Chapter 543: Interlude: Who Sings, Who Plays
Author's Preface
What kind of sins did I commit in my past life to end up in this hell... (One of the worst ancient battlefields in history)
Melee range. Given that we both hold the exact same hands, there are only three possible moves either of us can take here.
One: Discard all defense and slam home a guaranteed lethal strike.
Two: Bait the opponent's attack and finish them with a counter.
Three: Lock blades, reset the situation to neutral, and settle it with a quick-draw showdown.
But there's a clear difference in advantage and disadvantage between me and "me". Even taking the exact same option will result in a vastly different outcome!!
So you have no choice but to take the defensive, don't you!?
It all gets decided here. The action taken right now determines everything. By the way, "me", do you know the surefire winning strategy for rock-paper-scissors?
If you just knock the opponent out with your "rock" right at the start, they can't throw their hand, giving you a KO victory by default. I've knocked out Katzo three times using this exact method.
"Die! 【Exceed Charge】 'Activation Awakening'!!!"
The effect of Centipede Type 8-0.5's Exceed Charge comes with a constant MP consumption cost.
The original design assumption was to use armor assists to engage in prolonged combat, but I don't have time for that. Besides, having just enough time to land a single swing is more than enough.
And the right to freely choose between those three options is a privilege granted only to me, the one who seized the initiative! The moment "you" fell onto the backfoot, "me" were left with no choice but to select a reaction to my action!!
Will you throw out a sword? Or a fist? Even if you raise a white flag, I won't show any mercy. Just die already───!!
"Gotcha!!"
Q. It's a checkmate. How do you win from here?
A. You interrupt from the side.
"Wha............"
I am the one who knows best exactly what kind of character the player known as Me is.
Fundamentally, Me is a physical attacker. I have plenty of weapons that can perform magic-like feats, but at my core, I'm a 90%... no, 70% physical-specialized build loaded with damage sources that don't rely on MP.
Basically, my actions are limited to physical attack methods, and even if I do something magic-like, it requires a significant amount of setup or furious underwater paddling-like effort.
And while I don't remember every single detail perfectly from one to ten, I have a decent grasp of what I shoved into my Inventoria. Which is exactly why I can state this with absolute certainty: I have zero memory of putting that kind of thing in there, and I haven't learned any skills or magic that can be used like that...!!
"Don't tell me............"
Don't tell me.
Just as my full-bodied swing was about to smash home, a massive group of instruments sprouted from the Crimson Floor with a blatantly non-physical trajectory, acting as a shield to protect "me" from Centipede Type Tausend. What could that possibly mean?
"You gotta be───"
I understood the reality of it, but whether I could accept it was an entirely different matter. And I am entirely, completely unable to accept this bullshit interruption.
"Are you kidding me!!!?"
I rip Centipede Type Tausend free from the remnants of the instruments—which successfully protected "me" despite being reduced to scrap—and wind up for another swing. This... once-in-a-lifetime... chance............
"Guh, ah...!!"
But that was the time limit. Because I didn't have the resources to pay the Exceed Charge cost for the swung Centipede Type Tausend, the manifested purplish-black blade vanishes in tandem with the halberd's mechanisms closing shut.
And then, "I"—having received the ultimate favor of the Diva—spring up with the ferocity of a bird of prey, completely true to that mask.
Gripped in that hand is a jet-black blade spitting flames... I can't react in time. No matter how much you struggle, there are some turns you just have to pass over to the enemy.
"Gah!!?"
Numbness, heat, and a chill that can only be felt in the exact microsecond before perceiving the other two, rip through my flank from the waist.
However,
"Nice critical..."
The skill "Fatal Gain" barely activated in time.
Enduring right on the razor's edge of death, I violently slap my fading consciousness awake and force strength back into my legs one more time.
I can't win. Not because of a difference in skill or damage output, but because a "gimmick" is physically blocking the path to victory. I knew something felt off. Because Wethermon's EX Scenario was relatively simple, I assumed that's just how they were, but Orchestra's EX Scenario is far too short, far too monotonous.
Where did I go wrong? What did I overlook? It's too late to think about it now, and even if I figured something out, it would still be too late.
Therefore, this is nothing more than taking my anger out on her.
"!!!"
Pulling Areadbhair from my inventory, I draw it back in a throwing stance and thrust it toward the "Diva". Thanks for throwing a wrench into my plans; I'll skewer you for it.
"Die───"
However, my throw, packed with every ounce of my frustration, never reaches the "Diva".
"............"
"I" intercept the trajectory, as if to say I saw that coming from a mile away, catching the thrown Areadbhair and... casually tossing it right back into my chest as if saying, "You dropped this."
"How......... very polite of you............"
Skewered by Areadbhair, the strength completely drains from my body this time, and my vision fades to black.........
"Ah........."
What's wrong, Saina? I'm just losing and dying here... Why are you making a face like you're about to cry.
I feel like I'm about to see something......... gubeh.
◇
"..............."
"My, Sunraku-kun, you fought quite well......... Did something happen?"
"..............."
Watching Sunraku silently stomp away, even The Professor couldn't bring himself to stop him.
Sunraku marched forward, clad in a highly ominous silence—quiet on the surface, but radiating an aura that suggested explosive hellfire would erupt the moment anyone opened the door.
"Ah, Sunraku-san. Sorry for the late report, desu wa. I was just finishing up a little errand for dad... I mean, the Boss, desu wa."
"........."
Without a word, Sunraku scoops up the Vorpal Bunny who had trotted over without a single shred of wariness, plops her onto his head, and continues marching silently through the chemically driven base.
And then, reaching the Great Sea of Trees where the Conquista Dolls' base was located... meaning, once he was outside, Sunraku silently stretched, loosened up his body, took a deep breath, and.........
"TRASH GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!!!!!!!!!"
"Hobyoh!!?!?!"
A massive scream of a raging soul—loud enough to shake every single budding branch and leaf in the Great Sea of Trees—echoed outwards, dealing critical damage to a certain Vorpal Bunny's eardrums before finally fading away.
Three days later, a server-wide announcement broadcasting the defeat of Orchestra by a single player would reverberate throughout the entire game world of Shangri-La Frontier.
Author's Afterword
Q. Isn't it way too bullshit for instruments to intervene right when you're about to kill it?
A. This ain't a colosseum, so answer the question.
Comments
Post a Comment