Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
"...what kind of uncle would I be if I didn't free you from this prison, my niece..." Rimuru said quietly as he stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Charybdis. The massive creature glared down at him with raw, unfiltered hatred, her enormous body trembling as she fought against the crushing pressure pinning her in place. Rimuru let out a soft breath as he watched her struggle. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon," he added in a calm, almost reassuring voice as he placed his hand against her body and slowly closed his eyes.
Rimuru channeled his magic through his hand, letting the energy flow steadily into the massive body beneath his palm. In the very next moment, his consciousness slipped away from the physical world, and he found himself drifting through the depths of a violent, ever-churning ocean. The water around him twisted and surged with powerful currents, while massive hurricanes raged in every direction, tearing through the sea with overwhelming force. "What a cool place, definitely fitting for a shark-like calamity-class monster," he said as his gaze followed the spiraling storms.
Once he was done taking in the scenery around him, Rimuru began gliding through the depths, weaving through the hurricanes in his path. It didn't take long for him to notice the currents shifting and the storms subtly changing course, closing in on him from all sides. Rimuru narrowed his eyes slightly, but there was no real concern in his expression. He was far too fast and far too strong for something like this to pose any real danger. Still, it made one thing clear. Charybdis was aware of him, and her consciousness was actively resisting, pushing back against his intrusion and trying to force him out of her mind.
Rimuru then continued forward without slowing down, completely ignoring Charybdis's attempts to force him out. To him, her resistance felt clumsy and almost laughable, like a child throwing a tantrum and hoping it might somehow work, but unfortunately for her, it didn't even come close to stopping him. Before long, the chaos began to part, revealing something massive rising from the surface of the ocean. A towering pyramid stood there, with a shiver of Megalodons circling it like guards, protecting whatever lay deep within.
"Man... sometimes I really miss playing Minecraft," Rimuru muttered under his breath, a faint trace of nostalgia slipping into his voice as he swam toward the pyramid. The moment he entered their territory, the Megalodons reacted instantly, all of them turning toward him at once and locking onto him like true predators. Without hesitation, they surged forward, cutting through the water at incredible speed as they rushed to eliminate the intruder before he could get any closer.
"Well, I could wipe you all out with a snap of my fingers, but..." Rimuru said, forming a sky-blue sword in his hand as the Megalodons closed in. "Just for old times' sake," he added with a small grin before he moved, and in an instant, he tore through the incoming Megalodons, his blade flashing again and again as he cut them down one after another. Their massive bodies barely had time to react before they were ripped apart, the surrounding water briefly clouding with their remains before settling again. Within moments, the entire swarm was gone, leaving Rimuru alone in the eerie stillness, surrounded by lifeless husks drifting in the ocean. He let out a quiet breath as the sword dissolved from his hand. "This is for all the mining fatigue you assholes gave me back then," he muttered, the corners of his mouth twitching with faint amusement.
After indulging in a bit of nostalgia from his gaming days, Rimuru turned his attention back to the pyramid and made his way inside. The interior was just as massive as the exterior suggested, with long, winding corridors stretching deeper into the structure. He swam through them at a steady pace, his senses quietly observing everything around him, until the passage finally opened up into a vast chamber and he stepped forward onto solid ground. At the center of the chamber, suspended in midair, was a six-winged harpy. Nazim, while a dark purple core pulsed faintly in the middle of her chest, casting an ominous glow that filled the entire room.
Rimuru walked toward her at an unhurried pace, his gaze fixed on the six-winged harpy suspended in the air. Nazim didn't react to his presence in the slightest. In fact, she didn't seem aware of anything at all. Her eyes were wide open, but there was no light in them, no sign of thought or recognition. She simply stared straight ahead, her lips moving faintly as she repeated the same words, "Mother... Fulbrosia... Revenge..." over and over like a broken record stuck on a loop.
Rimuru let out a quiet sigh, a hint of pity crossing his face as he took in her condition. "Yeah... this is just sad," he murmured to himself before raising his hand. With a simple snap of his fingers, a gentle wave of magic spread outward, washing over her body. In the next moment, the haze clouding her mind began to clear, the empty repetition stopped, and her thoughts finally became her own again. A flicker of confusion crossed her face as she blinked until she fully realized she was suspended in midair, completely unable to move.
A moment later, as her awareness settled, the weight of the situation crashed down on her all at once, and panic started to creep into her chest. But just as she was about to struggle against Charybdis's hold, the sharp, deliberate sound of slow clapping echoed through the chamber, cutting straight through her rising panic and forcing her attention elsewhere.
"Well, well, if it isn't General Nazim of the Eastern Empire's Magic Beast Division. Ahh, what a coincidence running into you here," Rimuru said casually as he stepped into her line of sight, his hands loosely folded behind his back. "Ah, but it looks like you're in a bit of a pinch," he added with a faint smile.
"You! Who are you!? And what have you done to me!?" Nazim shouted the moment her eyes locked onto him, and her earlier confusion instantly gave way to anger and suspicion, and with no other explanation in sight, she immediately pinned the blame on him for her current state.
"You're accusing me? Seriously?" Rimuru raised a brow, a faint, amused smile forming on his lips as he looked up at her. "That's pretty ironic, considering you're the one responsible for ending up like this."
"Me...?" Nazim whispered as the fragments of memory began to resurface. She saw it again in flashes, recalling the moments before she was consumed by Charybdis's power, how her rage had overtaken her reason, and how everything went blank before she opened her eyes again and found herself trapped here.
"Indeed, you are, Miss Nazim," Rimuru continued as he began pacing slowly back and forth beneath her. "After all, when Damrada called you all the way from the Empire for this mission, you didn't hesitate for even a second. You jumped at the chance because you wanted revenge on your sister. And now, here you are. Caged inside a mindless beast, stripped of control, reduced to this." His eyes lingered on her for a second longer. "You must feel terrible, right?"
"How do you...?" Nazim started, her eyes widening in shock, and for a brief moment, her voice faltered. But her confusion and fear didn't last long, and soon her expression hardened again as anger rushed back in to take its place as she glared down at him. "Forget that. If you know who I am, then get me out of this mess already. Or are you just going to leave a lady like me hanging here like some kind of imbecile!?"
"You know, even with a tragic backstory, I still can't bring myself to feel anything for you the moment you open your mouth," Rimuru let out a quiet sigh as he rose into the air until he was level with her. "Anyway, I'll deal with you later. Right now, I've got something else to take care of," he said, then thrust his hand into her chest, grabbing the glowing core at the center and ripping it out of her body. Nazim's body, on the other hand, jerked violently as a hoarse, broken scream tore from her throat before she lost consciousness from the overwhelming pain.
Then, as the core's influence disappeared from her body, Nazim began to fade, her form turning translucent as Charybdis started breaking her down into mana and absorbing her. But before she could vanish completely, a portal opened beneath her. Rimuru pulled her into his imaginary space, sealing her away before Charybdis could fully absorb her and erase her entirely.
"Now then, let's give you a new life, my niece," Rimuru said softly as he looked at the core resting in his hand. In the next moment, it began to glow brightly, and a pedestal slowly formed in front of him. He gently placed the glowing core on it, and before long, the light faded, revealing that what had once been an ominous, hate-filled purple core had turned into a soft golden color, with a gentle warmth radiating from it.
"This should do," Rimuru murmured, satisfied with the result as his form began to fade from Charybdis's consciousness. The moment he disappeared, the world around the pedestal began to shift. The massive pyramid surrounding it started to tear itself apart, and the turbulent ocean around it evaporated at an incredible pace. In its place, solid ground formed beneath the pedestal, followed by grass and flowers sprouting across the land. At the same time, soft sunlight broke through the sky, bathing everything in a calm, comforting warmth and turning what was once a chaotic prison into something that almost resembled a sanctuary.
Outside, not even a moment had passed before Rimuru's consciousness returned to his physical body. His eyes opened slowly, and the first thing he did was look back at Charybdis. The difference was immediate. Gone was the overwhelming rage and hatred that had filled the creature's gaze before. In its place was a quiet calmness and a faint warmth visible in its eye.
Rimuru's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile as he took in the change. "Looks like I pulled it off," he said while gently patting the creature's dark blue scales, before pulling Charybdis into his imaginary space. 'Ciel, take care of her for now and proceed as planned,' Rimuru said calmly, addressing his most trusted companion. After receiving her confirmation, he turned his head toward a certain direction. "Now that I'm done fishing... it's time to deal with some rats."
******
Meanwhile, far from Fulbrosia, Damrada tore through the forest at full speed as his mind was in complete turmoil, replaying the overwhelming display of power he had witnessed just moments earlier, something that had completely derailed his plans and raised even more concerns for both him and the Empire.
Originally, when he first caught wind of Clayman's plan to unseal Charybdis, he saw an opportunity. A calamity-class beast like that was far too valuable to leave in the West, only to be killed or captured by someone who might become a problem for them. So, almost immediately, he began putting together a plan to seize control of it for the Empire.
Then he learned about Clayman's personal grudge against Frey. That was when he realized that Nazim, one of the Three Generals of the Magic Beast Division, was the perfect candidate to act as the creature's core. She already harbored deep resentment toward the Sky Queen, and her loyalty to the Empire was unquestionable. With her in place, he could achieve both of his objectives with perfect ease.
However, things had started going wrong much earlier than he would have liked to admit. The moment Nazim merged with the flying monster, she lost control completely, consumed by the very power she was supposed to command. Damrada had tried to salvage the situation by reaching out to her, hoping to snap her out of whatever state she had fallen into. But the instant he got close, one of Charybdis's summoned Megalodons attacked him, treating him as a threat. While he made short work of the oversized fish, it made one thing painfully clear. For the time being, Nazim was gone, and whatever remained inside that monster was no longer something he could control.
But even then, the situation hadn't completely slipped out of his hands. Even if Nazim was no longer in control, Charybdis was still heading exactly where he needed it to go. Its massive form cut through the sky on a direct path toward Fulbrosia, and that alone was enough to keep his plan alive. As long as the creature reached its destination, the destruction it would bring would be enough to fulfill one of his primary objectives, which had always been to wipe the Harpy Queen and her nation off the map and weaken the West for their Emperor, Rudra.
However, that objective began to unravel the moment two monsters appeared out of nowhere and started tearing through Charybdis's summoned Megalodons left and right. One after another, the massive creatures were cut down, their numbers dropping at an alarming rate as the two figures moved with overwhelming speed and precision. This was the first real cause for concern for Damrada. The sudden appearance of such powerful monsters in the Jura Forest without anyone noticing was deeply troubling, and it didn't take much for him to guess where they had come from. The most likely culprit was the newly established nation of monsters, which had already become a major topic of discussion within the Empire. If those two belonged to that nation, then things were about to get far more complicated than he had originally planned.
Even so, Damrada refused to give up on his objective just yet because he had noticed something important. The two monsters, despite their overwhelming strength, were only targeting the Megalodons. They weren't going after Charybdis itself, which made him think they might not be capable of bringing it down. For a brief moment, he let himself believe things might still go his way. But that hope was crushed almost instantly. The moment Charybdis reached Fulbrosia, a blue-haired man suddenly appeared and, with a single wave of his hand, slammed the calamity-class beast straight into the ground.
In that moment, after witnessing that overwhelming spectacle, a sharp and calculating man like Damrada didn't waste even a second and bolted the hell out of there. The instant Charybdis was dragged down from the sky, he knew Nazim was most likely a lost cause. As much as it stung to lose an asset like her, he now had something far more valuable, information.
Right now, the only thing on Damrada's mind was getting that information back to the Empire as fast as possible. The power of that blue-haired man, the ease with which he had handled a calamity-class threat, and the presence of powerful monsters within the Jura Forest. Every single one of those details mattered. After all, unlike the Demon Lords or the nations of the West, the Empire did not rely on reckless displays of strength to achieve its goals. It thrived on patience, on careful planning, on strategies that could take months, years, or even centuries to unfold. And based on what he had just witnessed, Damrada was certain of one thing. That blue-haired man, sooner or later, would become a serious problem for the Empire.
That was exactly why Damrada had already reached a conclusion. This anomaly, this unknown variable, could not be allowed to grow unchecked. It needed to be dealt with before it had the chance to tip the balance and spiral into something far more dangerous. For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind to turn back and handle it himself right then and there. He was confident in his own abilities, and part of him wanted to test that confidence against the man he had just seen. But logic quickly overrode that impulse. There were too many eyes watching, and the identity he currently held was far too valuable to throw away on a gamble. No, acting now would be reckless. So instead, he made the smarter choice. He would return to the Empire, report everything to Kondou and the others before making any moves.
But just as he picked up speed, a voice suddenly rang out from right in front of him. "Sorry, Damrada, but you're not going back to the East with that information." Before he could even react, a hand appeared out of nowhere and clamped over his face. It happened so fast that his body didn't have time to process what was going on. His legs kept moving forward out of sheer momentum, and the sudden stop sent a violent shock through him. A sickening crack echoed as his head snapped back from the force, his entire body jerking unnaturally from the impact. A split second later, he felt himself being lifted clean off the ground, only to be slammed down with overwhelming force. The world spun violently, his vision blurring before everything around him went completely black.
Meanwhile, Rimuru stood over the unconscious eastern rat he had just caught, staring down at him with cold eyes. "So much for being a complete saint," he muttered under his breath, giving a slight shake of his head as he crouched beside him.
"Vice Commander of the Imperial Guardians. Sorry, but I can't let you pass on what you've seen here today. After all, I'm not in the mood to deal with Rudra or Michael just yet," Rimuru said calmly as he raised his hand and pressed a single finger against Damrada's forehead. In the next moment, his magic flowed in, slipping directly into the man's mind. One by one, the memories of everything Damrada had witnessed during Charybdis's invasion were stripped away as if they had never existed, and in their place, Rimuru carefully implanted a set of fabricated memories. "That should do it," he added quietly as he pulled his finger away.
"Now, as much as I'd like to end your miserable life for being part of the scheme that killed Shion and the others..." Rimuru's voice trailed off as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, as those memories flashed back in his mind. After all, even after more than two centuries, traveling to this new timeline, that dreadful day still lived on in his mind. "...but luckily for you, you're still a useful pawn for my entertainment, so you get to live... for now."
"Now that one rat's taken care of, it's time to deal with the other one," Rimuru said before vanishing from the spot in search of a certain little female clown, leaving Damrada's unconscious body lying there in the quiet forest. Hours later, the man would wake up with a dull ache running through his body and a hazy sense of disorientation, unaware that anything significant had been taken from him, and continue his journey back to the East as if nothing had ever happened.
******
While Rimuru was busy dealing with a few rats, a completely different scene was unfolding outside Fulbrosia between two members of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
"Frey! My dear friend. I know how much you value your pride, but this isn't the time for it," Carrion, the King of the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania, said with a deep frown as he folded his arms across his chest. "The disaster you're about to face isn't something you can handle on your own."
"And I already told you, I've taken care of the problem," Frey shot back immediately, her tone sharp with irritation as her wings twitched behind her. She clearly didn't appreciate being doubted or having to repeat herself over and over again, especially to someone like Carrion, who was trying to insert himself into a situation that, as far as she was concerned, had no real stake in. "The threat of Charybdis has already been dealt with," she added stubbornly, glaring at him.
"Heh~ Frey, I thought you were a better liar than that," Carrion replied with a crooked grin, narrowing his eyes slightly as he glanced around the area, noticing how everything around them was still intact. There were no signs of destruction, no scorched earth, no lingering aura of battle. Nothing that suggested a calamity-class monster had just been here moments ago. "You're telling me this was a battlefield? Who are you trying to fool, Frey?" he scoffed, shaking his head as his disbelief only grew. "I don't know where that beast disappeared to, but it definitely wasn't here."
"Oh, but it definitely was here, you know," a calm voice suddenly cut through their argument, effortlessly drawing both of their attention upward. When they looked up, they saw Rimuru slowly descending from the sky.
Rimuru's sudden arrival immediately put Carrion on edge as he recognized the blue-haired man who had recently been the center of so many discussions and rumors. "Ruler of the monster nation," he said, addressing the blue-haired man who had just landed beside Frey, "what are you doing here?"
"That's a strange question, Beast Master Carrion..." Rimuru replied casually, tilting his head with a faint look of feigned confusion, "...Considering you're the last one to arrive."
"I'm the last?" Carrion repeated, his brows furrowing slightly as he turned his head toward Frey, silently asking for confirmation.
"Indeed, Carrion, you heard it right. Lord Rimuru was here before you," Frey said, reaffirming his words without hesitation, and Carrion's eyes widened slightly at the way she addressed him. "In fact, he's the one who dealt with Charybdis, which is why I keep telling you that I don't need, and never needed, your help," she added with a faint smirk forming on her lips as she tilted her chin upward slightly
Upon hearing that, the weariness in Carrion's eyes deepened even further as the meaning behind Frey's words fully sank in. It wasn't just what she said, it was what she implied. This wasn't a case of her and Rimuru teaming up to defeat Charybdis. Instead, this ruler of monsters had taken down the calamity-class beast entirely on his own.
'Is this some kind of scheme... is Frey trying to trick me?' Carrion wondered, his gaze narrowing slightly as suspicion crept into his thoughts. He wouldn't put it past the Sky Queen to be plotting something behind the scenes. But almost as quickly as the thought formed, he pushed it aside. 'No, that's not it,' he dismissed it just as fast as it came. 'Someone as prideful as Frey would never lower herself to calling someone else Lord, not even as part of a scheme.' That alone was enough to rule it out. Which left him with a far more troubling possibility. Slowly, his eyes shifted back toward Rimuru, and this time there was no uncertainty in them, only caution. In his mind, the threat this man posed rose sharply, far higher than before.
Then, just as he was about to press further, Carrion suddenly froze. Every question he had about Charybdis died on his lips the moment he saw Rimuru Tempest step closer to Frey, and without the slightest hesitation, Rimuru reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Sorry, I thought you had something on your cheek," Rimuru said with an easy, charming smile as he lightly patted her cheek.
Frey, on the other hand, flushed almost instantly, completely caught off guard by the sudden closeness and unexpected gesture. For a brief moment, her mind went blank, and her usual calm, composed demeanor slipped as her wings spread wide behind her.
However, before her thoughts could spiral any further, she heard his voice echo softly in her mind. 'Sorry about that, and don't worry, I'm just messing with Carrion. I won't take it any further.' That reassurance from Rimuru helped steady her a little, but it didn't mean his intimate gesture had no effect on her. Her heart refused to calm down, beating faster than she would have liked, while her thoughts began to wander, drifting through all sorts of possibilities and what they could mean.
Meanwhile, from Carrion's perspective, completely unaware of the silent exchange between them, what he saw was something else entirely. The Frey he knew was proud, cold, and distant, not the type to let anyone get close so casually. Yet right in front of him, she had allowed Rimuru to touch her without protest, and not only that, she had actually blushed because of it. The sight made something twist uncomfortably in his chest, a feeling he couldn't quite place, no matter how hard he tried. 'Why am I feeling like this? Wait... am I jealous of him? No, that's ridiculous. I don't even like Frey, so why would I... right?' he questioned himself, unable to come up with any explanation for what he was feeling.
"Well, Carrion..." Rimuru's voice suddenly cut through his spiraling thoughts, snapping him back to reality before he could dwell on it any longer. "It was nice meeting you, but we can't stay and entertain you for long. We've got more important things to take care of, so we'll be taking our leave now," he said casually and then, without waiting for a response, Rimuru reached out and casually took Frey's hand in his, before lifting off the ground and flying toward her castle with her in tow.
Meanwhile, Carrion remained rooted to the spot, completely motionless as he stared at their retreating figures in stunned silence, as the wind whistled past his ears, a lone tumbleweed rolled by, and a few stray green leaves drifted lazily through the air before settling neatly on top of his head.
To be continued...