There are still two more chapter, don't blow up on me please. ^^'
That time I got reincarnated as a slime does not belong to me.
Turn the Clock:
-Initiating countermeasure-
-Analysis completed by 95%-
-96%-
-97%-
-98%-
-99%-
-100%... failure.-
-Failure to conclude analysis, pursue of countermeasures impeded.-
-Linking to individuals with Soul connection… success.-
-Beginning operation.-
Guy stared at the figure, at this man, with utmost caution. Rimuru- no this wasn't the Slime, only his body- was standing there unresponsive with a blank stare. He could see a tear on one side of his face as the slime's soft smile slowly faded into a neutral expression.
It was a disturbing sight.
Ramiris beside him stopped flapping her wings for a moment and flopped down on the bed, not exactly gently at that. Rudra and his men looked just as wary as him.
Suddenly the beings unsettling expression broke into a wide grin and just as fast, a sword tore through Rimuru's stomach and he coughed from the shock. Had he possessed blood, it would have dyed the ground a deep red.
Ramiris, freaking out, disappeared, screaming something about getting the others. She was gone before he could stop her. In his opinion it was better to keep anyone away from… whatever that was.
It staggered forward, tripping over its own feet and falling face first into the ground. He thought it couldn't get worse but to their horror, it started chuckling.
"Who are you?" He drew his sword, pointing it at the thing. One wrong movement, just one and he would…
"Me?" It chuckled again. It's voice which was supposed to sound like Rimuru's sounded far too different "Come on, you know me."
"I'm afraid not." With narrowed eyes, he took a step closer.
The thing sat up with a pleasant smile on its face. It sat there, cross-legged, without a care in the world.
"Hey, what's going on?" A voice called out, entering the room. If he remembered right, that man was called Benimaru.
He only spared him a single glance "That thing over there took over Rimuru's body. Be careful, something about it just... doesn't feel right."
"Master Rimuru's…?" A quick temper was shown "Hey, you! Leave our Master be this instant!"
The dark chuckle resounded again "Whatever are you talking about? That Slime? No… he merely took my throne."
"Your throne?" Rudra echoed, standing up from the bed and summoning his sword.
"Go back this instant!" Guy ordered "You can't be completely fine right now, leave this to us."
Rudra shook his head defiant "Definitely not." He glared at the thing "What 'throne' are you talking about? I might not know much about the kid but aside from this country, he sure isn't anyone's ruler."
"..." It was silent for a moment "Someone like you wouldn't understand… This kid…! It was supposed to be ME!"
The scream put everyone into a defensive stance. Following it, more of the Slime's forces were arriving, held back by the commander.
It smiled wistful and crazed "Do you remember the kid this one devoured? Yuuki? That kid was my host, the one who shared my goal. ...And this brat got in the way, this wretched brat devoured him and me!" He started laughing softly "You two know me, that's what I thought but this kid just had to make me realize that I'm not the one I thought I was."
"I remember that." Guy stated "When he faced Yuuki- ...No, wait. I didn't? What the…"
-Solution. As a countermeasure, information regarding Yuuki and Individual: Velda, are being transferred into the mind.-
Everyone except the being was startled, some even jumped in surprise.
"Who was that?" Asked one demon in a calm manner, one he knew from before that was now named Diablo.
-I am Manas:Ciel, a skill of Master Rimuru's. I have currently established a mind connection via telepathy with all individuals possessing a soul connection or means of communicating with him.-
Guy looked down at the communicator that let all Demon Lords connect to each other. Did the skill mean this?
-Master is currently locked away in a part of his own mind and slowly breaking free. The earlier attack upon himself was a last attempt to stop the Individual: Velda. It resulted in failure however.-
He weighed the options at hand. Would weakening the body work?
-Weakening the body is an option, however, success rate is unknow as analysis is only 99% complete. 100% is currently impossible to reach and attempts will result in failure.-
He pondered if 99% wasn't already enough but left the thought alone. What about the mind? Who was Individual: Velda? It sounded a lot like Veldanava's new name…
-That is correct. The Individual once believed to be Velda and wanted to prove it to even himself. He is however only his negative emotions cultivated into the Manas: Velda. He is not he True Dragon Veldanava. He does posses his skills however and now that he has taken over Master Rimuru, he has attained some control over skills he had not possessed before.-
"Which are we talking about?" Benimaru's eyes narrowed. There were under the influence of the skill at the moment, so Velda didn't hear them, it was smart to gather as much information as possible.
-Skills that he can now control which are noteworthy are [Void God Azathoth], [Evil Dragon Lord Azi Dahaka] and to some extent noteworthy [Harvest Lord Shub Niggurath]. Important skills he could already use formerly are [Information King Akashic Records], [Creation Lord Ahura Mazda] and [Magicule Breeder Reactor].-
"Isn't that a bit much?" Guy protested "He's basically Velda with this!"
-Indeed. However, defeat is possible as Master is fighting from the inside and restricting the skills. Furthermore, I took the liberty of sealing certain spells either completely or just for him to use. An example of this is myself. Others would be [Turn Null] and [Soul Consumption] as well as [Time Warp] of the [Void God].-
"[Time Warp]? That sounds like a completely ridiculous ability. There is no such thing as perfect Time Travel!" Rudra complained "And [Turn Null] is the ability Veldanava lost after creating the world! How does Rimuru have it?!"
-First of all, I owe you no explanation about the origin of my Masters abilities. Secondly, do not underestimate us! With Masters control over Time and Space, a mundane thing like Time Travel is a piece of cake!-
"As expected of Master Rimuru!" Shion nodded proudly, the rest agreeing with her.
No, rather, what was wrong with the Monsters in this city? Time travel wasn't just some mundane thing! And control over Time and Space? That's ridiculous! But then again, this entire situation was as well.
So he decided to not fuel the fire "When did Velda start assuming control?"
-I am not completely certain. Around the time of the Orc Lord's arrival, that's when thought interference started.-
"But that was before Master Rimuru devoured Yuuki." Diablo noticed.
-Correct. Master used [Time Warp] in a until now prevented future where, with the exception of the main fighters, everyone died. There he managed to devour both Yuuki and Velda, however, it seems the intentions of Velda remained and took root.-
"So these are simply remnants?"
-That is correct.-
Guy and Rudra glanced at each other before Guy focused on the voice again "Is there any way you are sure of that could work?"
-Yes. Weaken it's defences by fighting. Demon Lord Guy Crimson is plenty enough for this. As the Individual: Velda will likely try attacking bystanders and people above ground, those should be evacuated. Strong individuals like Diablo, Benimaru, Shion and Souei should remain here and help. Should it attempt a magic attack with the Nihility attribute, Diablo can cancel it out with his own.-
"So I just have to attack him?" Guy wondered.
-Yes. Master's body being destroyed poses no problem, so feel free to do as you please. As an extra precaution, I also sealed the 'Sword of Tempest' that Master used earlier to stab himself. Velda will not be able to use it or summon others.-
"Great! Let's go then!" He grinned as time resumed normally. Rudra stood beside him and the present forces of Rimuru's that didn't flee back to above ground circled him.
It was dark. He kept screaming into the endless void, unleashing [Turn Null] all around him in an attempt to destroy his body and Velda from the inside. The force was destructive and chipped away his defences.
He tried reaching out to Ciel but there was no answer. But he knew she would stop him, he trusted her. If someone could think up a way to destroy him it was her and only her.
The darkness was climbing up his body and was now at his knees. It kept creeping upwards far too fast for his linking.
'Hurry.'
The opponent was undoubtedly faster than him. Since it posses his Masters body that much was to be expected. Diablo calmly watched as it traded blows with the Lord of Darkness evenly.
The usual grace his Master possessed was gone however and this version only relied on brute strength to overwhelm his opponent. Their Lord was always calculating in his attacks, even if he attacked with brute strength alone, it was always calculated. This wasn't.
It angered the demon. This... thing… dared to control their Lord's body with illicit means. Took over the mind. He hated to admit it, this was their loveable Master who, surrounded by these lowly servants of his such as himself, trusted them enough to leave himself open to such attacks.
As such, they'd failed their Masters trust. And he now paid the price for their foolishness. This had to be remedied at once. Maybe then their mistake will be forgiven.
To think he allowed this… scoundrel… to get this close to their Lord...!
What a failure he was!
In the future that once was, that Ciel spoke of… did he perish as well? Did he fail him back then as well? Was that why Lord Rimuru's energy appeared so happy and relieved when he was summoned? Because of a lowly servant like him… that most likely failed him before?
Truly, they didn't deserve their Master. But exactly for this reason they had to fight now, so that those errors could be rectified.
Using the Nihility Magic he was granted, he redirected an incoming attack of the same type. For some reason, his attack was stronger. Probably because this 'Velda' did not have the same control as their master. He had to admit though, that this type of magic was destructive… maybe too destructive. It was quite terrifying.
Whatever [Turn Null] was, he was glad the opponent had no access to it. Someone like that couldn't be allowed to use their Masters power.
Benimaru was tense. Wasn't this the same as fighting Master Rimuru? How would they be able to stand a chance?
Ciel seemed to trust in their strength and he knew that none of them were weak but this was someone their Master fought against, someone who now possessed him. Another question was, could this Ciel be trusted? Was she truly their Master's skill? Or was she secretly on Velda's side?
What if she was actually Rimuru's skill but got taken over by this man and was feeding them false information, giving them false hope?
All possibilities had to be taken into account. He couldn't be careless. Carelessness meant death on the battlefield.
Velda's abilities, his strength, his weaknesses. Ciel transmitted them all to them via parts of their Lords memory. It wasn't that they could see them, only the information was passed along.
It was fast and efficient.
But a few parts were useless. With this being in possession of their Lords powers, some weaknesses were nullified. He could say for certain that were Guy Crimson not helping, they would have lost already. He and Diablo might be able to stall for time but against someone of Rimuru's caliber that that was all they would ever amount to.
Other than for information against Velda, Ciel had quietened down. Why? Was she on his side after all?
It was at his throat now. Even thought he needed no air, he felt as if he was suffocating. Couldn't anyone break through? Couldn't Velda lose already? If he was correct, he would be assaulted from both inside and outside at the moment.
His already limited vision started to get hazy as a crack pierced the void and widened. With the last of his strength, he reached out for it.
It felt like he'd taken brunt of world-shattering attack. It hurt. It hurt so much. His body burned and he couldn't move. Pain was searing through… everywhere. Stumbling forward, trying to reach that light, desperately, to change fate.
His hand reached into the crack in space and he felt something. It was cold, sharp and most of all dangerous. He grasped it as the pain got worse and it protested to his touch, as if it was trying to sever all his nerves.
Ripping it out of the light, he held it close and it tore open his chest with a startling, abrupt motion. He wheezed as the aching agony raced through him. Was this… the end?
Yes.
Are they safe… at the very… least?
Yes, you won.
Ah... is that… so? That's… good…
Pulling it out of his chest with his last breath, he thrust it into the shadow beneath him and welcomed the peaceful darkness.
The feed of information had stopped as abruptly as the sword was through his chest. They weren't sure what happened. One moment the thing was defending itself from Guy's attacks… then it gripped his sword and thrust it into himself in one swift motion.
Only to rip it out again and pierce the ground. A shriek echoed as the shadow that was hit disappeared. They were sure then, that shadow was what had remained of Velda and that the one who regained his will was Rimuru.
They had made it, they had saved him! Now all was well again! They grinned at each other as a loud thud and a clank reverberated.
Stunned and afraid they turned their heads. The sword that was stuck in the ground a moment ago was now lying on the ground, their Lord caught by Rudra in the midst of his fall.
They rushed to his side immediately. He did not return to his Slime form, no, not a single thing changed after his fall. Not one.
He just lay there. Motionless. Like a doll.
White as a sheet of paper. He was turning greyer with each second.
Souei went to retrieve a potion right away and was back just as fast. But the potion had no effect. It did nothing. Nothing changed.
Rudra tried shaking him, it did not work. All signs of energy or magic were gone as well. It was as if there was nothing in front of them. They may have won but their reward was their worst nightmare. This torment they felt, as if it were their throes of death… Nothing could describe the pure agony they felt.
On this day, the death of Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest was declared to the world.