HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

In the lizardfolk tribe's swamp domain, nearly two hundred thousand orcs led by several orc generals had encircled the territory.

Among demonic beasts, lizardfolk were considered relatively high-ranking. However, faced with such a vast number of orcs—especially with the Orc King's skill-sharing ability—they stood no chance whatsoever.

The crux of the matter was that the prince of the lizardfolk tribe was both an idiot and a backstabber. Manipulated by other demons, he had imprisoned his own father and rallied a group of brainwashed followers. Their aim was to exploit the advantages of the lizardfolk and the swamp terrain to defeat the orcs.

But in an instant, one orc general effortlessly crushed them.

Just as the orc general prepared to dispatch the lizardfolk prince Gabiru, Rimuru arrived on the scene with his handful of subordinates and rescued him.

Then... because the orc general had insulted slimes as the weakest of all demonic beasts, Rimuru's minions couldn't stand idly by any longer.

A barrage of powerful area-of-effect skills erupted, swiftly annihilating tens of thousands of orcs.

Moments later, the Orc King made its grand entrance.

-

When Theresa arrived at the swamp on Inky, all she saw was the Orc King devouring an elite demon's corpse and evolving into a Demon Lord species.

The Orc Disaster.

As she gazed upon the newly evolved Demon Lord, Theresa's eyes sparkled with excitement.

She had made it just in time for the crucial moment!

"Theresa, the universe's most adorable girl, has come! Inky, go ahead and bite him."

Faced with the radiating aura of immense demonic energy from the Orc Disaster, Theresa felt not a hint of fear but rather exhilaration.

How could I hope to confront the awakened Demon Lord if I can't even deal with this one?

"Don't be hasty, master," the black dragon hesitated. "This is a full-fledged Demon Lord we're talking about."

Despite being among the pinnacle as a giant dragon, it wasn't a true Dragonkind—merely a colossal beast. It fell far short compared to a Demon Lord.

"You fool! Do you dare defy Theresa's command?" Blood Embrace materialized in her hand, tapping against the dragon's head threateningly.

"I wouldn't dare," the dragon replied meekly.

Recalling the sheer power contained within Blood Embrace, the black dragon quivered more than it would facing the Demon Lord itself. Besides, this was only a freshly minted member of the Demon Lord species.

With this thought, the black dragon resolved to fly towards the Orc Demon King and breathe its fire upon it.

However, as it watched the approaching black dragon, the Orc Demon King merely extended an arm wielding a massive machete, effortlessly blocking the dragon's breath attack.

Then, with a single swipe, it sent the black dragon flying.

The moment the black dragon was struck away, Theresa leaped from its head, shouting, "Entomb!"

Blood Embrace transformed into the Axe of the Fallen, which Theresa hurled at the Orc Demon King with all her might.

The Orc Demon King raised its large machete to defend itself, but the instant the two blades met, the Axe of the Fallen cleaved through the machete, continuing its relentless path towards the demon king.

The immense force of the Axe of the Fallen slammed the Orc Demon King to the ground, splitting open its skull as if it were nothing more than kindling.

"Rimuru, Benimaru, Shion... I'm back. Not too late, am I?"

Theresa descended to the earth, smiling warmly at Rimuru and the others behind her as she greeted them.

"Lady Theresa..."

"Lady Theresa, you've finally returned."

"My lady, where have you been these past days?"

The subordinates around Rimuru were visibly delighted by Theresa's sudden appearance.

Only the nearby lizardmen looked on with blank expressions at the sight of Theresa riding her dragon out of nowhere.

Then they spotted the motionless dragon lying not far away. Did you just abandon your dragon mount like that? It's a freaking dragon we're talking about.

A lizardman's life goal was to transform into a dragon, but only those blessed in legend could achieve such a feat.

"Theresa, where have you been all these days? You didn't even say goodbye," Rimuru said, looking at the adorable Theresa before him. His voice carried clear concern and a hint of reproach.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Theresa hastily apologized. "Something unexpected came up that needed urgent attention; I simply didn't have time to notify anyone." She knew she had been remiss in this matter.

As he gazed upon the charming Theresa, Rimuru felt utterly smitten. Despite being quite cute himself as a slime, he couldn't deny that compared to the young maiden before him, his own charm paled significantly.

Even if one wasn't particularly drawn to young maidens, it would be hard for any normal person to resist protecting something so adorable. Of course, there might be exceptions among those perverts who spend their days fantasizing about taking afternoon naps with the lovely Theresa—a truly twisted bunch indeed!

"Watch out!"

Just as Rimuru was about to speak, he noticed the Orc Disaster standing behind Theresa had risen again. Its split head had fully regenerated.

Now, four or five terrifying snake heads appeared behind it, lunging directly at Theresa from behind.

The Orc Race's skill: Chaos Devourer.

Witnessing this scene, Rimuru couldn't help but rush forward, only to immediately hold back.

In a flash, Theresa's body vaporized into mist.

The Chaos Devourer's snake heads passed right through the haze, their attack missing its mark.

After the assault, Theresa reappeared, turning to face the healed Orc Disaster behind her. "Rimuru, wait your turn. I'll practice on it first."

"This... alright! Be careful," Rimuru hesitated briefly before agreeing.

Even now, Rimuru wasn't confident in defeating the Orc Disaster; after all, he hadn't yet become a Demon Lord species.

Even by entrusting his body to the Great Sage, he might not be a match for it, unless... he used Predator to devour it.

The Orc Disaster's Hunger skill bore some resemblance to Rimuru's Predator, but it fell far short in comparison.

Night of Fright

Time fractured, revealing the Orc Disaster frozen before them. Theresa gripped her Tainted Blades and charged forward, plunging them into the monster's body to drain its blood.

As the space-time fracture ended, she swiftly tossed a Blood Embrace near it and immediately took cover.

"Blood Embrace! Activate..."

Before the Orc Demon King could react, Blood Embrace transformed into a meat grinder, instantly reducing half of the demon king's body to pulp.

Even for a Demon Lord, against Blood Embrace's onslaught, there was no means of resistance.

With a pitiful scream, all surrounding orcs rushed to the side of their king, offering their own bodies to him.

After devouring several of his minions, the Orc Demon King began slowly recovering.

"Rimuru, I'll hand it over to you now." Theresa hesitated briefly as she watched the demon king recover, but ultimately decided that letting Rimuru take over would be best.