Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

THE MOMENT OF DESPAIR

Just as Rimuru was about to head into the imperial capital, the dwarven king Gazel Dwargo was facing a desperate battlefield. There, far in the distance, was a living incarnation of beauty spreading death everywhere she went.

“Gravity Collapse…? They say you could theoretically make it as powerful as you want…but can legion magic defend against it?”

“Don’t be silly. You could have both the Magic Support and Magic Strike Divisions running defense for us, and there’s no way they could block that. That’s how True Dragons work. It’s beyond a menace.”

Gazel was answered by Vaughn, his supreme military commander on the field. He had deployed the dwarven army here as he awaited Gazel’s arrival, and that meant he had a front-row seat for the destruction of the Empire’s Composite Division positioned a stone’s throw away. The soldiers were speechless at the sight of all the carnage, their will to fight doubtlessly broken, but not even they ran from the scene—much to their credit. Everyone on hand understood that by this point, there was nowhere safe to run away to. If their deaths would allow their families to survive even a little while longer, that alone made it worth remaining here—and so, with that in mind, they maintained their battle lines.

King Gazel was far too heroic a figure to let any of his troops’ lives go to waste. Every soldier of his trusted in that, and that was why they swore their allegiance to him. And while he understood well the emotions that drove them, Gazel was distressed, never showing it on his face but finding his heart in a state of deep turmoil.

We cannot win. In fact, this may very well end with the lives of everyone here wasted. Should we surrender? No, the Empire will never accept it. We must show them our power, at least, or as much as we have left of it…

He’d have to make the enemy believe they were more valuable as an ally, rather than an enemy. Otherwise, the Empire would never let them continue to exist in their world view. Thus, the only way to survive was to fight to the bitter end. No matter how many casualties it produced, Gazel and his troops had to continue believing that the sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain.

“They say quality is better than quantity in war, but this is simply beyond any reasonable expectation. Our only option is to challenge and defeat her by ourselves.”

“Whoa, whoa, don’t you have a responsibility for them as king?”

“Look, our enemy numbers exactly one person in size, does it not? Is now the time to ask about who’s responsible for what?”

Gazel gave Vaughn’s question an embittered smile. The sole enemy here was Velgrynd. Strategy and tactics were meaningless—Gazel’s side needed a way to survive, and that was it. Vaughn, likely well aware of this, tried to keep the mood light, hoping to lighten Gazel’s heartache a bit. Realizing that helped Gazel dispel his hesitation on the matter.

“My liege,” Henrietta reported to them, “the enemy is more than just the Flame Dragon. There are multiple presences detected behind her, and it seems they are performing some manner of ritual. Lady Jaine reported that the extreme magic spell from before is likely part of this…”

Gazel nodded. That extreme magic, which annihilated an army of some sixty thousand, was being used for a ritual. That alone told him that an evil plot was afoot, one he dared not even try to imagine. But Velgrynd, at the center of it all, was going to be very difficult to beat—and so the only way to foil this plot would be to beat whatever was behind her.

“Should we move our forces?” Dolph asked. Gazel shook his head. The Heavy Strike Division lacked much mobility by design; improperly shuttling them around would leave them exposed to magic attack. Normally they could use their stout defenses to push through anything, but none of that mattered much against Velgrynd. The only option left was a de facto suicide strike from the five-hundred-strong Pegasus Knights at their disposal…

“I wouldn’t like having this place even less well-defended than before. I think Gazel’s right—the only way is to go in alone by ourselves. Right, Dolph?”

Vaughn smiled as he spoke. Dolph scratched his head in response.

“How disrespectful, Vaughn. Calling the king by merely his given name is outrageous! You should think more about your position…”

The lecture went on for a little while longer. He finally ended it with a broad smile.

“But this time, at least, you have a point. If we want to buy as much time as possible, we must avoid spreading our forces too thin. If it’s us alone, we can be highly mobile and speedy enough to perhaps surprise the enemy.”

Henrietta had no objections, either.

“Lady Jaine said she would join the struggle once she persuaded the elders along those lines. I’ll let them worry about the future—for now, let’s have a fun little rampage, just like the old days!”

The enthusiasm was palpable in her reply. These were all old friends, and the years hadn’t changed them one bit. They were united in their hearts with Gazel, standing by him to help him through even this most difficult of times.

Gazel laughed.

“Ha-ha… You fools. I wonder what my chaperone Jaine would say if she heard this…”

Jaine had accompanied Gazel and his band for many years, offering them her advice and suggestions. She may have been the Dwarven Kingdom’s most powerful mage, but to Gazel, she was also his most trusted of advisors. I’m sure she won’t like this, he thought as he struggled to make a decision…but it seemed he was a tad too slow.

“Lordy lord, I take my eyes off you for a moment, King Gazel, and I see this? What a pain this is…”

Just before Gazel gave the order to march, Jaine teleported onto the scene.

“Ah, Jaine. Were you listening in on us?”

She sneered at the uncomfortable-looking Gazel and shook her head. “Here I was breathing a sigh of relief now that you’ve become such a great king…or so I thought. But this time, I cannot blame you. There is simply no other way to deal with an opponent like this. The True Dragons are known as Catastrophe-level threats precisely because they lie beyond the control of any one government.”

“True enough.”

Any magic spell a human being could conjure would never affect a True Dragon. And now, Velgrynd was harnessing magic on a massive scale, well beyond any human level of control. Even if every human champion in the world came together, their chances against a True Dragon would be a complete unknown.

But all was not necessarily lost. That was what Jaine was here to report.

“I received a call a few moments ago.”

“Hmm?”

“His Majesty Rimuru is going to send reinforcements. Why don’t we wait for them and see what we can do?”

“I don’t believe it’s been that long since I contacted him!”

“It is hard for me to comprehend as well, yes, but I am sure he’s not lying. Vester himself told me so, and His Majesty can make all of his subjects take action with just a few words…”

Everyone nodded at the words of the jaded Jaine. They knew she was correct—and besides, those ever-reliable reinforcements arrived before they had the time to change their minds.

Suddenly, a large distortion appeared in space. Then, as if encased in an enormous cocoon, a small group of elite forces revealed itself. There were one hundred members of Gabil’s Team Hiryu, along with three hundred more from Gobwa’s Team Kurenai. Every member of this team of four hundred was over-A in rank, making it a squad as potentially powerful as the Pegasus Knights. What attracted even more attention, however, was their enormous weaponry.

“I heard it was complete, but they’re certainly not holding back deploying it, are they? That’s Rimuru for you.”

“Is that the completed magic-armor soldier?”

“Indeed. It is called the Demon Colossus, I was told, and it’s a good thing it’s on our side.”

Gazel, of course, didn’t expect it to emerge victorious against Velgrynd. But the sheer majesty of its presence would be enough to bring reassurance to his soldiers.

“A stout ally to have. If we had a larger supply of them, maybe we could’ve fought a little bit better.”

“Sadly, not even that would likely mean much against Velgrynd. If it were a Disaster-level threat, then perhaps, but…”

Gazel and his advisors continued to chitchat for a bit longer as the group approached them. This was Gabil, leader of the newly deployed corps, along with the three demonesses led by Testarossa. Gobwa and Hakuro followed behind them.

“It has been far too long, Your Majesty.”

It was Testarossa, not Gabil, who spoke up first. This was most assuredly the right call. Testarossa had diplomatic privileges and a wealth of experience; she was used to this kind of situation.

“Indeed it has, Lady Testarossa. My thanks for the reinforcements.”

Usually, the very idea of Gabil directly addressing a visitor would violate royal norms. There were certain customs and formalities to take into consideration, and along those lines, the king would normally have an intermediary speak on his behalf. But now was no time for such talk—something mutually understood among all parties. So they did away with all decorum and made this a regular, uninhibited strategy meeting.

Once everyone had moved over to the command center, they dove straight into the topic at hand. Testarossa began by recapping what Rimuru and his allies were up to, then offered a proposal for the strategy they needed to implement here.

“Hmm, Rimuru seeks to strike the emperor himself?”

“It certainly sounds more realistic than any suicide mission.”

“Do you think? Because it sounds rather reckless to me…”

Gazel growled at the idea as he thought it over, even as Vaughn sounded optimistic. Dolph, meanwhile, was still looking for another way—but there was no time left to ponder. With nobody else offering alternatives, Testarossa pushed ahead.

“We will deal with Lady Velgrynd. What I want everyone else to do is put an end to the ritual taking place behind her.”

“No objections here.”

Gazel promptly agreed with the offer, as welcome as it was unexpected. The demons were the only ones who could be entrusted with this most dangerous of rules—they had no one else to volunteer for it. But Jaine wasn’t so sure.

“One moment. I ask you, Lady Testarossa, would Primals such as yourselves be able to defeat the Flame Dragon?”

This was a vital question, one that would affect the entire rest of the operation. Jaine, for one, was clearly doubtful Testarossa’s group could win—that was how overwhelming Velgrynd seemed to her. The three Primal Demons here were undoubtedly the greatest strength among the allied forces right now, but that made this question all the more important. If Testarossa and the demons fell, that would be the end for everyone else on hand as well.

“To be honest…I don’t think we can, no.”

“Well! In that case, we must dedicate ourselves to defense, not attack. Instead of needlessly provoking them, would it not be better to wait here for His Majesty Rimuru’s strategy to succeed?”

If there’s no chance of victory, stall for time. That was Jaine’s argument, and while it seemed sound enough, it was hard for the Rimuru camp to accept.

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option. If we leave Lady Velgrynd on her own, she might return to the imperial capital to interfere with our leader.”

Carrera sounded adamant about it. Rimuru told her she was fine not to worry about him, but nonetheless, she felt it necessary to keep the Flame Dragon’s attention focused squarely on them.

“And more to the point, we did not come here to discuss plans with everyone. Sir Rimuru has given us his edict, and we have come to relay it to you. We will consult with you over ways we can help, but I want it clear that we will not tolerate anyone in our way.”

Even Hakuro, rarely one to speak out of turn, was harsh. Time was too short for courtesy; they had to unify under a single flag at once. Gazel correctly realized this, raising a hand to quiet his fretful colleagues.

“If my master Sir Hakuro says so, I have no choice but to relent. Or do any of you have other ideas?”

His advisors all gravely shook their heads.

“If the Imperial Information Bureau is involved, ending the ritual won’t come that easily. It would be best for all of us to unite under one common purpose.”

Dolph’s statement was the final decider. All that remained was to work out the details—and with that, the plan was quickly finalized.

Provoking Velgrynd was no different from sticking your hand in a hornet’s nest. Testarossa and her team, although fully aware of this, still dauntlessly pressed on.

“You think us stepping in would delay the ritual?” asked Ultima.

“I suppose we’ll have to see,” replied Testarossa.

“Not even I could maintain a Gravity Collapse of that level,” said Carrera. “Doing that while taking on us three… No way that’s possible, right?”

“I think it is entirely possible. That’s why I am wary of her.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Oh, I’m quite serious.”

“Eh, whatever. We’ll find out soon enough in battle.”

There was no hesitation among Testarossa and the other demons as they spoke. They made a beeline straight for Velgrynd, not even trying to hide their motives, and Velgrynd quickly noticed the three of them. She, too, expressed no alarm—in fact, she seemed delighted to see the demonesses coming her way.

“Hello there. Lovely day for a fight, isn’t it?”

Testarossa greeted her. Velgrynd smiled back.

“It certainly is. But first, let me go ahead and ask: Why don’t you join our camp? As Primals, you certainly possess the strength for it. I promise you’ll all be treated well.”

Velgrynd maintained her casual composure in the face of the three demonesses as she made the offer. Needless to say, the answer was no.

“I will have to decline your offer. I have my own history with the Empire, you see.”

“Same here,” agreed Ultima. “I finally have a master to serve now, and it’s loads more comfortable than I’d imagined. No way I’m gonna give it up.”

“Exactly. But more importantly, let’s put an end to this talk and start fighting,” said Carrera. “If three against one isn’t your speed, you could always call in those folks behind you.”

The refusal was unanimous, no time spent deliberating. Carrera was clearly eager for a fight, not demonstrating the slightest interest in negotiations. Seeing Velgrynd’s magic up close had ignited her own fighting instincts.

Velgrynd laughed. “So that’s your answer? Well, good. In that case, I’ll gladly play with you for a little while!”

That was the signal for battle to begin. With a slow swaying motion, Velgrynd split in front of the demonesses’ eyes—or, to be more precise, there were now two Velgrynds, exact mirror images of each other. This was a familiar sight to Testarossa.

“A troubling sign. This is more than just a Replication. Perhaps it’s a bit closer to Raine’s Ubiquital Mist?”

Testarossa recalled her own fight with Raine. Exactly why they fell into combat was now lost to time, but the experience from that battle was still fresh in her mind. Ubiquital Mist allowed the caster to create a Replication before battle, then regenerate either the original or the Replication at will. Unlike the Separate Body skill, only one of the two bodies could retain its own free will, but it could still prove to be one truly heinous ability in the right hands. There was no better way to catch an enemy off guard, and while it wasn’t as effective against cautious opponents, it offered the user a great deal of insurance.

Velgrynd’s Parallel Existence skill could create those Separate Bodies at will, which undeniably made it stronger than Ubiquital Mist. But Testarossa wasn’t aware of that, a shade of doubt now present upon her beautiful face.

“What’s that?”

“Raine, you see, can split her body and regenerate herself from part of either one.”

“Got it. So both of them can function as the ‘real’ her, then?”

“That would be the case, yes.”

Testarossa and her friends analyzed the situation, not falling into panic at all. The battle was technically underway, but they were still debating like this was a parlor chitchat over tea.

“I see Blanc is quite the intelligent one,” Velgrynd coyly remarked. “You are correct. This is Parallel Existence, one of my powers. And since I don’t want you interfering with the ritual, I will be happy to deal with you here.”

She gracefully fluttered a feathered fan as she spoke.

Testarossa was less than amused as she sneered at her.

“I have a name. It is Testarossa, and it was granted to me by my lord Rimuru. I do wish you would stop calling me Blanc.”

She casually cracked the flaming whip that she had produced from her hand at some point. It undulated like a snake as it struck at Velgrynd.

“Ah, right. So that slime truly did name you Primals?”

This was Velgrynd’s first confirmation of the fact, and it visibly surprised her. But her motions remained undisturbed as she nimbly dodged Testarossa’s whip.

“Calling my lord a mere slime is extremely rude,” Carrera indignantly explained as she unleashed her own magic—Gravity Collapse, her closing move at the very start. She kept the size as small as possible, but that only further expanded its power. It was the greatest attack Carrera could summon right now, and it struck Velgrynd head-on while her attention was still on Testarossa. A pillar of black enveloped Velgrynd, connected from heaven to earth—a prison big enough for just one, offering no escape to its quarry.