"You weren't serious just now, were you?"
As Damien pushed open the gate and stepped into the dim cave, Shizue Izawa hurried to follow.
"What?"
"About finding Veldora and Velzard."
Leaving aside how Damien knew Velzard was also in the Sealed Cave...
The very idea filled Shizue with dread.
Challenging true dragon... wasn't that just asking for death?
"Do I need to lie?"
"But isn't it too dangerous?"
"Dangerous?"
Damien shook his head with a smile. "For me, it's just a meeting, a quick greeting, and some casual family talk."
"..."
Shizue fell silent.
What could she even say?
At most, if danger arose, she'd risk her life to buy Damien time to escape.
That way, for her sacrifice, he might save her students, right?
"Don't overthink it."
Damien sensed Shizue's thoughts.
"There's one thing you need to understand."
"What?"
Following behind, Shizue heard him say, "They're the ones being challenged!"
"..."
Gazing at Damien's back, Shizue was momentarily speechless.
They're the ones being challenged!
She'd never imagined someone could speak so arrogantly when facing two true dragon.
For the rest of the journey, Shizue said no more.
She followed quietly.
Along the way, they encountered many beasts inhabiting the cave.
For some reason, these creatures, usually dwelling in the lower or deepest levels, had all rushed to the upper and middle levels, blocking their path.
"Let me handle this."
Shizue didn't let Damien act. Drawing her sword, she swiftly cut down the beasts attacking them.
This made Damien pause, holding back the magicule surge he'd intended to use to annihilate them.
'Impressive combat talent.'
'Skilled in technique as well.'
Watching Shizue fight, Damien assessed her. 'With enough magicules and a strong Unique Skill, she'd be a remarkable warrior!'
Through Damien's familiar conversion, Shizue's magicules had surged significantly.
Though not yet at the 990,000 of a Demon Lord Seed, they'd risen by about 200,000.
Shizue already possessed Special A-rank strength.
But due to Ifrit's presence, half her power was spent suppressing its rampage.
This kept her stuck at the Special A threshold, unable to break into Calamity-rank.
Now, with Damien's conversion, Shizue had officially entered the Calamity-rank, becoming a powerhouse just below a True Demon Lord.
In comparison, she was now stronger than Clayman, roughly on par with Carrion or pre-awakened Frey.
[Shizue Izawa]
[Race: Elemental of Flame → Greater Elemental of Flame]
[Magicules: 167,000 EP (Special A-rank) → 380,000 EP (Calamity-rank)]
[Blessing: Ultimate Blessing (from Damien, allows temporary use of Lower-tier Ultimate power)]
[Magic: Elemental Magic, Spirit Magic, Summoning Magic, Fire-type Pokémon Magic]
[Unique Skills: Deviator, Endurer]
[Special Skills: Magicule Solidification]
[Additional Skills: Heat Manipulation, Flame Burst, Heat Wave, Magicule Perception, Thermal Perception]
"Pfft!"
Dodging a barrage of corrosive poison mist, Shizue beheaded a beast called a Tempest Serpent with one strike.
Tempest Serpent, an A-rank dominant creature in the Sealed Cave, had venom capable of melting steel and armor.
Yet such a high-tier A-rank beast was felled by Shizue in a single blow.
"This is my power now?"
"Unbelievable!"
Shizue's mind raced with speculations about Damien's identity.
A mere conversion to his familiar granted her such strength... what must Damien's own power be like?
'Is he a true Demon Lord, like that man?'
She thought of Demon Lord Leon, who had summoned her to this world.
He was the strongest being she could imagine.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Damien stopped walking.
"What's wrong?"
Shizue immediately went on high alert, scanning for any beast or danger that could have halted him.
But she sensed nothing.
Puzzled, she wondered if Damien had changed his mind about confronting Veldora.
"No, it's nothing."
"Just didn't expect to meet an interesting fellow here."
In Damien's magicule perception, a small figure hid in nearby bushes.
It was a blue, jelly-like creature... a Slime, a staple in countless otherworld stories!
But this Slime was clearly extraordinary.
"Interesting fellow?"
"There."
Damien pointed to a patch of bushes in the corner.
"W-Woah!"
"Oh no, I've been spotted!!"
Rimuru had planned to prey on a Tempest Serpent.
But the sudden intrusion of the two disrupted her attack rhythm.
Terrified, she hid in the bushes, not daring to make a sound.
Due to her earlier fright, she'd asked the Great Sage for a way to conceal her aura.
This kept even Shizue from noticing her.
"Huh?"
At Damien's prompting, Shizue spotted Rimuru in the bushes. "A Slime?!"
"Why's a Slime here?"
No, that wasn't right.
The Sealed Cave did house a population of Slimes.
But the cardinal world's Slimes were different from Rimuru.
They were tiny, like bath-time rubber duck toys, fist-sized, and lacked any intelligence.
In contrast, this Slime radiated vitality.
"And this magicule count."
"What an incredible Slime."
In raw magicules, Rimuru couldn't match Shizue.
But this was a Slime... the weakest of monsters, the cannon fodder of cannon fodder!
A Slime with a few dozen magicule points was already remarkable.
But Rimuru? Her massive magicules rivaled an A-rank monster!
***
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