Silver hair cascaded down to her waist, and a pair of heterochromatic blue and red eyes seemed to contain endless light. She wore a black bubble skirt, and her entire being exuded a divine aura.
Although Luminus was a ten-thousand-year-old flat-chested loli and a tsundere to boot,
in the eyes of outsiders, she remained a queen with a cold and aloof temperament.
At this moment, Hinata stood respectfully to the side, silently waiting for Luminus to issue her orders.
On the desk, besides the letters submitted by the Western Nations, there was also a document sent by someone dispatched by Misari.
It was precisely these two documents that caused the usually decisive Luminus to hesitate slightly.
"What exactly is Guy thinking? If a Holy War is truly triggered, one wrong move could break the balance that has been so hard to maintain."
Luminus was truly puzzled.
However, since it was Guy's idea, she would naturally cooperate. In any case, she could just leave the mess for Guy to handle himself when the time came.
"Hinata, pass on my command. Regard the Monster Country as an enemy of God and dispatch Temple Knights to annihilate them."
"Understood!"
Upon receiving the order, Hinata didn't waste a single word. She gave a salute and descended the mountain, beginning to assemble her subordinates, the Ten Great Saints, to prepare for a military campaign against the Jura Tempest Federation... Freedom Association Headquarters.
Yuuki had a gloomy expression on his face as he fell into silence while looking at the intelligence in his hand.
He hadn't even had time to sow discord between Rimuru and Hinata yet, and the Western Holy Church was already preparing to take action against the Jura Tempest Federation?
Moreover, the execution of the plans these past few days had been far too smooth, giving Yuuki an ominous premonition.
To be safe, Yuuki decided to contact someone.
A mysterious old man wearing a white hood appeared on the other side of the communication crystal.
"You should have received the news by now, right?"
Yuuki got straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"Don't ask me, I'm not very clear about it either."
The old man was just as bewildered as Yuuki was at this moment.
The two chatted for a few more words before the communication was disconnected.
"There must be a secret I don't know about. What could it be?"
Yuuki sat in his chair, murmuring in a low voice... Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Draco looked at the intelligence gathered by Demiurge, his brow also furrowed.
"How can I lure the fish out..."
The things Draco was considering now were no longer about dealing with a mere Clayman.
It would be far too unworthy to trigger a Holy War just for Clayman.
Draco and Guy were preparing to play a grand game of chess to thoroughly root out the potential threats in the human world.
Those fellows who loved to stir up trouble would certainly show their true colors amidst this massive transformation.
"I don't believe they won't be tempted."
...Undercurrents surged in the outside world, and the gambits between various factions were about to unfold.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of the vortex was completely unaware.
On the carriage, Rimuru took Susu and Ramiris on a scenic journey, spending over half a month before finally arriving at the Republic of Ulgrasia.
Inside a secluded park, a massive, ancient stone gate was covered in vines and carved with many ancient runes.
Ramiris looked at the familiar place, her eyes filled with excitement.
"I'm finally home."
After wandering around for several months, sleeping in the wind and eating in the rain, she was finally back.
She could finally resume her life as a shut-in.
"So this is your home? It looks so dilapidated," Susu asked, blinking her large eyes.
"Hmph, this is just the entrance. My labyrinth is huge," Ramiris said indignantly.
Rimuru ignored their bickering, put away the carriage on his own, and rode Ranga to find a hidden spot to begin setting up a base teleportation array.
He still needed to return to the academy to pick up the children.
A moment later, the formation took shape.
After letting Ramiris wait for a while, Rimuru stepped out of the teleportation array with the five problem children.
"Alright, follow me closely. Don't get separated."
Like a tour guide on a spring outing, Rimuru gave instructions to the children.
"What a cute fox!"
"Let me pet her."
"Eh?"
Chloe and Alice couldn't help but pounce on Susu when they saw her.
Alice rubbed her cheek against her. "So fluffy, it feels so good."
"Hey, don't touch my tail, it's very sensitive!"
After dodging a few times and finding it ineffective, Susu simply gave up the struggle and let the two hold her.
"Stop playing, everyone keep up."
Seeing Ramiris open the gate, Rimuru urged the group.
The inside of the labyrinth was originally pitch black, with only a few street lamps flickering with weak flames.
This was Ramiris's twisted sense of humor, intended to create a terrifying atmosphere to scare away humans who wandered in.
"Snap!"
She lightly snapped her fingers, and a path of starlight immediately appeared in front of the group, extending all the way into the depths of the labyrinth.
This was Ramiris's unique skill, 'Labyrinth Creation'. Inside the labyrinth, she was a god, able to control everything within as she pleased.
"Lady Ramiris is back!"
"My Lady has been away for so long, she's finally back!"
"Welcome home, My Lady!"
As the group went deeper, clusters of fluorescence appeared. Those were small fairies living in the labyrinth, looking very similar to Ramiris but even more miniature.
The Treant Treyni used to be this tiny as well, which was why Ramiris called her Little Treyni, because she really was small.
The small fairies fluttered around Ramiris incessantly, chirping and asking about recent events.
At this moment, Ramiris proudly puffed out her chest, boasting to her subjects about her great and glorious deeds over the past few months.
They arrived at a room at the end. The surroundings were walls made of ancient blue stone bricks; if a few iron bars were added, it could serve as a prison cell.
In the center of the room stood a giant pink mechanical iron man.
"Ramiris, you don't actually live here, do you?"
Rimuru asked with some sympathy, looking at the retro decor and the bare walls.
"Yeah, but I didn't know how to design it before, so I just put it together randomly. Now that I've been to Draco's place, watch me remodel it."
With those words, Ramiris enthusiastically conceptualized the design in her mind, and immediately, the 'Labyrinth Creation' skill was activated.
The entire labyrinth suddenly lit up, with high mountains, flowing water, hot springs, and lakes.
A magnificent and dreamlike city appeared out of thin air, with countless exquisite buildings rising from the ground.
This floor had been remodeled by Ramiris into a replica of Nazarick.
"Ta-da!"
"This is much better, isn't it?"
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