Chapter 446: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part Twenty-Three
[Author's Note: Hello. As of this occasion, I have become Titan Katarina.]
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Oikatzo: "Ohhh. MvM really does look spectacular—especially when it’s dragon versus dragon."
Pencilgon: "More importantly, Sunraku, a member of your family just got defeated."
Sunraku: "N-Nii-saaaan!!"
Mold: "Pff... H-hehehe... Wait, forgive me, have mercy..."
Oikatzo: "Amazing. Mold’s begging the very emotion of laughter itself for forgiveness."
Saina: "...Um, Akitsu Akane-san and the others also appear to be falling."
They would probably be fine.
Akitsu Akane had raised her Magic instead of her Luck, but her stat build was similar to mine. In that case, she had probably learned Hermes Boot or a similar Skill.
Even if she threw herself into open air, Rust would catch her.
Saina: "Confirmation: Individual Name Rust has secured Individual Name Akitsu Akane."
For now, those two were safe.
Which meant the problem was—
When I looked up, black and gold were falling toward the ground as one tangled mass.
Black had its jaws clamped around gold’s throat. Gold had wrapped its arms around black’s neck. Each held onto the other to ensure neither could escape as they plunged straight toward the ground.
And then—
Sunraku: "Whoa. That was one hell of a sound."
Oikatzo: "That sounded disturbingly real..."
Pencilgon: "It sounded like someone mixed a great big splat with a horrible crunch..."
A game of chicken where neither side hit the brakes was basically a double suicide.
Noirlind and Siegwurm struck the ground without slowing down, their gigantic bodies bouncing before finally settling after the second impact.
We watched from a distance, but we could not stand around spectating forever.
Sunraku: "Hey, mastermind. What are our next orders?"
Pencilgon: "We’re completely improvising now, but let’s move forward with the spirit of rolling up the script and beating someone with it! Let’s beat the hell out of Siegwurm!!"
Oikatzo: "I see. Simple and easy to understand."
Pencilgon: "Besides, we might need Kyogoku-chan to start moving soon... Hmm, I guess we’ll split up! I’ll interfere with the anti-Noirlind faction. Katzo-kun, rope in someone around there and go pick a fight with Siegwurm..."
Sunraku: "What about me?"
Pencilgon: "Go do something about that exhausted mode of yours."
Sunraku: "So death—Refresh—is the answer after all...?"
It felt like a waste to throw away R.I.P.’s buffs...
But having my stamina gauge and hunger permanently fixed at ten percent was far too brutal. Even standing still made me feel like I was about to die.
Sunraku: "Now that we’re within Siegwurm’s gravitational sphere, I should probably die in a reasonably cool way..."
Oikatzo: "You’re carefully selecting your cause of death?"
Sunraku: "Do you truly believe such a commoner’s death could ever satisfy me, zamasu-desuwa-zo-dae?"
Pencilgon: "Should I bring you a guillotine?"
Sure. Bring one if you actually can.
But never mind that.
Hmm...
Hmmmmmm...
Hmmmmmmmmmmm...
All right.
Akitsu Akane: "Th-thank you for saving me..."
Rust: "...That was fairly close."
Sunraku: "Oh, perfect timing. Rust, could you carry me up into the sky for a moment?"
Rust: "...Ugh."
Come on, don’t make it sound like such a hassle. Just get it over with, okay?
Right, take me high enough that falling would definitely kill me...
Rust: "...Where should I drop you?"
Sunraku: "I considered Siegwurm, but charging him without any chance of winning might earn me a penalty. Drop me toward Bryleinyego."
Rust: "Down you go."
Hey, don’t let go without warning.
I was plummeting headfirst, but naturally, I was not going to do anything as uninspired as merely falling onto Bryleinyego.
Sunraku: "My stamina may be garbage, but I can still plant a single step...!!"
Bradion, activate!
A step planted upon the sky—
A step that accelerated me!
My body had been gaining speed gradually, but it instantly reached maximum velocity.
The ground and that white body closed in within moments.
While recovering stamina in midair, I curled my body and adjusted my posture...
Now I would show them the evolved flying kick I had forged by repeatedly diving from the enormous bodies of Fortress Gargantula and Treynor Centipede Gustaf!!
Sunraku: "Meteor Fall, reborn as... a Triple-digit Skill!!"
Bryleinyego: "—Wha—"
I pressed both legs tightly together, bent them, and thrust my knees forward.
A double-knee impact where missing meant instant death—
Twin Impact!!
Sunraku: "Die together with me!!"
Bryleinyego: "Hogboah?!"
Its name was Grauzero Smite—a blast-center knee strike!
Its drawback could not be ignored: striking anything other than an enemy inflicted massive recoil damage upon the user.
But as long as the attack connected, it produced physical-impact damage across a wide area.
Bryleinyego had been leaning backward in the wind-up for what looked like a breath attack.
My knees buried themselves in the side of its face.
Before I had any time to savor the satisfying sensation of a critical hit, the recoil from the impact sent my body flying away.
Yeah.
That made sense.
My HP had already been at one this entire time.
Besides, Bradion still had four accelerated steps remaining...
Sunraku: "Hm."
My feet stamped against the ground.
The force surging straight upward from beneath me launched my body like a rocket.
Having completely lost control, I flew through the air while spinning rather violently.
Sunraku: "Nuaaaaaaaaaaaaah... Aaaaaaaaaaah?!"
GOIIN!!
An impact struck the top of my head.
I crashed upside down as though I had been driven headfirst into the ground, and a curtain of silence descended over everyone near Ground Zero—the point of impact.
Wait.
That was Siegwurm.
Sunraku: "...Cut this part."
Siegwurm: "By ordinary human standards, is exposing one’s undergarments considered acceptable?"
Sunraku: "Huh? Oh, right. Eek, how embarrassing."
I never expected a Unique Monster to lecture me about morality.
Since I was completely upside down, I died with my drawers on full display.
After I respawned, I had a “VIT greatly reduced for a limited time” debuff.
Was the game telling me to put on some clothes?
Unfortunately, my VIT was garbage to begin with.
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Pencilgon: "Sunraku-kun, it’s unfair how you always turn yourself into the punchline."
Oikatzo: "The path he flew along looked like the letter ‘h’... A lowercase one."
At the very least, there had been nothing ordinary about the way he died.
Whether it had happened in precisely the way he wanted was another question, but he had probably achieved his original objective.
Pencilgon: "All right. Noirlind falling down here too is a little inconvenient, but this is where the real battle begins, everyone. Are you prepared?"
Oikatzo: "A little late to ask that."
Pencilgon: "There’s nothing wrong with reconfirming. Emul-chan, are you all right too? Sunraku-kun just went out rather spectacularly."
Emul: "It was still better than being used as a cannonball by a spider or dying after getting caught between a centipede’s joints, wa! Besides, I can fight even by myself now, wa!"
Pencilgon: "I’d really like to know where you fought monsters like those... Well, never mind. Saina-chan got pulled away by Sunraku’s respawn, so for now, everyone here is going to pick a fight with Siegwurm!!"
A chorus of “Yeah!” rang out from the wandering wolves in answer, and the situation began to move.
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Anju: "Emi-ly! Our guest came down! What do we do?! Should we get him?!"
Emilia: "Not yet. We should continue watching for now. If we don’t distribute buffs toward Bryleinyego’s side as well, their battle line could collapse under the sheer numbers."
Anju: "And what’s the honest answer?"
Emilia: "I regret that we failed to complete the plan to install full-fledged offensive weaponry on Skull Azuchi in time."
Anju: "Whoo! My best buddy’s turned into a warmonger, but I’ll follow you all the way to hell!"
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Ceecrue: "Hmm! Akitsu Akane-dono has descended as well, de gozaru...? Very well! Though this is our first meeting, people of the lizards! We shall hasten to Akitsu Akane-dono’s side, de gozaru!!"
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Tsukuyo Tsukuri: "Ahahahahahaha! Pff—heehee, my stomach hurts! You went flying in a direction beyond anything I predicted, at third cosmic velocity, Sunraku-kuuun...! You really are the best!!"
Ritsu Amachi: "Even so... something is strange. He is using far too few Skills. Sunraku-kun should have made much greater use of them... Did he choose not to use them? Or was he unable to?"
Tsukuyo Tsukuri: "...Hmm?"
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???: "I’m boooored..."