Super Beasts.
They were catastrophes that had suddenly appeared in this world.
It was said they were organisms that had undergone sudden mutation after being bathed in contaminated material in the aftermath of the Great War, but their true nature remained shrouded in mystery.
The one confirmed trait was that Super Beasts burrowed underground, generated otherworldly spaces, and never emerged on the surface.
Even underground passages deemed safe could contain pockets of contamination.
Therefore, wearing protective suits was mandatory.
And if there was even a possibility of suddenly being attacked by a Super Beast, then underground passages could hardly be called safe either.
When escorting a thousand residents, underground passages were considered so dangerous it was almost worse than the alternative.
That was precisely why they had chosen to travel on the surface wearing protective suits—to avoid encounters with Super Beasts…
Zaza and the others assigned to the escort mission scrambled to spread out while glaring up at the towering bulk of a Super Beast.
But it wasn't just one that had appeared.
Several Super Beasts stood in a semicircle, looking down at Zaza's group with contempt.
"Tch…"
"If we had our Enhanced Armaments, we could fight these things…"
Kalman muttered bitterly.
It was true. With the firepower of Enhanced Armaments, battling Super Beasts would have been manageable.
But right now, all Kalman and his people had were Small Lightning Machine Guns—standard-issue weapons for mechanized soldiers.
All five of their Enhanced Armaments had been destroyed by
The Small Lightning Machine Gun was a fearsome weapon that scattered superheated energy bullets, but it was ultimately an anti-personnel, anti-materiel weapon.
Against the colossal bodies of Super Beasts, it simply lacked sufficient firepower.
After all, the Super Beasts' greatest trait was their abnormally high regeneration ability.
Even if limbs or tentacles were torn off, they would reabsorb them and regenerate.
To defeat one, you had to destroy more than two-thirds of its massive body in a single blow.
You needed to completely incinerate it, or otherwise ensure its total annihilation.
With the heavy firepower of Enhanced Armaments it wasn't a problem, but trying to take down a Super Beast with small arms alone was practically impossible.
The adults who had been enjoying their barbecue had frozen in place, unable to think of what to do in the heat of the moment.
"Damn it! We'll buy you time—run while you can!!"
Zaza shouted, snapping the dazed adults out of it.
"It's no use, Zaza! There are Super Beasts behind us too—!!"
It was Lindou who answered him.
Just as he said, more Super Beasts had appeared behind Zaza at some point.
They were completely surrounded.
Meanwhile, despite the dire situation, the children remained perfectly calm.
They looked a bit surprised, sure, but not one of them let go of their plates.
Some were even bold enough to snatch freshly grilled meat from right in front of the stunned adults.
The reason was simple: Veldora, who had become a hero-like figure to the children, was grilling meat without so much as a flinch.
His composure reassured the children and made them believe everything was perfectly fine.
In fact, when Kalman and his group had arrived, and when Michel had come, Veldora had been nobly grilling something, and the problem had been resolved without incident every time.
To Zaza, that iron griddle was like a cursed item, but to the children it seemed like a symbol of safety.
And as for the man himself, Veldora…
He was sizzling away at the meat, casually observing the Super Beasts.
"Hey,
"That's right. But hey, Master… those things don't seem all that impressive, do they?"
"Mm. The proof is that none of them are daring enough to attack me out of fear."
"Lord Veldora, that can't be helped. Beasts are different from people—they gauge their opponent's strength to some degree on instinct."
"So it seems. But that's a problem. It means I won't get to show off my power…"
"Oh, Master! More meat, please!"
"Are you even listening, Ramiris? That's the most important point here!"
"I think you should just give up on that, honestly."
"Besides, the children already trust Lord Veldora. There's no need to rush—those who can appreciate Lord Veldora's greatness will come to understand it in time."
"Oh-ho, how true. I suppose that's right. Forcing respect through the use of skills would feel hollow. Someone—I won't say who—had trouble with exactly that approach. Someone from Rimuru's homeland, that is."
"That's right, Master. I think that approach is kinda off too."
"You're right. I also feel that kind of treatment is a bit off. No rush is fine, then."
"Then it's settled—Master, more meat!"
Veldora clicked his tongue at the nonchalant Ramiris but still grilled up some meat and handed it over.
He also threw some new pieces onto the griddle in front of the children.
Surprisingly, Veldora was quite thoughtful and kind.
Ramiris stuffed her cheeks with the meat, devouring it with a ferocity that defied her tiny body.
The children, too, paid no attention to the adults' panic and were thoroughly enjoying their barbecue.
Compared to the desperate Zaza and the others, their scene was the picture of peace.
But that tranquility was shattered by Zaza's shouting.
"Hey—Oooooy!! Why are you guys so calm about this!? Stop lazily eating meat over there and help prepare to get everyone out of here!!"
At his wit's end, Zaza's face turning blue with frustration, he hurled his complaints.
Even Veldora couldn't ignore that, and with a resigned sigh, he responded.
"Zaza, calm yourself. There's no need to rush anything—everyone has to put on those cumbersome suits to leave my Barrier before they can escape. Rather than doing that, wouldn't it be faster to eliminate the ruffians interrupting our meal? Besides, I hardly think creatures of that caliber could even enter my Barrier in the first place—"
"What are you talking about!? If we could do that, we wouldn't be struggling! Stop spouting nonsense about barriers and, while those Super Beasts are still watching us, help everyone change into their—"
"I said calm yourself. There's no reason to panic over such weaklings. Even without me, Beretta alone could handle every last one of them."
"Beretta can!?"
"If given the command, it would be simple enough…"
"Oh…?"
Veldora thought it would be another win for Beretta, but since he wasn't in the mood for that this time, he decided never mind.
The reason was that Veldora was currently grilling meat and had won considerable popularity.
Not just the children—even the adults had been singing his praises until moments ago.
After days of grueling travel that had depleted their stamina, they were treated to the finest grilled meat they had ever tasted.
It was only natural for them to be delighted.
He wasn't thrilled that the Super Beasts had interrupted all that, but frankly, the Super Beasts were just too weak from Veldora's perspective.
Of course, that was by Veldora's standards alone.
Converted to a demon monster classification, a Super Beast would be equivalent to A-rank, and the most powerful specimens could rival sub-Demon Lord class.
Super Beasts possessed vicious special abilities like Ultrasonic Waves, poison, and decomposition enzymes—so even those considered weak could be troublesome opponents.
But there were no Magicules in this world.
A Super Beast operating solely under this world's physical laws was, from Veldora's standpoint, not even worth considering.
The scientific weapons Kalman's group possessed had harbored unknown potential, but these Super Beasts had nothing of the sort.
Through Veldora's *Truth Analysis*, that was perfectly clear.
Veldora had no interest in bullying the weak, which was why he'd thought it was fine even if he didn't get to participate this time.
Moreover, the Super Beasts had instinctively grasped Veldora's power and hadn't moved since appearing—which only confirmed things further.
From Veldora's perspective, he simply didn't want to lay a hand on those who already feared him. That was his honest feeling.
"Basically, it seems like just animals—birds, dogs, cats, mice, snakes—that had their cells mutated, right? Just magical beasts with strong power and special abilities?"
Even Ramiris agreed with Veldora.
And Beretta understood this as well, which was why it had no enthusiasm for the fight.
If given the command, it would act. That was all there was to it.
"Shit, it's no good! The Small Lightning Machine Guns don't have enough firepower! Their regeneration is too high—we're not doing any real damage!!"
Kalman came running over, shouting.
They had steeled themselves to fight, but it seemed they had run out of ammunition.
Without bullets, there was no way to attack, so they had no choice but to fall back.
"Kalman, fear dulls judgment. If you've realized your attacks aren't working, you should stop wasting ammunition. Simply targeting the ground or rocky areas to kick up dust would improve survival chances. But there's no need for that this time. After all—I'm here!"
"That's true, but… wait, what exactly are you saying…?"
Kalman found himself involuntarily nodding at Veldora's observation.
He realized he'd made mistakes in his panic and reflected on it.
At the same time, unable to grasp the meaning behind Veldora's following words, he asked again with a bewildered expression.
"Look. The area around us has somehow become a strange dimensional space."
"There's no 'somehow' about it—it's your ability, Master…"
"Quiet! This safe zone was created with a truly improbable convergence of factors, and for some reason, even those Super Beasts cannot breach it."
Ignoring Ramiris's pointed remark, Veldora began making up his own explanation.
He was pretending his earlier words about the Barrier had never happened, but that was a bit much to get away with.
"No, no, didn't you just say something about a 'Barrier' yourself…?"
"Zaza, you really do nitpick the smallest details. That hardly matters now. The real issue is that one. Look—it's recklessly trying to pursue Kalman all the way here!"
Despite Zaza's perfectly valid callout, Veldora completely ignored it.
Instead, he directed everyone's attention to the individual attempting to breach his Barrier.
The one Veldora pointed at was the Super Beast that had chased Kalman.
Perhaps consumed by rage, it had ignored the instincts' warnings and charged in.
The instant the Super Beast touched the Barrier, a dramatic transformation occurred.
"GURUU, GYAGYAGYAAAAA—!!"
It let out a scream as if its body were being sliced apart and began writhing in extraordinary agony.
Before their very eyes, its tiger-like surface peeled away, and the tentacles growing from its back crumbled to dust and fell to the ground.
"What the—!? What's happening?"
"Veldora, did you do something!?"
Zaza and the others were stunned, but Veldora didn't answer.
He simply watched the Super Beast in silence, murmuring, "Hm."
The tiger-type Super Beast hastily leapt back out of the Barrier.
Having given up on penetrating further, it prowled resentfully around the Barrier's exterior.
Its peeled-off surface and the tentacles on its back were already regenerating.
Though it couldn't enter the Barrier, it didn't appear to have taken significant damage.
After confirming this, Veldora grinned.
"I see. So you're Super Beasts? Now I understand their true nature."
"Mm. Master's Purification Barrier breaks down and purifies contaminated material, right? The fact that it crumbled the moment it entered means that enormous body is formed from contaminated material."
"That's remarkable. They're organisms mutated by the influence of a substance different from Magicules."
Veldora and the others had reached their understanding, but Zaza's group was completely lost.
"Um, what exactly are you all talking about…?"
"Could you explain it so we can understand too?"
While Zaza and Kalman looked baffled, Veldora and his companions exchanged their theories.
And through this, they had pieced together information that was remarkably close to the truth.
As if providing further data for Veldora's group, two or three more Super Beasts took turns attempting to breach the Barrier.
But the results were the same as the first tiger-type—failure.
At that point, perhaps fed up with their companions' incompetence, an enormous snake-type individual stepped forward.
"Oh? I sense a strong will from this one. Could it be the leader?"
A great serpent with a purple body and a crimson head.
Wings sprouted from its back, and it radiated an authority that set it apart from the other Super Beasts.
As Veldora said, this was likely the individual leading this group of Super Beasts.
The leader flinched for just an instant at Veldora's Barrier, but then forced its way inside.
Cracks appeared on its surface, but its regeneration ability seemed to outpace the damage, as it remained composed.
"Oh? This might be somewhat entertaining. Very well—I shall take you on myself."
Veldora watched with interest and made his declaration with great relish.
The children erupted in cheers upon hearing this.
"So cool!"
"Lord Veldora, you're the coolest ever!!"
"Don't lose!!"
And so on.
Veldora's ears twitched, and his cheeks split into an uncontrollable grin.
"Hey, are you sure about this? Veldora, you're definitely stronger than I imagined, no doubt. No one questions your mastery of the [Arcane Artillery]. But that regeneration is a problem. You need a high-output attack to put one down, you know?"
"What Kalman said. We get that you're amazing. So don't push yourself—let Beretta handle it. Isn't that what you call playing to each person's strengths?"
Kalman and Zaza were worried about Veldora.
But Veldora simply smiled as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
"You're both mistaken. I've told you many times—I'm stronger than Beretta. And it seems this one is the only one capable of entering my Barrier, so I hardly need to worry about protecting everyone. Besides, in my line of sight, harming those who believe in me is simply impossible!"
With that, he laughed heartily.
The great serpent bearing down on Veldora was indeed powerful.
Its physical capabilities alone were comparable to sub-Demon Lord class.
But that was all.
The fact that it could withstand Veldora's Barrier was nothing remarkable.
After all, the Barrier was in name only—a space that simply removed contamination.
It wasn't the *Multi-Dimensional Barrier* that Veldora had erected in earnest for defense.
In truth, there had been a reason Veldora had been leaving offense to Beretta and devoting himself to defense until now.
One was to decipher this world's laws.
The other was to be prepared to handle anything by focusing entirely on protection.
Though he appeared to be doing nothing, he had been carefully considering these matters all along.
Since this world lacked Magicules, even his *Universal Perception* had reduced accuracy.
That was why Veldora had decided to use the power of "Storm" that he governed to use the very atmosphere as his watchful eye.
And at last, fully wielding *All of Creation* and *Truth Analysis*, he had completely mastered this world's laws over the past few days.
That meant—he had fully grasped the nature of this planet.
And because of that, Veldora could now exert his full power.
Even without relying on Magicules, he could execute most of the power he could wield in his original world.
Therefore, protecting everyone without focusing purely on defense was easy.
"GURAAAARGH!!"
The great serpent charged forward in a threatening display.
Seeing that, Veldora grinned.
"Very well. I had no intention of fighting those who cower, but if you dare challenge me—then I'll oblige!"
With that bold declaration, he lightly clenched his right fist and thrust it forward.
"Dragon Punch!!"
Perhaps wanting to try out a newly learned technique—it was a vibration fist wave.
"Same old lack of naming sense. You should learn a thing or two from my forty-eight ultimate techniques."
"Things like Drop Kick and Fairy Chop? Those seem to be on the same level to me…"
"Did you say something, Beretta?"
"—No, nothing."
Ramiris and Beretta whispered to each other.
But Veldora was in high spirits from finally having a chance to shine, and their conversation didn't reach his ears.
Without a care, he met the charging great serpent head-on.
Veldora slipped inside the approaching serpent's guard, and his right fist pierced into the purple scales that could withstand even tank shells.
Contact.
The shockwave that was born in that instant raced through the serpent's entire body.
"GYAGAAAAARGH—!!"
The great serpent screamed in agony.
Scales burst from every part of its body, revealing raw flesh beneath its crimson head.
In that previous exchange, Veldora had perfectly mastered the technique of converting his power into vibration waves.
"Qua-ha-ha-ha-ha! How's that? My technique is quite something, isn't it?!"
Looking down at the sent flying, Veldora laughed proudly.
The onlookers stared in stunned silence.
"Wh-what the heck is that—?!"
"No way… you've gotta be kidding me…"
"Th-that's impossible…"
"It can't be… Does he really have power on par with Lady Michel when he's serious?"
"I-I can't believe it. How can someone do that bare-handed…"
"Yeah. The standard countermeasure against Super Beasts is complete incineration through heavy ordnance. To do it with a single fist…"
"I mean, that's beyond unreasonable."
Astonishment.
That single word captured it all.
Every adult was struggling to accept the sight that defied all reality before their eyes.
Some even questioned whether they were dreaming.
But the children were straightforward.
"That was awesome!!"
"Lord Veldora really is the coolest!!
"So cool, unbelievably cool!!"
They were in a state of wild excitement.
And so was Veldora.
*(Qua-ha-ha-ha-ha! Finally. I've finally stepped into the spotlight!!)* He was absolutely ecstatic.
"Ah, Master's gotten carried away."
"Isn't that better? Better to be confident than sulking and feeling sorry for himself."
"That's true~. But Master has completely figured out this world's laws, hasn't he?"
"Yes. As expected of Lord Veldora—thanks to him, the spirits' power is starting to become active again."
Ramiris smiled wryly but found Veldora reassuring.
As expected of a
As Beretta had said, the spirit activity that had been dormant in this world was beginning to awaken, all thanks to Veldora.
The cause was Veldora, who governed Storm, activating his power.
Though only partially, sunlight was now genuinely falling upon the surface that had been deprived of it for so long.
The effect was dramatic—the spirits that had been dormant were beginning to awaken.
As a natural consequence, the range of magic Ramiris could use expanded, and Beretta's power grew as well.
Ten or twenty Super Beasts were no longer a threat.
"I commend your spirit in challenging me! As a reward, I'll let you accompany me while I practice a new technique!"
With that declaration, Veldora lunged at the fallen snake-type Super Beast.
The great serpent let out a resounding roar.
It was an absolute command.
Even the Super Beasts that had been cowering before Veldora's Barrier could not defy that order.
Around twenty Super Beasts gathered nearby all surged forward at once.
But Veldora didn't panic.
There was no need to panic.
By completely dominating the atmosphere, he had perfected the field of vision for his *Universal Perception*.
On top of that, he dispatched the multitude of Super Beasts with single blows.
"Qua-ha-ha-ha-ha! Numbers mean nothing! Cease your futile resistance before me!"
He roared with laughter and defeated every last Super Beast.
The entire time: barely one minute.
It was completely overwhelming.
"…Hey, are we dreaming or something?"
"Hahaha, I've been exhausted lately, so I was wondering the same thing."
"You can't be wrong—because there's no way this is real!!"
With high-powered energy weapons, defeating them might have been possible.
But what Veldora had done was leave them alive yet completely immobilized.
Super Beasts.
The terrifying natural enemies of humanity, with their high regeneration that made them seem virtually immortal.
With punches. With kicks. With headbutts…
Without killing a single Super Beast, he had rendered them all unable to act.
Absurd—that was the verdict of every adult present.
"Now then, you're the only one left. Still haven't given up?"
Veldora's gaze was fixed on the great serpent with the crimson head.
The serpent seemed to understand this, and glared back at Veldora with undisguised hatred.
"You still haven't broken—that's admirable for a weakling. But something doesn't add up. Why do you hate humans so much?"
As Veldora addressed the serpent, it was the adults who were bewildered.
Especially warriors like Zaza and Kalman—they would have preferred to just finish it off.
Without a care for their skeptical stares, Veldora stood there casually, as if awaiting the serpent's answer.
"GURAAAARGH!!"
A roar.
The great serpent's fighting spirit burned high, and it tried to snap at Veldora with its massive jaws.
"Hmph!!"
Veldora's heel, raised high, pierced straight through the serpent's forehead.
The serpent's brow split open, and purple blood flowed out.
The great serpent thrashed in a frenzy.
—And then.
From the split forehead, something emerged.
It had the form of a human.
The figure of a young woman with long crimson hair— "So the base form was human after all."
"Looks like it. The fact that it had enough intelligence to command other Super Beasts made me suspect as much."
"The moment it didn't fear Lord Veldora proved its instincts were weak. No—or perhaps its hatred overpowered its fear… Either way, challenging a fight it couldn't win is perhaps the greatest proof that it was once human."
Humans.
Super Beasts born not from dogs, cats, or other animals—but based on intelligent humans.
Zaza and the others were speechless.
"You're telling me… a Super Beast? A natural enemy of humanity… and yet that Super Beast was originally human?"
Shalma murmured, unable to believe it.
No one could say anything.
"Conversation may be difficult. If there were Magicules, Thought Communication would suffice. Reading the thought waves themselves isn't my strong suit."
"Lord Veldora, that happens to be my specialty. That woman harbors endless resentment toward humanity. It seems she was betrayed by her lover, abandoned, and turned into an experiment along with many of her companions."
"Oh?"
"What kind of experiment?"
"Mutation, special traits… toxin decomposition. Her thoughts aren't rational, so extracting memories that far back is—"
Beretta could read emotions and intent, but deciphering memories as precise information was difficult even for it.
Especially given that it was a visitor from another world where even the language differed—even Beretta couldn't manage it.
Beyond that, the Super Beast that had likely been the test subject probably hadn't understood the experiment's contents itself.
"—However, my conclusion is that the existence known as Super Beasts may be an environmentally optimized organism artificially created."
Based on the information it had gathered, Beretta had formulated that theory.
Upon hearing this, the adults—particularly Zaza and Kalman, who knew the old world—went pale in an instant.
"No way…"
"Artificially…? If that's true, the most likely source is our homeland…?"
Kalman's subordinates muttered in agitation without thinking.
That was understandable.
They had just been told that the Super Beasts they had considered enemies might be the remnants of their own people.
And Kalman— "Our people…? Lover… betrayal…? No, it can't be—"
—he stood frozen, unable to tear his gaze away from the Super Beast writhing before him.
"So, Master, what are you going to do with these Super Beasts?"
"Mm. Look, Ramiris. These creatures have been inside my Purification Barrier for a while now, repeatedly peeling and regenerating their surfaces. But unfortunately, there's no sign of them returning to their original biological form. Breaking down the contaminated material can weaken them, but the cells that have already mutated remain as they are."
"…Meaning?"
"Meaning it's difficult to reverse the process. In that case, a mercy blow to put them out of their misery would be—"
As Veldora was about to finish his sentence, Kalman moved.
"Wait! Could you let them go?! If you're telling me there might be our own people in there who were used as test subjects… I can't think of them as enemies anymore… At the very least, I need time to think right now!"
Kalman spread his arms wide and stood in front of the Super Beasts as if to shield them.
"Mm," Veldora nodded. "That's fine. But—"
Before Veldora could finish, something else moved.
A Super Beast.
The humanoid form that had emerged from the crimson forehead lunged toward Kalman, who had his back turned.
"GAAH!!"
But it didn't succeed.
Veldora had extended his arm and caught the fangs.
"—These beings are no longer human, you know."
Kalman stared at the Super Beast as if frozen.
Veldora was right—the Super Beasts were not human.
Kalman understood that.
The long crimson hair was coated in filth and clung to the body.
It might have appeared to be a young woman, but its skin was covered in purple scales, and up close it looked more like a demon than a human.
Most unsettling of all was everything from the torso down.
It was completely fused with the great serpent's head.
A grotesque form that was impossible to believe had once been human.
And yet…
"…That's right. I found out later—the research conducted in what used to be our hometown was about the creation of special omnipotent cells. A project to create humans capable of functioning in any environment by decomposing toxins and contaminated material. It backs up Beretta's theory!! Maybe, just maybe—Brigadier General Karaf and Charl survived, and—"
Kalman spoke while watching the Super Beast thrashing and biting at Veldora's arm.
No tears came. Kalman's modified body lacked that function.
But he felt a loneliness he hadn't experienced in decades filling his chest.
"We're asking too!"
"When we heard it might be someone we knew…"
"Yeah. Maybe this one was my little sister!!"
"Hey, please let them go. I'm begging you!"
Kalman's subordinates spoke up all at once.
Veldora gazed at them gently and murmured, "How foolish."
When people were consumed by resentment, anger, and hatred, they lost the capacity for empathy and committed atrocities without hesitation.
Even such people—did they still cherish their countrymen?
When it came to those precious to them, they would act without hesitation, no matter what.
And yet they were so weak-hearted, so foolish they couldn't see the bigger picture, so easily used and deceived.
The essence of humanity, it seemed, didn't change even across different worlds.
—And yet, Veldora thought, that was precisely what made them endearing.
"Qua-ha-ha-ha-ha. Very well. You weak, small, foolish ones—I shall grant your wish."
Wind began to swirl around Veldora.
It gently swept between the people and softly enveloped the Super Beasts.
And then— "I'll let you go this time. If you interfere with me again, there won't be a next."
With the will of the absolute made clear, Veldora hurled the Super Beasts outside the Barrier.