Although Rimuru didn't like Phobio's arrogant attitude, he knew one thing clearly.
He absolutely could not allow Phobio to die at the hands of their own people.
Phobio was a subordinate of Demon Lord Carrion.
An envoy from the Beast Kingdom.
His identity was far too sensitive.
If he died here, it would bring no benefit to the Monster Federation.
Only endless trouble.
That was why Rimuru spoke up.
"I know. Don't worry."
Shirou Emiya already understood who Charybdis's host was.
He had no intention of killing Phobio.
It wasn't that he feared Beast King Carrion.
He simply didn't want to start a war for no reason.
Once war began, people would die.
That alone was reason enough.
"Give it the final blow."
Shirou Emiya projected Rimuru's Bow and Excalibur at the same time.
Excalibur shifted form.
It compressed, reshaped, and transformed into a single arrow.
He nocked it onto Rimuru's Bow.
"Let's end Charybdis with this one strike."
The bowstring was pulled taut.
Shirou Emiya flicked his finger lightly.
The arrow turned into pure gold.
In the next instant, it tore through the void.
Straight toward the falling Charybdis.
A fatal blow.
A deafening explosion followed.
Charybdis, already smashed into the ground, detonated completely.
Its massive body shattered into fragments.
Phobio's body was blasted out from within.
"Perfect."
Rimuru, standing nearby, couldn't help clapping.
The timing was flawless.
"Hmph. Of course."
Shirou Emiya sounded satisfied with himself.
"After all, I'm the strongest archer."
With that, he manipulated Vimana and descended.
Phobio's injuries were severe.
Without immediate treatment, death was only a matter of time.
Since Shirou Emiya hadn't killed him earlier, he naturally wouldn't let him die now.
...
"He's really not dead."
After Vimana landed, Rimuru rushed over at once.
He crouched beside Phobio.
"The rest is up to you, Rimuru."
"Ah. Leave it to me."
After analyzing and appraising Phobio's condition, Rimuru frowned slightly.
Phobio was already ninety percent fused with Charybdis.
If this continued, Charybdis could revive again.
Rimuru couldn't allow that.
He immediately began preparing.
"What are you planning to do?"
Milim watched with curiosity.
"You'll see."
Rimuru answered casually.
"As things stand, we can't free Phobio normally, right?"
"So I'm going to deal with him thoroughly."
He brushed off Milim's question and focused.
This task required completely separating Phobio from Charybdis.
Rimuru's unique skill, Mutator, had the ability to integrate and separate.
This time, he intended to use its separation function.
However, there was a problem.
If he separated them directly, the spiritual lifeform Charybdis could escape.
That couldn't be allowed.
So Rimuru made a decision.
He would use Predator as well.
Even the Great Sage couldn't integrate unique skills.
But under the Great Sage's control, Rimuru could activate two unique skills at the same time.
The process required extreme precision.
It was closer to surgery than combat.
The feasibility wasn't zero.
But if it failed-
Phobio would have to be eliminated as well.
That would inevitably cause friction with Demon Lord Carrion.
Rimuru didn't hesitate.
He decided he would succeed.
No matter what.
His thoughts narrowed.
All distractions vanished.
First, separation.
Slow and careful.
Then, predation.
Gradual and controlled.
Time seemed to crawl.
The people watching didn't dare speak.
They only observed in silence.
Moments stretched on.
Then, finally-
It was done.
"Declaration."
The Great Sage's voice echoed in Rimuru's mind.
"Separation from individual: Phobio... success."
"Demon Nucleus of individual: Charybdis... confirmed."
"Second phase. Predation of individual: Charybdis's Demon Nucleus... success."
"Demon Nucleus analysis and appraisal... partial failure."
"Action taken: isolate nucleus. Analysis and appraisal postponed."
"Acquired the following skills-"
"Success."
Rimuru's lips curved upward slightly.
The analysis failure bothered him a little.
But that could wait.
The important parts were complete.
Charybdis was destroyed.
Phobio was saved.
And friction with Beast King Carrion was avoided.
Perfectly.
"Oh no."
Rimuru joked to Shirou Emiya in his mind.
"A sense of pride is welling up. I'm about to get arrogant."
He glanced at Phobio lying on the ground.
Then he poured a complete recovery potion over him.
The effect was immediate.
A moment later, Phobio's body twitched.
His breathing stabilized.
"Where is this?"
Phobio opened his eyes groggily.
"How did I get here?"
Rimuru's expression turned serious.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Phobio's mind was hazy at first.
Then clarity struck him.
All at once.
His face turned pale.
He suddenly scrambled forward.
Kneeling in front of Rimuru and Milim, he slammed his head down.
"I'm sorry! No-my apologies!"
His voice rang out.
"I actually did such a thing to Lady Milim!"
"And caused you all so much trouble!"
His face was ashen.
He continued apologizing without pause.
Seeing this, everyone's impression of him shifted slightly.
They had expected arrogance.
Stubbornness.
Excuses.
Instead, he took responsibility.
Just as Rimuru was about to ask him further questions, Treyni spoke.
"Why did you know where Charybdis was sealed?"
Her gaze was sharp.
"Don't tell me it was just a coincidence."
"Huh? That?"
Phobio hesitated briefly.
Then shook his head.
He didn't seem to plan on hiding anything.
He explained everything.
In the forest, he had encountered a suspicious duo wearing masks.
They called themselves the "Moderate Clown Troupe."
They had offered to help him gain power.
Power for revenge.
"A masked duo..."
Treyni frowned.
"The Hero entrusted the sealed location to us."
"Only we knew that place."
"For outsiders to find it..."
"They aren't ordinary individuals."
"Oh."
Treyni suddenly remembered something.
"And one of them-was there someone wearing an asymmetrical, mocking mask?"
She looked troubled as she asked.
"No. Not that."
Phobio shook his head quickly.
"The one I met was a girl with a tear-faced mask."
"The other was a fat man with an angry mask."
"I remember their names."
"Tia."
"And Footman."
"Tia and Footman... then it wasn't that strange demon."
Shirou Emiya, standing to the side, spoke calmly.
"Benimaru and the others mentioned seeing people like that when the Ogre tribe was destroyed."
"That's right."
Rimuru's memories connected.
"I remember now."
"A fat demon with an angry-looking mask."
"He was involved in manipulating the Orc Lord."
Benimaru's expression darkened.
"That's correct."
"When the Orc General split off with the vanguard, Geld hired a high-ranking demon as a bodyguard."
"That demon was called Footman."
Geld nodded in agreement.
Then Gabiru spoke up.
Dropping a bombshell.
"Now that you mention it..."
"The man who came to help me-Mr. Laplace-also worked for Geld."
"He called himself the Vice-President of the Moderate Clown Troupe All-Purpose Service."
"And he wore an asymmetrical, mocking mask."
The pieces connected instantly.
Separate events.
Different places.
One line.
"I see," Rimuru said quietly.
"So that person is called Laplace."
"So Footman, then."
Treyni's gaze sharpened.
"I've noted that name."
Beside her, Benimaru smiled.
It was a dangerous smile.
Both of them were clearly angry.
Very angry.
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