Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

Chapter Seventy Five

Plop!

Gelmud's severed head tumbled to the ground, landing with a dull thud. A small pool of blood quickly spread beneath it, darkening the soil.

For a moment, silence reigned over the battlefield. No one moved, too stunned by the abrupt demise of the Deadman.

Crunch.

The eerie sound broke the stillness. All eyes snapped toward the Orc Lord, who had crouched down and sunk his teeth into Gelmud’s still-warm corpse.

Crunch.

Rimuru winced, resisting the urge to gag. He's eating Gelmud...

<> Confirmed. Gelmud’s life signs have ceased. <>

"...Yeah, that’s pretty obvious," Rimuru muttered under his breath.

Crunch.

Ranga growled, his fur bristling in warning. Benimaru’s grip tightened around his sword, his gaze locked onto the Orc Lord with growing wariness.

A dark purple miasma began to rise from the Orc Lord’s body, curling and twisting like living tendrils before completely enveloping him.

<> Confirmed. The Orc Lord’s magicule levels have increased drastically. Evolution to Demon Lord status has commenced. <>

The miasma erupted into a swirling typhoon of magicules, its pressure forcing everyone to brace themselves. The wind howled, sending ripples through the murky marshlands. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm ceased.

In its place stood a towering figure, wreathed in shadows, his crimson eyes gleaming like twin embers in the darkness.

<> Evolution successful. Geld has ascended to Demon Lord status. He is now classified as the Orc Disaster. <>

Rimuru let out a small sigh. "Well, that’s not good... This just got a whole lot harder."

The newly born Demon Lord took a step forward, his massive frame exuding overwhelming power. His voice rumbled like distant thunder.

"Raaaagh! I am the great Orc Disaster! I shall devour all in this world! My name is Geld, the new Demon Lord!"

Rimuru stood firm, his small frame a stark contrast to the mountain of flesh and muscle before him. He exhaled sharply. 'If I don’t stop him here, this really will be a disaster...'

Benimaru stepped forward, calling out. "Shion!"

"On it!" Shion responded, her tone brimming with confidence as she launched forward at blinding speed.

Rimuru blinked. "Whoa, hey!"

Benimaru didn’t look away from the Orc Disaster. "Allow us to handle the pig."

Charging across the battlefield, Shion dragged her massive sword behind her, the sheer weight of the weapon gouging a deep trench into the ground. She leaped high into the air, her blade raised overhead.

"Fancy yourself a Demon Lord?!" she taunted, muscles tensing as she prepared to strike. "That’s some ego! Now! Prepare to die!"

CLANG!

Sparks erupted as the Orc Disaster intercepted her attack with his enormous butcher blade. Despite its size, the weapon looked almost like a mere knife in his hands. The force of their clash sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, causing the ground beneath them to sink.

With a grunt, Geld pushed Shion back. She twisted her blade mid-air, barely managing to block a powerful follow-up strike that sent her skidding across the marsh. She dug her feet into the mud, regained her balance, and launched herself forward once more, her speed undiminished.

The Orc Disaster raised his blade, prepared to meet her attack head-on. His muscles tensed, ready to strike.

But then,

Slice!

A flash of silver streaked through the air.

In an instant, Hakurou appeared behind the Orc Disaster, his sword already sheathed. His expression remained calm, unreadable.

For a second, there was silence. Then,

Spurt!

A thin line of blood traced across the Orc Disaster’s thick neck. His head wobbled, then tumbled.

Rimuru smiled, elated. 'They did it!'

He celebrated too soon.

The sound of a body collapsing never came.

Instead, Hakurou turned sharply, his keen eyes locking onto the Orc Disaster, who still stood, completely unfazed.

In his massive hand, Geld held his own severed head.

Pale yellow, mucus-like tendrils slithered and writhed from the gaping wound in his neck, snaking toward the detached head. In a grotesque display, they latched onto the severed flesh, reattaching it with unnatural ease.

Hakurou’s eyes widened, his normally unshakable composure breaking for the first time. "Ohh...!"

Purple steam hissed from the wound, the last traces of the cut sealing shut as if it had never existed.

'His healing capabilities are insane...' Rimuru thought, a pit of unease forming in his stomach.

A sudden movement broke his train of thought. From the ground, countless silken threads burst forth, glistening under the moonlight. They coiled and twisted around the Orc Disaster with lightning speed, weaving into a massive cocoon that trapped him in place.

"[Arcane Thread Fetters]!" Soei growled, his fingers twitching as he reinforced the spell. "Do it! Finish him!"

Benimaru wasted no time. He raised his hand, a swirling sphere of dark flames manifesting in his palm. The flickering light cast harsh shadows across his determined face.

"Take this, you foul swine!" Benimaru roared. "[Hell Flare]!"

He hurled the flaming orb toward the cocoon. The moment it made contact, an eruption of black fire consumed the entangled Demon Lord, forming a raging inferno of destruction. The dark flames swirled violently, devouring everything within.

Not willing to be outdone, Ranga let out a mighty howl.

"Awooooh!"

The skies darkened, heavy clouds swirling as a storm answered his call. From the heavens, a thick bolt of black lightning, nearly eleven meters wide, crashed down upon the cocoon, splitting the earth with its sheer force.

A thunderous boom followed, shaking the very air.

The attack subsided, the battlefield momentarily drowned in smoke and crackling embers.

Expecting more, Rimuru turned to Ranga, but the great wolf stood panting, his form slightly unsteady.

"Out of magicules?" Rimuru asked.

Ranga lowered his head in apology. "Forgive me, Master..."

Rimuru smiled reassuringly. "You’ve done enough. Rest in my shadow."@@@@

With a quiet nod, Ranga dissolved into wisps of energy, vanishing into the depths of Rimuru’s shadow.

As the smoke cleared, the battlefield held its breath.

Standing amidst the scorched earth, the battered form of the Orc Disaster trembled but refused to fall. His charred skin cracked as he staggered to his feet, the sheer resilience sending a wave of unease through the Kijin.

Benimaru’s grip on his sword tightened, his voice laced with shock. “What the?! He’s still alive?”

Rimuru, equally astonished, took a step forward. “No way...”

Nearby, Shifu instinctively reached for his katana, his sharp eyes locked onto Geld’s struggling form. He was just about to draw his blade when he suddenly froze.

Rimuru/Great Sage didn’t respond. Their crimson eyes glowed ominously, unshaken.

Then,

Thwoom!

A molten glow spread across the ground beneath them, forming an intricate magic circle.

BOOM!

A towering pillar of fire erupted from the center of the battlefield, engulfing Geld in an inferno of pure destruction.

From within the blazing torrent, Geld's agonized screams echoed.

“Aaaaargh!”

‘Flare Circle! Boom! It’s over!’ Rimuru internally cheered.

<> Operation complete. <>

‘Awesome work, Great Sage! That went perfectly!’

The flames swirled violently, then began to dissipate.

But then,

"Hahahaha!"

A deep, guttural laugh tore through the battlefield.

The fire vanished, revealing Geld, completely unharmed.

<> Notice. An error has occurred. <>

Rimuru groaned internally. ‘Just my luck... the dude’s got fire resistance. Not that I’m surprised.’

<> An emergency has arisen. <>

‘Nah, I’ll take over.’ Rimuru decided.

<> Huh? <>

‘Nothing personal, Great Sage. In fact, it’s because of you that I might have figured out how to beat him. So, just leave the rest to me.’

<> Acknowledged. <>

Geld chuckled, still holding Rimuru tightly. “It would appear your flames have no effect on me.”

Rimuru simply shrugged. “Yeah, True that. But honestly, you might have preferred the burning to death option.”

Geld raised a brow. “Oh? Are you implying that you weren’t fighting seriously before? Hah! There’s no way you could ever hope to defeat me.”

A sickly green mist seeped from his massive hand, eating into Rimuru’s body.

His Unique Skill, [Starved], had activated.

Rimuru’s body began to dissolve.

Geld grinned triumphantly. “Just give up and let me eat you.”

Rimuru smirked. “I’d be terrible for your diet.”

Beneath Geld’s massive fist, a pool of blue slime began to spread, creeping along his arm like a living entity.

“In fact... I think I’ll eat you instead.”

Geld’s eyes widened in confusion as the slime continued to expand, engulfing more of his body. He struggled, muscles straining, but the viscous mass clung to him persistently.

“Urgh! What... is this?!”

From behind Geld’s head, a small tendril of slime sprouted.

“Did you really think you were the only one who could consume others?”

The tendril slithered in front of Geld’s face, curling tauntingly.

“Tell me, who do you think will devour the other first?”

It slithered back behind his head.

“You with your [Starved], or me with my [Predator]?”

Geld roared in fury, tearing off chunks of slime and dissolving them with his Unique Skill. But no matter how much he destroyed, more of the blue slime surged forward, replacing what was lost.

The battlefield fell silent as everyone bore witness to the struggle between Orc Disaster Geld and Rimuru Tempest.

‘It’s a battle between his [Starved] and my [Predator]... But if he's starved... then I am a devourer!’

Geld let out one last, defiant scream.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Then.

Silence.

Rimuru’s form completely enveloped him, leaving no trace of the once-feared Orc Disaster.

The battle was over.

In the center of the battlefield, a massive gelatinous form, towering at least nine meters tall, loomed over the defeated army.

Then, with a sudden burst, the slime dissolved into black smoke, dispersing into the air.

From within, Rimuru emerged, descending gracefully to the ground.

"Now you can rest in peace... Lord Geld."

With the Orc Lord’s defeat, the effects of [Starved] dissipated. The once-ravenous orc army, now free from its curse, collapsed in exhaustion.

The battlefield erupted with cheers.

The Hobgoblins, Lizardmen, and Goblins all raised their weapons in celebration, their voices echoing across the war-torn land.

Among them, a lone cloaked orc stepped forward, his voice heavy with emotion.

"My king... I'm so happy you can finally rest."

But before the celebration could continue,

An oppressive aura surged through the battlefield.

A suffocating pressure bore down on everyone, silencing the cheers as unease took hold.

Rimuru furrowed his brow. “What’s going on now?”

Before he could react, Shifu slowly dropped to one knee.

The act stunned the Kijin, as well as the rest of Rimuru’s forces.

Then, with a reverent bow, Shifu spoke in a voice filled with unwavering devotion.

“My Lady.”