Currently, Mikoto is on the ground. Not standing up, but laying down on it.
To be exact, as she is right now, she can't stand up.
Patches of black scorch marks and burnt fringes can be found all over her Tokiwadai Middle School uniform. Fortunately, it's still largely intact.
Unfortunately, however, her body has taken quite a bit of damage as well. Lightning scars can be found spread over skin throughout her whole body, sometimes covered with black scorch marks. Furthermore, blood can be seen seeping slowly out of her eyes, ears, mouth and nose.
Her breathing is ragged as her body tries to recover. Her throat feels like she hasn't had a drink in months. Her ears are ringing and the only thing she can hear is her own strained breaths and heartbeat.
Her eyes are half-open, staring into the sky filled with dark clouds, wondering whether she should stay awake and endure the pain racking her body or just listen to her body and fall into unconsciousness.
Mikoto- 'It's… a little ironic.'
Mikoto thinks to herself. She, a lightning user, was bested at her own speciality. She would chuckle to herself if such an action didn't spark a flash of pain throughout her body.
But it can't be helped. She knows that.
Bryce and his lightning… it's different.
She used her strongest attack, a railgun infused with her own Electromaster esper powers infused with the majority of her magicules and full support from Pikachu using a meat bun coin, specially created for her railguns.
By all means, it should've killed him. There's no doubt about it. Especially with everyone distracting him until the last moment, although those "distractions" were enough to critically injure Bryce if not for his regeneration.
Mikoto- 'Maybe I should ask Rimuru to give me a regeneration skill too… Tch, I'm still depending on him…'
Her fingers twitch as she tries to regain control over her body.
After taking that attack, she could barely feel anything except the pain throughout her body and her throbbing headache.
Mikoto- 'I fired off my railgun, and then… it started turning black?'
Mikoto's railgun attack started to "change" or "corrupt" for lack of a better word.
Bryce's rather rushed attack hit Mikoto's attack head-on in an attempt to slow it down but the colour of his black lightning started seeping in. Eventually, Mikoto lost control over her railgun and, somehow, it was turned against herself.
Mikoto- 'Maybe he baited us into that… not likely. He also seemed surprised…'
Indeed, Bryce didn't know he could do something like that. Or rather, he didn't know Veldora could do something like that.
The railgun beam was reflected and flew back to Mikoto but luckily, Shizu was able to jump out of the way. That luck ended there, however, as the now black beam "exploded", showering the area with a hail of electricity.
Shizu, in a desperate attempt to save Mikoto, blocked most of it with her body-
Mikoto- 'Shizu!'
Mikoto's half-closed eyes open widely as she painfully turns her head, trying to find a certain hellcat.
But what she sees causes her to take a moment. It seems she underestimated the size of that "explosion".
The whole area looked like it went through a war, with cracked and scorched dirt and the bodies of her dear friends in a not much better state than herself.
Shizu is lying on the ground no far from herself, seemingly unconscious and in her smaller form. Luckily, her fur insulated some of the damage.
If there's any good news, it's that every single one of them can recover if nothing worse happens. Yes, IF nothing worse happens.
Insert the bastard that put them all in this condition in the first place.
Bryce- "Ahaha! Of course, my Storm Crest is the best!"
Bryce, the dickweed, is laughing his ass off.
He casually strolls up to Mikoto who's still on the ground.
If looks could kill, Bryce would not only drop dead, but he would go out in a fireworks explosion that even Megumin only wishes she could make.
Mikoto's stare is very potent.
Bryce- "Ahaha! You guys are such idiots! Why would you a LIGHTNING attack against me! Ahaha!"
Even though Bryce himself didn't know the extent of his abilities.
His Storm Crest gives him authority over storms, which unfortunately also extends to lightning and electricity. At least, that's the theory that's running through Mikoto's mind.
Bryce- "I AM THE BEST!"
And Bryce can't help but shove that fact into everyone's faces. Oh well, at least he's stalling himself, giving the chance for everyone to recover.
Mikoto's hand clenches into a fist as she works on regaining more control over her paralysed body. A mysterious force flowing through her body seems to speed up her healing.
Bryce- "Hey, Mikoto. I'm gonna ask you again. Become my girlfriend! I'm even a lightning user, like you! But I'm better though. It's obvious you should love me then!"
Mikoto wonders what Bryce had to go through in life to get a brain that fucked to come up with that conclusion.
Bryce- "I mean, you don't have to, but…"
Bryce throws his hand out. A source of black lightning travels up his arm and out of his palm, hitting the ground near Shizu's unconscious body.
Bryce- "I don't NEED the guys or that fucking cat. I might leave the other girls alone though… maybe. Well anyway, they live if you come with me. If you don't…"
*Spark*
Electricity sparks from his fingertips.
Bryce- "… You get me?"
Mikoto's glare calms down at his threat.
She would have little to no problems with going down fighting, especially against a scrub like this guy. Heck, she's scared of death, she's just much more scared of spending time with him.
But dragging the others down with her? No. That's not something she can decide.
And even if they agree, she won't just do something that could kill them… They're her friends, her family in this foreign world.
Mikoto grits her teeth.
She decided. She won't risk their lives. If she has to give herself up in the process, so be it.
Mikoto- "I-"
Benimaru- "Stop."
A calm but stubborn voice echoes out.
Bryce- "Goddamnit not again…"
From the trees that are miraculously untouched by the lightning bombardment, a familiar red-haired kijin walked, or rather stumbled, out. Hakurou is also with him, seemingly unconscious with his arm slung over Benimaru's shoulder as support.
Benimaru- "What you were about to do would make Rimuru-sama sad. That's why I won't hesitate to kill you if you accept his offer. After that, I will kill him, and then kill myself should Rimuru-sama wish it."
Benimaru looks at Mikoto with cold eyes.
Mikoto- "Then what do I do…"
Mikoto's raspy voice reaches Benimaru's ears.
Benimaru- "I don't know. But I always think about what Rimuru-sama would do in such a situation…"
Mikoto looks around. Shuna, Shion, Treyni, Soei are now conscious and are pushing against the ground, struggling to get back up despite their aching and wounded bodies.
Seeing such a sight, she can't really understand why they would risk their lives in such away. They can just let her go and give up, that way everyone walks away alive.
But then she remembers what Benimaru said.
"Rimuru-sama would be sad."
Imagining Rimuru looking at her with a disappointed expression…
.
.
.
Mikoto- "… I don't want that…"
Mikoto's parched voice whispers out.
Bryce- "Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you. What? Do you accept to be my wife!?"
Bryce wasn't joking, he actually couldn't hear her since she was that quiet.
But Mikoto is in her own world right now.
Mikoto- 'Right… What would Rimuru do in such a situation…'
She thinks for barely a few seconds before she smiles.
The healing energy mysteriously flowing through her body speeds up as she pushes against the ground.
Slowly, while nearly falling down again several times and ignoring her screaming body, she stands up. She looks up at Bryce dead in the eyes.
Bryce thought that even with those lightning scars that he thought were unsightly, even with blood leaking from her mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, even with that battered and broken look…
With that smile of hers, Mikoto might as well be the most beautiful woman in the world.
Mikoto- "Kotowaru(I refuse)!"
.
.
.
Bryce- "… Ok."
With a face devoid of emotions, Bryce speaks.
And then all sound disappeared.
Bryce- "Then you all have no use for me."
-----
Name: Rimuru
Race: Origin Slime
Protection: Crest of Space
Title: Highest Tier Spirit, Leader of the Monsters, Onii-chan, King of Avalon, Master of Headpats, Procrastinator King, The Nutcracker, socially awkward cringe slightly chuuni slime, Dragon Slayer, Sensei
Manas: [Manas: Illyasviel]
Ultimate Skills: [Belzebuth, Lord of Gluttony] [Ahura Mazda, Lord of Creation] [Scathach, Lord of Runes]
Unique Skills: [Spatial Ruler]
Intrinsic Skills: [Infinite Regeneration] [Universal Shapeshift] [Universal Sense] [Enhanced Replication] [Universal Thread]
Extra Skills: [Lord's Ambition] [Thought Communication] [Control Natural Elements] [Control Magic] [Control Gravity]
Resistances: [Cancel Pain] [Resist Melee Attack] [Cancel Natural Elements] [Cancel Ailments] [Cancel Spiritual Attack] [Resist Holy/Demonic Attack] [Natural Attack Resistance]
Equipment: Yamato, Limiter Ring
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A/N: OK I need to clarify something. Mikoto isn't using Raphael to boost her calculation.
Let me know if I missed anything.
Also consider dropping some power stones!