The First Duel

What a day! —I thought, as I heaved a sigh while leaning back on the sofa, eyes shut.

I just attended Walpurgis today, and made a big… really big show there. And now that I come back, thinking that I can rest for at least the remaining day, a freaking True Dragon pops up. 

MAN… Why is trouble always showing up on my doorstep?! —These thoughts, however, waned, as another thought coursed through my mind. 

"Souei, Treyni"

Before my words even completely left my mouth, a Dryad and Kijin teleported before me, bowing on a knee.

"Yes, Lord Rimuru"

"Did you hear what just happened?"

The two of them looked at each other for a second before Souei warily nodded.

"Yes, Lord Rimuru. We dare not reveal this information to anyone without your permission"

They both said in complete sync.

Did they both practice this or what? —However, before I could say anything, Souei spoke once again.

"Lord Rimuru. I am sorry for failing to stop Diablo from barging in such an important meeting. I am prepared to accept any sort of punishment you may impart"

"D-Don't worry about it. It's not your fault that Diablo's faster than you. Just do your best"

"Yes, Lord Rimuru. I will make sure to live up to not disappoint you next time"

"…"

I sighed inwardly. Souei was quite the stubborn dude, I am sure he will just train non-stop. Not that I think I can persuade him otherwise, other than ordering him obviously, so I'll just leave it at that.

"So, did anyone else hear that as well?"

"No", came the combined answer.

"Good, Let's keep it that way for now"

"Yes"

Veldanava did not look like he wanted to announce his return, since he kept his Aura locked in him so effectively that even 『Raphael』 couldn't sense it, though it may have been due to it not working properly ever since Veldanava came into the picture, I still don't understand why though.

Anyway, I ordered the two to keep quiet about this. Veldanava probably needed some time before he was prepared to face Milim, so I guess I could help him hide his identity a bit, and maybe I can ask a favor or two later. It would be a good idea to have another True Dragon like Veldora owe me a favor, after all, two is better than one. 

«…»

"So just don't let someone harass him, alright"

"Yes, Lord Rimuru" 

They said as they again teleported out of the room.

Still, I need to ask Diablo about Veldanava. He seemed to know him, maybe they have met before.

"I guess I have to go find Diablo", I muttered as I was about to get up from the sofa.

"There's no need to trouble your great-self to find someone as lowly as me, Lord Rimuru"

"…"

"…"

"…Diablo"

"Yes? Lord Rimuru"

"Are you a stalker?" 

To be honest, I somehow felt that he was stalking me for a long time, though I suppose he would just avert the topic.

"How could I dare? This servant just wishes to be of use to you"

"So…you haven't been following me everywhere?"

"…"

"…"

Well, that confirms one thing. 

"Anyways, Diablo"

He perked up as I differed from the topic. 

What's with this guy?

"What do you know about Veldanava? Tell me"

"It would be my greatest pleasure, Lord Rimuru. Veldanava is the grandest of all the beings there are, second only to Lord Rimuru"

He started, as if ranting a narrative. 

Just how high is my image in his eyes? These praises are gonna embarrass me someday, I'm sure of it! —I however, did not relay my thoughts as I listened to him.

"He is the creator and the strongest… well, for now as he will soon be left in the dust by Master"

"Creator? Creator of what?"

"Oh. Veldanava is the creator of this World, just as all others"

…What? "…"

"…"

"Hah? Doesn't that just make him a God?"

Or 'The' God, I don't know.

"Well, he is also known as the 『Creator God』"

"Damn, I didn't expect that"

So basically, I am just being God's Therapist for the time being.

Cool, I guess.

So anyways, Diablo started telling me whatever he knew about Veldanava, most of which was common knowledge according to 『Raphael』, or was something he said he learned from an 'annoying prideful red-head' as Diablo called he, or she, he didn't mention which, but it's not like that is important.

So what I learned was… not much. Except for him being the Creator and being the oldest being, that has power to body even the other True Dragons…there's not much I learned about him, except his strength, which he was giving away ever since he created the world and that the ancestor of humans, elves, dwarves and the like was his creation. 

To be honest, that sounds like a dumb idea. To give up almost all your skills was foolish. I mean, he died basically because he weakened himself. Who knows what was going on in this head then?!

Does Boredom really twist your mind that much if given long enough?

"Aah. Let's just leave that for tomorrow" 

I whined, pushing that thought for later. After all, there were some things about Tempest that I still needed to tend to.

-----------------------------------

"I hate paperwork"

I muttered, frustrated. Why is that I have to do that? Why can't anyone else do it? This is freaking boring. 

What's more, Veldora was just lying on the sofa while reading that goddam Manga was getting extremely irritating. Though I guess it is better that he went to see Veldanava a bit back.

BOOM.

"Huh?"

A moderately loud explosion rang in my ears, one that seemed to come from Kurobe's Workshop. 

In haste, I activated 『Universal Sense』 and quickly turned to the feed received from it. In it, standing in a demolished workshop were Veldanava, Veldora, Kurobe, Hakurou, and Gobta, with Souei watching from a tree a little far away. 

Raphael.

«Master, it is concluded Individual 'Veldanava' had overloaded the prototype of the sword you are using with his magicules, causing it to explode»

So, it's just an accident… and no one is hurt?

«Affirmative»

Sigh.

Thank Go… 

Hold on a second, was I praying to Veldanava or what?

…Let's just leave it at that for now, I don't want to go into that now —I thought, as I once again buried myself in the paperwork, much to my frustration.

.

.

.

Almost done, almost…Done….

I thought happily, seeing the papers I had to check remaining less than 10. 

What should I do after this? I know, I'm gonna ask Shuna to cook me some Ramen.

Creak.

Hmm? —I looked at the opening doors, finding Shuna coming in.

Aha. Great timing. Wait. What's that in her hands? That looks like a stack of…papers!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

----------------------------------- 

HehehehehahahahaAHAHAHAHAHA…

I executed a full three-stage laugh like a menace, in my mind of course, after running away from paperwork and Shuna unnoticed. 

Hmm? What's with the crowd? —I thought, seeing many gather around the edge of the City, where a stone pavement was present. As I came closer, Gobta came into view.

"Hey Gobta, what's going on here?"

"Oh, Lord Rimuru. That Nova guy asked Master Hakurou to spar with him with just swordsmanship without any skills or magic, so everyone's coming to watch him get beat"

Hah? Why would he do that? —I thought, as I noticed Veldora in the distance. 

"Hey Veldora", I said, as he turned his head towards me, "Why is Veld… I mean, Nova fighting Hakurou"

He turned to me, "I don't know myself. He was never the type to actively fight, so I'm pretty much clueless as well. DATTEBAYO"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Naruto"

(Illustration)

I looked at him, deadpan, before I shifted my attention towards the two on the stone pavement, ready to duke it out.

Hakurou had his regular stance, that of the 'Hazy' Style. While Veldanava was just… standing?

It took me a second to realize it. The stance Veldanava had was simple, so simple that I doubt it could even be considered a stance. All he had done was bend his knees a bit. 

«Master, Veldanava's position and stance have been analyzed. It's concluded that it is meant to lower the Centre of Gravity to the optimal position, enabling him to move with rapid acceleration and steering»

Now that I think about it, he really doesn't look to be standing in an amateur posture. His legs seemed to be bent in a perfectly aligned at a degree, both of them, without even a single degree of difference in between. His hands were clenching the blade in a way that it looked firm in his grasp but also loose enough for him to twist it to his liking.

Raphael.

«Beginning Analysis»

Hakurou then threw a pebble in the air; hitting the ground of which was the signal for them to start.

Just as the pebble struck the ground, Hakurou dashed at Veldanava with blinding speed. Within a moment, he was right before Veldanava, who had not even moved an inch, however, I noticed that his eyes had followed Hakurou just as he had moved.

Clank. 

In an instant, Veldanava swiftly sidestepped a tad bit and deflected Hakurou's sword. 

Hakurou, using the momentum of the sword he got from his blade's deflection, rolled in the air and swung his sword at Veldanava's face. However, Veldanava's just like before, deflected it sideways with minimal movement. 

One thing about his way of redirecting the sword's trajectory was that it left the opponent stunned, as if their very sense of direction or their blade's movement had become erratic for a second, as if every clash with his blade was leaving you disoriented momentarily, as I could see from Hakurou.

Hakurou seemed surprised at this, as dashed again, using a different technique I had seen him use. But just like before, his efforts were quickly put off by Veldanava. 

I guess that's to be expected. True Dragons are far higher than Ogres or Kijin in physical capabilities.

«Notice: Individual 'Veldanava' has restricted himself to Hakurou's physical level»

Hah? Then how is he deflecting everything Hakurou throws at him like that? Hakurou isn't an easy opponent.

Raphael's answer came as a shock to me. It said that it was likely that Veldanava wasn't even using a technique, but just predicting Hakurou's moves and technique, and everything he was doing was something he came up on the fly.

That's…Damn.

Seeing Hakurou was getting a bit frustrated, Veldanava said, "Let's take it up a notch, no restrictions"

Oi oi oi, Are you serious? No restrictions? Does he want to blow this city up? 

[Don't worry, I will not]

Huh? —I recognized the voice that rang in my head and looked toward the source, only to find the guy giving me a side-eye.

Seriously, no one's privacy is safe from this guy.

And at Veldanava's suggestion, Hakurou nodded, as a smile grew on his face, which was brimming with sweat. His third eye opened, blazing with an intensity far surpassing his prior state, marking the activation of Hakurou's 『Heavenly Eye』.

------------------------------------

Hakurou's third eye opened wide, as his Unique Skill 『Martial Master』 began setting off in response. He readjusted his stance, watching his opponent with the 『Heavenly Eye』. However, even now, he could not see nor sense any kind of energy in Nova. 

This had left the Kijin puzzled ever since he had come across the strange 'dragonewt' this morning. 

When his eyes had first caught off Nova. He wondered what a human was doing there, one he had not seen. Seeing this stranger as suspicious, he was on guard, ready to defend Gobta. 

Nova seemed to have no magicules, no energy, no aura, even when Hakurou used his Unique Skill. This could be rarely possible was Nova a regular human with weak vitality, however, the two horns on his head said otherwise. 

A person with such horns was no doubt a demi-human, a Dragonewt to be exact. And for a monster like that, it was impossible to not have any magicules. So it could mean that Nova was a very powerful individual, or at least, an extremely skilled one. There was no doubt that he was dangerous. 

However, his suspicions waned as Gobta revealed that their master, Rimuru himself, had given him the task of showing the newcomer the town. Hakurou's trust in Rimuru was absolute. If Rimuru asked Gobta to show him around every part of the city, that must mean that Nova is close to Lord Rimuru, and is trusted by him.

So Hakurou opted to follow him, not because he still found him suspicious, but because he was interesting in his eyes. Such control over one's power was fabulous, which subconsciously earned him the Kijin's respect.

That curiosity, however, only grew tremendously as he found Nova being acquainted with their Guardian Deity, Veldora. And from Veldora asking a spar, not to mention his way of talking to Veldora as if he was talking to a minor, made him wonder just who exactly was he. 

Veldora, as far as he knew, was not complacent to anyone except Rimuru, and even he knew that Veldora was still far stronger than his master. So who exactly was Nova, he wondered silently as he watched the interactions between Nova and Veldora. 

One thought crossed his mind once. What if Nova was Veldanava? However, that thought was quickly disregarded. It was already known that he had died 2 millennia in the past and had not reincarnated. And even if he did, he would go to reunite with his daughter. Why would he stay here?

"Are you ready?"

Veldanava's words echoed in the unspeaking silence that had filled the arena. With that said, Hakurou got ready to execute his technique. 

Being certain that his opponent had Magic Sense or at least, something equivalent, Hakurou did not bother to use 『Stealth』, as the battlewill would have little to no effect, so instead, all he did was actuate 『Ultra Acceleration』, one of the sub-skills of his Unique Skill, giving him a tremendous boost in speed.

He, now armed with his actual abilities, dashed at Nova, his fierce gaze locked onto his opponent. 

Nova, who had remained still, was compelled to dodge, narrowly missing the blade aimed at himself. His widened eyes were testimonial that he was not at all going to be easily dealing with Hakurou as he was before.

Slash…Dodge.

Slash… Dodge.

Slash… Dodge. 

Nova jumped swiftly, as he missed yet another of Hakurou's attacks. Seeing an opening, Hakurou readied his blade.

"Flowing Water Slash"

With Hakurou's words, his blade moved rapidly, slicing the air as it moved past it, like water down a stream, aimed straight at Nova's neck. 

Nova's eyes narrowed, as he took the same stance Hakurou had, and uttered, "Flowing Water Slash".

Clank. 

The blades met, brushing past each other, Hakurou's above Nova's head, and Nova's aimed down.

Nova was thrown back, landing near the end of the area designated for the battle, almost blown away by Hakurou's 『Steel Strength』.

Hakurou jumped back, jaws slack. 

"You… how did you?"

"Hmm? It wasn't that difficult, you just have to emulate the fluid property of water into the slash"

The Sword Ogre was flabbergasted. 

The technique that he had taken months to master. Even Lord Rimuru took an hour to properly grasp it, and this guy did it in a second? No, an instant.

'Does he have an imitation Skill?' —Hakurou speculated. It was the only logical answer he could come up with. After all, no one could have an innate adaptation, intelligence, and body control that is extraordinary all at the same time… right?

Shrugging those thoughts away, Hakurou decided on his next move. Erasing his presence, aura, and even spirit, Hakurou achieved the full potential of 『Haze』.

Having decided to go all out, he let loose all his skills. 『Martial Master』's 『Thought Acceleration』, 『Foresight』, 『Ultra Acceleration』 and 『Heavenly Eye』 began operating at full throttle. In addition to his already active 『Steel Strength』, 『Coercion』 and 『Multilayer Barrier』 were too now set in motion, as Hakurou's eyes gleamed with a dangerous glint.

Even Rimuru himself was surprised at this. Even more so when it was revealed that even after supposedly removing the restrictions of the duel, he was still managing to keep up, despite not removing the restrictions placed on himself.

"Hey Veldora", he said, "Why is Nova holding back?"

Veldora grinned from ear to ear, pridefully puffing his chest.

"Of course he is. He is trying to improve his skills. Besides the pressure he exerts itself would kill Hakurou if he went serious"

"Oh. Then, just to be sure…" 

Saying this, Rimuru replaced the 'Multilayer Barrier' he had placed over the arena when the fight began to 'Universal Barrier', keeping 『Infinity Prison』 ready just in case. 

Hakurou now dashed at Nova, circling around him at blinding speeds. And then, in a quick utilization of 『Instantmove』 of 『Modelwill』, his Aura-reinforced blade reached for Nova's neck. 

Clank. 

Hakurou's eyes widened, as once again, Nova's blade blocked his strike. However, this time it was not redirected, and the brunt of the attack was taken head-on, sending Nova back several meters. 

The move was functioning in coordination with 'Haze', not even 『Magic Sense』 could detect him, it could only be dealt with by pure intuition. Hakurou however, did not pause to ponder, as he once again tore through the air, striking Nova's again, again and again.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

The battle had hastened to the point many of those in the Audience couldn't see, however, Rimuru shared 『Thought Acceleration』 with them, allowing them to view it, then being awed at the power Hakurou was displaying. Only the more experienced ones saw how skillfully Nova was avoiding a direct hit from his blades.

After a minute of Hakurou's attacks throwing Nova around, Nova's blade pushed Hakurou backward after intercepting the force behind one of Hakurou's assaults.

Hakurou jumped back, on guard with the sudden increase in speed his opponent displayed. His eyes momentarily darted to Nova's sword, which had been chipped at many places from the clashes between their blades. Hakurou's sword, however, suffered not even as much as a scratch, being superior to the other, not to mention being enforced by 'Modelwill'.

Hakurou stood his ground, his instincts were flaring up, warning him to not get any closer. His gaze now scurried to Nova's blade, which had now begun to glow a dazzling white spark. 

!!!

Just as the light blazed, a colossal Aura fell on his shoulders, as if the very mountains had been forced on him. He almost fell to his knees, barely supporting himself with his sword, as he struggled to stand. 

The audience grew silent, confused as to why Hakurou was kneeling, or why the outsider's sword was glowing starry silver. Only Rimuru, Veldora, Souei, and the stalker Diablo knew what was happening, even if the said pressure was not directed at them.

Suddenly, the pressure on Hakurou's shoulders disappeared, as he hastily stood up, ready to defend whatever attack would come his way, only to be met with a chilling sight. 

Nova lifted his sword, holding it just before his face illuminated by the light, and pointed at Hakurou. The radiance, now dimmed a bit, revealing a coating of brilliant white that masked the chips that the blade had. Before voicing, "Hakurou…".

(Illustration)

«Warning. Dangero…»

That was all that Rimuru needed to ascertain his next course of action.

'RAPHAEL, EVACUATE THE CITIZENS', Rimuru bellowed in his mind, as he began to pour as much energy as he could to strengthen the barrier, as deploying 『Infinity Prison』 would be too late. 

Heeding Rimuru's command, 'Raphael', instantly transported every weak monster in the audience, left with only Rimuru, Souei, Veldora… and the Peeping Tom.

Unaware of the actions outside the barrier that held them in, Hakurou could only watch as the terrifying force emanated from his opponent's blade. 

Nova let his sword down, before heaving a skyward vertical slash with the flick of his hand, said in a low, calm voice…

"…Dodge"