— — — — — —
After Rimuru's explanation...
"So, that's really a thing, huh…" Kevin sat on the ground, mulling over what Rimuru had just told him.
"What's wrong? Can't accept it, or just can't believe it?" Rimuru said, munching on a skewer of grilled meat as he spoke.
"No, I believe you," Kevin replied calmly. "Actually, it matches my own suspicions. After all, the Gate to the Sea of Quanta hasn't been opened."
"You're a smart one, huh? Chomp, chomp…" Rimuru praised with his mouth still half full.
"Barbecuing in the Sea of Quanta… what am I even supposed to say to that?" Kevin's expression darkened. Did these people even realize where they were? Who in their right mind thinks of setting up a barbecue here?
"Relax, don't sweat the small stuff," Rimuru said with a shrug. "It's not like there's a rule saying you can't barbecue in the Sea of Quanta."
Kevin: "…"
"Hey kid, want a skewer?" Garp strolled over at that moment, holding several dozen skewers in one hand, and offered one to Kevin.
"N— Ahem... Thanks." Kevin was about to refuse, but the smell of grilled meat hit him. He hadn't eaten in over 1,500 years. He swallowed hard and gave in, taking a skewer and eating happily.
"If the Gate to the Sea of Quanta closes, we'll be stuck here, right?" Himeko said, rubbing her forehead with a headache coming on.
"You've got plenty of time," Kevin replied calmly. "Besides, don't underestimate a certain someone here—he's more than capable of getting you out. Didn't you hear him before?" His gaze flicked toward Rimuru, who was still busy eating, before returning to his own food.
"Here, Seele. Eat." Bronya gently handed over a freshly grilled skewer.
"Thank you, Bronya-nee," Seele said gratefully, taking it and biting in.
But not everyone was enjoying themselves. Marco looked utterly miserable, his face practically screaming tragic martyrdom.
"Oi, Marco, what's with that look?" Whitebeard barked.
"Pops, how am I supposed to be happy about this?" Marco rarely ever talked back like this.
Turns out, they hadn't brought any firewood. So their brilliant solution? Have Marco lie under the grill in phoenix form and use his flames as the heat source.
"Sacrifice the few for the many!" Whitebeard said without a shred of guilt. After all, what's the point of having kids if you use them... uh no it's just messing with them a little?
"Alright, turn it down a bit. If you burn my food, I'll let you taste the Fist of Love I just learned from Garp," Whitebeard threatened, raising his fist menacingly.
Marco felt like his life had lost all meaning, but he still instinctively dialed the flames down—no way was he taking a Fist of Love to the face.
"You know I can't completely trust you yet," Kevin said seriously, standing up and facing Rimuru.
"I get it." Rimuru shook his head, not looking the least bit offended. "Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't trust us either. But we'll prove ourselves with our actions."
"I hope you do." Kevin gave him a long look before continuing. "If you can really save this world, I'll give you everything I have. But if you bring harm to it—I will stop you."
With that, he pulled out the Gem of Desire, opened a passage to the outside world, and slowly faded from sight.
Rimuru stared at the spot where Kevin had vanished and gave a helpless smile.
"That one's cautious," Garp commented, grinning. "But those are the kinds of people worth trusting. He cares about his world."
"True enough," Rimuru nodded. "Not like I expected him to believe us right away anyway. Alright, let's grab a bit more to eat."
After everyone had eaten their fill—
"All done?" Rimuru asked. "Good. Then it's about time we leave."
"Anytime," Whitebeard replied.
"So we're heading back through the gate?" Himeko asked.
"Hehe! What do you take me for? I don't do boring exits," Rimuru said with a mischievous grin.
"…What are you planning?" Garp suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Watch closely. Today I'm going to show you all how to literally rip space apart." Rimuru shot into the sky.
A massive surge of energy erupted from his body, compressing and condensing until a towering giant slime—thousands of meters tall—took shape around him like a living mountain.
"What the hell is that?" Whitebeard's eyes went wide as he swallowed hard.
"This guy's out of control," Garp laughed, totally unbothered.
"Daaamn~" Roger looked entertained.
The gigantic form moved, and the entire Sea of Quanta trembled.
Rimuru extended two hands into the empty void ahead of him—as if grabbing something—and pulled with all his strength.
With a deafening rip, the fabric of space tore apart.
"So this is Rimuru's true power…" Himeko muttered, awe-struck. This was far beyond the strength Kiana had wielded when they fought. Even without intending to, Rimuru's presence radiated a crushing sense of power.
For the first time, Himeko felt a flicker of real hope. "If this is what he's capable of… maybe defeating Honkai isn't just a dream after all."
"I never imagined Miss Rimuru was this strong," Seele said softly, wide-eyed as she stood next to Bronya.
"Bronya is also… shocked," Bronya admitted, her voice calm but her eyes betraying her awe.
---
Meanwhile, in a City where the battle still raged, everyone suddenly froze mid-fight.
High above the city, a massive rift had appeared in the sky—like reality itself had been torn open—and the sea below began to pour into it like a waterfall.
"What in the world is that?" Cocolia frowned, staring up at the crack.
And then—a gigantic blue hand reached through the rift.
"Damn it! All units, retreat! Repeat, all units, retreat!" Cocolia barked, feeling the oppressive weight pressing down from above.
But before they could escape, the hand reached toward the City—
And just as it was about to crush everything, it faded away, revealing several figures standing within the rift.
"That's Bronya!" Far away, Theresa, who had been boarding an airship, froze. "Wait—Himeko?! Himeko's alive!"
"I'm not seeing things, right? That's Seele?" Rozaliya's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes as she stared.
"Yeah… that's Seele. She's back—with Bronya-nee," Liliya whispered, tears streaming down her face as she stared in a daze.
.
.
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