The forest's sky glittered with a streak of golden light, piercing through the clouds as if a meteor had decided to glide slowly over the world, carrying a presence that could almost alter the course of history.
Aboard the Vimana, Shizu sat in majestic silence. The air around her was calm, yet saturated with an eerie aura... an aura that imposed silence and slowed thoughts beyond reason. Beside her sat Elyun, who hadn't dared speak since the journey began, while Kaval rested his hand unconsciously on his sword's hilt, like a man seeking inner balance in the presence of an entity he couldn't comprehend.
"This throne..." — Gido muttered under his breath, staring at the intricate details around them — "It's unlike any Artifact we've ever known..."
Despite his appearance, Gido was a servant of Erald Grimwald, the Archduke of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion, and had seen many rare and strange Artifacts. Yet none compared to the Vimana.
In the blink of an eye — as if the world had pressed a "skip time" button — the Vimana halted above the plains surrounding the new village Rimuru was building. The unfinished wooden walls and makeshift watchtowers looked like children's toys compared to the majestic vessel casting its shadow over them.
The villagers — Goblins, Hobgoblins, Goblina — all raised their heads to the sky, where the terrifying shadow of the Vimana left them awestruck, trembling just from glimpsing its silhouette.
"Take us down."
Akira spoke softly.
The Vimana responded like a living entity, descending gently onto a smooth, empty spot slightly away from the construction site.
Its arrival was so grand that it alerted the entire village. Soon, several figures emerged to investigate.
The first to arrive was a beautiful girl with black twin-tails, a crimson right eye, and a left golden eye containing a Roman numeral clock. She wore a black-and-red Gothic Lolita dress.
This was none other than Kurumi, who darted from the shadows the moment she sensed Akira's presence.
After her came Aasuna and Yukihime, followed by Sui and Tabane, with a blue Slime hopping behind them.
"Hello. It's been a long time, everyone." — Akira smiled, gazing at the faces before him with nostalgia. For him, over 1,000 years had passed since he'd last seen them, while for them, it had been mere days or months at most.
For a moment, everyone froze... Then the air stirred again, as if time itself had paused to grant Akira a reunion that could never be replicated.
"Akira..." — Kurumi whispered, before vanishing and reappearing right in front of him in an instant. Her usual sly smile was absent.
"You're alive..." She stared at his face, as if fearing he were an illusion.
He reached out slowly, ruffling her hair with a teasing grin. He hadn't expected Kurumi to worry about him — they'd always been like cat and mouse, bickering constantly, especially after he'd drank her blood without permission.
"I always come back, don't I?" — He said quietly, but a happy smile played on his lips.
Before Kurumi could reply, Asuna's voice interrupted. She approached with steady steps, her eyes scrutinizing every inch of him.
"Akira... Is it really you?" Her hand hovered near her sword. "Your energy feels different... Something about you has changed."
"Many things have changed." — He didn't deny it, glancing at Yukihime, who remained silent but stared at him with eyes full of unspoken questions — and perhaps a hint of fear.
"Dragon energy... Vampire energy... and something else..." — Yukihime murmured, raising her hand as if analyzing the aura around him.
"When I disappeared some time ago, I underwent an evolution. I've become a Dragon Vampire." — Akira said lightly, avoiding further details — "By the way, I've brought some companions I met during this time."
At his words, everyone turned to the group behind him: six women, one girl, and two men.
"These are Velgrynd, Velzard, Honoka, Rain, and Misery." — Akira pointed to each woman in turn — "As for these two, I met them recently and helped them fend off some ants trying to kill them. I still don't know their names."
Though Akira recognized Shizu and the others, he said nothing. Since they hadn't introduced themselves, he had no reason to reveal their names.
The group exchanged glances... A brief silence lingered before Tabane shattered it with a cheerful grin and a raised hand.
"Yahoo! So these are your new friends, Akira? They look interesting!" — She hopped in front of Velzard, staring without shame — "Are you a dragon? You look like one of those cool 'Onee-san' types who melt hearts!"
Velzard replied calmly, a faint smile barely touching her lips:
"Your guess isn't far from the truth..."
"Oh, awesome!" — Tabane laughed, tilting her head — "I'm Tabane, the most annoying genius in this world! Let's be friends!"
Velgrynd shook her head slightly, watching the scene, then turned to Kurumi with a smirk:
"And you? You must be Tokisaki Kurumi, right?"
"I've heard much about you from Akira. Pleasure to meet you. I am Velgrynd."
Kurumi stepped forward, eyeing Velgrynd with a mix of wariness and interest, then smirked.
"Oh? So I was the topic of his conversations in my absence? What an honor." — She raised her left eyebrow slightly — "But don't fool yourself. If he spoke of me... it probably wasn't praise."
Velgrynd chuckled softly — not a merry laugh, but one carrying unfathomable depth.
"Perhaps. But the way you look at him tells me your place in his heart... isn't easily shaken."
Kurumi's gaze froze for a split second... before she slowly turned her face away and said quietly:
"Don't make his heart the topic of conversation. It's not as simple as you think."
"I'm Misery, and this is Rain. We serve Lord Milim... or used to, before things changed."
"I'm Honoka." — The other girl smiled simply, looking at Asuna and Yukihime calmly — "I was just a clueless high school student when I suddenly woke up in another world. But Akira and the others helped me a lot, and we became comrades."
Asuna stepped forward, bowing politely:
"Yuuki Asuna. I'm a duelist from another world... Pleased to meet you all."
Yukihime didn't speak immediately. Instead, she stared quietly at Velzard and Velgrynd before murmuring:
"Two Supreme Dragons... Interesting."
Then, Rimuru hopped forward, waving exaggeratedly:
"I'm Rimuru Tempest, ruler of this place! Welcome to the future ci— no, village!"
"You mean this pile of lumber?" — Velgrynd quipped, eyeing the half-built structures.
"Hey! It's under construction!" — Rimuru puffed his cheeks like a child.
Akira chuckled, then gestured to the remaining group behind him.
"These are the ones left." — He looked first at Shizu, who observed everything in her usual silence.
She glanced at them all, then said softly:
"Shizu... I'm just a passerby."
"I'm Elyun, an adventurer from the Kingdom of Blumund. We were sent to investigate changes in the forest after the Storm Dragon Veldora's disappearance." — She bowed slightly but seemed tense amid the crowd.
Kaval placed a hand on his chest and said gravely:
"Kaval. Also an adventurer and leader of this party."
Gido raised his hand politely:
"And I'm Gido, another adventurer in the same party as these two."
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Rimuru raised an eyebrow and said lightly — though with hidden cunning:
"Ah, adventurers? Arriving on a celestial vessel that descends like an imperial army? How... curious."
Akira met Rimuru's gaze, a faint smile on his lips.
"It's a long story... Maybe I'll tell it later, if anyone cares to listen."
"As long as you're no threat to the village, you're my friends!" — Rimuru suddenly declared, arms raised. "And we'll throw a welcome party! As usual!"
"As usual?" — Velzard raised an eyebrow — "Do you throw parties for everyone who falls from the sky?"
"Ah, no. Only when the incoming energy is so terrifying it makes demons hide in tunnels." — Rimuru grinned foolishly, pointing behind him where Gobta and a group of Hobgoblins were frantically setting up wooden platforms.
But before the mood could lighten, Yukihime finally moved. She stepped closer to Akira, her voice so low only he could hear:
"Your evolution wasn't natural... That energy isn't a coincidence. Are you truly alright, or are you hiding something from us?"
Kurumi's breath hitched as she watched from the shadows, her eyes sharpening.
"I'm always alright." — Akira replied calmly, but his tone carried something unspoken.
"And I won't let anything threaten you... ."
A moment of silence passed... Then a cold breeze swept the village, followed by a sharp, spectral flash on the horizon.
Shizu suddenly gasped, clutching her chest, her eyes wide with shock as the air around her trembled — as if something inside her had awakened or been forcibly summoned.
...
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