Friend of the slime

20: Victory or End?

"Who are you?" The demon Lord of the past asked the masked figure who had appeared before his half dead self.

"I am Gelmud." The Majin answered in a sleazy voice. "Think of me as your father."

The two individuals of the past dissapeared into smoke and the Demon lord appeared. His back to Rimuru and Ananta, who stood a step back from the slime.

"He told me anyone I ate as the Orc Lord would not die, being under the controls of starved." The Demon Lord confessed in a low , regretful voice. "It appears he was mearly using me as a pawn in his evil scheme, but I had to take the risk. This is why I must eat." He looked up meeting Rimuru's eyes. "Even if you are a slime that can eat anything I cannot let myself be eaten."

"When it comes to eating, I have the advantage. You'll lose." Rimuru told him bluntly

"I ate all the monsters I encountered.. I ate lots." the Lord confessed. "Even my own brethren. My brethren are starving. So I cannot lose."

The slime was not swayed by his words. "In this world it's eat or be eaten. You've lost, so you're going to die."

"I cannot die!" He refused fighting against Rimuru with everything he had. "If I die, my sin's fall upon my brethren's shoulders. If matters not if I am sinful, to ensure that they won't starve. I will take the entire world's hunger unto myself!"

"You're still going to die." Rimuru repeated. "But rest easy. I'll devour all your sin's along with you."

The lord paused at this and looked up at Rimuru with wide eyes. "Devour...my sins?"

"Yeah, and not just you, but the sins of all your brethren as well."

The demon Lord glance down and spoke in a quite voice. "All.....my breathren?"

At last the Demon Lord's strengh had been exausted and he succumb to the slime. The moment he did the dry desert dissapeared around him, replaced with sprawling green fields and tall brilliant trees. The sky was an endless blue and sounds of life and children laughing filled the air.

The Demon lord fell to his knees at the sight, once again the Orc from all that time ago. Once again, the single Orc, Geld. "How can you promise this to me? How can you promise so much?"

At this Ananta steped forward to stand beside Rimuru and looked down at the orc with a kind smile.

"Rimuru is many things, but a liar is not one of them. Leave everything to us and rest."

Tears formed in Geld eyes as they begun to fall freely down his face. "Greedy one." He spoke through his tears. "One who devours all my sins..I thank you. My hunger has now..been sated."

Ananta raised her head and watching as Geld's body dissapeared into gold dust.

Back in reality the Kijin were still on guard not knowing what was happening. Astrin opened her eyes and gently lowered Benimaru and Souei's arms that were held protectively infont of her.

The Kijin looked at her in confusion as she walked past them with a sad smile on her face. There was no longer any visible signs of the once Orc Lord inside Rimuru. The dark clouds parted and rays of light fell upon the dark battlefield.

"It's over" Ananta said to everyone listening. "The Orc Disaster is gone."

Rimuru returned to his human form and Ananta walked out to meet him. The two turned when the destraut cris of the Orc army rose up behind them.
With the Orc Lord gone the effects of starved had also vanished, leaving the orcs with the devastation reality of what they had done.