this than anyone else, and thought that it would not be good if things
continued as they were.

If I could win in a fair fight, I would have done so too!

Rudra wanted to say that out loud.

What he said at first seemed to have nothing to do with things now, but the status quo was that he had to
use all he had to win.

Although Guy looked stunned, he saw right through Rudra’s sentiment. Moreover, secretly, he was
enjoying his quarrels with Rudra.

Therefore, Guy tolerated Rudra’s tactics no matter what they were.

It was also because Guy agreed with Rudra’s belief that winning was justice.

By now, Guy had accepted Rudra.

Just knowing that there was someone who could compete with him was enough to make Guy happy.

Besides…

Rudra was right, Guy’s strength was growing the more he fought. The Ultimate Skill wasn’t just
something he acquired; it was something he could use to its full potential.

Guy learned this through his duels with Rudra.

Although he was now fighting with only a sword to match Rudra, Guy was still beginning to overwhelm
Rudra. If he added Skills and Magic to his arsenal, Guy would surely win.

And yet, Guy did not do so.

Before he realized it, he had begun wanting a draw, and not a win.

That’s why Guy welcomed Rudra’s little tricks.

But it was only a matter of time.

Thus, Guy asked the question.

“Hey…The first time you fought me, why didn’t you all kill me then? If you hadn’t named me then and
really tried to kill me, you might have won, right?”

That was the question that Guy couldn’t understand.

Guy was too proud to admit that he might have lost. Admitting it would be tantamount to a defeat for a
mental life form.

So for all this time, Guy tried not to think about it.

He did not think he was being merciful, nor did he want him to be.

If that was the answer, Guy might have killed Rudra in a fit of rage.

Just as Guy had ‘Pride King Lucifer,’ Rudra had ‘Justice King Michael.’ If Rudra had been serious from
the beginning, it would not be clear who would have won.

There is no doubt that he would have been wounded, and there is no denying the possibility that Guy
could have been defeated.

At Guy’s serious question, Rudra replied with a smile and a, “Oh, you mean that.”

“You’re an idiot. There’s no point in just beating you! I have to make you realize how great I am, so
you’ll change your mind and become one of us.”

“Huh?”

Guy couldn’t understand, so he asked back again.

“Fufu. I am the man who will conquer the world. That’s what I promised my friend and mentor
Veldanava, the Star King Dragon.”
Guy knew that Rudra was Veldanava’s apprentice, he had said so himself, and he had no intention of
doubting it.

However, he had no idea that Rudra had ambitions to conquer the world.

“You know, Veldanava asked me to do a job for him, which was to stop idiots like you from trying to
take over the world.”

“I know. That’s why Veldanava asked me to find a way to gain your approval.”

Hearing that, Guy thought to himself.

Veldanava, you got tired of the trouble and just pushed it on to me!

That’s the answer.

Show him what is reality—Guy could almost hear Veldanava telling him that.

Rudra had been sent away by Veldanava to deal with Guy.

But Guy was already in Veldanava’s clutches.

Since he knows that he took a liking to Rudra, Guy had no choice but to go along with him until the end.

If he didn’t like Rudra, he would have killed him from the beginning, so now it was too late for him.

Yeah, this guy’s still an asshole.

Rudra spoke to Guy, who was thinking in a good mood.

“I mean, the truth is…I couldn’t control ‘Justice King Michael’ with all my might during the first battle.
Even now, I can only control it for a few dozen seconds.”

It was a surprising admission, and Guy couldn’t hide his surprise.

“What? You can’t be serious, can you?”

“No, that’s the truth. After all, this power is on loan from Veldanava.”

Rudra shrugged and began to speak.

Guy listened to Rudra’s story, and thought it felt irrelevant, he was convinced of Rudra’s strength.

If it was a part of Veldanava’s power, then it was no wonder that he was capable of defeating him.

However, as he listened to Rudra, he realized that there was a misunderstanding.

“This is a secret, but I’ll tell it to you. What I’ve acquired through my abilities is called ‘Covenant King
Uriel,’ which is the crystallization of my beliefs, my vow to unite the world, and the thoughts of my
friends who responded to that vow. It is manifested as my ultimate skill.”

While he claimed to have done it on his own, he actually had help from Veldanava. Even so, it was quite
amazing, and ‘Covenant King Uriel,’ the embodiment of Rudra’s heart, was of a higher power in the
angelic system.
“So, I borrowed the ‘Justice King Michael’ in exchange for it, but this was also troublesome. My
‘Covenant King Uriel’ was simple and easy to use, with the powers to ‘destroy’ and ‘protect.’ But this
‘Justice King Michael’ has the mysterious power of domination.”

He could borrow the skills of those he had placed under his control and dominate the holders of those
skills. It was a power fit for a king.

However, in the current situation where there was no one under his control, the power was not very
threatening. Rudra’s strength was real because he was evenly matched with Guy despite that situation.

“That’s awesome!”

Guy said as such.

As the number of people he controlled increased, the number of powers he could use would also
increase. Then, Rudra would become even more powerful.

What the heck? I thought that the differences in our strength would eventually become too different,
leading to my sure victory—but it looks like this can still be enjoyed!

Looks like the fun would still continue.

Guy was very happy to realize this.

But then Rudra spoke.

“I’m not into dominating people. If I’m a man, I want to compete only with my own strength. But
sometimes there are circumstances that make it impossible to say that…”

“Circumstances?”

“Yes. You’re a friend of Veldanava’s, so you should have the right to know.”

Hearing that made Guy feel uneasy.

He hadn’t been seeing Veldanava lately, though he didn’t care much because he was a long-lived
species.

“Did something happen to that guy?”

“Well, it’s supposed to be a happy thing.”

“Hmm?”

“That guy and my sister, Lucia, were united. It’s called marriage. Lucia’s pregnant with Veldanava’s
child, so they’re a real family now.”

“A child, you say? A True Dragon?”

It was truly an amazing story, that was sure.

But Guy agreed that it was also possible for a being like Veldanava to seek imperfection as the ‘all in
one.’

“Well, I suppose anything could happen.”

“Yeah. Well, if that was all, I’d just congratulate them. But here’s the thing…”

After that, Rudra told him something more important, making it impossible to stop at mere surprise. Guy
couldn’t help but stand up and ask Rudra, “Really?”

It seems that Veldanava had now become almost indistinguishable from human beings.

He was also said to have laughed and told Rudra that he was now bound by a “life span” that he had
never had to deal with before.

The truth was too heavy for Rudra to simply brush away on his own.

That’s why he confided in Guy now.

“It’s just like that guy, but what are you going to do…?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’ve been wondering about, but I’m pretty sure I can’t keep playing with you
like this.”

“Well…”

The two couldn’t help but look at each other and sigh at the same time.

“Stop it! I like you, so I can’t bring myself to kill you anyway, and I don’t intend to fight you seriously
now. However, to keep the world from falling apart, I will continue to be a demon lord. That’s the
promise I made to him, you know.”

Guy liked Rudra in the first place, and if he was a friend of Veldanava, then he was also a friend of his
own.

It was inevitable that he could not fight Rudra seriously from the start.

However, he still had to do his job as a “demon lord.” That was the role Veldanava had asked him to
play.

As a ‘mediator,’ he could not allow the scales of the world to tip.

When Guy looked Rudra in the eye and said as such, Rudra also looked straight back at Guy and
responded.

“In that case, why don’t we play a different game?”

“A different game, huh?”

Rudra nodded.

He didn’t smile coyly as usual, but instead began speaking with a serious expression.

“Yeah. You and I won’t be fighting directly. This time we will be using only our pawns to compete for
world dominance.”
“Hmm.”

“To be honest, I don’t want to use this ‘Justice King Michael,’ but I can’t say that now. Veldanava gave
me this power in support of my dream to unite the world. So I will continue to increase my men and will
become stronger along with it.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Guy nodded, agreeing with that assessment.

“I don’t want to kill you either. I told you, didn’t I? I said that I’d make you accept me. I want—no, I
believe that the human race can be united. Veldanava wanted diversity, but that doesn’t mean we have to
fight each other. People with different opinions should respect and get along with each other. If one
can’t accept the other person’s opinion, then just pull away. Different races, different nations, if they are
too armed, they will end up in war, but if they become a unified nation, they can settle everything
through discussion, right?”

“I don’t know about that. As far as I’m concerned, people are stupid, aren’t they?”

“I know. But, you know, you and I get along, right? Even demon lords and heroes who were supposed to
be each other’s natural enemies can get along, so it should be easier for the same race to understand each
other!”

‘There is no need for a mediator’ Rudra insisted.

However, Guy couldn’t agree.

“That’s naive. Humans are greedy creatures. It’s not necessarily an evil thing, and that desire is
necessary to pursue greater possibilities. That’s why, as long as interests are at stake, even those who are
close to each other will start fighting even amongst themselves. In this respect, the monster without
wisdom knows better, right?”

The magical creatures that evolved from animals into magical beasts would not kill again as long as
their appetite was satisfied. They were not cunning and resourceful enough.

They would not think about securing food for tomorrow, but rather live each day with pleasure.

However, humans were different.

Humans always thought about the future, became anxious, and tried to accumulate wealth so that they
could withstand any situation. That was their natural instinct, and Rudra’s vision of the world was a pipe
dream.

It was very difficult to lead people with words alone.

In the first place, how difficult was it to convey one’s true intentions in words to others without
misunderstandings…

Guy understood this, which was why he felt that Rudra’s dream would never come true.

“Well, perhaps. I get it, and Veldanava laughed at me for being so idealistic, but…even so, I convinced
him, and now he supports me. He told me, ‘The probability is close to zero, but just do what you want.’
Between you and me, the Justice King has the power of the Army of Angels, ‘Armageddon,’ and can
summon an army of angels to destroy everything. I will use it to save people. I will destroy only military
power and civilization and suppress the growing desires of men. At the same time, I will unify the world
and build an ideal world for sure!”

‘So, cheer me on’—Rudra asked Guy to support him.

Stop killing people, and value their potential.

“Hah! It’s not like I’m into slaughtering people. I just get rid of those I don’t like. I don’t care if they’re
a good guy or a bad guy. If I like them, I let them live. If I don’t like them, I kill them. That’s all.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Just wait for a bit!”

“Hmph! I don’t have the patience to wait for those who do harm to the world to realize their mistakes.
Hate the sin, not the sinner? Punishment is necessary for sin, asshole. You should be held accountable
for your actions!”

“You’re right, I agree! But I want them to have a chance to change their ways.”

“Hah! Then don’t worry. I’ll just send the souls of the guilty to the underworld and give them a proper
punishment.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

At this point, Rudra stopped narrating and carefully began to speak his mind once again.

“I’m not trying to be some great king, I just want to make people smile. If there is a safe place to live
and people to talk to, there will be fewer people who will commit crimes, right? I want to eliminate
poverty and inequality, and create a world where everyone can live with a smile. That’s what I want! Of
course, there will be fools who can’t help themselves, but I’m going to try to make as few sacrifices as
possible.”

Rudra spoke of his ideals, not knowing that one day in the distant future, similar words would come
from the mouth of one of his own opponents.

Guy, hearing this, shook his head in disgust.

“No wonder Veldanava was laughing at you. I didn’t know you were that naive. But…okay? Just tell me
more about this game.”

“Really?”

“I was bored anyway. It might be fun to play a game like that.”

It wasn’t that Guy had accepted Rudra’s point of view.

He didn’t want to deny Rudra’s ideals, he just wanted to see how it ended. His stubborn friend would
never be persuaded by words alone.

Rudra was trying to persuade others with words alone, even though he himself could not be. It was a
contradiction in a sense, and it was only natural that he would fail.

When that happened, he supposed that Rudra would finally wake up.

On the chance that he succeeded, it would only mean less work for Guy.
So no matter how things turned out, Guy decided that there would be no loss.

There was also no particular benefit, but if Rudra was willing to give up his reckless plan, that was
enough for Guy.

“Is my ambition just a game to you?”

Rudra laughed.

Then he carefully explained the rules.

The rules were simple.

‘Players keep their hands to themselves and only let their men compete.’

That was it.

In other words, there was no direct confrontation between Guy and Rudra.

If all of Guy’s men fell, Rudra would win. If that happened, Guy would follow Rudra.

But until that happened, Guy was free to do as he pleased. He was also free to fulfill his role as
“mediator” in accordance with his agreement with Veldanava.

There were few restrictions on Guy, but from Rudra’s point of view, this was useful enough.

His original role as a Hero was to stop the demon lord, a threat to humanity and a regulator, from
running amok.

Guy’s thoughts were calm, but his power was too strong. Once he made a move, the damage would be
too great.

Rudra was there to prevent that from happening, but that would not fulfill his dream. He needed to stop
Guy’s movements in order to start working towards the unification of the world.

After reading Rudra’s intentions, Guy spoke.

“Fine. I promise I will not do anything. I’ll gather up some demon lords to take my place and leave the
direct punishment of mankind to them.”

“And I will stop them. I will unite the world before the demon lords take over!”

“But that’s a difficult road, isn’t it? Even the good-natured Veldanava has given up on some of his
ideals.”

Veldanava was not just a dreamer, but also a perfectionist. He had the rationality to perceive ideals as
ideals and the unrealizable ones as unrealizable.

Veldanava’s desire for change had led him to give up his omniscience and omnipotence, which made it
no longer possible for him to realize his ideal society.

But for Veldanava, it was the right thing to do. He believed that a world that was completely at his
disposal was not interesting at all.

It was because he understood Veldanava’s feelings that Rudra exclaimed.

“But even so! I want to make him feel assured. He is bound by his lifespan and has no more power than
a normal human. And yet, he was so happy that he could even die with Lucia…But…But the truth is, he
was worried about the future of this world! More than anything, he was worried about the future of their
children…”

“Mm?”

“That’s why I need to give him peace of mind and create a world where everyone can live happily,
where he won’t have to worry at all when he dies. And I want him to be satisfied that the world he
created has matured into a wonderful, harmonious world.”

Rudra swore to Veldanava that he would establish a unified nation.

He also wished to make his sister Lucia happy and resolved to rid the world of all unhappiness.

“Let us decide the affairs of the human world with our own hands. You, who do not have a life
expectancy, can be the judge and see things to the very end.”

“I see…”

Guy couldn’t think of anything to say in response to Rudra’s words.

In his head, he determined that it was impossible. However, he could also understand Rudra’s feelings,
so he hesitated to say something negative.

What the hell, asshole? Doesn’t that just make you the one who has to carry all the responsibility…?

He hated his mind for being so emotionally intelligent.

Guy, although prideful, was kind to those he liked. That kindness was not enough to stop Rudra’s
reckless challenge.

Guy was at a loss for words to say to this foolish man who was also his beloved best friend.

Your challenge is sure to fail.

Guy’s brain calmly calculated the results.

The success rate was so low that it was ridiculous to even use the word “probability” to describe it. And
yet, Rudra, whom Guy considered his best friend, would never give up.

A Hero was someone with an unbreakable spirit, and Rudra was a true Hero who was willing to bear all
hardships in order to realize the ideal world.

That’s why, if it was this guy, just maybe—Guy thought so.

There was something about Rudra that made him think like that, and Guy bet on that tiny possibility.

However, the result was…

*
Since the start of the game between Guy and Rudra, many tragedies had occurred.

The first tragedy occurred just after Veldanava and Lucia had their child—Milim.

A terrorist attack took place in the Nasca Kingdom, taking advantage of Rudra’s expedition. It was the
work of a warring enemy, and resulted in the deaths of both Lucia and Veldanava.

At that moment, Rudra’s dreams came crashing down.

‘I…I just wanted Veldanava to feel reassured, to accept us…’

Rudra killed his heart, knowing that his lamentations could no longer be heard.

All that was left as ideal that had lost its purpose.

“You still want to do this?”

“Yes. All I have left is this game with you. Your approval is the only thing I have left.”

“All right then. I’ll keep playing with you.”

And so, the game continued…

The next tragedy befell Milim, Veldanava’s daughter.

Milim had grown up without knowing her own parents’ faces.

She didn’t even know that she was related to Rudra.

Milim’s only family member and protector, her pet, was killed in some state plot.

Milim lamented in grief and burst into a rage. It was decided that Guy would do everything in his power
to appease Milim.

If he hadn’t stopped her, many nations would have perished.

“You still want to do this? If I had acted sooner, Milim wouldn’t have been sad, would she?”

“It’s my fault. But even so, if we stop now, all the sacrifices we’ve made up until now will be for
nothing. As Emperor, it is my responsibility to make to not give up now.”

“I don’t think so, but whatever. I’ll stay with you until you’re satisfied.”

If he stopped here, Rudra would break.

So Guy had no choice but to delay the conclusion.

An unhappy future was guaranteed. That’s what he believed, but it was not yet certain.

And so, the game continued…

Repeated tragedies.

The ugliness of the human world at hand.

With each reincarnation, his holy power slowly depleted and Rudra gradually lost his qualification as a
Hero.

Even so, Rudra remained a “Saint” because of his desire and dedication to his ideals.

But even so, there eventually came a limit.

At some point unknown to him, Rudra’s mind corroded and his original ideals were lost.

As was the habit of those who had lost sight of their purpose, he was willing to use any means necessary
to defeat Guy…

Ruthless and cruel.

Defeating Guy was all that mattered, and in the end, more blood would be spilled.

It was just how Guy had judged it.

Finally, the day had come.

Guy bet on the last possibility, all according to the rules of the game.

He entrusted the most unknown and hopeful of his pawns, Rimuru, to be the final judge.

In all honesty, he wanted to make the move himself.

But Guy obeyed the rules to the end.

As a result…

In the distance, the breath of his friend vanished.

I’m sure it’s not just Rimuru who could have done it—Guy couldn’t help but sigh.

There was no bitterness or regret.

There was only mourning for the man who was his best friend.

“That’s why I told you, asshole. Like this, this kind of thing is only right for us as demons, who have
never been emotionally shaken…”

Muttering this, Guy did not notice the tear running down his cheek.

He just prayed silently for Rudra’s soul.

And just like that, the millennia-long game between Guy and Rudra came to an end.
While maintaining his usual fearless smile, Guy’s heart inwardly sank with grief.

Blue diamond eyes stared coldly at Guy.

A small, twisted smile forms on her lips…

The game was over, but the seeds of conflict were still smoldering.

And that would be the signal for the beginning of the world-wide “Demon War (Tenma).”
 Afterword

The sixteenth volume of my work has finally been released.

It’s been a long time coming.

In the early days, the pace was one book every five months, but now it has extended to six months. Even
so, I’ve been able to continue regularly, thanks to all of you who have been supporting me.

Really, the days go by quickly.

I will try my best to keep this pace, two books a year, in the future.

Here is a little explanation of the contents of this book.

It contains spoilers.

………
……
…

In this volume, I’ve finally implemented the forbidden quantification of combat power.

I wanted to do it earlier, but I-San, the editor in charge, was adamantly against it. I could understand I-
san’s point of view, so I tried to keep it out until now…But I thought it was unreasonable to use
Clayman-san as a guideline.

Alas, Clayman-san did his best. He was used along with Gelmud-san and Karion-san to explain the
power levels of the story.

Even though he has left, his name appeared quite a few times.

But by now, that scale has reached its limit.

Even if I say, “a hundred Claymans,” it doesn’t convey the difference at all.

Good work! And so, the number of Clayman’s appearances will be drastically reduced.

The existence value, which has been adopted this time, also appears as an EP in the web version.

It is called “EXISTENCE POINT” in the story, but it is actually energy points. So, please be aware that
it is not directly related to combat power, but it can be helpful.

Now then, I’d like to talk a little about my future plans.

Since this volume ends only with the end of the Empire chapter, I’m going to write a short story, not
from Rimuru’s point of view, before I start the final chapter in the next volume. There are a lot of stories
I want to write, but I’m thinking of including a few stories that are related to the main story.
Depending on the page space and my mood, I may write some casual stories. As usual, I’ll just write
what I feel like!

The numbering system will continue with volume 17.

Volume 18 will begin the final arc, so please look forward to it.

I have a plan for the Tenma War—Exposition Arc, Clash Arc, and Conclusion Arc, but this may change
depending on my mood. It’s only for reference, but please understand that I’m just thinking in that
direction!

Once the story is finished, I’m thinking of writing an extra story. There are two web versions of this
story, and there are other stories I want to write.

So, please continue to support me so that I can continue ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ until
then!

Lastly, I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in this work.

And the biggest thanks of all goes to all of the fans who have supported this work!

I will continue to do my best so that everyone can enjoy this story.

See you soon!