The Spies and the Clowns
Countless explosions continued to sound as the unstoppable force that was Footman continued to crash against the trees, searching for the spies. Countless threads shot from the shadows, trying to stop him, but Footman simply rolled past all of them, his momentum unstoppable.
Souei and his team watched the chaos unfold from the shadows as they continued to run away. Their orders were to retreat. However, it looked like it wasn't going to be so easy.
'We need to find an opening.' He commanded using Thought Communication. 'If we continue like this, then we will only cause a bigger mess for Lord Rimuru. We cannot let them track us back to Tempest.'
Since the Clown had been able to detect them even while hiding, there was the chance that he might be able to track them down if they just fled without losing track of him first. However, that was going to prove harder than he thought since he appeared to be far stronger than they were. Even while using the reliable Shadow Motion.
"Hohhhh-hoh-hoh-hoh! Tear! They're trying to escape!" Footman laughed joyously, destroying everything in his path.
"Eee-hee-hee! They don't know I can see them!" Tear giggled, her fingers weaving threads that stuck to the ground. "Break 'em out, Footman."
Using Thought Communication, she shared their location with Footman. In an instant, the unstoppable ball of destruction changed direction, heading directly toward Souei and his team.
'I'll distract them. Escape!' Souei commanded, leaping from the shadows. Threads shot everywhere, trying to block Footman, but it was useless. Footman crashed into Souei, who exploded into a burst of Magicules.
-
"Oh? A clone?" Tear mused aloud, turning to Footman. "I think they're trying to distract us, Footman. That's a bit mean, don't you think? They spy on us and then try to run away. Lemme find them for ya."
Tear's threads remained connected to the ground when she suddenly felt a surge of danger.
"Whoooops!" She yelped, leaping from her rock and barely dodging a blade that slashed at her back. She flipped through the air and landed gracefully, facing the cloaked figure.
Souei, now cloaked to conceal his identity, stepped forward.
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding." He said, buying time for his team. "It is purely coincidental that we crossed paths."
"Yeah, right. Get a load of this guy, Footman." Tear scoffed. "I'll handle him. You go catch the rest."
Footman nodded, transforming into a ball and shooting in the direction of the fleeing shadows.
"All mysterious and everything. Why don't you show me your face? I bet you're a cutie patootie under all those clothes. What do you say? You show me yours, and I show you mine. Hehe." Tear joked, dashing towards Souei, who raised his tanto blade in defense.
In a blink, she dashed towards Souei, her movements fluid and unpredictable.
Souei raised his tanto blade in defense, eyes sharp and focused. Tear moved like a dancer, her body twisting and spinning to evade his strikes. Her agility was extraordinary; she seemed to anticipate his every move. Souei slashed, but Tear flipped over him, landing a solid punch to his stomach. He staggered back, feeling the force of her blow.
Undeterred, Souei quickly regained his stance. He sent a flurry of threads towards her, but Tear dodged them with ease, her laughter echoing through the forest. She launched a rapid series of punches and kicks, each one aimed with deadly precision. Souei blocked and parried as best he could, but she was relentless, her attacks a blur of motion.
Tear's fist connected with his jaw, and Souei felt the sting of pain. He retaliated by sending a wave of threads to encircle her, but Tear somersaulted backwards, evading capture. She landed gracefully, her eyes never leaving his.
"Is that all you've got, Mr. Spy?" Tear teased, her fingers weaving more threads. "I expected more from someone trying to buy time."
Souei narrowed his eyes. He had to change tactics. It was clear that the girl in front of him was simply messing around with him and didn't take him as a serious opponent.
With a swift motion, he created several clones, each one mirroring his movements. The real Souei disappeared into the shadows, using the confusion to his advantage. In an instant, all of the clones rushed at Tear from different directions.
Tear's eyes widened in surprise but quickly narrowed in determination. She dodged and weaved through the clones, her body a blur of motion. She destroyed one after another, her movements precise and deadly. But the real Souei remained hidden, waiting for her to lower her guard.
Suddenly, Tear felt a surge of danger. She flipped backward just in time to avoid a cocoon of threads that consumed the space she had been standing.
"Ooooh, spooky. Are you a spider, Mr. Spy?" She taunted, searching the shadows. "Mr. Spy?"
She raised her guard briefly before realizing what had just happened.
"Mr. Spy! Come back here! I wasn't finished with you!" She shouted. However, by that point, Souei was long gone.
As Tear began to kick the dirt around frustratedly, Footman arrived a few minutes later.
"I lost them." He muttered with some anger as he looked at Tear.
"Well, whatever. Our mission is to send Charybdis towards Fulbrosia, not deal with spies. I'll call Clayman again. I'm sure he'll have a plan or something."
— — —
As Rimuru prepared to leave Fulbrosia and gather his forces to confront Charybdis, he exchanged farewells with Frey. Just then, the mechanical voice of the Sage echoed in his mind.
[Notice. Universal Sense has detected the individual Souei heading in this direction.]
Rimuru's eyes widened as Souei emerged from the shadows, landing gracefully on one knee before him. Despite Souei's composed expression, Rimuru sensed his exhaustion and the toll the recent battle had taken on him. His magicules were nearly depleted, and faint beads of sweat dotted his forehead, an unusual sight for someone who always maintained an unshakable demeanor.
"Lord Rimuru, I have a report. I moved as fast as I could—" Souei began, his voice strained. Rimuru tossed him a potion, and with a nod, Souei drank it, the healing liquid restoring his vitality.
'Is it about Charybdis?' Rimuru asked, using Thought Communication. After receiving a nod, he guided Souei into Fulbrosia.
The Harpies cast a few curious glances at Souei since he didn't have wings, but seeing Rimuru beside him, they allowed him to pass without issue.
"Rimuru? I thought you were leaving?" Frey asked, her voice tinged with surprise as a slight smile appeared on her face. However, upon seeing Souei, her eyes narrowed, returning to her usual cautious and cunning demeanor.
Souei glanced at Frey warily before looking back at Rimuru.
Understanding Souei's silent question, Rimuru gave a reassuring smile.
"It's fine to share the information here. I trust Frey."
Hearing him, Frey's smile returned, a touch warmer this time.
Souei began his report, detailing the plan he had overheard from Clayman.
"Clayman intends to destroy Fulbrosia, make Frey his puppet, use her to control Milim, and then use Milim to destroy Eurazania."
As Souei spoke, Frey's anger grew, but she quickly composed herself, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"I should have seen it coming. I can't believe I almost accepted his offer." Frey said, her eyes focused.
"He wanted to control me?" Milim asked with a giggle. "Yeah, good luck with that. Gotta tell you, Rimuru, these new Demon Lords are really inexperienced. Though it would have been kind of funny to pretend to be mind-controlled, don't you think so?" Milim mused.
"This is all part of his plan to Awaken…" Frey muttered, deep in thought as she tried to piece together the information. Her eyes widened in realization. "Is it death? Or Souls?"
"Souls." Rimuru answered, drawing the attention of the group. "Around 10,000 human Souls are needed. Monster or Majin Souls can also be used, but the amount needed might change depending on their quality and energy. There's a war coming to Tempest soon, so I was planning on using that to Awaken some of my people, too."
Frey's eyes widened in surprise while Milim suddenly froze.
Noticing Milim's reaction, Rimuru grew concerned.
"Is something wrong?" He asked. For a moment, he thought he might have misremembered, but the Sage had confirmed the information.
"Uhhhh….." Milim mused, her expression shifting in discomfort before she spoke. "I'm really not supposed to say anything…"
Instantly, both Rimuru and Frey exchanged a glance before Rimuru stepped forward.
"Not even to your Besto Friendo?" He asked. Giving her the best puppy eyes he could do.
"Uh….." Milim began to look around the room, almost as if making sure she wasn't being listened to, before finally sighing. "Promise you won't tell anyone I told you, especially not Guy. He's going to get angry if he finds out."
"I promise." Rimuru immediately said, with Frey nodding next to him in agreement.
"Well… if you name someone and they serve you, you can't Awaken them. The Souls will simply be passed onto you… Guy tried to Awaken Misery and Rain, and well… he couldn't."
'Sage.' Rimuru thought, and before he could even ask the question, Sage answered.
[Notice. Beginning analysis on the new information obtained. Processing…]
[Processing complete. Information appears to be accurate. Should the skill Great Sage devote processing power to trying to find a solution for Awakening subordinates?]
'How long would it take to complete?' Rimuru asked.
[Attempting to process…]
[Error. Cannot process the request due to lack of information. Analysis of the Awakening process is required for further data.] Sage said in their usual robotic voice, though Rimuru could swear that there was a hint of frustration in it.
'Don't worry about it, Sage.' Rimuru reassured his skill. As weird as it was, he felt the need to stop Sage from beating their metaphorical head against a wall.
Stepping out of the Thought Acceleration Sage had brought him in, he turned to Frey.
"I guess that means you and I are the only ones who can awaken. So I guess I know what my wedding gift to you will be." He said with a chuckle before turning to Milim and ruffling her hair. "Thanks, Milim, I owe you one."
Milim let out a satisfied smile as she heard him before puffing out her non-existent chest and laughing.
"Well, I guess that's what friends are for, no? Does that mean I get the gift you told me about?"
"I'll give it to you once we deal with Charybdis. It's still not quite finished."
The sudden mention of Charybdis brought everyone in the room to focus.
"That's right… Charybdis." Frey said, her expression turning back to focus as she looked at Milim. "Milim, is there any way you can help us? I would rather deal with it on my own, but…."
"I will help if you really need me to," Milim said, looking slightly annoyed. "Even though it will be boring just to sit and watch. You two will never get any stronger if I just deal with all the annoying bugs. I have to watch after my two juniors, after all." Milim said, laughing slightly at the end.
Since Rimuru had asked her to hold off and wait, she was going to do him this favor. He wasn't entirely wrong the more she thought about it. The way she justified it in her head was that the stronger Rimuru got, the more fun they could have when playing.
Frey, looking slightly annoyed herself, took another deep breath before becoming serious.
"You're right, Milim. If I am going to truly Awaken as a Demon Lord, then I need to start fighting in my own battles. Thank you for the reminder."
With all the information now laid on the table, Rimuru took the lead as he began.
"Since Charybdis will head in this direction, we must gather my troops here. We don't know how long Charybdis will take to revive, so we must move quickly. Souei, did your team send the information back?"
"Yes, Lord Rimuru. We can safely assume that Tempest is gearing up to fight Charybdis. They are probably waiting for your orders."
Frey nodded as she suggested.
"My daughters are almost as fast as I am. We can send them to deliver the information, though they might not trust it if it comes from them."
Nodding at the suggestion, Rimuru continued.
"Souka, I need you to hide in Luchia's shadow and return with them. Souei needs to rest to be ready for the battle. Once we finish the preparations, the two of you will need to report as fast as they can."
"Understood, Lord Rimuru. I'll make sure the message is delivered." Souka said as she stepped forward.
Instantly, both Frey and Rimuru began to work on a battle strategy. Frey explained the strengths and weaknesses of her army, detailing their aerial capabilities and combat formations. Rimuru, on his part, used Sage to instantly create the most efficient battle plan possible, optimizing the placement and roles of each unit to maximize their effectiveness.
Despite the tense atmosphere, the two of them found themselves enjoying the moment of planning. The synergy between Frey's tactical insights and Rimuru's analytical precision created a strong strategy that would give them the best chance of success.
However, when the time came for them to discuss what Rimuru's role would be, Frey was left surprised.
"You… are going to eat Charybdis?"
— — —
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