Deep beneath the Jura Forest
Within the vast cavern where the Storm Dragon had once been sealed
Two figures stood facing the massive magic circle engraved into the stone floor.
Rimuru swallowed nervously.
Even now, standing here again brought back memories.
This cave had once felt overwhelming.
Mysterious.
Terrifying.
Now
He was standing here preparing to release one of the strongest beings in existence.
Beside him, Loki looked completely relaxed.
As though this were merely another casual afternoon activity.
Rimuru glanced sideways.
"…Are you sure this is going to work?"
Loki shrugged.
"Probably."
"That's not reassuring."
Loki ignored him and raised one hand.
Space distorted beside him.
Then
Something massive emerged.
A humanoid body.
Tall.
Powerful.
Perfectly constructed.
Its skin resembled flawless human flesh, yet every inch of it radiated overwhelming draconic energy.
Black markings resembling scales traced across parts of the body.
Long blonde hair fell loosely around its shoulders.
Even motionless, it emanated terrifying pressure.
Rimuru stared.
"…You made that?"
Loki nodded proudly.
"Took a while."
The body had been crafted specifically to contain the power of a True Dragon.
A vessel capable of enduring Veldora's absurd amount of magicules without collapsing.
Loki stretched slightly.
"Alright."
"Let's get started."
Rimuru immediately became serious.
Within his stomach
Veldora's excited voice echoed endlessly.
Finally finally finally finally finally
Rimuru winced.
'Please calm down.'
Impossible!
Today marks the glorious return of the great Storm Dragon Veldora!
Loki stepped toward the prepared vessel and placed one hand against it.
Then his expression sharpened.
For the first time in a while
He looked genuinely focused.
Magicules surged through the cavern.
The air trembled violently.
Rimuru felt goosebumps spread across his entire body.
The pressure was enormous.
Loki's voice echoed calmly through the cave.
"Veldora."
The dragon's voice answered instantly.
I AM READY!
Loki smiled faintly.
"Transfer beginning."
The magic circle ignited.
Blinding light erupted across the cavern.
Space distorted violently.
The surrounding stone cracked under the sheer pressure.
Rimuru shielded his face as massive amounts of magicules flooded outward like a storm.
Then
The vessel moved.
Its fingers twitched.
Its chest rose.
Power exploded through the cavern.
BOOM.
The entire cave shook.
A terrifying aura spread outward in every direction.
And slowly
The body's eyes opened.
Golden.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
The pressure nearly forced Rimuru to his knees.
Then the figure took a breath.
A massive inhale.
And the cave itself seemed to tremble.
The newly awakened man blinked once.
Twice.
Then
A massive grin spread across his face.
"Hahahaha!"
The figure threw both arms into the air dramatically.
"I HAVE RETURNED!"
Magicules erupted wildly again.
The atmosphere screamed under the pressure.
Then the man looked directly at Rimuru and Loki.
His eyes sparkled immediately.
"BROTHERS!"
Before Rimuru could react
Veldora appeared directly in front of them.
His human form was tall and striking.
Golden blonde hair.
Sharp golden eyes.
A powerful physique hidden beneath flowing dark robes generated instinctively from magicules.
He radiated overwhelming power even while smiling like an excited child.
Veldora grabbed both Loki and Rimuru into an enormous hug.
"Hahaha!"
"At last!"
"At long last!"
"I stand beneath the heavens once more!"
Rimuru wheezed.
"T-Too tight—"
Meanwhile Loki hugged him back with equal enthusiasm.
"VELDORAAAA!"
"LOKIIIII!"
The two immediately devolved into excited yelling.
Rimuru sighed internally.
'Why are they exactly the same?'
Eventually Veldora released them.
His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked around the cave.
"So this is the current world!"
"The air!"
"The freedom!"
"The atmosphere!"
He inhaled dramatically again.
Then suddenly turned toward Loki.
His expression became intensely serious.
"Loki."
Loki blinked.
"What?"
Veldora grabbed his shoulders.
"WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME YOU WERE SO COOL?!"
Loki froze.
Rimuru blinked.
"…Huh?"
Veldora's eyes shone brightly.
"I READ THE MANGA!"
He pointed dramatically at Loki.
"The speeches!"
"The final stand!"
"The battlefield!"
"The dying sun!"
"The standing death pose!"
Veldora clenched his fists emotionally.
"Magnificent!"
"Absolute magnificence!"
Loki coughed awkwardly and crossed his arms.
"Well…"
He looked away.
"…I guess I was pretty cool."
Rimuru immediately deadpanned.
"He's getting smug now."
Loki flipped his hair back slightly.
"It can't be helped if history recognizes greatness."
Rimuru stared at him blankly.
'This idiot.'
Veldora continued vibrating with excitement.
"The panel where the enemy army bows!"
"The symbolism!"
"The emotional writing!"
He suddenly gasped.
"WAIT."
He grabbed Loki again.
"Was that speech real?!"
Loki immediately looked offended.
"Of course it was real."
Rimuru folded his arms.
"Honestly, that's somehow the least shocking part."
After a while, Rimuru sighed.
"Well."
"This is all great and everything…"
He pointed upward.
"…but maybe we should head back to Arashi."
"A feast will probably be prepared to celebrate your return."
Veldora's eyes widened.
"A FEAST?!"
Rimuru nodded.
"With food."
Veldora immediately became even more excited somehow.
"Then let us depart immediately!"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"The glorious return of Veldora Arashi shall be celebrated across the land!"
Then
Rimuru's expression changed.
"…Wait."
He looked around.
The cave walls were trembling.
Space itself distorted faintly around Veldora.
Massive amounts of magicules flooded uncontrollably from his body.
The pressure alone was enough to kill ordinary humans instantly.
Rimuru pointed frantically.
"Veldora!"
The dragon blinked.
"Yes?"
"Please contain your magicules!"
Veldora tilted his head.
Rimuru sweatdropped.
"You're literally warping space right now!"
"If you go outside like this, some citizens might faint!"
"…Or die!"
Veldora blinked once.
Then laughed awkwardly.
"Ah."
"Yes."
"That may indeed prove problematic."
He closed his eyes.
Then
The overwhelming flood of magicules began compressing inward.
The violent pressure receded rapidly.
The distortion vanished.
The cavern finally stabilized.
Veldora opened one eye proudly.
"How was that?"
Rimuru sighed in relief.
"…Much better."
Loki grinned.
"Alright."
He pointed upward dramatically.
"Let's go terrify the world."
---
The royal castle of Coleus had become significantly busier in recent weeks.
Servants moved through the halls carrying reports.
Demons coordinated reconstruction efforts.
Messengers arrived almost hourly from merchants, nobles, and foreign representatives.
The kingdom was moving.
Growing.
Changing.
And at the center of nearly all of it
Was Testarossa.
The Primordial White stepped through the castle entrance with flawless elegance, several attendants following behind her carrying documents.
Her meeting with Dozan had concluded successfully.
The guild situation was stabilized.
The treasury recovery was underway.
Diplomatic efforts were progressing.
Overall
A productive day.
Now all that remained was retrieving the kingdom's absent ruler.
Testarossa approached one of the castle attendants.
"Where is Lord Loki?"
The demon servant bowed immediately.
"Lady Testarossa."
He hesitated slightly.
"Lord Loki has not yet returned."
Silence.
Testarossa blinked once.
"…Not returned?"
"No, my lady."
A faint twitch appeared near her eye.
Nearby, seated calmly with a cup of tea in hand, Velzard spoke without looking up.
"If I had been allowed to accompany him, I would have ensured he returned on schedule."
Her tone was perfectly calm.
Which somehow made the pettiness even more obvious.
Testarossa narrowed her eyes.
"…How helpful."
Velzard sipped her tea serenely.
"I merely state facts."
Testarossa crossed her arms.
"That man…"
Her expression shifted into anger.
"He truly has no seriousness regarding his duties as king."
Several nearby demons immediately nodded nervously.
Though none dared verbally agree.
Testarossa sighed dramatically.
"It seems I shall have to retrieve him personally."
Velzard's lips curved slightly upward.
"Indeed."
Far away
In the rapidly growing nation of Arashi
Preparations for a feast were already underway.
The entire city buzzed with excitement.
Massive cooking stations had been assembled.
Long tables stretched through the streets.
Barrels of drinks were rolled into place.
Workers carried ingredients back and forth nonstop.
And despite all the activity
Almost nobody actually knew what the feast was for.
They only knew one thing.
Lord Rimuru ordered it.
Which automatically meant it was important.
Gobta carried crates while complaining loudly.
"Seriously, what is this even for?!"
A nearby hobgoblin shrugged.
"Does it matter?"
"It's a feast."
Gobta paused.
"…Fair point."
Across the city, excitement spread rapidly.
Children ran through the streets laughing.
Merchants prepared stalls eagerly.
Even adventurers passing through became curious.
Whatever the reason
A feast in Arashi was always worth celebrating.
Meanwhile, inside the kitchens
Controlled chaos reigned supreme.
Shuna directed the preparations with saint-like patience.
Shion attempted to help.
Which naturally terrified everyone.
Fortunately, Shizue had stepped in before disaster could occur.
The Japanese woman moved gracefully through the kitchen while assisting with the cooking.
Compared to the increasingly frantic demons around her, she appeared remarkably calm.
Shuna smiled warmly.
"Thank you for helping, Shizue-san."
Shizue smiled back.
"It's no problem."
Several demon cooks watched her with admiration.
Her techniques were refined.
Efficient.
And completely different from anything they had seen before.
One demon carefully observed her preparing seasoning.
"…Amazing."
Shizue laughed softly.
"It's just ordinary cooking."
To them
It looked like magic.
Elsewhere in the city
Rimuru, Loki, and Veldora finally arrived.
Space distorted high above the central square.
Then the three figures appeared directly atop the large public platform usually used for speeches and announcements.
The moment they appeared
The entire square reacted instantly.
"Lord Rimuru!"
"Lord Loki!"
Citizens immediately recognized the first two figures.
Cheers and excited greetings spread quickly.
But then
People noticed the third individual.
The unfamiliar man standing between them radiated overwhelming presence even while suppressing his aura.
Tall.
Golden-eyed.
Smiling broadly.
The atmosphere around him felt… strange.
Powerful.
Ancient.
The citizens stared uncertainly.
Benimaru narrowed his eyes from below.
'Who is that?'
Hakuro's expression sharpened immediately.
His instincts screamed danger.
Rimuru looked slightly nervous.
Meanwhile, Loki grinned.
Then casually stepped forward.
He raised one hand.
"Alright everyone."
The square gradually quieted.
Loki placed one hand on Veldora's shoulder proudly.
"I'd like to introduce someone."
Veldora grinned widely.
Loki's smile widened.
"This…"
He gestured dramatically.
"…is the Storm Dragon Veldora."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The entire square froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Several citizens stared blankly.
One goblin dropped a plate.
CLANG.
It echoed loudly through the dead quiet.
Rimuru sweatdropped.
'…Yep.'
'There it is.'
---
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