★11o
WARNING!!! THEY'LL BE SPOILERS REGARDING TENSURA LIGHT NOVEL (VOL 12 TO 15) IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT. PLEASE DO BECAUSE I WON'T BE COVERING EVERYTHING.
ASTERI'S POV
A year and a few months had passed since the festival, and everything was changing. Our population had grown to nearly 21,000, and the island was thriving more than ever. With more people arriving, our military expanded, and trade boomed as merchants flocked in.
As for me, well, I wasn't the same introverted human anymore. Opps, slip of the tongue—or maybe I was really changing.
I was no longer the monarch who hid away in his palace. I had stepped out of my shell and started engaging with my people. From playing with children in the streets to shopping in our markets, then giving away whatever I bought just because I could and catching up with old friends in the military.
Years ago, the only thing that thrilled me was sparring, but living like this for over a year, I began to realise there's more to life than fighting and destroying worlds.
There was a moment that truly struck me. A couple had just given birth and asked me to bless their newborn.
It was unfamiliar territory for me, but as I looked at the baby, I felt something ease within me.
I gave the child the name, Asta. The name Ramiris had given me. Ever since the moment I held that baby, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.
'You want a baby, do it, and wait."
'He was innocent, cute, free, and most of all, he's something his parents are happy and proud of. He kinda became their source of happiness.'
"I know it's an inappropriate question, but can I have a baby?"
I asked Hinata, my therapist, that question, and she flushed, probably getting the wrong idea.
"That didn't come out right."
Actually, it did. I wanted to see her reaction before pointing in the right direction. I cleared my throat.
"I mean, I'm a star. Can I have a baby? We're already crowned gods since creation. Can I really have it?"
"Oh, ahme."
She cleared her throat.
"It's not an appropriate question, actually. The answer to your question is yes. I believe you can have a baby if you want."
"How? I'm not even a "male" to begin with. I'm just there, an asexual begin."
"If you are God, then you can create it and try."
I didn't hear that right because I didn't even realise when I was seeking refuge in my comfort zone, space.
But putting that aside, our relationship with Tempest and Raja only continued to grow. Now, this love triangle of nations has embassies established with one another. Star Island wasn't just for Asterians anymore. It became home to Tempestians and Rajariens as well.
Yes, we had made a name for ourselves. After a heated debate between calling ourselves Asterians or Starians, the final vote stood at 70% to 30%, giving Asterians the win. Towa thought it would be fun, so she did something similar, and the name was given birth.
Meanwhile, in the lab, we had completed the mutation process on all hundred Archdemons in my arsenal.
However, we remained stuck at 5% on airborne contamination due to the constant influx of new arrivals.
We couldn't afford to move forward and risk leaving others behind. An overdose would kill them and raise suspicion. Still, I didn't stop.
Instead, I kept the star busy by sorting the infected from the newcomers, working on a way to proceed without harming the older mutants. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I was waiting for the results. Then came the end of fun—not for Asterians, though.
It's been a month since Sai reported that Emperor Rudra had discovered the existence of Rimuru and Tempest. He found it unsettling and decided to exterminate them.
It wasn't random though. It's a process call the Great Tenma War, where angels descend to destroy a nation that's progress beyond the world's limits.
Knowing Rudra, a deciple of Grand Lord, he has the power to summon those divine creatures and and Tempest has met his requirements for elimination. It's only a matter of when he'll attack.
Of course, I was an outsider, so I didn't offer a hand. Rimuru had grown immensely. He didn't need me to save him every day. So I simply sat in my hall and watched. I knew Rimuru would manage, and I was right.
When the war began, Rimuru used the Labyrinth brilliantly. He secured his people on the lowest floor, just beneath Veldora. A smart move, the Labyrinth was completely isolated, and that meant his people were safe.
With the Storm Dragon acting as the final boss, I doubted the Eastern Empire and the angels would have an easy time trying to wipe out the monster nation of Tempest.
They'd have to clear one hundred brutal floors and defeat Veldora. Rimuru is always predictable, and so he made a bold, unexpected move: he lured a portion of the Empire's army into the Labyrinth, where they were annihilated.
That didn't mean the surface was safe, either. Compared to the Labyrinth, it was hell.
The Three Demonesses, Diablo's chosen demons didn't waste a second on their plates. They tore through the soldiers like a storm of wrath, leaving devastation in their wake.
Despite all of this, Rudra didn't deploy a Single Digit or an angel to the battlefield. That alone was a clear sign that the real war hadn't even begun.
Despite losing over a million soldiers to Tempest, the latter suffered zero casualties since the war began.
Without the existence of the Single Digits, one would say the Empire is doomed, but Rudra is a strategic bastard. I wonder if Grand Lord taught him how to do all of this.
I cut off communication with both Sai and Ban, deciding to let the world take me by surprise as I watched the battle unfold from afar.
Meanwhile, true peace still lingered on Star Island and the Kingdom of Raja.
Why Ban, you may ask? Well, he's the only one who was free, and I tasked him to participate in Tempest's Martial Arts Tournament under the alias Scarlet King. As of now, he's one of Tempest's Elite Four. On the other hand, Sai is a member of Rudra's Single Digits.
If either side finds out I'm involved, it'll become a catastrophe—for them, of course. After rigorous training within the Labyrinth, the Star Military has grown beyond expectations. It would be a shame to let that potential to rot.
Rimuru, dependent as ever, rejected the help I was forced to offer thanks to Hinata. Despite not wanting to interfere, I reached out because she insisted.
In the end, Rimuru visited Star Island in person just to apologise to her, saying,
"This is a war I must face alone."
I hoped that would be enough for her to back down. But Hinata being Hinata, she still went off to help even without my permission.
Yami is off with his party, adventuring. I bet he's gotten rusty like me. Eto is still loyally serving as the Queen's bodyguard. Majo, Elaine, and Atlas continue to visit frequently.
Speaking of Atlas, the Romeo, who was Level 1 a year ago, has been relentlessly raiding the dungeon and is now at Level 100.
(Hey, this is just a joke. I don't know what they did._.)
As for Elaine? She probably hates us, but we're all she has. She has no option but to stay here, poor thing.
-[Time skips to the war]-
The Emperor finally made his move. After luring Rimuru into a trap, I suddenly lost all traces of him.
"Sealed in another dimension?"
I asked myself as I watched Veldora exit the Labyrinth to confront the Empire.
With Rimuru, Diablo, and Benimaru gone, Veldora was the only real force left to stand against them. Ban was with Ramiris in the control room. He's the force protecting the powerhouse of the Labyrinth. I wanted to see him in action, but I guess I wouldn't.
Velgrynd, the Scorch Dragon, launched into the skies to face her younger brother, Veldora the Storm Dragon. It was an intense clash, but she had a single purpose: to sway her brother to switch sides.
This alone confirmed my suspicions that Rudra was making his final play to take down Guy.
Speaking of that devil, I received a report from Sai that Guy had entered the Empire himself, though his goal remained unknown. Yuuki, now allied with Rudra, was foolish enough to challenge him.
That match wasn't even worth calling a fight because Guy absolutely wrecked him without using a single spell. What a fucking bot. It made me realise how humans see beings like him— as monsters. That's one reason I stepped down as a Demon Lord. I don't wanna be the Monster in White anymore.
I didn't want to be part of their game either. Now that I'm free from Guy's grasp, Rimuru is his new pawn. I can't help but pity him. If he finds out what game he's been pulled into.
To be continued...