"So you're Clayman…"
Yujiro's voice rumbled like thunder cracking through hell.
"…The little bug who thinks he can control my niece."
The entire Walpurgis chamber—the demonic roundtable of the world's most powerful beings—fell into a pit of ice-cold silence. The air felt heavier, like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Clayman stood up halfway, trembling. Sweat poured down his pale face. His lips twitched.
"N-No… wait… it's not—"
Swoooosh.
A sudden snap echoed like a whip crack. No one saw it.
Clayman froze mid-word. His mouth locked. His eyes rolled wide in sheer panic. His whole body went stiff like a broken doll—paralyzed.
"What… just happened?" Dino whispered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I didn't see him move…" Leon muttered, arms now uncrossed, back straight.
Even Guy Crimson, who had fought celestial horrors and abominations from the void itself, narrowed his eyes.
"He hit a pressure point… with that speed?"
Draguel's brows furrowed.
"Not even I caught that."
Shion clenched her fists.
Diablo narrowed his gaze, finally realizing:
"This man… is beyond comprehension."
Rimuru's heart skipped a beat.
"Clayman… didn't even get to scream."
Yujiro, still with his signature cocky smirk, turned slowly and locked eyes with Louis, who sat in Luminous' chair, pretending to be the Demon Lord.
Luminous, still dressed like a maid, stood behind him. Her gaze locked on Yujiro, lips tight.
Yujiro spoke with a commanding calm.
"You're not fooling me."
Louis flinched, stiff as stone.
"You," Yujiro pointed with lazy sharpness. "Get out of that chair. Let the real one step forward."
Luminous almost said something. Her pride screamed at her to refuse. But when her eyes glanced toward Guy, then Draguel, then Milim, and saw their blank, unreadable faces…
She froze.
She had already fought this man once. And she had lost everything—in front of others. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
Silently, she nodded to Louis.
He stood up, slowly.
Luminous sat down in her rightful place.
Yujiro grinned.
"Better."
Then, he turned.
Step. Step. Step.
Each footfall sent tiny tremors into the cracked stone floor. The demonic torches flickered unnaturally, reacting to the sheer presence of his will.
He walked directly toward Dino, the Lazy Demon Lord.
Dino—known for sleeping during meetings and avoiding conflict—was now more awake than anyone in the room.
"Why is he coming to me?"
His thoughts raced.
"What did I do? Was it the fruit I stole from Milim's garden last year? Damn it—why didn't I teleport out when I had the chance?!"
Yujiro stopped right in front of him.
Dino managed to say, "I—"
Swoooosh.
BAM.
No one—not even Guy—could see the movement. It was beyond perception.
Dino stiffened, just like Clayman. Paralyzed. Head tilted sideways. Mouth half-open. Frozen.
The room erupted in silent shock.
Ramiris squeaked and zipped behind Guy Crimson, gripping the edge of his cloak like a terrified child.
Milim's fists clenched tightly.
Diablo finally spoke.
"Rimuru-sama… who is this man…?"
Rimuru couldn't speak.
He was mentally paralyzed.
And so was Raphael.
"Analyzing…"
"…"
"Fear registered. No proper analysis available. Subject contains no magicules, no soul signature, no skill threads."
"This being… cannot be quantified."
Rimuru's eyes widened.
"Not even you can analyze him?"
"…Affirmative."
The room was still. Thick with tension.
Then, Guy cleared his throat.
"Yujiro… what is the purpose of your visit?" His voice was sharp. Cautious.
"Are you here to humiliate us… again? Or are you looking to join us?"
All eyes turned to Yujiro.
He turned his body slowly toward Guy.
There was no aura. No pressure.
And yet…
The room grew heavy.
Not magically. But psychologically. Emotionally. Existentially.
Leon clenched his jaw.
Luminous shifted in her seat.
Draguel narrowed his eyes.
Ramiris stayed hidden behind Guy like her life depended on it.
Even Diablo took a step back.
"This man… no magic… no skills… and yet he's terrifying all of them…" Diablo murmured.
Yujiro stared at Guy.
The silence was unbearable.
Then, after what felt like eternity…
Yujiro smiled. And turned his back.
"Not interested."
The tension snapped.
He walked away, passing by Draguel on his way back to his spot.
He gave Draguel a light tap on the shoulder.
Draguel nodded, honored… and cautious.
Then Yujiro walked until he stood in front of Rimuru.
His eyes didn't move. But his voice changed—sharper now. More direct.
"Milim."
He hadn't even turned to look at her.
"If you don't stop pretending… I will have to punish you."
Milim flinched.
The blood in her face drained.
Everyone watched in disbelief.
"Pretending…?" Luminous whispered.
Milim laughed nervously.
"Fine, fine! Uncle, no need to be harsh—I was just having a little fun, that's all!"
Her usual loud attitude returned, but her eyes betrayed the fear.
"Those punishments… he once made me fight blindfolded, one arm tied, on a collapsing cliff… with lava underneath."
The Demon Lords murmured.
"She was faking?"
"So she wasn't controlled?"
"Clayman is dead meat."
Meanwhile, Ramiris clung tighter to Guy's back.
"Save me, save me, save me, save me…"
Yujiro smirked.
"Better."
He turned his gaze to Rimuru again.
"So… you're the slime that built a kingdom in my forest, very bold."
Boom.
Rimuru felt like he was just called out by the god of the land.
"The Jura Forest… is his?"
Rimuru tried to speak.
Diablo, standing at his side, clenched his fists. His instincts told him to act. But something primal stopped him.
Yujiro leaned forward.
"Since you're building a kingdom in my forest… answer this."
"What is power to you?"
"What is strength?"
Rimuru's heart skipped.
Milim sent Rimuru a thought communication message:
"This is a test… Don't mess up, Rimuru…"
The room grew dark—not from magic, but from atmosphere.
Rimuru stood straight. Took a breath. His mind racing.
He could lie.
He could say something poetic.
He could say anything.
But he didn't.
Instead… he said what was in his heart.
"Strength… is the ability to protect."
Yujiro didn't react.
Rimuru continued.
"It's the will to take responsibility for others. It's the burden that comes with building something worth protecting… like a nation, like peace, like people who believe in you."
"Power, to me… isn't control. It's responsibility."
Yujiro blinked.
The room was silent.
Then—finally—he smirked....
The smirk of a god who'd crushed kings, demons, dragons, and even the idea of strength itself.
Yujiro's voice broke the silence, sharp like a blade dragged across steel.
"Good answer."
Rimuru allowed himself a small breath of relief.
But then…
Yujiro took a step forward, his eyes narrowed, his smile twisting.
"Now tell me, slime…"
The word wasn't an insult. It was a scalpel—slicing past titles and glory.
"You have magic. You have skills. You have an army of monsters. Your very name makes some tremble in fear."
His voice deepened, and the room grew colder.
"But what will you do if all of that is stripped away from you?"
Boom.
A single question—like the hammer of reality crashing down.
"What will you do when all of that magic power… all of those flashy skills… that divine blessing that made them respect you… made them fear you… is taken away?"
He took another step closer.
"Who are you then?"
Silence.
No one spoke. No one dared. Even the torches flickered lower, as if scared of the answer.
Rimuru's heart pounded. Not from fear of death—he'd faced death many times—but from the realization that this wasn't a threat. This was a challenge. A soul-deep interrogation from a man who stood beyond power.
Milim's knuckles turned white.
Diablo instinctively reached for his side but caught Rimuru's signal to stop.
Ramiris buried her face in Guy's back.
Luminous whispered to herself,
"He's tearing away all illusions…"
Draguel folded his arms tightly, eyes analyzing.
Guy Crimson narrowed his gaze, finally understanding.
"Yujiro isn't looking for power. He's looking for essence."
Rimuru looked into Yujiro's eyes. No glow. No aura. No magic. Just truth. Unmovable and absolute.
Rimuru clenched his fists at his sides.
"If everything was taken from me…"
He spoke slowly, not because he didn't know the answer—but because he wanted to mean every word.
"If I lost all of it… My magic. My skills. My immortality. My throne."
He took a breath, staring back into that unrelenting gaze.
"Then I would still stand."
Yujiro's smile twitched. Slightly.
Rimuru continued.
"Because even without all of that… I am still the one who chose to protect my people. I am still the one who built something from nothing. I am still the one they trusted, not because I was powerful… but because I was there. When it mattered."
His voice hardened now.
"You can strip me of everything. I'll still fight with tooth and nail if I have to."
"Because power isn't just what you have. It's what you do when there's nothing left."
Yujiro stared at him.
Then… he chuckled.
A low, thunderous chuckle that made the air tremble.
"That… was a real answer."
Boom.
Relief poured into the room like air after drowning. Everyone felt it.
Milim exhaled, hand on her heart.
Guy smirked faintly.
Leon nodded in silent approval.
Luminous actually cracked a small smile.
Ramiris peeked from behind Guy, eyes wide.
Yujiro, still smirking, turned slightly.
"You're lucky, kid. Most people crumble when they don't have their strength to hide behind."
He turned fully away.
"I like that answer. Keep it that way."
Then, with casual steps that felt like earthquakes to the hearts of gods, Yujiro walked back toward the shadowy corner of the round table—where no throne waited, yet the whole room tilted in his direction.
And Rimuru… stood still.
Not as a god. Not as a king. Not as a Demon Lord.
But as himself.
Rimuru Tempest.
A slime who built a kingdom.
A soul who stood his ground.