Chapter 34 — Fractured Allies
The distortion pulsed like a heartbeat gone wrong.
Light and shadow twisted through each other as Rimuru moved, her boots barely touching the warped ground. The air grew colder the further she went — until she felt it.
A steady, rhythmic pulse. Too calm. Too measured.
Ren.
She smirked faintly. "Still using that same boring frequency, huh?"
The air shimmered in front of her, and suddenly the world split.
Blue and red light clashed, tearing open a rift — and through it, Ren stepped forward, coat tattered, eyes glowing faintly silver. His expression was calm as always, but the distortion energy flickering around him betrayed the strain he was under.
"Rimuru," he said simply.
"Ren," she replied, grinning. "You look awful. Did you trip through reality again or is that your new aesthetic?"
He sighed, unamused. "I told you not to come in here alone."
"And I told you to stop trying to fix everything that breaks."
Their words collided like sparks — quiet but charged. The distortion reacted instantly, rippling around them, unstable energy feeding off their tension.
Rimuru glanced up as the dream-sky cracked. "Great. We're arguing in a collapsing mindscape. Just like old times."
Ren's jaw tightened. "You're the one destabilizing it."
"Please," she scoffed. "I'm the only thing keeping it together."
The air shattered between them — a wave of mirrored fragments exploding outward. They both moved at once, their powers flaring instinctively. Rimuru's light burned blue and red, chaotic but alive; Ren's energy surged white-silver, precise and surgical.
When their auras met, the distortion screamed.
For a moment, they stood locked — energy pushing against energy, two opposites refusing to yield. Rimuru's grin wavered as her eyes flashed crimson. "You always did love overcomplicating simple rescues."
"And you always rush in without a plan," Ren shot back.
"Plans are for people who don't improvise!"
The floor cracked beneath them, sending a shockwave through the dream. Illusions shattered — scenes of Aira's memories breaking apart like glass: her laughter, her fear, the faint echo of her whispering Rimuru's name.
The sound made them both stop.
Ren lowered his hand first. "She's losing stability. Her consciousness is splitting across the distortion."
Rimuru's humor softened into focus. "Then we don't have time to argue."
He gave a small nod. "Agreed."
She took a step closer, smirk returning — though gentler this time. "Don't get used to me saying this, but… I might actually need your help."
Ren arched a brow. "Was that an admission of weakness?"
"It was sarcasm. Keep up."
He almost smiled. Almost. "Then we synchronize — just like before."
Rimuru hesitated, only for a second. "You really think that'll work again?"
"It has to."
Their eyes met — red and silver, bright against the distortion's darkness. Slowly, Rimuru reached out, placing her hand over his. The air crackled, a circle of energy blooming beneath them — blue, silver, and red twisting together in perfect balance.
The distortion trembled — not from collapse this time, but from stabilization.
Rimuru grinned. "Fine. Let's fix your mess together."
Ren exhaled. "Ours."
"Details."
Light flared. The dream shifted, guiding them deeper — toward the core where Aira's voice still whispered faintly.