The room was dark, illuminated only by the flicker of a thousand black candles. Their smoke rose in threads of violet mist, dancing in rhythm to the low hum of chanting.
Upon a throne of polished bone sat a man with silver hair and eyes like cracked jewels — Clayman, the so-called Marionette Master, Demon Lord of the Theater of Death.
Except this wasn't the same Clayman the world would one day know.
No, this Clayman was older — or perhaps younger, depending on one's perception of time.
The moment Rimuru Tempest's clawed hand had crushed his chest in that future timeline, the world had twisted around him.
He had woken up two centuries in the past.
Two hundred years before the day he died.
Two hundred years to rewrite the script.
And oh, what a gift Second Chance was.
He had spent weeks, then years, adjusting to the paradox — memories of his future self burning like molten gold behind his eyes. The shame, the humiliation, the final moments of helplessness beneath Rimuru's calm gaze — those memories never faded.
He had died begging, crawling for mercy. He would not make the same mistake again.
So Clayman did what he did best. He played the puppeteer.
Through silver tongues and whispered promises, he birthed a cult in the Western Nations — The Order of the Black Veil. Its followers, mad with faith, offered him thousands of human souls over the decades.
Each sacrifice was a performance, each scream a note in his symphony of despair.
And yet...
> ["Notice: Evolution denied."]
The Voice of the World had rejected him.
Even with twelve thousand human souls — even with the knowledge of how a True Demon Lord was born — he was denied.
He had raged, of course. Destroyed cities. Slaughtered followers. But eventually, his fury cooled into obsession.
He only needed time.
One hundred years, he told himself. One hundred years until Rimuru would appear again.
But then, without warning —
He felt it.
The aura of the storm Dragon vanished. Veldora's presence — gone, erased from the network of magical awareness that all Demon Lords instinctively shared. Clayman froze, his manic grin fading into raw disbelief.
No Veldora. No warning.
Someone had interfered with the timeline.
And that meant only one thing.
"Rimuru… you filthy slime…" he whispered, voice trembling with rage. "You've come early, haven't you?"
His lips curled into a smile that had long forgotten the meaning of joy.
"Fine. I'll play along. Let's see if you're still the same weak, naive little blob you were last time."
He rose from his throne, his movements elegant and unnatural, like a puppet dancing on invisible strings.
Before him knelt a figure — a forest elf with white hair, bound in chains of blackened steel. Her body trembled, her eyes dull and resigned.
Clayman placed a hand on her head, his voice dripping with cruel affection. "Such a lovely vessel you'll make. You should feel honored, my dear."
The elf's mouth opened, a soundless scream caught in her throat as dark tendrils crawled across her skin.
Her eyes flashed — once, twice — then glowed crimson.
Her voice echoed, but it was no longer her own.
Clayman's smile widened.
"Now then... let's pay our new 'slime' friend a visit, shall we?"
…
"You filthy slime," she snarled, energy flaring around her body like molten smoke. "Today is the day I end you!"
I've seen a lot of weird things in this cave.
A lightning snake, a spider that shoots metal, and a worm that thought it could eat me whole.
But this?
This was on a whole different level.
'Sage,' I muttered mentally, 'please tell me I'm hallucinating.'
> ["Negative. Visual and sensory data confirm the presence of a living humanoid. Classification: Dark Elf."]
'Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say. Crap.'
The woman glared at me like I'd murdered her entire bloodline. Her crimson eyes practically screamed murder.
"Oh hell nah," I muttered aloud. "What is this, the universe sending me my first mid-boss already?"
Before I could blink, she moved.
No — she vanished.
> ["Warning. High-speed movement detected."]
I barely dodged as a lance of corrosive energy carved a crater where I'd been. The blast hit the wall, melting solid stone like butter.
'Sage, analysis!'
> ["Attack classified as composite beam: combines corrosive energy and mental interference."]
["Estimated lethality: high."]
'No kidding!'
The elf flicked her hand again, sending out a flurry of black threads that gleamed like razors. I fired back, forming a compressed water blade that sliced through the first wave.
The second wave curved mid-air.
"What the—homing threads?!"
> ["Detection: Manipulation of kinetic trajectory through minor spatial distortion. Recommend using electric discharge."]
"Roger that!"
I sparked my magicules and unleashed a lightning burst. The threads ignited midair, scattering in a brilliant shower of sparks.
She clicked her tongue. "Tch. Not bad, for a puddle."
I fired back with a smirk. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But don't go throwing shade, lady. You're in my house now."
She lunged again, her entire body flickering like a mirage. Her hand glowed, and the next thing I knew, a beam of pure energy tore toward me.
> ["Warning. Corrosive magic detected."]
I jumped — literally exploded upward with water propulsion. The blast singed my underside.
"Okay, note to self," I muttered, "this woman's a walking acid cannon."
> ["Correction: bipedal acid cannon."]
'Sage, not helping!'
The elf spun midair, using threads to redirect herself like a spider. Her speed was unbelievable. Every second she closed the distance, firing off shots that whistled through the air.
I countered with water blades, lightning strikes, and explosive bursts, but she was too fast — weaving through every attack like she'd memorized my moves.
'Sage, this is ridiculous! Why is she even attacking me?! I didn't do anything!'
> ["Hypothesis: external control or soul possession. Her aura signature fluctuates inconsistently."]
'So she's being controlled... great.'
> ["Affirmative. Strong resonance of foreign magicules detected. Source unknown."]
"I swear," I growled, charging up a beam cannon on my front side, "I just wanted to chill, kill a few monsters, maybe evolve into something cool later. But nooo, now I'm fighting a psycho elf assassin with laser eyes!"
> ["Recommendation: shoot her before she shoots you."]
"Fantastic advice!"
I fired.
The beam erupted from my body with a roar — a column of white-blue energy that seared through the cave like a miniature sun. The elf barely twisted out of the way, but the shockwave sent her flying into a wall.
I didn't even get to celebrate before pain exploded through my side.
That bitch had somehow attacked with a concentrated beam of corrosion just before she got struck by my magicule stone bullet. I thought I had dodged it. But that attack suddenly curved towards me.
"AAAH! SON OF A—!"
> ["Alert. Structural integrity compromised. Activating Infinite Regeneration."]
'Great Sage, why can't I use Predator on this attack ?'
> ["The attack is being empowered by a unique skill. Analysis at 45%."]
I groaned as the hole sealed up, my gel rippling back into shape. Across the cavern, the dark elf was already standing, dusting herself off, eyes glowing brighter than ever.
"You're tougher than I thought," she said coldly. "No matter. I'll end this quickly."
I raised an eyebrow — or at least tried to. "Lady, I don't even know you! Can we not do the murder thing today?"
Her only answer was a hiss — followed by another barrage of energy beams.
I sighed. "Guess that's a no, huh?"
> ["Correct."]
The cave erupted again as we clashed, explosions lighting up the darkness like fireworks. Every blast, every slash of wind or water, echoed through the caverns of Jura like a storm of chaos.
…
AN: You can read 20+ advanced chapters and advanced chapters of all my other fanfictions on my p@treon AnimefanfictionIND at just 7$.