“I said. By my slime!” Demon King Goo said with a concerned look. He held out his arms and posed. The sound of a latch snapping open rang out. Several panels fell from the ceiling and slammed onto the floor with a metallic clang. The enchanting tile was cracked from the impact, but it was worth it. This was the cost of using his trump card. Demon King Goo would gladly refurnish the throne room if he managed to slay the heroes. There was no price too steep for an attack that no person alive should have been able to survive. Slimes of various types and sizes poured from the openings in the ceilings. They bounced on the ground and recoiled from the impacts like gelatinous blobs. Several Predator Slimes presented themselves from their hiding spots and readied for an attack. The Unnamed Team was now surrounded by monsters. They should have been terrified or on guard at the very least.

“We heard you the first time,” Rex said with a sigh. His eyes looked to the floor as if something more interesting would appear beneath him. This was not what he was expecting. The hype for the final boss had plummeted. Every member of The Unnamed Team had the skill [Slime Resistance III]. It was a unique skill that Genesis created solely because the team struggled against slimes. Normally, a skill wouldn’t be this specific. It would use one of the typical damage categories. That was why Demon King Goo had been so confident. Unfortunately, his attack lost its edge against the odd team. When a skill was as specific as theirs, it gained significant power in return for its limited usage.

“I got to say. These guys are so much cuter than the ones in the field.” Robyn said. She knelt down and grabbed a slime. It was a shade she hadn’t seen before. The gelatinous monster was as soft as a cushion and uncannily warm. It was like the best pillow had formed and hopped straight into Robyn’s arms. The slime desperately tried to dissolve her hands but to no avail. The level difference was too intense, and [Slime Resistance III] negated any damage. It was rather disappointing, but no one was going to complain. Only two people were displeased with the scene. Coincidentally, they were the two Demon Slimes in the room.

“I’m deeply offended,” Eins said with a smile. They were originally based on the slimes from the field Robyn referred to. Calling other slimes cute was an insult to Eins. Were they not cute? That was probably how the Demon Slime would have responded if a barrage of punches and kicks hadn’t assaulted them. The Predators Slimes that entered from the shadows had directed their attention towards Eins. It was as if they were drawn to their kin. One could argue that each attacking slime wanted to prove its worth and evolve. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. None of their attacks hurt the targeted Demon Slime. Eins only blocked and deflected each attempt because their pride was at stake. Getting hit by weaklings like these would sully their good name.

“Why are you dolts playing with them?! What part of a final struggle between life and death do you not understand?!” Demon King Goo shouted. He wasn’t sure why his plan was failing, but he needed to fix it. He clenched his fists and rushed into the fray. All of his slime underlings bounced out of his way as Goo sprinted toward Nicholas. It made the most sense to him. The scene before him had to be the result of some unknown spell. Something that made its targets immune to damage for a period of time or rapidly healed them. If Goo could take out the team’s mage, he’d regain control of the battle. A heavy punch crashed into Nicholas. Goo’s arm crumpled from the impact and expanded around his target’s head.

“Knock it off,” Nicholas said calmly. His head was encased in slime, so his words were hard to hear. If he could breathe, he probably would have said more. It was only thanks to [Panic Resistance III] that he was able to keep a steady mind. Air was limited. His skin singed. His vision was blurred and tinted.

Even so, this wasn't a new experience. Nicholas knew how to get out of it. He slowly raised his arm and grabbed onto the Demon King’s shoulder. [Frost Touch] activated, and the Demon Slime began to freeze. His body hardened. A chill ran through him. The attack would grow more devastating as time progressed. Goo knew that. He had to get away.

“Why you little-” Demon King Goo tried to say. He snapped his arm back but did so too quickly. His arm was already frozen solid. The swift movement caused his injury to worsen as the end of his limb shattered. Blocks of frosted slime fell from him. A sudden wave of pain coursed through him as Goo realized the amount of damage he had taken. The Demon King was sent reeling. He took several steps back as he tried to grasp reality. Unfortunately, that was a part of someone else’s plan.

The ground beneath him began to glow. A magic circle had suddenly formed like it was there the whole time. Less than a second later, it erupted into a grand explosion.

“Oops. I must have dropped that during the whole speech thing.” Xander said with a snarky grin. [Unadorable] had never been more valuable. After spending his entire life in this world fearing his own skill, Xander had finally gotten significant use out of it. The slimes didn’t notice him. Even the Demon King fell victim to the skill. Xander was able to drop a few magical mines before the fighting started, and the results were on full display. A few Predator Slimes had gone up in smoke. Some normal slimes triggered explosions as well. Even Skull was rolling around on the ground and enjoying the chaos.

“I swear… I’m going to-” Demon King Goo tried to say. He had taken severe damage. His arm was gone. His body was riddled with holes. Most of his humanoid form was dripping away as he struggled to hold his figure. Goo didn’t need to breathe like a human, but he was still gasping for air. Each step became exhausting. Unfortunately, this was far from the worst.

“[Absolute Authority]: Demon King Goo, stop moving,” Robyn said. She held out her hand and pointed at the Demon King. Her pose didn’t affect her skill, but she wanted to add a bit of flair for the final battle. Her power went unopposed, and Goo was forced to halt all movement. His sluggish pace ceased. His face was full of anguish as he struggled.

“Gh-” Demon King Goo tried to say, but the words wouldn’t leave him. His mind was racing. This was unlike anything he had trained for. The team wasn’t a standard group of heroes. Their powers ranged from outstanding to negligible. The worst hindered the users themselves. The best were practically skills reserved for gods. This was nothing like what was written in his master’s journal. Where was the perfect flow of attacks? Where were the limitless powerful skills? Where was the fear from being surrounded by monsters that could eat them alive? By all accounts, the scene before Goo wasn’t right.

“Is this guy seriously a Demon Slime?” Rex said. He casually walked over to the frozen king. His bag was in his hands. Slimes hopped onto him and clung to his flesh, but he quickly pulled them off. They were in the way. Rex knelt down to protect his bag as he fished for the finishing weapon. It was a [Hollow Iron Rod]. One filled with Blast Rock. Rex carefully pushed the rod into Goo’s gelatinous body. It was made easy thanks to the king’s deteriorating form. Then Rex thought, why stop at one? Before long, his entire inventory of homemade pipe bombs sat snuggly within the Demon King’s chest, limbs, and head.

“Yes, that much is certain. The only difference between him and I is the skill [Total Damage Resistance IV].” Eins said. The Demon Slime traded places with their team. The other four ran back to the throne room’s main doors. They hid and braced for the impact of the blast. No one doubted the incredible level of magnitude that would result from the explosion. Eins was the only one who could survive such a blast. As a result, it was their honor to give the king the final attack.

Detonation occurred the moment contact was made.

An impressive fireball was generated and swept the room. Every weak monster immediately turned to ash. Those that survived were forced off the ground and flung across the room. Most splattered against the wall. Others barely managed to cling to life but deflated moments later. The Unnamed Team was pushed out of the room. Their vision was blocked by a heavy cloud of smoke. They held their breaths and got lower to the ground. Dying of smoke inhalation was an immediate worry. As was the status of both Demon Slimes.

“Poor guy must have thought his slime was impossible to beat, so he probably didn’t invest in defensive skills. Good for us, right?” Nicholas said. He stepped forward as the smoke cleared. His eyes watered. He had to stop and rub them to clear away the irritant. Once his vision was restored, the unexpected scene had presented itself.

They were gone.

The Demon King was no more. Not even a drop of his slime remained. No, it was better to say nothing of his remained at all. There was no body. There were no clothes. His slime subordinates were gone, dissipating into thin air almost immediately. What worried Nicholas the most was that Eins was gone too. Not even Skull survived. Everyone that was in the room vanished without a trace. That shouldn’t have been possible. Total obliteration hadn’t crossed the team’s minds.

All that remained was the tattered throne room. Frozen in time.

“Guys?” Nicholas said with a voice of concern. He wasn’t sure what to think anymore. This went against everything they thought would happen. It was, however, not the worst issue that could possibly plague them. The team had won. They saved the day and earned their titles as heroes. There should have been nothing to complain about. And yet, something was wrong. The others remained eerily quiet. Usually, there was a joke or a jest that came after a serious moment, but no one had said anything. Nicholas spun to see what was wrong.

But he now stood alone with only the Demon King’s throne as a companion.

“NOTICE. THE DEMON KING HAS BEEN DEFEATED. AS A RESULT, THE FINAL MISSION WILL NOW BE DELIVERED. ONCE COMPLETE, THE GENESIS PROGRAM WILL END. THE MISSION PROCEEDS AS FOLLOWS: ASCEND TO THE THRONE AND BECOME THE NEXT DEMON KING.”