Chapter 2: Sworn Brother, Storm Dragon Veldora!
Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
"So, this is where I was born, huh?" Rimuru said as he looked around, taking in the sight of the cave where he had been reincarnated in his previous timeline. Glancing about, he also noticed a large number of Hipokute Herbs growing on the ground, along with plenty of Magic Ores that were most likely the only source of illumination in the cave. Not that he needed the light to see anything, given his [Magic Sense] and enhanced vision; either of those could easily enable him to see in the dark.
After surveying his surroundings for a few minutes, Rimuru inquired, "So, Ciel, where do we stand on the timeline right now?"
<We are currently six days behind the day when you escaped this cave and met the goblins.>
"So it took me six days to clear this cave last time?" Rimuru asked.
<No, it took you six days to escape the cave, but before that, you wandered aimlessly within it for more than 90 days before encountering Veldora and consuming him.>
"Ah, I see," Rimuru nodded. "Well then, let's go meet the old man," he said, as he made his way towards Veldora, one of the only four known True Dragons in the world.
******
"I am so bored," a gigantic black dragon known as Storm Dragon, Veldora, said in a tired voice as he slammed his head against the barrier of the [Infinity Prison] that had imprisoned him there. And can you really blame him? After all, it had been three hundred years since he had seen or conversed with a living, breathing person or a monster. This isolation was due to the concentration of dense magicules that prevented anyone from approaching him or his surroundings. Only a few individuals could survive even standing in such an atmosphere, let alone spending time here, and such isolation would deteriorate anyone, even a mighty True Dragon like him.
But he knew there was no use in complaining, as no one was coming to free him. He understood that those with the power to set him free either didn't want to or were glad that he wasn't roaming freely in the Cardinal World. Besides, it didn't matter, since in 100 or so years, he would perish and revive somewhere else anyway. So, he just needed to endure it a little longer.
But then something unexpected happened. He noticed a person with long blue hair walking towards him. As they drew closer, he couldn't help but notice their golden eyes and a face even more beautiful than the hero who had sealed him in that cave.
But then he noticed something unsettling about this visitor. They had no presence at all, which shocked him. Even the weakest of monsters always exuded some presence, but this person, he couldn't feel a single thing emanating from them. This could only mean two things: either they were too weak to have any kind of presence, or they were so strong that they could completely negate it altogether. And he wasn't foolish enough to believe it was the former, especially considering that they were now standing right next to him without appearing troubled by the dense magicules in the air.
"Hmm... hello," Veldora said, attempting to initiate the conversation.
"Hello, my name is Rimuru Tempest, and you must be Veldora," they replied with a smile.
'So they know who I am,' Veldora thought, and immediately puffed up his chest. "Kuahahahaha! That's right, I am the mighty Storm Dragon Veldora, one of the only three True Dragons still alive!" he boasted.
"Is that so?" Rimuru tilted his head. "Then how did a mighty dragon like yourself end up sealed in a cave?"
"Y-yeah, about that..." Veldora fumbled with his words and rubbed the back of his head. "300 years ago, I crushed some human army, and after that, a hero came and sealed me here," Veldora explained. "Well, it doesn't mean I was weaker than her. It's just that I let my guard down because I thought she was just a powerless girl," he said, hurriedly coming up with an explanation.
"Honestly, it sounds like you were distracted by this hero's beauty or something," Rimuru remarked while chuckling to himself.
Veldora blushed and tried to give reasons why that wasn't the case but was failing miserably as he kept stuttering while giving the same lame excuse with different words.
"Well, enough about me, tell me something about yourself," Veldora said, clearly trying to change the subject which Rimuru clearly noticed as he chuckled and began talking about himself.
'Whew, that was close. Rimuru almost got me there,' Veldora thought as Rimuru continued speaking. Then as they talked for hours, Veldora learned quite a few things about Rimuru. For example, Rimuru told him that he was an otherworlder who had been reincarnated in this world as a slime. At first, Veldora didn't believe him, but then Rimuru transformed into a slime, leaving Veldora no choice but to believe him. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about Rimuru... something familiar yet at the same time different.
Then Rimuru shared stories about his world and his past life, which proved to be quite entertaining. Honestly, just having someone to interact with was a pleasant experience for Veldora, who had spent the last 300 years in solitude.
In return, Veldora also shared many stories from his past and about his family. He told Rimuru about his brother, Star King Dragon Veldanava, who was also the creator of their world. He shared stories about his sisters, and their methods of 'educating' him, and recounted his adventures before getting trapped here. Rimuru listened to everything with great interest, never once telling Veldora to be quiet or scolding him. 'Rimuru is really a nice person,' Veldora thought, smiling to himself.
But then, after a few hours, Rimuru stood up and started dusting his pants. 'Oh yeah, he must be leaving now. After all, unlike me, he is not trapped here,' Veldora thought with a frown on his face. 'Well, I am sad, but it's not like I can do anything about it. I just wish he would come visit me again.'
Then, as Veldora was preparing himself to say goodbye to Rimuru, the slime said something unexpected, "Well, I guess I should release you from this prison now."
'Huh?... Did I hear him right? No, no, he must have meant something else,' Veldora thought with wide eyes. "Did you just say that you're going to break this barrier?" he asked Rimuru.
"Yeah, it's not that big of a deal," Rimuru shrugged. "I have the [Infinity Prison] skill myself, so breaking this barrier won't be a problem for me."
'If what he is saying is true, then that means I can finally go out and—'
"Don't even think about going on a rampage again," Rimuru said with a sharp look, which, for some reason, sent chills down Veldora's spine.
"O-o-of course, why would I go on a rampage?" Veldora stammered, sweat dripping from his forehead. "You say some silly things."
"Do I now?" Rimuru asked, then sighed. "Anyway, before I break this barrier, I need you to learn how to control your aura."
"Why do I need to do that?" Veldora asked, tilting his head.
"Because if I released you right now, the world would descend into chaos, and I don't want that... not right now, at least," Rimuru muttered the last part to himself. "Besides, won't your sisters immediately rush here if they find out that you're no longer imprisoned?"
"Yep! Teach me how to control my Aura!" Veldora eagerly agreed as soon as he heard about the possibility of his sisters finding him. After all, he wasn't too keen on meeting them immediately after being freed from his centuries-long imprisonment.
And so, for the next two days, Rimuru taught Veldora how to conceal his aura. Then he broke the [Infinity Prison] and also provided him with one of his Body Doubles as a vessel to incarnate within, which Veldora reshaped to his liking. After those two days, Veldora stood in front of him, no longer as a gigantic, black, scaly dragon but as a tall, muscular, blonde-haired, handsome, albeit slightly intimidating, young man.
(AN: By the way in this fic Rimuru is as tall as Veldora since he has been constantly absorbing Null energy for the past 200 years.)
"Haha! This feels good!" Veldora said as he shadowboxed, punching the air in front of him. "Now I can easily move around without getting caught by my sisters! But enough about them!" He turned towards Rimuru. "Come on, buddy, let's get out of here," he said and started walking when Rimuru suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Not so fast," Rimuru said as a smirk appeared on his face. He then snapped his fingers, and a barrier appeared around them. "Why don't we spar a little? Don't you want to see how your new body works?"
"Wait a minute, my friend! I know you're strong, but are you sure you want to face a True Dragon in a fight?" Veldora boasted with an arrogant smirk.
"Don't worry, I think I can hold my own," Rimuru said while cracking his knuckles. 'Ciel, I want to fight this battle on my own; make sure to review my performance later.'
<As you wish.>
Meanwhile, Veldora still had that arrogant smirk plastered across his face as he said, "Well since you freed me from that prison, I'll go easy on you."
"Sure, buddy, whatever you say," Rimuru replied, assuming a fighting stance.
"Prepare yourself, Rimuru! Here I come!" Veldora declared, his voice resonating with power as he launched himself at Rimuru with incredible speed, his fist crackling with destructive power.
Rimuru, however, appeared unfazed. His lithe form moved with grace and ease as he casually sidestepped, effortlessly dodging each of Veldora's punches, which would have normally brutalized even an Awakened Demonlord.
"Is that all you've got, Veldora?" Rimuru taunted, a playful smile playing on his lips, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
Veldora frowned as he clicked his tongue and pushed himself even harder. He called upon the power of the storm, summoning [Death-Heralding Wind], and hurled it at Rimuru.
In response, Rimuru, with a nonchalant wave of his hand, created a barrier around himself. In the next moment, the attack crashed against the barrier, but it failed to breach the barrier's defenses.
"Come on, Veldora, you can do better than that!" Rimuru chided, his voice light-hearted, while Veldora's frustration reached its peak, prompting him to transform into his dragon form. "Oh, breaking the rules already," Rimuru smiled, staring at the massive black dragon in front of him.
"Take this! [Storm Blast]" Veldora roared with an atmosphere-shattering voice, concentrating his immense magical energy into a pulsating orb before releasing it with a deafening roar as a cataclysmic beam of energy rushed toward Rimuru, threatening to tear him apart.
Meanwhile, Rimuru stood there, calm as ever. His golden eyes sparkled with anticipation as Veldora's devastating attack closed in on him. He raised his hand and said, "[Azathoth]," causing purplish-black smoke to erupt from his hand, devouring Veldora's attack.
"W...what!?" Veldora, who had returned to his human form, asked in a dumbfounded voice. "How did you—" Before he could complete his sentence, Rimuru appeared in front of him.
"It's my turn, old man!" Rimuru said and punched Veldora right in the face, sending him crashing onto the nearby rocks.
"Ahh, that hurt," Veldora said, rubbing his face. "How are you able to hurt me? Even if I'm not as strong as my sisters, I'm still a True Dragon, you know."
"Oh, about that, I'm something of a True Dragon myself," Rimuru said as he briefly released his True Dragon Haki.
"Wait! How is that possible? I thought you were a slime," Veldora asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Don't worry, it's complicated," Rimuru said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, I have an idea. Why don't we share a family name?"
"Share a name?" Veldora tilted his head.
"Yeah, like brothers," Rimuru suggested.
'Well, it would be nice to have a family member who doesn't try to educate me,' he thought as he got back on his feet. "Kuahahaha! I, Storm Dragon Veldora, will gladly accept your family name!"
"Great! From today onwards, you will be known as Veldora Tempest!" Rimuru announced, and immediately, Veldora heard a voice in his head.
<Creating a soul corridor with Veldora Tempest. Success>
<<Unique Skill [Investigator] has evolved into Ultimate Skill [Lord of Investigation, Faust]>>
"Woah! I feel much stronger than before! And I even have an Ultimate Skill now!" Veldora said in an awe-filled voice. Then he looked at Rimuru and asked, "You have something to do with this, don't you?"
"I might have, who knows?" Rimuru winked at him with a smile. 'Ciel, can you show me Veldora's stats?'
<Understood. Here are Veldora's stats.>
******
Name : Veldora Tempest
Race: True Dragon
Blessing: Rimuru's compassion
Title: Storm Dragon.
Magic: [True Dragon Magic]
lntrinsic Skills: [Dragon Spirit Haki] [Universal Sense] [Universal Shapeshift]
Ultimate Skills: [Lord of Investigation, Faust]
******
'Wait a minute! How the hell does he have my blessing? I thought Veldora was someone who gave blessings to other monsters,' Rimuru asked.
<That is due to the vast difference in power between you and Veldora. Also, just now, the world recognized your announcement as you naming Veldora.>
'Oh, so I just named a True Dragon and lived to tell the tale... sounds like something I would do,' Rimuru thought as he remembered naming Primordial Demons without even knowing what they were. 'Also [Faust]? You didn't give him [Nyarlathotep]?' Rimuru asked Ciel.
<Master, knowing Veldora's personality, giving him too much power without making him work for it will prove detrimental to his growth.>
'Yeah, you are right. Veldora does have a habit of going overboard from time to time,' Rimuru replied and his thought was proven right by the very next words that came out of Veldora's mouth.
"Kuahahaha! I think I can even defeat my elder sisters now!" Veldora said boastfully.
'This idiot Dragon!' Rimuru sighed. "Veldora, don't even think about that. You just got your Ultimate Skill, whereas your sisters have had theirs for a very long time. So, you will lose to them just on the basis of experience alone."
"Oh, I see," Veldora said, sulking on the ground as a gloomy atmosphere formed around his head.
"Come on, stop sulking now! I said you can't beat them as you are now, but I never said you won't ever be able to beat them at all," Rimuru smirked at him. "Let's go another round. Don't you want to see how much stronger you've gotten with that new Ultimate Skill of yours?"
"Kuahahahah! Yeah, now I'll show you my real power!" Veldora said as he got back on his feet, with newfound determination and a smirk on his face.
And so, for the next three days, Rimuru and Veldora continued their spar. Veldora slowly got used to handling and using his new power, even managing to land some good hits on Rimuru, who was fighting without Ciel's assistance.
Then, at the end of the third day, we see Veldora lying on the ground while Rimuru sits on a nearby rock.
"That was fun," Veldora said with a smile as he recalled how much progress he had made in just the last three days compared to when he used to be educated by his sisters. He knew that part of it was the fact that he actually enjoyed sparring with his new brother. Instead of demeaning his lack of skills, Rimuru gave him useful tips on how to control his Ultimate Skill. Though he did wonder how Rimuru knew so much about his Ultimate Skill, he decided not to dwell on it since, in the end, it was only going to help him grow much more quickly than doing it on his own.
"Yeah, it was," Rimuru said and splashed Veldora with a healing potion, making all of his injuries and fatigue disappear. "Now get up, it's time for us to go."
"Where are we going?" Veldora asked as he got back to his feet.
Rimuru turned around and smirked at him. "Outside." 'Well, my encounter with Veldora went much differently than last time. I wonder how differently other encounters will go,' he thought to himself and suddenly remembered something. 'Oh yeah, Ciel, keep an eye on that person and tell me when he gets here.'
<Understood, Master.>
'Good. Now, let's go and establish the foundation of our nation,' he thought and started walking while Veldora followed behind.
To be continued...
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