Hidden along the forest roads near the Imperial Capital, nearly one hundred thousand soldiers had assembled.
Despite the sheer number gathered there, the entire area was shrouded in a silence so complete it was almost unnatural.
It was proof of just how extraordinarily well-trained every last soldier was—down to the lowliest footman.
The Black Knight
He had told the vice-commander of the coalition army that he was leaving to contact Yuuki, so no one thought twice about him moving alone.
Claude had once had his loyalty to Leon rewritten by Yuuki's "Heart-Stealing Palm." However, Chloe had since healed him and restored his mind to normal.
Yet ever since his heart had been stolen, Claude found himself perpetually tormented by questions about the nature of the soul.
What was the heart, exactly?
Could it really be overwritten so easily by someone else's ability?
And should such a thing ever be permitted?
Leon was a great man who had looked after Claude since childhood. As far as Claude knew, he was the strongest man alive—an idol to be worshipped and admired.
The fact that he had betrayed Leon, even for an instant, was an indelible stain that Claude could never forgive himself for.
But in the present situation, he had no choice but to keep up the charade of loyalty to Yuuki. It would be disastrous if suspicion arose and his restored heart was exposed.
Since receiving Chloe's healing, he had devoted himself wholehearted to strengthening his mind, but he had no confidence it would be enough. He swore he would endure it next time, but there was no guarantee of success. The odds of having his heart overwritten again were probably still higher.
That was precisely why he needed to be careful. He had acted with the utmost caution to ensure Yuuki would never suspect him.
He distanced himself from the group and took a moment to breathe.
It was then that a voice addressed him, seemingly from nowhere.
"Done with your contact?"
Though startled at first, Claude recognized the speaker from the voice alone and relaxed.
Chloe Obert—a beautiful young girl with hair of a strange color, like black mixed with silver.
Her appearance betrayed nothing of the terrifying power she possessed.
She was a girl Yuuki regarded with the utmost caution, rumored to be the "strongest" in the world.
"Lady Chloe. No issues. I've contacted Yuuki. But is that man really going to go through with the coup? It doesn't seem to hold much benefit…"
"Mm. Yeah. I don't understand what he's thinking, and I don't think it's worth trying to figure out."
"Lady Chloe, were you also given some kind of request?"
"Mm. I'm the insurance, apparently. Just in case of an emergency."
"But wouldn't that count as using one of your three commands?"
This was a question that had long puzzled Claude—whether Chloe's requests fell under the scope of the three commands that bound her.
Chloe took on quite a few of Yuuki's requests, but did those count as "commands"?
He had always wondered about it.
So he voiced his concern.
"Mm. Apparently, as long as I don't genuinely want to refuse from the bottom of my heart, it doesn't count as a 'command.' And since the first command tells me not to oppose *him*, it makes things even more complicated."
Chloe answered with a complicated, rueful smile.
It seemed like she was being far too accommodating, but there was nothing Claude could do about it. He had wished she could try the same method he had—the reversal of time to undo the "domination curse"—but she had told him it was impossible.
If someone of Chloe's caliber said it couldn't be done, then Claude understood it truly couldn't be.
Having one's heart dominated was repulsive, but at least Chloe retained her sense of self.
"So Lady Chloe, you won't be participating in the coup?"
"No. It doesn't seem like the goal is to topple the capital, so I told the vice-commander to make sure no harm comes to the civilians. I'll melt back into the shadows from here. Claude, I think this is your chance."
"My chance?"
"Mm. I think now is the perfect opportunity to return to Leon."
Claude understood immediately.
Using this chaos to stage his death in battle was indeed a golden opportunity. In the midst of all this turmoil, Yuuki would have no bandwidth to deeply investigate the disappearance of a single subordinate. And even if he later realized Claude's death had been faked, Claude would already have escaped back to Leon's side.
"Understood. Thank you for the advice. I'll withdraw to Lord Leon's side at once."
With that, Claude activated his cloning technique—"Shadow Knight."
An identical double. That was the "Shadow Knight."
Its combat capability was roughly thirty percent of the original, but it could operate for up to twelve hours. Since it shared a link of consciousness with the user, it was better suited for reconnaissance, but in this situation it served perfectly well.
Confirming that his doppelgänger had rejoined the group, Claude bowed to Chloe.
Then he swiftly set out toward Leon.
That decision would ultimately save Black Knight Claude's life, though he himself would not learn of it until some time later.
Chloe watched Claude disappear, then vanished as though she had never been there at all.
She had a commission from Yuuki that she had accepted without refusal. So rather than leaving the Imperial Capital—the future battlefield—she returned to its shadows.
And so the curtain rose on the tragedy that would come to be known as the "Crimson Purge."
---
---
---
To begin with, the Scorch Dragon
Her philosophy was simple: fight head-on and settle who was superior. That was all there was to it.
That said, if she were being honest, she believed it would be difficult for her and Rudra's team to win against Guy and her sister, the Frost Dragon
Guy was without question the strongest Demon Lord, and her sister was undeniably a terrible match for her.
If Velgrynd and Velzard fought, the worst-case scenario was mutual annihilation. At best, they would take each other down.
The chances of it going well were slim. In truth, there was no chance at all.
Heat and ice—two diametrically opposed natures. In other words, acceleration and deceleration.
Should they fight, neither would survive. Both would fall. They would either both be destroyed or both be rendered combat-incapable. There was no other outcome.
If Velgrynd and her sister were evenly matched, the outcome would depend on Guy and Rudra.
And if it came to that, Rudra—at the end of the day a human, no matter how many Ultimate Skills he possessed—was at a disadvantage.
That was precisely why, though she genuinely wished for direct combat, she had agreed to settle things through a board game instead. Defeat seemed too likely otherwise.
*(What a pain.)*
That was her honest feeling. Velgrynd hated scheming and maneuvering. She was ill-suited to the kind of meticulous planning that required centuries of preparation.
So she had left everything to Rudra and simply followed along.
But that was hardly enjoyable, and she chafed at the current situation where she couldn't rampage to her heart's content.
Making things worse was her envy of her younger brother—the Storm Dragon Veldora—who ran wild however he pleased, which only added to her stress.
*(That boy really does whatever he wants… But this time, apparently things didn't go as expected and he didn't show up.)*
According to the report Emperor Rudra had received from
That in itself was of little concern, but what puzzled Velgrynd was that Veldora hadn't been involved.
In Velgrynd's estimation, her festival-loving brother would never pass up an opportunity to cause chaos.
She had heard he was cooperating with Demon Lord Rimuru, but Veldora was not the type to simply do as he was told.
Which meant—had Demon Lord Rimuru somehow found something capable of keeping Veldora in line?
She turned this over in her mind, trying to imagine what could have satisfied Veldora.
But nothing came to mind.
*(How boring. Maybe I should ask him directly next time.)*
In the end, she gave up on thinking about it.
It was at that moment that a certain request reached Velgrynd.
Emperor Rudra had asked:
"Velgrynd, you must be bored as well. Fancy cutting loose for the first time in a while?"
She accepted without a moment's hesitation.
The targets were the Imperial soldiers and officers who had foolishly betrayed the emperor—those who had plotted a coup against him.
And Demon Lord Rimuru.
The newly arrived Demon Lord who had destroyed the Imperial Army.
Strong foes were gathered in one place, and her brother would be there too—it was sure to be a satisfying fight.
"Yes, that sounds wonderful. I'm not doing this as revenge for your pawns, but while I'm at it, I'll crush this Demon Lord Rimuru."
She would use the fools as a warm-up bloodbath, then carry that momentum straight into crushing this newcomer called Rimuru.
After she had done her part and wrought havoc, Emperor Rudra could clean up the mess.
If they had done it that way from the start, they could have avoided pointless losses. However, that approach would do nothing to improve the quality of the soldiers.
They needed to let them gain experience and cultivate warriors of the Imperial Guard Knight class. Otherwise, they would simply be trampled and destroyed again—as had happened this time.
Against Demon Lord
But the army that had been sent out with precisely this intent had been cut down before it had a chance to grow, and that was frustrating.
The last time, when Veldora had annihilated them, had actually been better.
Because the few survivors had successfully evolved.
Through resentment and terror and despair—but only those who had not lost hope within that crucible could shatter the shell of humanity and reach beyond.
This time, however, the situation had been different. There were zero survivors.
Krishna, who had brought back the report, had gone silent since.
Only by tasting despair, brushing against the might of the world's greatest power, and surviving could a human harbor the potential for evolution.
And yet this time, it had truly been a waste of lives.
Not just Krishna—the several Imperial Guard Knights who had been planted as spies had all gone missing as well.
Velgrynd had expected that someone promising, like Caligurio, might survive if pushed to the limit and handle Mythical-class weaponry. The disappointment was staggering.
Not a single person had evolved. This expedition was a complete failure.
That was why it seemed Emperor Rudra had some deeper design regarding Demon Lord Rimuru.
When the report came that the one million soldiers—the very ones sent as a measure of Rimuru's strength—had been annihilated with no survivors, Rudra had briefly shown hesitation about the path forward.
It was the first time Velgrynd had ever seen the emperor waver.
But Rudra quickly composed himself and laid out his plan:
"I think I'll deal with Luminous first. The ties between Demon Lords are tenuous at the moment, so it would be best to eliminate her now. Since she's awakened to an Ultimate Skill, troublesome as it is, she needs to be crushed. I can't imagine Guy would mobilize Velzard to save Luminous—could I ask you to handle that?"
Velgrynd immediately understood and nodded in agreement. After so many years together, their thoughts communicated without difficulty.
"So the plan is to kill the coup plotters first, then go after Luminous?"
"Yes. Gladim is already on his way. The aerial ship has a teleportation circle installed, so join up with him."
"Oh my? I thought I'd be told to bring Luminous in alive?"
"Hehehe. The 'Soul Refining System' is quite well designed. I'd been using only real combat to forge humans, but the idea of cultivating them by presenting a threat… it never occurred to me. Still, the method for producing Holy Knights is unique, so as long as we control that location, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Understood. You intend to have the survivors continue the cultivation. But she certainly hid well. To think she was living secretly in the Holy Capital…"
"Indeed. It took quite some time to track her down. I thought she had used spatial camouflage to relocate her castle to a sub-space. And all because *your brother* destroyed Luminous's
"Ufufufufu. Then next time I see him, I'll punish him for you."
As Velgrynd turned to leave with a laugh:
"Oh, I almost forgot. Don't kill those idiots who betrayed me—just leave them suffering. When I summon the angels, I intend to use them as vessels. Angels are spiritual life-forms too, but incarnating them might prove more useful."
"Ah, I see. You want to imitate how Guy incarnates and commands demons? Let's hope it goes well. Very well, I'll keep them alive but incapacitated, with no chance of escape, and leave them be."
"Leave it to me."
So the sinister scheme was revealed.
Velgrynd nodded lightly and stepped out into the world beyond.
And for the first time in several hundred years, she would unleash her full power.
---
---
---
Yuuki and
Yuuki's subordinates had tried to deal with Damrada, but he had held them back, declaring he would fight personally.
There were several reasons.
First, he had realized that Damrada's strength was abnormal.
Several Imperial Guard Knights had been planted as subordinates among the ranks, and Damrada outclassed every one of them.
To kill such a man with a single blow—it was dangerous to underestimate Damrada.
The second reason.
Damrada's words—"forge your Physical Body, don't rely on abilities"—had struck a chord.
Those words were clearly a warning. But Damrada had come with the intent to kill him. If he was going to kill, Damrada was not the type to offer advice first.
That contradiction gnawed at him.
And so Claude had sensed something deeper in Damrada's intentions, and had resolved to face him himself.
Perhaps Damrada was actually…
The two men's fists crossed.
The exchange was repeated several times.
Their movements exceeded human limits, yet it was like watching a choreographed sparring match—a refined contest of martial skill.
Yuuki deflected a backfist aimed at his face with his palm, then launched a knife-hand strike in the same motion.
Damrada, as if he had predicted it, spun backward and answered with a double kick, narrowly evading.
Without pausing, Damrada dropped low and swept at Yuuki's legs, but Yuuki sensed it, leaped, and countered with a spinning kick aimed at Damrada's head.
But the kick struck only air—Damrada had already pulled back and risen to his feet.
It was a high-level melee between two supreme masters.
Yuuki's abilities were specialized in theft. That was why, even while exchanging blows, every point of contact allowed him to drain energy from his opponent.
Whether it was magicules or stamina depended on the target, but the stolen energy could be put to his own use.
This was one of the special effects of the Ultimate Skill "King of Greed," the source of Yuuki's advantage in battle.
However, Yuuki was inwardly frustrated.
One of the King of Greed's abilities—"Heart-Stealing Palm"—had been blocked.
He had believed he could win simply by overwriting the target's soul information and inscribing his own loyalty. But that thinking had been naive.
He had expected Damrada to guard against his Ultimate Skill's reach and attack from a distance, yet Damrada had readily engaged in close combat.
If Yuuki's abilities couldn't settle the fight, then the advantage fell to Damrada, whose mastery of martial arts earned him the title of "Fist Saint."
The "Life-Stealing Palm," which siphoned the opponent's life force, should have been harder to resist than the Heart-Stealing Palm—but it failed to deliver a decisive blow. All Yuuki could manage was a negligible absorption of energy.
An Ultimate Skill could only be countered by another Ultimate Skill.
By that principle, Damrada was a hidden wielder of such power.
"Well, well. I never imagined you possessed an Ultimate Skill, Damrada. Did you have it from the start?"
"It was lent to me, you see. Naturally, I've had it since the day I met Lord Yuuki."
"Lent? What do you mean by that?"
"Precisely what I said. A human cannot withstand the energy of an Ultimate Skill. Normally, awakening to one would be impossible. Unless, of course, one had undergone a complete restructuring of the Physical Body, like otherworlders. But humans can 'evolve' through training—the entire race itself can transform. From human to Sage. A being who is no longer dependent on coexisting with other humans, but is simultaneously an individual and connected to the world. And one who has awakened and evolved into a Sage has passed the Emperor's selection. Emperor Rudra has repeatedly incited wars for the sole purpose of awakening his subordinates into Sages. And what is bestowed upon those who evolve into Sages is the Ultimate Bestowal—'Proxy.'"
With that explanation, Damrada cast a brief glance around at the others watching the fight between Yuuki and himself.
"That is why all of you, relying only on abilities, will never reach true strength."
He said it firmly—his gaze carrying a hint of expectation.
Yuuki looked at Damrada and felt certainty settle over the question that had nagged him earlier.
Damrada was still loyal to Yuuki. That much was clear.
In other words, the ability bestowed upon him by the Emperor made it impossible for Damrada to betray the Emperor.
It was only natural that Yuuki's Heart-Stealing Palm had been blocked. Under the domination effect of the Emperor's Ultimate Skill, absolute "Soul Protection" was in place.
And now, the fact that Damrada was revealing all this information meant he had no intention of letting Yuuki live.
At the same time, if Damrada had detected the countermeasure Yuuki was surely planning, then leaking this information to Yuuki was itself proof of Damrada's loyalty to him.
Imprinted with loyalty to the Emperor yet having chosen Yuuki as his lord—that was how it appeared to Claude.
In that case, all he needed to do was overpower the Emperor's ability with the power of his own Ultimate Skill, the "King of Greed."
That was Yuuki's judgment.
"I see. My questions are answered. Then shall we settle this?"
Damrada nodded.
Both men took their stances again, readying for the other's attack.
The instant Yuuki moved to exploit the momentary opening while Damrada gathered his ki—
"What are you playing at, Damrada. Have you forgotten His Majesty's orders to eliminate the foreign elements at once?"
A cold voice cut through the air, and Yuuki felt a searing pain in his chest.
Without a sound.
Blood gushed from a small hole in his back.
It was an unmistakable mortal wound. His heart had been destroyed in a single shot.
"You… you…"
"Lord Yuuki!!"
Coughing up blood, Yuuki turned around.
Then he collapsed.
But she froze in horror when she realized that healing magic was useless.
The bullet that had pierced Yuuki through the back had destroyed his heart, and there, it had triggered a minuscule magical explosion. Mixed into that explosion was a destructive factor that became a curse, spreading through his bloodstream and consuming his entire body.
It was a special round loaded into a compact pistol—a Curse-Destruction Bullet.
Kondou had first fired a Barrier-Breaking Bullet to destroy magical barriers and curses of any kind.
Once the defenses were shattered in an instant, he had followed up with the real thing—the Curse-Destruction Bullet.
This round could bring down even dragons. Even an undead with immortality would perish if the curse factor destroyed its magicule circulation.
If it hit its mark, it could kill even a Greater Demon Lord—a spiritual life-form—in a single shot.
If the target failed to resist, death was certain.
Shot from behind, Yuuki hadn't even been allowed the chance to resist.
Lieutenant Kondou holstered the compact pistol in his hand and strode forward with an air of composure.
The pistol had fired two rounds in that brief instant, but since the bullets were not propelled by gunpowder, there was no need for special handling.
He tucked it away with practiced ease.
"This is… Lieutenant Kondou. It's been a while. If only you had at least allowed me to deliver the final blow to Lord Yuuki…"
"There's no time for games. His Majesty is waiting. Finish off the rest quickly."
He spoke coldly and gave a signal.
In response, a handful of soldiers entered the grand hall—a space large enough to hold nearly three hundred people with room to spare.
Soldiers belonging to the Intelligence Bureau.
In truth, they were the Emperor's Imperial Guard Knights—the five strongest among the top-ranking knights, Numbers 06 through 10.
Together with Number 01, Commander of the Imperial Guard Knights Lieutenant Kondou, and Number 02, his deputy Damrada, it was more than enough force to annihilate even Yuuki's three hundred elite subordinates.
Damrada started to say something, then fell silent as though giving up.
He was a loyal knight of His Majesty, and Lieutenant Kondou's actions were perfectly justified.
There was no such thing as fair combat. Victory was justice. Damrada, who understood this, had no grounds for complaint.
Damrada shifted his mindset and began acting without delay.
In less than three minutes, every rebel in the room had been eliminated.
Kagali, who had come at them in a blind rage over Yuuki's death, was dispatched as easily as crushing an infant's hand.
Lieutenant Kondou's strength was, even in Damrada's eyes, abnormal.
Everyone present had been given the Ultimate Bestowal "Proxy" by the Emperor. The only one they should have been wary of from the start was Yuuki himself—but watching them effortlessly overrun the powerful warriors who would have placed highly in the rank-contest battles was a sight of otherworldly severity.
Yet Kondou's expression didn't change one bit, as if this were the most natural outcome in the world, and he ordered the retreat.
"Sir, what should we do with this one?"
Imperial Guard No. 06,
He was, after all, an "otherworlder" who had acquired an Ultimate Skill on his own power. If left alone, problems could arise. That must have been Minaza's thinking.
Certainly, Kondou's Curse-Destruction Bullet destroyed all curse effects and magical effects. With his ability's very foundation destroyed and the destructive factor embedded in his soul, resurrection should have been impossible.
But still—should one really let their guard down? That was Minaza's concern.
The moment he heard the question, Kondou fired another round at Yuuki with his quick-draw.
"Let's go."
Without even waiting to see the result, he turned and walked away.
The bullet he had fired—an Annihilation Bullet—did exactly as Kondou intended.
In less than three seconds, Yuuki's Physical Body collapsed and vanished entirely.
Minaza nodded in understanding and followed Kondou out.
The other knights did the same.
Damrada paused for a brief moment, gazing at the spot where Yuuki had been, but did nothing further and joined the others in leaving.
With Yuuki dead, his only master now was the Emperor.
That night, despite it being the dead of midnight, the sky turned red and a torrential downpour of crimson rain—like blood—lashed the earth.
The citizens of the Imperial Capital trembled and whispered rumors to one another, though none of them were entirely correct.
But the fact that they still had the leisure to trade rumors meant that night was the last calm they would know.
The era was about to shift on a massive scale, and the Imperial Capital, too, would be swept into the tides of upheaval.