*Contains graphic depictions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.* After finishing my conversation with Youm, it was time to get down to business with the strategy meeting.
Everyone had serious expressions, all eyes fixed on me.
I wanted to hear their opinions first.
"Before I share my thoughts, I'd like to hear what everyone has to say."
At those words, they all eagerly started speaking.
I gathered their opinions.
Broadly, they fell into two camps.
The first was that they couldn't forgive the humans who had resorted to such a cowardly surprise attack.
That was fair enough. Not wrong at all.
The second was that there were decent humans too, and that we shouldn't lump them all together.
I was glad to see opinions like that. We couldn't let anger and resentment lead us to lose sight of our goal.
These seemed to be the two main sentiments.
It was proof that the monsters were seriously considering coexistence with humans.
They had faithfully followed my instructions, even after what had just happened.
My beloved companions. People precious enough to call family.
I'd never truly loved anyone before, so it probably sounded hollow coming from me, but still.
Once I saw they had calmed down, I spoke up.
"Everyone, listen."
All attention turned to me.
I took in their gazes and began.
"I'm actually a former human—a reincarnator."
A murmur went through the room, but no one interrupted.
But judging by everyone's surprised expressions, even if he had known, he hadn't told anyone.
I looked at them and continued.
"I came from the same world as those called otherworlders.
I died over there and was reborn here—as a slime.
At first, I was lonely and alone. But eventually, I made friends.
You guys.
Maybe the reason you evolved into forms closer to human was influenced by my own desires.
The rule about 'not attacking humans' was created for the same reason.
When I said I liked humans, it was because I used to be one.
But that rule ended up causing you to get hurt, and that was never my intention…
I kept thinking that even though I was a monster, my heart was still human.
Because of that complacency, I ended up prioritizing my own feelings.
As a former human, I wanted to interact with humans here too.
And that led me to neglect what was right under my nose. Look where it ended up.
I take full responsibility for all of this.
I'm sorry…"
After hearing my words, no one spoke.
Each of them was processing what I'd said.
After a brief silence…
"What problem does it pose that Lord Rimuru was formerly human?"
Hakuro spoke up with a serious face.
Wait—I hadn't expected that kind of response. I'd been bracing for accusations of "Traitor!"
"Huh? Why would that matter?"
"Lord Rimuru is the only master I recognize."
"Same here, but…"
And so on.
Then
"Lord Rimuru, everyone's feelings remain unchanged. There is no need to worry about such things."
I nodded, thinking to myself: This really is my home.
I was happy.
After acknowledging that,
"So, what I want to know is—what's our policy toward humans going forward?"
Every gaze snapped to me at once.
Yeah, that was the question.
For monsters, it was one thing, but for Kaijin and the dwarves, this was a critical issue. If I declared war on humanity, I'd instantly become a new threat.
Well, that wasn't my intention, but still.
I decided to lay out my thinking.
"Before I give you my conclusion, let me explain my reasoning.
In my previous world, there were two philosophies about human nature: the theory of innate goodness and the theory of innate evil.
The theory of innate goodness holds that humans are inherently good.
The opposite—innate evil—holds that humans are inherently wicked.
I think both are right, and both are wrong.
Humans are probably equal vessels of both types of emotion. But they tend to drift toward whichever path is easier.
If the easy path leans toward evil, they become evil quickly.
But here's the thing—humans can also reconcile the contradiction of working hard to take it easy.
In truth, I was like that too.
If you don't point your effort in the wrong direction, you can become something better.
That means being a good neighbor who doesn't doubt or hate someone just because they're a monster.
I want to believe in that possibility.
But believing in it and ending up in a situation like this would be putting the cart before the horse.
So, my conclusion is this: For now, joining hands with humans would be premature.
What matters first is making our presence known and forcing them to acknowledge it.
We must establish ourselves as a force they cannot ignore.
And by reigning as a Demon Lord, I can also serve as a deterrent against the other Demon Lords.
To those who bare their fangs at us, we'll deliver punishment.
To those who extend a hand in goodwill, we'll offer blessing.
We mirror how the other side treats us.
Over time, we aim to build friendship.
That is my thinking."
I finished.
Kaijin let out a sigh.
"That's quite the idealistic speech. Not exactly what you'd expect from someone about to become a Demon Lord.
…But I don't hate it."
"What's wrong with idealism? I think if it's Lord Rimuru, he can make that kind of world happen."
She declared her support.
"Either way, we've already decided to follow. Whatever happens, we follow. No need to think twice."
Geld's declaration was, in a way, the epitome of stopping all thought—but delivered with such straightforward sincerity that it carried weight.
"Hey, if Rimuru's gonna be King, I still have a proper role to play, right?"
"I am Lord Rimuru's faithful shadow. I need no confirmation—I act on your orders as given."
"We'll be building a new nation while working to reform everyone's consciousness," Youm added.
Each of them, in their own words, expressed their support.
I felt the weight of those words.
This time I'd be pushing my selfish ideal on everyone—and there'd be no using that as an excuse afterward. I'd been living life on my own terms, and that meant I had to take responsibility for my actions.
"Thank you. For going along with my selfishness!"
My words prompted a chorus: "Our Boss (Lord Rimuru) being selfish—that's something we've all known (for a long time)!!!"
………
……
…
Now then, the strategy meeting for the incoming military invasion.
The attacking force would be a coalition of the Farmus Kingdom and the Western Holy Church.
In practical terms, the main body consisted of Farmus Kingdom's 5,000 Royal Knights and a 4,000-strong mercenary company.
On top of that, framed as responding to Farmus's request, the Western Holy Church was sending 2,000 Holy Warriors and 3,000 anti-monster soldiers.
And the most troublesome force of all—the 1,000 knights of the Holy Church's formal Knight Order.
A total of 15,000 elite troops.
These were the numbers Youm's subordinates had gathered from their reconnaissance across the region.
It seemed even more forces had assembled than we'd anticipated.
"How do we split up the duties?" Geld asked eagerly.
"I should probably lead my unit to hold the front line," Benimaru said, clearly ready for action.
It turned out he'd been quietly assembling a Hobgoblin warrior corps. With Hakuro as their instructor, apparently.
Rigul was gearing up to command the goblin wolf riders.
I wasn't the only one furious about this.
But…
"Sorry. This time, I'll be the one to go and deal with it.
I need you to leave this to me."
"…What do you mean?" Benimaru asked on everyone's behalf.
I explained.
This was essentially a ritual for me to become a Demon Lord.
"The sacrifice I need for my ascension to Demon Lord is 10,000 souls.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—the fools invading us number 15,000, more than enough.
This is a necessary ceremony for my evolution into a Demon Lord.
I have to be the one to annihilate the invaders alone."
That's what I said.
In truth, I didn't need to kill everyone personally.
According to the Great Sage, as long as deaths caused by my own will were involved, the conditions would be satisfied.
But then I thought—wasn't the Demon Lord
If my guess was right, and Clayman was too weak to even start a war on his own, he was a nobody I didn't need to bother with.
I wasn't doing this to one-up him.
I felt I needed to take responsibility this time—to never again allow myself the luxury of leaning on others.
And if I died here, then that was simply how far I went.
I knew I was being selfish, but there were reasons I couldn't budge on.
"Also, there's something I need you all to do.
I believe
But if the barrier develops any cracks or fluctuations during the battle, those souls could be lost.
I've been reinforcing it with my own magicules, but once combat starts, I won't have the capacity to spare.
I need you to reinforce the barrier and keep calling out to Shion and the others."
I wasn't sure this would actually help, but it was something I desperately wanted done.
I wanted to raise the odds, even slightly.
Right now, I was outputting magicules with my full magical reserves, maintaining the barrier and replenishing the magicule density within it.
There's a common rule in both physics and magic: things flow from high to low.
Basically, if I flooded the space with energy, it should suppress the dispersion of the energy covering the souls.
Without that protection, souls would simply diffuse straight through the barrier.
That was also why humans could pass through barriers without resistance—there were too few magicule-related components in them.
Souls, being pure energy, wouldn't be constrained by ordinary barriers at all.
Monster Astral Bodies were composed of magicules, so as long as I could prevent the energy from dispersing, I could improve the chances.
That was why I wanted to go fight while the rest of you held the current state.
The Great Sage confirmed that if we were going to give this our all, this deployment was the optimal choice.
Even if Hinata was among the invading force, I intended to kill everyone by myself.
I'd seen her technique once already. It was something that demanded maximum advantage be leveraged. I would not lose a second time, and I would not allow it.
Perhaps sensing my resolve, Benimaru nodded.
"Understood. This time, we'll leave everything to Lord Rimuru. Go berserk enough for all of us!"
I nodded back.
I had no intention of showing mercy to the enemy, after all.
With everyone's agreement secured, I set out alone to face the invading army.
Day Seven.
Countless soldiers marched before me, stretching out below.
In my current state, they looked like nothing more than prey.
These were the ones who had done that to Shion…
Normally, I should have issued a warning or a declaration of hostilities.
But the enemy had already declared their intent. In any case…
I planned to devour every last one of them.
I had no intention of leaving survivors, so there was no point in playing fair and honorable.
Humans…
You shall become nourishment for my evolution. Consider it an honor.
I hovered in the sky on my wings, surveying the battlefield below. Everything was in order.
I deployed the new technique I'd developed specifically to kill them.
Now, let's begin!
"Die! Be pierced through by the wrath of God—Divine Wrath!"
A cascade of light rained down from the heavens, reflecting repeatedly across the terrain below, piercing through soldiers before they could mount any resistance and beginning the slaughter in earnest.
The army did have a defensive barrier maintained by their dedicated magic corps.
Even if you took your enemy lightly, you set up a barrier against a close-range核撃魔法 strike—that was just common sense.
Maintaining vigilance against an indiscriminate area-of-effect spell was standard protocol for military operations in this world.
Naturally, they'd set up thorough defensive barriers this time too. They were marching on a town that supposedly housed high-ranking monsters—skipping precautions would be the height of incompetence.
But against my new technique, their barriers were utterly meaningless.
The principle behind this world's barriers was focused on blocking magicules.
They weren't a true resistance against the laws of physics themselves.
I'd already determined this through analyzing the barrier's structure.
Think about it—what kind of interference could a barrier possibly generate to fully contain flames reaching thousands of degrees?
Elemental Magic in this world operated by manipulating magicules to interfere with the laws of physics. To counter that, you set up a barrier that blocked magicule entry. Unless you could shatter the barrier with a greater magical force, those blocking magicules prevented any physical interference from getting through.
As for Spirit Magic, it worked by rewriting the laws of physics through the interference of spirits, so its power was more limited in scale.
Of course, spirit barriers were also deployed to interfere with Spirit Magic.
This was why multiple layered barriers were the baseline—the reasons were quite straightforward.
So I'd had a change in approach: instead of magic, I would create pure physical energy.
Taking inspiration from Hinata's "Spirit Particle Destruction," I had the Great Sage adjust it into something practical.
With all the computational work delegated to the Great Sage, bringing it to practical application was surprisingly easy.
Around me, over a thousand floating water droplets deployed in formation.
Above, a dozen or so particularly large water droplets shaped like convex lenses hung in the air.
The convex lenses above would capture sunlight, focus it narrowly, and then the mirror-finished water droplets deployed below would reflect and further concentrate it.
These droplets were imbued with my water spirit energy.
By reflecting sunlight through these droplets and focusing it to a point as thin as a pencil lead, the temperature reached thousands of degrees.
Rather than absorbing solar energy, all the droplets reflected and concentrated it—a spell of my own design.
My new technique: Physical Magic—"Divine Wrath."
In the first volley, over a thousand soldiers fell dead without being able to do a thing.
On the ground, the marching formation was thrown into chaos. Panic began to erupt from the first strike of Divine Wrath.
But of course, that wasn't the end.
With optimal calculations automatically adjusting for position, I fired the second volley.
Over a thousand more soldiers died without even the chance to resist.
The terrifying aspect of this magic was its low energy cost.
The water membrane over the final firing point would evaporate from the heat, but it could be replenished instantly.
That was what the water spirits were for. Producing water didn't require much energy at all.
The entire cycle took less than a minute before I could fire again—it only required replenishing the water and adjusting the positioning.
And the only magicules needed were for maintaining the water spirits.
The primary energy source was the sun itself—the embodiment of natural energy.
The drawback was that it could only be used during daylight hours, but right now, it was daytime.
All issues were resolved. All that remained was to clean up the remaining troops below.
Light-speed strikes flew in silently, offering no chance of resistance as they burned through soldier after soldier.
Those in shoddy leather armor and those in fine metal plate alike.
Killed with perfect equality.
However, I made sure not to target the one particularly ornate carriage. I couldn't tell which one the king was riding in, and killing him outright would leave no one to punish.
I wasn't that merciful.
Those who had provoked my wrath needed to face the consequences…
I unilaterally initiated combat, and in roughly five minutes, two-thirds of the invading army had been rendered incapable of fighting.
Time, I thought.
I descended slowly, wings unfurling, drifting toward the ground.
To deliver even greater despair upon these fools.
--- King Edmaris could not comprehend what was happening before his eyes.
No—it wasn't just the king. Neither the Chief Court Mage, nor the Knight Commander, nor any of the elites present could understand it.
"AAAAAGH!! My arm—my arm is gone!!!"
"Help! Someone help!"
"Where—it's coming from WHERE?!"
The battlefield had transformed in an instant into a screaming, blood-soaked hell.
Just moments ago, their fighting spirit had been high and their confidence in victory absolute…
A veteran knight who had survived countless battles had his chest pierced by light that seemed to come from nowhere and died instantly.
A young volunteer, barely understanding what was happening, fled in blind panic.
The dependable knights dispatched from the Holy Church had confidently set up barriers—only to have their heads shot through immediately after, as if the barriers were a cruel joke.
Weak and strong alike trembled with the same paralyzing terror.
They were utterly helpless.
Perhaps, if Hinata had been here, she might have reacted by instantly deploying a Physical Barrier.
Though Physical Barrier was a supreme art of magic, limited to a handful of users, and its coverage was narrow…
But Hinata wasn't here. Hypotheticals were pointless.
King Edmaris fought desperately to contain the terror that threatened to suffocate him, clinging to the last shred of his royal dignity.
His mind raced through the chaos.
No matter how he looked at it, the operation was a failure. Even if he wanted to flee, the situation no longer permitted it.
How had it come to this… No, there was no time for that now.
"Forgen! What do we do—what should we do?!" he asked his most trusted knight commander.
Forgen was the kingdom's most celebrated knight commander—a veteran warrior whose prowess rivaled even A-rank adventurers.
He was one of the king's most dependable confidants.
Yet there was no response.
"Forgen! What's wrong—why aren't you answering? FORGEN!!!"
A voice laced with terror, confusion, and fury, as he shook the knight commander by the shoulder.
The broad body tilted with a dull clatter and toppled over.
Looking closer, his temple was gone entirely, and brain matter was leaking out onto the ground.
"HHHHIIIIIEEEEE!!!!"
King Edmaris screamed in terror and collapsed off the carriage in a dead faint.
The open-top carriage—chosen to boost morale—had backfired spectacularly.
Warm liquid streamed from his crotch as he tried to crawl away, dragging himself across the ground.
Royal dignity had become the furthest thing from his mind.
He would die—if he stayed here, he would die!!!
Lost in panic, he scrambled desperately to escape.
But no one noticed the king's state. They were all too busy trying to save themselves.
Even the 1,000 Holy Knights of the Church's formal order—those who were supposed to be the symbol of righteousness against monsters—were being killed without being able to do a thing.
They were each at least as capable as a B-rank adventurer in combat, and though they fell short of the Holy Knights, they were formidable fighters.
Yet the absolute superiority they held against monsters had crumbled in an instant.
Falling into panic was, perhaps, the most natural response.
At that moment, the weeping soldiers—snot and tears streaming down their faces—suddenly stopped and looked upward.
King Edmaris followed their gaze involuntarily.
Descending from the sky was a figure with black bat-like wings.
He wasn't particularly tall, and he wore a beautiful mask.
The mask bore cracks that made it look as though it were crying.
He was dressed in a gorgeous black kimono, with sleek black armor.
He didn't appear to be carrying any weapons.
That was a demon… no—a Demon Lord.
A Demon Lord! He knew it instinctively.
And only then—only at that moment—did the king finally realize the greatest mistake he had made.
He should never have made this move.
He should have established diplomatic relations, like Blumund had.
That Demon Lord before him—that appearance. It had to be woven from that beautiful cloth.
That regal bearing.
The Demon Lord before him had to be the lord of that town.
Which meant—
He had never heard of that calculating, ruthless witch failing a mission.
But it was entirely plausible that someone could outmatch her.
This demon radiated exactly that kind of aura.
But it made sense. With a presence like a Demon Lord's…
No—this could be an opportunity. A flash of insight struck him.
He was a king. If he could talk his way into a negotiation, he could escape this place, return to his kingdom, and prepare a counterattack!
They were so pleased just to negotiate with a piddling nation like Blumund—if he, the king of the great Farmus Kingdom, offered his hand, they'd surely bow down!
Lost in this delusion, the king made his worst possible move.
He had no idea that this would push the already-simmering rage of the being before him to its absolute limit.
--- Touching down on the ground, the scene was exactly as I'd expected.
Using Magic Perception to pinpoint positions perfectly, I picked off vital points from blind spots with precision.
Occasionally, I deliberately blew off arms, legs, and torsos, letting the screams of agony throw the field into chaos.
"Exactly as I'd pictured," I thought.
The surviving soldiers who laid eyes on me crumpled to the ground in terror.
"Pl-please, help—save me!"
I heard what sounded like a plea for mercy, but I paid it no mind and shot him between the eyes.
It had taken some practice to get the hang of it, but now I could manipulate the beams exactly as I pleased.
The trick was in the angle of reflection.
Low cost, and I could fire as much as I wanted.
Focusing the heat source on a single point could reach thousands of degrees—more than enough to punch through a human body, though somewhat excessive.
Once I'd grasped the technique, I could execute optimal shots at will.
There was a slight time lag, but it was effectively the speed of light—once you saw it, dodging was impossible.
Even fired from 10,000 kilometers away, the travel time was roughly 0.034 seconds.
The time it took for visual information to travel through a human's nervous system to the brain was slower than that.
None of this would have been possible without the Great Sage's calculations to aim and fire with such precision.
As expected of the Great Sage. I was once again amazed.
If this were fired at close range, even someone with the Great Sage's assistance would find it nearly impossible to dodge. In my case, since I recognized things the instant I saw them, I might just barely manage—but it would depend on luck.
For humans, it was absolutely impossible.
As I shot down several more who were trying to prostrate themselves or crawl away to escape: 《Acquired. Unique Skill "Mindless"… Acquisition successful.》 It wasn't the Great Sage's voice—I heard the voice of the heavens for the first time in a while.
Seriously? That kind of skill is useless.
Well, what was done was done.
Just as I was about to check what ability it granted, the king spoke to me.
"W-wait! You—you're the lord of that town, aren't you!
I am Edmaris, King of the Farmus Kingdom!
Show some respect! I have something to say to you!"
A disheveled old man had waddled up to speak to me.
Looking at him—had he wet himself? His crotch was damp, and his face was a disaster zone of tears, snot, and drool.
I wanted to scream "Stop showing me nightmare fuel!" It felt like I'd stumbled onto some cursed image.
But well—one of my primary targets had just volunteered himself. I'd take it.
The ringleader had identified himself.
"Fine. I'll hear you out," I replied.
"How—how insolent! I am the king of the great Farmus Kingdom!
You are creatures who shouldn't even be permitted to speak to me.
But, well, fine. This time—"
I burned off his arm with a single shot.
He didn't exactly look like someone I needed to be polite with.
And since he still didn't seem to grasp the situation, I'd woken him up to the reality through pain—without killing him.
Well, he'd die in agony, but ideally, I'd leave the killing to the one who actually harbored resentment against him.
"Listen here, Your Majesty. Read the room before you speak.
Just because I'm being lenient, don't get cocky.
You have permission to talk. Continue."
At first, the old man just stood there blankly, staring at where his left hand had been.
Understanding and pain hit him simultaneously.
He let out a shriek and began writhing on the ground.
Wait—wasn't he supposed to be some great hero? Someone with an impressive reputation?
Connecting this sorry figure to that image was a stretch.
But I did feel my anger ease slightly.
Still, if he died too quickly, I was worried the anger might rebound.
"Hmm? Didn't you have something to say?
If you wanted to put on that little dance performance, I think you've done enough. We can move on."
That got his attention. He turned toward me and started trying desperately to speak.
Fear and pain seemed to have robbed him of his voice. What a handful.
Fine. I'd grant him a momentary reprieve from the pain.
I grabbed his hair and lifted his face.
"I'll let you talk once. Go ahead," I said with a menacing look.
At first, he sputtered incoherently, but finally gathered himself.
And then: "I—let us establish diplomatic relations between our nations! A good deal, isn't it?
I was deceived too! I never imagined there'd be a town with such a formidable person.
But this is actually a stroke of incredible fortune! I can form ties with a nation that hosts such a remarkable hero.
A mutual alliance would ensure security for both sides. My kingdom would gain peace of mind, and your nation would gain the backing of a great power.
A mutually beneficial arrangement, wouldn't you agree?
I'd even introduce you to the Council at some point.
Well? Surely you'll accept?"
………
Was this guy a genius?
Did he want to make me angrier so he could suffer even more pain before dying? Was that his idea of a good time?
The old man, completely oblivious to my bewilderment and utterly incapable of reading the room, kept talking.
I burned off his right leg to shut him up.
He started screaming again, but he wasn't dying, so I left him be.
I didn't need to apply pressure to each wound—since the blood vessels were cauterized shut, there was no bleeding.
It was convenient for keeping him alive when I didn't want to kill him yet.
I glanced around and noticed it had gone eerily quiet. The surviving soldiers were prostrating themselves before me, trembling with a mixture of fear and reverence.
They were desperately praying, begging for their lives.
Unfortunately for them, their judgment had come far too late. My mercy had been entirely consumed by rage.
Just then, the analysis of the Unique Skill "Mindless" was completed.
Its effect was the ability to seize the lives of those who begged for mercy or wished to be saved.
In other words, anyone who lost the will to fight in the face of this ability was already dead.
It didn't seem like it had much utility, but right now it was exactly what I needed.
《Query. Activate Unique Skill "Mindless"? YES/NO》 YES. My heart was calm. There was no pain.
The instant I activated it, every person within range except the king—who was set as an exemption— Died. Without resistance.
My ability claimed the lives of the several thousand soldiers who had still been surviving.
The waves of pain and terror that had filled the battlefield subsided cleanly, vanishing entirely.
Their suffering was over. This was my form of mercy.
As for the king who still lived—far worse awaited him.
Simultaneously: 《Notification.
Soul count for evolution requirement confirmed… Recognized.
Preset conditions have been met. Commencing— Evolution into Demon Lord.》 The voice of the world echoed through my mind.
Regardless of my own will, my body began to mutate and restructure.
Not a self-proclaimed Demon Lord—one of the true pillars of the Demon Lords.
On this day… a new Demon Lord was born into this world.
At last, I had arrived at the rank of Demon Lord.