Traveler from Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru!

However, this is fine. The world of Dead Apostles, which was originally like stagnant water, will become lively, and the Bird of Death enjoys the commotion.

"I have lost."

Gently retracting his wings, the Black Winged Duke slowly turned his head to look at the petite figure and said.

"Then, what is your decision?" Hearing this, no one could see the expression under Rimuru's mask. While secretly sighing in relief, he asked, "Just like the challenge from the Crimson Moon back then?"

"Perhaps." The Black Winged Duke nodded, suddenly placing a hand on his chest as he explained, "There is only one ancient etiquette for the defeated, and that is death."

"However, I, who accidentally survived death, was acknowledged by Lord Crimson Moon and thus became what I am today. The reason I swore allegiance after gaining a new life is precisely because of his acknowledgment of me."

"So?" Rimuru frowned. "Perhaps?"

"I will not go back on my word. You defeated me. Although it did not end in death, it is not unreasonable for this life, which should have been claimed, to be considered yours."

"But White Knight, although your desire and utilization can also be counted as a form of acknowledgment of me, in the end, you need me while harboring extremely strong objectives and upholding your own ideals. I can stand by your side, but I will not pledge my allegiance to you--"

"Tsk, you really are complicated. When it comes down to it, you mean I can treat you as an ally, but not as a subordinate, right?"

Rimuru held out his hand, palm up, and said softly, "Isn't this the goal I hoped for from the very beginning?"

"No, in reality, you can drive me like a subordinate—it is just that I will not become your follower."

"...?" Rimuru tilted his head, a giant question mark popping up over his head. Just as he was about to ask more, the loud laughter of the White Winged Duke behind him interrupted them—

"Hahahaha, Blackmore, you are as ridiculous as ever."

At the same time, Merem Solomon, who had been watching the show, also stepped out from the shadows and said, "Give up on getting to the bottom of things, Leviathan. You cannot expect to get a clear answer to anything from a guy who worships philosophy."

Nebula M78 756365104

PS: I finally learned how to turn four thousand words into two thousand! I have evolved!

Super Evolution—Double-Update Beast!

Chapter 051, The Opening of the Dead Apostle Resolution!

"..." Hearing this, Rimuru was slightly stunned. After glancing at the Black Winged Duke without dwelling on it further, he said, "In that case, I look forward to our future."

After speaking, he ignored Altrouge, who had walked to his side wanting to praise him, and instead looked at Merem Solomon, who had just spoken, to greet him: "Yo, long time no see, Merem Solomon."

The ignored Princess of the Black had a blank look on her little face before she began grinding her teeth in annoyance. Ah, this damned powerful minister!!!

Merem Solomon narrowed his eyes with a cold face: "Long time? It has only been four days since we last met, right?"

"Four days, huh." Rimuru chuckled. "So, do you understand what I want now?"

"Ah." Merem Solomon raised his head and responded. If he had been racking his brains earlier trying to figure out what he had that the other party could be plotting, he suddenly seemed to understand the moment he received the invitation from the Dead Apostle Ancestors...

Among the Dead Apostles, the faction of the White Winged Duke is the largest. The Princess of the Black, Altrouge, has the title of royalty but no corresponding faction, not to mention she has a competitor in the White Princess, Arcueid Brunestud.

Since this resolution is nominally a negotiation between the White Winged Duke and the Princess of the Black, regardless of the ultimate goal, a contest between the two is inevitable. Correspondingly, as the greatest reliance of Altrouge, this White Knight, whose ambition is no less than that of the White Winged Duke, clearly intends to open his palm and create a faction group for the Princess of the Black.

Allegiance?

Tsk, this is no small matter, especially given that he still belongs to the Burial Agency.

"I didn't understand before, but now, I should. So, although I cannot make the final decision yet, you can count my vote for now."

"A wise decision." Rimuru chuckled.

"Hey, you're picking sides before the agenda has even been proposed? Isn't that bad?" The 15th Ancestor, the young lady Rosetta, said in astonishment.

"What does it matter?" Merem Solomon said indifferently. "Leviathan has reasons I cannot refuse... But then again, even if I and the Black Winged Duke stand on Leviathan's side, it would only just barely level the playing field, right?"

Excluding the Black and White Knights, the initial supporters of the Princess of the Black, Altrouge, are estimated to be only one "Ancestor," Zepia. Because it is the home turf of the White Winged Duke, aside from a few Ancestors who remain neutral, most of the Dead Apostles are supporters of the White Winged Duke. This is something everyone knows.

"Tsk, what about Trhvmn? Do you not mind?"

"Mind? That doesn't really matter..." Trhvmn was the name of the White Winged Duke. When Rosetta asked this, she saw the White Winged Duke just wearing a wild grin, staring intently at the White Knight. Upon hearing Rosetta's words, he was slightly stunned, then shook his head with a smile and said, "If I could, I would very much like to have a fight with Leviathan... Unfortunately, the focus of this resolution is not combat, after all."

"The opening performance only needs one act. Everyone, let's go inside and talk—"

After speaking, he took the lead and walked toward the house with his administrators again. Seeing that the main players were so uninteresting, Rosetta had no choice but to roll her eyes and follow.

"Then, let's go in too." Seeing everyone nodding to each other and walking inside, Rimuru didn't want to stand outside anymore. The Black Winged Duke and Merem Solomon seemed to be waiting for him to speak quite sensibly, which made him feel very comfortable. Thus, after he made the suggestion, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Altrouge, who was twisting her head behind him, sulking and glaring at him...

Uh...

Rimuru blinked, his tone instantly weakening: "Um, Your Highness? Shall we go in...?"

"You still know I'm Your Highness?!" Hearing this, Altrouge jumped up and glared at him: "Why don't you just call yourself the King of Dead Apostles?"

"..." Looking at the sulking Altrouge, who looked like she wouldn't go in, Rimuru sighed helplessly for a moment. When his gaze randomly landed on the back of Altrouge's neck, the Princess of the Black was startled as if her fur had been ruffled, and she hurriedly said: "If you dare to grab me in public, do you believe I'll fight you to the death!!!!!"

"Then just go in... The meeting has already started, we can't keep others waiting, right?" Rimuru advised kindly.

"I won't!" Hearing this, Altrouge tilted her little head up and resisted with all her might, clearly showing that she wouldn't go in unless he bowed and apologized.

She knew this wasn't good, but as a princess, so what if she made others wait! Her own dignity was the most important thing! She felt that if she continued to let Rimuru go on like this, her dignity as a princess would truly be gone! That simply wouldn't do!

"..."

Rimuru was helpless. He glanced at the Black Winged Duke and Merem Solomon, who hadn't moved in front, and thought that dragging the princess in might be a bit inappropriate and rebellious. After thinking about it, he walked over directly, grabbed Altrouge's small hand, and intended to drag her in by force.

"Eh?!" Feeling her small hand being held by Rimuru, the Princess of the Black's brain buzzed, and she was suddenly... stunned.

Five minutes later, inside the grand hall, everyone had taken their seats. Rimuru sighed, helplessly rubbing the two puncture wounds that had appeared on his hand.

"Hmph, serves you right." The Princess of the Black glanced at him, her blush still lingering, and snapped with a hint of flustered ferocity: "Is this Princess's hand something you can just touch whenever you want?!!"

Fou yawned, sensing his master's agitation, and rolled his eyes in resignation.

Heh, foolish humans... well, and Dead Apostles too.

"There is still one person who has not arrived... We have half an hour left until the appointed time. Since that is the case..."

At this moment, the White Winged Duke turned his head, his majestic gaze sweeping across the hall—it was as if he were inspecting his guests, or perhaps introducing them to everyone present—

"This can be considered the first time in hundreds of years that we have gathered like this, can it not?!"

"Everyone here possesses their own title and seat—representing the pinnacle among the Dead Apostles."

"The First Ancestor, Primate Murder... and the Ninth Ancestor, the King of Dead Apostles... Altrouge."

"Fou?" The white, clueless creature raised his head in confusion. Altrouge let out a disdainful snort in response.

"As well as the Sixth Ancestor, the Black Knight Sturt, and the newly appointed Eighth Ancestor, the White Knight Leviathan..."

Tsk, even though I know the ranking of the Dead Apostle Ancestors isn't based on strength, hearing these rankings of six, seven, and eight just feels annoying.

Rimuru, currently puzzled as to why his Princess could bite like a dog, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the white, foolish creature currently sprawled on top of Altrouge's head... How does this Fou, who is only fit to be dog food, deserve to be ranked first?!

"The Tenth Ancestor, Nero Chaos."

A cold-looking man nodded frigidly toward the group—he seemed to have been in the hall the entire time without ever leaving, Rimuru thought, while the Great Sage simultaneously projected the man's data into his mind.

"Chaos Group, the immortal magus, hailing from the Wandering Sea, one of the three great magical organizations. Skilled in manipulating beasts in combat, possessing the life factors of 666 beasts within his body."

His eyes flickered between calmness and ferocity. Rimuru only had to glance at him once before mentally labeling him as someone not to be cooperated with.

Chaos, an unstable magus whose life is shared with the beasts inside him, his mind influenced almost every moment—though powerful, he was a madman too unstable for Rimuru to ever want to deal with.

Chapter 052, Dead Apostle Resolution—Mutual Conflicts.

"The Thirteenth Ancestor, Zepia Eltnam..."

The elegant gentleman stood up and bowed slightly to the group, then stood quietly behind Altrouge. Zepia's loyalty undoubtedly made Altrouge's pouting face look much better, for which she kicked Rimuru again—

"The Fourteenth Ancestor, Van-Fem!"

As the White Winged Duke's gaze turned toward the low-key, slightly plump man at the end of the table, the man raised his wine glass high toward the gaze Rimuru had cast his way. The deep red within the glass made Rimuru raise an eyebrow—

He had met this man before!

Or rather, his other identity... the magus Rimuru had met him, and had even... struck a deal.

"Fem, the demon king of the financial world. Although he is one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, he is passionate about secular financial manipulation and is one of the greatest capitalists in the world. He is quite concerned with human society... Rimuru, he might... have recognized you."

Ah... so he did.

Rimuru remained calm, nodding back in acknowledgment without changing his expression, and casually took Altrouge's black tea to use as a toast, mimicking the gesture.

As the two seemed to communicate in silence, only Altrouge was left increasingly doubting her own reality.

Am I really a true princess or not?!

"Ri..." Her Highness ground her teeth in resentment, but Rimuru simply shoved the tea back into her arms and asked directly: "What's the deal with that Van-Fem?"

"Huh?" Altrouge blinked, furrowing her brows in thought for a moment before whispering: "If it's the financial tycoon Fem, he's the only strange guy among the Dead Apostles who doesn't like to use vampirism to expand his influence. However, he is quite similar to you, because he likes to induce others to work for him through financial incentives... Why?"

"That guy seems quite interested in me?"

"That's normal, after all, you inherited the position of the White Knight Brad, or rather, you killed Brad." Hearing this, Altrouge shrugged: "Brad once used the Ghost Ship Fleet to conquer his fifth castle; they have a deep grudge."

"...Oh? Doesn't that mean the guy should... thank me?" Rimuru blinked and suddenly started to laugh.

"You must be careful, he is a supreme puppeteer." Seeing Rimuru's expression, Altrouge became worried and cautioned him: "The giant golems he creates on a whim possess the power of Merem Solomon, the King of the Continent."

"Careful? Why?" Rimuru shook his head, amused: "He hates Brad, he doesn't hate you, Your Highness."

He understood now. The man was essentially the same type of person as him. Since he was a demon king of the financial world, his style of conduct would naturally lean toward that of a merchant. Using force in battle would be a last resort; more often than not, the exchange of interests should be the consensus they both agreed upon.

Altrouge was a competent commander because she was protective of her own. Regardless of whether her subordinates were right or wrong, just because Brad and Fem disliked each other, she would naturally adopt Brad's perspective, instinctively loathing and being hostile toward Fem—though Rimuru didn't deny that this personality made her easily beloved by her subordinates, as a leader of a faction, it was clearly inadequate.

Although Rimuru felt that if Altrouge truly grew into a qualified empress, the first thing she would likely do is turn around and eliminate him, the insubordinate high official... Rimuru was still looking forward to her growth, not just because of her help to him and her lack of hostility toward humans, but more because they got along... quite well?

The conversation with Altrouge occupied a portion of Rimuru's thoughts, while the White Winged Duke's roll-call-like introduction was actually quite fast, forcing him to rely on the Great Sage to collect information from the outside.

"Standing in the third position is the Fifteenth Ancestor, Rita Rozay-en. She is a typical traditional aristocratic vampire. While indulging in debauchery and pleasure, she also possesses the twisted hobbies of most nobles, liking to act on whims and pursuing alternative thrills."

The blonde young lady sipped her black tea elegantly. The twisted hobbies of most nobles... Rimuru frowned slightly. Does that mean torturing others?

"The Sixteenth Ancestor, the Black Winged Duke..."

"The Seventeenth Ancestor, the White Winged Duke..."

Good grief, no one from the thirteenth to the seventeenth was absent.

Rimuru nodded slightly, but the Eighteenth Ancestor would certainly not be invited, because that guy was a naked avenger. He became one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors only because he killed the previous one, and his goal was to kill all the "Ancestors."

Therefore, although the Church added the title of one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors to him, all the Ancestors tacitly assumed the Eighteenth was already dead, and there was currently no successor.

At this moment, the White Winged Duke finished his self-introduction, his deep voice and gaze turning toward the final two people.

Clearly, his introduction had followed the order of the Ancestors—

"The 20th Ancestor Merem Solomon and the 21st Ancestor..."

"Water Demon Sumire doesn't have much of a political inclination herself, but... she seems to have a particularly close relationship with Rita Rozay-en. Plus, since she's usually in a drunken state, her actions are generally considered to be in line with those of Rita Rozay-en."

"In that case, aside from that one fellow who isn't very punctual, the fact that the surviving Ancestors have gathered like this is quite a testament to the influence of the Princess."

"I'm just here to watch the show." Hearing this, Nero Chaos said mercilessly: "I recall the last time we were all gathered like this was several hundred years ago, during that time when you and the Princess of the Black had a falling out and proposed hunting the True Ancestors?"

"What, do you intend to negotiate for peace?"

"Are you really just here to watch the show, Nero..." Hearing this, before the White Winged Duke or Altrouge and the others could answer, Merem Solomon said coldly: "Heh, I thought everyone was like me, having threats and reasons that made it impossible not to come."

"Indeed." Rosetta chuckled lightly: "Let's skip the pleasantries. The invitation the White Winged Duke sent me carried the implication that I had to come."

"Then you really are pathetic. Are the weak always being threatened by others?" Hearing this, Merem Solomon immediately retorted with unceremonious mockery. Compared to the other Dead Apostle factions that were clearly divided, Merem Solomon was clearly in a league of his own—well, although he wasn't as fanatical as the Avenger Knight about hunting other Ancestors, he clearly believed that the passing of the Crimson Moon had a lot to do with this pack of ingrates.

Rosetta clearly hadn't expected that the person she was agreeing with would suddenly turn around and snap at her, and for a moment, she was so angry she nearly lost her breath: "You guy..."

"Heh." Merem Solomon snorted coldly, unbothered. He turned his face away, narrowed his eyes to look at Rimuru and the White Winged Duke, and suddenly whispered: "The reason you haven't started yet... you wouldn't still be waiting for that guy, would you?"

"Relatively speaking, since this is a negotiation, wouldn't it be appropriate to have an absolutely neutral witness?" Rimuru chuckled upon hearing this and said: "However, due to his abilities, that gentleman seems to prefer arriving right on time."

"As I thought..." Having received a confirmed answer, Merem Solomon immediately clenched his fists in anger and slammed them onto the table with a bang—gritting his teeth.

That damn Magician!

"Zelretch, the Magician!"

Chapter 053, Dead Apostle Resolution—Mutual Probing!

Five minutes later, amidst the contemplative or impatient gazes of the Ancestors, a halo resembling a portal slowly bloomed in the hall. Seeing this, Rimuru's eyes lit up. Is this... the method for traversing parallel worlds?

"Oh my, it seems I'm the last one to arrive yet again."