The Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion was facing an unprecedented crisis. In the midst of this, the Celestial Emperor Elmesia spoke to her mother Sylvia in her usual easygoing, informal tone of voice.
“So is Rimuru coming, you think?”
“Forget it. The demon lord Milim’s gone out of control, and he’s busy trying to stop her.”
“Oh, no way!”
This was even worse than she’d assumed. Elmesia couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Also, the cause of it was apparently Velzard the Ice Dragon. Even the demon lord Guy’s been convinced to take action.”
She made it sound easy, but it’d take someone like Rimuru to get Guy to do anything. Elmesia, fully aware of that, just wrote it off as typical Rimuru behavior.
Still, this was a conundrum. The capital of Thalion, the city embraced by the sacred tree, had turned into a hellish landscape, thanks to the onslaught of Jahil. He was joined by another man who called himself Zarario of the Three Stellar Leaders, and that guy was wreaking havoc on the scene, too.
“We cranked up the sacred tree’s defense mechanism to its limit, but even then, it’s not going to matter much at this point…”
Elmesia’s head was spinning. The Magus was fully mobilizing to deal with the situation, but its members were being shot down one after another. Elmesia was impressed that they hadn’t been wholly pulverized yet.
The Magus, one of Thalion’s proudest corps, was a group of high-ranking military officers also known as the Pure-Blood Knights. They had the authority to act in place of the Heavenly Emperor and serve as mediators for any relevant disputes. Reportedly the greatest military force in Thalion, it was composed only of those whose blood hearkened back to the ancients…or so the story went.
In reality, its knights were picked based on their compatibility with a weapon known as the magic mount. This item, also called a magus, was a closely guarded state secret. It had the same name as the corps itself as part of an effort to prevent information leaks.
A magus was about sixteen feet tall, with its exterior made of magisteel, and it was driven by dragon muscle fibers. It was an intelligent weapon with its own will that searched for a partner to utilize it. Its true nature was shown only in operation, and just like an elementalist’s most secret moves involved merging with an elemental, a magical mount was also designed to release its power only when piloted by its user.
Usually, it was stored in a space within a magical jewel placed in a necklace or bracelet. Kabal and Gido both had one, by the way. When they confronted the berserk Ifrit after meeting Rimuru for the first time, they were this close to activating their maguses…but launching them in a foreign country would lead to charges of leaking confidential information and get Archduke Erald in serious trouble to boot. Besides, they didn’t even know if a magus was enough to beat Ifrit.
In the end, they stuck to melee combat, reasoning that the main job was to protect Elen long enough to get her to safety. Both Kabal and Gido had A-rank strength, and riding in on a magus wouldn’t have doubled their fighting power or anything. They were already strong enough, which was one reason Erald had chosen them as Elen’s guards.
That was how magic mounts worked—every partnership was different. Some, like Kabal and Gido, didn’t see that much of an upgrade from them, while others were total wimps who transformed into overpowered war machines on their maguses. These devices provided over-A combat strength, and Thalion usually sent squads of three hundred to deal with enemies.
“I didn’t know we had that many maguses,” said Sylvia.
“Yes,” Elmesia replied, “we’ve been beavering away at them.”
The thirteen noble families of Thalion usually quarreled with each other day and night. During this crisis, though, they seemed to have come to an agreement of sorts, devoting everything they could to this battle regardless of the expense. If they chose this moment to rebel, Elmesia would seriously consider abandoning them, since she no longer saw any point in keeping them alive. The fact that this didn’t happen was something of a silver lining.
Regardless, the conversation between Elmesia and Sylvia continued.
“You know,” Elmesia began, “they were developing golems over in Rimuru’s city, too. I think we’re going to lose our advantage in a flash.”
“If that happens, we were going to propose a joint development, weren’t we?”
“Pretty much. Rimuru’s got a lot of common sense. I think he agrees with me that we don’t want any superweapons getting leaked out. We could place numerical limits on what we provide.”
Elmesia was usually so secretive, but this was a surprisingly unguarded measure from her. It surprised the top officials who had been listening in, but this was just Elmesia and Sylvia’s way of escaping reality. And now, another Magus ace had been shot down. The EP of these knights were estimated to be over half a million each, but even an ace-class knight like that couldn’t stall for time against Jahil.
And he wasn’t even the only notable leader among the enemy. Zarario went without saying. Dhalis and Neece, who were under his command, had also achieved remarkable results. They had taken on physical forms as walking dead, destroying the Magus with tremendous force.
“All that damage,” complained Elmesia. “A great loss, isn’t it?” But she didn’t really mean it. The survival of the nation was more important than things money could replace. They had to hold out until reinforcements arrived, and that’d be difficult if things continued as they were. Such calculations put her in the mood to complain even more.
“I guess we’ll just have to make do,” Sylvia resignedly said.
Sylvia and Elmesia, mother and daughter, were the most powerful fighters in all of Thalion. They were standing by right then because they had been called back by the elders and other important government figures.
“Your Majesty, you must not! And Lady Sylvia, please have a little more prudence.”
“Indeed. If we had a chance of winning, that would be one thing, but this is just too much. I’m afraid I cannot allow it.”
Even the grand elders came out to block them. They were, of course, concerned for their well-being. Few of them knew Sylvia acted as a stand-in for Elmesia at times; even the thirteen noble families didn’t know it. Seeing them both at the same time created great confusion. Even so, their strength by themselves couldn’t hold a candle to a Magus knight on a magic mount, so order was restored among the royalty for the time being.
Everyone in the Magus corps was deployed, doing their best to buy time so Sylvia, Elmesia, and the other VIPs could escape. If the two of them returned to the battlefield, all the warriors’ efforts would have been in vain.
But…
“To tell you the truth, I don’t like the idea of us running away alone too much,” Sylvia said.
“I agree with you, Mom. I’m afraid Rimuru will make fun of me for it later. Maybe I should contribute a little…”
The two of them had already made up their minds.
“Your Majesty!!”
One of the elders was desperately shouting. It was the minister who had sent Laplace—or Thalion—off to the battlefield all those years ago. He had regretted that decision ever since, vowing never to repeat the same mistake, and now he was doing his best to protect his beloved Elmesia and her family.
But Elmesia was in full politician mode.
“Who am I?” she asked.
As an elder, he had to answer.
“You are Her Majesty the Emperor.”
“Can anyone stand in my way?”
It’s not fair, you know, exercising your power at a time like this!
The elder was internally weeping. But he also understood this was how Elmesia lived, and there was nothing he could do to stop her, now that it had come to this.
“That would never be possible, my liege.”
So he could do nothing but bow his head. This chief elder had given his approval, and there was nothing the others could do. The heads of the thirteen noble families also had to fulfill their duties as leaders. As the grandest of the emperor’s subjects, they were entrusted with leading the people according to her orders.
“Y-Your Majesty…,” Erald managed.
“Ah, Erald,” said Sylvia. “I’m sure Rimuru’s got Elen protected, so why don’t you protect everyone else for us?”
“L-let me join you, Your Majesty!”
“Hmm… Nah, you’d just get in the way. I know you’re one of the Magus captains, but you’d just be giving up your life for nothing.”
It was Sylvia, not Elmesia, turning him down. Erald thought this was their first meeting, but to Sylvia, he was her beloved husband’s younger brother. They had met many times while she was pretending to be Elmesia. That was why she rejected him so coldly—and Ellis Grimwald, Elmesia’s grandmother and Erald’s mother, nodded in agreement. In her capacity as leader of the thirteen noble families, she was now commanding Archduke Erald.
“Hold back, Erald. And all the other leaders gathered here, please listen.” Ellis’s voice was full of dignity, despite her usually gentle demeanor. “Do not be selfish. You must heed the will of Her Majesty.”
She wasn’t taking no for an answer. And no matter what the other kings in attendance thought, they could do nothing but nod back to her.
“B-but Mother—”
Erald, still trying to argue, was silenced by Ellis’s glare. It was the first time Erald had ever seen real anger on his mother’s face.
“If Lady Ellis hadn’t stopped you,” one of the kings admonished, “you would have been captured, you know.”
Then an old noble, one who had long since given up the throne to his sons, slapped Erald on the shoulder. “Don’t give up, okay? Sylvia’s been retired since that bastard Thalion disappeared. I get it if you don’t know how scary she is, but trust me, she’s even more of a handful than Her Majesty.”
“Oh yes! All of us together couldn’t match her. You’d best take her advice and flee to safety.”
It was an unwritten rule around there to never say Thalion was dead, a habit adopted because no one wanted to incur Sylvia’s wrath. Everyone lamented their own helplessness. They were relying on her yet again—and would that make them the only survivors? But if this was the wish of the emperor, it was the duty of her subjects to obey.
The young kings, looking at their elders, realized it was futile to try rebelling against it. At the same time, they were surprised to learn Thalion really was united together. Their parents and grandparents normally never got along, but there they were, amicably talking to each other. It was the first time they had ever seen such a thing, but it all seemed so natural they didn’t feel it was insincere at all.
Everyone there agreed: This was the charisma of Sylvia and Elmesia at work.
Sylvia was a vajra-wielding master who made full use of her ultimate skill Indra, Lord of Thunder. Her daughter, Elmesia El-Ru Thalion, had another face apart from her position as emperor of the Sorcerous Dynasty. She had awakened the ultimate skill Vayu, King of Heavenly Wind, the apex of weather-based magic, a feat no doubt inspired by Sylvia’s own skills. In battle, she too was a genius, freely wielding her God-class chakram to slice and dice her enemies. Her abilities were not as strong as Sylvia’s, but they weren’t far behind.
Once again, the two of them had returned to the battlefield, everyone’s hopes pushing them forward. It opened up a potential way out. It’s said God helps those who help themselves, but thanks to their courageous actions, the hopes of Thalion would continue unbroken into the future.
Benimaru, Soei, Leon, Kagali, and Teare arrived in Thalion some time after Sylvia and Elmesia returned to the battlefield. The video feed in the Control Center showed them after their second sortie, and they were already looking exhausted.
The injured seemed to be receiving medical treatment atop the leaves of the giant sacred tree. Sylvia and Elmesia were protecting them while dealing with Jahil and Zarario. The defense mechanism of the tree was functioning normally, and that was the only reason all of them were surviving.
“Rimuru’s done it again,” said an emotional Elmesia as she greeted Benimaru and the others. “I thought it’d be too late, but he really did send out reinforcements…”
“Sir Rimuru always keeps his promises,” Benimaru replied with a smile as he looked at Zarario and Jahil.
Leon flew in front of Zarario to replace Elmesia. The Flame Pillar sword radiated in Leon’s hand, boasting of its presence. Soei, too, had crept up behind Zarario undetected. Everyone was in the air, floating around the sacred tree as they fought, and Soei had joined them like nothing was amiss about that.
It was two against one, although Leon and Soei were at a disadvantage in strength. But Soei, who never cared about fighting fair, readily took his foes by surprise without any hesitation.
Jahil, on the other hand…
“I’ll never forgive you.”
Kagali spoke those words as she floated next to Sylvia. At the level they were at, they could create a foothold for themselves in the air just as well as on the ground. Oh, thought Sylvia, she’s not subbing in for me? But she still had some fight left in her, so she was thankful for the assistance, at least.
“Cheeky little…”
Jahil gritted his teeth as Teare glared at him, as if challenging him to battle. It was about to be a three-on-one match; Benimaru grasped the battle situation from above.
Except for Jahil and Zarario, the leaders, the Magus outclassed their enemies. With one stroke, they turned things around and began to push back the army of mystics.
If we can just defeat Jahil and the others, we’ll win this.
It wouldn’t be easy, but Benimaru flashed a fearless smile as he watched on.
Leon, facing Zarario, had a blank face as usual, but on the inside he was livid.
He often found himself being misunderstood. He wasn’t a good talker, and any good deed he did often wound up causing more resentment against him. The few people who really understood Leon were Sylvia, his mentor, and Elmesia, whom he considered a close ally (though the feeling wasn’t mutual).
Making those two suffer this much was a crime that ranked second in Leon’s list of things that set him off. (It went without saying, of course, that first place went to anyone who tried messing with Chloe.) But there were other reasons for his anger this time. He couldn’t forgive himself for letting these guys do what they wanted with him, and for the trouble he subsequently caused Sylvia. He wanted to take out Michael, the cause of all this, by his own hand—but Rimuru seemed to have gotten to Michael first. Now Leon owed him a debt he could never repay, which just made him feel worse.
If he didn’t make up for it, it’d be even harder to show his face around. The only person he wanted to owe anything to was Sylvia—but now he could see this was more than her problem alone. Velzard’s purpose was unknown, but apparently she was on her way here, fighting Milim the whole time. If this place got caught in the fallout from that fight, it could easily be wiped off the map.
And Leon didn’t think that would even be the end of it. If one traveled north from Thalion, there were no obstacles to the Western Nations, a hotbed of human civilization. To the west was the Deadly Desert, and beyond that was the Holy Void of Damargania. Turn a little to the southwest, and you’d reach El Dorado, Leon’s domain.
Nobody knew what Velzard was after, but there was no doubt in Leon’s mind she’d target one of those places next. If it were only here, certain countermeasures could be taken, no matter her intentions. But with Milim also losing her mind, even trying to interfere with them was an impossible task.
And were these just Velzard’s intentions or Feldway’s own plan, too…?
Whatever it is, we just have to stop it.
That was Leon’s creed. He preferred quick decisions like that, as well as punishment for anyone he suspected. In this case, whether Velzard and Milim could be stopped at all was largely up to Rimuru, but there was no doubt Thalion was an important defense line. That much was proven by the enemy choosing to attack it—an enemy who had to be eliminated before Milim and Velzard could reach it. Only then could they devote all their force to dealing with Milim’s rage.
It’d be suicide to fight them directly, but it should at least be possible to reduce the damage by making them change direction. Leon couldn’t point them toward El Dorado by mistake, and threatening any human-run lands was out of the question.
The Barren Lands would be the best destination for them…
It wouldn’t be great for Daggrull, but Leon thought it’d be the best thing to do. But to do that, he couldn’t let himself get tied up with all of this.
“Heh!” he said. “Taking advantage of Milim’s rage… Feldway comes up with the cleverest ideas.”
Leon thrust the tip of his sword at Zarario as he addressed him. He fought like a fencer, making him good at thrusts and other flashy techniques. Some people believed fencing was for dueling and not suitable for actual combat, but that wasn’t true. The thrust, after all, was the most powerful of all sword techniques. Missing with it left you off-balance and defenseless, making frequent use a great risk, but Leon’s swordsmanship was good enough to overcome this weakness. Much like Sylvia and her spear skills, Leon’s mix of technique and incredibly fast physical moves kept him from being exposed to attacks.
In addition, Leon’s skills were built around speed—and the Flame Pillar, his weapon, was God-class. When he got serious, he didn’t rely on his Gold Circle shield. Defense didn’t matter to him with the speed and sword skills he had. He was the fastest out there, concentrating almost totally on his first-class swordsmanship—and that earned him the nickname the Lightflash Hero, once upon a time. Furthermore, Leon’s ultimate skill Metatron, Lord of Purity, let him manipulate spiritual particles at will. Through that, he could invoke the all-powerful Disintegration in rapid-fire succession, unstoppable by anyone.
This was why they called Leon the strongest out there. In existence points, he wasn’t far behind Zarario, but in combat ability…
Leon’s lean, flourish-free fighting style was more than enough to compete with Zarario. A true warrior knows a fellow true warrior, and Zarario couldn’t kid himself about his opponent’s skill. And so…
“They said they’re after Veldora’s draconic factors, but I don’t even know what they’re really thinking,” said Zarario. “Velzard is acting on her own, too. I wish someone would tell me what’s going on with her.”
He gave Leon his honest, true thoughts. And in fact, Zarario had not been given any explanation at all. All he was doing was conducting a war to bring down Thalion, as ordered by Feldway. Jahil was thrown in there, too, although he was aiming for Luminus the whole time.
If they’re going that far, there must be some meaning behind trying to conquer this place…
Nothing can be less inspiring than being forced to work without understanding the purpose of it. Zarario thought it an extremely unpleasant way to treat a general, let alone a soldier at the far end of the line, the proverbial cog in the machine. He was unable to resist Michael’s rule over him, which was the only reason he put up with this. But Zarario was always looking for an opportunity, and he had a chance to disarm this thrall over him the moment Michael disappeared. Since then, he had been gradually analyzing this control over him, and now he was at the point where it’d be possible to shed it for good.
But since he didn’t see the need to spell all that out for Leon, Zarario changed the subject.
“So, Leon…are you going to duel with me? Or am I supposed to deal with that little sneak behind you at the same time?”
Zarario glanced at Benimaru as well, realizing he wasn’t about to make a move. Benimaru wasn’t looking down on Zarario as a fighter; he just wanted to make sure his assets were in the right places on the battlefield. That was largely the same as underestimating Zarario, but his foe wasn’t inspired enough to do anything about that. He couldn’t disobey an order, so he was just going through the motions.
Soei knew his presence would be noticed. Unlike Jahil, Zarario seemed to be on his guard. As Benimaru saw it, Jahil was the bigger threat in EP alone, but Zarario was far more troublesome. Soei agreed, and that was why he was supporting Leon instead of trying to take Zarario by surprise.
“If you spotted me, then great,” Soei said. “We’re cutting it pretty close here, too, so know we will take any measure needed to win.”
Soei declared with pride that he was going to cheat. Leon had no objection. Losing would mess everything up, so it was natural to try to win by any means necessary.
Thus the battle with Zarario began, with Leon taking the lead and Soei assisting.
Three people were fighting against Jahil, each with a very different method of attack. Sylvia was going at lightning speed, stabbing with her vajra. Kagali was using long-range bolts as well, her Ruin Scepter working her power into a sharpened magical mass. Finally, Teare was up front, keeping their foe in check—the most dangerous role, but she wasn’t afraid of it. Anger dominated her body; she was trying to take Footman’s place in this fight.
“I hate you!” she yelled. “You’re so dead!”
“Shut up!” snapped Jahil. “All you cretins can do is form herds! Enough with you!”
“You’re the one who should shut up!” Teare retorted, throwing the scythe in her hand like a boomerang. It was given to her by an ogre named Kurobe before her departure, and it had so menacing an aura, it likely was at the highest level of Legend-class gear—even God-class, in fact. Teare instinctively knew it was far superior to her own broken blade.
It was called the Tear Scythe, and as Kurobe put it, it reaped tears, not lives—making Teare think it was the perfect weapon for her. Right now, she needed to put an end to all her sadness.
The Tear Scythe aimed itself at Jahil, as if it had a will of its own. Suddenly Teare expanded her physical force, confronting Jahil. Diving at his chest, she delivered a powerful punch, then quickly disengaged and caught the scythe as it came spinning back her way. Then, as if nothing had just happened, she took a fighting pose, keeping Kagali protected. It was an amazing feat, made possible by the unique skill Manipulator and the control it gave her over her body.
Meanwhile, her other unique skill Born Optimist only activated under the vague condition of “when ordered.” Teare was too weak willed and flighty for it to work otherwise. But when she received data particles from the heart core of Clayman, she changed. She got stronger. And she decided she had to protect Kagali instead of Laplace, who was gone, and Footman, who had been taken over.
………
……
…
At that moment, someone said to Teare:
If you agree to it, power will be given to you.
It was a voice left by someone not present. As she slept, her mind had been analyzed and had this implanted inside, on the reasoning that it’d be necessary someday. Its aim was to react to Teare’s desire for power and provide what she wanted. This came at a price, of course, but it was paid in advance. Teare’s power had long since been analyzed and determined to be harmless. Integrating it with Clayman’s similarly nonthreatening force wouldn’t hurt anyone, so it was put in her in the hope that it’d power her up at least a little.
Hey, if someone’s giving out something, I’ll take it! I gotta get so much stronger!
Teare didn’t hesitate to agree to it. The change was completed quietly and swiftly within her mind. Her unique skill Born Optimist was combined with the unique skill Manipulator, reproduced from Clayman’s data particles, and this in turn created the ultimate gift Orpheus.
All this, done by the hand of a certain someone.
………
……
…
So Teare was reborn of her own volition.
Okay! Yeah, I know, Clayman! We both have to protect Lady Kagali!
She made that promise, and then her power surged, like her late friend was lending her his strength. Her EP of 240,000, which felt like too much for her body to hold, now seemed so small. Being able to double your force from one moment to the next, after all, made a superior opponent like Jahil seem a lot less intimidating.
And Jahil was less than thrilled by it.
“Don’t you dare mock me, you puppet!”
Enraged, he shot out a large fireball. Sylvia, with her godlike speed, could have avoided it, but Kagali and Teare had no way to do so. That one shot was going to extinguish their very souls—or it should have. But the duo flickered out of sight, and then they reappeared a short distance away.
Even Jahil was startled. “What? You didn’t have that kind of power… What have you been doing?!”
He launched another fireball, this time much more careful about what he was doing. Zarario could have easily seen through the trick—it was childishly simple. Benimaru was just protecting them with his Shimmering Haze. Jahil had been humbled against Benimaru many times, and after that second try, he figured out what was happening.
“Stupid little tricks…!”
Enraged anew, he let his temper get the best of him and shot a series of fireballs at his foes. Benimaru used his same trick on those, too. He wasn’t directly fighting Jahil, but he had deciphered all his thought and behavioral patterns and given Kagali the best advice he could about them.
And so…
“Ah, you’re open!”
Sylvia’s spear pierced Jahil. It wouldn’t be enough to kill him, but it did relieve her frustration a little.
Kagali, too, was ready. Melchizedek, Lord of Dominion, the ultimate gift granted to her by Michael, had been lost after Yuuki took it. She gained her freedom in return, and in Melchizedek’s place, she had been powering up Schemer, the unique skill that had taken root in her soul. It was very close to the level of an ultimate skill.
But no matter how talented Kagali was, there was a limit to how far the non-divine could go. Being able to tinker with one’s own skills was highly unusual for anyone but Ciel. Kagali knew that because she had experienced it in a dream.
………
……
…
The voice was clear.
If you agree to it, power will be given to you.
The offer made little sense, but it had still been made to her sleeping self. Needless to say, it was Ciel talking.
Within the labyrinth, Ciel could do pretty much anything. This wasn’t a dream, exactly, so much as a conversation in Kagali’s subconscious.
Ciel proposed a contract to her. In exchange for optimizing Kagali’s skills, it would prevent her from turning that power against Rimuru. Even if she betrayed him, though, the power would still be in Ciel’s hands…so to Ciel, it was a two-birds-with-one-stone proposal. It’d get to pursue its hobby of skill tinkering, and it’d help keep Kagali in check, too. In a way, it was the sort of offer only Ciel could propose.
Kagali, who had been craving power, agreed. Thinking it was a dream, she never suspected she was being deceived. It wasn’t the sort of blunder the cautious Kagali usually made, but it wouldn’t affect her as long as she didn’t try taking on Rimuru. That, to her, was no problem—she had lots of reasons to avoid antagonizing him.
………
……
…
Then when she woke up, she realized the power existed within her. Now that she fully understood it, she fully owned it as well.
“Give me back my Footman!” she shouted, activating her skill—the ultimate gift Agastya. The skill could predict Jahil’s movements, as if it could see the future, and she used it to execute this combo attack flawlessly, fully bridging the difference in power. And a true “combo” it was—Benimaru’s judgment, Kagali’s predictive skill, Sylvia’s actions, and Teare’s resolve. Not even Jahil’s evil power could so easily diminish that kind of teamwork.
Besides, Benimaru had fought Jahil before. The power difference unnerved him the first time, but now he had a grasp of his strength. There was nothing left to fear. Rimuru’s policy was to not fight a battle that couldn’t be won, and Benimaru had inherited that drive. In other words, if Benimaru bothered to come, they had every chance to win. All the forces they wanted were in place, and the moment of victory was just around the corner.
“Don’t give me that!” shouted Jahil, unaware of this. “Have you forgotten how terrifying I can be?”
He aimed a volley of fireballs at Kagali, then hid himself amid the explosions. Then, using the blasts to propel himself forward, he approached Kagali. He wanted to kill her first—it was an ironclad rule that you started by targeting the weakest, so Jahil wasn’t mistaken to do this. But as easy as it was to read his mind, it was even easier to lie in wait for him.
Everyone had their own thoughts about this. No way, Sylvia told herself. I’ve never had an easier fight than this.
I knew this coming in, thought Kagali, but Rimuru wasn’t the only threat after all. He puts my mind at ease as an ally, but if I was fighting him, I’d be horrified.
I feel totally secure here, thought Teare, despite having the most dangerous role in this fight. That was how outstanding Benimaru’s command was. He did occasionally grumble to Rimuru about it, but as a person in a high position, he always had a real sense of responsibility. Diablo was the same way—both of them worked harder and achieved more when Rimuru wasn’t watching them.
Now Benimaru was honing his focus. He was connected to everyone below him via Thought Communication. Regulate Thought, one of the features of his ultimate skill Amaterasu, allowed him to make everyone act like they were all of one will. Thanks to that, they were able to fight evenly with Jahil, despite being far inferior to him. If Benimaru were alone, it would’ve been impossible to secure this win. He and Jahil fought the same way, which would have made him too indecisive. Any plan he’d attempted would have been foiled.
Here in Thalion, like everywhere else, the objective of the game was not to lose. But this fight was different. They had a decisive leader in Sylvia, a safety device in Kagali, and some perfect follow-up work from Teare. The way Benimaru saw it, they couldn’t possibly lose.
Zarario gave Jahil a sideways glance, only to be a little surprised. He should have been superior to him in strength alone, but Jahil was being overwhelmed by a party of lower-ranked opponents.
Jahil’s no fool. He’s arrogant, but he’s not dumb enough to be defeated out of sheer carelessness. So that man up there is superior to him?
He glanced at Benimaru, immediately understanding. He wasn’t directly involved in the battle, but he didn’t hesitate to provide support at key points. Benimaru’s power was in the same vein as Jahil’s, and he was neutralizing his flame attacks with relative ease. The flame attribute was immensely powerful when focused on a specific target, but if deflected, it became less and less thermally efficient. The same was true with Jahil, who used his skill-enhanced dominance to gather magicules and launch flames burning at ultra-high temperatures. If that intense wave of heat was turned in a different direction, that’d naturally affect its focal temperature.
Doing that couldn’t have been easy, but Benimaru had the most nonchalant face as he kept it up. Zarario was honestly impressed. Enemy or not, that deserved praise.
Still, Jahil’s energy level was so much greater than Benimaru’s that not even he could take a direct hit. No matter how much better Benimaru’s magicule-wrangling skills were, being hit with pure, uncontrollable energy would still be the end for him.
Hmm. He’s doing well to prevent that from happening. But I wonder if Jahil will grow tired of this.
Zarario thought so. Jahil was a great magician known as the sorcerous dynast. If he understood the situation correctly, he’d see Benimaru had to be addressed or he’d just grow weaker.
It’s brilliant, though.
Zarario couldn’t be blamed for thinking so. Benimaru was skilled at inducing the fireballs away from them. The explosions and impacts from them were awe-inspiring. At first glance, they probably looked overwhelming, which was why Jahil was slow to realize what was going on. The coordination between Kagali and her party was immaculate. Every member was carefully handling their role, and Benimaru seemed to be directing them all. He was a warrior in his own right, but if anything, he showed greater talent as a commander. Secretly, Zarario realized how much of a threat Benimaru was.
“Taking me on, yet looking in the other direction? How offensive.”
Leon made the casual observation after their swords crossed at blinding speed. He did not seem particularly angry; he was just saying what he thought.
Zarario chuckled. “No, not that. We’re equal in skill, so whoever loses their train of thought first loses.”
He breezily parried Leon’s blade as he spoke. But he wasn’t lying. The higher the level of both swordsmen in a fight, the harder it became for one to truly outclass the other.
The trajectory of a sword can be predicted from things like the opponent’s line of sight, their body position, and what they’re focusing on. In a situation like this one, victory and defeat depended on how well a person succeeded in their feints.
To Zarario, keeping an opponent pinned down via conversation was preferable to forcing some action and getting hurt. His enemy wasn’t only Leon—Soei, that troublesome ambusher, was there, too. He had a knack for attacking Zarario right when it’d annoy him the most. Lower-ranked or not, Zarario couldn’t let his guard down around him.
One’s existence point score—a calculation based on the elements of your body structure, the amount of energy, your resistances, and many other factors—was still, after all, only a rough estimate. If two mismatched fighters were brought together, the match could turn out to be a toss-up—just like how Jahil, a powerhouse, just couldn’t keep up with a speed specialist.
Zarario was well aware of this. He had a rough idea of his opponents’ strength. He didn’t have exact EP counts, but years of experience as a warrior taught him that if he judged everything on EP alone, he’d be caught flat-footed.
Seeing that, he knew laughing off his opponent was out of the question. He never let his guard down, even when dealing with Leon and Soei at the same time.
Leon, too, quickly read Zarario.
He’s a tricky opponent, Leon thought, ignoring his own foibles. It’s hard to deal with someone who never leaves himself open like that.
If the enemy was careless, he could use his special attack, but that was unlikely to happen with Zarario. No matter how good at stick-and-move tactics Leon was, any special move he broke out would leave him open. If he tried to avoid that, then it’d probably mean a marathon battle, no matter what he wished for.
Being inferior in every way was proving to be a disadvantage. Leon, competitive based only on his skills, could see defeat in his future if he kept up this approach. In other words, Zarario had the right idea.
After reading each other this much, the two of them reacted in starkly different ways. Zarario was calm and collected, while Leon was gradually losing his composure.
But Leon wasn’t alone.
“Calm down. Don’t be deceived by the enemy’s words.”
Soei, creeping out of the shadows, whispered in Leon’s ear. Then he launched a seemingly reckless suicide attack on Zarario, only to be cut down with a single swipe. It was Soei’s Replication, of course, but this mix of real and fake attacks was actually working out pretty well for the two of them. Leon was the main attacker, but Soei took over whenever fatigue got the best of him. This cycle let them continue the fight with as little wear and tear as possible. For Zarario, too, it wasn’t what he wanted to see.
But as the stalemate continued, suddenly a change occurred. Benimaru was on the move.
“Emperor Elmesia, if I could have a word…”
He was talking to Elmesia, who was taking a break to address her fatigue. Zarario found himself listening in, impressed that Benimaru had the time for this during combat.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Those knights over there…the Magus, right? Would you mind if I temporarily took command of them?”
What a crazy thing to ask…
Zarario found himself drawn further into this chat, much to Leon’s annoyance. He felt like he was being ignored, but then, Leon was just as interested in what Benimaru had to say.
“What? That’s, um, asking a lot…”
“I know it is. But I’ve received a report that Milim will be arriving soon. If we don’t do something, it’ll cause immeasurable damage. I’ve been ordered to do something to stop this.”
“Is that from Rimuru?”
“Yeah.”
Elmesia gave him an “ugh, if I have to” look. “Normally I’d never allow this, you know. No matter how friendly our countries are. But if Rimuru says so, then fiiine…”
Then she called her knight captains over, grumbling about how the apple never fell far from the tree with Rimuru and his officers.
Zarario found it just as absurd.
“Isn’t that insane?” he said to Leon.
“Well, it’s Rimuru we’re talking about.”
“Is he always that weird?”
“Well, frankly, he’s impossible to read.”
For some reason, Zarario felt sympathy for Leon, enemy or not. But still, he thought, what’s this Benimaru guy trying to do while fighting Jahil the whole time?
Watching with interest, he noticed the knight captains seemed to be complaining about it, too. It was a perfectly natural reaction, but Elmesia raised her voice to silence them.
A critical moment seemed to be near, and Benimaru was taking further action. A video image was projected into the air—a view of a faraway place, presumably powered by his skill.
“What’s that?” Zarario asked.
“Some kind of mirage or an applied version of one,” said Soei. “I guess Benimaru’s been making some upgrades to the Argos surveillance magic developed by Sir Rimuru.”
Soei was kind enough to explain this to Zarario—all the while the battle was ongoing. Swords were still clashing against each other, but it had turned into a kind of rote exercise, giving the participants time to converse.
Zarario’s swordsmanship was akin to a blunt weapon, cutting down his enemies with a single stroke. The insectors, Zarario’s nemeses, were usually covered in exoskeletons that caused damage to his blade after repeated slashes. To prevent this, he instead refined his skills, finding gaps in his opponent and capitalizing on them.
Time ran differently between Zarario’s home world and this key world, so by local standards, he had been constantly fighting for tens of billions of years. His swordsmanship was at a standstill, however, because it was far too geared toward the characteristics of his main enemy, the insectors. Still, quite a few of them were unusually good fighters, so Zarario’s strength had reached an unimaginable level nonetheless.
Leon’s party could take him on only because Zarario wasn’t particularly interested in fighting. The moment they confronted him, Leon and Soei realized just what Zarario’s true strength was—but nobody was in a hurry, chatting with each other and providing commentary on events around them. It took a lot of guts to keep that going.
This projected image showed what was happening with Rimuru. He was facing off against Milim, while Guy was sparring with Velzard. Velgrynd was there, too, for some reason, working with Rimuru to prevent any damage to the surrounding area.
“Look at Velgrynd, cooperating with him,” remarked Leon. “Rimuru is certainly a talented conman.”
“Call him naturally charismatic,” said Soei.
Leon and Soei were still chatting away, but Zarario had bigger fish to fry. He couldn’t understand why Milim and Velzard were heading this way. He wasn’t even sure if this was part of the plan. Was Feldway up to something or was this just a coincidence? It might be that Velzard was acting on her own, but if so, what would she want to accomplish?
But if this was a ploy by Feldway…
If Feldway gave Velzard some story that incited her, that would explain this. But what’s his ultimate goal?
Zarario thought it over. Velzard and Milim were in a fight, which was really more about keeping Milim in check than anything. If Velzard decided to pursue some other goal instead, she’d leave at once. Then Milim would cause widespread carnage, and it was highly likely that Guy would move to stop her.
That was likely what Velzard wanted to see. If Guy took on Milim, he’d need to devote his whole attention to the fight—and then she would take advantage to make Guy her personal slave, with him doing whatever she wanted him to. That much was easy enough to read, so Guy probably wasn’t going to just walk up to her. He’d naturally bring along some assistance—and if that assistance was the demon lord Rimuru, well, it all made sense.
But what about after that?
It’s obvious Velzard’s target is Guy. But why bother moving anywhere else right now? Maybe Feldway’s involved with this after all…
Zarario worked it out up to that point. But the rest puzzled him. Why would they go to the trouble of coming to Thalion, which was already under attack? To support Zarario and his allies?
No, I doubt it. What are you thinking, Feldway?
Zarario couldn’t find an answer. His frustration with Feldway grew. Really, if he’d just explained his plan to everyone at the start, everything would be fine. Instead, they were all stuck there, forced to decipher Feldway’s intentions. If they couldn’t figure out why he was leading Milim there, they might get caught in the crossfire, with no idea whether to help her out or flee.
Zarario thought some more. If Sylvia and Elmesia were Thalion’s only defense, his army could easily take this city down by themselves. With the reinforcements the demon lord Rimuru sent out, it was a stalemate, more or less. Was Milim sent over because he’d anticipated this would happen? It seemed like a weak reason. If that were the case, he would’ve sent Milim here first, and then Zarario’s army could’ve launched a fuller-scale invasion. Having Milim show up when things were already this chaotic made no tactical sense.
Or maybe, with everyone occupied like this, nobody could stop Milim from—
Zarario looked behind him. There was the sacred tree, standing in this land since time immemorial. Rooted deep in the earth, it protected the planet from all kinds of natural disasters—and it was still standing strong, even after taking all of Jahil’s flames. It is the same tree that kept the past Milim/Guy battle from being any more damaging.
To the north, there was Velzard. The human realms there were ruled by the demon lord Luminus and protected by Guy and Ramiris. The Nasca region, once guarded by Ludora, was also safe, thanks to Velgrynd’s help. But the Holy Land of Damargania, at the center of all the damage, still bore the scars of the devastation. Skyspire Tower had kept it from completely falling, but all its former glory had been lost.
But if you looked at it another way, that was the only damage that resulted last time. This world was protected by gods who put up many obstacles to destroying it. Guy, the great Arbitrator, was the best example—feared by mankind as the strongest and most terrifying of demon lords, but still constantly protecting this world, as per his pact with Veldanava.
Several beings helped him with this role. There were the demon lords selected by Guy, including Ramiris, the other Arbitrator. There were the Heroes, their nemeses and counterparts—and now there was Masayuki, the reincarnation of the most powerful Hero there ever was. Velgrynd was with him, too.
Apart from these, there were relics like Skyspire Tower, influenced directly by the hand of these gods, which also offered the people their protection. The sacred tree was another such relic.
Feldway wanted to revive Veldanava, but he failed after losing Michael. If so, what he’ll want next is…
Zarario felt a chill run down his spine. Maybe he would want to destroy this world.
There were only two holy relics left in this world: the sacred tree and Skyspire Tower. There was also the labyrinth created by Ramiris, but that should be considered its own separate category.
What’s more, only a few “gods” were still around to get in the way. Guy, Rimuru, Chronoa, Masayuki, Velgrynd, and Veldora, to be exact…but most of them were nonfactors. Guy was being blocked by Velzard. Rimuru had his hands full dealing with Milim’s madness. Chronoa and Masayuki were free, but had probably exhausted their power and wouldn’t be around for a while. Velgrynd was devoting too much of her force to protecting the planet to be able to fight. And Veldora was hiding out in the labyrinth. He must have been holing up in there after sensing Feldway was after him…which meant he wasn’t likely to leave there anytime soon.
In other words, if Zarario had Feldway’s goal right, the situation was steadily improving for him.
Not good…
To be honest, Zarario had no inner urge to destroy. If Feldway was going to die, Zarario really wished he’d die alone. No matter how much of a friend he was, he didn’t want to help him destroy the world. In fact, given their friendship, Zarario felt he needed to stop him from doing anything that foolish.
I don’t know if I’m right or not, but I better assume so now…and act on that.
If he was wrong, then it was Feldway’s own damn fault for not making himself clear. With that conclusion in mind, he tried to switch his thoughts to what his future course of action should be.
Then, looking around, he noticed Benimaru was standing tall, leading the Magus somewhere or another. It impressed him.
He’s carrying out his strategy against Jahil while simultaneously preparing for the disaster to come? Amazing.
He made Jahil look small in comparison—and for Zarario, who disliked Jahil, that made Benimaru look all the better. It’s settled, he thought as he spoke up to Leon and the others:
“I think you know this, but my freedom’s been taken from me. I’ve taken back enough control to be able to say what I think, but Michael is still ruling over me.”
“…What are you getting at?”
“I think you’d understand, wouldn’t you, if you’ve been through the same thing?”
“Hmph. You want me to help free you?”
“I’m glad you’re quick to understand,” Zarario casually stated—and then he made a proposal.
Benimaru had taken control of the Magus.
………
……
…
Elmesia had granted her permission, but the knights were having none of it. How could they? Why was someone from some other country going to command them?
Benimaru could understand their reluctance, but now was not the time for it. Elmesia granted him command because she knew that as well, and even Archduke Erald showed his willingness to comply, despite his qualms.
The knights in the group were all titled superelites, but they had to obey or there’d be trouble. Any half-hearted attempt at defending themselves, and they’d be exposed to Milim’s fury and destroyed in an instant.
Milim’s just as much of a juggernaut as I thought. She’s already changed the topography of the Khusha Mountains, and we’ll suffer the same kind of carnage here if something isn’t done. I have to do whatever I can to prevent that.
Benimaru was determined. Rimuru’s orders were simple: Predict their trajectory and figure out a way to alter it. If their course continued as it was, they’d smash right into the sacred tree that protected the capital of Thalion. Rimuru didn’t sound too confident about that idea, but Benimaru knew he was never wrong about this sort of thing.
In the worst-case scenario, Benimaru was told to evacuate everyone from the city…but first, he wanted to give this the best try he could. The key to this was Magus. As Rimuru said, if they could attack Milim with the combined power of all their knights, they might be able to distract her, even if only for a moment. They weren’t even at the stage where they could discuss how to beat her, so there was no need to worry about her getting injured.
Like that’d be a worry for anyone…
Benimaru chuckled. Then, bracing himself, he raised his voice at the knights Erald was still trying to persuade:
“Listen to me! If things continue as they are, this land will face an unprecedented crisis. A crisis I have been ordered by my lord, Sir Rimuru, to prevent! You may not have a duty to go along with me, but you must obey me for now, or else your homeland will be cleanly wiped off the surface of this planet!”
Benimaru didn’t mean it as a threat. He was simply telling the truth. If they failed to follow Rimuru’s instructions, Thalion would almost certainly be destroyed. Of course, even if the Magus didn’t follow his orders, Benimaru himself had no intention of giving up. He would do his utmost to help guide the life-saving evacuation, and then he was going to join Rimuru. Jahil was no longer anything more than an inert obstacle in his mind. Kagali, Teare, and Sylvia alone would be enough to defeat him. That was thanks to Benimaru’s support, but to him, that was roughly the same difficulty level as taking out the trash.
Regardless, Benimaru wanted to be prepared for the looming threat. All he could do, though, was wait for a response. His strategy would depend on whether the Magus went with him or not, but in order to get everyone on the same page as quickly as possible, he used his skills to project an image in the air.
As Soei explained to Zarario, Benimaru replayed the video coming from many miles away with Amaterasu, Lord of Shimmering Flame, his own skill. Based on the science behind mirages, it proved extremely useful for outdoor operations. Using it to show what Milim was up to would make for a more persuasive argument.
That was Benimaru’s thought, but the results turned out more terrifying than expected. A mere roar from Milim was enough to destroy the natural landscape. Rivers dried up; mountains crumbled. Rimuru was trying desperately to calm her down, but to no avail. He and Velgrynd worked together to serve as punching bags for Milim, preventing any more damage than necessary—but they couldn’t do anything else.
…Or, really, the damage is kept to that level only because Sir Rimuru is distracting Lady Milim…?
Rimuru was taking up all of Milim’s attention, and Velgrynd was blocking out the aftershocks. No wonder Rimuru was so engrossed in this. Benimaru wondered if Rimuru could more actively guide Milim away from danger, but that was impossible. Milim’s attacks were like a torrential downpour; Rimuru might have been able to weather it, but he couldn’t change the way the rain was going.
Or is there some other reason for this? Is he just trying not to make us worry?
In any case, Benimaru had a mission to carry out.
If I can divert her attention just for a moment, I might be able to change her course. I’ll give it a shot.
Benimaru took a deep breath. If he failed, it’d be a disaster—the end of the world, even. He didn’t like his chances, but it was the only way to win. So he decided to trust Rimuru, as he always did.
Benimaru was fine with that, but the Magus force wasn’t. It’d be impossible not to be deeply disturbed by the situation. All eyes were on Benimaru, standing tall and proud—and after the Magus quieted down, Elmesia opened her mouth.
“Like I said, I entrust Sir Benimaru with the command of the Magus. Does anyone object to this?”
The question, asked with as much authority as Elmesia could muster, was met with silence.
Like anyone could say no to her. I don’t think anyone’s stupid enough to voice any complaints after being shown that.
If Elmesia had forcibly given her orders, they all would still have risked their lives following Benimaru…but some of them wouldn’t have known what they were fighting for, while others might have still had their own personal grievances about it. Benimaru didn’t actually think that far ahead, but as it turned out, he had made the best move possible to solve this issue.
………
……
…
With no time to lose, Benimaru issued one order after another. These were knights from foreign lands, but he was loud and energetic as he stirred them up. The Magus seemed to find this encouraging, and in an instant Benimaru’s reputation was growing rapidly, if unintentionally.
The preparations proceeded steadily.
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