Chapter 411: Super Bizarre Mega-Half-Naked

Hmm, it's surprisingly hard to use in anti-monster combat, but it's insanely convenient for movement, this 【Bradyon】... I think it's completely out of its mind that the max range reaches into the kilometers, but it's surprising that this isn't a bug or anything.
Speaking of bugged movement, there was this mysterious bug that got popular in a certain game where 'if you use fireworks in a graveyard and get blown away, you somehow respawn at the impact point'... I won't say which game it was, but doing human meteor interception Divine Punishments seemed like it would catch on, but it didn't. Instead, using human meteors as a random trap for Divine Punishments got popular.

"It should be somewhere around here... hm? Is that it?"

Even though Rei-shi wasn't a hardcore mapping player, she naturally possessed map items, as expected of a true veteran. And by asking her for landmarks near the Bugman Village—which she had mapped, albeit partially—I was able to narrow down the location to some extent.

"It's exactly because it's a desert area that the landmarks stand out even more...!"

A double-helix cactus, so that's it. It really is entwined in a double helix... It's kinda, a little gross.

But if I can see that, the Bugman Village is just a bit further. According to Rei-shi, it's an oasis surrounded by rocks... Ah, looking at it from above, I found it pretty easily. Guess I'll land and head over.

Alright, three, two, one... impact, now!!

"Wait, why are you coming out of the ship?"

"Don't ask."

"Inference (As usual): Death due to some factor."

"Don't say it."

Retaaake!!

"Hmph!!"

I got careless because I thought I was used to it; that was my mistake. As expected, you shouldn't forget your beginner's mindset.
Now then, the Bugman Village is right in front of my nose. Emul is in Rabituza, so it's impossible to contact her from my end. I've asked her to visit the frontline base a few times a day for situations like this, but... running through the desert and crossing the Sea of Trees again is quite exhausting.

So what do I do? I rely on Diale. She's apparently Emul's magic teacher, and naturally, she's learned 【Teleport Gate】.
Except during the initial event where you visit Rabituza, 【Teleport Gate】 can only teleport you to a location that both the caster and the companion have visited. But both Diale and I know of the common base called Rabituza, which means I can massively shortcut the trip back to Rabituza and meet up with Emul.

That being said, it'd be rude to just rely on Rei-shi's goodwill one-sidedly; I need to make it up to her somehow...

Zasu zasu, I tread across the sand and head toward the rock dome. It feels like a rocky version of Tearplaten. That place was a (former) safe zone surrounded by a giant tree and vines, while this one uses rocks and wind-blown dust to deceive the eyes of anyone except those with a high-altitude viewpoint.

But the sky is no longer an untrodden territory. The passion of Pioneers traverses even the sky...!!

"Kukuku, fuhahahaha...! I've found it, the Bugman Village... 'Sunanoki'!!"

Ten minutes remaining until I pay the price for getting carried away and laughing like a villain.

"Huhhh?"

Why am I currently surrounded by bug-people pointing weapons at me? No, wait. I swear to the heavens and the earth, I haven't done anything wrong. This I (Sunraku), for occupational and freeloading reasons, wouldn't do anything to raise my Karma value, nor would I do anything half-assed that would lower my Vorpal Soul. You could say I'm roleplaying a strong character, so to speak.

That's why I simply strode normally into the Bugman Village and said this...

"I have no business with you lot. Bring out Rei... Psyger-0."

Just like that!!!

Wait, is this the kind of strong character that has '(Enemy Executive)' attached to the end of their name?

"WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH OUR FRIEND, YOU WHO BEARS THE OMINOUS SCAR...!"

".........Ah—"

It would be easy to say, 'No, wait, that's not it, let's get along?' here. But when the roleplay fits together this perfectly... you know, right? It makes you want to get carried away, doesn't it?

".........Hmph, and what will you do if I tell you?"

"THE WORDS OF THE ELDER WERE NOT WRONG... YOU, ONE WHO APPEARS BRINGING CALAMITY...!!"

Ah crap, I'm getting past the point of no return, but it's proportionally getting more and more fun!!
That thing—exuding the aura of an elder and pointing a staff at me—is generally humanoid, but it has four arms, and I can spot several parts that clearly shouldn't be on a human body... Ah, yeah, it's a cicada-man.

"If so, what will you do? Bugmen... I said bring out Psyger-0, that is all I seek. Are you all so foolish as to throw yourselves into calamity?"

"PSYGER-0, GOOD PERSON... FRIEND, PROTECT. WARRIOR'S PRIDE...!!"

Ah, this is bad! It's the power of friendship! This is a slightly dim-witted character standing up to a strong enemy with the power of friendship!! Uwaah, playing the villain isn't something I get to experience often!! I can see why that fiendish pencil gets so obsessed with being the bad guy...!!

"Hoh, you challenge me...! It seems you don't value your life...!!"

"ARE YOU GOING, BADADAGARARA!?"

"OHH, BADADAGARARA WILL FIGHT!"

"PRIDE TO THE WARRIOR!!"

If I hadn't heard about them from Rei-shi beforehand, I feel like I'd be pretty confused right now... But knowing what I know, I actually feel a sense of goodwill toward them.

If I had to describe the Bugmen in one word, it would be 'Barbarians.' But at the same time, the word 'Warriors' is also fitting.
They have a culture that respects the strong, but they also possess the integrity to dislike pointless battles.
And above all, every single Bugman is a strict adherent to the 1-on-1 supremacy doctrine. Naturally, if they're facing a giant monster... like a worm, for example, they might attack as a group, but if someone declares they will challenge it 1-on-1, they'll praise it as 'Warrior's Pride' or something like that.

In other words, right now, the pillbug-man... err, Batabatagaragara? It seems he's going to fight me 1-on-1.

"UOOOOOOOOO!!"

If you asked ten people, all ten would say 'I knew it,' as an attack that fully utilizes his body—in short, curling up into a ball and performing a continuous, high-speed forward-roll charging attack—closes in on me.
Killing him would obviously be a bad idea, but even so... Ah, yeah, if I'm gonna roleplay a villain, I might as well play along a bit, right?

Indigo Chalice activation. The stats I'll swap are LUC and VIT. Equipping the 【Regalecus Cestus】 on both hands, and...

"Mu, gu, nuh!!"

The pillbug-man, Batagara-kun's body, isn't smooth like a tire. If I caught him poorly, there was a danger of being run over, but showing no signs of such concern, I catch his spinning charge head-on with both fists.

"O, OOH!?"

"A fine charge... But!!"

It's a show-off punch that I copied from watching kung fu characters you see in action games about sixty percent of the time, something that looks like Fa Jin!!

"GWOAAH!!"

Receiving the blow from both my fists—which was more like a heavy shove than a punch—Batagara-kun is sent flying backward.
A cheer mixed with screams rises from the Bugmen, who had formed a Bugman Colosseum by surrounding us to watch the match.

"Come, I shall play with you...!!"

"O, OH...! LOSE, NO! STILL, CAN FIGHT!!"

"───WAIT, BADADAGARARA."

Ah, this is bad.
I can read the flow now. I basically know exactly what's going to happen next; it's practically a trope...

"KOKORUKOKOKOREKO...!!"

Come again?

"YOUR PRIDE, I SHALL PRAISE IT... THEREFORE, I WANT YOU TO LEAVE THIS BATTLE TO ME."

"MU, NUUUUH... UNDERSTOOD."

"KOKORUKOKOKOREKO WILL FIGHT!"

"BUG'S PRIDE!"

"OHH, OUR PRIDE (Bug's Pride)..."

Wow, it's a strong-character-vs-strong-character situation... There really is no backing out now, is there?

"WARRIOR OF THE SCAR... DO YOU NOT INTEND TO SHEATHE YOUR BLADE?"

Dammit, the reason to stop such a fun situation can't beat the reason to keep it going...! Damn you, Pencilgon!!

"What are you misunderstanding? I told you to bring out Psyger-0... I've said that from the very beginning. You are the ones who pointed your blades at me."

"I SEE... THEN THERE IS NO CHOICE BUT TO SETTLE THIS THROUGH BATTLE, HUH."

Eh, why? Why did it come to this? I only asked you to call Rei-shi from the start, so why has it turned into a bloody confrontation? The only thing I can think of is...

Warrior of the Scar?

"Ku, kukukuku... The destiny of this scar, is it...?"

Feeling the 'I will never forgive Lycaon' counter starting to spin furiously, I ready my fists wrapped in crimson bands.

"Come then, Warrior of the Bugmen. You shall alleviate my boredom...!!"

Five minutes remaining... until the battle is interrupted by the explanation from Rei-shi, who just arrived on the scene...!!

Author's Afterword
He suddenly falls from the sky, laughs loudly like a villain, tramples on the weak around him while scattering a dangerous aura that seems to be picking a fight with the strong. Even though he's a half-naked, frail-looking guy, he acts strangely aggressive, and suddenly acts like he's looking for the friend brought in by the hero of the Bugmen, saying "I have no business with you lot, bring out Psyger-0"... but he is the protagonist.

You can kind of guess what kind of Bugman Kokorukokokoreko-san is from her name; honestly, she's a character halfway between a riddle and a bad pun.
As I wrote in Inventoria, the more repeating characters a Bugman has in their name, the stronger they are.
Her appearance? Who was the onion that laughed at Grandisect and Okuwagatag's mouth, only to have its heart given an End Burial by Q.Q.QX?