Getting beaten up in such a one-sided fashion would normally be unthinkable, especially when teaming up with Shion against a single foe. But one look at this scene, and it was obvious just how dangerous Razul was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shion took a step forward, covering for Ranga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRanga, you can sit this one out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous, Shion. He is strong. If we work together, and this is the result, going it alone is hazardous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all right, Ranga. I think I\u2019m grasping him a little now. I want you to stay there and build up your strength until I give the signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that, she readied her sword in front of her, not waiting for a response. It was a beautiful stance, her core oriented straight toward her foe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImpressive. None of the demons could trade blows like this with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Razul seemed astonished. But compliments from someone without a scratch on him did nothing but humiliate Shion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSilence. I\u2019m gonna rip that cockiness out of you with my bare hands!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that shout, Shion went on the move, holding her sword up high and swinging it down like the demigod-like ogre she was. It seemed like a slapdash move at first glance, but it was performed with a flawless, flowing stroke. But Razul didn\u2019t flinch. A sharp sound reverberated as the exoskeleton that protected him deflected the blow. As an insectoid, Razul was covered from head to toe with armor harder than steel, giving him matchless strength without extra weapons or armor. Even all the magic Ranga lobbed at him <\/a>harmlessly bounced off the surface\u2014the exoskeleton generated some kind of special force field that nothing worked against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parrying Shion\u2019s attack with his left arm, Razul used his momentum to throw a punch powerful enough to crush rock. A regular human being would be torn limb from limb. Shion, before now, wouldn\u2019t have thought twice about taking the blow\u2014in her mind, either she\u2019d withstand it or die, one of the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, though, Shion was more mature. Perhaps instructing others had in turn taught her how to keep an eye on the big picture. If she died here, it\u2019d put her whole side at a disadvantage. Even if she couldn\u2019t win this, if she could stretch this out long enough, someone was certain to help her. She could believe that now, so instead of blindly seeking victory, Shion\u2019s focus had shifted more toward survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also had good reason to give Ranga some rest. If she forced him right now, he might be too tired to move later\u2014so she resolved to bear the full brunt of this, while she was still able.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, that wasn\u2019t the only reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hee-hee\u2026 Now to earn my victory and win Sir Rimuru\u2019s praise!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the inside, she was defiant enough to entertain the thought. Survival came first, but she wasn\u2019t giving up on victory, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This growth on Shion\u2019s part had given her more mental leeway to work with. This leeway, in turn, was accelerating the blooming of her still-untapped talents. Now, her whole way of fighting had changed. She was faithful to Hakuro\u2019s teachings, relying more on skill than brute force\u2014and in battle with Razul, she was polishing that even further. That explained the beautiful, traditional moves she exhibited now, like a master sword fighter\u2014real technical skill, in addition to her irrational violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n A shock wave of force shot out from Shion\u2019s sword as she hammered it down, leaping at Razul. It was little more than a smoke screen to him, of course, but with that moment\u2019s distraction, Shion closed the distance between them. With a flowing movement, she unleashed her attack. Razul parried it again, but he could feel <\/a>his arms starting to go numb. Shion\u2019s skill had just ratcheted up, somehow\u2014even in the middle of battle, she was constantly growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not yet! I\u2019m not done yet\u2026!!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That strike just now had the effects of her unique skill Master Chef attached to it. She had come upon the idea of using Guarantee Results to crack his thick exoskeleton. She got deflected, again and again, but she didn\u2019t give up, smashing her great sword down on the same spot, thinking about nothing but destroying that shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In effect, she was looking to bend the laws of nature themselves to crush the uncrushable. Razul was an overwhelming foe, but Shion persevered, sticking it out, never despairing if her abilities didn\u2019t work, constantly believing her wish would come true as she kept attacking. Razul, meanwhile, quietly parried her attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The battle continued along. Razul didn\u2019t panic, showing machinelike accuracy as he dealt with Shion. Shion, meanwhile, was exercising her full force, even deploying her Ogre Berserker skill to strike with power beyond her limits. But even with that, this seemed like little more than a preliminary trial to Razul. The strength difference was just too much\u2014Shion had to exhaust everything she had just to keep her head above water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Razul\u2019s movements were like a gently flowing river\u2014but suddenly, a mighty rain made that river overtop its banks. Thanks to constantly tapping her skills, Shion\u2019s spiritual force was at its limit. Should she lose her balance, the fallout would likely spell her defeat. And that wasn\u2019t all. With Ranga out of the battle, Razul had a bead on every move Shion made. After carefully probing her, he concluded that there was nothing left her for to bring out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next moment, Razul\u2019s aura ballooned. With ferocious force, he began an all-out attack on Shion, using at least twice as much force as before as he rained a flurry of blows upon her. A moment ago, Razul was a statue facing the torrent of Shion; now the opposite was true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour strength is real. You may be proud of it. But you cannot beat me. At best, you could scratch my outer shell, perhaps? Give up and surrender at once!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>That was Razul\u2019s final offer. But Shion was unaffected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHee-hee! Laughable. Did you think I was just raging here without any plan? My wish is to ascend to the loftiest peaks. If I cannot venture beyond them, not only will that impertinent Diablo chide me, but I won\u2019t be able to serve Sir Rimuru.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSlow on the uptake, insect? I mean that I will overpower you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shion\u2019s aura suddenly exploded out as she once again slashed at Razul with everything she had. Sword crossed against arm\u2014and this time, too, Shion\u2019s attack was deflected. However, Shion merely smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHee-hee! Just as I hoped for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standing back up, she faced Razul down once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRidiculous. Your attacks could never strike home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Shion only snorted at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shion recalled her own shallowness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power is a symbol of justice. As a monster, that was simple common sense, and the weak deserved nothing but to be exploited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born as an ogress, Shion was in the upper classes of the Forest of Jura. But at least one person worried for her\u2014and that was her and Benimaru\u2019s teacher, Hakuro. Shion had thoroughly tempered her body, which gave her a measure of maturity, but she still didn\u2019t really understand the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She didn\u2019t ridicule Rimuru\u2019s decree that monsters weren\u2019t allowed to look down on other species, but part of her mind simply thought it didn\u2019t apply to her. The weak are doomed to die\u2014that was the natural order of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she herself died, that was when Shion realized she had it wrong. One didn\u2019t fear being killed because they were afraid of death\u2014they were afraid they\u2019d be gone without being able to help anyone else. And when Rimuru rescued her, the sense of relief she felt\u2014this realization that she wasn\u2019t forsaken, as if she had two parents protecting her\u2014filled her heart to the brim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>After their battle against the Crusaders as well, Rimuru lectured her, and she changed again. Back then, she couldn\u2019t make herself all that angry against the humans she thought were her hated enemies. She questioned that, but Rimuru\u2019s words cleared away her doubts. Not all<\/em> of humanity was evil\u2014there were bad guys but also good guys. It was her job to judge them properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A person\u2019s value lies in the way they live. Strength, or weakness, didn\u2019t mean anything. Someone who seemed useless now could someday awaken to their talents in one field or another. It was up to each person, and not someone else, to decide their own value. Rimuru was trying to say that, and Shion understood\u2014and when she did, she realized just how foolish it was to envy others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comparing herself to Diablo, Shion knew she was inferior. In her mind, she feared that Rimuru might abandon her entirely. But she was wrong. Realizing that Rimuru would never forget her made all those worries go away\u2014and in recent days, the ugly emotions that used to dominate her heart had disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no need to envy others\u2014all you have to do is surpass them. Shion turned those senses toward herself. Instead of seeing people as her rivals, she began to find meaning in surmounting her own limits. That way, she believed, she could always grow and mature\u2014and even if it was slow going, with her long life span, she could reach dimensions that those with more fleeting lives could never see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once Shion started thinking that way, all her anxieties vanished\u2014and that change of heart encouraged her growth. And that indomitable spirit was now blossoming under extreme circumstances\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confirmed. The subject Shion\u2019s intrinsic skill Ogre Berserker has evolved to the unique skill Divine Berserker.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This was a happy accident, not something Shion aimed for\u2014a miracle that occurred precisely because she kept struggling, never giving up on victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet me tell you something\u2014the goddess of victory always smiles upon those who never give up! Here we go\u2014Divine Release!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a moment\u2019s hesitation, Shion tapped into the freshly transformed unique skill Divine Berserker. Ogre Berserker had already used and abused her body; now every muscle screamed at the excessive burden. She used Ultraspeed Regeneration to shut them up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The unique skill Divine Berserker was, in essence, an upgraded version of Ogre Berserker. It wasn\u2019t a true berserker-type move, abandoning all reason and going into a murderous rage; instead, it simply boosted the user\u2019s stamina and spiritual force. Like Benimaru\u2019s Magic Burn, it was a bodily enhancement that granted her the essential force of a spiritual life-form. But it was no panacea. It had one major disadvantage. In Shion\u2019s current state, her physical strength would be loaded on top of her spiritual body\u2014but it consumed magicules at such a fast rate that she\u2019d be running on empty in short order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the moment she triggered Divine Berserker, she was already nearing her physical limits. Shion was in this to win it\u2014she had to settle everything with the next strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2026is that power\u2026? It\u2019s coming for me?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the influence of Divine Berserker, an eye-watering mystical force flowed out of every pore of Shion\u2019s body. At the same time, it honed every one of her senses, letting her feel just how much power was surging within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, Ranga!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shion lifted Goriki-maru Version 2 high with both hands. A blast of Dark Lightning charged up by Ranga descended upon it. He had waited for the right moment to unleash it, and it was the most powerful force he was capable of right now. Ranga believed in Shion\u2014even if that lightning damaged her, if that was her will, he wouldn\u2019t hesitate to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cYou impudent\u2026! My shell\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shion had no time for Razul\u2019s words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChaotic Fate!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her will now had the power to alter the results of every type of natural phenomenon. She threw all of it into her lightning-infused sword, thrusting it downward from on high\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Razul\u2019s exoskeleton had blocked every attack from Shion. On his left arm, there was but a single scratch. However, that was all Shion needed. If something had worked before, even a little, she could utilize Optimal Action on it. Combining that with Guarantee Results to guide her hand was the true worth of her Master Chef unique skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026With a flash, the broken blade flew into the air. Shion\u2019s sword had finally been smashed into two pieces. But it was Razul who fell. His left arm was severed, a large gash cleaved open from the tip of his shoulder down the center of his body. The ruinous lightning that slammed its way through promptly fried all his major organs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the battle was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Razul crumpled into a heap. He understood he would die soon. His eyes swiveled up to Granville, still fighting against Luminus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forgive me, Gren\u2026 I\u2019m taking my leave before you. We will meet again, at that promised land\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The light faded from those eyes as his life functions failed him. Shion and Ranga had secured their victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Seeing Rimuru apply the mask to Chronoa, Luminus all but hoped it would win the day for them. This was a risky wager. Once again, Luminus had bet everything on Rimuru, who had earned Chloe\u2019s and Hinata\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luminus had pretended not to know anything about him, but given everything Chloe and Hinata said about him in the past, she <\/a>was worried. She only joined the last Walpurgis because she heard Rimuru would be there. Him becoming a demon lord wasn\u2019t at all the story she heard. Even when discussing matters with Hinata, she continued to feign ignorance of the truth. But as Chloe\u2019s story gradually inched closer to reality, she stopped having any doubt about it. That was why Luminus was never hostile to Rimuru from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, recent events hadn\u2019t turned out at all like how the Chloe and Hinata of the past put them. Things were starting to get inconsistent, and that scared Luminus to the core. The greater things started to diverge, the more it seemed like Chronoa, kept safe in the ark, wouldn\u2019t be revived in the correct manner. Now that fear had come true\u2014and unexpected events were occurring in a flurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, right before this musical concert she so looked forward to, her dutiful assistant Granville was turning traitor. To be exact, she knew he betrayed her well before now, but not even she expected him to march in here and so blatantly rebel against her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Hinata was dead, Chronoa was revived, and Luminus\u2019s best bet for dealing with these irregularities was Rimuru, whose continued survival was itself an irregularity. That was her decision, and just as she hoped, Rimuru was attempting an appeal to Chronoa\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the same mask Chloe wore. There\u2019s still hope!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Luminus internally cheered. But then Granville spoke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou look pleased, Lady Luminus. Do you really believe that your beloved Chloe will come back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChronoa is a living destructive force, is she not? And without the ark to contain her, the only way to stop Chronoa is to call back Chloe\u2019s soul. But do you really think that soul is slumbering within her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luminus looked surprised for a moment. But come to think of it, Granville could have easily listened in on Chloe\u2019s and her conversations over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Oh. So that\u2019s what you did\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cYes, I\u2019m sure it\u2019s just as you imagined. There is no quicker and easier way to destroy this world. All I have to do is leave the matter to someone far stronger than I!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Granville laughed, the madness readily visible in his dark, murky eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSilence! Don\u2019t expect this to turn out how you want!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo? I suppose not. At every opportunity, this world has trampled over my wishes. And just now, my friend has passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was only then that Luminus realized one of the battles was over. Rimuru\u2019s officers had emerged triumphant. Razul was dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHeh-heh-heh\u2026 Indeed, this world has been harsh to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t care!\u201d Luminus shot back, pushing him aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026And that,\u201d he quietly responded, \u201cis why I hope this whole world is destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnough with your nonsense. If you want to be hopeless, go do it by yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that shout, she readied her beloved sword, named Nightrose after her original homeland. Granville responded in kind, turning toward Luminus and unsheathing Truth, his own blade from his Hero days. Both weapons were God class and boasting equal capabilities. And then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHopeless? No, I am not hopeless. In fact, right now my heart is filled to the brim with hope!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he made the declaration, the energy being released from Razul\u2019s body flowed its way into Granville\u2019s. It was both his strength and his very soul. Now he had the powers of Maria, Razul, and himself pulsating within his body, creating a new hope for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confirmed. Conditions met. The unique skill Nefarious has evolved into the ultimate skill Sariel, Lord of Hope.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Granville, too, was reaching dizzying new heights in this battle\u2014the ultimate peaks, mountaintops that only the chosen can reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ultimate skill Sariel, Lord of Hope, much like Luminus\u2019s Asmodeus, worked in terms of life or death. Now they were fully an even match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Standing there silently, Granville turned his dark, opaque eyes toward her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am ready, Lady Luminus. It is time to break the cycle of fate and finish things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026So it is. I will accept your resolve. And worry not\u2014I promise that I will kill you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They faced each other. It was a battle between two people awoken to ultimate skills\u2014but it ended in an instant. There was a single flash of crimson red, as Luminus\u2019s Nightrose danced in the air. With a gloomy blue streak of flames, Granville\u2019s Truth blade took the blow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRequiem for the Dead!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFortitude!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a head-on clash between Asmodeus and Sariel. Under matching conditions, whichever side had the stouter will would emerge victorious. Granville, the nefarious Hero, thus had no reason to lose\u2014and yet, it was Luminus now standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n After putting the mask on Chronoa, I focused my consciousness and began diving into her spiritual realm. Not that I myself was doing this, of course; Raphael was handling all the controls for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was expecting complete darkness, but it was actually pretty bright. There weren\u2019t any light sources around; I was sure this was just an imaginary landscape. So I jiggled along, trying to mentally move myself forward, when I realized someone was walking alongside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey there, slime. It\u2019s been far too long. Or no, wait, it\u2019s Satoru, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Shizu. She was a nostalgic sight, but I felt a little embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, stop,\u201d I said, trying to joke about it. \u201cMy name\u2019s fully Rimuru these days. I\u2019m not abandoning my past, but it\u2019s just awkward whenever I\u2019m called that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not that I wanted her to call me Rimuru. Absolutely not. No <\/a>way. Still, though, having this imaginary landscape was kind of convenient. If you felt lonely, you could even have dead people drop in for a visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shizu didn\u2019t have a mask on. Her face was visible, all of her burns gone, and it made me realize all over again how pretty she was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My own look was modeled after hers, of course, which often made people think I was this fetching young lady\u2014and looking at her now, I guess I couldn\u2019t blame them. As a former dude, I was still sorting my feelings out about it, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having her here reassured me. I began to advance faster. She followed me, smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facing us up ahead was another pretty young girl. This was Chronoa, her eyes filled with hatred; she looked incredibly scary, like she was about to destroy the world. First<\/em>, I thought, we\u2019re gonna have to talk this out<\/em>. Hoping she was willing to listen, I opened my mouth\u2014but before I could:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Are you Rimuru? It\u2019s\u2026really you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Well. That<\/em> was unexpected. I was anticipating more of a, you know, hostile kind of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, yep. The very one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I nodded, and then Chronoa embraced me\u2014a young, ravishing woman hugging a slime. Yes, I was<\/em> digging this, thanks for asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shizu giggled a bit as she watched. \u201cYou really worked hard,\u201d she said as she patted Chronoa on the head. \u201cI wanted to see you too, Hero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hmm\u2026 Was it really all right for this encounter to be so, like, heartwarming? I could still feel intense warfare going on outside, but right now, this was making me feel all warm and fuzzy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo um, you\u2019re Chronoa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking at her, I was starting to think Chronoa was just Chloe grown up. They really did<\/em> look alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. My name is Chronoa\u2014an embodiment of corruption, shut inside Chloe. At the same time, I\u2019m kind of her alternate self. If Hinata didn\u2019t name me, though, I don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve had sentience like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh. I see. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell there was a complicated backstory involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right. So what you\u2019re trying to do\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If she was intent on destroying the world, I\u2019d have to stop her with everything I had. If this was Chloe\u2019s alter ego, I needed to get Chloe in this scene and perform a bit of a switcheroo. That\u2019s why I cut straight to the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. I\u2019ve had enough of that. You\u2019re safe, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronoa was perfectly calm and casual, even though it kind of gave me the creeps. I had been through all kinds of tough scrapes by now, and I survived them all. If you wanted to put me in even more<\/em> danger, I\u2019d have to say no thank you to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, sure. I\u2019ve always been safe, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou say that, but you sacrificed yourself to save me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Chronoa raised her voice. Sacrificed? I wasn\u2019t sure what set her off, but maybe I ought to just apologize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHa-ha-ha! Sorry, sorry. I\u2019ll be more careful next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReally? You promise?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I promised Chronoa I wouldn\u2019t do anything reckless. I was totally lost here. It\u2019s not like I was trying<\/em> to be reckless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026But hang on. If Chronoa had memories from the future, was she talking about something coming up for me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026That possibility is likely.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aw, man, really<\/em>?! That sucks to hear\u2026 Or actually, maybe the other way around. I have to be glad<\/em> I heard that. I swore not to pull any reckless moves, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I waited a few moments for Chronoa to calm down before dropping the big question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo speaking of Chloe, do you know where she is right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2014and was Hinata here, too? I was in a rush, but I wanted to proceed with caution. If I got on Chronoa\u2019s bad side, I might cut off any chance at getting more info. But my worries were in vain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe went astray, into the Unlimited Imprisonment deep inside <\/a>my heart. I\u2019m supposed to be the one locked in there, but two of the same being can\u2019t exist at the same time, so we got swapped out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judging by how forward she was, it looked like Chronoa cared a great deal about her. She seemed to see herself as a support for Chloe, the \u201cmain\u201d personality, and I felt safe in believing that. So I moved on to the next question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what about Hinata?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHinata. Well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a shocking answer. She told me Hinata was already dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean? Luminus told me Hinata jumped back in time with you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So she should have been just fine\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have it all wrong, Rimuru. Hinata died right here. Granville\u2019s attack can crush people\u2019s souls as well. That\u2019s why Chloe absorbed Hinata\u2019s soul and jumped back into the past\u2026but Hinata couldn\u2019t withstand the time leap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Huh? No, but\u2026 I mean, Luminus and Hinata had conversations<\/em>. Loads of them. And besides\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Wasn\u2019t it Hinata who named you, Chronoa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo in that case\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHinata\u2019s consciousness alone was stored in her unique skill\u2014the remains of her soul. That\u2019s why I could never take in her Measurer. If I did, her sense of self would completely vanish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sadness behind her words showed me she was telling the truth. But hang on. Hinata\u2019s consciousness stayed here because her skill was rooted in her soul. If you planted this skill back in Hinata\u2019s body, wouldn\u2019t that revive her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI understand what you mean, Rimuru. I\u2014or Chloe\u2014thought the same thing. But it just won\u2019t work. Like I told you, the remains of Hinata\u2019s soul are locked in the Unlimited Imprisonment, too. Everything in there is chaotically mixed together. I was born from that, so I hate to say this, but Hinata\u2019s Measurer is probably already integrated with everything else\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you had a will and energy along the lines of Veldora, that\u2019d be one thing. But while Hinata was a Saint, she was still human\u2014and <\/a>as Chronoa saw it, the Unlimited Imprisonment was too much to withstand. We had Hinata\u2019s physical body right here. If the soul was safe, we could revive her. And yet\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s all right. Hinata\u2019s a really strong woman, so I\u2019m sure she hasn\u2019t vanished yet. So let\u2019s call for her together, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My spirits fell as Chronoa grieved for her. It was Shizu who tried to assuage us with a calm smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n My anxieties were now gone. We could grieve after we saw the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah\u2026 You\u2019re right. Chronoa, I want to rescue Chloe and Hinata from the Unlimited Imprisonment, but is there a way we can do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m calmer now, so I think I can pick up on the other Chloe\u2019s presence. But it\u2019s gonna be hard to unlock the Unlimited Imprisonment. If we do that, I\u2019m pretty sure that will destroy our body\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I asked what she meant, she explained that the Unlimited Imprisonment held all of their vast amounts of energy. I had forgotten that it was Chronoa here controlling the younger Chloe\u2019s powers. If we released a quantity of energy on the level of Veldora\u2019s, we\u2019d probably vaporize Chloe\u2019s body\u2014and right now, we had no way of verifying whether Hinata\u2019s heart was still there or not. We\u2019ll just have to trust in Shizu\u2019s confidence for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if I wanted to nimbly control the Unlimited Imprisonment\u2019s energy while extracting Chloe and Hinata from there\u2026could I use Raphael to intervene with it, maybe? Like, just probe around inside without breaking the whole thing open?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Negative. As it stands currently, this is not possible. We do not have access to the data particles, the smallest unit we can interact with.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n