Chapter 637: Silenced by a Heaven-and-Earth Linear Burial
Author's Preface
Ancient Battlefield! (Animal cry)
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Q. What happens when you fire Reject straight up at 100% output?
A. It hits your legs so hard it's laughable.
But that's a thing of the past! The numbness that left my legs shaking worse than a newborn fawn's is already gone!!
"It's the final round! If you want EXP, it wouldn't hurt to get at least one hit in, right!?"
Apparently, that exterior-only invincible mode was just one of its forms, and in the face of a direct hit from Reject—an attack that would deal massive damage even to a Raid Monster Color Dragon—it was forced to shift to its next form.
That being said, I don't think I actually dealt enough damage to satisfy the conditions for a 100% output, so it probably wasn't truly invincible, just super-performance super armor. No, but still, only being able to attack during its feeding window is way too much bullshit, isn't it... Ah, but if I had heavy firearms from the Leviathan, maybe I could blast it while backing away.
Waaah, the massive army of players swarmed in. As expected of players who managed to reach Thirdrema, they probably understood the level difference (though there was that wannabe Magic Swordsman who I highly doubt understood it, but that guy probably has Bakumatsu aptitude).
In other words, there weren't many players exhibiting the reckless courage to charge headlong into an endgame bullshit bastard like the Demon of Slaughter, who was over level 200.
But that guy was already in its (presumed) final form, having discarded the knight's outer shell it acquired by feeding on Orcelott-kun, completely degrading into a grotesque giant. The tentacles and "claws" from earlier had coiled around its body, fusing with its arms to become bloated, deadly weapons. Its full-body silhouette looked like... you know, that thing. It had an eerie, horrifying appearance, like one of those muscular sumo wrestler statues you see at temple gates with its muscles fully exposed.
However, it also looked just as exhausted as it did horrifying. In other words, the majority of the players were starting to feel like, "Hey, maybe we actually have a chance?"
"Push, pushhh! Don't complain even if you die! Anyone who gets hit is at fault!!"
While throwing out words of encouragement to the melee classes rushing in—wanting to land at least one hit without dying—I continued rolling the recovery gacha to heal my HP, which had dropped below 10% from using Reject.
Tch, is today just a shit RNG day? What's with an eight-loss streak... Come on, full HP recovery item!
.........
"Oraaah! Who cares about HP! As long as you're the last one standing, it doesn't make a damn difference whether you're at death's door or completely uninjured!!!"
Blending in with the archers, I continuously sniped the Demon of Slaughter with my sniper rifle while keeping up the recovery gacha. A fourteen-loss streak!?
"U-Um! Where do you get a gun!!?"
"This? Do you know about the Leviathan that appeared on the New Continent? You can get it on the First Layer over there! Though if you want stronger ones, you have to make it down to the Fifth Layer!!"
I found out later, but you aren't granted permission to use the firearms you can buy on the Leviathan's Fourth Layer outside the ship until you defeat the Fourth Layer boss. The Amberjack Pass apparently acts straight up as a license, so if I had struggled there, I might've been treated to some pretty funny faces from Rust and Yashirobird.
"But maybe you can get them over here too!!"
"U-Um! Can I ask a question too!? I want to be a production class, but is it possible to make something like those crazy-firepower gauntlets from earlier?!"
Wait, is this a Q&A corner now? Whatever, I can tell my lips are loose because I'm hyped up, and throwing out some decent spoilers translates into motivation for them, after all.
"That's a crafted weapon! But the materials required for it are pretty rare, so do your best! Also, it strictly requires a dedicated job, so you'd be well-advised to pick up Archaeologist too!!"
Well, they probably could craft the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets if they managed to survive a moderate amount of hell, since it's not like they're an Only-One item... Ah, but they do have the Bilac-brand seal of approval, so I guess they are technically Only-One.
The materials, though... Have they learned something new again? Lately, even if you cling to the cliffs to hide, those things have been wall-hunting by spraying venom from their tails, so you can't let your guard down...
It feels like they're going to come up with a countermeasure for the Inventoria Escape soon, so maybe I should start thinking up a new approach. What if I went in the opposite direction and woke up every single scorpion on the Crystal Nest Cliff to cause a massive traffic jam? No, if I did that, the Elder would probably wake up too... I seriously can't do anything against that guy solo; at the absolute minimum, I'd need a squad of Tactical Mechs capable of flight and aerial maneuvers.
"Finally, a successful heal..."
Seventeen consecutive failures means the RNG is way too rotten...
Or rather, isn't this actually amazing? Lately, my rolls have been extremely polarized—either I heal instantly several times in a row, or I fail endlessly... Is it just a coincidence?
"Hey, hey, what's with that satisfied look on your face! The battle isn't over until you defeat it! Did you forget how to fight along with how to put your clothes on, grandpa!?"
"Hey hag, you still have some prison time left to serve, so get back in your cell! Rooted in place for three seconds!!"
"Haaaah!? Did I just hear a word completely unrelated to this Perfect Body (Native Pronunciation)!? No way! Two seconds!!"
I move in one second.
Activating my skills, I tap my chest with my right fist while operating Inventoria with my left hand as I jump. The great thing about ShanFro is that skill and accessory activation frames can overlap. Even today, there are way too many trash games that cancel out your inputs if they overlap...
Just like that, by the time I reach directly above the Demon of Slaughter with my head pointed down... Hmm, I'm hovering about 5 meters above it, alright, perfect.
"It'll serve as a guillotine! Better stick your neck out, or this is going right through the top of your skull...!!"
I deploy Remember Death Without Parting. The very moment the demon, the greatsword, and I align in a perfectly straight vertical line counting up from the ground...!!
"If it's mid-air, I can fudge the recoil and use it as propulsion!"
Here goes, the main feature of the Supreme Horn Helmet 【Furious Crossbow】...! Magic loaded, glare-firing Cross-Mortar!!
"Slaaaaaaaaaaaauughteeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!!"
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiireeee!!!!"
The shockwave fired from the helmet's protrusion pushes the massive sword, slamming it down from the heavens to the earth.
And the tip of the blade falls as if being sucked right into the mouth of the demon that was looking up at me and roaring...!!
『The Demon of Slaughter has been subjugated.』
『The Sword of the Slaughterer will return to its original state.』
『Currently, the Sword of the Slaughterer is in a state with no owner.』
『Title 【Killing Intent Subjugation】 has been acquired.』
『The Karma Value of the players who participated in the battle will decrease.』
Zobu, the skewered demon vanished in a way that made me really not want to imagine what it felt like.
Then, the grave-marker sword and the sword of slaughter fell to the ground... The two silent blades indicated that this frenzy of slaughter had finally been brought to an end.
On this day, the Pioneers present at this scene faced their own killing intent by confronting the very incarnation of it. And we managed to overcome it... Surely, that must be more difficult than defeating any powerful foe.
Or so I tried to convince myself to wrap it up like a nice story as I got blown away by the recoil, slammed into a wall, and slid down it. But to me, all that happened was that I got forced into eating a massive bowl of unexpected side-quest weed salad... Bill it to Pencilgon, you idiot!!
Author's Afterword
Orcelott-kun, passing on peacefully without anyone knowing...!!
Leatherette-kun and Zanryu Engetsu-kun were secretly pushed in the back and killed by the demon. It was a tragic accident...
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