Chapter 55 - Rematch with the Great Spirits

Rimuru walked passed the gate with Runa and Agni following behind.

Behind them, Velgrynd and Velzard also came to watch the result of their students' thousand-year training.

Spirits of fire and water elements filled the void of space, with most of them being as strong as Ifrit class spirits and the powerful ones having the strength of S-minus.

A rank that Agni and Runa only managed to overcome after being named by Rimuru.

Both of their expression did not show fear for what was to come. Rimuru after all wasn't the only one that wanted them to have a rematch.

They also wanted to clean up their names as well as the name of their lord and master.

Not to mention, their trainer, the one who showed them how powerful they can be will also be watching them fight.

If they feel fear from these spirits then they aren't worth anything. Even to themselves, they would admit to be useless trash.

Once the spirits noticed their arrival, they didn't attack them. Instead, they started to move towards the great spirits. Seemingly guiding them towards their master.

And with Rimuru's group following them, they arrived in front of the Great Spirits.

The Sun and the Water planet with an orbital moon.

The Great spirit of Fire and Water.

"Welcome again, oh Overseer of the Multiverse." a voice echoed in their minds, it originated from the sun.

Its tone welcoming an old visitor, with a hint of amusement from noticing Agni and Runa behind Rimuru.

"My~, not only the Scorch Dragon. Even the Frost Dragon has come to meet us." Water spoke with a somewhat please tone.

Unlike Fire that immediately looked for the two. Water's attention was captured by the two siblings of their creator. Scorch Dragon Velgrynd that it has already met, and Frost Dragon Velzard that they are meeting for the first time.

"So you two are the Great Spirits that Velgrynd talked about." Velzard spoke and scanned the two, her eyes flicker towards the moon for a bit before ignoring it.

She sensed their strength, in terms of quality. They could still be rank as one of the strongest in the Cardinal World.

"This is them weakened, oh my." Velzard placed a hand to her cheek. "They must have been at least our level in their heyday, right Velgrynd?"

The white haired dragon turned to her sister.

Her statement was if anything else completely factual. Whether intending it to be a compliment can be left to those who hear it.

"Yeah, I'm confident in defeating them now. But if it was in the past, and in their prime. Even I'm not confident in my ability to take them on." Velgrynd admitted, although with a hint of irritation.

Rimuru smiled at their interaction, of course for Rimuru. He could also defeat the two in front of him right now. But in their prime? Even he'll admit that, that is impossible.

At least without proper preparations and sacrifices Rimuru grinned.

"To be praise by two True Dragons, isn't today a joyous one Fire?" Water happily told, you could almost imagine a person saying it while smiling all happily swaying from right to left.

"Indeed," Even Fire had to admit, being praised by them when they are not in their prime is something to be proud of. "Not only that, the challengers have returned stronger than before."

"Oh, you are right!" Water finally noticed the two, it wasn't until now that it finally clicked why they were here. "So they plan on challenging us today."

Water was even more in a greater mood.

Both Agni and Runa took this as a sign to finally step forward and speak.

Noticing their resolve, Rimuru and the others smiled and took a few meters back.

Closing in on the two Great spirit, the two subordinates of Rimuru finally spoke.

"Great Spirit of Fire and Water," Agni started. "Firstly, we would like to apologize for our tactical retreat a thousand years ago."

Agni gave a quick bow, his apology wasn't one out of excuse. But one that lowers himself for his dishonorable retreat from the challenge that he accepted.

"We have been punished by our master for our actions." Runa started to speak next. "In exchange for forgiving our shameful acts and failure, we have sworn to come back and accomplish this challenge!"

"Hoh~," Fire noticed their intense determination from both their words and their eyes. "Then it is good that you return!"

"To have grown stronger after only a thousand years, you must have really been determine to win." Water acknowledged their effort that could be seen in their magicule count and strength that they oozed out.

"" Thus, we formally declare!""

""I, Runa/Agni, race: Water/Fire djinn""

"" Accept your challenge!""

After the two shouted that declaration in unison. The spirits that have been watching from a few kilometers away have started to rush towards the two.

"Then come!" The Great Spirits responded with glee in their tone.

Tens of thousands of different elemental spirits of fire and water ganged up on both Agni and Runa.

Some merely took half a second to defeat while others lasted for more than a minute.

"Come out!" Agni shouted and from the gate he opened with his key. Thousands upon thousands of Enkis rushed out of the gate.

They were all combat ready with their magics and weapons on the go.

Once out of the gate, they instantly started to attack the spirits that the Great Spirits created.

"You guys come out too." Runa joined in, seeing Agni already opening up his.

From hers as expected, came thousands of Sirens. Also prepared to lay their lives for their masters.

"Hey Fire, is this allowed?" Water who was watching the scene unfold before it asked.

While Their spirits have a few hundred that are S-minus. Majority of them are only up to A to A-plus, with thirty percent of their forced being Special A.

In comparison, Agni's and Runa's subordinates are all Special A. Even more so, they are trained to fight beings stronger than them, as they are occasionally used as the primordials training partners with the demons.

Additionally, Lilith's experiments need someone to fight her critters. As such, they are used to not only fighting beings like Primordial demons, they are also well verse in melee combat from Lilith's critters.

Not mentioning the thousands of scenarios they experience working on different universes.

"Well, I mean.." Before Fire could answer water.

"The only rule was injuring your cores!" Rimuru shouted from afar.

Water and Fire noticed them a few hundred light years away.

Unlike the Cardinal world that has a lot of strain with some skills.

This universe that is completely filled with magicules managed to bring the name of the Skill: Universal detection to it's real potential and literal meaning. Rimuru and the others made full use of this and watch from afar to not get in the way.

"Well, he is right?" Fire answered in a quizzical manner.

"Should you really be spacing out there!" Agni who was dashing at Fire at high speed with his Axe in hand declared.

As Agni gets closer to Fire's body, the heat started to be felt for his body.

Ignoring the feeling of burning, his master, made his body with the best material he could asked for, as such swung his Axe without a care.

"Pyro Art: Continental Eruption!"

Hitting the gaseous surface of Fire's body, the plasma of the surface that he hit spread out of its spherical shape.

Like a ripple, the gaseous plasma spread itself. However, it soon returned back to its original state.

The attack that Agni did, only manage to disturb the gaseous state of about five percent of the body.

However, the fact that he managed to even get close enough to the body was something to applaud.

As some challengers could not even manage to get thousands of kilometers near Fire.

"Impressive, young one!" Even Fire was excited seeing the attack that Agni made. "I'll give this as a challenge."

From the gaseous body of the sun. A part of the surface started to swirl in a type of tornado shape.

Soon, the swirling took a form of a plasma Serpent with a width of hundreds of kilometers. And a length that is currently unknown how long it can extend, but from appearance, it could go Several thousand kilometers minimum.

"Feast on him, Plasma Hydra."

The Serpent roared, as it did, it created a plasma breath that would incinerate everything to touches it.

Proof being, the spirits that were in the direction it roared vanished. And this trail lasted for a few hundreds of kilometers.

"Obviously it wouldn't be easy." Agni sighed as he flew around being chased by the serpent. "Come then! Let's see you taste this blade!"

Agni turned and rushes towards the Serpent. The Serpent roared with its breath in response, and the two clashed.

"Hm.. Not here." Runa mumbled as she drew her bow again and fired at the water planet of Water's body.

Firing of several arrows from her bow, she was doing process of elimination trying to find the core in a different manner from Agni.

While Agni was trying to brute force his way through until he gets to the core.

Runa was shaving of locations that the core was not located.

Surrounding her is the spherical water barrier that she learned from Rain. Additionally, the strongest of her Sirens were also guarding her outside the sphere.

"You must be confident in that barrier to not move there." Water started to speak, it had been silently watching trying to figure out Runa's intention.

Water directed the S-minus water spirit towards Runa. Ignoring the other Sirens blocking their way and damaging them slowly.

Runa only gave them a passing glance before continuing to fire at water's body.

The spirits crashed into another barrier, different from the one the elite sirens are protecting.

In front of them, a thousand sirens are all in a spherical formation. With their hands out stretch, you can notice a thin film surrounding and connecting them all.

"Spirit Water Magic: Spherinder (Spherical prism)"

The sirens all said in unison.

After the S-minus spirits continue to bang the barrier, the other sirens outside the barrier have finally managed to caught up.

Thus, diverting the attention of the S-minus spirits for a bit.

"Those arrows should be enough." Runa lowered her bow, carrying it with her left hand.

She out stretch her right hand at the water planet.

Then she closed her fist.

The water, from the surface of the planet started to freeze.

From the points where Runa's arrows were directed, the arrows breakdown and started to freeze it's surroundings.

"Well aren't you getting too comfortable there." Hearing Water's comment.

Runa moved out of the sphere where she was staying.

A second later, a water spirit. Unlike anything Runa or anyone has ever seen before smashed through all the barriers and broke in.

Smashing the place Runa was originally on just a second ago.

"This one is my favorite," Water spoke in a cheeky bragging manner. "Its somewhat my master piece, a bona fide S-rank spirit. The Agua Soldier!"

The spirit was tall, not as tall as the Plasma Hydra but it was a hundred kilometers in size.

"What is with all of your fixation in giant spirits.." Runa commented as she looked at Agni trying to hack away at the serpent.

"Everyone, spread out and take care of the others." Runa ordered the surviving Sirens to escape.

They'll merely be liability after all. Not worth wasting subordinates for nothing.

"Well, that hurts to hear." Water heard Runa's comment on the soldier spirit's size. "Fine then, here you go."

The soldier started to shrink, while saying shrink, it was still a full ten kilometer in height.

"I guess that's better than nothing..." Runa opened fire with her bow. "Frost bite."

The arrow flew faster than it ever did five hundred years ago. The last time Rimuru saw it, compared to before. It was hundreds of times faster now.

However..

The soldier was faster.

Before it even gets any closer to the soldier, it was already in front of Runa preparing to pierce her with the trident in its hand.

"tsk," Runa activated a magic up close to counter the strike. "Cryo Art: Cocytus' Embrace"

The trident that caught the attack, started to freeze extremely fast. Noticing it, the soldier threw the trident away before it reaches his hands.

"Good choice." Runa complimented as mist started to surround her.

The soldier rush in for a punch but was left with an illusion. And from his fist, started to freeze. Not in the same rate as the trident's, but was still dangerous.

As such, it discarded the water that was freezing from it's body.

It loss, a quarter of the size of its enormous fist from just that attack.

Runa who was hiding from the soldier smiled at that action.

And from within the mist, she once again pulled her bow for another shot.

"Frostbite Barrage." Thousands of arrows were fired from the mist.

"Yes, I managed to cut it!" Agni cheered as the serpent was cut horizontally.

If Runa were to see this, she would place her hand to her temple and mutter 'idiot, it's called plasma HYDRA.'

"ah?"

The Serpent that was spilt in half, started to morph. Then, the two halves became new heads for the serpent.

"What!?" Agni complained, "How do I defeat it!"

He gripped his Axe tightly as he once again rushes to hack at the serpent.

What he didn't notice is the legendary grade Axe 'inferno' has been flickering in glow for some time now.

As Agni evades and cuts some part of the two headed Serpent. He was caught of guard by one of its head, taking a direct hit from one.

Additionally, the other head joined in and gave a full scale breath as well.

"Shit!" Agni cursed inside.

Then..

He noticed something..

The plasma never managed to reach him, not even the heat.

"What?" He looked at his surroundings, the plasma were twirling in like a whirlpool that was being absorbed by the Axe.

Specifically the glowing part in the middle of the Axe.

"Inferno? Oh? Oh! You evolved in grade!" Agni finally noticed the changes in the quality of his Axe.

It had undergone an improvement of quality. From it's original legendary grade, it finally reached the level of the strongest. The mythical grade weapons.

It appears to also have been given additional functionality by its evolution.

"All flames belong to the great underworld! Return to where it all began!" Agni shouted raising his weapon. "Inferno!"

Just like the name of his weapon. The new ability that the weapon acquired is to manipulate and absorb all types of flames to use it as its own.

Once the breath of the two headed Serpent finishes, in front of it.

Agni was standing unscathed from their attack. With a wicked Axe that continues to glow brighter as the second passes.

"I see, you want to let it out?" Agni grinned as he brandished his Axe towards his shoulder.

"Alright you stupid snake, it's time to die!"

Flying again in a similar manner to before. He plans to hit the serpent in it's head with all his got.

The Serpents were already used to his fighting style, and new that it had almost nonexistent damage. Thus, they never would have realized that the combined destructive power of two breaths would return to them. 

"Combustion Magic: Rebound Explosion!" Agni's destructive swing that has the strength of the serpent's breath erupted as it made contact with the Serpent.

More than a third of the serpent's body, from the head downwards were blown away. Shaving of a lot of plasma from its original volume.

Agni then flew in circles around the serpent.

The plasma that were blown away, were being collected by Agni inside his Axe. 

"Hm, that axe seems trouble." Fire openly admitted as it watch the events. 

Realizing that the axe was posing a real threat. It created five more Plasma Hydras, it is limited to creating only this much without having to decrease control on them. 

The perfect number of Serpents controlled has been only five, no more, no less. 

"Hey, Hey! That's not fair.." Agni complained as he finishes the serpent from earlier then absorbing its remains.

"My Soldier seems to be in quite the predicament.." Water spoke with a troubled tone. Its soldiers which previously had a size of ten kilometers, only has about three kilometers left on it's height.

"Thankfully, I managed to evolve my weapon before coming here." Runa raised her bow and fired several more arrows toward the soldier. 

The soldier which was previously disarmed has morphed a shield and sword from its own body. It froze its weapons so that, freezing it again by Runa would be pointless. 

It flew and dodged the arrows that Runa fired, however. It simply followed it until eventually it hit or something block it. 

The soldier raised its sword, not to attack the arrows. 

The other water spirit on its side suddenly blocked the path of the arrows. Being frozen in the process, but managing to counter it. 

While the soldier was having problems with the arrows, Runa was gathering the water molecules in space via law manipulation. 

"This is the end for you." A ten kilometer arrow was created in just a few minutes. 

It swirled and it swirled, making it look more like a lance than an actual arrow. 

"Aqua Art: World End's Arrow!" Runa who was above the arrow shouted.

The giant arrow fired towards the soldier, not only piercing it but completely destroying it. Assimilating its water as the arrow continues forward, aiming to hit the water planet. 

"Oh dear," Water fired of water above, like a geyser as it created a large barrier towards the place the arrow was fired to. 

The barrier held for a few minutes but was eventually broken by the arrow. The arrow hit the planet and pierced through it with its swirling force. 

A hole appeared on a part of the planet, unfortunately the hole was not anywhere near the center. 

"That was close.." 

"I'm.. tired.." Runa had almost exhausted all of her magicules from that attack alone. Barely being able to even see clearly if she succeeded. 

She did however saw the incoming enemies rushing towards her.

"Didn't I just destroy you?" Runa complained.

Water created several lower class Agua Soldiers that rank S-minus towards the exhausted water djinn. 

"Will you give up yet?" Fire egged as it see Agni breathing heavily as he held his axe tightly. Three of its serpent where dead thanks to the absorption and attack power of the axe. 

"Not at all, not when I finally realized how to defeat you." Agni exclaimed in between heavy breath and dizziness. 

"Defeat me, you say?" 

"I don't need to keep hacking on your snakes, it's so stupid that I keep wasting magicules on them." Agni smacked himself several times in the head with his palm as a type of punishment for his stupidity. 

"You don't really have solid ground, so with enough power, I could go through you and directly to your core!"

"Hahaha Amusing, and how will you do that when you are so tired. You may think the axe only fires the flames it takes, but it requires your magicules to even use those flames."

The rest of the snakes started to surround and coil around Agni. 

"Hehe Feed on them Inferno!" 

The snakes not even managing to fire their breath, felt like they were being pulled by a gravitational pull and forcing them to come to the axe. 

Even as they tried to resist, and even as fire help them resist. They were still eaten by the axe.

Then Agni flew far away from Fire. 

"Begone!" Runa shouted as she fired her arrows towards the soldiers. "Fatal frostbite!"

The soldiers that were hit immediately froze and shattered, floating into space as mere debris of the battle. 

"Are you giving up?" Water asked worriedly, not of pitying Runa. But for Water to once again not find a successor. 

"Me? Not when I'm about to win." Runa grinned denying any words of her close defeat. 

"Win?" Water was confuse, from her words and her confidence.

Then she noticed, far away from them. Somewhere that normally they would easily notice, but because of the battle was ignored. 

Far away from the planet, another arrow similar to the giant one from before was waiting. Twirling as it gathers more water, and grows even bigger than it already is. 

As of now, its size could easily be a fourth of the water planet's size. Not mentioning the force it will carry after traveling from that far away.

"N-no way.. but your out of magicules.." Water was in disbelief, even it would need to use a lot of magicules to do something like that. And from far away as well, it would need to be very focus and not disturb to do. 

"Fire, here I come!" Agni shouted once he was far enough. 

Then he turned and rushed back with speed. 

"Pyro Art: Conflagration Acceleration!"

Using his magic to boost his already fast speed, he was not even a blur to the sight of many. Even for someone like those in his level would declare that he is moving fast even with thought acceleration. 

"With his magicule count, how can he still use so much." Fire could only mutter as he create several strong serpents that coil in front as barrier. 

Rimuru who has been watching with the other True dragon grinned evilly. 

"You did something?" Velgrynd who was leaning to him asked as she noticed his smile. 

"Not really," Rimuru shrugged. "I only gave them each Veldanava magicule orb." He managed to held his laugh. 

"Seriously you.."

"Ahh!!" Agni spins his body with his axe in front like a sharp circular blade. 

"Flaming Stellar strike." 

Agni's attack cut through fire's defenses like nothing as it travels through Fire's large body. 

Passing through and leaving a large trail of ripple towards the gaseous plasma in his wake. 

Then, he noticed a humanoid like flame. 

"Like you'll get there easily." Fire readied his sword. 

Agni grinned. "Then let's do this," 

Inside Fire's body, very, very near its core. The melee fight of Agni and it has started. 

The striking of Fire's sword and Agni's axe reverberate inside. The clashes were so intense that the nearby plasma gets pushed out of the planet. 

Agni needed this fight to finish quickly though, the heat is managing to get to him. 

As they exchange some more blows, others may call them equal. 

In terms of quantity of magicules, fire has Agni beat. 

However, in terms of quality of usage of magicules, as well as experience in battle. 

"Crimson lotus strike!" Agni managed to cut the humanoid fire. 

"I actually lose." Fire admitted.

Agni's attack not only hit Fire's humanoid body, but behind it. The core was only several meters away and he managed to damaged it as well. 

"I won!" 

Returning to Runa's extremely giant arrow. 

"Aquatic Grand Turret!"

It not only managed to travel fast, but with its force that was accompanied by Runa's control. 

The water planet was left with a giant hole in the middle of its body. 

The only problem was...

"There's no core.." Runa muttered surprise and bewildered. 

"Too bad" Water started to attack her in her moment of her confuse state.

Runa escaped and dodged as she ponder. She felt like she was missing something very important. Then she recalled what it was, she turned her head. 

Water noticed this, and moved before Runa did. 

The water from the planet started to move to the moon. 

"The core is in the moon!" Runa rushed towards the moon, beside her are the several stream of water rushing in to protect it. 

But before they could come, Runa already managed to land on the moon. 

"Freeze all Ice-" 

A female water spirit with a lot of magicules attack Runa with water tendrils. Using them like whips that it can control without holding it. 

It held Runa's limbs, bringing her up. Away from the ground where she would cast the spell. 

The water that was travelling to cover the moon finally arrived and filled the outside of the moon with water. 

Within the sea of water that Runa and the humanoid water were, it started to drag her upward. 

Runa smiled, using water manipulation she took control of the water and released herself from the restrains.

Runa smirked as she saw the water spirit attack her again with the water tendril. "Heh, it's already too late for that."

"Cocytus: Ice Age!" 

The sea that fills the entire moon's surface all froze into ice. Solid hard ice that is difficult to destroy.

Not only that, the freezing effect started to spread inward the moon. Like tree roots crawling on the ground to gain more influence, what they were searching for was the core of Water.

They keep moving deeper and deeper, simply spreading and taking more root. As they do go deeper, they leave a lot of damage to their surroundings. Making cracks and completely crumbling the surface of the moon itself.

Until finally it reached the core, the moment it touch it. 

It changed shape into a spear and pierced it. 

"There, an injury in your core." 

The frozen water on the surface of the moon suddenly disappeared. Not one bit of evidence was left that water has ever landed on that place. 

"Indeed you have," Water spoke with a calm and satisfied tone. It is happy that they have finally found worthy successors to pass their abilities before they disappear. 

While defeat from someone weaker is normally shameful, in terms of battle experience Agni and Runa have it higher. This would mean that they may have much more use for this power than simply what the Great Spirits were intended for by their Creator.

Runa got down to her knees and slowly fell face first to the ground. 

"Gotcha," Agni caught her, before she hit the ground.

He laid her properly on the ground before collapsing himself beside her.

A/N:  Early Merry Christmas everyone! This is a long 4,500+ word chapter hope you like it!

I hope, I made this fight enjoyable.

Especially because the great spirits feel like they were nerfed for the fight. Though if you think about it, they would have little to almost have no battle experience. So I guess that justifies it a bit?

For more context, the soldier and the serpent are the latest strongest challenger that they had. They simply revived their instincts and made a better body for them to fight in, as a proxy since as stated they don't know how to fight. 

That's why when they materialized a humanoid form, they are easily eliminated. Even if you're born strong, if you don't have experience then its pointless power. Similar to how Charybdis got ranked lower because of low intelligence alone.

On a different note, do you guys like fights? Its mostly the citadels inhabitants vs enemy. 

The primordials, Agni and Runa, Lait, Jahil, Zegion and Apito, Velgrynd, the holy angels, and the Arcana vs the new antagonists. Can't really make it a short one with this many participants in the fight.