Chapter 135 - Lazy Assasin

Dino sighed as he stood before the edge of the Forest of Jura. Following Feldway's orders, he was about to attempt an assassination, on one of his fellow ancient beings in the Cardinal World.

"Are we really doing this, Dino?" asked Pico, a fellow seraph, a young girl with blonde hair. She turned toward him with a troubled expression.

"Do you think we can even take her out?" added another seraph, Gracia, gripping her weapon and shield. "Not to mention, Rimuru and possibly the True Dragon Velgrynd are in there."

Dino broke into a cold sweat. "Don't say that," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Feldway said he'll deal with both of them."

"Do you really believe in Feldway?" Pico scoffed, just as a distant explosion rumbled through the air.

The battle continued in both the sky and on the ground, but the three of them stood apart, silent observers on the outskirts of the war between the monsters and the Eastern Empire.

"This isn't like you two," Gracia said with a sigh. "Do you really think this will help bring Veldanava-sama back?"

"If it's even possible..." Dino stepped toward the forest and looked back at them. "I'd take the risk."

Gracia and Pico looked at each other with confused expressions before silently following after him.

"You really are acting strange today," Pico said.

Dino said nothing.

Ramiris placed a hand on her cheek, observing the war currently happening. Normally, she wouldn't even think about interfering with the natural battles between nations in the world, as one also given a role by Veldanava.

"Ramiris-sama, I have returned as you ordered." Treyni bowed as she appeared from the ground via vines. Her appearance was the same as when she left for war, a testament to her capabilities during the battle, albeit she had consumed a considerable amount of magicule.

"Where are Rimuru and the others right now?" the Spirit Queen asked as she stood before the labyrinth gate.

Treyni followed behind her as they entered inside. "Rimuru-sama and Velgrynd-sama are in position to receive the 'real' forces of the Empire near the sea. Carrera-sama and Ultima-sama are out hunting more Imperial Guards. Ciel-sama said she was going somewhere, but unfortunately I couldn't tell where."

Ramiris gestured for her to let it go. The two traveled to the deepest part of the labyrinth. With the new systems Rimuru had installed, based on several suggestions, she could observe the outside world even from her stronghold.

"Is something the matter, Ramiris-sama?"

Treyni could tell that Ramiris was watching things closely and being cautious for some reason. It worried her, and she remained alert even in the supposed safety of the labyrinth.

"Nothing much," Ramiris smiled as she grabbed a crystal orb showing an image of three beings. "I just have a hunch about who their target is."

As if on cue, the labyrinth began to shake. Treyni's expression turned to horror. It was absurd, only someone like a True Dragon should be able to cause this level of damage to the labyrinth.

Looking into the orb Ramiris had been focused on, the image showed the three fallen seraphs, their three pairs of wings out, entering the labyrinth.

"Oh no!" Treyni backed away slightly. "Ramiris-sama, let's escape for now."

Ramiris giggled at how panicked Treyni was. "You don't have to be that panicked, Treyni-chan. We also have our own backups."

Treyni didn't know who she was talking about. Everyone on their level was currently out. The demonesses might arrive later, and Ciel was still missing, but other than them, the rest were busy with their own battles.

"Calm down, Treyni."

Ciel appeared beside them.

Treyni looked over at the sudden appearance of the blonde seraph. She was holding a strange type of key in her hand that disappeared a moment later.

"It took a while to convince Velgrynd to pull those two out, but here they are."

A gate began to appear behind the trio. The familiar structure brought a smile to the Spirit Queen's face.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Two beings stepped out of the gate before it disappeared, a red-haired man and a blue-haired woman. The strength radiating from their bodies sent a shiver down Treyni's spine.

At the same time, she felt a familiar presence. It was the feeling of a spirit, no, something stronger. Like a Spirit Lord, the highest known evolution of spirits. Yet somehow, these two were even stronger, reaching a level similar to Ramiris.

"Hello, Ramiris-sama!" the blue-haired woman waved as she smiled.

"It's been about two thousand years or so, Ramiris-sama," the red-haired man said with a quick bow.

The two moved toward Ramiris with a sense of nostalgia, respect, and familiarity.

"Hello, Runa, Agni," Ramiris smiled. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, even though you were busy."

"Don't mention it, Ramiris-sama," Agni, the red-haired man, laughed. "Zegion was about to finish the fight anyway."

"That's true. Rimuru-sama was also reaching the end of his battle," Runa nodded as they looked into the orb.

There, Gracia and Pico could be seen going deeper into the labyrinth, attacking the walls to weaken the structure further. Dino walked behind them, his expression slightly worried.

Sometimes they stopped to argue or tried to push Dino to the front. Though he would be forced forward for a while, he always ended up at the back again without the other two noticing.

"So we're fighting seraphims," Agni grinned. "In a three-way matchup, angels have the advantage when fighting spirits."

"But we aren't only spirits, are we?" Runa replied. "We're incarnations of the originals."

Agni rolled his eyes, pointing at the orb. "So are they, idiot."

"What did you call me!?"

"You want to fight?"

Ciel cleared her throat, ending their bickering. Just the sound of her voice was enough to straighten them up and make them stop.

"I'll leave you for now. I have somewhere else to go," she said, vanishing again, quietly, without revealing where she went.

"Now then," Ramiris began. "Please take care of Gracia-chan and Pico-chan. I'll face Dino-kun."

"Of course, Ramiris-sama."

"Leave it to us!"

Dino and the two female angels continued walking through the labyrinth.

"I know we're going in the right direction, but..." Gracia muttered.

"It feels like the place just won't end," Pico replied with a frown.

"Of course it doesn't," Dino sighed, dragging his feet. "Ramiris is probably watching our every step inside her domain, after all."

Then,

Dino took one step forward, and the entire area shifted.

"Wha— Hey, you two, be careful...!"

He turned around, but the other two angels were gone.

"Damn it..." he muttered, biting his lip. They'd been separated. He had no doubt this was Ramiris' doing.

"Dino-kun."

A voice echoed through one of the passages in the large room he'd been transported to.

Walking through with confident steps and calm elegance was the Spirit Queen, Ramiris, appearing in her full-powered adult form.

"Hey, Ramiris," Dino said, his voice slightly strained. He wasn't afraid, just overwhelmed with mixed emotions at facing an old friend. "Sorry, but... could you sleep for a bit for me? I'll wake you up after everything is over."

Ramiris's expression dropped, a touch of sadness showing before she frowned.

"You're acting weird. Dino, you're being controlled, aren't you?"

Dino blinked. Controlled? If that were the case, wouldn't he at least feel something?

"I... doubt it," he replied, but there was uncertainty in his voice.

Ramiris crossed her arms and looked straight at him. "Then, can you even imagine going against the person you're working with right now?"

Dino straightened up. Full-powered Ramiris wasn't someone he could afford to lower his guard against. He pushed aside any thoughts of the other two for the moment.

He did as she asked, he tried thinking about turning on Feld—

...!!

His eyes widened slightly.

"From your expression, you noticed it too," Ramiris said, letting out a soft sigh of relief. At the very least, she now knew he wasn't willing, deep down, to actually assassinate her.

Dino sighed heavily; frustration etched across his face.

"...I'm sorry for being dumb, Ramiris. Can you help me?"

"Of course," Ramiris said with a bright smile, clapping her hands together. "I'll set you free as quickly as I can."

Then-

In a blur of motion, Dino swung both his swords at her.

Both of them were caught off guard by the sudden attack.

"Tch-!" Dino clicked his tongue. His body was moving on its own, he was losing control.

"Looks like I wasn't trusted at all," he growled, gripping both blades tightly as he stared at Ramiris, who had blocked the strike with her own power.

"Don't worry," Ramiris said calmly as her body began to glow. The aura she radiated was dense, even for someone like Dino.

"I can easily handle this problem."

Dino felt an imaginary bead of sweat drip down his entire body. He was unbelievably lucky he'd managed to make it clear he was being controlled. If Ramiris hadn't caught that, if she thought he was really trying to kill her, he wasn't sure what would've happened.

"Continental Eruption."

Agni grinned, swinging his axe down at Gracia. She raised her shield, bracing herself as the weapon crashed against it with a thunderous impact. The sheer force of the strike sent her skidding backward several meters, boots grinding against the scorched stone.

"I've heard about you," Gracia said, raising her longsword and shield once more, her sharp eyes scanning the figure before her. "A former Spirit Lord who became the successor to the original Elemental Spirits."

Agni rested his axe on his shoulder with a smirk. He had just finished eradicating the last of the persistent snakes in the Citadel's previous battle. Now, he stood face-to-face with one of the Original Angels, and he was gaining the upper hand.

"I am honored!" he roared, tightening his grip and dashing forward. His axe cleaved through the air in a blazing arc.

Steel clashed against steel as the two exchanged blows. Agni's mythical axe, Eruption, met the power of Gracia's unnamed mythical grade longsword and shield. Sparks danced in the air with each collision.

The floor beneath them trembled with every strike, unable to keep up with the raw force being exchanged. Each blow carried enough power to obliterate a weaker monster into nothing, yet they traded them with ease.

The air quickly thickened with heat. The battlefield grew hotter with each moment, flames seeping the edges of the stone floor. Agni, with each swing of his axe, unleashed torrents of flame, scorching the area. Gracia, sweat trailing down her cheek, blocked and evaded as best she could, her focus razor-sharp, though the collateral damage spread rapidly around them.

She clicked her tongue in frustration. Even at full power, with her wings fully unfurled and a radiant magicule aura emanating from her body, she was losing ground.

Agni now donned his battle form: a garb of red, burning garments that shimmered with molten heat. The very temperature of the battlefield climbed by degrees. Were it not for the labyrinth's masterful construction by the Spirit Queen herself, the floor and walls would have melted away long ago.

Even so, the signs of destruction were evident, chunks of heated rock and cobblestone filled the air, on the verge of turning to magma.

On a different floor,

The contrast was stark. The entire area shimmered with a biting chill. Ice covered every surface, and each breath Pico exhaled turned instantly to fog. Her grip tightened on her spear as she stood ready.

Across from her, Runa loosed another arrow from her bow.

"Frostbite," she whispered, releasing the deadly projectile.

Pico's eyes narrowed. With a swift motion, she swept her spear sideways, slicing through the arrow mid-flight. It shattered into countless frozen fragments.

Yet Runa remained calm, even amused.

The tiny shards dispersed across the floor, embedding themselves in the environment. Wherever they landed, they spread their icy trait, freezing whatever they touched.

"You two are strong fighters," Pico said, grimacing as she charged forward. Her spear thrust aimed straight at Runa's heart. "I'd have preferred not to fight you."

Runa smiled faintly. "You can always join our side."

"I wish I could," Pico replied under her breath as their weapons met in another clash of frost and fury.

Runa's raiment of ice gleamed, shielding her from Pico's attacks. Meanwhile, Pico channeled all her strength just to fend off the unnatural cold, the kind that seemed to devour heat itself.

All around them, the floor and walls grew encased in ice and snow. Cracks spread from the crevices, jagged and unnatural, as frozen particles burrowed deeper into the structure.

Pico bit her lip, her breath short. One slip, one moment of hesitation, and she'd be overwhelmed.

The ice Runa wielded wasn't just powerful, it was terrifying. It reminded Pico of the True Dragon Velzard. Though, it was only her own opinion of her opponent.

Meanwhile...

As the battle raged on within the labyrinth between the Fallen Seraphim and the Original Elemental Spirits, Rimuru stood on the border between Jura and Dwargon.

Before him stretched a Corps of tens of thousands, of soldiers clad in armor.

"Hello, Rimuru-san," Yuuki called, stepping forward from the cautious crowd, waving casually. "What do you think? Not bad for such a short amount of time, huh?"

Velgrynd stood beside Rimuru, arms crossed and expression unreadable. Her eyes scanned the crowd. Over a thousand otherworlders were among them, an impressive feat. Though Yuuki was an ally, even she was surprised he'd convinced so many to turn their backs on the Empire.

"Are they all... okay with this?" Rimuru asked, his gaze shifting to the uneasy faces in the front rows. They avoided eye contact, heads bowed, not in respect, but in fear. Fear of the demon who now stood before them.

These same warriors had once boasted they could defeat the Demon of the Forest with ease. Even after Yuuki had explained that the demon had become an ally, many remained confident, dismissing Rimuru's strength.

But now, standing in his presence, they felt the truth.

He was terrifying.

He was not just a demon, he was the Primordial Demon.

Similar to Guy Crimson.

Rimuru's aura pressed down, and it took everything the soldiers at the front could muster just to remain standing. Knees trembled, backs stiffened, but none dared to fall. Not out of pride, but from the fear of what would happen if they angered him.

Ironically, their respect for Yuuki, who could speak so casually with such a being, skyrocketed. Loyalty and faith in their leader grew stronger without him even realizing it.

"They're all ready to fight for you," Yuuki said with a confident grin.

A/N: Just a heads up I won't touch Spiritons and Administrative Authority. I don't really fully understand the mechanics and don't wanna butcher them.

Fun fact: This is the chapter I had stopped for two months with no progress.