[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on acquiring the magical treasure, the Myriad… Conqueror's Banner (Red)!]
'Hey, hey, hey! You definitely meant to say Myriad Soul Banner just now, didn't you? You absolutely did!'
[Host, you misheard! I said Conqueror's Banner!]
[Conqueror's Banner: A super magical treasure that can absorb and refine souls. Due to the dense purple aura it inherently possesses, it is often maliciously slandered by petty individuals as the Myriad Soul Banner.]
[PS: As the saying goes, if you don't cultivate diligently, you'll end up as brothers in the Conqueror's Banner.]
'System! Who are those petty individuals mentioned in this description? Do you dare to say it out loud?!'
Kaito looked down at the Conqueror's Banner in his hand, which was emitting thick black smoke. After observing it carefully for a while, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally…
'System! Tell me, where is the slightest trace of purple aura here?!'
[…(￣ 3￣)a]
'System! You have the guts to change the name, so do you have the guts to come out?! Don't hide in there and stay silent, I know you're home!'
[…o(*￣ 3￣)o]
…Let's not dwell on the time Kaito spent fiercely arguing with the System, holding the Myriad… Conqueror's Banner that the System had stolen from who knows which cultivation world.
Let us fast-forward to the present.
Great Jura Forest · Town Entrance
Treyni swung her right hand downward and said, "Begin!"
Rimuru, holding her sword with both hands, charged toward Gazel at an incredible speed.
"Clang!"
Gazel easily blocked Rimuru's strike with his own sword, then pushed back with force, sending her flying several meters.
Watching Rimuru quickly regain her footing, Gazel said, "Is that all you've got, Rimuru?!"
Rimuru straightened up, a sharp glint in her eyes, and said, "That was just a warm-up! Don't be so impatient!"
After speaking, she held her sword diagonally with both hands and fixed her gaze seriously on Gazel.
'Great Sage! Are there any openings in his defense?'
[Analysis: The opponent's swordsmanship has reached the master level. No openings have been detected at present!]
'As expected! Truly worthy of being a Sword Saint!'
Seeing that Rimuru wasn't attacking, Gazel took the initiative to strike. Rimuru blinked, and Gazel was already in front of her. She quickly raised her sword to block:
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Sizzle…"
In an instant, the two had exchanged more than ten blows, until Rimuru was once again pushed back several meters by immense force.
'He truly lives up to his reputation! But… I can't easily lose to him either!'
'But this is really difficult! Would it be better to just let Great Sage take over?'
Just as Rimuru was contemplating whether to cheat, she suddenly caught Gazel assuming a familiar stance.
"That stance is…"
"Take this, Rimuru!"
Without giving her any more time to think, Gazel directly launched his attack:
"[Hazy Style: Thunder of Heaven and Earth]!"
"Buzz…"
Watching Gazel vanish from her sight in an instant, Rimuru immediately looked around, searching for his figure.
Suddenly, a long sword appeared in front of her, thrusting upward from below. Reacting quickly, Rimuru took a small step back and dodged the attack.
"There's another move… above!"
Growing more familiar with his sword techniques by the second, Rimuru instinctively raised her sword with both hands and held it flat above her head.
"Clang!"
"This…"
"To actually be able to block the King's move! This Rimuru is truly extraordinary!"
In the eyes of the spectators, Rimuru had perfectly blocked Gazel's sword, which had been aimed straight at her head.
Gazel looked down at Rimuru, who had blocked his move, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. That smile grew wider and wider, until it became a hearty laugh:
"Hahaha! You actually caught my sword!"
Seeing this, Treyni immediately raised her right hand and declared, "That's enough! The match is over! The winner… Rimuru Tempest!"
Gazel sheathed his sword and said with satisfaction, "Through this exchange, I can confirm that you are not an evil entity!"
Hearing those words, everyone present, including Kaito, nodded in agreement, while Rimuru stared at him with a completely speechless expression.
"Why?!!"
"I'm surprised you could see through my [Hazy Style: Thunder of Heaven and Earth]. Well done, Rimuru!" Gazel praised her, patting her shoulder.
'Where does he think he's putting his hand?! Get it off Rimuru's shoulder! Do you believe I'll march to your Dwarf Kingdom and make it know pain?!'
Kaito, who had been standing by and watching the whole thing, glared unhappily at Gazel's hand on Rimuru's shoulder, quietly wondering if he should head to the Dwarf Kingdom and become Pain.
"It was just a coincidence. That's my master's usual move. I often suffered losses from it during training, that's all it was!" Rimuru humbly responded to Gazel's praise.
"What! Your master couldn't possibly be…"
Just then, Gazel was surprised to see Hakurou walking up to Rimuru's side.
"Hehehe! Rimuru-sama, you performed excellently!" Hakurou said, looking at her with a warm and benevolent expression.
"Oh! Lord Sword Demon…" Gazel said, visibly taken aback.
"To think you were just a lost child wandering in the forest back then. Indeed, one must look at him with new eyes after a separation of three days!"
After speaking, Hakurou took a step back, placed his right hand over his chest, and said with a smile, "Ah! My apologies! I have spoken out of turn before the King of Dwargon! You are now truly a case of the student surpassing the master, and I am genuinely happy for you!"
Gazel did not put on airs as a king in response to Hakurou's praise. Instead, he reached back and scratched the back of his neck, speaking respectfully.
"To receive such praise from Lord Sword Demon, I am truly humbled!"
'So his master is Hakurou! The world is both vast and small!' Rimuru couldn't help but think as she watched the two interacting.
"Alright, since the sparring is over, let's discuss anything else once we're inside the town!" Kaito walked up to Rimuru, cutting into the ongoing exchange.
"Ah… Kaito-sama is right. This is indeed not a good place to talk!"
"Then let's go! Benimaru, make arrangements for the Pegasus Knights — don't neglect them!"
"Yes, Kaito-sama!" Benimaru quickly stepped forward and answered.
"Pegasus Knights, please follow me!"
"Alright! Then we'll trouble Benimaru-sama!"
Watching the Pegasus Knights follow Benimaru and the others into the town, Kaito turned to Gazel and said, "Lord Gazel, please!"
"Hahaha! Then I will respectfully accept!"
Night - Banquet Hall
"I see, so you came to investigate the mysterious monster organization that defeated the Orc Lord!" Rimuru, sitting cross-legged beside Kaito, held a wine glass and spoke to Gazel, who was seated directly opposite her.
Gazel raised his wine glass in kind and said, "That was the original plan, but after meeting Mr. Kagaya Ubuyashiki and discussing with him, I decided to change my objective — to seeing whether your side is suitable to become an ally of my country!"
At that, Gazel's expression suddenly became extremely serious.
"Rimuru! I ask you one thing!"
Meeting his grave gaze, Rimuru straightened her expression as well.
"Please speak!"
"Do you have the desire to form an alliance with me? If you can take control of this vast forest, the wealth and power you possess will even surpass my country. Although Kaito is present, Rimuru, having a country to back you up would be far more convenient, you need not worry about invasion from other nations!"
"Ah! This…"
Rimuru glanced at Kaito, who was sitting quietly beside her. He didn't speak, but simply smiled and nodded.
Understanding his meaning, Rimuru turned back to Gazel and said solemnly, "Of course! I couldn't ask for more!"
Just as the two were about to reach an agreement, a figure walked into the banquet hall and, with a smile, said to everyone present:
"Everyone, have I returned late?"
"Kagaya!!! You're finally back! *n"