Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 101! I hope everyone will enjoy it and without further ado, let's start!
- Rimuru POV-
We headed to an empty room further down with the puppets. They immediately kneeled down to me after we confirmed that we were alone.
" Our apologies, Rimuru-sama, Masters!"
" It's okay. Get up." I assured
" No! We were careless this entire time! We must have our due punishments for messing up!" Puppet Aichi reasoned
" No, it's also my problem. As Majins, you must find it hard to suppress your magicules all the time. That's why there was a leak. I should've thought of a better solution to help you guys store your magicules." I explained
" No, you can't take the blame! It was all on us!" Puppet Kai exclaimed
" It's as much our fault as it is yours. We didn't predict this far and now this happens. Since this is our responsibility, let's get through it together." Aichi assured
" Master...!"
" But we have to solve your problem right now. How do we go about this..." I muttered
[Answer: If given names to provoke evolution, there's a 70% chance of the puppets obtaining a dimensional storage skill to keep their magicules in without using their own strength to hold it in. Individuals Aichi and Kai have been doing the same with their own magicules. It's a slightly similar space as your 'Stomach'.]
" ... Alright! I'll give you guys names! After that, you guys might be able to obtain a skill to store your magicules in a dimensional space. That way you won't expend energy to keep it in and it won't leak." I suggested
" Names? But we..."
" Honestly, you guys are sentient enough to us. You are us, but at the same time, you aren't. We didn't want to make you guys in a way where our orders were absolute and where you guys didn't have emotions. Isn't it a good thing? Nothing about what you guys do are fake. They're all sentient and with emotions intact." Aichi explained
" We..."
" You two can continue to be loyal to us and do what we sent you here to do. Enjoy everything here to the fullest." Kai added
" So how about it?" I ask
" ... Yes! We'll gladly accept the names!"
" Great!"
I walked over to them and started thinking about names.
" I've decided! Your name will be Alu!" I pointed to Puppet Aichi then moved my finger to Puppet Kai, " And yours will be Zen!"
Both glowed while my magicules flowed into them.
" Thank you very much!"
" Once your evolution is complete, you should be able to gain that skill. Good luck, Alu, Zen!" I encouraged the two
" We'll live up to your expectations, Rimuru-sama, Masters!"
" Good, good!" I smiled before turning back to Aichi and Kai, " So what should we do now? I think we've made things weird and awkward."
" Xanxus showing up wasn't unexpected but his reaction to you was surprising. I never thought he'll try to attack someone that looks like a child." Kai sighed
" It's Xanxus-san though... He's unpredictable." Aichi sighed
" Yeah."
Wait a minute...
" You called me a child again!" I exclaimed
" Who can help it? You look like a 14 year old right now. Nobody else would listen to you." Kai said
" Ugh... I can change my body's age though..." I muttered
" It'll be weird to do it now, so I guess we can only go with the flow." Aichi shrugged
" Damn it..."
Also, now that I've named them, I guess Alu and Zen will have more magicules now. I'm sure our enemies this time can sense it. I just wonder who they actually are... Oh, right. The matter of Aichi and Kai's magicules...
[Report: Due to the sudden evolution, individuals Aichi and Kai's energy levels surpasses individual Benimaru. However, their evolutionary race 'Eclipse' has not changed.]
Yeah, that. Other than their magicules increasing, their race is something no monster has ever heard about. I mean, Eclipse is a phenomenon where the moon covers the sun once in many years. For it to have become a race for Aichi and Kai... Maybe it had something to do with their powers and past.
" Rimuru-sama?"
Oh, I've been staring at them, it seems...
" Nothing. Pretty sure you've noticed, but your magicules have increased quite a bit since your sudden evolution." I explained
" Yeah, we can tell." Aichi replied
" Was that why we'd suddenly just collapsed yesterday night? The masters were going through evolution?" Alu ask
" It was an evolutionary sleep. Though this is a bit different and didn't change their race. It's an evolution that happened due to PSYqualia's influence and not by mine." I explained
" Then that skill..." Alu said
" Definitely not what we wished for. Probably the last wish of Brandt that had clinged onto us." Aichi replied
" Oh..."
" Don't carelessly use our skills in this world, okay? We've already limited our powers on you guys as much as possible. However, you'll still share our power and skills as time passes." Kai reminded them
" Yes, sir!"
" Well, this settles everything then. Now all we have to do is wait." Aichi said
" Oh, wait. It'll be weird to call me the Lord here, so call me casually. I noticed no one dared to call my name out loud during the meeting to keep my identity a secret. Can we at least call each other casually without all the formalities? I've said this to you two before, Aichi, Kai." I chided
" Sorry, we'll try our best." Aichi said
" Jeez!"
Something else is bothering me too. That Tsunayoshi... He seemed to look at me weirdly when he first saw me.
" Hey, that Tenth Generation Vongola..." I started
" Oh, you mean Tsuna-kun? He has the Vongola Hyper Intuition. He can kind of sense danger from a distance or whether a person is dangerous or not." Aichi explained
" We noticed too. He knows that you're not normal, that's why he cut himself in with Enma. Enma must have picked up on his emotion." Kai added
Wow... They must be a strong duo then. Being able to tell what the other is thinking without having to communicate is a strong trait. They'll be great leaders in the future.
" I see."
" Shall we explore a little while we wait?" Aichi suggested
" Really?!"
I've never stepped foot into mansions before in my previous life so this is a perfect opportunity!
" Let's go."
" We'll return to the others in the meantime." Zen said
" Yeah, please do. Just tell them we'll be going around the mansion if they need us. Communicate if you have to." Kai said
" Yes."
We separated from Alu and Zen to explore the mansion. It was huge, really luxurious for such a large mafia family. Hm? These portraits...
" The portraits of the previous generations of Vongola. From the First to the current Ninth." Aichi explained
" Oh..."
Those kids in the Tenth Generation all look quite similar to the First Generation. I wonder if it's because of that. But seeing that Tsunayoshi had that Hyper Intuition thing, I think it's more than just the looks...
" We saw them before. The First Generation." Aichi said
" Oh... Huh?!"
" Their wills lived in the Vongola Rings for generations. When they deemed Tsuna and his Guardians worthy, they appeared to release the full power of the Vongola Rings. We were the ones that overlooked the trials for them." Kai explained
" That was such a long time ago." Aichi added
" Rather about two to three years ago. Before you went for the Asia Circuit." Kai said
" Yeah."
" It was pretty chaotic back there, huh? We travelled to the future and all. The Ten Years Bazooka, right?" Aichi tried to recall
" Yeah, that thing was what sent us to the future." Kai nodded
" Something that sends you ten years into the future?!" I exclaimed
" Only for five minutes. It also sends your ten years later self to this timeline." Aichi explained
" Oh..."
I wonder what would Tempest be like ten years later... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but it's not like something so convenient would-
" L-Look out!"
I turned my body to the owner of the voice but then darkness just engulfed me with a pulling of a trigger.
- Normal POV-
Aichi and Kai stood in shock as the bazooka they had been talking about had landed miraculously on Rimuru before firing. Now there was only pink smoke waiting to dissipate.
" S-Sorry! Lambo went crazy and the bazooka..."
Tsuna had ran over to them in a panic but soon stopped himself when a figure emerged from the smoke.
" Jyuudaime! I've captured that dumb cow!" Gokudera yelled
His Guardians chased behind him but also paused when the figure finally opened their shining, golden eyes. Their silver blue hair now longer and having grown slightly taller.
" Where am I...?"
" ... Rimuru...?" Aichi called, cautious about the figure
Right now, both him and Kai could sense the stronger pressure than the Rimuru that they knew, so they kept their guard up.
" Huh...?"
The figure had a disbelieving tone after being called, repeating under their breath 'It can't be...'. They finally turned their head.
" You're the future..." Aichi trailed off
The future Rimuru had a more mature look on his face, but it added more to the apparent beauty he had when he was smaller.
" Oh my god..." He muttered disbelievingly, walking over to them, " You guys... You're... You're..."
" Rimuru?"
" ... I see. I'm in the past." Future Rimuru murmured
" Y... Yeah. Are you okay?" Aichi ask
" Yeah... Of course I am." Future Rimuru replied, shaking his head, " What am I doing...?"
" Don't worry. You'll return in five minutes. This was an accident." Kai assured
" Five minutes? ... It's enough." Future Rimuru smiled
" Enough?"
Future Rimuru threw his arms around their necks and buried his face on their shoulders.
" Um... Rimuru...?"
" I'm sorry, but just let me stay like this... Until I return." Future Rimuru whispered
" Aichi! Kai!"
They barely turned their heads enough to see their other friends running towards them before stopping them.
" That's..." Alu exclaimed
" Did the bazooka hit her?!" Zen exclaimed
" Y... Yeah..."
" ... Rimuru-sama. Did something happen?" Aichi whispered
" No, nothing. Just missed you guys, and everyone else." Future Rimuru whispered
" Oh..."
When the five minutes were almost up, future Rimuru finally took his arms off them.
" I'm happy to see you guys again. Take care." He finally grinned
" Okay."
With that, the pink smoke enveloped him again and the Rimuru that they knew appeared from it.
" ... Hm? What was I doing...?" Rimuru muttered
" You were hit by the bazooka. Talk about speaking of the devil." Kai said
" Wait, so you're saying that I got sent to the future?!" Rimuru exclaimed
" Yeah. Saw anything interesting there?" Aichi ask
" No...? I was sleeping the entire time." Rimuru replied before lowering his volume to a bare mutter, " I thought slimes didn't need sleep..."
" I see."
" And what about me? Did you see my future self?" Rimuru ask
Aichi and Kai flinched as they remembered the future Rimuru and the sadness reflected in his eyes when he looked at them.
" Hm?"
" ... We did! Didn't think you'd look so beautiful in the future. Everyone else were stunned beyond words!" Aichi exclaimed
" Huh? Everyone else?"
Rimuru turned behind to see Tsuna and the others and flinched.
" I didn't have my mask on?!" Rimuru exclaimed
" Nope. Your future self wasn't wearing it." Kai said
" Damn..."
Behind him, Aichi and Kai just exchanged solemn glances before shrugging it off to smile at each other.
" So I guess since your face has already been seen, maybe you should just remove your mask now?" Kai shrugged
" Huh?!"
" Yeah, yeah! Your cute face will be a sight to see as well!" Aichi exclaimed, clapping his hands together
" Wha?! Huh?!"
- Rimuru POV-
These guys... After seeing my future self, they're out to get me to show my face now! I guess I did see what a more grown up self I would look like with a clone, but this is different!
" But if I remove my mask, it might leak some of my magicules!" I communicated
" Too late. Your future self accidentally did that too. We could feel how strong the leak was." Kai communicated
" Besides, now that Alu and Zen have completely concealed their magicules, those enemies will now come after us. It's already too late anyway." Aichi communicated
" Ugh... Fine, fine..."
We walked over to their friends and they started chatting up before looking over to me.
" So what will you do?" Aichi ask
" Ugh..."
" You're telling me that the mask was to hide her face?" Tsunayoshi ask
" Yeah. You know, she gets those kinds of look. A little mask wouldn't hurt." Kai replied
" Oh..."
Liar! You're just teasing me!
" ... Since we're all acquaintances by now, I think it isn't bad to show my face now." I said
" We kind of saw it because of your future self, though..." Yamamoto said, scratching his cheek
Hey, no blushing! This feels weird for me too!
" Well then..."
As I begin to take my mask off, my Magic Sense suddenly picked up on something.
[Warning: Powerful magicules approaching. Estimated arrival in one minute.]
I immediately went on guard. Aichi and Kai had also noticed the approaching magicules.
" Looks like we don't have to wait for long." Kai said
" Everyone, to an open area!" Aichi shouted
We only have a few seconds, but luckily, we were all at the first floor. So that means there's an open field right outside the mansion.
" Here they come!" I warned
There was a crash landing right in front of us and I jumped back to create a distance while Aichi and Kai stopped in front of me.
" Masters!"
" Stay right there!" I ordered, Alu and Zen flinched at my order, " We'll deal with them!"
" We'll help!" Miwa shouted
" Yeah, you can just stay back, kid!" Gokudera shouted
" I'm not a kid! I can handle myself just fine!" I rebutted
" You guys focus on damage control! We wouldn't want the mansion to become majorly damaged!" Aichi shouted
" But..."
" Please! We're counting on you guys!" Aichi exclaimed
" O... Okay."
I can see Ninth and some of the other guys coming from the mansion, but doesn't matter. Right now, it's what's in front of us.
" Who are you?" I ask
" Remember our name, human. We're the Elemental Four and we'll be indulging in your powers."
This teal-haired figure... Is that blue flames surrounding his body?! Flames like that exists?! He must be the leader... And then that big guy with steel body... Seems a little troublesome. The smaller one seems to be female, almost childlike appearance.
[Report: This individual seems to have the Fairy race.]
A fairy? Then some sort of nature fairy? She seems to have that floating ball with vines wrapping around it, so I'm guessing that's it. The last one... He gives me the creeps. What's that ominous purple ice growing on his hands?
" Be careful, you two. They don't seem to be easy opponents. I can take on two of them, you guys can take on the rest." I communicated
" Isn't it better if we stick together with you, Rimuru-sama? What if you get into trouble?" Aichi communicated
" I'll be okay. You two just concentrate on your opponents. We'll separate them the moment we move." I communicated
" Yes, sir!"
I got my katana out from my 'Stomach', belting it behind me and unsheathed the blade. I glanced over to Aichi and Kai. They had also gotten different weapons out this time. Kai's using the scythe he tried to use on Milim. Aichi is using a rapier. I seriously need to start looking at those weapons. I'm fairly interested in them, though I can't copy them.
" Ready?"
" Yeah!"
We started moving. I'll be taking on the leader and the fairy. Looks like Aichi will be busy with that steel guy while Kai got the ice creep.
" A human thinks he can take us on?" The leader smirked
" I may not look like it, but I can hold my own in a battle." I said
" Hey, hey. Before that, it won't be fun to torment someone with some ugly mask on." The fairy giggled
What?! This fairy just called Shizu-san's memento ugly!
[Warning: Incoming attack from the ground.]
I barely bent my back enough to avoid the vines sprouting rapidly from the ground. She was aiming to destroy the mask! That's it!
" Hey."
After getting their attention, I moved my hand over to my mask.
" I won't let you do as you please. This mask is a memento left by someone important to me. I won't let you simply destroy it." I declared, removing my mask and keeping it safely in my 'Stomach', " ... I'm gonna become serious."
This seemed to put them on guard now. They must sense my magicules clearly now.
" ... Heh, I see. So you're not just a human." The leader scoffed
I'm technically a slime, so yeah, I'm not even a human right now. I put a hand out and curled my fingers at them.
" Enough talk. Come at me." I taunted them
Applying Black Flame to my katana, I slashed away the vines attacking me. From analysis, they can regenerate but with my Black Flames, it should be hard now.
" What is that flame?! My vines can't regrow!" The fairy exclaimed
" Then have a taste of my blue flames!" The leader declared
A barrage of blue flames were being fired in my direction, but not a problem.
" Gluttony!"
I simply swallowed them with Gluttony. I can see why everyone else had to be wary of them. This sort of attack can deal harsh damage if not contained properly. This does make me feel bad for making them gather for no reason...
[Report: Analysis complete. Successfully created a copy of flames eaten by Gluttony. Use it? Yes/No?]
Whoa! That's way too quick, Great Sage! It might jab their pride so let's just hold that off for now. Since I can handle them, I wonder what's going on with Aichi and Kai. With Magic Sense, I can watch their battle.
" ... Aichi? You okay there?" I communicated
" Yes, uh... How should I say this?" Aichi communicated, he seems hesitant
" I know, but don't let your guard down just yet. I don't think they're showing us everything yet." I communicated
" Yeah... I guess I'll try out something else. Shuna-san has been wanting to train a little and she wants me to come up with a training regimen for her." Aichi communicated
He... He can do that...? In the middle of a battle?! Well, he did switch his rapier and pulled out a pair of folding fans he kept on his battle yukata.
" Hey, hey! You're going against steel!" I communicated
" Don't worry. These were forged by our best blacksmiths. I believe in their craft." Aichi communicated
" ... Suit yourself then. And you, Kai?" I communicated
" Just fine. His ice is a little annoying though." Kai communicated
" Ice puppets, huh? Can you handle him?" I communicated
" Who do you think I am? I won't lose to a creep like him." Kai communicated
So he thinks the same thing as I did... Damn, the hot guys always know what to say.
" Well, if you need any help, just call." I communicated
" Yes, sir!"
Not like they seem to need any... They seem to be doing just fine without me.
- Aichi POV-
I did put my guard up against this person. His body is made of steel after all. That's why I used my rapier to create different forms of pitholes and traps. I didn't think he would actually run straight into all of them without a single bit of caution!
" Hey! Are you playing with me?! Why are you using fans?!" He yelled out
Because I wanted a bit more of a fight and I need something to bring back for Shuna-san to train with. Sorry if I have to use you as a training dummy.
" I just want to try them out." I replied honestly
" Don't joke around with me! My steel will snap them in an instant! Change it!" He shouted out
... Hm? Is he genuinely worried about my choice of weapons? Is he doing this for a better fight or does he just want my guard to go down and attack afterwards? These guys are weird...
" Then should I change to using my fists instead?" I ask, prodding a little
" Wha?! Are you asking to get hurt?! Your fragile body will snap too!" He yelled back
Oh my... He actually is worried. I think my opinion of this one has changed a little. He seems to be a gentle steel. Maybe he just seeks the thrill of a good battle.
" Are you listening to me?!"
" Oh, I am. It's okay, just come at me." I assured
" Huh?!"
" I promise that this will be a good fight for you to enjoy throughly." I said
Seems like he saw a certain look in my eyes because he let out a smirk on his lips. So we also began clashing seriously.
- Kai POV-
Why did I choose the most annoying one? No, he doesn't feel strong. But he's a total creep. He was the one that looked at us weirdly. Now he's running his mouth about how he's going suck us dry of our elements, probably referring to magicules. They don't seem to know that.
" Come on, you coward! Keep the attacks coming! I still haven't had enough!" He taunted me
Annoying... I don't want to deal with this, but it's better to do something than let them rampage in our world and attack our Alu and Zen. I wouldn't want this world to be thrown off balance because of magicules. They have to be taken into Tempest, no matter what.
" Hey! Come on!" He keeps taunting
Don't blame me if you get hurt then. I got through the ice puppets and swung my scythe onto one of his icicle arms, but then a purple smoke billowed out from it. He was laughing. It was poison.
" How do you like that?! My poison will attack your nerves and you'll cry for your life!" He laughed
Really?
" Kai? Kai! Hey!" The lord's worried
" ... I'm fine. I don't feel a thing." I assured in my communication
" It's poison, you know?!" He communicated
Yeah, that's exactly why I'm so pissed and why this guy is now going to see a world of hell.
And that's the end of the chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!