Tensei Shitara Slime Datta

Chapter 186: The Beginning of a New Game

I faced Yuuki, and we started to measure each other.

And in the midst of the tense atmosphere,

「Oh yes, I was wondering ...... How did you find this place?」

Yuuki asked.

He looked brave or stupid.

Who even asked this kind of question to the enemy?

「I shouldn't have told you that guy!」

「Ah, I guess that's true?

I didn't really expect an answer, and I guess Rimuru-san isn't that easy huh. 」

Yuuki shrugged as if disappointed.

Well, he probably didn't.

He might keep talking, to try and figure out my weaknesses.

Actually, as Diablo said, Moss's reconnaissance was perfect.

He had sent out a properly sized doll body, and a mini body.

It doesn't matter if the big one is found.

Instead, his plan was to let the enemy find him, and let their defenses down, while the smaller clones would remain in contact without them suspecting.

When one of them is found and destroyed, the other will use the opportunity to be camouflaged.

Really, his ability was excellent for this kind of work.

Well, let's recap.

First, the conditions of strategic victory from before recovering Veldora.

Recover Veldora.

Eliminate threats.

Annihilating Empire.

Of them, most of the work is done.

It could be said that the operation was completed. The only thing left is the abdication (exterminating) of the Emperor.

In that case, the new winning conditions, the,

Recover Chloe.

Exterminating Emperor.

Spend Yuuki.

It's gonna be like that.

The most important and most prioritized is the task of recovering Chloe.

But as long as there are three Wishes (Order), I can't just bring them back.

Worst case, there is the option to eat Chloe and use Soul Analysis to try and find a way to break the curse ……

Even with the Wisdom Lord Raphael conducting Soul Analysis, there was a great risk of failure.

If possible, only after eliminating the controller \= Yuuki, I should start working on the curse calmly.

Anyway, I want to get things done before Yuuki tells Chloe to do anything.

Similar to Rimuru who was planning her fight with Yuuki, the latter too, seeing the unexpected situation, sighed.

When he noticed the spy, he did anticipate something like this, but from the things he anticipated, this was the worst of the worst, and he could not hold his breath.

(Geez, can't you leave me alone ..).

Anyway, he needs to do something about this.

In this situation, Yuuki's options were limited. It's so bad that Vega was knocked out in an instant.

Well, Vega doesn't really matter ……

But, ordering Chloe now would be a bad move.

The current ones stronger than Yuuki are: Guy ・ Crimson, Milim ・ Nava, and the one in front of him, Rimuru.

There was also Demon King Leon ・ Cromwell to whom he suffered a defeat once, and to whom his power was known. But he was now someone that Yuuki had a chance to win against the next time.

But against this Rimuru with his unusually high growth speed, he honestly could not predict anything.

If she makes Chloe deal with Rimuru, at that very moment she will be released.

Therefore, they must finish each other off. And in an ideal scenario, right before that happens, Yuuki himself would step in and steal their power.

But failing to gain strength, he must then confront the enraged Milim.

It's good that Chloe isn't hostile to him, but she's running out of options.

If he had at least 2 requests (commands) left, he could order the removal of Rimuru now, and somehow escape ……

His only savior grace is the fact that Rimuru and the others do not know that he only has one left.

Yuuki is considering putting Chloe in hiding a good decision.

Therefore Rimuru will consider the possibility of him issuing orders to Chloe, and will not be able to act recklessly.

Using that opportunity, he would somehow survive this event.

And in the worst case scenario, he would be forced to play his ace, he hoped.

(Yes, I don't really want to do that.)

But when he thought so, there seemed to be no other way for him to escape the trial at this moment.

The devil works under Rimuru.

Yuuki completely understood the vastness of the power of those elite Devils.

3 Of those pillars have appeared.

Each of them, making even a Demon King look like a weakling, was the definition of danger.

(Fuckup. They are too OP.)

That's his honest feeling.

He might be able to face one of them and win, but all three at once would spell a certain defeat.

The devil never obeys those who are weaker than themselves. And the time of obedience after the summoning will be shorter, the higher their Nobles will be.

There was no way Rimuru called the three and tied them up. That left the possibility that Rimuru had become a much higher class than them.

Yuuki was on a good path to actually just use his trump card now without any hesitation.

(Buddy, at least I can make the Emperor use Armageddon (Angel Army) before Rimuru-san comes.).

When he thought so, everything changed.

And it changed for the better, of course for Yuuki.

Testarossa watched the surroundings, making sure no threat was lurking.

Nothing, he thought.

Around them were the outskirts of the imperial capital, with no signs of human presence.

Other than the rows of corpses, the 100,000 soldiers who looked in pain but were not really alive, were nothing else.

Beware of them without neglect, Testarossa assured Rimuru.

That they could immediately deal with whatever Yuuki was planning to do.

Finished eliminating Vega, Carrera faced Ultima.

Releasing the Emperor was a wish entrusted to them; their contract. They have to achieve this without fail.

Ultima will do it.

Since Rimuru had determined so, Carrera had no complaints. Therefore, he was given the task of eliminating Vega who had fouled his fight with Kondo.

It was done, it was just a matter of taking care of the Emperor and the puppeteer.

At first glance, Yuuki, the mastermind, doesn't seem to be too "dangerous". However, it emits a presence that makes it "uncomfortable".

Not "danger" but "anxiety".

Carrera sees Yuuki as a real threat.

He might even be able to have the strength to repel him and his fellow Demons.

(I want to think that I just think too much. No, he might just think to make us think like we're thinking like that.)

It was his first encounter with a boy named Kagurazaka Yuuki.

Even so, his cunning presence that did not match his face had made Carrera's instincts wary.

Perhaps that eye of vigilance and attention was something he inherited from the diligent First Lieutenant Kondo.

Right now, the one who was wary of Yuuki was, one of them, Carrera.

And Ultima, though,

He faced Emperor Rudra.

Hair becomes pure white. Pale skin. He had a sickly weak appearance, but the strength of his will still shone brightly in those eyes.

He faced the young Emperor who could still be called a boy.

For the time being, for,

"What's? what nonsense are you talking about?

Kondo Tatsuya and Damrada are dead?

Fuck Velgrynd ……

The damrada? And even Kondo Tatsuya?

…….No. gabe……. Impossible. If they die, why am I even ..... 」(TN: shit I'm sad again.)

He muttered very much.

The strength in his eyes started to flash and fade, as if his heart was reflected in it.

That was not a problem for Ultima, but seeing as she had calmed down, she,

「The Damrada man asked me to kill you.

When I received it, he seemed to have died peacefully.

Same for Kondo's guy.

He fought my fellow demon, Carrera, there and fell valiantly.

Both of them are your subordinates, so not happy you will join them? 」

He asked in a carefree manner.

That's his little way of being considerate.

But those words had a tremendous effect.

"I saw. So they both fell with pride.

Therefore, I will also not allow myself to fall into humiliation.

As the ruler of this world, I will endure to the end.

I will make Justice King Michael submit to my wishes! 」

Clad in the Aura from his past, the Emperor declared with the will of his Nobles.

As the ruler, who lives long, and bets the fate of the world in his Game.

Unlike before, he released chains on his strength, and held the King of Justice with all his might.

Raging, and causing the abolition of civilization; to meet the expectations of his subordinates who had sacrificed themselves.

To comply with the provisions of his final decision.

His faithful subordinates have kept their promises.

So in the end, he would meet his end as Emperor.

…… The Emperor, however, did not realize that those thoughts had been instilled into him through the Manipulation of Yuuki's Mind.

His heart was weakened, his mind was damaged, he never realized that he had become vulnerable to the Ultimate Skill.

In addition, there was an error in his reliance on the Absolute Defense of the "Castel Guard".

Protected from all fronts, he had no experience in protecting his mind.

Absolute Barrier will project from all evils as long as they swear allegiance nearby.

But without that loyal subject, it had no effect at all.

He just hopes to affect her a little bit …….

But Yuuki's Manipulation of Thought "Worms" had, without encountering resistance, disturbed the Emperor's mind, and made Yuuki's plan come to fruition.

In other words, Armageddon was released.

Motherfucker!

Sensing the danger, Ultima got ready.

「Oh no you don't! "Bloody Bite" !! 」(TN: chuuni Damrada catches lol!)

But he's a little late.

「Produce my power! Activation Armageddon !! 」

Using his last spirit, Rudra summoned an Army of Angels.

His claws were weakened by the Sanctity of the Skill, yet the "Bloody Digits" still forced their way to Emperor Rudra's heart.

However, using Rudra as the key, the Gates of Heaven spread open.

Ultima's "Bloody Bite" was canceled one moment before contacting her.

The sky of the Imperial Capital became saturated with Sacred Aura.

And thus, the Supreme Army Against Satan, the Angel Army began to manifest.

Turning state.

Yuuki had taken the first step.

The emperor had exceeded his expectations in moving according to his plan.

"The "worm" he used unexpectedly showed good results; it was a pleasant accident.

Instead of "Worms", it was most likely because the broken Emperor could not resist the temptation of Judge King Michael.

The current situation could be said to be born only because the goal of Yuuki and the King of Justice was one in the same.

After all, it was Yuuki's move.

The objective.

Did it steal the Supreme Skill of 『King of Justice Michael』 from Emperor Rudra.

Normally, one could only attain Ultimate Skills with a strong will. However, in Rudra's case it was being borrowed.

Knowing this, Yuuki is determined to steal it.

Obviously, there are certain conditions. The soul must be weakened decisively or else it would be impossible.

Meaning, making him activate Armageddon which placed him in his weakest state, it was the perfect time to plunder the Skill.

「Ahaha! Sorry Rimuru-san. I will win now! 」

Yuuki activated the Ultimate Skill 『Greed King Mammon』, and started approaching the Emperor.

「Curi Skill !!」

Flipping table.

Steal his Skill and put the Angel Army under his command.

It was the only plan he could use to overcome the current state of affairs, but then …….

"Naude."

He heard Rimuru muttering.

Ha-is? Before even thinking of complaining, his cheeks received a dizzying shock.

「Kufufufufu. Those actions are good in calculations. 」

Yuuki is fascinated by Diablo who has, completely erased his presence, hidden himself perfectly.

That single strike, breaking through the various fields of his strength, felt as if it was reaping his soul.

Even so, the attack did not seem to be at full force.

After all, it was just an empty-handed attack without using a weapon.

「―― Kpff !! Fuck it, there's one more ……! 」

At this point, his calmness had disappeared.

Yuuki changed his expression, and laughed.

「Ku, my nails, ahahaha haha ha! Give me a break!

Really, I need one ……. So you really are my worst enemy huh.

I want to end the world with my own hands.

Yes no …….

I really can't imagine myself winning against you. Not to mention, even the Devil there was—

―― Your strength is too crazy. The coldness that I got when I first met turned out to be right about money.

I should have ended you by then.

Did I lose a marble somewhere? Well, it doesn't matter at all now.

No, no, actually, if you can stop me, it's just fate, the will of the world.

I guess I'll decide the rest.

Goodbye, Rimuru-san

I kinda like you too.

―― To be honest, we can be your best friend know .... 」

And started saying incomprehensible trash.

Did he break because he was hit too hard? I was thinking when,

「Moving, Diablo!」

I screamed when my sense of danger went crazy.

Back then, Yuuki had moved at a speed I could barely keep up with.

And just barely, Diable faces Yuuki's flexible snake attack, and avoids it ―― failed to dodge it, removing the smile from his face.

Diablo's stomach suffered minor slash injuries.

「To hurt me ……. I seem to take you lightly. 」

「No please, I commend you for being able to dodge. But yah— 」

But alright—

Yes, Yuuki's goal is not to hurt.

It only made Diablo, who was blocking his way to the Emperor, go out of his way.

Carrera immediately fired his weapon, but the flexible Snake Sword acted like a whip and destroyed all the bullets from Yuuki.

He fended off the bullets with overlapping Ultimate Skill effects.

He canceled Testarossa's oncoming magic attack, and avoided Ultima's lunge.

With a technique that surpassed Damrada, he shifted the balance center of Ultima and moved his palm towards her.

The concentrated thrust of the palm suddenly sealed Ultima's movements in an instant.

And that instant is all that is needed.

Moving at an unexpected speed, easily getting rid of the Devils who reacted—

Yuuki reached the Emperor.

「Come, King of Justice Michael!」

Yuuki's hand made contact with Emperor Rudra.

And then, everything went white.

Normally, actually stealing the Ultimate Skill from its owner was impossible.

For that Skill would be born from oneself, far from one's soul, and would be etched within their Nuclear Heart.

The Ultimate Skill was completely personal, as opposed to the Normal Skill hitting into the body, or the Unique Skill engraved into the outer crust of the soul.

However, 『Justice King Michael Rudra was not engraved in the Heart, rather it was simply buried within his soul, and was only restrained through the power of his will.

And now, after activating "Armageddon", his energy (spirit) has been greatly drained, and using the Steal Skill ability of the Ultimate Skill Yuuki ed Greed King Mammon 』, it is possible to plunder the skill.

「!!」

The emperor shouted without a sound.

The skill buried within his soul was gouged out.

The unimaginable pain caused the already shattered Emperor's mind to disintegrate even more.

And with an expressionless face, and,

「With this, I just summoned an Army of Angels without using my own Spirit Power.

There were a few accidents, but in the end, it all fit my keiku. 」(TN: keikaku means plan)

Yuuki muttering.

And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he issued an order to the Angels.

Incarnate! He commanded.

As if it was his own from the start, Yuuki showed excellent control over 『Justice King Michael』.

The angels that flooded the sky heeded Yuuki's orders, and in order to reach their bodies, began their incarnation.

However, the 100,000 corpses that were prepared were not enough for the 1,000,000 strong Angels.

To compensate, yes civil civilians who are innocent, uninvolved, citizens of the Capital are put forward as a tribute.

Receiving such a report from Moss stationed in the Capital, I growled.

「Yuuki, you ! Stop the Angels now! Don't involve unrelated civilians, damn it! 」

Yuuki, with an emotionless face, just glanced towards my shout.

It was as if he didn't know what he was hearing. Or rather, it was completely inappropriate for Yuuki who always made a rich expression while ridiculing others.

As if he had nothing but his purpose in mind .... for comparison, it was similar to Lord Raphael's Wisdom or "World Voice", an example of an emotionless personality.

―― Goodbye, Rimuru-san ――

I remembered Yuuki's words from earlier.

―― So, Yuuki just her outer skin ……

Like the God of Wisdom, Yuuki must also have some kind of personality that "exists" within him.

However, unlike Raphael, it was a cold and violent personality that did not even try to understand human emotions.

Thinking back, Yuuki's actions were filled with inconsistencies.

Even when he sincerely wanted to end the world, he would hesitate and fail.

What that means is that, in him, there must be an unconscious "doubt"; that, when he acts so carefully, there are seeds of worry and doubt behind the cover.

And his last words, were his true feelings. (TN: Rimuru x Yuuki!? I'll get so much criticism for this ..)

(You idiot .... You should have said something unlucky ...).

Hesitating to the end, he made a choice.

Between, ripping off his plan and giving up on ending the world, and forcefully pulling the last trigger ……

And he pulled the trigger.

He releases (Spirit of Destruction) Angra Mainyu, who lives within him.

This spirit will, without the slightest hesitation, force the end of the world. It can't be left alone.

Yuuki had now turned into something completely different; he had become a "threat" to the world.

After a quick, emotionless glance at Rimuru, she immediately faced the Angels who were doing their possession.

And then, he ordered.

「Enjoy the Seraphim, and get up. Kagari, Vega's. 」

The corpse that Kagari prepared, and the body of Vega, whose head was smashed, were signaled by Yuuki's words, beginning their rebirth.

"Carrera's "Fire of Hatred" which had trapped Vega's soul was cancelled with Yuuki's "Eraser Shot.

Normally the soul itself would be eliminated, but Vega's soul was a special genre that, Yuuki knew, could handle substitutes.

After all, they were the ones who created Vega.

Vega is a Battle Creature, which Yuuki has created taking inspiration from Rimuru's powers when they first meet.

In terms of specifications 『Braiding』 is better than 『Predate』.

『Braiding』 can reach strength at the same level as it takes, whereas 『Predate』 only gets the degraded version.

But 『Predate』 also has advantages.

This is their integration ability. It could utilize the power it possessed optimally.

That led to a very real possibility of developing a Major Skill after achieving and integrating many Skills.

This is the basis on which Vega was born.

Therefore, he could also receive a surrogate soul, and his body was now regenerating.

For this reason, he was unaffected by Carrera's cursed bullet.

As for Kagari, she did not need an explanation.

Kagari, or rather, Kazaream, the former Demon King, who held out even as a soul, believed in the success of their plan and diligently waited.

Knowing Yuuki's true nature, Kagari never hesitates that she will lose.

Kagari and Vega successfully complete their awakening.

As a holy being, it feeds on the Seraphim, which rivals the power of even the Risen Demon King.

Confirming both of their revivals, Yuuki now turned to me, and spoke.

「Hey, let's play the Game.

If you can stop me, you win.

If not, you lose.

The prize for the winner is this world.

We started in a month.

You don't have to answer.

The countdown has already begun.

This is Yuuki Kagurazaka, my creator, my last wish. 」

He selfishly stated.

Continuing, he called out to Chloe who had been hidden all along.

And issued orders to him.

「Go, keep Guy busy.

I don't care if you kill him.

However, don't let him interrupt the game! 」

Chloe came out with a pouting face, and it seemed like she wanted to tell me something, but only nodded at Yuuki's orders.

I also wanted to say something to him, but the timing wasn't right.

Thinking that Yuuki was going to send Chloe after me was the main reason for worry.

Anyway, I'm so glad I didn't have to fight Chloe here and now.

If that happens, when I face Chloe, the Demon Lords will have to deal with Yuuki, Vega, Kagari, and the entire Angel Army; not a piece of cake.

I can summon the rest of the Devil's Nobel, but the Angel Army will definitely remain troublesome.

This, as Angra Mainyu had said, was in line with Yuuki's desire to play the Game with me.

He had made this his last order right before releasing Angra Mainyu, very much like Yuuki.

Whether it was to buy time against me, or to buy time to save me, I don't know.

He is hesitant to end the world, so I believe he wants to finish everything with a game.

A really crazy idea, like Yuuki.

After all, it was not time to fight just yet.

Even if I attack now, it won't have any effect because Yuuki now has a "Castronomy Guard".

We are the less fortunate, so I will take this opportunity as a gift of salvation.

As if he had finished his work here, Yuuki took his two subordinates, and the Angel Army, and teleported to another place.

They might return to Heaven using Justice King Michael.

I'm wondering if you could go there with a Bodied Angel, but they did, so yes.

After all, one month was left until the match started.

Yuuki may need more time to get used to the power of Angra Mainyu, and give the Angels time to adjust to their bodies.

As for me, I also get time to integrate my Skills, and wait for my subordinates to rise.

This time it is precious.

I had to call Ruminas, Leon, and Guy, and tell them about the incident.

Throwing another Walpurgis (Devil King Festival) should be a good idea, I started planning for the afterlife.

The result this time was good, it was without a doubt.

I don't want to think my decision was wrong, but it could have been a failure caused by "self-arrogance".

Or maybe it was because I had again gained new strength, overcome the worst-case scenario, and still ended up in a good position.

Even though I do have a "Protecting Soul", just to be safe, I only brought those with Ultimate Skills to fight against the mastermind.

It was because I suspected Yuuki who was behind it all, and was afraid that he would take my subordinates.

But being wary of Yuuki was a good decision.

We are fully ready.

Except, I don't think the Emperor will be destroyed, and will actually use Armageddon.

Not ―― I have considered even the possibility of it not being a problem.

I somehow gained such incredible strength that my bar for threats was raised much higher.

And also, according to Velgrynd, there is no need to worry about the angels ……

That's my worst mistake.

Prioritizing Yuuki and ignoring the Emperor was the reason why the situation had gotten worse.

But still .... If everything is as expected, we can handle it.

Unfortunately, there is one thing that is far beyond my imagination.

That is: the true power of Yuuki.

The hidden personality that could be called another Yuuki, had strength far beyond my expectations.

That result, as expected, was the worst-case scenario.

That was what caused him to exhaust all other options.

That's all it is.

The Emperor's funeral was held.

Among the 3 million, or rather, because a third of them were sacrificed to the Angels in an unprecedented "genocide", the rest of the civilians from the Imperial Capital.

Velgrynd oversaw the event.

After being summoned by me, he cremated his corpse with the Flames of Purification.

It was a sad event that marked the end of a long-lived Hero, but he might have loved being exiled by his sworn friend Velgrynd.

I'm talking about his life (Rudra) going cocky.

So, I won't say it again.

Only one thing, it is the fact that the "contract" has been fulfilled.

After that, I declared my government in the Capital, and expressed my condolences to the public.

I decided to eliminate all insurgencies, and prioritize public peace.

Also, I contacted Krishna at Tempest, and asked him to come to the Capital with an army.

He had to travel at full speed so, it would take another 5 days.

I plan to leave the rest to Krishna.

I had planned to destroy the Empire in retaliation for the attack on Tempest, but somehow, had taken control.

But it is inevitable at this point.

The ruling party of the Empire was eliminated, and only the nobles remained.

Leaving them alone would destroy public order, and lead to civil war.

I want to at least abide by Rudra's desire for the happiness of the citizens.

Not as a Demon King, but as one "Former" man.

When Krishna arrived, it was time for me to return to Tempest.

I have done a lot of orders.

They must be busy preparing.

For the final battle.

―― A month has passed.

Wars that have swept the world have broken out