Pov Dia,
I was impressed by Hakurou's attack—it would be impossible for a normal person to stop him. Dodging might not be impossible, but blocking it certainly was.
And to think that he had become humble despite such incredible power. If he had retained the same personality as before, he might have almost been justified in being egocentric.
With a simple hand movement, my remaining Evil Pieces appeared before me.
Dia: "As promised, I'll let you join my peerage, but I forbid you from having the same mentality as when we first met."
Hakurou: "You don't need to worry. I'm ashamed of who I was before. I'm grateful that you've chosen me. I've admired you since my defeat, and I'm happy to have this chance at redemption."
I took my Knight piece and inserted it into him, making him one of my two Knights.
Hakurou's power increased, and it even seemed like he grew a little younger.
Shion: "It's not fair! We want to be members of Dia-sama's peerage too!"
I turned to Shion, who was looking at Hakurou with envy. The other three seemed to share her sentiment but refrained from making any comments.
Dia: "I chose Hakurou because it was part of the duel bet. I have no connection to any of you, so I won't consider taking you unless you know how to impress me."
Shion threw herself at me in an attempt to attack, but Rimuru stopped her effortlessly.
Despite the overwhelming difference in strength between Rimuru and Shion, she did not give up on her assault. This could have been a wonderful opportunity for Shion to prove herself worthy of joining my peerage, but she simply charged at her opponent without any strategy.
That kind of reckless attack might work if we were already dominating the fight, but it's quite the opposite in this case.
The other three decided to support Shion—Shuna provided buffs, Souei used his threads to try and hinder Rimuru's movements, and Benimaru attacked with his katana, which was engulfed in black flames.
Rimuru, confident in her strength, closed her eyes and continued to fight them like this.
She drew her katana from her personal space to block Benimaru's assault and cut through Souei's threads.
At one point, Benimaru took a heavy hit that caused significant damage, but he was quickly healed by Shuna.
Just witnessing Shuna's talent convinced me that she would be a valuable addition to my peerage. Even though we have Rimuru's "Phoenix Tears," their supply is not unlimited, so having a full-time healer would be ideal.
Focusing back on the fight, Souei disappeared and reappeared in Rimuru's supposed blind spots but retreated immediately upon realizing his attack wouldn't land.
Benimaru, finally deciding to use his brain, called for everyone to retreat and discuss strategy.
Dia: "A true leader is born."
Hakurou: "Indeed. Unfortunately, due to his position, he will likely only become a general of the armies instead of the leader of the Oni—unless the current heirs die."
I was distributing the different Evil Piece appropriate for each but my biggest problem was Shion because by raw force, she has 0 potential.
I thought I saw a negative potential for the kitchen but I didn't really understand so let's pretend like it was normal after all.