Guy Crimson POV - Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Universe, Central World, Ice Continent, Frost Palace - 2013 AMB
As Milim walks into the hall with the two companions she is allowed to bring with her and announces the start of the Walpurgis Banquet, I take a moment to observe them more closely with a smirk on my face.
One of them is a cute, small dragon with big eyes and purple scales held in Milim's arms.
Despite its small size and cute appearance, the aura that it radiates is very distinctive, especially for someone who has lived as long as I have and has spent a lot of time with Velzard.
It is the aura of a True Dragon, but even more surprisingly, it is that the small dragon is actually the former Chaos Dragon Gaia, Milim's pet dragon, whose death caused Milim to evolve into a Demon Lord and whose corrupted resurrection caused the birth of the Dragon Race as a whole.
Only this Gaia is no longer the Chaos Dragon but regained its sanity, and, with a further look, I notice it took the final step to advance into a True Dragon, becoming the Gravity Dragon Gaia.
Naturally, the first time I met Milim and Gaia a few days ago, the straightforward Milim didn't even try to hide the fact that she received help in restoring Gaia's sanity and helping it evolve into a True Dragon; in fact, she was quite proud of her new little brother's achievement and abilities.
At this point, I immediately focus my attention on the most interesting one of Milim's companions.
He is a very tall and very handsome young man with wild dark blue hair and bright green eyes, which seem able to see through everything.
He has a body that would make even Dagruel die of envy, and I am very tempted to turn myself into my female form and try to seduce him.
On top of that, he radiates an aura of absolute confidence in his own power to the point that even now that he is among what can be considered some of the strongest beings in this world, he is completely carefree and relaxed, and that surely isn't because he is with Milim.
He is wearing dark blue pants, a plain white sleeveless shirt, and has a silver drill-like pendant wound around his neck.
As I observe him, I can't help but notice that I can't sense anything coming from him to the point that if I weren't looking at him with my eyes, I wouldn't even realize his existence.
But what is even scarier is that my own Ultimate Skill, Lucifer, Lord of Pride is actually unable to analyze him, and seems even to be somewhat afraid of opposing him to the point that I sense that if I try to my very own Ultimate Skill would start to actively work against me, which is the very first time I've felt something like this, and this makes me both excited and worried at the same time.
The next moment, I tear my gaze away from that magnificient being who is likely at the very least comparable with Veldanava, the only one who was able to defeat me, while thinking, 'Whatever Milim is going to say in this Walpurgis Banquent, if it involves such a powerful being, then it is surely going to be something that I can't ignore even if I want to. As the Mediator, the one who maintains the balance in this world, I must make sure that nothing happens to it, and the fact that Milim, of all the people, was the one who wanted to hold this Walpurgis Banquet is already a bit worrying. At least, this is surely going to be interesting...'
While thinking that, I let my mind wander a little as I think back at everything I've experienced in my very long life.
I was born during the dawn of time, before the creation of heaven and earth, as I was one of the demonic counterparts to the Seven Angels of Origin, having split from the Great Holy Spirit of Darkness.
As the first among them to be born, I ruled the Daemon Realm as its king and commanded the Daemons at will, as from my perspective, even the other Primordials were mere dependents.
However, when Bleu and Vert challenged me in a bid for supremacy, I easily defeated them but discovered that the Primordials were immortal.
No matter how crushed they were, they would resurrect under the victor's command, and this realization led to a stalemate among the remaining four Primordials.
Among the Daemons, the Black Primordial Noir persistently troubled me.
We fought for supremacy many times, resulting in a draw, and recognizing Noir's strength, I acknowledged him as a rival.
With the passage of time, I was summoned to the Central World by High Human Emperor Jahil of the Super-Magic Empire.
I was summoned as an Archdaemon and tasked with destroying an enemy nation.
Using a million corpses, I successfully incarnated and ascended to the rank of True Demon Lord, acquiring the souls of numerous people.
In addition to destroying the enemy nation, I summoned Primordial Vert and Blue, ordering them to slaughter Jahil and all the residents of the Super-Magic Empire while avoiding mass destruction magic to prolong their suffering.
As I crushed my enemies, I also relished in their doomed pleas and found it to be a pleasant sound.
After that, I named myself Guy, realizing my awakened state was needless since I already considered myself the strongest.
I then named my companions Misery and Rain, reflecting the misery of mankind and the rain of blood that fell wherever I went.
My maids and I traveled from place to place, enjoying the world until, eventually, I encountered Veldanava and challenged him to a fight, but was easily defeated.
Instead of becoming Veldanava's servant, I was given the role of Mediator.
It was at this moment that my heart materialized, and I gained the Unique skill Pride.
To alleviate my boredom, I monitored human civilization and destroyed any country engaged in warfare.
I joined forces with the Seven Angels of Origin in a three-month assault against the World-destroying Dragon, Ivaragé. However, Ivaragé managed to escape to the otherworld, leaving substantial damage in its wake.
After the battle, I surveyed the continent from above and spotted the Imperial Castle of the Super-Magic Empire, where I had been summoned and decided to make the castle my home, believing it to be fate.
The Frost Dragon, Velzard, appeared and attacked me out of jealousy for my interaction with her brother.
Our battle ended in a draw, and during the fight, my power evolved further, granting me the Ultimate skill Lord of Pride, Lucifer.
Intrigued by me, Velzard decided to observe me from that day forward.
Thousands of years passed, and I, bored to the core, received visitors: Rudra, Velgrynd, and Lucia.
Rudra, dropping any pretense of an honorable duel, demanded that I hand over all my valuables.
Amused by the request, I accepted the challenge and, despite Rudra's immense swordsmanship and the support of his sister's Holy Field and Holy Blade spells, I analyzed and replicated his every move, becoming stronger as the fight continued.
However, Rudra halted the challenge and named me, as he didn't want to fight a Demon Lord with a funny name; thus, I was renamed Guy Crimson based on my red hair color.
From that point on, the two of us engaged in daily fights with no clear winner emerging.
One day, Rudra proposed a change in our matches, realizing that our direct battles would never lead to a resolution.
Rudra suggested using our subordinates as proxies, with the winner claiming dominion over the entire world.
Unfortunately, this ideal was not meant to last, as tragedies unfolded since the inception of the game between Rudra and me.
Shortly after Veldanava and Lucia had their child, Milim, a terrorist attack occurred in the Kingdom of Nasca, taking advantage of Rudra's absence.
The attack, orchestrated by a warring enemy, resulted in the deaths of Lucia and Veldanava.
Shortly after that, another tragedy befell Milim when her pet dragon was killed by a foolish kingdom.
Enraged, Milim destroyed the country and awakened in the process.
Suddenly, I focus for a few moments on the third-oldest Demon Lord, letting my mind wander as I continue to think back to everything that I've experienced in all these years.
Thousands of years ago, Milim awakened as a Demon Lord due to her pet dragon being killed by Jahil's Super-Sorcery Kingdom of the Elves.
In her anger, Milim destroyed the country and awakened as a True demon lord, but driven into a mindless rage, she wreaked havoc upon the land, eventually causing so much destruction that I was forced to intervene.
We fought for seven days and seven nights, transforming the bountiful lands in the west into a wasteland.
Eventually, the battle concluded, Milim regained her consciousness, and the battle ended, but the one who returned her sanity was Ramiris.
In the process, the ruler of Elementals, Ramiris, absorbed the evil magic of Daemons and the powerful aura of Dragons and began to change, transforming into a corrupted Elemental.
She was, however, able to stop Milim's rampage, and the three of us settled the dispute, and so the very first Demon Lords reached an agreement.
We decided that each of the three would be different than the other two. One would pursue the Ultimate skill. One would live as they please. One would judge the world.
Because our objectives were different, we could recognize each other.
Thinking about those events makes my gaze move to the fourth-oldest Demon Lord, and my mind continues to wander as I go over his history.
A long time ago, in the age of myth, an evil giant emerged from the depths of the earth, wreaking havoc wherever it went.
Eventually, Veldanava intervened and managed to defeat the giant, splitting it into three separate entities: Dagruel and his two brothers, Fenn and Glassord.
Over time, Dagruel and Glassord renounced their malevolent ambitions and strived for redemption, while Fenn clung to his wicked ways and was subsequently sealed away.
As a reward for his change of heart, Veldanava granted Dagruel a parcel of land and entrusted him with the duty of guarding the Heaven Tower to prevent Fenn's release.
During his time at the Heaven Tower, Dagruel encountered a talented individual named Twilight Valentine, and the two developed a close friendship.
Twilight often boasted about their most treasured creation, Luminous and Intrigued by Twilight's tales of Dagruel, Kisara, and Basara, who were also creations of Twilight, challenged Dagruel to a battle.
Following their defeat, Kisara and Basara became Dagruel's disciples.
However, Dagruel's relationship with Luminous deteriorated significantly after she killed Twilight.
A fierce power struggle ensued between the two, which temporarily subsided when Dagruel and Kisara married, and together, they had three sons: Dagura, Liura, and Debura.
Unfortunately, Kisara passed away while in childbirth with the three, leaving Dagruel devastated.
In his grief, he was forced to seal Basara, who had fallen into a rampage, away for everyone's safety.
Dagruel's territory became embroiled in a fierce conflict between Milim Nava and I, pushing it to the brink of destruction.
In order to mitigate the damage, Dagruel expelled the generated energy into another dimension, containing the aftermath.
However, the residual energy leaking from a dimensional crack transformed the land into a deadly desert, giving rise to a massive sandstorm that devastated everything in its path.
To secure food resources, the giants sent their young men and women across the treacherous desert.
This incident fueled Dagruel's desire for Luminous' territory, as it offered a solution to the food shortage.
Consequently, Dagruel joined the ranks of the Demon Lord council, and he and Luminous commanded the largest factions within the group.
Throughout his long life, Dagruel formed deep friendships with Dino and Veldora.
He invited Dino to live in his home, and the two became inseparable companions.
Additionally, Dagruel engaged in numerous sparring sessions with Veldora, with neither emerging as a clear victor; nonetheless, their battles earned them mutual respect and admiration for one another.
Lastly, I move my gaze away from Dagruel and look at the fifth oldest being in this hall, Luminous Valentine, who I forced to reveal herself as the true fifth seat to those too young to know about her existance since the fact that Milim told me that the reason why she wanted to hold this Walpurgis Banquet is in her words, "super, duper, important," is quite telling.
Luminous, born as a remarkable creation of the brilliant Divine Ancestor Twilight Valentine, was hailed as their masterpiece.
However, as time passed, Luminous grew weary of her creator's capricious behavior, and with a display of extraordinary power, she ended Twilight Valentine's life using a potent Disintegration spell.
Seizing control of the remaining vampire forces, Luminous subjugated Valentin, a formidable and bloodthirsty Vampire, yet Valentin's constant antagonism towards her other subordinates posed a significant problem.
To maintain order, Luminous made the difficult decision to split Valentin into two distinct beings: Louis and Roy, who later respectively became the Emperor and the Pope of the Holy Empire of Lubelius and the Western Holy Church.
In due course, Luminous encountered Gunther, who pledged unwavering loyalty and served as her noble assistant, fulfilling the role of a personal butler.
Recognizing Gunther's invaluable contributions, Luminous elevated him to a position of great importance, and he became an instrumental figure in her rule.
Through her indomitable prowess, Luminous earned a coveted position as the fifth member of the esteemed Demon Lord council.
However, her vampire domain, known as Night Rose, met its demise at the hands of Veldora, set up by the Trinity Wisemen, a sub-group of the Pupils of the Ancestor who act as the rulers of the Magic Tower, where they gather scholars and magicians to conduct research.
The Wisemen, who were already harboring bitter feelings for Luminous due to her murder of Twilight Valentine, had various disagreements with her about how the world should be ruled, resulting in the three parting ways from her and her kingdom.
With the timely warning from Hero Chloe, its inhabitants were able to evacuate.
Undeterred by this setback, Luminous turned her attention towards a new endeavor: establishing Lubelius, where she ruled from the shadows.
To govern Lubelius, Luminous entrusted the role of ruler to Louis Valentin, while she herself assumed a hidden presence.
To maintain her influence within the Ten Great Demon Lords, Luminous arranged for Roy Valentin to take her place, attending the Walpurgis Banquets incognito as one of Roy's two aides.
Her sudden disappearance from the public eye and replacement among the ranks of the Demon Lords led many to believe she was dead.
She was able to keep this ruse for 1,500 years before her cover was blown by me, who wanted to mess around with her a little bit, and by Milim Nava, who unknowingly gave me the perfect opportunity to do so.
I'm suddenly brought back to the present by Milim's voice as she says, "You guys already know how I think, so I won't jump around the issue and directly say everything you need to know without micing my words..."
After saying that, Milim takes a brief pause to let her words sink in before she announces, "We are all in great danger! An incredibly powerful enemy from outside the known multiverse is coming, and one of its objectives is the complete destruction of our entire universe! And I'm not talking about only the universe where our Central World resides, but all the other universes connected to it; our entire multiverse is its target! In other words, the complete destruction of everything we know!"
I have to admit that among all the things I was expecting Milim to announce in this Walpurgis Banquet, this is the one I expected the least.
I immediately notice that I'm not the only one surprised by Milim's announcement, as all the other Demon Lords show some kind of reaction.
But of course, as powerful as they all are, after the initial surprise, everyone quickly calms down and starts to show other emotions on their face, varying from intrigue and excitement to annoyance and indifference.
Even so, no one is actually showing any kind of worry or fear, not even the weakest among us, Clayman, who can even barely be considered a Demon Lord, is still very calm and is actually showing a pensive expression as he is likely already plotting how to make use of this new information to his advantage.
However, different from all of them, I actually start to have some apprehension regarding this new information, not only because as the appointed Mediator, it is my duty to maintain the balance of this world, but also because I have known Milim for a very long time and if she is so worried about this that she feels obliged to hold a Walpurgis Banquet and inform us, then the threat of this unknown enemy is without any doubt considerable.
Indeed, just as I'm thinking that, Milim notices their easy-going attitude and immediately snorts loudly before she says, "Hmpf! I wouldn't be so calm and confident if I were in your place! After all, not only does this enemy have such a vast and powerful army that it was able to successfully invade and destroy many other universes before. But, more importantly, it is backed by an entity so powerful that even if all the current Demon Lords join forces and fight against it, we would still surely be defeated by it!"
This time, Milim's words truly shock me, 'I'm pretty confident of the fact that I'm one of the strongest beings in this multiverse, after all, only Veldanava actually truly defeated me and I've grown much stronger since then to the point that most of the other opponents I've faced until now were only able to match me because I was bored and went easy on them, the only true exceptions were Milim and Rudra who are very close to my level but still inferior. Despite also knowing that, Milim is sure of the fact they even if I join forces with her and the other Demon Lords, we still would end up being defeated! How is this possible!? Just how powerful is this enemy!?'
While thinking that, I can't help but focus once again on Milim's companion as I start to connect the dots, 'How can Milim be so sure of that? Could it be...?'
Shortly after thinking that, as most of the other Demon Lords are still in a state of disbelief, unable to discern the veracity behind Milim's latest declaration, I notice Milim's companion smirking before he calmly says in an even but assertive tone, "If you don't believe Milim yet, allow me to give you all a small demonstration..."
The next moment, his clear green eyes glow briefly before an immense pressure descends upon us all.
This pressure immediately reminds me of my past experiences, when I fought and lost against Veldanava many eons ago, when Veldanava fully unleashed his Dragon Spirit Haki.
The Dragon Spirit Haki is a powerful Haki that allows the user to imbue their aura with various magical and physical properties, allowing it to both exert a powerful spiritual pressure over their targets, inflict them with potentially lethal magical effects, and cause them actual physical damage.
When used to its fullest, it allows the user's aura to shred anything it comes into contact with.
This Haki is so powerful that it can only be resisted by another Dragon Spirit Haki; not even Demon Lord's Haki or Hero's Haki are able to counter it.
Luckily, after becoming a Demon Lord and obtaining my Ultimate Skill, I was able to easily shrug off the Dragon Spirit Haki of the other True Dragons I've fought.
However, even if it feels similar, this pressure is clearly different from the regular Dragon Spirit Haki; it is much more oppressive, and it seems to be able to affect even the soul itself, to the point that even the current me isn't able to ignore it, as all my skills and abilities are completely shutting down.
And what is even more impressive is that Milim's companion is still clearly holding back and carefully controlling the strength of this pressure in order to avoid actually harming us.
Despite that, this pressure is making the strongest among us gasp sharply while struggling to maintain some semblance of control, while some of the weakest, like Clayman, Frey, Carrion, and Leon, are visibly shaking and almost on the point of complete collapse.
The next moment, the immense pressure disappears just as suddenly as it had appeared before the calm voice of Milim's companion resounds in the now completely silent hall, "This is just a very small taste of what I'm capable of. Trust me when I say that I'm strong enough to easily and completely eliminate every single one of you while barely putting any effort. However, the fact that not even I am completely confident of successfully confronting the strongest force on the enemy side despite my undeniably impressive power should already be a very telling sign of what kind of threat your universe is about to face."
Milim's companion's words shock me to the core, and at the same time, I finally have an idea of the reason why Milim wanted to hold this Walpurgis Banquet; she wants to make use of the considerable influence that the Demon Lord Couincil has over the Central World to unite all the various factions against this singular enemy who threatens everyone.
While I come to that conclusion, Clayman stands up and starts to loudly question Milim's companion, "Wait a moment! Who the hell are you!? How dare you speak out of turn in our presence!? Why should we even listen to a nobody like you and a dumb fool like Milim!?"
Then the psyched Clayman turns his head to look at the other Demon Lords and continues, "How can we all be sure all they are saying is even true in the first place!? For all we know Milim and that guy are all trying to fool us using some nefarious means! Maybe they simply created this "formidable enemy" to take advatage of the chaos to take over the Demon Lord Couicil and then gain control over the rest of the world!"
Shortly after saying that, Clayman suddenly calms down and says with a knowing smirk on his face, "Maybe we should calm down and carefully consider who gains the most from this situation... Maybe what we should do is actually unite against the true enemy that wants to disturb the balance we maintained for all these years."
Watching Clayman's actions, I immediately understand what he is trying to do, and with a smirk on my face, I mentally denigrate him, 'What a clown... He is clearly trying to manipulate everyone's opinions to his advantage; he is even trying to put me against them by taking advantage of my duty as the Mediator. But he doesn't know that every single Demon Lord present is perfectly aware of his true ambitions and that if there is someone who can't actually be trusted, that one is him! On top of that, the greatest mistake he ever made is vastly underestimating Milim's companions' power...'
While I'm thinking that, Milim's companion lightly snorts and says, "Who am I? I am Jayr Pucci. God of Healing, Justice, and Dragons. I am the new Administrator of the Voice of the World, which gives me authority over everything that happens in this multiverse. But more importantly, I am Milim's little brother, and as such, I have to make sure that my big sister's universe is safe and a beautiful place for her to enjoy. Unfortunately for you, I find your presence a dirty stain I have to cleanse."
Shortly after saying that, Jayr theatrically snaps his fingers, and the next moment, Clayman is no more as he immediately turns into dust, as his entire being is completely eradicated in an instant without having any chance to do anything against it.
The next moment, Jayr calmly smiles and says, "Now that I've finally gotten rid of that useless, annoying filth. Let's discuss what we can do to ensure that this multiverse survives the enemy's invasion."