Chapter 173: A Slime On The Throne

The black blade remained lodged in Raizen’s shoulder. Tanaka stared at the blood spreading across the Star Wolf King’s fur, while the remaining traces of the attack twisted beneath his feet. His Demonic Aura had already begun spreading through the assembly hall, yet someone had still dared to attack him and injure one of his people. He sighed.

"Enough of this."

Tanaka’s body extended around the blade, swallowing it from tip to hilt. He consumed the hostile magic embedded in the weapon along with the poison coating its surface, ensuring that the attack could no longer threaten Raizen. The weapon disappeared completely.

"I’m immune to poison, by the way," Tanaka remarked, looking directly at Veyra. "In case you were wondering whether that would work." The Foxfolk Matriarch’s ears stiffened. Tanaka noticed, but he didn’t immediately accuse her. Instead, he examined the shattered floor and the two interconnected formations responsible for the attacks, their inscriptions still glowing faintly beneath the damaged tiles.

"If whoever arranged this wanted to see my full abilities, they only needed to ask." His smile disappeared. "But since someone decided to attack me twice in a single gathering, I suppose there’s no reason to keep hiding what I am."

Monsters were classified according to their strength, abilities and the stage of their development. Lesser and Greater monsters occupied the lower stages of the hierarchy, while those who developed exceptional power could reach the status of Monster Lords or Monster Kings. Beyond those ranks stood Demon Lord Class, a level that placed an existence far above ordinary monsters and gave them the power to threaten entire nations.

Dragon-class beings occupied another category altogether, though the term covered vastly different levels of power. True Dragons Tanaka had encountered belonged to a world of strength that made comparisons with ordinary monster ranks almost meaningless. Tanaka had reached Demon Lord Class after devouring Rhazek, evolving into an Emperor Devour Slime. His power had increased considerably, but he understood that this didn’t make him invincible.

The rulers gathered in the assembly hall, however, had never seen him fight seriously. Some had assumed that his victory over Rhazek was exaggerated. Others believed that his unusual abilities had allowed him to defeat a stronger opponent without possessing comparable power himself. They were about to discover how mistaken those assumptions were.

Tanaka’s Demonic Aura surged. A dense, crimson-black pressure spread through the assembly hall, making the stone beneath him fracture. Several guards stumbled, while weaker representatives struggled to remain standing as the presence of a Demon Lord descended upon them. Garrath Goldmane’s expression hardened.

The Lion King could recognize overwhelming strength when he felt it, and the aura surrounding Tanaka was far beyond what he had expected from the ruler of Eldoris. Tanaka looked around the chamber. "I’m not here to torment anyone. I came to learn about your people, establish relations, and see whether our nations could benefit from one another." His aura intensified.

"But don’t mistake that for weakness. If anyone here thinks they can attack me simply because I’m a slime, they’ll face the consequences." Silence followed. Tanaka slowly surveyed the assembled rulers. "Go ahead. Anyone who wants to test me is welcome to try." Nobody moved.

Then Raizen stepped forward.

The Star Wolf King’s aura erupted. His claws struck the stone, and a cold, predatory presence spread through the chamber. It was the pressure of a Monster Lord, carrying the unmistakable warning of a creature that had reached the peak of its lineage. Several wolf guards lowered their heads instinctively.

Raizen’s golden eyes swept across the gathered rulers. "Lord Tanaka came here peacefully. He accepted your invitation, respected your laws, and made no demands beyond being treated fairly." His teeth showed. "Someone has now attempted to kill him twice." Raizen took another step.

"If anyone here intends to attack Lord Tanaka again, understand this clearly. I will rip them to shreds before they get the chance to explain themselves." The threat wasn’t shouted. It didn’t need to be. A low growl escaped his throat, and even the Lion King’s warriors became more attentive.

Raizen wasn’t merely Tanaka’s companion. He was the Star Wolf King, a Monster Lord-class existence whose loyalty to Eldoris had been demonstrated on battlefields where weaker creatures would never have survived. An elderly wolf beastman rose from the seats reserved for the major clans. His grey fur was almost white, and a long scar ran from his left ear to his jaw.

The insignia on his chest marked him as a senior representative of the Frostmane Clan. He stared at Raizen. "That aura... Those eyes." Raizen turned toward him. The old wolf’s expression changed. "The Star Wolves were never an ordinary wolf bloodline. Their place in the world predates the Wolf Crown itself."

A murmur spread among the wolf representatives. King Aldren’s attention sharpened. Svarn Frostmane opened his mouth to continue, but Tanaka’s presence changed before he could speak. The Demonic Aura vanished. For a heartbeat, the assembly hall fell silent.

Then Tanaka activated Draconic Aura.

A deep, ancient presence erupted from Tanaka, accompanied by a surge of mana that shook the fortress. Scales spread across his arms and neck, while curved horns emerged from his forehead and his pupils narrowed into sharp, draconic slits. His body remained humanoid, but the transformation gave him the unmistakable appearance of a dragon-blooded warrior.

Dragon Transformation. The aura surrounding him changed from the oppressive pressure of a Demon Lord into something that carried the distinct presence of a Dragon-class existence. The stone beneath his feet cracked. The enchanted lamps flickered. Then the aura spread beyond the assembly hall.

It crossed the royal fortress and rolled through the streets of Varghelm, its pressure reaching across the capital. The city’s defensive enchantments hummed as the energy passed through the surrounding districts, while mana-sensitive beastfolk suddenly felt a dread they could neither explain nor ignore. Merchants stopped in the middle of negotiations.

Warriors turned toward the royal fortress. Across the city, animals strained against their harnesses, and several ordinary citizens felt their instincts screaming at them to seek shelter. Tanaka’s aura wasn’t comparable to the Dragon Lords or True Dragons he had encountered. He remembered Malachiel’s overwhelming presence and the terrifying power Nethaliel had displayed when her playful nature gave way to anger.

Those beings stood far above him. Yet the combination of Dragon Transformation and Draconic Aura, both developed through Malachiel’s blessing, allowed Tanaka to release a presence that reached the entire capital. Its strength diminished with distance, but even the thinnest edge of that aura carried enough pressure to make the city’s inhabitants understand one thing. Something extraordinarily powerful had awakened inside the royal fortress.