Dispatch #5
The intense heat spewed by Black Magma Slime-003 caused the Great Overlord's body to melt like candle wax. It couldn't move an inch, utterly helpless as the magma engulfed it completely. And just like that, Pruru died. No—Great Overlord Pruru died.
No corpse remained of the Great Overlord. The magma had melted and absorbed even its bones.
Did I expect too much from these invaders? What a waste of time.
This incident killed any desire to deal with their species.
I wouldn't want to trade with a race that thinks like that.
If they'd offered a proper sacrifice that pleased me, I might've considered it, even as invaders.
Of course, sacrificing lives wasn't an insane idea. That world was one of the survival of the fittest, where the weak became food for the strong. That was natural.
Even so, offering up intelligent beings who looked just like me crossed the line. They'd seen my form through Iris/Vision and still spouted that nonsense—it was no different from mocking me.
Something like a Poison Apple or Pigking wouldn't bother me much... but cannibalism among their own kind? No way.
Strictly speaking, they weren't my kin. But I didn't eat human-like races either. I had no desire to accept them as sacrifices.
The reason was simple: physiological revulsion. I'd starve before resorting to cannibalism, and I never took lives without cause.
My tolerance for "edibles" was broader than most. Goblins fell within my range.
Anyway, if they'd offered hunted animals or livestock, I wouldn't have executed them on the spot. I ate other monsters in the labyrinth too, after all.
They were supposed to be intelligent, but not smart enough to gauge my disposition. Well, without mind-reading, that's expected.
...And maybe, just maybe, everything before was an excuse.
I acted cold and rational on the surface, but deep down, I might've wanted to side with the survivors. Blood bends inward, after all.
If the natives outnumbered them, there'd be no shortage of sacrifices, and I could've chosen without hesitation from the start.
Until moments ago, my obsession with profit had me weighing options. But now my heart tipped one way.
I couldn't judge if the survivors were good or evil, but the invaders were definitely evil by my standards.
Ah, my definition of evil was simple. I ignored human laws and judged purely subjectively—anyone who rubbed me the wrong way was evil.
Every being views the world through their own lens. As protagonists of their own lives, it's natural to define justice by personal standards, not the world's.
Defining good and evil from one's perspective was only right. At least, that's how I saw it.
In any case, this event earned the natives' trust.
"Th-that's impossible... Killing a Great Overlord in one hit...?"
"...Am I dreaming right now?"
"What even is that magma-holding creature...?"
Amid the stunned crowd, Search Team Leader Amuterso snapped out of his shock first. Clearing his throat, he bellowed,
"S-see? I told you! The ones I brought are God's messengers, and the figure on that screen is God!"
The crowd buzzed at his shout.
"...A real god? That guy?"
"I still can't believe it... but if he's not a god, how do you explain what just happened? These must be his divine messengers, squashing the Great Overlord like a bug."
"Gods actually exist?"
"Then why didn't he help when our planet was invaded?"
"He said it's not our world's god. From memory, something like a wandering pre-god traveling dimensions."
"Wait... whether he's a god or not doesn't matter right now. What matters is they have power stronger than the invaders."
"True. If beings like that offer to help us in exchange for something, that's key. Even if not gods, we'd gladly worship them as saviors."
"We can't confirm their identity, but at least they're not with the invaders... Might as well trust them."
"Not 'might as well'—we have to trust and accept the deal. We're in no position to choose."
"I'll believe. What's the big deal about gods? The strong are gods, period."
The people were gradually coming around, accepting us. Finally, real conversation could begin. The Great Overlord's appearance hadn't been entirely useless.
Four Great Overlords remained. Roughly twenty Overlords, scattered across the planet—not clustered together.
From the natives' tales, Great Overlords were all A-grade, Overlords B-grade to C-grade.
No stronger than Great Overlords, so subjugation should be straightforward... Scattered everywhere? Black Magma Slime's abilities can handle that.
Incidentally, the one just killed was the most intelligent and relatively mild-mannered among them. The others wouldn't be open to talk.
In any case, I'd decided to exterminate all invaders. Coexistence between the two races seemed impossible.
Dominating them was an option, but the natives weren't keen on it.
Fair enough. If I were them, living with invaders looming would be unnerving. Constant fear of broken peace.
The natives wanted a complete, fundamental solution: total eradication of the invader race.
Regrettably, total eradication was impossible. The invaders existed beyond this planet. The Great Overlord had admitted to ruling countless worlds.
Iris/Vision speculated they infested other dimensions too. So, we'd limit to those on this planet. Time constraints made others unfeasible—interdimensional hunts even more so.
What about future invasions? I instructed them to send an SOS via the altar. I'd dispatch monsters immediately with a designated dispatch ticket.
After long talks with the natives,
> Explorer, codex compilation complete.
The Art Pega Unicorn finally finished the Overlord and Great Overlord codex entries. Checking it, she'd labeled Overlords A-2, Great Overlords A-3.
"Good work."
"Good workyang."
> Thank you!
After reviewing the illustrations,
I turned back to Iris/Vision. One native beyond the dimension asked cautiously,
"Um... You said your messengers have limited time here... So, how do you plan to handle the remaining four Great Overlords and the Overlords...?"
"Don't worry. I'll wipe them all out within hours."
"...Pardon? Within hours?"
The questioner looked incredulous. Those around him too. Even some allies reacted similarly.
Doubts sprouted among the natives again. No matter. Actions would prove it. In hours, they'd gape at a cleansed planet free of invaders.
"Anyway, my kids are heading out to exterminate now. You all rest in the bunker."
With that, I sent Iris/Vision and Black Magma Slime outside.
Then asked the slime,
"BlmaSl. Ready?"
> Srung!
"Destroy only those linked to the one we killed—no collateral. No melting buildings like before, got it?"
> Sruuung!
Black Magma Slime could selectively target. Designate foes, and it could emit harmless magma elsewhere—no ally recognition needed.
Leveraging that, I'd blanket the planet in its magma. An S-grade slime once covered a nation in hours back in Elemen西亚; an SS-grade could do a planet.
It looked confident too.
"Good. Let's begin."
> Srung! Departing!
> Ascending for overhead footage.
Iris/Vision soared swiftly. Black Magma Slime followed, leaping skyward.
In that instant, its black surface split. Magma erupted like a volcano, blanketing the sky and multiplying endlessly, cascading like waterfalls to the ground.
Defying gravity, it spread everywhere, swallowing the horizon in moments.
Thus began the invader extermination—and planetary purification.
> Orbit reached.
