That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Volume 16

Author: Fuse

Illustration: Mitz Vah

Translation: DeepL

Editors: CharVANder, Voxel, gi2000

Redrawing: Alexis (inserts), Voxel (charts)

This translation is fan-made and free to access by the public. This is not to be
used in any commercial means. The translators or editors are not liable to any
action of the readers. Please respect the fair use of our translation as well as
Fuse’s work.
All rights reserved: Fuse and MICRO MAGAZINE

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We welcome all constructive feedback and suggestions for our work.

2nd Edition: March 2023

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 The End of the Game

Contents

Prologue: The Disintegration of Order

Chapter 1: The Betrayal

Chapter 2: Interviews

Chapter 3: Toward Rebuilding

Epilogue: Guy Crimson

Afterword

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 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.

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 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. Vel-
danava 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.

9
 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 known 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, Feld-
way 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
1
Seraph is singular, seraphim is plural. The word is borrowed from the bible.

10
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. 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 de-
stroyed.
“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.
………
……
…

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 Many years had passed. But 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

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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

13
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 ini-
tiative 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 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. He 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

14
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. Feld-
way 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…

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 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 uncertain-
ties, 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 destroy-
ing 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

17
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 uncomfort-
able. 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 percent 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.

18
 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 a 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 incarna-
tions. 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

19
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 all right, 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 remain-
ing in the ‘Control Room.’ Charys was left here after being told by Veldora that he was unable
to help. But that was 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 appren-
tice 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.

20
“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 mea-
sured 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

21
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 Catas-
trophe 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.
………
……
…

22
 “No way, I didn’t expect it to be a Super Awakened (million-class)— it’s a seraph any-
way…”
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 dissuad-
ing 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.”

23
 “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

24
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 outstand-
ing. 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 sophis-
ticated, 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 oth-
ers. 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,

25
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

26
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 mo-
mentum, 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 un-
easiness. 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

27
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
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
th
70 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

28
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 Bernie,
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.
“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

29
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 com-
pleted 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 target-
ing 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 possi-
bility 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

30
Masayuki, but Venom himself was also fond of Masayuki.

31
 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, conven-
tional 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

33
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 unshakable 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…”

34
 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 remem-
bered 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!”

35
 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 trouble-
some than they had expected.

36
 “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 exis-
tence 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

37
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 en-
cryption 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.”

38
 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 evacua-
tion. 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 can-
not 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 gen-
erated 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,

39
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 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 develop-
ment.”
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 decla-

40
ration 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 pow-
ers 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

41
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 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 for 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 cur-
rently 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. While 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

42
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

43
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 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

44
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 impres-
sion 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 if 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

45
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

46
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 “Kuzurekiba (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 oppo-
nent.

47
 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 use-
less. Beretta was a 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 mil-
lion…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 watch-
ing 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 de-
fensive as long as the attacks didn’t hit. The key was to think differently. Beretta’s whole body

49
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,’ 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.

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

50
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 resurrect 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’

51
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

52
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 ad-
vantage 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 thor-
oughly 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

53
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 Com-
manders’ 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 ‘Orig-
inals’ 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 involuntarily 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?

54
 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. Think-
ing 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

55
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 hap-
pened 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 dis-
tance.
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 op-
ponents, ‘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…

56
 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.”

57
 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 a 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 to 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 to 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 ‘Ulti-

59
mate 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.”

60
 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 point-
less 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…

61
 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 beauti-
ful 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 con-
dition 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!”

62
 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 with-
out 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 abil-
ity, 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 awak-
ened 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.

63
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…

64
 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 under-
stood 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

66
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 Ulti-
mate 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

67
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 Vel-
grynd’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 pun-
ished 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, think-
ing 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.”

68
 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, Bernie 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 any 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.”

69
 “…!!”
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.

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 “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.

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 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.

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 “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 Ulti-
mate 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.’

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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 subordi-
nates…
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. More-
over, 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 click of footsteps rang out.
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, seem-
ingly 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.

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Before leaving the labyrinth, Veldora 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.

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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 per-
fectly. 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

77
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’s 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 ridicu-
lous, it’s despicable!”
Putting his own actions up until now on the shelf, Dino was the first to complain. He was

78
just taking it out on him, but it would be 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!!”2
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 style.’ 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
2
I’m not positive, but Dino might have briefly used Kasai dialect here.

79
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. 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. Al-
though, 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. Some-

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thing’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

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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 Ze-
gion 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

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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 some-
where 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

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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.

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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!”

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 “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

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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

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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 cau-
tiously, as if he were checking the effectiveness of each move. Zalario knew from past experi-
ence 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.

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 “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

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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 evo-
lutionary 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.

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 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 percent 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, uncomfort-
able 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,

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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.

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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 remain-
ing 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.

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 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 to
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 have 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

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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 sur-
prised 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.

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 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 defeat was, and I couldn’t help but be horrified.
«It’s a hypothetical situation, so it’s meaningless to wonder about what could have hap-
pened.»
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 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 manifes-
tation 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.

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 “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!”

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 “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 Vel-
danava 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 monitor-
ing 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 impos-
sible 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 Angels.
The three Primordial Angels who went to the other world with him are now under Feld-
way’s command and call themselves the Three Phantom Commanders. During their journey

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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.
“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 ar-
ranged 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 suc-
cessful 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.”

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 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!”

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 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 was 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

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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 any-
more. It seems that the Ultimate Skill ‘Hope King Sariel’ is about to go out of control, so she’s
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

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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.”

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 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 in-
stantly.
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!!»

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 Suspicious to the point of being shocking. I think Ciel has even had this tendency of col-
lecting 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 num-
ber 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

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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 repeat-
edly 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 resigna-
tion, 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

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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—

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 «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.

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 “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 equiv-
alent to Mythical-grade level, so it made sense that Beretta’s existence value was greatly in-
creased. 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

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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. Skills 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

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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 ul-
timate 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.

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 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…

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 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.

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 “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’

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 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 ‘Generalis-
simo,’ 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 who 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.

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 “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 mon-
sters 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 pow-
ers are diverse, and include ‘Thought Acceleration,’ ‘Universal Perception,’ ‘Eye of the Moon,’
‘Insta-kill,’ ‘Ultraspeed,’ ‘Mental Manipulation,’ ‘Parallel Existence,’ ‘Spatial Manipulation,’

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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, informa-
tion 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
‘Argus.’ 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?”

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 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 subordi-
nates?”
“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

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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: Draco 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 Ef-
fects,’ ‘Spatial Manipulation,’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier,’ but if he could fully control his over-
flowing 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.

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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.

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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

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 Title: Barrier Lord
Magic: ‹Restoration Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Gourmet King Beelzebub’
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Natural Effects Resis-
tance, 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 Pro-
tection,’ ‘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 imme-
diately. 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 Comman-
ders. 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.

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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

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fur, enjoying his fluffiness for the first time in a long time.

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 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 Per-
ception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Weather Domination,’ ‘Sound and Wind Domination,’ ‘Spatial
Domination’ and ‘Multilayer Barrier.’ It was so powerful that it could even be considered ex-
ceptional.
I could understand the greatness of this supernatural power, which was capable of control-
ling 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.

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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.

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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 a 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

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 Skill: Unique Skill ‘Queen Worship’
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Physical Attack Resistance, Natural Effects Resistance, Ab-
normal 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?”3
Don’t ask me why, I’m just doing it. Although it was just a combination of number varia-
tions, 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. 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
3
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.

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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 differ-
ence 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 imme-
diately 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

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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?!

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 “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 origi-
nally 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.»

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 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,’ ‘Univer-
sal Perception,’ ‘Demon Lord Haki,’ ‘Water and Lightning Domination,’ ‘Spacetime Manipula-
tion,’ ‘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 to 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 destroy 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 murder-

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ous, 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 tremen-
dous 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 ad-
vantage 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 weak-
nesses 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!»

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 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 inter-
viewer. 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.»

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 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,’ ‘De-
mon 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
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

139
 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.

140
 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 Battlewill›
Skill: 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 en-
thusiast 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

141
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 surpris-
ing. 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 was 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.

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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.

143
 “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

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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,’ ‘Univer-
sal 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 ten-
dencies 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.”’

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 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]

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 Race: Demon Peer: Archduke Class
Blessing: Blanc’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 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

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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,’ ‘De-
mon 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 dis-
cussed 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

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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…

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 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 Lineage
Title: Poison Princess’ Butler
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Ultimate Gift ‘Artist’
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 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

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 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 Percep-
tion,’ ‘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.

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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

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 Blessing: Jaune’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 Lineage
Title: The Tyrant’s Friend
Magic: ‹Dark Magic› ‹Elemental Magic›
Skill: Unique Skill ‘Discerner’
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,’

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‘Spacetime Manipulation,’ ‘Multidimensional Barrier,’ ‘Limit Break,’ and ‘Dimensional Rup-
ture.’ 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.

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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

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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 pro-
tector. 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,

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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 ques-
tioning, 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 ‘Glut-
tonous 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 Aza-
thoth’ contained the abilities ‘Soul Consumption,’ ‘Nihility Collapse,’ ‘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 per-
fectly optimized after integration.
Soul Consumption A super-enhanced version of ‘Predation’ and ‘Gluttony’ that
could even devour the target’s soul along with it.
Nihility Collapse 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 iso-
lated.
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 abso-
lute protection by a ‘Dimension Fault.’

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 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 protection of ‘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

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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 Beni-
maru 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 inter-
view 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 man-

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aged 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.
………

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 ……
…
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 percent of them, and about 30 percent of it was in recovery. That
30 percent 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

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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 percent 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 Ac-
celeration,’ ‘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.4
4
For any who are curious, adding Rimuru plus Veldora plus Velgrynd’s EPs together add up to about 171 million,
not including the 2.28 million boost Rimuru gets with his Draconic Sword.

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 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

165
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

166
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 sub-
dued 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.

167
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

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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

169
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 pos-
sible 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

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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?

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 “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’s 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 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 Calgu-
rio 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.

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 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 meet-
ing.”
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?5 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
5
Basically, Rimuru is speaking casually in contrast to the serious atmosphere from everyone else.

173
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. 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. With-
out 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 sur-
prised 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.

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 “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 any-
more. 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.

175
 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 exuber-
ance. 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 misun-
derstood 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 inter-
ested. 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.

176
 “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 some-
one 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.”

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 “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 under-
standing 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.

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 “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 Tem-
pest 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 situa-
tion.”
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 that 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 occu-
pied with their own affairs. They must have been so busy with their own problems that they had

179
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

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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 his-
tory 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?”

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 “You haven’t forgotten Michael’s power, have you? Michael’s energy comes from the loy-
alty 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, Calgu-
rio 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 agree-
ment. 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.”

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 “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-tan6 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
6
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.

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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 ap-
pearance of the savior Emperor Masayuki Rudra Nam Ul Nasca—

And thus, the plan had been set. 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.7 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…”
7
A traditional multi-course Japanese meal.

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 “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 sur-
prise, he said that Shuna drank alcohol. The truth is…
“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 a 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

185
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.

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 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 Di-
vision 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 magitrain 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 weak-
nesses. 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

187
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 Vel-
grynd was speaking from the heart.

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 “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.”

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 “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 Sys-
tem. 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

190
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 zeppolines8 ,
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 involtini9 , 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
8
I think this is some sort of Italian potato donut/dumpling.
9
Italian mini food-rolls. Eggplant involtini are fairly common.

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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. 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.

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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 under-
stand 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 explana-
tion. What are you going to do?”
Uh, ‘that woman?’ Ah, he meant her!
“Oh, you mean El-tan? 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.’ It was a high-performance magic tool, compact and
foldable. Put quite simply, it was a cell phone.

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 Inspired by Clayman’s Skill, it used long distance radio signals and geomagnetism for en-
crypted 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. 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 su-
pervisor 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…”

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 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 unexpect-
edly seemed to agree with Shion and the others.
“Well, if she saw through His Majesty Rimuru’s true value, then indeed the emperor’s reac-
tion 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

195
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 his mind. He
said he had a lot to worry about and mull over.
Carrera had no hesitation in saying that Agera could do as he 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.

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 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 one.10 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. Oh, speaking of Dagruel…
I recall that Luminas, from what she had heard about the future from Chloe, said that Dagruel
10
i.e., they definitely have ultimate skills.

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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 con-
tacted 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!”

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 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.

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 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 arro-
gant 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 (de-
pendents).
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 un-
derworld, 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

201
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, beast-
men, 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, trans-
formed 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 percent 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!!

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 Screams like this. Hearing this, he suddenly thought.
Yes, perhaps that is a good ‘name’ for me.11
And that was that. The change was dramatic. Guy had evolved further.
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.
11
In Japanese, ‘Guy’ is pronounced as ‘Gii’ which is how the name came from the people’s dying screams.

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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 skill-
fully.”
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 exter-
minated, 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

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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!”12
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 some-
times, 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.”
‘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.
12
It’s not really shown in English, but Guy speaks very brash and disrespectfully to Veldanava.

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 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.

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 “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 be-
gan to infiltrate human society and engage in espionage. By scrutinizing the information she
obtained, she 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 Heavens13 , 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
13
The seraphim

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summoned to this world. Thinking that this was some kind of destiny, Guy decided to make the
castle his home. 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.

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 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 Kingdom of Nasca and the ‘hero’ of all the

209
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!”

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 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.”

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 “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.”

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 “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.”
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?”14
“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?”
“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!”
14
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.

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 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.”

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 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 re-
straint, 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.15

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?”
15
Basically, Guy and Rudra are like the pot calling the kettle black by talking about Velzard and Velgrynd’s ridicu-
lous fights.

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 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.

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 “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 ac-
countability 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 wel-
comed 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

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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.

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 “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…”

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 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,

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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?

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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?”

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 “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 de-
termined 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 respon-
sibility…?
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 Kingdom of Nasca, 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.”

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 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).’

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 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 under-
stand 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

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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!

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