Chapter 121: Holding the Lamp of Ambition, Part 7

Here, let me introduce the crazy members of the temporarily formed party, who are system-wise friends, recklessly challenging a Unique Monster!!

Me! Who maxed out my level and ranked up from tissue armor to cardboard armor reinforced with bond!

Rei-shi! The indisputable strongest player whose armor is worth I-don't-know-how-many of me!

That's all!

"Still moving nastily as always...!"

Whether it aimed for the moment my body floated in a step or it was coincidence, the foreleg attack swung with timing impossible to avoid with normal evasion is dodged using the transfer via Inventoria, which has a usage count a bit too unreliable to be a trump card.

Judging that delaying against Lycaon is not a wise move, I return immediately after moving to the storage space. I jump toward Lycaon's feet myself as he glares at me with his foreleg swung through.

"Just keep looking down like that!"

Hate alone is left on the spot by Vorpal Secret Art [Utsurou Mikagami], and Lycaon's gaze is sewn to the ground.

In that opening, I escape sideways as if rolling, shouting while switching weapons.

"Rei-shi!"

"Apocalypse...!"

The jet-black magic sword, clad in effects like red-black boiling magma, is slammed into Lycaon's hind leg.

Even Lycaon can't remain composed after taking this four or five times; she finally performs the first flinch motion since the battle started.

Not missing the attack chance, confirming Rei-shi jumping back at the edge of my vision, I slam a one-two rush with Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets (Gilta Brille).

Around the time I slammed in about four attacks, Lycaon, recovering from the flinch motion, glared at Rei-shi hatefully and pounced on her, ignoring me completely.

"Switch!"

"Yes...!"

Here the roles switch. Now Rei-shi takes Lycaon's hate, and I take on the attacker role.

"Got your flank!"

Hand of Fortune series. In addition to the characteristic of referring to the Luck parameter, the right fist clad in the Silver Light (Effect) of the attack skill "Airgetlam," which adds further correction on a critical success, is slammed into Lycaon's right flank with a mix of gold and silver brilliance.

But this alone is not enough. Thrusting my left fist toward the predicted point where Lycaon will head, I fire a Crystal Bullet. Just before the black wolf overlaps with those coordinates, I grow the Crystal Bullet stuck in the ground, intercepting the giant body with a crystal pillar javelin.

"At least flinch a little...!"

"I'm okay...!! Sword Dance [Flowing Whiri]!"

As if saying such things cannot be obstacles, Lycaon crushes the crystal pillar grown in a position to hinder his foreleg movement and pounces on Rei-shi.

But Rei-shi, taking a strange stance thrusting her stomach forward rather than the blade of the greatsword, parries and avoids Lycaon's pounce with a flowing movement utilizing rotation.

A moment of silence. Lycaon turns slowly toward us with movements that don't show any fatigue or damage.

"What was the saying for times like this..."

"Pushing a curtain (noren) with arms, nailing into bran (nuka)... perhaps?"

Exactly right. I want his HP gauge visualized... no, seeing it might break my heart instead.

Switching tank and attacker dizzyingly according to Lycaon's actions. In other words, I knew this strategy where one side absolutely cannot participate in the attack would take time, but doing it versus resolving to do it feels different in terms of painfulness.

"Rei-shi... how many more?"

"...Six more times."

"I see... Got it."

I recall the existence of the "Trump Card" told by Rei-shi, who was unsparingly using clearly expensive enhancement items before entering combat.

---Unique Skill "Apocalypse" of Demon Lord Heavenly Emperor (Satanael), Unique Skill "Catastrophe" of Heavenly Emperor Demon Lord (Satan)... There is a skill usable by fulfilling the condition of "Using both skills five times each."

That is precisely why the player named Psyger-0 holds the title of "Attack Holder (Maximum Firepower)," and if we can land that, there might be a chance of winning.

Believing those words, I was executing a contradictory tightrope walk of protecting Rei-shi while making her fight.

"Damn, rampaging as he pleases..."

In the first place, I have no clue what criteria this guy uses to judge hate.

Thinking "Curse" holders are prioritized because she persistently targets me, she suddenly attacks Rei-shi. This is more like a cat than a wolf; she's too free-spirited, I can't even breathe easy.

However, she who chases two rabbits catches neither; because Lycaon doesn't thoroughly target one person, we can somehow maintain the current balance.

"The moon is hidden!"

"Coming...!"

There is an item called Torch. It's an item with the effect of raising brightness by a radius of five meters centered on the torch, mainly in fields where light doesn't reach like night or caves, but...

"Basically, in a game where you can see the surroundings normally even at night because it's just dim, who would carry such an item constantly............ Right!!"

The movement of the clone itself is not much different from normal clone attacks, but just becoming invisible skyrockets the viciousness.

Concentrating all nerves on hearing, searching for the source of the sound like dragging a hemp sack filled with sand, giving form to invisible death with imagination alone.

It's there even if unseen; it has mass even if transparent. Determining the approximate location from the sound of the invisible clone appearing and the sound of stepping on the ground and running, I convey it to Rei-shi by pointing and shouting, while leaving the spot at full speed.

"Hii!?"

Wind strokes my spine. Not a natural phenomenon. The flow of air pushed aside by massive mass, and the breath leaking from lung capacity enough to move massive mass, stroked my back at the very last moment.

Rei-shi... is safe? Relieved that the collapse of the battle line was needless worry, I glance up at the sky.

Clouds over the moon, wind over flowers. Indeed, clouds over the moon can feel elegant, but right now I feel nothing but annoyance.

The hidden moon escapes from the clouds, illuminating us and Lycaon with its soft light. And as the moonlight illuminated the surroundings, we certainly recognized the figure of a wolf identical to Lycaon fading away in the place where Rei-shi and I were just moments ago.

(As expected, a special attack used only when moonlight, or rather light, is cut off... What to do? The timing is too uncertain to counter.)

Light, light... Damn, if only I had a flashlight. No, that won't do; unless I stop the fundamental activation, I won't be able to dodge eventually.

Wind flow, sky pattern. There are still many clouds in the moon's path. To think weather itself would become an enemy............

"No, wait... There is one. A brilliant plan to stop the transparent clones."

"Really...?"

But using this in front of Rei-shi is... No, wrong. A weapon not used has no value; it's the same as shoes never worn. Besides, treasures... are most fun the moment you show them off.

In that case, there is no hesitation anymore. Asking Rei-shi to hold hate, I operate Inventoria.

"Ah, that's right. Indeed, I cannot wear the Powered Suit. But you see, it doesn't mean everything is on hold...! Sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, but it's work!"

Three items taken out from Inventoria.

One, the Non-Standard Ether Reactor restored to its former glory by Bilac's hands.

Two, the baton and whistle to operate It, the Non-Standard Special Reinforced Armor [Adebane], its Head Gear (Helm).

And three... A steel body in red paint corresponding to [Adebane]... no, corresponding to which [Adebane] corresponds. The empty shell without power simply folds its wings as if waiting for orders from its master.

"Now, first job... Suzaku (Vermillion Bird)!"

Equipping the Non-Standard Ether Reactor to the Non-Standard Tactical Avian [Suzaku].

Under the starry sky, on the moonlit grassland, the Red Machine Bird awakens.

Author's Afterword
Special Adjudication Mob
Some objects, items, etc., change their judgment to Mob by fulfilling special conditions.
For Tactical Machine Beasts, "Equipping a Reactor"; for Necromancy, "Consuming a certain number of specific monster items."
Although they have the flaw of not being maintainable as permanent Mobs, they can be stored in inventory.