"Uncle?"
Milim blinked her bright eyes. She turned to Rei Ao. "You're my uncle?"
"You don't have to call me that. My name is Rei Ao."
"Oh, oh, I'm Milim! But can you tell me how you beat up Guy?"
Milim was extremely curious. She knew better than anyone just how powerful Guy truly was.
"How did I beat himwell, basically like this."
Snap!
Rei Ao simply snapped his fingers.
"Wha?!" "What's going on?!" "My power!!!"
All the Demon Lords' faces changed dramatically. They suddenly found they couldn't sense their own power, nor the magicules in the air. It was as if they had been turned intoutterly ordinary humans in an instant.
Snap!
Rei Ao snapped his fingers again.
"!!!"
Their power returned.
"Huh?"
Milim let out a small sound of surprise. She tested a few swings of her fist and asked, puzzled, "What did you just do?"
"Oh, I just temporarily stripped all of you of your power," Rei Ao said lightly.
That casual remark sent a tremor through every Demon Lord present. Now they understood how he had beaten Guy so badly. They were also filled with uncertaintywhat kind of being was Rei Ao, to render them all powerless, unable to resist?
Could even the Star Dragon King do something like that?
"You're really strong."
For the first time, Milim looked serious.
"Thanks," Rei Ao said with a smile.
He then swept his gaze across the Demon Lords, all of whom wore grim expressions.
"Clayman tried to pull a few sneaky tricks in my territory, attempting to create a Demon Lord-type. I killed him. Any objections?"
They all shook their heads almost instantly. With Clayman's gruesome death before their eyes, who would dare protest? Anyone who spoke out might be the next Clayman.
"From this moment on, I don't want to see any trouble arising in the Great Forest of Jura. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Cold sweat ran down the Demon Lords' backs. More than anything, they wanted to get back to their lands and call off any plans involving contesting the Great Forest of Jura.
"Good."
Rei Ao was satisfied with their response. Still, there was one more thing to mention.
"I'm going to cleanse this world of some disaster-level monsters. You'd better keep your subordinates in checkdon't blame me for 'accidental kills.'"
With that final reminder, Rei Ao and Velzard vanished from the meeting room.
""
Silence reigned for several seconds. Then all the Demon Lords looked at one another, silently deciding it would be best to leave at once. Each vanished, eager to return home and keep their people in line.
As for Clayman's death?
Ha. What did that have to do with them? Clayman didn't get along well with anyone anyway. Better that he died than they. No one wanted to provoke an even bigger disaster.
""
In the now-empty meeting room, only Milim remained. She stared at the chair where Rei Ao had been, lost in thought.
In the goblin settlement
On a cliff overlooking the area, a red-haired "Kijin" stood with a furrowed brow, gazing into the distance.
"Benimaru, is something on your mind?"
A voice spoke from behind him. The KijinBenimaruturned to see a horned wolf approaching. Riding on the wolf's back was a blue slime.
Benimaru bowed his head politely. "Lord Rimuru."
"Haha, no need to be so formal."
The blue slime wriggledthat was Rimuru. Benimaru was the prince of the Ogre tribe. During an attack by the Orc Tribe, he and a few others had been rescued by Rimuru. Rimuru even named him "Benimaru," enabling him to evolve from an Ogre to a Kijin. Hence, Benimaru and the other survivors pledged loyalty to Rimuru.
But he still had a heavy concern on his mind. Rimuru had noticed and came to talk with him.
"Benimaru, you're still troubled by the matter of the Orc Tribe, right?"
"I sent out scouts, and it seems that the Orc Tribe vanished overnight. The forest seems to have returned to peace."
""
Benimaru was silent for a while, looking bitter.
"My sister I don't know if she's still alive."
"A family member?"
Rimuru could more or less guess what was going on. The blue slime's posture turned "serious."
"Alright, I'll help you look for your sister!"
"Thank you so much, Lord Rimuru."
Benimaru felt incredibly grateful, convinced he'd pledged his loyalty to the right person.
"Onii-chan."
Suddenly, he heard a voice that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar at the same time. Looking up, he saw Shuna and Shion, both drastically changed in appearance, accompanied by a woman wearing a mask.
"Grr"
The wolf beneath Rimuru bared its fangs, letting out a low growl at the three strangers.
Rimuru spoke up, "Ranga, don't show hostility."
""
The wolf, addressed as Ranga, obediently curbed its aggression.
"You three, I'm the leader here. Mind telling me what brings you here?"
Rimuru asked warily. He understood why Ranga had grown hostilethe trio's aura and magicules were nothing to scoff at, especially the masked woman, whose strength rivaled Rimuru's own.
"M-My sister?!"
Benimaru, still puzzled as to why these two looked so familiar, suddenly realized. It had to be!
"Onii-chan, it's me."
Shuna stepped forward. Shizue quietly stayed back, letting the siblings reunite. After joining Rei Ao and helping defeat many powerful monsters, she had been sent by Rei Ao to protect Shuna on her journey to find her brother.
~~~
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Chapter 245: Storm Dragon (Bonus Chapter)
"Shuna So you, too, found a benefactor."
Reunited at last, the siblings filled each other in on what had happened since they parted. Benimaru was deeply moved that his little sister and Shion had been saved by some great figure who not only rescued them but granted them names and blessings.
No wonder he barely recognized themthey had undergone an evolution, just like he and the others had.
The two of them talked openly, without concealing anything from Rimuru. After hearing their story, he asked in puzzlement, "Wait, so you're saying the Orc Tribe disaster in the Great Forest of Jura was resolved by someone named Rei Ao?"
Shuna nodded, wearing an expression of reverence. "Master not only defeated the Orc Demon Lord but apparently also got formal recognition of the forest's ownership from the Ten Demon Lords."
At that, she straightened her stance and locked eyes with Rimuru.
"I take it you're the leader of the Goblin settlement, correct?"
"Uh, yes, that'd be me."
"I've come not just to see my brother but also to inform you that, within the forest, you are expected to abide by its rules."
"'Abide by the rules?'"
Rimuru grew thoughtful, wondering whether that meant being subordinate to someone else or if it might pose a problem for the Goblin settlement. After all, he was responsible for the future of the entire tribe.
Nearby, a masked womanShizuestepped forward, her voice cool. "This isn't a threat, but it isn't up for negotiation, either. It's just a notification."
She added, "Rei Ao asked me to tell you this: The two elder sisters of the Storm Dragon are looking forward to seeing him."
In other words, Velzard and Velgrynd were just itching for a punching bag.
"!!!"
As a slime, Rimuru couldn't help but betray his shock. Inside him, the Storm Dragon stirred with an uneasy murmur:
"Better give in"
Having been swallowed along with its seal, Veldora (the Storm Dragon) broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing mention of his two elder sisters. Right now, he dearly wanted to know who this mysterious presence behind the Great Forest of Jura was.
Just from these simple statements, Rimuru realized he was dealing with someone who had:
Killed a newly risen Demon Lord
Formally secured the forest's ownership from the Ten Demon Lords
And had subordinates that included the Storm Dragon's two astonishingly powerful sisters
With Veldora urging him to give in, Rimuru made up his mind.
He nodded seriously. "Understood. The Goblin settlement will respect the rules of the forest."
"Good."
Shizue nodded toward Shuna and Shion. "We're done here. Let's go back."
"Brother"
Shuna glanced at Benimaru. He finally came around. He didn't understand much, but it was clear his sister had been taken under the wing of a truly significant figure, with a very bright future.
In the end, Benimaru let go, knowing that his sister was all grown up. Folding his arms across his chest, he laughed loudly. "No worries, Sis. I won't be standing still, either."
"Mm," she replied, beaming from her brother's support.
After the trio departed, Rimuru noticed Benimaru standing there in deep thought.
"Benimaru, what's on your mind?"
"It's nothing, Lord Rimuru," Benimaru said, shaking his head with a bitter grin. "I was just thinking that my once-little sister isn't just grown upshe might now be stronger than me, too."
""
Rimuru didn't really know what to say. From the look of it, the magicules coursing within Shuna vastly exceeded Benimaru's own.
"But I won't let that get me down."
Benimaru's eyes glimmered with determination, his competitive spirit fully ignited. It was good to have a bit of ambitionbut Veldora wasn't so optimistic about his prospects
During the ongoing monster hunts led by Rei Ao, everyone's growth rate had skyrocketedfrankly, to a ridiculous degree.
[Name]: Treyni
[Level]: 25
[Name]: Shuna
[Level]: 28
[Name]: Shion
[Level]: 28
Even Futaba had made massive progress:
[Name]: Futaba Rio
[Level]: 15
Of course, no one's gains matched Rei Ao's. Who knew how many powerful monsters he had wiped out, plus two Demon Lords fallen by his hand:
[Name]: Rei Ao
[Level]: 63
[Abilities]: Omitted
[Possessions]: Omitted
[Description]: Even a dazzling star is but a plaything at your fingertips.
That cryptic summary hardly did justice to his actual prowess. He'd risen eight whole levels while in this worldits monsters truly were premium XP.
Were it not for a concern that mass slaughter might hamper Velzard and the others' environment, Rei Ao would have been tempted to hunt down yet more Demon Lords. But, luckily, he was "kindhearted."
With little time left in his stay, Rei Ao gave Treyni some parting instructions and then left this world, bringing Futaba and Rio along. Throughout the process, Rio had remained uncharacteristically quiet, her eyes tinged with complexity as they darted between Rei Ao and Futaba.
Rei Ao took note and offered a timely reminder, "Rio, you've been gone two days. You'd better come up with a story for your family."
He himself could rely on Shizue, so missing a bit of school caused no big issues. But Rio had basically been yanked here out of nowhere.
""
Futaba Rio abruptly recalled that facthow would her family have reacted to her disappearance?
Seeing the change in her expression, Rei Ao merely said, "Better go check on them first."
Back homefor Futaba Rio, it was just a flash of light. Her vision blinked, and the next moment
She was in her own bedroom again.
"Rio?!"
Hearing movement, her family rushed in.
""
Seeing their anxious faces, Rio felt touchedand braced herself to lie. Carefully piecing together a "scientifically rigorous" excuse, she spent quite a while explaining her disappearance. Eventually, it was enough to reassure her family. They, too, didn't overthink it; seeing her safe was relief enough. Accepting her need to rest, her parents left her room.
Alone once more, Rio stood in silence. Then she lifted her hand.
Drip, drip
A swirl of invisible blue water curled around her arm. She felt the power she'd gained from Rei Ao surging, even though she had done nothing to cultivate it. One thought came to her mindFutaba. Combined with the bizarre incidents in her own body over the past days, she formed a deeply unsettling suspicion.
"Futaba and Rei Ao, they're"
Lowering her gaze to her skirt, Futaba Rio realized, for the first time, that leaving Futaba alone in Rei Ao's care had likely been a huge mistake.
~~~
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Chapter 246: Sawae, Best Mischievous Wingman
"Rei Ao, Mr. Kirisu came looking for you yesterday."
Both Mai and Tohru were already used to Rei Ao coming and going to other worlds. Futaba, however, came back looking exhaustedlegs weak, body limpheading to her room to rest. That made Mai feel a little jealous. She didn't need to guess what those two had been up to for the past couple of days "out there."
When he returned, Mai told him what had happened over the past two days.
Rei Ao glanced at his phone. Indeed, there were several missed callsone from Mafuyu Kirisu, and another from Sumika Fujimiya.
"I see."
He first texted Sumika Fujimiya:
Rei Ao: "You were looking for me?"
"!!!"
In a university classroom, Fujimiya Sumika, who had been listening intently to the lecture, felt her phone vibrate. Taking it out, she stared at it in shock.
"He replied?!"
Fujimiya's eyes widened. Previously, when she called, it said the number was out of service range, and she'd wondered if the number Rei Ao gave her was fake.
Anxiously, she placed her phone on the desk.
She felt nervous and didn't know how to respond.
The girl with long black hair and a constant, cat-like smile sitting next to her gave Fujimiya a curious glance and whispered, "Sumika, what's going on?"
"Um, it's that guy who helped me the other day. I wanted to return his jacket, butI'm not sure how to ask."
"Huh?"
Her friend, Sawae, recalled how Sumika told her about the young man named Rei Ao. Immediately intrigued, she offered, "Let me help you!!!"
Before long:
Fujimiya Sumika: "Yes, I tried contacting you before, but it said you were out of the service area."
Rei Ao: "Mm, I wasn't home the past couple of days."
Fujimiya Sumika: "Oh, oh."
Rei Ao: "So, what did you need?"
Fujimiya Sumika: "I wanted to say I washed your jacket and planned to return it."
Rei Ao: "Alright, my address is xxx."
"Eh?!"
Both Fujimiya and Sawae were startled to see him send an address so casually.
"He's so unconcerned about safety, isn't he?"
That was his home address, after all. Sawae remembered Sumika mentioning he seemed to be a high schooler. Immediately, an image of a nave, pure-hearted boy surfaced in her mind. As a friend who worried too much, Sawae typed a response on Sumika's behalf:
