Rimuru: Well, that was something…
I said as I looked at the battle unfolding in front of me.
They were—like really going out. It seems like their lust for battle is now unfurling itself.
Well, not that I have a right to complain.
I do enjoy a good fight once in a while, but they are literal fans of the battlefield.
I mean, look at the usually cool and composed Chloe grinning like a toy-awarded child.
As for Veldora… yeah, he's definitely savoring every last bit of it.
They unleashed some new techniques I've never seen before, displaying their acquired years of experience and hard work.
Chloe seemed to have gotten a little used to her new ultimate skill.
It seems like neither of them have began to truly utilize their skills.
But I spoke too soon.
Out of nowhere, Veldora launched his signature attack, 『Storm Blast』 attack.
The convergence storm waves ripped through distance and space in a flash and approached Chloe.
This technique has always been so troublesome.
I remember facing the attack head on during my battle against Veldora and Velgrynd.
At the time, I was quite inexperienced with it.
It had caused me quite the trouble.
Even Raphael-sensei underestimated the full glory of such a technique.
Ciel: Hm. That was only because I did not account for the use of probability at the time.
Rimuru: Like—I get that you're a sore loser, but even I wouldn't mind accepting my mistakes.
Ciel: ...
It was a good thing to realize one's mistakes instead of denying them.
Such a thing would never get you anywhere.
But let's put the basics aside.
Just now, that attack had transcended sound barrier tenfold.
Such speed would normally cause atmospheric destruction waves to reak havoc, but all that was prevented by altering the laws of nature.
The super-heated flash bang collided with Chloe's figure, and the madness ensued.
A huge but controlled explosion took place; its concentration fixed on the targeted figure, but its size never changing.
This was the pure, unbridled destruction the attack was capable of causing.
After a whole minute of destruction, it was time to let up.
Even I was concerned with this. I mean, that attack could potentially kill his own kin if controlled perfectly.
I wonder what chances Chloe stood against this giant of an attack.
The effect of it all was reduced, and the result was clear.
Veldora: 「W-Wah! To not even bear the slightest of scratches...? How troubling.」
Hahaha!! That's my student, Veldora. And you even thought of challenging me!?
I felt above the world now. My student was now capable of driving true dragons crazy.
Who wouldn't be proud?
Ciel: You taught her nothing to begin with.
Rimuru: ! Don't ruin the mood!
I had to scold her for this one. I couldn't stand the truth, is all.
It was—what was it called again? Ah, yes! A teacher's pride. Yes. That is it.
I'm pretty sure that her new subskill 『Ultimate Imprisonment』 did the trick.
She could isolate the powerful attack by surrounding herself in the imagination space of her ability.
It retained the same properties of 『Infinity Prison』, but had a few adjustments.
This ability could now be activated, ignoring space and time to fulfill the master's desire.
This skill became her most powerful ability yet, meaning she could seal a target without needing to move an inch.
This was also something that could catch me off guard.
I wonder why she hasn't used it yet to defeat Veldora.
Ciel: (That would be because of the troubling capabilities of Veldora's supreme ability; that is, the subskill 『Probability Manipulation』.)
Rimuru: (Eh? What about it?)
Ciel: (With this ability in his possession, it is possible to dwarf the odds of him being sealed.
If her ability failed to imprison him once, its abilities would be exposed, and the odds of the skill succeeding for a second time would drastically decrease.)
Ah, naruhoodo. Damn, that would definitely be troublesome.
Oya~, how annoying of an ability it is.
Even I can see such a scenario clearly. Veldora now had a powerful analytical prowess.
Surely, he would utilize it fully to ensure safety.
It would turn out better as a defensive measure compared to a last resort.
It seemed even Chloe would be overwhelmed by Veldora's display of power and efficiency.
He has really grown, both physically and mentally.
A double-edged blade in my case.
As she successfully blocked the attack, I am sure Hinata and Chronoa would do their part to analyse the properties of his magic.
With that done, Chloe proceeded to carry out her plan.
◇◇◇
In order to defeat Veldora, Chloe had to make the odds of victory for him so slim that a change in probability would not alter the course of the battle.
This also went for her plan to seal him.
If she intended to seal him, the odds of failure had to be way too narrow.
Chloe knew just that and began her plan on making that thought become reality.
There would be a need for some tactical play, but that is not a problem worth mentioning.
The reason? Of course, Chloe was a master of strategism.
She had the culminated experience from her countless journeys through time and space, a factor worth going over.
With this, she could be said to be the most experienced warrior of them all in the literal sense.
Using this to her advantage, she sort to put an end to the short exchange.
After seeing that his initial attack hadn't done a thing to harm his opponent, Veldora decided to play it safe.
He reverted to his humanoid form, of course.
In his draconic form, all sorts of defenses were abandoned, and offense was the factor that was taken into consideration.
In this form, any launched attack would deal no less damage compared to any other form he took, but the range of the attack increased with the size of the body.
The power would remain the same, but the range of the attack increased.
This was the same for other true dragons.
This meant that the dragon form would be able to take on multiple enemies at the same time.
It went without saying that even if the enemy was a single person, it would be difficult to evade all attacks unleashed from a large body.
And then there was the defensive aspect. This was its true value.
To kill a massive body, one needed a large-scale attack to match it.
That was difficult to defeat with a sword, and even most magic was useless in terms of that scale.
To begin with, there were only a few spells that could even be used against a True Dragon, but even if that was ignored, there was still no point in using single-target spells.
Only a spell with a wide enough range could do much damage.
If the AOE was large enough, and the effect of the attack was immense, then the deed would be done.
That's why, if anything, the Dragon Mode was stronger…however, Veldora had chosen to take his human form.
His intentions were probably to neglect all defense and take down the enemy with certainty.
Chloe: Oh? Does this imply that you consider me a threat?
Veldora: You puny human? A threat? How laughable! I am merely testing something out! Yes! Don't get too complacent!
Figured...
Chloe said inwardly with a sigh.
The form Veldora had taken could be said to be disadvantageous to Chloe.
It was common sense that the bigger the target was, the greater the odds of hitting the said target.
Hence, with the decrease in size, Veldora had just reduced the chances of him getting captured.
This was a far contrast to the concept behind adopting a humanoid form.
Her attacks would cause more damage, but this was not a problem for Veldora.
His main goal should be to avoid getting captured. How that was done was not the course for concern.
In the actual sense, her attacks could not completely kill Veldora, which was why the main goal was to seal him.
That way, victory was assured.
Immortals, who are a class above mortals, do not adopt the same mentality that mortals do.
It wasn't necessary to attain victory by killing the opponent.
As long as one could incapacitate the enemy, how it was done was not necessarily taken into consideration.
If the enemy conceded, victory was already within grasp.
For Chloe, as long as Veldora was sealed, it meant that he had lost the battle.
She had the skills to seal him, and all she needed to do was simple: to get him in place and do the deed.
Yet, this true dragon wasn't one to be understood.
He had initially intended to suppress Chloe with overwhelming might
However, he now wants to take her down using not only pure strength but a mixture of arts and magic.
Such tactlessness was somewhat the true nature of this true dragon.
As a true dragon, being this reckless did not cause as much trouble as it would cause other beings.
So, without any sort of plan, Veldora rushed to Chloe to resume their clash.
◇◇◇
The collision had inevitably occurred, and a huge shockwave was sent out to all directions.
Veldora had intended to strike her in the head, but a wonderful parry was made.
He had dashed towards her with such speed that Chloe would have succumbed to defeat if she hadn't reacted in time.
The strength behind that simple attack was undeniable; he had the intention to wound her severely.
He had acknowledged her as a threat worth being wary of, and now, he had it in mind to go all out.
With that, he followed with a roundhouse kick to her side.
Since her sword was occupied with handling his arm strike, her body would suffice.
She blocked that powerful kick with her arm, but the force of such a blow was powerful enough to send her flying several meters away from her initial position.
Without being given much time to recover from that last attack, another big one was thrown.
Veldora: How do you like this!!
Saying that, Veldora unleashed a 『Death-Heralding Wind』attack, sending it towards Chloe.
Chloe: (Tch. His attacks are as annoying as I can imagine. Getting past them is always the trickiest part.)
Hinata: (Then let me handle this one.)
Chloe: (Eh, Hinata? If you say so.)
Leaving control of the body to Hinata, an amazing art was performed on the spot.
「Note: Do you guys want me to refer to Hinata as Chloe because of the physical aspect, or would you rather prefer her to be called Hinata because of the person possessing the body?
For now, I'll refer to her as Chloe. Choose your choice.」
Chloe: 『Instantaneous Flux』!!
With her mastery over space and time, it wasn't hard for her to perform movements without being influenced by time.
Hence, the art was performed in a smooth manner. She weaved through the storm like it was just another day.
Veldora could not help but widen his eyes.
She effortlessly dodged the sharp winds and escaped the black lightnings as if she had done it hundreds—no, thousands of times.
After dodging the relentless assault, Chloe took back control of her body.
Seeing such a feat, he couldn't help but laugh out loud (lol).
Veldora: Ku-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! Amazing!! You truly are strong! Let me appreciate your gesture!
Saying that, a flurry of black lightning buzzed through the space around them, creating electrifying waves that paused all matter due to the electrical residue taking effect.
When a person is shocked with electricity, their muscles tense up due to the electrical current overriding the normal signals from the nervous system, causing involuntary and sustained muscle contractions.
Muscles contract when stimulated by electrical impulses, and an electric shock provides a surge of electrical current that can directly stimulate muscle fibers.
This was only for normal electrical currents, though.
In the normal case, it would not affect inanimate objects due to them lacking any sort of nervous system.
However, Veldora's storm magic was such that it does not only override muscle fibers but also almost all particles present in nature.
This was as a result of him imbuing his will upon his magic.
Not that the desired will was necessarily chosen, but his mere existence and authority over the concept of storms alone allowed for this effect to occur.
His storm magic could lock particles like magicules and spiritrons in place.
It was also capable of freezing almost all intermolecular forces of attraction within the matter due to the override and electrical insertion.
As the effect took place, the matter would be in a vulnerable state.
Depending on the level of magic, it could potentially destroy the matter down to its atomic level with the force of the lightning due to its frozen-like state.
This was because Veldora's magic could temporarily halt the flow of the forces binding matter, and in this state, the target would instantly collapse due to the applied force.
This was such a perfect magic to the point that it didn't even make sense.
To flawlessly perform such miracles on the scale of gods in the form of magic; this was just how powerful the true dragons were.
Seeing such a move, Chloe knew that an evasion would be useless in its front.
Even her subskill 『Ultimate Imprisonment』 would fall short of its glory.
Hence, all sorts of defense were ignored, and a terrifying art was performed.
Chloe: "All things shall succumb to the flow of time, and all motion shall cease upon its fall," 『Time Stop』.
Upon such an act, the flow of it all ceased as she said.
Motion was completely halted, and the force driving the attack as such also succumbed to the cessation of time.
Chloe: *Sigh* That was straining.
She complained in a relaxed tone.
She walked through the halted shockwave as it had been momentarily neutralized, making any effect it initially had become null.
Veldora, who was still under the influence of time, was trapped.
Chloe: I've wasted a whole lot of energy. I have to end it now. The rest should have sensed the abnormality by now.
Saying so, she prepared herself to seal him.
Rimuru: This is where I stop you.
Out of nowhere, Rimuru interrupted her.
Chloe: Eh, what now? I have to seal him quickly before I run out of magic.
Their conversation was held by the constant exchange of infons.
As digital life-forms, it was a normal circumstance.
With their level of mastery over infons, it wouldn't be a problem to hold conversations like these.
Rimuru had already mastered the manipulation of information particles, making it as easy as breathing for him.
Chloe, who was not yet perfect in doing so, could only hurry to land the final blow.
Rimuru: I must say, that was quite the battle for you two.
He said with a broad smile on his face.
He had witnessed the whole use of their transcendental skills, and as such, he was enlightened.
Rimuru: Instead of sealing him, I had it in mind to keep him in check. Surely you can trust me to be able to do such, eh?
He asked with a wink. Seeing his playful attitude, Chloe blushed a little.
Rimuru: (Eh? What'sup with her?)
Ciel: (....)
Chloe: F-Fine. If you put it like that, how do you expect me to disagree...?
Rimuru: Haha. Thanks for that. Though, I would advise you to deal at least heavy damage to that big guy. I'm sure he'll never admit that you let him go.
Surprisingly, Rimuru said this with a completely serious expression.
Even Hinata was caught off guard.
Chloe: Eh? What of it? I mean, all he can do is brag about it, right?
After saying that, the expression on Rimuru's face only got more serious.
Chloe: E-Eh?! Seriously!? How boastful could he be?
Rimuru: You don't want to know...
Chloe: I-I get it. I'll do as you said.
As soon as those words left her mouth, Rimuru's radiant smile returned.
The transition was all so confusing to Chloe, so she left it to Hinata to deal with.
Rimuru: Honestly, if you refused, I would've just done so myself.
Again, with the emphasis? It looks like Veldora-san's not only scary in strength but also in personality.
Chloe thought with a shudder. She raised her rapier up, pointing to the colorless sky, and with nothing but a single, simple yet precise strike, she severed two of Veldora's limbs with relative ease.
This was only possible because the forces binding matter were temporarily halted.
These circumstances made even the most durable of materials collapse under the influence of the suspended world.
Rimuru: Umu! That should suffice. He would undeniably be wary of your capabilities now. I'm not sure he is even aware of the situation as of now.
With that said and done, time resumed to flow.
Veldora: Oh? Ah? Eeeeeeeeh!?!?!?
Naturally, a roar filled with shock was heard throughout the battlefield.
Rimuru: Alright, big guy. Let's go somewhere else.
Veldora: Rimuru! Rimuru!! My arms!! They were whipping up storms a moment ago! Then—then–
Rimuru: ———Then it went for a vacation, is all. Let's go.
Saying that, Rimuru turned to leave, but Veldora was insistent.
Veldora: I haven't even finished my battle yet!! Leaving would make me look like a coward! I can't flee like a runaway dog!! I-
Before he could file another complaint, Rimuru turned to look at him with a horrifying expression.
Rimuru: Veldora-kun~, you lost, right? You can't be a sore loser and get your ass kicked again now, can you?
Veldora: A-ah, yes! Yes! I get it now! Umu-umu. To the forest, we go!! Ku-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
With his infamous laughter, he seemingly merrily skipped towards the direction of the Jura Forest.
Rimuru: I know, right? Hehehe. Let's go, Veldora-san. Kyahaha!!
Following Veldora's lead, Rimuru reverted to his slime form and bounced on his shoulder, leaving with him in a seemingly very happy mood.
Veldora: C-come on now. Please stop with the honorifics. You always have ulterior motives with that tone, too. Stop it!!
Seeing the two, leaving with contrasting expressions, Chloe couldn't help but shake her head exasperatedly.
Chloe: Those two.... *Sigh*
She turned her back to face the direction of the Western Nations.
Chloe: Let's go and have that reported to the guild.
Saying that, she left the battlefield with a sense of victory.
—————————————————————————————————
「Note: That's one chapter completed. Well, I hope you enjoyed today's sequel. Compared to my other fanfic, this one does not always have a lengthy chapters.
I kinda wrote this chapter low on ideas, so it may be a little boring and stuff. Sorry about that.
Well, I'll continue to release more chapters like I did today, just not on a regular basis. Don't expect much. Thanks for reading my work.
Please vote if you enjoyed today's sequel. See ya all later or something!!」
Word Count: 「3210」