Chapter 48: Arrival in Tensura
Several Days Later
Having already experienced moving a large group of people between worlds before, the process was much simpler this time around. In the end, it only took us about half a day before I opened a portal to my Demiplane and led everyone through.
The moment we arrived, I was immediately dogpiled by the girls I had left behind, especially those from the Naruto and Resident Evil worlds.
Thanks to that, I spent the next several days simply catching up with everyone and listening to everything they had been up to while I was away. At the same time, the new arrivals used the opportunity to settle into their new home and get to know the others.
Fortunately, thanks to the time difference between my Demiplane and the outside worlds, not much time had passed for them despite all the years I had spent traveling. In reality, only about six months had gone by since I first left to explore other universes.
I still got an earful for disappearing for so long, though.
Apparently, sending Shadow Clones every so often to let everyone know I was still alive wasn't an acceptable substitute for actually being there.
Not that I could really argue with them.
I accepted every complaint without protest.
Thanks to everyone's efforts over the past six months, the small village I remembered had transformed into a proper city that blended seamlessly with the surrounding nature.
It was now large enough to comfortably house well over a hundred thousand people, thanks to an absurd number of Shadow Clones, plenty of Mokuton, and the thousands of architecture books I had memorized throughout my travels.
That city, however, wasn't meant to be my home.
It was built for my followers and anyone else who sought my protection.
As for where my lovers and I would actually live...
Well, I had been thoroughly overruled.
The girls unanimously decided that our home should be somewhere more special, then promptly made me adjust the Demiplane's settings to create a collection of floating islands high above the clouds.
Since literally everyone agreed with the idea, I wisely decided not to argue.
Instead, my clones got to work.
Working around the clock, they transformed those floating islands into a paradise worthy of being called home, with Velzard and Velgrynd proving to be invaluable throughout the construction.
Between the memories of their original selves and their own experience, the two dragon sisters possessed an incredible eye for architecture and grand design. Under their direction, the largest floating island gradually became our own little slice of heaven.
The entire place looked like something straight out of a fantasy.
Magnificent waterfalls spilled over the edges of the island, cascading all the way down to the world below. Elegant buildings carved from pure white marble lined beautifully crafted streets, while towering spires stretched proudly toward the heavens.
It was breathtaking.
To make traveling between our private home and the city below easier, we installed a teleporter in the center of the city and another at the heart of the floating island, allowing everyone to travel between the two locations whenever they wished.
Standing near the edge of the island, I quietly admired the view as a cool breeze brushed across my face.
After a few moments, I sensed someone approaching.
Turning my head slightly, I found Elizabeth standing beside me.
Now that her growth was no longer being hindered by her vampire nature, she had reached a respectable height of around one hundred and fifty-seven centimeters. More importantly, her figure had matured beautifully, giving her the elegant appearance of a true queen rather than the youthful princess she had once resembled.
“How do you like our new home?” I asked softly before turning my gaze back toward the horizon.
Without saying a word, Elizabeth slipped her hand around my left arm and hugged it against her chest, which had somehow become even more impressive than her subordinate's, before letting out a contented hum as she leaned comfortably against me.
“It's everything I was hoping for and more,” Elizabeth murmured, her voice carrying a hint of disbelief. “I caught a glimpse of it back in Alexandria, but I never imagined I would live to see a day when people of every race could truly coexist in peace.”
With our enhanced eyesight, we could clearly make out the city below. Humans, elves, dwarves, therianthropes, oni, lizardmen, and countless other races walked its streets without a care in the world, chatting and laughing as though such harmony had always been possible.
“It feels like a dream come true.”
Elizabeth turned to me with a smile that radiated pure happiness. Rising onto her tiptoes, she placed a gentle kiss on each of my cheeks before pausing just short of my lips. Her crimson eyes searched mine silently, asking for permission without saying a word.
Rolling my eyes fondly at the silly vampire, I closed the remaining distance and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.
She let out a soft, contented hum as her eyes fluttered shut, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me a little closer.
We remained like that for a few quiet moments before she slowly pulled away, her cheeks lightly flushed and her eyes slightly glazed.
“The only way Danna-sama could make this place any better,” Elizabeth said softly without the slightest hint of embarrassment, “is if he finally allowed me to bear his children.”
As she spoke, one of her hands drifted to her abdomen while a wistful expression crossed her face.
“Hehe, easy there~” I teased before leaning in to give her another quick peck on the lips. “Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?”
Elizabeth pouted adorably but didn't argue.
“And try not to let the others hear you saying things like that,” I continued with an amused smile. “Especially Velzard or Velgrynd. If they hear you, I'm going to have a very long day.”
Just imagining the two dragon sisters deciding they wanted the same thing was enough to make me suppress a shiver.
Thanks to the binding and perks we possessed, they already knew there would be no risk of losing their strength if they ever became mothers. Ever since learning that little detail from some of the other girls, they had started giving me increasingly dangerous looks.
“…Very well,” Elizabeth replied after a moment, still wearing a small pout. “I shall restrain myself... for now.”
A moment later, her expression brightened as she changed the subject.
“I heard we're leaving for a new world in a few days.”
“Don't pout,” I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead before smiling teasingly and whispering into her ear. “Besides, I never said no. Once we finish what we have to do in the new world and things here settle down a bit more, I wouldn't mind creating a new vampire race with you.”
Elizabeth froze.
A deep blush instantly spread across her face as her crimson eyes turned hazy, the little pervert no doubt imagining exactly what I had meant.
She only snapped out of her thoughts when I pulled away with an amused smile.
Looking up at me with an adorable pout that did little to hide her excitement, Elizabeth let out a quiet huff before returning to her favorite spot, hugging my arm tightly against her chest.
“I shall hold you to that then, Danna-sama,” she murmured, sounding both shy and eager at the same time.
“Of course.”
I smiled before returning to her earlier question.
“As for what you asked before, that's right. I'll be heading to the new world with only Kushina, Izumi, and Veldora for now.”
As I thought about our arrival in Tensura, my expression grew a little more serious.
“Once we're settled and have a proper place to stay, the rest of you can come over.”
Elizabeth remained silent for a few moments before looking up at me with a noticeably more serious expression.
“According to the others... this world is extremely dangerous, isn't it?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Extremely dangerous.”
My thoughts briefly drifted toward the creator of that universe... and his deranged other half.
“With the exception of myself, Veldora, Velgrynd, Velzard, and possibly Kaguya, no one else currently stands a chance against the strongest beings in that world.”
Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly.
“I see...”
She lowered her gaze for a moment before tightening her hold on my arm.
“Then please be careful, Danna-sama.”
“I will.”
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in my voice as I leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
Feeling my confidence, Elizabeth visibly relaxed.
We remained there together for a little while longer, quietly enjoying the view and each other's company, until an overly enthusiastic voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
“Boss! Food's ready!”
Turning toward the voice, I found Delta making a beeline towards me with a giant grin before she pounced and I was forced to let go of Elizabeth so I could catch her.
Apparently, she'd spent the entire time since arriving running around my Demiplane hunting every monster unfortunate enough to cross her path, along with the new species that had begun appearing thanks to Veldora's ever-present magicules.
Chuckling to myself, I set Delta down on the ground before the three of us began walking toward the others.
Looking around as we did, I couldn't help but smile.
Every member of Haru had fallen in love with this place.
Some had even cried tears of joy the first time they laid eyes upon it.
To them, this wasn't simply another headquarters.
It was home.
And I had a feeling their belief that this place was a paradise reserved for those I acknowledged would never truly disappear.
=====
Days Later
Stepping out of a portal alongside a beautiful redheaded woman and an equally beautiful black-haired one, I immediately brought up my HUD the moment my feet touched the ground inside a dimly lit cave.
Unlike the previous worlds I had visited, there was one rather important issue to deal with here.
Since I wasn't the original Rimuru, that meant there was currently another version of me somewhere in this world. In this cave as a matter of fact.
That simply wouldn't do.
Thankfully, the Company had already accounted for situations like this.
All I had to do was purchase the Native Merger perk for the low price of one hundred credits. Once activated, it would seamlessly merge me with my native counterpart, allowing me to inherit their body, memories, abilities, and existence while retaining my own identity.
More importantly, it was practically mandatory in this world.
The Voice of the World would never allow two identical existences to occupy the same place and time. Someone had apparently tried it before, and the Voice's immediate response had been to eliminate one of them in order to restore the world's balance.
I had timed our arrival to coincide almost perfectly with Rimuru's reincarnation. It had only been a few days since he had arrived in this world, and I could already sense both his presence and the Veldora imprisoned somewhere deeper within the cave.
Purchasing the perk, I closed my eyes for a brief moment as the process began.
A flood of memories poured into my mind.
Thirty-seven years' worth of experiences flashed by in an instant before settling into place, while somewhere else inside the cave, the original Rimuru simply ceased to exist.
Opening my eyes again, I let out a quiet breath.
“Did it work?” Kushina asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.
“Don't keep us in suspense,” Izumi added with a small frown, though she looked just as worried.
I smiled and nodded.
“It worked. I was just sorting through thirty-seven years' worth of memories.”
Shaking my head in amusement, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Just as I had expected...
Rimuru was absolutely obsessed with elves.
The sheer number of galge and eroge games he'd played featuring elves was honestly impressive.
“Come on,” I said with a grin. “It's time to meet my brother.”
With that, I began walking deeper into the cave while Kushina and Izumi naturally fell into step beside me.
“I can't believe I'm about to meet another version of myself!” Veldora exclaimed excitedly from the back of my mind, his voice practically vibrating with anticipation. “Imagine all the things we could do together, Akari!”
I smiled at his enthusiasm and was about to answer when another familiar voice interrupted me.
“Has Veldora already forgotten the promise he made to his older sisters to behave?” Ciel asked in her usual deadpan tone.
The effect was immediate.
“I-I'll behave!” Veldora replied so quickly that it almost sounded rehearsed.
Feeling Ciel's satisfied nod through our connection, I couldn't help but laugh.
Ever since I'd told him we would be visiting the Central World where another version of himself existed, Veldora had been excited beyond belief.
He could have chosen to do the same thing I had with the Native Merger perk and merge with the Veldora of this world, which would have likely made him considerably stronger.
The problem was...
The idiot hadn't even considered that option.
The moment I explained the perk to him, his immediate response had been that having two Veldoras around would be awesome because they could split up and read twice as many sacred texts—or, in other words, manga and light novels.
The deadpan looks he had received from everyone present had been legendary.
That was when Velzard and Velgrynd stepped in and thoroughly crushed his dreams.
According to the two sisters, having two Veldoras running around was nothing short of a catastrophe waiting to happen.
I silently agreed.
Their solution had been simple.
Merge.
Veldora, however, had shown an uncharacteristic burst of courage and passionately refused.
Feeling a little sorry for my brother, I stepped in to mediate before things escalated any further.
Eventually, we reached a compromise.
Veldora wouldn't have to merge with his counterpart.
In exchange, he wasn't allowed to interact with the Veldora of this world while we remained in Tensura. As far as this world was concerned, there could only ever be one Veldora active at any given time.
The Demiplane—and every other world, for that matter—was a different story.
Coincidentally, despite being the ones who insisted on that arrangement, neither Velzard nor Velgrynd had said a single word about what they planned to do regarding their own counterparts.
The privilege of being older siblings, I supposed.
As we made our way deeper into the cave, I devoured every patch of Hipokute Grass and every vein of Magic Ore we came across. Leaving valuable resources behind simply wasn't my style, especially when they could prove useful later.
A few monsters wandered into our path along the way, but none of them lasted more than a few moments before being dispatched.
Eventually, we reached the cavern where Veldora was imprisoned.
Coming to a stop, I turned toward Kushina and Izumi, who were both curiously observing the massive dragon in the distance.
“Girls, would you mind giving me a minute alone with him?” I asked with a smile. “He might not show it, but he's actually a little shy around strangers... especially pretty women.”
Both of them blinked.
“…Seriously?” Kushina asked, tilting her head adorably. “That loud dragon who's always acting like a fool is shy?”
“…I can actually believe that,” Izumi replied with a thoughtful nod.
“I am not shy, Akari!” the Veldora inside my mind immediately protested. “What ridiculous lies are you spreading about me!?”
I ignored him completely.
“Yep~”
After getting their approval, I continued toward the enormous dragon alone.
As I approached, I released just enough of my aura to match that of a Demon Lord Seed.
Veldora's massive eyes immediately locked onto me.
“Who goes there!?” the Storm Dragon's booming voice echoed throughout the cavern.
Stopping a comfortable distance away, I met his gaze without the slightest hint of fear.
“Yo. Name's Akari Tempest.” I smiled casually. “You're Veldora, right?”
“Bwahahaha!”
The dragon threw his head back in laughter.
“Indeed! I am Veldora, the Storm Dragon! What brings you to my resting place, stranger?”
Judging by his expression, he was probably amused that someone could stand before him so casually.
Rather than answering his question, however, a grin slowly spread across my face.
“Wanna be friends?”
For a brief moment...
The mighty Storm Dragon simply stared at me.
I almost lost my composure right then and there.
Seeing that utterly baffled expression on his face was already difficult enough, but hearing the Veldora inside my head loudly complain about how embarrassing I was made it nearly impossible not to burst out laughing.
'...Oh yeah.'
A grin stretched across my face.
'I was going to enjoy this world to the fullest.'