(3rd POV)
"What did you do!?!" Hinata yelled as she looked over at Veldora in shock.
She could tell, no.. she could FEEL it in her bones that the magic power that suddenly surrounded Veldora was some kind of mind control ability. If someone like that were to fall to the influence of a hostile power... she didn't even want to think about what would happen.
The little girl smiled. "Oh, not much, miss Saint, I just locked onto the desires of this True Dragon and used it to dominate him. After all, I am Mariabell the Greedy, and all that this world has to offer will be mine!" She declared.
Hinata was stunned. "Then... does that mean the Luminaries?" Hinata looked toward them.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, HInata, but we are here of our own volition. Mariabell here is the daughter of Gran after all." Ars declared with a smug tone.
Hinata grit her teeth. The situation was seemingly hopeless. Veldora had effortlessly defeated the ten Great Saints, and she was low on magic due to using so much of it against him. Furthermore, no matter how much she tried to contact her, Luminous wasn't answering, and the fact that Louis or Roy hadn't appeared was also a sign of a problem. Finally, that girl had said that she was 'The Greedy' and used the Unique Skill [Greed] to dominate Veldora. Sin Series Unique Skills were supposed to be the strongest if Luminous' information was anything to go by, so it seemed Hinata was out-skilled too.
She was alone. Outnumbered. Outmatched. Exhausted. She needed to retreat; however, she couldn't with her subordinates all incapacitated.
"Damn it!" Hinata muttered in frustration, fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes. She was going to die here without being able to do anything. A failure. What had it all been for?
The black fog cleared and revealed Veldora, now clearly under their domination, if the hollow look in his eyes was anything to go by, turned to face her. Hinata readied her weapon in defiance. If this was how she was going to return to the cycle of reincarnation, then so be it. There was also still some hope left. Luminous had mentioned that her Unique Skill had somehow 'evolved', so maybe there was a chance that if she kept her wits about her and lasted long enough, her soul would still be available for Luminous to resurrect her later on.
Mariabell's gaze deepened as she watched Hinata steel her resolve and calm herself as her stance became more refined. "Perfect..." Mariabell muttered before turning to Veldora. "Veldora, kill her and the other Saints, oh, and destroy their bodies and souls while you are at it." Mariabell muttered.
Veldora nodded and spread out his arms. The next moment, Hinata jumped to the side as {Black Lightning} struck where she was just a moment ago, although she also noticed that the other Saints had also been struck and their bodies had vanished, most likely disintegrated.
Hinata wanted to yell and scream and... do SOMETHING! ANYTHING! But she was too slow. She had turned back to Veldora, only to see him directly in front of her, his arm pulled back into a stance.
Pain shot through Hinata as his fist was brought down onto her, shattering her weapon, Deadend Rainbow, which she attempted to use to block the blow. Hinata spat up a mouthful of blood as she fought to remain conscious. The world was spinning and blurring in and out, and she wanted nothing more than to allow her eyes to close and stay closed. It was the easy and simple way, one that she was sure would end the pain, however, she knew she could not give up yet, so through an enormous amount of effort she pulled herself back from the brink of unconsciousness and managed to roll off her back and onto her stomach.
A few agonizing moments later and she was on her knees, although her body screamed at her and fought against every movement she had to stand up, so this crouching position was all she could muster.
"This is pathetic, Hinata." a voice came from behind the Luminaries.
Hinata looked up, seeing them parting. Even Mariabell looked like she had sidestepped to allow his passage.
"G-Gran..." Hinata said darkly.
Granbell nodded. "Indeed, I had hoped you would overcome your trials and awaken as a True Hero, however, there is a darkness in your heart. A stain on your soul that is keeping you from awakening despite having the power and will in order to do so." Gran declared.
Hinata, panting, lowered her head, obscuring their vision in shadow to not allow them to see her face.
Gran shook his head. "I do wonder what it was that caused you such trouble. Perhaps you experienced something truly horrible in your past?" He mused. "Did you suffer from violation? Did you have to resort to cannibalism due to starvation? Perhaps you had to kill a member of your family?" Granbell began listing off, only to stop as Hinata flinched and looked up with shock as he said that.
Granbell smirked. "So that's why..." Was the last thing Granbell said before reaching back and grabbing hold of something he'd dragged with him.
"If you were holding out hope for your Goddess, then don't." he said as he unceremoniously tossed the beaten and blodied body of Luminous in front of Hinata.
Hinata's eyes narrowed in utter shock. This was her God, someone Hinata could never hope to defeat, and here she was, dead before her.
"No... no no no no no!" Hinata cried as she attempted to crawl towards Luminous, only to fall short of her.
Granbell looked down at her with cold eyes. "No hero should break down at the sight of a dead Demon Lord." He muttered before turning to Mariabell. "I grow tired of this."
Mariabell nodded. "Of course, Grandfather," Mariabell did a curtsy before turning back to Hinata and Veldora. "Veldora, if you please..."
Veldora nodded absentmindedly, raising his hand to Hinata. Seeing this, Hinata accepted her fate, lowering her head into the dirt.
'I swear, I'll kill you, Granbell!' She swore in her heart as she heard the sound of lightning crackle in Veldora's fingers.
*Kaboom*!
And Hinata and Luminous' bodies were no more.
Granbell, seeing this, sighed and turned to leave. "Let us go. I grow weary of all this betrayal."
Mariabell nodded. "As you wish, Grandfather. Yuuki has already acquired the asset and should have returned home with it by now."
Granbell nodded as a teleportation circle surrounded the group for a moment before they disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than a smoking crater and the bodies of the clergy, which hadn't been decintegrated by Veldora.
A few moments later, Louis and Gunther arrived at the scene, walking slowly out of the shadows and witnessing the carnage. "Goodness, we are certainly playing this one close to the chest," Louis stated.
"It was our fault for being so negligent with the Luminaries, though I'm sure not even Lady Luminous expected this," Gunther added.
Luis nodded. "Let us hope our faith was not misplaced." He finished before he began using Holy Magic to restore the bodies and resurrect the dead priests.
He was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
(In Tempest)
Hinata's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up from the bed she was sitting in before wincing in pain.
"Easy now... your body is in rough shape," Rimuru said as he tried to ease Hinata back into lying down.
Hinata looked at Rimuru, stunned. "S-Shizu-sensei..." Hinata muttered as tears welled up in her eyes.
Rimuru smiled before motioning with his head towards the real Shizu who was sat opposite of her. Hinata turned to look at her, instantly recognizing the real Shizu despite her new Elf ears and etheral appearance.
"Shizu-sensei!" Hinata cried as she threw herself at her mentor and mother-figure with a massive hug, sobbing quietly.
"There, there... everything will be alright," Shizu said, comforting Hinata
A few minutes of this went by while Shizu assured Hinata that everything was going to be ok, and Rimuru awkwardly sitting next to them both before Hinata finally calmed down.
"What happened?" Hinata asked.
The door then opened as Luminous strode in confidently, followed meekly by Veldora, who was sporting a few comical bumps on his head. Despite his demenor, Hinata still tensed up upon spotting Veldora which was offset by how happy she was momentarily to see Luminous again.
Hinata looked at Rimuru and then Veldora, then back to Shizu, and finally Luminous. Her face finally calmed down to its neutral, hard-to-read state, though the small redness of her eyes and moisture that surrounded them gave away her earlier crying state.
Luminous, noticing Hinata was finally ready, then began to explain. "I had called Veldora over to..." She blushed for a moment before looking away. "be my guest for the evening earlier this morning, and when he began his final approach to visit me, he was attacked."
Hinata nodded. "Yes, we had been notified he was going to be arriving and so we prepared the Holy Land's countermeasures, which succeeded in bringing him down." Hinata explained.
Luminous sighed. "If he had been paying attention, that amount of power would not have even phased him." She muttered, seemingly disappointed.
"Are you upset that I didn't just roll over and almost die?" Veldora asked.
Lumious shot him a glare for a moment and then sighed. "I had HOPED it would knock you out long enough for a {Sanctuary Disintegration} to destroy you... or at least, that was the plan before..." She explained.
Veldora scoffed. "I'm going to ignore what you just said that for now and let you continue," he explained, to which Luminous nodded.
I had informed the Luminaries in advance to prepare to receive him as a treasured guest." Luminous explained getting back to the point.
Hinata nodded. "They saw the opportunity to take him down." Hinata described.
Luminous nodded. "When I heard Veldora was shot down, I immediately went to stop you all from your attack but was stopped by the Luminaries." She explained.
Hinata's eyes widened. "Did you... lo-" Hinata hesitated to ask but was cut off.
"I threw the fight on purpose!" Luminous explained, narrowing her eyes.
Hinata, scared by the fierce look she was receiving, quickly nodded her head in agreement. Her previous composure shattering like glass.
Luminosu, seeing this, smiled smuggly for a second before clearing her throat and getting back to her explanation. "I was struck from behind by your friend... that Yuuki fellow with an ability which disabled my [Godspeed Regeneration] skill for a moment before Granbell struck me down with his power." Luminous stated.
"So you DID lose?" Rimuru thought aloud but was shut up by Luminous' glare again. Rimuru dropped out of his human form, turning into a slime and jumping into Shizu's lap.
Veldora rolled his eyes.
"No, I could have easily used [Asmodeus] to heal instead or even return me to life after my death, however, Yuuki was surrounded by a number of Majin in Clown masks which included the Demon Lord Clayman, and they were holding the Holy Ark of Chronoa," Luminous explained.
"The Hero Chronoa!?!" Hinata asked in shock. Luminous had mentioned knowing her on several occasions, however, she had never stated that she was in her possession, sealed in a Holy Ark.
Shizu tensed up hearing this, causing Rimuru to look up at her. "Who is Chronoa?" He asked her.
"She is the Ultimate Hero, the one who sealed me all those years ago. While she'd probably lose to Rudra, she surpasses him in swordplay and overall technique." Veldora explained.
Rimuru wanted to ask 'Who is Rudra?' which caused Shizu to smile lightly and answer before he could ask. "Lord Rudra is the First True Hero and the Strongest Human to ever live. He is also the Emperor of the Eastern Empire." She explained.
Veldora nodded. "Yeah, he is also my sister's husband and Guy's best friend. They have a game going on to see which one of them can conquer the world first." Veldora casually explained.
Luminous looked shocked to hear this. "Guy always struck me as less ambitious than Rudra, though. Plus, he's the Mediator, so how can he be trying to..."
"It's the Demon Lords. They are his pieces while the Eastern Empire is Rudra's," Veldora explained, waving his hand. "You were a perfect piece for him too, being that you mostly control the Western Nations, so effectively Guy is in the winning position currently."
Luminous furrowed her brow. "That's... we will put that aside for now. Let's continue filling in Hinata." Luminous explained to which Veldora nodded, though everyone in the room was eager for Veldora to explain this 'game' in which Demon Lords were mere pawns.
Unlike what Hinata was expecting, Veldora then continued the explanation. "So while I was playing around with you, I took the opportunity to split off a clone of mine and go rescue Luminous." He explained.
Hinata furrowed her brow. "But she was..."
Veldora nodded. I disguised myself as Roy and attacked the group. I pulled a fast one on them and grabbed Luminous' body after she revived herself. She came up with a plan to tear out this problem by the root, so I used my [Multiple Existence] Skill on her, allowing her to create a lifeless body clone of herself while she slipped away. I then let 'Roy' be 'killed' by them while attempting to revive her, which is why Granbell took the corpse." Veldora explained.
Hinata nodded. "Then... everyone you killed while you were mind controlled?"
Veldora smirked. "Oh, I really did kill you all, but used my Ultimate Skill to save you." He explained.
Hinata looked at Veldora with a blank face.
Luminous ran a hand through her hair. "This guy loves pulling off crazy stuff like that. Don't worry, I gave him a good beating for you."
Veldora nodded, though a mischievous smirk returned a moment later. "Yup, she really drained me dry!"
Luminous blushed before activating [Asmodeus] on her fist and bonking Veldora, sending pain signals directly to his soul.
"Ow!!!" Veldora yelled while Luminous smirked. Veldora glared at Luminous "I'm going to get you back for this tonight." Which caused Luminous to shiver for a moment but no one said anything. Pretending they didn't just witness their little play there for a moment.
Veldora then looked back at Hinata. "My clone... well, it's not really a clone, it's closer to my other body since we are kind of in a hive-mind right now and... never mind. It's still pretending that I am being mind-controlled, and it's in a castle in Siltrozzo where I found some... interesting things." He explained.
Hinata, now looking serious, nodded as if urging him to continue.
"The Chaos Dragon, a legion of otherworlders, and a powerful Insectar on par with a True Demon Lord... It seems like Granbell has been gathering his forces in preparation for releasing Chronoa." Veldora explained.
Luminous looked grim. "If they do, then that's the end of the line for us. The Chaos Dragon alone is one whole problem, but if Chronoa awakens right now, then she will rampage and destroy the whole world until we stop her, and once again, she is capable of defeating Veldora." Luminous explained.
"Actually, if it were just her rampaging, then I could defeat her. I've always been stronger than her, but since I was only mindlessly rampaging before in the past, she was able to defeat me. If it's the other way around, and it's me with the strategic mind, then I can win, but..."
Rimuru chimed in. "Mariabell's Domination ability through [Greed] might make that difficult, huh?" to which Veldora nodded.
"Yeah, if I have to fight both at the same time even I will struggle a bit. I could easily kill them both, but since I don't want to kill Chronoa and piss off everyone here, including wify-" Veldora said looking at Luminous who nodded as if to say that it would in-fact, piss her off and cause their relationship to end immediately. "-as well as Milim." Veldora concluded.
Rimuru looked confused as a question mark appeared on his head. "Why would Milim be mad?"
"The Chaos Dragon was Milim's pet, the killing and attempted resurrection of which caused her to rampage for 7 days straight, where Guy had to step in and caused Ramiris to Fall from Grace in order to calm Milim," Veldora explained.
Luminous nodded. "That was a scary time. The world almost ended, and Dagruel's territory in the west was annihilated."
The room went quiet before Rimuru decided to speak up. "W-well, I guess we should rope Milim into this as well? After all, I'd rather not get on her bad side."
"Get on whose bad side?" Milim asked, eating a bag of chips in the corner.
Everyone snapped their heads to the chair in the corner that Rimuru had been sitting on before he jumped into Shizu's lap.
Veldora smirked. "Milim, you've got to stop snooping on people and popping out of nowhere, you know."
A vicious smile ran across Milim's face. "What~? Things were about to get interesting, you know? Besides... surprise Destroyer is always a good prank." She said, feigning being offended.