Chapter 121:
– Haru –
I was utterly immobilized, frozen in place, helpless to move a single muscle or even open my eyes as an overwhelming surge of pure energy cascaded through my veins. I couldn't see, couldn't react, hell, I could barely even think clearly amidst the roaring tempest of raw power erupting inside of me.
Yet, I could sense clearly enough that I wasn't alone.
Hovering protectively at my side, I felt the unmistakable, potent aura of Milim Nava, my absurdly powerful, slightly unhinged, yet somehow endearing Demon Lord friend. She was speaking rapidly, rambling excitedly like she always did when something managed to grab her interest.
"Whoa, something totally crazy is going down over in Rimuru's country right now!" Milim's voice echoed cheerfully beside me, her excitement palpable even through my frozen state. "You'd better hurry up and finish evolving, Haru, or our adorable little slime friend might be in serious trouble! I mean, he's not my super-duper special bestie like you are, obviously—but Rimuru's definitely still my friend, and I'd rather not see him get totally flattened or anything!"
I mentally chuckled despite myself. Even in moments of potential crisis, Milim somehow managed to retain her characteristic enthusiasm. Still, as much as I wished I could respond to her, my attention was forcibly pulled away from Milim's excited chatter, drawn inevitably back toward the Voice of the World booming through my consciousness once more, commanding my undivided attention:
"The Demon Lord Seed candidate has consumed the soul of the foreign god Apollo."
It was almost like reality itself had paused, holding its breath expectantly, waiting for whatever came next:
"The Demon Seed is evolving!"
A fresh wave of indescribable power surged violently through me, flooding every fiber of my being with relentless intensity. It was as if the very universe itself had exploded deep within my core, raw magical energy—the purest magicules imaginable—rushing into every corner of my soul. I felt my spirit expand exponentially, almost painfully so, stretching wider, growing denser, until it felt like I could hold entire galaxies within the palm of my hand.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of overwhelming sensation, the Voice spoke again, this time louder, clearer, and more forceful than ever:
"Haru, Prince of the Yokai, has evolved into a Demon Lord."
With those words, an unmistakable sense of completion washed over me. I felt stronger—unfathomably, immeasurably stronger—my strength surging far beyond anything I had ever imagined possible. But the Voice was far from finished:
"The Demon Lord Haru has been granted the title: Prince of the Beasts."
"Prince of the Beasts," I repeated silently in astonishment. The title resonated deeply, echoing comfortably within me. It felt…right. Fitting.
"Unique Skill [Chef] has evolved into the Ultimate Skill: [Lord of the Kitchen]."
Before I could even fully process that startling revelation, my body suddenly jerked upright, control abruptly returning to my limbs as sensation flooded back through my nervous system in a dizzying rush. My heart hammered violently against my ribcage, breath coming in rapid, shuddering gasps as the overwhelming power settled heavily within me.
I was sitting on the ground now, propped upright, my fox ears twitching wildly atop my head and golden tails fanning out instinctively behind me, sensing the immense magicules pulsing thickly through every inch of my transformed body. My mind struggled desperately to process just how drastically I had changed, attempting to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the power I now commanded.
It took several seconds longer than it should have for my mind to fully register the soft, warm sensation pressing snugly against my thighs. Blinking rapidly, I lowered my gaze in startled confusion, immediately finding myself staring directly into a familiar pair of sparkling blue eyes—eyes now faintly glowing crimson with unmistakable raw desire.
I'd never seen that look on her face before, no matter how much she declared she wanted to be my wifey…
Milim was straddling my lap, thighs squeezing gently around my waist, her smaller but curvy body pressed intimately close to mine. She had her delicate arms draped casually around my shoulders, fingers playing absently with strands of my golden hair as her face hovered mere inches from mine, close enough that her warm breath tickled my skin gently.
"Haru is so incredibly strong now," she murmured softly, her voice unusually husky, almost seductive in tone. Her captivating eyes glowed brighter still, flickering eagerly with primal excitement as her delicate pink lips curled slowly into a playful, provocative grin. "My Haru-kun really became a true Demon Lord… How exciting! Do you realize just how powerful you've become?"
My heart thundered louder, every instinct within me acutely aware of her intoxicating closeness. Her slender yet perfectly toned figure was pressed firmly against me, her pert breasts squeezed gently against my chest, making their shape unmistakably clear even through the thin fabric she wore. I could easily sense every warm curve of her body—the faintest twitch of her thighs around me, the slight, teasing press of her hips grinding ever-so-subtly against mine as if testing my reaction.
"Milim…" I managed to breathe shakily, my voice thick with a mixture of awe and arousal. My newly awakened senses felt hyper-focused, vividly aware of each minute detail—the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, the intoxicating fragrance of her body mingling with my heightened, primal senses, and the steady heat building insistently between us both.
She giggled lightly, the melodic sound vibrating pleasantly against my sensitive ears. Leaning forward deliberately slow, she brushed her soft lips teasingly along my jawline, feather-light kisses trailing gradually down toward my neck, making my pulse spike sharply higher.
Damn, she'd never been this forward before!
"Did you know," she whispered sensually, the tip of her tongue flicking briefly across my fox ear, "when two demon lords come together intimately, it actually strengthens both of them even further?" she pushed for only a second. "...And I really, really want to strengthen myself with you right now, Haru… Don't you?"
Goddamn. The playful teasing was one thing, but hearing Milim outright admit she wanted to fuck me? My already raging libido surged even harder, desire flooding my system as I reached out instinctively, gripping her curvy waist firmly, pulling her body even tighter against mine. She gasped excitedly at my sudden initiative, hips grinding eagerly down against me, making the obvious bulge in my pants throb insistently.
"Milim," I groaned hoarsely, voice thick with barely restrained lust. "You sure as hell know how to welcome a guy to Demon Lord status."
Milim grinned happily, eyes glinting with pure excitement as I firmly placed my hands around her soft, slender waist. Her petite yet temptingly curvy body instinctively pressed harder against mine, clearly anticipating that I would enthusiastically respond to her obvious advances. My heart was already racing faster, my blood heated from the intoxicating mix of her alluring scent and the relentless sensation of her supple thighs squeezing firmly against my hips.
Yet, before her playful teasing could escalate further, I simply tightened my grip on her waist, gently but firmly lifting Milim's horny demon-lord ass straight up off my lap. Her previously excited expression shifted immediately into a wide-eyed look of surprise, mixed clearly with disappointment, as I casually set her down onto the ground next to me.
"Wait—Haru?" Milim whined loudly, her mouth turning into an exaggerated pout as she stared up at me incredulously. Her bright blue eyes—still faintly glowing with residual lust—blinked in bewilderment, clearly not expecting me to deny her advances. "What gives? We were just getting started, weren't we?"
I chuckled softly, reaching over and lightly patting the top of her pink-haired head affectionately. Even though I was still hard enough beneath my pants to drill straight through steel, I kept my voice casual and calm, carefully masking the extent to which my libido was currently demanding attention.
"Come on, Milim," I reminded her gently. "Just a minute ago, weren't you literally saying something pretty important about Rimuru being in trouble or something? Didn't you specifically bring me here because of whatever crazy stuff is going on in Jura Forest right now?"
Milim blinked again in confusion, mouth hanging open slightly before suddenly gasping out loud, slapping a hand dramatically against her own forehead.
"Oh right!" she exclaimed sheepishly, visibly embarrassed at herself for completely forgetting something so crucial just because her libido had temporarily overridden her brain. "I almost totally forgot!"
I rolled my eyes playfully, but gestured for her to continue. "Well? Go ahead, Milim. Explain what's actually going on."
Milim sighed dramatically, clearly disappointed that our intimate moment had been put on hold—but then quickly launched into her explanation regardless.
"So, basically," she began, twirling a strand of her pink hair around one finger absently, "the human nation of Falmuth suddenly decided it'd be a brilliant idea to invade Rimuru's territory. You know, the monster country he's set up in the Great Jura Forest. Right now, they've put up some kind of super-annoying magical barrier around the whole place. It makes monsters inside way weaker than normal."
I frowned deeply at that, tails flicking sharply behind me in clear agitation. Humans invading a peaceful monster settlement—and specifically targeting Rimuru? Yeah, that definitely wasn't something I was about to let slide. My buddy Rimuru was a solid bro. Sure, the slimy bastard had repeatedly tried—and spectacularly failed—to seduce my mother, Yasaka. But even so, I still considered him a genuine friend and wasn't about to leave him to face trouble like that without backup.
For a moment, my attention briefly shifted behind me. I noticed with idle curiosity that I still had ten golden tails fanning majestically out from behind me, rather than twelve like my mother. My mother, Yasaka, had evolved directly into a full-fledged goddess at this point and possessed twelve tails. Apparently, for me—having evolved into a demon lord instead of becoming a god—ten tails seemed to be the hard cap on my evolution.
Not that it particularly mattered, honestly. I could feel clearly that each one of my ten tails now brimmed with far more potent magical energy than before my evolution into a true demon lord. Hell, judging by how densely packed the magicules were inside just one of these fluffy bastards, I seriously wouldn't be surprised if a clone I formed out of just a single tail was already stronger than I'd been prior to this transformation—maybe even significantly so.
Milim pouted loudly again, snapping my thoughts back to the current moment. She folded her delicate arms across her chest stubbornly, inadvertently drawing my eyes toward the enticing way her slender limbs squeezed together beneath her top.
"So, Haru," she grumbled petulantly, clearly still disappointed our intimacy had been postponed, "what are we gonna do then? Are we just gonna rush off and save Rimuru now, instead of having sexy fun first?"
I chuckled softly at her blunt question, nodding my head firmly even though my libido protested quite strongly against postponing things with Milim.
"Yeah," I confirmed clearly, smiling fondly at Milim's adorably frustrated expression. "We should definitely head over to Jura Forest right away, Milim. Rimuru might have some irritating habits—particularly involving his weird crush on my mom—but he's still my bro. If he and his people are genuinely in trouble right now, we gotta make sure he's okay first. Sexy fun can come afterward, alright?"
Milim sighed exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes skyward. But then, her frustration immediately faded into cheerful excitement once again, her bright blue eyes sparkling eagerly.
"Fine, fine! Then let's hurry up and get going already!" she declared enthusiastically, practically bouncing in place with restless energy. "If we move quickly enough, maybe we can beat up all the annoying humans fast and still have time for some fun afterward!"
I shook my head, laughing quietly at her relentless enthusiasm.
"Alright then," I agreed warmly, stretching my newly-evolved demon lord muscles and testing the surge of incredible power thrumming thickly throughout every inch of my being. I'd definitely evolved into something truly absurdly strong. I couldn't deny that I was more than a little curious about how it would feel to test out this ridiculous new power in combat.
"Let's go see just how much trouble Rimuru's managed to land himself in this time," I announced firmly, giving Milim an affectionate pat on her soft shoulder.
"Alright, Haru-kun! Demon Lord Besties, rolling out!"
– Master Chief –
"Chief? Chief?! Are you alright? You blacked out!" Cortana's voice rang sharply in his ears, edged with panic and urgency as she shook his armored shoulder insistently.
The Spartan's senses slowly returned, pulling him from the brief, unsettling void of unconsciousness he'd somehow fallen into.
Master Chief opened his eyes, blinking rapidly behind the polarized gold visor of his MJOLNIR helmet. Cortana hovered anxiously over him. He found himself oddly startled by how effortlessly she'd managed to roll him onto his back—the sheer strength she'd displayed was impressive, especially considering his armor alone weighed close to half a ton.
"I'm fine, Cortana," he finally responded, voice rougher than usual. Shifting slightly, he pushed himself upright, feeling the servo-assists of his armor smoothly adjust to his movements.
Relief visibly softened Cortana's expression. Her previously tense shoulders relaxed fractionally, though she still stood protectively close. "You scared me, Chief. One moment we were walking through the front door of the Fox Hole, and the next thing I know, you hit the dirt like someone just flicked your off switch. You've been out cold for nearly a minute."
"Did anyone else—" Chief began, pausing briefly to glance around the immediate area.
To his right, Commander Jane Shepard was likewise just picking herself up from the forest floor, brushing dirt off her armored N7 suit. She stretched slowly, wincing slightly from stiffness.
"Yeah, I heard it too," Shepard said grimly before he could even finish his question, clearly already knowing exactly what he'd been about to ask. She rolled her neck to the side, grimacing faintly as something popped audibly in her spine. "A voice in my head, clear as day, just casually congratulating me on being a 'HERO'—whatever that even means around here in this world. I haven't visited this place yet." Shepard shook her head incredulously, clearly still processing the bizarre mental announcement they'd both experienced. "Did you get that same 'HERO SEED' thing the voice mentioned?"
Master Chief nodded slowly behind his reflective visor, feeling vaguely uncomfortable acknowledging something so absurd. He was a soldier, pragmatic to the core—he didn't typically put stock in strange, supernatural explanations. Yet the voice had resonated clearly and powerfully in his mind, leaving him absolutely no doubt of its authenticity.
It had felt real. Uncomfortably real.
"Yes. The voice declared me a hero and said it had granted me a 'hero seed' as well," he confirmed. The words still sounded foreign on his tongue.
Shepard chuckled dryly, visibly amused by the surreal situation. "Yeah, same here. Honestly, I've never exactly thought of myself as the hero type—just a soldier who got saddled with a bad situation and made the best of it." She shrugged lightly. "But I guess saving an entire galaxy from extinction is enough to qualify us both as genuine heroes in this weird world. Funny how that works, huh?"
Master Chief remained silent for a moment, thinking carefully. Shepard's casual summary resonated more deeply with him than he cared to admit aloud. His entire existence had been defined by combat, violence, and warfare. He'd rarely paused to consider the broader implications of his actions beyond simply following orders to protect humanity.
Yet clearly, in this universe, those actions carried immense meaning. "I suppose I can relate," The Chief finally replied, his gruff voice tinged with something thoughtful.
Beside him, Cortana suddenly let out an audible, exaggerated huff of frustration. She folded her arms beneath her ample chest. "Am I seriously the only one here who didn't get recognized as a 'hero'?" Cortana demanded indignantly. "Come on! Wasn't I literally right there with you the whole damn time, Chief, fighting alongside you to save humanity from both the Covenant and the Flood?"
The Chief stared at her silently, unsure how best to respond.
Before he could formulate a suitable reply, Cortana dramatically sighed and shook her head, muttering irritably beneath her breath. "Oh wait, apparently—according to the voice, my race has been upgraded from 'spirit' to 'high spirit'. Whatever the hell that even means…?"
Shepard snorted softly in amusement, casting a sidelong glance at Cortana's naked figure with a teasing smile. "Honestly, Cortana, considering how dramatic your last "race change" was, you should be careful with this one. You might have wings now for all you know."
Cortana rolled her eyes theatrically, though she failed completely at suppressing the faintly pleased blush that darkened her luminous-blue cheeks. "Very funny, Shepard," she did nervously glance behind herself, though, before spinning around. Her ass cheeks jiggled as she reached behind her back. "I didn't actually grow wings, did I?"
The Chief silently turned away, deciding it was probably wisest not to comment on the subject. He took the opportunity to survey their current surroundings carefully, helmet sensors automatically scanning the area. They were clearly no longer within the urban confines of the Fox Hole restaurant.
Instead, dense, towering trees surrounded them completely—they were in a forest. Also, the door to the Fox Hole was gone.
"We're definitely not near the restaurant anymore," Chief observed neutrally, stating the obvious.
Shepard stepped forward beside him, hands resting casually on her hips as she scanned their surroundings thoughtfully. "You're right. We're probably in the jura forest. Keep an eye out, Haru's friend Rimiru claimed this whole territory, but there are still supposed to be random monsters once in a while."
"Did Ranni send us somewhere else intentionally?" Master Chief asked, referring to the blue-skinned moon goddess the fox-eared restaurant owner had mentioned. If this Ranni woman was even real in the first place…
Shepard nodded thoughtfully, clearly considering the possibilities carefully. "Yeah, that's my best guess. Ranni can be a bit protective of Haru at times. He's currently undergoing a powerful evolution—transforming himself into something called a Demon Lord. Maybe she purposely teleported us away from him so we wouldn't disturb the process?"
"That sounds plausible," he agreed slowly, though he still struggled to fully accept how casually everyone else seemed to discuss supernatural concepts like gods, spirits, and demon lords.
It clashed heavily with his own pragmatic worldview, but he couldn't deny the evidence plainly before him.
Shepard sighed quietly, a faintly annoyed smile tugging at her lips. "Either way, Haru can't be too far away from our current location. It wouldn't make much sense for Ranni to send us somewhere completely unrelated." Her eyes briefly shifted back to Cortana, a faintly mischievous glint appearing. "In the meantime, though, I guess we get to figure out exactly what these hero seeds actually do!"
"And how are you two going to do that?" Cortana asked.
Master Chief remained silent for a moment after Cortana's question, considering how exactly they were supposed to test these mysterious new abilities granted by that strange voice in their heads. Before he could fully formulate an answer, Commander Shepard suddenly stepped forward, wearing an unsettlingly eager smile that seemed at odds with their current bizarre situation.
"Well, there's really only one way to figure out precisely how these 'Hero Seeds' affect us, isn't there, Chief?" Shepard remarked with clear excitement, her voice filled with anticipation as she casually rolled her armored shoulders and cracked her knuckles.
The Chief tilted his helmeted head slightly, regarding Shepard with faint suspicion behind his golden visor. He'd served alongside enough enthusiastic soldiers to recognize the gleam in her eyes—she intended to test her newfound strength physically, and he had a sinking feeling he was about to be her chosen target.
"Shepard…" The Chief warned slowly, his tone low and cautious, every muscle beneath his powerful armor tensed instinctively in anticipation of an impending attack.
But before he could finish the sentence or brace himself further, Shepard suddenly surged toward him with unexpected speed, her fist driving powerfully into the center of his armored chest with a shocking amount of force. The impact was instant and explosive, Chief immediately feeling his massive, half-ton armored body violently lift off the ground as though he'd just been struck directly by a speeding Warthog.
"What the—!" was all Chief managed to grunt out sharply as his entire body flew backward through the air, hurtling toward one of the dense, towering trees surrounding them. He instinctively braced himself, expecting an immediate and massive drain on his energy shields from such a powerful strike.
Instead, the moment his heavy armored form collided violently with the massive tree trunk behind him, the thick wood splintered apart dramatically. Shards and splinters of bark exploded outward in all directions, showering the ground around him as the huge tree simply disintegrated into a chaotic hailstorm of debris beneath the immense force of Shepard's unexpected strike.
He landed hard in the dirt and grass, sliding backward slightly before coming to rest. He stared at his heads-up display in surprise. Despite the utterly immense power of Shepard's punch—a strike that should have overloaded his energy shields and left him vulnerable—his HUD clearly indicated his shields still sat comfortably at 95% strength.
"What in the hell…?" he muttered quietly to himself, rising quickly and fluidly back to his feet. He glanced down at himself in astonishment, immediately noticing another major change that hadn't fully registered until now. His previously battered, battle-scarred Mjolnir armor—marked by countless scuffs, burns, bullet impacts, and plasma scorch marks earned through years of continuous combat—now appeared utterly pristine and flawlessly new, gleaming beneath the sunlight as if fresh from the factory.
Not only pristine, Master Chief realized intuitively, but clearly enhanced far beyond even the armor's already formidable baseline performance. He felt quicker, more agile, stronger, and far sturdier than he'd ever previously been. And even stranger—he suddenly sensed that he could, at will, summon or dismiss this upgraded armor instantly, manifesting or removing it with just a thought alone, as if it were now bound directly to him at a fundamental level.
As he processed this revelation, another equally bizarre realization became clear in his mind—another power granted alongside his evolution into a "Hero." This extra skill immediately identified itself in his thoughts as something called Inventory, a mental pocket dimension from which he could seamlessly store or retrieve equipment instantly with nothing more than a simple mental command.
He also sensed one other deeply familiar yet entirely new ability pulsing eagerly within him—a power he instinctively recognized as The Spartan's Arsenal.
Testing this new intuition, Chief reached out with one hand, visualizing the weapon clearly in his mind. Immediately, motes of shimmering golden-white light appeared, coalescing instantly into solid form within his waiting grasp—a fully loaded M41 SPNKR rocket launcher, appearing effortlessly in his hands out of thin air.
He stared silently at the powerful, heavy weapon resting easily in his armored grip, feeling clearly that his new skill allowed him to summon any weapon from the extensive UNSC arsenal at will. He could sense clearly that the ammunition for any weapon he summoned would never run out, sustained purely by the reserves of magical energy—or magicules—that now flowed clearly and powerfully within his evolved body.
Across the clearing, Shepard stood frozen in place, gaping openly at her clenched fist in shock and disbelief, as if she couldn't fully process the immense strength she'd just effortlessly displayed.
"Holy shit," she murmured softly, sounding stunned yet clearly pleased. "I'm actually super strong now!"
Then, abruptly, Shepard's eyes widened sharply in sudden alarm when she finally noticed the heavy rocket launcher the Chief currently had casually pointed straight in her direction.
"Wait—Chief, hold on a second!" Shepard yelped nervously, hastily raising both her armored hands defensively in front of herself. "We can talk about—"
Without hesitation, Master Chief squeezed the trigger.
With a thunderous roar, a rocket erupted from the launcher, streaking directly toward Shepard. Her eyes widened comically in brief panic, clearly caught off guard as the deadly projectile raced straight toward her position.
"Oh shit—!" she shouted reflexively, visibly cringing as she braced herself instinctively for the powerful impact.
An instant before the rocket reached her, however, Shepard's body was suddenly engulfed in a bright, brilliant blue aura—a massive wall of shimmering biotic energy effortlessly erupted in front of her like a protective shield. The powerful explosion from his rocket crashed violently against the barrier, detonating spectacularly—but failed completely to breach or even remotely weaken her powerful biotic shield.
Shepard slowly opened one eye after the deafening explosion faded, clearly stunned by her own unexpected display of raw power. "Oh, wow!" she said loudly, sounding excited again. Her voice trembled slightly with exhilaration as she stared at the shimmering biotic barrier she'd instinctively summoned. "I have a Unique Skill now too! It's called Biotic Queen, and apparently, it boosts the power of all my biotic abilities by one hundred times!" Shepard grinned wickedly, flexing her fingers eagerly. "Guess that's why I'm suddenly so ridiculously strong too!"
The Chief calmly lowered the rocket launcher, nodding his head slightly as he considered the implications. "Useful," he finally remarked dryly, before dismissing the weapon instantly back into his inventory, where it disappeared in a cascade of shimmering golden-white motes.
Shepard laughed out loud, looking exhilarated by their absurd new powers. "Useful? Damn right it is!"
"Are you two seriously trying to start a fight right now?" Cortana's exasperated voice suddenly shouted at them both, instantly shattering their excited mood. The blue-skinned spirit woman stood glaring irritably with her arms folded beneath her naked breasts, looking visibly annoyed. "This isn't exactly the best time to show off your fancy new abilities, in case you'd forgotten. We're supposed to be figuring out how to get back to Haru right now—not blowing each other up with rockets or punching holes in trees!"
The Chief glanced silently toward Shepard, who sighed dramatically, pouting at Cortana with playful mock offense.
"You're a spoilsport, Cortana," Shepard teased lightly, shaking her head in exaggerated disappointment. "We were just testing things out—nothing wrong with a little harmless experimentation."
Cortana rolled her eyes again, looking unimpressed by Shepard's teasing.
"Whatever. You two can play around later," Cortana said firmly, refocusing her attention on the Chief. "For now, can we actually try to figure out exactly where we are—and how to find Haru again—without destroying half the damn forest in the process?" as she said that, she turned into motes of blue light and fused with his armor again. "WHAT THE FUCK! The Specs on your armor are off the freaking charts now! You could probably bench press a dozen covenant tanks with the strength augmentations I'm seeing here!"
That was good to know. The Chief was gonna ask her what else she could find out about his upgraded armor but a nearby explosion followed by multiple screams put him and Shepard on alert!
They followed the sounds of battle and came across a group of monster people fighting against an army of medieval humans in full armor wielding magic weapons. It was weird how the humans were once again the bad guys in this situation but the Chief didn't hesitate to follow Shepard into battle as they tested out their new powers on these soldiers!
– Haru –
Milim and I streaked rapidly across the sky above the Great Jura Forest, flying effortlessly toward Rimuru's town.
One thing had quickly become obvious since I'd evolved into a Demon Lord—flying was now absurdly easy. Before this, whenever I wanted to get airborne, I'd needed to carefully summon and maintain steady streams of foxfire beneath my feet to glide on, carefully manipulating my magicules to stay afloat.
But now? Gravity seemed afraid enough by me that it barely even dared to hold me down. All I had to do was will myself upward, and I simply rose into the air like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Beside me, Milim laughed cheerfully, clearly enjoying herself as she playfully spun and twirled through the sky next to me. She acted like this was all just another casual afternoon stroll. Her long pink hair streamed freely behind her as we soared effortlessly over the dense, towering treetops below. Her energy, as always, was infectious, and I found myself smiling in spite of everything else.
Ahead of us, Rimuru's large settlement came clearly into view, but immediately, we both spotted the bizarre magical barrier encasing the entire town. It was dome-shaped and shimmering, radiating strange, foreign energy. I could instinctively sense its nature, it was designed specifically to weaken monsters, draining their strength and magicules.
Milim apparently realized the same thing, because she instantly raised one fist eagerly. "Don't worry, Haru!" she declared. "Just watch! I'll smash that stupid barrier apart with a single punch! Rimuru will thank us for sure!"
Her confidence was cute, but something deep in my gut immediately screamed at me not to let her touch the barrier yet. My newly heightened Demon Lord instincts were ringing alarm bells.
Quickly, I reached out and firmly grabbed her wrist, shaking my head. "Milim, no," I said clearly, my voice calm but forceful. "Don't break it."
Milim blinked at me in confusion, frowning slightly. "Huh? But why? It's obviously hurting Rimuru's people, right?"
"Yeah, it is. But trust me—something tells me the barrier needs to stay intact for now," I explained seriously, holding her gaze with my own. I couldn't explain it logically yet, but my gut instincts as a Demon Lord were strong. "We'll help Rimuru, but not by breaking this barrier right now."
Milim looked frustrated for a split second, but then she shrugged lightly, apparently deciding to trust my judgement. "Fine, fine," she sighed dramatically, clearly disappointed. "But what do we do now, then?"
Before I could reply, both our enhanced senses abruptly picked up on the unmistakable sounds of intense battle occurring nearby—clashing metal, explosions of magic, and distant shouts. We exchanged a quick glance and nodded firmly to each other, immediately angling sharply downward and rocketing straight toward the ongoing fight.
We dropped swiftly through the air, slowing effortlessly at the last moment to touch down gently on the forest floor near the battle. My ten golden tails fanned out majestically behind me as I took in the chaotic scene before us.
Facing off directly ahead was Rimuru's red-haired kijin general, Benimaru—but he clearly wasn't doing well. His kimono was stained with blood, deep wounds visible across his muscular chest and arms. Sweat trickled down his handsome, serious face as he desperately stood his ground, sword shaking slightly in his grip as he glared defiantly toward the enemy army across from him.
Benimaru's eyes widened sharply when he saw Milim and I suddenly land nearby. Instantly, he sank to one knee in deep respect, bowing his head humbly toward us—clearly sensing my newfound, incredible power as a Demon Lord. He wasn't the type to easily show deference like that to anyone except Rimuru, which spoke volumes about just how much stronger my evolution had made me.
"Lord Haru! Lady Milim!" Benimaru called out desperately, voice ragged from battle and exhaustion. "Thank you both for coming to our aid! Please forgive our disgraceful display—I'm ashamed you have to see us in such a state."
His voice cracked slightly, raw pain and grief clear in his words as he forced himself to continue speaking. "Half our people have already been slaughtered by these invaders—including Lady Shion… and even my own little sister, Shuna."
"Oh shit—Shuna and Shion are dead?" I muttered darkly, tails bristling sharply behind me in fury. My mind immediately jumped toward solutions. "We need to call Ainz immediately—he can resurrect them!"
Benimaru shook his head firmly, raising one hand to respectfully stop me. "No, Lord Haru. Rimuru already has his own plan to revive our fallen. My job is simply to hold back this monster until Rimuru can enact that plan."
I frowned deeply, confused. "Monster? What monster?"
Milim and I both turned simultaneously to look toward the approaching human forces from the Kingdom of Falmuth. My eyes instantly widened comically, jaw nearly dropping open at what I saw—or rather, who.
A short distance away, marching confidently toward us, was an annoyingly familiar figure—one I never expected to see here, of all places.
Issei fucking Hyoudou.
The pervert from Kuoh Academy in my original universe, who'd vanished mysteriously months before he ever had his canon meeting with my fiance Rias Gremory. He stood at the head of the Falmuth soldiers, grinning stupidly, his eyes locked hungrily onto Milim's generous chest, openly drooling with lust.
"HOLY OPPAI!" Issei shouted at the absolute top of his lungs, pointing dramatically at Milim's impressive bust. "Look at the glorious tits on that short pink-haired beauty! Those oppai are gonna belong to me! I swear it!"
Milim blinked slowly, staring at Issei blankly, completely baffled. "What the heck is an 'oppai'?"
But I just groaned inwardly, covering my face with one hand in sheer disbelief and embarrassment. "No fucking way," I muttered incredulously to myself I'd known my life was crazy lately, but this was beyond absurd. Of all the random bullshit, a perverted moron from my old world was now apparently one of our enemies, lusting over Milim Nava of all people.
I shook my head and stared at the dumbfounded moron in front of us. He had a perverted grin plastered across his face as he ogled Milim's ridiculously tight and revealing outfit.
"Issei Hyoudou!" I called out clearly, my voice sharp enough to snap him out of his lustful haze.
For a second, he actually stopped staring at Milim's chest long enough to blink at me in genuine confusion. Then he shouted dramatically, pointing an accusing finger in my direction. "Whoa! That handsome fox bastard somehow knows my name!" Issei shouted loudly to no one in particular, dramatically drawing out each word as he eyed me suspiciously. "How the hell do you know who I am, pretty-boy?"
I sighed deeply, rolling my eyes in frustration as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Calmly, I explained it to him in simple terms.
"Listen carefully, Issei," I began slowly, clearly annoyed but still managing to keep my voice steady and firm. "I have a girlfriend who attends Kuoh Academy back in Japan. You randomly vanished months ago, you caused quite a commotion. Your parents plastered missing-person posters everywhere, desperately hoping someone had information about you." I frowned at him, arms folded across my chest in exasperation. "Judging by your presence here, I'd guess you were summoned from our original world to this place…"
Surprisingly, Issei's face brightened dramatically at hearing his parents had missed him enough to go searching for him. He immediately shifted from suspicion to excitement, clearly pleased with himself. "Oh man, seriously? Mom and Dad missed me that much?" Issei beamed joyfully, nodding enthusiastically. "That's great news! But yeah, you're totally right, handsome fox-guy-bastard. I've been here for months now—summoned to this world by the amazing and totally badass Falmouth Kingdom! Seriously, it's the greatest damn place ever!"
He spun dramatically around, giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up toward the ranks of human soldiers behind him. They stared awkwardly back, clearly uncomfortable with his embarrassing display. Still, Issei ignored their reactions entirely, plowing ahead obliviously.
"Seriously, these Falmouth people are amazing!" Issei rambled excitedly, eyes sparkling with delight as he continued. "They summoned me to become a great Hero, awakened my super-awesome hidden powers, and—best of all—they even gifted me my very own harem of gorgeous, sexy women who'll do absolutely anything I ask!" He practically bounced in place now, rubbing his hands together greedily. "And as if that wasn't awesome enough, they promised me something even better—if I help them fight this war, I get to claim even more sexy monster-girls to join my harem! They'll even slap slave collars on the monster babes so they won't be able to refuse any kinky request I make! Isn't that freaking awesome?"
I stared coldly at him, revulsion clearly visible in my narrowed golden eyes. Behind me, Benimaru sank visibly lower in shame, his red hair falling across his face as his muscular shoulders shook with barely-contained anger and grief.
"Forgive me, Lord Haru," Benimaru said bitterly, voice thick with barely restrained fury and grief. "Multiple hob-goblin girls from our settlement have already been abducted and abused by this... vile, disgusting human. His depravity knows no bounds."
Issei merely shrugged carelessly, completely unfazed by our obvious disgust and anger. He was too caught up in his twisted fantasies to notice or care.
"Be careful, Lord Haru," Benimaru cautioned darkly. "He might appear to be nothing more than a fragile weakling, but inside him resides the true soul of a dragon. We found that out the hard way when he and the other heroes attacked us out of nowhere!"
I nodded slightly.
Of course, I already knew exactly what Benimaru was referring to—Issei Hyoudou's Sacred Gear, the Boosted Gear, which housed the legendary Welsh dragon Ddraig.
But Milim beside me suddenly perked up dramatically at hearing those words.
"A true dragon!?" Milim gasped excitedly, her eyes wide as she stared in wonder at Issei. "Seriously, Haru? He's got an actual dragon inside him!?" she turned to me and asked.
Before I could even respond to her obvious excitement, Issei dramatically raised his left arm in a showy gesture. Crimson energy gathered rapidly, and suddenly, a bulky red gauntlet appeared on his forearm, intricate green gems set deep within its surface.
An unmistakably deep and powerful voice echoed from the gauntlet, sounding dignified at first. "I am the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig!" the voice declared solemnly and impressively, clearly proud and majestic in tone. But then, a reluctant pause stretched awkwardly before Ddraig continued in a distinctly less enthusiastic voice. "...The unwilling partner of this complete failure of a human and absolute pervert, Issei Hyoudou."
"Hey!" Issei stomped his foot childishly, whining indignantly at his Sacred Gear. "Stupid dragon, shut up! I was having an epic hero moment, damn it!"
Milim openly gaped at the gauntlet, tilting her head curiously to one side. "Wait—you're a powerful dragon and you're trapped inside a pathetic human boy? How the heck did that happen? Are you stupid or something?"
"I'm not stupid!" Ddraig replied defensively, his deep voice sounding oddly petulant now. "The God of the Bible sealed my soul within this Boosted Gear, forever imprisoning me and forcing me to lend my strength to human wielders. But of all my previous wielders, this fool Issei is undoubtedly my least favorite by far! However, I must warn you both—while he himself is a useless pervert, this world has unfortunately granted him significant strength. Do not underestimate him, Little Half-Dragon and Yokai Prince."
"Quit warning the enemy, you stupid dragon!" Issei shouted angrily, his face flushed bright red from embarrassment. He then pointed dramatically at me once more. "I'm gonna kill this handsome fox bastard right now! Then I'll capture the pink-haired hottie and add her to my sexy harem collection! Let's do this! Balance Breaker!" Crimson scales erupted violently across Issei's body, quickly covering him in gleaming red dragon armor.
The armor had barely formed completely when Milim abruptly vanished from beside me, moving so impossibly fast it appeared as if she'd teleported.
"Scale Mai—Oof!" Issei's boast was immediately cut short by Milim's deceptively slender fist violently crashing into his armored chest. His freshly formed dragon armor instantly shattered spectacularly into thousands of glittering fragments, disintegrating completely beneath the sheer force of her casual punch.
Issei flew backward, eyes bulging comically as he crashed heavily into a group of his soldiers, knocking them sprawling like bowling pins. The shocked human army gaped openly, mouths hanging in disbelief, clearly horrified at seeing their supposed mighty Hero taken down instantly and effortlessly by the petite pink-haired girl.
Milim casually brushed off her knuckles, smiling innocently. "Whoops," she said cheerfully, utterly unconcerned as she turned back to face me with a wide grin. "I might've broken their Hero guy already, Haru!"
I chuckled darkly, nodding approvingly at her with satisfaction. "Nicely done, Milim."
"He's not done yet!" Ddraig's voice suddenly echoed out loudly, interrupting our premature celebration. "Be cautious, both of you! He has a Unique Skill called Relentless Pervert. Basically, every single time this useless human has ever had sex, he's gained an additional life. And ever since he was summoned to this world, he's unfortunately been getting laid constantly. At this point, he's stacked up literally thousands of extra lives…" Ddraig's voice practically radiated embarrassment and utter exasperation.
Poor bastard must've been miserable...
Behind us, Benimaru's expression darkened even further as he reluctantly confirmed Ddraig's warning. His fists clenched so hard that blood dripped from his palms onto the scorched battlefield. "It's true, Lord Haru," Benimaru growled bitterly. "This vile bastard is nearly unkillable. When the so-called 'Heroes' attacked our village, I personally cut off his head multiple times. I tore him limb from limb, burned his body, even drove my blade through his heart repeatedly—yet every single time, he simply laughed and regenerated instantly."
At that exact moment, a violent stirring sound echoed from the crater Milim had just punched him into. Rocks shifted and crumbled noisily as Issei slowly crawled out. Immediately, the crimson scales of his dragon armor rapidly formed once again across his entire body, encasing him fully once more in his obnoxiously shiny Balance Breaker.
Issei lifted his armored head and laughed smugly, the sound echoing distorted through his crimson helmet. "That's right! You bastards thought one hit would finish me? Think again! Each time I resurrect, every bit of my magical energy and stamina is instantly restored! No matter how strong you fuckers think you are, you'll never outlast me! I'm completely invincible!"
Then, Issei's gaze shifted directly to Milim. Even through the visor, I could practically sense his disgusting leer, a sickening aura of lust radiating off him in palpable waves.
"And you," Issei shouted at her. "You pink-haired, big-titted half-dragon—you're gonna help me regain every single one of those thousands of lives I lose here today, over and over again. I'll enjoy breaking you down until you're nothing more than my obedient little sex-slave."
Uh oh… He just pushed her way too far with those last words…
Slowly, deliberately, Milim turned toward me. "Haru," Milim stated calmly, but with barely contained rage trembling beneath her voice. "I've decided, I'm going to kill this disgusting human permanently. And while I'm at it, I'll rip that poor dragon's soul right out of his worthless body."
"Yes please!" Ddraig immediately shouted back excitedly, his deep, dignified voice reduced to nearly hysterical desperation. "Free me from this unending hell! I'm begging you both—kill this miserable pervert once and for all and release me!"
"Hey! Shut up, Ddraig! We're supposed to be partners, asshole!" Issei shouted indignantly from beneath his crimson helmet, sounding genuinely offended. He braced himself dramatically, clearly preparing to charge us again.
He never got the chance. With frightening speed, Milim simply blurred forward. Her small fist slammed into Issei's armored head instantly, obliterating it completely in a spectacular explosion of blood, bone fragments, and shattered red dragon scales.
For a split second, Issei's headless corpse swayed awkwardly. But immediately afterward, the flesh and muscle of his neck started squirming grotesquely, rapidly rebuilding themselves in seconds. It was bizarre to witness—like watching some disturbing rewind of a gore-filled movie, until Issei's stupid grinning face reformed completely, smugly smirking at us before his helmet could even manifest again.
But Milim didn't hesitate for even a single heartbeat. Without mercy or pause, she drove her small fist straight through his chest, armor shattering again instantly. A massive hole appeared, blood spraying outward as his body jerked violently from the brutal blow.
Milim still wasn't done. She began punching him relentlessly—her slim arms moving so fast they appeared as a blur of motion, the sound of her fists striking his helpless, repeatedly regenerating body sounding like rapid-fire cannon blasts.
Each time Issei resurrected himself, he barely even had time to scream before another catastrophic strike obliterated him again. Over and over, Milim mercilessly pummeled his form, literally shredding through dozens—maybe even hundreds—of his accumulated extra lives every few seconds.
Issei's voice gradually turned hoarse and ragged as he screamed and begged for mercy, his previously arrogant boasting completely replaced by desperate pleas. But Milim was utterly ruthless, clearly intending to kill him as many times as it took until nothing remained.
Yeah, no fucking way was Issei outlasting Milim Nava in an endurance match. She was practically a limitless force of raw destruction. She could probably continue pummeling him non-stop for months without even breaking a sweat.
Confident Milim had things handled perfectly, I calmly turned my attention away from the brutal spectacle. My golden tails fanned out imposingly behind me, filling the immediate area with an overwhelming aura of my immense new Demonic power. A cold, ruthless smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I slowly looked down at the remaining human soldiers.
Instantly, the previously confident and arrogant army of human warriors stumbled backward, eyes wide and filled with utter terror at the incomprehensible display of unstoppable violence they'd just witnessed. Some openly dropped their weapons, visibly trembling and cowering pathetically.
"Now then," I announced smoothly, my voice deceptively calm and filled with quiet authority as I took a single step forward. The humans instantly flinched backward further, as if struck by some invisible force, their faces pale and drenched in cold sweat.
"Why don't you all start clearly explaining yourselves?" I continued coldly, golden eyes narrowed dangerously in barely contained fury. "I want to hear every single detail about why your kingdom was stupid enough to launch an unprovoked attack against my friend Rimuru's peaceful home. And I suggest you start talking right fucking now—before I decide to let my very angry companion over there finish with your perverted Hero and start ripping each and every one of you apart next…"
I felt like I could really get into this new Demon Lord role if I tried, but honestly I just wanted to save our friends as fast as possible so I could get back to my restaurant...
XXX
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