Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 51: Guardian of the West
__________________________________________________________________________
- Felix -
I sensed Lalatina teleport back into her room. She took longer than I thought she would, but she probably just got caught up in some conversation with Luminous.
I'm sure they have some ancient history between them. Perhaps they were even destined Shonen rivals. Everyone seems to have a Shonen rival now.
Zegion and Sukuna, Lalatina and Luminous, Guy and Rudra, Leon and Kazalim, I'm sure there are more out there.
Who's gonna be my Shonen rival?
Well, that was for me to worry about later. Now that Lalatina is back, I guess I'll go to The Dungeon and begin training with my new Dagger. I'm just not feeling like sleeping now, too much on my mind. Sure, I could force myself to sleep, but when I don't even really need sleep in general, what's the point of that?
I've already checked in with everyone else, so I don't need to bother with that. Arcueid is with Megumin going shopping. Even at this time, a lot of stores in Tempest are open. Lalatina, Arcueid, and Megumin all seem to enjoy that activity. It must be universal for women or something.
Ingvild and Glenda have already gone to bed. Saeko said she was preparing a surprise for me with Shuna. I assumed it was some sort of dish. I wasn't too afraid for my health as Saeko had improved by leaps and bounds compared to when she first started cooking. Not to mention, Shuna is probably there to mitigate the worst of her tendencies.
Sukuna was still sparring with Zegion; he had wanted to return earlier, but I convinced him to enjoy himself with his destined Shonen rival. Of course, he assumed I wanted him to get stronger, so he promised to become more useful.
I'll never understand that guy. Kurumi was currently playing video games like the pseudo-NEET she had become.
Carrion is out and about doing whatever it is he does. I don't bother keeping tabs on him like I do my other subordinates. I don't even really keep much of an eye on my direct subordinates either. It's mostly just them asking for permission to do things, which keeps me informed of what they are up to.
As far as I know, Carrion has been training his ass off, he was getting beat up by Megumin earlier, but his pain hasn't been for nothing.
When he first came into my service, I'd say his Existence Points were at about 250,000, and when he transforms into his Beast Form, he can push all the way up to about 600,000. Now his base is above 300,000, which is a fairly large improvement.
Still below my direct subordinates, but Carrion is in no way weak. He is even beginning to approach the power of a weaker Saint.
I imagine after he goes through his Harvest Festival his Existence Points will rise to above 2,000,000.
An impressive amount.
After my Harvest Festival, my power increased multiple times over, but it can vary between each Awakener. For example, Rimuru's Magicule Capacity increased by about 10x, while my own increased by 11x.
Perhaps it was based on one's innate potential? In that case, who knows where Carrion will end up. Though I imagine his Existence Points won't exceed 3,000,000. He has potential, but to get higher than that, he will have to train his ass off. He doesn't have any super broken cheats like Rimuru and me, so hard work is gonna be his best friend.
Though from what I know, he'll definitely try and train his way up to match those individuals, his mindset is very beast-like in that way. If he isn't strong enough, then he just isn't training hard enough.
I got up off the couch I was lounging on. "Will you be going to sleep, Master?" Asked my ever-present Maid.
I shook my head. "Nah, just going to The Dungeon to get some training done."
"I see. Did you wish for me to accompany you?" Asked Raiden.
"Nah, I'll be fin– actually, I could use a sparring partner that I can take it easy with, no offense, Raiden."
Raiden shook her head. "No offense taken. I am well aware of your vast superiority over me, the difference between us can be described as the difference between heaven and the earth."
"Uh, yeah, right. Perhaps you can also learn a bit from sparring with me, feel free to try out any new techniques you've come up with on me. I could probably help you improve them as well as give you someone to go all out on."
Raiden nodded. "Very well. Thank you for training me Master."
"It's no problem. As I've come to recently find, I enjoy training people. I guess seeing the progress my students make satisfies me for whatever reason." I shrugged.
"Anyways, are you ready to go?"
Raiden nodded. "Yes Master." Raiden's Tachi was already stored within her body, and I guess she didn't need anything else.
Before we could leave, however, we were interrupted. "Ah! Master!"
I turned to the voice and was met with Lalatina, who was dressed in a fairly skimpy outfit that showed off plenty of cleavage. She had some black booty shorts that barely covered anything, and along with that, she wasn't wearing a bra, leaving a nipple imprint.
Very sexy.
"Yes, Lalatina? Ah, thanks for handling that chore for me, by the way."
"It was no problem, Master! I got to have fun with Luminous as well!" Giggled Lalatina, her smile turning mischievous.
Ah, so they did talk a bit then, well either that or they fought.
"I see. Did you need something? Raiden and I were just about to go to The Dungeon for some training."
"I just wanted to know if you wished to make use of this lowly slave's body." Purred Lalatina.
We just had sex earlier, but sexual stamina isn't really an issue for neither me nor Lalatina. We were always locked and loaded, if you will.
I shook my head. "Perhaps later when I need to destress."
"If you wish to make use of someone's body, feel free to use mine, Master." Interrupted my Maid.
"Haha, sure I will, don't worry."
I noticed Lalatina pouting from the corner of my eyes. She was just jealous that I was giving someone else attention. For being my self-proclaimed masochistic slave, she sure was needy.
"I'll use you when I want to, Lalatina. Remember who owns you." I growled out.
Hearing me, Lalatina gained a full blush on her face and began panting. "Yes, Master~!"
Ugh, of course, that got her motor running. Degenerate.
I'm getting more and more corrupted by Lalatina, she seriously is a bad influence on me. But she's hot. A lot of things can be forgiven if it's for a hot woman. It's just how the world works. Besides, I know Lalatina has my best interest in mind, so I don't mind her neediness.
I turned to Raiden and nodded. Seeing she was ready, I snapped my fingers and teleported us to Floor 90, a Floor that hadn't been fully set up yet, so it was pretty empty other than the Magic Beasts and Monsters that spawned from Veldora's Magicules.
The moment we appeared, all the various Monsters scattered, not because of me, I was concealing my Aura completely, but because of Raiden. Her naturally released Draconic Aura was quite fearsome to most.
Her Dragon's Haki alone was only matched by Arcueid, Lalatina, and Megumin's Demon Lord's Haki and Saeko's Mortal Fear which allows Saeko the ability to inflict fear through her Haki, causing the enemy to lose the will to fight. In doing so, the enemy is prevented from utilizing their full strength. This form of Haki was tremendously effective in combat. Saeko can even use it through her subordinates, turning them into Terror Knights.
In fact, Dagruel's sons have long since considered themselves Saeko's subordinates, allowing them to become conduits for her Mortal Fear.
"It seems Sukuna and Zegion are still fighting on Veldora's Floor." I commented.
"I am unable to sense such a thing, as expected of Master to be able to sense through Dimensions!" Praised Raiden.
I don't really have the heart to tell her that I was able to easily sense everything in The Dungeon thanks to the Admin Access I have over it.
I simply nodded and withdrew my dagger from my Infinity Space.
I twirled it around my hand for a few seconds, attempting to get more used to it as I waited for Raiden to get ready.
Raiden summoned her Tachi from inside of her and got in her stance. We were in a fairly large room, so we had quite a lot of space to maneuver around.
I gripped the dagger in a similar way as I would with my katana. My thumb was extended along the side of the handle giving me more precise control as well as precise cuts and thrusts.
"I'm ready when you are Raiden."
Raiden nodded with a determined look on her face, changing her stance. Lightning crackled around her before she vanished. One moment, she had been standing across from me, but the next, she was in front of me. A trail of crackling Lightning blazing behind her.
I smiled as I noticed her improvement. It was clear that she had been working hard to grow.
Lowering my body in one smooth motion, I let her slash pass right above me. I could feel the strong gust of wind caused by her sudden movements, which was quickly followed by a thunderous explosion.
Using my Universal Sense, I saw how one of the massive pillars located over one hundred feet behind me crumbled into pieces.
Raiden's strength had grown to the point where she would be able to cleave through mountains with ease. That was with her physical power alone. When she channeled her innate skills and her Unique Skill: Thunder, she would become a force of nature. A destructive storm disguised by her human form.
While I got lost in my thoughts, Raiden's body crackled with Lightning for a moment before she vanished into the air. With an elegant flip, she landed behind me, using all of her strength to thrust her Tachi through my back.
Without even bothering to turn around, I spun the dagger in my hand and intercepted her attack. Raiden's Tachi froze just inches before reaching my back, but rather than losing motivation, she only became more determined.
Her Tachi crackled as pure white lightning began to flow wildly. The temperatures around her blade immediately heated up to around 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than the surface of the sun back on Earth.
Each bolt danced wildly around her before she vanished with a loud boom. The lightning dancing around her caused the air to rapidly heat and cool, which continued to create more and more disorienting thunder.
Her body continued to practically teleport around me, searching for any opening. The combination of the sound barrier being broken and the thunder holding enough force in themselves to devastate a Kingdom if she were to continuously fly around it.
With a blinding flash of light, she would continue to appear from every direction. With each decisive slash she sent, I would send my own parry to stop them.
I didn't need to try particularly hard, but this was still quite enjoyable.
I'm sure if someone watched this from an outside POV, it would look like I was practically standing still while my arm moved at speeds the eye was incapable of seeing, while I blocked unseen attacks sent from a figure impossible to see.
The only sign of Raiden was the almost constant after trails she left around me. Her speed had improved quite a bit from before. Raiden has been regularly training with my other subordinates so it isn't surprising that she has grown.
Eventually, Raiden had enough of her attacks and dashed back. I turned around to face her and flipped my dagger into a reverse grip.
It was my turn to go on the offense. Let's see how her defense has improved.
I wasn't using the dagger's Anti-Skill properties yet, as that would end the fight far too quickly. Raiden didn't have a clue as to what the dagger's true abilities were. She would be caught off guard, and from there, it would be easy to take advantage of her and knock her out.
This spar wasn't about me dominating Raiden; it was about me becoming more comfortable with wielding a dagger, and it served as good practice for Raiden.
I could wield a dagger perfectly with Odin's assistance, but there is a difference between knowing how to do something and truly understanding something.
I divided the Space between me and Raiden, allowing me to appear directly in front of her with my dagger aimed at her neck. I made sure to restrict my speeds to something Raiden could follow if she strained herself.
Raiden raised her Tachi just in time to block my strike but, in the process, was sent flying back into the wall hundreds of feet behind her.
As she flew back, I held my palm in her direction and set a basic Nuclear Cannon towards her.
Sliding on the ground, she forcibly and quickly recovered her balance. Without wasting a moment she sliced the Nuclear Cannon in half before sending a large chakram made of pure electricity toward me.
I didn't need to dodge it, but when I see the opportunity for a clash of Magic, I sure as hell am going to take it.
Raising my palm in the air, I created a large mass of pure materialized Space.
I sent it towards Raiden's electricity. "Archangel Destruction!"
The mass of Space flew across the Floor of the Labyrinth, and once it met with Raiden's attack, it consumed it into the very void. Raiden's lightning was able to resist for a few moments, trying to pierce through, but it was for nothing.
The Archangel Destruction continued on directly towards Raiden, who vanished from her spot, leaving the attack to crash against the Dungeon walls. The attack carved a good chunk of the wall out before vanishing out.
I imagine the reason we were able to cause so much damage was that Ramiris wasn't focusing Veldora's Magicules on this Floor since it hadn't been set up yet.
Noticing that her usual attacks were not going to be effective, Raiden changed her stance. Focusing, her body began to crackle for a few moments before her very being began to change to pure Lightning given form.
In her new form, the moment something touched Raiden, it would be burnt to a crisp. She would be able to wield her Lightning to an even higher degree with far less effort. Even a simple physical attack from her would be able to cause unimaginable destruction.
Raiden quite literally was undergoing a change in state. Of course, she had to pay an appropriate price in Magicules. I imagine if she had more Magicules to spare, she could increase the power of her Lightning state further.
Raiden was not unlike a Spiritual Lifeform as she was now, and her speed alone would make her a threat.
"That was one hell of a power-up. Let's see what you got, Raiden."
Raiden gave me a firm nod. She slashed her Tachi in my direction, materializing a spherical blade storm directly on me.
Usually, I wouldn't have to worry as Infinity would take care of it. But it seems my Maid has been learning. She has coated her attack with Spiritrons, allowing it to bypass my Infinity.
Raiden watched, confused, as her attack bypassed my Infinity and yet still disintegrated into nothingness the moment it touched me.
I casually twirled my dagger. "Infinity isn't my only defense, you know."
Multi-Dimensional Barrier is not an easy thing to bypass. It literally envelops me in Spatial Dimensions by manipulating Space and Time, giving me a foolproof defense against almost all types of attacks, even Spiritron-based ones in the right conditions.
"As expected of you, Master!" Raiden praised, her voice coming out in a weird, almost otherworldly tone.
I accepted her praise with grace. "Still, that was a pretty good surprise attack. Not many have the same kind of defense I do, so I imagine that would be capable of taking quite a few people out."
Multi-Dimensional Barrier is incredibly broken. It is practically impossible to penetrate, so I'm not surprised Raiden failed.
"Alright, let's continue then, Raiden."
Raiden nodded with a determined look and then resumed her attacks once more.
Her speed had increased thanks to her Lightning state as well as the power behind her attacks. I can safely say her speed is in the Massively Hypersonic+ range; she is a fast girl now.
Raiden's swordsmanship had progressed an incredible amount since she began training it. It hasn't been long at all, and she would still put most swordmasters to shame.
She isn't quite as good as Gobta, but that guy is a true idiot prodigy. I don't doubt that she will surpass him eventually, though.
The moment Raiden materialized with her blade ready to strike, I teleported behind her. Sending an Aura Slash of my own in what was practically point-blank range. Using her new form, she moved at an almost impossible speed, dodging the attack before reappearing a good distance away in a defensive stance.
Spinning the knife in my hand, I could feel myself getting more and more familiar with the dagger. And, letting out a small grin, I dashed towards Raiden.
–
I sighed as I looked down at Raiden, who was now in her Dragon form and was lying beaten on the floor. Her injuries were healing fairly quickly, but shewould take some time to fully recover.
Still, her injuries weren't for nothing. Through battle, all beings can basically overcome their max Magicule Capacity as well as increase their Magic Power. This can be done through fighting beings stronger than you, strengthening your will, or, well, any number of ways, really. Becoming stronger in this world was something anyone could achieve if they simply tried hard enough and had the willpower.
She ended up changing into her Dragon form as none of her more precise attacks were working, so she ended up going back to her roots, using the raw power and large size that Dragons were known for.
In her Human form, Raiden's strength and power was more focused, but she couldn't bring as much physical power to bear as she could in her Dragon form, but she could make up with this with her sheer speed alone. In some ways, speed is power.
Her Dragon form had grown after receiving the Gift from my Harvest Festival. She was about 50 meters tall now.
But while changing into her Dragon form did have some benefits, it did have some downsides as well. For example, it made her a massive target. Raiden had said she was working on shifting into her Lightning state while in her Dragon form, but she kept losing control of herself and shifting back into her Dragon form, so that was a work in progress.
However, one thing that size was good for was that attacks like Melt Slash were practically ineffective. Sure, it would do damage, but it wouldn't do what it was meant to since a larger target meant the Melt Slash itself had to encompass the entire target to erase them, which was not very easy to do.
Melt Slash was only a one-shot kill technique against Human-sized targets. Otherwise, it will just be causing some injuries.
According to Veldora, Chronoa, who I'm not sure if it was Chloe or Hinata at the time, had attempted to use it on him in the past, but it only wounded him since he was in his Dragon form.
"This was a pretty fun spar Raiden. You've grown quite a bit. Good job."
Raiden looked up at me and changed back into her Humanoid form. "Thank you, Master, but I am far from being able to deal with any threats in your way."
"Well, you'll get there eventually." Probably.
"Let's head back now. I'll leave Sukuna and Zegion to their spar without interruptions." I was kinda curious about what they were up to, but it's probably best if I leave them uninterrupted.
Raiden nodded, and so I stored my dagger in my Infinity Space, snapped my fingers and teleported us to our respective rooms.
In some hours, I'll have Mariabell inform Yuuki that she wishes for him to travel with her so that we can have a discreet meeting.
Traveling back to the territory of the Western Nations by carriage shouldn't take more than two days, but I don't want to give Yuuki enough time to get suspicious and do anything bothersome.
I had to modify my plan a bit due to Odin bringing up an important point. Traveling by carriage would take some time. Perhaps during that time, Yuuki may get suspicious or something. So instead, once Mariabell and Yuuki are a bit outside of Tempest territory, I will teleport Yuuki and Mariabell myself somewhere discreet in Western Nations territory. As long as I am quick enough, Yuuki won't have enough time to activate Anti-Skill, which could possibly mess up my teleportation.
But in case something goes wrong, I can always go back to my territory, make sure I can properly use Time Stop without fucking something up, and then just go delete Yuuki.
The only reason I didn't go with that plan was that I wanted to make it personal. I wanted to slap him around with him, knowing he would die and that I was the reason for his death. Of course, I didn't plan on being an idiot and letting him get away like a shitty Shonen villain. I would put certain measures in place just in case.
Hopefully, Yuuki will end up complying with Mariabell's orders because he still thinks his cover has not been blown, which would be the ideal situation.
It would be best if I dealt with him before he found out about what happened to Laplace. Once he does, I expect him to go to the ground as his strongest beat stick has been taken out, and he has no clue what information his enemies now have on him.
So this will be my best opportunity to deal with him. I already have a few things I'd like to test on him to see if they would bypass his Anti-Skill, so at least that will be somewhat enjoyable.
___________________________________________________________________
I summoned Mariabell from my Infinity Space, and now is the time to learn if the plan will succeed or fail.
"Lord Felix." Mariabell dully greeted.
"Mariabell. I need you to inform Yuuki that you two will be traveling together in order to have some kind of discrete discussion. Improvise if you need to."
Mariabell nodded. "Very well. Where would you like me to lead him?"
"We can talk about that later. Tell me what would be an ideal location in the territory of the Western Nations to finish Yuuki off?"
Mariabell nodded. "I do know of a place, just past the Kingdom of Blummund, where there is a forest that is known to be home to many hostile Monsters and Majin."
"That's fine." I was able to access Mariabell's surface thoughts thanks to Spiritual Domination and was easily able to find enough information about the forest to teleport there.
I nodded. "Good. I'll teleport to you once you have left Tempest's territory."
Thanks to Spiritual Domination, I can always know of Mariabell's location, and see through her eyes as long as the distance is not too vast. This seriously is an NTR Bastard Skill. Your victims can't even escape you. Thankfully, I wasn't a someone who would use my skills for evil… no, for that, I had Lalatina.
"I will go and notify Yuuki now, then."
"That's fine. Actually, hold on, make sure you do not touch him at all, send him a message through one of your subordinates, and travel in separate carriages." Mariabell agreed without question.
I don't want Anti-Skill to nullify my Spiritual Domination after all. It shouldn't be that big of an issue. Yuuki has no reason to suspect that the mind-control woman is being mind-controlled herself. Not to mention, he wouldn't want to expose his hand more than he has to, so I am fairly confident he won't even consider the option of Mariabell being mind-controlled.
I don't really care if he releases her from my control after he has already been lured somewhere. After all, Mariabell's use will expire after that.
"As you wish, Lord Felix."
"Don't bother informing me when you are leaving. I am capable of monitoring all your actions."
"Very well." Mariabell nodded and then left.
Now, while I wait, why don't I meet my new Otherworlder subordinates? Arcueid said earlier that she would be meeting up with them today to debrief them. She left for said debriefing hours ago, so I assume she has already finished everything she needs to do with them.
"Raiden, I'll be going out. Let everyone else know if they are curious." I called out.
"Very well, enjoy yourself, Master." Raiden called out from the kitchen.
I snapped my fingers and teleported myself to the Tempest training ground where Arcueid said she would be.
The training ground was fortified by powerful Barriers that Rimuru deployed with Uriel. So, it is more than sufficient to contain all the spars his subordinates have.
I appeared behind a group of Humans who were watching a spar between Arcueid and five other Humans.
These must be the group of Otherworlders that wanted to serve me, seeing as they were Demi-Material Lifeforms with Unique Skills.
The moment I appeared, the Otherworlders in front of me immediately turned around and drew their weapons.
Well, at least they aren't idiots.
Their eyes widened the moment they laid eyes on me. They quickly kneeled in front of me. " " " My Lord!" " "
I examined each of them from head to toe. There were 12 in front of me, and then there were five more fighting Arcueid.
So that makes 17 new subordinates for me.
They weren't weak either, at least when compared to the average level of strength in this world.
Their Existence Values varied from as low as 40,000 to as high as 200,000.
They could only be matched and slightly surpassed by some of the higher-ups in my military that Megumin has been training up.
I noticed that the spar in the training ground had stopped. Arcueid had seemingly beaten them all to the ground in the few seconds I was not paying attention.
And they weren't all that weak.
Demi-Material Lifeforms are lifeforms that, despite being completely dependent on their Material Body, still display some spiritual qualities, such as possessing Magicules. They are in between normal Humans who are forced to draw on the Magicules in the environment to fuel their Magic and the far superior Demi-Spiritual Lifeform.
In fact, I am fairly certain that the ancestors of Humanity, the High Humans, were Demi-Material Lifeforms as they had their own innate Magic Capacity as well as a lifespan of at least 1,000 years.
Twilight Valentine really created some crazy beings.
Arcueid approached me and gave me a deep bow. "My Lord!"
I nodded. "Arcueid. I just came to check on my new subordinates."
Arcueid nodded and gave a slight glare to the kneeling subordinates, who shivered. "No need to scare them Arcueid. I'm assuming they all passed your "tests"?"
Arcueid wanted to make sure none were spies for the enemy, and while I doubted that was the case, I was fine with Arcueid making sure.
I could easily double-check with Spiritual Domination, but I didn't want to have to mentally dominate all my subordinates in order to confirm if they were spies or not. That sounded tiresome.
Besides, I handed off all the hard work to my subordinates for a reason. I don't want to do any work at all!
Guy had the right idea with just fucking off to some random continent and just hanging out.
The Daemons that roam his continent make sure not to overstep their bounds, and he allows them to do what they wish.
Some of them even attack the Western Nations, though I'm not sure if that is on Guy's orders or if he just turns a blind eye to it.
The Daemon's attacks are always rebuffed by the so-called Guardian of the West. Not much is known about this guardian, but they are definitely powerful in order to single-handedly fight off hordes of Daemons.
I remember Arcueid telling me about the Guardian.
- Flashback -
I sat in the living room with Arcueid as she debriefed me about all the information she thought about asking Mariabell.
"The Guardian of the West, huh? You said it is some being that is capable of single-handedly fighting off all the Daemons who attempt to invade the West?"
Just from that alone, I would put him at the level of my direct subordinates or perhaps beyond even them. The Guardian of the West may have a superior Magicule Capacity than even my Primordial subordinates.
Arcueid nodded. "Yes, My Lord, I had heard that even some of Rain and Misery's Lieutenants occasionally took part in order to fight this Guardian of the West."
"And yet they still lost?"
Arucied shook her head. "Perhaps, perhaps not. I am not aware of whether they lost and retreated or won and did not bother pursuing the Western Nations further."
I nodded. In the case that they won, they likely wouldn't have attacked the Western Nations, as that would have been against Guy's will. They likely just went and fought the Guardian of the West for some entertainment.
I recall that those Lieutenants of Misery and Rain were quite powerful, easily powerful enough to defeat most Enlightened without much trouble, and their sheer combat experience alone may allow them to stall a Saint.
"I see. What information about this Guardian were you able to learn?"
"The Guardian of the West is an Insect Majin named Razul. It seems he was personally named by Granbell himself, and he possesses armor that is impervious to all kinds of attacks and capable of harnessing the power of Elementals."
"Similar to Zegion?"
Arcueid nodded. "From what was described, it seems so."
Hmm, that could be bothersome for my subordinates to deal with should this Guardian pose a problem.
"I see. What else did Mariabell have to say about him?"
"She said she had only met him once before, but that he exuded an incredibly powerful presence, one that terrified her, one superior to that of even Granbell's according to her."
I frowned. "I see."
I'll have to take her words with a grain of salt. To those who are weak, someone like Clayman and someone like Rimuru would seem equally overpowering even when the difference between them was still incredibly large.
Besides, Granbell, while magically powerful, wasn't a completely unbeatable foe from what Luminous told me. He was able to keep up with her due to his skill with a blade as well as support from his very own saintess that would heal and buff him, similar to how the heroes in those isekai stories had saintessess that would do something similar.
"Razul also seems to be a subordinate or partner of Granbell Rosso. He has been protecting the northern border of the Western Nations for over a thousand years on Granbell's order." Informed Arcueid.
"I see. Then he may be someone we will need to plan for since I doubt Granbell will just give up."
Arcueid nodded. "Indeed. Razul seems to be a fairly poor match-up for us Daemons due to his high Magic Resistance and ability to harness some power from Elementals."
Elementals were known to be strong against Daemons. Of course, this was only for a certain level. No Elemental except perhaps an Elemental Lord would even have a chance of injuring a Primordial.
I shrugged my shoulders. "If some Spell isn't strong enough, then you just aren't putting enough power into it."
That logic always seemed to work for me; if a normal spell doesn't work, then I just pour more magicules and magic power into the spell. But I knew that mindset was inherently wrong. Sometimes raw power wasn't enough against certain opponents, but in those cases, I have my trusty assistant Odin to come up with a plan.
'I will serve to the best of my abilities.' Odin said with a hint of arrogance in her tone as if she couldn't imagine a time when she would be incapable of coming up with a plan in such a scenario.
'Yeah, I know you will, Odin.'
Arcueid nodded. "Yes, but I will still begin developing countermeasures to such a being."
Arcueid was prideful of her power, but she was also very careful and liked to be prepared. Seeing as she had prep time, it wouldn't make much sense not to make use of it.
I nodded. "That's a good move. Perhaps ask everyone else for ideas as well."
Arcueid nodded. "It shall be done."
Hmm, Zegion's exoskeleton wasn't all that powerful as he was now, as it scales with his overall strength, and while he was powerful, as he was now, he would be incapable of doing what the Guardian of the West does, fighting off hordes of Daemons.
Though I imagine there will always be things that can get through the defense of that type of exoskeleton, like Saeko's Cook may be able to take advantage of certain opportunities, perhaps my Anti-Skill dagger along with various other abilities of mine.
Maybe some of the more powerful Nuclear Magic as well, like Gravity Collapse, and if not that, then Abyss Annihilation should do the trick.
Still, there is only so much planning that can be done without analyzing Razul himself. Every plan we make without doing that will be guesswork. As Mariabell has learned, it is best not to make plans based on guesses.
- Flashback End -
Safe to say, the Guardian of the West, Razul, is not a threat that can be brushed off by most in this world.
If he is similar to Zegion, then that would mean that his exoskeleton will grow in power and durability as Razul himself grows stronger. For all I know, Razul already has a God Grade exoskeleton that would make him impervious to almost all attacks unless they can reach the Ultimate level.
I'm sure my subordinates are capable of reaching that level eventually, but I do not know how long that will take.
Perhaps Saeko may be useful against Razul heh. Maybe he can be a stepping stone for Saeko and some of my other subordinates.
Yes, should I have prep time, I'll have Saeko and Raiden take on Razul. As my two oldest subordinates, I have faith that they will overcome the challenge.
I looked back down at the still kneeling Otherworlders, and then I looked back to Arcueid. "Why don't you heal those five? And then after that, we can talk further."
Arcueid nodded and quickly cast a combination of the Basic Holy Magic Spells, Recovery, and Healing.
That was enough to heal the five Otherworlders of all their wounds as well as regenerate their stamina and blood.
Most of the Unique Skills these guys had weren't exactly combat-related, but they were useful nonetheless.
'Have you analyzed them, Odin?'
'Yes, it has been done.'
'Good.'
"So, what do you think about these guys?" I asked Arcueid.
"While they are not as strong as they could be, I have determined that none of them have any bad intentions for you, My Lord."
I nodded. "That's good then. I can just have Megumin or someone else train them up to par."
Arcueid nodded. "Indeed, that was what I was thinking as well."
I looked down at the still kneeling Otherworlders, who now numbered 17 since the ones Aruceid healed up joined them.
"Well, I'll be leaving you in my subordinates' care. I don't expect all that much from you; you don't need to work yourselves to the bone. You guys have already had a pretty bad hand dealt to you so feel free to take some time off if you want. I'll have Arcueid explain the finer details of what you have access to as my subordinates another time."
" " "Yes, My Lord!" " "
"Why don't you have them go explore Tempest a bit, Arcueid?"
"If that is what you wish, then it shall be done."
I nodded. "Good."
Arcueid and I spoke a bit more before I left.
I checked on Mariabell through Spiritual Domination. It seems Mariabell had just left with Yuuki in tow. They were traveling in the same direction in separate carriages.
My connection with Mariabell was not severed, and that's enough to tell me that Yuuki did not use Anti-Skill on her.
That means I do still have a few hours until Yuuki and Mariabell have left Tempest territory.
Hmm, perhaps I'll go and see what Rimuru's students are up to. They did just find out one of their friends had left them. Of course, they don't know the finer details, just that Chloe is on an adventure as a Hero. But still, I'm sure they do suspect something. They don't seem to be idiots after all.
I felt Rimuru send me a Thought Communication.
"Felix!"
"Yes Rimuru?"
"Yuuki just left along with Mariabell. He came to me to let me know he would be leaving and ended up mentioning that some noble he has a relationship with wished to discuss something with him and so he would be leaving with her. I assume this is your doing?" Asked Rimuru.
"Yup, I planned to use Mariabell to help me get Yuuki somewhere. I can deal with him discreetly."
"...Ah, I see. I guess I'll leave you to that, then."
"I'll take care of it. Remember Rimuru, Yuuki has clearly made himself out to be an enemy. There is no need to feel bad for someone like that."
"I know, I know. Thanks, Felix."
I'm fairly certain that the reason Rimuru is so hesitant to harm Yuuki and, previously, Hinata was due to his consumption of Shizu Izawa. He had let it slip that he had access to some of her memories; perhaps he did not have just memories but also some of Shizu's emotions. In that case, it would be pretty normal for him to feel attached to Yuuki.
I shook my head. There was no point in thinking about that topic any further. Rimuru was capable of solving that issue on his own.
I flew towards the newly built school in Tempest. It didn't take me long to land in the back area of the school that was meant for training.
School was currently not in attendance due to it being a holiday, but the kids were still here.
"Felix!" Yelled Kenya as he ran up to me.
I gave him a nod. "Hello, Kenya." I looked behind him and saw the other children also following along.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Alice.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I was bored and had time to kill. I wanted to see what you were up to." My gaze turned to my right. "It seems I was not the only one."
"Fufu, I had asked Rimuru if I could come to this newly built school of his. I was fairly curious about how he is educating his young." Said Elmesia.
Kenya nodded. "Yeah! Big sis El has been really nice!"
"Big sis El huh?" I said while giving Elmesia a look.
She puffed her chest up. "Did you see how well-behaved Gazel turned out? Of course, I am the big sister!"
"Certainly old enough for it." I whispered.
"What was that?"
I rolled my eyes. No need to start a disagreement now. "Nothing, nothing."
"Hmph!"
Why are these immortals so defensive about their age?
Women.
"You guys can go back to playing."
They nodded and returned to their game of tag, though calling it just tag was a bit of a stretch. When all the participants in the game are basically superhuman, the game changes drastically.
Elmesia moved closer to me and continued to watch by my side. "I did not get the chance to thank you for capturing Laplace Felix."
"It's fine, it wasn't all that difficult."
Elmesia shook her head. "No, Sarion is in your debt. Should you need an ally in your darkest times, we will be there."
"Alright, thanks, I guess." Having the favor of a super Kingdom of Elves won't ever hurt anybody.
I noticed Elmesia watching Kenya with quite a bit of interest.
"I didn't think children were in your strike zone." I teased.
Elmesia scoffed. "As if. I am simply curious about that boy. He seems to be Blessed by an Elemental of Light. He has the potential to become a True Hero."
I wasn't that surprised that Elmesia could seemingly sense Blessings. She was a High Elf, after all.
"Indeed, once Ramiris Blesses him, he should acquire a Hero's Egg."
"Hmm, perhaps Rimuru will allow me to teach Kenya then? I have always wished to teach someone, and a Hero is as good a place to start as any."
I shrugged my shoulders. "You'll have to talk to Rimuru about that. But he probably wouldn't mind."
Elmesia nodded. "I shall do that then. I had heard that there was another child part of this group at one point, Chloe Aubert?"
"Ah yeah her. Some stuff happened so she is no longer here at the moment."
Elmesia's eyes narrowed slightly, yet she nodded nonetheless. "Very well, I shall not pry."
I nodded. "Thanks for that."
I'm thankful that this isn't like a standard isekai where every royal is absolutely unreasonable and expects the world to work in their favor.
I guess being practically immortal is bound to help increase one's wisdom no matter what, and Elmesia is old old.
"Did you just think something rude?" Asked Elmesia with a glare.
….How?
'Odin?'
'....'
'Hello Odin?'
'....'
Betrayed by my closest companion when I needed her most!
"Well, Felix?"
"Uhh, no, nothing like that. You must be imagining things."
"Hmm, it seems to." Elmesia said while still looking at me suspiciously.
Could a woman's intuition be an Intrinsic Skill? It has to be that would explain everything. Though I didn't seem to get any special benefits that one time I turned into a girl… Wait, would Guy have women's intuition? Wasn't he a… maybe I am getting off track….
"Hmm, I expect those pigeons will be attacking Tempest during the next Tenma War." Said Elmesia, shaking me out of my thoughts.
"Pigeons? Ah, you mean the Angels?"
Elmesia nodded. "Indeed." Heh, pigeons is a fun way to call them.
"They seem to have attacked any nation that has developed past a certain point, right?"
Elmesia nodded. "That is right. Sarion has had to deal with their attacks for some time now. Thankfully, they are not particularly strong. They are just vast in numbers."
"How many Angels were there in the last Tenma War?"
Elmesia tilted her head. "Around 1,000,000."
"Woah, that's a lot."
Elmesia nodded. "Indeed."
"Well, I'm sure we'll be fine. If they aren't that strong, they shouldn't be hard to handle."
My only worry about these Angels is if they are connected to the Primordial Angels. Those guys, from what I know, could pose a problem.
As far as I know, none of the Primordial Angels have joined in on the Tenma War, but it is far too large of a coincidence for it to be Angels that attack every 500 years. The Primordial Angels must be involved somehow. I just don't know how yet.
I'll need more information to come to a conclusion.
Elmesia and I continued to watch the kids play until, eventually, Elmesia had to leave as she would be heading back to Sarion soon.
"Goodbye, Felix. Do remember to feel free to stop by at Sarion any time."
I nodded. "I will. See ya."
Hopefully, it will not take Elmesia too long to get in contact with her mother.
Eventually, the kids stopped playing and approached me.
"Where did big sis El go?" Asked Kenya.
"She had some prior arrangements. She might not look it, but she's an important person."
The kids looked sad but nodded. To cheer them up, I said, "Why don't I teach you guys some new moves?"
Their eyes brightened with excitement as they heard me.
"Really?!" Asked Alice.
"Sure, I might not specialize in Golem Magic like you do, but I'm sure I can help you improve your craft." I told Alice.
They all nodded eagerly.
Alice specialized in Golem Magic. She could control a good amount of Golems at once, or in her case, stuffed toys. However, if given stronger 'plushies,' she might be able to terrorize her enemies with stuffed unicorns and bears.
Who knows, maybe she could recreate a certain bite of '87?
Kenya seemed to want to be a Magic Swordsman, specifically one that used Fire Magic.
Gale specialized in Earth Magic and had an Elemental that complemented that. He was still figuring out his path, but he was surprisingly adept at tanking attacks.
Ryota specializes in Wind and Water Magic. He even had the Extra Skill: Frenzy which allowed him to more than double their physical strength and speed at the cost of Magicules. However, he was still inexperienced, so he tended to lose his sanity if he pushed his Skill too much.
I taught the kids for as long as I could before sending them back to the school dorms.
Yuuki and Mariabell have almost left Tempest territory now, not much longer now.
I could feel the smile growing on my face at the prospect of finally killing Yuuki. He had a lot to pay for.
I in no way was doing this out of the goodness of my heart, I was just pissed that he was one of the reasons for Saeko's death, and even if Hinata's "death" was always going to happen, it was still his fault.
No, I was doing this solely for revenge, and I couldn't care less.
___________________________________________________________________
I am highly motivated by your guys' reviews and likes, so do that! I'll probably keep writing or something.
I have a discord server, come hang out if you want! https://discord.gg/VxR5Gn72Fp I also have a channel in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse.
Links: patreon.com/theogbasilisk
Author's Note:
Sup everyone. We finally get to see all this planning come to a conclusion. Yuuki finally dies soon, fuck that guy.
Felix also begins training with his new dagger, and we learn about the absolute beast, Razul, who is not to be messed with. Raiden has also been making steady progress and, at this point, is very strong.
Elmesia is a secret groomer. It's canon!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed, Peace.
Support me if you want to read ahead on pat reon *.com* / theogbasilisk
Also, shoutout to my boy @Bonvoyage. Y'all should definitely check his story out. And he definitely didn't write this endorsement himself, no siree.