Chương 44: The Strongest Foe.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, casting a golden glow over Eurazania and bringing a gentle warmth to the land. The usual liveliness was absent, leaving an eerie silence. Carrion stood in preparation, taking deep and measured breaths as he waited, the stillness around him only heightening his anticipation.
His Extra Skill: Danger Sense was in overdrive, an unusual mix of frantic alarm and serene calmness. It was a sensation he had never felt before, absolute danger telling him that fighting the being that was approaching was pointless, mingled with a strange sense of safety. Opening his eyes, he focused on a distant dot rapidly growing larger, approaching at an impressive speed.
"She's here." Carrion muttered.
"Surprisingly punctual," Frey chuckled as she stepped forward, her wings unfurling gracefully before she took to the sky, followed quickly by Carrion.
In just a few moments, Milim appeared, wearing her usual revealing outfit. The star necklace Rimuru had given her was shimmering slightly, and it was accompanied by two purplish orbs that shone ominously.
"Milim… what a surprise…" Frey muttered with a smile. Rimuru's spies had informed them about what Milim had done, so Frey knew fully what was happening. She was probably goofing off and now was in too deep. "I wonder what Rimuru would think?"
Milim's expression remained stoic, but a small bead of sweat formed on her forehead, her eyes flickering almost imperceptibly between Frey and Carrion.
"She's not herself..." Carrion's voice rang out, a note of urgency in his tone. "Frey, be on your guard. She might be under someone's control."
Frey sighed, shaking her head slightly before shouting
"Milim, Eurazania is under our protection. You'll have to go through both of us if you want to do anything."
Milim's deadpan facade began to crack. Deciding to act before her resolve wavered, she shot toward Carrion with blinding speed, though just slow enough that they could see her movements. Her fist was aimed directly at Carrion who had only a moment to react.
Both Frey and Carrion reacted instantly. Frey vanished from her spot, reappearing in Milim's path with her wings ready to slice through her. Carrion raised his halberd and surged forward, aiming to intercept Milim's attack.
In a dazzling explosion of motion, Carrion and Frey clashed against Milim. With a swift, almost disdainful movement, Milim grabbed Carrion's halberd, using it, and him, as a bat to smack Frey out of the sky. Frey barely managed to shield herself with her wings as Carrion crashed into her, both of them sent hurtling back through the air.
Carrion took a moment to stabilize himself, his body trembling with unleashed power. He roared as he activated his Royal Beast Transformation, a pair of eagle-like wings sprouting from his back. Fur spread across his chest, and his muscles bulged, enhancing his already formidable presence.
"Milim…." Frey muttered, shaking her head. "We are going to have to talk about this later."
With a determined glare, Frey unleashed her full strength, her wings transforming into razor-sharp blades. She hovered in the air, ready to strike.
"Carrion, I'll keep her distracted. Target her weak points," Frey commanded. Carrion dumbly nodded, shocked at the amount of power Frey was displaying.
Milim's eyes darted from side to side, her focus unwavering despite the chaos around her. After spitting out a piece of pepper she had kept in her mouth, she sighed and cracked her knuckles, a small smile appearing at the corners of her lips.
In her mind, she kept repeating the same words over and over.
'Rimuru can't get mad at me because I am so cute. Plus, I am only in this mess because I was trying to help him… At worst, I just won't get any treats for some time.'
Frey instantly vanished, reappearing in front of Milim with blinding speed. Her legs had transformed into sharp talons, and her feathers were coated in a layer of razor-sharp wind, focused to perfection using Wind Manipulation.
Thanks to her Sage skill, her perception of the world had slowed down to a crawl, allowing her to move with incredible focus and speed, each movement a calculated strike, and yet she could visibly see Milim's pupils tracing her movements.
In a swift aerial dance, Frey used her wings to slash at Milim, her attacks a relentless flurry of kicks and wing strikes. Milim dodged each blow at the very last second, her movements fluid and effortless.
A small smile appeared on Milim's face as she raised her fist to punch Frey. But before her fist could connect, a small obsidian mirror materialized, blocking the punch. Cracks spiderwebbed across the mirror, but in the next moment, another mirror appeared behind Milim. From it, a hand identical to Milim's shot out, delivering a powerful blow that sent Milim flying backwards.
Milim's eyes widened in surprise as she felt the impact, her gaze snapping to the mirror. Yet, before she could fully comprehend the situation, her hand instinctively reached out to stop Carrion's halberd. A tremendous burst of wind pressure erupted as the halberd was suddenly halted in its tracks. But Carrion was undeterred, his muscles tensing as he tried to press the attack.
Milim's entire attention had been captured by Frey's newfound strength. Gripping the halberd tighter, she pulled Carrion closer before delivering a powerful punch that sent him crashing to the ground with a resounding boom.
Carrion, unable to resist the force, was flung downwards, smashing into one of the farm areas of Eurazania. The impact caused the ground to explode, sending a gigantic cloud of dirt and debris into the air.
Frey, not wasting a moment, shot towards Milim breaking the sound barrier in the process. She angled her wings for a precise strike, but Milim merely smiled, her eyes glinting with mischief, as she launched herself towards Frey.
Frey's mind raced, cursing internally. She had been confident in her speed since evolving, but even then, it was as if Milim could match her every move. If anything, Milim was still holding back.
The two clashed in mid-air, the force of their collision sending shockwaves rippling through the sky. Frey's talons slashed at Milim, who deftly blocked and countered with a series of rapid punches. Each strike was met with equal ferocity, the air around them crackling with energy.
A gigantic roar echoed from within the cloud of dirt near the ground, from which a lion made of pure magicules shot out. Carrion, undeterred, focused all of his magicules, tensing his muscles as he swung his halberd three more times, releasing three additional Beast Roar attacks.
The four beasts, all composed of shimmering magicules, moved in different directions, attempting to encircle Milim and block any escape route. Milim smiled, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she saw the attacks closing in. Just as Frey was about to retreat, Milim grabbed her by the leg and pulled her back down.
"Damn it!" Frey shouted, quickly summoning her Obsidian Mirror to shield herself. One after the other, the Beast Roars crashed against the mirror. The mirror absorbed the attacks like a sponge, glowing brighter and brighter as it consumed the energy.
Turning the mirror to face Milim, Frey unleashed three of the absorbed attacks point-blank. The ensuing explosion was massive, even a Disaster Class Majin would be wary about taking such a thing at point blank range. The shockwaves rippled through the air. Using the explosion as a distraction, Frey leaped into one of her mirrors, activating her Mirror Domain sub-skill.
The area around Frey began to shimmer and distort as if the very air had turned to glass. The battlefield took on a hazy, reflective quality, creating a surreal and disorienting environment.
Carrion, finally emerging from the dust cloud, saw Milim standing completely unharmed. Her revealing outfit had been replaced with dark armor that glinted ominously in the fading light. Two draconic wings had sprouted from her back, and a crimson horn jutted from the center of her forehead.
"Milim… that's enough goofing around." Frey's voice echoed across the area, though she was nowhere in sight. It was clear she was starting to get nervous as she felt Milim's strength continued to increase.
Milim looked around with interest, raising her arms reflexively as she felt an attack crash against her from seemingly nowhere
"Woah." Milim muttered, activating her Milim's Eye skill to see an invisible Frey flying and attacking her. Though it was almost as if Frey was in another dimension; whenever Milim tried to grab her, her hand passed through empty air.
Milim began to block Frey's attacks as best as she could, but when she tried to counter with a punch, the mirror-like surface in the air warped. As if passing through a portal, Milim's fist struck her own face, staggering her slightly.
The strange Mirror Domain appeared to be centered on Frey, so even if Milim tried to move to escape it, Frey would chase her down, perhaps Milim could have used her sheer raw power to deal with Frey's new annoying ability, but she was having fun, so she let Frey have her moment all while trying to figure out her new abilities' weakness.
Frey was trying to use her Magic Jamming to slow Milim down in any way she could, but Frey's magicules could not even penetrate into Milim's body to disturb her magicules in the first place.
Carrion, who had been watching and waiting for an opening, shot into the air with his halberd ready. He wasn't going to stand back and watch any longer, but that was his biggest mistake. With a wide grin, Milim pulled her fist back before punching.
Space tried to warp around her again, but her pure, raw physical power was enough to shatter the Mirror Domain, ensuring that Carrion received the hit straight on, blood erupted from the wound as Milim sent him flying and crashing toward Frey.
Frey felt a burst of pain from Carrion crashing into her, and from the loss of a large chunk of magicules from trying to reflect the physical attack. But before she could recover and escape, she felt a ridiculous level of magicules gathering in front of her.
If it had been anyone else, she might have been able to overwhelm them by reflecting their own attacks. But Milim was on an entirely different level. She was able to break through the Obsidian Mirror with every single punch, and she appeared to be intentionally holding back from using magicule-based attacks that her mirror could feed off from.
Both Frey and Carrion looked on in shock as they saw Milim smiling, giving out a pressure unlike any they had ever felt before.
"Drago Canon!" Milim shouted, and the next moment a blue beam shot out directly toward the two of them. She had fine-tuned her skill as best as she could to make sure she wouldn't accidentally kill either of them, trusting in Frey's instincts to escape. She had even gone out of her way to use magicules instead of her usual Stardust.
An explosion of pure, unbridled power crashed against the ground. Yet, surprising even Milim, the destruction wasn't instant. Frey's Obsidian Mirror was trying its best to absorb the attack, cracks emerging with each passing moment.
A mirror appeared next to Milim shooting out the Drago Canon trying to attack her in order to dissipate some of the energy, but Milim only intensified the strenght of her own attack, trying to overwhelm Frey. The Drago Canon that shot towards Milim was unable to harm her through her defense, but Milim did show an uncomfortable expression as her own canon crashed against her. Yet before too long, Milim smiled and sighed.
Only a few seconds passed before a massive explosion resounded as the mirror exploded, all of the magicules releasing and completely evaporating everything around it and leaving a massive crater in its wake.
As the dust settled, not even a single trace of Frey or Carrion remained, only a few chunks of broken obsidian melting into the pool of molten dirt.
Turning around, Milim surveyed the mostly intact remains of Eurazania. A few broken buildings stood as silent witnesses to the earlier chaos when she had thrown Carrion around. Her eyes lingered on the massive crater she had created. Sneakily taking out another pepper, she shoved it into her mouth, her expression becoming dull as she chewed it a few times.
She only briefly spared a glance at an area in the distance where two clowns looked on in shock before she flew away.
— — —
Crashing onto the ground of the Labyrinth, Frey and Carrion appeared in shock. Frey was holding back the urge to faint, feeling the depletion of the majority of her magicules from reflecting that final attack.
She had hesitated about escaping for a moment because she saw the attack was made out of pure magicules, an attack her mirror should have been able to contain and return. Yet Milim's attack was so strong that even her mirror had reached its max capacity, and Frey had to use her own magicules to stop the mirror from breaking before they escaped.
In Frey's eyes, Milim had turned into an absolute monster. Someone who simply couldn't be beat.
If she hadn't escaped, she probably would have been turned into nothing but ashes. Her Obsidian Mirror had barely bought them enough time to teleport away.
Maybe if she had more time to fight and get used to her Ultimate Skill she would have been able to redirect and create mirrors all throughout the battle, instinctively reflecting every attack that came her way. But she only had her Ultimate Skill for a few days, she had at most used it to move around.
Frey collapsed onto the ground as she tried to stand up, looking pale and exhausted as a few of her Harpies quickly rushed to attend to her. Phobio and Suphia sprinted to help Carrion.
"Lady Frey!"
"Lord Carrion!"
Both groups shouted in unison, their voices filled with concern as they began to assist them. Carrion punched the ground in frustration; he had been tossed around like a ragdoll the entire fight, and even when given a perfect window to attack, he hadn't even left a scratch on Milim. If anything, without Frey's strange skill, he would have only ended up hurting his own teammate.
As he turned to look at Frey, who was also looking as frustrated as he was, he couldn't help but sigh, standing up from the ground. Rejecting the potions that Phobio was trying to offer him, he clenched his fists.
"Frey…" He muttered, his voice tinged with anger and disbelief. "You said that Rimuru was stronger than you?"
Frey winced at the question, clenching her teeth. She had thought that after Awakening and obtaining an Ultimate Skill, she would be able to stand up and be equal to the other Demon Lords, but she had only managed a few cheap blows on Milim.
Her Obsidian Mirror had nearly shattered with each of Milim's hits. She could see it clearly: Milim had been toying with them the entire fight. Standing up and spitting some blood, she grabbed one of the potions, drinking it before throwing the bottle to the floor. Along with her ultra-speed regeneration, her wounds healed in seconds.
"He is." Frey answered, her wings closing around her in an uncharacteristic display of humility. She felt inadequate to show them off at the moment.
Walking away with her Harpies, she turned to Carrion.
"We are weak, Carrion. Don't forget that." Her voice was firm, yet there was a hint of bitterness as she clenched her fists and continued walking.
Carrion watched her go, the weight of her words sinking in. They had faced an overwhelming force and had been utterly outmatched.
"What sort of garbage am I to be calling myself a Demon Lord?" Carrion asked in frustration, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and shame. He was a prideful man, a King, but all that seemed meaningless now.
He felt a discomfort inside of him, the sting of humiliation and failure.
"Are you okay, Lord Carrion?" Phobio asked with concern as he saw Carrion rejecting the potions and looking lost.
Without saying a word, Carrion passed on his halberd to Phobio.
"Lord Carrion?" Phobio asked, confusion evident in his voice, but Carrion ignored him and moved deeper inside the Labyrinth.
As Carrion walked, he saw countless of his citizens smiling brightly. They were safe, and not only were they safe, but they also had actual houses in which to stay. The stark contrast between their current security and the danger they had faced weighed heavily on his heart.
When he had told them to run away, he hadn't been able to give them proper direction. He had practically left them to fend for themselves. Even though he had done it to save their lives, he couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
Each step he took felt heavier than the last. The faces of his people, now content and safe, haunted him. He remembered the panic and fear in their eyes when they had fled, the chaos and confusion that had ensued. He had failed them as a leader, as a protector.
— — —
Special Thanks to my Beta Readers/Editors: The one, the only, the amazing @Basilisk, the Aussie @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord) and @Kiyan Tribe (FF.net/AO3/QQ/WN) | kiyan_tribe( Discord)
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