Catastrophe Comes Calling Pt 2

Tanya watched them approach the crater with an incredulous look.

I was right on the mark when I first met them, huh? These idiots are crazy! I could take them all on myself, yet they think they can hold off a Demon Lord? And anyways, no one here can protect Rimuru better than himself. There's no way I can get involved with that sort of irrational logic. This is stupid. Way too stupid. They're basically just giving their lives away, and for what? I can't-

"Wahahaha! That was strong! You might be able to seriously hurt one of the weaker Demon Lords like that." Milim jumped out of the crater, landing in front of the three Kijin. "But not me. I'm way stronger than them! See for yourself!"

Tanya's eyes widened, instinctively throwing up her active barrier as Milim's aura skyrocketed.

Dust and earth kicked up, a massive wind roaring across the landscape as the Demon Lord's power jumped up by several magnitudes.

Then, it was over. Tanya quickly dropped her hand from where it was shielding her eyes.

That's- that's absurd. She observed the carnage in shock, a bead nervous sweat dripping down the back of her neck. The crater from Benimaru and Souei's combined attack had been expanded several times over, with each of the three Kijin lay around the outer edge with various levels of damage. At least they all appeared to be breathing.

Logically, it was nothing she hadn't seen before. Craters, injured bodies, devastating magic.

But, for all this to result just from a power up…

She's a monster. A real monster. What kind of insane power is this? She was hiding this much? I can't get involved in this. Not if I want to enjoy a long life. I have to-

Tanya glanced at the bodies of her fellow Executives once more.

I can't get involved, but I can't leave them behind. I have to fight, don't I? Who's knows what'll happen if I leave this crazy girl with them. I can't even imagine the amount of work I'd have to do if they all died. Shit, I'd be put in charge of Tempest's defense in Benimaru's place! I'd have to pick up Souei's slack in scouting, since there's barely any else that can do his work. And Shion… actually, does she really do anything? Never mind, that's not the point.

Milim floated out of the crater's center, landing near Benimaru's barely conscious form.

Yes, for the sake of an easy life, I can't let them die. Get up, you slackers! Don't make me do your work for you!

"Wahahaha! Is that it? I barely got to have any fun! Well, if we're done here, I'll just," She pointed at Benimaru, "End things here. Better luck next time!"

"Oi!"

Milim straightened up immediately.

"Oh, the human!"

Dammit, I have to stall until Rimuru gets here… that's a bitch. I don't even know if he knows-

Tanya felt like slapping herself.

"Rimuru! Hey, Rimuru!"

The reply was immediate. "Tanya? What's up?"

"Get your ass over here! A Demon Lord calling herself the Destroyer showed up and just kicked the crap out of Benimaru, Souei, and Shion. We're in some serious shit right now, so hurry up!"

Tanya cut off the connection without waiting for a reply.

"I told you, the name's Tanya." She called back.

"Yeah, that! Did you wanna fight too?" Milim turned towards her. "Even if you're a human, you can fight, right?"

"Someone should have taught you this lesson already, but I guess I'll be the one to do it." Tanya crouched slightly, holding her arms tight to her sides. "Humans, monsters, Demon Lords… don't put too much stock in those sorts of things. Strength comes from willpower. From desire, self-discipline, ingenuity. Not a title. Don't underestimate humans."

"Oh?" Milim crouched as well. "Someone weak wants to lecture me, a Demon Lord?"

"Tch." Tanya flexed her hands. "Weak? Don't make me laugh."

False bravado, fail me not.

Tanya had called Rimuru the strongest in Tempest, and this was true to an extent.

I guess I can't afford to hold back here. I wanted more time to test this first, but I don't have any other options.

However, this was only when considering Rimuru's Unique Skill: Gluttony. Given that Tanya's combat style generally leaned more towards long-range magical combat, much if not all of her magical advantage was negated by the absorption-based Skill.

A fact which she had been diligently working to rectify.

However, Tanya wasn't fighting Rimuru.

Ignoring Gluttony entirely, in terms of sheer magic potential and magicules, Tanya's own Skills put her in a class of her own. And this was for one very specific reason.

Unique Skill: Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement.

Also known as: the Skill that had replaced her Type 95 upon reincarnating into this world. There hadn't been much time to test it, what with how busy she'd been integrating with Tempest, but she had been able to confirm its functions at least.

At its most basic level, Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement – or TLE for short – was a storage and release type Skill. Similar to her Type 95, TLE gave Tanya the ability to store massive amounts of mana within the Skill, and then later release that mana at her discretion. This function was pretty much the exact same as it was with the Type 95.

The difference, however, lay in how the mana was released and used. With the Type 95, mana flowed through and from within the computation orb, out into the world by way of formulae. Spells were thus cast from the Type 95 using stored mana, and it was this effect that allowed Tanya to create levels of magical phenomena in the physical world that many had compared to miracles of God.

TLE was not a conduit for spells the way the Type 95 and other computation orbs were. Instead, it was storage and release Skill that used the stored mana to power and enhance magic that had been cast, using Tanya's body as the conduit. A convoluted powerup Skill, in other words.

The bonus of this was that mental corruption was a nonfactor, with the amount of magic only limited by the amount stored.

Of course, there was another issue. Without the Type 95 as a conduit and Being X's curse making such vast amounts of magic flow without issue, all that stored magical power was channeled solely through Tanya's own body.

Naturally, the more magic she used, the harder it was to properly channel. Even with her incredible mana efficiency, such was the case.

As much as I hate doing this, I'll have to test it out on the fly. TLE Output…

Tanya inhaled deeply, then exhaled. This Skill had one other important trait. TLE did not possess four cores like the Type 95 did. That notion had become obsolete thanks to this world's different system of magic. Rather, this 'core' function had transitioned into something else: four 'levels' of release, similar to the release valves on a dam, with each subsequent level allowing more mana to flow through and enhance Tanya's abilities.

Each level allowed a greater amount of stored magic to be used. Thus, channeling magic became that much more difficult the higher the levels went.

And with the incredible amount of magic Tanya had managed to store up until now, the margin of error at higher levels was...

...Incredibly small. This was only exacerbated by her lack of practical experience with the Skill.

Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Yeah, right.

Right now, she'd start off at the lowest level. The name of which was-

…Level One.

A simple name that detailed exactly what it was. Just how she liked it.

Tanya's aura did not explode the way Milim's did. Instead, an outline around her body itself began to shine, her eyes glowing a bright teal.

"Oh!" Milim's eyes shined as well, though from excitement rather than magic. "Your power just skyrocketed! This should be fun!"

Tanya didn't get the chance to respond with a snarky quip like she'd been intending, as Milim launched herself forward immediately after.

She's fast! Tanya's eyes widened a fraction.

She brought her arms up, barely managing to block Milim's punch in time. The ground cracked at the force, the wind from the blow ruffling her hair violently.

And way too strong. I couldn't even think to put up my barrier in time.

Milim's own eyes widened. "Whoa, you took my hit!"

Shit, I need to kick it up a notch, and we only just started.

"Like I said," Tanya hid her concern with a smirk. "Don't underestimate humans."

Level Two.

The glow around her intensified, and she threw her arms out to the side, breaking the stalemate.

Then, the fight began in earnest.

Tanya jumped back, an optical spell erupting from her outstretched hand. Milim batted it to the side, dashing forward for another punch.

Tanya responded in kind, a shockwave ringing out as their arms crashed together. They pushed against one another, before pulling back and clashing again a split second later.

And again. And again.

At increasing speeds, the two exchanged blows, striking and dodging and striking once more. Neither landed many hits, one too caught up surviving to care and the other laughing joyously at the experience itself.

Tanya ducked a kick, launching one of her own into Milim's stomach.

Unfazed, Milim leaned into the hit, bending over and slugging Tanya across the face.

"Fuck!" Tanya gripped her nose with one hand, the other outstretched as she jumped backwards yet again.

Recognizing this, Milim pressed her advantage, darting forward to beat out the magical attack she knew was coming.

Except, that was exactly what Tanya wanted. Just as Milim reached her, a blinding light erupted from Tanya's open palm.

"Gah!" Milim stumbled back, rubbing her eyes furiously. "No fair!"

You're…

Tanya lunged forward, one hand still gripping her face and the other forming a mage blade.

…wide open!

Her mage blade crashed against Milim's abdomen, shattering into multicolored shards.

Huh?

Tanya's fist kept going, burying itself in the other girl's stomach and forcing her backwards hard enough to form trenches in the dirt. Tanya pulled away, narrowly avoiding a blind swing, before jumping and flying up high to avoid another.

Thinking quickly, Tanya pointed her palm directly downwards.

Explosion Formula.

The ground beneath Milim feet exploded, fire and smoke engulfing her completely.

Tanya flew up even higher, taking a moment to catch her breath.

You've got to be kidding me. Right now, I have as much magical power running through me than I did with the Type 95. And my mage blade couldn't even scratch her! I'm fighting for my damn life, and she's doesn't even look like she's trying.

Her left hand unconsciously clenched.

"Ack!" Tanya pulled her hand away from her face, noting the blood soaking into her black glove.

My nose is broken from a punch that barely connected. She glanced down at her partially wrecked flight suit. And even glancing blows are enough to tear and do damage.

The sound of coughing drew Tanya's attention back to the ground.

"Geh! Gross!" Milim coughed, rubbing her eyes with one hand and waving away smoke with the other. "You're good! But tricks won't work forever."

Milim looked around the area, still coughing and waving.

"You can't hide forever you know!"

Hide? Sure, I'm suppressing my aura again, but…

Tanya's eyes narrowed.

…She doesn't know where I am? I thought her "Dragon Eye" or whatever let her see through that? Unless… no, that'd be…

Tanya flared her aura, reactivating TLE at Level Two. Immediately, she noticed Milim's expression posture shift, her gaze shooting up and lasering in on Tanya's position.

When I interrupted her vision and moved out of sight, she couldn't find me right away. Similarly, she didn't go find Rimuru herself, instead seeking me out. That implies a limit on range, or perhaps line of sight? How specific is the technique? She seemed surprised when I activated TLE initially, so I can really only guess at the limits.

Milim crouched down, as if to take off.

There's one thing I'm almost certain of though. Milim's Dragon Eye… does she need her eyes open to activate it? Maybe, maybe not, but it does seem like her Skill is something that needs to be activated in the first place.

Tanya tensed as Milim jumped, leaving yet another crater on the ground. The Demon Lord rocketed towards her, in line for a dead-on collision.

Which means there should be a gap, no matter how small. I can't keep up with my current power, which means there's no brute forcing this. Let's see how many tricks you can really see through, Demon Lord.

At the last moment, Tanya twisted to the side. Milim blasted by, a comically surprised look on her face.

Now, just to be safe. Level Three.

The air electrified. Tanya's eyes shone vibrantly, her outline running hot enough to spark against the air around her.

Milim slowly floated down in front of her, clearly in awe. Like a child at a candy store.

"Whoa! You're like, way stronger now!" She raised her fists and bounced excitedly. "Let's keep fighting! Come on, come on!"

Tanya ignored her for a moment. Her muscles clenched and unclenched, liquid fire burning across her body as more mana than ever coursed through her veins and mana circuits.

I should just be stalling for time. That's all I can really do here.

Slowly and deliberately, she exhaled, steam drifting from clenched teeth.

But you're really pissing me off. Fine then.

"Let's go."

Neither moved for several moments.

As if by some unseen signal, they bolted forward at the same time, crashing together with enough force to shake the very air around them.

They danced in place, exchanging blow after blow in a blurred flurry. Each pulled back, slamming their knees together with another shockwave.

Then, to the shock of the injured Kijin below, they almost seemed to disappear from sight, moving at high speeds through the air in a high stake game of cat and mouse. They clashed periodically, shockwaves and gusts of air accompanying each blocked and dodged blow.

As quickly as the exchange began, it ended, with Tanya reappearing above the day's first crater.

Milim reappeared as well, charging forward for a shoulder tackle. Tanya slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

She threw out her hand, sending a barrage of minor optical spells Milim's way. Milim bulldozed through them all, and immediately was on top of her again, her fist smashing against Tanya's hasty block.

Before Milim could pull back for another strike, Tanya twisted her crossed arms, gripping Milim's own arm and heaving her downwards.

Milim quickly stopped herself.

"That won't work so easily- Gah!"

Tanya hammered the top of Milim's head with clasped hands, sending her to the unforgiving dirt below.

"Owie~!" She yelled all the way down, dirt kicking up on impact and further wrecking the area.

Tanya wiped at her bloody nose, her breath coming out in ragged spurts. Immediately, she dropped to Level Two, sighing with relief as the fire in her blood faded.

I can't keep doing this. Salt and metal mingled on her tongue, blood and sweat dripping down her face. But that's fine. I haven't even used my best stalling tool.

Tanya glanced down at the torso of her flight suit, which was barely more than tattered threads and fabric held together by her similarly damaged harness. Her gloves were in the same state, one having disintegrated entirely whilst the other more closely resembled fingerless knuckle-covers.

Luckily, her black long-sleeved undershirt was unharmed, other than a small tear across the stomach area, and her pants and boots had gotten out largely unscathed.

Small mercies. Still, this loose scrap will only give me way.

Without hesitation, she tore the flight suit torso and the top half of her harness off, using a mage blade to rip away a few stubborn pieces. Then, she tossed it all to the side, where it slowly drifted to tree line below.

-=-

Art by (@tanjaded)

-=-

Now, clad in her undershirt, flight suit pants, and boots, Tanya was ready. She made to pull her goggles up, then paused as she realized they weren't around her neck anymore.

Her arms slowly fell to her sides.

Just another thing I'll have to replace.

Before she could lament her destroyed clothing anymore, motion from below caught her eye.

"Souei, can you hear me? I need you to…"

On the ground below, Milim threw her arms out, her aura bursting violently into being once more. The crater she was in further expanded, then expanded even more as she took off.

"Thanks."

Tanya prepped herself, squeezing as much mana as she could out of Level Two.

"Take this!" Milim blasted upwards, beelining for Tanya in a now very familiar move. She wound up her arm, preparing to throw what would no doubt be a devastating blow. "Milim Punch!!!"

The punch hit Tanya head on… then, went directly through her without any resistance whatsoever.

"Eh?" Milim stared, bewildered, as the illusion of Tanya around her arm fizzled out of existence.

"Up here!"

Milim's head shot up. Her eyes widened.

"Eh?!?!"

Higher, way higher, Tanya floated, looking down with her arm extended. Multiple balls of mana surrounded her and her palm, multicolored sparks dancing between them. The glow around her was now almost radioactive in its glow, the air seeming to physically warp like heat waves around her form.

Milim glanced down at the Kijin below, then back up at Tanya.

"No way." A bead of sweat dripped down her neck. "If that much magic hits the ground, it'll send this place sky high. There's no way she'll fire."

The mana spheres around Tanya grew bigger, currents of mana crackling ever more violently between them.

"Even if I block it, it'll be too wide. She's not crazy, right?"

That was rich coming from her, of course, but in this moment it really did seem like Milim was the sane one.

Tanya pulled her arm back.

Milim grinned wildly, a tinge of shock flashing across her expression.

"Okay, she is crazy!"

The world seemed to freeze for a moment, as Tanya threw her arm forward.

"She's really-"

"Souei, now!"

"What?" Milim blinked in shock as the Tanya she'd been so heavily focused on disappeared. "Another illusion?!"

"Arcane Thread Fetters!"

Sticky Steel threads wrapped around her for the second time that day.

"Crap!"

"Milim." The air rippled in front of her, an illusion of the sky fading as Tanya reappeared in front of her. Her arm was pulled back, a singular ball of mana fluctuated violently in her palm. "Good fight."

She thrust her arm forward, pressing the sphere against Milim abdomen.

"Optical Formula: TLE Level Four!"

Milim disappeared from sight, a tidal wave of bright blue magical energy engulfing her.

Tanya grit her teeth and pressed forward even more, the spell pouring from her palm with its flow and intensity. She held on for as long as possible, ozone scratching at her nose as the atmosphere electrified around her. Lave scorched her very bones as the immense amount of mana roared though her.

Crack!

Tanya bit back a curse, finally letting go of the formula and rapidly descending.

Fucking hell! Even with my reinforcement and enhancement spells active, my arm is-

She landed heavily, barely managing to keep her knees from buckling. Leaning to one side, Tanya let her right arm dangle limply. Blood dripped from her nose and fingers, pooling in her mouth and the dirt.

It's definitely broken. I overloaded it by a long shot. Tanya winced as a fresh wave of pain flooded through her system. Would it have been better to use both arms? But, with how bad this is now, using both might have netted me two broken arms instead of one. All that mana is clearly too much for my body to handle right now.

A ping against her Magic Sense had Tanya glancing up.

"Seriously?" Tanya said tiredly.

"Seriously!" Milim landed a few meters away from her, a curious – and intrigued, Tanya noted with exasperation and exhaustion – look on her face. "My stomach hasn't itched like this in ages!"

She pointed proudly at her stomach. Sure enough, there was a bright red mark wrapping around and across her entire belly. The color was already fading away.

I shattered my arm and used up all my stored mana for that? And she has regeneration too? Go fuck yourself.

"You're a monster."

"And you're a human!" Milim smiled excitedly. She clenched and unclenched her hand a few times, before pulling it back as though she were about to punch. "You're one of the strongest humans I've met, I think. You're kinda like Leon!"

"Leon?" Tanya raised an eyebrow, barely managing to keep with the conversation. "Who's that?"

Is this 'Leon' a Demon Lord as well? She used his name alone, suggesting some level of familiarity. How many Demon Lords are there?

"He used to be a human before he became a Demon Lord, and he's crazy powerful! Oh, and you're both blonde!"

Hell. Why is such a childish, irrational girl so damn powerful? Who authorized this? I do appreciate it from the perspective of someone who lacks vital information, but what kind of idiot goes around giving away such things to people they've just met?!

"And that matters, why?"

"Hm?" Milim tilted her head. "I just thought it was funny. I bet he'd be interested in you guys too, just like some of the others are."

"Some of the others"? Damnit, if Demon Lords already have their eyes on us, then Tempest will have to be even more on guard than I imagined… Is peace truly too much to ask for? Even in another world?

"Thrilling." Tanya remarked.

No, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm going to survive and live a peaceful life, no matter what happens. If I have to become stronger than Demon Lords to do so, then so be it.

"So, you ready to keep going?"

"Does it look like-"

There was yet another ping against Tanya's Magic Sense.

Ah, finally.

Tanya held up her good hand. "Actually, I concede."

"Huh?" Milim pulled up short.

"You sure took your time," Tanya glanced backwards, "Rimuru."

Rimuru marched forward, his scarf swaying in the breeze.

"Yeah. Sorry, Tanya." Rimuru tossed a full potion over her head as he passed. "I was in the Sealed Cave speaking with Vesta. The magicules in there skewed my Magic Sense, so I didn't know what was happening until your message came through."

"You're here now." Tanya's own Magic Sense went off for the nth time that day. She straightened up, her eyes slid over to the tree line. "So don't worry about that. Just deal with it."

Rimuru nodded.

"Yeah."

-=-

With everything that had gone on since she'd arrived in this world, Tanya probably should have expected something as stupid as honey being the solution to a fight-thirsty Demon Lord.

"I feel vaguely insulted." Benimaru muttered. Tanya found herself silently agreeing.

"Well, that's that!" Rimuru grinned, "Let's head back to the city now."

Tanya glanced to the side, to the area her Magic Sense had earlier pointed her at.

"Oi, Rimuru, I've got to take care of something real quick. I'll meet you all back in town after."

"Hm?" Rimuru looked at her quizzically, before shrugging. "Well, if that's what you want. Don't take too long, yeah?"

Tanya huffed out a laugh. "Sure thing."

Not too long after that, everyone cleared out.

Tanya glanced over at the tree line once more.

"You can come out now."

Nothing happened for a few seconds.

Then, a booted foot stepped out from the trees.

"What are you doing out here, Sue?"

Mary said nothing, walking forward until she and Tanya were only a few meters apart. Belatedly, Tanya noticed the torn-up remnants of her flight suit harness in Mary's left hand.

Along with her backup knife's empty holster.

Tanya's eyes narrowed.

"Why did you do that?" Mary asked quietly.

"What?"

"Why did you put yourself on the line for nothing, you damn Devil?"

Mary's catchphrase lacked the usual venom, Tanya idly noted.

"Hah? I'm not here to play twenty questions. Be more specific."

Mary tossed the harness to the ground.

"You. You're a monster. A demon. Why are you being so, so… protective, of this place." Mary reached behind her, pulling Tanya's missing knife from her belt. "This city, Tempest, is- it's peaceful. Lively. The monsters, the people here are innocent and happy and-"

She trailed off, her reversed grip on the knife tightening. Tanya tensed up in preparation.

A light breeze floated through the clearing, the silence between them stretching what felt like forever.

Mary shifted her footing, "You're a Devil. Why is someone like you protecting them!?"

She lunged forward, her eyes flashing bright green as she stabbed the knife downwards.

Tanya caught her by the wrist, using both arms to hold her back.

Mary's eyes flashed again. Tanya let go and sidestepped as the girl stabbed down with even more force than before.

"So that's one of your Skills, huh? What a waste." Tanya taunted, dancing out of Mary's reach as she sliced the air. "Even with that, I won't need Skills to beat you."

Mary snarled, lunging forward with another stab.

Tanya stepped inside the wild motion, striking the inside of Mary's wrist with her palm.

Mary's arm went wide, the knife flying from her grasp. Immediately, Tanya grabbed Mary's arm and twisted it behind her back.

"I know you can do better than that." Tanya twisted her arm harder for split second, before letting go and kicking the back of Mary's knees.

Mary hit the ground hard.

"Why do this? Why risk everything to attack me, if you weren't even going to put any actual effort in to it?"

"I, I don't…" Mary pushed herself on hands and knees, gaze locked on the ground below.

"What? You don't what?" Tanya crossed her arms, "Did you even have a reason for attacking me? Or have you decided to stay in dreamland, where angels and devils do battle in black and white storybooks? Go on then. Tell me! What reason do you have for-"

"I don't understand!"

Tanya paused.

"I don't get it! Why is- why am I here?! Why am I still alive?" Mary pushed herself up more, glaring at Tanya with tear-filled eyes. "Everything I've known is a lie! Is that what you wanted to hear!? Huh?! That God won't speak to me anymore, that for the first time in years I can think clearly without his voice in the back of my head, telling me what I thought was the truth!"

Mary dropped her head.

"I don't understand anything anymore. Even you're not…" Mary trailed off "Why... are you doing this? Why aren't you..."

Tanya gave her a contemplative look.

"Do you want me to kill you?"

"Wha- why are you even asking me, you damn-" Mary's head shot up again, her hands scraping lines in the dirt. "Just- just do it! At least let me be right about one thing!"

Tanya shook her head. "No. I have no interest in vengeance, Mary Sue. Nor in being a murderer. The things I do and have done, they're because they make sense, or because they are necessary."

Mary froze. Tanya continued.

"Make no mistake: I don't like you. Not one bit. You, or at least, your previous self, represents everything I hate in humanity. Blind faith, irrationality, letting your decisions be ruled by emotions… Being X found his perfect reflection in you, I suppose."

"My previous self…?" The other girl whispered.

Tanya turned away entirely, training her eyes on the clear sky above.

"I decided on the day we reincarnated here that I would let you live, for no reason other than that I thought it would be a shame to waste such a potentially useful person such as yourself. Even now, my decision hasn't changed. After all, that bastard Being X is gone now, and keeping useless grudges is both a fool's game and a waste of energy."

Mary gazed at her incomprehensibly, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"You are a girl whose childhood was cruelly stripped away by circumstance. You've known little other than war and sorrow and hatred. Above all, you're a victim, aren't you? But you're free now." Tanya paused a moment, before sighing. "Use the cards you are given to get the future that you want. That's the right we have as humans. It's what makes us human. You've been dealt a new hand, Mary Sue. Be your own human for once."

She made to leave then, reaching down to pick up her harness and knife along the way.

"If I'm free…" Mary began quietly "Then why does it hurt so much?"

Tanya hesitated, glancing back at the other girl.

"Do you think freedom is possible without blood?"

And with that, Tanya slowly walked away.

Mary let her go without response.

-=-=-=-=-=-

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

Other Skills Unknown