Tensei Shitara Slime Datta

Chapter 205: The Confused World

Day 3 of the great war, in the Holy City of Ruberios.

Shion observed Dagruel's incoming strength, and a cold and dark smile appeared on his face.

When he thought that the opportunity had finally come, for him to let go of all the great anger that was within him. . . .

On the first day of the great war, Shion along with Adalman and Albert are ordered by his master Demon King Rimuru, to move in to help the Demon King Ruminas.

After visiting when he was working with Gerudo in establishing the Transit Gate, Adaman guided their troops to the palace of Ruminas; upon reaching, the, the atmosphere in the castle was naturally calm despite the fact that they were fighting with the angels.

Ruminas was "elegant" relaxed, as she sat on the sofa.

And, towards Shion and the other guests,

「If I thought I would get reinforcements against that very small army of angels, that Rimuru was a pretty worried person.

Of course, humans will be in danger if we fall here. . . .

But isn't this a little overprotective?

I didn't even expect something like this to happen so quickly. 」

He spoke calmly and without further ado.

But . . .

「Rimuru-sama, has predicted that there will be an incoming attack here, from Demon Lord Dagruel who has betrayed us. 」

He froze after hearing Shion's reply.

Ruminas is confident that his army can maintain their lead against the angel army, but if Dagruel's army comes into play, it changes everything.

Moreover, the fact that Dagruel, one of the oldest pillars among the demon lords, had made his move; this was not a situation that could be taken lightly anymore. 「Gather the others soon! We are holding a strategy conference! 」

By order of Ruminas, his followers, the 7 great nobles and commanders of the rank, gave orders to the other key holders to gather.

Right at the twilight point, it was fortunate that the angels started pulling out.

Thanks to that, the other officers who took part in the battle were now able to attend the conference.

Not wasting any time, they gathered in the conference hall where a light dinner was prepared.

Representing them, were the 7 great nobles, the "Seven Heavenly Sages", and the Holy Knight Arno.

The second leader, the leader of the knight squad, along with the important majin who was a noble were among them.

Seeing that all the relevant had arrived, Ruminas gave a brief opening speech, and declared the start of the conference.

Then the meeting began.

Shion spoke first, talking about Rimuru's prediction.

Then the movement of the angel army, and the situation of the other regions.

Finally, it ends with the Dagruel movement, and what is predicted to be their goal.

"–impossible . . . . If Demon Lord Dagruel moves, we will end up being pinned from the sky and on land.

Since we have no reason to retreat, if we fall here, the central countries will definitely fall shortly after! 」

Anxious Arno spoke uneasily.

To him, who was one of the linchpins in the human defense forces, their current location could be called the final defensive line.

In comparison, the monster side (Ruminas/majin) is not disturbed.

At worst, the choice to leave this country and escape was still a viable option for them.

As they had done in the past, when this country was destroyed by Veldora. Because they believe that there will still be a place in the vast land of this world that will accept them.

But that doesn't apply to all of them.

The higher beings all thought of something, with faces that looked like they were chewing something bitter.

Ruminas are too.

To protect the believers, who were citizens, while simultaneously searching for a possible location for a new country, was what the nobles suggested; Ruminas was still thinking on the sidelines, while watching Arno argue.

It is easy to leave the country.

For a monster like himself, it wasn't too difficult to build another country from scratch.

But, if he escaped, there was no guarantee the angels would not pursue him.

Chances are, they will chase. The opposition has every intention to exterminate all intelligent beings, having declared their intention to destroy the world.

It's hard to imagine them letting Ruminas and his partner .

Moreover, the winning odds for them to undertake a full-scale tactical retreat while protecting non-fighters are almost nonexistent.

「Silence. 」

That was why, with this one cold word from Ruminas, silence returned to the room.

「―― for me, no matter what happens to humans, is really none of my business.

They will replenish their numbers in a moment, maybe it doesn't matter if their numbers are slightly reduced, this is my honest thought.

That if they manage to fill in, that's.

Since the enemy had declared their intention to annihilate everything, there was no guarantee that humans would be allowed to survive.

Therefore, I have decided to protect this land.

This is not at all something that is done for the benefit of humans.

Some of you said that we should escape, but when it ended with us alone fighting the army of angels, did you think we would be able to win?

I mean, think about it.

The other demon lords too, fought to protect their citizens and territory.

That, is something that can be called a "contract", but at the same time it is also our duty to rule over these lands.

Guy is an exception. . . .

Ramiris, Milim, Leon, and even newcomer Rimuru do their best.

I have such intentions as well.

This, whether we demon lords are putting our pride on the line, turning our backs to the angels is unthinkable.

Newcomer Rimuru, has noticed the betrayal of Demon Lord Dagruel and has sent reinforcements.

Instead, if we run away, it would be foolish to think we can live proudly again after that.

We, do not live for the sake of life.

It is because we live proudly, that we live as nobles, like kings.

Escape will not be forgiven.

Prioritize our wins, and start thinking how we will achieve them!

Let victory be ours !! 」(TN: geez he talks a lot)

「「 「Uoooooooh !! Let victory be ours !! 」」 」

The conference room was wrapped in a silent spirit, and showed the unity of all present in an instant.

Karisma Ruminas as the demon lord is not just for show. He was amazingly grasping the hearts of his followers.

And, without a cooling spirit, the conference shifted to a discussion about their plans to carry out the incoming attack.

In the end, it was decided to leave the minimum limit to defend against the angels, while directing everything else they had to face Dagruel.

Fortunately there were no important commanders among the angels, which was also why they did not have a difficult battle for the day.

Nevertheless, there was a fractured army reorganized as a reserve, so it was not satisfied with it.

Since they had no choice but to engage on two fronts, it was decided to back up to help whichever side had the biggest problem.

These reserve forces, now bearing heavy responsibilities, have been given the important task of making the right decisions. Due to the shortage of reserve forces in the current situation, most of the reinforcements were unreliable.

All the other demon lords had full hands holding their own territory.

The Ruminas army was in a more positive situation now, having received reinforcements from Demon Lord Rimuru.

If they were to be pinned down by their enemies from the ground and sky without the help of Devil Rimuru, they would be destroyed without a chance to think of escaping.

Due to Demon Lord Rimuru's quick assessment of the situation, the help and information sent to Ruminas had saved him.

(Fumu. Guess what, I owe him a favor, huh――)

Inside, Ruminas was reluctant to accept this fact. (TN: still very tsun tsun lol)

Thus, the location of their final battle was decided, for the Ruminas forces occupying the Holy City of Ruberios.

Against the power of angels were Arno and his army of holy knights, plus the Bloody Knights led by the nobles.

the 7 great nobles, known as "Heavenly Sages", would be the force of their attacks.

Against the traitor Dagruel, will be Shion and his personal guard troops.

Moreover, Adalman and the death knights he led.

Throughout the night, using his summoning magic, Adalman conjures up his followers from the Labyrinth.

It was not that he could summon all the* that he could deploy in one night, but after taking on the task, he could successfully bring in great power if he had 2 days.

Dagruel and his troops were also traveling at an abnormal speed without stopping even to sleep, it was calculated that they would cross the desert and attack this land within 3 days.

With that scenario, they would arrive in time to prepare for their defense.

Utilizing the established transit gate, Shion's personal guards also gathered.

Of course, since they were prioritizing its use, Dagruel's troops could not use the gate on their side.

Shion gave orders to his troops just in case, as they made preparations for the upcoming battle with Dagruel's forces.

If all goes well, the decisive battle will take place on the 3rd day (the great war).

With the plan in progress, the move to deal as much damage as they could to the angel army on the 2nd day, was decided during the conference on the first night.

According to reports from their reconnaissance squad, the movements of Dagruel's forces were seen according to the estimated time.

Showing their differences when compared to human strength, Dagruel's forces moved relentlessly without caring about food or rest, maintaining their menacing speed.

But, when they move at a constant speed, their arrival time is accurately predicted.

Rather, it also means the scouts hold important responsibilities, as they are required to be able to compensate if there is an increase in the speed of movement.

To that end, Ruminas had the "Heavenly Sages" take the job.

The reason for that was that they were very skilled in planning and gathering information, they were able to keep an eye on Dagruel's forces unnoticed.

Also, they had teleportation-type abilities, so if by any chance they were seen they could still escape and return to the headquarters.

The plan was for the "Heavenly Sages" to transition into the role of their attack force as Dagruel's forces entered their territory.

With that decided, on the 2nd day, everyone except the "Heavenly Sages" had to fight the army of angels.

With the plan going well, they managed to reduce the number of the angel army, which used the same monotonous attack as the first day.

But something unexpected happened as well.

During the afternoon of the 2nd day.

Velda made another appearance, heading for the entire world.

『Allow me to tell everyone about the current situation.

My dear Daugther Lord Demon King Milim, has destroyed the pillars of the demon lords.

That's right, the one who died was Demon Lord Rimuru.

Although he was a novice, he was a demon lord who had the closest ties to humans.

the other 2 pillars among the demon lords are my old friends, and have shown that they are willing to follow in my footsteps.

The number of demon lords who are still fighting me, are only 4 very few pillars right now.

You are welcome to resist until the end, but for those who give up, they will be given a quick painless death.

So instead of wallowing in fear and despair, wouldn't it be better to just die?

The hammer of the god will be revealed on the 7th day, in every available human resource.

Until then, you have my word that I will not intervene any further.

Do you understand the meaning of what I just said?

People who wanted to die without suffering, stayed in the capital instead of running or hiding.

Since I am a compassionate being, I will definitely keep this promise! 』

Working in the same way as when he made his declaration of war, a grand vision of Velda appeared in the sky and delivered his speech.

Shocks were sent around the world.

To the many capitals of the kingdom of Ingracia around the world, and to the imperial capital in the east.

Many panicked and began to flee, while there was also an extreme minority who had accepted the end and decided to stay.

Now that the situation was known to all living beings, the world was now swept away in a maelstrom of chaos.

Many leaders are also confused by the problems that cause chaos.

After declaring dropping the god's hammer on the 7th day, it also meant that capitals around the world were a safe zone until then.

There was no reason for him to lie at this moment.

If Velda was in the mood, he could drop the hammer without saying anything. He did not do that and instead stated a deadline, perhaps to show that he was truly as merciful as he did himself. But Velda's motives* were actually*maybe because she felt that searching for a way out was too heavy. But then, even for those paying attention to it, it was still a good and efficient option to use the capital as a safe zone. In any case, to ensure the safety of its citizens, gathering in the capital need not be a hassle. Rather, it was also a double-edged sword, as one movement was wrong and everything was destroyed in one go. That's kind of a bad bet. If the demon lord emerged victorious, their safety was assured and the remaining problems would settle in time. However, if they were defeated, escaping would be impossible at that moment. Then again, even if they escaped from the capital and spread to different corners of the world, the number of creatures capable of surviving constantly on the run was extremely limited. After all, the fate of being discovered by a meticulous tracker and finally being killed was very clear.

In fact, there were countries that sent their defense forces against the army of sweeping angels that had appeared all over the country, there were already countless casualties. Before the start of the great war, Demon Lord Rimuru and the other demon lords had been in talks, and the fact that the demon lords themselves took part in the war was known. Demon Lord Ruminas took part in the conversation, and it was decided that he and Demon Lord Rimuru were in full charge of the defense on the western front. Which, brings us back to the current situation, where the civilian population needs to rely on the power of the demon lord, to protect them from Velda who intends to destroy the world. That ultimately brings us back to the point, because that's the problem that's giving human leaders around the world a headache. To them, their symbolic defender, as well as a symbol of fear, is the Devil Rimuru. As they had experienced, what kind of extremely powerful "death" was capable of being released. To the world leaders, the defeat of the demon lord directly led to the destruction of mankind. What this meant, was that the news of the defeat of Demon Lord Rimuru, brought about an unreal despair for them. The fact that Demon King Rimuru disappeared this fast, was something that did not cross their minds. Even if he was defeated, pulling through no matter how many times he had to do so, was the image of Demon King Rimuru whom they (the world leaders) held. But it only amplified the despair they felt. (If the news of the defeat of Devil Lord Rimuru is unknown, the capital will still believe that the demon lord can emerge as the winner of ――) That, is the leaderless thought process of the world leaders, the, in the current situation. The reaction of the countries upon hearing this information, split into two opposite directions. The people who still believed the demon lord would win, even after knowing that the Demon King Rimuru had been "defeated"; and the people who had decided to do whatever they wanted, assuming that the demon lord will be defeated. For those who still believed in the victory of the demon lord, they would be safest to stay in the capital that had been declared safe from attack. In the end, most of the western country leaders and important figures of the empire, were part of the party that believed in the demon lord. Whatever happens, running around like a headless chicken won't make it far. If that is the case, stay away from fighting and hope for the best is still more ideal for them. Moreover, for a being who had closer ties to Demon Lord Rimuru, they found it hard to believe that he was actually defeated; this is the biggest reason why they (the leaders of the human world) have not lost faith. Citing the words of a certain first generation committee leader――

『Omong empty what is it. There was no way that a friend would die so easily. If he was an easy opponent, he would have been crushed by me a long time ago. Quote ――end quotation. The minds of many beings who had a closer bond with that demon lord, were more or less similar. Cunning and cautious, a brave demon lord who never fully showed his hand. It was impossible for such a demon king to honestly allow himself to be destroyed! And other things like that. Which means, they were the ones who never believed that he would be the first to be defeated. . . . With the thought that he was most likely planning something, people who thought like this ended up attracting the weak willed along with them. This trend, was stronger for those who had a closer bond with Demon Lord Rimuru. It is said, that the newborn king of the country "Falmenas" and several surrounding countries, managed to easily protect his citizens and provide help; they help the people who are lost in the vicinity and accommodate the villagers, from the many small villages that surround their country, to their capital, showing how meticulous they are.

『Haa !? There was no way his master would die that simple. That Velda fellow seemed like he was all talking, being tricked that easily. ""I know . He greatly underestimated that person, as I had done in the past, it seemed like he was completely unaware of the tactics that were under his nose. 』

Thus, was the recording of the conversation between the young king and his old advisor. These were some people who had a close relationship with Demon Lord Rimuru, and they placed great trust in him. They were the best representatives, of those beings who had absolute confidence in the victory of the demon lord. This trend, seen in many countries surrounding the Great Jura Forest. The Dwarven Kingdom, the Burmund state, and the Sarion Dynasty of Sorcer were among these states. And the leaders of those countries reacted quickly to the news. They issued a "conference call" to all the other demon lord believers, and managed to reverse the scale of the minds of the other world leaders. More than half of the western countries tipped, and chose to believe in the victory of the demon lord. Even the empire that had recently tried to invade the Great Jura Forest, showed their loyalty to the side of the demon lord. Perfect post-war therapy by Demon King Rimuru during the chaos period after the emperor's death gave them the extra boost they needed. The almost religious fanatical explanations of soldiers returning to their shocked families may have contributed much. The soldiers who returned spoke at the same time,

『Beating is impossible, for Demon Lord Rimuru-sama. 』They said that. The soldiers explained proudly, even though they were the ones who came back with the humiliating result of the overwhelming defeat. Because of how strange it was, it made the imperial citizens distrust the army. Although large-scale confusion did occur, the swift response of the remaining imperial leaders suppressed civil unrest within days of the incident. This, will be noted as a miracle during the great war, and talked about by future generations.

But, problems arise, from the other side. A minimum number of people, who did whatever they wanted assuming the defeat of the demon lords, were everywhere throughout the world. Unfortunately, most countries have to split up some of their defense forces, to keep these criminals in check. If this was also part of Velda's goal, inevitably there would be some fools who ended up falling in love with his tactics. These people think only of themselves. That causes them to make poor choices, even if it is during such difficult times.

The world was currently falling into despair, in accordance with Velda's intentions. From there, confusion arises. With that, one of his goals was achieved. One of the followers of Demon Lord Rimuru, "Warlord" Shion. He worshipped Demon King Rimuru as if he were a god. So when she heard Velda's speech about her "death", all she felt was blinding anger. That anger, will arouse certain unstable emotions that should have been sealed deep in his heart. . . . And that, would trigger a turbulent storm on the upcoming battlefield.