「 ✦ Rimuru Tempest ✦ 」
We were halfway into the Reisen Gorge when the ground beneath our feet began to tremble. At first, it was just a subtle vibration. But then it grew stronger until loose rocks started tumbling down the gorge walls around us.
Tio's reaction was impressive, if I do say so myself. Her entire body switched into a combat stance, and I could practically feel the tension radiating from her as she searched for whatever threat had dared to disturb our peaceful walk.
"Young master, something approaches. Is it an enemy attack?" she asked tersely.
I paused. My skill, Paths, remained quiet—no warning tingles, no sense of impending doom or hostile intent. Whatever was causing these tremors, it wasn't something that meant us harm.
"Actually, I don't think we're in any—" the words died in my throat as I caught sight of what lay ahead of us. The tremors weren't from an attack at all. They were from something far more extraordinary.
The tremors that shook the ground weren't random seismic activities or the result of some underground disturbance. They were footsteps. Massive, earth-shaking footsteps that belonged to creatures so large they defied imagination.
"...Those are Thraumarchs," Tio whispered beside me, and I could hear the amazement in her own voice. "How unbelievable."
Facts.
I'd read about them once, during one of my many research sessions in various libraries across Tortus. Thraumarchs were massive herbivores—the largest to have ever existed in the recorded history of Tortus, apparently.
They were some kind of hybrid between mammalian and draconic megafauna, evolutionary marvels that could grow to an average height of seventy meters and stretch over a hundred and eighty meters in length.
And they were absolutely beautiful.
The first one that came into view was like watching a mountain come to life. Its hide was a mottled brown and gray, almost like stone given flesh. Massive, ancient eyes regarded the world with an indifferent light, while its enormous limbs moved with surprising grace despite their incredible size.
"They're like walking mountains." I watched in fascination as the herd slowly made its way across.
Some of the books I'd read had argued that Thraumarchs were remnants of a lost age millions of years ago—living fossils from the time before the myths took hold, too massive and slow to concern the gods with their petty conflicts, and too ancient for even them to simply erase from existence.
I found myself laughing—not from anything funny, but from pure amazement at the spectacle before us. Though I'd mentally called it a horde, there were actually fewer than a dozen of them. But each creature was so massive that they were literally reshaping the surrounding landscape just by walking through it.
"What fascinating lifeforms," I whispered to myself. Tio and I probably looked like nothing more than specks of dust to these ancient giants—less than ants, really.
But I didn't have megalophobia, so my appreciation for such beautiful creatures was unmatched.
"Gigantic but pretty things are they not~?" a voice called out from behind us, cheerful despite the loud backdrop of the Thraumarchs' passage.
I turned around, already knowing who I'd find. "It's been a while, Miledi."
"It's been a while indeed, Rimuru-kun!" she responded in that characteristic cheerful tone of hers, her miniature golem body still sporting that perpetually mischievous smile. "Quite the timing, wouldn't you say? Though I suppose you're not here for sightseeing."
She paused, tilting her head in that way that made her look almost childlike. "I take it you're here for that?"
"That I am," I confirmed, already knowing what she meant.
"I see, I see!" She clapped her hands together with obvious delight. "Well then, no point in dawdling around here admiring the scenery, is there? Follow me, Rimuru-kun, Tio-chan!"
As we followed her, Tio leaned into my ear. "How does she know my name, young master?"
"I don't know either. She's creepy, isn't she?"
Miledi spun around and began leading us toward the location of the Reisen Labyrinth.
"You know," Miledi said as we navigated the rocky terrain, "I've been waiting for this day for quite some time. Though I'll admit, I wasn't entirely sure you'd actually follow through with your plans."
"You had doubts?"
"Well, let's just say that most people who declare war on the gods tend to end up as cautionary tales rather than success stories," she replied with a laugh that held just a hint of darkness. "But you... you're different, aren't you?"
Before I could respond, we arrived at the labyrinth entrance. The moment we stepped inside, I immediately noticed that we were in a room I didn't recognize from when I'd conquered this place before. The architecture was completely different—more sterile.
"Did you rearrange things?" I asked.
"Of course! Can't have just anyone wandering into the most important chamber, can we?" Miledi's grin widened. "Even gods need their beauty sleep, after all."
Tio looked around with obvious disorientation. "This place feels unsettling somehow."
"That would be our homegirl's influence," Miledi explained as she led us deeper into the restructured labyrinth. "Even sealed and unconscious, her presence tends to affect the surroundings. You'll see what I mean in a moment."
We continued through several corridors that seemed to change as we walked. Finally, we arrived at our destination—a well-lit, spacious white chamber that felt more like a containment facility than a room.
And at the very center of it was a sight that took my breath away.
A woman so pale she might as well have been carved from fresh snow sat motionless within a transparent magical box. Her hair was white as winter frost, her clothes the color of fresh cream, her skin so pale it seemed almost translucent.
Everything about her was white—except for the sclera of her eyes, which were deep black, and within that darkness lay pupils that glowed with an eerie white light.
"Is this it?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. The power radiating from the sealed figure was unmistakable.
"Yes," Miledi replied, her usual cheerfulness gone. "The Origin Apostle. Also known as Athens, the Goddess of Wisdom."
I marveled at the sight of the eerie but undeniably beautiful woman bound by numerous chains and sealed within the magical prison. Even with her state, there was something profoundly unsettling about her.
"How did you manage to keep her here for so long?" I asked, unable to help myself as I took a step closer to the sealed goddess. "I mean, she's a god. Surely the others would have come looking for her."
"Young master?" Tio questioned, concern evident in her voice as she noticed my approach. "Perhaps we should maintain our distance until we know more."
"It's alright," I assured her, though I didn't stop moving forward. "I just need to get a better look."
Behind me, I heard both Tio and Miledi following.
Miledi's expression grew more serious then, her usual exaggeration disappearing as she considered how to answer my question.
"It took all seven of us Liberators working together to seal her, but we didn't manage to beat her in a straight fight. She... she let herself be sealed."
"Can you elaborate?"
"Well, you see..." Miledi fidgeted with her hands, a nervous habit I'd never seen from her before. "She came to us voluntarily. Pulled right up to our super-secret hidden base and offered to surrender. But we were young and angry and stupid as fuck, so we refused to listen. We thought it was some kind of trick."
She let out a bitter laugh. "So she had no choice but to thoroughly beat the crap out of all of us until we couldn't resist anymore. Only then would she explain herself."
"And the other gods just let that be?" I asked, stopping my approach when I was about five meters from the sealed container.
Tio and Miledi both stopped as well, maintaining the distance I'd established.
"Apparently they had a falling out with her," Miledi continued. "She exiled herself from the pantheon before coming to us. But..." She trailed off, clearly hesitant to continue.
"Go on."
Miledi took what would have been a deep breath if she'd actually needed to breathe.
"She explained that Keith—the God of Mischief—had cursed her. The curse would gradually corrode her mind until nothing remained but pure destructive instinct. She wanted to be sealed before that could happen."
That gave me pause. A god asking to be sealed to prevent herself from becoming a mindless destroyer? It painted a very different picture than I'd expected.
"And how do we know her mind hasn't already been destroyed?" I asked.
"It is, Rimuru-kun. She's already dead," Miledi said bluntly. "Has been for about two hundred years now, I think. Her life gave out, but her core is still intact. It's what powers all seven of the Great Labyrinths scattered across the continent these days."
I whistled low in amazement. "Sheesh. Even in death, she's still that powerful, huh."
"Gods probably don't die the same way mortals do," Tio observed thoughtfully. "Their essence can persist long after their physical forms fail."
"Exactly right, Tio-chan!" Miledi's cheerfulness returned briefly. "Though I have to say, it's been rather convenient having unlimited fuel for the labyrinths all these years."
I paused for a moment, focusing inward to consult with Raphael about what we were dealing with.
<
Interesting. Raphael had managed to obtain that much data? The fact that Athens had no mental faculty left to resist the forced analysis probably helped, but it was still impressive.
"And here I was worried that I might have to fight as hard as I did with Hel," I said aloud, stretching out my hand and cracking my neck in preparation.
"...Ohh," Miledi breathed out.
"Wait, WHAT?!" But then she practically shrieked, her golem body spinning to face me fully. "Did you just say you fought Hel?! As in, the Goddess of Death Hel?!"
"I did more than fight her," I replied, turning to look at her. She seemed almost desperate not to believe me. "I killed her after all."
"You KILLED Hel?!" Miledi's voice went up another octave. "Rimuru-kunnnn, are you completely insane?! Do you have any idea what you're saying?!"
I blinked at her reaction. "Is it that unbelievable? I thought you had at least a little faith in me, Miledi."
"Faith has nothing to do with it, you absolute madman! You boofus! You dumbass!" she exclaimed, waving her arms frantically. "Among all the gods, Hel is one of the mightiest! Do you have any idea what you've accomplished?"
Thankfully she didn't overreact, I thought to myself in sarcasm, rolling my eyes in the process.
"Is that so?"
"It is so!" she insisted. "I mean, I knew you were capable of great things, but Hel? She's been an unstoppable force for millennia!"
I'd suspected there were considerable power gaps among the gods, considering that the first one I'd killed—Nelson—had been almost laughably weak compared to either Keith or Hel. But hearing confirmation of the hierarchy was useful.
"And how strong is this Keith fellow?" Tio asked, voicing the question I'd been about to ask myself.
"Keith is..." Miledi paused, seeming to gather her thoughts. "He's the strongest god. Bar none. He's been the real power behind the throne for thousands of years, and there's a reason none of the other gods have ever challenged his authority directly."
She began counting on her golem fingers. "After Keith, you have Hel and Ghidorah—the God of Destruction—roughly tied for second place, though I guess Hel's not a concern anymore..." She gave me a look that was part admiration, part terror.
"Then Athens and Ehit are in the next tier down. The weakest are Alva and Nelson, though they're just as deadly as you'd expect from gods. But these are all just rough estimates, so don't curse me if the information gets you killed!"
I nodded thoughtfully. "So I've been working my way up the ladder, then."
"Working your way up the—" Miledi stared at me in disbelief. "Rimuru-kun, you have a real knack for lacking common sense, don't cha?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." I shrugged as I approached the seal once more. "It doesn't change what needs to be done. They all have to die."
I paused in front of the magical container, gently caressing my hand against its surface. "Promises, promises. Right, Miledi?"
"You are absolutely, completely, impossibly insane, you know that, Rimuru-kun?" Miledi said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm going to admit—I totally underestimated you. I thought you were just an ambitious dreamer with delusions of grandeur. But you actually mean it, don't you? Every word."
"I try to honor my promises to the best of my abilities," I replied.
I'd almost said 'I always keep my word,' but the memory of Hinata surfaced before I could. Even now, the bitterness of how things had ended between us refused to fade. I'd promised Shizue I'd look after her student, but Hinata and I had ended up walking fundamentally different paths.
It was more than likely that the next time we met, it would end in one of our deaths.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I refocused on the matter at hand. "Miledi, quick question before I get started. If the gods wanted Athens to rampage around and all, couldn't they have just undone your seal themselves? Why leave her locked up all this time?"
"You know, I thought the same thing for the longest time," Miledi replied, her expression growing thoughtful. "I've been bracing myself for an assault for centuries. But they just... don't come. I think Keith's behind it, honestly. It would fit his style to leave her here as some kind of joke or contingency plan."
"Or maybe he's saving her for the right moment," I mused. "A rampaging goddess would make quite the weapon if used at the right time and place. Either way, it doesn't matter now. I'm here to make sure she can't be used as a weapon by anyone."
I turned to face both of them. "Y'all better brace yourselves, just in case things don't go according to plan."
Tio immediately began weaving protective spells around herself, with Miledi following suit. I placed my hand firmly against the transparent magical container that held the sealed goddess.
"Rimuru," Miledi called out as I firmly placed my hand on the transparent magical barrier. "Are you absolutely certain about this?"
I paused, considering her question. "Miledi, let me ask you something. In all the centuries you've been guarding her, have you ever regretted sealing Athens away?"
She was quiet for a long moment.
"No," she admitted. "Even knowing what I know now, even understanding that she came to us willingly... no, I don't regret it. The alternative was too terrible to contemplate."
"Then this is just the next step. Instead of leaving her as a ticking time bomb to be exploited, I'm ending the threat permanently."
The surface was warm to the touch, thrumming with dense energy that made my skin tingle.
"Belzebuth."
Immediately, I activated the maximum output of the Lord of Gluttony upon the space around us. Most of Belzebuth's sub-skills activated at the same time—Capture (evolved from Predation), Complex Space (Evolved from Stomach & Isolation), Decomposition, and Soul Consumption working in perfect harmony to create a vortex of insatiable hunger.
A voracious force erupted from my position, and suddenly this incredibly spacious chamber felt impossibly small. Cracks appeared in the walls, floor, and ceiling as space and time themselves trembled before the overwhelming authority.
The magical seal was devoured completely, consumed along with every trace of the energy that had maintained it for centuries. Athens herself was drawn into the vortex, her form disintegrated and fed directly to me.
The process was over in seconds, leaving behind only silence.
I let out a long breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
"Three gods down," I said, satisfaction coloring my voice. "Four more to go."
"Just like that?" Miledi asked.
"Just like that. Though I have to say, she tasted bitter."
"That's probably the curse Keith placed on her," Tio observed, her protective spells finally dissipating. "Corruption has a way of tainting everything it touches."
"Yeah, but I did expect her to taste good."
I stretched, already feeling Raphael processing and analyzing the consumed goddess's power. There would be new abilities to explore and understand, but that could wait.
For now, I was content with another step forward in my war against the gods.