Even if, as Emiya Shirou had already guessed, they had annihilated all of the enemy Knights here, the other side would probably not abandon their plan. At best, it would only force them to change their approach. At worst, it would drag out the situation and create unnecessary consequences, turning something manageable into something far more troublesome.
So Emiya Shirou let them go.
In any case, their brief incursion had not truly harmed anyone. Emiya Shirou had evacuated the surrounding residents long before the clash began. The only ones injured were the heavily armored soldiers who had directly confronted the enemy cavalry. And with complete recovery potions on hand, as long as they had not died instantly, they would not perish afterward.
As a result, there were no casualties on their side at all.
From any practical standpoint, it was a clean outcome.
A win-win situation.
"They're just soldiers, after all," Emiya Shirou said calmly. "Aside from that disgusting person, there's no reason to deliberately take their lives."
"And this," he added after a short pause, "is probably our last act of mercy."
"If they retreat now, they might still live. But if they continue attacking this place, there's only death waiting for them. No other choice."
After passing through numerous worlds, Emiya Shirou's original benevolence had long since been worn down. He was no longer someone who extended kindness to those who harbored clear malice toward him. He understood where to draw the line now.
For him, only his close friends and family truly mattered.
Everything else was secondary.
After a brief silence, Emiya Shirou turned to the people around him.
"For now, don't worry about the other side," he said. "Let's first stabilize our own situation."
"I don't plan to destroy this barrier yet. Feigning weakness is an important part of strategy."
"So starting now, patrol the city. Check whether any citizens are feeling unwell, and provide aid immediately if you find any problems."
Within this barrier, the concentration of magicules was being continuously purified. Monsters were extremely dependent on magicules. In a sense, they could even be said to be entirely composed of them. This was evident in how high-level monsters could grant magicules to lower-level ones, dramatically increasing their strength.
Inside this barrier, monsters that were too weak might not even be able to maintain their physical form.
That was precisely why Emiya Shirou had dispersed most of the army earlier, sending them throughout the city to rescue and support ordinary residents.
"Yes!"
Hearing Emiya Shirou's command, Benimaru and the others did not hesitate. They quickly scattered, each heading toward a different area of the city.
Emiya Shirou did not have to wait long.
Rimuru soon returned.
"It looks like you were attacked too," Emiya Shirou said. "Demon Lord Clayman really does have deep connections with the human world. Otherwise, the timing wouldn't have been this precise."
"Indeed," Rimuru replied. "And this time, it's really thanks to you, Shirou. I almost lost my life."
"That serious?"
Emiya Shirou paused.
He had assumed that Rimuru would overcome whatever danger he faced, just as he always did. Because of that assumption, he hadn't paid much attention this time.
Shion and Shuna, standing nearby, immediately turned to Rimuru with worried expressions.
"Yes. It was truly dangerous," Rimuru said. He patted his chest, his movements exaggerated just enough to show lingering fear. "The enemy set up a 'Holy Purifying Barrier' directly on my unavoidable path. It greatly weakened me."
As if worried that everyone present might not fully grasp how dangerous that was, Rimuru raised a hand and pointed toward the barrier above the city.
"It's an enhanced version of that thing," he said. "Inside that one, C-rank monsters would probably be annihilated instantly."
"Ah... that's terrifying," Shuna said softly, her eyes widening.
Although Emiya Shirou had previously explained that such a barrier could cause monsters to collapse due to their inability to maintain their physical form, no one within the City of Emiya had actually died because of it.
But a barrier that could directly annihilate C-rank monsters and below was on an entirely different level.
"And that was only the beginning," Rimuru continued. He waved his hand helplessly. "The other party seemed able to track my movements. They almost took away Ifrit, the Flame Spirit I summoned."
"On top of that, the weapon she was using directly affected the mind. If I'd taken one more hit back then, I probably would have died."
"Later, she even used extremely powerful magic. If it weren't for the items you gave me earlier, Shirou... I really might have been completely annihilated."
"How many cards did you use?" Emiya Shirou asked.
"All of them."
Rimuru scratched his head, looking embarrassed rather than distressed.
"Your cards are really useful, Shirou. Can you give me a few more?"
"We'll talk about that later," Emiya Shirou said, waving his hand. "Is that person dead?"
"No," Rimuru replied. "Her strength is very high. I escaped during a brief opening in her attacks."
"I see."
Emiya Shirou fell silent, sorting through the information in his mind. His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were moving quickly.
While he was thinking, Shuna began explaining the current situation around the city to Rimuru in detail.
"Is that so," Rimuru said once she finished. "So the war is about to begin."
His gaze sharpened.
A faint but unmistakable killing intent began to leak from his body, wrapping around him like cold mist. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Pulled out of his thoughts by that pressure, Emiya Shirou's expression turned serious.
"How about it," he asked. "Are you mentally prepared?"
"...Yeah," Rimuru said after a brief pause. "I'm ready."
His answer was clear.
Not long after, Rimuru gathered all the executives together to discuss what was coming next.
During this meeting, Rimuru spoke without hesitation. He expressed his true feelings plainly.
He wanted to become a true Demon Lord.
And to do that, he would personally kill every invading enemy.
"Lord Rimuru plans to face all twenty thousand troops alone?"
Souei, who stood to the side, could not hide his surprise. Based on his intelligence, the Kingdom of Falmouth had already dispatched a force of twenty thousand soldiers of various types. They were advancing rapidly.
At the same time, four sets of magic devices surrounding the City of Emiya were continuously operating, maintaining the magicule purification barrier.
Each of those four camps also had company-level forces stationed there.
"That's right," Rimuru said. "These are the conditions required for my awakening."
After shouldering responsibility for the main battlefield himself, Rimuru began assigning tasks one by one.
"When the time comes," he said, "Benimaru, Gobta, Souei, and Geld-you'll each lead a team."
"Go to the surrounding camps and eliminate the enemies stationed there."
"Yes, Lord Rimuru!"
The responses were immediate and unified.
"Then I'll go with you to the main battlefield," Emiya Shirou said.
Rimuru turned to him and smiled.
"But you mustn't interfere."
"Don't worry," Emiya Shirou replied, returning the smile. "I'll quietly admire your actions from a distance."
"I absolutely won't disturb your battle."
The words were light.
The meaning behind them was not.
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