Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 20 Chapter 1.12

The battle was the return of a myth.

Milim and Zelanus, their fists cut the sky, the atmosphere vibrated, and the earth shook.

It was so intense that it could have shattered even the stars, but it didn’t for one reason.

Zelanus and Milim had protected this battlefield with their ‘Defense Barrier’.

This is also the reason why Milim did not join the war from the beginning.

They had assessed the effects of Carrera’s Abyss Annihilation and calculated the damage that this war would cause to the earth. Based on this, they were working to protect the planet itself with the Barrier.

Milim is a tyrant, but he is also a thoughtful man.

He says and does what he means, but behind the scenes, he knows exactly what the consequences of his actions will be. It is Milim Nava, the demon lord, who manages to have both sides of the coin.

Now, Milim has handed over the role of rampaging to Carrera, but he soon realized that there is someone else who is trying to protect this planet.

It is, of course, the leader of the enemy, Insect Lord Zelanus himself.

（Hmm. He seems to be thinking the same thing as I am. This is a little troublesome…)

Zelanus’ action was unexpected even for Milim.

It is natural that he would try to protect this planet since he is the one who is trying to invade our world. However, Milim was not so easily convinced.

If it was just a ‘Barrier’, it would have been fine, but it had been given an effect that was convenient for the enemy. I wanted to destroy it, but that would have affected my own ‘Barrier’ and might have caused serious damage to this planet.

(No, you have the nerve to use my ‘Barrier’ ! )

) Despite such frustration, they were unable to make any rash moves. This situation was the proof that the leader of the enemy was capable, so they could not lose their temper.

Even Milim, who could solve most of the problems by violence, had to act cautiously in the face of an enemy who might be his equal.

Patiently waiting for the right moment, he finally made his move.

Zelanus moved.

Milim tried to make a move immediately, but there was a problem. Zelanus had carefully set up the ‘Barrier’ so that Milim could not break into it.

Although it took less than ten seconds to disarm it, the delay was a blunder that could have been fatal.

In the end, the effect was only a little harassment, but it did not change the fact that he had been outmaneuvered. Milim regretted it but praised it honestly and calmly vowed to get back at Carrera.

This was only because he had arrived just in time for Carrera’s crisis. Carrera would not have died, but if it had been fatal, it is unclear what would have happened to Milim’s anger.

It would have been a relief to the world.

At any rate, the worst was over for Milim, and all that remained was to defeat Zelanus.

He joined the war happily and started to fight against Zelanus.

Zelanus was strong.

He took Milim’s fist without hesitation and hit back sharply. Milim also took it in his stride, and he hit Milim with kicks, elbows, and head-butts in a flowing motion. Zelanus, too, did not lag behind Milim, but responded to him in an impressive manner.

Both fighters fought fiercely, using only their bodies as weapons.

“You’re good, aren’t you? I didn’t expect you to play with me this much!”

“Haha, no kidding. I was a bit wary of how good she would be since she is the daughter of the Creator, but I guess it’s not that big a deal.

Zelanus responded to Milim’s flippant words with a pompous attitude, but in fact, he was not letting his guard down. Inwardly, he is just playing the role of a condescending person with the utmost caution toward Milim.

Zelanus was cautious, as evidenced by the fact that he was wary of Carrera’s “Judgment”. Pride has nothing to do with Zelanus.

Even though he was an absolute strong man, he was never overconfident. The essence of Zelanus was to give his all without letting his guard down, no matter who his opponent was.

For this reason, Zelanus does not limit his vigilance to Milim alone. It is the essence of Zelanus to always do his best, not only against strong enemies but also against weak ones.

Therefore, he set up the ‘Barrier’ to delay Milim’s entry into the game. In that instant, he was going to take out Carrera and take its power for himself.

This did not happen because Milim’s computing power was superior to Zelanus’ expectation and Carrera was more stubborn than he had imagined.

For Zelanus, the failure to finish off Carrera was also a blow.

If Carrera recovered and joined hands with Milim, it would be a problem. In addition, if they were forced into an endurance war, they might use “Judgment” again, which was limited to once a day. If we judge such a situation calmly, we cannot be optimistic.

That is why Zelanus used a sophisticated tactic in his conversation with Milim.

(It would be a good thing if he could let his guard down, but I wonder how good the daughter of the Creator really is.)

Zelanus is thinking about this, and is waiting to see what Milim will do.

Milim, on the other hand, smiles with a big smile on his face in an arrogant manner.

“Ha-ha-ha! You say that, don’t you? Then you better entertain me!

Milim is now in his true form for the first time.

Beautiful crimson horns sprout from her forehead, parting her beautiful platinum pink hair. On his back, he spreads his dragon wings and wears jet-black armor.

In his hand, he holds Asura, which was given to him by Guy.

It is rare for Milim to use a weapon.

Whatever he may say, he admires Zelanus that much.

Zelanus also realized that his performance was not working for Milim. If so, there is no point in making up for it.

“If you are so strong, why are you so cautious? Are you a coward?”

Milim asks curiously, to which Zelanus answers without concealment.

“Well, what is cowardice? If I would rather be defeated without fear of my enemies, I would rather be the victor even if I am a coward.

Without losing his kingly bearing, he assures us that he has nothing to be ashamed of. This is Zelanus’ true intention, and he is proud of it.

“A victor? What do you want?

“Well, I know. My mission is to surpass the Creator.

This was Zelanus’ true intention.

In fact, Zelanus has been thinking about the reason for his existence ever since he was Named by Veldanava.

He was not blinded by respect for the Creator as Feldway was, but he had always been trying to figure out what he should do.

The answer he came up with was – “to surpass the Parent.

Zelanus’ body is immortal. Every cell in his body is controlled by his mind and can be reproduced instantly, not just regenerated. Zelanus was not affected by disease or injury, and his existence transcended his own lifespan.

Even so, they die when their energy is depleted.

Even though the body is immortal, the mind has a limit.

In other words, he was not immortal.

Zelanus must one day surpass Veldanava. Since he cannot resist “death” in his present state, he is determined to improve himself by all possible means, timidly.

That is why we must increase the number of our subordinates without completing the task by ourselves.

At great risk, he created Peliod to be his spouse. He created children with her to be his hands and feet.

The children, like their parent Zelanus, sought strength.

Zess was especially like her, and like Zelanus, she was very cowardly.

He was also mean and cunning.

She saw in her newborn “brother” a potential threat to herself, and tried to nip it in the bud.

To the point that it would eat the individual who had been born as the next generation’s queen and take its power for its own.

The attempts seem to have failed, but all of this is none of Zelanus’ concern.

He let them do what they wanted.

If Zess would then become the next god of creation, that would be a joyous occasion.

Either he, the parent, or Zess, the son, would be justified, and the next century would be built by the winner.

Zelanus, however, had no intention of giving up his throne, and he would take Zess’s power when she grew up.

Zelanus always knew exactly what Zess’s power was by loving her and gaining her trust to ensure his victory.

In this case, the presence of Carrera, a dangerous element, made it possible for him to make good use of Zess as a touchstone. Zelanus was satisfied with the result because he was able to take away Zess’s power.

As long as someone as strong as Zelanus was so cunning and cautious, it was as good as impregnable.

That is why Zelanus responded to Milim without any shame.

Milim realized that Zelanus was more dangerous than he had expected. He thought that if Zelanus was not defeated at this point, it would be an unmanageable disaster, and he decided that he should do everything in his power to eliminate him.

I would have liked to play with you more, but unfortunately you are dangerous. I’m sorry, but I’m going to take you seriously from now on.”

Milim becomes serious and declares this to Zelanus. Then he releases his power without a word.

Zelanus could not afford to lose any more time. He had no choice but to get serious.

“LOL. I’ll deal with you as a diversion before we challenge the summit. Let me show you the power of the Creator’s daughter!”

She stops worrying about her impact on the world and unleashes her accumulated, terrible power.

The atmosphere trembled as their power increased.

As long as there is no significant gap in their skills (level), the battle will only be prolonged by the grinding of combat. This is a common understanding, and that is why Milim has chosen to use special magic for short-term annihilation.

In response, Zelanus also improved his fighting spirit.

The clash between Milim’s high energy and Zelanus’ fighting energy created compression explosions (plasma) here and there in the space.

The aftermath alone is powerful enough to crush a poor monster into tiny pieces.

Even a greater majin would not be able to survive if caught in such an explosion.

No third party is allowed to enter the battlefield where such a tremendous explosion is flying wildly. They had already evacuated long ago and were watching the situation from a distance outside the “Barrier”.

If we had been a little late in escaping, we would have been in a hellscape by now. But despite the energy force field that has been created, the real work has not yet begun.

“I’ll show you the best! Drago Nova!”

Star particles sparkle between Milim’s hands, swirling into an unworldly force of destruction. He bundles them together and shoots them at Zelanus.

Even with the power to twist space like Peliod, it’s impossible to take it all in. Milim, with this in mind, has struck with the power of tyranny.

It was an outrageous act that would have made him a “Destroyer,” and in this case, he was right. In a battle between paranormals, the longer the fight goes on, the more serious the damage will be. Since the ‘Barrier’, which is a combination of the power of Milim and Zelanus, was present here, Milim used it to the utmost limit.

On the other hand, Zelanus, like Milim, chose to use the special killing technique to destroy the enemy.

“Eat up the Devastator Virus!”

Dark microparticles rose from Zelanus’ body. They blocked Drago Nova’s brilliance as if he were a willful being.

They are the dark cells that make up Zelanus’ body.

Zelanus, who can manipulate the matter he takes in from the other world at will, is able to make his own body microscopic and invade the enemy’s body. The tiny, willful cells break through even the ‘Barrier’ and devour the target from the inside, making it impossible for ordinary people to even resist.

The shimmering light emitted by Milim intersects with the dark particles controlled by Zelanus.

While the light drove out the darkness, the darkness swallowed the light.

It is a moment in time, but it is a moment so tense that it seems infinite.

It was an unfavorable situation for both parties.

Milim was going to win overwhelmingly, and Zelanus was going to eat Milim with Zelanus.

Finally, the outcome of the game was revealed.

When light and darkness converged, there stood Milim.

The dark microparticles had clung to Milim’s body, but they had been extinguished by Milim’s haki. Milim, though fatigued, was unharmed.

And Zelanus?

Is this pain? I didn’t think there was anything I couldn’t eat…”

Amazingly, he survived.

Milim’s Drago Nova is composed mainly of a special substance called star particles. It is a substance with destructive power that only Milim can control, even more than a reiko, and unless its properties can be analyzed, it is uncontrollable by any human being.

It was only natural that Zelanus failed in his attempt to eat it.

However, Zelanus succeeded in killing it, but not in eating it. Although some damage was sustained, it was at a sufficiently regenerative level that it had no effect on the continuation of the battle.

Milim suffered from mental exhaustion and Zelanus from some physical wear and tear. That was the only result of the exchange of fire.

Zelanus stood up quickly and stared at Milim with his compound eyes.

Then he thought.

（Can I really win this battle?)

Milim is strong because she is the daughter of the Creator. It was said that she had inherited most of the power of the Creator, but it seemed that she still had more power than she had ever known.

Zelanus was convinced of this.

Zelanus was convinced of this because he had seen the “barren land” where he had once fought a mortal battle with the Demon LordGuy.

As is typical of the cautious Zelanus, he is well informed. The land, also called the Deadly Desert, was created more than 2,000 years ago, yet it is still contaminated by a dense magicule.

The power of Milim’s Drago Nova is great, but it is not contaminated to that extent. Therefore, we should think that there is something else.

The uncertainty of what it was made Zelanus uneasy.

For Zelanus, victory at all costs is not what he wants. He must win, safely and surely.

Zelanus’ belief was absolute, and based on that belief, further battles were dangerous.

There was no such thing as a “just in case” and Milim was still an unknown…

Zelanus was considering retreat at this point.

Shortly after this, an event occurred that forced Zelanus to make a decision.