The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Chapter 658 Speech in the Capital

As the smoke cleared, a city ravaged by war came into view.

Although rebuilding a city would not be difficult for an empire with its resources, the sacrifices made in this battle are heavy on our hearts.

Even after successfully reclaiming the capital, there was not a trace of joy in Edel's eyes.

"Your Majesty, the time has come."

Looking at his lord, Sigurd had already changed his form of address.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Adele composed herself and asked the representative of the Holy Knights, "Where is Vena?"

“He said that such a large gathering is not suitable for him, and besides, you are the master of this country, so it is really unnecessary for you to take the lead.” Aloy said with a hint of helplessness, “As you know, if he wanted to hide, none of us could find him.”

As previously agreed, Venere was supposed to appear before the people of the Empire alongside Edelweiss as the "hero."

"He clearly wants to desert, but he says it so righteously."

Edel couldn't help but smile at the thought of Venus's annoyed expression.

"Forget it, I won't wait for him."

Edel placed the crown that Feld handed her on her head and stepped out of the hall.

“My subjects,” Adel’s cool voice, amplified through the megaphone, reached every corner of the capital, “I feel deeply ashamed to stand here today.”

She bowed her head to the crowd gathered around her, "As the successor of the empire, I failed to uncover Lucien's conspiracy and prevent his atrocities, causing the empire to suffer such great losses. This is my dereliction of duty and my sin."

"I will not shirk this responsibility, and I promise you all that such a tragedy will never happen again." Edel raised her head, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the square. "I will unite all forces that can be united to assist the Hero in eradicating every single demon! Let them pay for their blood debt!"

The powerful and resonant tone, like a sharp sword, pierced through the gloom and ignited hope.

"Long live the Empire! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!" someone finally couldn't help but shout.

Once someone started it, the shouts quickly spread.

"Long live the Empire! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!"

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

"I didn't expect that Edel would still be so popular."

Vena sat in a private hospital room, carefully cutting fruit with a knife that Escudo had transformed into.

The entire Holy Knights couldn't find him anywhere. Who would have thought that this key figure was hiding here, quietly taking care of a sick person?

“If you were there, their cheers would have been even louder,” Jessica teased, leaning against the headboard.

Regardless of how much of a sensation the "hero" and the empress would cause by appearing on the same stage, at least when they cheer, they would add "Long live the hero!"

"Shall I go over there now?" Viner fed Jessica a slice of apple.

“I didn’t say that.” Jessica scoffed, but still opened her mouth and took a bite of the fruit.

After finishing all the fruit, she slowly said, "Congratulations, you've reached a point where I have to look up to you."

She exerted all her strength, even at the cost of serious injury, to barely defeat the reborn Blood Demon Samuel.

And Viner almost single-handedly defeated Lucien, who had Windarulu.

"It's just luck, nothing more than luck," Viner waved his hand humbly.

“Don’t worry about my feelings,” Jessica shook her head seriously. “I’ve seen how much effort you’ve put in along the way; there’s absolutely no element of luck involved.”

Wiener paused for a moment, then smiled and asked in return, "Meeting you isn't just luck?"

If it weren't for Jessica's timely rescue, it's uncertain whether he and Listy would have been able to reach the academy safely.

“You…” Jessica’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned her head away to hide her expression. “It’s my luck that I’ve taken a liking to you.”

"What did you just say?"

“I said I didn’t let you down by bringing you into the Silver Wolf House,” Jessica said seriously. “I said before that if you could surpass me, I would—”

"Ah, Mr. Assassin!" Sylph pushed open the door, saw the familiar figure, and her eyes lit up immediately. "Finally found you!"

"Stop, stop, stop," Viner reached out and gently pushed Sylph away who suddenly rushed up to her. "Why aren't you with Edel? What are you doing here?"

"If I were to appear with my elder sister, that would be the real problem," Sylph sighed.

Edel kept her well protected until Lucien usurped the throne.

Even now, only a minority of people know that Sylph once served as a stand-in and sat on the throne of the Empress.

"This is...Adeline's sister?"

Jessica looked at the face that was so similar to someone's and instantly guessed what it was.

“Yes,” Sylph immediately bowed, her attitude humble. “You must be Lady Jessica, right? I’ve often heard my elder sister mention you.”

"Oh, what did she say about me?" Jessica suddenly asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Sylph coughed twice, quickly getting into the zone, and raised her hand to clench her fist in the air. "Jessica, just you wait, I'll take you and your apprentice under my wing sooner or later."

Jessica: "..."

"puff!"

Wiener tried hard to suppress his laughter, but failed.

This short imitation is so lifelike, even capturing the expressions perfectly; it's already about 70-80% similar.

Seeing Venus's expression, Sylph's eyes sparkled as she said, "If Mr. Assassin would like to see, I can demonstrate other things—"

“That’s enough,” Jessica rubbed her forehead, looking exasperated. “Let’s talk about something else, like why you’re called Mr. Venus Killer.”

“Because I initially mistook Mr. Venere for an assassin who came to take my life,” Sylph confessed.

“This must be the worst damage to my reputation ever,” Wiener sighed. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t you probably change that nickname?”

“No,” Sylph smiled mischievously, “a title reserved for me and Mr. Assassin, unless—”

"Unless what?"

“Unless I officially become Mr. Killer’s junior, then I’ll have to call you Senior Vena,” Sylph replied. “Don’t let my appearance fool you, I’m still very confident in passing the St. Freya Academy’s entrance exam.”

Vena did not doubt her ability to pass the entrance exam, but in order to focus on dealing with the Demon God, St. Freya Academy did not plan to enroll students for a long time to come.

The expectant look on the other person's face made Viner hesitate, wondering whether she should tell Sylph the truth.

"Then why don't you consider our Silver Wolf Class?" Jessica suggested, seizing the opportunity.

"They're giving up their perfectly good Black Eagles House to come here—"

“It’s a deal!” Sylph agreed without hesitation.

She knew in her heart that Edel had once been resentful about not being able to join the Silver Wolf House.

If I could join, I could not only make up for my sister's regret, but also get closer to Mr. Assassin. Why not?

"By the way, how long will Mr. Assassin stay in the capital?" Sylph asked tentatively, with a hint of reluctance.

“Well…” Viner turned to look at Jessica, who was lying in bed recovering from her injuries, and smiled slightly, “Let’s wait until someone recovers.”

"So soon?" Sylph was taken aback.

“It’s not just little Sylph who’s being threatened by the demons, you know?” Vena rubbed her head.

Chapter 659 Rimuru and the Demon God

In a void devoid of any light, Rimuru continued to dig, guided by the deepest instincts.

After an unknown amount of time, its body suddenly crashed into a wall that emitted a faint light.

The smooth, cold light barrier seemed to separate two worlds.

Rimuru tentatively rammed the light wall with his fists and body, but no matter how hard he tried, the wall remained unmoved.

So it condensed its arm into a long sword, swung it down, and with a "crack," the blade broke in two.

Unwilling to give up, Rimuru opened his mouth again to try to bite, but the hard light barrier almost broke his teeth.

Curiosity about what lies behind the barrier outweighs the pain caused by the light barrier. Since a hard approach won't work, a softer one will do.

After transforming into his true form, Rimuru displayed astonishing versatility.

It spread its body out into a thin layer, adhered to the surface of the light wall, and slowly spread along the wall, trying to find a crack or weakness.

No matter how much Rimuru extended himself, he could not find a gap in the light barrier.

When it stretched its entire body to its limit, it finally sensed something: the wall of light was enveloping a huge sphere of light.

Rimuru's actions of hitting, punching, biting, and licking finally aroused the impatience of the light orb.

Since you're so eager to come in, then you might as well not leave.

The sphere of light rapidly expanded, flowing through Rimuru's body without hindrance, as if it were liquid, and enveloping him completely.

Rimuru felt a sudden blur before his eyes, and the scenery around him changed abruptly. He, who had been spying from the outside, was now trapped inside the sphere of light.

When it tried again, the ball of light returned to its impregnable state, blocking everything.

Rimuru was not discouraged. He retracted his body and began exploring the interior of the sphere of light.

It walked for a long time, and finally saw a second creature in this empty space.

He was a burly man over two meters tall, exuding an imposing aura that made even demons want to submit.

His limbs were tightly bound by heavy iron chains, and the huge, hideous scar on his chest added to his fierce appearance.

"It's been so long, Bartolo."

Rimuru's presence finally caught the burly man's attention. He slowly opened his eyes, only to find that the person in front of him was not the one he had imagined.

“No, you’re not Bartolou, but you have his scent on you… I can’t believe such a thing exists in the world.”

"No wonder, how did Bartolo have the courage to come and stay with me under this seal?"

The burly man stared at Rimuru for a long time, sensing two different auras of demonic blood spirit emanating from him.

"What's your name?"

“Rimuru.”

"So it was you who defeated Bartolo?"

"I don't know anyone Bartolou."

"Then where did the other demonic blood soul in your body come from?"

“Someone threw it away and didn’t want it anymore, so I picked it up and ate it,” Rimuru answered honestly.

Upon hearing this, the burly man suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha! You dare to devour the demon blood and souls of other demons for such a reason? There are still fearless guys like you!"

The laughter alone nearly ruptured Rimuru's eardrums, which gives you an idea of ​​just how terrifying this burly man must have been before he was sealed away.

His very existence is like a disaster, a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

"Is there a problem?" Rimuru tilted his head, his tone showing no fear.

"No, rather, that's exactly how it should be." The burly man stopped laughing, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "The strong prey on the weak, survival of the fittest, that's exactly what we demons should do. You did a great job."

"So, after all the trouble you've gone through to get here and stand before me, what do you want to gain?"

The burly man, or rather the demon god Balthazar, watched the young demon before him with great interest.

Even after absorbing the second Demon Blood Soul, its aura surpassed that of most demons, but its pure gaze still pleased Balthazar.

Rimuru didn't answer, but just stared silently at the burly man.

Under its clear and direct gaze, even desire appears utterly pure.

"You have quite the appetite."

After a moment of silence, Balthazar had already guessed Rimuru's purpose.

"If you don't agree, then forget it."

Rimuru didn't force it. Although it was greedy, it wouldn't devour any creature that was intelligent enough to communicate and hadn't shown any hostility towards it.

Without the strong man's permission, Rimuru lazily stretched out and headed back the way he came.

"You're giving up without even trying?"