Bleargh~
After tumbling through the passage the system had opened, Rimuru rolled out looking thoroughly bedraggled. He had even reverted to his original form.
System, you ¥#&! What the hell was that? I felt like my yolk was about to get shaken loose.
System: "That's normal. It's perfectly normal to experience some adverse effects when traveling between universes."
Then why didn't that happen when I came to the Marvel Universe?
System: "Hadn't you already been dead for a while at the time?"
Well said. Don't say it again.
Once Rimuru recovered, he realized that something seemed off about his surroundings. He had been ready to face an attack by zombies or robots, but there were no terrifying hordes of corpses or T-800s blazing away with guns. Everything around him was intact, and it even felt rather peaceful.
This isn't right. Where have you sent me? Why is there Japanese on that wall? System, are you broken?
System: "No. Didn't you say either was fine? So I sent you here."
By either, I meant either the Red Queen's world or Skynet's! Where have you sent us?
System: "I thought you meant any world would do, so I sent you here. You're in the Ultra Universe now."
Which one?! Which Ultra Universe? The one I'm thinking of? You sent me here? Aren't you sending me to my death? With my tiny body, what if they mistake me for a space alien and squash me?!
System: "It's fine. Now that you're here, make the best of it. Weren't you looking for artificial intelligence? There happens to be a good one here. If you really run into danger, I can just send you back."
Why do you seem so unreliable? Forget it. I'm already here.
Come to think of it, is there artificial intelligence in the Ultra Universe? Which Ultraman's world am I in right now?
As he walked down the street, looking at the Japanese-style buildings around him, Rimuru gradually relaxed. He had never been to Japan before, and now that he was walking down a street like this, it felt rather special. Come to think of it, why was there no one on the street?
After walking for a while, Rimuru simply used Mimicry to create wings and flew up. He found a large screen that was reporting on a monster.
After watching the report, Rimuru understood. He had been sent to Zett's world, but something still seemed off.
System, the artificial intelligence you mentioned couldn't be Gillvalis, could it?
System: "That's right. Artificial intelligence-isn't that what you were looking for?"
What the fuck is wrong with you? What kind of artificial intelligence is that? I'm not even as big as his eye, and you want me to take him back? I'd count him as kindhearted if he didn't pop me like a pimple! Send me back right now.
"That's where you're wrong. Think about it. Gillvalis is very weak right now. Asakura Riku dared to charge at him with a steel pipe and fight him, so why don't you dare fight him?"
Do you even hear yourself? He's an Ultraman himself. What am I? You want me to charge in and fight him? Isn't that sending me to my death? Tell me the truth. Are you looking to change hosts?
"As the saying goes, a man can't get rich without a windfall, and a horse can't get fat without night feed. The rougher the waters, the more valuable the fish. The risk is a little high, but the returns are considerable. If all else fails, wait until they've nearly beaten each other to death, then go in and claim the kill."
Hmm~ now that you put it that way, that might actually work...
While Rimuru was arguing with the system, the people at STORAGE had already been watching him for quite a while.
Jugglus Juggler, now the captain of the Earth Defense Force, had changed his name to Shota Hebikura. Stroking his chin in thought, he frowned at Rimuru on the screen. After all the years he had spent stirring up trouble across the universe, he considered himself well traveled and knowledgeable, but he had never seen a space alien that looked like this. Could it be a new species that had appeared recently?
Yuka Ohta's eyes lit up as she stared at the little figure on the screen. Blue hair, golden eyes, and a pair of bat wings-she really wanted to catch it and dissect it.
Yoko Nakashima stared at the person on the screen, at a bit of a loss. That looks like a child, doesn't it? Are we going to catch her, even though she's such a tiny space alien?
Haruki Natsukawa, Mr. Osu: What do we do after we catch him? Does anyone know how to look after children?
"Hey~ don't look at me. I don't know how to look after children either," Yoko Nakashima quickly said, deflecting the responsibility.
Juggler glanced at Haruki Natsukawa. There was no need to ask; a greenhorn like him definitely wouldn't know how either. Then he glanced at Yuka Ohta. She was even further out of the question. If they failed to keep an eye on her, that child would be in pieces before long.
Damn it, did being captain mean I had to look after children on the side too?
"Whatever we do, let's bring that child back first," Juggler said with a helpless sigh.
And so Rimuru was brought to STORAGE, mainly because he hadn't resisted.
After arriving at STORAGE, Rimuru was very curious, looking around at everything. He got even more excited when he saw Mr. Osu and Juggler.
One of them was the pilot of Special Airborne Armor Z, and the other was a sharp-horned alien who was neither wholly good nor evil. Seeing them in person really was different. He scanned them with Universal Sense, and although he could sense that they were a little different, he couldn't see through them completely.
When Juggler saw Rimuru brought in, he too felt that something was a little off. Why is he looking at me like that? It's as if he's seeing someone he knows.
"Juggler!"
Hearing that name, Juggler spat on the spot, his mind going blank. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Then, with lightning-fast speed, he clapped a hand over Rimuru's mouth.
Rimuru had only meant to tease him, but his intense reaction startled him-and made him even more excited.
The people around them reacted differently. They were completely baffled. Who was Juggler?
"Little girl, who's Juggler?" Yoko Nakashima asked curiously, but before Rimuru could speak, Juggler spoke first.
"Hmm~ well, she must have mistaken me for someone else. Right, let's discuss her situation first."
The system muttered, "Host, is it really okay to expose his identity...?"
Rimuru blinked. Feeling the pressure of Juggler's-Captain Hebikura's-hand and seeing his nearly palpable you're dead if you tell look, he immediately nodded obediently and made muffled noises to show he would cooperate.
Juggler breathed a sigh of relief and released him. He straightened up as if nothing had happened and adjusted the collar of his uniform. "Ahem. Children can get nervous and talk nonsense when they arrive somewhere unfamiliar. I'm Hebikura, the captain of STORAGE."
"Right, right, Captain Hebikura!" Rimuru readily went along with it. He fluttered his little wings and flew up a little, displaying an innocent smile. "I got dizzy from flying and mistook you for someone else!"
Yuka Ohta had already come over, holding a magnifying glass she had pulled out from who knew where. Her eyes were frighteningly bright. "Incredible~ the wing structure resembles a mammal's wing membrane, but the texture is closer to an energy body? How does it fly? Can I take just a tiny sample of surface cells? Just a tiny bit!"
"Wah! No!" Startled, Rimuru darted behind Juggler, peeking out with only half his head visible. "No dissecting! I'm still a child!"
A vein twitched at Juggler's temple. He put a hand on Yuka's head and pushed her away. "Officer Yuka, keep your research enthusiasm under control." He glanced at the little one clutching his coat hem behind him and sighed inwardly. Why did it feel like he had picked up trouble and brought it back? But he also had a few questions on his mind.
He knows me and can even say my name, so why don't I remember him at all? Could I already be getting old?
Seeing how much Rimuru looked like a child, Yoko Nakashima couldn't help asking curiously, "Where did you come from? Did you get separated from your family?"
Haruki Natsukawa scratched his head, equally curious.
Rimuru pursed his lips and prepared to spin a story.
"I came from Earth in another universe. I'm here to find Gillvalis. An artificial intelligence called Ultron has gone out of control on my planet, and he wants to destroy all of humanity. I came here to seek help. We need to find another artificial intelligence to help us fight the out-of-control Ultron."
Rimuru's words shocked everyone present. An Earthling from another universe.