11

I've decided to start doing chapter summaries, but like in anime next episode preview style. I was bored. Also, this chapter is LONG. Like, 9k words long. So, yw for that.

Also, I read the comments on the last chapter (I read every comment, obviously, and reply when I can) and some of you all had some really good theories. Some others were... completely wrong, but that's okay! I'm glad to get you thinking in the first place.

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Somehow, it always comes to this, huh? I thought I'd dealt with enough of it, back in… those days. When my mind wasn't my own. When a stupid vendetta was all I cared for.

I really was a terrible soldier, wasn't I?

I never really had a choice. Oh, I suppose joining the military, and then volunteering for the international unit, and even abandoning my comrades in pursuit of a devil… those were all choices that I myself made. I've no doubt that those mistakes in particular were my own.

And that let Him creep in. He sunk in his claws and refused to let go.

Many mistakes were made on my own, but far more were made on His behalf, thanks to His influence. It was Him that ran roughshod over my mind, breaking me and molding me into a pet monster.

It wasn't my fault. Not entirely. I'm a victim, apparently. At least, that's what others have told me.

"Being X loves doing that sort of thing. The Type 95 was... well, don't beat yourself up about it." Degurechaff tells me about that sometimes, when she's feeling charitable.

I wonder if that's how she sees me. Am I a charity case? She's allowed to. It's her right, I guess. But, it's still odd, to be consoled – she's not really a pity kind of person – by a former nemesis.

But I remember doing those things, even as warped and unordered as those memories may be. I still remember the pain, delivered both to and by me. I remember the danger. The injuries, and even the death.

Especially the death. But even more than that, the blood.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

It was everywhere, in every trench puddle and corpse-swollen riverbank. Under the fingernails, across the forehead, dripping down shoulders and chests and from the corner of puking mouths.

Disgusting. If there's something that stains worse, of both cloth and soul, I haven't found it. Hot. Gross. Sticky. Metallic. Painful. Impossible to get out.

I think I might just hate it. I wonder if I might have to learn healing magic at some time, just to ensure that I and those I care about – as small as the list may be now – never have to deal with the loss of it ever again.

At least, the unexpected kind of loss. Some blood loss occurs naturally, after all. That's unavoidable.

But the avoidable kind, the worst, the painful, and the unexpected. Those, however…

…I will experience them all again. I know this. That's the choice I made, when I decided to protect others. I've come to terms with it. I've gotten used to it, I'd like to think, or at least, as much as one can get used to such a thing.

Even with that in mind, I can still feel it under my own fingernails sometimes. I know there's nothing there, but it's hard to help these sorts of things. It's hard to forget. But I will adjust.

I must move forward. Ever forward.

It's difficult at the best of times. To deal with the realities of the battlefield, to deal with bleeding injuries, potential death. To put in the work day in and day out, not knowing if your progress is really worth anything to anyone at all.

To deal with these things is a worse side of life, but it is necessary evil.

…But, it is even worse when it's someone else's reality. Because then, you're an observer, forced or otherwise. Your work doesn't matter, and you can only watch.

No, it's not just worse. I'd say, it's definitely…

"Get down you idiot!"

CRRSH

Red splashed across her vision.

…the worst.

-=-=-=-

Now, in Tanya's defense, she'd expected things to go wrong.

It was true that this hadn't been her best idea. It barely qualified for a good idea, and instead was potentially reaching the top ten of her "Worst Ideas" list.

Keep in mind, this was a different list entirely from her "Worst Things to Happen to Me, Personally" list, which was at its core far more subjective than her others. "Meeting Being X" took first place on that one, with "Coincidentally Running into the Head of the NKVD, Loria, on a Scouting Mission" (whom she'd ended up shooting on "accident") sitting near spot 4 or 5, and "Getting Kissed by an extremely drunk First Lieutenant Grantz on New Years' of '29" rounding the list off at spot number 10.

With such terrible events in her past, it was basically her modus operandi at this point to expect the reinforcement of Murphy's Law whenever possible.

Murphy had it out for her almost as much as Being X had. Or maybe they were in league. That would make sense.

In any case, it was with a sort of resigned acceptance that Tanya viewed the whole "everything is going to shit" thing. Normally, she'd have sighed about it, let her shoulders slump and her posture relax as an unfortunately familiar weariness sunk back into her bones. Then, she'd straighten up, and get back to work, putting it out of mind.

That wasn't really an option right now, as dire as the circumstances were.

She'd simply have to be exhausted at a later time. Then, she would allow herself to collapse on her futon and let the weight of the world turn her into Atlas yet again. At least she'd be in the comfort of her home.

That would be great.

You know, when her life wasn't in immediate danger, and assuming she made it out alive in the first place. The reality of it was, that outcome in particular was looking more and more difficult to achieve with every passing second.

She really didn't have a lot of options up here, if you could believe it.

Blood was loosening her grip, the handle of her magisteel knife slick and stained maroon. Sweat and even more blood dotted her brow and hair, though thankfully this was the result of an attempt to push her bangs back rather than a head wound.

Her hands pulsed and her shoulder throbbed, the reinforcement and enhancement spells pounding through her magic circuits only going so far. Pain embraced her like an old friend, which she supposed it was, and held her tighter than a lover, with bruises and splotches beginning to paint skin – both exposed and not – like a Pollock.

And yet… none of this even mattered. Not really

It wouldn't have mattered if she were missing an arm entirely, or a leg. If she had gash marks rendering her half-blind, or teeth or claws threatening to disembowel her, or even a spear run through a lung.

It didn't matter, because the outcome of this battle – and the events following it – evoked not the faintest hint of a doubt in Tanya's mind.

No, there was only one thought on Tanya's mind right now. For you see…

No matter what, I'm not going to die.

Tanya glared daggers at the beast before her.

Not here. Not again.

-=-=-=-

A Little Bit Earlier

North of Tempest

Sky Above Great Forest of Jura

Let's get this over with.

Tanya darted up behind Charybdis' main body, floating carefully a good distance above its back. Her gaze scanned the scaled, spine riddled surface.

No obvious weak points. We should be approaching Rimuru and the others' position before long, so I'll have to speed this up.

She drifted closer, now parallel to the ginormous monster's front half.

The eye on the front seems like the only soft tissue. Scales everywhere else. How tough are those?

Her altitude dropped again, until she was nearly within spitting distance of a couple spines. Though, technically all of Charybdis was in spitting distance since she was directly above it.

Tanya squinted, searching for any cracks or notable breaks in the scaly armor.

Tch. Nothing, huh? She drifted just the slightest bit closer, an unfamiliar energy quickly washing over her. We'll be doing this the hard way then- Ah!

Tanya dropped suddenly, her illusion and flight spells deactivating against her will. She flailed helplessly for a moment, before gathering herself into a ball and spinning.

It hardly helped, as she crashed painfully against Charybdis' scaly back. She bounced almost comically, the wind pushing her as she tumbled down the giant beast's spine. Thinking quickly, Tanya threw out her right arm, grasping at one of the scales below in an attempt at slowing down.

Instead of finding a hold, the edge caught her on the palm, and her ungraceful crash landing continued on. Her body spun ass over tea kettle, going airborne yet again as she hit another bump.

Tanya grit her teeth, maintaining enough of her focus to look between her legs as she flew. The edge of Charybdis' back met her eyes, its rapid approach doing absolutely no favors to her thought process.

Fucking-

Acting quickly, Tanya reached for her boot, unsheathing the hidden knife stored on the side. As the scaled ground rapidly approached her, potentially for the last time, Tanya readied herself.

Right before her face could become even more acquainted with Charybdis than it already had, she spun, flexing her core muscles and slamming the knife downward.

The scale cracked from the force, her knife sinking to the hilt. Tanya's tumble came to a sharp end, her left shoulder screaming in its socket as she jolted to a halt. Her feet hung ever so slightly off the edge, the rest of her battered body landing on the cool blue scales of Charybdis' back end.

Tanya's heart roared in her ears, her ragged gasps for air burning through her lungs. She laid there for a several moments in silence, various aches and fires scorching her body.

After nearly half a minute of desperately trying to get her breathing back under control, Tanya reached forward with her other hand. She winced, the gash on her palm pulsing, before ignoring it and gripping the handle of her knife even tighter.

Slowly, she pulled herself forward, just enough so that her feet were back above scales instead of open air. As soon as that was done, Tanya brought her knees up and got her feet under her, so that she was crouching near her buried knife.

She took another couple of seconds to breathe, her active thought process finally kicking back in after several heart-stopping moments of pure survival instinct.

Magic interference?!

Tanya grit her teeth, her eyes on the bloody slash in her right glove.

They said, "resistant to magic". Not, "it fucks with your magic"!! Son of a stupid fucking magic jamming bastard!! Fuck!!

Tanya clenched her injured hand, the pain forcing her to take a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, forcing her tension away as best she could. Her other senses returned in full as her adrenaline began to wane.

The wind rushing by, the metallic smell of blood, and the aching of bruises all vied for her attention, her focus forcibly centering back in reality. She took another breath, holding longer this time.

"Ahem." Tanya coughed into her fist, her composure having been reacquired. She rose slightly, her body twinging at the motion in a painful reminder of her unintentional grounding.

The most notable pains at the moment were in her shoulder, which felt rather like someone had gone against the socket with a cheese grater, and her right hand, which stung and bled something fierce.

Let's think of the situation, shall we? My enhancement and reinforcement spells are still active. Otherwise, my shoulder would definitely be dislocated. And if I…

Tanya pressed her good hand over her injured one. A faint glow began to emanate from between, before abruptly dissipating.

Shuna's little healing spell isn't working. She let go, observing the gash curiously. Or rather, it barely worked at all before crapping out. This isn't an anti-magic effect. No, it feels more like… jamming?

Tanya held out a hand, attempting to form a mage blade. Sharpened azure magic flickered over her hand for a split second, before dissipating. She tried again, the blade existing for just half a breath longer.

It's more of a disruption field than anything else. And a powerful one at that. The flow of magicules is completely altered. No wonder it appears like magic resistance. Any external magic that gets close is completely dissipated. Just being near enough Charybdis is enough to forcibly shift the flow. It's not a surprise my flight spell ate shit. In fact, I'd bet that most anyone else wouldn't be able to use magic at all. At least, not this close.

Tanya reached down, attempting to pull out her knife. It didn't budge.

Could I break through it? Probably, with enough brute force. She frowned, crouching down again for better leverage, At Level Three, maybe, and almost certainly at Level Four. But that would consume more than a month's worth of magicules from my TLE reserves. At minimum.

Tanya pulled with both arms, just a hint of the blade peaking out from the scale.

And that's before acknowledging the regeneration these things tend to have. I'd have to kill it in one blow, and to do that I'd have to cut through both its magical and physical defenses at once. I'm not sure if all of my TLE reserves combined could do that.

Her mind briefly flashed back to her fight against Milim, and the shattered and bloody arm she'd received from her own magic overload. That massive optical spell was the result of a little over a month's worth of stored up magicules, some impossible to accurately measure amount of magical energy that had just sort of flooded out until she'd shut it off.

Well, maybe it could. I wouldn't be that surprised. But I definitely can't use that much at once. The amount I used back then, against Milim? Sure, I could handle that much now. Barely.

She pulled, extra hard this time. The knife budged a little more. She tugged a third time, the force of it nearly sending her tumbling backwards as it finally came loose. Tanya threw a leg backwards, catching herself.

But everything at once? Hell no. I'm pretty sure that would kill me before anything else. Or at the very least, break most of my bones and pop the majority of the blood vessels in my body.

She switched the knife to her left hand and began to trudge forward, adjusting her footing so she wouldn't trip as she made her way farther up Charybdis' massive blue back.

So yeah. Not worth it.

It hadn't detected her yet, by some miracle. Had it even felt her crash against it? Probably not. Those scales were quite unforgiving, as she was intimately aware of now.

Still, with the amount of trouble just landing had been, Tanya was almost certain something should have attacked her by now. That was just how her day seemed to be going, after all.

GRROOOAAARRRR!!!

Why do I think these things? I should have learned my lesson by now.

Bursting over the edge was one of the last things Tanya wished to see at the moment. A Megalodon swam powerfully into view, its teeth gnashing and its girth crashing against the scaled surface of its maker.

How does it know I'm here?

Tanya flipped her knife into an underhanded grip, before unsheathing her naginata-turned-sword from her belt. She ignored the gash on her hand for the moment, even as blood dripped to the scaled ground beneath her.

Wait, blood… damn it. Tanya eyed the Megalodon, its movements appearing oddly cautious and considering given its bestial nature. They're sharks, after all. The second my palm was cut open, it probably knew I was up here. Does that mean others are coming as well?

The Megalodon froze, it's gaze completely zeroing in on her position. Its nostrils flared, leaving no doubt as to its intent.

It confirmed this half a second later with a roar, its massive form bolting in her direction immediately after. Without hesitating, Tanya dove underneath, slashing upwards with her sword as she rolled.

The Megalodon bellowed, crashing against one of Charybdis' spines.

Tanya got to her feet, closer to the edge than she'd like, and began edging sideways further up Charybdis' back. The Megalodon shook itself off, then turned, its beady eyes locating her immediately. Instead of charging, it matched her, floating in the opposite direction.

That's odd.

Tanya narrowed her eyes, eyeing the wound she'd made as the shark's black blood trickled down her blade.

The bleeding's stopped already, but it's still injured. Limited regeneration? And what's with this caution?

The Megalodon seemed to realize where she was looking. It lowered itself, until it's softer underbelly was barely above Charybdis' back. Tanya clicked her teeth in annoyance.

The two stared at one another, still circling. After a few more steps, Tanya reached Charybdis' spine and stopped, dropping back into a defensive stance. The Megalodon stopped as well, its tail flipping in agitation.

You're smarter than you should be. I'd liked your mindless brothers better. But maybe I just cooked them too fast. Tanya held back a sigh. I'd like to do the same here, but alas. Magic Jamming, you are not doing me well here.

Unsurprisingly, it was the beast that broke the stalemate.

The Megalodon burst forward, faster than before, it's stomach low to the ground. This time, Tanya went up. She leaped straight up, pushing off the spine behind her and launching herself towards the shark's back. She landed feet first, her sword slamming down and stabbing deep into the flesh just behind the dorsal fin.

She forced it deeper, the Megalodon bellowing in rage. Then, just as Tanya was about to rip it out, it rolled over, and she fell, falling hard onto Charybdis' scales. Her fall turned into a roll at the last second, the momentum carrying her back to her feet in a crouch.

Regaining her bearings, Tanya looked up, just in time for her foe's tail to slam into her. And for the third time that day, she went tumbling across the tough blue scales.

The Megalodon, no doubt smelling blood in the water, pounced, yanking itself forward and slamming its massive body right on top of her.

Or it would have, had she not pushed herself to the side in the nick of time. Tanya got her feet under her, her knife brandished and her arms tight. She didn't get any time to breathe, he Megalodon floating back up and immediately pouncing again.

But this time, Tanya was ready. She quickstepped to the side, the beast's jaws missing her arm by mere centimeters.

Immediately, her knife cut a path through the air, a gash forming across her foe's gills.The Megalodon continued moving, and so did Tanya. She jumped over its pectoral fin, before carving another deep notch in its side.

Dashing forward she pushed her enhancement and reinforcement spells as much as she dared. A third time, her knife flashed, and her foe bellowed in pain, the tip of its tail fin sliced clean off.

She spun afterwards to keep it in her sight, her eyes burning with a furious power.

No matter what, I'm not going to die.

Tanya glared daggers at the beast before her.

Not here. Not again. And definitely not to you.

Tanya readily embraced this moment, and all it's inglorious details. Everything hurt, but that didn't matter. Nothing else mattered but this singular, painful-as-all-hell moment in time.

She wouldn't even considering using of a pain-relieving or doping formula. Right now, her razor-sharp focus and reflexes were keeping her alive. The risk of dulling either of these was not a risk she was willing to take. So, she would take it all in. Embrace pain like the old friend it was. Embrace the desperation, fear, anger, all of it. Because no matter how bad the situation, she would not die.

…That being said, there were very few ways this could get worse, to be perfectly honest. Dealing with this Shark's Tales reject without external magic – and oh, how she longed to pierce it with an optical spell or roast it with more fire magic – was not the most fun she'd ever had.

It was pretty shit, in fact.

Honestly, it was almost a matter of pride at this point. This damn beast was not going to get the best of her, no matter the circumstances. Running away was always an option, but then she'd be admitting defeat to a shark.

A fucking fish.

Was she being ridiculous?

Absolutely.

If things got too dicey, she could always jump off. Sure, it'd probably draw Charybdis' and the other oversized sharks' collective attention, but after a certain point all her magic would come back.

That being said, she didn't exactly want multiple opponents right now. Full use of her magic or not, she was a tad bit drained, physically and mentally. The troubles of waking up at 5AM reared their head in the oddest ways. Sometimes, you get a headache, and sometimes, you do battle with giant sharks.

Also, she still wanted to gauge Charybdis' actual strength as a near Demon Lord level threat. Though, thinking about it more, she could always leave that to Rimuru and the others.

Whenever the fuck they decided to show up.

Also also, it was important to note that running for the edge would require turning her back on the "fucking fish" gunning for her life with bloodthirsty intent. Not the most ideal retreat, when the gun was at your back. Or, large, sharpened teeth in this case.

So, unless absolutely necessary, Tanya would remain here and kill her current opponent. At this point, it was a test of stubbornness, and Tanya was incredibly stubborn. Besides, she still had her magic-boosted strength and durability going for her, along with a brain that worked off of reason instead of instinct.

This battle was hers for the taking. Eventually.

It would take something positively absurd to drive her off now. Like, all of the other Megalodons coming up and jumping her at once. Or, the scales of Charybdis' back actually being capable of movement, through like, telekinesis or something-

As if responding to her thoughts, the scales under her feet shifted.

Yeah, fuck this.

Without hesitation, Tanya bolted for the edge.

-=-=-=-

A Little Bit Later

North of Tempest

Great Forest of Jura

Tanya had idly wondered at the possibly of the other Megalodons attacking her, but the truth was that would not have come to pass. The other Megalodons, the ones that hadn't caught the scent of her magicules-enriched blood, had already rushed ahead.

So, while Tanya had a hell of a time by herself after jumping off of Charybdis' back, her schedule filled with flying around Charybdis' main body, blasting and dodging scales intermittently, and angrily taking the magical equivalent of potshots at Charybdis' whenever it wasn't looking, it ended up being that Tempest's combined forces on the ground below found themselves in just as much of a Hell as her.

"Group up and take them down!" Benimaru shouted, jumping up and slashing towards an incoming Megalodon. His sword barely cut into the beast's skin, it's hard upper scales and magical strength pushing him backwards. Her jumped backwards, using a Hell Flare to cover his retreat.

"Their hide is incredibly tough! Watch yourself!"

That's an understatement!

Mary jumped backwards, a Megalodon crashing into her former position. She swung her borrowed sword up diagonally, the magisteel blade leaving a long scratch across the beast's nose.

The Megalodon snapped its teeth, quickly lurching forward. Before Mary could put up a guard, it stopped short, a vine wrapped around its tail. Just as quickly, it was thrown backwards, the Megalodon's full weight crashing into the tree line.

"Thanks!" Mary called out.

"You're welcome." Trya called out, raising her hands. "But it's not dead yet."

Another roar sounded out, the Megalodon bolting from shattered trees directly towards her.

So, this is a shark? Are sharks normally this big?! Mary jumped to the side, the beast slamming past. It's bigger than our living room!!

The shark swerved, coming back for another pass. Mary jumped up this time, landing and running along the Megalodon's back. Water covered her blade as she slashed, the upper half of its dorsal fin shearing off.

She hopped forward, hitting the ground in a crouch.

But it's not the strongest thing I've fought. Tanya's face flashed across her mind. Not even close. She took out three of these things on her own, huh?

Mary spun, watching as another vine wrapped around the Megalodon. It thrashed about, even as it was dragged and thrown into the tree line for the second time.

Trya can restrain it. And I can cut it. The memory of ringing steel rushed through her, her cut on the Megalodon's nose serving as a stark reminder. Sort of. I don't have enough power yet to cut it by myself. So, what I need is…

"Your movement is fast, but without purpose. It's halted. Hesitant."

Mary's eyes widened at the memory.

"Trya!"

"Yes?!" Trya called back, currently growing a tree around their foe. It was barely working, the bark splintering as soon as she could form it. The forest's power was more depleted than the dryad would have liked. "Splitting my focus is a bit taxing, if you don't mind hurrying!"

"Let it go!"

"Huh?" Trya nearly let go of it right then and there, barely managing to grasp the Megalodon around the tail before it could get free.

"Let the Megalodon go!" Mary gripped her sword with both hands, holding it up and back so that the tip pointed over her shoulder. "And when it gets close to me, pull it to the side!"

"If you say so!" Trya didn't hesitate, and neither did the Megalodon. She let go of her control, the beast bolting without an ounce of thought. Its massive body hurtled through the air, directly at Mary.

Mary bent her knees, water swirling and surrounding herself and her blade.

Wait…

The Megalodon snapped its teeth, nearly upon her. Her stance deepened.

Wait…

The jaws of the shark opened wide, its shadow looming over her as it moved to swallow her whole.

Now!

"Crestwater!"

Mary breathed in deeply, then slashed, the Megalodon jerking to the right in the same instant. Her blade slammed into the side of the Megalodon's mouth, flesh and sinew yielding to momentum and sharpened magisteel. The force of the impact blasted through her shoulders and legs, and Mary forced it back in kind, her sword singing and her blade flowing as it carved a notch in the Megalodon's side.

"Slash!!"

And then, the oversized fish was past her, Mary's strike ending on the opposite side of her body.

Ah, wait. "Crestwater Slash" is specifically a slash from unsheathing the sword. So, that one was more like a…

Blood and water dripped into the dirt, the former pounding in her ears. Mary rolled her shoulders and straightened up, her arm and leg muscles relaxing as she caught her breath.

A "Water Surface Slash"? No, for some reason I feel that's been taken. Odd. How about-

A hand landed on her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hey! We did it."

Mary glanced up, to see Trya smiling at her with a thumbs up.

"Nice work!" She continued.

"Yeah. We did it." Mary took a hand off her sword handle, reaching up to wipe at her brow.

I'll figure it out later. What matters is that one of those things is dead. Because of our efforts. My efforts. Mary smiled back, giving Trya a thumbs up as well. Huh. That's oddly satisfying.

Dropping her hand, she turned, internally noting the number of other dead Megalodons in the area. One had been defeated by the combined efforts of Gabiru, Geld, and Geld's orcs.

Heh. She couldn't help but feel a little smug, having taken one down. Her smugness evaporated upon seeing Hakurou, who had expertly diced a Megalodon like a sushi chef. All by himself.

I… see I have much to learn from him, don't I?

Two more had been taken down by Souei, who had apparently taken control of one in order to attack another. In the same area, Shion had beheaded one as well, standing on the back of Rimuru's dog thing – Ranga? Mary thought with a raised eyebrow – which was somehow floating in midair. And yet another had been slashed and incinerated by Benimaru.

Scary… but that just leaves-

A roar had everyone's eyes shooting skyward. Up, up, and up, higher than everyone else except for Charybdis came the sound. Only, this wasn't the roar of a Megalodon, or of Charybdis itself.

It was the roar of an inferno.

"Holy-" Mary's jaw dropped.

"-Shit." Trya finished.

An enormous mass of orange-crimson fire engulfed the last two Megalodons, their charred corpses plummeting to the ground below.

And floating behind them, with a hand raised and a familiar annoyed expression, was-

"Degurechaff!" Mary breathed. Tanya's eyes shot her way, the note of surprise on her face somehow obvious even from distance.

However, before Tanya could descend, and before Mary could even begin to wonder at her surprising relief at the sight of the other woman, another unknown sound drew their attention. And everyone else's as well. 

It was an unsettling noise, one would best call it. A sort of cacophony of clicking and clacking, along with the whipping and whistling of wind descended upon them. A large shadow accompanied by countless smaller ones blanketing the area at the same time.

Are those…

"Scales?!"

They descended before anyone could react, a hailstorm of sharpened edges slashing through the air at high speed.

Mary's sword was back up in an instant, her reflexes from years of war – foggy as the memories may thanks to Being X's influence – and months of relentless training with Hakurou the only thing keeping her head and limbs attached to their various sockets.

Raging Rapids!

Water engulfed her and her blade, Mary's momentum carrying with her as she spun, weaved, ducked, and dove through the scaly maelstrom.

FWOOOOOOM

Then, it was over. Mary looked up, just in time to see the purple remnants of Rimuru's Gluttony fade away. Even closer, she could see wisps of flames fading out, Tanya's form slowly descending as they dissipated around her.

Rimuru's gotten stronger. And Degurechaff's holding up, even though she was right in the thick of it. Sweat bled into her eyes, various small lacerations along her body staining her blue button up and black pants. Scary. Scary, scary. These guys are the real monsters.

Mary wiped her lip, wincing. Blood stained the back of her hand.

Must've bit my lip. That's going to suck. My leg hurts too…

She glanced down, her eyes quickly widening in shock. As if her body had forgotten about it until now, pain lanced through her then, her knee nearly buckling under her own weight.

Fuck!

A gash cut horizontally across the side of her knee. Not too deep, but deep enough that moving her right leg was incredibly painful. The smell of sweat and metal filled her nose, the blood oozing out into her ruined pants leg.

"Lord Rimuru!!"

Mary looked back up, noting the panicked expressions of Shion, Souei, Benimaru – uh, basically everyone else except for Degurechaff, who was heading her way, Mary realized – as they stared at Charybdis.

She had no idea why they were panicked, to be perfectly honest. Rimuru would be fine. Whatever had happened. He'd done too much crazy shit to be worried about.

At least, that was what Mary figured from her own (admittedly limited) interactions with the slime. A real cause for concern was the startup of a familiar sound. A spine-tingling cacophony. A clicking and clacking, and the whipping and whistling of wind.

Mary saw Tanya dive, moments before her attention was forcibly drawn back down to herself.

Shit! Shit! She tried to step back, then she tried to pull her sword back up into a guard.

She couldn't manage the first, her knee threatening to buckle and have her eating pavement, and she barely managed the second, the guard a pitiful shadow of what it should have been.

"Mary! Move!!"

"Shuna?" Mary turned her head, barely able to see the pink Kijin before Benimaru appeared, forcibly pulling his sister behind him. He looked up, his expression turning shocked as he noticed Mary's predicament.

"Shit, look out! Someone-"

Mary couldn't hear the rest, her heartbeat drumming in her chest. Her gaze shot forward, and in that instant, Benimaru's fear made perfect sense. Scales, several in number, were hurtling towards her, their sharpened edges poised to cut her down.

Mary's eyes widened. She couldn't move. Her injured leg stuttered under her weight. Her heart froze in fear, her mind stuck in place just the same as her body.

What should she do? A spell? A burst of energy?

No. She couldn't think of anything. Couldn't focus.

Is this it?

"Get down you idiot!"

A hand shoved her from behind, the scales ruffling her hair as they whipped by.

CRRSH

Red splashed across her vision.

Mary turned as she fell, the world seeming to fade into slow motion. The right side of her face burned hot and sticky, drenching her cheek and shoulder.

She saw red through one eye, her lashes heavy with the disgustingly familiar substance. She saw Tanya falling backwards, her left arm torn through in several places, a huge gash cutting under her forearm. Two similarly deep gouges tore through the outside of her elbow and bicep.

Realization hit like a truck.

It was Tanya's blood on her face.

For some reason, this fact struck a particular chord in her chest. Tanya had saved her life, just now. That would have been her neck. Her face, and her chest.

Tanya had saved her, Mary. And she had paid the price.

Mary barely managed to catch herself on hands and knees, her palms scraping on the ground. Her whole body shook.

Blood. I hate blood. Why does everyone have to bleed?

She pushed herself up, ignoring the still active whirlwind of scales above her. Shion and Souei could be seen up above, dodging and weaving through the deadly rain.

Stop it.

She got to her feet, face shadowed. As if sensing her anger, another wave flung themselves in her direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Trya could be seen bracing herself against a tree. Hakurou stood in front of the dryad, sword out and ready.

Stop it!

Her magical signature flared. A poisonous neon green engulfed her, her magic ebbing and flowing like the ocean in a storm. Far behind her, Benimaru and Shuna watched in shock and awe.

"That's enough!"

Mary's head snapped up, her eyes shining valiantly. She shoved her hands forward, a sparking ball of magical energy forming between her palms. Tendrils of magical energy shone through her fingers, and her eyes glowed, cracks of sparking electric green zigzagging down her face.

-=-

Art by me @tanjaded

-=-

The scales closed in, thirsty for more blood. Someone was called her name. Shuna, and Hakurou. But she couldn't hear them. They were within spitting distance now.

Then, just as she seemed fit to join Tanya in the bloody dirt, her power exploded outwards, a pulse of neon green magical energy flinging from her hands and hurtling through the air.

The ring of magic spun as it went, crackling energy engulfing and passing through the scale-based whirlwind without pause. In the ring's wake, Charybdis' scales were halted entirely, and they plummeted uselessly to the ground, like puppets with their strings cut.

The ring continued its flight at rapid pace, not stopping until it crashed against the side of Charybdis itself. It was then that burst of magical pulse dissipated, Charybdis' Magic Jamming making short work of it. Though, not before pushing the massive beast backwards just a bit.

Charybdis opened its mouth, a furious roar shaking the area.

Everyone readied themselves for another attack. But none came.

Even Charybdis seemed confused, it's roar becoming even more furious as nothing followed its rage. In that moment, a shadow darted from in between its teeth, unnoticed in the midst of its bestial fury.

Mary lowered her arms, the muscles twitching. Her body felt like it was on fire, and her eyes and cheeks felt like they'd been punched by an angry bear with superstrength.

She shook like a leaf in the wind, her knee threatening to give out underneath her. It was only an sharp unwillingness to look away from Charybdis and a truly breathtaking amount of righteous anger filling her chest that allowed her to remain standing.

There was also the fear of looking backwards and seeing that gruesome sight yet again. The blood pouring from Degurechaff's body, her arm and face a mess of-

"Well, that was impressive." Came a voice from behind her.

Mary flinched, turning slightly. "Huh?"

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Tanya stepped forward and crossed her arms. the only indicators of her previous injuries being the blood drenching her sleeve and the scrape along her magisteel arm bracer.

"I- huh?" Mary was dumbfounded. To be frank, it was a bit hard to process the sight before her at the moment, what with how serious the wounds had been and all.

Then again, Mary herself was quite injured and exhausted, so that might have been part of her inability to properly respond.

Tanya raised an eyebrow at her.

"I told you earlier, didn't I?" She held up a hand, an empty vial in her hand. "Remember, I said 'I have a potion on me, but I'd rather not waste it on something avoidable'. When we were training. I've had it the whole time. Don't tell me you were genuinely worried on my behalf."

Mary continued to stare at her in disbelief. Tanya stared back.

"…What?"

Mary said nothing, instead opting to collapse as the two factors keeping her upright disappeared. Tanya was there in an instant, her magic-enhanced speed allowing her to catch the other woman before she ate the dirt.

"Whoa there." Tanya helped her to the ground, scanning for injuries. She didn't need to look far.

Bruises under Mary's eyes and across her cheeks, minor lacerations across her arms and legs, and a major laceration along the outside of her knee. This was alongside magical and physical exhaustion, of course.

She was in rough shape, one could succinctly describe.

"Well, this is familiar." Tanya murmured, adjusting her hold and leaning forward so that Mary was laying on the ground instead of in her arms. "Though, last time I saw you this injured, it was my fault."

Tanya sat back on her heels, her gaze zeroing in on the facial bruising again.

"Bruises really shouldn't show up this soon. And the skin is cracked in places, though not bleeding… from magic leaking through?" Her brow furrowed, "Then, this must be your version of Skill overuse. Not quite breaking bones, but certainly up there."

"Tanya! Mary!"

Tanya looked up. Shuna sprinted towards them, an orb of full potion in both hands. She slid to a stop next to them, crouching and tossing the potion in both of their faces.

The orb popped over Mary's face, her wounds closing and her bruising fading back into healthy tanned skin. She sighed in her unconscious state, her body relaxing. On the other end of the spectrum, Tanya caught the orb intended for her, an eyebrow shooting up in surprise.

"Tanya!" Shuna frowned at her. "You need to… heal..."

She trailed off. Tanya shot her a bemused look.

"I took care of myself already." Tanya tossed the potion orb up and down a few times "If you were watching, you should have seen- ow!"

Shuna pulled back her hand. "No, I didn't see you heal yourself, because I was too busy grabbing potions from Lord Rimuru to save your stupid self-sacrificing face!"

Self-sacrificing? Huh?

"Rimuru's back?" Tanya rubbed the back of her head, wincing at the welt Shuna had left, "Where the hell was he?"

This whole situation could have been avoided if he'd just absorbed the swarm again.

"Don't change the subject."

Despite her scathing words, Shuna glanced to the side, and Tanya followed her gaze. Over near the tree line, and being attended to by Shion and Souei, was Rimuru. For some reason, he was completely drenched in an unknown clear substance.

Is that… saliva? Oh.

Tanya turned back as Shuna snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Alright, pay attention now. I'm not done ripping into you."

"Er, right." Tanya blinked. "Sorry?"

What is she so worried about? Everything's fine, isn't it?

"How could you be so stupid? If those scales were even slightly farther right, you could've lost your neck instead of chunks off your arm! Do you have no regard for your own safety? Or is this some sort of idiotic savior complex?"

Honestly, this is why I don't let my feelings follow me on the battlefield. Obviously, I had a perfectly rational reason. Mary Sue's a valuable resource and my future replacement, after all. I couldn't exactly let her cut in line on the road to the afterlife.

"Savior complex? Don't be ridi-" Tanya paused, years of experience with Visha's worrying and anger warning her that continuing that sentence would be a fast track to an early grave, "I mean… it was worth the risk. My other option was letting Sue get her throat slit, so I'd like to think my split-second decision making was-"

"Do you think risking your own life for someone else's makes everything okay?"

Tanya blinked. This was oddly familiar.

"Well, within reason."

Shuna made a frustrated noise.

"You just- look, I'm glad Mary's okay. You saved her life, and I admire you for that." She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, before putting her hands together and chopping them in Tanya's direction, "Listen, first it was overworking yourself, and now it's throwing yourself into dangerous situations. Don't make me keep adding to that list. Just because you're one of our strongest doesn't meant you have to protect everyone."

"Well, I was more so protecting a significant time investment over anything else."

"Tanya."

"Shuna. It's fine. I knew I had a potion, and I knew I could save Sue. There's nothing more to it."

Not to mention, Sue's indebted to me now. That's a useful thing to have, not that I really intend or need to make use of it. Maybe she can use this as even more motivation.

"Nothing more to it? Really?" Shuna raised an eyebrow. Then, before Tanya could react, Shuna slapped her on the arm. Her left arm.

"Ow!" Tanya grabbed the spot. Her arm pulsed, a wave of discomfort shooting through her, "The hell?"

"I'm sorry, but I did that to prove a point. You may be healed, but there certainly isn't 'nothing more to it'. You should know that potions are a form of magical healing. And magical healing, along with generally not recovering stamina, works differently depending on the person. Depending on the species."

Tanya nodded, absentmindedly rubbing her arm.

Truth be told, her arm had been aching still, despite the gashes having closed up with not a mark to show.

Magic healing worked differently with humans, it seemed. With monsters, beings whose bodies were composed mostly of magicules, they could heal and reintegrate healed tissues immediately. Thus, potions would heal them up right as rain, thanks to the monster's internal makeup working hand in hand with the magicules within the potion.

But humans aren't made of magicules. In fact, humans of this world don't normally have internal magic pools at all.

She was different in one regard and similar in another, it seemed. She had an internal magic pool, but her physiology was fundamentally that of a human. And there's the issue. Simply put, humans heal differently. Their physiology is fundamentally different from a monster's.

Physical healing is just as quick, but the message of that healing doesn't transfer 1 to 1. Half the healing process for humans, when magical healing was involved, was spent allowing time for your brain to process what had happened.

Now, this varied. Someone with a cut that was healed in an instant will find their body accepting the recovery nearly as instantly. A lost limb, on the other hand...

Yeah, okay then.

"You need to be more aware of these things."

"I told you, I knew what I was getting in to. I couldn't exactly let pain stop me from protecting her. A little blood is nothing to preserving a high value resource."

"That's not what I meant." Shuna sighed, "I meant, you need to be more aware of how others see it. This isn't a war. You're allowed to run away or leave the battle to someone else. Especially if it means coming back to your friends. People who care about your wellbeing."

This isn't a war. Huh.

That was new. There was something in the back of her throat, all of a sudden. Weird.

Well, it's not like I need to advance my position anymore. I'm as high up in Tempest's echelon as I can go. I'm almost insulted by how easy that was, thinking back on it. I spent two lifetimes struggling and climbing knives to reach a higher social standing, and then I reincarnate here and am practically handed a position I never could have dreamed of.

"Be more careful, Tanya." Shuna said, her expression softening, "Please. Rimuru would be devastated if you got injured like that again, or worse, died. I would too, as would Hakurou, and Souei, and I'd bet even Mary. So again, be more aware of these things."

I suppose if it means that much to her, naturally I have to agree. It's no skin off my back, anyway. Maybe I can take a step back for a while.

"Okay." Tanya nodded. "I'll do that."

I feel like I've said that before. Have I forgotten how to rest? Did I ever know how?

Growing up, realizing humans weren't created equally. Following the rules, spending years of relentlessly climbing the corporate ladder. All just to get pushed onto a train track, years of work and success and progress ruined in a single instant, by a single buffoon.

Meeting Being X, being forced into another world. Remembering humans aren't created equally, only this time she was the one with the natural advantage. Fighting a never-ending war, climbing the ranks, becoming the strongest mage around. All just to die yet again, her progress yet again reset by the actions of a single person.

Should I take it easy? Isn't the whole point of securing my position to also secure an easy, peaceful existence? And haven't I already secured my position?

Shuna let out a relieved sigh, unknowing of the turmoil in Tanya's mind.

…That's the plan, yes. But I can't rest just yet. Tanya glanced up, absentmindedly watching as Rimuru and the others reengaged Charybdis. As long as Tempest has enemies, I'm in danger. I can't relax knowing there's a target on my back. If there's anything I've learned from my previous two lives, it's that when you aren't expecting it, there will always something else hidden behind a corner, waiting to stab you from behind.

"I'm glad." Shuna smiled. "Perhaps you can help with less stressful affairs after this. Oh! You could even help out at the textile shop, if you like!"

"Perhaps." Tanya allowed, dipping her head.

I've also learned that if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. No matter how competent or experienced your subordinates. Or, in this case…

"But before that, let's get Mary here over with the other injured." Tanya pointed down.

Inexperienced. And not quite competent yet, though she is learning quick enough.

Shuna gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Oh my goodness, we've just been talking over her unconscious body this whole time!"

"Yes, we have." Tanya threaded her arms under Mary's knees and shoulders, lifting her up in one smooth motion, "Thankfully, she's already healed thanks to the potion, so it's only a bit weird on our part as opposed to life-threatening on hers."

"Right." Shuna stood as well, a bit of color dusting her cheeks. The two began the short trek back down the path, to where an impromptu med tent had been hastily put up.

When'd they have the time for this? Tanya raised an eyebrow.

"I have a question." Shuna said after a few seconds, stepping ahead of Tanya to hold open the tent's entrance flap.

"Go ahead." Tanya stepped inside, looking around.

"Why didn't you just use your barrier magic? Surely you could have saved me- er, everyone their worry. And yourself the pain and injury."

Tanya took a moment to consider it.

"That's a fair question. It's not like I didn't try." She set Mary down on an empty cot, before turning to face Shuna, "The problem was, Charybdis' Magic Jamming did a real number on me. Did you see me incinerate those last two Megalodons?"

Shuna nodded.

"Well, my usual level of control is out the window right now, so I had to overpower the hell out of it just for it to work. I couldn't even make them blue like I usually do. If I'd tried the same with my barrier spell, I might have just killed Sue myself by crushing her on accident. And even if I had formed it properly, and around two people to boot, there's no guarantee those scales wouldn't have punctured it anyway."

Tanya shook her head.

"That Magic Jamming is no joke; if it weren't for my own absurd magic efficiency, I wouldn't have been able to do anything at all."

"Well, thanks goodness for your weird body then." Shuna laughed.

"Hey, that makes it sound like-"

A ground-rumbling roar interrupted her.

Tanya sighed, quickly moving to stand outside the tent.

Up above, Rimuru could be seen darting around Charybdis, taking magical potshots and generally being a distracting nuisance to the beast the way Tanya had been earlier.

Tanya watched for a few more seconds, noting how ineffective both beings' attacks were. Charybdis' couldn't land a hit with its massive laser – Because naturally it can shoot those from its eye, why wouldn't it? Tanya thought irritably – and Rimuru couldn't deal significant or noticeable damage.

"I've had enough of this."

Tanya made to take off. Before she could however, Shuna caught her by the arm.

"Hold on there, buster. You're still recovering."

"I'm not going to fight." Tanya tugged her arm away, "I'm just going to do what we should have done from the beginning."

Shuna raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms "And that is?"

Tanya felt another wave of déjà vu rush over her. She shook it off, shooting Shuna her patented Degurechaff Half-SmileTM.

"I'm going to show off the great power of running and asking your most powerful allies for help. I like to call it the 'Kingdom of Albion Special'."

With that, she rocketed upwards, leaving Shuna with her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Kingdom of Albion…?"

-=-

This can work. We can win this!

Rimuru darted upwards, narrowly avoiding another laser. As soon as it faded, he was on Charybdis in instant, engulfing it with Gluttony.

Just like every time before, Charybdis was not absorbed. But that wasn't his goal, anyhow. With Gluttony, he could absorb just enough of Charybdis' incredible magical energy, whilst at the same time pulling away bits and pieces of its Magic Jamming field.

And in that small moment, where Charybdis' defenses were lowered ever so lightly by Rimuru efforts…

"Attack now, while we can!" Benimaru called out to the collective forces of Tempest.

The group responded in kind with a hearty battle cry. Hell Flares were formed, weapons thrown, and swooping attacks made by those airborne. Everything and anything that they could use against the beast, they did.

As ineffective as it seemed, they flat-refused to allow Charybdis any recovery time.

Rimuru distracted, then broke down its defenses. Then, they would throw everything they had at it. Rinse and repeat, until one side broke.

In another universe, this song and dance would have gone on for hours. But that was another story.

"Oi, Rimuru!"

"Tanya!" Rimuru dodged around a swipe form Charybdis' tail. "You're back! What happened?"

"I'll tell you later."

He could see her near Charybdis' front, Milim right behind her. Rimuru frowned, idly flipping around a few errant scales he'd missed earlier, before idly absorbing them.

"Tanya, we can't let Milim get involved. This is our-"

"Yeah yeah, this is Tempest's battle. And wouldn't you know it, Milim is in fact a resident of Tempest at the moment."

"She's her own Demon Lord, with her own territory." Rimuru frowned, "Haven't you often preached about 'taking responsibility for yourself' and the like?"

"Listen, I've had a hell of a day. I saved Treyni from a giant shark, nearly lost an arm to another giant shark, nearly lost my other arm to Charybdis' scales."

A laser shot from Charybdis, this time in Tanya's direction. Rimuru watched her casually float to the side before she continued.

"And that's all within the past two hours. So, just this once, I'm going to go back on what I said, and inform you that it's completely fine to rely on your extremely overpowered Demon Lord ally here."

"Okay, but-"

Any argument Rimuru could have made was interrupted, this time by Charybdis itself rather than Tanya. The beast froze in place, it's attacks halting as it's giant eye finally registered who exactly was flying in front of it.

"Tan- Tanya! Mili- Milim!" Its focus seemed to be zeroed in on Tanya's position now, the massive beast growing visibly more agitated. "Tanya! Milim!"

Notice: Signs of life detected within Charybdis.

Huh? Rimuru blinked. He quickly flew over to the two, eyeing Charybdis' as it remained seemingly frozen in its rage. He found his bemusement matched on their faces, as he matched their altitude and slowed to a stop.

"Oh hey, that's that one guy!" Milim put her hands on Tanya's shoulder, hoisting herself up unnecessarily over the other woman's head.

"Oi, this isn't a carnival." Tanya complained, pushing her off.

"That's, ah, what's his name?" Milim was undeterred, her eye glowing as she leaned forward, "It was… Forbio, I think?"

Tanya and Rimuru shared a glance, Milim floating down and looking between them.

"Do you mean, Phobio?" Rimuru asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, that guy!" Milim nodded emphatically

"That beastman is inside Charybdis?" Tanya raised an eyebrow.

"I think he's Charybdis' host, actually."

"Ta- Tanya!! Mil- Milim!!" Charybdis' body shook.

Phobio's the subordinate of Demon Lord Carrion, who came here a few days ago. Tanya retaliated after he injured Rigurd, and then Milim beat him into the ground.

Rimuru sweatdropped.

Which means… we could have let Milim deal with it from the start.

Notice: Milim would be able to deal with-

Okay, you don't have to rub it in!

"Well, you heard Charybdis." Rimuru looked up, just in time to see Tanya pat Milim on the shoulder. "Go wild."

"YAY!"

"Wait!"

Milim pouted. "No yay?"

"I- no, just…" Rimuru felt rather like a bad guy then, with how disheartened she looked. It tugged at his heartstrings just enough for him to float forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let the others get out of range first, okay?"

"Of course!" Milim nodded emphatically, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tightly.

"Gah!"

"I was going to do that anyway! I'll show you just how much restraint I've learned since meeting you!"

"Milim, if Rimuru had lungs he wouldn't be able to breathe."

"But he doesn't need to breathe, so this is fine."

Rimuru begged to differ.

And thus, the battle with Charybdis came to an abrupt and happy end, as Milim the Destroyer lived up to her title and destroyed everything about Charybdis except its host.

Of course, the denizens of Tempest could not have known that this was merely the beginning of things to come. Indeed, a shift was occurring in the world, one that had the potential to rock its foundations down to the bedrock.

And, naturally, Tanya and Mary would be swept up in it all, like Odysseus's and his men braving the monsters of popular legend. It was truly an ironic twist that a beast known as Charybdis was the first in this series of unfortunate events.

-=-=-=-

Moonlight shone through the windows, serving as the only source of light in the hallway. Shadows caressed every corner and alcove, static and motionless, except for one.

Booted footsteps echoed alone against the walls, with the slight swishing of a cloak accompanying them. They went unheard, this section of the mansion remaining almost entirely empty.

Another shadow detached from underneath a window, a second pair of footsteps falling in line with the first.

"Did you have fun?"

The second shadow darted in front of the first, coming to a stop in the moonlight of the next window. Silver danced over pink, the white and red of their mask illuminated.

"Fun had nothing to do with it!" The small figure spun with a flourish. "This was all business, I'll have you know!"

A man's deep chuckle echoed through the hallway.

"Sure, sure. But even so, I'm sure you'll admit that such business was enjoyable?" The first shadow stepped forward, their amused smirk glinting in the scant lunar glow. "After all, who wouldn't enjoy releasing such a powerful spirit on the world? Certainly not you, Tear."

"Well, you've got me there." Tear disappeared for a moment, reappearing and floating with her arm thrown over the man's shoulder. "It was so much fun! But I'd bet you'd have enjoyed it a lot more, what with your spiritual proclivities and all."

"You make it sound crude, somehow. Please don't call it that."

"Right-o!" Tear dropped back to the floor, arms behind her head, "You know though, it's a shame Charybdis didn't last longer."

"True, but this was a test for a reason." The man put a hand to his chin. "Though, I'm sure your Clayman would've preferred a greater devastation."

"Eh, Clayman's fine with it. He only really cared about messin with Frey. That and getting a real measure on Milim."

"Really? Now that's interesting." The man crossed his arms, "Should you be telling me this, I wonder?"

"Whaaaat?" Tear did an exaggerated double take, "We're all Scylla here, aren't we? Besides, Clayman has his own schemes. The Moderate Harlequin Alliance helps when he asks, given he's family and all, but the rest of us have got our own shit to handle too, ya know?"

The man nodded, "Well, you've been a great help regardless. Even against the wishes of that human friend of yours."

"Yuuta? Please. He's got us over a barrel, sure, but he's not our boss. The Alliance has got our own way of dealing with things." Tear tilted her head. "So tell me boss, what've ya been up to while I was away?"

"I am also not your boss, so don't call me that." The man started walking again. "As fellow Heads, we're all equal here. Which you well know."

"Yeah, but it always gets under your skin." Tear followed suit, her bouncing steps quickly catching up, "So come on, fill me in already!"

"Very well. The Fourth and Sixth have made remarkable progress on our latest project. Would you like to see?"

"Obviously!"

~END: FOREST DISTURBANCE ARC~

-=-=-=-=-=-

Known Skills List

Tanya:

Common Skill: Thought Communication

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra Skill: Voice of the World Communication

Unique Skill: Formulaic Casting

Unique Skill: Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement

Mary:

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra/Intrinsic Skill: Physical Enhancement

Unique Skill: [Currently Unknown]

Notes:

I now have to live with the fact that my most popular fanfic features eventual Tanya/Mary, even though my OTP is Tanya/A Peaceful Life. Tanya/Visha is good too. Oh well.

Next chapter is "Interlude 2". It'll be a bit of a breather after the back to back action chapters, but it's also the buildup to this fic's next (original, meaning non Tensura-based) arc. I almost feel like I should apologize to Tanya and Mary in advance. But I won't. See ya next time!