That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

It happened in an instant.

Karman had not even let his guard down.

And yet…

"You must pay for your crime of tarnishing this gift from Lord Rimuru."

By the time the chilly voice reached him, Beretta, who should have been held down by the five Powered Suits, had disappeared.

"What!?"

He frantically searched the area with his sensors, but Beretta was nowhere…no, he was there.

"…!!"

There was a scream and then one of his comrades fell.

It was hard to believe this was happening.

And in the next instant, Karman had to rethink everything.

The air seemed to twist as Beretta appeared.

In front of him, another of his-

"Jogg! Behind you!!"

"-Huh?"

Karman's scream did not reach him.

Beretta moved faster than the speed of sound itself as his thin arms pierced and shredded the Powered Suit.

Numerous tentacles pulled Jogg out, and the empty Powered Suit crumbled to the ground.

What had happened to the first man?

He now understood.

"Im-impossible…"

"What the…he got two of us in a second…"

The two others whispered to each other. Karman felt the same.

However, unlike his men, who were merely shocked, Karman was thinking of a way out of this.

(How did he move like that just now? It was as if space had moved-could it be space teleportation!?)

Moving that fast should cause shock waves.

However, no such thing had occurred.

He had moved faster than sound without affecting the atmosphere-Karman had never heard of such a thing, not even as a rumor.

So then-it couldn't have been movement, but teleportation.

And his thinking was close to the truth.

Beretta's Ultimate Gift, 'Deus Ex Machina's' 'Space Manipulation,' allowed him to change his own position.

It was limited to an area that he could see, but it was the same thing as teleportation.

"What?! Sto-stop!!"

A third man was caught by Beretta now.

Karman saw this and moved.

"Damn it. Don't underestimate me!!"

He had readied his Neutron Launcher after the second man had fallen, and he now fired it without hesitation.

It was possible that he would hit his own men, but he had decided that it was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to take down the monster that was Beretta.

The neutron beam turned into a missile that shot towards Beretta at the speed of light.

The effect would be the transfer of an immense amount of kinetic energy as a reaction of colliding with the target, turning the target into hot plasma.

-Or it should have.

"Wh-what the… IMPOOSSSIBBLEEE!!"

A phenomenon that was so unreal was occurring before Karman's very eyes.

The neutron beam had changed course right before hitting Beretta and disappeared into the ceiling.

In Karman's machine-assisted vision, he could see the afterglow of the neutron beam as it reacted with the atomic nucleus in the atmosphere and turned into plasma before disappearing into the ceiling.

There was enough information to assure him that this was no observation error.

Beretta was still standing there.

However, he wasn't idle.

Crunch, Crack, Snap-the eerie sounds erupted as the tips of Beretta's tentacles worked to destroy the Powered Suit it had removed.

This process seemed like a display of Beretta's fury, and Karman could not help but feel a sense of dread.

"Wha-what…did you just do?"

He could no longer stand the sight, and so he asked the question.

He didn't even expect an answer, but it came surprisingly quickly.

"It is simple. I determined the nature of the attack and I dealt with it accordingly. I suppose it is a weapon that gathers together particles and unleashes it at a tremendous speed. A frightful thing, however…"

Said Beretta, before continuing.

It seemed simple enough to alter the angle of space and send the beam off-course.

Because as long as the particles did not react to the atomic nucleus of the target, it was not a threat.

"Yo-you are saying you understood it after the first attack? But, how are you unharmed!? I saw you get hit…"

"Unharmed? You ruined the mask that Lord Rimuru gave to me. And you say 'unharmed'!! And not only that, but this face that should be hidden…"

Beretta looked like he was trying to control his anger.

While the hole in his stomach seemed like it should have been the bigger problem, he was more preoccupied with the mask he held in his hands.

Beretta was terribly warped and this was making it harder for Karman to think clearly.

However, just then, the last of Karman's men who had been waiting for such an opportunity, attacked Beretta from behind.

The hands of the Powered Suits had a number of barrels on them. And now one of them unleashed a rainbow of light.

It was thermal plasma.

It came from a thermonuclear reactor and was launched as a weapon.

"I did it!!"

He screamed. And the incredible heat assaulted Beretta—and yet, not a single hair from his beautiful silver locks was burnt.

Beretta stood completely unhurt amidst the assault of the colorful plasma.

It was a mystical sight. So much so that Karman stared at him in a state of awe.

And then-

Beretta chuckled softly.

The only reason Beretta had taken damage the first time the Neutron Launcher was used, was because it was an unknown attack.

A neutron beam was not something that usually occurred in nature.

And so it was not something that Beretta knew about. And so 'Multiple Barrier' had allowed the attack to go through.

Beretta was lucky that his body had liquified, saving him from a fatal wound.

But now that he knew, it was possible to use Multiple Barrier to defend himself, but he had considered that it would cause a great explosion, and so he has opted to use Space Manipulation instead.

It was easy enough for Beretta to predict the point that the neutron beam would fire from the angle of Karman's arms.

While there wasn't much point in considering other possibilities—If Karman had used the Neutron Launcher as his opening attack instead of Hyper Impact, Beretta's body would have likely turned into plasma and been destroyed.

And even if he didn't die, it would have taken a while for him to completely regenerate.

The reason that his head hadn't been blown off was that it had evolved into the Ultimate Metal, Hihirokane.

Hihirokane was not only unalterable in nature, but it could not be destroyed from such half-baked outside influences.

And of course, its nature could not be changed.

But now he knew how to deal with it all.

As for the thermal plasma, it was something Beretta was very familiar with.

So there was no problem.

That being said, there was no energy in this world, so he wasn't in the best condition.

And so while it wasn't much, Beretta had taken a little damage earlier.

But that was then.

As he was now, Beretta could not be affected by their thermal plasma weapons.

Because-

"Bastard…what is happening with you…? How are you immune to the plasma…!?"

Karman's last man saw that Beretta was unharmed after the attack-and he was thrown into a state of fear.

This brought Karman back out of his trance.

Karman could not blame him for his confusion.

What they were seeing was so far from what was considered normal, that it was hard to maintain your sanity.

The plasma that was directed at Beretta had been blocked by barriers all around him and was being sent up through the large hole in the ceiling.

It dispersed in the sky and disappeared.

That had been a feature of the Beam Barrier, which the Powered Suits had been equipped with…

And then Karman realized it.

Beretta had been disassembling the Powered Suits with his tentacles.

"You were…incorporating it…?

—Yes.

He had been disassembling the Powered Suits and analyzing their features.

And then he had incorporated it as his own power, allowing for him to use all of those abilities.

Not only that, but they had been altered to be more efficient and powerful.

The new function of The Ultimate Gift, 'Deus Ex Machina,' 'Machine Domination'…

"Uh, captain? What did you just…"

With those last words, the fourth man fell.

Beretta's tentacles had slammed into him, scraping away his consciousness.

Now only Karman remained.

And there, for the first time, Karman looked at Beretta's-true face.

The thin eyes and lips.

His nose had a high bridge that brought his features together and enhanced their beauty.

His face was pale like porcelain, though there were patches of pink that surfaced because of his rage-He did not look like something that was made.

And yet it was clear—

(—Yes, this thing…is not human. However, how…)

"Beautiful."

That was the word that spilled from Karman's lips.

It had to be artificial, but it was beautiful in a way that conquered the uncanny valley.

Karman could not imagine what materials had to be used in order to create such detailed features.

His praise was completely from the heart—

He was not aware for a moment that Beretta's tentacles had been unleashed. They came down on him like rain, sending his consciousness into darkness…

◇◇◇

Karman was a survivor of that city that had fallen.

That day, along with the news of the refugee uprising, Karman, who had only just graduated from the military academy, received the order from his superior.

"…We have decided to ask for help from the other cities. Our lives our in your hands. I'm counting on you."

His superior had been like a father to him. And he said this with gentle eyes.

Karman could still remember it clearly.

And now, he understood how he must have felt to a painful degree.

With the technology the cities had, it was possible to correspond.

After all, back then they had communication devices that worked in spite of the high-density electromagnetic storm.

But there were a number of reasons that Karman and the others had been chosen.

There were universal strategic reconnaissance aircrafts that could fly through the electromagnetic storm, but most of them had been destroyed during the great war. And so they could not afford to lose them now. That was the order from headquarters.

Special research was being conducted in the city, and they could not afford to lose the incredible amount of research data.

They did not want such valuable resources to be taken by the mob.

Etcetera.

And it so happened that Karman, who was the youngest lieutenant, was the only one who could pilot a universal strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

But more than anything-

The senior officer had lost his own children during the war, and so Karman was like a son to him.

He had allowed Karman to escape.

Karman and the other four who were still young…

On the airfield that was high above the city, they took what they could on the aircraft and prepared for transmission.

Karman was too young to understand what the officer's intention was, and so he accepted the mission without saying anything.

He believed that they were on a mission to request assistance and that they would return.

He had no doubts about it.

The result was that he would lose his beloved mother, younger sister and the senior officer he saw as a father, forever.

Even Charles, who he had been seeing at the time…

Regret, sadness, hate.

With so much intense emotion, Karman knew he could never forgive,

That was the reason.

Karman hated the resistance. And this was why he could show no mercy.

After that, Karman and his four subordinates were taken in by South City.

At the time, Michelle was the young general who led the military, and they fought the resistance together.

As time passed, the Empire was established and he volunteered to undergo surgery in order to become a cyborg.

He would be a soldier who fought in the frontlines.

Michelle was now ruler of the south. And she gave her permission.

And now, here he was.

...…

...

…

Karman woke up with a feeling of depression as he recalled the past.

For a moment he was confused about what had happened, but then he looked around him and turned pale.

He realized that Beretta had defeated them and they were now captured.

"So, you've awakened."

He looked up to see the face of a familiar man standing by the door.

It was Zaza.

He was guarding this room that the five of them were imprisoned in.

He checked his internal clock and saw that it had been half a day since the fight.

While he was stumped as to why they had all been kept alive, he tried to question Zaza.

"…Who are you?"

"Zaza. You're Karman, right? I'm happy to meet someone so famous."

"Ha. And I feel terrible. I expected to be killed, but we're being kept alive. Are you going to torture us then? If you are—"

"No, there is no point in torturing a cyborg. I know that very well. As for the reason that you're all alive…"

Zaza paused here and sighed.

And then he continued as if shouting.

"This guy called Veldora was against it. Why? Who the hell knows! That guy won't listen to anyone once he has made up his mind. And Ramiris and Beretta obey him for some reason. So there's nothing I can do. What is he thinking? That's what I'd like to know!"

He said.

This show of resentment made even the resistance hater a little sympathetic.

Zaza seemed to calm down a little after this outburst.

"However, this all happened just after we discussed negotiating with the Empire, so perhaps it was a good thing that we didn't kill you. Both for you and for us…"

"But, you do know we are just soldiers? We have no value as hostages."

"Hehe. Yes, I know that. But you know, I've just grown tired of fighting. Besides, I find it rather amusing that some rubbish fool like that was able to survive all of this time. I almost feel stupid for living my life with such tension. Oh, that's right. The others will be getting up soon. So we should go too!"

Zaza said as he told them all to stand up.

Karman's men had been silently listening to them talk up until now, but they obeyed his order.

While they were cyborgs, Karman and his men were able to operate in any environment.

As everything but their brains was a machine, it allowed them to move under any circumstances.

That being said, without the Powered Suits, their combat abilities were only slightly better than humans.

Zaza was well aware of this, so he called to Karma and his men without much caution.

"Can you hurry up? As I said, this Veldora guy starts doing things the moment you let him out of your sight. While Sharma and Rindo are probably with him, you can never be too careful."

So saying he rushed them along and through the town square.

And that is where Karman saw it!

"Kahahahaha! Get in line! Get in line! I will serve you until you are all satisfied!!"

Said a good-looking man with dark skin. He was laughing happily.

Obviously, this was Veldora.

And he was cooking something on a grill that Karman had never seen before.

But there was a sweet smell in the air.

And the sounds of food sizzling on the grill was enough to make the heart soar.

Children were waiting in line with plastic plates in their hands. Adults watched them with slightly embarrassed smiles.

And when the children got their food and ate it, their faces lit up with happiness.

"Do you understand? You are to give me the rarest parts!"

"Yes!"

"I know!!"

"Good! Kahahahaha!!"

Karman could hear the conversation. The atmosphere here was so peaceful. It was as if the fight of yesterday were a dream.

It was so surprising that they could do nothing but stand there in silence.

However, Zaza was to become even more surprised than they were.

After all—

"What do you think you are doing!!"

-Zaza's shout echoed throughout the town square.

◇◇◇

What he was passing out to the children was pancakes.

Ramiris was flying around them and trading honey, maple syrup and a variety of fruit jam for parts.

She was now helping Veldora by gathering them.

"…Lord Ramiris. You too…"

"Uh, Ahahaha…"

Zaza said tiredly.

Ramiris tried to laugh it off.

"Don't be so angry Zaza. Why don't you have one?"

It's on the house, you know? Veldora said as he offered a pancake to him.

"You know I can't eat!!" Zaza practically screamed as he pushed the plate back.

"Oh, that is right. I forgot about that. Kahahahahaha!"

Zaza was annoyed at how carefree his laughter was, and he wanted an explanation as to how this had happened.

But it was Rindo, not Veldora who answered him.

"Now, now, Mister Zaza. Veldora had thought this whole thing through. There is no need to act in this way now, is there?"

Rindo said this while holding a plate firmly in his hands.

"Uh, Rindo? You aren't…did he buy you with those pancakes?"

Zaza asked. Veins were popping all over his forehead.

Rindo averted his gaze.

"Uh, not really. There may have been some high-level political transactions, but that is all. I would never be bribed…"

He said.

Zaza gritted his teeth with anger at this nonsense, but he soon caught sight of something even more surprising.

"Huh? Well, ohohohohoho—"

Sharma, who was holding a plate, tried to run away as she laughed.

"Wait. Wait just one minute. Miss Sharma, you can't possibly be involved with this!?"

"Oh, how rude! That's preposterous! What a thing to say. But, you know, Zaza. It is sometimes important to keep an open mind. That is my opinion!"

She said.

Zaza was exasperated.

This was so ridiculous.

"But…"

"Zaza."

After thinking about it for a moment, Zaza was about to tell Sharma what he really thought, but she interrupted him.

Zaza gave up under her stare.

Sharma nodded and looked at him very seriously.

"Look here, Zaza. I have made a decision. I am not giving up on everything. We are going to talk to the Empire. Obviously, this will have to be discussed with the rest of Light of Dawn, but I believe we can confront the Empire in a way that doesn't involve fighting. Yes, that is what I believe."

"You want to talk to them. But I doubt the Empire has the ear to listen…"

"Indeed. We may not get the opportunity. But when that happens, we just need to fight them and take what we need. Just like Veldora over there said. Don't you agree?"

"Fight and take? But that is insane!"

Karman said as he butted into their conversation.

While he was chuckling, his words left no room for argument.

"Look. It was quite impressive that you beat us. I am surprised by it myself. However, the Empire's latest cyborg soldiers are monsters that have ceased to be humans in the truest sense. You'll all be slaughtered."

Karman said as he looked around them.

The children laughed as they ate their hotcakes.

"Tsk!"

Karman clicked his tongue.

"Don't even try. It's not really for me to say, but you'll probably remain undiscovered if you continue to lay low as you always have. We were lucky this time when we found you… But you know, its all this Zaza's fault, as they tried to steal from us on such a large scale! And so…"

"But!"

Sharma stopped him.

And then with an expression of determination, said:

"I want to give the children hope. You know, we weren't even aware that such wonderful food as this existed until yesterday! And I was thinking, do we bear the responsibility for that? We polluted the world and then lived on like this… That great war. It has nothing to do with our children, does it!? And so I have decided. It doesn't have to be every day. Even once a year is fine. But I want to receive some of the base materials and grow them. And then we can all celebrate. Is that so bad?"

Karman was at a loss for words as she stared at him.

He could not argue with her.

No matter how much he hated the resistance up until now, it was really just anger that had lasted this long through not knowing them.

Now, with the children in front of him, his convictions had weakened.

(…She's right. These kids aren't responsible for that…)

It was a problem that Karman had been avoiding in his own mind.

Up until now, Karman had only faced warriors who had been trained for battle. He believed they were in the wrong, and that allowed him to be as cruel as he wanted.

Even when first lieutenant Hiragi used the nuclear missile, he didn't feel an ounce of remorse. The resistance was their enemy. Karman's imagination did not lead him to think of them as individuals.

But now that he knew, something different was in his heart. A struggle.

Even without the cigar—the emotion suppressant—anger did not well up in him. He was that confused.

(Tsk. Damn it!!)

It was a question without an answer, and he cursed inwardly.

"…If we could survive without the city, we would do so gladly. Unfortunately, I have had these hotcakes analyzed, and they are primarily made from flour. And there are also such valuable ingredients such as chicken eggs and cow milk mixed in it. We have no way of acquiring such things. If it were only the flour, perhaps we could read the genetic information and recreate it within the shelters, but it does not work that way with livestock. We cannot solve this problem on our own."

Rindo said.

Sharma had ordered him to find out if they couldn't recreate the food themselves.

Sadly, the answer was that it was impossible.

"…Indeed. They do have the genetic information of animals from the last century and there are even animals that are raised for food in the city. But still, it is only just enough so that the citizens of the city don't starve! Even if you want it, we can't just say, 'here, take it!'"

"And that is why we want to negotiate first. Perhaps we could be useful to each other. We wish to make a non-aggression pact and build a cooperative relationship. But…"

"If you refuse to accept us no matter what, we will have to fight for our survival. If there is even a little hope for us in this world, then we will gladly give our lives for the coming war."

But in the end, Rindo added that the resistance was still not unified in their decision.

However, they could predict the outcome of the talks before they happened.

All their branches were barely holding on. They all knew that they needed the help of the cities. Their machines would not last much longer.

Up until now, they had searched for other ruins with power-supplying machines and used them.

But this was not really a solution to the problem. There was always a desperate attempt to find a replacement as the old machines slowly died.

If the machines were to stop working before they found a spare, then they would lose the ability to provide the bare minimum amount of food they needed to survive.

This unease and fear was something the adults of the resistance had to live with constantly.

If they could receive the cooperation of the city, then they would likely be able to repair their machines.

Even if it was nearly impossible, wasn't it worth a try instead of waiting here to die?

Such opinions were growing strong within the resistance.

If they were able to negotiate with the city, regardless of the outcome, it would at least put an end to these debates.

And of course—

If the city was not willing to give in, even an inch, then they would have to take from them by force—that would be the result.

"Kahahahahaha! Well said! Yes, yes. It is always best to act first."

Veldora nodded with satisfaction. Zaza sent him a cold look.

This is all your fault! His eyes said accusingly.

"When you do attack the city, I shall accompany you. For that is Lord Ramiris's wish."

Beretta said. Karman couldn't help but enter a fighting stance because of this sudden appearance.

"Be-Beretta!?"

"Karman, I think it was. Do not fear. I am no longer angry. Lord Ramiris has repaired the mask for me."

He said as he looked at Karman and his men.

And then he looked back at Karman and said in a whisper.

"…However, had you not said that one thing, I would have killed you all. You were very lucky."

Karman could give no answer except for a nod.

Yes, Karman had been lucky.

Beretta had regained his cool when Karman had praised the face that Rimuru had made.

He felt as if it had been Rimuru who was praised, and not himself. And he was happy.

Without that word, Beretta would have gone wild and put an end to Karman and his men.

Beretta told Karman this and then turned towards Veldora and Ramiris.

"As you commanded, I have repaired everything except for the hole in the ceiling."

"Oh, yes. Thank you! By the way, master. Why didn't you have the hole sealed?"

"Hm? Ah, that is because we will have visitors soon."

"Visitors?"

Ramiris and Beretta looked at him with confusion.

And then Sharma and the others did the same.

Karman alone looked at him with an expression of surprise and with suspicion in his heart.

"There is an airship in the sky, isn't there? It's been spying on us all of this time. But it's finally starting to move. It would be most annoying if they used nuclear attack magic again, and so I decided to leave the door open for them."

"An airship? Do you mean like a reconnaissance aircraft!?"

"You say someone is spying on us?"

"Mmm. Zaza. It was up there even while you were fighting with those dogs."

"What!?"

Zaza was horrified.

Veldora saw this and laughed happily.

It looked like people were going to finally start seeing him differently.

"But, what do you mean by magic…?"

Sharma ignored Zaza and asked.

"Hmm? It was magic that tore through the ceiling, wasn't it? They changed Nuclear Flame into penetrative energy, which is quite impressive. It was very powerful. Does that not mean there are very strong sorcerers in this world?"

Veldora's words threw them into further confusion.

Among them, Ramiris and Beretta alone were calm.

"I see. So it was my fault that Karman and his men found this place. But if you knew about it, why didn't you say so sooner!?"

"Why? Because this is all according to my plan! We now have hostages for our negotiation! Everything is just great!"

"Really? I knew it, master!"

"Are you stupid!! The Empire does not care about hostages!"

"Yes, I can assure you of that. We don't have any value as hostages."

"Indeed!?"

Zaza shouted at the smug Veldora.

It was well known that the Empire did not care about hostages.

And so it was not just Zaza, but Karman and his men were also shocked at Veldora's ignorance.

They all fell silent.

"What are you going to do, master? Didn't I tell you? This plan was never going to work!"

Ramiris—changed her tune immediately and betrayed him.

Veldora was taken aback.

"No, but… I thought it was a great idea…"

He tried desperately to make an excuse. Zaza just sighed.

This had happened just as Zaza was starting to gain a sense of respect for him, because of his highly capable sensors. But all of that went out the window now.

Zaza thought.

Someone who could run Karman's unit and was good at gathering information.

This person had used 'nuclear weapons' on them without hesitation during their fight. The person that was feared as the 'Master of the Mad Dogs'—First lieutenant Hiragi.

It was rumored that he and Karman were close, so it must be him.

"—Is it first lieutenant Hiragi?"

Karman remained silent.

While he was currently feeling conflicted about his way of life, he still felt no obligation to answer.

"Is he dangerous, Zaza?"

"Very… However, first lieutenant Hiragi likes to annhilate his prey with Murder Dogs, so as long as Beretta is here…"

Just as Zaza was answering Sharma's question, a dramatic change took place.

"What!!"

"No way!?"

"…I cannot believe it. Can it be an Awakened Demon Lord class!? And with energy that surpasses ours…"

Veldora, Ramiris and Beretta reacted at the same time as they stared at the entrance that led to the upper floors.

After a while, there was the sound of footsteps.

The person who arrived was a beautiful woman who did not look a day over twenty.

She had blue eyes and light blonde hair that was cut at her shoulders.

The surprising guest was none other than lieutenant general Michelle.

Her icy glare scanned the room. She was so overpowering that the very air seemed to warp.

And then her cherry blossom hued lips opened and her beautiful voice sounded.

"Hello, everyone. I am Michelle. I am the Supreme Commander of the Southern Security Force and Governer General of South City."

Silence.

And—

"It-it's Bakusenhime Michelle!!"

Someone said.

"…No… Why would the Mercenary Four be in a place like this!?"

Once it was recognized as the reality, a sense of despair and defeat came over the room.

And in that situation, eyes met.

Veldora continued to smile as he stood there calmly.

Michelle considered him with interest.

—And that was how Veldora met the most powerful being in this world.