That Time Rimuru Got a Daughter!

Chapter 17: The Battlefield of the Strongest Wife

[Unrevised]

(Rimuru's Perspective)

...I just sensed three things entering the [Imaginary Space]: Reili, who seemed to be getting used to being tossed into it and was already stuffing her mouth full with potato chips as she watched T.V., Ciel, and... Louis? I see... so that's what she's after... Now Luminous's plans make much more sense...

If I'm not wrong, Luminous probably sent Louis to the village after confirming my absence in order to secure a hostage she could use against me. That way, she could force me into one of two positions. First, she could use the hostage to bring me under her command. Or second, she could use the hostage in a battle against me, to completely or partially neutralize my abilities. Though I highly doubt she would use it for the former.

Still, Luminous had a miscalculation: Ciel. No matter who she sent to capture the hostage, the rate of success was zero; even if she sent Guy Crimson himself.

Ciel is even stronger than me, after all.

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(3rd Person's Perspective)

Everything was painted red. No, that wouldn't be the appropriate way to describe it. Everything was on fire. Yeah, that would be better. The smell of burnt wood lingered through the air, and the ashes fell from the sky as if they were raindrops. The forest was on fire. A fire so wild that could be said to describe the burning anger of the forest's owner.

Among the flames, suddenly, something struck the ground like a meteor, mowing down the grass and even knocking down some trees as it rolled through the dirt several times before coming to a stop.

"Guh..." In the crater created by the impact, a figure rolled in pain. His bright blond hair was dirtied with dirt to the point of it being indistinguishable. His clothes were ragged, but they didn't seem to be near the point of tearing off. Other than that, he didn't seem to be in a bad physical condition. Slowly, Louis raised his body from the ground and looked upward in hatred.

There, he saw the figure of a monster. No, of the devil herself. Evil red eyes that were burning together with the forest in the background. Ominous silver hair that remained spotless despite the ashes in the air. Clad in a gray armor that greatly outlined her beautiful figure. On her hand, there was a large sword with a bright red orb on the middle of its blade. She was walking toward him while sluggishly dragging her sword over the ground, as if it was too heavy for her to handle.

Of course, Louis was not going to fall for such a thing. He knew very well that the woman in front of her was able to handle that sword very well, and most importantly, that she was not an enemy to be underestimated. That being said, it wasn't as though she was an enemy to be feared either. He had the fact that he was still uninjured as the proof for that confidence.

It had already been a couple of minutes since the battle begun, and the enemy was yet to land a meaningful blow—emphasis on 'meaningful'. Up to this point, Louis had been hit several times, like how he was blown out of the sky and crashed on the ground a couple seconds ago. So it wasn't as though he wasn't receiving damange, hence his raggard clothing and heavy breathing.

In contrast, the woman was still going strong. She wasn't showing despair at her blows not making any real damage, nor did she appear to be getting exhausted in the least. In addition, her appearance was completely impeccable; there wasn't even a single wrinkle on her silver battle suit, and unlike Louis who was in constant annoyance due to the fire ashes, she didn't look bothered at all. No, it was simply that the ashes didn't land on her. It was as if the ash was deliberately avoiding touching her.