Morning in the village under Rimuru's care began as usual—warm, busy, and just a bit chaotic.
Out in the training field, a loud voice shattered the air.
"Gobtaaa! Stop sleeping on your feet!"
Kouga sighed deeply, one hand resting on his hip, the other gripping a wooden sword. His student—Gobta—stood there with half-closed eyes, looking way too relaxed for someone in training.
"Eh? I'm not sleeping. I'm just… training with my mind's eye," Gobta muttered, then yawned.
"If your 'mind's eye' is dreaming, we've got a serious problem"
Kouga snapped his fingers. Instantly, a wave of pressure spread out, making the air hum. The goblins nearby shuffled back, whispering nervously.
"Alright," Kouga said flatly. "Today, we're working on reflexes"
Gobta straightened awkwardly. "Reflexes? Oh, I'm great at that! Especially when it comes to running away"
"...Unfortunately for you, today's not about running"
Kouga leaned forward slightly—and vanished.
In a blink, his shadow appeared behind Gobta. Tap! The wooden sword landed lightly on Gobta's head.
"Ow!" Gobta jumped. "When did you—?!"
"Your reflexes are a full second behind your intent," Kouga said calmly. "In a real fight, one second is the difference between standing tall and… well, you lying on the ground"
Gobta rubbed his head, sulking. "But I'm not an Ogre! My body's small, and my brain… sometimes takes a while to wake up"
"Don't blame your body. You've got something many Ogres don't—wild instinct and ridiculous luck" Kouga narrowed his eyes. "What you need to learn is how to control that luck"
Gobta blinked. "Control luck? Isn't that… random?"
Kouga chuckled quietly. "You'll see. For now—attack me"
"Eh? But I might actually hit you!" Gobta panicked.
"Just try"
Swallowing hard, Gobta swung his wooden sword—fast, but sloppy.
Kouga dodged easily, turned, and flick!—tapped Gobta's head again.
"Oww! Why always the head?!"
"Because that's the part that needs the most training," Kouga replied without missing a beat.
They went on like that for hours. Every time Gobta tried a new move, Kouga was always one step ahead. But slowly—something shifted.
Gobta started sensing the direction of attacks. His movements grew sharper. His eyes began to follow Kouga's rhythm.
Then Kouga disappeared again—
Gobta closed his eyes and jumped backward on instinct. Whoosh! Kouga's staff sliced through the space where he'd just been.
Kouga froze, eyebrows raised. "Hoh?"
Gobta opened his eyes, surprised and delighted. "Wait, I… dodged?"
A faint smile crossed Kouga's lips. "Once. But do you know why you did?"
Gobta scratched his head. "Hmm… I just felt something weird. Like, the wind behind me changed"
"That wasn't the wind. That was instinct. Hold onto it"
Kouga stepped closer and patted his student's shoulder. "Gobta, you've got something rare—the ability to react to danger without thinking. If you can merge with that instinct… you might become a real fighter. Even without a plan"
Gobta looked up at him, half moved, half skeptical. "Really? You think I can be that strong? But my attacks still suck"
"Not necessarily. Gobta, in this world, anything can happen. Tell you what—I'll ask our lord to tweak your body a little. Make it stronger than an ordinary hobgoblin's. Maybe even ogre-level" Kouga said it casually.
"R-really?" Gobta's eyes widened. He'd always felt a little jealous, wondering why his body hadn't changed as much as the others.
"I can promise that. But! If you show up late for training tomorrow, I'll have Argenta wake you up"
Gobta's face turned pale. "No! She'll burn me alive!"
Kouga chuckled—the first real laugh that morning. "Hahaha."
By the time the training ended, the sky was painted in orange hues. Gobta lay flat on the grass, completely exhausted, while Kouga watched the sunset with a faint smile.
"Rimuru-dono will face the Orc Lord soon," he murmured. "That boy… might play a bigger role than he realizes"
Still sprawled out, Gobta raised a weak hand. "If 'bigger role' means being bait, please think twice, shisho…"
Kouga glanced down, then snorted. "If you end up as bait, at least the orcs won't get bored"
Their laughter echoed softly through the evening air—light, fleeting—before the real storm began.
The night fog clung between the trees, carrying the damp scent of earth mixed with traces of magic.
Under the pale moonlight, Caelus walked alone toward a hidden valley deep within the Jura Forest.
According to Umbra, this was where Charybdis's seal was kept—inside a cave that no ordinary being could detect.
He scanned the surroundings. No sound of beasts, no rustle of wind.
Only the faint, rhythmic pulse of magical energy from somewhere deep inside the cave.
"So… this is the place"
The ground beneath him trembled softly. Thick roots slithered out of the earth, coiling around his ankles. A calm yet commanding voice echoed from within the mist.
"Your steps end here, stranger"
Treyni emerged from the shadows, her green hair swaying, eyes gleaming under the moonlight. The air grew heavy with the dense aura of nature surrounding her.
"I will not allow anyone to approach that cave. What lies within it brings only destruction"
Caelus met her gaze, unflinching. "And I'm here to make sure that destruction stays sealed… or is properly controlled"
"The words of a demon cannot be trusted"
"You're mistaken" His crimson eyes glowed coldly. "I'm no demon. I know when to destroy—and when to restrain myself"
Treyni's brows furrowed. "Such arrogance" She struck the ground, and roots and leaves burst forth, forming a living barricade pulsing with green light. "Then prove it with your actions"
The air swirled, and the battle began.
Treyni darted forward like a streak of emerald lightning, her movements one with the forest itself.
Her strikes were graceful but deadly—each swing of her arm summoned spinning blades of leaves.
Caelus shifted into stance, crimson eyes gleaming.
Mana Zone: Reversal
A faint click echoed—and every blade froze midair before falling lifelessly to the ground.
Treyni's eyes widened. "You nullified my magic?"
"No. I simply reversed its flow"
He moved lightly between the trees. Each time roots tried to grasp him, he vanished like a shadow slipping through cracks in the world.
"Your speed is impressive, but predictable," he murmured.
Treyni's expression hardened. "Nature doesn't fight with logic—it fights with will!"
The earth cracked. A giant form of soil and moss rose behind her—Spirit Guardian Golem.
Caelus exhaled slowly and drew his sword. The blade shimmered faintly.
"Then let me show you… how I honor your will"
The battle exploded.
The Spirit Guardian's fist slammed into the ground, sending waves of magic rippling through the forest, toppling trees. Caelus leapt high, slicing the air—one precise slash that split the shockwave cleanly in two, dispersing it harmlessly into the sky.
Treyni called upon thousands of tiny spirits, launching them like arrows of green light from every direction. The air shimmered as the forest turned into a storm of magic.
Caelus stood still, letting the barrage wash over him.
In an instant, all magic vanished. The light dissolved before even touching him.
Treyni froze, sweat gliding down her temple. "What are you…?"
"A creation born from human arrogance," he said softly. "Built to serve their will—but I chose to destroy them instead"
He advanced. In three calm steps, he was before her. His sword flashed—stopping just a breath from her neck.
The wind from that swing alone shattered trees and ground for dozens of meters behind her.
Treyni's eyes trembled. "Why didn't you kill me?"
"I have no reason to," Caelus replied, lowering his blade. His tone was gentle, but firm. "I only need to pass. You can hate me later—but for now, let me finish the task my Lord entrusted to me"
Lord? The word echoed in her mind.
Treyni closed her eyes. The forest around them seemed to settle, the winds softening—as if nature itself had accepted her choice. "Then go. But I will remember your face"
Caelus nodded respectfully, stepping past her into the cave. Inside, the air turned heavy and cold. A dim bluish-green glow pulsed from the walls, revealing a vast seal in the shape of a swirling vortex.
"So this is… Charybdis"
He approached, studying it quietly. Something stirred within the seal—a slumbering consciousness. Placing his hand on its surface, he invoked his Anti-Skill.
The seal shattered, and Charybdis's core fell into his hand.
The cave trembled violently, stones collapsing from above, yet Caelus stood unmoving.
"Destruction takes form once again… Charybdis. Just as expected from Veldora-sama's offspring"
He glanced upward through the newly opened gap in the ceiling, moonlight spilling over his face.
"This too… is for the sake of this world"
His body faded into gray mist, vanishing from sight, leaving behind a cave that slowly stilled—as if nothing had ever happened.
The forest was silent once more. A soft breeze carried the scent of wet soil and the lingering magic of their brief battle.
Treyni looked up at the sky, confusion and awe mingling in her expression.
"Who is he…?"
Silence followed.
Far above, in the rift between worlds, someone opened his eyes.
Lucien.
Aboard the Void Strider, a colossal fortress drifting through the interdimensional void.
Umbra activated a projection, blue lights flickering across the air.
"Caelus succeeded," Lucien murmured, watching the flowing data.
"As predicted. The Dryad didn't stand idle," Umbra replied.
Lucien simply nodded and shut off the projection.
"Then there's nothing to worry about for now" He turned and walked out of the control room.
"Be grateful, Rimuru"
He paused briefly, a faint smirk touching his lips.
"I'll head to the training hall. Elise is waiting"
And for a moment, his voice sounded… lighter.
As if the man who had just altered fate itself wanted nothing more than to spend the evening with someone who mattered.
The light from the energy crystal softly bounced across the floor of the Void Strider's training hall.
The air trembled faintly — not from anger, but from the extraordinary power pulsing from Lucien.
Before him stood Elise, both hands on her sword. Her breath was steady, but her eyes shone with a determination that matched any foe.
"Don't hold back, my dear. I want to see just how deep that chasm you keep talking about is," she said.
Lucien raised an eyebrow. "If I were serious, you wouldn't have the chance to find out"
"That line… is too insulting to hear twice." Elise gave a small smile. "Prove it, then"
At that, Elise surged forward. Her movement was so fast it might have been invisible to anyone else. To Lucien, each step looked like a slow, deliberate dance.
He tilted his body slightly and slipped aside soundlessly. Elise's blade sliced through empty air.
Before she could draw another breath, a wave of magical pressure descended like a tidal wall.
Lucien merely raised a hand.
A light flick — and the gravity around Elise multiplied several times over.
Elise sank to her knees, not from weakness but because her body couldn't withstand the overwhelming force. "You're really… unfair," she murmured, still struggling to rise.
Lucien stepped forward slowly, with no threatening aura. "I've been holding back… only ten percent"
Elise snorted softly. "Then what's the point of this training if I can't even touch you?"
He stopped right before her face and inclined his head slightly. "To remind you… how harsh the world outside is"
He lifted two fingers, and the pressure vanished as if it had never existed. Elise stood, breathless, but wearing a pleased smile. "Hmph… at least I learned one thing"
Lucien looked at her. "What's that?"
"That even if I lose completely… I can still make you take me seriously, even if only for a second"
Lucien fell silent, then let out a genuine, almost tender chuckle.
"Elise, you are strange"
"Elise, you're stubborn," she shot back, mimicking his tone with a playful edge.
Lucien shook his head, then glanced at the magic crystal set into the wall.
The dim light touched his face, making his shadow seem warmer for the first time in a long while.
"…You know," he said softly, "of all the battles, the hardest one is holding back so I won't hurt you"
Elise turned toward him quickly, her face flushing slightly. "That's… not something that someone like you should say"
Lucien gave a faint smile. "Maybe"
They stood in silence for a moment. The gentle hum of the Void Strider was the only music in the room.
Lucien broke the quiet. "Tomorrow we'll witness the beginning of a change in the world—where that little slime tangles with the Orc Lord"
Elise nodded slowly, then fixed him with a meaningful look. "You know, I still haven't given up"
He raised an eyebrow. "On what?"
She met his eyes directly. "On beating you… whether on the battlefield or in your heart"
Lucien smiled thinly. "Haven't you already won my heart, Elise?"
The crystal's light dimmed slowly, casting a blue reflection in Lucien's eyes as he stood in the center of the arena. The air around them warmed again, but something inside him felt cold.
His hand trembled faintly. He stared at his palm for a long moment, as if afraid of himself.
Elise stepped closer, her footsteps nearly silent.
"My dear…" she said softly, "you're shaking again"
Lucien didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on his own hand.
"Every time I use this power," he said at last, quietly, "I remember my past—when I was not myself"
Elise stopped in front of him. "Are you afraid?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes. Not of the enemy, not of war… but of myself. If one day I lose control again—like before—I don't know who I'll hurt first"
Elise watched him without speaking. Then, slowly, she reached out and took his trembling hand. "You forgot something"
Lucien turned to her. "What?"
"This time, you're not alone."
He was silent for a long moment. Something in his expression softened—not tears, but a pressure finally released.
"Elise… if I change, if I lose control and forget who I am—"
"If that happens," she cut in quickly, "I'll beat you until you come to your senses. And if that's not enough… I'll go mad with you"
Lucien couldn't hide a thin smile that hurt and soothed at once. "You're crazy"
She rested her forehead against his chest; her voice barely audible. "Maybe. But if my madness means the world breaks with you by my side, I don't mind"
Lucien lifted his hand slowly and touched her hair, this time without trembling.
"You know… I'm so grateful I found you in my life, Elise"
She looked at him, her eyes steady. "I feel the same, my dear"
He closed his eyes for a moment, then hugged her tightly—so tightly, as if letting go even a little would mean losing everything.
Lucien opened his eyes, stared into the dim light in the distance, and whispered almost soundlessly:
"As long as I can still feel you here… maybe I'll always remain myself"
Elise looked at him with a small, almost sad smile.
"Everything will be alright"