A.N.: Nope, I'm still here!
This time, I'm not running Re:Zero or Tanya. This chapter is focused on the (mis)adventures of Naofumi and Rimuru, at least following the conclusion of the battle with Mr. Pig.
Please remember to go support the original Sekai no Tatakai Battle of Worlds by ChaoswarriorX. This is just me trying to do the original justice at this point.
Make sure to follow, favorite, leave a review, and enjoy!
The battle with Mutago is over. Motoyasu is free from his possession. After leaving the Spear Hero in the care of Shuna, Naofumi and Rimuru convene and converse.
"Hey. I'd like to talk to you about a few things," Naofumi opens.
Rimuru, now back in his slime form, is keeping an eye on Motoyasu, just to be absolutely sure there's nothing looming near him that could cause harm. The giant beast did smash quite a few buildings, after all.
Naofumi's voice snaps him out of it, however. "Oh, sure, what's up?"
"About that guy we went up against… Is that creature some kind of common thing around here?" He is dealing with a village of monsters, so the idea isn't too far-fetched.
Rimuru thinks for a moment. "It definitely wasn't a spirit like Ifrit, anyway. I can't say I've seen anything like that before, sorry. And by your question, I can say you haven't encountered this before, either." He sighs and thinks for a few seconds. "It's boring to just sit and talk here. Want to head to our hot springs, Naofumi? It'll be a better place to speak, and we need it after that battle. What do you say?"
A hot spring? Naofumi thinks. Well, I have had a long day; it wouldn't hurt to relax a little. These people… well, creatures, I guess, do seem to be on good terms, so I shouldn't have much to worry about. Plus, I do still have some remnants of the curse from Blood Sacrifice still in me. I have no idea if this spring will have the same effects as the ones in Cal Mira, but it's worth a shot, I guess.
"Sure, I've got no problem with it."
The slime lets an outline of a smile pop up and laughs. "Great! Then I'll make sure it's reserved so no one else will come in and disturb us. Ready to go?" He stretches out a blue slime arm to open the door and begins hopping his way to the hot springs, smiling as he sees Rigurd leave to handle matters about Motoyasu and Mutago. He's always happy to have someone reliable, who knows just what to do without being told.
"Yeah, sure," Naofumi replies, following the slime to the hot springs. Hmm, I wonder if Filo and Raphtalia would be interested in going as well, he thinks.
Glad that the Shield accepted, Rimuru bounces away. He says hello to a few orcs and hobgoblins before making it to the spring. After reserving the men's side with the receptionist, he heads inside, grabbing a white towel and hopping in with a splash.
"Better go get ready, Naofumi! The water feels so nice!"
Is this guy freaking flirting with me? he thinks before answering. "Yeah, sure." He heads back to the changing area and removes his clothing, wrapping a towel around his waist before heading back out.
Then he steps into the spring.
"Ahhhh…" he sighs, completely overtaken by the soothing effects of the spring. Oh, yeah. After a long day of fighting, this really makes me feel relaxed. He lowers himself a bit and soaks a while.
Rimuru is just bobbing along in the water, blowing out bubbles from time to time, but he does laugh as Naofumi visibly relaxes. "Yeah, see? It's way better to talk here than in a normal room, am I right?"
"Way more relaxing, that's for sure," Naofumi responds, not paying much heed.
Hm?
He notices some multicolored orbs floating around in the water. Reaching out, he picks one up, finding it to be some sort of mushy, slimy mass.
"Hey. What are these?" He points to the one in his hand.
That wasn't quite the question Rimuru was expecting, but it's a question nonetheless. "Those are just little versions of me, really. Think of them as bath toys or something. Trust me, the people in the village love them, for some reason."
"Is that so?" He looks over the slime balls, immediately able to note the resemblance between them and Rimuru, then simply decides it's true and thinks no more of it.
Then he snaps back to reality, remembering the reason he wanted to talk to the slime in the first place. "Hey, I wanted to ask about you. I've seen slimes, but never one like you. What's with all those abilities you have?"
So that's what it was. Though I can't blame him; slimes don't normally do this type of stuff, Rimuru thinks. "Ah, haha, well, you see, Naofumi, I have the ability to… gain the abilities of things I absorb into my body. So the amount of skills I have is linked to how many enemies I consume.
"That said, I also have a question. You're traveling around with a demihuman and that Filo girl, right? I thought humans hated demihumans and stuff like that, thinking that monsters are all evil. So what made you change your mind about them, Shield Hero?"
Oh, is that the type of relationship humans have with demihumans here? Hmph, so it's like Melromarc. He sighs, but it's to be expected. "I have a sort of mutual relationship with demihumans; not that I asked for it, or anything. As for my companions, Filo came from an egg I bought, and Raphtalia was a slave I bought to fight for me," he explains.
Rimuru nods as he bobs and listens. "Ah, that makes sense. So all demihumans respect you, then? Or at least most. And, yeah, apart from Dwargon, the other nations are always going on about how humans are the superior race and that kinda stuff. There's whole religions devoted to exterminating monsters.
"But I'm glad you came here and saw for yourself; we aren't bad monsters. Just getting on with daily life like any humans normally would. Now let's relax while we have time and enjoy the water!"
Naofumi chuckles to himself for once. So that's what this guy is, he thinks, remembering Rimuru's ability. I think I remember this game character with something similar, but he was pink instead of blue. A creature that can amass so many abilities over a long time… He'll prove to be a formidable opponent.
With that, they soak and make small talk for a while. It's well-deserved after a battle.
Then they hear a massive explosion that shakes the foundation of the entire village. A large piece of debris flies towards them.
"[Air Strike Shield]!" Naofumi yells, standing and blocking the spring. The wood slams into his shield and stops dead.
"Whoa! Where'd that come from?!" Rimuru shouts, hopping out of the water and changing to his fully-dressed human form.
"Get out there! I'll be ready in just a minute!" Naofumi yells as he clambers out of the spring and rushes to get his armor on.
Ready to move, both rush towards ground zero. It's easy to find, a pillar of smoke rising from the area as civilians flee while screaming. There's a clear sense of panic.
On arrival, they stop. There's a cloaked figure with a metal arm standing in front of a blazing building.
Another attacker?! Rimuru thinks.
"Stay on guard, Naofumi. He seems even more powerful than the other guy." He's nervous, and with all the civilians evacuating the area, he has to stall for time. "Who are you?" he yells, addressing the newcomer, "Why have you come to attack us?" He hopes Naofumi gets the hint that he's stalling; he can't let the villagers get hurt.
The man turns with a wicked grin, his eyes clearly heterochromic. One glares an angry red, the other flashes an insane blue.
Then he laughs.
It's a strange pitch, a strange noise, clearly the laugh of one lost to insanity.
"You can call me Tempo! You fought Mutago before, didn't you? If you thought he was strong, then you haven't seen anything!"
He holds still for a second, and the next, a dead civilian appears in his hand. He tosses the corpse down.
"Trying to buy time so I won't kill anyone? That won't work on me."
Naofumi is stunned. This guy… He just killed one of the citizens in the blink of an eye… How fast is he?
He's worried, given what he just witnessed, but…
"You do realize where you are, right?" he calls out. "This place is a town of monsters. Do you really expect to accomplish much with everything here?" He has to try at least something to keep Tempo busy!
As for Rimuru, he wasn't expecting such speed. When he turns around, he sees one of his townsfolk die… right in front of him. He couldn't protect them.
Now he's stunned; not at Tempo's speed, but that he himself simply couldn't react in time. It should have been impossible.
Slowly, he draws his sword and shadow steps, popping up behind Tempo. He slashes at the attacker's neck, aiming to kill without saying a single word. His aura is flaring, his expression close to enraged.
This is personal.
But Tempo is ready for him, his perception of time slowed to the point where he can see Rimuru pop out of the shadow and thus sidestep the blade. Then, just like the citizen, he walks behind the slime and jams his knife into his torso before returning to normal speed.
"That was fast, I'll admit, but no one can match me."
With the way Tempo reacted to literal fast travel to right behind him, Rimuru is left surprised. This guy might be harder to counter than initially planned…
That said, having him in close proximity is good. He might have dealt damage, but now he's stuck in close quarters. Slime wraps around Tempo's arm as the slime prepares a spell.
"[Flare Circle]."
A runic symbol appears on the ground, then flame shoots up and engulfs them both. And while Rimuru is already starting to heal from his injury, Tempo takes the full brunt of it. By the time it's over, he's singed.
Then he vibrates incredibly fast and vanishes from sight, reappearing some distance away.
"Okay, playtime's over. Time to die."
Then he lunges.
"[Air Strike Shield]!" With that, a translucent green shield appears between Tempo and Rimuru, blocking the insane man's knife.
It clangs off, and he glares at the shield before rushing him down.
"I'm gonna crush you. [Trade - Speed to Strength]."
A glimmer surrounds him, his top speed falling to 40 miles per hour, but then his strength increases to superhuman levels. Taking his dagger in a reverse grip, he attempts to slice off Naofumi's shield arm.
Rimuru recovers his senses after nearly succumbing to sheer anger, but he doesn't have time to thank Naofumi. Acting fast, he raises one of his hands and yells, "[Black Lightning]!" A dark bolt descends and lashes out at Tempo, leaving the Shield unharmed.
"[Trade - Reset]." Returning his speed to normal, he narrowly avoids the attack before grabbing a goblin and pointing a large revolver at its head. "Since you care so much about your citizens, what'll you do now?"
He's even faster than lightning? This is gonna be an issue… Rimuru thinks. He holds still all the while, seeing a poor goblin with a gun to his head. He has to stop, or another person will die. This "Tempo" clearly doesn't care about the lives of innocents, and that's even worse.
"Right, what do you want, Tempo? Is this revenge for defeating Mutago, or not? If not, I see no reason for you to attack."
He has a gun? I don't think I've seen guns in this world, yet… or is it that they still don't have guns here?
Tempo barks out a short laugh. "Perhaps I didn't introduce myself properly. I'm Tempo, the Crazed. You see, all I care about is destruction; avenging that fat pig is minor compared to that."
Then he cocks the hammer on his gun.
"Put down your weapons and I won't kill anyone else."
"Like we'd actually believe that," Naofumi taunts as he focuses before whispering a skill.
"[Shield Prison]."
Noticing the spectral shields forming around him, Tempo dashes out and forces the goblin into a gap, grinning as it gets crushed in half.
"Wrong move."
He takes aim, then drops another fleeing goblin.
Meanwhile, Raphtalia hooks her replacement sword to her hip right as she hears the explosion on the other end of town. She runs to the site and finds Naofumi with Rimuru, facing a strange man. Said man points a strange device at a goblin and fires, and she watches in horror as an invisible projectile kills the poor creature.
She doesn't know who or what this thing is, but she knows she has to fight. She draws her sword and holds it in a defensive stance, slowly inching towards Naofumi. "Naofumi-sama…" she says quietly, announcing her presence to him.
Noticing her, Naofumi holds his hand out to keep her back.
"Raphtalia, watch out! He moves faster than the eye can see!"
Then Souei appears with the Shadow Travel skill, not knowing what's happened. He just got back from his usual patrol, and now he sees Rimuru and two of the newcomers engaged in battle with some unknown individual.
With two more coming out of the blue, he smirks. "Good, we've got a real party, now. This is gonna be fun."
Souei looks Tempo over, seeing the three dead goblins in his periphery. "What happened…? Who are you, and what have you done?!" His anger is starting to build.
Must be another of Rimuru's subordinates, Naofumi thinks. "Be on your guard!" he yells.
Souei nods. "Understood, but who is he? And who are you?"
Rimuru chimes in. "He says his name is Tempo. His origin is unknown, but I do know that he's a threat. I might need some help taking him down, Souei. As for the other two, they're friends."
"Yes, Rimuru-sama. I understand."
Tempo looks over Raphtalia, suddenly interested. "You're the one that did a number on Mutago, aren't you? I want you. [Trade - Minor MP]."
Small jolts of lightning start to course along his body as he raises his hand towards her.
"[Electric Bolt]."
A bolt of blue lightning jumps from his hand and towards Raphtalia.
Souei intercepts with his String Manipulation skill, blocking the shock with a small but durable shield. "Tempo, if you pose a threat to us, then I have no choice but to eliminate you."
"Ha! I'm more than just a threat to you, pal." He raises both hands with a wicked smile. "Dodge this. [Electric Shotgun]."
He fires off a cone of small electric bullets, almost like hyper-lethal birdshot.
"[Multilayer Barrier]." A new shield forms in front of the assembled group, blocking everyone that might be harmed. "Don't try that," he says before using Shadow Travel again, appearing right behind Tempo like Rimuru did before.
Tempo scoffs. "Fine. [Petrification]." Using a skill from his stolen body, belonging to a man named Hajime, he targets Souei.
He can feel his body start to turn to stone, and it rises up to his neck. He tries to move and fails, adding to his confusion. "How have you done this…?!"
This guy has defensive skills, too?! Damn it, he just keeps throwing out more and more! Naofumi thinks, keeping Raphtalia behind him.
"One down, three to go," Tempo mutters. He casts his gaze over the remainder and sets it on Raphtalia. He extends his hand. "[Control Flower]."
A small flower appears on top of Raphtalia's head as he smirks.
"Come here," he orders.
Raphtalia tries to resist, but fails, the magic taking her over completely. The glimmer in her eyes fades as she walks towards the cloaked man.
"No! Raphtalia!" Naofumi yells. He runs to her, trying to grab the flower and yank it off.
"[Transmute]."
Using another stolen skill, Tempo creates a wall between Naofumi and Raphtalia, blocking the path as he picks up the demihuman. "I'll be leaving now; you're gonna be preoccupied helping your stone friend, anyway."
He turns, then sprints away from the city at nigh-unfathomable speed.
"He won't get away!" Rimuru yells, growing wings and flying after the intruder.
Tempo scoffs upon seeing Rimuru chasing him, activating another skill.
"[Quick Step]."
He changes direction faster than anyone can blink, losing Rimuru immediately.
Rimuru sighs and stops. "Great Sage, can you scan the surrounding area to sense where that guy went?"
There is no issue, the sage responds. The aggressor has been marked, and their magic analyzed. The next battle will be easier.
Souei breaks free of his stone imprisonment and stretches a bit. "Lord Rimuru, is there any way I could be of service?"
"Yes. Time to get back at that guy," Rimuru says, casting one last look at the deceased citizens.
Tempo, was it? I'll make sure he dies by my hand.
Flames of anger and hate flare within his nonexistent heart. All other monsters he's named feel a hint of that anger, making their will to fight start to grow. The city of Rimuru starts to prepare for battle. It's time to prepare a retaliatory strike.
Souei, here's the coordinates of the intruder's location. Survey the area, but DO NOT ENGAGE. If there's any sign of danger, run, bring your elite subordinates with you, and use your cloning skill if you have any engagements.
"Naofumi-san, I figured out where that guy took your companion, and I have the whole city on high alert. What will you do?"
Naofumi has a dark shadow over his eyes, and responds with only a single word.
"Where?"
Rimuru points and answers. "Straight in that direction, but you can't go alone; there might be more of them. We need to gather some people, first."
Naofumi's shield flashes and transforms into the Wrath Shield. "Catch up if you like. I'm going after her." Walking to one of the shops, he yells, "Filo! Get over here, now!"
Filo is munching on some snacks at one of the town's snack bars, not understanding what all the ruckus is about. She does hop down and run to Naofumi when she hears his voice calling for her, though.
"Huuuh? What is it, Master?"
Not wanting to cause her any harm, Naofumi forces himself to switch out from the Wrath Shield before telling her, "We're leaving!"
He notices she has some food on her face. He almost yells at her, then remembers telling her she could do whatever she felt like after the fight with Mutago. It wouldn't be fair to yell at her for doing something he told her would be okay, the fact that he hadn't called earlier notwithstanding.
Taking a breath, he kneels and places a hand on her shoulder. "Raphtalia's been kidnapped. We're leaving to go after her."
This leaves Filo stunned.
"What?! Onee-chan was taken?!"
She then immediately transforms into her Filolial form.
"Which way did they go? Filo will get there the fastest way she can!"
Rimuru looks away from the pair, giving commands to his people. The citizens of the city, the dragonewts in the cave, the goblin guards, everyone; even as they continue their preparations, Rimuru communicates with them all constantly. The military forces arm themselves to defend their home as the executives spread out to manage the logistics.
Soon, they will gather much more intel on the enemy, then deal with them.
Gobta, meanwhile, stands at the watch tower at the outskirts of town. He feels bored and wants to take another nap, as he's wont to do on guard duty, but he decides against it. He's not up to getting bonked on the head and getting scolded like the time he said Rimuru was flat. He instead opts to munch on his rations while doing some birdwatching.
Then he hears a commotion up ahead in the brush near the road.
Visitors, huh? We don't get many of those. More troublemakers, maybe? he thinks as a group of assorted humanoids appears from the brush, making conversation. They certainly look human, if not for a few demihuman traits, like elongated ears.
Interesting looking characters, as if we didn't get enough of those these days. He laughs to himself at the thought as he climbs down the tower and gets the attention of some other goblins. "Hey, watch them! I'm gonna warn Rimuru-sama; could be trouble." He speeds off to the center of town.
Coming into range, he starts waving somewhat frantically. "Hey! There are some strange looking travelers near the outskirts of town! Might be trouble, Rimuru-sama!"
Rimuru nods and orders Gobta to standby in case anything goes awry, then he warps to the main entrance of the city, where he's greeted by four girls. He can tell what they are, thankfully: a Seafolk, a Vampire (it seems), a Dragon Kin (up for debate), and a Rabbit Beastman.
Rigurd is the first to greet them. "Ah, we are pleased to have visitors. If you have any questions, then please, ask away. However, I must warn you that some tensions have arisen, but we will try to make your stay comfortable." He clasps his hands together with the expression befitting a public servant.
The small vampire answers, with only the faintest hint of emotion on her deadpan face.
"We're looking for Hajime."
A.N.: Oops, did I say misadventures? I meant pain and tragedy.
What? You didn't honestly expect it to be restricted to Subaru and the gang, did you? Oh, dear reader, this is just a TASTE of what's to come.
I can't promise consistent or even regular updates anymore (though I doubt that's very surprising). School being school, it tends to take up much of my time anymore. That and I have other projects I'm working on for a prospective career.
That said, I'll certainly do my best to maintain the story.
I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!
