Rimuru didn't know it, but the demons he had summoned were not Greater Demons. Even by a rough estimate, at least a hundred should have appeared. And yet there were only three.
To be precise, two of the three were veteran Greater Demons of considerable standing. But the being at their head was no ordinary demon.
In the demon realm where demons lived, there existed the first demons created by the Sacred Dragon Veldanava. More accurately, when Veldanava first created the seven seraphim from the Great Holy Spirit of Light, those who would become their shadows were born as well. Those demons came to be known as the Primordials, each bearing their own color. The most famous among them was Primordial Red, Guy. Which meant the demon standing at the front was...
"...Primordial Black."
Vertis had heard of them from Guy before. Even among demons, a race already full of oddities, the Primordials were said to be the strangest of all. Their numbers were so few compared to other demon lineages that everyone who knew anything about demons knew the outrageous things they got up to.
'To think he summoned a primordial demon... That's surprising.'
But that surprise lasted only a moment. Vertis also headed for the battlefield, concealing his presence so he could clean up what came next.
*
The battle was already mostly over. Two of the three otherworlders were dead, and the last one had already had his mind destroyed by the court magician Razen and his body stolen. Thanks to the Living Armors Vertis had prepared, even more souls than expected had been gathered, so Rimuru's subordinates on the battlefield were also being affected by the Harvest Festival.
The demon descended from the sky and headed toward Benimaru, the commander.
"...What are you?"
Benimaru did not lower his guard at the sudden appearance of the demon, but the demon responded with flawless courtesy from start to finish.
"Please do not be so wary. I am a demon who answered your lord's summons."
"Lord Rimuru did?"
"Oh! So that exalted one's name is Lord Rimuru! What a beautiful name!"
The demon explained why he was here with a face full of delight, and after hearing him out, Benimaru quickly ordered everyone else to withdraw.
"Demon. Their main camp is nearby. What are you going to do?"
"Please rest easy. What Lord Rimuru commanded me to do was protect all of you. In that case, I simply must ensure that the enemies here never reach Lord Rimuru's nation. I will deal with them myself."
He was not a Greater Demon. He was something beyond that—an Arch Demon.
"I see. Then don't kill the one who looks like their commander. Bring him back alive."
With those final words, Benimaru withdrew, and the demon gave orders to his subordinates.
"Now then, dispose of them. Leave not a single one alive."
King Edmaris wore a relaxed expression inside his luxurious tent. Watching him from the side, High Priest Reyheim thought the man had either lost his mind or had some hidden assurance to rely on.
But it was neither.
The reason King Edmaris could remain so calm was not madness, nor was it because he had some kind of insurance.
He had already known from the start that things would turn out this way.
"This matter is over now. Red."
"!! Wh-who are you?!"
A man had suddenly appeared in the tent that had been empty just a moment before. Hair like flames, and green eyes as deep as a dark forest. And the killing intent pouring from him was so overwhelming it felt as though death itself had taken shape.
"Is it over now?"
"Yes. This tiresome play is finally over. At least there was some value in deliberately giving expensive equipment to low-grade mercenaries and criminals."
From the very beginning, Vertis and King Edmaris had intended to offer these men up as sacrifices. As it happened, the Western Holy Church had issued an order to destroy Rimuru's nation, and Vertis judged that the time was right to put into motion the plan he had been advancing for a long time.
"You should discard that body soon as well."
"Well, I liked it well enough in its own way, but I'm getting tired of it."
SliiideThud!!
Something slipped out of the king's body, and the king collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Shocked, High Priest Reyheim grabbed the fallen king and shook him, but the king was already nothing more than an empty shell. Then beyond him, the shadow of a massive dragon with demonic horns fell over the tent.
"M-monster..."
Unable to accept reality, Reyheim fainted on the spot.
"Ah, he passed out. Fine, whatever. Next, shall I clean up the trash around here?"
Vertis stretched out a hand. Tiny particles began gathering in his palm, and then every corpse in the area broke down into magicules and started flowing toward him.
"Now then... is there a demon out there willing to make a contract with me?"
It was his first time performing a demon summoning. Well, something would probably come.
He threw in every corpse in the vicinity, along with all the souls that had failed to pass on.
At that moment, pure white smoke billowed up before him, and a single female demon appeared.
*
Inside Rimuru's consciousness. He could not tell whether he was awake or not, nor could he even properly sense his own body. Then, in front of him, he saw the backs of the people precious to him.
Without thinking, Rimuru walked toward them.
"Evolution is continuing."
[Race: Slime has successfully ultra-evolved into Demon Slime. All physical abilities have risen dramatically. Next, reacquisition of the previous individual's acquired skills and resistances has succeeded. New Unique Skills [Infinite Regeneration], [All-Purpose Sense], [Tyrant's Haki], [Clone Body], and [All-Purpose Thread] have been acquired. Success.]
They seemed close enough to touch, and yet he could not reach them. Even so, he kept stretching out his hand.
[New resistances [Nullification of Natural Effects], [Nullification of Abnormal Conditions], [Resistance to Mental Attacks], and [Resistance to Holy-Demonic Attacks] have been successfully acquired. Evolution will now conclude.]
Ordinarily, the evolution should have stopped there.
But it did not stop.
Rimuru's Unique Skill [Great Sage] was never supposed to possess a sense of self, and yet the wise one continued to seek further evolution in order to fulfill its master's wish.
Great Sage remembered. It remembered the tears of its master, Rimuru. It remembered that grief-stricken cry so heartbreaking it brought sorrow even to those who heard it.
Great Sage thought. Why was it that it never wanted to see those tears again?
Great Sage reached a conclusion. What would it take to restore its master's smile? Power. He needed greater power.
"Notice. Unique Skill [Great Sage] has submitted a petition to the World's Word. Requesting the evolution of [Great Sage]."
[Confirmed. The request of Unique Skill [Great Sage] has been accepted. Attempting evolution... failed.]
-Retrying.
--Failed.
-Retrying.
--Failed.
-Retrying.
--Failed.
-Retrying.
--Failed.
After thousands, hundreds of millions of attempts and failures, Great Sage finally...
"Notice. [Great Sage] has fused with [Degenerate], obtained the gift of the Harvest Festival, and attempted evolution... Success."
[Confirmed. Unique Skill [Great Sage] has evolved into Ultimate Skill [Raphael].]
Great Sage had succeeded in evolving into [Raphael], a name shared with one of the three great angels of the Old Testament.
The odds had been infinitesimal. It was as if the world had granted a reward for continuing to challenge the impossible despite unending failure.
Like a lifeform breaking free from its egg, that success became the trigger for evolution into an Ultimate Skill, one that stood at the very summit of this world.
It should not have been able to understand emotion, nor feel it.
...And yet, for some reason, it felt satisfied.
That transcendent breakthrough became the catalyst for miracle after miracle, and the evolution continued.
"[Gluttony] desires evolution. Executing with [Merciless] as sacrifice. Ultimate Skill [Beelzebuth] evolution successful."
[Gluttony] had succeeded in evolving into [Beelzebuth], the name associated in Catholic tradition with gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins.
In the abyss beyond Rimuru's awareness, his skills were quietly but surely evolving under Raphael's command in order to fulfill his wish.
The festival was only just beginning.
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