Charybdis.

From the darkest depths of a cave, Charybdis emerged with a roar that echoed through the entire Forest of Jura. Its monstrous form burst from the cave entrance, a colossal, shark-like body that twisted and coiled as it ascended into the sky. With a terrifying scream, it called forth fifteen other shark-like monsters, Megalodons, which took to the air next to it.

The air crackled with ominous energy as the gigantic Charybdis soared above the forest. Charybdis was a manifestation of pure destruction devoid of reason and mercy. Its only purpose was to annihilate everything in its path, an endless cycle of death and rebirth. 

Each time it was killed, it would fall into a sleep-like trance until a new host was chosen or until the blood and death around it were enough to wake it up.

Now, it had become one with Phobio the Beastketeer. Because of their fusion, Charybdis' actions were influenced by his thoughts. Its desire for destruction was targeted towards a group of people, or to be more specific, two Kijin women.

It was because of them that he had been unable to complete his mission, that he had been embarrassed in front of his team, and that he had failed Carrion.

Using the enhanced senses of his new form, he focused on the aura the two Kijin women had, and after feeling the familiar magicules, he let out another roar before heading in their direction. However, that was the last thing he was able to think before becoming enveloped in darkness.

— — —

Everyone was in their own positions. The Harpies were ready to fly across the skies as they searched for any opening in the approaching Megalodons. 

It was truly a terrifying scene. Charybdis was over 50 meters long, or 164 feet. The magicules it gave off were enough to fill everyone with a sense of dread, but even then, not a single member of Tempest's army let fear show on their faces.

They had already been briefed on its skills and had prepared to the best of their abilities.

Benimaru was in the lead of one of the groups. Raising his hand, he aligned it with one of the Megalodons before closing it and activating Hellflare.

In an instant, a gigantic dome of fire appeared, enveloping the flying shark. There was a moment of tense silence, but then all of the people gathered were able to see the body of one of the Megalodons fall to the ground, dead.

The fall of the first Megalodon was the start of the battle as all of the Harpies took to the air, providing aerial support to the troops back on the ground.

It was an all-out war. With every fall of a Megalodon, another would be born. Charybdis would constantly summon them for as long as it could. So Rimuru and Frey floated in the air, side by side. The two of them watched the battle before they vanished at the same time.

"Are you sure? Once you are in, I won't be able to take you out." Frey asked, some concern in her voice as the two of them appeared above Charybdis.

"Are you sure you can keep it busy?" Rimuru asked with a smile, taunting her slightly and causing her to laugh. 

He was in his usual Kijin form, however, the wings behind his back were the same as in his Harpy form, with a singular purplish-white feather standing out amidst the silvery blue ones.

"Let's do this." Frey said with a smile as she prepared for battle.

She spread her wings wide, then snapped them shut, propelling herself at Charybdis with lightning speed. Her claws scraped against its scales, barely leaving a mark. It made her click her tongue in annoyance, but she had been prepared for this. She wasn't here to deal damage; she was the distraction.

Frey darted around Charybdis, her movements a blur. She aimed for its singular eye, her claws leaving tiny scratches that healed almost instantly. But that was her plan. The roar of Charybdis echoed through the battlefield as its attention fixed on her.

"Come on, you overgrown fish!" Frey taunted, a fierce grin on her face as she dodged a barrage of flying scales.

With Charybdis distracted, Shion and Shizue, riding atop Ranga, seized the moment. Ranga used the skill Control Wind to create platforms beneath his feet, leaping effortlessly into the sky. As they soared higher, they launched themselves toward Charybdis.

Shion landed on Charybdis's back, her eyes meeting Frey's as the Harpy continued to dodge scales. 

"Time to do my part." She muttered before taking out her sword.

She raised her blade high, channeling her energy into it. With a mighty swing, she unleashed an upgraded version of Ogre Guillotine. A massive wave of pure Battle Will Aura slashed through Charybdis's exposed flesh, creating a deep gash.

This was one of the countermeasures they had developed for Charybdis, its Magic Jamming did not interfere with Aura, meaning Battlewill was more than effective on Charybdis.

Charybdis roared in pain, its body thrashing wildly. Shion held on, driving her sword deeper. However, even with the massive wound, Charybdis's regenerative abilities kicked in. The gash began to close, and scales started to reappear.

Seizing the moment, Rimuru leaped into action, diving into the gaping wound. Once inside, he activated Gluttony, unleashing its corrosive properties to slow down the regeneration. He could feel Charybdis's flesh starting to close around him.

'Sage'

[Activating Parallel Calculation.]

[Activating Gluttony.]

[Activating Dark Flame.]

[Activating Particle Breath: Corrosion.]

[Activating Eros]

In a moment, just as Rimuru was about to be crushed by the flesh, countless Skills activated, stopping the flesh from regenerating.

"Nothing quite like a meal that fights back." Rimuru joked, his voice echoing in the monster's flesh. Focusing all his energy, he began consuming the beast from the inside. "Just you and me against the world, Sage. Are you ready?"

[Activating Replicator. Creating Body Doubles that will assist in the consumption of Charybdis]

— — —

Tempest's army was a well-oiled machine, seamlessly coordinating with Frey's Harpies. Benimaru and Luchia had spent the entire night strategizing, and their meticulous planning was now on full display.

The Harpies soared through the sky, kiting the Megalodons in a controlled dance. As if under a spell, the Megalodons would dive, bringing them within striking range of Tempest's ground forces.

Despite Charybdis' relentless summoning of new Megalodons, Tempest's army remained undeterred. Most of the troops focused on distracting and eliminating these threats, ensuring they wouldn't interfere with the main force battling Charybdis, who was growing angrier by the second.

Feeling the pain within itself and unable to reach the source, Charybdis' fury only intensified. Recognizing the familiar magicules of the purple-haired Kijin that had wounded it, the beast twisted and shook violently, attempting to throw off its assailants.

Frey was relentless in her efforts to divert Charybdis' attention, gracefully dodging its attacks while the others worked on weakening the beast. Her eyes glowed brightly as she deftly avoided the tempest of scales hurled in her direction.

Yet Shion and Shizue were not safe on the back of Charybdis as it began to shoot scales at them.

"Leave this to me," Shizue said, her eyes turning a vibrant crimson. "Ifrit!"

Crimson flames burst out all around her, and even with the Magic Jamming, they burned hot enough to turn the scales into nothing but ash. Without stopping, Shizue immediately began to move, the flames dancing around her as she began to slash in as many places as she could, leaving the fire behind to slow down the regeneration.

It was slow and inefficient, but it was progress. It damaged the gigantic monster before it could recover. Once the army on the ground got used to dealing with the Megalodons, then they would be able to bring more troops to reinforce them in attacking Charybdis, so as they followed their strategy, all they had to do was wait.

"I wonder how Lord Rimuru is doing." Shion asked as she continued to swing her blade non-stop. Creating gash after gash.

— — —

Inside, Rimuru was working unlike he had ever done before. Charybdis' Magic Jamming was stopping him from using his skills to find Phobio's body, so he was slowly but surely working his way through his insides. His only reference as to if he was going in the right direction was the speed of regeneration. The closer he got to the core, the faster the flesh would close around him.

He had created a few body doubles that focused on using one skill to slow it down while he focused on using Gluttony. 

Even though his magicules would be replenished with every bite he took, his mind started to become exhausted. He had been using Thought Acceleration to work with Sage as the two of them consumed everything, which meant that this fight was taking almost a thousand times longer in his eyes.

The reason for him having to use so much effort was that Sage was focusing the majority of their processing power on controlling the clones and ensuring that he would not be crushed by the muscles. However, after what felt like a thousand days to him, he let out a loud laughter as he saw a small amount of black armor poking out of the flesh.

"I found you." He said with a smile as he instantly consumed everything around him with increased speed.

[Notice. The magical core of Charybdis has been located. Do you want to use Gluttony on it.]

'Sage, is it worth it to keep Phobio alive?' 

[Notice. It is suspected that if the subject Phobio is rescued, then Demon Lord Carrion will owe you a favor, which will increase the likelihood of you being able to take over his territory in the future.]

[It is recommended that the subject Phobio is rescued to gain even bigger benefits in the future.]

Letting out a sigh, Rimuru nodded.

'Go for it.'

— — —

As the battle raged on, it was starting to become overwhelming. The energy of the troops was beginning to fade, and even with constant swaps to bring in fresh fighters, it seemed like the battle would never stop.

Frey had been moving non-stop for hours, bringing Charybdis' entire focus and anger towards her, from the Tempest Scales to using his Laser Look skill to try to shoot her out of the sky. Even then, she continued flying with a determined expression as she pulled out another Full Potion and drank it to heal the cuts and burns on her body.

She was starting to slow down, and now the attacks were starting to land. Yet just as she was about to go on the attack again, she saw Charybdis' body begin to fall from the sky.

The massive monster crashed against the forest, creating a massive shockwave that destroyed the trees. Drawing the attention of everyone as the final Megalodon's fell down.

The once chaotic battle had gone silent as they all saw Charybdis begin to vanish, almost like a ghost, as all the magicules that made up its body were consumed. Leaving only Rimuru, who now appeared to be around 15 years old, in his combat mode. 

His aura had grown stronger from consuming Charybdis' body in its entirety rather than just the core. He looked to be exhausted as he sat over an unconscious Phobio, but even then, he stood up and raised his fist, indicating that the battle had been won.

[Notice. Charybdis' Core has been Isolated in the stomach.]

[Analysis of Charybdis has been completed.]

[The following Extra Skills have been acquired: Tempest Scales, Laser Look, and Gravity Manipulation. A new Tolerance has been acquired: Resist Magic.]

[The skill Harpy intrinsic skill Magic Interference has evolved into Charybdis' Magic Jamming.]

[Enough data has also been gathered to replicate the Summoning Magic: Megalodon]

[The following Mimicry forms have been acquired: Charybdis, Megalodon.]

[Notice. Now that Magic Jamming is no longer in effect, Universal Sense has detected the presence of a few different subjects. Demon Lord Carrion to the East, Footman and Tear to the South.]

[Notice. Footman and Tear have gone out of range of Universal Detect.]

Within moments, Rimuru was surrounded by countless people, all of whom looked exhausted but had a wide smile on their faces.

"As expected of Lord Rimuru, I could tell that my attacks were not doing much to it, but it kept shaking and roaring in pain. All thanks to you." Shion said, immediately passing the entire credit of the battle onto him.

However, Rimuru shook his head.

"No, you all did great. The deeper I got, the more I could sense Charybdis fighting back against me. If it weren't for the injuries all of you were making on it, I would not have been able to eat my way to its core. You all slowed it down enough for me to take it down."

Frey chuckled slightly as she heard him and saw the entire group around him nod in agreement, proud expressions on their faces as they heard his praise. Then they saw him turn around and shout.

"Demon Lord Carrion, I know you are watching."

As if summoned by his words, a tall, muscular man stepped out, a slight smile on his face as he watched the battlefield. He moved with confident steps as he released his Magicules to showcase his strength. However, Rimuru stood up and met his challenge with his own.

He might have been mentally exhausted, but he was bursting with Magicules, so after releasing his own aura, he saw as Carrion's eyebrows rose in surprise before he chuckled.

"Yo, thanks for sparing this guy's life. I couldn't see what was happening inside, but I can guess it would have been easier to just kill him along with Charybdis."

Nodding, Rimuru met his gaze.

"This is the second time I've spared his life, Demon Lord Carrion. I didn't realize it at first, but he's the one you sent as an envoy to my country. I assume you received my message?"

A smile crept onto Carrion's face as he chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry for the trouble my underling caused. It seems I was too negligent with him, and he got carried away. I hope you can forgive him."

"Forgiveness is earned, not given, Carrion." Frey stepped forward, frowning as she stood beside Rimuru. "Your subject was heading to my country to destroy it. That's not something easily forgiven. If it weren't for my husband's help, I wouldn't have been able to stop him."

Carrion's expression became one of absolute shock as he asked.

"Husband?" However, before he could let himself be distracted he quickly shook his head and focused. "Frey, our countries have worked together for a long time. I'm sure we can reach an agreement to settle this peacefully."

"We can, but the formalities can wait," Rimuru interjected, gesturing to the countless fighters around them. "We just finished a battle. We need time to clean up and regroup. We'll send a formal invitation soon."

Carrion's eyes narrowed briefly before he burst into laughter. 

"What is your name? I know you lead the new city in the Forest of Jura, but we've never formally met."

"I am Rimuru Tempest, leader of the Forest of Jura and ruler of Tempest. Chosen not only by Veldora but by the Dryads themselves."

"Veldora's Prophet? I've heard rumors about you. Some of your envoys even tried to recruit a few of my followers passing through the Forest." Carrion smiled. "Very well, I'll arrange for a more reliable group to visit your city. I'll take Phobio with me now."

He picked up Phobio, turning to leave, then paused.

"Hey, Prophet. Do you foresee anything happening in my country soon?" It was a rhetorical question, a simple joke. However, Rimuru's answer made him freeze.

"I see the complete destruction of Eurazania. Not even the mountains behind your kingdom will survive the attack."

"Huh?" Carrion asked, his expression turning serious. "Are you saying you will attack my kingdom?"

"No, if anything, I will be the one to defend it."

Carrion's eyes narrowed, studying Rimuru intently. 

"Defend it? From what?"

With a shrug, Rimuru answered.

"Who knows, the future is blurry now. Things have changed. But if I were you, I would keep my guard up."

Carrion looked at Rimuru for a few moments before nodding his head.

"Very well, Rimuru Tempest. We'll see if what you say comes true. In the meantime, I will prepare my people to visit Tempest. It was nice to see you, Frey. I will make sure to send people your way too."

With those words, he began to walk away.

— — —

Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, the Aussie @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)

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