The sun over Tempest had been shining brighter than usual. The streets were lively—children played, merchants from Blumund and beyond traded goods, and laughter echoed from goblins, kijin, and lizardmen alike. Peace wasn't a dream anymore; it was becoming real.
But in the shadows of this peace, a storm was brewing.
Daybreak at the free guild....
"Alright kids," Rimuru said with a warm smile, placing a hand on Kenya's shoulder, "Today's a special day. We're going to visit a friend of mine... and you'll get to meet some real spirits."
Chloe's eyes sparkled.
"You mean like the ones in fairy tales?"
"Even better," Rimuru chuckled. "The kind that can help you grow stronger."
He turned toward the sky. Ranga appeared beside him in a flash of shadow and wind.
"Let's move out," Rimuru said, and with a flash of excitement, the children mounted Ranga and were off toward the Labyrinth where Ramiris awaited.
None of them knew… that Tempest's peace would soon be drowned in screams.
Back in Tempest, three strangers had arrived the day before. They were polite. Quiet. Ordinary, even. They introduced themselves as travelers from Falmuth. Their names: Shogo, Kyoya, and Kirara.
"Just exploring," Kyoya had said with a friendly grin. "We've heard so much about this monster city."
Goblins welcomed them. They were shown around by Gobta and even had a meal at Shion's newly reopened tavern.
But that night, under the pale moonlight—they made their move.
Kirara screamed suddenly in the central square, collapsing as if struck.
Shogo began shouting, voice shaking with false fear.
"A goblin! One of them attacked her! Monsters can't be trusted!!"
A crowd gathered. Confused. Alarmed.
Benimaru and Souei arrived almost instantly.
"What happened?" Benimaru asked with authority.
Kyoya pointed.
"Your people attacked a human! Is this how Tempest treats its guests?!"
Souei narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off—but the trap had already been set.
Just before dawn the next day, four waves of magical energy struck Tempest simultaneously—from the north, south, east, and west.
Holy sigils erupted from the earth, glowing with divine light.
"W-What is this magic?!" Hakuro yelled, feeling his knees weaken.
A wave of magical suppression fell over every monster in the city. Even the strongest among them—Benimaru, Shuna, Souei, and Shion—felt their power being ripped from them.
"They used a sealing spell," Shuna said, trembling. "I can't feel my magicules…!"
From the trees, from the hills, from the sky—they came. Holy Knights clad in white and gold, their weapons blessed by the Western Church, struck fast and without mercy.
Screams filled the streets.
Goblins tried to rally, but their swords trembled in their hands.
Lizardmen roared, but their scales were cut down like paper.
Ogres fought valiantly, but their strength was not what it used to be.
"Protect the civilians!" Benimaru shouted, cleaving through a knight with sheer will, sweat dripping down his face.
"Form a perimeter!" Shion ordered, shielding a group of young hobgoblins with her bare body.
Blood spilled onto the streets. Buildings burned. Children cried. Mothers screamed.
"They're everywhere!" Gobta cried out. "They knew our weak points!"
Hakuro clutched his sword tightly, but his old bones were failing him under the spell's curse.
"This is a massacre…" he muttered.
By the time the smoke began to clear, the Holy Knights had withdrawn, their mission complete. Death had stained the soil of Tempest. Hundreds were injured. Dozens were dead.
Benimaru stood in the center of the town square, breathing heavily, wounded and bloodied.
Shion fell to her knees beside Rigurd, whose arm had been crushed.
"We were... unprepared..." she whispered, tears in her eyes.
From the northern gate, Folgen, the commander of Falmuth's royal knights, stood atop a horse, his voice booming.
"This was a warning," he declared coldly. "You monsters have tasted human wrath. And next time... we come with the full might of the Holy Church!"
They vanished like ghosts, leaving behind only ash, ruin, and silence.
The skies were calm above the sprawling landscape. Soft clouds drifted lazily, the sun basking the forest path in golden light. Rimuru walked with a spring in his step, leading the children—Kenya, Chloe, Gale, Ryota, and Alice—back from Ramiris' Labyrinth. Spirits now danced lightly within their bodies, their magical energy refined and stable.
They laughed, talked about their adventures, and excitedly imagined what Tempest would be like.
But then… Rimuru's smile faded.
He slowed his steps, eyes narrowing.
"This feeling… we're being watched."
A cold breeze brushed past him. The birds that had been chirping all morning had gone silent.
"Ranga," Rimuru said calmly, turning to his loyal wolf. "Take the kids ahead. Stay on the safe route. I'll catch up."
"Master?" Ranga blinked, his nose twitching.
"Just go," Rimuru said. "I'll be fine."
With a reluctant nod, Ranga took the children and vanished in a blur of wind.
Rimuru stood alone now in the silence. He walked forward slowly, his senses sharpening. His hand hovered near his waist, ready.
"Come out," he said, eyes locked on a tree ahead. "I know someone's there."
There was a pause. Then, the faint crunch of leaves.
From behind the tree stepped a woman clad in white and silver armor, her long lavender hair flowing like silk. She held her sword, a shining Rapier of Light, at her side, sharp eyes locked onto him like a hawk.
It was Hinata Sakaguchi, the Captain of the Holy Knights.
"So," she said coldly, stepping forward, "you're the infamous slime. The one who built a city of monsters… and killed my sensei."
Rimuru's eyes widened.
"Killed your—wait, what? Shizu? I—"
"Don't play dumb!" Hinata snapped. "You devoured her. Took her body. That's why you look like her."
"You've got it all wrong," Rimuru tried to explain, raising a hand. "She entrusted her will to me. She asked me to—"
But Hinata didn't come here to listen.
She came for judgment.
With a sharp cry, she darted forward, her rapier shimmering in the sun.
Rimuru barely had time to brace before her blade was inches from his neck. He dodged, but the force of her strike left a shockwave that split a tree behind him.
She was fast. Insanely fast.
"Great Sage!" Rimuru cried internally. "What's going on?! I feel… slower."
<
"Tch… so that's it."
Hinata smiled slightly as if reading his mind.
"Oh? You noticed the barrier? I'm impressed you can still move this well. But it's over."
Her rapier danced with the grace of a master.
"True Strike!"
A precise thrust aimed at Rimuru's core. He twisted his body just in time, the blade grazing his side. Pain flared.
"So this is Hinata Sakaguchi..." he muttered, panting. "She's... good. No—she's a monster with a sword."
The ground shook with each clash. Rimuru darted between trees, used fallen logs for cover, jumped into the air, flipped—yet Hinata was always a breath behind.
"Melt Slash!"
A wave of molten energy burst from her blade. Rimuru barely summoned a water barrier to deflect it.
"Great Sage," he called out again, "how do I beat her if she's suppressing all my magic?!"
<
"Two minutes, huh... I hope I last that long."
But Hinata wasn't slowing down.
"Tell me, monster," she spat between blows, "was her death slow? Did you hear her scream as you devoured her?"
"It wasn't like that!!" Rimuru roared. "She asked me to do it! She was dying!!"
Their swords clashed again, metal scraping against aura. Rimuru, still weakened, was on the defensive. Cuts lined his arms. His breathing grew heavy.
Then, Hinata's blade shimmered with golden light.
"Disintegration."
Rimuru's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no…"
A wave of pure, divine destruction shot forward. It tore through the space between them, engulfing Rimuru in white-hot energy. His body cracked. Dissolved. Disappeared.
Hinata stood there, breathing softly.
"It's done," she said. "Shizu-sensei... you're avenged."
She turned away and walked into the woods, sword lowering.
But Then...
A soft wind blew behind her.
And there, in the shadows, stood Rimuru. His clothes burned. His slime core pulsing. But he was alive.
"That was too close," Rimuru muttered. "Luckily, I swapped with a slime double at the last second."
<
Rimuru's face darkened. Not in fear. But in realization.
"… if I wasn't careful... I'd be dead."
He looked toward Tempest, heart sinking.
"And if what she said is true... something's happening back home."