WebNovels

Chapter 93 - Slime Queen

Shino pulls on the sword. It appears transparent, a blue glow glinting off it from the surrounding water.

The sword shines. The seal reacts, glowing with a faint silver light.

The seal breaks.

The sword shifts and twists around Shino, wrapping itself in a fluid motion. It begins to absorb her.

"Shino!" Adrian yells, running toward her.

"Stay back!" she coughs, struggling against the slime. The mass grows larger and larger until it towers over her.

She claws at it as it morphs around her body.

"Get out of my head, get out of my head!" she repeats, over and over, until she collapses.

Her scream pierces the air.

We watch as Adrian tightens his grip on his sword, trusting her but ready if things turn. Gerald whispers something to him that I cannot hear.

"What's happening?" Rei asks. Teruki's face is pale.

"I'm not sure," Teruki says slowly. "The Queen is trying to force a contract on her."

Shino keeps fighting, gripping the slime, but it's no use. She falls to her knees, surrounded by a shifting bubble of liquid.

The Queen releases her. Shino's body drops forward, and Gerald catches her in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

Shino coughs once. "I'm fine."

He sets her gently on the ground.

The bubble ripples and reforms, taking Shino's shape. The same long hair. The same face. But older. Taller.

A crown of ten gems forms atop the Queen's head.

"I highly doubt I'll ever need more than that many," she murmurs to herself. Her voice is deeper than Shino's. She looks like seeing Shino six or seven years in the future. Her body is translucent, glowing faintly blue in the reflection of the water. She looks tired.

"Well done, Shino," the Queen says with a calm smile. "I'm impressed that someone with so little mana could resist me."

"Guys, she wanted to use me as a catalyst," Shino says. "To break out of the core and return to the world."

"What?" Calder yells.

"It wanted to burn the world down!" Shino shouts back.

The Slime Queen laughs softly. "Semantics. I only wanted to see how much the world has changed. To see the people of this age and how magic has evolved."

"There's more you wanted," Shino says.

"I also wanted to see the High Humans of this cycle," the Queen replies, her tone calm but curious.

Rei leans toward me and whispers, "Do your pistol attack."

"Are you sure?" I ask quietly.

"Yes. Put as much as you can into it."

"It'll be devastating.

"I'll teleport us away right after."

"Fine."

Rei nods toward Adrian, who seems to agree.

I pull one of my pistols from its holster. The metal hums faintly with energy. I spin it once around my finger before aiming at the Queen.

"Bang_(Mana: MAX)."

The ring on my finger glows. The shot tears through the air. It slams into the Queen's chest. Her body ripples like water struck by stone. 

One of the ten gems on her crown turns yellow.

A flicker of surprise crosses her face.

I collapse to my knees. My vision fractures, colors twisting into static. My hands tremble as the strength drains from them. Every sound fades to a hollow ringing. My heartbeat slows, faint and distant, like it belongs to someone else. The air feels heavy, the world dim. I try to breathe. My lungs forgot how. My body isn't just tired. it's shutting down, cell by cell. Turning to dust.

Teruki jumps next to me and she begins to heal me. She passed me a mana potion even though it was cold. My vision returned.

The Queen shifted and reformed around the impact like liquid foam before sealing itself again.

"Bang_(Mana: MA…)," she echoes, her voice strained, as if the words are being forced from her mouth.

Relief spreads through me. I see her smile.

Rei braces for impact. Adrian raises his shield.

Yellow energy crackles at the Queen's fingertips.

"MA Ha ha ha," she laughs. "You really thought that would work? You think I cannot edit spells?"

"Bang_."

The energy leaves her hand. A bullet of lightning forms midair and slams into her. It flashes bright, then vanishes in a hiss of steam.

The Queen tilts her head, smiling faintly. "I understand the attempt, though. I appreciate the effort. I will allow you to speak."

"Cycle?" Rei asks, frowning. "What do you mean by cycle?"

"Why do you try so hard?" the Queen asks softly. "Do you really think the Tetravice that rules this world will ever set you free?"

"Tetravice?" Yuto says, frowning.

"What's a Tetravice?" Teruki asks almost at the same time.

"If you don't know what that is," the Queen replies, "then you aren't ready to leave."

She tilts her head slightly, her voice calm and almost amused. "I will tell you something before you die. There is one main omniverse where they come from. The one that rules our own is a terrifying woman, a dragon-faced being who lives outside this medium. A Tetravice of the Law of Cycles."

Adrian narrows his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The Tetravice determines everything in this world," the Queen says. "The powers, the systems, every aspect of existence. The Tetravice willed it so."

Viri laughs. "Then tell us, do we win this fight?"

"It wouldn't be a good story if you all simply died here," the Queen says with a faint smile. "Though I will try my hardest."

"So you're saying we all have plot armor?" Viri mocks.

"I'm saying that worlds ruled by Tetravice who aren't entirely insane or absolutely controlling are rare. The ones in between… those are the balanced stories."

"Insane?" Adrian repeats.

"Let me ask you something," the Queen says. "Do any of you play chess?"

"I do," Adrian and Rei answer together.

"I do as well," Han answers.

"A little," Calder adds.

"Not much," Teruki says, smiling faintly. "Rei makes me play sometimes."

"Good," the Queen says. "Just like chess, the main omniverse has ranks. Eight in total. And there are four laws that govern all worlds, each with twenty-three aspects."

She raises one glowing finger for each as she speaks.

"The Laws of Order: Growth and Perseverance. The Laws of Neutrality: Balance and Cycles. The Laws of Action: Momentum and Conflict. And finally, the Laws of Chaos: Instability and Destruction."

"You said our world is governed by the Law of Cycles," Iso says, steadying her voice.

"Correct. The spectrum of insanity is not what you think. Rank one is obsessive control, where nothing escapes the Tetravice's will. Rank eight is absolute madness, where no order exists. Our worlds remain in the middle. The Tetravice that govern on ranks four and five are the most fair.

Worlds ruled by a rank one Tetravice are lifeless. No freedom, no choice. Worlds under rank eight collapse into chaos, no structure, no meaning."

Rei raises a hand. "Does that mean there are sixty-four omniverses?"

"Yes," the Queen says. "Not counting the one they all originate from."

Sera hesitates. "Will we ever see a Tetravice?"

"I hope not," the Queen says, her smile fading. "At least not with your current consciousness."

"So," Han says, "if we live in a world governed by a sane Tetravice between ranks four and five, and under the Law of Cycles, then we're in square D5?"

"Yes," the Queen answers. "That means this world follows the Law of Cycles and embodies chaotic freedom. I prefer to call it unfocused energy."

"The Tetravice is the one who reset our world?" Adrian asks.

"Yes. They merged your worlds, creating this endless cycle of climbing floors, falling, and rebirth. This is far from the first time it's happened"

She leans forward slightly. "Tell me, have any of you ever received confirmation from a system?"

"No," everyone answers at once.

"I thought not," the Queen says. "Your journey is meaningless. You fight for no cause."

Adrian steps forward. "We fight for hope. The hope that we survive, and return home."

The Queen chuckles. "Wishful thinking. The Tetravice will simply restart the cycle with new worlds and new pawns."

"That's bull," Maki shouts. "You expect us to believe our entire world is nothing more than a script? That our lives, dreams, and the people who died mean nothing?"

"Who knows," the Queen says lightly. "I could be lying."

Rei steps between them. "Is there any way we can talk this out? Prevent a fight?"

"Talking is useless with monsters anyway," Viri says under her breath.

"Unfortunately, no," the Queen replies with a faint smile. "We don't have to fight, but all you High Humans know is conflict. You breathe it. You thrive in it. The endless cycle of struggle."

We remain silent. The Queen continues.

"When I was sealed, I watched your kind fight for nothing. Battle after battle, killing for pride or sport. Fighting should be intimate, an act where both sides show their truest, most vulnerable selves. But in the world you come from, did you resolve everything through battle?"

"No," a few of us answered quietly.

"Of course not. You would see that as barbaric. Yet when you arrived in this tower, you brought your habits with you. You fight to climb. You fight to survive. You even fight to prove your worth. Guilds, rankings, duels, wars. You all are obsessed with violence."

Adrian nods slowly. "I agree with part of that. But sometimes, fighting is the only way forward. Every species in this tower struggles to survive, each in its own way."

"He's right," Shino says. "Slimes kill npcs, rodents and monsters to live. Isn't that a kind of fighting too?"

The Queen's expression darkens. "Descendants of the Slime King are not conscious beings. They are only cores driven by instinct. When you reach the higher floors, you'll meet my descendants. You'll see the difference."

"Even still, we are nothing like monsters," Yuto shouts.

"If you can't see what I'm saying," the Queen replies with a cold smile, "then you are no different from those summoned heroes."

She raises her hand. The air vibrates. "Let me show you the true power of mana!"

Waves of mana poured out of the core, harsh and suffocating like Sho's but far worse. It pressed down on us like the weight of an ocean.

Teruki raised a barrier, splitting it into two. One protected our guild, and the other shielded the Crusaders. Another gem on the Queen's crown flickered, turning white.

Adrian glanced at Rei. They both seemed to understand what needed to be done.

The crushing pressure stopped.

"Look at you," the Queen mocked. "Children playing with mana, wasting it on walls. You squander power without knowing its true form."

"They may not be masters," Adrian said, "but they use mana the best they can."

The Queen laughed. "You are nothing but flies compared to the bees of this world. You are not heroes. Stop pretending."

She bent down and cupped water in her hands, drinking slowly. A gem on her crown turned blue.

Ripples spread across the ground. The Queen raised her hand, and tentacles of water burst from the floor, snapping toward us.

Teruki dropped her barrier and drew the katana at her side. We jumped back as the tendrils lashed out, crashing into stone. Adrian's guild moved in sync, dodging another strike.

The Queen swung her arm. A wave of water side-slashed through the chamber. Teruki raised another barrier, but it shattered instantly under the force.

"What the hell," she gasped, coughing. "We're dying." 

A glowing rune formed beneath her feet, then shattered as quickly as it appeared.

"What are you doing," she whispered to herself.

"No teleportation magic," the Queen taunted. "The seal will not lift until my mana fades. You are trapped here with me."

Sera teleported to get a better vantage point.

"Don't you see how hopeless this is? An army with so little mana could never hope to defeat me."

"I don't use magic," Adrian says calmly. "How will you feel when you're defeated by a human without any?"

The Slime Queen smiled.

More Chapters