Shram, the ‘Sea King’.
His true identity is said to be a higher species of slime that has been around for many years.
“The name of the race is ‘Chaos Aea Ooze’. They are the highest-ranking species of slime, and no other individuals of the same species have been confirmed in our world except for Shram. It’s a truly unique monster.
“Chaos Aea Ooze…..”
The name sounds like Cthulhu.
Next to me, Ichinose was muttering “Iaia” while holding her hands together.
No way, this girl, she looks very suspicious.
“….I understand that the Sea King is a slime, but what do you mean we’ve already fought? If the original species of slime is the Sea King, does that mean that the slimes in the area – and even Aka – are part of the Sea King?”
If that’s what you mean, you can certainly say that we fought, but isn’t that….. completely different?
Then Rebel scratched her head and said.
“Ah, my phrasing was a bit confusing. It is true that all slimes are born from the sea king, but to be precise, the ones that split off from the sea king have been evolving, reproducing, and repeating the process, so they are more like extremely distant relatives.”
“Oh, so that’s what you mean….”
Well, in that case, we can certainly say that all slimes are born from the Sea King.
“But apart from those slimes, there are other kinds of slimes that are definitely part of the Sea King. The slime jellyfish that you guys said you fought in the ocean before–that’s one of them.”
“….that?”
That slime jellyfish that we fought on the seaside resurfaced in my mind.
“You’re saying that thing is part of the …… Sea King?”
“Yes, it’s sort of the tail of the Sea King. They are sensors that the Sea King releases in large numbers to gather information. In fact, their abilities are quite different from those of ordinary slimes, aren’t they?”
“…… Indeed, the strength of that slime jellyfish was incomparable to a normal slime.”
I thought it was a slime that evolved in the ocean, but that thing was a fragment of the Sea King….
When I think about it, there was a tremendous presence coming from the ocean back then.
I’m sure that was the presence of the Sea King.
“You guys have been catching a lot of slime in the ocean to help Aka recover, right? That would make the Sea King suspicious, wouldn’t it? You’re lucky. If you hadn’t been so lucky, you might have ended up in a battle with the Sea King and the whole area would have sunk into the sea.”
“Was it really that dangerous?”
I was just going to go fishing, but…….
We are really walking a tightrope even after all this time.
If you make one wrong choice, you are instantly doomed, just like in receiving a bad end in a game or something.
“Well, I guess it was more thanks to Aka-chan than luck, though.”
“Aka’s…..?”
“Yeah. It probably communicated with the Sea King when it defeated and absorbed the slime jellyfish. Isn’t that right?”
“……? (Swoosh swoosh)”
Rebel stared at Aka, who was shuffling around at my feet.
Aka then stretched its body with a grunt and shuddered.
“I’m not sure.” is what it seems to be saying.
(But come to think of it, it sure looked like Aka was talking with someone when it killed the slime jellyfish. ……)
Now that I think about it, it was definitely an unusual behavior.
Was it communication with the Sea King?
“Well, I guess we will find out eventually. Then, let’s get going.”
“Um, where are we going……?”
“To the ocean, of course.”
She said that we would have to meet the Sea King in person to find out for sure.
Then the place changed to the ocean.
The beach where we had captured the slimes countless times.
“Nice view.”
She ran her fingers through her hair as they fluttered along with the sea breeze and gazed leisurely out to sea. But Ichinose and I were not in the mood.
“What, what is this feeling….? So, something is watching me……? Ugh ……”
“Uuuh …… gurururururu……”
Even Ichinose, who had no detection skills, sensed the change.
She was clutching her mouth, desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit.
Momo was also twitching her tail and staring over the horizon in a state of alarm.
I couldn’t stop the chill from spreading through my body either.
I felt a sense of urgency that stung my skin.
I’ve never felt anything like this before.
“Rebel, is this……?”
“Yes, the moment we came here using Momo-chan’s ‘Shadow Crossing’, they must have already noticed us. We— no, the ‘Death King’, came here. That is why they are making their presence known like this.”
“……”
So this is the sign of the Sea King.
Now that I’ve advanced and become stronger, I can see it.
The owner of this presence – the Sea King – is undoubtedly a monster.
It’s not a high orc, a dark wolf, a titan, or Peony.
It is as elusive as a fog, yet it is thicker and heavier than cement. It is full of contradictions.
……Is this really the same slime as Aka?
“No no, this is outrageous. It’s definitely stronger than when it was over there.”
Aiba mutters while frowning.
As if sensing it’s presence, Sora also came out of the shadows and stared at the ocean.
“……so this is the Sea King huh….”
“Sora also knows him?”
“I’ve never met him. But my husband had said, ‘he’s not someone I want to fight again’.”
“Oh…”
“Well, he’s the oldest of the Six Kings. I’d rather not have to fight that thing myself either, to be honest.”
Apparently, the Sea King is such an opponent that not only Sora’s husband, but even Rebel does not want to fight him.
….How are we going to have someone like him join us?
I released my mimicry and looked at Aka, who is nestled at my feet.
“…… (furufuru-) ?”
Aka stared at me with a “What?” Look at its face. It’s so cute and purr-fect.
…… Is Aka is really the key.
While I was thinking about this, the presence became even thicker.
“–It’s coming.”
The moment Rebel said that, something happened.
「「「「「～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!!!!」」」」」
A large number of slime jellyfish appeared out of the water, creating white waves on the shore.
They were much larger than the ones we had encountered that day.
Also, their body color was not clear and colorless, but peachy red.
–Sometimes, there are a few slimes that turn into the same ‘color’ as Shram.
That’s what Rebel had said.
The closer you are to the Sea King, the brighter the red color becomes.
If that’s the case, then those numerous slime jellyfish are probably as powerful as the Sea King.
The strength I felt was completely different from the slime jellyfish I had fought before. I realize now that we were only fighting the tail of the Sea King.
For sure, the ones that have just appeared can be considered to be the alter egos of the Sea King.
(There are so many of them ……)
I’m not sure how many hundreds of them there are, but it’s ridiculous to even try counting them.
Ichinose and I were in a state of shock at the sight before us, but it was not over yet.
They were lining up in formation and started marching like an army.
Their movements were perfectly coordinated, not a movement out of place.
The countless slime jellyfish eventually split from the center to the left and right, leaving a gap of about ten meters.
It was like creating a path in the ocean.
Yes, this must be the path for their king to take.
“……”
I gulped loudly.
Eventually, something appeared from beyond the horizon.
It was a slime jellyfish that was slowly making its way through the water.
The body was a size larger than the surrounding slime jellyfish, and its color was a deep red.
Is that the Sea King ……?
“No, that’s wrong……”
If you look closely, you will see that the tentacles of the red slime jellyfish are holding something.
It was so small compared to the surrounding army of slimes.
It was probably about the same size as Aka when we first met it.
Its red color reminded me of rubies, it was even clearer than Aka.
However, the presence that I could feel from its small body was much thicker and heavier than the surrounding slime jellyfish.
“That is the original slime species and the oldest of the six kings, the Sea King Shram.”
“That thing is …….”
In the end, Shram the Sea King, embraced by a red slime jellyfish, arrived at the beach where we were.
I can’t help but think so when I see it up close.
–This guy looks just like Aka.
Or, to be more precise, it is the opposite.
It’s not that the Sea King looks like Aka.
It’s that Aka looks like the Sea King.
“Long time no see, Sea King Shram. How have you been?”
I was stunned, but Rebel greeted him casually as if she was talking to an old friend.
“……”
The Sea King Shram didn’t answer.
I’m not sure if slimes can talk in the first place.
But he is trembling and shaking in some way.
“……do you know each other?”
“Yes, I knew the Sea King and the Dragon King in the other world. We had helped each other many times in that world, and we’re rather close among the Six Kings, you know.”
“Hoo…….”
That’s why you’ve been acting like this since a while ago.
Rebel approached the Sea King with a casual gait.
“……”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I forced you to wake up when you were resting. Actually, there’s something I need your help with again.”
Then, a part of the Sea King’s body changed into a whip and struck Rebel.
Pank! A crisp sound echoed in the surroundings.
Rebel was blown away several tens of meters. She spun around in a circle and finally came to rest with her head plunged into the sand.
[T/N: Aaaaaaaaaand there goes the OP image I had of her XD]
“…..huh?”
Huh, wait, Rebel?
Didn’t you say you guys were good friends?
Rebel, whose head was stuck in the sand like a fishing pole, did not even twitch.
A moment later, I thought that we would be chased away, but that did not happen.
Sea King looked at Rebel stuck in the sand and trembled with satisfaction.
”…… (Furufuru)”
Then Aka, who was near my feet, tugged on the hem of my trousers and said something to me.
Hmm, what what…
“Ku, Kudou, what did Aka-chan say?”
“….ah, that… ‘I’m aware of the …… situation. I can help you, but you have to kill the bitch.’ is what he said.”
“……huh?”
I’m not sure, but the Sea King seemed to be extremely furious.
*****