You are who you interact with….is how the saying goes….at least what I deemed necessary to remember.
On further contemplation, it doesn't sound so contrived, if Rimuru's recent behavior is to be taken at face value.
Arrogance, selfishness, and an overwhelming self confidence. All traits I and the majority of the other demon lords shared in varying levels.
The Rimuru I once knew was nothing like that, at least most of the time. He did have the selfishness part in spades though, Tempest’s military and economic power being enough evidence.
But now it seems he's become just as self centered as we are, albeit in his own idealistic way.
Leave it to the slime to even make good out of a demon lord’s behavior. Though I suppose, just as I and the others influenced him, we've been influenced as well.
I at least have that much self awareness to notice that I wasn't the same.
“Sigh…” Infinite regeneration took hold as I finally regained enough focus to brute force the authority that had been bothering me since that subpar Vampire set his dogs on us.
I took a glance around, analyzing the subspace I found myself in.
It took the form of a large arena, reminiscent of Tempest's coliseum. Vague figures sat in the stands, faceless and formless as they seemed to echo cheers that no one would ever be able to perceive or understand.
Mirages? Illusions?
“Distasteful.” I muttered as I hovered over the whole structure, letting my aura flow out unrestrained.
“Don't be so hasty in your judgment! What are trials without spectators? How else should one take pride in their achievements if there's no one to witness them?”
An overly jovial voice echoed throughout the space, spouting nonsense that I couldn't be bothered to subscribe to.
“Do you have no friends? I almost pity you, seeing as you have to fabricate entities to keep you company.”
While not the best example, my new proficiency at trash talking could be attributed to Rimuru. Turns out, well articulated insults never hit deep.
“....a sharp tongue…but that in itself is also a trial for myself! Haha!”
…is this guy insane?
“I care not about your love for challenges, I'm here to kill you, simple as that.” I stated, already trying to pinpoint exactly where he was hiding within this strange space.
“Heh, true. Now, as you can see, I have prepared an arena and spectators for you. Before you can kill me, you have to complete a set of trials. Are you prepared?”
Hm, they're quite well hidden…
“And what makes you think I can't bypass that process completely and kill you now?”
“That would be anti-climactic wouldn't it? So I went out of my way to enforce a few rules here.
“The first rule: You cannot leave this space until I die.
“The second rule: I cannot attack you by any means whatsoever during the trial!
“The third and final rule: Aside from my voice, I'll remain unavailable to you by any possible means until you clear the last stage of my trial. Interesting, no?”
This personality…it's just like that evil dragon..
While my hatred of him has mellowed significantly, such a blatant reminder of his typical behavior gets on my nerves.
YOU ARE READING
Archive Of Potentialities.
AdventureA description that covers all aspects of this fic does not exist, as it's essentially an amalgamation of various different short stories and oneshots, with the latter being a noticeable minority. Each has Rimuru Tempest (obviously) as its protagonis...
