The joyous atmosphere that had filled the Japanese-style banquet hall vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating weight that made it difficult to breathe. Rimuru sat frozen, his mouth slightly open as Loki's casual yet absolute declaration echoed through the room.
"Loki... what did you just say?" Rimuru's voice was barely a whisper, his usual easygoing demeanor completely shattered.
Loki didn't flinch. He looked at the slime leader with an unreadable expression, his tone dropping into something far colder and more analytical than Rimuru had ever heard from him before. "I said exactly what you heard, Rimuru. I am going to make you a Demon Lord. And the fuel for your evolution is already marching toward your doorstep. The Kingdom of Falmuth is launching a full-scale, unprovoked invasion through the borders of Blumund. There are exactly twenty thousand human souls marching in that army. You are going to slaughter every single one of them, harvest their souls, and trigger your harvest festival."
Rimuru violently recoiled, his human form trembling as pure moral outrage surged through his core. "Are you out of your mind?! Twenty thousand people?! I would never do something like that! I'm a human at heart, Loki! I don't care if they are an invading army. Massacring twenty thousand souls just to force an evolution? That's completely insane! I won't do it!"
Loki slowly closed his eyes, letting out a sharp, dismissive sigh. "You say that now, Rimuru, because you are still looking at this world through the fragile, sheltered lens of a modern Japanese salaryman. You think that if you remain peaceful, the rest of the world will play by your rules. But that's a luxury you don't have. If you let this human nation do whatever they please, if you let them trample over Blumund without a brutal, terrifying retaliation, they won't stop there. One day, very soon, their blades will reach the borders of your nation. They will come for Arashi."
"You don't know that!" Rimuru countered, clenching his fists tightly, his internal panic flaring. "We can negotiate! We can establish a defensive front! There are countless diplomatic channels we haven't even tried yet! Why does your mind immediately jump to mass slaughter?!"
Loki slowly rose from his silk cushion. His movements were completely silent as he walked around the low table, stopping right beside the trembling slime leader. He leaned down, his voice dropping to a low, chilling whisper that was meant for Rimuru's ears alone.
"I know it because I can see it, Rimuru," Loki lied smoothly, leaning heavily into his meta-knowledge of the anime's original timeline while masking it as a prophetic blessing. "I can see fragments of the future. I can see the threads of destiny unfolding. And I am telling you right now, if you do not awaken as a Demon Lord, that nation. Alongside the zealots of the Western Holy Church will completely destroy everything you have built. They will slaughter a massive portion of your residents."
Rimuru's heart skipped a beat, but his logical mind desperately fought back against the claim. "Fragments of the future? That's... you're just trying to scare me into doing what you want. I don't believe you. My people are strong. Benimaru, Souei, Shion, the dragon faithful... we wouldn't just sit there and let humans slaughter us!"
"Then let me show you what your peaceful blindness costs," Loki whispered.
Before Rimuru could pull away, Loki reached out and pressed his index finger firmly against the center of Rimuru's forehead.
Instantly, a massive torrent of visual and sensory information flooded directly into Rimuru's consciousness. It wasn't just a simple memory transmission; Loki was projecting the exact, visceral scenes from the anime's dark timeline with perfect clarity.
The Conspiracy: Rimuru saw the cold, calculating faces of King Edmaris and the duplicitous Archbishop Reyhiem as they sat in their luxurious palace, mapping out the systematic destruction of Tempest for mere economic greed.
The Trap: He felt the suffocating weight of the Anti-Monster Barrier and the Holy Purification Barrier descending over the town, violently draining the magicules of his citizens, rendering them physically weak, nauseous, and entirely defenseless.
The Slaughter: He watched in vivid, horrifying detail as the human knights and the Blood Shadows marched through the peaceful streets of Tempest, laughing as they ran their blades through harmless goblin merchants, innocent children, and defenseless citizens who refused to fight back because of Rimuru's absolute rule to 'never harm humans.'
The Ultimate Tragedy: Finally, the vision shifted to the town square. There, lying beneath a blood-stained white sheet, was the cold, lifeless body of Shion. Her shattered horn, her pale face, and the absolute silence of her usually boisterous soul tore through Rimuru's mind like a burning blade.
The mental projection snapped shut. Rimuru gasped for air, collapsing sideways onto the tatami mats as heavy, hot tears automatically welled up in his eyes, dripping down his pale cheeks. The sheer, unadulterated horror of the vision had shaken him to his very core. The phantom scent of burning wood and the metallic tang of his citizens' blood still lingered in his mind.
When Rimuru slowly looked up, his entire aura had completely transformed. The naive, panicked look of a modern salaryman was entirely gone. His eyes burned with a dark, terrifying, and predatory light that caused the ambient magicules in the banquet hall to violently crackle.
"I am never..." Rimuru whispered, his voice trembling with a terrifying mix of profound grief and absolute fury. He stood up, his small frame radiating a pressure that made the surrounding wood groan. "I am never going to let anyone take my family away from me. I don't care who they are. If they dare step foot into my territory with blood in their eyes... I will tear them apart myself. I'll do it, Loki. I'll kill every single one of them."
Loki offered a calm, satisfied nod, stepping back to give the slime leader his space. "That's the spirit. Welcome to the real world, Rimuru."
Across the room, Benimaru, Shion, and the other subordinates immediately tensed up, sensing the sudden, monstrous spike in their master's aura. Shion stepped forward, her face filled with deep concern. "Rimuru-sama! What is wrong?! What did Lord Loki show you?! Please, tell us who we need to eliminate!"
Rimuru took a deep, stabilizing breath, forcefully forcing his dark aura back beneath the surface, though his eyes remained incredibly cold. "It's nothing for you to worry about right now. Sit back down and finish your meals. I will completely fill you all in on the details later tonight. For now... just enjoy the banquet."
Loki turned back toward the elven Empress, who was watching the entire exchange with a deeply complex, solemn look on her face. "Well, Elmesia, I think our little spontaneous vacation has officially come to an end. It's time for us to head back to Sarion."
Elmesia let out a soft, elegant sigh, rising gracefully from her silk cushion. She smoothed down her imperial dress, offering a warm, genuine smile to the hosts. "Indeed. Despite the incredibly chaotic nature of my arrival, it truly has been a delightful experience. The hospitality was unmatched, and I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent meal, Lady Shuna, Lady Shizue."
Rimuru offered a polite bow, doing his best to maintain his diplomatic mask despite his internal turmoil. "You are welcome here anytime, Your Imperial Majesty. Consider Arashi an open door for you."
Loki then turned his gaze toward Shizue, who was standing quietly by Shuna's side. "What about you, Shizue? Do you plan on staying here in Tempest a bit longer to relax, or do you want to catch a ride back with me right now?"
Shizue offered a gentle, apologetic smile, shaking her head softly. "I appreciate the offer, Loki-san, but Rimuru-san and I still have to coordinate that upcoming mission regarding the children in Ingrassia. I should stay here a little longer to finalize our travel plans and ensure everything is fully prepared."
"I see," Loki replied, giving her a reassuring nod. "Fair enough. Take all the time you need. Whenever you are ready to come back home to Coleus, just send me a quick Thought Communication link and I'll open a gate for you."
With the goodbyes finalized, Loki raised his right hand. A massive, intricately detailed magic circle instantly manifested beneath his and Elmesia's feet. With a sudden, brilliant flash of light and a soft hum of spatial distortion, the two completely vanished from the banquet hall.
---
The spatial transition was instantaneous. The brilliant sunlight of Sarion burst into view as Loki and Elmesia materialized directly inside the grand, high-ceilinged imperial audience chamber of the Sorcerous Dynasty.
The room was currently in a state of absolute, unmitigated pandemonium. A massive gathering of high-ranking elven ministers, military commanders, and noble government officials were gathered in the center of the hall, their faces flushed with absolute rage and panic. Standing directly at the front of the crowd was the prominent Duke of Sarion, his voice cracking as he screamed toward the throne platform.
"...This is an absolute act of war!" the Duke bellowed, slamming his ornamental staff against the marble floor. "It has been several hours since that unhinged rogue, Demon Lord Loki, violently abducted Her Imperial Majesty from her private quarters! This is a catastrophic breach of international sovereignty! We must immediately mobilize the imperial magus corps! We must threaten absolute military action against the Kingdom of Coleus!"
Standing calmly at the base of the empty throne, entirely unbothered by the collective fury of the elven cabinet, was Testarossa. Moss stood slightly behind her, his arms crossed. Despite the sheer volume of the elven insults and threats directed at her nation, Testarossa maintained an utterly serene, terrifyingly beautiful smile on her face. The faint, subtle leak of her white primordial aura was the only thing keeping the panicked elves from physically advancing onto the platform; the raw instinctual fear of her power was clearly evident in the way their eyes trembled whenever she glanced at them.
"Please, calm yourselves, honored ministers," Testarossa spoke, her melodic voice easily cutting through the shouting like a razor through silk. "My Lord simply felt the Empress required a brief respite from her grueling paperwork. To refer to it as a violent abduction is a rather unrefined exaggeration, don't you think?"
"An exaggeration?!" the Duke shrieked. "He literally vanished her through space!"
Before the argument could escalate any further, a massive magic circle flashed brilliantly directly in the center of the room. The elven nobles gasped, instinctively drawing their weapons and backing away as the light faded to reveal Loki and Empress Elmesia standing side-by-side.
"Your Imperial Majesty!" the Duke cried out, completely ignoring Loki as he rushed forward alongside a dozen other officials to check her over for any injuries. "Are you unharmed?! Did that beast lay a single finger on your royal person?! Tell us, and we will initiate the military protocols immediately!"
Elmesia merely let out a soft, amused chuckle, waving her hand to dismiss their frantic overlapping questions. "Calm yourselves, everyone. I am perfectly intact. In fact, to be completely candid with you all, I actually got to enjoy an absolutely delicious, culturally revolutionary meal because of Loki's little spontaneous kidnapping. My skin has never felt more radiant."
Loki crossed his arms, letting out an annoyed huff. "Hey, watch the vocabulary, Elmesia! I didn't kidnap you. You implicitly gave me your consent the moment you sat down and started drinking my wine. Don't make me look like a criminal in front of your internal staff."
Suddenly, the ambient temperature inside the massive audience chamber plummeted into the absolute negatives.
A heavy, suffocatingly terrifying aura exploded from the front of the room, so dense and malicious that every single elven noble instantly fell dead silent, their knees knocking together in primitive terror. Loki's spine stiffened as a cold sweat broke out across his neck. He slowly turned his head toward the source.
Testarossa was standing perfectly still, her eyes glowing with a dark, unholy intensity that could wither a forest. Her smile remained perfectly plastered on her face, but her voice was dripping with an absolute, terrifying venom as she looked directly at her master.
"Is that so, my Lord?" Testarossa whispered, her tone carrying a terrifying level of polite fury that made even the ancient demon Moss break into a nervous sweat by her side. "You felt it was appropriate to abruptly abduct a foreign sovereign, completely abandon your diplomatic schedule, leave me here to clean up the catastrophic political fallout with the elven cabinet for several hours, and then return while casually joking about 'implicit consent'? Have you entirely lost whatever remaining trace of administrative sanity you possessed, Lord Loki?"
Loki nervously held his hands up, taking a half-step back. "Uh... Testarossa, listen, it was a vital strategic networking meeting! I secured an incredibly lucrative trade agreement regarding Arashi's culinary exports! It was highly productive!"
Testarossa closed her eyes, letting out a sharp, frigid breath that instantly suppressed her terrifying aura back into her core, though the psychological damage to the room was already done. She turned her back on Loki, addressing the elven Empress with a flawless, perfectly composed imperial bow.
"Please accept my deepest, most sincere apologies for my Lord's utterly unprincipled behavior, Empress Elmesia," Testarossa stated smoothly. "I assure you that he will be properly... thoroughly lectured on international protocol tonight. As for our schedule, I believe our business in Sarion is officially concluded. We shall depart your beautiful capital first thing tomorrow morning."
---
The following morning arrived with a crisp, cool breeze filtering through the massive emerald trees of Sarion. Outside the grand imperial gates, a massive, immaculate line of heavily armored, luxurious carriages bearing the royal crest of the Kingdom of Coleus stood perfectly aligned, their dark wood polished to a mirror shine.
Empress Elmesia stood on the steps of the palace, her royal advisors standing a respectful distance behind her. Loki walked down the steps, stopping in front of her to offer a genuine, respectful nod.
"Thanks for the hospitality, Elmesia," Loki said, his usual casual smirk returning to his face. "And thanks for not letting your nobles declare war on me. I'll make sure to send you the first shipment of that specialized teriyaki sauce as soon as Rimuru gets the production lines running."
Elmesia chuckled softly, her silver-green eyes filled with a look of deep, ancient wisdom. "See that you do, Lord Loki. Safe travels on your journey. And try... do try to keep the geopolitical chaos to a manageable minimum if you can help it."
"No promises," Loki grinned, turning around and walking toward the lead carriage.
He stepped inside the luxurious, velvet-lined interior, sitting down across from Testarossa and Moss. The moment the carriage door clicked shut, Loki raised a single finger, channeling an immense amount of his magicules into the intricate spatial matrix he had mapped out beforehand.
"Hold on to your seats," Loki muttered.
Instantly, a massive, blinding flash of magical energy enveloped the entire line of carriages outside the gates. In the span of a single heartbeat, the entire convoy completely vanished from the lands of Sarion, leaving behind only a faint ripple in the wind.
A split second later, the heavy scent of mountain air, dense moisture, and the metallic tang of heavy industrial furnaces flooded through the carriage windows. The entire convoy materialized smoothly onto a wide, pristine stone highway carved directly into the sheer face of a massive, imposing mountain range.
Loki leaned forward, peering out the window. Rising high into the sky before them were the towering, indestructible iron gates and the massive, subterranean stone architecture of a legendary fortress city.
Loki let out a slow, deeply intrigued whistle as a smirk spread across his face. "So... this is it, huh? The Armed Nation of King Gazel. Let's see what the Hero-King has to offer."
---
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