I intended to rest on a nice bedding, but there's nothing like that.
Heck, I can't even see any tree to rest on. Everything has been completely destroyed. Houses, roads, carriages, and so many more.
I just had to sit on the ground. Even though I wanted no such thing, it was the only available choice.
As of now, I'm dangerously low on magicules, so the thought of doing something about it wasn't in mind.
All the energy I absorb during battle is stored in the soul world.
But that is not something I can take into my body.
The toxic energy would rather corrode my inner contents as they are the energy of Milim's.
Forcefully taking someone else's energy into your own can cause a sort of reaction that could kill.
I mean, each individual's energy is affected by them.
So it's safe to say that depending on the individual, the energy may be different.
My energy content differs from Milim's, and taking in my energy may cause her some damage, but with a strong enough willpower, she may be able to conquer it.
The same goes with her. She would have energy content that may corrode my spirit body, making it a dangerous action.
As much as I would like to replenish myself quickly, there is no escaping this problem.
I can't do such a dangerous thing in my current state.
「Notice. Would you allow me to find a solution to your problem?」
Ah, yes. It is very much appreciated.
「Understood.... Solution found.」
..... Eh? When you said you wanted to find a solution to my problem, I thought it was gonna take a few days or weeks.
But this? You are incredible!! Tell me about it!
「Notice. An experiment has been carried out, and a deduction has been made.」
Wait, an experiment? Looks like trouble...
「It has been found out that storing energy in your『Stomach』 would not affect the energy in any way, but storing energy in your 『Soul World』 would.」
Hm? Now, this is something interesting. Tell me more.
「From the experiment, it is observable that magicules stored in your『Soul World』are affected by your will, influencing them as a whole.
From this, it is possible to use harmful magicules by storing them in your soul world, changing its constitution to fit your body.」
Wow. That's really cool. I mean, that way, I'd be able to use any energy I store in my soul dimension.
Even to the point of using that energy to replenish lost energy.
That would be really helpful. It just depends on the rate at which the energy is being converted.
「That would take a full day.」
Well, it's good for starters, so I'm not complaining.
Heck, it's even amazing that such a thing can be done in a span of a day.
It like... I'm so broken that my power measurement level standard is so high.
Well, that's not my fault. I didn't want to be so strong to the point where everything became way too easy.
But in a dog eat dog world, it's better to be overpowered than to be a fodder for another person.
So I don't think I have a right to complain here.
Even so, who knows whether I'll meet other races or people way more powerful than my current level.
It's somehow good to overestimate the enemy than to underestimate them.
I will not repeat the same mistakes I used to make.
It's all within possibility that there is another person way stronger than me.
So, being content with this level of power would be a flawed decision.
Not that I will follow strength like a puppy, but I'll have to find the strongest there is to know just how sick this world is.
Well, I guess this was the type of thing to ask the old man.
Currently, I am seated on the ground, holding a sleep struck Norana, who is seated on my lap.
I had to analyze this new evolutionary stage closely to see what it has to offer.
With this, Raziel-san did not spare a chance.
She did her work to completion and also went beyond to analyze her ultimate skills.
This woman....
Ignoring that, it is amazing to see how she wields two ultimate skills.
Something even I can not afford at the moment.
Well, I could, but Raziel-san did not want to take her chances on that matter.
But besides that, she seems to have gotten skills from the demonic series and the virtue series.
It's surprising how she didn't even get a skill from the angelic series when it was made for them.
Well, that's not a problem. That also means that others who are not angels can acquire ultimate skills from that series.
If that is so, then the same may apply to the ultimate skills from the demonic series.
That is an important note to keep. As I was deep in thought, I was brought back to reality by Raziel-san.
「Notice. Incoming group of people.」
As I turned to look, I found the group I had left to handle the remaining few who were caught up in this battle.
Surprisingly, Rose was amoung them.
Sariel: 「Eh? What's up, guys?」
Dino: 「You are not convincing me to work again! Especially not with this monster around!」
He said hysterically. Well, Lunax can be quite scary when she needs to be.
I almost feel sorry for the dude. He's just like me, a sucker and a slacker through and through.
Sariel: 「Meh. Sorry about that. Rose, you said something about visiting Silverion. I didn't think you'd stay so short.」
Rose: 「Well, my main concern was the safety of it. It's not like I wanted to slack off on Alya.」
Well, that's fine, but speaking of which-
Sariel: 「Ney, Rose. How are things there, by the way?」
Rose: 「Well, there was this insect army that appeared in the west and in the capital of Silverion.
Most of them were dealt with. Some managed to escape, but that's not my problem.
I took care of some on my way there and found an insect queen. I thought it would be cool to try out an attack I've been improving over time, and like that, she's dead!」
Oh? Well, that's something. I mean, the aggressors have been dealt with, but those ones that escaped....
Kalisha: 「You're definitely gonna have to deal with them.」
*Sigh*
I knew this would happen. More work it is, I guess.
Rose: 「But my~, what a position you two are in.」
What is she scheming up again? That mischievous smile...
Kalisha: 「She's definitely cooking.」
Shit!
Sariel: 「Oi! What do you mean?」
Rose: 「Don't act all innocent and stuff. You know what you are doing. You are the man.」
Sariel: 「Just get to the damn point already!」
Gracia: 「I think she means the way you two are positioned.」
Looking at what she said, I understood what they meant.
With Norana sleeping with an almost blissful expression.
The way she was also rested on my lap. I get what they mean now.
Sariel: 「Uuuh, that wasn't in mind at the time!」
Rose: 「I know, right?」
Sariel: 「..... You're impossible.」
Rose: 「And you wouldn't have me any other way.」
Sariel: 「Right...?」
Ignoring her antics, I changed the topic to a far important one.
Sariel: 「About the people that were caught up in our fight...?」
Lunax: 「Oh, right. We handled everything. At the time, most of the high humans were already killed, with only a select few surviving.
But we managed to save a kid whose parents were already dead. He seemed to be in critical condition. So I decided to rescue him.
He's currently unconscious, but with time, I believe he will wake up.」
Oh. That's some handy piece of information. It seems like things on Lunax's end have been dealt with. That saves me from extra work.
All I need to do is see the condition of things in a way.
But that won't be a hassle. I'll also have to meet the kid that was rescued.
Well, with that matter dealt with, I can at least have a little break.
Sariel: 「*Sigh*. Thanks for the help. I don't think I would've been able to handle it all on my own. You guys really helped out a lot.」
Pico: 「No problem. As long as it isn't a big deal, we'll always help you out. That's if you also promise to make me some good food.」
Dino: 「Yeah. I could always use some tasty treat.」
Garcia: 「That's all you know how to do...」
Looking at their banter, I couldn't help but chuckle.
It was always nice to have such a conversation like this once in a while.
With that out of the way, I had to visit Guy again.
The thing with Milim had to be settled, so it was all but work for me this past few days.
Going back to the events of the day, I had to see Milim's condition.
I first had to deal with Milim's pet dragon.
Heading to the site where Norana sealed the chaos dragon, its enormous magic contents leaked out.
In fact, the whole area was affected by it.
This was not your regular everyday event.
I had to deal with the chaos dragon immediately, or else the consequences would be huge.
On one hand, we have an unpredictable Milim, and on the other, we have a soulless rampaging dragon.
Something I would wholeheartedly avoid.
The astral body and spiritual body that were responsible for protecting the Chaos Dragon's soul had been completely corrupted.
In actuality, it was the opposite case.
It was because of the damage both bodies had suffered that led to it being corrupted by hatred to this extent.
This might have been the effect of Milim's skill.
During our battle, it was confirmed that Milim possessed the ultimate skill 『Wrathful King: Satanael』.
A very deadly and powerful skill, if I do say so myself.
This is a skill with performance level comparable to『Raziel』.
Well, the sin and virtue series skills have always been broken.
There's no use complaining about it now.
But perhaps, it was possible to preserve its soul alone.
It used to be Milim's friend, and it could be seen, even if it was just a tiny bit, that its core was fighting hard so that it wouldn't diminish.
The soul may seem lost, but it was still there, and it could be saved.
This brings us back to my taxing mission.
I analyzed the wave of energy and found the source of the Chaos Dragon's power.
It was so heavy. The power was so heavy. I could tell that my magicules were reducing.
I mean, in terms of energy, I could say that I had quite the high amount considering the fact that my magicule capacity always increased when I died.
And I must say, the number of deaths I've gone through isn't a thing to shrug off.
And yet, I was dwarfed in comparison to the chaos dragon.
Looking at the insane method used to acquire this much energy, it could be called a sacrifice on my end.
With this much energy wastage, the Chaos Dragon still didn't seem to have weakened.
It was a really tough foe if I said so myself. I was almost losing hope, but if we gave up here, everything would go south.
All my planning had been for times like these. I believed this deeply and gave it all I had.
On one hand, I tried to calm myself down, and on the other, I slowly tried to get rid of the evil energy trapping the Chaos Dragon.
The entire process lasted around five seconds.
However, the heavy, oppressive aura I felt seemed to last an eternity.
That must have been the effect of accelerated thought.
But at last, I've found it!
The uncontaminated core of the Chaos Dragon. It was still glowing with a dim light.
With that, I began to do my work.
Casting the infamous chaos magic, I began to erase its physical body, down to the spiritual body.
The spiritual body of the Chaos Dragon had leaked out, and
I tried to destroy it, along with its astral body.
Before I crushed its core, I needed to execute my『Soul Lord』.
As long as I could see, it would finish the job faster than my chaos magic.
And, my plan worked. I successfully obtained the Chaos Dragon's broken core!
As the "core" that always managed the enormous energy content of the dragon disappeared, it began to collapse.
But that was precisely the issue.
Sariel: 「Fuck, this is bad! It's going to explode!」
There was still a gigantic energy field that was powerful enough to warp space left.
The clashing power's collisions had created a super dense energy cluster. It would start to destabilize soon.
I smiled and set my eyes on what used to be the Chaos Dragon.
Nothing but an energy carcass was left. So, there was no need to hold back.
Sariel: 「"Reap the life of it all," 『Soul Lord』!」
Considering how large the energy cluster is, can it really consume it all?
But my worries were set aside as my skill began to show its strength, devouring my worries and the destructive energy in front of me as well.
It far exceeded my expectations and ate the thing whole. It's as if nothing had happened.
Sariel: 「Eh? Is that it...?」
Kalisha: 「No, not yet. We still need to try and save Milim's friend.」
Sariel: 「Hm? Can we really save it?」
「Yes. I've prepared just the thing for this exact situation.」
Then tell me the plan.
「You need to pick up every single shred of its broken core and put them in the magicore I prepared.
Before that, you need to utilize the skill 『Soul Manipulation』 to combine the shreds.」
Whether the core of it could safely possess the magicore depends on Milim...
But here's the problem. It wasn't reacting.
I was losing my cool. Even though I looked calm, I was trying my hardest to resolve the matter.
What should I do now?
Kalisha: 「Perhaps giving it a name would strengthen the soul.」
Ah, yes! That always happens, too!
Excellent idea, Kalisha.
Kalisha: 「Hehe...」
I decided to store the soul in my soul dimension to preserve it.
Somehow, it worked. Even in its critical state, the soul could be preserved in my personal space for as long as I wanted.
This skill is a really versatile one.
I teleported to the ice castle, releasing a bit of my aura to announce my arrival.
As soon as that was done, Misery appeared in front of me and Gabe me a light bow.
Misery: 「It is good to see you once again, Lord Sariel.」
Sariel: 「...Never again call me that. Just Sariel is fine. We all buddies and stuff, right?」
She seemed confused at my statement.
But that is a fact. I wouldn't like it. I mean, we are all equals, but Guy's an exception.
He has two primordials under him, so he doesn't consider them his equals.
The same can't be said about me, though.
Misery isn't my subordinate, so there's no reason for her to call me with honorifics.
Misery: 「But Guy-sama considers you his equal, and according to position, we are below him. So...」
Sariel: 「So? It doesn't change the fact that I see you as an equal. Forget about what Guy thinks about me; that's hardly my concern.
You guys are like sisters to me. I can't have my sisters call me "Lord" now, can I?」
She thought deeply before replying with a rare smile.
Misery: 「I see... Then let me guide you to my master,... Sariel.」
Sariel: 「Hm!」
Satisfied with myself, I followed her to the grand hall.
It's never an easy thing to convince this woman.
Looking at the castle, it is as mesmerizing as always.
Ignoring all the intricate details of the place, I focused my attention on Guy, who seemed bored out of his mind.
Sariel: 「What's up, slacker? Is there any newsflash or what?」
Guy: 「*Sigh* What do you want?」
Seeing the way things were going, I explained to him that I needed to see Milim.
A request to which he has no right to deny.
Milim, who was not included in the discussion at the time, rushed in like a cannon ball.
Sensing the speed she used to approach us, I instinctively got up from my seat, only to be slammed to the ground by a bone-crushing force.
Milim: 「Sarieeeel!!!」
Ah. I see...
She seemed to have missed me, especially after losing her friend.
Sariel: 「Hehe. How are you faring, Milim?」
Milim: 「Ha! I'm stronger than ever.」
Yep. That statement is so accurate that it almost seemed stupid.
With her demon lord evolution, she successfully became a full-time spiritual life-form.
And with her innate strength, this event made her stronger than anyone could guess.
If the battle lasted any longer, it wouldn't be shameful to say that I would've lost easily.
「No. Saying such a thing without having detailed information on both sides' abilities is careless. Perhaps if you tried, you could survive...」
I get it, Raziel-san. I know you're a sore loser who hates to admit defeat, but calculations would never work on someone as unpredictable and tactless as Milim.
「....」
Wow.... That's an unexpected win for me.
I guess there are times when my charm affects the world as a whole.
How hilarious.
Ignoring the humorousness of the thought, I went back to my primary reason for this unexpected visit.
Sariel: 「I want you to know that there's a way to save your friend, Milim.」
Milim: 「W-Wah!? There is!?! Tell me, tell me!!」
Seeing as she was excited about the change of events, I went straight to the point.
Sariel: 「Milim, does the Chaos Dragon have a name?」
From there, I brought out the soul that had been possessing the magicore.
Milim: 「You mean...a name? That's-」
If I remember correctly, its name was-
Milim: 「It's called Gaia! I thought of that long ago and was going to name it one day. Its name is Gaia!」
Finally, the magicore began to glow lightly.
It succeeded. The soul now had a core.
I used my soul barrier to cover Gaia's magicore, serving as a Master Core, in that case.
And there, the Dragon Core was completed in the form of an egg, and my work here was finally done.
At this point, time would resolve everything.
When the wounds on Gaia's core healed, it would be revived in its ideal form.
Gaia wasn't using an avatar; this was its actual body.
Although in a brand new core, its soul was his own, and from there, it would develop its astral and spiritual body.
It would morph into a brand-new monster and be reborn in front of Milim.
Sariel: 「It worked, Milim. This is a brand-new monster. It hasn't been born yet. It's like an egg. You'd have to wait.」
I finished as I handed the Dragon Core to Milim.
Milim: 「Hmm, hmm! I know everything will work out if I leave it to you.
I always believed in you, Sariel. Thank you, thank you so much!」
Seeing a delighted Milim, the infectious atmosphere also affected me.
I gave her a reassuring smile and patted her head. Guy, seeing the whole thing go on, spoke.
Guy: 「Guh? How the hell did you do that. That dragon's soul was definitely fated to die.
Did you reinforce his core or something? It doesn't even begin to add up.」
Hehe. I've always wanted to say this.
Sariel: 「Don't try digging into things beyond your level, kid. Try learning how to count before attempting to solve equations.」
Although the message was foreign, he understood the basics of it.
Guy: 「You little shit.」
Sariel: 「It's inappropriate to use that word, kid. Do you need to be taught some manners?」
Milim: 「Wahahaha!! I don't need to be taught manners! I'm the most courteous girl there is!!」
Okay... That was the wildest type of irony I have ever experienced. I think I need to really rake care of Milim.
Don't want her running around flat naked or something like that.
As my mission was completed, I intended to head back to the group, but I was interrupted by a familiar voice.
It was Ramires.
Ramires: 「It's really good to see her so happy again.」
Sariel: 「It's good to see you too, Ramires. Although I can see that you are not in the best of shape.」
What I said was true. She seemed to have an unstable energy flow within her body.
Something that I don't think I can handle.
Ramires: 「Ah. Forget that. Just a few reincarnations, and I'm good to go.」
Sariel: 「That isn't exactly considered normal.」
Ramires: 「That's funny coming from the one who's the reincarnation cycle system's best customer.」
Sariel: 「Ouch... so true.」
Our banter went on like that for a while before the real topic was finally mentioned.
Guy: 「So, I'm planning on creating this council of demon lords. And I intend on having Milim join in. What do you guys think about it?」
Ramires: 「Hm... considering what will happen to me in the future, I don't mind becoming a demon lord, but what do I stand to gain from this?」
Guy: 「I knew that would be coming. As of now, you all could be considered homeless vagabonds.」
Sariel: 「O-Oi! I have a house in hell-no, I have a palace there!」
Guy: 「That doesn't exactly count, seeing as you spend all your time in the central world.」
Ramires: 「I'm the almighty Ramires! A puny scrap of land is unbefiting of me considering my divine nature!!」
Sariel: 「That's the excuse every street rat would give.」
Ramires: 「Ouch... so cruel...」
Milim: 「Wahaha!! I could just threaten the humans and take their land.」
Guy: 「As expected of a brute.」
Sariel: 「Would you stop beating around the bush!?!」
I said hysterically. He kept on doing stuff like that.
I already had an idea of his plans, but jumping to conclusions without hearing the opposition's argument is quite rude.
Guy: 「Fine. What I mean is that I want to create a group of powerful individuals who will govern the world's affairs and watch over it.
A powerful group who will ensure its safety and progress. They will maintain the balance of power and, in a way, protect the humans from self-annihalation.
You will also get to fight a lot of strong people.」
What a way to twist the twig. There is a hidden intent, but I will figure that out.
And that last part, Milim's definitely falling for it.
Milim: 「Hm!? Strong people, you say? It's gonna be fun! I'm in!」
Hook, line, and sinker. That does the trick. What an opportunist
Guy: 「Good. What about you, Ramires?」
Hm. Telling her decision apart has never been an easy thing.
But I think she will decline.
Ramires: 「Well, that will make my job easier if you say that this group is also aimed to protect the humans. Count me in.」
Well, that's surprising. I thought she would deny it for sure.
Meh. That's that, I guess.
Guy: 「What about you, Sa-」
Sariel: 「Nope. Perhaps sometime in the future, but not now. I've got a lot of things on my back at the time-thank you very much.」
Guy: 「I see.」
Sariel: 「Also, ignoring me, don't you dare lump Milim in your stupid game.
If I find out that you even had the funny idea of including her in this stupid children's quarrel, oh dear Veldanava...」
Seeing the uncomfortable expression he displayed, I was convinced that he got the message.
I didn't want to get caught up in their "demon lord arrangement meeting," so I left.
And just like that, the era of demon lords began.
I had a lot of things to deal with, but it was all sorted through.
The newly born monsters that roamed around the human territories were handled.
I also had to include the insectars and insectoids that escaped the battle to the forest.
I mean, it would be good to have a diverse range of species living together to enhance the forest's safety and growth.
I finally had a job for Tina, who had been pestering me for one.
She would become the caretaker of the forest and would oversee the forest's state, reporting directly to me any foreign incident that occurs beyond my view.
She was extremely pleased to be given a very important role to handle, and she made sure to do her job well.
That took care of her. The otherworlders are yet to report to me in detail the events that occurred during their battle.
But that can wait. There's also the meeting with Kenneth to exchange information on the aggressors and the state of things in Silverion.
After that was done, I had to see how the kid who was rescued by Lunax was doing.
That was quite the schedule ahead of me, but I know that it will all go well in the end.
That is how I spend my days as a primordial demon.
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「Word Count:4200」