RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 51: Wrapping common sense around a Shoggoth? No thanks.

Author notes:

New chapter is up alongside the pictures! 

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Massaging the bridge of my nose, partly to hide the growing need inside me, partly to alleviate my annoyance at the fact that I've missed calculating severely. 

Temporal clones have been of much help in field commanding and R&D efforts. Yet, like a shortsighted fool, I've forgotten to calculate the impact the clones may have on a strategic scale. Things could have been much, much more expedited had I used my clones more wantonly. With the clones, I can command several strategic fronts at once without any delay or miscommunication. Hell, I can even have a clone dedicated to waging a shadow war, rather than wasting their potential away in the R&D department. The brainiac trios, by this point, have already grown to a point where I don't even need a single input for them to perform their job more than outstandingly.

Having received such a wake-up call, I vow to myself that I need to get back to the drawing board. While it doesn't quite mean that Belka will be kicking up wars left, right, and center. It does mean that we will be more proactive on the geopolitical scale. Off the top of my mind, I daresay that I can send a clone to destabilize South America in advance. It's much like what Section Head Quellec has been doing in the Rusviet Union all this time: Attaining a large share of crucial industries, swaying power over VIPs, and facilitating the spread of Belka influence... Mostly untouched by the flame of war, South America is a veritable goldmine and is somewhat uninvolved in current geopolitical hotspots. Right, by paving the way now, we will be getting an easier time for the eventual assimilation of South America, either by hook or by crook.

Speaking of Rusviet though, it would be high time we start seriously reengaging in diplomatic talks with them. The upcoming Stockholm Conference basically forces us to sit at a table with the Union's dignitaries. May as well hash out the stance between us and them, even if both sides are just using each other, for now. Currently, Belka and Rusviet still see each other eye-to-eye but five, ten years later? Who knows... Rusviet has Stalin at its helm with an expansionist streak. They will soon be kicking up a fuss with their neighbors, much like us with Ustio and Erusea. Once both parties cement themselves as the top dog of Europe, the cordial relationship we have will be cooling off at a rapid rate. But even then, a clone can also be delegated to handle the situation as the matter develops, just so that the ultimate victor is Belka.

So many things for a single person to do, enough to last more than a lifetime. Still, I have been literally gifted with an ability that would make leaders kill to attain. So many things, so much time.

I am pulled out of my thoughts when I feel a pinch on my cheek. It's not painful, but more than enough to get my head back to reality. I have no doubt that it has only been a couple of seconds in the real world. But to me, it has been ten minutes in my mindscape, a benefit of having multiple clones pooling our heads together. While each individual clone doesn't have the massive processing power that, let's say my cute little sister Ningyo has, collectively and up to a certain point, the clones will outpace Ningyo. The crux of the matter is to dedicate enough 'Time' as a resource to make or enhance them, or in other words 'me'.

Ok, I seriously need to stop pacing out. The fact that Yggdra is tempting me with her curvaceous body ain't helping at all. And clearly, she is intentionally rubbing her elastic melons against me.

Once again eyeing Gaia across me, I ask. "I can accept the need for my plan to be expedited, but right there at the end, what compelled you to stop me from saving my men and women on the field?"

Gaia, who has been sipping her wine, rolls her eyes before putting the glass down. With a tap of her white heel, the floor below shifts into another overhead view. Only this time, it's showing a private testing ground belonging to ONI Section Four.

Gaia points a finger at the projection, answering with an annoyed smirk. "Why, it's because of her, of course."

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What is a tank, to be exact?

The word tank was first applied to Erusea "landships" in 1915 to keep their nature secret before they entered service. Yet, once proper doctrines were developed upon it, the term tank is best explained as: A tank is an armored fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armor, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine, with or without a turret. Examples here are the Rusviet BT-5 light tank, the Erusean Matilda infantry support tank, and the Belkan Leopard main battle tank.

Yet, what we are seeing right now is anything but a tank!

It used to be a Leopard MBT, emphasis on used to. The turret is gone, the armor stripped to the bare minimum to keep the structural integrity intact, the tracks are heavily modified to be as durable as possible, and there's no armament to be found while there's one gigantic hump that is now situated over the engine block and where the turret had been. Just what sort of monstrosity is this!?"

It is not until I see a familiar head of blonde hair popping out of the 'Leopard's' driver hatch that I facepalm in recognition. "Look how Nicolae butchered my baby."

Twirling herself around to grab a handle connected to a wire and whatever contraption that the Shoggoth managed to cobble on the back of the poor Leopard, I watch as she pulls on it like one would on a lawnmower. My eyes bulge out when I see the tell-tale sign of jet propulsion coming out the back of the machinery.

"You seriously did not...!" I screamed hysterically when Nicolae just up and kicked the throttle gear to the max, thus propelling the Leopard forward on level ground.

In two seconds, the Leopard that's spitting out blueish flames accelerates to the speed of 100 km/h and counting. This is an unbelievable speed for the hull to handle, even with all of the armor and weapons stripped off of it. Yet, somehow, Nicolae managed to make something that ridiculous work!

And for what!? For her to drift a freaking jet-propelled armored vehicle!? I can even see the smoking tread marks from here, damn it! And the Shoggoth has the nerves to laugh merrily like she hasn't just wasted her allowance on a contraption with dubious safety and usefulness!?

...

...

...

But then again, it's a very Nicolae thing to do after she accumulates some bit of stress in her system. She is here, in this world, just to be on vacation and away from her duty as an office-slave Shoggoth. I should have expected some more mind-boggling stuff like this sooner or later.

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Just looking at Nicolae enjoying her own brand of fun has given me more answers than I could have ever predicted. I am honestly wishing for some eye bleach right now.

Sighing, I say. "Point taken, Gaia. If I could have asked Nicolae to pull them out right at the end, I would have requested her to deal with the Kaiju because it was convenient to do so. If that was the case, the conversation here may have turned out a bit differently."

Gaia nods at my admission. "So glad that you're quick to catch up. Though I wouldn't lie, me blocking Nicolae, and threatening to blow the matter up even more, were more of me being petty. I was still quite crossed with Nicolae's sudden intrusion into the realm. She is, after all, a Shoggoth, an existence that exists outside of any given World Law, untouchable by me by normal means. Her, being here, meant that any plans I had to guide humanity's growth might as well get the middle finger."

"Quite understandable, if you ask me. You basically did the same to me prior so..." I shrugged. "Anyway, you spoke with quite a bit of familiarity about Nicolae, and you navigated well enough to not step on any toe you shouldn't. I am quite pleasantly surprised."

Gaia rolls her eyes with a prideful smirk, jutting her chest out. "Bitch, I graduated the Akashic Record at the top of my class. I am not that stupid to cross either you, Yggdrasil, or Nicolae for real." While she might be acting proud, her words didn't have any poisonous bite to them to make the listeners uncomfortable. Good on her part.