Chapter 42: The Default of Humanity
Azathoth, forget the data. Forget the ROI. If these humans want to treat my home like a discount bin, I'm going to make sure the price they pay is their very existence.
The violet haze of the Anti-Monster Barrier feels heavier now, oily and suffocating. But inside my obsidian shell, my internal monologue is no longer preoccupied with sarcastic commentary. It has shifted into a cold, predatory focus. Shogo is still panting, his red aura flickering as he realizes his "Diamond Skin" isn't the highest-grade material in the room.
"You... what are you doing?" Shogo spits, wiping blood from a split lip. "You're just a monster! You're supposed to be crawling on the ground like the rest of these sub-human freaks!"
"Sub-human?" I pulse, my voice a dark, resonant frequency that causes the shattered stone beneath me to vibrate. "Your terminology is outdated. You aren't dealing with monsters. You're dealing with a sovereign interest that you've managed to push into a hostile takeover. And I've decided to start the liquidation with you."
On the horizon, the main Falmuth army is finally visible—a slow-moving, silver tide of 20,000 soldiers. They aren't here for a battle; they're here for an execution. I can see the banners of the Blood Shadows and the Church's knights. They think they've already won because the sky turned purple.
"Kyoya! Kirara!" Shogo screams, losing his nerve. "Help me kill this thing! It's cheating!"
Kyoya Tachibana, the swordsman, blurs across the plaza. His blade, glowing with a sharp, green light, whistles through the air as he aims for my center.
Notice. Target: Kyoya Tachibana. Skill: [All-Seeing Eye] and [Severer]. He is calculating the structural weak points of your membrane. Impact imminent.
Let him calculate. My [Obsidian Aegis] has already integrated the Diamond Logic. He's trying to cut through a law, not just a body.
The blade connects. There is a high-pitched, metallic shriek that sets my internal sensors ringing. Sparks fly as the enchanted steel grinds against my surface. Kyoya's eyes widen as his blade stops dead, unable to bite into the obsidian.
"Impossible," Kyoya hisses. "Nothing survives a direct hit from my Severer."
"Your 'Severer' is a low-quality tool," I pulse.
[Transaction Domain]
I expand the domain instantly, not to suppress them, but to isolate the three of them. The ground within ten meters of us turns into a localized gravity well. Kirara, who was about to speak another command, chokes as the air is pulled from her lungs by the sheer pressure.
"Rimuru is currently distracted by the casualties," I broadcast, my voice flat and terrifyingly calm. "Which means I'm the one you have to negotiate with. And my current interest rate for your lives is... non-existent."
[Law Manipulation – Copy]
Analyzing Target: Kyoya Tachibana. Acquired [Space-Time Perception].
Analyzing Target: Kirara Mizutani. Acquired [Echo-Location].
Soul Capacity: 44%. Warning: Nearing the 50% stabilization threshold. Further integration will require secondary synthesis.
"Wait! Stop!" Kirara screams, her voice cracking. "I command you to—"
"I don't take orders from the insolvent," I pulse.
I don't wait for them to recover. I manifest a series of obsidian-hardened spikes from my body using [Density Laws], propelling them outward with the force of an industrial railgun. Shogo barely manages to deflect them, his Diamond Skin cracking under the sheer kinetic energy.
Suddenly, a massive magicule signature appears in the center of the city.
Rimuru has returned.
But it isn't the optimistic, blue-haired teacher who left for Ingrassia. Even through the barrier, I can feel it—a cold, world-shaking fury that makes the Falmuth barrier look like a toy. He has seen the bodies in the plaza. He has seen Shion.
Notice. Rimuru Tempest has entered a state of 'Rage Convergence'. His magicule output is bypassing the barrier's suppression through sheer emotional volatility.
"It's over," I transmit to the three Otherworlders, who are now backing away in genuine terror. "The CEO just arrived. And he's not interested in a settlement."
Current Magicule Reserves: 92.1%. Location: Western Gate, Tempest. Status: Main Army sighted. Rimuru returned. Soul Capacity: 44%.
Azathoth, prepare for a total system purge. When Rimuru gives the order, I want every Falmuth soul within my [Transaction Domain] to be treated as a bad debt to be erased from the ledger.
Chapter End.