Saga of Slime and Devil (Remake)

Vol 3 | Chapter X | Judgement

Viktoriya felt like a mere observer, cast away from control over her own body yet again. This time, however, it was by a being who had every intention and capability of killing someone she had failed to protect before. She screamed for the control to end, for her own faculties to be returned, at the injustice of what was occurring.

'The hell am I doing? I'm an Imperial Mage! And an elite one at that! Tanya would kill me if I let myself be taken control of that easily! Actually, at this rate, she might! Whatever, whoever you are, I won't let you use my body! And I won't let you hurt Tanya!'

"How persistent you are," A booming baritone voice echoed out through the subconscious void that was her mind, from seemingly everywhere all at once. She glanced around the dark void of her mind to find no source of the voice, instead only seeing the darkness of her subconscious mind, if that was even possible.

"Who are you?! Get out of my body!" Viktoriya shouted at the voice although it seemed unfazed.

"Most people would lie down and perish, letting their souls drift away and let me take over with ease. You have a firm mind, I'll give you credit for that. Years of war have hardened you, no doubt, particularly under that detestable Argent. But as a wartime mage, you must understand one thing.... You're a measly soldier. You're meant to die."

"I refuse! Now get out! This body's occupied!" Viktoriya shouted again at the voice, though she thought she only heard a sigh in response.

"How annoying..." The voice muttered.

The world around her shifted. Rather than the void of her own mind, she found herself back on the Rhine front, standing in the midst of a no man's land, trenches stretching, branching, and twisting for miles north and south at either side of her. Despite the fresh smell of death, there were no soldiers or guns to be seen, and not a single plane or mage in the smog-filled skies.

Glancing up at the sky noticed something strange; there was no sun, nor was there a moon. The sky wasn't blue or black, but rather a mixture of grays. All that stood out in the empty void that was the foggy sky were massive golden chains that stretched across in their entirety, as if imprisoning the entire world in their binds.

The voice spoke again, its voice now flickering between that of a deep-sounding male, to that of Tanya's, an image of Tanya flickering in and out of existence, eyes glowing golden along with her characteristic Computation Jewel on her neck. Landing in front of her, the replication spoke as she flickered into existence, "If you must continue to resist me, then I will crush you like the insect you are."

The Tanya, whom Viktoriya immediately recognized as a fake, raised her rifle, firing at it as she threw up a barrier, launching into the sky as she grabbed her own rifle. Returning fire, the imitation Tanya evaded it like a fairy soaring through the air, slamming into Viktoriya as she stumbled to regain her balance in the air.

Tanya's replication now spoke again, this time completely acclimated to Tanya's voice, "This is the power your commander could have wielded. If only she had accepted my mercy. She rejected the power I granted her and she despised me at every turn for the grace I gave her. I'd say it was her downfall, but this was inevitable regardless."

The not-Tanya waved its hand as a magical field appeared in front of it when it raised its rifle. Lights of several colors across the rainbow glowed as it moved down the rifle, launching at Viktoria as she failed to dodge it, barely managing to block it with her barrier as the not-Tanya simultaneously charged at her.

As it slammed into Viktoriya, it knocked her rifle far out of her reach. As Viktoria flew back to the ground, tumbling, she surveyed up to view the not-Tanya holding her rifle in its hands before snapping it over its knee, declaring, "I thought you were trained not to lose that? Oh well. Incompetence must be punished."