This did not yet account for Frey's direct subordinates, the Harpies, who numbered over a million exceptional subjects.
It was no wonder Frey yearned to return to the fold.
Damien's naming was simply too enticing!
Watching the tengu evolve into the Kunitsu left Frey envious, tempted to abandon her domain in the Fulbrosia and lead her people to join Damien.
"Woo~~"
By noon, Rimuru stirred from a deep slumber, groggily opening her eyes.
"Huh?"
"Where am I?"
Maintaining her slime form, Rimuru surveyed her surroundings, finding herself in a rather luxurious room.
"Great Sage, what's my current status?"
[Notice: Individual Name 'Rimuru' Has Successfully Evolved]
[Rimuru]
[Race: Dragonoid]
[Magicules: 8,000,000 EP (S-Rank True Demon Lord)]
[Ultimate Skills: Lord of Gluttony Beelzebub (Seven Deadly Sins), Lord of Astral Atum (High-Tier Ultimate), Lord of Wisdom Athena (Mid-Tier Ultimate)]
[Special Skills: Magicule Solidification, Stardust Simulation (Degraded from Stardust Manipulation)]
"Wow, that's incredible!!"
Rimuru leapt from the bed, transforming into the form of a blue-haired girl.
The girl stared in astonishment at her status panel.
Compared to the simplified version that only displayed her ultimate skills, as Rimuru fully expanded her information...
What appeared before her was a dizzying array of hundreds of skills, resistances, innate abilities, and extra skills.
"Hiss~~~"
If nothing else, the sheer magnitude of her 8,000,000 magicule count was enough to leave Rimuru awestruck.
To think, she had once been a mere slime with a paltry few tens of thousands of magicules.
After meeting Damien and being named by him, she had soared to become a Demon Lord Seed with 990,000 magicules.
And now...
There was no doubt... she had successfully awakened, formally stepping into the ranks of the world's elite.
She was surpassed only by the Dragon Gods, as well as Milim and Guy, the veteran Demon Lords.
Knock, knock!
"Come in."
At Rimuru's voice, Damien pushed open the door and entered.
"Yo!"
Damien greeted with a smile. "How do you feel?"
"Amazing!"
Rimuru eagerly shared her post-evolution stats and the immense power she now wielded with Damien.
Three ultimate skills, plus the inheritance of the 'True Dragon Factor' from Damien.
This was why her race was designated as Dragonoid.
Beyond that was Rimuru's special skill... Stardust Simulation.
Simulation, not manipulation.
Thus, the Stardusts wielded by Rimuru were fundamentally inferior to those of Damien or Milim.
Even so, for Rimuru to inherit this ability from Damien was proof of her exceptional nature.
"What about Great Sage?"
Damien asked, "How's she doing?"
"Oh, almost forgot."
As Rimuru spoke, a figure materialized beside her.
It bore an identical appearance to Rimuru but exuded a colder, more detached demeanor... none other than her external brain and caretaker, the Great Sage herself!
"Athena, huh?"
Damien noted that Great Sage's situation mirrored his own Violet, having fused with a specific ultimate skill.
The Lord of Wisdom Athena, and the Lord of Insight Uriel.
"Intriguing..."
Damien closely examined Great Sage's avatar, detecting a unique soul reaction within her.
Back when he read the novels, Damien had speculated whether Rimuru was the reincarnation of Veldanava, with Great Sage being Lucia, Veldanava's wife.
But now, it seemed that theory was inaccurate.
Damien could confirm that Rimuru was indeed connected to Veldanava.
Yet, she was absolutely not Veldanava!
'Violet, what's your take?'
'After analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn.'
Violet responded, 'Individual Name Rimuru conforms to a soul continuation structure... namely, a new entity formed from the fusion and subsequent separation of Veldanava and Lucia's souls!'
In simple terms, it was akin to a human couple conceiving a child.
Rather than Rimuru being the reincarnation of Veldanava...
It was more accurate to say she was a fragment separated from the fused souls of Veldanava and Lucia, created to prevent their eternal parting.
More than reincarnation, she was akin to a younger sibling of both Veldanava and Lucia.
Yes, a sibling, not a daughter!
Soul fusion and separation were entirely distinct from human genetic combination.
Genes could be replicated, but souls could not.
Consider: if your father's soul and your mother's soul fused and then split in half...
Would that half be your sibling or your aunt or uncle?
Clearly, in terms of hierarchy, it would be the latter, not the former.
'So, Rimuru can be understood as a new true dragon?'
'Correct.'
Violet affirmed, 'Rimuru represents the emotional aspect, while Great Sage embodies the rational aspect.'
Thus, Rimuru and Great Sage were, in truth, one entity... not Veldanava or Lucia.
"I see."
"What?"
Rimuru, hearing Damien speak suddenly, was puzzled.
"Nothing."
Damien smiled and patted Rimuru's shoulder. "Just figured some things out. Don't worry about it."
If Violet's explanation held, Damien and Rimuru's relationship could be likened to that of blood-related siblings.
Much like Velgrynd and Veldora.
All were kin of Veldanava.
"I'm very curious, okay!"
"Come on, let's go to the banquet."
Damien said, "To celebrate the Dragonewt and Lycanthrope joining us, and your successful awakening as a Demon Lord."
"Everyone's prepared food and drink," Damien added. "You sure you're not coming?"
"I'm coming!!"
At the mention of a banquet, Rimuru's thoughts immediately turned to revelry and relaxation.
Overwhelmed by endless tasks, Rimuru couldn't resist Damien's temptation and dashed off gleefully.
Great Sage, meanwhile, offered Damien a respectful bow before dissipating into magical energy.
'It seems Great Sage knows more than Rimuru does.'
Or rather, it wasn't that she knew more.
Great Sage was the keeper of certain memories belonging to Rimuru.
As for a certain slime...
She need only live carefree, unburdened by such complexities.
"Hm, living carefree."
Damien thought of the newly joined Lycanthrope and Dragonewt. "After this banquet, I can assign some tasks to Rimuru."
Truly, the backbone of his monster kingdom... the title of Great Sage was well-earned!
Rimuru, the champion of heavy lifting, continued to prove her worth!
***
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I just wanted to let you know that right now I'm working on a really good and promising naruto fanfic. If you're interested in reading it, feel free to give it a try:
[Naruto: Pathological Liar]
Synopsis:
After reincarnated as a worthless member of the Hyūga branch family...
Fate handed me the worst possible script, but that's fine... I was born to be the greatest actor.
Are you ready?
My name is Hyūga Kumokawa.
I'm going to weave one enormous lie.
And make the entire ninja world dance to it.
---