Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN)

Volume 8.5 - Ch 14

Defeat of the Holy Knights

(Spoiler for Light Novel Volume 7)

Upon arriving at the capital city Rimuru of Tempest Federation, a drastic change in the situation had taken place. There was a sudden surge of fighting spirit indicating a huge battle. One of the parties gave off a rather familiar aura. It belonged to the Holy Knight Order vice-commander Reynald, who was supposed to be defending the nation (Ruberios) while they were out.

This came as a tremendous shock to the Holy Knights, who had just recently gained hope in being able to resolve the conflict with Rimuru peacefully, after weeks of travelling. But regardless of the situation, they needed to go confirm the situation first.

Lets go! Hinata shouted and led the rest of the Holy Knights to the battlefield at full speed. There, they witnessed a one-sided clash on the so-called battlefield. There were five greater majins with overwhelming power next to her. The one that stood out with unparalleled power, it was the majin that resembles a young girl with moon white hair.

That majin was the target of this mission. The leader of the Tempest Federation, newly appointed Demon LordRimuru, thats it alright.

The proof being that Hinata, who the knights trusted, had since fixed her sights on that majin without moving. It was definitely warranted to be on full alert against against this opponent, even ignoring all the fierce exchanges taking place behind them.

Regarding that incident, the Holy Knights got a good strong taste of reality.

***

Rimuru was the first one to speak.

You sure are bold, Hinata. Regardless of whatever reason you may have, this is still my territory. We could confirm your hostility by this unannounced military activity alone. So I wont be nave enough to sit around for you to strike first.

Thatsa misunderstanding! Arno, one of the Holy Knights, thought. But theres no way he could have proven it here. Although Hinata had also already realized that, she still wanted to resolve the misunderstanding through negotiation.

But it wasnt going as well as expected.

Reynald and the rest are still fighting in the distance, if this is how it would go on, combat is the only way out. Then, what could we do?

Arno tried his hardest thinking about a solution while listening to Hinatas attempt at negotiations.

We shouldnt just be wary of Demon Lord Rimuru, Arno thought to himself. The other four majins. Every one of them gave off a fierce aura unique to the strong. Although Hinata mentioned that those are threats of A+ level, her phrasing was likely wrong. Since the only things more dangerous than that are the demon lords and true dragons.

To be specific, even a calamity-level monsterCharybdiswhich can rival or even exceed the strength of demon lords, is only categorized as Special Rank A. It is simply a rank made to fill the gap between these vast power differences.

Besides, his comrade Ritase was able to summon a Special Rank A greater Holy Water Maiden Undine. Having said that, if you asked her what her chances were in a fight against Charybdis, the odds would be pitifully low. Even if the ranking is the same, there is still an absolute power gap present.

And then, the majins in front of them

They weren't joking around, their strength clearly written on their faces. Even though they didnt stand as tall as something like demon lords or Charybdis, these were still difficult opponents. Two of the Three Beastketeers, who were trusted aides of ex-demon lord Beast King Karion; those two are the strongest individuals within the ranks of the famous Beast King Battalion. Their strengths were no small feat.

And the other two majins had been identified as kijins by Hinata. Those are powerful monsters worshiped by primitive tribes. Between them, especially the red-haired one seemed most unusual. It gave off a special aura among the four.

Even with Arnos eyes he couldnt see through its strength.

This is gonna be trouble. How are we supposed to beat majins with such power? No way we can do it

The number matches up as well.

Theres no better way to be sure of their strength than confronting them directly. If they are lucky enough, they may even win.

These were resolves held by every one of the Holy Knights, so there was no need to make up their mind at this point.

But this time, victory is not a necessity.

Theres no need for further confrontations other than against Demon Lord Rimuru, according to Hinata.

Right now the situation is rather hard to resolve, but if its Hinata She definitely will be able to convince Demon Lord RimuruArno decided to place his absolute faith in Hinata.

Then, what would his duty be? It was to buy time.

Arno was in a party of four.

Same number as the majins they were against. They would more or less be able to buy some time if they took on one each. Arno decided to take action and interjected Rimuru and Hinatas conversation.

What are you talking about! If we were to withdraw our forces in this situation, what would happen to Hinata-sama? You are the one who called Hinata here, whos to guarantee that you wont harm her!

Whatever excuse would suffice for now. Arno shouted while thinking that to himself one-sidedly. As expected, one of Rimurus subordinates made a move. It happened to be the red-haired one that Arno thought was the most dangerous.

What good timing. Please be my opponent now!

It was a majin worthy of battling Arno, whose strength was only second to Hinatas within the order.

Regrettably, if it comes after anyone else, they probably wouldnt even be able to buy time.

Arno pulled out his sword and prepared a swing at the redhead.

No killing intent, I see? Good call. Just now if you intended to kill me, you would be lying on the ground by now.

Of course. Arno had no intention to kill the redhead in the first place, he only wanted to distract the majin away from Hinata.

But what he said upset Arno. Sure, Arno recognized the redheads strength, but he was upset that he dared to treat him as some lower existence and made such an arrogant remark.

But I wouldnt know what would happen without a fight.

I wouldnt want to get in the way of Hinata-samas negotiation, he retorted, his eyes fixed on the redhead. So I decided to make some threat and got this reaction. But it would be rather boring if Im just misunderstood like this.

But the redhead really wasnt taking Arno seriously.

You are the one whos misunderstanding.

He seemed to have little interest for Arno while saying so. That attitude was starting to piss Arno off.

If our strength is similar, victory would depend on luck, Arno thought to himself. He wont go down without a fight against such an arrogant opponent, even if they are strong.

Huhu, then lets have a little chat somewhere further away.

Very well.

Since we are going to spar one on one, the outcome would be the same even if our intents differ. With that thought in mind, Arno decided to get a little more serious with the redhead.

***

Arno had left.

The two Beastketeers took the initiative to act next.

Arent you guys feeling bored as well? If you dont want to get into Rimuru-samas way, we could go for a little spar.

Ah, ah. The power of the Ten Great Saints, thats what I happen to want to get a taste of.

They made their proposal to Fritz and the others, showing their beastly teeth with a provoking smirk.

Good grief, I understand what Arno is planning now. Hes trying to distract the majins to battle in order to let Hinata focus on dealing with Demon Lord Rimuru

Saint of Earth Bacchus correctly interpreted Arnos thoughts.

So had his companion Fritz, who arrived at the same conclusion.

Well then, allow me to oblige, Bacchus responded.

Well, it cant be helped, Ill join you then, Fritz added and stepped forward.

As expected of Fritz. Even if he likes to talk nonsense most of the time, hes definitely reliable under these circumstances, Bacchus thought to himself. But he became speechless once he heard Fritzs follow up line.

Neh neh, big sis, arent you a lovely lady? Lucky day for me! Ah, my name is Fritz, what about you? You have one, right? Wont you tell me now?

He couldnt believe Fritz addressed the Beastketeers like he were flirting with some girls on the street.

I-idiot! How could he do something Actually, hold on a moment?

At first Bacchus had been rather confused by his colleague's frivolous attitude, when he suddenly realized something. Although he was pretty confident that they were indeed from among the Beastketeers, they hadnt announced their names to confirm it yet.

He is trying to get the identities of the opponents, I see now. You really are a clever man, Fritz.

But that was probably just a misinterpretation on Bacchuss side. He decided to play along after recognizing Fritzs wit.

Ladies, I apologize for my colleague's intrusion. Sorry for the late introduction, my name is Bacchus. As you may have inferred, I am one of the Ten Great Saints, and the captain of the Holy Knight Order. I would be looking forward to our duel, but before that could you share your names with us?

Bacchus asked for the opponents names, subtly following Fritz's lead. The one who responded to his words was the beauty with devilish straight white hair and cat-like eyes.

Fufu, interesting. My name is Suphia. White Tiger Fang Suphia! As you may have figured out, I am one of the three Beastekeers. Let me have some fun with you now, Ten Great Saints Bacchus!

Suphia introduced herself while stepping in front of Bacchus on her elegant limbs.

The tiger has chosen her opponent.

Bacchus grasped the situation and tightened his grip on his holy battle pole infused with magical power.

It would be great if I could meet your expectations.

He, he, no need to be modest now. Ill even spare your life if you could satisfy me. So how about showing me what youre made of?

Cease your howling. Ill have you taste the strength of humanitys guardians, Bacchus shouted.

At the same time

Of course its just as Hinata-sama has expected. It would seem Demon Lord Rimurus party has no intent to confront us.

He suddenly realized it. In addition to an overwhelming sense of reassurance, his resolve as a Holy Knight burst out of his heart. Since the objective was to buy time, theres no need to fight to the death.

However, it is precisely for that reason, this momentnowhe should fight with all his strength, Bacchus thought.

Servant of the Western Saints Church, the Holy Knight OrderSaint of Earth Bacchushere to receive you!!

Come at me!!

Bacchus engaged in combat with Suphia the Beastketeer

***

Fritz tried to confront the fear that had arisen in his heart.

This is bad. Bad, bad, horribly bad. Its Really bad. This is really overwhelmingly horribly bad!!

He had to move out since Bacchus already took action, but should he leave Hinata or not? Fritz faced a dilemma.

His feeling upon seeing Demon Lord Rimurufear.

Impossible, at a glance he could undoubtedly be categorized as among the strongest. Arnos faith being as strong as steel, he still believed in Hinatas victory.

Of course, Fritz also had faith in her. But even so, his instinct told him there was no way things could be easily resolved if Hinata had to fight that demon lord. Without much proof, Fritzs sixth sense often came to be useful in situations like this.

He could understand Arnos thoughts, but now since Bacchus had gotten involved, Fritzs course of action had already been decidedto fight one Beastketeer and buy time.

Arno confronted the redhead whose threat was only second to Demon Lord Rimuru.

Then

The rest of the majins should have been on equal terms against Fritz and the other members of the Ten Great Saints.

Although the blue-haired majin, who had little presence among the rest, had caught Fritzs attention for a whilehe possessed the least amount of magicule among them.

So itll be fine. If its Ritase who can summon spirits, she would have an advantage when fighting by summoning Water Maiden Undine. At least she wont lose. And with Fritz and Bacchus, it would at least be a draw against the Beastketeers. The problem is whether Arnono, its no use to think this hard right now. Arno is stronger than me so it wont be of help even if I worry. Instead I should think of a way to deal with the situation

Fritz was thinking really hard. He had faith in his companions, so he would instead prioritize how to achieve victory himself right now. At that moment, Fritz had an epiphany. This was no place to hesitate. Fritz made up his mind and spoke to one of the Beastketeers with a sarcastic tone.

Neh neh, big sis, arent you a lovely lady? Lucky day for me! Ah, my name is Fritz, what about you? You have one, right? wont you tell me now?

The vulgar greeting that Fritz came up withit was to confuse his opponents. Then he would be able to distract them and make his first strike count.

Even if he was called despicable, as long as he wins it counts. Fritz had his own style, taking all factors, not only strength, into account in an attempt to turn the tide for himself. But he wasnt attempting to identify the opponents like what Bacchus thought. It may seem frivolous, but Fritz had no time to consider that. Thats how Bacchus, unbeknownst to him, decided to lead the conversation under the impression that he was taking care of Fritz.

Sorry for the trouble, old man. But does it make me more idiotic this way?

Fritzs chances of victory increased despite it not being his intent. Bacchus then began to fight fairly as a Holy Knight of the church. The opponent mustve been expecting the same from Fritz because of that.

The name is Alvis. Golden Snake Horn Alvis. Sadly youre not my type.

Ayyy, thats a real shame. Then, what happens now? Should we begin?

Fritz sighed as he gazed at Alvis, a seductive beauty with golden and black hair floating around her head. Although her eyes were beautiful like jewels, deep down that snakes pupils seemed to hide a bottomless abyss. Fritz was disappointed that Alvis had not let down her guard one bit. The air surrounding her was cruel and cold, and she didnt make a single move upon hearing Fritzs words.

But its only natural; this is after all a monster who commands the Beast Kings army, no way that it will become careless that easily

That strategy may have failed, but it was nothing to worry about. The scheme to distract an opponent is multifaceted; Fritz had prepared a set of tricks he could link togetherbut while considering his next move, he experienced a sudden burst of incredible magicule. He turned his eyes wide towards its source; an earth-shattering shock wave hit him at the same time.

Ara ara, thats Shion-sama. Shes as reckless as always

Even though he heard Alviss words, Fritz did not feel there was any time to be concerned about such issues.

Y-youve got to be kidding!? T-thats Geralds Inferno Spirit Flame!

Fritzs Magic Perception sensed the casting of his colleagues most powerful magical attack. To his complete surprise, the majin named Shion was able to endure it completely.

Or rather, she straight up cut it in half.

Fritz froze in shock at the abnormal sight. That was tactical nuclear strike magicsomething more powerful than even Heat Disintegration, thats likely one of the most powerful magics doable by humans, and even stronger than ultimates of elven magic

However, such an act appeared to have been handled with ease by a majin who wasnt even a demon lord.

Thats something Fritzs common sense couldnt process, an abnormal situation. Yet, such unrealistic sights continued. The sounds of fierce clashes between weapons filled the air. The strong wind invoked by the battles decimated the nearby vegetation.

At that moment, Arno of the Holy Knight Order had been dominating the red-haired majin with his swordsmanship.

And he very much should be.

Ah, Benimaru-sama is truly magnificent. Hes so eager to study, even about that persons sword art.

Huh?

Fritz heard the whisper of the seductive woman, Alvis, in front of him. He couldnt understand the meaning of her words. The red-haired majin, Benimaru, could only defend against the barrage of elegant yet furious sword slashes. Yet Alvis was watching Benimaru without worrying about his chances of triumph.

What are you talking about? Its obvious that it has been Arnos one-sided attack no matter how you look at it.

Learning about sword art? Theres no way he has that time to spare. He wont come out in one piece if he looks down on a genius such as Arno like that.

Thats how it should have been.

But the problem for Fritz was Alviss silence. She only responded to him with a cold glance. The sword and tachi came in contact without a moments break. As the weapons danced back and forth, sparks flew as the two blades clashed.

Alvis simply watched the spectacle in silence. Before Alvis turned her eyes back, Fritz couldnt move, his hands tightly clasping his sword. In hindsight, she was full of openings, but Fritzs sixth sense warned him that it was obviously a dangerous temptation. As long as he could buy some time, there was no need to rush an attack.

Fritzs head was spinning; he decided to simply accompany Alvis in her observations. Moments later, Alvis, whod been staring at Benimarus battle, suddenly seemed to have lost interest and set her eyes back on Fritz.

The battle is over. Of course that man couldnt rival Benimaru-sama.

No, that would mean Arnos strength in

Arno should have had the upper hand. Yet even so, Alvis announced Benimarus victory herself. Fritz was enraged by this and barely managed to contain the anger in his heart when responding to Alvis. Yet he was stopped by Alvis with a raised hand.

You are wrong, thats simply how it looks. The battle wont last any longer, and surely you wont be satisfied with just arguing. How about you and I just spend the time together seeing Benimaru-samas battle to the end.

Even though Fritz still couldnt accept what she had said, it was his intent to request that as well. He only said this partially out of anger and partially to provoke his opponent: Well, it wont matter since Arno will definitely come out on top. Is it alright if the tide turns on onee-chan like that?

Yet Alvis laughed at Fritzs provocation, Then

Benimaru-sama, as a matter of fact, could incinerate the whole area here. Right now hes only sparing you all for the convenience of his sword practice. If he were to fight seriously, your friend Arno-kun would likely have been wiped off the face of the world already.

She wasnt saying this to mock Fritz, he realized they were words of pity. It began to dawn on him He had the illusion of cold sweat flowing down his back. His heart was ensnared by fear.

Thats just fear-mongeringmy usual tactic. To make me lose my cool and fight without my full strength Ive heard rumors of Golden Snake Horn Alvis being an intelligent strategist. It wouldnt surprise me if she were to use psychological tactics to shake me

Even if it was a lie, Fritz convinced himself to believe it. Theres no way he couldve admitted that someone would go easy to avoid casualties when confronting them, the strongest existence among men, the Holy Knight Order. It was Fritzs sincere conviction.

Yet the ruthless moment of truth finally arrived

Fritz didnt know whether this majin named Benimaru was actually good at using flame or not, but his swordsmanship was definitely on par with Arno. He was able to evade every fierce attack by Arnos sword using his giant tachi.

Fu, fufu, it surprises me you are able to evade my attacks to this extent, neh. And deflecting all of them, its almost as if you are slashing down water.

That is only natural. My master in sword art taught me the ultimate zone is detecting the flow. If you carefully listen to your swords sound and become one with the sword, you can see that flow as clear as day. Ive yet to reach that realm, but Ive seen through your sword style.

Dreadful, truly horrifying. It doesnt seem that you are bragging either. If thats the case, Ive also made up my mind. Behold, I shall demonstrate why I am called the strongest among the Holy Knights

The fight between Arno and Benimaru entered its climax under Fritzs and Alviss observation. Fritz had only heard of Arnos secret technique, he never had the chance to witness it in real life.

The invisible sword technique that is said to be able to cut down any monster in one slash. It is the strongest sword technique wielded only by Arno, the one adored by five elemental spirits, and whose strength is only next to Hinata.

Behold the magic purifying shine and etch it onto your body. Take this, Five-elemental Spirit Sword!!

Arnos beloved sword radiated five brilliant beams of light. Earth, water, fire, wind and air, the spiritual lights of five different elements. These beams combined and unleashed a killing blow that was impossible to defend against.

The shining blade hurtled towards Benimaru.

Is this Arnos ultimate Eeh, I thought he would never show that in front of others. Cant believe hes been pushed to this point

Fritz thought so while confirming his friends victory.

However!

NavePulse Slash of Flowing Water!!

The majin Benimaru raised his tachi and swung down unfazed. As a result, Arnos shining blow was received gently by Benimarus tachi, flinging his sword into the air with a resounding clang.

Fritz wasnt able to see a thing, but it was possible to infer what happened. To put it simply, Benimarus technique was able to destroy the power of Arnos attack. Its shock wave propagated towards Arno. He saw it and made the split-second decision to release his sword out of fear that the wave would harm his sword-holding hand.

Fritz couldnt imagine anything else and had to believe that.

In other words, this bastard called Benimaru even mastered a better sword art than Arno!?

He couldnt laugh at it even if it was a joke. This was all a nightmarish experience to Fritz But it was all reality.

I told you, your technique has been seen through. Your sword art is still amateurish. Its capable in terms of power, but it is pointless if you cant hit your target with it. Id advise you to understand that point, Benimaru told Arno and sheathed his tachi.

I-Ive lost

Arno fell to his knees on the spot after admitting his defeat.

After witnessing the result, Alvis turned towards Fritz.

Well, I told you so, didnt I? There is no need to ever question Benimaru-samas victory. But your friend did try his best. Then, what do you plan to do now?

Alviss seductive eyes shone with a light of curiosity and intrigue. She asked while observing how Fritz would react. In response, Fritz

I cant believe Arno has lost This is way worse than I imagined. It still depends on how Hinata-sama and Demon Lord Rimuru would resolve everything, but Id better make up my mind here. These people are not planning to kill us. But since the fight was started by Reynald, theres no way we could just resume a friendly negotiation. But even so it doesnt seem to matter much if I begin to fight as well

Deeply shaken, he observed his surroundings with Magic Perception. Arno was defeated, just as hed witnessed. Reynalds side also seemed to be concluding as more and more Holy Knights had fallen. A complete defeat. Bacchus on the other hand was putting up an equal fight against Beastketeer Suphia.

And Ritase

Shed been tied up with some unknown things, and her cheeks were blushing scarlet. The blue-haired majin next to her seemed to be protecting her in the midst of some battle. The ones exchanging blows arethe blue-haired majin and Water Maiden Undine.

Could that be the Clone skill? If thats the case, it would make sense why his presence is barely felt.

What surprised him more was the dominance expressed by the majins Clone over Undine. Its blows dealt by the hands of the Clone, which should have been constructed using magicule, were effective even against greater spirits that have resistance against physical attacks.

Which means the true body must be even stronger.

It would seem that Fritz had underestimated the threat of this blue-haired majin purely based on the magicule of its Clone. In other words, he had misjudged the majins strength from the start, a classic blunder on Fritzs part.

Has Ritase also been defeated as well? Uncle Bacchus seems to be barely managing a draw. The only one remaining is Hinata-sama

Her battle with Demon Lord Rimuru was something beyond Fritzs understanding. Those were speeds unfathomable to a commonereven Magic Perception was meaningless in interpreting the ongoing battle, whose speed had exceeded the processing power of the human brain. Fritzs concern for her would be meaningless regardless.

I seem absolutely outmatched by sheer strength.

He wouldve probably only hindered Hinata rather than giving her a hand. That being the case, there was only one thing Fritz could do. He spoke to Alvis whod been awaiting an answer.

Although I dont think theres much use in trying to fight, do you mind spending some time with me? I would be ashamed to see my friends again if that were not the case, wouldnt I now?

Fritz had dignity too.

Even if victory or failure pose no purpose, the battle itself may hold some meaning, Fritz thought.

At times like that you just have to act like an idiot, huh Fritz

Hinata would probably tease him with such a line.

Yeah, yeah Yeah, Fritz thought to himself.

But he embraced that part of himself wholeheartedly.

Fufufu, alright then. You are beginning to impress me, Holy Knight Fritz-dono.

Im most grateful. We have much to learn from each other now, BeasteekeerGolden Snake Horn Alvis-dono

A tiny smile emerged on Fritzs lips before he dove into the battle against Alvis.