That Time I Got Isekai’d Again and Befriended a Slime

Grow strong and help people. That's what Tanya said.

That's my goal now. But is it really mine? I've been thinking about that a lot, lately.

It probably sounds stupid. I like helping people, right? So, I should just do it. That's what Rimuru said. I wanted to help people back then. Before.

But I've changed so much since then. Did I ever really want to help, or was I just being selfish?

I like helping people.

Would… would I like saving them?

In the belief system of my previous world, there was the concept of "salvation". God given flesh for the sake of humanity. It was a selfless act, death in exchange for saving everyone equally. Self-inflicted penance in the name of goodwill.

Ever since I learned the truth about Him, I've wondered more and more.

Is it even possible to save everyone like that? Is it worth trying?

Was that Your punishment?

Or was it ours?

-=-=-=-

A certain quality hung in the air. Mystical energy, a trickle along the subconscious sense. It did not bode well to be in this place. The world held its breath, tension singing along the molecules and magicules like a vibrating string of a tuned guitar.

Like such a string, the atmosphere was thick enough to cut.

"I won't ask you again."

Mary had yet to draw her blade, her left hand still resting on her sheath. But the tip of her thumb pressed down tight against Mamoru's cobalt tsuba, ready to spring it in the span of a microsecond. The edge to her voice was sharpened all the same, as was her blade.

"Why are you here, Drake of Scylla?"

-=-=-=-

Earlier

Outside the Dwelling of Spirits

Ulgrasia Republic

"Okay, stay together everyone!" Rimuru directed them all seamlessly up the steps. "I know it's pretty, but we can get a good look in after we're done!"

It was very pretty. Before them rose a massive tree, its great green canopy spreading over half the small, rocky clearing around them. Underneath their feet, a stone brick pathway led up stone steps to a large stone door.

There was a lot of stone, considering this was a forest and all.

These stone double doors were ornate and surrounded by stone brickwork than was in turn surrounded by the base of that very large tree. A small platform stood under those stairs, and this is where Rimuru, Mary, and the students walked up to.

"If anyone strays away, I'll make you all hold hands!"

"Yes, Sensei!" The children chorused.

Even if one of them did stray away, it was likely Rimuru could protect them anyway. That being said, leaving such a thing as the safety of these children up to chance was far from an acceptable idea in either his or Mary's minds.

Further to this end, Mary walked behind the group. Rimuru would lead, she would follow, and the little ducklings in the middle wouldn't fall down a drain pipe somewhere.

"Remember, this may seem exciting, but it might be dangerous too. Be careful and be smart, everyone!"

"Yes, Sensei!" The little ducklings called back.

As they made their way up the steps, Mary glanced back.

The warp circle sat just at the bottom of the staircase. The pathway earlier mentioned led in a straight line elsewhere, to a gap in the clearing's tree line.

There's not much to worry about here. The warp circle itself is reinforced on multiple planes of existence thanks to its magical nature, and the area itself is rather remote and out of the way.

That being said…

Mary's eyes glowed, her gaze darting from the warp pad, to tree, to rock, so on and so forth.

The warp pad itself was rather interesting under this form of observation. Using Ability Severance without activating its main effect allowed her to view the relative flow of multiple types of energy. With this minor Extension of her Unique Skill – tentatively dubbed by Mary herself as "Ability Sight" for the time being – the swirl and inversion of special magic within the warp circle was evident.

It had an interesting… taste? How do you describe a feeling beyond that five senses? There was a distinct pattern, we'll say, to the energy that Mary made a mental note of. It might help her down the line.

It might even let her actually use the warp circle without Rimuru smoothing out the process. This one acted as a set trip between here and Ingrassia, but the circle Rimuru had set up just outside Ingrassia's borders? 

A straight shot to outside of Tempest, hidden so no one else could find it. 

That's one reason she hadn't visited Tempest yet. Not because she couldn't find it, but because she couldn't use it alone.

The fact that Rimuru had no trouble whatsoever warping whenever he felt like annoyed her to no end. Then again, he'd always been weird, even by monster standards.

His energy was all kinds of wishy-washy fucked up nonsense. Must be a slime thing.

Maybe if she got really angry, she'd be able to warp by herself? There were very few times she'd managed to fully link her magical flow with her actual actions. The fight against Nin Gen came to mind, along with a particularly rough spar with Milim.

In the end, she was still forced to imbue magic into her katana to get any sort of consistent flow. To her shame.

That's another reason she hadn't visited Tempest. The point of this was to improve, was it not? How could she show her face back home – Oh. It really is home now, isn't it? – with nothing to show for her journey?

What was the reason for-

!!!

Mary's ears twitched, just as they reached the doors.

"One last rule-"

"Hey, Rimuru." Mary interrupted, doing her best not to look at the tree line. "Why don't you all go on ahead, and I'll catch up?"

"Huh?" Rimuru looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Uh, gotta take care of business?"

"What's wrong?" He send the thought her way at the same time.

You didn't hear that? Mary wanted to think back, but didn't.

"Thought I heard something, that's all."

"Heard what?" Rimuru did his best not to frown in front of the students, who were looking back and forth between them. "I can't sense anything nearby."

"Nothing serious." Mary shrugged.

"Maybe I was just hearing things, but I'm suspicious. I'll check it out and catch up."

"I can wait, you know." Rimuru thought, then said, "Is that so?"

"No. You need to take care of your students. Go on ahead."

"Our students."

"They're really just yours. Again, I heard something is all, probably an animal or whatever. But if it is something dangerous, I don't want the kids to be nearby."

"Still, maybe we should just wait for you." Rimuru pointed out. "If it's really bad, I can take care of it. We can afford a little delay."

"No, thanks." Mary said. "We really can't. We're pushing our time to the limit already, aren't we? I can tell you for a fact that the energy inside those kids isn't getting any less volatile. How long was the estimate for their survival again? Time is not our friend, and we're here already, so go save their lives already Rimuru Tempest. That's the reason we're here, isn't it?"

"…You're not wrong… about any of that."

"Sensei?" Alice tugged at Rimuru's sleeve, breaking his concentration. He looked down at her, and at the other students, and sighed.

Rimuru sighed, throwing up his hands. "Alright, fine! Do your business," He pointed at her, "but make sure to catch up quickly. You should be there too, you know."

"I won't take long." Mary waved a hand. "Besides, it's better this way. Doing that sort of thing inside a place where spirits dwell? That's definitely sacrilegious. Or something."

-=-

Mary watched the ornate doors close, letting out a slow breath in the meanwhile. Then, she turned, making her way back down the stairs, footfall light until her walk ended, back in the center of the warp.

Rather than activating it however, she spoke to forest at large.

"I know someone's there. Come out. Or I'll make you."

No response. The forest remained silent.

Mary waited.

The chirping of birds. The brush of the wind. A light fog dusting the tips of the green canopy.

Then, footsteps. It was not the snapping of branches, underbrush, nor the crunching of grass. Only someone like her would feel it. She could hear it, rhythmic, one after another, in the way that blood flowed through the ears when the muscles along the side of one's head were flexed.

There was a rough, unnatural poise to it. Even at distance.

Then-

Underbrush, brushed aside. Shifting grass. This, the ordinary senses could register. Sound, then sight, as a tall, oddly familiar man stepped from the trees.

He was well-sized, and broad. Around Souei's height, perhaps, though bulkier. His dark, sleeveless tunic told more of the same tale. Compared to the Kijin, however, he was more muscled, and paler.

Mary observed the man, as he stepped just beyond the tree line, and stopped.

His hair was black with streaks of grey. Layered, as well, with an over layer of a shorter, semi-spiked style coming down past his ears, and an under layer that trailed down past his shoulders, done in a warrior's braid. He had a beard of the same color, and the features of an older man that should appear younger, yet had been aged by circumstance.

It was the eyes, Mary determined. They were the window to the soul, and Ability Sight made this only easier. A bottomless, blackened well that threatened to draw the world into its gaping maw. An odd sense of déjà vu flared up, then. She'd almost… felt this before.

"Hey. You…" He cleared his throat, voice deep, but wavering from obvious disuse. He had an air of unkemptness to him that spoke to antisocial tendencies. Mary felt an odd kinship over that. "Mind stepping to the side, for a second?"

"Maybe." Mary's hand shifted, moving to rest atop her sheathe, her thumb lightly brushing Mamoru's tsuba. "Mind telling me why?"

"Maybe." The man echoed. He took a step forward.

"Stop moving."

He stopped, then sighed. "Forgive me if it seems like I'm rushing, but I don't have the time for this. If you could just let me through, I'll be on my way."

"You want to use this warp circle." A statement, rather than a question. A simple deduction: why else would he have been waiting? "Not a chance. Who are you? Why are you here, right now?"

And on today, of all days. Tanya had mentioned once that she didn't care for coincidences; Mary concurred. Something else was going on here.

"I was merely visiting some old friends, is all. I'm a bit on the… spiritual side, if you will." He shrugged, casually enough that he seemed to be truthful. That, or he was a practiced liar. "And, well, I'd recently lost a contract, and a friend of mine suggested I find a new one. Now, I find that a convenient route home has presented itself and thought to make use of it. I am short on time, like I mentioned. Please understand, I mean no harm, and the circle will remain after I leave, with no one the wiser. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Mary relaxed, slightly. "It does."

"Then, if I may…?"

"Not. Now, your name."

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me your name. We'll see after that."

"Isn't it rude to ask for someone's name without offering your own first?"

"Maybe." Mary tilted her body slightly, shifting her right hip to face him more. "Who knows? We're not the same, and I asked first anyway."

The man's eye twitched, unnoticeable to almost anyone else.

"Very well, in the interest of time I'll concede. My name is Drake." Drake smiled. His gaze flitted down, to her waist and presumably her sheathed blade. "And you would be?"

"Mary Sue."

A spark. Recognition. They recognized one another. The two had never met, yet they'd heard of the one standing across from them. Yet, neither intended to give up the game just yet.

Drake nodded.

"Mary Sue, huh?" He cleared his throat, then gestured with a hand. "Well then, uh, Miss Sue. If you wouldn't mind moving aside, now?"

Mary smiled.

"No."

"As in, no you wouldn't mind, or…?"

"Drake." A familiar name and a familiar, if slightly different energy. "First Head of Scylla. Am I wrong?"

The game has officially been given up. Drake dropped the 'innocent older gentleman' act.

"Mary Sue. I thought I recognized that name as well." His hand twitched up, then settled. Indecisive. Mary glanced at his waist, then his shoulder.

A spear, hung across his back. Yet, he didn't grab it. Now that he'd dropped the act, his body language bled his true thoughts into the open.

He really didn't want to fight, that much was clear.

Too bad.

"Short brown hair with braids, green eyes… and a green sheathed katana." Drake's hand did reach up now, and he scratched at his beard, glaring at her. "That's what I'd heard, at least. Somehow, though, I think you know more about me than I do you."

"No one told you? What happened while your tail was between your legs?" Mary glanced once more at the spear on his back. An odd aura hung around it, like fuzzballs on the brain. She didn't like it. "Heard more than enough about you from Tanya, though."

Most of the handle was hidden, though the short amount that stuck out appeared like rings stacked atop one another, with golden metal of some kind followed by a dark brown wood of some sort and repeated so on and so forth. Just cresting his shoulders, the blade of the spear glinted along a stray sunbeam.

A leaf blade of the same golden hue as the rest points dangerously at the sky, trailing down into its wings. Below that, a hanging, ragged piece of rectangular black cloth floated on the breeze. Despite its golden appearance, it was anything but gaudy. That weapon had power inscribed into its creation.

Drake stilled at her words. "Tanya…"

Oh, wait, didn't he know her as 'Tasha'?

"That… Tanya told you, did she?" His stance shifted. Lower, just a bit. He was coiling up, preparing to fight. "That monster, she told you more than enough about me, did she?"

Never mind, he already knows.

"Ran away so fast you couldn't even look back, huh?" Her thumb pressed painfully against her tsuba's metal edge. "An entire city, all your people meant so little to you. Is that right?"

"Don't talk like you know me, girl."

"Sad, but I know more about you than you think."

She'd been the same as him, once upon a time. Different circumstances, different time periods, different people certainly. But this sight, of this man – or rather, this being that appeared like a man – coiling up, burning with a deadly fire from within.

That was painfully familiar.

Drake scoffed.

"I don't have time for this. Step aside, Mary Sue. Not even your relation to that woman is enough to fold me. I have places to be, business to handle."

"Why are you really here?" Mary did not move. "Give me a reason. Then I can cut you down like them."

"Cut me down like- don't speak of them! Don't you dare, not after your Tanya slaughtered them all-" Drake's hand shot up to his shoulder, grasping his spear just below the tattered cloth. Then, he let go, his hand flexing, "No, no, no. I really don't have time for this." He swung his arm out, as if trying to shove her aside from distance with his mind, "Step aside already! Move, damn it!"

"I said no!"

A pulse. Mary's aura flared, them calmed. She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment and viciously wrangling the flood of her magic pool back into an orderly fashion. Then, she paused, realizing that it had already done so.

That's right… it's powerful emotion, huh? Anger, or…?

Across from her, Drake grit his teeth. The reality of the situation seemed to be hitting ,right about now.

Tear had set him up, hadn't she? She'd wanted him to run into someone, here.

Would she do that to him? Maybe. Maybe not.

Or rather… had it been that boy's idea?

"Kagurazaka…" He hissed under his breath.

Kagurazaka? Mary frowned. Had she heard him correctly? That name...

It was silent, after that. Neither desired to act, not really. Or at least, not first.

Mary needed to protect the circle. Her duty now seemed to be keep-away, alongside attempting to cut down one of the three remaining Heads of Scylla.

Had she grown strong enough to do so? Going by Ability Sight, his power did not eclipse her own. He was stronger than Eve and Nin Gen by a near comical margin, but then, so too now was Mary. Then again, hadn't she stagnated recently? Who's to say which power was greater here?

There is more to a fight then pure power, however. Technique, battle sense, instincts, reflex, matchup experience. The only spear-wielder she'd fought against was Gabiru, and technically it wasn't even a spear and it hadn't been anything more than a spar.

This was life-or-death.

How good was he with that spear? Did it have any special abilities? What was his special ability? His energy felt familiar for a reason; did he share traits or powers with his "son"? How many abilities did he have, and how many could she maintain the severance of at once?

Right. Right, Ability Severance. Regardless of the matchup, regardless of a power difference, she had that Unique power for herself. Even if she'd been facing a much greater opponent, this Skill allowed her to punch well above her weight class.

Mary breathed in, held it, then breathed out. Her eyes took on a glow.

Considering the other side, Drake needed to get past her, and quickly. Time was against him, for some reason that Mary did not know. Still, it was to her advantage. A rushed offensive would only hurt Drake's chances. He probably knew this too.

No, he had to be aware.

She was aware of it, so too must he.

All of this went by in the span of a couple heartbeats.

Very little of it was consciously thought of; far more of it was merely battle experience and instinctual understanding of the situation bleeding into her very flesh and bone. Mary Sue did not have the tactical battle acumen that Tanya did.

However, she did have one thing going for her.

The innate understanding of a natural prodigy. She picked up on things quickly, subconsciously, and put them together however she could. This wasn't always correct, or optimal. But it was powerful.

Especially in battle. How else could she have survived so many years of war, fighting the same battles against the Ace of Aces known as the Devil of the Rhine? Adaptation and a natural acclimation to a power far beyond her, even under divine shackles.

In other words… this was all natural, baby. The above-human physical power and senses upon arriving in this world certainly helped.

A pause. Waiting, waiting, a single moment crawling into infinity.

Blood pounded in her ears.

A certain quality hung in the air. Mystical energy, a trickle along the subconscious sense. It did not bode well to be in this place. The world held its breath, tension singing along the molecules and magicules like a vibrating string of a tuned guitar.

Like a taut string, the atmosphere was thick enough to cut.

"I want a real answer. And I won't ask you again." Mary could barely hear her own voice, the edge to it sharp as her blade.

She had yet to draw it free, her left hand still resting on her sheathe. But the tip of her thumb pressed down tight against Mamoru's cobalt tsuba, ready to spring it in the span of a microsecond. Her right hand drifted over, grasping its handle tight.

"Why are you here, Drake of Scylla?"

"Ask all you like. I told you already, Mary Sue." Drake pulled his spear free, hoisting that golden relic of demise over his shoulder and into fell hands. He shifted low, grip sliding along the spear's golden shaft until he was nearly sideways, his left shoulder facing her, one hand near either end.

"If that's it." Mary flicked her blade free, a whirlwind of neon magisteel blurring and settling in her grasp. She brandished it one-handed, holding it defensively with its tip pointed down, nearly grazing the stone beneath her boots. Her other hand resting still on her sheathe, a swirling flame resting inside it. "Then, I'll stop you."

"Stop me?" Drake scoffed. Beneath his feet, his shadow expanded backwards. "Didn't you hear? There's no stopping what's coming, girl. I was leaving."

Crack.

They both felt it.

Something cracked in the world, as though the glass pane along this plane of existence cracked overtop of them, another presence pressing atop it. Mary could feel it, both on some instinctual level and through Magic Sense and Ability Sight all together.

Yet, before she could consider this further, Drake moved.

To describe it mere movement, however, would no doubt be a disservice. It far surpassed human limits, a blur of motion such that even her enhanced senses struggled to track…

Initially, that is.

A green blur slashed the space before her asunder, a blast of wind pushing violently at her immediate surroundings.

CLANG!!!

Neon met gold, modern and mystical hues clashing in a single instant.

Drake had thrown his spear, with all his might, an unseen death for all who looked for it. Mary, however, had merely reacted. She raised her sword, catching the golden marvel of weapon-smithing just beneath its head and deflecting it into the air above.

He'd caught her off guard with his first move, jumping immediately to a level far beyond the average being or even the average supernatural being. But once she'd recognized his motion and raised her own awareness to match it, following along no longer merited concern.

Because of this…

Mary's left hand shot from her sheathe, and up, to Mamoru which remained above her head. She flipped its blade flat to the ground, bracing her palm alongside it.

CRASH!!!

Another blast of disrupted air. Drake was above her in a literal instant; he'd swung his spear down, only for her to catch it along her blade.

She'd matched him, and thus she could see him. He had disappeared nearly immediately after he'd thrown his spear. That was concerning. However, since she could sense him, and could follow along without issue now, it was evident he hadn't moved at a speed beyond sight. Further, there was a connection between himself and his spear visible under Ability Sight.

When he had disappeared, and the energy had tugged, teleportation became the obvious option to defend against in the split second between attack and attack.

"What?" Disbelief from the man himself.

Mary pushed up, disengaging their lock. Then, as he fell, rearing for a protective strike on his way down, she reached up with her free hand, grasping his ankle and slamming him to the ground. Just outside the warp circle, the stone brick pavement cracked, and Drake bounced, his ankle still in Mary's grasp.

She was forced to let go before she could finish the job, however.

Clearly dazed but not entirely fazed, Drake had managed to keep a grasp on his spear, slipping to a one-handed grip for range and slashing down his body at her.

Mary yanked her hand back, barely managing to keep her fingers. Not hesitating even still, that same hand shot back to her sheathe. Meanwhile, Mamoru twitched in her hand, the magic within the blade almost shifting, somehow.

Drake landed on his back, rolling backwards onto his feet. His eyes widened as his gaze turned forward, and he leapt back further, a wash of fireballs following in his wake and dogging his backstep until he'd been back up a good distance down the stone path.

Mary ceased her attack. Gobta's technique worked well, but rarely past the initial surprise. It would do no good in ending this fight. So, she let go, sliding into a two-handed stance this time.

Modified Style.

Razor-sharp trails of liquid swirled along Mamoru's blade, reflecting the sparse sunlight beaming through gaps in the forest canopy.

She watched as Drake settled on his feet, himself quickly shifting and preparing to move once more. Her eyes glowed a faint neon, keeping track of his abilities, waiting for a shift that would signify an attack.

Physical enhancement through magic, some kind of healing, an unidentified Skill…

All of them were incredibly ingrained into Drake's being. That meant shutting them down was that much more difficult. Not impossible, just difficult. And only one or two at the same time.

Her best bet would be to target his enhancement right as he closed in. Then, cut off his healing as she hit him. If that Skill made an appearance, that'd be the second negation. She'd smother it, even if it went beyond her limit.

Rimuru could heal her, worst case. She could heal herself, too.

This time.

This time, she would kill him.

Something nagged her, though. A faint trickle along the back of her mind. Warning. Danger. The weight of the world, if that made any sense.

…no. Not this world. Not this plane, rather.

"This is as good a test as any. I can tell the little ones would be worthless here, anyway." Drake extended his hand. "And I won't risk my new card here."

DANGER