"What is this?! You have ruined my, Gelmud's, plans!" Looking at Benimaru and the others before him, Gelmud was visibly furious.
"Gelmud... that's the one who named Rigurd's eldest son, isn't it?" Hearing his words, Rimuru quickly recalled his existence.
"So close! A new Demon Lord, who could have been my right hand, was about to be born!" Looking at everyone, Gelmud spoke agitatedly.
"A new Demon Lord?!" Hearing his words, Rimuru and the others were stunned.
"Precisely! That is why I bestowed names everywhere, scattered seeds everywhere… all for the birth of my strongest pawn!" Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Gelmud proclaimed, exposing himself.
"So you came to our village as well!" Hearing his words, Benimaru and the others' anger surged. Though Takeru had already informed them of the mastermind, hearing Gelmud's own confession ignited their fury.
"Oh! Is this not Gelmud-dono? Have you come to aid us?" At this moment, Gabiru, assuming Gelmud had arrived to assist them, spoke hopefully.
"Useless fool! You too shall become fertilizer for the Orc Lord! A worthless waste, yet disgustingly obstructive. Go, be devoured by the Orc Lord! Become its power! You may die for me. Rejoice in this honor!" Looking at the excited Gabiru, Gelmud was thoroughly disgusted with him.
"G-Gelmud-dono..." Hearing his words, Gabiru, as if awakening from a dream, looked at him incredulously, his heart filled with immense anguish.
"Attack, Orc Lord!" Having mocked Gabiru, Gelmud turned his gaze to the Orc Lord.
"What does it mean to evolve into a Demon Lord?" Hearing Gelmud's words, the Orc Lord regained a shred of rationality and spoke seriously.
"Tch, such a dullard. You shall become the Orc Demon Lord and rule this Jura Forest. This is what I and that Lord desire!" Hearing his words, Gelmud mocked him irritably.
"That Lord... That must be Clayman, the one Takeru spoke of!" Hearing his words, Rimuru and the others quickly realized.
"What are you gawking at, pig!" Seeing the Orc Lord motionless, Gelmud's heart filled with anxiety and rage.
'No time left! Though ordered not to act, I have no choice but to do it myself!'
Thinking this, he condensed a pink energy sphere and directly launched it at Gabiru. "Die!"
As the energy sphere exploded, the still-dazed Gabiru was shielded by his three confidants, who sacrificed themselves to block the attack, allowing Gabiru to survive.
"You all..." Seeing their actions, Gabiru's heart was filled with complicated emotions.
"Gabiru-sama is safe!"
"Thank goodness!"
Before losing consciousness, the three confidants gazed worriedly at Gabiru.
"Ah, Gelmud-dono!" Sensing his subordinates' loyalty, Gabiru wept in anguish. Yet, unable to suppress his resentment, he cried out to Gelmud.
"Become nourishment for the Orc Lord and be useful! I shall show you the power of a high-ranking Majin! Die!" Ignoring Gabiru's heart-wrenching cry, Gelmud condensed another energy sphere.
"Death-March Dance!" As his words fell, the massive energy sphere split into over a hundred smaller spheres, mercilessly launched at Gabiru.
At the critical moment, Rimuru positioned himself before Gabiru, expanding his slime body and spinning to devour all the energy spheres into his body.
"Well, is this your full power? How do you intend to kill anyone with such petty tricks?" Hearing his words, Rimuru mocked lightly.
'Well, Takeru probably won't mind, right?' Having intercepted Gelmud's attack, Rimuru glanced worriedly at Takeru above. Seeing Takeru show no reaction, he sighed in relief.
"Y-you bastard!" Seeing Rimuru effortlessly devour his ultimate technique, Gelmud fearfully retreated a step.
"Y-you are!" Looking at the slime before him, Gabiru was somewhat stunned.
"Here, this is recovery potion. Use it on your subordinates." Hearing Gabiru's words, Rimuru withdrew several lumps of blue recovery potion from his stomach and handed them over.
"Yes!" Clutching the condensed recovery potion tightly, Gabiru's eyes were filled with gratitude. He was not one to forget kindness. Gelmud had bestowed his name upon him, and Gelmud's actions had deeply disappointed him, yet he had no intention of resisting.
"Alright." Seeing Gabiru administer the recovery potion to his subordinates, Rimuru casually released threads, binding Gelmud. These were the enhanced threads acquired from devouring the Black Spider.
'So this is the mastermind? I can't believe Gabiru was deceived by someone like this. But I've taken a liking to Gabiru. Saving him is reason enough.' Watching the struggling Gelmud, Rimuru felt a faint disappointment.
"Takeru, you don't mind if I deal with this one, do you?" Hesitating briefly, Rimuru turned and addressed Takeru above.
"You may proceed." Hearing his words, Takeru, concealed within his barrier, considered for a moment and nodded.
"Understood. Thanks." Hearing Takeru's consent, Rimuru completely shed his burden.
"Y-you bastard! To treat me, a high-ranking Majin, like this... Agh!"
Before Gelmud could finish, Rimuru condensed a fist and struck his abdomen. The immense pain caused Gelmud to wail.
"Bastard! This lord..."
Bang!
Before he could finish, Rimuru's fist struck his face, sending him flying. Rimuru took the opportunity to retract his threads.
"Calling yourself a high-ranking Majin and putting on airs, yet you're nothing special." Watching Gelmud's pathetic state, Rimuru again mocked.
"Mark my words! I shall make you my comrade! One day... Agh!"
Again, before Gelmud could finish, Rimuru's slime body kicked him flying. He landed on the ground, sprawled on his back.
"Ah! You bastard are finished! That Lord will never forgive you!" Feeling the pain wracking his body, Gelmud grew somewhat reckless and despairing.
"Oh, is that so?" Hearing his words, Rimuru said with a faint smile.
"Ah! Stop! Don't come near! Hey, Orc Lord, help me!" Watching Rimuru steadily advance, Gelmud, like a mouse fleeing a cat, scurried behind the Orc Lord.
"I am hungry." Hearing his plea, the Orc Lord instinctively repeated these words.
"Useless! Help me, Orc Lord! No, Geld!" Cursing, Gelmud's tone shifted to one of half-plea, half-command.
Hearing the name Geld, the Orc Lord's previously turbid gaze regained a flicker of clarity. He recalled being bestowed his name by Gelmud in that desolate desert.
Remembering this, the Orc Lord slowly stirred. His movement put Rimuru and the others, confronting him, on guard.
"This useless one finally moves! Hahaha! Witness his power well! Attack, Geld! Make him regret opposing me!" Seeing the Orc Lord finally act, Gelmud cackled. He turned and directly taunted Rimuru and the others.
Yet, the instant his words fell, Geld raised his massive blade and swung it at Gelmud's neck. Gelmud, utterly defenseless, was decapitated, slain by the Orc Lord's hand.
[Explanation: Gelmud. Life signs have ceased.]
"Yes, I can see that." Hearing Great Sage's reminder, Rimuru spoke calmly.
Subsequently, before everyone's eyes, the Orc Lord knelt and began to devour Gelmud's body.
This scene was somewhat cruel. Tsumugi felt uncomfortable. Though somewhat accustomed to slaughter, witnessing the consumption of a corpse was difficult to bear.
Having devoured Gelmud's corpse, the Orc Lord's mana surged once more, emanating an extremely ominous aura.
"Oh! His magical energy has increased again. It seems he's about to evolve!" Above, Milim, seated on Salamence, exclaimed.
[Explanation: Confirmed. Individual named Geld's magical energy enhanced. Commencing evolution into Demon Seed. Successful. Individual named Geld has evolved into Orc Demon Lord.]
With his successful evolution, Rimuru sensed immense oppressive force.
"Hey, Takeru! This one has evolved into an Orc Demon Lord! Is that alright?!" Hearing Great Sage's notification, Rimuru nervously called out to Takeru.
Snap!
Hearing his words, Takeru lightly snapped his fingers. A special barrier enveloped the area around Takeru.
This barrier, aside from defensive capabilities, primarily served to isolate from external perception.