I changed Skill Granting to Ultimate Gift. It doesn't really mean much—it's just a matter of naming.
The series of events that began in order to reclaim Veldora has finally come to a close.
Skill Fusion is also complete, and I'm in high spirits.
But I can't just sit around feeling good about myself.
As much as I'd rather be playing around in the dungeon, I need to sort out these issues first.
I'll have to prepare for the fight against the Will of Evil that's set to begin in a few weeks.
I also want to build cooperative relationships among the Demon Lords.
That's why I was thinking we should hold a Festival of the Demon Lords.
I'd already finished contacting all the relevant parties.
When I contacted Luminous, she chewed me out in that fierce tone of hers, but let's set that aside.
At any rate, I also contacted Guy and asked him to host the Festival of the Demon Lords.
Obtaining the approval of three Demon Lords is something that can now be gathered fairly easily these days.
—but being so high-spirited the moment she felt safe again was just her being herself, I suppose.
Getting approval from such a child was simple.
"Here, eat this and cheer up. Oh, right. Will you approve this too?"
"Oh! This is pudding, isn't it! Can I really eat all of it!? Sure, I'll approve anything!"
So I dazzled her with pudding and, while she was distracted, quickly had her stamp the magic seal.
She's so easy to handle—it's a real lifesaver.
I also got approval from Luminous, who was furious at me after learning that the preparations made against the Empire had been rendered useless because of Veldora.
I also informed Leon of the situation and got his willing approval.
Milim had been storing up complaints from not being able to hang out lately, but— "How about coming over under the pretense of a meeting?"
—my idea left her amazed.
"As expected! Rimuru, your wisdom is always so brilliant!"
She got fired up like that and apparently went right away to convince
I got her approval without any trouble, so when she comes to visit the Monster Nation, I'll have some of that pudding that was so popular with Ramiris ready.
And so, that's how I managed to gather the approval stamps of five Demon Lords, including myself.
Even while I was undergoing Skill Fusion in the Empire, I'd been making these preparations behind the scenes, so things moved quickly.
Sharing information is one thing, but I also need everyone to be prepared for the great war that could break out.
So the decision was made to hold the event as early as possible.
Five days passed and I returned to the Monster Nation, and the very next day was the day of the Festival of the Demon Lords.
Since Krischna arrived on schedule, it should proceed without issue.
Thanks to Dino's betrayal, the Eight Star Demon Lords are now down to seven Pillars.
However, everyone except Ramiris is at the Awakened Demon Lord level or higher—this is an unprecedented level of power.
Everyone's level is so high, ironically, that the word "awakening" has lost all its significance.
Well, that's fine.
At any rate, preparations are complete.
Milim is apparently coming on the morning of the event, and I've had welcome preparations made as well.
She says she plans to stay for about three days after the Festival of the Demon Lords ends.
Given that busy preparations await, I doubt she'll actually have the leisure to take it easy, but a little shouldn't be too bad.
Veldora and Ramiris seem to be looking forward to it too, so maybe I should ask them to go easy on her.
And then, a question suddenly occurred to me.
Come to think of it, Milim always traveled by flight.
Since Frey also flies, I hadn't given it much thought, but— I don't think I've ever seen Milim use a Transfer Gate.
Could it be that she can't teleport?
Well, she's absurdly fast, so it's only about a five-hour flight at Frey's top speed one way.
Five hours at subsonic speed—that's quite a distance. My sense of scale must be getting warped.
No, wait—given my current perception, that might actually be accurate... This is getting confusing.
I keep thinking in terms of my human days, but there's no helping that. Besides, for my monster subordinates, this might be the appropriate sense of scale.
When Milim arrives, I'll ask whether she can teleport.
If she can't, I'll set up a magic circle for transfers so she can use one whenever she wants.
Though, if Milim went all out, she'd probably fly here in less than thirty minutes anyway.
Now then.
I successfully rendezvoused with Milim and headed to the venue for the Festival of the Demon Lords.
While we were chatting and relaxing in the waiting room,
*'Lord Rimuru, thank you so much for using the "Secret Method of Evolution" on us!'* It seemed they'd fully completed their evolution, and they greeted me with expressions of gratitude.
Both of them bowed their heads to me, but it wasn't really that spectacular a secret method. Then again, since no one but me can use it, maybe it really is that impressive.
"Hm? What's the 'Secret Method of Evolution'?"
Milim seemed interested, so I distracted her with cake.
Like Ramiris, Milim has a childlike temperament, making her easy to handle.
Having distracted Milim, I slipped through the gate Misery had created and transported to the venue.
My attendants were
Milim had only Frey, her supervisor.
Ramiris was sitting on
Incidentally, when I checked Beretta's status: Name: Beretta Race: Holy-Demonic Metal Body (Greater Holy-Demonic Spirit) Blessing: Blessing of the Labyrinth Title: Guardian of Ramiris Magic: Dark Magic Abilities: Ultimate Gift — King of Machine Dolls ...Thought Acceleration, State Domination, Mineral Manipulation Space Manipulation, Multi-Layered Barrier Common Skills: Universal Perception, Demon Lord Haki Combat Skills: Law Manipulation (Earth), Holy-Demonic Fusion Resistances: Physical Attack Nullification, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Mental Attack Nullification, Natural Influence Nullification, Holy-Demonic Attack Resistance Well, well. It seems Beretta can now freely create minerals. Of course, raw materials are still necessary—goes without saying.
It's like an ability to manipulate elements, I suppose?
Also, State Domination is quietly interesting. The state of minerals—no, let me stop trying to make it sound complicated.
Simply put, it's the ability to freely manipulate metals.
Like that tough liquid metal you see in movies—that's the kind of thing Beretta can become.
Usually, Beretta appears as an artful puppet with ball-jointed limbs, but— By freely transforming the Living
Moreover, upon contact, it seems Beretta could absorb targets like a Slime.
Beretta had evolved into a terrifying Metallic Lifeform, comparable to a Spiritual Lifeform.
A puppet I'd created on a whim had achieved a stunning evolution by having a demon possess it.
The seven of us were escorted into the venue according to protocol.
Now then.
I had business with Guy, so I urged Milim and the others to go ahead and take their seats.
They seemed a bit curious about what I was up to, but obediently complied. Probably because the promise of cake afterward carried significant weight.
Seeing Milim and Ramiris off, I had Misery guide me to Guy.
Actually, the night before, Chloe had come to see me.
We sat in the reception room and chatted about recent events.
Since I don't need sleep, we ended up talking until dawn.
I got to hear about everything—what happened after we parted, about Hinata's soul and the past she'd gone through. All the things I'd wanted to know.
"Teacher—have I... grown stronger?"
Yes, you have.
Chloe had borne hardships that couldn't be so easily put into words.
To flippantly offer my comfort or empty words of consolation would be disrespectful.
So instead, I said: "Ha! You're still weak. Utterly hopeless.
If you're supposed to be a 'Hero,' showing weakness to a Demon Lord is completely out of the question.
But, I'll admit—you've been working hard.
So... bear with it a little longer."
I said that, frustrated by my own inability to say anything more meaningful.
Chloe looked at me with a relieved, happy expression.
After that, I sparred with Chloe.
I wanted to confirm the true strength of the strongest "Hero" and see whether she could stand up to Guy.
We prepared two wooden swords and decided to use those.
"Teacher, you've grown taller, haven't you? You're starting to remind me of Teacher
Chloe said this as she accepted the wooden sword.
Really? Since Shizu is my base, maybe some of her aura carried over.
There was no referee. This was purely a test of strength.
I tossed the coin into the air, and when it hit the floor, that would signal the start.
We faced each other in silence, and I lightly tossed the coin.
It spun in the air, traced an arc, and landed on the floor with a clear *ring*.
Chloe and I moved simultaneously.
Against Chloe's Ultimate Skill, King of Space-Time, I countered with my Void God.
The match was deadlocked, and I read a momentary opening in Chloe's stance with Future Prediction.
The instant I swung the wooden sword down at that opening, I realized I was suddenly on the defensive.
A blade was bearing down on me right in front of my eyes.
"Hehe. I win, don't I?"
Seriously!?
I stood there dumbfounded, hearing Chloe's voice.
Far from gauging whether she could face Guy, I was the one being beaten handily.
*'Master, the ability of Time Domination has been unlocked.'* Guided by that voice, I activated the ability.
I didn't know exactly what it did, but I had a feeling it would work.
When I activated it, the world came to a halt.
My perception was enhanced a millionfold—precisely because of that, I could understand that the world had stopped moving, as if frozen.
Not just my perception—my movements were now a million times faster. In other words, by dominating the flow of time, I could accelerate only myself.
This was a superpower fundamentally different from super acceleration. There were no physical side effects from the backlash of this ability.
The only one who could move within this ability's domain was me—no, there was one other.
Chloe.
*(Aha. As expected of Teacher Rimuru! You can exist within the "Stopped World"!)* *(Don't try to one-up me! Something like this is trivial for a Demon Lord like me!)* I couldn't very well admit that I was putting on a brave front, so that's what I answered.
Even if it was only for a few months, I couldn't show weakness to my disciple.
For Chloe, who had lived so many years, a few months was probably insignificant.
*—No. To me, those few months are more precious than anything—* Was that a hallucination?
I felt like I'd heard something.
The match with Chloe ended in a draw.
Chloe's mastery of swordsmanship was formidable—surpassing even
Combined with her ability to stop time, there would be no equal.
Within the "Stopped World," ranged abilities became unusable, and magic couldn't be activated. It might become possible with practice, but it seemed extremely difficult.
Also, while the "Stopped World" was active, Future Prediction couldn't activate. You had to rely purely on technique and physical abilities. Direct-contact abilities might still work, though.
So it made sense that someone who had mastered swordsmanship like Chloe could become the strongest.
Well, there were probably very few who could move within the "Stopped World."
Among my subordinates, only Diablo,
Naturally, under current conditions, it was impossible. It was a one-in-a-million chance that required some kind of trigger.
Even if I granted someone the ability, they wouldn't be able to master it.
Chloe's goal might have been to make me experience the "Stopped World" and, if possible, learn to use it.
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If so, had I lived up to Chloe's expectations?
Either way, I'd sworn to defeat Yuuki and free Chloe, so there was no room for concern.
Defeat was not permitted. I just had to prove it with results.
We talked a bit more after the match.
Chloe had apparently witnessed Dino's forces attacking the city and had been watching to see if she needed to intervene. But my companions were strong enough that they didn't need her help.
It was a little embarrassing, but it felt good to hear my people praised.
After our conversation, Chloe said this in the end: "Teacher. When the great war begins, I'll have to challenge Demon Lord
The order I've been given is to stop Guy.
So if Demon Lord Guy Crimson doesn't participate in the great war, there's no need to force a fight.
If possible, could you use your influence to convince Guy to stand down?
As for me, I'll search for a way to break the curse on my own—"
"Understood. Guy is surprisingly reasonable when you talk to him. I'll try to convince him to agree.
He also seems to get along well with Leon, so maybe asking him through that channel would work too."
"Yes! I'll go see Brother Leon right away."
"Alright. Take care, then."
I said that and patted Chloe on the head.
"Hehe."
Chloe narrowed her eyes happily, then bowed to me and raised her face.
Her expression was composed and tense—the childishness from before was gone entirely.
"Well then, Teacher... may you have victory!"
With those final words, Chloe departed.
......
.....
...
The moment I met Guy— "So here's the situation—we just need a little more time until Chloe is freed!"
—I launched into an impassioned explanation.
From Guy's perspective, he'd have no idea what I was talking about.
But I didn't care.
What mattered to me was Chloe's freedom. Guy's convenience was irrelevant.
Chloe was incredibly strong, and Guy was equally so. Honestly, if the two of them fought, I couldn't imagine how it would turn out.
Both of them seemed to have hidden reserves of power, too.
"I wasn't expecting this either... But I understand the situation.
If it's the "Hero" in question, that's no small fry.
And among the awakened heroes known as the "Black-Hued Hero" or the "Nameless Hero," she's the strongest of the lot.
But to think that she's Leon's missing person and Luminous's beloved... what a small world.
Whatever—I'll play along with this little drama. I'll handle it as the situation demands.
In that case, it really would be stupid to waste energy now."
Guy accepted more readily than I'd expected.
It seemed that awakening his subordinates the other day had left him with some sense of gratitude toward me.
Or... maybe he was just looking forward to the fight with Chloe.
He agreed to keep things to a minor skirmish without either side going all out, so Chloe's safety should be assured, but... I was still a little worried.
Guy seemed like a battle maniac too, and I hoped he wouldn't get carried away and turn it into a real fight.
That would have to sort itself out, though.
But I was glad for the connection with Guy.
The common belief was that Demon Lords didn't get along, so the fact that they were secretly on good terms meant Yuuki hadn't caught on.
If he had, the order given to Chloe would have been different.
Well, Dino probably knew to some extent, but he shouldn't have known the details of Guy's visit.
Since Milim came to visit, there were no secrets in that regard.
He probably knew about Luminous's cooperation with me since she'd been visiting research facilities.
But I doubted he'd figured out that even Leon, who deliberately kept his distance, was in an alliance.
Dino wasn't exactly a hard worker, so I could trust that he wouldn't know the full picture.
It was precisely because he thought Guy and I weren't close that he'd aimed for a draw between Chloe and Guy.
Come to think of it, even setting aside Yuuki, the Will of Evil might not care one way or another.
If he wanted a draw, he'd have ordered them to fight to the death instead. The fact that he only gave a hold-off instruction meant that creating a situation where Guy didn't participate was his primary objective.
*'Additionally, the primary objective is to eliminate the strain of allocating power toward domination.* *If he strengthened his control over Chloe, he wouldn't be able to use his full power.* *By giving Chloe her orders and cutting her loose, he eliminated the control domain.* *The current Yuuki = Will of Evil is in a state where he can deploy 100% of his power.* *And one more thing.* *While Yuuki and the Will of Evil share the same goal, the means they would choose are completely different.'* I see.
In other words, he'd determined that creating a situation where he could fight at full strength was more strategically important than keeping Chloe around.
There was no point in holding onto the strongest fighting asset indefinitely.
Combat power is meant to be used, after all.
Yuuki had been too cautious, failing to put his assets to effective use. But the Will of Evil would employ every means at his disposal.
—He'd be a tough opponent.
Unlike Yuuki, who liked to hold back and take detours, this one was the type to head straight for his objective and take the optimal action. That kind of opponent was extremely troublesome.
I steeled myself, knowing I'd have to be on guard.
After finishing my negotiations with Guy, I headed to the venue.
Everyone was already seated at the round table, except for Guy and me.
Well, and Dino wasn't there either. If he'd shown up here, he would've been a big deal in his own right.
The moment Guy took his seat, the Festival began.
First, I delivered a status report. I distributed prepared materials and presented the analysis of the war with the Empire.
At the same time, I declared that Imperial territory had come under my control and sought the approval of each Demon Lord.
Normally, this was the stage where objections would fly and arguments would break out.
But this time, I'd obtained the territory through one-sided domination. No one could complain about that.
It wasn't as though I'd struck while they were weak—there was nothing of the sort. I hadn't weakened at all; I'd only grown stronger.
More than anything, I didn't think any of the current Demon Lords would dare to challenge me.
Our interests didn't conflict, and there was no benefit in opposing me.
And so the war report concluded, and I moved on to explaining the situation up to now.
When I finished the overview— "So Dino betrayed us after all..."
Guy had anticipated this to some extent and showed no surprise, but for Dagruel, who had been on friendly terms with Dino, it must have been more troubling.
"It's more like he was always on the other side, to begin with.
Or rather, it seemed like he was familiar with some kind of alter ego of Yuuki."
My offhand remark made both Dagruel and Guy freeze.
"That's right! That guy went completely crazy and came to kill me!
He was spouting nonsense about me becoming a source of harm to 'that person,' and it seemed like he had some old acquaintance in that crowd too."
Ramiris chimed in to supplement what I'd said, and that seemed to be the final straw.
"Impossible..."
Guy murmured.
"That can't be. But perhaps..."
Dagruel's face darkened as he fell deep into thought.
He seemed to have something on his mind.
Apart from that, there were no major issues, and the Festival proceeded without incident.
As promised to me, Guy would not make any moves.
However, he would delegate full authority to Misery, so that his forces could respond immediately if anything happened.
Hilary would presumably stand guard at Guy's side as a precaution. Though someone as proud as Guy would never permit that—so she was probably acting on her own judgment.
Perhaps their evolution had allowed Misery and Hilary to exercise more free will.
Luminous would maintain the status quo.
She had been preparing her military for a possible Imperial invasion and was in a state of readiness, so she would keep things as they were.
Since it was unclear how the angelic forces would move, it was better to remain on guard.
Given that the Will of Evil's goal was the destruction of the world, he wouldn't hesitate to invade the western nations.
Leon and Dagruel each commanded their own armies.
In Milim's case,
Naturally, befitting of their status as Demon Lords, their combat training had never slackened even in peacetime.
Protecting their own domains was a Demon Lord's fundamental duty.
So their territories would be defended by themselves. Guy's domain couldn't support human habitation, so he wasn't directly involved this time around.
In a sense, if he simply didn't move, there was no problem.
In practice, however, Guy's subordinates would operate under Misery's command and serve as reserves for the western nations' defense.
The fact that they'd misread our relationship could turn out to be the move that threw off the Will of Evil's calculations. You could even credit that to Dino's sloppy intelligence reports.
So I thought the situation wasn't bad.
The only worry was if the enemy's forces turned out to be more powerful than expected...
But well, that was exactly why today's meeting existed.
We coordinated to enable swift mutual cooperation and conducted detailed planning.
Without any hitches, the Festival of the Demon Lords concluded successfully.
Each Demon Lord would prepare for the decisive battle against the angelic forces and maintain immediate communication when the time came.
We established an agreement to assist one another if possible, making it a meaningful outcome.
In preparation for emergencies, I'd need to visit Milim's domain and Dagruel's domain.
I wanted to set up transfer magic circles so we could travel between them freely.
When I brought up this idea, each Demon Lord agreed.
As a result, after the Festival, I had Misery take me to each location and recorded the positional information.
It was during this process that I learned Milim and Dagruel couldn't use teleportation. Needless to say, neither could Ramiris.
"Oh, well, that kind of thing isn't my forte at all."
"I don't like all that tedious calculating either!
Just fly there anyway!"
Indeed, transfer-type magic could only teleport to locations where positional data had been recorded.
Spatial Movement was possible as long as you had information on both the current location and the destination, but you needed to accurately calculate the positional correlation between them.
It seemed simple, but it was surprisingly cumbersome.
Milim acted on innate intuition and instinctive judgment, but she was clearly terrible at deliberate calculation.
Dagruel was obviously a brute-force type. And Ramiris was... well, Ramiris.
Building transfer facilities might turn out to be quite useful.
While at it, I also secured their approval for my plan to set up transfer magic circles at various locations.
At our parting, Leon pressed me: "Take care of Chloe."
It went without saying. I nodded, assuring him to leave it to me.
Leon seemed satisfied, gave a nod in return, and departed.
I secretly thought he was his usual cool and dashing self.
And just like that, having secured information in advance, we had a preparation period of about three to four weeks—short, but workable.
The Demon Lords returned to their domains to prepare for the great war.