I devoured the lump of energy in my palm with "Soul Glutton" and secretly channeled it into my "Imaginary Space" to isolate it.
It seemed like I’d arrived at a perfect moment, but of course, that wasn’t planned.
It was pure coincidence.
I’d been quite busy with various things, after all.
………
……
…
The labyrinth had settled down, so I thought I should head off to deal with Veldora, but…
For some reason, my energy wasn’t recovering. No, it was more like it was replenishing and depleting at the same time.
Thinking it too risky to challenge Veldora in this state, I decided to recover my energy first.
There were a massive number of angels in the sky, and I planned to absorb them after we took care of them.
The timing worked out perfectly when
That battle was overwhelmingly in favor of the labyrinth forces.
First, Kumara’s Eight Devas attacked from all directions simultaneously.
This threw the angelic army, which had been aiming for the labyrinth’s entrance, into disarray, creating a significant opening.
The labyrinth forces seized that moment to sortie.
The rest was one-sided.
Since the enemy commander had unified their will to become a powerful convergence cannon platform, they struggled to handle attacks from all directions.
They seemed like a capable commander, immediately shifting to squad-based interception tactics, but stumbling on the opening move proved fatal.
Even before that, however, there was the immense disparity in individual combat strength.
I might sound biased, but every member of the labyrinth force was strong.
Among them, Kumara, the Four Dragon Kings,
Kumara rampaged as if releasing pent-up stress.
Her tail strikes sliced through angels in every direction.
The Eight Devas deployed to protect her, leaving absolutely no room for anyone to slip through.
The Dragon Kings, eager to show off since I was watching, let loose in their dragon forms, wielding powerful breath attacks and grand magic with ease.
Apito commanded not only her own formidable personal strength but also her subordinates like extensions of her own body, annihilating the enemy.
It was a masterful display.
Through perfectly coordinated attacks, they were overwhelming the enemy with a one-strike, one-kill efficiency.
Treyni-san’s sisters, Dryads empowered by fusion with various spirits to the level of former Demon Lords.
And Treyni-san herself, whose energy rivaled that of an Awakened Demon Lord.
It seemed Treyni-san had fused with a Spirit King.
She was unleashing devastatingly powerful ultimate magic in rapid succession.
The outcome became utterly obvious in no time at all.
I’d been worried initially, but halfway through, I found myself sipping black tea while watching the battle.
Well… it was clearly overkill, and I couldn’t see any way we could lose.
They were top-tier combatants stationed below the 70th floor of the labyrinth. They rarely got a chance to shine, so seeing them unleash their full power was truly spectacular.
Watching this, I couldn’t help but think that even a great nation’s army would find conquering the labyrinth impossible. That was a secret thought.
It was only natural, really, given that we had already repelled the Empire’s army, and everyone was even stronger now than they were then…
Once things settled down, I should probably discuss adjusting the labyrinth’s difficulty with them.
No matter what tweaks were made, it seemed impossible for humans to conquer it now.
And just as victory was assured and only the enemy commander remained—
“Ah, Mai-san…”
Shinji, who had become one of
He seemed to know her, and not only him, I also heard the story from Mark and Shin.
The enemy commander’s name was:
Maai Furukodō
She possessed energy clearly on the level of an Awakened Demon Lord and was commanding the angels. However, according to them, she used to be only slightly stronger than them.
“Really just *slightly* stronger?” I pressed.
“Uh, well… slightly, or maybe quite a bit…?” “Anyway, we never won against her…” “…She was ridiculously strong.” “Mai’s ability was the Unique Skill ‘Traveler.’ It’s a ridiculously broken cheat power that lets you teleport to places you’ve visited before. Combined with long-range weapons, it was brutal.”
The three of them gave evasive answers.
Apparently, even with the three of them working together, they couldn’t win.
Judging from Shinji’s final explanation, it sounded like an ability ordinary people couldn’t possibly overcome.
Teleportation without any time delay—even I couldn’t do that without combining multiple abilities.
It was no wonder the three of them couldn’t win.
She was usually a quiet woman, a Japanese high school student.
She was one of Yuuki’s confidants and had been devoted to Yuuki before he became Veldora.
“She was a really serious person. And she believed Yuuki’s words about perfecting the ‘Return Spell’.”
Apparently, she was worried about a younger brother she’d left behind and had constantly been researching a way to travel between worlds.
But her Unique Skill, “Traveler,” was limited to this world, so she couldn’t go to the other world.
However, if her Unique Skill “Traveler” and Yuuki’s “Summoner” were combined, crossing to the other world didn’t seem like an impossible dream.
She had believed that, and had been cooperating with Yuuki for a long time.
As I was processing this, Shinji hesitated, opening and closing his mouth as if wanting to say something difficult.
It seemed he had something he wanted to say.
Hmm? I called out to him.
“What is it? Something you want to say?”
“Ah, no… well, you see…”
It must have been really hard to say, as he hesitated to speak up.
“Hey, you really don’t have to force yourself…” “…Yeah, I think that’s a bad idea too.”
The two tried to stop Shinji.
I didn’t know what he wanted to say, but I was getting curious.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Please, just forget about it—”
“Ugh! Fine, just spit it out already!!”
Since Shinji, all flustered and hesitant, was about to swallow his words, I forcibly drew them out.
Turns out, what he wanted to say was simple.
He wanted me to save Maai Furukodō.
Being from the same hometown, she had been close even among the Otherworlders.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s selfish. I understand it’s probably impossible to ask this, but—”
Shinji apologized, looking genuinely remorseful.
Well, I was the one who pressed him for it.
“W-wait, Shinji. Even Rimuru can’t do anything about that… If you make everyone resentful, you’ll lose your dignity as a Demon Lord…”
Ramiris panicked, stepping in to mediate, worried her subordinate had said something outrageous.
But was it really worth that much panic? I didn’t think so.
I mean, I was pretty selfish, wasn’t I?
Maybe it was a bit late to mention it now…
“Hahaha, Lady Ramiris. Our loyalty wouldn’t waver over something like that.” “That’s right. If he were the type to worry about such things, all those who opposed him would have been slaughtered from the start. But he isn’t, is he? Even that completely slovenly Demon Lord over there was an enemy until just a while ago.”
Dino seemed uncomfortable under her gaze and stopped lounging on the sofa, sitting upright in his chair. He nodded nonchalantly.
“Yeah, well, Rimuru probably doesn’t care about that stuff.”
He tried to wrap things up smoothly, but Shuna bonked him on the head with a tray.
It felt like a classic case of ‘you’re one to talk,’ so it was his own fault.
“So, what will you do, Rimuru-sama? We did relay the order not to deliver the final blow, right?”
Benimaru asked me.
Shinji and the others looked at me with hope.
This was a rather belated request, wasn’t it?
If they were my companions, they should know my answer without me having to say it.
“Shinji, relax. If they swear not to oppose me, I’ll save them.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah. But only if they swear not to oppose me. Got it?”
“That’s fine. Please! We beg you!!”
When I agreed, not only Shinji, but Mark and Shin also thanked me.
I’d prefer hearing that *after* I’d saved Mai.
“As expected of you, Rimuru! That’s the spirit!”
Ramiris beamed and slapped my back heartily.
What a two-faced little goddess.
And so, making my usual reckless promise, I left the labyrinth to stop Mai.
◇◇◇
Right then.
I left Benimaru in charge and took to the sky.
I ordered
“Kufufufufu, leave it to me. I shall buy some time until you arrive, Rimuru-sama!”
“Yeah, count on you. They broke through the Sky Gate, but even those three shouldn’t be able to defeat Veldora, right?”
“Indeed, this aura is truly formidable— I suppose I should hurry a bit.”
With that, Diablo teleported ahead.
Current Diablo should be able to buy enough time for me to arrive.
I was a bit worried, but I decided to trust him.
Besides, I needed him to buy more time anyway.
My energy hadn’t recovered yet, so I needed to absorb the residual energy from the large number of defeated angels.
My plan was to absorb that energy while persuading Mai.
However, this idea was naive.
When I raised my hand to absorb energy with “Soul Glutton,” the energy vanished via teleportation.
It seemed the angels were set to return automatically upon being defeated.
With no choice, I gave up on eating the angels and headed towards Mai.
In truth, Mai was strong.
Even holding back her killing intent under Benimaru’s orders, no one could even touch her.
Treyni-san hadn’t joined the fight, and the Dragon Kings weren’t engaging her.
That alone was impressive, but to see Apito also being outmaneuvered was astonishing.
She truly deserved praise for her mastery of “Teleportation.”
She was remarkable.
Despite her angel forces being wiped out, she hadn’t lost heart and was continuing the fight calmly.
She must have an indomitable spirit. It was no wonder Shinji and the others were captivated.
It was a situation where anyone else would despair, yet she fought on, believing in victory.
At a glance, teleportation really was troublesome.
Even though Apito was faster, all of her attacks were dodged.
That meant Apito stood no chance of winning.
Kumara, however, was definitely a match she could win against.
But this time, I would be her opponent.
Kumara could win, but she would also surely kill her.
“Rimuru-sama, it’s been so long!”
Kumara, noticing me, flew over and clung to me affectionately.
She was cute, but now wasn’t the time for that.
“Kumara, take out the remaining angels.”
“Understood!”
Kumara obediently followed my order.
After rampaging a bit, it seemed her stress was sufficiently relieved.
Apito, who was fighting Mai, also noticed me, interrupted the fight, and yielded the field to me.
“My power was still insufficient. I wanted to neutralize her without troubling you, Rimuru-sama, but…”
Apito hung her head in frustration.
“Don’t worry about it. Just looking at the energy, your opponent has more than double yours. Considering that, you did amazingly well.”
I said to comfort her.
I sent Apito to join Kumara and left the remaining angel cleanup to them.
All that was left was to persuade Mai.
◇◇◇
Mai and I faced each other.
Mai had her bow drawn, panting from exertion, and glared at me.
I saw— she was a beautiful girl.
Her atmosphere resembled Shuna’s.
With beautiful black hair like a Japanese doll and a sharp, composed expression.
Her posture was regal; despite the exhaustion she must be feeling, she didn’t slouch.
She was a beautiful young woman with perfect posture.
However, there was something concerning.
The tips of her hands and feet showed bulging veins, and in places, they were split open, bleeding.
Blood?
“It appears she incarnated the angel using her Physical Body as is, without reconstructing it. She likely fused with a
It was impossible for a living human to contain the immense energy of spiritual lifeforms like demons or angels. Especially one as high-ranking as a Seraph—only a body that had been trained, awakened, and reached a divine level could withstand it.
If this girl, Maai Furukodō, had been controlling a Seraph in her unmodified physical form—then one had to call her mental fortitude incredible.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rimuru.”
“—So, it’s you. My name is Maai Furukodō. I have no grudge against you, but for Yuuki-kun’s sake, I must ask you to die.”
“Yuuki is already gone, isn’t he? He should be calling himself Veldora now, not Yuuki?”
For a moment, her expression flickered at my question, but Mai quickly regained her composure.
“It doesn’t matter. I believe in Yuuki-kun. If I defeat you, I can research in peace. I absolutely must return. I know it’s selfish, but I will defeat you—”
As she said this, Mai aimed her bow at me without hesitation.
She must be aware of her body’s degradation, yet her focus on me never wavered.
She must understand she couldn’t win, yet there was no trace of fear in her eyes.
I honestly thought she was remarkable.
At her young age, Mai had achieved a kind of profound clarity.
She had cast aside all hesitation for a single purpose…
She was simply sprinting along the one path she believed held a possibility.
“Just out of curiosity, why do you want to go back?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’? What a silly question. Don’t you think about the family I left behind? We were summoned here against our will, shouldn’t we just accept it? We’re not treated as people, only as weapons… A world like that— I wouldn’t feel a thing if it were destroyed. I want to go back, that’s all.”
It seemed Mai had never given up on her longing for home, unlike other Otherworlders who had abandoned that hope early on.
Thinking about it, that was probably only natural.
I had died, so it was easy for me to give up, but those summoned here couldn’t do the same.
Shinji and the others had given up rather easily, but it wasn’t because they had no lingering attachments.
If there was a way to return, many would want to.
But no such magic existed, and there were no precedents.
Since this reality was easy to learn about, everyone simply gave up early.
Mai hadn’t given up, thanks to her strong willpower. And thanks to her ability, she hadn’t lost hope.
So, all I could do was tell her the cruel truth.
“For now, that’s impossible. You can come from over there to here, but no means of going from here to there has been discovered.”
“I know! But that doesn’t mean I can give up!! Besides, Yuuki-kun will definitely find a way to return! That’s why I won’t give up!!”
Mai screamed and fired an arrow at me with all her strength.
But it was useless.
I erased the arrow and continued speaking.
“That’s why Yuuki is gone. Veldora and Yuuki are different people. Besides… I think Yuuki was probably the one who summoned you.”
Hearing my words, Mai’s movements stopped.
Then, as if refusing to accept it, she shook her head vigorously.
“Shut up! Stop trying to confuse me.
Meteor Shower of Stardust!!”
Her eyes narrowed, she glared at me and unleashed her most powerful technique.
But it was useless.
Because ranged attacks had no effect on me.
I absorbed all the arrows into my “Imaginary Space.”
That was the end of it.
“Th-that’s—”
Mai lowered her bow, looking utterly despairing.
She must have finally realized the overwhelming difference in our power.
“Listen, I have no intention of killing you.”
“…Why…?”
“Shinji and the others asked me to save you. If not for that, I wouldn’t have bothered coming out here.”
“No way…!? They’re alive, Shinji-kun and the others—?”
Hearing my words, Mai seemed shocked.
Well, with such a stark power difference on display, she could understand my words weren’t lies.
Even without me, it was true that Kumara was stronger than Mai.
“Besides, crossing worlds is probably impossible, true. But that’s only for *now*.”
“—Eh?”
“In the future, with further research, it might become possible to find a passage to the other world, right? My partner’s theory is that souls circulate, so the possibility isn’t zero, is it?”
“Really…?”
“At the very least, it’s more certain than leaving it to Yuuki. Since you’ll be doing the research yourself.”
When I said that, Mai’s eyes widened in surprise, and she stared at me.
Was she shocked at being told not to rely on others but to research it herself?
“…Even so… I can’t go back anymore. I’ve accepted this power, accepted it completely. I believed in the slim possibility that with immense energy, I could leap across… But I failed. I can’t withstand the angel’s power, and my body is beginning to crumble. The only path left is to believe in Yuuki-kun—”
Ah, so she had realized.
Her plan must have been to use the Seraph’s power to evolve her “Traveler” and perform a dimensional leap. But she failed to gain the ability to leap dimensions, leaving her only the option of trusting Yuuki.
This was practically being set up by Yuuki from the very beginning.
Which meant…
“Just curious, but did Yuuki maybe say something like, ‘You might be able to return? Fusing with an angel could evolve your ability. However, such immense power might hurt you—so I can’t recommend it, but what will you do?’ Or maybe he said you were fighting now to repay Yuuki’s kindness?”
I threw my direct thoughts at her.
Mai’s reaction was dramatic. Her eyes widened, and she stared at me speechless.
It seemed I’d hit the mark. Yuuki must have said something similar to her.
“Just as I thought… That’s a con artist’s tactic—”
Dangling an impossible possibility to manipulate someone into doing your bidding was a classic con artist move.
A good deal always had a catch, and you wouldn’t recommend it to others.
It appeared to give the other party a choice, but in reality, they were left with only one hand to play.
It was a truly cunning method.
“Now that you mention it…”
“Well, the one being deceived shares some blame. From now on, don’t just rely on others; make sure to think things through and verify them yourself.”
I couldn’t help but lecture her.
Coming from someone who relied on others all the time, my words lacked all persuasiveness, but Mai didn’t know me well, so she probably took them to heart.
Mai bravely held back her tears and bit her lip in frustration.
“I understand. It seems there’s no point in me opposing you. Either way, there’s no chance of winning… I have one last selfish request— could you please grant me an easy death?”
Mai gave a faint smile as she said that to me.
She must have lost all hope and the will to live.
“I told you, find a way back yourself. It’s too early to give up, isn’t it?”
“…But I don’t have much time left. My body is—”
“Ah, I forgot.”
I said this and embraced Mai.
Then, I used “Soul Glutton” to completely devour the Seraph that had fused with her body.
The Seraph had already been analyzed, so the process was instantaneous.
The disappointment was that my energy didn’t recover as much as I’d hoped, but I silently had Ciel analyze Mai’s “Traveler” to make up for it.
A teleportation ability with no restrictions was an extremely rare, top-tier Unique Skill. Even without my order, Ciel, the skill maniac, wouldn’t have stayed silent.
(Analysis complete?)
*<Analysis complete successfully. Acquired ‘Teleportation’ from ‘Traveler’.>*
See? As expected of Ciel.
Mai noticed that I had devoured the angel.
Having lost her ability to fly and now being held in my arms, it was only natural.
“Wh-what happened!?”
Her face flushed red as she panicked.
“Apito!”
“Here—”
I called for Apito and handed Mai to her.
“The body’s degradation can’t be healed with a Recovery
Mai’s mouth flapped open in shock, but then she looked at me with renewed resolve.
Moreover, for some reason, she wore an expression that seemed disappointed, or maybe slightly dissatisfied.
But, as if making a decision—
“Thank you very much! I will never forget this kindness. And I will definitely find a way to return!”
She declared to me with strong determination.
That was good.
As long as she had a purpose to live, she could stay far from despair.
Instead of holding a grudge against Yuuki, living straight towards her own goal suited her better, I thought.
I nodded back to Mai and allowed a small smile.
Inwardly, I worried she was too trusting, believing me so easily, but I kept that thought to myself.
“Take her.”
“As you command, my liege.”
Then, I ordered Apito.
Apito bowed respectfully to me and left with Mai.
And so, the angel army that had invaded the surface was utterly exterminated down to the last, cementing our complete victory.
It seems the e-books are now on sale everywhere.
For details, check the activity report.
Incidentally, an SS is included, but I plan to move that here eventually.