"No way!"
"I can't stay here any longer."
Fear of death drove Gelmud to abandon his plan to meet the Orc Lord.
He had to leave, to escape this eerie forest!
Unfortunately, Gelmud was unaware that the Jura Forest was already under the Treyni sisters' control, and with his strength, escape was impossible.
"Arghhh!"
Deep within the sealed cave, Rimuru enjoying newly acquired skills in the water, was jolted by a surge of uncontrolled magicules, shooting into the sky and crashing into the wall with a splat, flattening into a puddle.
"What, what?!"
Landing, Rimuru quivered in panic. "So… so terrifying!"
Perhaps due to the cave's isolation, the majins within were the last to feel the impact of Damien's magicules.
"Great Sage, what is this aura? It's horrifying!"
[Alert: This aura is highly dangerous. Investigation is not recommended.]
"No, no, absolutely not!"
Rimuru made a snap decision, ordering the Great Sage to steer clear of this clearly perilous aura.
"Hide, I have to hide."
Without hesitation, Rimuru slipped into a crevice between two rocks, waiting for the mysterious tremors and roars to subside.
Having come from the Japan, Rimuru was all too familiar with earthquakes.
The commotion caused by Damien was like a massive quake.
In the face of such a natural disaster, hiding was the only option.
Surely no fool would go out to investigate, right?
"Velda-nii's aura!"
Even the Infinite Prison couldn't fully block Damien's presence. Veldora raised his head in shock. "And this immense magicule surge... it's already surpassed mine so quickly!"
While still far from Veldanava in quantity, compared to the sealed Veldora, Damien's magicules had reached a terrifying level.
"Is it that kid?"
Velzard, the Frost Dragon, immediately used her Ultimate Skill to trace the source of Damien's aura.
"No good, he's hidden too well. I can't pinpoint his presence."
Velzard was frustrated, not only by her inability to locate Damien but also by her apprehension about their eventual meeting.
Among the existing True Dragon, Veldora had the most abundant magicules.
As an embodiment of nature, his magicules were practically infinite, never depleting.
Next were Velzard and Velgrynd.
The sisters had comparable magicule levels, around 80 million.
And Damien?
In just moments, his magicules had broken past 100 million and were still soaring.
"120 million, 130 million…"
"160 million!"
Good grief, Velzard's lips twitched. This lil bro was terrifying indeed.
If nothing else, his magicules alone matched the combined total of her and her younger sister.
'Magicules aren't everything!'
Like Veldora who had abundant magicules but was still trounced by her for years.
If Damien hadn't awakened sufficiently powerful Ultimate Skills, he wouldn't be her match.
'That's right, it must be so!'
Velzard reassured herself. She was a Special S-rank calamity with two Ultimate Skills.
How could a mere younger brother outshine her?
"Stay here and don't move. I'm going to check it out."
"Move?"
Veldora felt exasperated. He was sealed!
"Say hi to our lil bro for me!"
"Got it!"
After a casual reply, Velzard left the sealed cave, soaring into the skies above the Jura Forest.
She didn't search for Damien but hovered silently, like a guardian, wary of any external disturbances.
Indeed, Velzard was protecting the forest, safeguarding Damien's evolution.
As Violet and Damien had predicted, Velzard held only goodwill toward him, no malice.
A little roughhousing was just playful banter among True Dragon.
But if anyone dared interrupt Damien's awakening, Velzard would spare no effort to eliminate them!
'My lil bro is mine to bully!'
Velzard's love for her sibling was that pure.
"Still…"
Curious, Velzard glanced toward the forest's southeast. "What's today? Besides my lil bro, someone else is awakening?"
No, not just the southeast.
Even the forest beneath her feet.
Having focused most of her attention on Damien, she'd overlooked this other aura.
"Three awakenings on the same day."
Setting aside her duty to guard Damien, which kept her rooted, Velzard wouldn't interfere with other majins' evolutions even if she had nothing else to do.
"Interesting!"
Velzard felt leaving the frozen lands was the best decision she'd made.
The outside world was far more exciting!
"Lady Frey…"
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia, outside the forest, Frey lay on her bed, deep in slumber, just like Damien.
Her body radiated a terrifying surge of magicules.
Like Damien, she was making her final Harvest Festival toward the realm of a True Demon Lord.
As one of the only two retainers not aboard the Void Ark, Damien had granted Queen Frey a reward for previously stalling Milim: enough souls and the chance to ascend to a new realm alongside him.
Frey seized the opportunity, leveraging Milim's nearby presence to make her a guardian.
"Will Her Majesty be alright?"
"She'll be fine."
Luchia reassured the others, firmly believing the queen would break her shackles and step into a new realm!
"Frey…"
"That damned woman!"
In the Puppet Nation of Jistav, Clayman sensed the magical fluctuations from the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia.
This terrifying aura was all too familiar... it was the Sky Queen.
But the current Frey was far more fearsome than he'd imagined.
Due to the Jura Forest's barrier, only a faint trace of Damien's evolution aura leaked out.
Coincidentally, Frey's evolution ceremony began at the same time.
She made no attempt to conceal it.
With Milim present, who would dare challenge her?
Thus, her flamboyant Demon Lord awakening masked the aura Violet sought to hide from Damien.
The Ten Great Demon Lords and the world's powerhouses were all drawn to the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia's commotion, overlooking the true point of interest.
This was Frey's suggestion to Damien upon learning of his impending evolution.
***
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