Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter 1.01

Chapter 1 - The First Battle (UNEDITED)

In the old Eurazania, at the site of Demon Lord Milim's new capital.

There were those who fought to the death.

He is Esprit, fighting against Peliod the Light-Haired.

(To tell the truth, it is not my character to fight so seriously...)

(To tell the truth, it is not my character to fight so seriously...) The battle was so hopeless that I wanted to complain about it.

Peliod, which nullifies magic, was the worst match for Esprit.

Even the nuclear magic: Nuclear Cannon, which he shot at close range with the best of intentions, was reflected back.

Peliod can reflect all kinds of magic with his prismatic barrier. Moreover, it applies not only to magic but also to a certain amount of emission-type techniques.

Peliod was a natural enemy of demons who used magic as a weapon.

Esprit was bitter at his own helplessness. Then, an unexpected helper appeared.

"I'll help you.

Phobio, who had given up the command of the unit to Suphia, joined Esprit saying, "I'll help you. Although they should have supported Suphia, each member of the "flying squad" is a genuine warrior. They move appropriately without being ordered to do so, and their units are well organized. The morale of the whole army is improved when the commander and his deputy take the lead in a battle rather than waiting in the rear.

Phobio is leading this time because Suphia is usually the one who runs away from the battle.

You can see he's in trouble, can't you?

"Yes, I do. But, I'm still better than you, right?"

He was right.

Esprit, who excels at magic, seems to be outmatched by Phobio, who excels at hand-to-hand combat. Even against an opponent who cannot use magic, there is a high possibility that Phobio can still find a way out of this situation.

"Well, that may be so. Well, I'll fight with it, then.

Esprit had intended to do so from the beginning, but he decided to use the magic sword as a chance to win the battle.

Thus, Esprit with his sword at the ready and Phobio in his half-animal form, face the beautiful and bewitching Peliod.

Two against one. Even so, they were overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Esprit steps in and draws his sword.

It is hard to believe that he was an amateur until the other day.

It is true that he started learning as a hobby, but Esprit is an obsessive person. In his free time, he practiced over and over again, repeating the kata that Agera had shown him. The result was the brilliance of his technique in such a short period of time.

Sadly, however, Peliod was even better.

"Damn, it's a fake. It's so elaborate that it's hard to distinguish it from the real thing..."

Yes, just when we think we have indeed made a cut, Peliod disappears, scattering particles of light.

For a moment, Esprit thought it was an afterimage, but he soon realized that it was not. For the next moment, Peliod split into multiple bodies.

Even Esprit's 'Ultra Intuition' couldn't see them, and none of them was distinguishable from the real one.

This is impossible, Esprit thought.

He wished he could help Carrera in some small way, but it would only buy him a little more time.

Phobio came in as a helper, but it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

(Honestly speaking, it was better than nothing?)

It is not a story that can be solved by two people fighting together. Peliod's strength was outstanding.

As expected, Esprit and Phobio were attacked from all sides. They could only defend themselves from the onslaught of attacks, unable to tell which was the main body.

Esprit is a cash cow, so he doesn't waste any time. He gives up this fight as if he is resetting the game.

Just don't die.

(I guess he can come back to life even if he dies, but that means he can't follow Rimuru-sama's orders. Carrera-sama would be furious, and I can't forgive myself either).

So, Esprit can't die.

However, he was not allowed to leave the front, and it was a dead end, to put it simply.

Because of this dichotomous thinking, Esprit's movement was slowed down. It was not Peliod who missed the opportunity, but his fangs were on the move.

"Don't just stand there!

Esprit was kicked away by Phobio.

Immediately after that, the place where Esprit had been standing before was covered with poisonous scales released by Peliod. It is a poison that kills even demons, though it has a fantastically beautiful glow. Its toxicity, which corrodes the body and destroys the spirit, is so fierce that even Esprit, the count's demon peer, can't withstand it.

"You're hurting me..." "Thank you.

"Ow!"

Esprit thanked Phobio lightly, and Phobio resumed his attack on Peliod. He repeatedly fired seemingly futile claw attacks, scattering his countless alter egos.

It is completely pointless as long as one cannot tell the real ones from the fake ones. However, Phobio did not give up in a foolish way.

"You are weaker than me, why don't you give up?"

Esprit asked him.

He did not expect an answer, since there was no point in asking that question. Phobio, however, smiled wryly and said

"You're a rude guy. Well, whatever. You live and you win. As Geld-san said, it doesn't matter as long as we survive and win the next one."

So now, we have to get a clue for the next one. That's what we're trying to do, Phobio says.

"Well, I'm weak. It's frustrating, but I just have to do what I can do."

Phobio's surprisingly serious answer satisfied Esprit, and he agreed. And he agrees.

"I'm a competitive person myself, but you're a good one, too. I'll give you that, Phobio.

Thanks, Esprit-dono.

You can be more relaxed with me, okay?

I've made mistakes before. I've made mistakes before... and I don't think you have time to talk too much."

Unlike Esprit, Phobio is serious. Even if he can't win, he is not running away from the fight, but is pushing hard against Peliod. As a jet-black wind, his claws had slashed through many alter egos, but they had been ineffective.

But now, perhaps feeling annoyed, Peliod strikes back for the first time.

The scales swirled and drilled their way toward Phobio. Even the smallest of scales can be a deadly weapon when they come together. If Phobio were to be hit directly, his body would surely become a slice of meat.

Phobio understands this better than anyone else.

The difference in the strength of the two players is obvious, and it would be suicide for them to face Peliod. However, he had made the same decision as Esprit that Carrera would be defeated if he did not try his best at this point.

(Then, I had no choice but to do it, even if it was reckless. My life is worth a small price if I can divert attention from the situation.)

Phobio is proud to be a Beastketeer.

He wants to escape, but that would be an act of losing Karion's trust and a betrayal to his men who believe in Phobio. It was this conviction that he could never allow such a betrayal that drove Phobio to do what he did.

Phobio's fighting style is to use his high mobility to taunt his enemies and kill them with sharp claws. Although his defense was not so high, it was not so much of a problem because of his evasive maneuverability.

In this case, he barely survived due to his speed. Even though he is walking on a very dangerous tightrope, where even a slight break in concentration can result in his death.

Esprit was reviewing such a Phobio.

(Hmmm, Gobua-san, Benimaru-sama's subordinate? I thought he was a strange guy who always talked about his love affairs with his girlfriends, but he is a real player when he has to be. Unlike demons who can come back to life even after death, Gobua-san is a fragile human being who will be dead only after death...

From Esprit's point of view, even Phobio, who has become one of the most powerful of the greater majin, is no more than a fragile human being.

Esprit is a great demon, the elite of the elite, who follows Carrera, one of the pillars of the king of demons. Since death is not the end, but a resurrection like a continuation in a game, Esprit lacks a sense of crisis. Depending on the damage, he may be put into a sleep of several hundred years, but to the demons who live in eternity, it is only a blink of an eye.

That is why Esprit was dazzled by those who were trying their best to live within their limited time.

What about himself?

Whenever he had a problem, Carrera, his master, took care of it, and Agera, his colleague, took care of the trouble.

Until now, Esprit had no experience of doing something desperate.

(Am I more useless than Phobio-san?)

No!

That is a definite no, someone deep in Esprit's heart cried out.

Perhaps that someone was Esprit's true feelings of hating to lose, which he had almost forgotten.

As a proof, Esprit, who had almost given up, stood up again strongly.

It was not because of such backward reasons, such as the fact that it would be a violation of the order if he died.

He wanted to win, and he had a clear will in his eyes.

But...

"To tell you the truth, it's impossible to beat him, isn't it? So, Phobio-san, let's harass him as hard as we can!

Esprit is a very cash realist, so he doesn't have reckless dreams that he might win.

He was really calmly constructing the tactical victory conditions.

"Hm, do you have a good plan?

Phobio asked with a smile.

He sensed the change in Esprit's mood and realized that his chances of winning had shifted from zero to positive.

"We can't win if we play it the right way. So, I know it's a little tricky, but can you make a devil's bargain with me?

Esprit says.

Even now, the scales are snatching at Phobio, and the fine scars on his body continue to grow. It was only a matter of time before the poison would reach Phobio's body, which meant that Phobio's life was about to end.

Despite the situation, Phobio laughed.

"Another contract..." he said, "but I don't have time to worry about it. Okay. So, what's this devil's bargain all about?"

Phobio has a bitter memory of being cheated out of a contract with Footman and his friends before. But Phobio is already prepared for it, as he still agrees to do so.

Esprit replies casually.

He's a common one. Tell me your wish. In return, I will ask for your soul.' It's a common method used by demons to corrupt humans."

Since demons feed on human souls, big and small, they are good at such contracts. They are well versed in all kinds of magic to meet any kind of wish.

But this is not true of newborn demons, but only of those who have lived through the ages.

Needless to say, for Esprit, it was a simple little trick that he could do at his leisure.

"Yes, sir. I believe in Esprit-dono, so I'll take you up on that deal.

Phobio agreed without even a groan of pain, even though his right arm was ground into a fine powder dust.

Hearing this, Esprit smiled.

"Good, if I had worried even a little, I would have missed it.

Yes, Esprit had already made preparations even before he heard Phobio's answer.

"So, of course, I wish..."

"The power to get through this!"

Esprit nodded his head and activated the devil's contract to make Phobio's wish come true.

At that moment, in return, the passage to Phobio's soul opens, allowing Esprit to enter.

Esprit hesitates for a moment, and then she leaves her body to break her hesitation. Then, in his natural form as a spiritual life form, he entered into the soul of Phobio.

This is also the Intrinsic Skill 'possession' possessed by the demon race. It is sometimes used to take over the body of a person with whom one has made a contract, and this time the purpose of its use was similar to that.

I really didn't want to use this method. I really didn't want to use this method. I had to leave the wonderful body I received from Rimuru-sama on the battlefield like this.

What the hell is going on here?

' 'Calm down. We're in the middle of a critical situation, but I've stretched time a million times over with my 'super-speed thinking.

Hearing Esprit's calm voice, Phobio had time to comprehend the situation. It is true that the world seems to have stopped as if time had stopped.

''...I see, this is the world the people at the top are seeing.

''As for me, I'm not there yet. Carrera-sama is said to be 100 million times better than me, so even ritual magic that takes years to perform can be activated in an instant.

'haha, that's amazing...'

It's not that it's amazing, it's just that it's on a different level.

It is a world beyond Phobio's comprehension.

Ignoring Phobio's astonishment and dismay, Esprit began to explain.

I have time, or at least enough time, so listen to me. I have taken off my body and returned to my original spiritual existence and took up residence in you. I would normally take over the host and use its power for my own, but there is a procedure to do that, and to be honest, it won't make me much stronger.

Phobio specializes in physical combat, especially melee fighting. He was trained by Midley as well, and his skills (level) had been greatly improved.

On the other hand, Esprit had just started to learn swordsmanship as a hobby. Peliod was specialized in magic, so he was able to use it to some extent, but he was soon to be defeated. Therefore, he decided to let Phobio take the lead.

However, this does not mean that I will do nothing.

'I have taken up residence in you in order to concentrate our forces.

What do you mean?

'You can continue to focus on evasion as you always have. As it is, you'd have been killed within a good five minutes, but if you'd combined my powers...''

Esprit took advantage of the devil's pact to inhabit Phobio. He then decided to give all his power to Phobio.

If I use my power, you think I can defeat him?

Phobio's intuition whispered to him that it couldn't be that simple.

And it was right.

It's not the kind of opponent that can be defeated just by that. They seem to have more 'vision' than I do.

Peliod also has 'compound eyes' that can read all information. He is able to reflect any kind of magic because he is clearly aware of the flow of magicule.

This was obvious when he threw back Carrera's "Abyss Annihilation" in his first move. This fact proves that Peliod is more skilled in handling magic than Esprit.

Naturally, Thought Acceleration must be better than Esprit.

Then, what are you going to do?

''We will try to survive as long as we can. Of course, not only you, but I will help you.

While Phobio takes the initiative in melee combat, Esprit himself intends to fight with magic. The purpose was to mitigate the attack on Phobio, on the assumption that it would not work either.

I see. So you will increase the chance of survival as much as possible.

Exactly. The tactical victory here is to survive until someone who can defeat her comes. And if we can get her attention and keep her out of Carrera-sama's way, then we have nothing to complain about.

Phobio nodded his head in agreement.

In other words, we have to buy time, don't we?

''That's the only way. There is a clear difference in their abilities, so it can't be helped. But don't worry. According to my calculations, you should be able to hold out for 20 minutes.

That's very encouraging...

Phobio laughs, saying that this is not reassuring at all.

But I'm blown away.

It pains me to admit it, but Phobio is weak. He decided to do his best to fight the weak in their own way.

And so, the battle enters the second round.

*

Now, Phobio and Esprit are now one, and their existence values are also added to each other, so they have increased. However, it is less than a million, which is not much more than that of Peliod.

Even so, thanks to the much better performance than before, we were able to compete with them.

One of the reasons for this is that Phobio does not care about his physical injuries anymore, since Esprit has started to shoulder the damage.

And he doesn't care about physical exhaustion either.

Phobio has decided to stop worrying about the various problems and has changed to a full-throttle combat style, giving up the long-term battle once and for all.

Of course, such an action would shorten the time limit of the active battle. Nevertheless, the reason why such a strategy was successful was that Esprit was complementing mana.

Phobio's 'bestiality' has three stages.

The first is the normal majin form.

This is the most balanced form and the least burdensome.

The second is the leopard-headed majin form.

The second is the leopard-headed majin form, which is specialized for fighting and is versatile.

The third is the fully animalized form.

It is the fastest in terms of speed alone. However, it is not suitable for combat against humans, as it cannot handle most of the skills it has been trained for.

Phobio is now the most powerful leopard-headed majin form.

He is not fuel-efficient, and his body is damaged when he exerts his full strength. Phobio had been fighting with a cautious approach, always controlling his power and releasing it at a moment's notice.

Even when damaged, the beastmen could manage because of their high regenerative ability. However, it was not good for long-term battles because it consumed stamina and mana to maintain such a high level of regeneration.

Now, Phobio is able to put all these concerns aside and concentrate on fighting. His lost hand was regenerated and he was able to use his full strength.

All thanks to Esprit.

Esprit is protecting Phobio by taking his soul into his mental body. This is made possible by Esprit's Unique Skill 'Discerner'. With this skill, Esprit can have a connection beyond time and space with those whom he knows, and he can control the soul more perfectly by using it together with the Satanic Contract.

As a result, Esprit will suffer a lot of damage, but that is about it. He showed his devilish nature and endured it with all kinds of resistance.

However, what hurts hurts.

'Really, I don't like bugs. Direct attacks on the mind and Pain Nullification are meaningless.

The advantage of insectar over demons is the accumulation of each of these factors. Because of the worst compatibility, insectar always wins if the players are of equal strength.

With these unfavorable conditions, Esprit's damage is quickly accumulating.

Nevertheless, Phobio is still alive and well. At Esprit's expense, the game remains competitive.

And there was one piece of good news.

I knew it. They are more persistent than I thought they would be, but now I know why.

'Hmm?' 'No, don't listen to him.

No, you don't have to listen to me.

Esprit explains.

''It seems that she is specialized in magic and damaged by Carrera-sama's magic, after all. I thought there was no way she could repel such a huge magic with no risk.

Carrera's "Abyss Annihilation" has the power to destroy even a planet depending on how it is used. Esprit thought that there must be some kind of an anomaly since he had received it head-on.

He was not strong enough to prove it, but he was finally convinced by possessing Phobio and making full use of 'Discerner'.

'So, if I target the weak part, can I win?

'That's impossible. It's only because they are weakened that they are less aggressive, but their defenses are ironclad. But, on the other hand, it would be good for us too.

Hearing Esprit's answer, Phobio is silent for a moment. Then he lets out a heavy sigh.

''I guess we'll just have to keep running until reinforcements arrive...''

It is a regrettable and unwilling conclusion, but it is the only one that can be reached.

Phobio gives up and concentrates on Peliod's movement to fulfill his role.

...

...

...

Forty minutes passed.

''...We worked hard, didn't we?

I'm too tired to talk. I can't do it anymore. I'm really going to die.

Though wounded to the bone, Phobio was still alive. Esprit, who is protecting his soul and taking the damage, is barely conscious. Esprit is very satisfied with the result, since he had thought that twenty minutes would be enough.

However, it was a result of giving it his all.

Peliod, on the other hand, is in good shape. His movement was even better than at the beginning of the battle, which meant that he was recovering from the damage inflicted by Carrera.

Strategically, it is a great victory, but tactically, it is a defeat.

But that's OK. Both Phobio and Esprit have done their part.

'Damn, I'm so disappointed that I got a girlfriend too...' 'What's wrong?

What is it? Is that why you worked harder than you expected? Well, I praise you for exceeding my expectations, and as a reward I'll take your message to her.

Since you can't get up anymore, all you can do is to wait for death. So, they make light talk with each other.

Phobio wants to enjoy the memories of Gobua whom he has come to know, but Esprit prevents him from doing so.

Are you the devil?

Yes, I'm a demon. I'm a demon, what's wrong?

I was. It's sad that you don't get my sarcasm.

I'm troubled by your praise.

I didn't compliment you.

I'm not complimenting you? Well, I guess you're right.

Through this intense battle, the two had become casual conversationalists.

And so, while drowning their fears of death and the humiliation of defeat, they wait for that moment.

But...

Without moving his face, Peliod holds out his hand. The magic activation organ, which had been destroyed by Carrera's magic, has been restored, and mana can be operated more efficiently.

Phobio, who is lying on his side and unable to move, can be dealt with in a moment.

Peliod waits joyfully for Phobio's scream of death, not thinking that Phobio and his friends are talking lightly to each other to prolong the moment. Peliod does not feel any respect for the person who has made him so difficult, but only pursues the pleasure that his instincts demand.

-The dense compressed mana rays from Peliod's fingertips do not pierce Phobio, but cut into the ground.

A hobgoblin leaps out from Phobio's shadow, grabs Phobio's leg, and throws him down.

And then-!

"Hey! Isn't my appearance perfectly timed?

a voice echoed through the battlefield.

The owner of the voice was the well-known Gobta.

He had rushed to the scene as a reinforcement to break out of this critical situation, and he had arrived on the scene with a full heart.

Gobta was not the only one to arrive.

Gobua, a red-haired beauty in a scarlet military uniform, caught Phobio as he flew toward her.

She caught Phobio firmly with her breast, and she was moving backward to protect him from Peliod's attack.

Phobio thought to himself, "I've done it," but that is a secret.

Ranga, who appeared at the end, stood in the front to protect Gobta, and threatened Peliod who was trying to pursue him. Without any hesitation, he succeeded in delaying Peliod's movement by performing the "Apocalypse Howling".

Thus, Phobio and Esprit, who had been inhabiting Phobio, had a narrow escape from death.

Back in the body he had left behind, Esprit gets up with a start and says, "Oh, my God!

"Oh, Gobta-sama is the best! I knew you would come to save me!

Esprit, whose eyes are shining brightly, is actually a fan of Gobta.

"Oh, really? I'm so embarrassed.

"As the Four Heavenly Kings, please show us your good looks!"

Esprit is trying to flatter Gobta.

He was not trying to stir things up, but he was serious from the bottom of his heart.

"Well then, when this battle is over, we'll go on a date...", Gobta said.

Gobta was on a roll at this point.

"Oh, I'm ready for that kind of thing!"

This was a point that should not be misunderstood, since it was not a feeling of liking or anything like that.

Esprit also left the front line, leaving Gobta with a drooping head.

Thus, the collapse of the front was averted by the efforts of Phobio and Esprit.

After a change of players, the battle was brought to the third round.