At a location a day's march from the monster nation, Hinata and her forces rested.
They were holding their final strategy meeting.
Logically speaking, the enemy was probably waiting for a reply and hadn't made battle preparations.
But they were still a group of monsters, and complacency wasn't an option.
More than anything, Hinata's combat style was to fight in situations where complete victory was assured, reducing casualties as much as possible.
This wasn't cowardice—it was considered the natural way to fight against monsters.
The doctrine's maxim that no mercy should be shown toward monsters justified everything.
Naturally, the Holy Knights had no objections either.
They understood well that winning was expected, and that their defeat would threaten all of human society.
Because they couldn't afford to lose, any means were permissible.
In this battle, constructing a barrier that covered the enemy's nation was too large in scope.
So they wanted to adopt a strategy of luring the enemy's main force to the battlefield using decoy units.
But if they didn't guide things skillfully, it would arouse suspicion.
Hinata had initially proposed going as an envoy, but this was rejected due to the Holy Knights' objections.
First, although there were only a hundred of them, the Holy Knights were each worth a thousand warriors.
Among them, the five top-ranked captains and their two deputies each—fifteen in total—were renowned as the strongest knights in the Holy Knight Order.
They were formidable fighters who stood head and shoulders above the rest.
This time, the five captains would each lead their two deputies and five guards to construct barriers from four directions.
The enemy would likely take countermeasures, but at worst, a triangular barrier formed by three people should still be effective. For that reason, the barrier activation was directed toward five points rather than four.
If the enemy took measures to interfere with the barrier's activation, they needed to be able to immediately relocate and activate it elsewhere.
The main fighting force of forty would be pulled away, but neutralizing the enemy lured inside the barrier was best achieved through this operation.
The strategy was straightforward: use the remaining sixty as decoys to lure the enemy's main force to the designated battle location.
The Holy Knights' morale was more than sufficient.
After all, the enemy consisted of evolved Goblins and Orcs—opponents they'd encountered numerous times before, possessing no abilities worth fearing.
There were even evolved Lizardmen and Ogres among them, but beyond those main forces, the rest shouldn't be a match for them.
The ones they needed to be wary of were the Greater Demon Generals.
While the Holy Knights' revered Hinata defeated the enemy's Demon Lord, they needed to clear out the other monsters to prevent interference.
And the greatest obstacle in doing so was the Greater Demon Generals.
But they encouraged each other that this time there was nothing to fear. After all, they were wearing Spirit Armament.
Armor adjusted to make the manifestation of each contracted spirit easier—Holy Armor.
While it didn't match the performance of the true Holy Armor that Hinata wore, it was in a completely different class from standard equipment.
Far from feeling heavy, it was excellent armor that made the body feel light as a feather.
Furthermore, the weapons they carried were one-of-a-kind pieces imbued with demon-sealing properties, capable of nullifying any resistance and delivering certain damage.
With this level of combat power, a battle like this was a rare opportunity.
Even when heading to slay a
Comparing to national armies, they'd be roughly equivalent to ten thousand elite cavalry, but when thinking in terms of fighting monsters, the comparison wasn't even close.
Some Holy Knights were scattered across various locations, but everyone who could be mobilized had assembled.
For the Holy Knights, this subjugation battle was supposed to be one they could not possibly lose.
Hinata watched the Holy Knights' demeanor and pondered.
Should this battle really be carried out?
She'd never wavered this much in her judgment before. She'd made up her mind at the Holy Capital, yet now doubt was surfacing again.
It was her first time experiencing this.
In the first place, this battlefield prediction—this outcome—seemed far too convenient.
Since they were outnumbered, open terrain would be disadvantageous. What they needed was complex terrain where the enemy couldn't deploy widely and couldn't easily escape.
The terrain had been far too conveniently perfect.
But predicting and orchestrating all of this would be impossible. It felt as though someone was manipulating them from the palm of their hand, but she told herself she was overthinking it.
In the first place, the enemy should believe that Hinata and her forces were stationed in the Holy Papal State of Lubelius. There was no way they could have prepared countermeasures.
The existence of the Teleportation Gates was classified, and field exercises had been conducted around the Holy Papal State of Lubelius as a precaution.
They definitely shouldn't have been able to pinpoint their location. She was confident that they'd been cautious and meticulous in their movements.
But still...
Trusting her instincts, this place felt dangerous.
It wasn't the most logical way of thinking, but she couldn't ignore it.
So Hinata stopped deliberating and spoke.
"Listen!"
At those words, the Holy Knights stopped their chatter and focused on Hinata.
Hinata looked at each face in turn, then spoke: "I order you all—become the decoys.
The predicted battlefield location is almost certainly a trap.
Perhaps splitting up to erect barriers will put us at a disadvantage.
But we'll play along with the enemy's scheme.
To avoid arousing suspicion, we will erect the barriers. However, the captains will not do this themselves—the deputies will carry it out.
Captains and guards, protect those deputies with your lives.
That said, don't worry about maintaining the barriers. Barrier teams are authorized to engage in combat.
If things proceed according to plan, fine. But if you're ambushed at your dispersed positions, repel them with everything you have.
I'll say it once more—do not become fixated on erecting the barriers. Prioritize your survival above all else.
Depending on the attackers, you are authorized to abandon barrier maintenance and shift to combat.
Barrier teams, assume the enemy has split up as well.
The central decoy force—none of you are to allocate any strength to barrier support.
Instead, approach openly from the front—no ambushes.
We'll deliberately step into the enemy's arena and settle things there.
Think about destroying the enemy with your own strength.
And while you serve as decoys, I will take down the enemy commander.
Never let your guard down! Everyone, act as though no backup is coming!"
Trusting her instincts, she issued the orders.
Either way, this was the only fighting force they had.
Any more troops would just get in the way.
The Holy Knights went through their operational plans in meticulous detail once more, confirming each person's role.
In their eyes, the contempt for their opponents had already faded.
--- It was exactly two weeks later that they encountered Hinata, just as planned.
From Hinata's perspective, launching a surprise attack would have been the smarter move, but they dutifully...
detonated a Fireball high in the sky to announce their arrival.
Was this supreme confidence, or were they simply fools?
Well, whatever.
We'd just proceed according to plan.
...There was a time when I thought that way too.
What the hell is going on.
My head is about to burst...
Why on earth did things turn out like this?!
Standing before the scene unfolding before my eyes, I was at a loss for words.
So here's what happened.
As expected, roughly sixty Holy Knights launched their assault.
Good—this was going according to plan.
But instead of a surprise attack, they'd designated the battlefield.
And despite all the trouble we'd gone through digging tunnels in this area, they'd chosen the open plaza at the end of the narrow, winding passages.
If we didn't fight here, it would be tantamount to announcing we'd laid traps here, so we had no choice.
The enemy might have set their own traps there too, but being backed into a corner like this was equally frustrating.
In my heart, I apologized—*Sorry, Veldora! Your turn might not come after all*—as I relocated.
There, I came face to face with Hinata.
And on the side, the battle had already begun...
The first thing that caught the eye was the Purple Corps clashing primarily with the Holy Knights.
"Im-impossible! Our attacks aren't working on them!"
"They're not Undead—what the hell is going on?!"
Those were the stunned voices of the Holy Knights.
In response, rather than answering, a Purple Corps soldier flashed a knife and wounded a Holy Knight.
They'd used their own bodies as bait to land a hit on a superior opponent.
Using their immortality to fight cleverly—I'd been watching with admiration up to that point.
I'd expected that from here on, the situation would devolve into a one-sided slaughter once the Holy Knights got serious...
But within three minutes, the Holy Knights collapsed.
Just as I'd predicted, they'd been dominating the Purple Corps for three straight minutes and yet...
Because the gap in raw power was so vast, I'd predicted that immortality alone wouldn't be enough to win. That was exactly why I'd asked them to stand in the line of fire as a delaying force.
But the result was that the Purple Corps regenerated to an unscathed state, while the Holy Knights lay fallen.
The fallen Holy Knights were promptly collected by Goblin Wolf Warriors, bound, and sealed within shadow to immobilize them.
"Heh heh, Mr. Holy Knight. The moment we landed that hit, it was our victory.
After all, this knife is coated with a generous amount of potent sleeping powder.
Unless you're careful enough to have an antidote ready or possess poison resistance, there's no withstanding it, y'know?"
A low-ranking soldier explained with a smug expression.
You've got to be kidding me.
The absurd situation of a Holy Knight being lectured by a foot soldier sent my head into further confusion.
Of course, the battle extended far beyond that.
This trick only worked on the first group that the Purple Corps had faced.
The follow-up groups weren't careless at all—they advanced without taking a single hit.
In the first place, the enemy's gleaming armor of various colors covered nearly their entire bodies, making it difficult to inflict wounds even with direct contact.
It was only because they'd grown careless after what seemed like a fatal blow that the scratch wound had succeeded.
However, inflicting a scratch that took over ten fighters out of the line was impressive enough. No—it was almost too well done.
But there were still nearly fifty remaining.
Against those Holy Knights, we were responding with a three-pronged formation.
The Purple Corps served as the main force, with the Dragon Corps and Goblin Wolf Warriors providing support.
Through the seamless coordination achieved by linking via Thought Communication, they held their own against the superior Holy Knights.
The earlier reduction in numbers had made a big difference. They'd built the groundwork for effective teamwork.
Or wait—huh?
Was this really the plan?
Wasn't it supposed to be more like: "While I fight Hinata one-on-one, please hold them off somehow"?
While I was bewildered by all this,
At that signal,
*(Kufufufu. Leave it to me. But please, Shion-san, you take responsibility for this.)* With those words, he flew off gleefully.
Huh? Wasn't he supposed to be monitoring from overhead?
The direction he headed with such glee was toward a small Holy Knight squad that was up to something—probably trying to erect a barrier.
Thanks to
But that didn't seem to warrant Diablo getting involved...
While I was thinking that, Shion jerked her chin upward.
In that direction were
The two looked at each other and— *(Um, this seems a bit different from what we discussed in the strategy meeting...)* *(Right!? Why are we the ones ending up fighting the strongest-looking opponents?)* Through Thought Communication, questions came from Gobta and Gabiru.
Yeah, fair point.
I'd been thinking the same thing. Good—at least I wasn't wrong.
But then: *(Are you idiots?
Do as you're told right now, or become test subjects for my new creation—pick whichever you prefer.)* Shion's Thought Communication. And they instantly complied.
Well, maybe "complied" wasn't quite the right word, but— *(Understood! I've been itching for a fight too. Of course, I'll pass on the cooking!)* *(Let's go quick, Gabiru-san! She'll leave us behind!)* They departed in a panic.
No, you two weren't wrong.
But somehow, it ended up looking like Gobta and Gabiru were in the wrong.
And joining those two, Souei's five subordinates and Hakuro began running alongside them.
That made exactly eight—the same number as the Holy Knight squad. It seemed those eight were tasked with suppressing that squad.
Wait—huh? Shion, since when were you calling the shots? This wasn't part of the plan, was it?
*(Shion, I've taken position. I'll handle one squad.)* Souei's Thought Communication reached me.
Ah, so that's how it was. Souei was on board too... Well, I'd figured as much when Sōka's group returned and Gabiru's team went to provide backup.
So that covered three directions, but the enemy still had two squads left.
One of them was obviously Shion—her face practically screamed eagerness.
What about the remaining squad?
*(My Lord, I'm launching my sortie. Grant me permission!)* *(
My danger sense was screaming that unleashing this guy was a bad idea!
Well, the "bad" part probably wasn't for me—it was for whoever ended up facing him...
*(O-okay! Don't overdo it. Try not to kill them...)* *(Leave it to me!)* Ranga let out a delighted roar and charged off with visible excitement.
At this point, all I could do was pray for the Holy Knights' safety. The fact that I'd ended up cheering for the enemy would stay a secret.
Shion watched all of this with satisfaction, licking her lips.
The glimpse of her pink tongue tip I caught looked eerily moist.
Turning back to me: "Well then, Lord Rimuru, I'm off!"
With a forceful nod, she launched herself skyward with enough power to pierce the heavens.
Yeah, do your best... wait, best at what?
Anyway, that's how the whole sequence played out.
Now you can understand why my head felt like it was going to crack, right?
It seemed the strategy had been significantly modified at some point without my knowledge.
True, the goal of creating a one-on-one situation with Hinata had been achieved.
No interference would intrude on the surroundings.
But... this wasn't how I'd expected things to turn out.
Let me shift gears.
I'd just convince myself this was how it was supposed to be from the start.
Adjusting my mindset—the situation was ideal.
There were no problems at all.
So, I went to face Hinata.
Hinata looked like she had something to say too, her expression bitter...
But suddenly, as if something had snapped, she burst into laughter.
"I see. Yes, that's right. In the end...
I was overthinking it. Whether it's right or wrong.
Let's settle this the most straightforward way that has been passed down since antiquity.
Will you accept? A duel.
Slime Demon Lord... no, Rimuru.
I acknowledge you. At this point, petty tricks are pointless.
All my strategies and all my wariness toward you—they were all for nothing.
This is the first time I've felt such a sense of helplessness that I can laugh about it.
The situation is already your victory. There's no reason for you to fight here.
But if you want me to acknowledge your thinking—then defeat me.
If you can beat me, I'll listen to what you have to say!
I'll believe—not just for your sake, but that there are those among monsters who can truly understand each other.
And of course, if you have no intention of accepting, we'll simply fight to the end and you'll die."
Hinata gazed at me with eyes devoid of doubt.
Her expression had lost its sharpness, making her look younger than her age.
No—just looking at her appearance, she might as well still be a high school student.
The current Hinata felt more natural than the mature Hinata from moments ago.
She must have thrown off everything she'd been burdened with, resolving to face me in a simple contest.
Just as she'd said, the situation was already in our favor. But unlike what she believed, there was meaning in fighting her.
This was the situation I'd been seeking, and I had no reason to refuse.
To open her eyes.
"I'll take that duel! I'll deny your way of thinking with everything I've got!"
In that instant, a promise was exchanged between the two of them.
A promise neither would betray.
And with no more words needed, their battle began.