Chapter 35 - Noir's Test & Reunion

It's been one year since Enki, Siren, and Lait formed and introduce their new subordinates that are all under Rimuru. He is currently sitting on the couch of their living room. 

"It just doesn't feel right..." Rimuru muttered to himself. He leaned his back and looked up with his right arm stretched out. Counting with his arm slowly.

"Sirens (water spirit), Enki (fire spirit), and Angel (light spirit). With their subordinates, Aqua sprites(Water), Cherufe(Fire), and Holy Angel(Light) all we need is wind and earth to complete the four elements. But we could think about that for later, the problem is Demon! (Dark Spirit)"

Rimuru stood up from the couch and shouted to no one, currently the others are out doing their work and it was Rimuru's break time. 

"Earth and Wind can come later, what we need are demons to balance out what we have! water and fire balance each other, but light doesn't have anything that can balance it here."

The next day he called the others for a short meeting. "And that's why I'll recruit some demons from the Spiritual World."

Velgrynd looked at him suspiciously. "Okay, and the real reason?"

"The aesthetic balance is ruined without any demons to match with the newly hired Holy Angels." Rimuru explained with a serious tone.

"That's it?"

"I mean increasing our number is always good right?"

"Rimuru sometimes you resemble my brother whenever you do something out of  impulse." Velgrynd looked away from Rimuru and sighed.

"I agree with Velgrynd-sama." Lait agreed with Velgrynd. "Though I believe recruiting to increase our numbers is always welcome!" She hurriedly added after seeing her master's slight gloomy expression.

"Rimuru-sama can do as he wishes, we only follow." Siren stated, Enki beside her nodded.

With the meeting continuing discussing who should Rimuru recruit and how many, Rimuru went to the spiritual world right after.

As soon as he arrived, he saw several demons came and attacked him.

"How nostalgic, lesser demons who are just born coming to pick a fight." Rimuru said smiling as he kills those that came towards him. Soon the others started to run away.

"Guess I should start recruiting now." Rimuru rubbed his hands together as he flew through the area.

After days of searching, his found a few demons that has caught his attention. 

Hundred greater demons and ten Archdemons. These are all that he was able to find these pass days. He politely(forcefully) asked(threatened) them to obey his command. They follow him as he search for others.

While hunting down demons Rimuru stopped as he was about to finish the demon that his holding. he turned to look at the demon that caught his attention.

"How long has it been Noir." 

"It has been a while huh?" A demon with black hair with streaks of red and gold. Golden eyes that see through your innermost being. The Primodial demon Noir.

"Can I help you with something?" Rimuru asked Noir tilting his head.

"I heard from the others that you got yourself a name. I just wanted to confirm personally." Noir said calmly, though his demeanor seems to be more somber than the usual Noir, Rimuru notice.

"Yeah I got named, it was Veldanava who did. Rimuru was the name I was given, is that all Noir?" Rimuru asked as he answered Noir's question. 

"Rimuru... I see..." Noir's expression tense up a little before returning to his calm expression.

Noir rushed to Rimuru to attack him.

Rimuru blocked the claws with his arm forcing him to let go of the demon he was holding. The demon quickly tried to escape.

"Kill it." Rimuru said to the demons watching, they rushed and mobbed the pitiful demon trying to escape.

Rimuru looked at Noir confuse and surprise. Noir isn't someone who would do things like attack all of the sudden. At least from what he knows, Noir likes to do things in a much more formal(fun) manner. 

Rimuru pushed his arm for a large swipe pushing Noir to step back. Noir disappeared into thin air and appeared behind Rimuru.

"Noir what is this about." Rimuru said as he took a back step and turning around. The place he landed has nuclear magic implanted on it. The magic activated and burned Rimuru's body, or it should have if his body wasn't so durable.

"I wanted to test something, please bear with me for a bit." Noir readied his claws and continue to attack Rimuru.

Rimuru doesn't get it but he complied, materializing his sword "grey" he started fighting with Noir.

As expected of a demon king's status, unlike before, fighting Noir is much easier now. Though I can't be too careless, Noir is still a tricky opponent.

After minutes of trading blows, Noir's body is covered in slash marks. Meanwhile Rimuru has no injury to speak off.

"Maybe if you were Demon Peer you'd have been able to deal a fatal blow." Rimuru commented as he held his sword.

"I agree as well..."

"Hey Noir is something the matter? You aren't acting normal." Rimuru asked curiously.

"Something is on my mind, and I wanted to confirm it myself. I'll finish this right now." Noir said as he snapped his fingers.

The area changed, the once hell like terrain turned into a black void. There is no distinction between left, right, up or down.

The entire surrounding is pitch black, if the person placed inside does not have magic sense, they would not even be able to see their body.

"This is a skill I've been studying, it's still in the trial period. It needs practical trials with opponents." Noir said or more like his voice said..

"A different world? Or a imaginary one?" Rimuru muttered as he tried to analyze the surrounding darkness.

"This fight ends here, Dawn of Destruction." Noir said as the surrounding of Rimuru started shattering and shaking like glass.

Closing in on Rimuru.

Meanwhile outside the skill, Noir could be seen with a grim expression.

"If he is him, he could escape this no problem." Noir muttered with a tone of concern.

Soon the black smoke in which Noir trapped Rimuru started to slowly get smaller.

A voice could be heard inside the smoke,

"Ravenous Gate"

Soon in just seconds the smoke that was surrounding Rimuru completely disappeared. Revealing an uninjured Rimuru that has his hand held out.

"Guess it work." Rimuru smiled nodding to himself.

"What worked?" Noir asked Rimuru.

"I combined Gluttony's properties with my other skill, that's all." Rimuru shrugged answering. I can't tell about my Ultimate Skill.

"Glu.. tonny..?" Noir repeated.

"Yes Gluttony, why?" Rimuru confirmed tilting his head.

Soon Noir as fast as he could possibly do. Fell on both knees and bowed his head towards Rimuru.

"I-it really is you! Ahh, Rimuru-sama!" Noir almost sounded like he was crying as he said those words.

"Huh? What's this about?" Rimuru who couldn't understand the situation at hand asked confused.

After several seconds Noir composes himself and started to speak.

"Let me just start by saying it pleases me to see you again Rimuru-sama." Noir bowed briefly.

"This all started at our first meeting, I felt like we have seen each other before. That I have this feeling of wanting to serve under you, even though you were weaker than me before."

Noir and Rimuru made some chairs and a table appeared and sat down. At least Rimuru did anyway.

" I started stal-*cough* observing Rimuru-sama to investigate this feeling. I found out that you've been hunting fragments to fix your soul and basically every achievement you've had in the material world."

Noir explained as he poured some tea for Rimuru before seating down himself.

Rimuru took his cup and took a sip.

"So you know everything that happened to me?" Rimuru asked placing the cup down the table.

"Only in the material world unfortunately, whenever Rimuru-sama goes to other worlds I could not observe." Noir said saddened.

Rimuru brought out some cookies that his baked in his spare time to eat as he listened. He gestured for Noir to take some as well.

"In between observing Rimuru-sama, I caught sight of a unique demon that was moderately strong(Archdemon) it picked a fight with me. I obviously killed it, however it had a fragment of what seems to be your soul."

Rimuru was wide eyed when he heard the part with his fragment. He took a bite of his cookie as he listened even more intently than ever before.

"and then?"

"and then I started looking into the fragment. Demons are naturally talented with handling souls and memories, I, especially am confident with my skills and knowledge relating to memories. I was able to catch a glimpse of the memories inside the fragment." Noir opened his palm to show the fragment and gave it to Rimuru.

Rimuru took the fragment and consumed it, quickly the memories started coming.

_______________________

"Using the corpses of the defeated Empire soldiers respond to my summons. Greater demon summoning." Rimuru could be seen activating a large scale summoning magic with thousands upon thousands of enemy corpses piled up.

More than thirty demons appeared in the summoning circle. The most notable of them all is a demon with black her with red and golden streaks.

"Kufufufu ah~ I've waited for this day for so long." Noir hugged himself as he enjoys the moment. "May I serve you from this moment on?"

"We'll talk later, I need you guys to kill those Empire soldiers coming as reinforcement from above." Rimuru pointed into the sky, seeing metallic objects floating and firing at them.

********************

Rimuru could be seen fighting with an extremely powerful fighter of the Empire, they were called the single digits.

*Cough* while blood didn't come out of Rimuru's body, he felt the pain of being stabbed and reflexively cough.

"Rimuru-sama!" Noir started rushing in to save his lord. Killing the single digit that he was fighting.

Rimuru made contact with Noir's eyes, "Protect the others for me." Rimuru's eyes conveyed that message before it loses all it's life.

"RIMURU-SAMA!!!"

********************

"It's good to see you all safe" Rimuru said as he walked to the crowds of refugees in Eurazania. "Thanks Carrion for letting them stay." 

"No problem Rimuru, you let my people stay in yours when I was in trouble." Carrion said as he patted Rimuru's back. "I'm just glad you're alive, they said that you died in battle after all"

"Ahaha... I did..."

*********************

"Rimuru-sama it's dangerous here retreat. Kufufufu those pathetic Insectars think they could harm my lord." Noir said as he was standing in front of Insectars.

"Diablo retreat now!" Rimuru shouted as he watches Noir fight all alone as the other demons have died. "The others have all escaped, let's go!"

"I'm afraid I'll have to disobey my lord." Noir said and rushed killing several Insects. "Please live Rimuru-sama, I shall not let you die a second time on my watch!"
_______________________

Rimuru was stunned at the memories shown by the fragment.

"That's... A lot to take in.." Rimuru grabbed his cup and emptied it quickly.

Noir stood and refilled his cup.

"Does Rimuru-sama understand now? I have seen the memories of our future. It was most definitely the most shameful side of myself. To actually let my master die, if I didn't know you were alive I'd have killed myself already." Noir stated.

"Then the reason you attack me?"

"Is to make sure that it really is you, while literally everything confirms it is Rimuru-sama. I wouldn't or rather couldn't have my hopes up." Noir looked away, ashamed by his actions.

"What are you gonna do now?" Rimuru asked looking at Noir. "Now that you know that it is me, that is from the future which is different to the one we will have. You don't have any real reason to serve me because of a memory."

"Kufufufu Rimuru-sama seems to underestimate me, the me of the future and the me now are no different from each other. If he deemed you my lord, then I shall accept my own judgment and agree." Noir stood up from his chair and kneeled on my side.

"Once again, this lowly demon that has disappointed Rimuru-sama not only once but twice. Wishes to served under you to redeem the embarrassment that I have shown you. I swear in my entire existence, I will not disappoint you a third time." Noir bowed and stated with a serious tone. The words that were filled with several emotion like regret, anxiety, frustration, and anger.

"No need to be all so serious, a primordial as a subordinate is something else. Guy has two, I don't see why I can't have one as well." Rimuru said as he tapped Noir's shoulder.

"You're not the only one, I also feel frustration and regret. From what I saw, not only did I die. I died by the hands of a weakling, we'll make sure they regret their future actions." Rimuru grinned.

"I guess that should do it for today. Noir I have a job for you then." Rimuru stood up and looked at Noir.

Noir stood from his kneeling position as well. "What is it Rimuru-sama?"

"I'll be returning back to my home, I'll let you do the recruiting. When do you think you'll finish?" Rimuru asked for a duration of when he'll come back to take them with him.

"Kufufufu Do not worry Rimuru-sama I only need until tomorrow and I'll have them prepared." Noir smiled evily.

"I will not disappoint"

A/N: Noir is now officially part of the group. 🥳

Some detailed info on Rimuru's future, lore dump!

This one barely hit the minimum requirement I placed on myself of 2,000 words. Hilariously enough, I always plan on making a 2,000 word chapter but it always ends in the 3,000. So the suppose average of 2,000 became too short for both you guys and me.

I'll let it be for now as some important information was introduced like new Rimuru memories.

I won't be responding to question I deem spoilerly if I answer.

Because whenever you guys asked me about it, I am basically spoiling future events most of the time, so I ignore questions you ask sometimes. 

I really am a person that is active by procrastination, now that I am in vacation. I couldn't write for a week! luckily I have a few more chapters prepared for these occasions. 

See you guys next week. (this will be a two chapter arc with Diablo/Noir)