Chapter 75: Settling the Score and Overkill

What the hell was that? Orcelott, Pencilgon's brother, got beaten like a rag and vanished... The remnants of the Asura Kai were beaten to a pulp, to a level where I felt nothing but pity, and disappeared, leaving a massive amount of items scattered on the spot.

"Ahhh... to think they hoarded this many items. Were they planning to skip town or something? Good grief..."

With a sigh, Pencilgon kicked away a sword emitting a rather ominous aura that was lying where Orcelott had been. Before returning from the field where we fought Wethermon to the Secret Garden, Pencilgon had proposed a "Call a Strong Friend to Handle It Operation" to deal with the Asura Kai members who were nine out of ten likely lying in wait. By some twist of fate, I, who happened to be friends with Saiga-0—a player in the top class of ShanFro—ended up sending the SOS signal. I have nothing but gratitude for Saiga-0, who arrived with almost zero delay, but the response time was so fast it was actually a bit scary.

"Ummm..."

"Ah, Saiga-0-san. Thanks for coming all this way."

"N-No, don't worry... about it. More importantly... congratulations on the Unique Monster subjugation."

Ah right, it was grandly revealed in the GM announcement... Thanks to that, it's become even harder to walk down the main streets. I guess I'll just have to give up on that; as long as I have the shelter known as Rabitu, it's not something to panic over. The direct problem, the Asura Kai, was crushed by Pencilgon, and Orcelott was just wiped out like a dirty rag by Saiga-0.

Silence fell between Saiga-0 and me. What should I do? It's hard to say, "The business I called you for is over, so you can go home now," and I feel like I should offer some kind of reward.

"Ah, Saiga-0-chan? Sorry to ask right after you arrived, but I have one more favor. Is that okay?"

"......What is it?"

Saiga-0 turned toward Pencilgon with a blunt tone that screamed I'm forcing myself to do this. Pencilgon spoke as if it were nothing, completely nonchalant.

"Could you kill me too while you're at it? The reward is everything I currently own, including two [Tearjewels of Rebirth], and all the rare items the Asura Kai dropped here."

"......Are you sure?"

"It's fine, it's fine. If I were the only one to get off risk-free, I'd be a munchkin worse than my foolish brother, right? I'm getting tired of PK-ing anyway, so I thought I'd settle my sins cleanly right here."

If I recall, the penalty for being PKK'd (Player Killer Killed) is the confiscation of all owned items and a massive fine. I can't even imagine how heavy the penalty will be for Pencilgon, who continued to PK enough to earn embarrassing nicknames, but according to her, she had decided this from the start.

"However, I'm a scrap of a Player Killer myself. I'm not such a good girl that I'll wait quietly for the executioner's blade..."

Picking up the sword Orcelott had held, Pencilgon pointed it at Saiga-0 and issued a declaration of war (request). Saiga-0 seemed to ponder for a moment, then glanced at me before nodding quietly.

"......Understood. If the opponent is a Giant Killing, then I will go all out as well."

Saiga-0 readied the jet-black greatsword on her back... a massive blade that clearly couldn't be made by human hands alone, as if a mighty power beyond human understanding had been forcibly compressed into the shape of a sword. She chanted quietly.

"[Satanael]... Invert, [Satan]."

In that instant, the greatsword throbbed and roared. From the tip of the blade, the color, texture, and nature of the sword were painted over, revealing a shining, pure white greatsword. It was a divine blade that felt not a shard of the ominousness from before, shining quietly in the moonlight. Does that mean the evil jet-blackness vanished? No. As the sword increased in brilliance, the blackness expelled from the greatsword encroached upon Saiga-0 herself. Her appearance, like a platinum holy knight, was dyed black, and even its shape was distorted. That figure was far from a holy knight; it gave a strong impression of a demon lord, evil itself.

"So that's the famous Attack Holder's Unique Weapon, the 'Greatsword of Gods and Demons [Antinomy]'... To think you'd show me the inversion, how generous."

"Sister... cough cough, I heard about you from the Leader. She said if I let my guard down, nothing good will happen, and since you run away immediately, I should kill you with a single strike as soon as I find you."

"Am I a cockroach or something?"

""Pffft!!""

OiKatzo and I involuntarily spurred out laughing at the comparison she made herself, which was an absolutely accurate evaluation.

"Wait a sec, I'll kill these guys first... Alright, the PK Big Sister is going to give it her all for the last time!"

"Who gave that guy a weapon!?"

"Saiga-0, was it? Hurry up and beat that dangerous person!"

"U-Umm..."

Saiga-0 seemed unaccustomed to our style of comedy, but since Pencilgon readied her sword, Saiga-0 also took a combat stance.

".........[Highest Strength], [Embrace of the Karma Demon], [Lightning Flash], [Enchant: Vermilion]...... [Catastrophe]."

"Woah, what is that..."

I understand why OiKatzo is at a loss for words. How should I put it? Saiga-0's figure, being buffed to a repulsive level, is no longer that of a player. She is completely a monster in the category of a Demon or Demon Lord. It makes you think that if it weren't for the forced level restrictions, she could fight Wethermon the Tombguard head-on.

"Phew... If I recall, the activation incantation was 'Drink blood, tear flesh, bite into death and spit out life. Thou art a slaughterer, sing loudly upon a mountain of corpses'... right?"

As Pencilgon chanted, the sword formerly owned by Orcelott throbbed—not metaphorically. Something like biological, fleshy matter with messy teeth bit into Pencilgon's right arm, dyeing the blade a dark black and transforming its shape.

"Ugh, bad taste..."

What resulted was... something like a flattened nailed bat, but too distorted to be called a sword, with fangs protruding from everywhere.

"Now, let's have a fair and square match."

".........Anytime."

"Then, don't mind if I do... [Serial Killer], [Mockery of Shadow Pictures], [Enchant: Vorpal], [Massacre Bite]!"

Readying the sword that had unified with her right arm, Pencilgon lunged. Closing in on Saiga-0 with irregular, snake-like movements, Pencilgon braked suddenly just as Saiga-0 swung her sword down, circling directly behind her to thrust her sword. However, that blow was blocked by something like a black mist covering Saiga-0's jet-black armor, failing to reach the armor itself. Saiga-0 swung her sword horizontally while turning around. Pencilgon tried to escape from the pure white greatsword, but because the black mist had entangled her sword, she was a step too slow.

"Gah...!"

"[Exist Requiem]."

Because her hand was fused with the sword, and the sword was caught by the mist, Pencilgon's right arm—unable to escape—was sliced off. Forcibly separated from the sword, Pencilgon leaped back, but her movements lacked their usual brilliance, as if she were being weighed down by something. Pencilgon doesn't have the mental fragility to let her performance drop that much just from losing a right arm. In other words, it's safe to assume Saiga-0 is interfering somehow.

"......I'll end it with this."

"Hahaha, I guess it's difficult to overturn the level difference with someone like me... However, I can't act like a wimp in this place!"

Pencilgon glanced once at the withered tree that sat in the Secret Garden, devoid of life, and then executed a charge at Saiga-0 with just her body, possessing neither right arm nor weapon.

".........In that case, here is my best. Conflicting providence, repelling light and darkness, deny rejection, and stitch together the severed fate. My body is dyed in light and immersed in darkness. Chaos, devour the world... [Chaos Void]."

A single flash. All Saiga-0 did was swing her sword horizontally as she passed by Pencilgon, who was trying to punch with her left arm. But with just that, Pencilgon's upper body vanished completely. And the lower body, having lost its upper half, immediately turned into polygons and disappeared.

"............"

"Uh, wait a sec, time out."

OiKatzo and I put some distance between us and Saiga-0 and began a whispered consultation.

(Eh, what do we do about this? Pencilgon got blown away in a way more gruesome manner than I expected!?)

(Now that the social monster Pencilgon is gone, how are we supposed to communicate with THAT? She's your friend, Sunraku, do something!)

(She's an opponent who read my strategy, lay in wait, and then suddenly sent a friend request, you know!? She's still treated as a dangerous person in my book!!)

(Phew... Alright, I got it. First, I'll show you my communication power as a pro gamer.)

(Communi-power.)

Consultation over. OiKatzo, with a slightly twitching smile, spoke to Saiga-0, who had returned to her platinum armor at some point.

"Ah, u-um... I was surprised you took out Pencilgon in one hit! Is that the true power of a high-level player?"

"............Umm, I have many... Unique Skills, so... not everyone is... like that."

"Could you teach me what kind of skills..."

"......That's a bit..."

"Ah............"

OiKatzo returned to me and silently tapped my shoulder.

"Sorry, it seems my comm-power was trash. I want you to teach me a game where I can train my social skills."

"Love Clock."

"That's a Pizza Study Abroad simulator!"

It's a game that teaches you that carelessly throwing out sweet words and raising flags leads to extraordinary trouble. Anyway, since OiKatzo was unexpectedly socially awkward despite being a pro gamer, I had no choice but to step up.

"Ah, well, you see... thanks for going along with Pencilgon's selfishness. Like she said, please accept all the items lying around."

"........................Umm."

"Yes?"

"I HAVE, ONE, QUESTION."

"Ah, yes."

While scolding my legs that were about to back away from the robotic voice that sounded so stiff and flat I thought it had been voice-changed, I listened to Saiga-0's question.

"......Umm, what is, your relationship, with Pencilgon-san...?"

"With Pencilgon? Hmm... game friends?"

Calling us friends feels like there's a bit too much betrayal and infighting involved, but ultimately, since if one of me, OiKatzo, or Pencilgon says "Let's play a game," the other two will hop on, I guess it's fair to call us game friends.

"I-Is that so...? Friends, tomodachi, friends........."

The theory of "Saiga-0 is a glitched NPC" was becoming more realistic in my mind, but it would be rude to ask that. Since just exchanging words felt like the pressure of the Wethermon battle, I started handing over the various weapons, armor, and items scattered on the ground to Saiga-0. And just as I picked up the gross sword that formerly belonged to Orcelott and was used by Pencilgon until moments ago, Saiga-0's body was enveloped in a white light. It resembled the light of the magic circle when Saiga-0 teleported here, and since she was disappearing from her feet up, it seemed a return system had activated. Honestly, that saved me.

"Ah......... the time, is up..."

"Eh, ah, well then, once again, thank you for helping us out. I'll repay this favor somed—"

"U-Umm, in that case, if there is an opportunity... umm, please, by all means, toge..."

Pahyoon, Saiga-0's figure vanished. I was left seeing her off, still holding the gross sword I failed to hand over.

"......OiKatzo, do you want this?"

"It looks smelly, so I don't need it."

"Even so, leaving it here feels wrong... guess I have no choice."

It's a bit heavy to handle with one hand, and more than anything, it's slimy and gross, so I honestly don't want to put it in my inventory, but I decided to treat it as just data and shoved it into my inventory.

"Well, shall we head back?"

"Yeah. Ah, I feel like I'm going to sleep soundly today."

"Don't you mean pass out in a coma rather than sleep soundly?"

"No doubt."

That said, I have a place to go, so we'll probably part ways at Thirdrema.

Author's Afterword:

[Chaos Void] Instantly kills any target with a lower level than the user, no questions asked. It is not an "Instant Death Effect" but rather, during damage calculation, it deals "Damage equal to current HP." Against opponents of equal or higher level, it forces a Luck check. If failed, the target enters a "Pollution" state. Unless high-level purification magic is used, the target dies instantly within one minute. While it sounds obvious, it's not a huge threat to boss-class monsters or players with jobs specialized in purification. Because the effect is what it is, the acquisition conditions are "One who has not committed PK" and comes with the restriction "Self-destructs the moment PK is committed." It's actually quite delicate because even if you PK by accident (Friendly Fire), it will mercilessly make you self-destruct.

The volume where she tried to look cool for the protagonist but ended up creeping him out.