That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
What do you think you're doing to my bestie's subordinate?!
Episode 18: Evil Creeps Closer
Damn it! She'll pay for that!
Who does she think I am?
I'm Phobio the Black Leopard Fang!
With the Demon Lord Milim in the picture, it's beyond our control.
Even for the Demon Lord Carrion.
You idiot!
Lord Carrion wouldn't have humiliated himself like this!
I just wasn't good enough.
But my pride won't allow me to go back empty-handed.
Those guys built a town all on their own.
I saw them as no more than lowly monsters,
but they have skills and techniques that even we lack.
That's for sure.
Instead of ordering them to serve us,
I'd like to see Eurazania establish diplomatic relations with them.
Yeah. Even if the Demon Lord Milim hadn't been involved,
I handled that all wrong.
I couldn't have gained their trust by just taking over without giving them a say.
But it's too late now.
My wounds may heal, but this humiliation will never fade.
I want to take revenge somehow,
so I won't cause trouble for Lord Carrion.
That's easy to say, but revenge isn't realistic...
I know that! I know in my head that it won't work!
Still, I just can't rationalize this!
Who's there?!
Oh, how well I understand that vexation you must be feeling!
Greetings, fine people!
My name is Footman.
Footman?
I am a member of the Moderate Harlequin Alliance,
the one they call Footman the Angry Pierrot!
Pleasure to make your acquaintance!
Now, please don't be so guarded.
I'm Tear, and I'm not your enemy!
What do you want?
Well, I was summoned here by your anger and hatred.
Anger and hatred?
I sensed some choice waves of anger, you see.
Please tell me what has angered you so.
I'm certain I can be of some help to you.
Sir Phobio, there is no need to listen to these people.
May I remove them from your presence?
We are the Beast King's Beastketeers, serving the Demon Lord Carrion.
Do you honestly think you wandering majin are any match for us?
You desire power, do you not?
We have it... power akin to none you've ever seen.
Naturally, however, it comes with great risk.
But should you triumph over that risk,
the power you stand to gain is immense.
Oh?
Sir Phobio!
You want to defeat the Demon Lord Milim, right?
Then you just need to become a Demon Lord yourself!
Demon... Lord?!
A Demon Lord? You think you can fool me with nonsense like that?
Charybdis.
Have you heard of it?
Did you say... Charybdis?
Yeah, if you had the evil power of that gigantic beast-fish,
you'd be a Demon Lord's equal...
But if you don't want it, we'll just go find someone who does!
Come on, let's go!
What a shame.
Wait!
Sir Phobio, you mustn't!
I haven't liked any of this from the start.
Why was a useless Orc Lord chosen to be a Demon Lord?
That's bull!
If they need a new Demon Lord, I'll...
I'll get stronger! Then even Lord Carrion will forgive me with a smile!
Sir Phobio...
Tell me more!
Ah! I knew the great Sir Phobio would understand!
Yes, of course! There is none more suited than you to be a Demon Lord!
It's just wrong for anyone who isn't strong to be a Demon Lord, right?!
That's how I feel, too!
And as far as that goes, you're perfect for the job!
What do you two stand to gain from this deal?
What are you after?
We just want you to give us special treatment once you become a Demon Lord!
We'd like you to do a few favors for us, too!
We cannot subdue Charybdis on our own, after all.
We managed to find the place where it's been sealed away,
but as it is now, we're just sitting on a gold mine!
And we just happened to find you at the perfect time!
I see.
But there's no telling whether I can subdue Charybdis or not...
If anyone can do it, it's you, great Sir Phobio!
You'll be fine!
So when I become a Demon Lord,
they want to be the ones credited for helping me the most?
All right, I accept your offer.
You three can go back.
Sir Phobio!
Report on everything that has happened.
But..
I can't cause trouble for Lord Carrion.
Tell him I'm resigning my position in the Beastketeers and leaving the service.
Thank you for all you've done for me.
Sir Phobio...
I will become carnage itself and force the Demon Lord Milim to acknowledge my power.
Very well.
I will report to Lord Carrion.
But the extent of Charybdis's power is unknown.
Please be extremely careful.
Sir Phobio is not a fool.
Even if Charybdis really is out there,
I'm sure he can subdue it.
Now, let us be on our way.
Yeah. If my power and that of Charybdis can be combined,
I bet I can turn Demon Lord Milim's annoying face into a sobbing mess.
That's the spirit!
Yeah! I'll be cheering you on!
What do you think of that?! I won!
I can stay underwater longer than you two!
No, it was I who won.
No, it was only by a slight margin, but I won.
No fair refusing to admit defeat, Shion and Shuna!
Okay, then, we'll do it again! Let's settle the score!
Very well. One more time.
It's really not a good idea to stay underwater in the bath, but let's do it.
Ready... go!
Seems like they're having fun.
Maybe I should've gone to that side.
Over here is just...
an old dude.
Hey, how long do you intend to stay in this town?
Are you still not convinced that we're harmless?
Huh? Ah, no...
My suspicion of you is long gone now.
Then why?
Well, this place is just so comfortable.
I haven't had a real break in so long.
I felt it would be a good thing to slow down and relax.
Come on, man...
"I will see for myself whether or not you are truly an ally of Humans."
After you sounded so cool saying that...
He's not even listening!
Hey!
Eh?
What's going on with Youm and his guys, anyway?
You promised to help make them look like the champions in our place!
Ah...
"Ah" isn't an answer!
Those guys already left, you know!
They went to build a reputation as champions everywhere.
That won't be a problem.
I've already finished setting things up.
You have?
Yes.
I've already laid the groundwork for spreading the word that they're
the champions who defeated the Orc Lord,
and for spreading the rumor that you and your people
are the harmless monsters who helped them.
Oh... Well, good, then.
He may be taking it easy, but I guess he's done his part.
Well, I'll be heading back now.
Oh, I almost forgot.
I'd like to build a road from here to your Kingdom of Blumund.
Eh?
Er... Wha? Oh, well...
I'd certainly appreciate that,
but that would be a national undertaking on a huge scale.
The budget would be immense.
Exactly, Fuze-kun!
K-Kun?
Somehow, hearing you call me that makes me feel uneasy...
Don't worry about that, Fuze-kun!
Having a road would make it easier for us to do business, wouldn't it?
Naturally, we'll handle the physical work.
However...
However?
I want to sell our specially-made goods to other countries,
so I'd like you to introduce me to someone who can give all the advice I need.
Very well. That's a simple matter!
Good, good.
Maybe I should go over there after all...
It's in here?
Yep!
It hasn't been revived yet, but its thirst for destruction is pouring out.
Such emotions are our absolute favorite treat.
That is how we were able to find it.
You're right... I can feel something bizarre in the air.
Charybdis...
Under normal circumstances,
reviving Charybdis would require many corpses.
Corpses?
Charybdis is a type of spiritual lifeform.
In order to use its power in this world,
one must give it a physical body.
I get it. And?
Your role in all this is...
Wait, are you saying...
By "subdue," we mean that you take Charybdis into your body
and unite with it as one being!
Into my body?
If you want out, now's your chance!
But...
But?
This seal might not hold out much longer.
And if it doesn't, then what?
It would eventually revive on its own... I guess?
But it needs corpses, right?
Yes, but even though it's sealed,
I'm sure it could acquire the corpses necessary for revival on its own.
And if it does, we might just drop dead!
Yes, that's right!
If it revives on its own, it'll be uncontrollable,
and with an untainted will to destroy, it won't take orders from anyone.
So we need to break the seal before it revives itself
and take its power for ourselves first?
Huh?
Y-Yeah! Exactly!
Very perceptive!
Fine.
I'll make the power of Charybdis my own.
I'll do it.
I'll subdue Charybdis within my own body
and show that impertinent Demon Lord Milim!
Well, he went in.
He sure did.
He is truly a minion of Carrion's, with muscles for brains.
Yeah, that was easy!
Is this job completed now?
Clayman only told me to revive Charybdis and send it Milim's way.
Oh!
Guess we don't need the lesser dragon corpses I gathered up anymore.
But so long as we're prepared, we've nothing to worry about!
So heavy...
Another great haul today!
Milim's truly amazing!
She can locate monsters right away, so hunting is a breeze!
Detecting monsters is a piece of cake!
We'll have another feast tonight!
Yep, great work, great work.
It was a lot of work, all right.
Who's up for a bath and a drink?
I'm up for a drink!
Lady Milim!
Who's there?!
Whoa, hey!
Gotcha!
This presence...
Treyni-san?
No, she's not quite the same...
I-It's a Dryad!
I've never seen one before...
I am the Dryad Trya,
younger sister of Treyni.
She has a younger sister?!
Uh, anyway, what's with that form and the murderous aura?
There is an emergency.
Calamity is approaching.
Calamity?
A calamity-class monster, Charybdis, has been revived.
Charybdis?
Its violence equals that of a Demon Lord.
My sisters, including Treyni, have set out to slow its progress,
but they are no match for it.
And it appears Charybdis is heading
for this land.
Huh?!
Against Charybdis, the Ruler of the Skies, waging war on land is futile.
I have come to advise you to bolster your defenses
and prepare an airborne combat force as soon as possible.
Charybdis was born long, long ago,
and has died and revived many times.
It is a violent Ruler of the Skies.
No less is expected of the child
of Veldora, the ruler and guardian of the forest.
Veldora's child?
Charybdis was generated from a cloud of Veldora's magicules.
So does that mean Charybdis and I are sort of like brothers?
Oh, so is it coming this way because it's after me?
Maybe it figured out that Veldora is inside me...
If Charybdis has revived, it is a threat greater than a Demon Lord.
Unlike a Demon Lord, this is not an opponent we can speak with.
You might as well call it a monster with no intelligence.
It's said that it calls shark-like summon monsters called Megalodons
from the spirit world to join it in its rampage.
What the heck? That sounds worse than the Orc Lord...
The situation could not be worse.
Its summoned Megalodons have occupied
some lesser dragon corpses that were nearby for some unknown reason.
Huh?
They number thirteen.
So there's one beast as bad as a Demon Lord,
and thirteen flying sharks that it summoned?
What the hell kind of joke is this?
Great Rimuru, what shall we do?
What do we do? I mean...
Haven't you forgotten something important?
That stupid Charybdis...
is no match for me!
I'll whoop its butt in no time!
Oh, yeah! That's one way!
We cannot do that.
This is our town's problem.
Hey, secretary! Don't turn her down for me!
Huh? But I'm his besti—
She's right.
It's wrong to rely on you for everything just because you're a friend.
When Great Rimuru is in desperate need of help,
we would certainly appreciate your assistance then.
Uh, I'm in pretty desperate need now!
They're right, Milim.
Just have faith in me.
And I thought... I'd finally get my chance to shine...
Well, it seems like it's after me.
I can't rely too much on Milim.
Begin preparations to defeat Charybdis!
Yes, sir!
I wanted to show my bestie what I can do...
Defeat it?
Are you sure you understand?
You're up against a beast that even the Dryads couldn't stop.
We can count on backup from King Gazel, since we signed that treaty.
We'll just do all we can.
You aren't going to run away?
What good would that do?
I'm the strongest one in this nation.
If it looks like I stand no chance, I'll run away and think up a new plan,
but otherwise, I should see how strong it is with my own eyes, right?
I see.
You are the leader of the monsters, after all.
We're not like Humans who are done for if they lose their king.
But you know...
You think much like we Humans do.
It's hard to see you as a monster.
Hmm, maybe...
It might be hard to believe, but I actually used to be human.
You know about Shizu-san, right?
I think I'm an Otherworlder, just like she was.
I died in my world...
and was reborn here as a slime.
Shizu...
Shizu-san entrusted everything to me as someone from the same homeland.
I gained this form in exchange for inheriting her will.
I can't go making dumb mistakes in Shizu-san's form, right?
I see...
So Rimuru really is someone we can trust!
Besides, I made a promise to her.
A promise?
That I'd clear away the feelings that bind her heart.
My prey is the Demon Lord Leon.
The Demon Lord Leon?!
H-He is?!
You can't call a major figure like him your "prey"!
I mean, compared to the Demon Lord Leon,
I guess Charybdis would be easier to handle... maybe?
Yeah.
The Demon Lord Leon comes later.
Charybdis comes first.
Barren Lands
The Western Provinces
The Eastern Plains
Tempest
A battle was about to begin.
It would take place in between
the capital of the Jura Tempest Federation,
the city of Rimuru,
Kingdom of Falmuth
Kingdom of Blumund
Armed Nation of Dwargon
Canaat Mountains
Great Forest of Jura
Lake Siss
Tempest
Sealed Cave
and the Armed Nation of Dwargon.
The opponent is...
Charybdis
the calamity-class Charybdis.
Next time, "Charybdis."
Charybdis