Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
Milim Nava, the daughter of the Creator Veldanava and one of the Three Ancient Demon Lords, soared high above the vast Jura Forest. Her bright eyes gleamed with anticipation as they swept over the sea of trees below. She was on a hunt for a certain someone.
Yesterday, when Milim visited her friend Frey to play with her, she learned about someone powerful who had recently emerged in the Jura Forest. Without wasting a second, Milim had launched herself from Frey's castle, to find this mysterious strong person so she could test their strength herself.
As she flew over the forest canopy, Milim suddenly felt a powerful presence rapidly approaching her. Curious and excited, she paused mid-air, folding her arms as she waited. Within moments, a man with flowing blue hair and striking golden eyes appeared and stopped in front of her.
"Hello, Milim Nava, one of the most ancient and strongest Demon Lords," the man greeted her with a smile. Milim also smiled at him, liking the way he referred to her. "My name is Rimuru Tempest, the new ruler of this forest. Is there some way I can help you?"
Milim's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, absolutely!" she nodded enthusiastically. "I'm looking for someone super strong!"
Rimuru raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "That's a bit vague, don't you think? Can you tell me more about this person?"
Milim placed a finger on her cheek, thinking for a moment. "Hmm... Oh, I remember! My friend told me that this super-strong person was involved in a big battle yesterday! That's all I know," she said, a proud grin on her face. What she was proud of, Rimuru had no idea.
"Ah, I think I know exactly who you're looking for," Rimuru said.
Milim's excitement spiked. "Really? You do?!" she leaned forward, eyes wide with anticipation.
Rimuru nodded, his smile widening. "Yes, really. Because the person you're looking for... is me."
"Wait, you? Really?" Milim blinked, then stared at him skeptically. "But you don't look that strong," she said, even though she already figured out as much since no matter how well Rimuru had suppressed his power, her eyes could easily see through it.
"Looks can be deceiving," Rimuru chuckled softly. "I think you of all people know this better than anyone, don't you?"
Milim nodded sagely, not catching the hidden compliment. "True, true!" she agreed. Then, without missing a beat, she bounced on her toes, fists raised. "Alright! Now that I've found you, let's fight!" she said, throwing a few punches in the air.
Rimuru smiled at her enthusiasm but held up a hand. "I don't mind a quick spar, but not here. This is my home, after all. I'd rather not destroy it for the sake of a little fun."
Milim tilted her head. "Hmm, fair enough. But if not here, then where?" she asked. But then her eyes lit up as an idea crossed her mind. "Oh, I know! We can go to the Ice Continent. There's plenty of space there, and no one lives there besides Guy and Aunt Velzard."
"No, not the Ice Continent," Rimuru shook his head, though he did find her suggestion quite amusing. "I have a better place in mind, somewhere even more secure. A place where we can go all out without having to worry about any collateral damage or Guy nagging in our ears for wrecking some part of the world."
"Ooooh! That sounds amazing!" Milim's eyes widened and her excitement returned in full force. "Take me there! Take me there!" she chanted, grabbing onto Rimuru's arm and shaking him energetically.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Rimuru laughed, gently prying himself free from her grip. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hold on tight." The next moment, both of them vanished from the Jura Forest and reappeared in a vast, empty white plane. The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction, devoid of any features.
"Whoa!" Milim gasped, "What is this place?" she asked as she curiously observed her surroundings.
"This," Rimuru explained, "is a separate dimension I created with one of my skills. Here, we can fight without any restrictions." With a snap of his fingers, the white expanse transformed into a stunning mountainous landscape, complete with dense forests, flowing rivers, and towering peaks. "I figured this would make things more interesting."
Milim's excitement reached its peak as she couldn't hold herself back anymore. "This is perfect! I can't wait any longer—let's get started!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists as she readied herself for the fight.
"Very well, Milim Nava. Come at me with everything you've got!" Rimuru grinned, assuming a fighting stance.
'Ciel, match my physical and magical power with Milim's, and don't assist me with any of my skills. I would like to play with Milim on my own.'
For the first time in centuries, a genuine smile of excitement crossed Milim's face. It had been far too long since anyone had asked her for a fight rather than the other way around. "I hope you don't disappoint me!" she declared, her eyes gleaming as she charged at Rimuru, ready to deliver the first strike.
As Milim launched herself toward Rimuru, the sheer power of her movement caused the earth beneath her to fracture, leaving a massive crater in her wake. Her fist rocketed toward Rimuru's face, the speed creating a deafening sonic boom that tore through the air. Rimuru, unfazed, raised his arm to block the blow. When her punch connected, the impact was cataclysmic. A shockwave rippled outward, flattening trees, sending debris flying in all directions, and causing the nearby mountains to tremble. The ground cracked and buckled under the strain of their clash.
Rimuru was pushed back, sliding several feet as his heels dug into the earth. Behind him, the land had been leveled by the force of Milim's strike, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. "Impressive, Milim. You're just as powerful as I thought."
Milim's grin widened as she lunged forward again, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks with blinding speed. Rimuru met her every strike, their fists and feet colliding with the force of a meteor shower. The surrounding forest bent and broke under the aftershocks, trees snapping in half from the sheer pressure of their movements.
Rimuru, ducking beneath one of Milim's wild punches, swept her legs out from under her. But Milim, laughing in sheer exhilaration, twisted in midair and brought her elbow down toward Rimuru's head. He blocked with his forearm, but the impact was enough to send him skidding backward, tearing deep trenches into the ground.
Rimuru quickly regained his footing and, without hesitation, retaliated by grabbing Milim's arm and spinning her around. With a mighty heave, he hurled her through the air like a ragdoll. Milim crashed through a line of trees, uprooting them as though they were nothing, before slamming into the side of a mountain. The force of the impact triggered an avalanche, and boulders tumbled down, threatening to bury her beneath them.
Before the rocks could touch her, Milim burst from the rubble with a shout. "Not bad, Rimuru! But now it's my turn!" she declared, her voice brimming with glee.
In an instant, she vanished from sight, only to reappear behind Rimuru. With a wicked grin, she wrapped her arms around his waist and suplexed him into the ground with enough force to shatter the earth beneath them. The resulting crater was massive, chunks of stone and earth flying skyward from the impact. Rimuru, however, flipped backward, landing a powerful kick to Milim's chest, sending her rocketing into the sky.
Milim's laughter echoed through the air as she tumbled through the sky, but she quickly regained her momentum. Kicking off the air itself, she launched herself back toward Rimuru, delivering a spinning kick that connected with his side. The force sent Rimuru flying into a nearby mountain, the sheer power of her blow causing the mountain to collapse into rubble.
Yet, Rimuru emerged from the debris, his eyes scanning his surroundings. "Let's see how you handle this!" he called out, grabbing a massive tree from the ground and swinging it like a club toward Milim.
Milim dodged the incoming tree with a graceful spin. In retaliation, she ripped another tree from the ground and swung it with equal force. The two makeshift weapons collided with a thunderous crack, splintering into pieces, and sending fragments of wood flying across the battlefield.
Without missing a beat, Rimuru charged at Milim, ducking under her next swing. He delivered a devastating uppercut to her stomach, launching her high into the air. Milim crashed into the mountainside with enough force to carve a deep ravine through the stone. Yet even as dust and rubble fell around her, she burst free, grinning like a madwoman. "This is amazing! I've never had this much fun!"
She sprinted forward, moving so fast that the earth tore apart beneath her feet. Her punch flew toward Rimuru, but he deftly sidestepped, grabbing her arm mid-swing. Using her own momentum against her, he swung her through the air, sending her crashing through the forest, trees snapping like twigs in her path.
Milim twisted in midair, landing gracefully on top of a mountain peak. She grinned and stomped her foot, causing the entire mountain to collapse beneath her. Massive boulders tumbled toward Rimuru, but with a flick of his hand, he controlled the falling debris, using it as projectiles to hurl back at Milim.
Milim, unphased, leaped from boulder to boulder, using them as stepping stones. As she approached Rimuru, she grabbed one of the largest rocks and flung it toward him with terrifying force. Rimuru ducked just in time, but Milim was already upon him, her fist slamming into his jaw with a brutal punch that sent him crashing backward.
Flipping through the air, Rimuru landed on his feet, skidding to a halt. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning. "You're really going all out, huh?"
Milim laughed, her eyes wild with excitement. "You wouldn't want me to hold back, would you?"
Rimuru's grin turned feral. "No, I wouldn't. In fact, why don't you show me your true form? Let's see what the real Dragon Princess looks like!"
Milim's grin widened as a pink glow enveloped her body. Her form began to change—jet-black armor materialized around her, a crimson horn emerged from her forehead, and large, powerful wings sprouted from her back. Her entire being radiated raw, untamed energy, and the crazed look in her eyes sent a shiver down the spine of anyone who might have witnessed her transformation—anyone except for a select few people in the world.
Rimuru's eyes lit up with anticipation as Milim completed her transformation. Her once playful expression had morphed into something far more primal, an aura of untamed power radiating from her every movement. Her jet-black armor gleamed like obsidian, and the crimson horn on her forehead pulsed with raw energy. The wings on her back flapped with a force that sent gusts of wind roaring across the battlefield, causing the remaining trees to sway violently.
Rimuru's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "This is exactly what I wanted to see. The true Dragon Princess!"
Milim's voice echoed with an almost guttural thrill as she responded, her eyes flashing with a crazed excitement. "You asked for it, Rimuru! Now prepare yourself—because I'm not holding back anymore!"
With a roar, Milim shot forward, her wings propelling her at breakneck speed. In an instant, her armored fist connected with Rimuru's midsection, sending shockwaves through the ground. The sheer force of the impact created a massive crater beneath them, and Rimuru was sent flying backward through the air.
But Milim wasn't finished. Before Rimuru could even regain his balance, she was already upon him. Grabbing him by the neck with one hand, she hurled him toward a nearby mountain. Rimuru's body collided with the rocky surface, and the impact caused the mountain to shatter, unleashing a cascade of boulders that rained down around him.
Milim descended from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the ground with enough force to shake the entire landscape. As she stood, her hand raised high, the very air around her began to shimmer, charged with an intense, cosmic energy. Glowing stardust swirled around her, gathering into a bright, pulsating sphere between her palms. The energy was so potent that the ground beneath her feet began to fracture, and the sky above rippled from the sheer magnitude of the power she was summoning.
"Drago Nova!" Milim roared, her voice booming across the battlefield.
The stardust sphere exploded, transforming into a concentrated beam of destructive light aimed directly at Rimuru. The beam tore through the air, vaporizing everything in its path. The ground split open beneath it, and the atmosphere seemed to buckle under the weight of the attack.
Rimuru's eyes narrowed as he assessed the magnitude of the incoming attack. "She's not holding back. But... projectiles won't work on me." With a calm wave of his hand, Rimuru opened a void that consumed the Drago Nova entirely, leaving no trace of its once-catastrophic energy.
Milim's eyes widened in shock—this was the first time anyone had negated her Drago Nova so effortlessly. She stared, momentarily stunned, her excitement mixing with disbelief.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Rimuru sprang forward. He closed the distance between them in a flash, aiming a powerful punch toward Milim's midsection. But Milim, recovering quickly, twisted gracefully in the air, dodging his strike with ease.
"You're fast!" Rimuru remarked.
"Of course I'm fast!" Milim shot back, her voice full of exhilaration. She responded with a knee aimed at Rimuru's ribs, which he blocked with his forearm. Even so, the impact sent a powerful shockwave through his body, pushing him back several meters.
Milim lunged at him again, her fists and feet moving with blinding speed. Rimuru met each blow with calculated deflections, their clash sending tremors through the already devastated battlefield. The ground cracked, and the remains of the nearby forest splintered under the pressure of their attacks.
Rimuru threw a quick jab aimed at Milim's chest. She blocked it with her armored forearm, though the sheer force still sent her skidding backward. Taking advantage of the moment, Rimuru manipulated the terrain, ripping huge chunks of the shattered mountain from the earth and hurling them toward Milim.
Milim blasted through the boulders as if they were nothing, stardust swirling around her like a storm. She grabbed one of the larger chunks mid-air and hurled it back toward Rimuru with terrifying force. Rimuru dodged, and the massive boulder smashed into the ground, creating yet another enormous crater.
As Rimuru closed in on Milim, she ascended once more, her wings carrying her high above Rimuru. With a crazed gleam in her eyes, she began gathering even more stardust into her palms, forming a much larger sphere of cosmic energy. "Let's see if you can handle this one!" she shouted.
The crimson light of her Drago Nova flickered violently as it grew in intensity. Below her, Rimuru gazed up, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Alright, Milim! Time to match your power!"
Summoning his own energy, Rimuru concentrated it into his mouth, creating a sphere of Stardust energy that mirrored Milim's attack. With a battle cry, Milim unleashed her Drago Nova, the beam cutting through the sky with terrifying speed. At the same time, Rimuru released his own attack, and the two beams of stardust collided in mid-air.
The resulting explosion was blinding. A cataclysmic eruption of energy tore through the battlefield, the sheer force of it shattering the earth and sending ripples through the sky. The landscape below was devastated, and the shockwave that followed seemed to warp reality itself.
When the dust finally began to settle, Rimuru stood at the edge of a massive crater, a satisfied grin on his face. Above him, Milim hovered, breathing heavily. Her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath, her eyes still gleaming with wild excitement. But as Rimuru looked closer, he noticed the feral glint of madness in Milim's eyes had intensified, a sign that she was dangerously close to losing control and entering her destructive Stampede mode.
"Hey, Milim, I think that's enough for today, don't you think?" Rimuru suggested, knowing that theoretically both he and Milim could go on for years, if not centuries, if they didn't consciously stop themselves.
Milim, still lost in the thrill of battle, growled in response. "What are you talking about? We're just getting started!" Her voice had taken on a crazed edge, one that would have terrified anyone else.
"No, really. It's time to stop," Rimuru shook his head. "And if you stop now, I'll make it worth your while."
"Oh?" Milim paused, tilting her head in confusion. "And how exactly do you plan to make it worth my while?"
Smiling, Rimuru conjured a small, golden ball and tossed it to her. "Try eating that and tell me how it tastes."
Curious, Milim caught the ball and sniffed it. "It smells... sweet." Without hesitation, she popped it into her mouth, and the moment she did, her eyes widened in surprise. "What... what is this?! It's so good!" she cried, her battle-crazed demeanor instantly replaced by a childlike glee.
The next moment, she rushed towards Rimuru with stars in her eyes. Then she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him hard. "It was so sweet! Good! and Amazing! I need more of it!"
"Yeah, get it! Stop shaking me!" Rimuru said as he gently shoved her back. "That's honey candy. I've got more where that came from." He produced two jars filled with the golden sweets and handed them to her.
Once again, stars appeared in Milim's eyes, and drool leaked from her mouth as she hugged the jars close. "Thank you, Rimuru! These are amazing!"
"It's okay, that's what friends do," Rimuru said, smiling warmly at her.
Milim blinked, her expression softening. "Friends?"
Rimuru feigned hurt. "What, you don't want to be friends with me?"
"No! No!" Milim shook her head furiously, panicking. "I'd love to be your friend!"
"Good," Rimuru beamed. "Then from now on, we'll be best friends."
A beautiful smile bloomed on Milim's face as Rimuru pulled them both back into the real world. The battlefield they had left behind vanished, and they stood once again in the Jura Forest.
"Hey, Milim," Rimuru said, "why don't you visit again in six months? By then, I'll have finished building my nation here in the forest. I'll introduce you to all my people as my best friend."
"You would do that!" Milim's face lit up with excitement. "I'll definitely come back in six months then!"
With a final wave, Milim took off into the sky, flying away with her jars of honey candy. Rimuru watched her disappear into the horizon, a warm smile on his face. "It was nice meeting her again," he mused. Then his expression turned serious and he glanced towards the direction of the Tempest as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Now, time to build a nation."
To be continued...