Chapter 817: December 17th: Blazing Beat Up Part 4
The thought processes of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings are highly mechanical, far removed from anything biological, and fundamentally operate for the sake of its macro-level objectives.
The primary objectives of the Red Kin are "energy generation," the destruction of the "giant structural 'foreign object'," and "self-preservation"......... these three. Therefore, no matter how much water or ice was poured onto it, it only conflicted with its "self-preservation" but remained nothing more than that......... up until this moment.
The thought processes of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings are highly mechanical, far removed from anything biological, however, that doesn't mean it will martyr itself to its primary objectives no matter what happens. For instance, say, if it determines that the cause interfering with its energy preservation......... is an obstacle interfering with its primary objectives.
The Smoldering Great Crimson Wings will not hesitate to exercise its authority against those fruit-fly-like nuisances under the pretext of "obstacle elimination."
Because it lacks the emotion of hesitation in the first place.
Second Form "Heat-Usurping Chrysalis Armor"......... that is nothing more than one facet of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings.
The scorching "Red" that had only been "looking" at its primary objectives now glares at its enemies.
◇
"Vororoooooooooooooooom"
<<Tch! Everyone, pay attention!! Something's wrong!!>>
He was the first to raise his voice, but almost everyone present realized it nearly simultaneously.
<<A system interference-type......!>>
<<Ohhh man, I've got a chill running down my spine.........>>
<<Uwaaah! I seriously can't handle things like that, geeeez!!>>
<<We're all being marked!!>>
While distinguishing the reactions coming through the intercom, OiKatzo returned his gaze to the things staring at him.
Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes.
If someone were to count, there were exactly as many eyeballs made of deployed flame as there were players present, directing their gazes as if corresponding one-to-one with each person. The players struck by those gazes felt a "chill" run down their spines—not an instinctual one, but one artificially applied by the game system—as the fiercely, glaringly blazing eyeballs of flame, burning completely unabated despite the rain, repeatedly expanded and contracted a differently colored inner flame...... a "pupil", as if trying to bring them into focus.
"This is bad......... Everyone, defend or evade! The Smoldering Great Crimson Wings shoots beams from its 'eyes'!!"
What flashed through OiKatzo's mind was that single strike unleashed right at the start of the Kingdom Turmoil a strike that could have burned Thirdrema to the ground. Information brought back by a player who happened to be in this area at the time stated that the attack was fired from a giant eye-pattern that surfaced on its wings.
It was a laser fired from flames visible all the way from Thirdrema; it must have been a massive "eye" proportionate to its fully spread wings. If so, the eyeballs surfacing right now surely shouldn't pack the same level of firepower as that opening strike.........
"Downsizing and mass-producing them............ At worst, they might even home in! That's way more of a pain than massive firepower......!!"
"Boooooooodddddddddddddooooooooooooooooo.........!!"
Guba! The moment the pupils of the fiery eyeballs dilated to their absolute maximum, the scorching heat formed as spheres illuminated the space shadowed by dark clouds like the sun itself. Since there were as many of them as there were players, when they all emitted their radiance at once, it was practically equivalent to a flashbang.
And the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings, having mobilized for "enemy elimination," wasn't naive enough to let it end as a mere blinder.
<<Guaah!?>>
<<I heard someone die behind me!!>>
<<Squad C is all safe! But our shields melted into slag!! You gotta be kidding me, total durability loss in three hits!?>>
<<Squad B! Sorry, two of us are dead!! I'm blowing two revival items right here!!>>
"This is Squad A, we're all technically alive......... Suspend the attack for now! Top priority is regrouping!!"
His right arm was numb......... Pouring a recovery potion directly over his right arm, which had been charred so black from failing to evade completely that he thought it might already be too late to save, OiKatzo shifted his gaze to the remaining two members of Squad A.
Pepper, who had chosen to evade just like OiKatzo, seemed to have taken the attack from her left knee down, and was similarly grimacing while healing. Eternal Zero appeared to have chosen to defend, but judging by his gauntlet-like weapon that had melted into a slushy mess...... his "Battle Fists," he clearly hadn't escaped unscathed either.
"Eternal Zero-san, can you move that arm?"
"My bad, even if I can operate the inventory, splashing it on my arm looks tough...... I'll pay you back later, so could you use a recovery item on me?"
"Roger that. How much HP did you lose?"
"About twenty percent, having hardened my guard with heat-resistance-specialized Battle Fists."
OiKatzo, who had heard Eternal Zero's stats beforehand, noted the difference between himself, who had nearly fifty percent of his HP shaved off, and Eternal Zero, who only lost twenty percent, even after factoring in the difference in VIT...... Integrating all this information, he formed a hypothesis.
"Squad C! Tank, how much HP did you lose!?"
<<About ten percent! Though my stamina got completely gouged out!!>>
"Let me guess, the other two were standing behind the tank and took zero damage?"
<<How did you know?>>
When he directed his gaze over there, he met the puzzled expression of Exploding Green Peas, who was aiming a rifle at the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings from behind the tank pulling out their next shield from their inventory.
"This is just a hypothesis, but I'm sharing it! That last attack—we couldn't see it because of the flash, but the moment those eyes detonated, it's likely an attack that hits any target within a certain range...... anything that entered its 'field of vision' with a laser!!"
OiKatzo's deduction was, in fact, infinitely close to the correct answer.
Smoldering Great Crimson Wings Second Form...... Reverse Side "Multi-Faced Deployment Scorching Eye Photograph". In contrast to the "Heat-Usurping Chrysalis Armor" which served as its defense by robbing the surrounding heat, this was an offensive form that inflicted multi-hit damage via "Flash Heat" upon the area the scorching eyeballs visually captured the moment they detonated.
The reason only OiKatzo's right arm and Pepper Cardamom's left leg took damage was because those were the only parts that hadn't completely escaped the flash-heat photographing radius. The reason Squad C and Eternal Zero, who protected themselves with a greatshield and Battle Fists, got away with minor damage was because the scorching eyeballs determined their range through a two-dimensional perception—much like a camera taking a photograph—meaning they successfully hid their main bodies from the eyeballs' "field of vision."
The true nature of this attack was not a laser or anything of the sort, but an instant-death enchantment applied to whatever was visible within the scorching eyeballs' field of vision.
"What a messed-up deadly photoshoot......!"
The pouring torrential rain had certainly placed restrictions on the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings' movements. But what of it?
The Red Kin that serves as the god's energy source; the butterfly representing the Red, chosen by the White Genesis Beast—the ultimate "swarm" that had absorbed countless lives—there was no way it would be stopped by something of that level.
Preceding even the Divine Age, the strongest "Power" that lived in the Genesis era clearly bared its fangs at the Pioneers living in the present.
Author's Afterword
Second Form Reverse Side "Multi-Faced Deployment Scorching Eye Photograph"
Smile, smile...... Say fry! You die. [*1]
If you are within its field of vision the moment the scorching eyeballs flash, Enchant: Overdose is applied to that body part.
Energy far exceeding the flesh's capacity is excessively injected purely into the parts visually recognized by the scorching eyeballs and naturally, unable to withstand the overwhelming power, the cells overheat and undergo necrosis.
The attack itself only possesses two-dimensional perception from the scorching eyeballs...... In short, because it can only designate targets based on a photograph-like perception, it can be evaded by hiding your body behind something other than what you are wearing. Essentially, defending with armor or accessories is meaningless, but if you hide your body behind obstacles or weapons, the enchantment target shifts to them, leaving your main body safe. This is because clothes and cloaks are recognized as the "main body" by the scorching eyeballs.
While the Front Side "Heat-Usurping Chrysalis Armor" is a defensive form specialized in self-preservation, this one is an offensive form that could be summed up as, 'I've figured out the enemy's details, so I'm burning them to death." Naturally, they cannot coexist, so while using this, the main body of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings is left exposed to the torrential rain.
By the way, there are no restrictions on where these eyeballs can spawn. Therefore, even if you seal the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings completely inside some sort of wall, they will just spawn on the outside. Also, it simply blinds you with light, so it's incredibly annoying.
Well then everyone, do your best at this deadly game of hide-and-seek where being found guarantees you turn into a charred corpse!
Volume 5 of the manga adaptation of Shangri-La Frontier is currently on sale.
Everyone, thank you very much for your continuous support.
Translator's Notes
- [1]: Originally it's 灰、チーズ！(Hai, chiizu!) meaning Ash cheese!
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