Chapter 34: The Spirit Liquidation
"Rimuru, get the children inside," I pulse, my obsidian surface flickering with a dull, strained light. "The Queen of Spirits is waiting, and I'm starting to feel the 'noise' of my internal systems. We need to close this deal quickly."
We move through the archway, leaving the toppled Golem behind like a discarded piece of hardware. The air inside the Dwelling of Spirits is different—it's not just dense with magicules; it's alive. Thousands of tiny, flickering lights dance in the mist, representing minor spirits with zero market value but immense atmospheric presence.
"Who goes there?!" a high-pitched, squeaky voice demands. "Who dared to break my favorite toy?!"
Out of the light emerges a tiny figure with gossamer wings and a crown that looks like it was made from stolen costume jewelry. She strikes a pose that is meant to be intimidating but mostly just makes me wonder if she's small enough to fit into a standard storage jar.
Analysis. Identification: Ramiris of the Labyrinth. Status: Demon Lord. Classification: Pixie. Warning: Despite her stature, her magicule capacity is deceptive. She governs the laws of the Spirit Labyrinth.
A Demon Lord? This? My internal Deadpool is currently rolling on the floor. First a pigtail-wearing supernova, now a winged battery-powered ornament. The 'Demon Lord' brand is really losing its exclusivity.
"I am the great Ramiris!" she screeches, hovering inches from my obsidian membrane. "One of the ten great Demon Lords! And you... you're just a shiny ball! Did you break my Golem?!"
"It's not broken, it's just experiencing a temporary gravity-based audit," I pulse, my voice a cold, resonant frequency that makes her wings flutter in surprise. "I am Shinji Satou. We are here to negotiate a debt settlement for these five children. They require high-level spirits to stabilize their internal magicule leakage. And since you're the 'CEO' of this labyrinth, I expect a favorable rate."
Ramiris blinks, her indignant expression shifting to curiosity as she looks at the five children huddled behind Rimuru. She can see it—the same thing I see. Five ticking time bombs.
"Oh," she says, her voice suddenly losing its screechy edge. "They're really over-leveled, aren't they? If they don't get spirits soon, they're gonna go boom."
"Precisely," Rimuru steps forward. "Please, Ramiris. We've come all this way. Shizu-san would have wanted them to be safe."
"Well... since you asked so nicely! And since that shiny ball over there is kind of scary!" Ramiris lead us to the inner sanctum—the Star Staircase. "If they can call out to the spirits, and the spirits answer, the contract is sealed. But I can't force them to like you!"
One by one, the children step forward. Kenya calls a Light Spirit. Ryota and Gale find their matches. Alice summons a Greater Spirit. With each successful integration, the chaotic magicule pressure in the room drops, as if a series of high-interest loans are finally being consolidated.
Then, Chloe steps forward.
The air doesn't just change; it freezes. A silhouette manifests—a silver-haired figure that radiates a temporal distortion so thick it makes my [Partial Magic Interference] law vibrate with a warning.
Warning. Soul Capacity: 49.5%. The entity manifesting for Chloe Aubert is a High-Tier Spiritual Remnant. Its presence is causing a ripple in the local temporal laws. Suggestion: Do not attempt to Copy. Interaction may trigger immediate system failure.
Azathoth, I don't need a warning. The 'noise' in my core is deafening. I can feel the overlapping laws of the Orcs, the Kijin, and the Beast-Kingdom grinding against each other. I'm redlining.
The silver figure kisses Chloe's forehead and vanishes into her soul. The girl collapses, her magicule output suddenly flatlining into a perfect, stable rhythm. The audit is complete. The children are saved.
"They did it!" Rimuru cheers, his blue body bouncing with relief.
I float back, my membrane dark and heavy. The external pressure is gone, but the internal saturation has reached its limit. The "S-Class" liability has been settled, but my own balance sheet is in the red.
Notice. All external triggers for evolution have been satisfied. Condition 1: Soul Capacity Saturation (49.5%). Condition 2: Presence of high-density spiritual/magic energy. Condition 3: Successful completion of a world-shaping contract.
Evolution Process: Initiating.
"Rimuru," I pulse, my voice sounding distant and mechanical, even to myself. "The project is finished. I'm... taking a scheduled maintenance leave. Don't... let anyone touch the inventory..."
My obsidian membrane suddenly turns translucent, then pitch black. I fall toward the stone floor, my consciousness retracting into the absolute center of my soul where [AZATHOTH] is already beginning to dismantle my fragmented skills for the reconstruction.
Sleep Mode: Activated. Reconstruction Phase: 0%... 1%...
Current Magicule Reserves: 12.1% (Draining for evolution). Location: Spirit Labyrinth Floor. Status: EVOLUTION STANDBY. Soul Capacity: RESTRUCTURING.
Chapter End.