Chapter 21: an almost perfect upgrade

Mithra's POV:

It's goddamn time, my body is almost completed. I see Ramiris' craft-making skills aren't a fluke, with Rimuru's help she created a fine piece of art made of dragotite. There's enough to create five more bodies, Veldora truly did his part.

Before I possess it, Rimuru is engraving a complex spell on it. It's a magical circuit specifically made to resonate with my aura's signature. With that, my power output will be maximized, and he'll do the same for the four others.

They worked fast, I'll get two or three days to get used to it, before the actual invasion. The spies are monitoring Falmuth's army and they spotted nothing out of the ordinary. There's a little more than 26 000 soldiers, with a few members of the Church. Hinata is following them from a distance, and another of Clayman's puppets is hiding nearby. Nothing concerning.

-"I've finished, you can use it." Rimuru activated the spell which linked itself to my aura. I didn't lose any time and entered it.

-"Oh, I can sense my true power returning." It feels so good to be free of those restrictions I had, now I can really kick ass to my heart's contempt. "Rimuru, ready for a lil' brawl?"

-"You bet, now you won't have any excuses when I'll be done with you."

-"Talk while you can, I'll show you who's the real boss." I stretched my limbs, excited to get serious for the time in a while.

-"You can go all-out, my Labyrinth won't get smashed from so little." Ramiris smiled so arrogantly it made us pop a vein. Don't test your luck, you'll regret it someday.

We entered another room which serves as a sparring ground. For about an hour, we threw at each other all our moves. To my dissatisfaction, I couldn't gain the upper-hand. At least, Rimuru couldn't either. I pack more destructive potential and I've trained my style for many years, but he's adapting so fast and his bizarre tactics are still a hindrance. 

A.N: You'll have to wait for the next chapters for more descriptions of fights. I won't bother with mere training (author being lazy), but I'll take my time for real battles. Thanks in advance.

When we stopped, we noticed a few spectators. There aren't many people who have access to the Labyrinth for now, but those who can haven't let go of such an event. Kumara, who accompanied us, called Shion and Benimaru to watch.

-"So that's your real power, boss. I'm all pumped-up to get a turn in training." Shion started to breathe heavily and went to unsheathe her sword.

-"Hey, not so fast. I won't let that opportunity go either." Benimaru grabbed her shoulder, keeping her in place. They argued to see who would go first and it would've escalated if I hadn't stopped them.

-"Easy you two. We'll fight you both, so stop that fuss. Go prepare yourselves, we'll be here in a few minutes."

They left to warm up, and Kumara approached us. She looked at the floor, her ears down, unlike her cheeky self. I sat next to her to be at her height and Rimuru knelt to do the same, it's been long since I saw such a worried face from him. 

-"Hey, what's the problem?" I asked in the gentlest tone I could use.

-"...It's stupid, but I'm somewhat afraid. Are you sure it will go as you planned?" She took a heavy breath, and hesitated before continuing. "I know you're strong, I saw what you're capable of, but what if something unexpected happens? I don't want to lose someone else…"

-"Heh, don't worry. If we're stupid enough to mess-up when we have so many allies and such trustable friends, then we'll set an unbreakable record." He tried to crack a joke, and it managed to make Kumara smile, even if it's faint. He patted her head, and made her look at him in the eyes. "We're not gonna disappear, it will all end well. I promise."

He gave her a hug, and when he released her I took a turn. She's stressed because the deadline is close now, but we'll make sure she'll get better. No one will hurt our cinnamon roll… I'm sure she'll take pleasure in bickering again with Luminous when she returns, it will signify peace came again. 

***

The day of the attack, Rimuru's POV

It started, and the setup is perfect for us. Three individuals with souls of reincarnated entered the city and started a fuss, while a contingent of knights waited in the forest. On her side, Myulan warned me she just received her last order in conjuring an anti-magic barrier. Clayman's other spy stayed around the main army.

Since I have a complete view of the situation, we can take the optimal action without raising suspicions. The old hag will override Myulan's barrier once it's casted, she's skilled enough to make it appear like it's supposed to normally look, even when changing its property. After she does it, I'll get rid of Myulan's curse and create a new heart for her. And the clown will lose all ears in the city.

Thanks to my Unique Skill, I could get data on all the surroundings. Four groups of clerics were dispatched to create an Anti-Monster area, but we'll get rid of them before it's done. They'll get ambushed, and it's the same for the knights. From what I see, no individual is strong enough to threaten those who're ready to slice them. 

As for the three reincarnated, Shion and Hakurou are already dealing with them. Saying that their karma isn't great is an euphemism for the two guys, and the girl is barely better. Sorry but you'll die here, far from your original world. Maybe I would've taken it easy for her if I had the time, but this is war and our objective is greater than a few lives. And with such karma, the guys don't deserve it anyways. 

I gave the signal to my subordinates, and they began to slaughter the ambushed groups. We acted as planned with Myuran, and since Clayman can only rely on her sight, he can't tell if something went wrong in the surroundings. Once I dispelled her curse, Myulan fainted from a rush of emotions. I called someone to bring her to a bed, she deserves some rest.

It went silent once all the intruders lost their lives. It's now time for Mithra and me to start the second phase. But before that, I collected the souls of the deceased for our evolution. And it appears we have an outstanding option for the Harvest festival.

Thanks to my Soul Proficiency, I have a passive bonus in the usage of souls, and it's extent to our upcoming evolution. Normally, a Seed needs the equivalent of 10 000 souls to automatically launch the process. But me, I can choose between using less souls for the same result, or using the intended quantity to boost my evolution. 

With this perk, it's not automatic. By collecting myself all the souls required for the old hag and giving to her the wanted number, I can even hijack her own evolutionary process and boost it. It's only possible thanks to our soul corridor, but we will use this loophole in the system. That's what smart people do.

After a teleportation, we arrived near the main army. We will let the king and one or two of his closest aides alive, they'll serve as pawns to change Falmuth from the inside. It will be the end of this shitty greedy kingdom, it will be reborn anew. When she'll be summoned, it will be Violet's first job. I assume they'll be cooperative afterwards.

Yeah, Falmuth will keep a king. I know we're French and it became a joke on Earth, but it's too bothersome to change another country that much, especially in another world. As long as its ruling class is doing its job properly that's good for me.

-"Hey Rimuru, you'll be good?" Mithra seems worried for me, why would she- Oh, okay. 

It's true I've rarely killed sentient beings before, be it humans or monsters. She remembers how I do my best to keep as many alive as possible. And today, it will be a bloodbath.

-"I made up my mind, I'm not Alestar anymore. I have a goal and people to protect again, so I won't let this slow me down."

-"...Okay, I needed to be sure." She turned back toward the army' camp, and prepared a spell. "So, once I burn the spy to ashes, we make Hell rain on them."

-"If you can keep the bodies as intact as possible, I'll use them to fuel the summoning. And don't go overboard with explosions, we need those souls. Don't destroy them, thanks."

She launched a Nuclear Cannon to a Harpy who ended in a firework. Now, time to kill. I'll make it as efficient and painless as I can, using a new spell.

"Meggido."

The soldiers began to fall in huge numbers under the power of physics, and laser beams. The old hag created a fog powered by Nuclear magic and her [Dread]. Those who got trapped in it died on the spot from a mix of radioactive poisoning and absolute despair. I collected the souls, I got almost all the 26 000 after a single minute. What a scenery to behold.

The king got out of his tent, accompanied by a wizard and a priest. They were stunned by the sheer horror of what happened but it will get worse for them soon.

-"Hear me, and respond to my call. The promised day arrived, I'm ready to grant your payment." I created a summon sign by using the corpses, a dark aura engulfed the clearing. "Upon our evolution, you'll be all granted a name, and a suitable body to inhabit. As your first task, you have to bring those survivors to Nova Stella, as we'll use them for our plans. And you'll have to keep us safe while we're undergoing our evolution. I wait for your answer."

-"...Do you have to be so pompous?" Mithra looked unamused, out of context my words would certainly be cringe.

-"It fits the mood."

The four demons emerged from the circle, Blanc and Jaune took care of the survivors while Noir was already trying to lick my boots. This guy will be tiring but I'll manage. I walked toward Violet and patted her head, she let out a surprised yelp and blushed a little.

-"Thanks a lot for your poisons. I can't live without it now."

-"Huh, thanks? Wait, you're drinking it?"

-"*pfft* He used it like an alcohol, it was a glorious day. We profited from that occasion. Congrats, Violet. Now you're a brewer." She's muffling a laugh, taunting me with what happened. But we won't talk about it again, I want to bury it deep into my mind. 

-"...I don't know how I should take this news." Violet seemed dejected to hear her poisons are used as a mere beverage. Looks like her pride took a heavy blow. "Well, as long as I can be of use."

-"Sorry, I'm not mocking you. If anyone else drank it it would've been ugly, you're the greatest poison maker I've ever known. I'm so grateful to have you on our side." I continued to pat her as an apology, she cheered up after a while. I turned toward a tree, where a certain paladin's hiding. "You'll come with us, Hinata? You can wait for Lulu to come fetch you in the city."

-"A-a-am I dreaming?" She's shaking so hard her legs barely support her, her skin became whiter than a corpse. "You summoned Primordials, and they answered? I'm so glad you're not an enemy."

Mithra helped her to walk, and we returned to the city before commencing the Harvest. When we arrived, no one dared to say a word. The citizens felt the pressure of what will happen next, they're respecting the solemnity of a world-scale event.

The king and his aides were transferred to the jail, and Violet went to 'prepare' them for later. Shion took her place at Mithra's side and the other executives were stunned when they saw the Primordials. Thanks to Mithra's story they understood immediately who they were, and couldn't help but internally praise their leaders for having those four under command.

-"We're counting on you, see y'all in three days. You go first, old hag." I transferred to her the max amount of souls needed with my Skill, and we heard the Voice of the World.

-'[[ The requirements are fulfilled. Individual 'Mithra Tempest' will now begin the Harvest Festival.]]'

-"Okay, my turn now. Noir, don't try anything while I'm out."

He got flustered, and the demonesses gave him judgemental gazes. I consumed 10 000 souls, I have another 6 000 in reserve for ulterior usages. I felt my body lose all of its strength when I heard a second time the Voice of the World. Sooooo sleepy… Before my mind fades, I have the time to say a few words to my partner. About something I thought about for a long time.

-'Hey [Great Sage], since it's a new beginning for us, I want to give you a reward. You've been with me for so long, and you helped me to stay sane when I was alone, so you deserve recognition as a true living being.'

-'[??? What do you mean?]'

-'And I'm tired of not having a proper way to call you. 'Sage' or 'partner', that's too reductive of who you are. From now on, you'll be named 'Ciel'... I know, that's a cliché name. But you really were my beacon before I reincarnated, so I think it's fitting. Well, see you later, Ciel…'

-'[What's this? I feel something deep inside my very being… Is this what you call 'bliss'? I can't process it…]'

Third POV:

'[[ The requirements are fulfilled. Individual 'Rimuru Tempest' will now begin the Harvest Festival.]]'

When they heard those words, those who have a soul corridor with Mithra and Rimuru fell one after the other. Shion and Kumara were the last to succumb to the Gift Bestowing, and they looked at the demons before sleeping. They got the message, and promised to keep everyone safe, as their lord wished.

Since she's the first to begin her Harvest Festival, let's see how it's going for her.

'[[ Special conditions met, the evolution will be bolstered. Expected boost: 21,16%

Beginning the restructuring of the body… Approved. Evolution from 'Hell Legate' to 'Hell Intendant'... Successful.

Increase of all tolerances… Successful.

Evolution of Unique Skill [Dread]... Successful. [Dread] evolved into [Dreadful King Barbatos]

Evolution of other Skills… Requirements not met for further enhancement yet.

Notice: due to the individual's increase in power, a few legacies returned to their owner.

This ends the evolution.]]'

Now, let's get to Rimuru.

'[[ Special conditions met, the evolution will be bolstered. Expected boost: 24,03%

Beginning the restructuring of the body… Approved. Hatching of the Slumbering Core… Successful. Evolution into 'Draconic Demon Slime'... Successful.

Increase of all tolerances… Successful.

Evolution of Unique Skill [Soul Master]... Successful. [Soul Master] evolved into [Soul King Hades].

Evolution of Unique Skill [Flesh Master]... Successful. [Flesh Master] evolved into [Flesh King Asclepius].

Special evolution of Unique Skill [Great Sage] into 'Manas: Ciel'…

…Unexpected error. Outside influence detected, the process will be halted. Evolution of 'Manas: Ciel' incomplete. Integration of [Great Sage] done at 78%. Shell of the Unique Skill shattered. Issues in performance of 'Manas: Ciel' are a certainty.

This ends the evolution…

Warning: another outside interference detected. Emergency measures allowed. Temporary separation of 'Manas: Ciel' from individual 'Rimuru Tempest' for the duration of the Harvest Festival… Successful. Creation of a temporary body based on the attributes of individual 'Rimuru Tempest'... Done. Integration of 'Manas: Ciel' in the body.]]'

During his evolution, Rimuru began to glow in an uncanny light. The demons panicked when they saw his slime form violently remodel itself. The light became unbearable, blinding. When it faded, they were astonished to see a second Rimuru lying on the ground next to the blob…

No, they could feel it. It's not the same presence as their lord. Yet they can't feel any malicious intent from this being, in fact they feel it's linked in a peculiar way to Rimuru. They kept their guard just in case, and the unknown being rose with difficulty.

-"Who are you?" Blanc was the first to talk, wanting to mediate before taking the risk of acting rashly.

-"...I'm supposed to be Manas: Ciel, born from one of my master's Skills after he granted me this name… What happened? Why am I not with my master?"

Ciel stood still for a while, gazing into nothingness. She's feeling all of sudden a bunch of new stimuli, previously unknown to her when she was just a Skill. After a few minutes, she noticed Rimuru. She sat on a chair and put him on her lap, waiting for him to awoke.

After three days, they finally emerged from their slumber. All of Tempest woke up earlier, some did it the previous day, and they all waited for the good news. In the garden of the main building, Rimuru and Mithra were greeted by the executives, the demons, Kumara, Luminous and Hinata, Ramiris, and someone they didn't know. Well, Rimuru understood immediately who it was.

-"...Ciel?"

-"Hello, master. I'm glad to see you're safe."

Ciel looks like Rimuru but with a few changes. While he kept a neutral appearance, Ciel took a more feminine approach, and she got ruby-colored eyes to distinguish her from Rimuru. He blushed a little, thinking she's cute. He's also wondering if Shizu will let it slide as she doesn't know he can take an appearance similar to her.

-"Wait, this feeling. Isn't she your talking Skill?" Mithra got curious and began to touch her cheeks, embarrassing the poor Manas. "I see, weird things happened in the span of three days."

-"Hey let her go, you'll scare her." Rimuru slapped Mithra's hands who started pouting. He saw Luminous and asked her: "If you're here, it means you've finished on your side?"

-"More or less, Granbell is the only one we couldn't completely finish. It was a homunculus as expected." She shrugged, showing her lack of concern toward someone who can't oppose her in a meaningful way. "Doesn't matter, we can always deal with him later if he continues."

-"Be careful with those statements, it's the best way to regret it afterwards." Mithra warned her, she finds it consternating for the vampire to take it easy without being sure the job is finished. "We'll talk later, we have a last thing to do with Rimuru before you give us updates."

Rimuru's POV:

Yeah, it's time for our reunion with Veldora. I feel Ciel isn't as strong as she's supposed to be but that's not a problem, the seal won't last long against us and Veldora. I can feel he managed to grow his own Skill during the Harvest, so it will be easy now. I won't say it out loud or he'll get cocky, but I'm proud. Unlike his sisters he got an Ultimate on his own.

We teleported to the cave, and with Ciel's help I ran an analysis of the seal. Ciel returned to my soul for now, but I don't mind her to get out when she wants and profit from the outside world. 

Also, I noticed she's calling me 'master', and we'll have to change that. Like Kumara, I prefer if she calls me by my name… While I'm at it, Kumara was strangely quiet. I feel she wanted to say something but waited for the right timing.

Soon enough, the seal broke. It's time, I created a Body Double for Veldora and released him alongside Scylla. The kid looked in amazement at the room while the big-ass Dragon entered the Body Double.

After shaping it to his liking, a brawny blond man appeared. He let out his characteristic laugh while yelling his line.

"I, the great and venerable Veldora, have returned. All my enemies will tremble in fear before me."

…Okay, that was cheesy. But also Veldora-like, sooo…

-"What the? Are you serious?" The old hag took a step backward, she's looking at the ceiling, perplexed. She slapped her face before turning at me. "Well, that's not a dream. The Voice of the World told me I evolved my [Treaty] into [Covenant King Uriel], thanks to you having analyzed the Unlimited Imprisonment. It went to me through our Soul Corridor apparently."

"...Say what?" Veldora, Ciel and I reacted at the same time. None of us expected that bonus for sure.

Okay, we're officially overpowered for newbies Demon Lords. Will someone sue us for giving Clayman too much of a beating?