Chapter 325: Sing of Love
Looking back on it now, surviving that day in that place without dying to poison slip damage held huge meaning. If I hadn't run into Lycagon back then, if the items from mining had been just a little different, the Sunraku I am now surely wouldn't exist. That's exactly why I remember the name and face of the player "Reiji" who told me where the inn was that day, and "Mia" who was next to him.
I never expected to run into them in a place like this, so I couldn't help blurting out a question, but Ms. Mia just scooped up her chestnut-furred dog and bolted at a speed my eyes couldn't track.
Sunraku: "What's the matter, you look like you've seen a ghost…"
No, I guess if a mourning dress in Overflow state drops on you from above, anyone would freak out. Actually, that's straight-up horror. Man, now I feel bad… I wanted to ask about Reiji-san and stuff. That said, I'm grinding right now. Even as I hallucinate the sound of my Vorpal Soul getting shaved away bit by bit, I'm steadily closing in on the conditions.
Sunraku: "I gotta revise my assessment. Didn't think it'd get this busted once the conditions lined up."
The more lives you take, the more you heal and buff yourself. This thing's got performance that's practically mandatory for solo slaughtering. Who'd have thought the armor dropped by the punishment monster that shows up at the end of a slaughter would be this perfectly matched TO slaughtering.
Now then, I think it's about time for one to show up… I've pretty much mowed down every trash mob in the area. I stopped counting after 200, but I've hunted a ton of monsters, and factoring in the other players in this area, it should be spawning soon… No, wait. If there are other players around, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll spawn right in front of me?
Sunraku: "Tch… don't tell me the event's gonna trigger on someone else while I'm the one who caused it…!!"
Found it! As for the player who got their head lopped off, I'm not gonna say I feel zero guilt, but forgive me. Well, that's just RNG for you.
Sunraku: "Hello. Sorry to jump right in, but do you have any idea where your husband is…?"
Whoops, is that motion an instant-death move? Don't fuck with me, you piece of shit.
Sunraku: "Tch… [Magic Torch]!"
I'm practically certain at this point—this spell… is super critical. Easy to get tricked by the game system, but this game actually has a "darkness" mechanic. If you hide in shadow, even your stealth gets lit up. The act of illuminating with a light seems useless at first glance, but it can be more useful than stacking ten buffs. Like right now!!
I activated the magical torchlight via a disposable Magic Scroll. Looking at the shadows of me and True Quiet lit up by it, there's that bastard's shadow, right about to grab mine. But I can use that property in reverse—the light generated above my head is linked to my head's movement. In other words, with the right moves, I can even control my shadow…!
Sunraku: "Too bad for you, I've already fully optimized my movements against you. I'm not letting you live, but I'm not killing you either… Call him. Your husband…!"
Bloodlust!
Or more precisely, the Magic Torch swayed in sync with an unnatural body movement, so I caught on that something was coming from behind… Hey, long time no see, General Dullahan! I've set the stage for you. Now, what happens? As I figured—or rather, of course—their face-off seems to be the flag that advances the event. The headless cavalry general, who'd been directing clear hostility my way when he spawned, and True Quiet face each other in silence.
Unidentified Speaker: "..."
In this scene, I'm a mob. While the punishment monster and the rare monster face off, I quietly put distance between us so as not to draw aggro and observe. The first to move was True Quiet. It banished that terrifying scythe like a magic trick, and with a motion so weak you'd never believe it was the same monster that mechanically dispenses punishment to players… like a fragile, delicate lady, it reached a hand toward General Dullahan.
Go…! Go…! If your love romance doesn't progress, my Unique won't either…! But what stopped the hand True Quiet reached out was… a sword.
Unidentified Speaker: "...!!"
Unidentified Speaker: "...!?"
With a roar, the flamberge swung, tearing through the air as if rejecting the hand True Quiet reached out. Of course, that thing's a punishment monster with super-bullshit resistance that nullifies all attacks. Doesn't change even if the target's a mob—no matter how much General Dullahan puts his all into an attack, it'll never deal damage to True Quiet.
Unidentified Speaker: "..., ..."
But the fact that its hand was refused seems to have dealt enough mental damage to make even that terrifying True Quiet flinch. There's no actual damage. Yet True Quiet, full of lingering attachment, reaches out again and again… and each time, pulls its hand back from the damage-less attack.
General Dullahan, too, keeps launching his ineffective attacks without stopping. The reason he'd go so far to keep swinging his weapon can be vaguely gleaned from the flavor text of the predecessor to the Flame General's Executioner Sword… General Dullahan's Execution Sword.
According to the sword's flavor text, "A husk that forgot even memories, pride, and love, and lost even its own head. That is precisely why the left-behind body targets the heads not only of the living, but of the dead as well." In short, the current General Dullahan has lost his past memories—or something—for some reason. No, more likely, he's lost everything fundamental to being a person.
Sunraku: "Which means, what the player's gotta do is… restore General Dullahan's memories?"
At the very least, it's probably impossible for General Dullahan to land an effective hit on True Quiet from his side. No time limit, I figured… No, wait. Hey, you damn True Quiet, why are you pulling out the scythe you just vanished!?
Sunraku: "Shit, the time limit is on True Quiet's side...!"
Where is it, where's the flag to advance the event!? Think, think… Advance to the next step? No, the word for this situation isn't "advance." It's "collect." Collect the missing pieces. If that's the case, there's only one missing piece, isn't there!
Sunraku: "Where is it, General Dullahan's head!?"
It's a cliché development. Anyone watching could predict the ending. The moment True Quiet swings its scythe, General Dullahan will meet his second death. True Quiet, having brought about a second parting with its own hands, will wail and scream… Oh, it's a tragedy so paint-by-numbers I'd toss a coin at it.
Sunraku: "So I've gotta find the head of that DV (no-damage) husband before his demon wife loses it…? If this has to be found ahead of time, it's an impossible game…"
Shit, whatever the case, I've gotta move or nothing's gonna happen… Hm?
· A female ghost peering at me with a nasty grin from behind a rock. · The female ghost is clutching something like a ball. · If I'm not seeing things, it looks like a helmet… · Oh, what a coincidence. The design matches General Dullahan's armor.
Sunraku: "Found it, found it, FOOOOUND IIIIT!!"
Evil Princess Spirit of the Fallen Kingdom: "—!?"
You bitch! Judging by that outfit, you're the First Princess of the Fallen Kingdom who had an unrequited crush on the Black Knight, aren't you! Don't go clinging to his head with all that lingering attachment!!
Sunraku: "Ghost-type monster… attack methods… no, the Unique spawn conditions, event progression… So that's it!"
Come forth, Noble Cysilence! I don't know how many hundreds of years it's been, but it's time for a rematch!! Activate skill—Levin Trigger: Hazard's effect is still going. Send 'em to their death!
Evil Princess Spirit of the Fallen Kingdom: "—!"
In an instant, the ghost woman waves her hand, and a phantasmal soldier appears before my eyes. It throws itself into the scythe's arc as a meat shield and vanishes, mowed down by the jet-black scythe. Then, one after another—soldiers, mages, commoners, and… the ghost of a fat king who doesn't look too bright.
Haaan, so that's what this is. Not a boss rush, but a trash-mob rush… Bring it on, dammit!
Sunraku: "All of you, go die all over again!!"
The demon wife's about to blow her top! Quit sprinting like a damn football player, you shitty princess!!