9 Chapter 9- Testing My New Body

 I look at my hand one more time as I stand outside of a hobgoblin hut. I sigh. At this point, returning to normal human anatomy feels a bit...off all things considered. Who knew three months of slimehood would do this. I ignore that. Standing still, I close my eyes and bend my knees. Before long, I jump up and performs prefect flip using [Magic Sense] to keep flawless balance. Not bad. After over 3 months as a round squishy blob, getting a human body back will take some adjustments. Especially considering I'm shorter, shaped differently, and more importantly much stronger, faster, and flexible than ever before. Oh, and my hair is longer as well so I'll have to get used to that too.

 "Hm, maybe I should try something more drastic to really test out my new body." I turn to look at a nearby clearing next to the village. "Let's see what I can do."

 Walking over to the open area I ask [Great Sage] to make a clone of me and make it fight with equal skill to me at this moment. I need a good test.

{Answer- Understood.}

 Great. I remember a detail about the skill itself. Wait, it'll have lower durability, right?

{Answer- Yes, all clones produced by [Body Double] will have lower durability.}

 Figures, well, it's still a decent test. Let 's do it! I watch a cloud of magicules slowly ooze out of my body and begin to gather in front of me. Slowly condensing into a vaguely human shape, it doesn't take long for it to fully form the basic outline of a human. Its hair grows out and clothes identical to my own outside of their durability then manifest. Before long, I look at the copy of me.

 Walking over to it, I analyze it. "So, this is what I look like." I study my appearance a bit. I look like Shizue and Rimuru with a few minor differences in the form of blood red eyes and darker blue hair. "Looks like I accomplished my goal. I definitely look like Rimuru's twin."

 I study my body for a few more seconds to get a feel for what I'll look like before finally getting serious and preparing myself. I studied Shizue's fighting style with [Genius] earlier so at this point, I should be skilled enough to match sword masters, assuming we're not talking about absolute monsters like Hakurou and Agera. Doesn't mean practice won't do me anything though, Shizue plus [All of Creation] knowledge isn't the be all end all after all. Practice and skill do still matter.

 With that, I finally look up and raise my hand. I create two magical swords and hand one of them to my clone. I look at it. A broadsword is what I'm going for here. Just due to broadsword being more versatile overall than something like a katana which is more specialized. With that, I'm ready.

 3, 2,1. I immediately run right at my clone and swing sideways. My clown parries the attack and immediately turns it into a counterattack. I duck and turn my blade for an upwards strike. In response, the clone jumps, reverting back into a slime to dodge before using [Controlled Airflow] to reposition for a counterattack. All of this happens in less than half a second. This is going to be fun.

 The incredibly fast exchanges continue for minutes as the endless stamina granted to slimes allows the two of us to go at full speed without breaks. The result is a permanent deadlock unable to be broken by either of us. I expected this. Fighting an opponent with the exact same fighting style would naturally result in both fighters aiming for and protecting the exact same areas. Even feints and strikes designed to break the mold would be predicted in this situation. I sigh.

 I mutter, "Let's take this to the next level."

 I use [Controlled Airflow] to speed up by pushing wind in the direction of my strikes. The clone does the same, dramatically increasing speed. As we clash one more time, I stomp the ground sending chunks of earth up and while blocking another attack. Then I use [Wind Manipulation] to force all of them to fly at the clone. Reverting to a slime and use [Tunneling] to dive through the earth as the clone dodges the attacks. Blasting out from beneath, I slice my clone into pieces with [Air Cutter]. The clone immediately regenerates though and flies away with [Controlled Airflow]. I smile. Let's try this.

 "Phoenix Wings!" Manifesting the wings of the wandering phoenix, a pair of red hot, white feathered, flaming wings appear behind me. I flap them and chase after the clone.

 The clone responds with a barrage of [Sticky-Steel Threads] to tie up my wings. I continuously revert to my slime form and back to human form over and over as I dodge with the aid of [Controlled Airflow] and fly above the clone before rapidly twisting my body with the wind. The clone raises both arms and manifests both [Thick Skinned] and [Body Armor] to block as I kick it down.

 A quick use of [Wind Pulse] on myself sends me rocketing down after the clone. The clone reacts by sending a wall of ice after me with [Icicle Barrage]. I cleave through all of them with [Water Blades] and twist my body to point my legs down. I hit the clones' sword as it raises it to block and land on the ground. I prepare my own sword as this fight moves into another swords fight aided with skills. Most notably [Air Cutter] is used to amplify the strength of sword strikes. Eventually, I manage to find an opening in my own fighting style.

 "There!" I parry one more strike before letting go of my sword. I use [Retractable Claws] to manifest sharp metallic claws on my hands and counter the clone with a barrage of cuts. Along with that, a massive amount of [Sticky-Steel Threads] are added to it, rapidly reducing the clone to tiny pieces. As it regenerates, I use [Water Manipulation] to trap it in a bubble, freeze it over in an icicle by sticking my hand in the bubble and manifesting ice within and rip off my own hands. Regenerating them one last time, I blast two chunks of earth with out of the ground with [Air Cutter] and lift them with [Wind Manipulation]. Finally, I grab both chunks of earth and slam them together, shattering the ice. For safety, I melt what's left with [Noxious Breath].

 The result is the clone no longer regenerates. Everything that it could use is gone.

{Confirmed- The clone has been destroyed.}

 I sigh. "Slimes are really durable. So much for the clone being less durable than me." I smile. Turns out being a fraction the durability of a slime still means you're really fucking persistent.

 Then, I look around me. For starters, I'm now standing in a shallow crater from the dive. And beyond that, the greenery around me has pretty much been torn to shreds. Crossing my arms I comment, "Even with [Magic Sense], I couldn't keep full control over these skills." Not letting the materials got to waste, I absorb them all. After a few more clones, I eventually decide to head back.

 I get surprisingly far away after all the clone fights, so it takes a while to walk back. On the way there though, I look around for some monsters to eat but only find a small fly-like monster. Catching it between my hands, I smile. "I've been looking for something like you. You'll be useful for my plans." Turning the inside of my palms back into malleable slime, I absorb the captures monster.

{Notice- Analysis of Zip Fly has been completed.

The ability to mimic a Zip Fly has been obtained.}

 No skills, eh? "Guess these little monsters don't need skills to survive." I wouldn't even have noticed it was a monster and not a normal fly without the small amount of magicules it was giving off.

 With that over with, I reach the village after a few more minutes of walking. After I do return, I see all the hobgoblins and star wolves gathered around one spot. Ranryo who has remained silent in my shadow the whole time, jumps out to look around. Both the wolves and the hobgoblins are looking around with a look of minor worry. Huh. I sense Rimuru's location and head over to him. He's in his slime form. I ask him, "What the hell is this?"

 Rimuru reverts to his human form and looks at me with childlike excitement. Are you sure you're 37? I swear Mikami, people would think you were 15 with how you act. He tells me, "Now that I can actually taste things again, I thought it's about time I get to enjoy it! Want to join in!?"

 That reminded me. With me here, food should change, right. Rimuru's Japanese background dramatically effected the development of Tempest in the original story. Most of this world closely resembles medieval to pseudo-modern western styles depending on the location. It made Tempest stand out in the new world. A westerner like me will definitely blur out that eastern style a bit. I shrug, "Eh, not like I'm as open to sharing my history as Rimuru." It'll probably still remain close. Rimuru has a strange fascination with bringing his culture here, I'm not as patriotic as him.

 Rimuru asks, "What?"

 "Oh, nothing." Probably shouldn't voice my thoughts out loud around Rimuru either. Say the wrong thing and it could invite disaster.

 As I look at him and watch him turn his head anime style with a confused look on his face, I think back to what exactly I would change in food. The combination of Rimuru staring at me with a confused look on his face as I think deeply about food of all things, creates a really funny visual to which I am unaware of as I think.

 In the original, Rimuru was most familiar with Japanese cuisine and thus, Japanese style food was everywhere. He had some western cuisine up his belt, but not enough to overtake eastern cuisine in Tempest. I on the other hand, primarily eat western food. This'll be interesting. Shuna is the one that created the future unique Tempestian food style that spread across the world. I say Tempestian because it changed from just Japanese recreations to its own style thanks to Shuna's vast knowledge of food leading to her tweaking some recipes and pioneering her own on top of that using what she had.

 Authentic western style food is what I bring to the table. There's no way Shuna won't add that to her belt when creating Tempestian food here. What will the finished style look like in the future? I... genuinely want to know. It's interesting.

 Suddenly I'm blasted out of my thought process by Rigurd who yells, "Lord Mikaeru! We are preparing a feast for Lord Rimuru! Would you like to try some as well!? It would be our honor!"

 I turn to him, "Yeah, sure." Why not?

 He immediately rushes off as if what I've just said is some world scale news and begins preparations to make a second portion of food for me. As I walk over to Rimuru, I sit next to him, and we both revert back to our slime forms. Something I've noticed that they rarely elaborated on in the original story is that being in my human drains me a bit. Not really in the way of it draining any actual magicules or anything. But more so mentally. It feels more relaxing to remain in my base shape. I guess that's why Rimuru stayed in his slime form the majority of the time. I probably won't be doing that much, though.

 After the food is finished, I turn back into my human form along with Rimuru and take a bite of it. It's pretty average to me to be honest but there is some decent flavor to the food.

 I nonchalantly say, "It's pretty good," and by the reaction on the hobgoblin's faces you would think I just called them the greatest chefs to ever exist. They scream in celebration as they watch Rimuru and I casually eat the food they made.

 There are some issues I have with it like the texture varying a bit too much but it's not too bad. It starts off soft then gets harder towards the center with some kind of sauce on top. I would prefer for the texture to be a bit more even throughout. That may be a dumb reason to dislike it a bit but that's my opinion. The sauce itself is fine, not much I can complain about. It just tastes like meat.

 After I finish eating the food, I start talking to everyone there a bit. I find big crowds annoying so this isn't something I would normally do, but as one of their leaders, I guess I could play along for a while. Not much important happens in these little conversations though. The monsters here just go with the flow and let the conversation go wherever it happens to go. It really gives off that family gathering vibe. It's decently enjoyable.

 The next morning, I get ready to go back to my house to make a new structure I need to make really quick to prepare for later. I have a plan to exploit my Demon Lord transformation as much as possible and this new build should help fulfill that plan. I don't really need to make it this early and it is a pretty big building to make but I might as well make it now rather than wait to get it over with.

 I say my short goodbyes for now and start heading back to my house. Halfway there though I sense something in the forest. Wait, six signatures. All stronger than the hobgoblins including Rigurd. This is. I look at my hand and watch as something comes out of it. A mask, nearly identical to Rimuru's with a different design on it. It's a copy of Shizue's mask for me. Perfect. I put it on and run in the direction of the signatures. Eventually, they spot me.

 First up on the chopping block is a big red humanoid monster with a huge horns and tusks. Benimaru. So you're my first encounter. Alright then. I pull out my blade from my body and clash with his strike from above. I knock his blade to the side and twist my body, spin kicking him away. As I do, I feel two more appear. Both are faster than him. I think I know who they are. A certain elderly sword master and a silent assassin. Both also unsheathe blades and strike me with blinding speed. I raise both arms and use [Thick Skinned] and [Body Armor] to manifest makeshift shields. The ogre soon to be named Souei's blade hits me, shattering on impact while the one soon to be named Hakurou pulls back and retreats into the forest as I raise a hand up Saitama style, aiming for his stomach rather than his balls. He flies right into it, spitting up a bit before I grab his hand and fling him into the forest. How convenient. Let's test out my practice.