Chapter 864: December 20th: The Way of the Warrior Lies at the Tip of the Blade
"This one's name is Setsugekka! Let us engage in a fair and honorable duel!!"
At the very least, that player isn't Sakura-Radish. After all, Sakura-Radish is currently lowering the hand he had awkwardly tried to raise. In other words, he's a random... a random, well, "Samurai-sama," I guess.........
『Ah, umm. Understood, just buy the right to challenge first, please.』
"Very well."
How should I say this, I know it's roleplay, but... since he is an entity that can only be described as a half-naked giant samurai with a massively muscular, exposed upper body and katanas at both hips, the terrifying phenomenon of me, a regular half-naked guy, being overshadowed is occurring.
I want to believe there is no nobility, baseness, high, or low in being half-naked, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm definitely losing in terms of sheer character intensity. Or rather, there's a certain sense of déjà vu about this character creation with excessively bulging muscles... Well whatever, it's not like it's going to end with just one or two people anyway. I'm sure I'll encounter eccentrics and weirdos as well.
For now, I signaled to DeepSlo with a wave of my hand that the amplification was no longer needed while operating the Inventoria. If I just leave this massive pile as is, there will definitely be guys trying to snatch it, and since I'm trying to gather a crowd, the "clean-up" requires a bit of flair.
"Hey Saina."
"Response: Contractor."
The Inventoria actually has various Extension Functions. Since I threw my weight around and conquered both the Leviathan and the Behemoth, I've installed a variety of add-ons. One of them is changing the effect when taking specific items out of the Inventoria into physical space.
If I wanted to, I could even make a pebble appear with a super divine effect, but... well, this time I did it properly and seriously.
Following a brief silence, cheers erupted at the appearance of Saina in a maid outfit, materializing alongside particles resembling blue flower petals. It seems that Saina herself, not just the Elma-type model, is quite popular; well, I purposefully brought her out thinking she'd make a good secondary crowd-drawing panda. I mean, if it was just collecting the items, I could do that myself... By the way, I wonder why Saina is so popular? It's totally because out-of-context clips of her are being reposted everywhere, hahaha. Idiots.
"Acknowledged: I promise you a highly intelligent storage operation."
"What the heck is an intelligent storage operation?"
"Explanation: An extremely efficient and rapid operation. The thing that realizes this is, yes... 'Intelligence'."
She's making such a smug face. Ever since installing the N-Patch, it feels like she's been harping on that 'intelligence' thing even more than before... Wasn't that originally supposed to stem from some kind of complex? Is it just a verbal tic?
That being said, the players present were incredibly hyped by the appearance of Saina, the self-proclaimed Intelligence from the heavily reposted videos. Although the reason they were taking screenshots from a distance was probably because the earth had swelled up to form an elliptical fence before anyone noticed... DeepSlo, if only her speech and conduct weren't like that... if only her speech and conduct... No really, even if she stays quiet, that idiot makes dirty-joke gestures.........
"Now then... Saina, up to the ship's deck. From here on out, this place is a battlefield."
"Acknowledged:"
Hmm, properly matching her speech and conduct to the maid outfit, I see. Then, glancing at the Meteor Iron Mirror and intentionally forcing a bird's-eye view to ensure it didn't pick up the audio, I added a quiet aside to Saina.
"Just do some appropriate fan service, wave your hand periodically... also, if anyone steps within a 1-meter radius without permission, you have permission to blast them out with firearms."
"Acknowledged: I shall annihilate them."
Because Saina is directly linked to the Inventoria, if I give her permission beforehand, she can use the equipment inside the Inventoria based on her own judgment. Therefore, cheers arose for Saina as she ascended to the deck using a flight unit deployed from the Inventoria... This popularity truly is like an idol; the idol otakus are probably rejoicing under the shade of the grass and leaves.
"Now then......... Sorry to keep you waiting, Setsugekka."
"I mind not......... However, before we cross blades, there is one thing I wish to ask."
"Hm?"
"I have heard that Kyougoku-dono resides in the clan to which you belong, but..."
"Ah, yeah, she does."
I hesitated over whether I should point out, 'Wait, I heard it's actually read as Kyou-Ultimate,' but since it was a pain, I just left it alone. Making it a confusing name that strictly requires ruby text is her fault; the blame lies with you, Kyougoku.
"I shall not deny this is calculating tanuki pelts before they are caught, but if this one should emerge victorious in this bout, I humbly request that you act as an intermediary for a match with her."
"Well, I don't mind if it's just an introduction, but..."
What's this about? She's a PKer, so is this a grudge? That being said, I don't sense any aura of a grudge from Setsugekka, the muscular samurai standing before me. If anything, it feels more like he purely desires to fight as a martial artist, or something like that.
I had completely assumed he was the type to stick to his roleplay even in casual (in-game) conversation, just like Imron... but maybe he's an actual martial artist. No, that can't be it, he's way too muscular. That avatar is like 2 meters tall.
"I'll have you say that kind of thing after you actually win."
"Understood... then I shall simply demonstrate my prowess with these twin blades!!"
Swish. The way he smoothly drew his twin blades with practiced hands made him seem quite experienced. That being said, since the Blue Chalice exists, just because an appearance and voice match doesn't mean the person inside is actually that gender. Plus, with the motion assist, trying to discern the person inside based on appearance or behavior is nonsense in many ways... well, whatever. As long as he stands here, he is merely Challenger No. 1, and the very first of the countless losers I will pile up from here on out.
"Batsuten! Hanamaru! Here I come!!"
They clearly don't look like "throwaway" weapons, but at the very least, there is no doubt he drew his blades knowing full well what was at stake.
I'm even slightly suspicious that maybe he's actually one of Pencilgon's lackeys because he's taking this way too seriously, but he doesn't seem to be acting like it, and Sakura-Radish didn't seem to know him either, so I guess he really is just a random muscular samurai.
"Whoa, hold on, hold on, the field isn't ready yet."
"Mmph."
I shot a glance at Deep Slaughter. Personality aside, depending on how things go, the one bearing the heaviest burden in this Infinite Kumite might actually be that bastard rather than me who's actually fighting.
"Then let's begiiiiin......... 【Ceremonial Duel Barrier】."
The "One-on-One Specialized Barrier" activated by Deep Slaughter deployed in a dome shape, using the elliptical fence as its border. Because of this, interference from outside the barrier became impossible, and conversely, attacks from the inside would not be unleashed outside. According to her, "It can't be interfered with in either direction, and since the capacity is two people, it's pretty low-cost for its effect," but since I'll be having her recast it for every single kumite match......... I feel a terrible chill, as if the "favors owed" counter is spinning at terrifying speeds. The person in question said, "One favor for a day's labor is fineeee," but somehow......... I can't shake the feeling that I just made a deal with the devil.
"No, focus, focus on what's in front of me......... Now then, Setsugekka, with this, there will be no interruptions to this kumite. If you're going to surrender, you shouldn't hesitate."
"......What?"
"Oh, come to think of it, I hadn't mentioned it. My current self is............ the most specialized in PvP I have ever been."
I smiled widely and operated the Inventoria. Now then......... if I'm going to do this, I'm going all out and making it flashy.
Author's Afterword
・Setsugekka
A random muscular samurai. It's generally said that forty percent of muscular macho players are Massive Dynamite followers, and Setsugekka is among that forty percent.
Originally played a female samurai character, but was a tough individual who, deeply impressed by Massive Dynamite, sought to become macho and challenged Ruluiath.
Without hesitation, he chose the Blue Chalice and obtained a macho body......... His friends were left speechless the first time they saw it.
What, his original gender? The fact that he has a deep, resonant voice that perfectly matches his physical body means exactly what you think it means. Setsugekka-san. [*1]
By the way, his speech patterns, other than his first-person pronoun, are mostly his own.
Translator's Notes
- [1] Setsugekka: The afterword reveals Setsugekka's name in kanji as 雪月花 ("snow, moon, flowers"), a classical Japanese aesthetic term for seasonal beauty in poetry.
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