051, There's Always Next Time

Rin's little fit of pique did nothing to dampen the sudden surge in everyone's morale.

Even Saber had to admit that no matter how much she disliked and feared Rimuru, his arrival at this moment felt like a shot in the arm. In an instant, she felt reassured.

Holy light slowly bloomed around Rimuru's arm, and its overwhelmingly powerful healing effect rapidly closed Saber's wounds.

The monster called Shadow was still howling, but Rimuru merely glanced at it—and the creature abruptly staggered several steps back.

That monster was afraid!

"It... it's afraid of you?" Rin Tohsaka froze slightly, raising her head in disbelief to look into Rimuru's golden eyes.

"Ah, isn't that perfectly normal?" Rimuru nodded indifferently. "There's no true immortality in this world. In the end, what gives it the basis for invincibility is this domain and its law of immortality."

"And I can easily destroy this domain."

More than that, the monster before them was ultimately just a magical formula, much like A Certain Magical Index's Witch-Hunting King. That thing also claimed it could revive endlessly as long as its formula was not destroyed. But since it was a technique, Rimuru could now easily devour it—so when these monsters encountered him again, it was like a beast encountering a natural predator higher up the Food Chain. They would instinctively fear and dread him.

Rimuru lightly patted Rin Tohsaka on the shoulder and suddenly said, "But this time, leave it to Shirou. I have something more important to do."

With a casual gesture, he used Amenominaka to open a door. Compared to a monster that could be killed so easily, its caster clearly concerned Rimuru more.

"I need to pursue Sakura and Assassin. Sakura, who can sense that I've invaded, probably won't be coming back."

"Eh? Wait! What are