Mikami Satoru, a businessman, is stabbed by a criminal on the street and killed. When he regains consciousness in the darkness, he finds that he's been reincarnated as a slime! With nothing better to do, he spends his time devouring all the rare herbs and precious ores he comes across. As he does, he encounters the Storm Dragon Veldora, who was sealed in this cave 300 years ago by a hero's "Unlimited Imprisonment" skill. He's frightened at first, but as they talk, he becomes friends with the long-isolated Veldora.

The slime Mikami and the Storm Dragon Veldora decide to give each other names. Veldora gives the slime Mikami the name "Rimuru," and Rimuru comes up with a family name for both of them: "Tempest." Then Rimuru uses his Predator skill to take Veldora into his body and analyze the "Unlimited Imprisonment" seal in hopes of breaking it... but this action sends a shock through the nations surrounding the Great Forest of Jura. With Veldora gone, there's a chance that the larger nations could become bold and invade the smaller provinces. With no knowledge of this, Rimuru leaves the cave and meets some Goblins.

After leaving the cave, Rimuru encounters a village of Goblins under attack by a clan of Direwolves. Caught in the heat of the moment, Rimuru agrees to help the Goblins in their battle. That night, the Direwolves arrive to try to take over as the new rulers of the Great Forest of Jura!

Rimuru and his companions visit the Dwarven Kingdom, the Armed Nation of Dwargon, in search of some artisans to help the Goblins learn to supply their own food, shelter, and clothing. However, a skirmish just outside the city gate lands Rimuru and Gobta in a prison cell. Then there's a report of an Armorsaurus in the nearby mines!

Thanks to Rimuru's skill, Kaijin was able to finish all the longswords and deliver them to the king, so the two of them celebrate by heading to a bar staffed by lots of elf girls. One of them reads Rimuru's fortune for fun, and sees an image in her crystal ball of someone she believes Rimuru is destined to be with. As everyone wonders who this person could be, Vesta shows up and starts to hassle Rimuru...

One day, in the midst of the improvements on the Goblin Village with the help of Kaijin and the dwarves, Rimuru meets a trio of adventurers from the Guild who've been temporarily joined by a masked woman named Shizu. Shizu turns out to be the person Rimuru is destined to be with, as his fortune said. Shizu also came to this world from Japan, but unlike him, she was summoned here many years ago. So Rimuru uses his Thought Communication skill to show Shizu what Japan looks like today.

The Demon Lord Leon Cromwell summoned Shizu out of Tokyo as it burned during in the air raids, then forced the high-ranked spirit Ifrit to possess her. After taking over Shizu's body, Ifrit begins to rampage.

When Shizu was still with Demon Lord Leon, it was a Hero who rescued her. That Hero was Shizu's inspiration to help as many people as she could for many years. She even worked as a teacher for children who'd come from other worlds. And now, as her time comes to an end, Shizu asks Rimuru for one last favor...

Rimuru and the Goblins' village is developing nicely. The Dwarves are building all kinds of houses and furniture, and the local Goblin Lords have appointed Rigurd as the Goblin King. As Rimuru watches everything come together, he decides to return to the cave and test the skills he received from Shizu. While there, he receives a request for help from Ranga through Thought Communication, and he rushes back to find his friends facing six Ogres. One of them orders Rimuru to "reveal his true identity." What is going on in the Great Forest of Jura?

Six Ogres are all that remain of their clan after an attack by an Orc army. They say that the Orcs were traveling with a mysterious majin who wore plate mail and a clown mask. Rimuru proposes that the Ogres join his ranks, and they accept on the condition that they will get to take down the one leading the Orcs, so Rimuru gives all six of them names. Meanwhile, the Orcs begin to invade the marshlands surrounding Lake Siss that are inhabited by the Lizardmen. So the Lizardman chieftan gives his son, Gabiru, an order...

Rimuru's village has gained Benimaru and the other five Ogres as its newest allies. Soon after, the Lizardman Gabiru visits the village, having heard rumors about it. Gabiru has been visiting Goblin villages throughout the Great Forest of Jura to enlist their aid in fighting off the Orc army. When he faces Ranga with an attitude of provocation, Ranga tells him that if he can defeat Gobta, they'll hear what he has to say...

The Orc army, led by the Orc Lord, continues its conquest throughout the Great Forest of Jura. The crisis has spurred Treyni of the Dryads, the caretakers of the forest, to take action. She has had her eye on Rimuru after noticing his rise to prominence in the forest, and she wants Rimuru to defeat the Orc Lord.

Rimuru and his Goblin riders set out for the marshlands to finalize their alliance with the Lizardmen. On the way, they save a Lizardman who'd been attacked by the Orcs. The victim turns out to be Gabiru's younger sister, who reveals that Gabiru led an insurrection and left to fight the Orc Lord without waiting for the alliance. She also pleads with Rimuru to save Gabiru and the rest of her clan. Meanwhile, Gabiru faces the massive Orc army and is shocked when he witnesses the power of their unique skill, Starved.

The majin Gelmud makes his appearance at last. His true goal was to evolve the Orc Lord into the Orc Disaster, a Demon Lord, and have him reign over the Forest of Jura. Upon learning this, the Orc Lord takes action...

Post-war arrangements following the battle with the Orcs have begun. At the meeting, Rimuru reveals that he made a promise with the Orc Disaster, Geld, to take all of the Orcs' sins upon himself. When the Ogres and Lizardmen hear this...

The Jura Tempest Federation, with Rimuru as its leader, has formed an alliance with the Armed Nation of Dwargon. Just as Rimuru thinks there are only peaceful days ahead, he senses an enormous mass of magical power heading straight for his location at an incredible speed. When the smoke from its collision with the ground clears, standing in its place is a humanoid figure. She is the Demon Mord Milim, the one and only Dragonoid and the one bearing the nickname "Destroyer." Ranga, Benimaru, and the others who face her are quickly overwhelmed by her power.

The Demon Lord Carrion has sent one of his Three Beastketeers, Phobio, on a raid of Rimuru's city. However, Phobio is quickly defeated when Milim meets his attack with her own. Rimuru and his subordinates then ask Phobio why he has come to their town.

Phobio can't restrain his anger toward Milim. He finds himself faced with Footman and Tear, two masked members of the Moderate Harlequin Alliance, who suggest that he become a Demon Lord to take revenge on Milim. They tell him that he can accomplish this using the power of Charybdis. Meanwhile, the Jura Tempest Federation sends Youm out on a journey to make the world believe he was the champion who defeated the Orc Lord.

Its seal removed, the calamity-class monster Charybdis and its Medalodon minions advance on the capital city of Rimuru. The Jura Tempest Federation combines all its forces under Rimuru to intercept the attack. King Gazel even sends 100 of his Pegasus Knights to aid in the battle. But Charybdis's extra skills Magic Jamming and Ultraspeed Regeneration make it a formidable foe. So Rimuru unleashes his new skill, Gluttony...

The threat of Charybdis has gone. That night, Rimuru has a dream in which he sees Shizu teaching children at her school in the Kingdom of Ingrassia—a dream showing Shizu's lingering regret. To see her wishes through, Rimuru leaves the Jura Tempest Federation and heads for the capital of the Kingdom of Ingrassia. His first goal is to meet with the Grandmaster of the Guild, Yuuki Kagurazaka, who happens to be a Summon and a former student of Shizu's.

Rimuru becomes the new teacher for Shizu's students. However, having been summoned into this world against their will and facing shortened lifespans as a result, the children's feelings are complicated, and they're reluctant to accept Rimuru. So Rimuru proposes a series of mock battles with each of them to ascertain their abilities and allow them to let off steam.

Rimuru tries to think of a way to save the children of Freedom Academy who are fated to die. The idea he comes up with is to have superior spirits inhabit each of them, as Shizu had, so their lives won't end prematurely. Determined to whatever it takes to save them, Rimuru leads the children to the Dwelling of Spirits, where superior spirits can be found. But as they make their way further inside, a Golem made of magisteel and controlled by the fairy Ramiris stands in their path.

Rimuru and the children reach the deepest level of the Dwelling of Spirits, where they stand on a pedestal bathed in light to summon superior spirits. Will their summoning be successful? Amidst the uncertainty, the first to attempt the summoning is Gale, followed by Alice, Kenya, Ryota, and finally Chloe. But instead of a spirit, Chloe's summoning brings forth an unknown spiritual form with an immense amount of energy. Just what is this spiritual being? Ramiris seems to sense something about it...

This story takes place before Rimuru's reincarnation. Shizu, also known as the Conqueror of Flames, responds to an urgent request calling her to the Kingdom of Filtwood. When she reaches the castle, many adventurers are already there. What request could have demanded such a huge gathering? It turns out a demon has been revived, and the adventurers have been called to subjugate it. It is said that more than ten of the most skilled adventurers have already been killed by this demon. But there is more to this request than meets the eye...

Rimuru sends a delegation led by Benimaru to the Animal Kingdom of Eurazania, ruled by the Demon Lord Carrion, also known as the Beastmaster, to establish diplomatic relations after becoming indebted to him in the battle against Charybdis. A delegation from Eurazania is set to arrive in Tempest around the same time, but the Animal Kingdom is a very warlike nation, and Shion is enraged when one of the delegates, Suphia of the Three Beastketeers, makes a belittling remark toward Rimuru. The goal was a friendly relationship, but it takes no time at all for a fight to break out...

Despite the initial conflict, Eurazania and Tempest have deemed each other to be worthy of establishing friendly relations, and diplomacy between them officially begins. Tempest agrees to share its industrial techniques in return for Eurazania's agricultural techniques, and Rimuru decides to use the apple brandy produced as a result of this exchange to seek friendly relations with the Armed Nation of Dwargon next. He's accompanied by Shuna and Shion along with the former residents of Dwargon, Kaijin and the three Dwarf brothers, who are welcomed back to their home nation as state guests.

Rimuru completes the two very important duties of a discussion with King Dwargon and a public speech announcing the two nations' friendship to the people. Now it's time to head out for a little fun at the paradise he promised Gobta... while making sure Shuna and Shion don't notice.

Tempest is preparing a feast in celebration of Rimuru's return home. Then a newcomer, the majin Myulan, arrives to scope out Tempest on the Demon Lord Clayman's orders, having joined up with Youm's crew as their military advisor in order to enter the nation. Upon arriving, she's surprised to see what a strong nation it is, but continues to talk with its citizens to learn more. Meanwhile, the king of Falmuth, who sees Tempest as a nuisance, conspires with the Western Holy Church in a plot to invade the monster nation.

Following Clayman's orders, Myulan ignores the words of Youm and Grucius, both of whom have fallen in love with her, and activates the Anti-Magic Area spell. At the same time, Reyheim also activates Prison Field. The double barrier prevents Shion and the other fighters of Tempest from fighting as well as usual, and they end up at a disadvantage in their fights with three Otherworlders. Benimaru tries to contact Rimuru, who still hasn't returned, but he can't even get in touch with him due to the barriers.

At the same time as the attack on Tempest, Rimuru is also under attack. With one look, Rimuru realizes that his assailant is one of Shizu's former students, an Otherworlder, and the woman then introduces herself as the strongest of the Holy Knights, Hinata Sakaguchi. Rimuru is backed into a corner when her Holy Field seals most of his magic. At the same time, Shion and Hakurou, whose magic has been sealed by a similar barrier, are backed into a corner by Shogo and Kyoya.

Rimuru learns about Clayman and the schemes of the Kingdom of Falmuth, but no matter how hard he wishes for it, his fallen comrades and their peaceful lifestyle will never return. He's just about to give up when Eren tells him of a fairy tale that might offer a glimmer of hope. The probability of success is about 3%... but if Rimuru can manage to become a Demon Lord by taking in the souls of 10,000 humans as nourishment, he just might have a chance at bringing his comrades back to life. As Falmuth's army of 20,000 men marches toward Tempest, Rimuru takes hold of that hope and decides to become a Demon Lord.

In order to come to terms with his own negligence and revive Shion, Gobta, and his other fallen comrades, Rimuru reveals that he used to be a human. But his allies think nothing of it and accept him regardless, as if it's the natural thing to do. Filled with gratitude for the warm, accepting environment he's in, Rimuru turns his focus to the army from Falmuth. He entrusts Benimaru and the others to destroy the devices that are generating the enemy's Prison Field while Rimuru himself sets out to attack the advancing army and use them as nourishment to become a Demon Lord.

The battle for revenge has begun. Benimaru and his trusted companions carry out their respective missions, while Hakurou and his party face Shogo and Kyoya once again. And Rimuru's fury rains down upon the army from Falmuth.

Rimuru succeeds in collecting enough souls to carry out his plan to evolve, and the Harvest Festival begins. But he's suddenly overcome by intense sleepiness at the same time, so he summons a demon to stop Razen, the one target who escaped alive. Then, upon returning to Tempest after successfully becoming a Demon Lord, Rimuru sets about attempting to revive Shion and the rest of the fallen. Through Raphael, the evolved form of Great Sage, the Secret Arts of Spirit Resurrection and Revival of the Dead are activated...

Shion and the rest of the fallen are revived, Diablo has joined the team... It seems as if all is going smoothly, but Rimuru then receives a report that Milim has declared war and Eurazania has been destroyed, and there's still the matter of the Western Holy Church's hostility toward monsters, even with Falmuth out of the picture. But at the same time, Raphael informs him that the Appraisal of Unlimited Imprisonment has been completed. At last, two years after Rimuru's reincarnation into this world, he can finally fulfill the first promise he made here: to free Veldora.

A feast is thrown to celebrate the revival of Tempest's fallen and the return of Veldora. After enjoying a brief, peaceful respite, Rimuru tells everyone his future plans: he's going to get the word out to the whole world that he's a Demon Lord and declare war against Clayman. Then King Gazel of the Armed Nation of Dwargon, Fuze of the Kingdom of Blumund, and Eren's father, Archduke Elalude of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, all arrive in Tempest, and an important meeting to discuss the nation's future begins.

As prominent figures from several nations assemble in Tempest for a meeting, Laplace and his companions formulate a plan centered around Clayman. Then someone familiar joins the discussion...

Rimuru announces his plan to back Youm as the new king of Falmuth. After hearing this, Gazel tests Youm to see if he has what it takes to be a ruler, and Youm answers with full sincerity. Erald also takes a liking to Rimuru after hearing him say he just wants to create a world where everyone can prosper and smile. Thus Rimuru and his allies look ahead to the battle against their new enemy, Clayman.

A new force has suddenly risen to power in the Great Forest of Jura, and its leader, Clayman, proposes that the Demon Lords hold Walpurgis with the goal of sanctioning the slime who deceived him. Rimuru also begins to prepare for a battle with Clayman, but observing the enemy army's movements reveals that Clayman's target is not Tempest, but Eurazania. Clayman's army will arrive in Eurazania within two days. Can Rimuru's forces get there in time?

To put a stop to Clayman's plans, Rimuru uses transport magic on a large scale to both move Tempest's army to Eurazania and evacuate the people of Eurazania to Tempest. Rimuru also decides to crash Walpurgis, the Demon Lords' banquet, in order to settle the score with Clayman personally. Since this will be a return match for Shion, he decides to take her and Ranga along. New military forces are organized in Tempest in preparation for the battle against Clayman's army. At last, the eve of battle is upon them...

Benimaru leads his army to Eurazania, and Youm heads to Falmuth to take it over along with his buddies and Diablo. Rimuru succeeds in outwitting Clayman by transporting all of Eurazania's refugees to Tempest. Since Clayman has been striving to evolve into an Awakened Demon Lord for a long time, his resentment toward Rimuru grows. Meanwhile, Demon Lord Leon, Veldora's sister Velzard, and Guy, the oldest of the Demon Lords, become increasingly impressed with Rimuru.

Rimuru continues with preparations for Walpurgis, including making Treyni evolve into a Dryas Doll Dryad. Meanwhile, Benimaru and his forces have arrived in Eurazania via transport magic, and they promptly run Clayman's army into a trap set by Geld. The Three Beastketeers, determined to rescue Carrion, set out to subdue the enemy army's leader. Albis fights one-on-one with Yamza of the Five Fingers, while Phobio takes on Footman and Tear.

Gabiru narrowly wins his battle against Hermes. Watching their outcome is Middray of the Dragon Faithful, whose skill was enough to overwhelm even Suphia. Though he looks like a human, he is actually a Dragonewt like Gabiru. Meanwhile, Yamza uses his artifact Doppelganger to create a double of himself, but Albis still defeats him soundly. He tries to surrender, but Clayman takes control of him and forces him to transform into Charybdis.

With all the preparations complete, Rimuru heads out to attend Walpurgis with Shion and Ranga, while Ramiris takes Beretta and Treyni. In the meantime, Shuna, Hakuro, and Soei find both their vision and their magic detection abilities hindered by a thick fog as they draw closer to Clayman's castle. From within the fog appears the Index Finger of Clayman's Five Fingers, Adalman, also known as the White King. Hakuro and Soei hold the enemies around them at bay while Shuna faces Adalman one-on-one.

Clayman tries to convince the other Demon Lords that Rimuru should be purged, but Guy tells him that if he is truly a Demon Lord, he should defeat Rimuru himself. What should be a one-on-one battle between Rimuru and Clayman is joined by Milim, who has been brainwashed by Clayman, so Rimuru takes on Milim while Shion faces Clayman. But Rimuru is at a disadvantage against Milim and finds himself pushed back... until Veldora bursts onto the scene and takes Milim's attack in Rimuru's place.

Clayman and his pawns stand no chance against Rimuru and his allies. At a loss, Clayman orders Milim to use Stampede to kill everyone present, but Milim reveals he was never controlling her from the start. It was all an act to expose Clayman's plans and identify the mastermind behind it all. Even Carrion is still alive and well. On the brink of death, Clayman uses the souls of everyone he has killed as energy for his awakening. Thus the final battle to settle the score between Rimuru and Clayman begins.

Rimuru backs Clayman into a corner trying to get him to reveal who he's working for, but even on death's door, Clayman's lips are sealed. Left with no other choice, Rimuru finishes Clayman off. With Clayman dead and Carrion and Frey announcing that they're stepping down as Demon Lords, the total number of Demon Lords including Rimuru is reduced from ten to eight. Guy coerces Rimuru into coming up with a new name for their group, and Rimuru's solution is "Octagram," representing each of the Demon Lords as an eight-pointed star. Thus a slime became one of the eight Demon Lords, marking the start of a new age.

Rimuru has returned to Jura after having attended Walpurgis. Diablo informs Rimuru of his mission to deal with the Kingdom of Falmuth. Having presented the kingdom with three options at a resolution, the clock on the week for their answer ticks down.

Yuuki is saddened by the death of Clayman, and Luminus is saddened by the death of Roy. Steeped in sadness, and having lost their friends, they seek their next move against Rimuru, who has grown in power and become a true Demon Lord.

Expecting visitors from all races to come calling after learning that Rimuru now controls the entire Great Forest of Jura, Rimuru decides to hold a festival to introduce himself and Tempest to the world, with the goal of attracting new citizens.

Responding to Rimuru's concerns about monsters in the forest harming humans, Vesta and Kaijin reveal a new invention they hope will keep the road to Tempest safe. Also, Rimuru assigns a new task to Geld.

A war council led by Hinata is held in the Holy Empire of Lubelius. Moments after Hinata declares her intent to meet Rimuru and talk to him, she receives a hostile message from Rimuru.

The spread of false information causes the Temple Knights to assemble, endangering Diablo's plan to conquer Falmuth. Meanwhile, Rimuru learns that Hinata is on her way to Tempest.

As Hinata makes her way to Tempest, the ramen and well-built roads she sees along the way prove to her that Rimuru genuinely wants monsters and humans to coexist. But against her wishes, one of her men is also on his way to Tempest...

The Crusaders have reached Tempest, and the battle is on. Hinata lays everything she learned from her mentor, Shizu, on the line in a life-or-death showdown against Rimuru.

Diablo descends before the enemy, King Edward of Falmuth. Also present are Saare and Glenda, two of the three Battlesages who are regarded as the most brilliant among the Master Rooks.

Just after the end of Hinata and Rimuru's duel, Hinata's sword moves on its own and targets Rimuru. Hinata jumps in its way to protect him and is gravely injured. Then the masterminds behind the whole conflict show up...

The Seven Days Clergy have been purged, and the battle is over. Rimuru and Hinata hold a meeting to discuss future relations between their two nations, and the masterminds behind the whole conflict, the Eastern merchants, are revealed.

Everyone in Tempest is busy preparing for the festival to celebrate the country's opening. Rimuru visits Mjöllmile to share ideas on forms of entertainment that will keep people coming back for more.

Demon Lord Ramiris tries to argue her way into moving to Tempest, where there's great food, hot springs, and ample entertainment. Rimuru happens to walk into the argument and comes up with a way to make use of Ramiris's skills.

Rimuru is building a dungeon in preparation for the upcoming festival. It will feature treasure chests containing weapons made by Kurobe, and Veldora will inhabit the deepest floor as the final boss. Then Milim suddenly shows up with a suggestion...

Numerous representatives from across the Great Forest of Jura have assembled in Tempest to congratulate Rimuru on his appointment to Demon Lord. Shuna requests holding a three-day audience to meet with them.

On the last day of the audience, Rimuru meets Momiji, the representative of the Tengu clan. Their meeting comes after Rimuru had sent Benimaru to the Tengu village to request their permission to build a tunnel through the Kusha Mountains.

After learning about an elf slave trade, Rimuru had Soei investigate, but it turns out the slave traders have already been shut down by Masayuki, the Lightspeed Hero. Word is now spreading that the Hero is headed to Tempest to slay a Demon Lord...

After meeting with the kings of various nations, Rimuru heads to Engrassia to invite his former students to the festival. The kids are thrilled to go back with him to Tempest, but then the hero Masayuki arrives as well...

The night before the Opening Festival, Rimuru throws a lavish banquet for all the nobles and royalty visiting Tempest. When the party is in full swing, Empress Elmesia of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion arrives, throwing everyone into chaos.

It's day one of the festival, and Rimuru finally gets to see all of his friends' performances and presentations. As he's enojying the festivities, he's summoned by Luminus...

A martial arts tournament is being held! The winner will be given the right to challenge Rimuru. The hero, Masayuki, will be participating in the tournament. Rimuru wants to uncover the hero's true strength, so they get Geld and Gobta to participate.

Gazel and Elmesia pledge to assist Rimuru with Tempest's lack of funding. Elmesia then proposes an alliance, but she's concerned about the danger Diablo poses.

Rimuru's dungeon is finally revealed, and his new ally Masayuki is among its first challengers. Later, after the festival is over, Rimuru's biggest job still awaits.

Rimuru pays the merchants with the gold coins he's procured. The merchants try to garner futher favor, but Rimuru ceases trading with them. Rimuru then gathers his allies and calls for action again the eastern merchants who are operating in secret.