Chapter 70: Dedicated to a Moment Part 17

Now, here is a question. When making a game... in this problem, what is the one thing you must not do when "adjusting a boss enemy"? Unreasonable attacks? 40 points. If it leads to an event or can be negated by a special item, that adds flavor to the world building and is actually an element that should be actively included. Making sure it doesn't bug out? 0 points. That's called a basic requirement, you idiot.

The correct answer is: "Not putting intervals between the boss's attacks." Whether it's turn-based, action, or whatever, the game is only cleared once the boss is conquered. And in a battle against a strong boss, a "one-sided" beating that isn't due to a level difference must not be tolerated. A boss that attacks forever, a boss that dodges forever, a boss whose defense won't break no matter how many attacks you pour in... Strength and shittiness are two sides of the same coin. Precisely because of the constraints of world-building, it is quite common for a boss character made too strong to turn the game into a kusoge (shitty game)... Like Fair-Kuso, Fair-Kuso, or Fair-Kuso.

If that is the case, how should one introduce "It's always the boss's turn" without breaking the gameplay? Simple. You just have to set limits. If the concentrate is too strong, just dilute it. For example, "you can seal their actions if you hit a specific part," or the aforementioned "cancelled by a special event or item," or perhaps "setting a time limit" would be good too. In that respect, the [Seiten Taisei] (Great Cleansing of the Blue Sky) unleashed by Wethermon the Tombguard could be called a merciful move in that it has a clear clear-line: "If you survive, it's a guaranteed victory."

The problem is that it is a super-dreadnought class unreasonable attack where "for thirty seconds, he fires off every technique with no cast time and no cooldown."

"[Tachikaze] (Cutting Wind)."

"Tsoo!?"

"[Raisho] (Thunder Bell)."

"Sooo!"

"[Ooshike] (Great Storm)."

"Daaa!!"

Immediately after avoiding a super-speed Iai slash, I rolled to dodge, only for a rain of lightning to home in on me. I kicked the palm trying to grab my head through the lightning to deflect it, using the recoil to gain distance.

"[Nyudou] (Thunderhead)..."

"Tch! You guys, an area attack is coming!"

"[Gumo] (Cloud)."

Matching the movement of the sweeping arm, I circled behind him to recover stamina. I'm already in this state even with Climax Boost and Fighting Spirit of the Starving Wolf (Hunger Wolf) active; there's no time to attack.

"[Tachikaze], [Tachikaze], [Tachikaze]."

"Wha—!?"

Aiming for the head, aiming for the heart, aiming for the shoulder. Before my brain could process it, my body avoided the super-speed triple strike on pure reflex. Dammit, he can use the same move consecutively? Did he break the concept of cooldowns!?

"[Ka] (Fire)...!"

Tachikaze, Nyudou-gumo, Raisho, Ooshike... There's no technique starting with "Ka," which means this is a new move.

(High!? Low!? Aaaah, bring it on!)

"[Sai] (Crush)..."

Holding the katana in a reverse grip, he thrust it into the ground as if planting a cane. Starting from where the katana pierced, the ground heated up red. Like a snake slithering across the earth, a twisted straight line raced toward me, dyeing the ground red and hot.

"I see through it!"

"[Ryu] (Dragon)!!"

The ground, having gone past red heat to white heat, swelled up like slime, and a pillar of flame erupted as if devouring the earth. Depending on how you looked at it, it resembled a dragon ascending to the heavens. I lured it in until the last second before dodging with a backstep. Hidden by the pillar of fire, I couldn't see Wethermon the Tombguard, so I didn't bother standing up fully and instead circled around the fire pillar to get him in my sights. When Wethermon came into view, he pulled the katana from the ground and held it up to the sky... I witnessed black clouds manifesting at the tip of that blade, covering the eerily pure white sky.

"Is this an attack designed to be a combo from the start...!"

"[Hai-fubuki] (Ash Blizzard)."

Triggered by Wethermon the Tombguard's words affirming my own, the black clouds stagnating above rushed toward me as if they had a will of their own. For a split second, my body almost froze thinking it was a guaranteed instant-death attack, but I forced myself to move. I threw my body into the slight gap remaining in the black clouds that were trying to encircle me like a coiled snake. Aware that my health was being chipped away, I barely managed to slip out of the ash encirclement. Looking up, Wethermon was reaching his hand toward me. It's better than taking another unknown attack. Conversely, I grabbed Wethermon's wrist and pushed myself sideways. As long as I'm not caught, the technique isn't scary.

(How many seconds have passed? How many techniques has he used? what is the trigger for this to end?)

Even thinking feels like a chore, but I have to think. If this ends with time elapsed, fine. But if it doesn't end unless I perform some specific action, I have to find it or I'll be cornered into a slow defeat—or rather, I'm already cornered.

I can tell I'm being driven into a corner by a raging wave of attacks that feels like every attack from Phase 1 and 2 compressed together. However, since black smoke has started rising from the cracks all over his body, not just flames, it doesn't seem like he's unleashing these unreasonable attacks without risk either. At this point, I'll abandon counterattacking. I threw away both Togetsu blades and took an item from my inventory to prepare for the attack.

"[Seiten Taisei], with flux and offerings, I bring about the finale."

"Fast...!"

In the split second I looked at the window to take out the item, Wethermon closed the distance. What do I do? Open it again to take out a weapon... No, I won't make it.

"[Seiten] turns to my ultimate single stroke. I sever even dragons... [Tensei] (Sky Clear)."

"You son of a...!!"

The moment I threw the item I held into the air and attempted to dodge, my body suddenly stopped (.......). It wasn't on the level of losing focus or tripping... this was,

"The action itself was cancelled..."

The last thing I could do was barely tilt my neck within my body that had come to a sudden halt, right before the blow that would split me in two from high above landed. The blade sank into the base of my neck, slightly above the right shoulder. There wasn't even a moment of resistance. I confirmed a golden shine tracing the single line of the blue blade, and then the blade passed through to my left hip, cutting me in two. My body shattered into polygons, my vision went dark, and...

"Success at the last moment! Ultimate Secret Technique: Self-Resurrection (.........)!!"

The "Tear of Rebirth" I had thrown into the air exhausted its throwing energy, was pulled down by gravity, and hit the "me" that had turned into polygons directly below. Given the price, it was a gamble without proof of concept, but it seems "using it on yourself" was indeed possible.

Using all my stamina to distance myself from Wethermon, I frantically thought about how to conquer that strike that had cut me in half.

(Tensei or whatever it's called, that's dangerous.)

When I felt my waist, the waist equipment that should have been there... the Belt of Life Tide, was gone. Equipment that was almost undamaged was destroyed by just that single blow.

(Equipment destruction, probably has armor penetration too. And I died way too easily... Is it an Instant Death effect?)

Not to brag, but do you have any idea how many times I've been cut down by that katana in this battle alone? I can tell the difference in sensation when being cut. That was different from a normal hit, and probably different from overkill by a critical hit too. It's fundamentally coming to murder the player. Even if a level 99 player with full defense gear held up a shield to catch that single stroke, it would probably slice them in two like cutting tofu, just like me. I'd rather not think about it, but it's safe to assume that the moment it hits, a system-mandated death without questions is guaranteed.

(But that's not the most dangerous part.)

The mysterious paralysis that hinders evasive maneuvers. If I don't find the condition for that, I probably won't be able to conquer that slashing attack, which is likely the final blow to end this battle itself.

(Even if I self-heal, I have two Tears of Rebirth and five Divine Medicines of Life left exactly as they were...)

Self-resurrection isn't an easy technique you can do casually. You have to throw it up before you die to an opponent's attack, which means you have to act after judging that an attack is fatal. In any case, until I figure out that attack, I'll have to make suicide runs a few times. Judging so, I looked at Wethermon the Tombguard again, only to see him taking a stance I saw just about a minute ago, or somewhere in the past.

"Thus, unless my ultimate is surpassed, this body shall not fall............ [Seiten Taisei]."

"Don't tell me we're starting over from the beginning (.......)!?"

"[Kasairyu] (Pyroclastic Dragon)."

While dodging the pillar of dragon fire, I had to worry about just how many times I could manage to reach that final stroke.

Author's Note:

Q: What kind of technique is [Tensei] (Sky Clear)?

A: Upon contact, it destroys equipment. Even if you are wearing armor with hundreds of millions of VIT, it will destroy it without question and deliver the attack to the body. Or rather, even if you have 5 quadrillion HP, it will guarantee an instant death. Luck? I'll cut down your destiny too. Do not dodge; accept your death. Can't deal with [Tensei] (Sky Clear)? Too bad, start over from the beginning!!

Man, what a Kuso (Shit) Move. Technically, there are two breakthrough methods: a "Cool Strategy" and a "Shitty/Boring Strategy."