Third POV:
-'What pressure, she didn't steal her reputation.' Rimuru backed down when Velzard approached him a little too much, his instincts screaming danger.
-'Good luck RImuru, I'm with you.'
-'Ciel, why are you hiding behind a sofa? It won't do shit if she attacks me.'
-'I feel safer that way.'
He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, too unnerved to let out any sound. Guy felt pity for the poor newbie. The tension finally dropped thanks to Mithra who was true to herself.
-"You should give him some space, or do you plan to smooch him? I know he's cute, but still."
-"...Oh. Sorry, where are my manners?." Velzard realized her blunder and moved next to Guy. "But I'm sure you understand my excitement, after 2 000 years without news."
-"It's nothing." Rimuru cleared his throat now she's at a respectable distance. "Greetings, Frost Dragon Velzard."
-"Just call me Velzard. You've earned the right to do so, since you have his blessing."
-"Right… Where do I start?"
He told them his story in a nutshell. How a human found a shard of the Creator's soul, lost in a temple in a forsaken dimension, and how they cohabited for a hundred years. He told them about his inability to revive by himself, and about their promise.
"I'll do what I can to resurrect him and Lucia, no matter how difficult it may be. In the meantime, I'll uphold my promise, and help his family… Well, I should say 'we'. The old hag isn't foreign to it."
Mithra nodded, she stayed quiet the whole time. When Rimuru finished, no one dared to say anything. The outsiders knew their place and waited for Velzard to react. Yet, she wasn't the only one involved.
Milim approached Rimuru in silence, her head dropping. The girl barely knew her parents, she lived for so long she forgot them. This revelation came as a shock for her.
She pulled his sleeve, without saying a word. Rimuru didn't hesitate, he gave her a hug and she snuggled in his mantle. Mithra gave her a headpat and a tender smile.
-"So, I wasn't abandoned…" The girl breathed spasmodically, trying hard to not let tears flow. "If they return, will you remain my besties?"
-"Of course. We're not gonna leave you once it's done. You are precious to us too." Mithra reassured her, speaking her true thoughts.
Rimuru heated his body to make it more comfortable, engulfing Milim in a calming cocoon. They stayed like that for a minute, before she let go and returned to her chair with a brighter mood. They noticed Frey gave a heartwarming smile to her, it looks like the harpy got fond of that child.
-"Thank you, for giving us hope." Velzard wiped a tear which froze on the spot. "Since my brothers call you friends, I think I'll do the same."
-"Eeeeeh, I have a question." Ramiris slowly raised her hand and avoided making eye-contact with Velzard. "Why did you appear in this world so late compared to Mithra, Rimuru? And how did you two manage to die anyways?"
-"Hey Ramiris, it's rude to ask how someone's died." Veldora interjected, as he's an expert on that field. "Especially in their case as they killed each other when they're famil-"
He shut his mouth too late, again. When he saw the scornful gazes of his sworn friends, he hid behind Diablo.
As only the four demons knew, it came as a shock for Shion and Kumara. They didn't know how to react when they saw the slime and the demoness looking away. The outsiders looked at each other, stupefied by the awkwardness of the situation.
-"I-I'm sorry." Ramiris sat on her oversized chair, her wings dropping in shame.
-"Haaa… Don't worry. We got over it already." Mithra scratched her head frantically, recalling a bad moment.
-"It's all in the past now. I don't even remember why we came to it anyways."
Rimuru dismissed it, wanting to change subjects. His sentence owed him a questioning side-look from Mithra, but she didn't have time to inquire.
"I see some things won't change. Don't you agree, Veldora?" Velzard finally took full notice of her brother.
She gave him her terrifying smile, reserved for when he made a blunder. The poor guy stiffened, fearing his time would come. Guy simulated a prayer, as he's used to seeing the death of the youngest True Dragon.
-'Ah, I should intervene before it's too late.' Rimuru mentally prepared himself to face the crazy chilling girl.
-'Do you have a way to survive this?' Ciel trembled. Strangely, Velzard managed to make her feel terror.
-'The best way of all: strategically bullshitting my way in.'
-'...We're gonna die.'
-'Hey, stay positive.' Rimuru got hurt at her lack of faith in him.
-'We're gonna die quickly.' The Manas accepted their fate and lied on the sofa.
Rolling his eyes from her display of enthusiasm, he took place beside Veldora. His sworn friend radiated with hope, expecting a miracle. Seeing this, Velzard got puzzled but didn't mind it.
-"I'm sorry to intrude, but I have to give you a few recommendations about how to educate your brother."
-"Oh? Do tell, I'm curious."
-"I agree Veldora is reckless and asinine at times," Rimuru forced the dragon to shut up when he tried to argue, without breaking eye contact with Velzard. "But there's a reason for his behavior. And you aren't a stranger to it."
-"...Are you implying I messed up with him?" Her eyes emitted a faint golden light, making the duo shiver.
-"Please, wait for my explanation. You see, Veldora can act like a kid." He gave a quick glance to Veldora, who didn't protest as he was too scared. "And do you know what's a kid's biggest fear?"
Velzard seemed relatively calm for now, as her eyes returned to their usual color. Yet, the tension could be felt in the air. Everyone looked at Rimuru, hoping we wouldn't make a mistake.
"It's being left all alone. Correct me if I'm mistaken but from what I heard, you visited Veldora only when you tried to educate him, right?"
-"Yeah, that's true." She seemed dubious, not understanding how it could be her fault.
-"Well, what if I tell you that his occasional stampedes are a side-effect of his loneliness?" Rimuru managed to hide his surprise over his own bullshitting, feeling it could work. "You conditioned him into wreaking havoc, as the only way for him to get his sister to visit."
-"...Oh." She put her hand in front of her mouth, having swallowed that 'explanation' whole.
-"Not only that, but each time you killed him. You can believe me if I say that dying brutally isn't a pleasant experience at all. This poor guy should have a few mental scars after such repeated traumas, worsening his overall personality." Rimuru simulated misery and patted Veldora's back, trying to make the girl feel remorse.
"That's a sad story, he just wanted your attention but didn't know how to show it properly. I'm sure if you were 'patient' with him, you would have noticed his good points."
Rimuru pressed on the word 'patient', showing her hypocrisy as the owner of [Patience King Gabriel] with her brother. On the side, Luminous mumbled something when he talked about Veldora's good points.
"We've known Veldora for a little more than a year, barely a week if we count his time outside. In such a short time, we witnessed firsthand his thirst for knowledge, his abilities in various areas and his jolliness. Heck, he even managed to get an Ultimate Skill on his own to get out of his jail. That's a point where he surpassed his sisters, so I think you should congratulate him for his efforts."
Velzard slowly dropped her head, reflecting on what Rimuru said. Guy almost fell from his chair. That newbie managed to lecture her without getting smited? That's one of the greatest achievements of all time.
-"...Am I such a bad sister? How could I not notice how you felt, Veldora?"
-"H-hey, don't be sad. I realize I'm also to blame, more than anyone." His fear miraculously faded when he saw his big sister depressing for the first time. He went to her, but still kept a small distance just in case.
-"Heh. He's right, I wasn't patient enough… No, I wasn't trying at all." She raised her head, and took her time to scrutinize Veldora. "I see you're becoming a fine man. You finally got a human form, and you even concealed your aura."
-'Mwehehehe, I did it. The world can praise my genius.' Rimuru tried to cheer up after that dreadful challenge.
-'...' Ciel said nothing and went to finish the popcorn instead.
Except for Rimuru feeling stabbed in the heart by Ciel's sulking, the room's mood skyrocketed. It was the time for something completely unexpected to appear in a burst of wind.
-"Daddy, you're here." Scylla somehow teleported in this dimension and jumped at Veldora.
-"Ack, how did she do that?" Charys fell on the ground as he appeared too. "I'm sorry, I couldn't calm her."
When she heard 'daddy', Velzard's mind shut down. Her brother was known for a few things, and having an interest in sexual stuff isn't among those. Even if he was, how could have he done it, trapped in his seal?
Guy whistled, it was obvious he wanted to see some drama. Milim showed her enthusiasm, she got a new family member and she's younger than her. She didn't mind at all the strangeness of the situation.
-"Before you imagine things, she was previously known as Charybdis. I'm sure you can guess what happened." Mithra saved Veldora from embarrassment, and Velzard resurfaced.
-"Oh, so you're that flying disaster. I hope my brother won't teach you outrageous things. It would be a shame if I have to meddle with your education."
She bent to be at the kid's level, and showed her uncanny smile, which made her look like a predator. Scylla must have inherited her father's instincts, as she ran away. Now the room was filled with the desperate cry of a small girl who got the scare of her life.
Milim went to hug her cousin, and Veldora followed her. The Frost Dragon remained here, clueless. She couldn't understand why her new niece reacted so badly.
She felt someone tap the back of her head a few times. She didn't mind it at first, too focused on Scylla's reaction. When she felt another round of tap, she became annoyed enough to turn her head. Not only is someone messing with her in a bad time, but she felt a weird shiver run down her spine. She went to confront the impudent who disturbed her, only to face something no one in existence would have dreamed off.
*Whack*
"OWW!" She massaged her skull after something hit her with enough power to bypass her defenses.
She may conceal her true strength, but it hurt more than she expected. She raised her head, ready to lash out, only to meet with a pissed-off Mithra who gave her a disdainful gaze. The demoness smashed her with the dull part of her oversized blade, after repeatedly using [Hand of Erebus]. She towered Velzard, releasing her [Dreadful Haki] to signify her wrath.
Velzard froze. It was so absurd she couldn't process it. For the first time in eons, someone dared to attack her, without showing a hint of fear. No, that's not it. Mithra isn't seeing her as the Frost Dragon, she can feel it. She's looking at her like she's gonna correct a brat.
"You already forgot what Rimuru told you, huh? Well, old habits die hard." She planted her sword in the ground, a deranged grin scaring her face. "Sit properly. It's time to teach you a good life lesson. You won't be a good sister with such miserable social skills, you hear me, idiot?"
Velzard complied, without knowing why she's letting someone scold her. She didn't remember it happening even once in her whole life. While Mithra lectured her, the spectators had several reactions.
A few like Dagruel or Milim, wondered if it was a dream. They knew Velzard, and no way in hell would she lower her head in front of someone. Luminous couldn't hide her amazement, and thought Mithra may be one of her people. As for some others…
-"R-Rimuru, is she stupid or what? She'll unleash a true catastrophe if she continues." Guy became blemish, his mind wandered as he prayed for Veldanava's mercy.
-"Welcome to my world. It was a pleasure to be your son, old hag."
Rimuru erected the strongest barrier he could think of, and got Veldora's help. Those two were shaking comically hard, and readied themselves for any incoming disaster. Scylla hid between them, while the rest of Tempest's side had mixed feelings.
The demons prepared for battle. Originally, they didn't think of Velzard as a true danger. It was a mix of their pride as Primordials and their faith in their lord. But seeing Rimuru acting like that made them revise their judgment.
Kumara giggled in silence. She's used to Rimuru and Mithra's overreactions, and was cool headed enough to know it's unlikely for the situation to become chaotic.
Shion was thrilled. Her boss got the upper-hand so easily in a mental confrontation with a True Dragon. She thought she couldn't be more lucky, serving as the right-hand of such a badass woman.
As for Charys, he ignored what's happening to have a discussion with Leon. He talked about Shizu, and his new allegiance for Veldora.
When Mithra had finished with her lecture, Velzard awkwardly returned to Guy's side. The lobster was flabbergasted as nothing dire occurred. He ogled at Mithra for a while, searching for his words.
-"That was completely irresponsible and way too dangerous, but… You definitely earned my respect." His fear faded and got replaced by excitement. "I can't wait to see what heights you'll reach. Who know? Maybe one day you'll compete with me for the title of strongest Demon."
-"Kuhahaha! You saw nothing, Guy. These two aren't even at their true potential, as they lost their strongest weapons. In their past life as humans without even a proper Unique Skill, they were powerful enough to stand against the strongest. If they worked together, they certainly could have killed the old me."
Veldora laughed wholeheartedly, until he saw Rimuru looking at him, as if bored. The slime asked him to bend a little, which Veldora did. Rimuru approached his ear, and said:
"White Dragon's Breath."
A powerful beam escaped from his mouth, engulfing the dragon's head in ominous crystals. While everyone got stunned at this sudden attack, Rimuru put his hand on the table and stored it in his Stomach.
Once he cleared the room, he snapped his fingers, creating a barrier similar to Guy's. Veldora liberated his head from the crystals, just in time to hear Rimuru laughing.
-"Three times. You did it three goddam times in the span of an hour. How should I defend you if you mess-up so hard? I thought you were smarter than that."
-"Huuuuuh, Rimuru? Can we stay civilized, please?" Veldora sweated, he realized what's coming.
-"Wait, why am I on this side of the barrier?" Luminous was confused as she was forcibly put inside.
-"Well, if I'm gonna admonish this guy, I could use some help. After all, he has to pay for what he did to your first country, don't you think?"
-"...You know how to please women, Rimuru." She licked her lips, wondering how could she torture her nemesis.
As the onslaught began, most of the Demon Lords pondered if they reached the height of chaos for a Walpurgis, or if it could go farther. Velzard wanted to say his methods aren't looking that different from hers, but preferred to avoid angering Mithra's again.
As for the old hag, she's the last person inside the barrier. Contrary to what Rimuru wanted, she didn't do anything. She pitied Veldora a little, Lulu and Rimuru are more than enough already. She rested on the barrier, until Rimuru yelled at her.
-"Do something, or I'll make you taste my experimental food. And you, oversized salamander, stay still!"
-'Oh shit, he lost it.' Ciel just awoke, and decided it was best to not intervene.
-"Welp, sorry Veldora. I don't want to die yet, I hope you'll understand." She hurriedly prepared a spell to not antagonize Rimuru, knowing the threat is real. "Kaiser Phoenix."
This spell was one of her strongest, her original creation from a unique branch of Fire magic. As the name implies, it resembles a phoenix. The reason? Because it's a cool bird… Yep, that's all. But don't be fooled, it remains a Mithra-like spell, and as such it's deadly.
When he saw the flare coming toward him, Veldora had a comprehensive smile. He knew how terrific Rimuru's punishment could be and didn't blame her. And he cried from pain when the spell exploded.
The devil girls, who didn't know about Rimuru's food yet, got an explanation from Diablo. They gulped while processing it, and made a mental note to be careful when he's in the kitchen.
After a while, Rimuru and Luminous released Veldora, satisfied. They went for a high five, and the slime dispelled his barrier. Charys went to pick up the battered-up dragon before Rimuru let out the table from his Stomach.
Guy hesitated before speaking, waiting to see if something else would happen. Seeing it was all good, he asked if someone wanted to add a thing before switching to dinner.
Frey and Carrion decided to step down from their position and work under Milim, despite her protestations. Who can blame them, as they witnessed how they're far behind everyone else in terms of power. But now, there's only nine Demon Lords-
-"Nonagram. The nine-branch shaped star." Rimuru bluntly talked. He heard of the whole ordeal with their name and wasn't in the mood for such stupidity. He felt Mithra's gaze and turned toward her. "What?"
-"First, you better calm down, you brat. Second, what if I had a name in mind? Don't get cocky because you're a little talented in this area."
-"Oh, you had a name? You?"
-"...Noooooo. But I could have."
-"Okay, then." He ignored her and looked at the others. "What do you say?"
They all admitted it was good, and it's not like they had something better to propose either. With this matter settled, only the newcomer's titles remained to discuss. For Rimuru, Guy had one in mind. For all the mess he caused, funny or not, he got the title of Chaos Creator. And for Mithra…
-"I don't think Demon of Honor would work now she's a Demon Lord. We need something fitting for that position." Guy racked his brain, but had no more ideas.
-"I have one. One she got in her past life, and I think you'll find it accurate." Rimuru grinned at Mithra, knowing she would protest. "Roaring Death. At first it was a joke, as she once yelled at someone so hard the poor guy died from shock. But now, it can relate to her fighting style."
-"Good one, let's go with that. Now you're officially joining us as the Roaring Death." He made a sign for Mizery to properly introduce every seat of the newly named Nonagram.
-"One day you'll pay for that. Did you have to dig-up my embarrassing past?" Mithra whispered, a vein popping in her forehead.
It was now time for dinner, and the seating plan changed. Usually, only the Demon Lords are eating, but this time everyone was allowed to have a seat. Why would they bother in keeping the classic way of doing, when today's Walpurgis proved to be so glorious?
The four demons took the opportunity to talk with Guy's side. Veldora seated next to Dagruel, reminiscing about their old spars. Scylla got curious about Milim, and Velzard went next to Rimuru to talk about Veldanava.
After a few hours, everyone left, their stomachs full of good food and alcohol (except for Scylla of course, she's a child). Luminous returned to Ruberios for now, and Velzard spoke about her willingness to visit Tempest once in a while. And the angels… followed Tempest's side?
-"You aren't going with Dagruel?" It puzzled Rimuru, as Dino didn't talk to him for the whole night.
-"Well, I kinda want to see how the one who got Lord Veldanava's blessing lives. Don't mind us, we won't disturb you."
-'Yeah, I'm sure you are searching for a new place to freeload. I'll have to keep an eye on him.'
They accepted for the trio to tag along. After all, they won't pose any threat. And Rimuru knows it's best to have some of the Primordial Angels close to him, as he'll have to find a way to contact a particularly annoying one. Their leader, and the Creator's biggest simp.
Once he passed through the gate, Rimuru teleported to face Yuuki. But we'll keep that story for another time, as something else happened when Walpurgis ended.
The Eastern Empire, somewhere in the Emperor's castle.
-'Feldway! Can you hear me, wherever you are?'
-'Dino? How unusual, you aren't one to start a conversation.'
-'I have big news. Hear me out!'
-'Wow. You're scaring me, why do you have so much energy?'
-'...'
-'...? Dino? Wha happened?'
-'*snore*'
-'HEY! Don't go doze-off, you dimwit!'
-'Euargh? Oh yeah, sorry. Lord Veldanava wants to return!'
-'...I'm sorry, what?'
A few minutes later, once Dino explained the Walpurgis' events, between some micro-naps.
-'So, with Pico and Gracia we decided to follow them and see their progress… Hey, Feldway. You're still here?'
-'...Yeah. I have things to do right now, so I'll recontact you another time. Good job.'
Feldway cut the transmission, and began to lose himself in his thoughts. Is it real? His lord, who vanished for so long, wants to return? But if he really can't do it by himself…
No, that's not a real problem. If what Dino said is true, then he has hope… What is he thinking? Of course it's true. The Frost Dragon herself acknowledged it, and Dino heard that slime talking about a few trivias only known by a few individuals, and normally lost to history.
But now, his plan, what should he do with it? For so long, he thought his Lord abandoned them. In desperation, he schemed against the world who turned its back onto its own Creator. He wanted to provoke destiny, in hope it would bring back his beloved Lord.
"...I should keep it as a backup plan. After all, we don't know if those Rimuru and Mithra are strong enough to fulfill that promise. I'll talk with Michael. We'll repurpose the upcoming invasion, and use it as a test for them. If they manage to defeat the Empire, I'm willing to entrust our Lord's fate in their hands."