Chapter 186: Seafood Combination Kaisen-Oh!!!

Xenoblade 2 is way too fun...

A Lop-Ear she may be, but Emul's ears aren't just for show. They serve as excellent radar, guiding me toward Araba. We were nearly spotted by mermaids a few times, but we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario of stumbling into Araba while he had a train of monsters in tow.

Sunraku: "So, we've met up with Araba... but..."

Araba: "Ooh, Sunraku! You've awoken! Then I must beg your assistance!"

Ah, yeah. That's fine. I'll help. I'll help a ton. But the monster standing right in front of me is kind of hard to process... like, what the hell is this. It's a bit over two meters tall, but the shape is just bizarre.

Sunraku: "Uh, what the hell is this."

Emul: "It's most likely a Chimera, wa...!"

Sunraku: "Chimera?"

Chimera—you know, the ultra-hybrid monster mixing lions, goats, snakes, and whatever else. For a Japanese-style chimera, there's the nue. Isn't a cockatrice a chimera too? It gets messy, but generally, the common thread is "a single creature possessing traits of multiple creatures." They're pretty big-shot monsters in fantasy... but can you really certify that as a chimera?

Araba: "Damn it all, to use my beloved sword in such a manner...!"

Right arm: a sharp sword, seemingly from a marlin. Left arm: a rock—no, an oyster. An oyster shell affixed like a shield. Right leg: tentacles... the suction cups aren't arranged like an octopus's, so probably squid tentacles. Left leg: crustacean—the slender legs you see on crabs.

All these jumbled-together parts are connected to the torso by a semi-translucent gel. And in place of a head, thick coral grows from the top of the neck. In other words, how do I put this...

Sunraku: "Seafood Combination Kaisen-Oh...!"

Something about the whole thing looks like it'd be absolutely delicious grilled over a shichirin! Ah, but the crab legs might be better simply boiled than grilled. Well, it's in the same category as the rotting fish paste, so it's already rotten anyway. And that jiggly gel in the center, the semi-translucent thin things connected to the limbs like cords—it's hard to believe, but is this... a jellyfish? A jellyfish chimera got turned into humanoid form by Ctarnidd's power, so it ended up with that grotesque tokusatsu-robot-like appearance...?

Sunraku: "A jellyfish with squid legs, crab legs, a marlin horn, an oyster shell, and coral growing out of it...?"

Emul: "A Chimera can add what it eats to its own body, wa!"

Sunraku: "Ah, I see."

So last night's dinner gets directly reflected on its body. Absolutely zero privacy whatsoever. Actually, is this not even a chimera species, but treated as some kind of mutation? No, that's not important right now. The issue is why Araba is so furious—the state of the so-called beloved sword the Kaisen-Oh has absorbed.

Sunraku: "That positioning, dangling below the navel, between both thighs..."

Emul: "It's a peepee, wa—!?"

Sunraku: "Idiot, don't shout that at the top of your lungs, young lady!"

Araba: "My beloved sword is not a private part!!"

Behold, my Excalibur (crotch). If Pencilgon were here, she'd be howling with laughter... She does love her dirty jokes.

Sunraku: "Still, it's stuck in a seriously indecent spot... Ah, no, I'm talking about combat difficulty."

To yank that thing out, I'd have to stand right in front of it. If it were growing out of its ass, there'd be plenty of chances to pull it, but it's sticking out the front, you see...

Sunraku: "Just checking, but you're not planning to give up, right?"

Araba: "Of course not! I-I will never—never forgive such treatment! No, I refuse to forgive it!!"

Alright, then we've gotta put together a Kaisen-Oh subjugation plan. That said, the plan is extremely simple: beat the shit out of it!

Sunraku: "Alright, charge—!"

Emul: "Hai na—!"

Multifunctional it may be, but it's still a fishman. Its durability is about on par with mine, maybe less. The tentacle attacks and the right arm's Marlin Horn are threats to watch for, but it's not that fearsome an enemy!

Sunraku: "Die already—!"

I grip Duxram, Blade of Aspiration, in both hands and leap at the Kaisen-Oh. The blade cuts a straight line through the air and crashes against the Oyster Shield. The faint numbness in my hands telegraphs the shield's sturdiness. The return swing—the Marlin Sword—aims for my torso.

Sunraku: "Gh—!"

Emul: "Sunraku-san!?"

Shit, it grazed me. I thought I dodged, but my timing was off. Still, at level 99, even half-naked, I've got decent HP. Besides, in this game, how you hit and get hit matters more than just numbers. A scratch can be ignored.

Sunraku: "Emul, aim for the torso."

Emul: "[Magic Edge]!!"

A blade of magic slams into the Kaisen-Oh's torso, and it lets out a shriek. It's a weird, indescribable sound—no vocal cords, so is the creaking of its body just sounding like a voice?

Sunraku: "The main body really is the jellyfish in the center, huh... Charge up for power, leave the positioning and maneuvering to me!"

Emul: "Hai na!"

Sunraku: "Araba! You work too—I need a decoy!"

Araba: "Leave it to me!"

Ugly humanoid shape aside, it seems to have at least enough intelligence to swing the Marlin Sword and block with the Oyster Shield—par for a monster. And more concerning are the jellyfish tentacles running from its legs and torso into the limbs. Jellyfish monsters in any time or place have poison. If it were just regular poison, fine. But if it's paralysis poison... if it inflicts the status condition "Paralysis," it's game over. With my paper-thin defenses, getting movement-locked into a one-combo death is a real possibility.

Araba: "Guuh... A malformed creature granted shape by Ctarnidd's power—yet it dares to be so insolent!"

Not exactly a sword master. More like its instinctive biological reactions are forcibly boosted—the muscles in the arms are probably padded out by the jellyfish tentacles wrapped around them. That's how it can force its body to react in a pinch. But in the end, it's a trash mob. Maybe even a rare monster, but its movements are full of openings. I'd guess it can't spam those reflexive movements in succession.

Sunraku: "The neck... is just for show. So it really is the torso I should aim for... but that sword and shield are a pain in the ass."

Skills activated. I boost my stats and sprint. Even with that lingering knot—like someone's tugging my collar from behind—I close the distance to the Kaisen-Oh in an instant.

Sunraku: "I'm spinning, Emul. Hang on tight...!"

I deliberately attack toward its left side. Predictably, the Blade of Aspiration is deflected, but I made it use its auto-guard. Planting my forward right foot as the axis, I rotate my body left. Bending at the waist, I duck under the Oyster Shield on the Kaisen-Oh's left side and slip around to its back.

Sunraku: "Blegh, disgusting!"

It's wriggling everywhere! The tentacles! The tentacles! Being rotten makes it even worse!!

Sunraku: "Gonna need a wash later... but first, mincemeat!"

Activate Unbroken Lightdance. Three slashes per swing are added, and the effects of the skill and damage scatter wildly. The Kaisen-Oh tries to turn toward me, now behind it—but in the next instant, Araba's unarmed full-body swing punch, twisting with everything he's got, slams into its torso, freezing it. While the bastard's aggro is pinballing left and right, even as the skill effect ends, I keep piling on more attacks. Every slash rips through the rotting gel, splattering and sticking gooey gunk everywhere. Endure it, Emul. If you scream here, the whole thing goes to hell.

Sunraku: "Deceptively tough bastard..."

But still just a trash mob. Its attention is way too scattered. The biggest threat here isn't me or Araba—it's Emul, who's been cooking up a finishing blow.

Sunraku: "No matter how slow you are, even you won't eat that one... Emul, do it."

A full-bodied, high overhand strike with enough twisting force to almost break the rotting giant apart—a blow that could crush me and Emul if it landed. But if it doesn't hit, it's worse than a graze. There's no way this rotting fish paste has the delicate technique to course-correct a slashing attack. The Marlin Sword passes right by me—striking a victory pose with plenty of room to spare—and smashes into the ground. I stomp on the blade as it's being pulled free, and stare straight into whatever passes for the Kaisen-Oh's eyes. It's not like I've got some personal grudge against the thing. I just cleared the firing line.

Sunraku: "[Magic Edge]—!!"

An Add Spell chant—used before firing an attack spell to increase its power. The magically enlarged blade of force slams into the Kaisen-Oh's torso, the jellyfish part that seems to be its main body. The rotting gel is eaten away by the magic and penetrated. The gel-tentacles spread throughout its entire body writhe, its limbs lock up, and finally, the limbs tear away like they're rotting off, collapsing into a squelching heap. A filthy jelly wrap. Even Brits would steer clear of this.

Sunraku: "Your weapon?"

Araba: "Ooh! Ooh! It's safe, it's safe!"

Now that I've noticed, could it be that the part dangling from its crotch was being consumed starting from the grip? Meaning if we'd found it just a little later, we might've been dealing with a Kaisen-Oh that had the abilities of Araba's beloved sword...

Araba: "I shall never let go again! Ah, yes, I shall never repeat the same mistake...!"

Sunraku: "Isn't that a little too attached over just one weapon...?"

Take a look at my Duxram, Blade of Aspiration, here. It's been overworked to hell and back ever since it was just a little Marsh Dagger. Araba's blade—a single-edged sword, a katana, but its size makes it a tachi, as big as a greatsword—is a bit sticky. I mutter that thought as Araba looks ready to start rubbing his cheek against his own weapon. In response, he thrusts the tachi toward me as if to show it off, looking utterly satisfied.

Araba: "Ah, yes, I've been remiss in introductions. Sunraku, this is my partner, 'Daikaikyo'... and the Existents spirit Nereis dwelling within."

Nereis: "...Hello."

Emul: "Vweh?"

Something just came out of the sword!!

Chimera

A monster possessing the traits of multiple creatures. In the world of SLF, however, it's a biological mutation that occurs extremely rarely and cannot be strictly defined as a species. Thus, there are goblin chimeras and jellyfish chimeras alike. As Emul explained in the main story, it reflects the cellular information of its prey onto its own body through consumption. However, it cannot absorb or multiply parts other than "the organs originally possessed by the base monster forming the chimera." In other words, a shark chimera eating four sharks won't turn into Five-Head Jaws. In Kaisen-Oh's case, its base form, the "Reedoll Jellyfish," was a deeply disturbing creature that attached its own larvae to the tips of its tentacles and controlled them semi-automatically. Hence, a marlin head, an oyster shell, and other such things were growing from its tentacles (limbs).

What, does that ecology—"reflecting what it eats onto itself"—ring a bell?

...Among certain creatures, there exist monsters that have, at a species level, permanently acquired the traits of Chimeras—traits normally limited to a single generation and not passed down to offspring. The Crystal Scorpions are one such case.