Chapter 508: Climax Burning

Author's Preface
I probably won't be able to update until around the 12th... (Stares into the distance) (The courage to sacrifice oneself) (I couldn't beat the sleep demon).

I threw away the hammer; it couldn't keep up with this battle anyway.

"Shrimp are great..."

I have absolutely no idea what kind of base it Transformed from, but it was lucky to find a Mantis Shrimp Mechanitan.

"Are lobsters or something more popular over there?"

"Like I care! I don't like pseudo-bugs with shells!"

"Don't underestimate crustaceans!"

Bam!! A massive lump of meat easily crushing the asphalt answers my question, mixing a growling sound effect into her voice.
Xenoselgus. The super heavy fighter you could call the absolute heaviest of all GH:C characters... a meat daruma that threw the dodge command into the trash during the concept phase.

Slow, heavy... and insanely tough.
I hear that while he's resigned to a low tier in normal matches with the Cube, his atrocity bumps him up to the top tiers in formats where the win condition is strictly limited to "knocking out the opponent."

"It's the final round. If you've got any last words, let's hear 'em."

"Then I'll just ask one thing... With that much skill, why the hell were you hiding out in obscurity?"

Why? If you're asking why...

"I'm not at the age where I can just do whatever I want and dedicate my entire life to my hobbies... That's all."

"Is that right."

A cursed armor floating via hover, clad in the wreckage of machines. A monster with four limbs equipped with just enough muscle to support its dull, heavy body and rampage. The two slowly close the distance.

Bzzzt, sparks fly from the boosters equipped on Cursed Prison's sub-legs.

Grrr, power fills Xenoselgus's entire body, as if every muscle is expanding.

Somewhere, the sound of an explosion.

""Die, ora!!!""

We start at the exact same time, a mutual one-strike punch. The situation and our actions are dead even, but it's going to be a problem if you underestimate me.
I'm talking about the Mantis Shrimp Punch that's broken the fingers of countless wannabe fishermen!!

The jack connecting the three points of my wrist, shoulder, and elbow—resembling the hammer of a handgun... you could call it a Hammer Jack—creaks and groans. The "arm", continuously accumulating tension like a bomb on the verge of detonating, eagerly awaits information from the "eyes" and the "head"...

"In range."

Mantis Shrimp Punch (Super-speed Jab)! I'll smash your face in, you meat daruma!!
The lock holding the Hammer Jack releases, and the terrifying accumulation of energy is unleashed all at once.
Clang!! The moment the sharp metallic sound rings out, the fist extending at a speed that makes the tip blur slams straight into Xenoselgus's nose.

"Bguoh...!!"

"This time it's a proper bullet-like one-two, you know?"

"...Like something like that would work on me!!"

"Boguah!?"

An impact on my left temple; sparks scatter across my vision. It makes sense, we're both giant heavyweights... Even though Xenoselgus is taller, it's within the margin of error, which means our range is identical...

Which means, this fight turns into a brawl!!

"Hmph!!"

I reset the Hammer Jack, throwing an uppercut to deflect the fist coming at me while landing a shot to her face. But before I can lock the jack again, her attack comes flying in. Bring it on! Face guard!!

"Gubu!"

Jack reset! Mantis Shrimp Punch... Fire!!
There's no room for strategy or whatever anymore. The moment I strike her jaw, my vision flickers from an impact on my side. If I take a passionate punch to the shoulder and cheek before the jack finishes resetting, I'll return the favor with a sharp fist to her throat.

"Uwoooooooooh!!"

"Ooooooooooooh!!"

There's no naïve development like understanding each other through our fists here. All that exists is hostility rooted in fighting spirit, a situation updating every single second... and the light of victory that remains out of reach no matter how far we stretch our hands.

It's a slugfest where neither of us retreats nor backs down. My punch power is higher, but she has the edge in stepping in... no, in bracing herself. And more importantly...

"You rough-skinned bastard...!"

"Hahha! You're losing steam, pumpkin!!"

It's Xenoselgus's special ability, "Metamor-Cell." (Metamorphosis Cell) She can alter her own body into the same material as any object she locks eyes on for five seconds. She might have changed into something the moment she appeared here, but right now, she's copied the "Mechanitan" armor I'm wearing!
I kind of got carried away with the slugfest, but our health ratio is...

"5 to 7... guh."

"You dodged."

Ah, crap, I accidentally—
Regret always lies in wait in the future. She roughly grabs my neck, lifting my body into the air, and then grabs my waist with an incredibly sloppy clutch... Faster than I can fire up the boosters, Xenoselgus's gauge move "Material Suplex" flips me upside down, dropping...

"Gobah!!?"

A clean hit. Numbness and lethargy that obviously couldn't be brushed off as chip damage rushed through my entire body, and in the corner of my vision, I saw my life gauge get shaved off all at once.

"Is that it!?"

"Like hell it is... It's the Special Guest."

"Ah?"

My sub-legs were snapped by that German Suplex just now. My mobility dropped sharply, but I never thought I'd be able to fight with them until the end anyway. The important thing is that she made it in time.
Honestly... you're late, lady. Making me do all the tanking. Come on, it's time for your revenge!!

The next moment, amidst the black smoke and flames spreading across the entire city... a flame-colored wind blew.

"Go...!?"

"I'm sure you know her, but let me introduce the Last Stand... 'Valkyrie'-dono."

This is payback for the "Colonel." Let's start a fun three-way battle, shall we?
The Target Enemy "Colonel" is KIA, and the "Commander" has been slain. Having lost her superiors and her commanding officer, she is now operating beyond her limits, violently rampaging while self-destructing—literally in a state of desperation.
With all her stats boosted and her armament restrictions lifted, her assault lance now scatters shockwaves that inflict minor flinching just by swinging it.

"You half-dead scrap metal...!"

"Nice line. Your Villanic gauge must be through the roof, huh?"

The "Valkyrie" does not speak. But the flames leaking from the cracks running across her female-modeled face look almost like tears of regret.

"So this was your aim even if it meant throwing away your mobility!"

"Half of it was just going with the flow! But leaving actors out of the climax just ain't right, you know?"

As a general rule, the "Valkyrie" attacks both players... but her aggro increases based on the number of Target Enemies a player has defeated. Meaning... it's a 1v1v1, but her aim is locked entirely onto you.

"Let's go, ora!!"

"Bring it on!!"

Fortunately, the Hammer Jack is intact. As long as I've got my feet on the ground to punch, there's no problem at all!!
The step I take cracks the asphalt. Though not coordinated, the "Valkyrie" also fires missiles at the same time, putting Xenoselgus in a pincer attack between two threats.

First, I'll shave your health down until we're even!!

Author's Afterword

• Last Stand
  Among the Target Enemies of the NPC factions, there are mobs whose performance increases when they become the "Last One Remaining."
  To give you an idea of how strong they get, there's a fairly high probability that the NPC will snatch the victory right out from under the players. You're asking how that works as a fighting game? Are you okay? This is the ShanFro engine, remember?