Traveler Starting from Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru! Chapter 47

However, this time... because she was scouting for intelligence and prepared to sacrifice herself at any moment, Aozaki Touko had not brought the more powerful entities from her magic workshop. Whether it was her formidable automated combat puppets, the unspeakable horrors, or even her familiar, the Nameless Shadow, none were brought along, which meant she had to rely on magecraft to fight.

She could have summoned the legendary Phantasmal Species, the Golden Wolf, to assist her. Although the contract was gone, Beowulf had clearly expressed his willingness to help Aozaki Touko at any time; he was one of the few friends she had.

Yet, in a battle between Puppeteers, relying on the Golden Wolf to win... that would truly be frustrating.

"Oh my, if Miss Touko truly finds this battle extremely boring, why not just let this body die? After all, to you, the loss is nothing more than a single puppet," Fim chuckled lightly. "Besides, the great war is about to begin, and I wouldn't want to miss such a feast."

"Hmph!" Hearing this, Aozaki Touko merely lifted her head in disdain. After a cold snort, as a giant fist descended and she dodged with lightning speed, she swiftly drew a rune in the air.

Oh? Could it be Rune magecraft?

Seeing this, Fim was slightly stunned, but he immediately recognized the origin of the technique. After all, restoring the most fundamental 24 Runes and even analyzing several Primordial Runes from the Age of Gods were two of Aozaki Touko's most famous achievements.

While he was distracted by curiosity, Aozaki Touko was rapidly tracing one rune after another in the air. Unlike basic magecraft, each Rune actually represented a fundamental effect; for instance, a single rune might represent an explosion, and through combinations, different effects could be produced. Therefore, the number of runes one could master was a very important and basic metric in Rune magecraft.

Furthermore, Runes were not as simple as writing. Mastering a single Rune was like using mana to copy a masterpiece by a top-tier painter; not only could there be no errors, but each rune was like the work of a painter with a completely different style. It could be said that a mediocre Rune mage might not master more than two Runes in their entire life.

Not to mention the Primordial ones.

Yet, Aozaki Touko was someone who had mastered all twenty-four basic Runes, as well as three Primordial Runes!

So, just how terrifying was Aozaki Touko when she fully unleashed her Rune magecraft... Fim hadn't even had time to think it through when he saw the dense array of blue runes, following Aozaki Touko's shout of "along," suddenly emit a ghostly blue radiance. And that wasn't all; just as Fim's emergency alchemical calculations determined that the power was still within a defensible range, Aozaki Touko laboriously carved the final rune. It was a mysterious character, completely different from the blue ones, flickering with golden light. Even with Fim running his full processing power to observe it, he couldn't even make out its shape!

That is... Primordial?!!

Fim had just reacted when he saw the dozen or so ghostly blue runes in the sky begin to swell and enlarge with a loud sound, suddenly splitting into dense clusters of runes as if they were being copied!

Primordial Amplification, its effect was to instantly expand other runes, multiplying their power several times over based on the mana used!!

"Too bad, no mana reactor, otherwise..."

Aozaki Touko panted slightly. Forcibly releasing such a vast number of Runes without prior preparation was taxing, even for someone of her strength. But soon, she smiled lightly. Damn giant puppet, watch me blow you to ashes, you old hag!!

Back when she fought Aoko, she had used her magic workshop to create three Primordial Rune stones that consumed massive amounts of mana, directly expanding a single rune to ten million times its original power, reaching a level that could rival true Magic!

Aozaki Touko was smiling, but Fim's face turned ashen instantly. His calculation device kept sounding alarms; the projected power even exceeded the limits of his Alchemy. What did that mean?

It meant this damn woman wanted to blow the whole damn canyon to the sky!!!

This is a Puppeteer?!! Is this reasonable? This is unreasonable!!! What kind of Puppeteer doesn't rely on puppets in a fight, but starts throwing nukes at you?!

Screw you and your Puppeteer title!

He felt he had been set up by Rimuru... Before coming, Rimuru had promised with certainty: "Good brother, I'm giving you the easiest job. Just hold back the enemy Puppeteer and don't let her go into the city and blow things up."

He hadn't understood why Rimuru said that before, but now he understood...

The other party hadn't found him the easiest job at all; they had clearly dumped the most troublesome one on him, you bastard!!

Thinking of this, Fim stopped pretending. He secretly retreated from the darkness while hurriedly ordering his puppet to turn tail and run—the construction cost of a giant puppet was not cheap. Even though he had lived for hundreds of years, he had only built seven so far, and one had already been broken by the previous White Knight... it was still under repair.

The next moment, seeing this scene, Aozaki Touko sneered: "Trying to run now? Too late!"

After speaking, her left eye widened abruptly. Her azure Mystic Eyes instantly exerted layers of precise calculations, creating mirror after mirror within the eyes, reflecting and stacking the power of the Mystic Eyes layer by layer. Finally—she looked at the opponent's magic puppet, her gaze instantly locking onto it!

Ten-fold stacked Binding Mystic Eyes activated!

In an instant, wherever the blue gaze touched the magic puppet, chains formed, not only sealing the giant puppet but also cutting off its mana supply.

This instantly caused Fim, hidden in the shadows, to turn the color of a pig's liver!

"Damn it, Mystic Eyes require direct eye contact. With your level of magecraft, if you don't run..."

"I'm not afraid of death." Aozaki Touko flashed one Mystic Eye, staring at the puppet with a smile, and chuckled: "A puppet for a puppet, quite worth it."

"You..."

"The giant puppet is worth a fortune, right? How many years does it take you to build one?" The Rune magecraft was already primed and ready to fire. Looking at the scorching energy that had already erupted, Aozaki Touko delivered the final blow: "But I have plenty of these bodies!"

As she finished speaking, the all-consuming mana explosion roared toward them. Throughout Cornwall, and even in the western plains, Kayneth, who was preparing to depart, couldn't help but pause slightly. Feeling the vibration beneath his feet, he looked in astonishment toward the mountain range far to the north, where a mushroom cloud was rising high into the sky...

"Fou, should I really let those people you told them to run away go? You humans have such strange ways of thinking, Fou!"

"I told you not to let the Executors go, but someone has to stay alive to go back. My reputation needs survivors to spread the word!"

"Fou?! So do I let them go or not!!"

"...Forget it, have those Dead Apostles in charge of interception come talk to me. You just go and act out the play for me."

Inside Cornwall, Rimuru was teaching Fou how to fight with a headache. Suddenly, after feeling the tremor on the ground... he looked up in shock at the pillar of light to the north. Recalling Aozaki Touko's methods, suddenly... the smile on his face stiffened.

He stood dazed for a moment, then murmured softly:

"I told you to stop her, I didn't tell you to actually fight... This isn't my fault... I hope... you can make it back alive."

Nebula M78 756365104

PS: Thanks to Dongfang, Baomiren, Eris, Luoying, and others for the tips and blades, love you guys as always!

Yesterday, when Genshin was delivering food, it started raining halfway through.

Good grief, directly soaked by the Hydro element, I love it, you hellish planners!

Chapter 063, The Death-Seeking Maniac Rimuru

The intense firelight from the canyon illuminated countless faces, just as it coincided with the dawn on the eastern horizon. Barthomeloi had once again sought out the Popes of the Church.

"Attack ahead of schedule? But the Burial Agency..."

"However, the problem is that even if the Burial Agency arrives, they won't participate in a frontal assault; they will only hunt down specific powerhouses." An old man spoke up: "I believe you wouldn't want the Executors within the city to continue dying in such a miserable fashion. Both the flanking forces and the support units require pressure from the front to be effectively deployed."

Compared to the Church, which threw tens of thousands of nuns, believers, and Executors into the front lines, the side operations were primarily handled by various mages and members of the Mage's Association, brought in at great cost by the Magic Church. The strength of the various Lords—for instance, the old woman Inorai, who possessed the power to erase an entire city with sand—was also a crucial guarantee for their independent operations.

Although Inorai had not yet reached the battlefield, Yuri Phis had already manifested eerie ghost fires within the forest, summoning hundreds of Evil Spirits to spread out around the workshop. Because of this, whether it was the needs of the flanking mages or the mission Kayneth had undertaken to rescue Rimuru, the main army was desperately needed to bear the brunt of the pressure. Consequently, after much hesitation, the Church finally bowed to the pressure of its allies and issued the order to advance about an hour ahead of schedule.

In an instant, an army of tens of thousands began to slowly press forward toward Cornwall.

"Truly a magnificent sight." At the mansion atop the mountains of Cornwall, the White Knight Rimuru seemed to have been sitting there, never moving. This time, however, he was accompanied by a pitch-black familiar that looked like a bat—or rather, a Dead Apostle serving as a familiar.

He was one of the White Winged Duke's subordinates and seemed to possess the ability to share vision directly with the White Winged Duke, acting as a mouthpiece. Hmm... a video call?

And the one currently conversing with Rimuru was none other than the White Winged Duke, who was far away in Germany.

Through his subordinate's eyes, he looked past the faint mist in the distance at the massive army pressing forward in layers, and chuckled softly: "It seems things have exceeded your initial expectations."

"The Mage's Association and the Church hope to reclaim Cornwall in a single decisive battle. After all, it's just a peninsula; there's no room for flanking maneuvers." Rimuru spoke with an expressionless face: "The opposition has mobilized almost all the military strength of Western Europe, and more mages from the Mage's Association are on their way. According to our agreement, it is time for you to act."

"Hmm... Western Europe... of course." The White Winged Duke chuckled: "Come to think of it, there have been more and more Dead Apostles coming from the Far East lately... does that have anything to do with you?"

"The Far East?" Upon hearing this, Rimuru reflexively wanted to shake his head, but he suddenly paused, then laughed: "Perhaps it does."

"Is that so?" The White Winged Duke looked into the eyes behind Rimuru's mask. Seeing that he didn't seem to be playing games, he understood something... the White Knight's identity likely had some connection to the Far East in the past.

Seeing the other's reaction, Rimuru laughed a few times, then lowered his gaze and said: "Let's end the probing here, White Winged Duke. Until the Kingdom of Dead Apostles is stabilized, it is better to remain united. As for my identity, Altrouge knows it clearly."

"Leave those Dead Apostles from the Far East to you. I have already signed a contract stating I cannot possess my own forces anyway. As for whether you use them as cannon fodder or provide them shelter, that is for you to decide."

The Dead Apostles who had fled to the Far East did so because the Mage's Association's management there was chaotic and the Church was relatively scarce. They were generally just third-rate, half-baked mages turned into Dead Apostles. It could be said that putting them on the battlefield would only result in a few more corpses.

Rimuru did not care about these beings, even though he already knew they were a gift from Kuonji Alice.

But the true gift was not this trash, but the sentiment the other party was expressing: "No matter what you do, I will support you."

That quiet girl, who was thousands of miles away, could still fully understand his thoughts through the slightest whisper of news about him and silently take action.

"Prepare to strike, White Winged Duke." Thinking of this, Rimuru curled his lips slightly, his tone becoming noticeably more pleasant, even becoming amiable when speaking to the White Winged Duke: "The Black Knight will have the Dead Apostles under Altrouge cooperate with you."

"Then, hold on as long as you can, White Knight." The White Winged Duke replied in a deep voice: "When dawn breaks in one region, another region will always welcome the darkness."

"This is the law of the world; no one can change it." The light in the Dead Apostle's eyes began to flicker. After leaving those words, the White Winged Duke completely severed the connection. The Dead Apostle's body swayed, and his once-scarlet eyes gradually regained clarity. He quickly knelt on one knee: "Lord White Knight."

"You may withdraw." Rimuru stood up. Having finished dealing with the White Winged Duke, he had a more important matter to attend to, which was... continuing to teach that stupid dog Fou how to fight!

On Fou's side, the priest had initially wanted to continue agonizing over the situation for a while, but then he saw Fou yawn. The next moment, a pitch-black giant shadow manifested behind it. As it raised its head and roared, ripples of energy spread out, and wherever they swept, the Executors instantly turned pale, spat blood, and collapsed to the ground.

In an instant, the four Executors at the very front had lost their lives!!!

This caused the priest and Rimuru to exchange a look. Rimuru nodded heavily, and the priest quickly crushed his cross. With a bang, a golden barrier as tall as a person and twice as wide appeared before him. This was his isolation field, which could briefly cut off the space behind the barrier from the current world, thereby achieving the effect of isolating all mystery and abilities.

"Everyone else, get behind me!!!" Watching Rimuru walk toward the white figure, the priest felt a sense of respect and fulfilled the order Rimuru had issued, prioritizing the protection of the few stunned mages—

But at this moment, in the shadows behind them, several Dead Apostles with flickering red eyes had already silently surrounded them.

These were the high-level Dead Apostles under Altrouge that the White Knight Rimuru had arranged as a backup, a group of beings comparable to top-tier Executors.

Just as the White Knight Rimuru had said to Fou, although his achievements needed someone to sing of them, but... if all twenty-plus people returned... that would be a bit too many, wouldn't it?

Just as the priest's raiding party began to fight for their lives, Rimuru, who had rushed toward Fou, exchanged a few blows with it, only to nearly kick it flying.

Fou: "..."

"When I turned around and you grabbed my claws, you should have whipped me down with your tail. Is your tail just for show?"

Rimuru helplessly caught Fou's limp roundhouse kick with one hand and couldn't help but squeeze its paw... Only now did he realize that the rumors weren't entirely false.

Fou really couldn't do anything other than use conceptual attacks comparable to magic to instantly erase humans!!!

But considering Fou was a house pet... it made sense that it had lost its wild nature?

Wait, that's not right!! Didn't you get released into the wild?!!

"Fou!!!" After being lectured by Rimuru for so long, Fou finally couldn't take it anymore. With a spinning headbutt, it slammed into Rimuru's chin with a bang. It landed on the ground in front of him, raised its head elegantly and arrogantly, and looked at him with disdain: "If it weren't for the fact that Master doesn't want you hurt, do you believe I could make you lose the strength to even speak in an instant, Fou?!"

As it spoke, it stepped to Rimuru's side, swept its tail across Rimuru's face, and said: "With a tail as soft as mine, tell me how I'm supposed to hit people, Fou?"

"Reinforcement magic..." Rimuru, who had lost his balance and fallen to the ground, didn't bother getting up, instead feigning weakness: "Steel tail, tail whip, and so on?"

"Fou?!"

"Even Eevee's tail can crush rocks, why can't yours, huh..."

"...Eevee?" Fou climbed up to Rimuru's face in confusion, sniffed his forehead with its nose, and then raised its small paw, imitating a human, and placed it on his forehead.

Rimuru: "...Forget it, I didn't have much hope for you anyway..."

Hearing this, a cross-shaped vein popped up on Fou's forehead. With a push of its small paw, it stomped Rimuru's head into a bursting watermelon with a bang, turning it into a puddle of liquid that flowed slowly.

Seeing this, Fou lifted its paw in disgust, shook off the water, and said: "Even if I'm not good at physical arts, my physical stats are enough to crush most beings, okay? Besides, you already have the property of physical immunity. If I really wanted to deal with you, what use would good physical arts be, Fou."

As it spoke, it shook its head, only to feel its tail suddenly being grabbed by someone and slapped onto the ground with a thud—"Fou?!!"

Before the bewildered Fou could react, it felt itself being lifted up and sent flying with a whoosh!

"At the very least, if your physical arts were good, you could have dodged my attack..." Rimuru looked at the stupid dog plastered against the wall, slowly sliding down, and sighed helplessly: "Get serious, we're in the middle of a life-and-death struggle..."

"Aaaah! You damn bastard!!" Fou, sliding away, felt a sharp pain in his face and couldn't help but turn back to glare viciously. "Do you really think I won't hit you with a Primate Murder, ahhhhh!!"

"Then go ahead, I never said you couldn't."

"...?? Are you serious?"

"Obviously." Hearing this, Rimuru lowered his eyes and let out a faint chuckle. "Sometimes, to achieve a goal, you have to pay a price."

"It's impossible to fool those old foxes with a disguise; I have to be truly on the verge of death."

"...Won't this affect your other identity?" Hearing this, Fou hesitated for a moment, acting awkward. "I'm not worried about you, you know."

"It shouldn't... well, if it targets the concept of the person as a whole, it will definitely have some impact, but my Magic Resistance is very high, so total erasure is definitely impossible. Plus, with the traits of a Phantasmal Species, I can recover quickly, so it won't cause too much trouble. Most importantly, this is just a clone, so the impact on my main body is limited."

"Anyway..." Rimuru raised his eyes, tilted his head, and smiled slightly. "Please, Fou, go easy on me."

"Quick recovery... what kind of species are you, Fou..." Fou was still somewhat hesitant, but finally said reluctantly, "I'll do my best to target this clone rather than your overall concept, but if you dare to lie to me... I'll bite your head off, Fou!"

"Mm, come on then..."

"..." Fou sighed and raised his paw, the shadow of the giant beast condensing behind him once more. Suddenly... he let out a breath and said weakly, "How about you go to the edge of the battlefield first? That way their rescue might be a bit more timely?"

"..." Rimuru couldn't help but find it funny, speechless. "Hurry up, it's not like I'm asking you to kill me."

"I get the feeling you're underestimating my ability..." Seeing Rimuru so insistent, Fou had no choice but to reluctantly raise his paw, muttering as he suddenly activated his innate talent: the lethal erasure targeting primates!

A ripple of primordial aura spread out once again, but this time, it locked onto that petite figure—in just an instant, Rimuru felt his whole body tremble slightly. Immediately after, a terrifying sense of despair, as corrosive as an abyss, eroded every inch of his skin, sinking deep into every muscle, and finally, his internal organs, bones, and even every single cell felt an incomparably painful sensation of disintegration and tearing!

"Holy sh*t..." Rimuru really hadn't expected the effect to be this fast, and this... painful!!

Caught off guard, his legs went weak, and having completely lost sensation, he collapsed to the ground with a thud—

Great Sage, give me maximum pain suppression!

"Acknowledged!" As the voice of Great Sage rang out, the pain throughout Rimuru's body instantly lessened. Although his mimicked cells were still collapsing, his powerful Magic Resistance slowed the process down, and his Super Speed Regeneration quickly kept pace, barely forming a stalemate. Even so, the constant breakdown and reconstruction of his mimicked cellular tissue left him feeling incredibly weak, not to mention that his physical coordination had dropped to a pathetic level.

"Reverting to Slime form can reduce your magic consumption. Your current Magic Resistance is not enough to withstand the erasure program of Primate Murder, which is comparable to the will of Gaia; your mimicked human tissue will dissolve in almost three seconds—"