As Shuna finished retelling everything she had done in the past three days, Rimuru couldn't help but laugh. The two of them were lying on one of the couches, with Rimuru playing with her hair. She had done everything he had been worrying about doing, and if he hadn't stepped in, she probably would have dealt with the Beastketeers, too.
Judging by her new Unique Skill, he could probably leave the majority, if not all, of the ruling to her whenever he needed a break. She was already good at dealing with all the representatives and managing most of Tempest.
She usually took a step back during negotiations to let him deal with things. But now, Rimuru had told her to feel free to do whatever she thought was best and to only worry about contacting him if she wasn't sure about something or if she wanted to hear his feedback. Raphael could review everything at the end of each day to double-check that nothing had been done wrong.
It wasn't like he was going to push everything on her now, but this way, he would have more free time. However, he would still bring Raphael to deal with most, if not all, of the tedious problems and paperwork since she could get them done in a matter of seconds.
Now that he thought about it, Raphael probably had not told him about the Beasketeers until she tried to hide what she had seen using the Skill: Prophet because she knew that Shuna had everything under control.
But as he heard the plans they had crafted, he couldn't help but laugh again.
"Don't worry about setting up Teleportation Circles. That's going to take way too long and use up too much Magisteel. I can move everyone where they need to be." Rimuru told her, smiling as he added. "You know, I bet even you will be surprised."
Shuna giggled slightly, nodding her head.
"Oh really? For some reason, I believe you." Shuna joked.
Standing up from the seat, Rimuru stretched a little, a small habit of his.
'Sage- sorry- Raph. How far are we with Veldora's Unlimited Imprisonment?'
[Notice. The analysis of the Unlimited Imprisonment has been completed. The subject Veldora Tempest can be released at any moment.] Raphael reported.
Turning to Shuna, he gave her a smile before speaking.
"Alright, I gotta go back to work. Poor Veldora has been stuck in my stomach for too long. Don't hesitate to throw all the work you don't feel like doing onto Rigurd or his people. That's their job, and they are pretty good at it."
Nodding her head, Shuna smiled.
"I will keep that in mind. I'll prepare some food by the time you and Veldora come back, so send me a message whenever you think you'll be back. Do you want me to organize a small event so that we can welcome him into Tempest?"
"Ah, that would actually be great, Shuna. I am sure he would appreciate it."
"Alright, just give me a few hours and I will set everything up." Shuna answered with a smile.
Giving her a thumbs up, Rimuru used Spatial Motion to move to the Labyrinth.
After Ramiris had first set up in Tempest, Rimuru had asked her to create a massive room specifically for Veldora. The massive dragon would probably cause all of the world to go into a panic if they felt his magicules burst out.
It was pretty barebones at the moment, only a gigantic room with nothing inside, but they could decorate it better once Veldora got used to his new body. He was only a Spiritual Being right now since the Unlimited Imprisonment had done a number on him. But that was a problem that was easy to solve.
As he looked around the room, he took a moment to think. He was still slightly on edge since Raphael had accidentally triggered the Time Crest, but he couldn't let himself turn into a worried mess. He had a job to do.
Hearing his thoughts, Raphael spoke up.
[Notice. Through the small glimpses that the Unique Skill: Prophet showed me, I am confident I can prevent such a future from happening. Please do not worry about it, and allow me to be the one who deals with any inconveniences and issues that arise in the future.]
Hearing her, Rimuru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
'Is there anything you think I should know?' Rimuru asked her.
[...]
[Report. The current strength that Tempest holds is not yet enough to deal with the enemies in our future. The recommended course of action is to continue to focus on building strength in Tempest. At the current strength level, Tempest holds a 3.59356% chance of surviving, and that is accounting for Veldora.]
[Keep in mind that the percentage is calculated based on the brief glimpses given, so it might be drastically lower.] Raphael reported, her cold voice hiding a hint of frustration.
'That low? Who the hell are we fighting?' Rimuru asked in surprise.
[...]
[Due to the low amount of information provided by the Unique Skill: Prophet, a conclusive answer as to who or what attacked Tempest is inconclusive.] Raphael answered, sounding frustrated by the lack of information.
'I see. I will keep that in mind from now on.'
With that finished, he began his test by using one of his new intrinsic skills, Enhanced Replication.
In an instant, an exact copy of himself appeared, and now that he had thought about it, he hadn't really gotten a good look at what he looked like ever since evolving. It felt like just yesterday when he looked like a kid, but now he actually looked like a proper adult. He appeared to be around 20, which was what he had been aiming for.
"I guess I won't have to use magicules transformations anymore." Rimuru mused before speaking to Raphael directly. 'Wanna give it a try?'
As he asked the question, the eyes of the Replication turned from Golden to a vivid Crimson. Raphael moved their body for a few seconds, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared on their face.
"You know, seeing you looking just like me is a bit weird. Why don't you try out a form of your own?" Rimuru suggested, causing Raphael to nod and instantly begin changing. Their form quickly shifted through countless different appearances.
Raphael went from Hobgoblin, Kijin, Merfolk, Halfling, Dragonewt, Daemon, Dwarf, and even Harpy before settling on Human. After that, her face began to shift. Raphael went through both Male and Female faces before settling on a more feminine appearance since Rimuru always pictured her as a girl due to her voice.
Her hair grew longer until it reached her waist, and her face changed to resemble one similar to Shizue. She even intentionally lowered her height to be slightly shorter than Rimuru, and once she was done, she opened her cold, almost emotionless eyes.
"Notice. This is the form that I have chosen for myself." Raphael spoke, giving the new form a few test moves before shaking her head and causing the Enhanced Replication to vanish.
'Hm? You don't want to try out the new body for some time?' Rimuru asked as he felt Raphael's full consciousness return to him.
[Negative. Due to the limitations in Enhanced Replication, I am only able to use some Unique Skills and lower. Higher tier skills are tied to your soul. I will be far more useful to you while we are together.]
[If you require me to, I can provide support to you using Spells. However, that is something that can be done while we are together, therefore there is no need for me to use a separate body.]
[We can continue with the protocol to summon forth the subject, Veldora Tempest.]
'Alright, but feel free to ask me if you ever want to try out using a body. I'm not sure how comfortable my consciousness is, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to stretch your legs out every once in a while. However, we would probably have to do it in the Labyrinth so that other people don't see you. You're my secret trump card.'
[Acknowledged.]
[Beginning preparations for the summoning of Veldora Tempest.]
[Should I release Storm Dragon Veldora?]
'Yes.'
The moment he gave his confirmation, he felt the surge of magicules all around the area. In the blink of an eye, the gigantic body of Veldora appeared, though it was contorted in a strange way, almost as if he was playing limbo.
"Wryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" Veldora shouted, his voice echoing all across the room as he posed.
"Oh." That was all Rimuru managed to say before Veldora jumped out of his awkward pose and took a different pose.
"You were expecting a Storm Dragon, but it was I! Veldora!" He shouted, opening one of his eyes slightly to see Rimuru's reaction. However, seeing his expression, Veldora couldn't help but deflate a little. "Come on, do you even know how hard I practiced that? It's really awkward to try to pose like that with my Dragon body. The very least you could do is act a little impressed."
Coughing a little, Veldora cleared his throat.
"Here, let me try another one. Ifrit suggested this one." Veldora muttered as he caused the roaring of thunder to echo through the room.
"How dare you wake me, the Venerable Storm Dragon, leader of the Tempest Sect. You have eyes, but you can't see me, for I am Mount Tai….. Better?" Veldora asked, hearing as Rimuru burst out laughing.
"What the hell happened to you?" Rimuru asked as he finished laughing, which only made the gigantic dragon pout a little.
"What do you mean what happened to me? It's not my fault your mind is full of garbage… I went over all the good stuff in the first week, so I ended up getting stuck reading all your cultivation novels and crap. Honestly, my bro, you gotta up your taste." Veldora complained, sitting down on the ground.
"If it weren't for my lackeys, I probably would have gone insane there. The mean lady was driving me crazy. I don't know how you deal with her. She's a menace, not only to me but to society." Veldora muttered, starting to complain before suddenly remembering something.
"Speaking of, do you have any idea what you have been doing this whole time? You've been giving out names willy-nilly. I honestly was sure I was gonna die in there. But hey, I learned a valuable lesson in there. Bros before Magicules, am I right?" Veldora joked, laughing out loud as he did.
Rimuru chuckled again as he heard him.
"Man, it must have been rough in there." He commented, seeing just how happy Veldora was to be out.
"It's better than the cave. Now, that was torture. I swear, if I see the Hero again, I am gonna have to smack her around for a bit. I went easy on her because she was pretty, but from now on, my hands are Rated E for Everyone."
"Alright, alright, Mr. Memelord. Don't wanna use your whole arsenal in one day, do you?" Rimuru joked, causing the gigantic dragon to freeze, thinking for a few moments before nodding his head.
"Sure, sure." Veldora chuckled, leaning down to look at Rimuru closer. "So… um… when do I get my body? Are you gonna make me ask or something? Tsk tsk tsk, I swear, I let my bro suck me dry of magicules whenever he wants, and now he's making me ask for a body."
"Wording." Rimuru answered with a chuckle, shaking his head as he summoned another Enhanced Replication for Veldora. "Here you go, brand new body."
"Gimme!"
With Veldora's permission, Rimuru consumed him using Beelzebuth, using Synthesize to unite his unstable Spiritual Body with the new vessel. In a way, they were true brothers now, practically twins since he was using a copy of his body.
Even Raphael had to focus up to make sure the process went off without problem and after a few minutes, Raphael's voice echoed in his mind.
[Report. A "Soul Corridor" has been successfully created. After consuming the remains of Veldora, a new Ultimate Skill has been created: Veldora, Lord of Storms. It comes with the following subskills:
Summon Storm Dragon, Storm Dragon Restoration, Storm Dragon Magic Archive.]
[In addition, using the Unique Skill Unlimited Imprisonment as a base to create a new Ultimate Skill… Activating Food Chain to consolidate all of the skills from your subordinates…. Process complete]
{Acknowledged…. Requirements have been fulfilled. The Unique Skill: Unlimited Imprisonment has evolved into the Ultimate Skill: Uriel, Lord of Vows.}
As the evolution happened, Rimuru suddenly felt a weight inside of him. It was a small discomfort, but he noticed it as if his own body, or soul, was straining slightly.
[Report. Each Skill, from Common to Ultimate, places a different amount of burden on the user's Soul. The current limit has been reached.] Raphael reported, answering the question before he could even ask it. She went silent for a few seconds before speaking up again.
[Process to research ways to permanently strengthen Soul and alleviate the burden of the Ultimate Skills has been started…]
[Report. Several different solutions have been found. However, to ensure there aren't any side effects, I will begin calculating and processing every variation. For now, the strain on the soul will be numbed.]
[The best course of action at the moment would be to continue using Asmodeus' Life Drain and Invigorate. It is recommended to use those Skills on the current strongest subject, Frey, once she finishes her Awakening, which is estimated to happen in approximately 15 hours, 36 Minutes, and 52 seconds.]
As Raphael finished speaking, Rimuru felt as if he was back to normal. And the next moment, he saw Veldora's humanoid form. He was tall, well-built, and packed full of muscles. Surprisingly enough, his face actually shared some similarities to my own.
"Bwuahahahaha." Veldora laughed as he finished appearing, flexing his muscles and throwing a few practiced punches. "Now I can definitely do those things I was practicing…" Veldora muttered to himself before turning to Rimuru.
"Alright, let's go! If I am not wrong, I heard Shuna was gonna make some food for us, right? Great girl, I can see why you like her. Honestly, I have wanted to try her cooking for a while." Veldora said as he began walking to the door, only to get grabbed by Rimuru.
"Woah, hold up. If you go outside like that, you'll kill half the town. You need to learn to control your aura first." Rimuru said, which only made Veldora give him a smug smile.
"Oh? Do you think I can't control my aura?" Veldora asked, focusing up and pushing the aura inside his body. A good amount was still leaking through, but it wouldn't bring any damage to the area around him. "The mean lady forced me to do this, so I can control my aura pretty well right now."
Veldora then flexed his muscles a couple of times, expecting Rimuru to be impressed, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing as he saw his surprised expression.
"Wait, by mean lady, do you mean…"
[Correct. I was overseeing Veldora during his imprisonment. I ensured that he did not waste all of his time.]
"Shhh…. She who must not be named." Veldora whispered, looking a little tense as he thought back to her. "Honestly, she's scarier than my sister, and my sister has killed me before. I swear the moment I wanted to take a break, she… umm… can she hear us?"
Giving Veldora a subtle nod, Veldora instantly let out an awkward chuckle.
"She… ummm. Would come and help me focus… I… erm… really appreciate all she did for me." Veldora finished, instantly changing the topic. "So, how's the weather out here? I hear it's lovely."
As the two of them walked through the dungeon, they stepped outside into Tempest, with Veldora taking a deep breath to enjoy the fresh air. Funnily enough, Veldora looked like a kid in a candy store.
Before they could get too far, a woman wearing a maid outfit emerged from the shadows. She was one of the members of Souei's shadow group, and she trained as a maid in order to guard people in plain sight.
"Lord Rimuru, Sir Veldora, it is an honor to be in your presence. Lady Shuna is still finishing the preparations. Please, feel free to follow me while I give you a tour of Tempest." She said in a respectful tone of voice, giving a courtesy.
"Ah, finally, some respect! I had almost forgotten what that was like." Veldora laughed as he nodded in approval. "You got some good followers, come on."
As the trio marched through Tempest, they drew some curious looks, but the people of Tempest were accepting enough to simply give a few friendly waves.
Veldora was strangely insistent about wanting to go to several different places, so Tohru, the maid, simply smiled as she led them to their first location, Kurobe's workshop.
As they walked in, they saw Kurobe and his team of smiths waiting for them.
They all looked slightly nervous, but Veldora quickly made the tension go away as he marched in with a smile.
"Kurobe! My good friend, I need you to do something for me." Veldora shouted, laughing as he moved to him. "I will give you the honor to craft a weapon fit for me. It's a bit specific, but I think you can manage it."
Kurobe looked a bit startled to be addressed so informally, but he quickly nodded his head.
"Ah, yes, Sir Veldora. We will get our best people working on it immediately." Kurobe answered, looking at Rimuru, who was giving him a thumbs up to show him not to be nervous.
"I need a hammer… About this big…" Veldora began, using a combination of hand signals and Thought Communication to try to explain himself. "I want it to be able to channel lightning… and when I throw it, I want it to come back to me…."
After spending some time in Kurobe's Workshop, Veldora decided he wanted to run to his next location. Apparently, he had been planning for the day he got released and had a list of things he wanted to get done.
One by one, they moved through the city. Enjoying everything it had to offer before heading to meet with Shuna.
It was a nice calm before the storm.
— — —
Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, the Aussie @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)
Go Check out Basilisk's great story "I'm a Daemon, so what?"
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