Chapter 264: A Battered and Bruised Game of Tag

"Uoooooo!?"

The self-proclaimed Goldunine taught me a lesson using her own body... If you get caught by that, you die. I mean, it was glaringly obvious just by looking at it, so her dying felt incredibly pointless, but since it seemed like a mandatory event for story progression, I just want her to rest in peace.

Gajin! A clash of fangs—a sound that absolutely shouldn't come from a snake's jaws—rang out right behind me.
Sensing an impending checkmate, I had taken the Star Cloak of Lapistella off just in case, which turned out to be the right call. Given my current position, if I had let that cape flutter, I definitely would have been bitten.

"Ah, idiot, stop it! Taking a shortcut's gonna get me killed!"

Matching my timing and positioning, I fired a Crystal Bullet while running right before the fist slammed into the ground. As it landed, my forward momentum shifted the fist's impact point just enough to strike the exact spot where the Crystal Bullet could be activated.

Jumping onto the crystal pillar, I activated Flit Float mid-air to dodge the charge of a Naga that had rushed at me from the front with its mouth wide open, trying to swallow me whole. The moment my feet touched the wall, I activated Gravity Zero, and combining it with Overflow, broke into a sprint at breakneck speed.

"Dammit, did I screw up...!?"

I instinctively fled toward the Rabituza side, but if I was going to die anyway, I probably should have fled toward the Goldunine side to gather intel. No, wait. Conversely, if I manage to escape all the way back to Rabituza, maybe things will work out somehow?

Up until now, the one invading Rabituza was the self-proclaimed Goldunine... I mean, the clone. Given that the main body is currently chasing me, there doesn't seem to be any restriction preventing Goldunine from entering this area. Then why had she left the invasion to the clone up until now?

Ah, that's right. Rabituza has Vysache. It has the Unique Monster Vysache, which is nine times out of ten the reason. He was likely acting as some sort of deterrent.
Or rather, looking at Ctarrnid's Tome of Truth and Goldunine, let's see... We have "Tombguard," "Night Raider," "Heavenly Sovereign," "Abyss," "Reverberating Nether," and "Inexhaustible," so... Does that make Vysache the "Immortal"?

"Daaah, dangerous!?"

Dammit, you're just going to muscle through with that obvious sturdiness of yours...!?
I managed to dodge the Naga that smashed face-first into the wall using a wall-running Formula Drift, but because I tried to accelerate while already moving at high speed, my drift turned into something closer to a slip.

"O-Tototototo... oh!?"

For a brief moment, my body became impossible to control, but panicking here would lead to a spectacular wipeout. Calm down... Oh, a path right where I need it.

"I'll borrow your back, you snake bastard!"

Jumping from the ceiling to the floor using the enhanced jump power of Shana-oh Possession, which I've been continuously abusing by activating it the absolute instant its recast timer ends.
The moment my feet left the ceiling, the gravity distorted by the skill snapped back to normal, pulling me straight down. But right below me, a Naga was raising its head... Dammit, they all look so similar I'm getting confused. Adjusting my orientation mid-air, I executed a somersault and slid down the Naga's back.

Dammit, I won't stick this landing without using Moment Sight. I should really be saving it for truly critical moments so the recast doesn't drag me down, but... Oh, looks like a toxic greatsword is coming from behind.

"Ugu!?"

Stowing the Gilta Brille! Dammit, my left arm got hit!
Just like the self-proclaimed Goldunine, that poison seems to be a "Curse." My Scar has been resisting the poison with terrifying intensity since earlier, but because of that, the sensation of an electric current running continuously through my left arm won't fade.
The damage... Did the effect of Fortune allow me to endure it? I've been forced to use my final safety net. Or rather, the main body can just shoot toxic weapons!? That's playing dirty!

"First, your left arm... Ufufu, now then, scream and run, little Mouse-san?"

"Shitty brat..."

Want me to flick your forehead again? But what should I do? The resistance is preventing any fatal debuffs, but at this rate, my left hand is useless.

"To begin with, I have absolutely no idea what the clear condition is..."

The self-proclaimed Goldunine has been defeated... Well, strictly speaking, she got defeated, but whatever. So what am I supposed to do about this thing currently playing a highly acclaimed game of tag with me? If this is a forced-loss event, then that's that, but since the scenario name is "Rabituza Defensive," there's a high chance it'll only clear once this massive battle concludes.
Meaning, either way, it won't end and can't end unless I do something about Goldunine.

The options available to me are three: escape... fight... or choose death... Oh, a light? ...Ah, I see. They said they were going to push the frontline forward, so if the Vorpal Bunnies successfully defended, they must have advanced to a position close to where I was fighting the self-proclaimed Goldunine... Isn't this really bad?

"Everyone, ruuuuun!!"

This is literally just a Mob Train now, isn't it!? Dammit, Plan B!

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

.........

......

Goldunine's kin fell into a state of chaos, and the curse of cracks that had been eroding the Vorpal Bunnies vanished.
This signified that the person who plunged into the enemy's stronghold—far beyond the frontlines—had defeated the root of the curse.

Some had half their faces cracked, while others had their torsos crumbling away. The worst off had cracks covering their entire bodies, looking as if they would shatter entirely if they moved carelessly.
Furthermore, this poison spread like a disease, forcing the rabbits to stay in this dark cave unable to return home or see their families.

But that would end today, in this very moment. Power surged into the weapons of the Vorpal Bunnies as they jumped for joy. It was a power overflowing with hope, and the extermination of the confused kin of Goldunine was a future not too far off.

And as the final one—a multi-headed, cobra-like serpent—was drained of its final drop of Life (HP) by a great hammer and a scythe and sank to the ground, a strange silence spread.
At the end of the Vorpal Bunnies' gazes, a Vorpal Bunny wielding a long Yakuza sword—easily identifiable as a Rare Weapon at a glance—slowly raised the hand holding his weapon.

"This is our... victo—"

"Everyone, ruuuuun!!"

The relaxing atmosphere was immediately painted over with tension. It was because they heard the echoing voice of warning, and simultaneously, their instincts picked up on an approaching, ominous presence.

"Eh, eh, what's going on!?"

"Sorrrry! I brought something really bad with meee!"

An apologetic voice echoed from the darkness. Accompanying it was a roaring sound, like a burlap sack stuffed with meat being dragged across the ground magnified a thousand times, gradually growing louder and vibrating the earth... And finally, the light of the torches set up by the Vorpal Bunnies illuminated them.

"Uoooooo! Plan Bbbbbb!!"

A half-naked human sprinting like lightning. The man wearing a bird mask—despite being targeted by four dragon-like serpents and having no strength in his left arm—was surprisingly almost entirely unharmed as he moved to the corner of the tunnel... Maneuvering into a position where the four Nagas were lined up in a cluster, he moved his right hand as if drawing something in the empty air.

In the next instant, he equipped a pure white cape and a pitch-black gauntlet that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, drawing back his fist without a shred of fear toward the surging Nagas.

"Remaining storage, full burst... 75%. 【Exceed Charge】, Reject!!"

A hook from an iron fist exposing its hidden gold caught the side of a Naga's face. For just a single instant, a silence fell as if everything had stopped. And in the next instant, the rupture of immense energy blew the Naga straight to the side.
A falling domino transmits its collapse to the next domino. The Naga, taking a direct hit from a 75% Hook powered by resurrected super-technology, was knocked backward as if blown away. The sudden, massive shift in its bulk caught the three Nagas right next to it, entangling them.

And as for the person responsible for temporarily incapacitating four Nagas with just a single move:

"Isn't the Goddess of RNG smiling a bit too much in times like this...?"

"To shamelessly cling to life like that, how truly unpleasant, Ne."

"Ah, I know this one. This is where my head gets crushed like an apple."

No one noticed Her getting so close. Just like a snake silently slithering across the ground aiming for its prey, the pure white Snake (Girl) grabbed and lifted the head of the human she had decided to kill... Sunraku.
Her expression was exactly the same as when she crushed the life out of the clone that had been tormenting the Vorpal Bunnies—completely devoid of hesitation or deep emotion.

"Now then, shall we make a blood-red flower bloom, Shou?"

"E-Even if you defeat me, a second and third Sunraku will..."

With a mishiri, damage effects began leaking from Sunraku's head...

Goh!!!

In the next instant, a heavy blow from a great hammer accompanied by skill effects slammed into the pure white girl. Though she possessed abnormal physical strength, her body conformed to the average weight of a slender girl. Because of that, the pure white Snake (Girl) was easily blown away, her grip involuntarily loosening and releasing Sunraku's head.

"E... Enemy, right? It's fine if she's an enemy, right? ...She's an enemy, yes."

"Sai... I mean Rei-shi, I'll swallow my various questions for now, but good job..."

"A-Are you okay!? Um, Sunraku-san, and the person who got spectacularly blown away!"

"If that was enough to kill her, the self-proclaimed Goldunine and I wouldn't have struggled so much... That's the real Goldunine."

As if stretching her body after waking up, the pure white Snake (Girl) snapped her neck—which had been bent in a weird direction by Psyger-0's full swing—back into place.

"Aaah... Unpleasant, Wa."

Author's Afterword
(Execution) -> (Doubt) -> (Confirmation) -> (Self-Resolution)

A woman who thinks after she punches, Psyger-0.

• Ondoku (Grudge Poison): A higher-tier status ailment applied by Goldunine's "Curse." It is not lethal but has effects designed to torment the target for a prolonged period.
  In addition to basic equipment restrictions and magic resistance reduction, if the afflicted area is attacked, the damage calculation is performed treating the player's VIT as "1". In other words, no matter what you wear over the cursed area, it becomes even more sensitive than bare skin.
  Visually, the body appears cracked, with faint black smoke leaking out from it.
  The Scar was actually pulling off a massive clutch play.

Why did the two Vajra Crystals I was saving up disappear... Oh, what's this fatty bonito doing here... Ugh, my head.