Razen, who was nearly at the pinnacle of mages, was never short on offensive means. What he sought was an eternally youthful body and a powerful physique.
So, Shogo must not die. Absolutely not.
As for Rimuru...
Razen was a monster with hundreds of thousands of magicules. Even a Demon Lord was nothing he feared.
Boom!!
Unfortunately, Razen had clearly overestimated his own strength.
The deep blue flames flickered like the night sky, with stars swirling within. Beautiful, yet unimaginably dangerous.
This was the power Rimuru gained from Rin after obtaining star particle simulation.
She called it Starfire.
A flame of creation and destruction that could ignite all things, even burning away the laws themselves.
It could heal wounds, even bring back the dead.
It could also annihilate souls, leaving behind nothing.
For Rimuru, life and death were merely thoughts away.
"What is this?!"
In that instant, an endless expanse of azure Starfire engulfed Razen and the others, cutting off all paths of retreat and blocking off all perception inside and out.
"Alright."
"Now, no one will get in the way."
Rimuru held the Starfire in her left hand, while her right hand manifested a silver longsword, only the width of a thumb.
"It's not going to end quickly, you disgusting scumbags."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Rin sensed the commotion coming from the distant forest and clicked his tongue in amusement.
Honestly, it was just Razen, a few hundred human soldiers, maybe one Demon Lord Seed, and a group of B-rank adventurers.
Yet they managed to draw the full wrath of two True Demon Lords. And not just any two, but top-tier beings wielding high-level Ultimate Skills.
Just with that alone, they had already surpassed Veldora's former level of threat.
"What's going on over there?"
Albis and Sophia leaned on each other, barely able to stand, keeping themselves from collapsing again.
They looked from Rin to Treyni, who now stood at Rin's side like a maid, exuding quiet reverence.
Although her form had changed somewhat, she still retained seven or eight-tenths of the legendary Dryad's appearance.
There was no doubt. She was the administrator of the Jura Great Forest.
"Want to see?"
Rin asked casually. The two women looked at each other and immediately nodded.
"Yes!"
"Treyni."
"Understood, Rin-sama."
Treyni raised her hand. Ripples spread through the air, forming a screen that displayed the distant battlefield.
What came into view first was a land scorched black and riddled with molten iron.
All five hundred human soldiers, without exception, had been incinerated by Rimuru's Starfire.
Flesh and soul, burned to ash.
Only pure soul energy remained, which Rimuru absorbed and passed to Yustizafull through the soul corridor.
"Now, only you remain."
Inside the flames, only Razen, Kyoya, and Kirara were still clinging to life.
No, more accurately, Razen had used up a massive amount of magical power to construct a defensive barrier, barely resisting Rimuru's absolute incineration.
"So strong!"
"What is that flame?!"
Even through the screen, Albis and Sophia could feel the terror of Rimuru's flames.
A fear rooted in the soul. Reverence for a power that could erase them completely.
They must never touch that flame.
Once touched, eternal damnation awaited.
"She's holding back."
Rin didn't believe that someone like Razen could endure Rimuru's Starfire.
If she willed it, she could burn through magical power with a single thought.
Crack!
In the next moment, with only a flicker of thought, Rimuru shattered Razen's magic barrier.
And with it, shattered Razen's preset escape spell. The space magic that would have let him flee in danger was gone.
"Ugh!!!"
A flicker of flame landed on Razen's right arm, the one gripping his magic staff.
An agony like ten thousand blades slicing into his body consumed him.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Razen sliced off his own arm.
"Hah... hah..."
He stared at the severed arm, which crumbled instantly into ash. Cold sweat drenched his body. The pain was unbearable, but he was grateful for his decisiveness.
'That was close...'
'Just a little more, and I'd be dead.'
Unless experienced personally, one could never understand the horror of that azure flame.
It burned not only flesh and blood, but the very soul.
Faced with such overwhelming power, Razen finally felt fear.
"Please, please calm down!"
"I think... there may be some misunderstanding."
If not for the last shred of pride as a Great Archmage, Razen would have already begged for mercy outright.
"Can't we talk this out?"
"At this point, is there anything left to say?"
"You invaded our territory, caused destruction here, slaughtered innocent lives."
Rimuru wasn't going to mention the possible future.
She wouldn't punish them for what hadn't happened yet.
But everything they had already done, she would make them pay for in full.
"No, no! I don't want to die yet!"
Kirara collapsed onto the ground as Rimuru approached, her face twisted in fear. She even wet herself on the spot.
"Damn it!!"
Kyoya was trembling too, but he hadn't given up.
"Ah!!"
In the next instant, Kyoya kicked Kirara hard in the back, sending her flying toward Rimuru.
Kirara screamed in pain, nearly fainting.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
All-Seeing Eye.
The Extra Skill Kyoya possessed allowed his mind and senses to operate at thousands of times normal speed.
Combined with his Severer, it was a deadly combo against soft targets.
!!!
This attack on a teammate was indeed unexpected, even for Rimuru.
But before she could feel disgust at his betrayal, a sharp blade pierced Kirara's heart and lunged straight toward Rimuru's face.
[Sacrifice complete]
[Congratulations on obtaining a new Unique Skill: Sword of Desperation]
[Sword of Desperation]
Description: Once per day, you may unleash all magical power, ignoring all physical laws and magical resistance, dealing true damage to the enemy.
"I knew it!! Hahahaha!! This power is amazing!!"
Hearing the Voice of the World whisper in his ear, Kyoya's eyes gleamed with madness.
"Die, you filthy monster!!!"
(To be continued.)