Hoo... hoo...
Only Albis and Sophia remained conscious on the entire battlefield, and even that was purely through willpower.
However, they were conscious in name only.
The condition of the two girls was no better than the others.
They had both collapsed to the ground, limbs powerless, forced to watch helplessly as Rin and the others walked toward them.
"Wow, you're still as amazing as ever."
Rimuru looked at Velzard with admiration. "She only released her pressure, and they ended up like this."
But recalling the previous battle between Velzard and Rin.
Compared to that time, she had indeed held back a lot this time.
"Well, just so-so."
"Though, my control over my power has improved a lot."
Velzard glanced at Rin. It was all thanks to him.
Her power had clearly evolved from True Dragon to Dragon God.
Yet her control had not declined. Instead, it had improved dramatically.
This was all because of Rin. It would not be an exaggeration to say she had been reborn.
"Alright, no need to scare them any longer."
Rin spoke, and Velzard immediately withdrew her Dragon's Might. "Don't worry. I exercised restraint."
"Not a single one died."
Velzard's words brought real relief to the two girls.
Just looking at their sweat-soaked bodies, as if they had been pulled out of water, made it clear what kind of unbearable pressure they had endured.
Fortunately, none of the beastmen who had come with them were killed.
In that sense, it could be considered a blessing amid misfortune.
Moreover, the two girls also felt somewhat grateful that, at least, the woman in front of them was not an uncontrollable natural disaster like Veldora.
They did not know whether Velzard or Veldora was stronger.
But as long as Velzard could be reasoned with, they had hope of survival.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Itoshi Rin, and I am the current master of this forest."
Rin stood before the two girls and, with a hand on each of them, dispelled the mental mark Velzard had placed.
The two girls observed Rin's position.
Velzard, Rimuru, and Treyni clearly revolved around him.
There was no doubt. Rin was the leader among the four.
"So, you trespassed into my territory without permission."
Rin's next words made the two girls feel a chill run down their spines. They could clearly sense the breath of death.
"Please, wait..."
Albis summoned her courage and interrupted Rin.
She was afraid that if Rin continued, he would demand an explanation and kill them on the spot.
To avoid that, she had no choice but to risk being rude and possibly angering him.
"Please forgive my rudeness. I am willing to apologize for intruding upon your territory."
"However, I ask for your mercy," Albis said. "Until now, we did not know that the Great Jura Forest had changed ownership."
"We are willing to accept punishment. We only ask that you spare our lives."
"Oh?"
Rin did not mind Albis's interruption. He spoke with amusement, "Changed ownership, huh. That's a nice way to put it."
"Well, I will let it go this time."
Albis had already lowered her stance.
In other words, she was willing to be taken captive and pay whatever price Rin demanded.
Rin silently thought, Carrion's ability to govern his country well probably depended entirely on this one's efforts.
He was quite satisfied with Albis's attitude.
He had never intended to punish the Beastmen anyway.
The Beastmen's goal was completely different from that of the Kingdom of Falmuth. The latter had already mobilized its army with clear intent to wage war against the Monster Nation, so naturally Rin would not let them go.
But the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania had only sent people to explore the Great Jura Forest.
Rin could even guess what the three would do upon discovering the source of the forest's anomaly.
Their primary objective would be to build an alliance and maintain friendly relations, avoiding conflict if at all possible.
Only if Veldora truly revived and negotiations failed would they resort to drastic measures.
The Beastmen were not demons who sought war.
Rather, they were closer to an agricultural society, content with farming and not interested in invading others.
Because of this, the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania produced large quantities of agricultural goods but had trouble finding a market for them, keeping the nation's average living standard relatively low.
Hmm?
While Rin was still contemplating how to handle the Beastmen, something caught his attention.
Treyni reacted in the same way at the same moment.
The two of them looked in the same direction, which made Rimuru curious.
"What's wrong?"
Rimuru asked, "Did something happen?"
Rin's reaction not only drew the attention of Rimuru and Velzard, it also made Albis and Sophia's hearts jump.
They were afraid Rin would suddenly say something like, "Kill them all."
"Rimuru."
Rin said seriously, "Something is happening on the human side. You and Treyni, go take care of it."
"Okay."
Rimuru did not hesitate. She immediately entered the forest's root network with Treyni and headed toward the human zone.
Those guys were far more reckless than the Beastmen.
They had not even encountered anything yet, and their attitude was already worse than the Beastmen's.
"This smell."
Soon after Rimuru and Treyni departed, the scent of smoke was carried in by the wind.
"No way."
Sophia's eyes widened. "Someone set fire to the Great Jura Forest? Are you serious?"
As Beastmen, both Sophia and Albis were extremely wary of wildfires.
Especially in a place like the Great Jura Forest, where the trees were dense and endless.
Once a fire broke out, it could quickly spread and become a large-scale wildfire.
Even if it were eventually extinguished, the damage to the forest's ecosystem and the lives lost during that time would be immeasurable.
There was obvious disgust in Rin's eyes.
Razen and the others had actually set fire to the forest that was trapping them.
Rin was not sure whether their actions were right or wrong.
To survive, perhaps there were no limits to what one might do.
However, they were burning Rin's forest, his territory, his assets.
"Very good. You have found a path to your own death."
"Show them no mercy."
Rin gave instructions to Treyni and Rimuru.
(To be continued.)