The skill known as "King of Oni-Gods" signified that Yūdō had already reached the absolute pinnacle among the oni race.
As for its effects, the system explained it roughly as follows:
Skill Name: King of Oni-Gods (Passive)Skill Rank: S-Class
Skill Description:Originally a member of the Oni race, you have broken free from the limitations of your bloodline after evolving into a Demon Lord Seed, causing your racial essence to ascend.As a member of the Oni-God race, you now stand above all oni, possessing the qualifications to become a king—and the arrogance befitting one.
Damage received from opponents whose demonic power level exceeds yours is reduced by 20%.All damage from opponents with demonic power equal to yours is halved.You are completely immune to all damage from opponents whose demonic power is lower than yours by at least one major rank!
After reading the description of this special skill attached to the Oni-God race, Yūdō was utterly dumbfounded.
There was no other reason for it—this skill was simply too absurdly powerful. It could easily be counted among the strongest abilities Yūdō had ever obtained.
Even the S-class skill "Demon King's Contract", before being leveled up, couldn't hold a candle to "King of Oni-Gods."
As for the "Advanced Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain" technique, Yūdō hadn't actually used it yet, so it was hard to compare the strengths of the two.
Still, one thing he could say with absolute certainty was that "King of Oni-Gods" was a skill that belonged firmly in the realm of overpowered monstrosities.
And not just because of its outrageously broken effects—it was a passive skill.
A passive skill meant that Yūdō didn't need to activate it manually. It was always on, running continuously. More importantly, it didn't consume even a single shred of demonic energy.
As Yūdō was drowning in indescribable joy, he failed to notice that most of the people on the battlefield were now focused entirely on him.
That was hardly surprising. Ever since Yūdō had entered the battlefield, he had practically become the center of everyone's attention.
First, he had unleashed "Pressure," forcing fifty thousand orcs into a state of compulsory unconsciousness.Then he had erupted with overwhelming combat power, single-handedly slaughtering numerous high-ranking majin, suppressing the calamity-class entity known as the Storm Disaster, and ultimately destroying it outright.
After defeating the Storm Disaster, everyone thought he would finally calm down.
Instead, he went and became a Demon Lord.
First the Orc Lord had evolved into an Orc Demon Lord—and now there was another one.
And the most terrifying part was this: even before becoming a Demon Lord Seed, Yūdō had already been capable of suppressing the Storm Disaster. Now that he had evolved into a Demon Lord Seed and become a pseudo–Demon Lord, just how monstrously strong had he become?
"Tia, Footman—withdraw immediately. This situation has deviated far beyond my original plan.At this point, we'll have to abandon the Orc Demon Lord. The matter of the Jura Forest will need to be reconsidered. I never imagined that after defeating the Storm Disaster, that oni would become a new Demon Lord."
Watching the battle unfold through a crystal orb, Demon Lord Clayman crushed the wineglass in his hand the moment he witnessed Yūdō's evolution.
With events having developed this far, Clayman knew his plan had already failed.
And the root cause of that failure was this oni.
Although he didn't know Yūdō's origins, Clayman had no choice but to admit that his strength had reached a level worthy of serious concern.
High-ranking majin were disposable—there were as many as one could want. Their deaths meant nothing. The Storm Disaster itself hadn't truly died; its vessel, Grucius, had simply been too weak. With a stronger host next time, the Storm Disaster could resurrect perfectly once again.
As for the orcs and the Orc Demon Lord, Clayman had never viewed them as anything more than pawns from the beginning. Cannon fodder like that could die in droves, and he wouldn't lose a wink of sleep.
But Tia and Footman were different.
Even a cold, arrogant Demon Lord like Clayman regarded the members of the Moderate Harlequin Alliance as genuine companions.
Now that Yūdō had become a pseudo–Demon Lord of unfathomable strength, Clayman judged that Tia and Footman would almost certainly be no match for him. Without hesitation, he ordered a retreat, abandoning the Orc Demon Lord entirely.
After assessing the vast gap between their own magicule reserves and Yūdō's, Tia and Footman quickly came to the same conclusion and withdrew without protest.
In truth, they were incredibly lucky.
Because Yūdō was still basking in the joy of acquiring new skills after evolving into a Demon Lord Seed, he didn't spare them a second glance. Otherwise, whether they could have retreated safely would have been highly questionable.
Tia and Footman were gone—but that didn't mean the battle was over.
Although Clayman's reinforcements had been wiped out and his two subordinates had fled, the Orc Demon Lord, discarded as a pawn, had not yet lost his will to fight.
As the leader of the orc race, he had grown sick of watching his people starve to death. To prevent them from continuing to die of hunger, he had to keep fighting—even if it meant battling until his very last drop of blood.
Yūdō, having just become a Demon Lord Seed himself, had originally planned to use the Orc Demon Lord as a test subject—to gauge just how strong he had become.
But as if sensing the Orc Demon Lord's resolve, just as Yūdō was about to step forward, Rimuru stopped him.
According to Rimuru, Yūdō had already done more than enough. Since this was a matter involving monsters of the Jura Forest, it was something Rimuru himself should resolve.
The orcs' rampage, and the birth of the Orc Lord, were indeed influenced by Demon Lord Clayman—but the greater cause lay in the famine the orcs faced.
Compared to other races in the Jura Forest, the orcs were not only incredibly numerous but also possessed enormous appetites.
After the Storm Dragon vanished from the forest, the ecosystem inevitably suffered some degree of disruption.
The Storm Dragon's immense magicule output had previously sustained certain regions. When that magicule disappeared, food shortages emerged.
For races with smaller populations and modest appetites, this change wasn't enough to threaten their survival.
But for the orcs—vast in number, ravenous by nature, and utterly dependent on food—it was nothing short of a catastrophic disaster.
And as the one responsible for the Storm Dragon's disappearance, Rimuru understood this better than anyone.
Even if his actions had been intended to save the Storm Dragon Veldora, Rimuru believed he could not shirk responsibility for what had happened to the orcs.
If this was karma born of his own actions, then it was his burden to bear.
Thus began a formal one-on-one duel.
Rimuru promised the Orc Demon Lord, Geld, that if he were fortunate enough to win, he would not treat the orc race harshly.
"Predator" versus "Starved One."One fought to protect.The other fought so his people would no longer starve.
Their goals differed, but neither was fighting for himself.
Rimuru reverted to his blue slime form, expanding his body and wrapping himself around the Orc Demon Lord. In response, the Orc Demon Lord activated "Starved One," continuously devouring Rimuru's body.
Thus began a grueling tug-of-war—an all-out contest of mutual consumption.
Both sides stood back and watched. Neither Rimuru's allies nor the orc forces attempted to interfere.
According to Great Sage's calculations, "Predator" held roughly a sixty-percent chance of victory.
In other words, Rimuru had the upper hand.
But in Yūdō's eyes, that so-called sixty percent might apply to ordinary individuals. For someone blessed with protagonist-level fortune, the success rate was at least ninety-nine point nine percent.
As if to validate Yūdō's thoughts, time gradually tilted the scales.
The Orc Demon Lord, who had once matched Rimuru evenly, began to tire. His resistance weakened steadily.
After entering the Orc Demon Lord's consciousness through "Predator"—and making a certain promise—the Orc Demon Lord ultimately ceased struggling altogether.
Before countless eyes, the jelly-sized slime completely consumed the Demon Lord Seed Orc Demon Lord.
Just like Yūdō, Rimuru evolved into a pseudo–Demon Lord.
As the Orc Demon Lord vanished entirely, thunderous cheers erupted from Rimuru's side.
Meanwhile, the orc forces sank into despair.
They understood all too well what awaited them now that they had lost as invaders.
The following day, at the post-war council, representatives of every race involved in the conflict gathered together.
The Lizardmen chieftain.Delegates from several goblin villages.The forest's caretakers, the Dryads.Survivors of the annihilated Ogre clan, including Benimaru.
And finally: Rimuru, who had served as overall commander; the Dwarven King from Dwargon; Fuze of the Kingdom of Blumund; Ren Kuroda of the Kingdom of Falmuth; and representatives of the defeated orc race.
Rimuru, the Dwarven King, Fuze, and Ren Kuroda were seated in the highest positions.
They represented not just individual races, but entire nations. Their status was naturally far above that of the lizardmen or goblins.
As the defeated party, the orc representatives were riddled with anxiety.
They understood the laws that governed monster society. They knew what their people had done.
They did not ask for forgiveness—only that more of their people might be allowed to live.
"First, even if it sounds selfish, I don't intend to punish the orc race for this incident.As everyone here knows, the orcs' rampage was largely driven by the Orc Demon Lord's skill, 'Starved One,' compounded by manipulation from a mastermind behind the scenes.While their actions were excessive, everything they did was for the sake of survival.If any of you were facing the extinction of your own race, could you truly say you wouldn't act the same way?"
Honoring his promise to the Orc Demon Lord Geld, Rimuru opened the meeting by making his stance clear.
Unfortunately, unlike the original timeline, this conflict had spiraled far out of control.
With three kingdoms directly involved, this was no longer something Rimuru could decide on his own.