Chapter 262: The Serpent That Consumes Hatred Through and Through

Requirement number three.

That is, confirming the opponent's behavior, securing my positioning, and then executing the action of slashing the toxic Twin Blades myself.
The elements required for this are the speed to initiate retroactively yet execute proactively, the firepower to ensure the deed is done, and the means to control them.

"I wonder if there's a way to automate this... Requesting it from the devs is probably out of the question, huh."

Grasping the grip of the Meiki portion on the back spine of Pale Sheen—which depending on how you look at it, just looks like a massively upscaled kitchen knife—I held it with the blade tip pointing backward as if wearing it at my waist, while taking out the objectified Component Crystal with my right hand.
When I brought it close to Pale Sheen, the palm-sized crystal was swallowed into the massive crystal greatsword, much like a drop of water being absorbed into a larger puddle.

"It doesn't seem like I'll be able to farm this anyway, so I'm ignoring item conservation and going all out! Oraa!"

I fed all the Component Crystals of Goldunine Reptica I had acquired throughout the battle into Pale Sheen, activating the ability possessed by the unified blade.

"Deep Coating!"

Voice recognition has a certain romantic appeal, but in a moment where even a single second feels like a devastating loss, it honestly just feels annoying.
By consuming Component Crystals, the drawn blade is granted a buff proportional to the amount consumed. Visually speaking, it looks like throwing Money (Items) at a problem to gain power—an indescribable sight—but if power could be gained purely on aesthetics, no one would ever struggle.

"Now come, Goldunine. One strike...!"

Activating the Levin Trigger: Hazard. Pale Sheen held in my left hand, the second grip grasped with my right, lowering my hips—it was the unmistakable stance of Iai sword-draw.

That's right. The Isana Togetsu 【Pale Sheen】 is not just a greatsword. It also functions as a deep navy "Scabbard" and a golden "Blade" that increases its brilliance within.

"Seiten Style Secret Art... First Sword!"

By activating the Seiten Style Secret Art Scroll using a Divine Age device, a player can burn the Seiten Style Secret Arts directly into their brain... Well, strictly as a game setting, of course. It'd be terrifying if it affected the real me.
Perhaps due to that setting, Seiten Style skills are unlocked in a slightly different manner from standard skills.

First, a single skill is unlocked, and by thoroughly and continuously using it, the next skill is unlocked. What sets it apart from standard skills is that even when the second skill is unlocked, the first skill remains intact. Furthermore, by repeatedly enhancing a single skill, it will eventually reach its ultimate form... the Secret Art utilized by Wethermon the Tombguard.

Therefore, the First Sword. It is the Sword-Drawing Technique bearing the name of the wind that leads up to the hyper-speed draw "Tachikaze".

"Kaaaaaaaaah!"

As the self-proclaimed Goldunine—who despite originally being a snake, leaped at me in a forward-leaning posture resembling a four-legged beast—charged, I stepped forward clad in lightning.
Within the slow-motion world of Moment Sight, the sensation of power dwelling within the scabbard gripped in my left hand and the blade gripped in my right felt unusually strong.
But at this rate, it will only result in a simultaneous clash. That won't do. In order to seize the initiative, what I must do is take a leaping step that completely skips the process...!

"【Apport】!"

When running toward each other, step forward on one, skip two and three, and step on four.
Closing the distance, a Taboo that tears away the entire process leaving only the prologue and the epilogue. It is the absolute best move for me—who started my run reactively—to seize the initiative proactively.

Appearing right before the self-proclaimed Goldunine's eyes, her serpentine pupils widened at the sight of me leaping into the air. Feeling a certain comicality in her expression, I twisted the corner of my mouth into a smirk and activated Shana-oh Possession, followed by Flit Float.
Stepping firmly on an foothold of air, I stepped into the void. The golden blade, ready to be drawn, was cloaked in a deep navy aura. That single flash was truly the brilliance of the moon dragging the night sky along with it.

"Seiten Style... 'Hayakaze'!"

At the exact moment of the draw, another skill activated entirely separate from the Seiten Style's Sword-Drawing Technique.
It was the other skill equipped to the Isana Togetsu 【Pale Sheen】: "Eclipse Vorpal."
By accepting the condition of forcibly canceling the combination, the magic power charged within the scabbard forcefully pushes out the blade... Konsho, accelerating the draw speed.

And the Seiten Style's First Sword "Hayakaze" is a draw-attack skill; its properties are applied to the drawn blade. In other words, these two skills can coexist within the single process of sword-drawing.

"Wha, a... !?"

The accelerating night sky. Within the subterranean cave enclosed by an earthen canopy, cloaked in lightning, transforming into a Gale, the moonlight dragging the night sky along with it sang out loudly.
In accordance with the effect of "Eclipse Vorpal," the drawn blade exhibited the effect of the Isana Togetsu 【Konsho】 rather than 【Pale Sheen】. Faster than the toxic Twin Blades could even react to the impact, the blade transformed them into crystal.
Cleaving straight through the toxic liquid and continuing its trajectory, the blade carved a Line—by no means a shallow one—into the self-proclaimed Goldunine's neck.

"Hah... Nailed, it...!"

Landing purely on guts with the absolute refusal to fail out of sheer pride, I canceled the effect of the Levin Trigger: Hazard. Readying the Isana Togetsu, which had reverted back to two blades, I turned around.
A brief silence. And the moment the completely crystallized toxic Twin Blades shattered, the self-proclaimed Goldunine unleashed a shriek that shook the tunnel as purple damage effects erupted from her neck.

"Giaaaaaaaaahhh!!?"

"Guh... I can't follow up immediately, huh..."

The Seiten Style "Hayakaze" is an all-out strike that consumes all stamina at the moment of activation. The more stamina consumed, the higher the power, but naturally, it results in a temporary stamina depletion post-attack. Praying that the sheer exhaustion—which felt as if my entire body was bound tightly in chains—would end as quickly as possible, I utilized the ruling that window operations are still possible to swap the Isana Togetsu for the Gilta Brille.

"Get up fast, get up fast, get up fast..."

I'll pick up the itemized toxic liquid... the "Curse," whittle her down with Reject, and if she's still standing, I'll use up every single item in my inventory to finish her off.
But she feels the exact same way. With pure rage dwelling in her eyes—a rage so intense it felt as if it could burn even herself away, making all her previous hatred feel lukewarm by comparison—the self-proclaimed Goldunine glared straight at me, solely at me.

"Kill."

"Those are my lines."

I'm getting serious from here on out too. I'm going to beat you to a pulp. Though the emotions driving us differed, we both harbored a blazing fighting spirit.
One with a body dulled by fatigue, the other with a body flinching from pain. Threatening our own bodies to move faster, we waited for that moment, thinking of nothing but how to finish off the other.

............

.........

......

"Unpleasant... Truly unpleasant. Because I am me, both humans and Me are truly unpleasant... Ne."

Is that why I noticed it?
Was it precisely because I had focused my thoughts entirely on the self-proclaimed Goldunine as a single point that the noise stood out so sharply?
And the Apport magic stored in the Star Cloak of Lapistella separated my fate from the self-proclaimed Goldunine's.

"!? Kh, Appo—..."

"Die."

A hatred that seemed to burn everything away, a chill like an icicle being stabbed into my spine, an intensely dense presence that made my skin tingle.
Before I could even process all the danger signals the game could possibly express, they forced me to choose immediate disengagement.

And at the exact same time I registered my vision shifting to a scene about five meters behind where I just stood.

"Gipu."

Something massively black collided with the self-proclaimed Goldunine directly from the side.
The self-proclaimed Goldunine, who had to be at least three meters tall, let out a bizarre sound and was sent flying in a manner indistinguishable from a human. And when my vision somewhat adjusted, I finally recognized the true identity of the thing that sent the self-proclaimed Goldunine flying... and the thing that would have doomed me to the exact same fate had I not used Apport.

"A huge... snake?"

Rivaling the Arctus Regalecus; a colossal body covered in massive scales, the size of a damn train.
That distinct luster belonged strictly to a reptile, and the fundamental information of where this tunnel led provided me with the answer.

"Hey, hey... You've gotta be kidding me..."

"Are you alive? The unpleasantness just continues, Ne."

A small silhouette standing at the edge of the mortar-shaped hole.
Compared to the self-proclaimed Goldunine, she was incredibly small. A petite, pure white girl who couldn't be any older than a high school... no, a middle school student.
She wore a bizarre outfit that looked as if the traditional clothing of various regions had been torn to shreds and haphazardly stitched together, but because her modeling was naturally that of a beautiful girl, it looked as if it was meant to be that kind of fashion from the start.

But above all else.

More than the contempt floating on her expression, her eyes—which surpassed even the hatred of the self-proclaimed Goldunine, sludgy red serpent eyes that felt as if they could turn your body to stone just by looking directly at them—clearly proved that she was absolutely not some frail girl who had wandered in.

And behind the monster taking the shape of a girl waited four giant serpents. With horns growing from their heads, calling them snakes was an understatement... No, in fantasy terms, perhaps they should be called Nagas.

"I..."

Was that a monologue, or words directed at me and the self-proclaimed Goldunine present here?

"I hate the one who birthed me, I hate the Me who threatens me, I hate the rabbits who stand in my way... Ah, the world is truly unpleasant again today, Wa!"

And so, the Albino Snake (Girl) declared, her cruel smile overflowing with killing intent.

"Won't you please die?"

"Youuu!! Dieeeeeeeee!"

But in the next instant, the self-proclaimed Goldunine—having recovered from the impact of being sent flying—let out an enraged roar and lunged at the Snake (Girl) accompanied by the four Nagas... at "Goldunine the Inexhaustible".

Author's Afterword
The transforming girl Goldunine-chan finally makes her appearance!
Any of you out there thinking, "Eh, she's not fully naked?" are sentenced to the maximum penalty.

By the way, no matter what you do, the moment Reptica hits Phase 4, the main body comes out to play, making this a Unique Scenario with a double time limit.

As for the four Nagas:
The one on Goldunine's top right is Glatofudans. The one on her bottom right is Volemos. The one on her top left is Avelisia. The one on her bottom left is Sanatos.
They are basically Thoroughbred Snakes born from Goldunine's genes. Even a single one of them could turn an Elf Village into a barren wasteland in five minutes. Since they're essentially forest snacks, it can't be helped. Do your best, Hero Tottori the Shimane.

Goldunine Reptica 4 establishes its identity as time passes, meaning its character—its personality—solidifies over time. The reason the self-proclaimed Goldunine was a pure "Kill! Kill!" machine right after shedding was precisely because of this. If she had managed to survive for about five years, she might have been granted a proper character personality but... Alas, reality is ruthless.