As the hours passed, the sun gradually disappeared beyond the horizon.
Darkness spread throughout the forest.
The goblin village grew quiet.
Everyone knew what was coming.
Then—
A long howl echoed through the night.
"Awooooooooo!"
The sound reverberated throughout the forest.
The goblins immediately stiffened.
Another howl followed.
Then another.
And another.
Soon dozens of crimson eyes appeared among the darkness between the trees.
The Direwolves had arrived.
Heavy footsteps shook the earth.
The predators moved like shadows through the forest, their killing intent directed entirely toward the village.
The goblins gripped their weapons nervously.
Rimuru swallowed.
Lucifer slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the approaching pack.
The Direwolves did not immediately charge into the village.
Instead, the entire pack stopped several dozen meters away, their crimson eyes glowing ominously within the darkness of the forest.
The atmosphere grew tense.
The goblins gripped their crude weapons with trembling hands.
Even the newly repaired fence seemed fragile under the predatory gazes of the wolves.
Then the pack parted.
A massive Direwolf slowly stepped forward.
Its body was far larger than the others, standing proudly at the front of the pack like a king among beasts.
Its golden eyes fixed themselves upon Rimuru.
The Direwolf Leader.
A low growl escaped its throat.
Rimuru nervously swallowed.
"U-Uh... maybe we can talk this out?"
The slime tried speaking.
The wolf stared.
Rimuru stared back.
"..."
"..."
Several awkward seconds passed.
Then the wolf growled again.
Rimuru sighed.
"Yeah... communication isn’t working."
Lucifer, who was standing nearby with his arms crossed, looked thoroughly amused.
"I believe it intends to eat you."
"That’s not helping!"
The Direwolf Leader suddenly lunged forward.
The earth exploded beneath its paws as it accelerated toward Rimuru.
The other wolves followed.
The battle had begun.
"Water Blade!"
A razor-sharp crescent of water shot through the air.
The Direwolf dodged at the last second and continued charging.
Its fangs glistened under the moonlight.
Rimuru immediately reacted.
"Steel Thread!"
Thin metallic threads shot forward from his body, spreading through the battlefield like invisible wires.
The Direwolf attempted to evade.
Too late.
The threads wrapped around its body.
With a sharp pull, Rimuru tightened them.
Blood splattered.
The wolf roared furiously and struggled against the restraint.
Rimuru didn’t hesitate.
Another Water Blade sliced through the air.
This time it struck true.
The blade cut cleanly through the Direwolf Leader’s neck.
The enormous wolf collapsed onto the ground.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
The remaining Direwolves immediately froze.
Rimuru wasted no time.
"Predator."
His body expanded and engulfed the corpse.
Within moments, the DireWolf Leader vanished entirely.
<Unique Skill Predator activated.><Analysis Complete.><Acquired Extra Skill: Wolf Mimicry.>A rush of information entered Rimuru’s mind.
He instinctively understood how to reproduce the DireWolf’s appearance and abilities.
The remaining wolves stared at him.
Then, one by one, they lowered their heads.
Submission.
The strongest among them had fallen.
A new leader had emerged.
Behind Rimuru, the goblins erupted into cheers.
"Lord Rimuru won!"
"Our savior defeated the Direwolf King!"
"Long live Lord Rimuru!"
The entire village celebrated.
Rimuru awkwardly scratched his slime body.
"I-I just got lucky..."
Lucifer chuckled.
"No. You won because you were stronger."
The wolves slowly approached and lowered themselves before Rimuru.
The slime looked surprised.
"They’re surrendering?"
The village chief quickly nodded.
"Yes, Lord Rimuru."
"Their leader has fallen."
"You are now recognized as the strongest."
Rimuru looked at the wolves.
Then at the goblins.
Then back at the wolves.
After several moments of hesitation, he sighed.
"I guess I can’t just leave them here."
The Direwolves immediately wagged their tails.
Lucifer shook his head in amusement.
The future founder of Tempest truly was soft-hearted.
"Alright!"
Rimuru raised himself proudly.
"I accept your surrender!"
The wolves howled happily.
The goblins cheered even louder.
Thus, the Direwolves became part of the village.
As everyone returned, Rimuru stood before the gathered goblins and wolves.
A determined expression appeared on his slime face.
"If we’re all going to live together from now on..."
He paused dramatically.
"Then I’m going to give everyone names!"
The entire village froze.
Lucifer immediately looked toward him.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Things were about to become very interesting.
And very exhausting for Rimuru.
Especially once he discovered exactly how much magicule naming hundreds of monsters would consume.
The moment Rimuru announced his intention to name everyone, the entire village erupted into cheers.
The goblins shouted excitedly while the Direwolves howled toward the night sky.
To monsters, receiving a name was nothing short of a miracle.
It represented power, evolution, and a future they could never achieve on their own.
Watching their joyous reactions, Lucifer couldn’t help but smile.
He stepped forward and decided to formally introduce himself.
"My name is Lucifer."
As he spoke, he allowed a portion of his aura to leak out.
Not enough to overwhelm anyone.
Not enough to reveal his true strength.
Just enough to match the pressure Rimuru was unconsciously releasing.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The goblins and wolves stiffened.
Until now, most of them had focused entirely on Rimuru, whose aura was flaring openly like a beacon.
Lucifer, meanwhile, had perfectly restrained his own presence.
Now that he revealed a fraction of it, everyone immediately understood.
This crimson-haired daemon standing beside Rimuru was every bit as terrifying as their new leader.
Perhaps even more.
The goblin chief immediately lowered his head further.
The wolves instinctively lowered their bodies.
Lucifer simply smiled and retracted his aura.
"There is no need to be nervous."
His calm voice eased some of their tension.
Then he turned toward Rimuru.
"Rimuru, I’d like to ask for one wolf to accompany me."
The slime blinked.
"Huh? That’s all?"
Lucifer nodded.
"I quite like wolves."
"Sure."
Rimuru agreed immediately.
"It’s not like I have any reason to refuse."
He didn’t even think twice about it.
To Rimuru, Lucifer was his friend.
And asking for a single wolf was hardly a big deal.
Lucifer thanked him before turning his attention toward the gathered Direwolves.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly.
Unique Skill: Akashic Records
The world answered his request.
Information flowed directly into his mind.
Direwolf
Race: Direwolf
Threat Level: D
Magicule Capacity: Moderate
Potential: Medium
Evolution Paths:
- Tempest Wolf
- Tempest Fang Wolf
- Tempest Star Wolf
One after another, profiles appeared before him.
Most possessed ordinary potential.
However, a few stood out.
Naturally, the greatest among them was the son of the deceased pack leader—the wolf who would eventually become Ranga.
Even Akashic Records evaluated his future potential as exceptional.
Lucifer considered choosing him for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
Ranga belonged beside Rimuru.
Their bond was important.
Instead, his gaze landed upon another wolf.
A silver and blue-furred female.
Her body was sleek and elegant, while her magical potential ranked very good among the entire pack.
Most importantly, she possessed an very pure bloodline.
Lucifer approached her.
The she-wolf lowered herself respectfully.
He gently stroked her neck.
The wolf immediately relaxed.
Her tail began wagging uncontrollably.
Another stroke.
Then another.
Within moments she was practically melting beneath his hand, enjoying the affection.
Lucifer chuckled softly.
"You’re quite affectionate."
The wolf responded by pressing her head against his hand.
Using Akashic Records once more, Lucifer examined her future possibilities.
After analyzing countless evolutionary pathways, he found the most suitable one.
A path capable of maximizing her bloodline without disrupting the evolution of the rest of the pack.
He extended a finger toward her forehead.
"I name you..."
A small amount of magicules flowed from his body.
"Fenrys."
The moment the name was spoken, brilliant light erupted from the wolf’s body.
Magicules surged violently.
Her bloodline began evolving.
At the same time, Lucifer carefully severed her connection to the Direwolf pack.
Had he not done so, she would have automatically become the new pack leader, causing the remaining wolves to evolve along her path as well.
That was not what he wanted.
He wanted Fenrys to walk her own road.
The she-wolf collapsed into a deep sleep as her evolution began.
Lucifer felt a noticeable drain on his magicules.
However, it was nowhere near enough to weaken him significantly.
The lost energy would naturally recover over time.
Besides...
His lips curved slightly.
Sooner or later, he would undergo another tremendous increase in strength.
A True Demon Lord Evolution.
And with it...
A Devil Lord Evolution.
Compared to those future gains, this expenditure was insignificant.
Picking up the sleeping Fenrys, Lucifer carried her back toward the village.
His gaze soon landed on the two female goblins he had selected earlier.
According to Akashic Records, they possessed the highest potential among all the female goblins present.
Both nervously stood before him.
Lucifer smiled.
"Relax."
The girls immediately straightened.
The first goblin had soft ash coloured hair and intelligent eyes.
The second possessed a stronger physique and noticeably greater combat talent.
Lucifer extended his hand.
"I name you Haruna."
Golden light enveloped the first goblin.
Her body immediately began evolving.
Then he turned toward the second.
"And you shall be Gobwa."
Another burst of brilliant light erupted.
Both goblins collapsed into a deep sleep as their evolution commenced.
Lucifer once again felt a portion of his magicules leave his body.
Not enough to concern him.
Only enough to remind him that naming monsters truly was an expensive habit.
Holding the sleeping Fenrys while looking at the two evolving goblins, Lucifer smiled in satisfaction.
The first steps had been taken.
And the future was already beginning to diverge from the original timeline.
*****
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