The sunlight in Ingrassia was a lie.
It spilled over the manicured lawns of the Freedom Academy with a golden, idyllic warmth that belonged in a slice-of-life novel, utterly betraying the grim reality festering within the Special Class classroom. To the outside world, this was a place of elite learning. To the five children sitting inside, it was a hospice with a chalkboard.
Nova stood in the corner, his presence condensed into a singular point of absolute stillness. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his black coat absorbing the cheerful morning light. His mismatched eyes—one the color of dried blood, the other of frozen ocean—were fixed on the children.
They were dying.
It wasn't a poetic death. It was a mathematical certainty. The immense magicules trapped within their young, developing bodies were eating them alive from the inside out. It was like trying to store a thunderstorm inside a glass bottle; eventually, the glass would crack.
"Alright, everyone!" Rimuru's voice cut through the heavy atmosphere, bright and determined. She stood at the front of the room, clapping her hands together. Her silver-blue hair was tied back in a practical ponytail, and she wore a white blouse and skirt that made her look like a young, enthusiastic instructor. "Today is practical application! We're going outside!"
The children groaned.
"Again?" Kenya complained, slouching in his chair. "We ran laps yesterday. My legs still hurt."
"Pain is weakness leaving the body," Nova said from his corner.
The room froze. Kenya sat up straight instantly. "Y-Yes sir! Laps are great! I love laps!"
Rimuru shot Nova a look that was half-exasperated, half-grateful. "Nova, you're scaring them again."
"I am motivating them," Nova corrected. "Fear of me is a more immediate concern than the fear of death. It keeps them focused."
"That is… incredibly twisted logic," Rimuru sighed. She turned back to the class. "We aren't running today. We're going to learn control. If you can't control the magic inside you, it controls you. And I promised Shizu-san I wouldn't let that happen."
At the mention of Shizu, the mood shifted. The children's eyes lowered. Even the boisterous Kenya went quiet. They missed her. They missed the woman who had tried so hard to save them, even as she was burning up herself.
Chloe Aubert, sitting in the back, looked up from her picture book. Her dark eyes met Nova's. There was no fear there, only a deep, ancient recognition. The Glitch, she had called him. The variable that broke the loop.
Nova gave her a nearly imperceptible nod.
Ciel. Status on the children's biological degradation.
<
Then we accelerate the timeline, Nova decided.
The Field
The training ground was a secluded grassy area behind the main academy buildings. Wooden targets were set up at varying distances.
"Okay," Rimuru instructed. "Kenya, try to form a small fireball. Don't throw it. Just hold it. Keep it stable."
Kenya gritted his teeth, extending his hand. "I know how to do this! I'm gonna be a Hero!"
Flames erupted from his palm—not a controlled sphere, but a wild, roaring burst that nearly singed his eyebrows.
"Too much!" Rimuru cried, rushing forward to dampen the magic with her own aura. "Visualize a candle, not a bonfire!"
"It's hard!" Kenya yelled, sweating. "It just wants to come out!"
Nova watched, analyzing the flow of energy. The boy had spirit affinity, but no spirit to regulate it. It was like a dam breaking.
"Gale, Alice, you try," Rimuru encouraged, moving down the line.
Alice concentrated. Dozens of plush dolls floated around her, dancing chaotically. "I… I can't make them stop spinning!"
"Focus on one," Rimuru said gently.
It was working, slowly. Rimuru's patience was a balm to their frayed nerves. She praised them, corrected them gently, and treated them like students with a future, not victims with an expiration date.
Then, gravity shifted.
It wasn't Nova doing it.
Alice gasped, her face turning ashen pale. The floating dolls dropped to the grass lifelessly. She clutched her chest, her small knees buckling.
"Alice!" Chloe screamed.
Rimuru spun around, catching the girl before she hit the ground. "Alice?! Alice, can you hear me?!"
The girl was convulsing. Veins of glowing, chaotic light spiderwebbed across her skin—magicules forcing their way through her epidermis. She was burning up.
"It's a seizure!" Rimuru panicked, her hands glowing with healing magic. "Her energy is going wild! I can't suppress it without hurting her!"
The other children backed away, terrified. This was their nightmare. This was what happened to the 'failed' summons.
Nova moved.
He didn't run. He simply ceased to be at the wall and existed beside Rimuru.
"Move," he ordered.
Rimuru didn't argue. She shifted aside, her golden eyes wide with fear. "Nova, she's—"
"Quiet."
Nova knelt. He removed his glove, revealing a hand that looked like porcelain carved from starlight. He placed his palm on Alice's forehead.
He didn't use a spell. He didn't use a skill the system recognized.
He used Authority.
"Still."
The word wasn't spoken; it was imposed upon reality.
The chaotic magicules raging inside Alice didn't vanish—that would have killed her. Instead, they froze. The glowing veins dimmed. The convulsions stopped instantly. Her breathing, ragged and desperate, smoothed into a rhythmic sleep.
Nova withdrew his hand, replacing the glove.
"I have placed a stasis lock on her core," Nova stated, his voice flat. "It is a temporary measure. It buys us days, not weeks."
He stood up, towering over the terrified children and the kneeling slime-princess.
"The time for training is over," Nova said, looking down at Rimuru. "We leave for the Dwelling of Spirits immediately."
Rimuru looked up at him, then at the sleeping Alice. The naive hope was gone from her face, replaced by the steel of a ruler.
"Right," she whispered. Then, louder: "Pack your things, kids. We're going on a field trip."
The Journey
Getting five undocumented Otherworlder children out of the capital required paperwork, bribes, and time.
Nova, naturally, bypassed all of it by threatening a gate guard with nothing but a prolonged stare until the man opened the side exit out of sheer existential dread.
They rented a large carriage. Rimuru drove, wanting to keep her mind occupied. The children sat inside, huddled around the sleeping Alice. Nova sat on the roof of the carriage, legs dangling over the side, watching the landscape roll by.
Ciel. The location of the Labyrinth.
<
Child's play.
"Hey, Nova?"
Rimuru's voice drifted up from the driver's bench.
"Yes?"
"Do you think… do you think the Queen of Spirits will actually help us?"
"Ramiris is… unique," Nova replied, choosing his words carefully. "She is one of the Ten Great Demon Lords. The oldest, alongside Guy Crimson and Milim."
Rimuru nearly dropped the reins. "Another Demon Lord?! Why are all the people we need to talk to catastrophic world-ending entities?!"
"Because you are a slime who ate a dragon and built a nation," Nova deadpanned. "You do not exactly operate in the wading pool of existence."
"Fair point." Rimuru paused. "Is she scary? Like Milim?"
Nova recalled the records of Ramiris. A fallen spirit queen, corrupted by the arduous task of maintaining the balance of the world, trapped in a cycle of reincarnation, currently stuck in the form of a tiny fairy with a Napoleon complex.
"She is… loud," Nova said. "And easily manipulated with sugar."
"Oh thank god," Rimuru exhaled. "I can handle sugar."
The Entrance to the Unknown
Two days later, the carriage rolled to a stop at the edge of a dense, mist-shrouded forest. The air here was thick, vibrating with ancient, untamed magic. It wasn't the rot of the Orc Disaster; it was older, fey-like, mischievous and dangerous.
"End of the line," Nova announced, jumping down.
The children piled out. Alice was awake now, but weak, leaning on Gale.
"Is this it?" Kenya asked, looking at the overgrown ruins ahead. "It looks spooky."
"It's a dungeon," Nova said. "It is designed to be 'spooky' to deter idiots. Come."
He walked forward. The air shimmered in front of him—a barrier meant to confuse travelers and turn them around. Nova didn't even slow down. He simply walked through the logic of the spell, shattering the illusion like glass.
The mist cleared, revealing a stone archway leading down into the earth.
"Stay close," Rimuru ordered, drawing her sword. "I sense something big down there."
They descended. The stairs wound down deep into the earth, opening into a massive, torch-lit antechamber.
And standing in the center of the room, blocking the path, was a giant.
It was made of metal and magic, a Golem standing twenty feet tall. Its eyes glowed with menacing red light.
The Elemental Colossus.
"INTRUDERS!" A shrill voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere. "YOU DARE ENTER THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT RAMIRIS?! PREPARE TO BE SQUASHED LIKE BUGS!"
The Golem raised a massive metal fist.
The children screamed.
Rimuru stepped forward, her aura flaring. "Get back, kids! I'll handle this!"
She didn't wait. She launched herself at the Golem.
Clang!
Her sword struck the metal plating, sparking. The Golem was fast for its size, swatting at her. Rimuru dodged, using [Shadow Step] to appear behind it, unleashing a [Black Flame] cutter.
It was an impressive display. Rimuru was dancing around the construct, chipping away at its armor.
Nova stood by the entrance, leaning against a pillar. He yawned.
"Poor craftsmanship," he muttered. "The weight distribution is off. The mana core is exposed during the overhead swing. Ramiris really needs a better engineer."
Kenya looked at him, wide-eyed. "Aren't you gonna help her?!"
"Why?" Nova asked. "She is winning. And she needs the exercise. She's been eating too many of Shuna's pastries lately."
"You're terrible!" Chloe whispered, though she was watching Rimuru with awe.
The battle ended with a signature Rimuru move. She baited the Golem into a heavy strike, dodged, and used [Gluttony] to devour the magical joint of its knee. The giant toppled. Rimuru finished it by slicing the head clean off.
The Golem crashed to the ground, lifeless.
Rimuru landed, sheathing her sword with a flourish. "Hah! Take that!"
"NOOOOOO!" The shrill voice screeched again. "MY TOY! MY BEAUTIFUL, EXPENSIVE TOY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK TO BUILD THAT?! I'M GOING TO SUE YOU! I'M GOING TO VAPORIZE YOU!"
A tiny light descended from the ceiling.
It hovered in front of Rimuru's face.
A fairy. Maybe six inches tall. Blonde hair, butterfly wings, and a dress that looked like it was made of flower petals. She was vibrating with rage.
"I am Ramiris!" she squeaked, pointing a tiny finger at Rimuru's nose. "The Queen of Spirits! The Great Demon Lord! And you are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!"
Rimuru blinked. "…That's the Demon Lord?"
She looked back at Nova.
Nova walked forward, looming over the tiny fairy.
"She is smaller than I expected," Nova observed. "Ciel, are you sure this isn't a decoy?"
Ramiris spun around to face Nova. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?! I am concentrated power! I am a being of immense wisdom and—"
Nova reached out and plucked her out of the air by the back of her dress.
"HEY! UNHAND ME! THIS IS A DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT!" Ramiris flailed, her tiny limbs useless against his grip.
Nova held her up to eye level. He looked at her with the same expression one might view a noisy cricket.
"You are Ramiris," Nova stated. "Former Spirit Queen. Fallen Hero guide. Current shut-in."
Ramiris froze. Her eyes went wide. "H-How do you know that? Who are you? You feel… weird. You feel like the void!"
"I am Nova. And we are not here to play with your dolls. We are here for the children."
He dropped her. Ramiris caught herself in the air, sputtering.
"The children?" She looked past him to the five kids huddled near the entrance. Her expression softened for a microsecond before returning to bluster. "Hmph! Human brats? Why should I help them? You broke my Golem!"
Rimuru stepped in, holding up her hands. "We're sorry about the Golem! But please, listen! These kids are summoned ones. Their bodies can't handle their magicules. They're going to die if we don't get them spirits to stabilize their mana!"
Ramiris crossed her tiny arms. "Not my problem! Do you know how busy I am? I have… naps to take! And research! And mourning my Golem!"
Nova sighed. "Plan B."
"Right," Rimuru nodded.
Rimuru reached into her [Stomach] and pulled out a small, steaming tray.
"Ramiris-sama," Rimuru said with a merchant's smile. "If you help us… I can offer you this."
She uncovered the tray.
Cream puffs. Freshly made by Shuna before they left, preserved in perfect stasis. The smell of vanilla and sugar wafted through the dungeon.
Ramiris's nose twitched. She drifted closer, drool forming at the corner of her mouth.
"W-What is that? It smells… like heaven."
"Cream puffs," Rimuru whispered seductively. "Crispy on the outside. Soft, sweet cream on the inside. A delicacy from another world."
Ramiris trembled. The internal struggle was visible on her face. Demon Lord dignity vs. Sugar.
"I… I am a Demon Lord! I cannot be bought with mere snacks!"
Nova reached into his pocket and pulled out a jar of Tempest Honey. He opened the lid.
"Double offer," Nova said coldly.
Ramiris broke.
"DEAL!" she screamed, snatching the cream puff and the honey jar with magic. "I'll help! I'll do whatever you want! Just give me the sugar!"
She stuffed the entire cream puff into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. "Oh my godfh," she muffled. "Thish ish amazing."
Nova looked at Rimuru. "Negotiations successful."
"I feel dirty," Rimuru admitted. "We just bribed a primordial force with pastries."
"Efficiency," Nova reminded her.
The Queen's Chamber
After Ramiris had decimated the snacks, she led them deeper into the labyrinth to her actual living quarters—a surprisingly cozy room filled with glowing crystals and strange machinery.
She wiped crumbs from her face and flew up to sit on a crystal pedestal, trying to look regal again.
"Alright, listen up," Ramiris said, her voice serious for the first time. "I see what's happening. These brats… they were summoned with too much power. Their souls are fraying."
She flew over to Alice, inspecting her. "This one is close to popping. You put a stasis lock on her?" She glanced at Nova. "That was good work. Most people would have tried to drain her and killed her."
"I am not most people," Nova said.
Ramiris eyed him warily. "Yeah, I got that. You're scary. Even Veldora isn't this… quiet."
She turned back to Rimuru. "Okay. Here's the deal. I can't just 'give' them spirits. Spirits have wills. They have to choose. We have to go to the Dwelling of Spirits proper—the ethereal plane. The kids have to pray. If a high-ranking spirit answers, they can bond. The spirit possesses them, acting as a regulator for their mana. It stops the leakage."
"Like what happened with Leon Cromwell and Shizu," Rimuru realized.
"Exactly!" Ramiris snapped her fingers. "Though Leon is a jerk. He forced the Fire Spirit Ifrit into that girl. We're going to ask politely. It's safer. But…"
She looked at the children.
"It's dangerous. If no spirit answers, or if a lesser spirit answers… it won't work. And if a dangerous spirit answers… well, things could get messy."
Kenya stepped forward, fists clenched. "We'll do it! We're not scared!"
"Yeah!" Gale nodded. "We trust Rimuru-sensei!"
Ramiris smirked. "Brave little runts. Alright. Follow me."
She began to chant, opening a portal of swirling light.
"One at a time," Ramiris ordered. "Who's first?"
Gale and Ryota went first. They returned minutes later, looking exhausted but relieved. They had bonded with Earth and Water spirits respectively—low tier, but sufficient to stabilize them.
Then Kenya. He returned beaming, glowing with a bright, heroic light.
"A Light Spirit!" Ramiris gasped. "And a high-tier one at that! The kid has the potential of a True Hero!"
Kenya pumped his fist. "I told you! I'm gonna be a Hero!"
Nova watched from the back. The script holds.
Then Alice. She returned with a Space Spirit, giving her control over her puppets without killing herself.
Finally, Chloe.
She walked toward the portal. She stopped in front of Nova.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"No," Nova said. "This is your path."
Chloe nodded and stepped through.
The Glitch in the System
Time passed differently in the Dwelling. Minutes stretched.
Ramiris floated nervously. "She's taking a long time. The quiet one. Her energy… it's weird. It feels like… a loop."
Nova's eyes narrowed.
Ciel. Monitor the temporal distortion.
<
Suddenly, the portal flared. A blinding column of dark light erupted.
Ramiris shrieked. "WHOA! That's way too much energy! Something's coming through! Something dangerous!"
From the light, a figure emerged. Not a spirit. A woman. Or the ghost of one. She was translucent, made of time and sorrow. She looked exactly like an older Chloe.
She lunged for Chloe.
Rimuru shouted, running forward. "Chloe!"
But Nova moved faster.
He appeared between Chloe and the spirit of Chronoa.
He raised his hand.
"Halt."
The spirit slammed into an invisible wall. The room shook.
Ramiris dropped her jaw. "HE STOPPED A TIME SPIRIT?! IS HE INSANE?!"
Nova looked into the eyes of the future Hero. The eyes of madness and love.
"You are early," Nova whispered to the ghost. "Or perhaps, you are late."
The spirit snarled, a sound like glass breaking in reverse. Let… me… save… her…
"You will," Nova said calmly. "But not by possession. By partnership."
He reached out and grabbed the ethereal substance of the spirit. His hand glowed with [Void Energy]. He compressed the spirit—an entity of immense power—into a small, manageable sphere of light.
He turned and knelt before the terrified Chloe.
"This is your future," Nova said, holding the sphere. "And your past. It is heavy. Can you carry it?"
Chloe looked at the light. She didn't flinch.
"Yes," she whispered.
Nova pressed the sphere into her chest. It absorbed instantly.
Chloe gasped, her eyes flashing with a thousand years of memory before returning to the innocent dark brown of a child. She collapsed, breathing steadily.
"It is done," Nova said, standing up.
Ramiris flew over, poking Nova's cheek. "Who… what are you? That was a Chrono-Spirit! That shouldn't exist yet! You just… grabbed it! Like a baseball!"
Nova dusted off his hands. "I am the Editor. I fix plot holes."
He looked at Rimuru, who was hugging Chloe, tears of relief in her eyes. The children were safe. The clock had stopped ticking.
"We are done here," Nova announced. "Ramiris, you have earned your honey."
Ramiris cheered, forgetting her existential terror instantly. "YAY! HONEY!"
Side Story: The Committee of Narrative Review
Topic: The Labyrinth Arc
JACW: "He manhandled Ramiris. He physically picked up a Demon Lord like a kitten."
The One Above All (TOAA): "To be fair, she is the size of a kitten. And she bit his finger in the deleted scenes."
The Presence: "The intervention with Chronoa… that was risky. In canon, Chronoa possesses Chloe naturally. Nova forcing the compression… he altered the nature of the bond. Chloe now has access to Chronoa's power without the risk of the personality override."
JACW: "He's power-leveling the side characters! Kenya has a Light Spirit. Chloe has a stabilized Time Hero soul. He's building an army of protagonists."
TOAA: "He's securing Rimuru's safety net. If Rimuru fails, the kids are the backup plan. It's smart."
JACW: "But Ramiris! The bribery! It's undignified!"
The Presence: "Ramiris is a 4000-year-old fairy who lives in a maze. Dignity left the building millennia ago. The cream puff strategy was… highly effective."
TOAA: "I wonder if Shuna's cream puffs are really that good."
JACW: "They are. I checked the sensory data. They are divine. I want one."
The Presence: "Focus. The children are saved. They return to Ingrassia. And then…?"
TOAA: "And then Falmuth invades. The tragedy. The birth of the Demon Lord."
JACW: "Nova set the trap. Now we wait to see if he springs it… or if he breaks the mechanism entirely."
Interlude: The Whispering Shadow
As the carriage rumbled back toward Ingrassia, the children slept, exhausted but safe. Rimuru drove, humming a happy tune.
Nova sat on the roof again.
Ciel.
<
Ramiris mentioned something. About the spirit 'Diablo' acting strange in the underworld.
<
Nova smirked at the moon.
Good. Let him be terrified. When the time comes to summon a demon… I want him to come begging.
He looked at his hand. The residue of Chronoa's time energy still lingered.
The loop is broken, Nova thought. Chloe is free. Shizu's wish is granted.
Now… for the war.
"Hey Nova!" Rimuru called up. "When we get back, I'm gonna ask Shuna to make a giant feast! You in?"
Nova looked down at the smiling slime-princess.
"Inefficient use of resources," he said.
But then, softly:
"Yes. I am in."
Rimuru grinned.
The night was quiet. The calm before the blood. And Nova, the God in the machine, was ready to paint the town red.