The dust from Falmuth's defeat had barely settled when Rimuru returned to the south. This time, he wasn't just coming for a friendly visit; he came to understand the crystal tower that had appeared almost overnight and to identify the third presence his 『Great Sage』 classified as "Unmeasurable."
Upon arrival, Rimuru found a curious scene. Shanks was sitting by the stream, laughing while trying to teach perception tricks to a group of Hobgoblins. Esdeath, on the other hand, stood at the edge of the clearing, her gaze fixed on the horizon as if waiting for Falmuth to send something more "fun" for her to freeze.
"Eryon!" Rimuru shouted, approaching. "I already know Shanks and Esdeath, but what is that tower? And who is inside? The mana coming from there is... strange. It doesn't feel like it's from this world."
Eryon stepped out from the tower's shadow, accompanied by a woman Rimuru had never seen before. She wore a deep purple cloak and carried a smile that seemed to read Rimuru's soul like an open book.
"Rimuru, this is the missing piece for the Archive," Eryon said. "Allow me to introduce Merlin. She is the master of magical arts and the guardian of the knowledge we will gather here."
Merlin floated smoothly until she was at Rimuru's eye level. She showed neither fear nor reverence; only clinical curiosity.
"A monster that evolved through analysis and ingestion... fascinating," Merlin murmured. "Hello, little Slime. I've heard you have a 'voice' inside you that processes the laws of this world. I would dearly love to speak with it... or perhaps disassemble it to see how it works."
"No way!" Rimuru jumped back, his slime cheeks turning bright blue with nervousness. "Eryon, where do you find these people?! Shanks is too laid back, Esdeath is terrifying, and now Merlin wants to dissect my Great Sage!"
The Weight of Recognition
Eryon laughed lightly, calming his friend. "She won't do anything, Rimuru. Merlin is here to ensure the South's magic is impenetrable. With her, the Archive isn't just a library; it's a sanctuary of magical laws."
The conversation turned serious as they entered the tower. Merlin snapped her fingers, and crystal chairs appeared for everyone.
"Falmuth has retreated, but King Gazel Dwargo is on his way to Tempest," Rimuru said, regaining his composure. "He heard that scouts from a human kingdom were massacred... or rather, 'humiliated' in the South. He wants to know if you and your friends are a threat to Jura's neutrality."
"Gazel Dwargo... the Hero King," Shanks commented, entering the room after overhearing. He leaned against the wall, his gaze serious. "Kings tend to be stubborn. If he comes with a sword in hand, the conversation will be short."
"I don't want a fight with Dwargon," Eryon stated. "But I want him to understand that the South has autonomy. Merlin, can you prepare a demonstration of 'deterrence' for when he arrives?"
Merlin smiled, spinning her crystal orb. "I can create an illusion of altered physical laws. If he tries to use his full strength, he will feel as if the world is disobeying him."
"Great," Eryon nodded. "Rimuru, tell Gazel that the Architect of the South and his guardians will be at Tempest for the meeting. Let's show him that the balance of Jura has changed... for the better."
Three days later, the sound of heavy footsteps and elite armor echoed through Tempest. King Gazel Dwargo arrived mounted on his Pegasus, accompanied by his Black Knights. The air of authority he exuded was enough to make common monsters fall to their knees.
Rimuru waited for him in the central square, but Gazel barely looked at the Slime. His veteran warrior eyes were fixed on the two figures standing behind Eryon. Gazel dismounted and walked until he stopped a few meters from Shanks. The silence was absolute.
"I felt an overwhelming will coming from this direction," Gazel said, hand on the hilt of his sword. "Was it you, redhead?"
Shanks didn't even flinch. He maintained his relaxed posture, but his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Depends. Are you here as a friend or as a king who has lost his way?"
Shanks' spiritual pressure (Haki/Mana) collided with Gazel's aura. The ground between them began to crack, not by magic, but by pure existential weight.
"Interesting," Gazel murmured, drawing his sword just a few inches. "Let's see if this 'will' of yours can withstand the weight of a Hero King."
Eryon and Merlin exchanged glances. The South wasn't just going to negotiate; it was going to prove that in Jura, there were now forces that even kings could not ignore.
The silence in Tempest was so thick it could be cut. The city's citizens retreated, instinctively feeling that the space between the two warriors had become a dead zone.
Gazel Dwargo kept a firm grip on his sword. He was a Hero King, a disciple of Hakurou, and a man who had faced Demon Lords. Yet, facing Shanks, he felt something he hadn't felt in decades: hesitation.
"Aren't you going to draw, redhead?" Gazel asked, his voice resonating with the power of a monarch.
Shanks let out a relaxed sigh, but his eyes never left Gazel's. "If I draw for any reason... things get complicated. I just want to know if your steel is as sharp as your arrogance, Hero King."
Gazel waited no longer. In a blur of movement that defied the human eye, he drew his sword. The strike was not just physical; it was charged with the 『King's Spirit』.
"Slash of Justice!" roared Gazel.
The attack did not hit Shanks. Inches from the redhead's face, Gazel's blade stopped abruptly in mid-air. There were no sparks. No sound of metal on metal. Gazel's sword was trembling violently, repelled by an invisible barrier of pure will.
"What?!" the Black Knights of Dwargon exclaimed in unison.
Shanks hadn't moved. He hadn't even taken his hand off the sake mug he held with his remaining arm.
"It's a good strike," Shanks said, his voice turning suddenly deep. "But it lacks 'weight.' Let me show you what happens when someone puts their entire life into a single glare."
The Awakening of Haki
Shanks simply tilted his head forward. BOOM.
It wasn't a physical explosion, but an explosion of the soul. The Conqueror's Haki (interpreted by the Saga as an emission of Absolute Will) swept across the square.
The clouds above Tempest split in two, rending the sky. The weakest of Dwargon's soldiers fell to their knees, struggling not to black out. Even Rimuru's Kijins felt an unbearable weight on their shoulders.
Gazel Dwargo felt the pressure directly. It was as if an entire ocean was trying to crush him. He dug his feet into the ground, cracking the pavement of Tempest to remain standing.
"What... what kind of willpower is this?!" Gazel gasped, breaking into a cold sweat. "It's not mana... it's his very soul that is attacking!"
"That's enough, Shanks," Eryon's voice cut through the tension. "You came to negotiate, not to tear down the city."
Shanks relaxed instantly. The pressure vanished as if it had never existed. He let out a jovial laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, my bad, Eryon! The King here has such a serious look that I got a bit carried away."
The Hero's Recognition
Gazel Dwargo sheathed his sword. His hands were still trembling slightly—a detail only Merlin and Rimuru noticed. He looked at Shanks with a new level of respect, and then at Eryon.
"Rimuru... Eryon..." Gazel said, catching his breath. "You are not just neighbors of the Jura Forest. You are the center of a new era. A man who can rend the sky without using magic... Dwargon has no interest in being the enemy of such a monster."
Rimuru, who had been watching with wide eyes, finally managed to speak: "So... we're good? No executions because of Falmuth?"
"Falmuth was foolish," Gazel replied, looking at the crystal tower in the distance. "Trying to conquer the South now seems like collective suicide. Eryon, I accept your 'Archive' as a neutral entity. But on one condition."
Eryon tilted his head. "Which is?"
"I want this man... Shanks... to visit Dwargon. My knights need to know that there is a ceiling above the sky they know."
Shanks smiled. "If there's good ale there, I'll certainly be there!"
Merlin, watching from above, floated down. "The Hero King is sensible," she said. "Now that the introductions are over, why don't we head inside? We need to discuss what to do when the Western Church decides that Shanks' 'Soul Weight' is a heresy that needs to be purified."