Aftermath (Part 2)

"How did it go Zegion?" I asked as I saw him waiting patiently at the top of a hill by himself.

"Zelanus is dead. Maimai just started and is doing a pretty good recruiting and convincing the rest to join our side. He befriended a group of Ant insectars that are quite popular, so they are making things easier. It's natural for us insects to want to follow the strongest, so once he was defeated it was just a matter of time before the ones who served him changed sides."

"That's good to hear. You did a good job." I said while patting his back. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

Zegion gave a glance at the person behind me and then looked back without saying anything.

"Ah, Velgrynd, we are going to have a private talk."

She had been following me like a lost puppy ever since she woke up. She wasn't speaking much but she was acting as some sort of bodyguard and assistant. I could tell she was holding back from doing certain things since even now she let out a reluctant expression.

"Ok, call me when you are done," she said before disappearing

Looking back at Zegion I saw his usual poker face. Though it was hard to see what he was feeling through his face in comparison to his siblings due to his exoskeleton.

"That was quick." He said with a small hint of a joking tone before creating a barrier around us.

"I don't know how to ask this, but what do you hope from me?" He asked going back to his usual neutral tone of voice. And with those words, I could feel a small amount of tension in the air.

"That's a strange question. What do you mean?"

"Now that Zelanus is dead, do you want me to become the king of the insectars?"

"From the way you are asking I'm assuming you don't want to."

"..."

"Then in that case you don't have to worry about that. I wasn't planning on forcing the position onto you, I was just going to offer it."

Zegion's body seemed to relax a little as he heard that.

"And well, as for my hope for you… It isn't much. I just want you to be happy, whatever that means is up to you to decide. Maybe now you can finally take some propper breaks from training and have some proper time to relax."

I saw Zegion stop to think for a moment. And having the rare chance of catching him off guard I added.

"Come to think of it, you really like butterflies don't you. Could it be that there is some butterfly insectar out there-"

But once again I was only met with a poker face. A poker face that soon led to a small chuckle. The small amount of tension left in the air from when the conversation started vanished.

"Who knows?" Zegion said before looking towards the palace in the distance.

"Do you have anyone in mind to lead the insectars?" he asked.

"Not really, I doubt any of your siblings would accept it if I offered it, it would be too much of a hassle for them. It would probably be better if I chose an insectar to be king, so I might have to look around for a while on this planet to find someone who can properly lead."

"I see… In that case. I have someone I want to suggest. He is my brother, Zion."

"Your brother? Do you think he will do a good job leading?"

"Yes, I had some free time while I waited for your arrival. So I was able to talk to him for a long time using my Illusion world. I had to force out some of the bad teachings Zelanus taught him, but I am sure he will take good care of the insectars."

"Alright, Zion it is."

"Just like that?" Zegion asked.

"Zegion, when you said you got to talk with him for a long time. How long exactly did you mean?"

"... A while…"

"I think Zion will do just fine. I'm sure you taught him and prepared him for what would come next. I might actually feel bad for the guy."

After talking for some time I was informed that Hinata had been sent back to Tempest to rest, and about what everyone else had done. When enough time had passed I said.

"I've got to figure out what to do with all the phantoms and angels all over the place. Wanna come along?"

"I have some things left to do in here, so I will have to pass."

Standing up from the ground and stretching I looked at the falling sun before sighing.

"I'll see you soon then. Let everyone else know that I will be coming to visit them soon. They seem to be having fun here so there's no need to rush back to Tempest."

Zegion dispelled the barrier around us before nodding his head.

…

I was really not looking forward to this, because as I was being constantly reminded of now, the majority of phantoms and angels had absolutely no will or ego of their own. So I was standing in front of a bunch of people with the equivalent of blank eyes on their faces.

'So… what should we do with them?'

In order for a phantom to be able to use their full strength outside of the spiritual world, they would need a body. So a good portion of the phantoms in front of me was currently inhabiting the bodies of random people from the worlds they were invading.

[You know, I was thinking… and it seems you have forgotten the most important skill as a leader. The power of letting other people deal with it, or to say it in a nicer way, delegation. Want me to take care of it?

I have been thinking about what to do with all of them for a while now.] Ciel said as she began to transfer the information she had prepared.

'Ciel, you truly have mastered the art of delegation. I bow down to your wisdom' I thought as I couldn't help but release a chuckle.

[Thank you, thank you, it is an honor.] Ciel responded with a giggle.

The plan was actually quite simple. Ciel had analyzed the abilities of every single phantom and angel and had assigned specific roles for them. They would be the ones who would be fixing the worlds that were still habitable but were in the process of being destroyed. As well as helping to rebuild and put everything back to how it was.

Just like what we had done for Kagali, we would be creating bodies for them. And if they were currently inside a stolen body we would just yank them out and put them in a new one. Return everyone to where they belong and send everyone to fix things. And put everything in motion so that they would fix the mess they had been a part of.

Quick, simple, efficient.

We could even expedite the process and get it all prepared and started in about an hour or so.

So in the end we would be able to return back to Tempest faster than expected.

Actually, this whole "War" had actually started and finished quite quickly. I few ignore the preparation time we had to let the evolutions take place it had taken less than a day.

And thanks to Ciel, dealing with the urgent parts of the aftermath was going by quite quickly.

[Do you want to give them names? I can guarantee that it would cause them to awaken an ego and a will. It would probably make the start a bit rougher but it would make progress better in the future.]

'Let's do it. I think it would be for the best. Once they are done we can probably give them one of the worlds we fix up in the future to be their own. We'll give them a head start and they should be fine after a while.'

While busy talking to Ciel and beginning to work on "Operation Delegation" I didn't notice Velgrynd behind me with her mouth open in shock as she watched.

I was creating bodies left and right that were perfect for each specific angel and phantom. Removing the phantoms in stolen bodies and transferring them to new ones. Healing the souls of the ones whose bodies had been stolen and sending them back to their world. Or if it was destroyed, sending them to a world they chose after Ciel explained the situation to them.

Giving names and assignments. Talking and interviewing the ones who had already awakened an ego to see what would be the best. And even promising rewards for a job well done.

The most shocking part of this? It was all being done at the same time. And I wasn't showing even a trace of being tired.

"Amazing." Velgrynd couldn't help but say as she watched everything moving so efficiently. She had come along because she wanted to help, but she had no idea what she could do without actually getting in the way.

~Bonus~

(I heard this while writing the chap so I couldn't help but add it)

"People always ask me. 'Rimuru, how'd you bag a baddie? How'd you bag that baddie bro?'"

I didn't bag Shit

Ciel picked me up by my neck and threw me over her shoulder. And I've been on it ever since.

And I ain't got no plans on getting off any time soon.