Tensura What If: Silver Timeline (Draft)

Prologue - Sacrifices & Rebirth

'Master, I am sorry this is the only way for you to survive. I won't let you die because of my incompetence once more.'

She said, apologizing profusely for what she is about to do. For, she herself did not want to do it. As this is not what her master would have wanted and she knew that and is willing to do it even while knowing it.

'Raphael stop! Don't do it! You're killing them all! Stop I don't want this! I can't live knowing that I survive because of their sacrifices stop!!!'

Rimuru shouted both out of sorrow and anger for what is currently happening. He hated how he can't do anything 'They' were all writhing in pain, and he was the cause.

Because of his connection with them, he knew that they were in an unimaginable amount of pain. He knew and yet he couldn't do anything. For, Raphael has taken over Rimuru's body without his permission, to make sure he wouldn't be able to interfere.

'Master, I'm sorry this is for the best even if it's an order, my priority is your safety.'

Raphael repeatedly apologized; she knew it hurt him a lot. And, as she was the one who started and planned this action it was a great bit of pain to see her master like this because of her.

While just being a skill she knew she felt a certain emotion that only those of the living should be able to feel. Guilt, she was feeling extremely guilty for what she was doing.

But who could blame her, this was not the first time that she had experienced emotion and it was an emotion she never wanted to feel once more. She felt fear once before, it was when her master died.

Her master died and it shook her in her core. If she had a body, she would have shouted at the top of her lungs. If she didn't have mental strength she would have broken down and gone insane.

If she couldn't revive her master. She would have burned the world and herself with it for taking her master away from her.

Luckily, she was able to revive him. She felt another emotion, happiness, and relief. As well as shame for not being able to protect her master to the best of her abilities.

And yet, Rimuru didn't blame her. He said it wasn't her fault and even forgave her. Even though, her master died because of her, even though her master got hurt because of her. Her master was still willing to forgive her.

Gratitude was all she had for her master after that moment. She swore to herself to never let something like this happen again.

And yet it did

Rimuru was getting cornered. He was in an impossible scenario where death is the only ending.

Raphael felt fear once again 'ahh! Ahhh! A-am i-i going to lose master again?' She thought to herself not letting Rimuru hear her thoughts.

'Something?! Anything!?' Using thought acceleration to give her time to think of a solution. She found one. However, it has a lot of flaws in it. So many that if it was the normal her, she would have deemed it a useless idea for not being a 100% solution not even nearing a 40% success rate.

'But Raphael, you will also disappear, like the others, if this continues, stop it! Even if I do survive, I won't get far without you so stop it, please!!! I-I don't want to lose anyone else.... Please...'

Rimuru continues to beg her as she not only continues to take over his body and does her 'plan' but she was also fighting using her master's body.

Making sure to buy time whether it be seconds, minutes, if she's lucky maybe even an hour.

The main goal is to have her master's soul reincarnate his way to escape this predicament. And to do that, Raphael will take her master's place as the supposed 'soul' that will die with the body as a sacrifice.

Crack-like veins started appearing in Rimuru's body. Showing how much damage it has taken and is reaching its limit. And yet, Raphael continues to fight the enemies with said body.

'I'm sure you can survive without me master.'

Raphael lost an arm from an attack from the enemy in front of her.

'After all, you are Rimuru Tempest my one and only master.'

She was cut. Missing her lower half only being able to maintain her position with flight magic.

'This... Is goodbye... Mas.. er..'

She was pierced with multiple swords, spears, and magic from different directions. And yet, the smile in her face never left.

The last thing she felt was relief, this time she was able to save her master. This time she protected her master.

'Raphael!!!'

_________________________

Rimuru felt himself going through the cycle of reincarnation. However, this is different from a normal process. Because Rimuru was going against the flow of souls.

It's like being in space and seeing multiple galaxy whirlpools in all directions with souls going with the flow of the swirling part until they arrive in the middle to be reincarnated.

The cycle of reincarnation the system Veldanava created was supposed to be a way for souls of the dead to be reincarnated once more in the future.

But nobody knew that this system transcends both time and space. Meaning everything happens here all at once, it's just organized by the Voice of the World, so no mistakes are made, like a soul going to the past.

Each galaxy whirlpool is a different era, a different time. And the souls in it are the souls of people who died in that time period.

However, with Raphael's actions, albeit for a short amount of time the voice of the world will not notice Rimuru's soul going against the natural flow.

This way Rimuru's soul is openly jumping from whirlpool to whirlpool to find the right time-period, Raphael planned for him.

Of course, this was never a foolproof plan, going against it has its risks. Jumping through the void and switching whirlpools may result in your soul getting dragged back by something like gravity.

The 'gravity' of each whirlpool is so souls won't escape or be placed into the wrong eras.

Rimuru was able to escape being dragged multiple times. But each time leaving behind a small fraction of his soul as sacrifice. This way, the whirlpool would think it had dragged the soul back and would stop paying it attention.

While Rimuru was not conscious, his soul was cracking and falling apart because of all this.

Small bits of his soul disappear and follow the natural flow of the cycle. This happened many more times. So many times, that his soul is only 30% of its original volume.

And hundreds if not thousands of Rimuru's soul of many sizes from as small as dust in the wind to having 5% of his soul in one fragment. merging with other souls and reincarnating as someone else.

Until he has finally reached his destination. the beginning of all the whirlpools, the very first one. He will soon be reborn. Not as a slime, but as a being that is easiest to reincarnate into a...

DEMON