Rumble...!!
In an instant, the [Hero]'s aura dyed the sky gold, enough to cover an area several times larger than the [Goblin] village.
As if it had a will of its own, that pressure left Rimuru's group untouched and suppressed only Gabiru and the [Lizardmen] with perfect precision. And it kept swelling, with no sign of stopping.
"...So it's that aura we saw in the village last time."
"As expected... even seeing it again, that amount of magic power is still monstrous..."
"......"
The [Kijin], who had witnessed this exact same power a few months ago in the [Ogre] village, paid no attention to whether Gabiru was being crushed or not. They simply watched, feeling the true force of the magic power Adelio was releasing.
If Rimuru had given the word, they had been ready to step in themselves. But now that Adelio had moved personally, they saw no need to interfere.
And then—
Whether he knew what the [Kijin] were thinking or not...
"......"
Adelio's face remained expressionless.
Slide...
Then he drew [Overlord Black Star] from his waist, still in its sheath. As if he had no intention of hiding his anger, he slowly walked toward Gabiru without easing the force of [Heroic Aura] in the slightest.
"...Um, Ria? If we don't stop Adelio right now, I think this is going to turn into a complete disaster..."
Rigru, who was closer to sane than most of the others, stared in shock at Adelio's aura and asked Ria if they should stop him for now. But she only shook her head with a smile worthy of a demon.
"You don't need to worry. He'll handle it just fine on his own."
As Adelio's lover, she knew.
At a glance, he looked like his anger had overwhelmed his reason. But in truth, thanks to [Fragarach], the balance between his rage and his rationality was perfectly maintained.
"I-Is that so...?"
Rigru still felt a little doubtful after hearing Ria's answer, but once he realized she had absolutely no intention of moving, he gave an awkward smile and turned his gaze back toward Gabiru.
"...Ghk...!"
"L-Lord Gabiru..."
"My body... I-I can't move..."
"H-help..."
Gabiru was still plastered to the ground, with the [Lizardmen] behind him restrained along with him.
They were not suffering as badly as Gabiru, but under the effects of [Heroic Aura], they too were unable to take even a single step. So they looked to Gabiru, their leader and final hope—
"Grrk..."
—but he had no room to worry about his subordinates.
"Hoo..."
"...!!"
I'm going to die.
I might actually die.
Gabiru had always thought of humans as a race that was smarter than ordinary monsters, but aside from their numbers, not especially suited for a world ruled by the strong devouring the weak.
Today, that fixed belief was shattered.
"W-Where the hell did a monster like that come from?!"
The ash-haired human now approaching him had eyes far more savage than most monsters.
Gabiru had clearly judged him to be a frail human with no magic power at all, and that judgment had been completely wrong.
"I-I've never even heard of a monster like that living among humans...!"
Of course he hadn't.
The only human Gabiru knew of was the ancient legend of Chronoa, the one who sealed Veldora. And because humans had such short lifespans, he had assumed even she must already be dead.
"...What do I do...?! Should I bow my head and submit, even now...??"
Whether Adelio had magic power or not, whether he was human or not—none of that mattered anymore.
What mattered to Gabiru now was figuring out what he had to do to survive this.
Even through the pitch-black sheath, he could feel the presence of that sword. If it struck him, he knew he would not come away unharmed.
"...W-Wait! Please, wait a moment!"
At last, Gabiru hurriedly called out to stop Adelio.
"I-I understand now just how overwhelming your power is! Saying I would use you as a sacrifice for great magic was a slip of the tongue on my part...!"
"......"
"So could you not be generous and let this pass just this once?! No matter how strong you are, making an enemy of all [Lizardmen]—"
"—I don't care."
"......Huh...?"
The moment Adelio cut him off, Gabiru sagged like a balloon that had lost all its air.
"W-What do you mean..."
Gabiru opened his mouth again, but Adelio continued as if his words were not even worth hearing.
"You seem awfully full of yourself for someone called the next chieftain, but you're not the chieftain yet. And even if I did make an enemy of all [Lizardmen], I wouldn't care."
At most, there were around ten thousand of them.
No matter how many monsters below [Disaster] class came at him, it would be like eggs thrown at a rock before a [Catastrophe].
"And from the start, I never had the slightest intention of negotiating with you. This is just me being stubborn."
Insult?
He would repay it double.
Compensation?
He had never wanted any to begin with.
Negotiation?
That only worked on those beneath you.
"So go ahead and think carefully."
About what exactly you did wrong.
Until Gabiru understood that, Adelio's only answer would be the blow of that sheath.
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