Chapter 263: For That Tongue Knows Only Taunts
Grato-usual-s: "It's Gratos! It's Gratos!"
Ohh, do you know it, self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay? In games and stories, the one who strikes first is fated to lose. The primal concept of good versus evil is the best proof. Sadly, no matter how much you preach the wonders of peace, if the villain doesn't rampage first, the hero can never shine.
Goldhuneenay: "A newborn me. Ah, you shake me so. Disgusting, it's very disgusting."
Self-Proclaimed Goldhuneenay: "Kill! Die! Diiie!"
Goldhuneenay: "My dear children, won't you break this me for me, won't you kill this me for me... So that I can never become this me again."
The self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay's exploding twin poison-fluid swords regenerate. But faster than they can be slammed down, the four dragon snakes move, swarming the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay.
The first dragon snake bites off the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay's right arm.
The second dragon snake latches onto the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay's left arm, chewing it off and slamming it into the ground.
The third dragon snake sinks its fangs into the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay's waist and tears the flesh away.
The fourth dragon snake clamps its jaws onto the leg of the already-dying self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay, and as if presenting the spoils of a hunt to its master, tosses the battered, broken self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay before the pure-white girl.
This is no longer even a fight. An execution? A beatdown? No, it's even worse. It's like a pro boxer putting on brass knuckles to punch an elementary schooler. The strong forcing violence upon the weak, not even permitting a counterattack... Ah, that's right. This is a punching bag.
Sunraku: "………"
Honestly, considering the clear conditions of the Unique Scenario, the correct move is probably to just stay out of this. The curse eating away at the Vorpal Bunnies belongs to the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay. If she's defeated, they can go home and see their families. I'll earn more favor with Vash and Aydward, and since I've already collected the component crystal of the "curse," the moment I confirm the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay has been finished off, I'm free to run, or even to just go on a suicide rush.
But no. That's just... wrong. And no one else—I think so.
Yeah, that's right. It's not some main-character sense of justice or anything. But, y'know, say I'm in the middle of a one-on-one game. If someone suddenly jumps in from the side, steals the controls from me, and goes on an unstoppable rampage...
Even if they say, "Pretty amazing, right?" all I can do is swing at them and yell, "Stay out of it, dumbass."
Goldhuneenay: "Oh my? What do you think you're doing?"
Sunraku: "That's my damn line. Who the hell do you think you are, butting in out of nowhere, you little shit...?"
Goldhuneenay: "Fufufu, to not cower in terror at the sight of this me... you're quite the brave piece of human garbage."
Compared to the rush of a dragon snake, the footstep of Goldhuneenay the Inexhaustible is far too light. But even if there's no physical damage, that stomp breaks the spirit.
Sunraku: "It's not about her getting the crap beaten out of her having some deeper meaning. Either way, it's just a difference of whether I do it or you do it."
At those words, the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay's burning gaze pierces me—but isn't that obvious? Unless you can land hits while ignoring coordinates, you can't draw out my true strength.
Sunraku: "What I've got a complaint about is you swiping someone's prey from the side and acting all high and mighty! I'll screenshot this and put you on blast, damn it."
Goldhuneenay: "Screenshot...? Ufufufufu. That's just a little amusing. What will be on blast is your corpse, yes?"
Flick!
Sunraku: "…………"
Goldhuneenay: "…………"
No, I mean... right? While we've been talking, I've been executing a tactical plan to slowly close the distance by getting closer as we chat. But, uh, the conversation kind of... blossomed? More than I expected... and, well, I'm already right in front of her.
Sunraku: "Uh, here goes..."
I snap a full-body shot and a bust-up screenshot for good measure. I confirm that Goldhuneenay the Inexhaustible's expression—eyes wide, blankly touching her forehead—has been saved, and deliver what must be my umpteenth update in taunting this year.
Sunraku: "Lucky you. If I'd been serious, you'd be dead thirty times over by now."
Well, I mean, she probably has stupid-high durability in inverse proportion to her looks, so it's impossible anyway. But I'm starting to think maybe all "Goldhuneenay"-type monsters have a taunt resistance of basically zero.
Her expression falls away, utterly flat. The pure-white girl's lips curl upward, but it doesn't look like a smile at all. It just makes the shape of one—that description fits perfectly... That kind of face. Goldhuneenay, completely mocked, quietly says just one thing.
Goldhuneenay: "Disgusting."
Sunraku: "I'm super amused, though."
Tap, tap. I press the amber against my chest while piling on even more taunts...
Goldhuneenay: "Ki—"
CRUNCH!!
The starting signal was the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay getting her head stomped through as a substitute for a blank round—wait, hey! Self-proclaimed Goldhuneenayyyyy!!
Goldhuneenay: "Kill him. Leave no trace... Make it brutal!"
Sunraku: "Uwooooh, like hell I'm dying heeere!!"
After all that taunting, the self-proclaimed Goldhuneenay got dragged in and killed anyway! If I go down that easily, it'll be a black mark on my history forever! I'm absolutely surviving thiiis!!
The clock rewinds about ten minutes.
The era where wars were decided by the number of human resources ended long ago. With the development of AI and the improved precision of remote control, the strength of a military force these days is simply the financial power to produce more equipment. A direct slugfest of money...
But Shangri-La Frontier's era setting is medieval, meaning the advantage in war is determined by human resources. And that applies even to battles not fought between humans. The clash between the Vorpal Bunnies and the spawn of Goldhuneenay had fallen into a certain kind of deadlock.
Akitsu Akane: "Eiii!"
Skills don't matter. A full-power swing, relying purely on brute strength and skill, brings the utterly wicked scythe down, carving a fatal wound into the neck of a giant serpent.
Akitsu Akane: "This is... um, that bad situation, right?!"
Ceecrue: "Honestly, the elder brother is far too reckless, de gozaru... Hah!"
Goldhuneenay's spawn—giant serpents—are scattered everywhere. There isn't even time to pick up their dropped items. Akitsu Akane runs through the chaos, amidst Vorpal Bunnies and giant serpents locked in battle on all sides.
Akitsu Akane: "Ugh, this is so hard to use..."
Ceecrue: "It cannot be helped, as it is a weapon you are unaccustomed to. However, the attrition of weapons is a serious matter, Akitsu Akane-dono, de gozaru!"
Exterminate the serpents, push the front line forward, seal the holes. Easier said than done. Dealing with the endlessly spawning serpents, lighting up the secured tunnel, and protecting the rear units who seal the holes—repeating this cycle endlessly is surprisingly exhausting.
Akitsu Akane: "It's exactly like a shuttle run! But since the other participants are allies, not rivals, it's reassuring!"
The tip of the scythe slams into a giant serpent like a pickaxe smashing rock, and with the mildness of a game effect, it shatters to pieces. Even with that, the sight of a fox-masked girl slamming a scythe into serpents is still pretty horrific. But to the Vorpal Bunnies, who could be swallowed whole by a serpent with one wrong move, she's nothing short of a goddess of salvation.
Akitsu Akane: "Aah, it's about to break again!"
Ceecrue: "While it is unavoidable, Akitsu Akane-dono's handling of the scythe is far too rough, de gozaru! It is not a hoe or a plow, de gozaru—?!"
Akitsu Akane: "Ugh, even if you say that..."
The troublesome thing about Goldhuneenay's spawn isn't just their sheer numbers. Among the serpents that Akitsu Akane—or rather, any level 99 player—could defeat in a single hit, there's occasionally one enemy that can take a max-level player to near-death in one blow. Other times, a swarm of powerful serpents inexplicably contains one that's pitifully weak. Their strength varies wildly from individual to individual.
You never know where a strong one will come from, and conversely, sometimes the strong ones are all clustered together. It's not uncommon to think you've easily taken one down, only to be spectacularly blown away by the next one. Akitsu Akane has had several close calls, but she's endured thanks to the stats she gained through all those fierce battles.
Akitsu Akane: "Ugh... I'd like a little break..."
Psyger-0: "...Then, I'll... take over."
Akitsu Akane: "Huh?"
A thunderous roar rings out. A hammer is driven square into the face of a giant serpent just about to sink its fangs into Akitsu Akane. The impact travels from the serpent's face through its bones, shuddering through its entire body, and into that recoiling form, a flurry of sledgehammer blows is mercilessly slammed.
Psyger-0: "I made it... in time. I'm glad."
Ceecrue: "Muh, you are... Psyger-0-dono?! Why are you here...?"
Exis: "Heh-heehn! Saw that, Ceec-nii! The armored person I brought along's real strong, ain't she—!"
An armored knight hoists the lethal great hammer, Vorpal Sledge, gripped in a hand of unwavering strength. At her feet, a rabbit riding a boar puffs up with pride.
Akitsu Akane: "Psyger-0-san!"
Psyger-0: "H-Hello... um, where is... Sunraku... -san?"
Akitsu Akane: "He's fighting up ahead!"
Psyger-0: "Then..."
During Rabituza Defensive, a knight stands before the endless surge of giant serpents. The player who holds the highest power in this game speaks just one thing.
Psyger-0: "Let's... sweep them away."
She declared it.