Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

Rimuru leaned back, lounging comfortably in his slime form as he chatted with his unlikely companion. "Well, what can I say? Life as a slime has been pretty sweet. Or should I call it a slife?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"Turtle," Syrup responded, floating lazily beside him.

Rimuru hummed. "Not sure if that's true. But yeah, I’ve accepted what happened, and honestly? I'm pretty happy where I am now."

BOOM!

A distant explosion rumbled across the landscape. Neither of them flinched.

"Turtle," Syrup repeated.

Rimuru sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right. What I have now is leagues better than before, isn’t it?"

BOOM!

Syrup bobbed up and down. "Turtle."

"A special someone?" Rimuru’s voice softened. "Yeah... There was someone who held that position. But she's gone now."

"Turtle."

"Thanks, man. What about you? Do you have someone in your corner?"

Syrup wiggled slightly. "Turtle."

Rimuru smiled. "Makes sense. I think she’s pretty nice too."

BOOM!

His eye twitched. "...Yeah. She’s, uh... pretty nice."

BOOM!

Syrup turned slightly. "Turtle."

Rimuru quickly shook his head. "No, it’s not you. It’s nothing, really."

BOOM!

"Nothing at all..."

BOOM!

"This is a perfectly normal day."

BOOM!

A hesitant voice spoke up from behind him. "Uhm… Lord Rimuru?"

He sighed, glancing over at Shion, who stood nearby, fidgeting as she observed the chaotic battlefield in the distance.

"Yes, Shion?"

BOOM!

She winced as another explosion lit up the sky. "Should we stop them?"

BOOM!

Rimuru let out a long, tired sigh. "I’m open to suggestions, you know."

"Huh… I, uh…" Shion trailed off, watching as yet another massive blast sent a shockwave rippling through the forest.

"That’s what I thought."

"Turtle."

Rimuru blinked, turning back to Syrup. "Oh? You have an idea?"

Syrup wiggled confidently. "Turtle."

Rimuru shrugged. "Sure, go ahead."

And with that, the small, unassuming turtle drifted toward the chaos.

---

Kaede's body slammed into the ground once again, carving a deeper trench in the earth. She let out a frustrated sigh, her form partially buried in the dirt. "We've been doing this for over an hour now."

With a flicker of energy, she teleported out of the crater just as a pink blast crashed into the spot she had left behind. The sheer force of the impact superheated the ground, turning the exposed earth into a bubbling pool of molten lava.

Kaede reappeared a short distance away, arms crossed in irritation. Before she could fully steady herself, Millim was already upon her.

With a wild grin, the Demon Lord drove a powerful punch directly into Kaede’s guard. The force of the impact sent a deafening shockwave across the battlefield, a fiery explosion erupting between them.

Kaede slid back through the smoke, her feet digging trenches into the ground as she absorbed the blow.

Millim, still grinning ear to ear, cracked her knuckles. "I’m just getting started, you know! It’s only a matter of time before I break through that hard shell of yours!"

Kaede sighed. "This is getting boring. I can't hurt her (Not without actually hurting her, and she can't hurt me either, short of fatally wounding me.) I wanna play with syrup. Maybe I can scare her away. But I don't destroy more of Jura than we already have."

[Heavy Body] [Impact Resistance] [Multilayer Barrier] [Crystallization]

Millim shot forward again, her fist crackling with energy as she launched another punch at Kaede’s face.

Kaede didn’t move.

Boom!

Another explosion erupted on impact, a cloud of smoke billowing out from the sheer force. When it cleared, Kaede remained standing, completely unfazed, her arms still crossed.

Millim blinked. "...Huh?"

Kaede sighed, tilting her head slightly. "Are you done?"

Millim’s confusion turned into a fierce grin. "No way!"

She twisted in the air, her foot swinging around in a high-speed roundhouse kick aimed at Kaede’s side.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath them from the sheer force, but Kaede barely budged.

"Alright, now you're just repeating moves," Kaede muttered, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder.

Millim pouted but didn’t back down. She leaped into the air, hands glowing with raw power. "Then how about this? Dragon Buster!"

A massive sphere of energy formed between her palms, condensing with blinding intensity before she hurled it down at Kaede. The moment it touched the ground...

BOOOOOM!

The battlefield shook violently as a colossal explosion engulfed everything in a fiery blaze. The sheer force sent shockwaves across the forest, uprooting trees and turning the surrounding area into scorched earth.

Rimuru, still watching from a distance, sighed. "There goes another chunk of the landscape…"

Shion frowned. "Lord Rimuru, maybe we should..."

Fwoosh!

A gust of wind tore through the clearing as the flames dispersed, revealing Kaede standing exactly where she had been, completely unharmed.

She blinked, then slowly turned her head toward Milim, who was still hovering in the air. "...That was a pretty explosion. A+ For Aesthetics."

Milim twitched.

'C'mon take the hint already.' Kaede tilted her head. "That was supposed to hurt, right?"

Milim gritted her teeth. "Of course it was supposed to hurt!"

Kaede yawned. "Well, it didn’t."

The Demon Lord stared for a long moment before dropping to the ground with a huff. "This isn’t fair!"

Kaede stretched, her joints letting out soft pops. "I mean… I told you."

Milim crossed her arms, pouting. "I have to be able to do something to you! Otherwise, what’s the point?!"

Kaede hummed, considering that for a moment before her eyes perking up as they flickered toward the floating turtle approaching them. "Oh. Syrup’s here."

Milim turned. "Huh?"

Syrup drifted lazily through the air, completely unbothered by the destruction around them.

"Turtle," he said.

Kaede’s expression immediately brightened. "Syrup~! Let’s play!"

Without waiting for another word, she walked away from Milim, scooping up the turtle as she went.

Milim gawked. "Wha... HEY! We were still fighting!"

Kaede waved a hand over her shoulder. "Nah, I’m bored. Let me know if you figure out how to scratch me."

Millim stomped a foot. "You can’t just..!"

But Kaede was already gone, teleporting back toward Rimuru, gently holding Syrup like a treasured plush toy.

Milim stood there for a moment, fists clenched, before groaning in frustration.

Milim stomped her foot in frustration, sending small shockwaves through the cracked earth. "I'm stronger than her, so WHY IS SHE SO HARD?!"

Pink smoke puffed from the top of her head as she fumed, pacing back and forth. Her arms flailed as she ranted. "There has to be something that can break through her defense!"

She turned back to Kaede, squinting as her Milim Eye activated, scanning for any weaknesses.

Nothing.

Just the same 'absurdly high vitality stat' staring back at her.

Milim whined. "What does that even mean?!" She clutched her head in frustration before pointing accusingly at Rimuru. "Rimuru! She's cheating!"

Rimuru, still lounging comfortably, didn’t even glance her way. "Don't talk to me until you apologize." He huffed, crossing his arms. "You wrecked the forest, and you started the fight."

Milim gasped but didn’t argue.

Meanwhile, Syrup landed on Rimuru’s back with a pleased little wiggle. Rimuru smirked, reaching back to give the turtle a slow, approving pat. "Nice one, my dude. I guess that means you're the strongest now."

Syrup let out a victorious, "Turtle."

With a satisfied bounce, he drifted off Rimuru and landed atop Kaede’s head, settling in like a king claiming his throne. Kaede smiled, giving him a light pat.

Milim, still pouting, shot them all a glare. "You guys suck."

Rimuru’s expression darkened as he shot Milim a cold look. "No food for you."

Milim’s eyes went wide in sheer horror. "W-What?!"

She bolted toward him in a panic, grabbing his shoulders. "I’m sorry! I’ll be good, I swear!"

Rimuru didn’t budge. "No. Bad."

Milim froze, her hands trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. "Meanie!" she cried. "She’s cheating, and you’re being mean to me!"

Behind them, the forest was already regenerating, its trees mending and fresh greenery sprouting as Hanae quietly worked, drawing mana from Kaede to accelerate the healing process.

Rimuru let out a long sigh. "Fine. You can eat later. But..." He raised a finger. "No dessert."

Milim gasped, then immediately brightened. "Yay!" She twirled in place before snapping her attention back to Kaede, her enthusiasm returning full force. "We’re not done, you hear? I’ll definitely get past your defense next time!"

Kaede just smiled, giving Syrup another pat as the turtle wiggled comfortably on her head.

Milim’s cheerful expression shifted into a scowl as she turned to face a recently healed section of the forest. "And you better come out, Carrion!"

Rimuru’s casual demeanor disappeared in an instant, his entire body tensing as another presence made itself known.

Kaede shifted her gaze as well, a hint of curiosity in her tone. "Ah… I was wondering who that was."

From the shadows of the trees, a large figure stepped forward.

Demon Lord Carrion.

The Beast King had arrived.