"Confirmation complete. Skill [Teleportation Gate] successfully acquired."
The Great Sage's voice echoed in Rimuru's mind, and Rimuru immediately beamed with joy.
For Rimuru, it truly was a case of "you are what you eat."
She remembered that Mordo seemed to know several signature magic spells—
First, there was the fiery magic whip, similar to the Queen's Whip, conjured simply by rubbing the hands together to produce sparks.
Doctor Strange had once used this magic against an enemy; it could be wielded with both hands or swung freely with one.
Mordo definitely knew it.
The magic shield that Mordo, Wong, and even the main villain Kaecilius could conjure, as well as the magic fan used by the Ancient One, all seemed to be variations of the same magic system.
No matter what, she had to acquire this magic!
Additionally, Mirror magic was not something she could overlook either.
Suddenly, Rimuru looked at Mordo as if he were an adorable little white rabbit delivering "takeout" to her doorstep.
A little white rabbit—so cute, with its ears standing upright. Slit the artery, then the vein. Skin it, chop it into pieces, toss it in a pot, and finish with some cilantro.
Rimuru had watched all three seasons of A Bite of China and was proficient in various cooking methods: steaming, deep-frying, stir-frying, boiling, pan-frying, and flash-frying.
As the show often emphasized, the more exquisite the ingredient, the simpler the method: skin and juice it, or crack the bones and suck the marrow.
So, I ask you, little Mordo—are you scared?
Looking at Mordo, Rimuru subconsciously licked her lips, causing Mordo to shiver involuntarily.
What was with this expression—did she want to eat him?
Why hadn't Master arrived yet?
Help!
This was also one of the reasons Mordo had chosen Mount Everest as the battlefield: Mount Everest was practically Kamar-Taj's backyard.
If a disciple was beaten, how could the Master not intervene?
Even when beating a dog, one had to consider the owner.
Mordo was indirectly forcing the Ancient One's hand.
[It's time to show off my acting skills. Stay calm. I absolutely cannot let Mordo see my real intentions!]
"Mordo, you want to trap me in the Mirror Dimension? Impossible. If I can't get out, then neither can you!"
Rimuru put on a "fierce" expression as she stepped closer.
At the same time, she secretly loosened the sticky steel threads binding Mordo, deliberately revealing a flaw.
In an instant, Mordo sensed it.
Although it was a tiny flaw, Mordo still noticed.
[I can counterattack!]
A bright spark flared in his eyes, but he immediately lowered his head to hide it.
Mordo's inner monologue: Acting—time to test my acting skills!
"We've never met before, and there's no real grudge between us. How about we stop here? You open a Teleportation Gate to New York, and we'll part ways. What do you think?"
Rimuru approached him, pretending to be extremely wary of the Mirror Dimension, as if everything was negotiable.
"Now!"
Mordo exerted force, and the sticky steel threads snapped instantly.
He chanted a spell, rubbed his hands together, and a fiery magic whip materialized. Being quick-witted, he immediately lashed it at Rimuru.
Rimuru was "caught off guard," sent flying, and instantly appeared "seriously wounded," forced to roll left and right on the ground as Mordo chased her, swinging the long whip.
Mordo was exhilarated, swinging the whip with great power. "Strength doesn't mean victory! Your pride and arrogance will drag you into hell. Pay the price for your insolence, outsider!"
"You forced me! I'll devour!"
Rimuru looked like a cornered dog ready to jump the wall.
The whip Mordo swung was instantly "forcibly" devoured by her.
"Confirmation complete. Skill [Magic Whip] successfully acquired."
Rimuru's eyebrows twitched with excitement, and she couldn't help but lick her lips—the taste wasn't bad.
However, to avoid exposing herself, Rimuru quickly clutched her chest and coughed twice, then forcibly steadied herself.
But if one observed carefully, her body seemed to tremble slightly.
As the Ancient One's chief disciple, Mordo naturally noticed.
He immediately exposed her act. "This magic that devours other magic must consume huge amounts of energy, doesn't it? You can barely stand now!"
Rimuru first showed "panic," then snapped back, "Nonsense! Killing you is as easy as slicing vegetables!"
But her performance looked more like a fox putting on airs after being cornered.
Mordo's confidence soared.
Chanting another spell, forming hand seals, he summoned two fiery, rune-inscribed magic shields in both hands.
After another round of frantic dodging, Rimuru seemed to be truly at her limit and was forced to devour the magic shields next.
"Confirmation complete. Skill [Magic Shield] successfully acquired. [Magic Shield] and [Magic Whip] detected simultaneously. Conditions met for acquiring [Magic Energy Manipulation]."
Nice!
Rimuru's eyes lit up. With the acquisition of [Magic Energy Manipulation], she could now reshape magic energy into various weapons.
Magic shields, magic whips, magic swords, magic spears—anything she wanted.
At that moment, the Great Sage's voice sounded again.
"Confirmation complete. New external magic source detected. Begin communication and absorption?"
Rimuru was startled. A new source of magic power?
"Answer: In the Marvel Universe, what is known as magic is the extraction of energy from extra dimensions. The magic power used by Kamar-Taj and many White Mages is primarily drawn from the trinitarian dimensional power of Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur, known as the Vishanti."
Hearing this, Rimuru instantly rejoiced.
Given the situation—why hesitate?
"Yes!"
In that moment, Rimuru felt a strange sense of displacement. In a trance, she glimpsed a magnificent world.
It was too distant to see clearly, yet she could feel its existence.
She had established a subtle yet inseparable connection with that world.
Vast, multicolored, vibrant magic energy streamed like a surging river, emerging from the Vishanti Dimension, passing her by, then flowing onward.
"Confirmation complete. Host has acquired a source of magic distinct from magicules: Vishanti Power."
"Confirmation complete. Host's magicules and Vishanti Power have fused and evolved into a higher-level magic energy. Host's life form has taken a leap forward."
In an instant, Rimuru felt the change. The sensation of a world lacking magicules—ever since she arrived from the Sealed Cave—vanished completely.
The world became brighter, as if a dusty mirror had been wiped clean.
It felt like moving from a small puddle into a mighty river; both her body and soul had been sublimated.
"This…"
Rimuru was overjoyed. She never expected that Mordo's sneak attack would actually grant her an opportunity for evolution.
In the original That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Rimuru's evolution had required devouring the Orc Disaster, acquiring the Unique Skill [Starved], and evolving [Predator] into [Gluttony].
Mordo truly was a good person!
Seeing Rimuru standing still, Mordo immediately rejoiced. Could she have devoured too much magic, leaving her unable to move?
Nine times out of ten—yes!
Strike while the iron is hot!
He formed hand seals, conjured two magic shields, stomped his boots, leaped ten meters into the air, and brought the two shields straight down toward Rimuru's head.
Rimuru, busy analyzing her upgrade, had no time to deal with Mordo, whose skills were already exhausted.
"Stop messing around."
Rimuru waved her hand, and five or six fiery red magic whips appeared out of thin air, lashing Mordo from all directions.
Mordo, covered in wounds and lying on the ground, looked utterly devastated.
Why?
He had almost completed his counterattack.
So why… why did it turn out like this?