The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

More important than these insignificant rewards is Rhea's attitude toward Edel's proposed alliance, which will truly determine the future of the continent.

"The college is willing to endorse your plan."

It wasn't because of the Empress's promise, but because the plan was proposed by Wiener.

The support she was showing at that moment was undoubtedly entrusting the future of the academy to the young man in front of her.

“However,” Rhea changed the subject, “the academy is currently in dire need of rebuilding and needs to preserve some strength to guard against danger. I cannot let you take the entire Holy Knights with you. How about letting the three battalions accompany you to support Edel?”

“That’s more than enough.” Viner was overjoyed.

When the banner of the Holy Knights appears on the battlefield, its significance surpasses most of the rumors and gossip.

Needless to say, this already represents one-third of the Holy Knights' strength.

Even as the dean of St. Freya Academy, making this decision still puts her under immense pressure.

"Such a cheap and good deal, and Edel got it." Chlorie couldn't help but tease her.

“Senior Chlorie, I…” Venus was a little embarrassed.

When the academy faced a crisis, only the Allied powers sent troops and resources, yet all they received was this one piece of news.

“I don’t deserve to be called ‘senior’,” Chlorie reminded her. “Your words and actions from now on represent St. Freya Academy.”

Upon hearing this, Viner's expression immediately hardened, realizing the weight of his responsibility.

He nodded solemnly: "I understand."

"So, the rewards from the allies will have to be asked of Lady Venerable, you know?" Chlorie's lips curled into a sly smile.

"So you two had already planned this?" Vena turned to look at Rhea, finally understanding why she brought it up in Chlorie's presence.

“While the Academy has agreed to help Edel, it doesn’t mean it will become a vassal of her or the Empire. Since we are allies, it wouldn’t hurt for so many other factions to join in,” Rhea explained.

Within the Stana Lords' Alliance, although the pro-imperial and pro-kingdom lords each formed their own factions, the faction led by Chlorie and the Cordelia family, which were pro-Academy, still held the dominant position.

“The Allied Powers are too weak. Even with the support of the Academy, it will be difficult for them to unify Fódora. So instead of waiting for them to settle scores, we should place our bets sooner rather than later,” Chlorie chimed in.

"From a feudal alliance to a national alliance?" Wiener nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He understood Chlorie's plan: to leverage her connection with the Academy to increase the Allied Powers' influence and gain more leverage for future alliances.

"If Lord Venerable doesn't value the meager resources of the Allied Powers, then we'll have no choice but to reluctantly submit to the Kingdom's embrace," Chlorie said, half-jokingly feigning tears.

“How could that be?” Venere shook her head and extended her right hand to Chlorie. “On behalf of the Academy and Edel, I welcome you to the Academy.”

Chapter 627 Fusion of Demon Blood Soul

After Felix was recalled by Lisette, the acid in the Gluttonous Demon's stomach suddenly churned.

In this deathly environment, a tiny ball of acidic slime quietly coalesced and took shape.

It dragged a piece of scarlet demonic blood soul with difficulty, like a worker ant, slowly crawling deeper into the depths.

After confirming that it was safe, the inconspicuous little thing finally stopped and began to change shape.

In just a few breaths, the originally viscous acid gradually stretched and reorganized, eventually taking the shape of Rimuru.

However, in terms of size, it has shrunk to only half of what it used to be.

It glanced down at the Demon Blood Soul in its hand and muttered, "Looks like nobody wants this either."

Felix failed to recognize that the Blood Soul he saw was not the remains of a slime demon.

After realizing that Felix's sword aura was unstoppable, Rimuru immediately separated a tiny drop of viscous fluid and mixed it into the stomach acid.

It was this cautious approach that allowed it to survive from Felix's clutches.

The piece that Rimuru is holding in his hand right now is the Time Demon's Blood Soul left behind when the Time Piercing Sword was destroyed.

This near-death experience caused Rimuru's body to suffer severe damage.

In order to rebuild his body, he not only exhausted all his energy reserves, but also fell into a state of extreme hunger.

"Anyway, it's unclaimed." Rimuru muttered to himself, opened his mouth, and swallowed the Demon Blood Soul in one gulp.

As the Demon Blood Soul slid down his throat, a burst of intense heat erupted instantly, rapidly spreading throughout his body.

Rimuru's abdomen began to glow with an eerie red light, as if some unknown creature was violently moving inside.

In the dog-eat-dog world of demons, devouring each other to increase their strength is not uncommon.

But as the pinnacle of the demon race, demons have always been the ones devouring others; they have never been the ones being devoured.

Before this, there had never been a precedent of a demon attempting to devour other demon blood souls.

Even the gluttonous demon, who has tasted all the flavors of the world, cannot describe the taste of the demon blood soul.

Rimuru took this step despite being extremely weak.

At first, the strange power only made it feel unwell, as if it had eaten something bad.

But soon, an unprecedented sense of fulfillment swept over its consciousness.

Rimuru could no longer maintain his human form, and his body collapsed, reverting to his original slime form.

Beneath its transparent body, the undigested demonic blood soul emitted a faint yet eerie red light, resembling a beating heart, making it particularly conspicuous.

Rimuru's body also continued to expand and swell due to this power.

"So high, so supportive..."

It murmured to itself, its voice tinged with pain.

This feeling is not simply hunger or satisfaction, but a deep-seated restlessness that leaves no room for other thoughts.

After all, what Rimuru swallowed was not ordinary demon essence, but the core existence of a demon.

This level of power shouldn't be in a slime's recipe.

At this moment, two demonic blood souls from different origins are fiercely clashing within the body, repelling each other.

It felt like being inside a demon exploding.

If it cannot adapt to this power quickly, it may be completely annihilated and perhaps even transformed back into a demonic blood soul.

With his consciousness nearing collapse, Rimuru's body began to act on instinct again.

The spreading slime, completely disregarding the fact that its host was on the verge of bloating from eating something it shouldn't have, frantically absorbed all the nutrients around it, and continuously drew in stomach acid.

Perhaps it was fate that the slime's body adapted to the Gluttonous Demon's bodily fluids before it could use the power of the Demon Blood Soul.

After swallowing a large amount of stomach acid, Rimuru's digestive abilities were enhanced like never before.

The incomplete demon blood soul that originally belonged to the Time Demon gradually showed signs of dissolving under the influence of the dual corrosive power.

The acid and magic essence intertwined to form a strange power that continuously eroded the outer shell of the Demon Blood Soul, while also penetrating into Rimuru's core.

After an unknown amount of time, the previously faint red light suddenly became dazzling, completely dyeing the slime's transparent body bright red.

As the light flashed, a powerful energy surge erupted from within, accompanied by a violent contraction, as if to tear Rimuru apart and reshape him entirely.

Its body undergoes subtle changes during this process, with every inch of its skin radiating a new vitality, and even the originally soft mucus becoming more resilient and elastic.

In contrast, a strange and powerful will is seeping into the depths of Rimuru's soul.

Those were remnants of memories from the Time Demon, carrying ancient and profound information that impacted its mind.

"So that's how it is..."

-----------------

The tripartite negotiations involving the Academy, the Empire, and the Allies are still ongoing.

However, it was Werner who represented Edelweiss's side.

“Since the Academy has decided to send the Holy Knights to support Edel, in order to prevent the Kingdom from noticing the unusual activity and turning against us, I hope the Allied Powers will remain inactive for the time being,” Vena said, seizing the opportunity to make her request.

"There seems to be no reason to refuse," Chlorie chuckled.

She understood that Wiener's move was to demonstrate his sincerity in forming an alliance, and not simply to use the allies as cannon fodder and sacrifices.

If we want to gain more say in the future, simply waiting is not enough.

"I will use this time during the Holy Knights' operations to complete the internal reorganization of the Allied Powers."

As the weakest of the three kingdoms, the Allied Powers had no shortage of opportunists within their ranks.

If not cleaned up in time, it will inevitably affect future operations.

"Therefore, I would like to borrow one of your people."

"Who to borrow?"

"Listy".

"waived--"

Before Venus could finish speaking, Chlorie interrupted her.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm going to do with it?" Chlorie seemed confident.

Venus turned her head to look at Lisette beside her and saw her nod gently, her eyes full of trust.

"Let me state this first: if Rosette herself is unwilling, I will never force her."

“Lady Venerable is quite protective of her own,” Chlorie chuckled, then said bluntly, “I need the support of the Cordelia family and their allies, and Lisette is the best lobbyist.”

Nothing could be more convincing than the second head of the Cordelia family.

"When do we leave?" Lisette asked.

“There’s no need to rush. How about three days from now?” Chlorie asked Vina.

She knew in her heart that it wouldn't be good to push Lisette and Venus too hard after their long separation.

Three days is neither too short nor too long, and it's enough time to pack your bags and get your thoughts organized.

"After all, I still have some things to take care of."

After hearing this, Wiener raised an eyebrow. "Suggestion: take on another mouth to feed?"

"What do you mean?" Chlorie asked, slightly puzzled.

"I think Felix misses Count and Countess Fadvi quite a bit. I wonder if Lady Chlorie would be willing to accept this 'bonus'?"

With Felix accompanying her, Wiener could rest assured.

“That would be exactly what I’d like to hear.” Chlorie smiled gently.

Chapter 628 The Sword Demon is Resurrected in Grand Style

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the ruins of St. Freya Academy. Venus stood at the entrance of the Alchemy Institute dormitory, looking at the familiar workshop now reduced to rubble and ashes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

No matter what, this was the place he had stayed the longest outside of Lumiel Village.

He stepped into the dormitory, occasionally avoiding the gravel at his feet, recalling what it used to look like.

The forging furnace in the corner, which had been smashed and deformed, was covered with cracks, and the tool rack next to it had also collapsed.

Hammers, pliers, and other tools, mixed with previously stockpiled materials, were scattered all over the ground.

Wiener crouched down, picked up a small, dusty forging hammer, and gently brushed away the ash with his fingertips to reveal a smooth metal surface.

"It's still usable," Viner murmured to herself, a hint of relief in her voice.

He then put the forging hammer into his ring, simply as a keepsake.

"Oh no! My room!" Felix's voice came from not far away.

He seemed to remember something, rushed into the ruins, and quickly cleared a path for himself by pushing aside the mountain of rubble and planks.

Hearing the commotion, Wiener followed and helped clear the obstacles, asking curiously, "What's wrong?"

Felix didn't bother to answer, but instead dug even harder. When he finally cleared a passable path, he stood in front of the blocked bedroom door and smashed it open with a punch.

As wood chips flew, the wardrobe behind the door tipped over, and clothes were scattered all over the floor, creating a chaotic scene.

Felix ignored the mess of items, his gaze quickly sweeping across every corner before finally settling between two collapsed cabinets.