Evil Creeps Closer

Evil Creeps Closer, 「忍び寄る悪意, Shinobiyoru akui」 is the eighteenth episode of the anime adaptation of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

Synopsis
Flashback of Milim Nava fighting Phobio. Phobio and his "beastketeers" are sat around a campfire, with Phobio monologuing about his pride and getting revenge on Milim, without disobeying his master Carrion. Tear and Footman show up and convince Phobio he needs more power and that he should absorb the power of Charybdis.

Milim, Shuna and Shion are playing childishly in the hot springs while Rimuru Tempest and Fuze are talking about future relations between Tempest and the Kingdom of Blumund.

After a small debate, Phobio agrees to Tear and Footman's plan and makes his way to where Charybdis is. He enters the cave to become one with the spirit, while Tear and Footman are talking about how easy it was to convince Phobio and that Clayman will finally control the powerful being. Milim and Cabal's Party return from hunting. Trya makes an appearance in Tempest to warn Rimuru of the impending danger of Charybdis. Rimuru has a meeting with all the higher-ranking members of Tempest and they decide on how to deal with the threat of Charybdis.

Summary
Phobio and his fellow Beast Keters are camping in Jura Forest, lamenting their inability to make an alliance with the Jura Tempest Federation. Though Phobio can only view the residents of the City of Rimuru as weaklings they have demonstrated astounding infrastructure and construction ability to put their city together, and that's just what they know about them.

Had Phobio treated them with respect and not look down on them they wouldn't be going back to Carrion empty-handed, a fact that none more so then Phobio himself is aware of. Even if Milim Nava hadn't intervened then all that he would have accomplished is forcing them into submission without earning their trust or their loyalty. Even though he understands it's unreasonable Phobio cannot let his feeling of resentment towards Milim go.

The two members of the Moderate Clown Troupe Footman and Tear have overheard Phobio and they have something they'd like him to try. As it so happens, currently there is a giant mass of Demon Lord class power lying around the forest in the form of the spiritual entity known as Charybdis. The seal on Charybdis is weakening, if allowed to break free then its rampage will destroy the forest and the surrounding nations.

That said, Neither Footman nor Tear have the confidence to contain its power, but they think Phobio is strong enough to do it, and if he does it will come with the added bonus of turning him into a Demon Lord Candidate. Phobio is fully aware that his master conspired with other Demon Lords to raise the Orc Lord into a Demon Lord, and thus feels resentment that Carrion would overlook his own subordinates and choose an outsider instead.

Towards this end, Phobio sends his subordinates away while letting Tear and Footman take him to the seal placed on Charybdis. While continuously feeding the Beastman's ego, the two clowns explain to Phobio that Charybdis needs a host to exist in the physical plain, like a corpse, for instance, thus in order to take Charybdis's power all Phobio has to do is let the spirit take him as a host and overpower its mindless will with his own.

Once Phobio has already left to find Charybdis the two clowns comment that they've accomplished their mission: finding host bodies for Charybdis and it's summons while sending them after Milim and thus leave. Meanwhile, Rimuru is in the hot spring with Fuze and several goblins. Though he'd much rather be bathing with the girls over the fence he's still trying to earn Fuze's trust.

The Guildmaster states that he figured out he could trust Rimuru a while ago, however as he hasn't had a day off in some time he's taking advantage of the situation to relax. For the most part, Fuze has already fulfilled his end of the bargain having had Cabal's Party report that Youmu was the one who defeated the Orc Lord, with the help of a group of harmless monsters.

With that out of the way Rimuru also wants to establish trade relations with the Brumund Kingdom, towards that end he'll need permission to build roads leading into the Kingdom. Though Fuze is concerned about the cost Rimuru tells him to leave it to him, more importantly, Rimuru needs access to a well-connected businessman to spread the news about his products around. The next morning Treyni's younger sister Trya arrives in Tempest with dire news.

Charybdis has revived, a monster akin to a natural disaster born of Veldora's leaked magical energy that is now heading their way. Since Charybdis is a monster that controls the sky she advises that they bolster their defenses and send anyone who can meet it in the air to fight it and it's Megalodon familiars that have taken the bodies of lesser dragons as hosts.

Naturally, Milim wants to subdue the creature and while Rimuru initially wants her to as well his numerous subordinates turn down her offer. This is their problem and they have to deal with it, if they need help then they will ask her. Once the others have left and Rimuru is alone with Fuze and his men he reveals another reason why he wants to fight Charybdis.

When Rimuru inherited Shizue Izawa's will he also took up her mission of avenging herself against the Demon Lord Leon Cromwell. If he cannot defeat an opponent on Charybdis's level then he cannot go around picking fights with Demon Lords. Therefore Rimuru declares that as someone who is from the same country as Shizue, revealing his status as a Reincarnated former human in the process, it up to Rimuru to fight and defeat all the opponents in his way.

Characters
MAIN:
 * Rimuru Tempest
 * Benimaru
 * Shion
 * Shuna
 * Souei
 * Milim Nava
 * Fuze

BRIEF APPEARANCES:
 * Vesta
 * Kaijin
 * Gobuta
 * Rigurdo
 * Cabal
 * Gido
 * Elen
 * Farmenas (Very brief)

RETURNING CHARACTERS:
 * Phobio
 * Tear

NEW CHARACTERS:
 * Footman
 * Trya
 * Charybdis