Prologue — A Battlefield Awash with Spilled Blood! The All-Out Guild War Begins!

The day of the All-Out Guild War event was finally here!

I logged in a little before the starting time of 10 a.m. to find Starting Town packed with players checking their stat screens and getting ready for battle.

“All right. I’d better do likewise.” Status window, open!

Name: Yuri

Level: 56

Class: High summoner

Secondary Class: Craftmaker

Weapon: Bow

Attributes: Strength: 0 / Defense: 0 / Magic: 0 / Agility: 0

/ Luck: 650 × 3 × 2 + 65 + 900 = 4,865

Skills: Luck Boost, Relentless, Fatal Strike, Up Close and Personal, Genocide Killer, Merciless Death God, Absolute Zero, Hello? Forgetting Something?, Against All Odds (doubles all stats while HP is 1), God-Killing Fist, Demonic Archery, Demon Lord Shock Wave, Demon Lord Kin, Body of a Demon Lord, Master of Evil, Weapon Barricade (limited skill), Demonic Leadership (limited skill), Twisted

Class Abilities: Taming, Chimera Creation, Summoning, Forbidden Summoning, Giant Monster Summoning, Production, Carrying, Forwarding

Equipment:

Head: Accursed Death God Princess Hair Tie (created by Françoise and modified by Grim). Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, luck +300

Body: Accursed Death God Princess Dress (created by Françoise and modified by Grim). Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, luck +300

Feet: Accursed Death God Princess Boots (created by Françoise and modified by Grim). Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, luck +300. Possessed by Mor

Equipped Weapon: Beginner’s Bow. Requirements: None. Attack power: 1

Accessories: Accursed Princess Ring (sets HP 1 to and has a small chance of resetting skill cooldown times to zero), Dark God’s Covenant Necklace (triples luck while HP is 1), Poison Resistance Ring (has a low chance to nullify poison)

“Heh heh heh. So my luck’s finally gonna hit five thousand soon. That stat sure has grown.”

I couldn’t help but grin. At a time when most players hadn’t managed to get their main stat to a thousand even with the aid of equipment, mine was impressively high.

“Isn’t there some kind of special effect that triggers when your luck’s this high? I dunno, maybe a fateful encounter with my soulmate...?” As a healthy young man, I wasn’t completely devoid of interest in romance. And just as I was thinking about that...

“Hope I didn’t screw up my secondary class choice. I wouldn’t wanna disappoint her. Uh, oops!”

“Whoa?!”

...some player who was mumbling to himself slammed right into me from behind! He must have been looking at his stats instead of where he was going.

With a zero strength stat, I couldn’t help but be knocked off my feet. But I didn’t fall to the ground.

“Sorry about that, young lady!”

The player supported me firmly with an arm across my back, saving me from hitting the ground. It seemed he’d reached out and caught me right after bumping into me...and in his haste, he’d accidentally grabbed my breast.

“H-Hey! Get your hands— Huh...? Why am I not creeped out...?”

“Uh, whoa?! What’s wrong with me? I can’t believe I just touched a lady’s— Oh...I know this feeling... Where’ve I felt this before...?” he pondered (while continuing to cop a feel).

I too was feeling some déjà vu as I looked up at the man (with my breast still squeezed inside his grip).

“Not you again!” we both cried.

It was none other than Baldy! We sighed at the sight of each other as he continued to hold my chest.

⬧⬨⬧

I walked side by side with Baldy, chatting about this and that as we split both a meat bun and a pizza bun we’d bought from a stall.

“Truth is, Yuri, there’s this real-life girl I’m really into lately. Wouldn’t you know it, she looks just like you!”

“Don’t make me puke. Find a girl with a different face, would you?”

“No way. It’d be tough to find a woman with a prettier face than yours. But we’re getting off topic here. It all happened when I was wandering around at my school’s culture festival. I’m a teacher IRL, by the way. This young girl bumped into me, kinda like how you and me bumped into each other just now.”

“Hold it. Teachers aren’t supposed to fall for young girls! That’s messed up!”

“Can’t you ever give me a break?! It’s not my fault she happened to have the exact looks I’m into! Anyway, she ran off. I guess she’s a shy one—it’s a pity. What I’m after is an openhearted girl who likes it when we’re frank with each other. You know, like how you talk to me.”

“Well, aren’t you picky? You’re not gonna find a girl with the exact looks and personality you’re after. Not unless you have some kind of fateful encounter.”

“Yeah, if only...”

This dumb conversation of ours was just killing time as we waited for the event to start. We’d be trying to take each other out once it got going, but getting heated at this early stage wouldn’t do anything but tire us out. Neither of us would give the other all we had until we met on the battlefield—although neither of us said so, I somehow knew we were both thinking it.

“I can’t wait, Yuri.”

“Yeah. You’re the one person I’m never losing to.”

My rival and I smiled at each other in a corner of the bustling plaza.

My fighting spirit continued to roil as the moment approached, and then it happened: a burst of merry fanfare accompanied by a rain of multicolored confetti.

There it is—the signal for the start of the event. Time for him to show himself...

“Combatants! I am pleased to see so many of you gathered here today!” The voice came from the sky high above. Then, to no one’s surprise, an image of an old man in a crown appeared above Starting Town.

I know what you are, Odin! You’re the dev team’s puppet! Here to do their dirty work!

“I, um... I’m sensing some source of great animosity... But no matter. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Odin, the ruler of the Gladsheim Kingdom you stand in today. I have gathered you all here for a single reason: As we ready ourselves to do battle against the Demon Lord—the dark ruler responsible for making monsters appear throughout the world—I desire to witness a battle between your guilds. To that end, I am hosting an All-Out Guild War in which all guilds may compete!”

Cheering erupted like a great roar throughout the streets of Starting Town. The excitement among players was more intense than ever before.

“Wow! Yuri, this is crazy! Feels like my eardrums are about to burst!”

“Yeah. The player population never stops growing. They say it broke two hundred thousand just the other day!”

New players had been pouring in ever since that fight between Baldy and me was caught on video. Apparently, Blade Skill Online was quickly becoming the hottest game in the world.

“Mwuh huh huh. Allow me to explain. I’m sure there are combatants among us with other things to do today. That’s why I will be holding five guild wars between now and midnight with one hour breaks in between. The first will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the second from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the third from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the fourth from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., then the fifth and final guild war will take place from 10 p.m. until midnight. You can find a more detailed explanation here.”

When the trash devs’ puppet was done talking, a screen with detailed rules appeared in front of us. Let’s see...

A series of five rounds of All-Out Guild Wars is about to commence!

The stage will be an open plain free from obstructions, and your guild base will be warped to a random location on the field.

Each participating guild will receive a maximum of 2,000 Event Recovery Potions from event management. When used, these powerful potions will not only clear all status conditions, but they will fully restore your choice of either your HP or MP. No other healing items can be used during the contest. This is a balancing decision to reduce the amount of healing potions available to guilds with many members. We appreciate your understanding.

There is only one victory condition: Your guild base must be the last one standing after all others have been destroyed.

Once your guild base has been transported into the special arena, a sphere known as a “guild core” will appear at its center.

Please infiltrate enemy bases to destroy their guild cores. When a core is destroyed, the corresponding guild base will be removed from the field along with all of that guild’s members.

Unlike the battle royale held previously, defeated players will revive after thirty minutes as long as their guild base is still intact.

Any damage to guild bases, death of familiars, and damage to/loss of items and equipment that occurs within the special arena will be reset at the end of each round, so please participate without fear!

Players will receive 1 event point for every player they defeat.

Additionally, when a guild core is destroyed, 1,000 points will be awarded to the guild of the player who destroyed it!

* Since footage of the All-Out Guild War event will be broadcast on a video streaming platform to promote the game, we encourage everyone to fight well so that it doesn’t become a one-sided massacre! - Event Management

“Okay, I see, I see. In other words, I’m good to raise hell.”

I more or less understood the rules. They’d used a lot of words to say it, but basically, I just had to kill a bunch of enemies and destroy their guilds. It wasn’t much different from what I’d done at the last event.

I just have to be ready for bigger numbers... I’d better figure out what I’m up against.

I nudged Baldy in the side with my elbow. “So how many players signed up in the end? How many am I gonna have coming at me?”

“Heh. Wait til you hear this. Sixty thousand. There’s gonna be sixty thousand players from eighty guilds all coming for you at once. But don’t worry, I’ll be the one landing the final blow.”

“Ha ha ha! Sixty thousand?! I like the sound of that!” The thought of fighting more opponents than I could even picture all at once got my heart pounding.

This event was roughly double the size of the battle royale, and this time everyone would be looking for me. They’d also had plenty of time to come up with countermeasures that would stop me from wiping everyone out with a single laser attack from Giganster this time.

“Yuri, I worked so hard to get all this ready for you, I barely had time to sleep. You’d better not die easily.”

“As if. Yuri’s Justice Team is gonna win the whole thing.”

“That’s your guild name? Talk about basic! What is it with you and lame names?”

“It’s not basic, it’s to the point! Anyway, what kind of amazing name did you come up with, Baldy? Or should I call you Lord Reinhard von Edelfelt?”

“I had an awesome idea for mine! It’s called The Thirty Assembled Knight Orders of the Illusory Burial: Grand Battalion!”

“Uhhhh... S-Seriously...?!” My friend’s naming sense was so out there I almost fell over. I’d been ready for something stupid given his player name, but I hadn’t expected to cringe this hard. “That sounds like something a middle schooler came up with!”

“Yeah, well, yours sounds like an elementary schooler’s idea!”

As Baldy and I were arguing, a message popped up in front of each of us: “Would you like to participate in the first round of the All-Out Guild War event?” We both answered immediately. Needless to say, we both tapped “Yes.”

The moment I hit the button, my body was bathed in pale blue light.

Countless people around me were also joining as Odin yelled, “Combatants! Combine your might with that of your allies and have your fill of all-out warfare!”

I don’t need to hear it from you lousy devs!

The light swallowed me completely the moment I heard Odin’s words.

Chapter 28 — The Starting Gun Sounds!

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the castle of the town I ruled—the holy town of Helheim. In front of me was a murky black glowing sphere, and Shiru and Grim were by my side, having warped here along with me.

“Oh, Demon Lord, I haven’t seen you since yesterday.”

“Yeah, that was fun.” I grinned at my lieutenant, Shiru, and she grinned back.

We’d had a great time at a mini battle royale the day before. It’d been a big surprise to have Shiru and Korin team up and almost defeat me.

“Let’s do it again sometime, Shirukins!”

“Stop calling me Shirukins! I’ll have my revenge on you yet, but for today, we’d better focus on the guild event.”

She had a point. Baldy had prepared a grand stage for me, and I had to make the most of it.

“All right, Shiru, let’s stick to our plan. You’ll lead the mercenary and summoner NPCs out to destroy the guild bases.”

“You’ve got it. Those NPCs are stronger and more devoted to me than my player-killer flunkies ever were. With such a strong force and Lady Shiru to lead them, I fear our dear guildmaster might not have much of a role to play.”

“Ha ha! I love it! Well, my dear sub-guildmaster, get out there and make things easy for me!”

“Roger that!”

Shirukins headed out of the castle with her red hair rippling in her wake.

She doesn’t look nervous at all. Guess I don’t have to worry about her. That’s more than I can say for some...

“Uh, um, um?! D-Demon Lord, what should I be doing?!” Grim, the little blonde-haired girl in a gothic dress, was trembling violently.

The day before the event, she’d angrily declared, “I’m going to make sure they all die to my best gear!” Now that the big day was here, however, she was in the grips of stage fright.

I knelt down to get on her eye level then pulled on her soft cheeks.

“Hwugh?!”

“Relax, Grim. You can sit tight here in town like always. You’ve got over nine thousand monsters in Helheim and a protective deity here to look after you. Isn’t that right, Loo?”

“Grrreeeeh!” The response was a howl that came from the streets of the town themselves. Loo—the Forbidden Dragon Cthulhu Replica—had made every surface and every structure within Helheim part of her body.

A wall near us transformed into a slippery tentacle that reached out to pat Grim softly on her head.

“Aww, quit it, Cthulhu!”

“So, Grim, your job is to team up with Loo and the other monsters to protect that guild core.” I pointed to the cloudy black sphere.

When I stared hard at it, some text appeared: “Name: Guild Core. Materializes in the center of a base. Cannot be moved farther than ten meters.” There’d soon be sixty thousand players all trying to destroy this thing.

“This is our very heart. Can I trust you with it, Grim?”

“Uhhh... Yes! I accept the task, Demon Lord! I’ll protect it with my life!” Grim clenched her fists tight, flames of determination burning in her eyes.

Now that she’d gotten over her initial nerves and regained her energy, I said goodbye and left the castle. When I got outside, I found the sky overhead was stained bright red just like in the battle royale.

Before I could go anywhere, a voice echoing through the air caught me by surprise. “Now the All-Out Guild War can finally begin! Commentary will once again be provided by me, Navi the guide fairy!”

“Ugh, it’s her again... The devs’ dog!”

I thought back to when I’d last seen Navi, the cute yet loathsome little fairy. She was no doubt sitting in the plaza once again, watching over us along with all the spectators.

You pawn of the diabolical dev team... When this battle is over, you’re getting that finger noogie, mark my words!

“Wh-What was that?! A chill just ran down my spine! Must be my imagination! Ahem! Just like last time, I’ve got a little extra info for our participants! Hopefully you can all see the number 60,936 in the corner of your vision. That’s how many players are currently alive!”

“Ooh. That’s handy.” I saw the number, just like she said. When it drops to 3, I’ll know I’ve crushed everyone but Shiru and Grim.

“You should also see the number 87 right beside it. That’s how many guilds are left. Now’s a great time to check your map to see where on the field your guild ended up! Also, when you enter an enemy guild, your map will shift into a simple diagram of the guild’s layout along with the location of its core. Don’t forget to check it! The development team added this little feature last minute after a small fraction of players got the wacky notion that nothing less than an entire town was grand enough for their guild base!”

“She has to be talking about me!”

The trash devs are at it again! They’ll just put in whatever features are gonna make life harder for me! Whatever. I’ll handle it. Now, I wonder where Yuri’s Justice Team ended up... I opened my map. What?! We’re right in the middle?! We’re gonna have players coming at us from all sides!

“Weren’t these locations supposed to be random! What are you trying to pull?!”

“That’s all the info I can give you for now! Contestants, I wish you the best of luck!”

“Don’t ignore me!” I was yelling, but Navi didn’t so much as react.

The moment she finished addressing the participants, she turned her attention to firing up the spectators. “Now, all you spectators, looks like you’ve all been busy betting on which guild is going to win! The current favorite is...The Thirty Assembled Knight Orders of the Illusory Burial: Grand Battalion...? What kind of name is that?! Ew! Uh, I mean, how unique!”

Oh, you can tell she’s the devs’ baby. I never noticed it before, but that scummy attitude comes naturally to her!

“Haah...” I took a deep breath then got myself in the right state of mind. “There’s no point in complaining now. If we’re gonna destroy every guild ourselves, then it doesn’t matter whether we’re in the middle of the map or right on the edge.”

I decided to get moving. I needed to finish each battle as quickly as possible.

Virtually all of our members were NPCs. Players might respawn thirty minutes after being killed, but NPCs were out of the event if they died. With sixty thousand opponents, we were already heavily outnumbered. A war of attrition was never going to go in our favor.

Then there’s only one thing for it!

“Full throttle right from the get go! Gigantic Dragonplant, come forth!”

“Grrgaaaaaaaaah!” My call was answered by a massive summoning circle that formed under my feet, and from its center sprouted a hundred-meter tall plantlike dragon—the Gigantic Dragonplant!

This was my strongest familiar and trusty companion, Giganster. I stood atop his head with my arms folded and stared at the buildings dotted about the plain near my position.

“All right, Giganster! Let’s give ’em another big blast to let ’em know the event’s started!”

“Grrgaaaaaaaaah!” Giganster roared as seven flowers blossomed from his back. A moment later, the brightly shining petals unleashed a multitude of massive laser beams!

Chapter 29 — A Storm of Slaughter!

“Art activate: Hyper Magic Burst! Let’s clear ’em out!”

“Grrrgraaaaaaah!” Giganster’s lasers fired at enemy guilds.

A small manor lying close to my town was blown away first, then a fort and an old castle crumbled to ash. Needless to say, the players inside were erased along with them.

A guild was defeated: Sideboob Extremists!

A guild was defeated: Princess Sakura Fan Club!

A guild was defeated: Support Group for Fans Who Learned Their Precious Idol Has a Muscular Boyfriend!

1,428 players were defeated!

Yuri’s Justice Team gained +3,000 event points!

Yuri gained +1,428 event points!

I continued to target more guilds as an announcement voice resounded overhead.

With still a few more seconds to go until Giganster disappeared, it was looking like we were going to destroy the first dozen guild bases with ease.

“We’ve reached the destination!” cried a gruff voice. “Tank Corps, take up your positions!”

“Ooooooh!” enemy players roared.

Just as I was about to destroy a gorgeous, stately home, several men gathered in front of my target. A moment later, Giganster’s special attack was blocked by dozens of players holding shields.

I reacted quickly, turning Giganster’s head to aim at another base, but more walls of meat were hurriedly forming wherever I looked. All I could do was vaporize a few of them before the lasers ceased. When the attack was over, I’d only destroyed four guilds.

Just as I’d predicted, the enemy had been preparing their countermeasures.

The number of surviving players had fallen by about two thousand now, but that still left 58,000 opponents. I hadn’t changed the fact that the enemy had overwhelmingly superior numbers.

“Grrrguuh...!” Giganster’s head hung low as he began to vanish.

“There, there. Don’t feel bad, Giganster. I can take it from here.”

It would be an hour before I could summon him again. If I wanted to finish things quickly, I couldn’t rely on his laser anymore.

Now the real battle starts. As I fell from a hundred meters in the air, I saw players pouring out of guild bases and rushing toward me from every direction.

“The giant monster’s attack is over! Now’s the time to charge!”

“Ooooohhh!”

The ground shook with the thud, thud, thud of boots as an army of tens of thousands of players strong charged toward Helheim. They weren’t just coming at me with reckless abandon, though: Each guild had formed a company of several hundred players, and each individual player was keeping a little distance from the others. Their formation was spread out like a spider’s web.

“I see... So this is the countermeasure they came up with after seeing me use Weapon Barricade when I hijacked Shiru’s channel.”

As long as their ranks and files were separated by three steps or so, I couldn’t hit many of them at once with each sword and spear I launched.

It had to be Baldy’s idea. He was the man who’d put together a massive army to defeat me, and it seemed he’d taught them all the perfect countermeasures while he was at it.

“Ha ha! Nicely done, Baldy! Let me say thank you by smashing through that countermeasure of yours head-on! Let’s go, Chirpster!”

“Pikwaaaaawk!” My call was answered by a shrill squawk as Chirpster, my massive crimson bird, showed himself.

Atop his back, I flew straight down at the players. “Well then?! Don’t tell me you haven’t got a countermeasure for flying monsters?!”

“Of course we do, you accursed Demon Lord!” A commander among the players yelled orders. “Long-Range Attack Company! Today’s the day you surpass your role model!”

“Ooooohh!” the players roared in response.

Now that I wasn’t expecting! Instead of using the popular mage class to launch spells at me, a swarm of bow wielders were getting ready to shoot me down with arrows. On their faces were looks of admiration mixed with a determination to win as they looked straight up at me.

“As bow wielders, we challenge you!”

“As I’m sure you’re well aware, Master Yuri, spells lose their attack power at a range of about ten meters, but arrows can still pierce an opponent dozens of meters away!”

“We can make up for our low hit rate by firing greater numbers! Now eat this!”

Then the barrage began. With one great thwang, they released their stiff bowstrings in unison, sending a hail of arrows straight up at me from the ground.

But I was far from scared by the sight—I was overjoyed! “Ha! Ha ha ha ha! I’m so happy for you guys!”

After being treated as a weak weapon for so long, the bow had finally taken a position center stage, and its wielders were determined to take me down. This is more than I could’ve hoped for!

“We’ll knock you out of the sky, Demon Lord Yuri!” Fighting spirit fueled their arrows as the archers roared at me.

I’d better not disappoint! Time to show them the latest bow-wielder combat style! “Skill activate! Weapon Barricade, full boost!”

A hundred summoning circles appeared around me as I spoke the words.

Now it’s my turn! I’ll give you all the damage you can handle! Here comes a hailstorm of explosions! “Obliterate them!”

My barrage of exploding weapons swept the air clean in no time at all. A collision between just one of my weapons and an arrow created an explosion that burned up hundreds of arrows around it, then the remaining swords, spears, axes, and scythes continued on, detonating with devastating effect when they hit the players on the ground!

With an earsplitting booooom!, hundreds of players were reduced to ash in an instant.

“Arrrrrgh?! Wh-What the heck is this?!”

“E-Explosions?! How’s that possible?! Why are all the swords exploding?!”

“Th-This is no archery attack!”

The players were left in disarray as I blew them away in swathes. They were too far apart for me to skewer a bunch of players at once, but they weren’t far enough apart to counter this. The exploding weapons I’d made were all so powerful, in fact, that they left craters wherever they landed!

The smell of charred flesh filled the battlefield as the burned commander screamed in panic. “Wh-What’s going on?! How are you doing that, Demon Lord Yuri?! Aren’t players supposed to be limited to just fifty items?! How are you making this many explosions?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? I chose craftmaker as my secondary class so I’d be able to carry more.”

“Huh?! You chose the class that can’t even fight?!”

While the enemy commander stood helplessly confused, my swords and spears that had exploded into tiny fragments all returned to my item box. Weapon Barricade made it so any weapon I summoned would come back to me after three seconds, meaning I could instantly recover all the almost-broken weapons once they’d detonated.

Each one was down to a single point of durability, but that was no problem. I was a crafter after all.

“Art activate! Weapon Repair on every single one! And now I’m ready for a second salvo! I can keep this up until you’re all dead!”

Countless summoning circles appeared around me once again, then weapons emerged from another dimension, their tips pointed at my opponents. The sight was enough to make the wounded survivors drop their weapons and flee.

Chapter 30 — The Lieutenant’s Battle!

Explosions and dying screams could be heard all across the expansive plain as the vicinity of Helheim transformed into hell on earth, sending clouds of thick, black smoke rising into the air.

When Shiru looked back, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha ha. That’s my Demon Lord for you. Tearing everything up as she always does.”

For a fan like Shiru, the carnage was nothing short of satisfying, but for the game’s developers, the spectacle was less than welcome. If one player could single-handedly kill tens of thousands, they’d be inundated with reports of cheating and demands to restore balance.

Looks like she’s in for another devastating nerf. Or maybe they’ll keep the adjustments small this time and proudly put her on a pedestal as their Demon Lord. Shiru laughed as she tried to guess which road the developers would pick.

“Whichever route they choose, they certainly won’t stop her.” Shiru’s cheeks colored. “That’s why I fell for her.”

Shiru had total faith in Yuri. No matter what anyone tried, that Demon Lord thug, with her vexingly pretty face, would simply declare, “A little fighting spirit and determination is all I need to solve this!” before continuing her rampage unabated.

Shiru looked away from the ongoing destruction and called out to the army under her command. “Everything is going just as we planned! While our guildmaster draws the attention away from us, we’ll crush every enemy guild we can!”

“Raaahhhh!” over seven hundred NPCs roared in response. When familiars were included in the count, their army was over 1,300 strong. It was enough to fill a sizable section of the plain.

“Divide into squads A through E. Each squad should focus on a target of its own. Now move out!”

With that, their onslaught began.

Squad A, led by Shiru, charged into the run-down shack that lay nearest to Helheim and rushed at its guild core, much to the dismay of the dozen or so players left to defend the base.

“Uh-oh?! An enemy raid?! You know what to do, everyone! Let’s take them—”

“Too slow!” Shiru brought down her red greatsword swiftly on the enemy player who’d been standing in front of the others.

What followed was entirely predictable. While the enemy players were still confused, a mob of fearsome-looking mercenary NPCs and high-level monsters under the control of summoner NPCs flooded in. Shiru’s army literally tore a path through the enemy to get to the guild core.

“Ha ha ha ha! I knew it’d be easy now that they’re all over level 50! Well, let’s finish this!” Shiru sprinted down the path her NPCs had cleared and swung her greatsword at the guild core.

Thus the battle concluded. The enemy players were still dumbfounded as they burst into tiny particles along with their guild base.

A guild was defeated: Team Sadistic Pretty Girl Fodder!

Yuri’s Justice Team gained +1,000 event points!

“All right! Nice job, men! When this is over, we’ll spend these points expanding the guild base and adding all kinds of new features! Our guild’s gonna rule!”

“Oooh!” In response, the NPCs raised their fists high and cheered in celebration. Though they may have been artificial, that fact just made their hunger for glory even stronger. I don’t want to be just another clone generated by the click of a button. Through my victories, I want to grow into someone completely unique. I want to raise my stats, gain fame, and prove my worth. I want to look down on those lesser NPCs who are content to wander aimlessly through the streets, their algorithms reasoned. Their desire to assert their individuality filled them, just like it filled the real humans their AI sought to imitate—to be special was their greatest ambition.

“Let’s get going to the next one, Sis!”

“The Demon Lord’s gonna see how fearless we are!”

“Let’s do it for the guild!”

The NPCs were demanding more fights, hungry for more victories.

Shiru smiled at their bravery. To her, these were the ideal underlings. “You guys are great. No whiners, no one dragging their feet. It’s a billion times better than my old gang of hangers-on.”

Shiru’s PKer gang had left her behind while fleeing Yuri, only for her to slaughter them without mercy. Had Shiru tried to run away with them back then, she never would have experienced the thrill she was enjoying at that moment.

It had been an innate hatred for losing that’d initially driven her to pursue Yuri...but then, in no time at all, the two of them together had caused an incident on an unprecedented scale by taking over a town, leading them to their current situation.

“Heh heh. Perhaps it was fate...”

Shiru couldn’t forget the excitement of that night. Her heart was full of gratitude toward the Demon Lord for showing her things far more stimulating than petty player killing. Of course, she couldn’t tell Yuri any of this. She’d be too embarrassed.

“All right, dogs, let’s keep moving!”

Thus did Shiru and her army of NPCs go from base to base, crushing the other guilds effortlessly.

With the enemy forces almost entirely focused on Demon Lord Yuri and the invasion of Helheim, security was weak wherever Shiru went. Many guilds still had a few dozen players left on guard, but they were utterly powerless to stop an army of NPCs over level 50 accompanied by elite monsters. Each guild was hopelessly outmatched in terms of skill and coordination.

The NPCs, regulated by artificial intelligence, were as organized as any professional army and made few to no mistakes. The members of player guilds, on the other hand, were so disparate in terms of level and competence that they behaved more like packs of bandits.

In no time at all, the ground forces of Yuri’s Justice Team had crushed over thirty guilds, thanks to their skilled combat combined with the leadership of an experienced PKer like Shiru.

“Good! Good! Let’s keep the momentum going!”

It seemed nothing could get in their way. If this keeps up, we can’t possibly lose, Shiru thought as she surveyed the plain for the next target.

Then a sudden chill ran down her spine. “Ngh?!” Shiru leaped back, sensing that she was in danger.

“Hiiiyah!” A spear plowed into the ground like a meteorite right where Shiru had been standing. The impact was so forceful that it opened a fissure in the soil and sent her and her nearby NPCs flying.

“Nnngh?! Wh-What in the world?!” Shiru climbed to her feet and prepared to defend herself. With her greatsword held tight, she glared at the man behind the surprise attack.

“Oho! You dodged my virtuous strike! Impressive. You are indeed the kin of the Demon Lord! But victory shall be mine! You will die by my hero spear!”

“Huh...?” Shiru knitted her brow at the man’s gallant speech. He was talking big, and he was certainly dressed like a noble hero, but something was missing. It pained Shiru to admit it, but his looks were just too plain for the role. His face was so basic and lacking in notable features that she actually remembered him for being so unmemorable.

“Oh... I think I know you. You’re Spearo, one of the battle royale winners, aren’t you? The really boring guy that held out to the end one time.”

“Ugh?! D-Did you just call me boring?! You’ve said the one thing I refuse to tolerate!”

“Oh dear. The one thing that gets to you happens to be the obvious truth?” Shiru maintained a firm grip on her greatsword and kept her wits about her even as she bantered with him. Spearo’s brave lancer class is a strong all-rounder. No matter how forgettable his face is, I can’t underestimate him, she noted to herself.

Spearo’s fighting style was as dull as can be. Shiru had watched the battle royale where he’d used his superior range to take out sword wielders and rack up points, occasionally throwing a spear to get a kill from a secluded spot, and just generally hiding and playing it safe to the end. There’d been much talk on the message board over how he portrayed himself as a hero while sticking to the most gingerly possible strategies.

You could say his true talent is in picking the optimal means of securing victory, no matter the situation, Shiru observed. She was fully on edge, sweat forming between her palms and the sword’s grip as she readied herself.

“Do your worst! You cannot escape judgment!”

Even now, while Spearo spoke boldly, he was unrelentingly cautious and wary—it was his ambush, and Shiru had even actively provoked him, yet he didn’t rush at her. Yes, he was boring...but his combat skills were far beyond those of any regular player, and it was this approach of his that had won him a battle royale.

In any case, Shiru wasn’t scared. “Bring it on. Whatever your tactics, I won’t let you stop me here. To borrow the Demon Lord’s words, I’ll get through this with fighting spirit and determination!”

If I can’t defeat one battle royale winner, I’m not worthy of being Demon Lord Yuri’s lieutenant, she told herself as she braced herself for a battle with a powerful opponent.

Chapter 31 — The Enemy Strikes Back!

“Arrrrrrghh?! Yuri, please, stop!” Navi screamed while giving her commentary.

“Stop distracting me, Navi!” Undeterred, I continued pounding tens of thousands of opponents into the dirt with my barrages of weapons. “Skill activate! Weapon Barricade! Boom! Art activate! Weapon Repair! Hnng! Use event recovery potion to restore MP! Gulp! Return to step one! Skill activate! Weapon Barricade!”

All the while, my giant firebird, Chirpster, was raining fireballs on the crowd for good measure, burning countless players to a crisp!

Wooooo! This feels good!

“Hey, don’t you run away! Eat Massacre Sword Dainsleif! Nice! Blew that guy to pieces!”

Defeated a player: Katarina! Defeated Mea Midnight! Defeated Nago! Defeated Ichinose Runa! Defeated Takemiyabi! Defeated Rust! Defeated Seven Knights! Defeated Kou! Defeated Aonisai! Defeated Naikana! Defeated Tadano Ichikojin! Defeated Nishimura Sei! Defeated Muchao! Defeated Gracia! Defeated Kobe! Defeated Akiramen! Defeated Sawachi! Defeated Pachimanji! Defeated Senzo Daidai Binbo! Defeated Speartuna! Defeated Koharu! Defeated Gosaku! Defeated Mikumin! Defeated Popolome Tannhäuser! Defeated Munimunimuu! Defeated Kokonoe! Defeated Haru! Defeated Monju! Defeated Kamifusen! Defeated Ises! Defeated Sasaki Ryu! Defeated Hiiragi! Defeated Tough Tank! Defeated Kisaragi! Defeated Sora! Defeated Aoi! Defeated Wage Slave! Defeated Miria! Defeated Soutaso! Defeated Kadath! Defeated Tsumachi! Defeated Liam! Defeated Natsuki! Defeated Nahanai! Defeated Kyogoku! Defeated Rena! Defeated Hanamuke! Defeated Hibi Toka! Defeated Shu! Defeated Kotonari! Defeated Otsuki! Defeated Nakamura! Defeated Mittsu! Defeated Lapis Lazuli! Defeated Daemon! Defeated Negi! Defeated Katsuragi! Defeated Tintin! Defeated Kujirappa! Defeated Kakeru Sandayo! Defeated Gensho! Defeated Oha Poppo! Defeated Tetsuo! Defeated Addiction! Defeated Elsa! Defeated Copy Cat! Defeated Cham! Defeated Somin! Defeated Saki! Defeated Taidaa! Defeated Ilya! Defeated Murakumo! Defeated Rita! Defeated Fumitsuki! Defeated Aritarako! Defeated Picasso! Epina, Ryoku, Tenma, Howasuno, Aoni, Kurokagi, Yui, Hiyokoneko, Otacoon, Kobamiso, Akitora, Mei, Kazuha, Leinao, Alan, Seka, Higuchi Seita— Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process Cannot process!!!

There is unprocessed data remaining. The player list has been truncated.

Yuri defeated 54,327 players!

Players that were ten levels or more below you did not yield experience.

Yuri reached level 63. Yuri gained +54,327 event points!

New achievement: Kill 10 players with an explosion effect!

Skill acquired: Pyrotechnician!

Pyrotechnician: A multiplier of 1.1× is applied to explosion attack power.

New achievement: Kill 100 players with an explosion effect!

Your Pyrotechnician skill evolved into Pyrotechnical Maniac!

Pyrotechnical Maniac: A multiplier of 1.5× is applied to explosion attack power.

New achievement: Kill 1,000 players with an explosion effect!

Your Pyrotechnical Maniac skill evolved into Demon of the Crimson Lotus!

Demon of the Crimson Lotus: A multiplier of 2× is applied to explosion attack power.

New achievement: Kill 10,000 players with an explosion effect!

Your Demon of the Crimson Lotus skill evolved into Demon Lord of the Crimson Lotus!

Demon Lord of the Crimson Lotus: A multiplier of 2× is applied to explosion attack power, and the timing of explosions can be controlled.

New craftmaker-only achievement: Kill 100 players with a weapon you created or modified!

Skill acquired: Battlefield Looter

Battlefield Looter: You have a very low chance of stealing a random item from defeated players.

New craftmaker-only achievement: Kill 1,000 players with a weapon you created or modified!

Your Battlefield Looter skill evolved into Profane Collector!

Profane Collector: You have a low chance of stealing a random item from defeated players.

New craftmaker-only achievement: Kill 10,000 players with a weapon you created or modified!

Your Profane Collector skill evolved into Profane Pillager!

Profane Pillager: You have a low chance of stealing a random item or piece of equipment from defeated players.

New craftmaker-only achievement: Repair 5,000 weapons or more!

Skill acquired: Adept Repairsmith!

Adept Repairsmith: The MP cost of the Weapon Repair art is reduced from 10 points per weapon to 1 point.

New craftmaker-only achievement: Kill 30,000 players with a weapon you created or modified!

Skill acquired: Merchant of Death!

Merchant of Death: You can freely transfer weapons and equipment between your item box and storehouses on land you own.

“Ooh! I got a bunch of skills!” Adept Repairsmith sounds amazing! Now I can destroy my weapons all I want!

Demon Lord of Crimson Lotus could be interesting. If I can control the explosion timing, then maybe I can stop the explosion and leave a weapon stuck in the ground like a remote-detonated bomb. And Profane Pillager sounds nice too...

Just as I was thinking about the skill’s effects...

“Huuuuh? What are all these message windows?! I can’t see a thing!”

No matter where I looked, all I could see were system messages.

Oh come on! Don’t tell me all those backlogged kills processed right after I learned Battlefield Looter?! I killed over fifty thousand players! How’s it gonna handle that?!

Message windows filled with huge walls of text had me completely blinded!

Item stolen: Ball-Jointed Doll. Item stolen: Menma Blade. Item stolen: Small Flower. Item stolen: Popsicle. Item stolen: Barbarian Loincloth. Item stolen: Black Pot. Item stolen: Bladed Dragon Claw. Item stolen: Panties. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Multicolored Queen Bee in Amber. Item stolen: Zecurbin Cogwheel. Item stolen: Curious Tome of R’lyeh. Item stolen: Raw Offal. Item stolen: Jade Earring. Item stolen: Cursed Doll. Item stolen: Kibi Dango with Peach Mark. Item stolen: Trash. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Homunculus Core. Item stolen: Beef. Item stolen: Elysia Doll. Item stolen: Scraps. Item stolen: Navel Piercing. Item stolen: Fouled Holy Water. Item stolen: Shoulder Massage Coupon. Item stolen: Hinoki Rod. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Manastone of Artificial Intelligence. Item stolen: Eternal Mana Potion. Item stolen: Wakame Stems. Item stolen: X Accuracy. Item stolen: Half-Chewed Gum. Item stolen: Hades Bloodmist. Item stolen: Jewel of Black Night. Item stolen: Sloth Plush. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Upside-Down Crown. Item stolen: Raw Meat. Item stolen: Isolated Doughnut Hole. Item stolen: Traffic Cone. Item stolen: Sea Urchin. Item stolen: Coupon Sword. Item stolen: Woodlouse. Item stolen: Time Capsule. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Banana Hammock. Item stolen: Golden Egg. Item stolen: The “Only One Honored Both in Heaven and on Earth” Sword. Item stolen: Transformation Belt. Item stolen: Hair Growth Cream. Item stolen: Akira Melon. Item stolen: Pet Food. Item stolen: Lizeda Healing Medicine. Item stolen: Metal Armor. Item stolen: Smoke Bomb. Item stolen: Gordion Sword. Item stolen: Maid Outfit. Item stolen: Chocolate Cookie (Only Ten Available per Day). Item stolen: Wedding Ring. Item stolen: Destruction Spear Gungnir. Item stolen: Adamantite. Item stolen: Event Recovery Potion. Item stolen: Our Beautiful Demon Lord ♡ Yuri’s Secret Photo Collection (premium item). Item stolen: The Necronomicon. Item stolen: Wooden Log. Item stolen: World Tree Seed. Item stolen: Dog Ears. Item stolen: Book titled “The Bottom-Tier Baron’s Accidental Rise to the Top.” Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot process. Cannot pr...

You stole a total of 51,981 items!

It would have been enough to overflow my item box, but thanks to the craftmaker Forwarding skill, the excess was all getting sent to the guild’s storehouses!

New craftmaker-only achievement: Acquire 30,000 different types of item!

Skill acquired: Lord of All Things!

Lord of All Things: You can freely transfer all items except for weapons and equipment between your item box and storehouses on land you own.

“Wooooooo! Now that was a real mess!” I’ve got so many items I can’t keep track of them all! This is crazy! Could craftmaker be the most broken class of all?!

I figured that there had to be some kind of skill for stealing a player’s items, but I never thought I’d have to play as a crafter to get it.

“Players were all assuming craftmakers can’t fight because they didn’t predict how someone like me might use it. Maybe the devs had the same thought and then made it the only class with a steal skill. If it were as weak as everyone thinks, there’d be no way to steal huge hauls of items with it.”

Whatever plans they’d had for the class, it couldn’t have been this. “Those guys never think things through,” I said to myself with a sigh.

Finally, the message windows all disappeared, restoring my vision.

“Here’s payback for yesterday, Yuri!”

“What?!”

Reacting too late to the voice behind me, I turned to see a girl in Japanese clothing and a miniskirt with her cat ears standing up. It was Korin! She was holding a tanto glowing with a blue aura.

“Art activate! Swift Charge!” Korin rushed at me at full speed then plunged the blade into my heart!

“Ngh?!”

With just 1 HP, it should have been fatal. However...

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!

“That was close! But I won’t die that easily!”

My huge luck stat meant that my skill saved me, letting me survive with no actual damage. But Korin wasn’t giving me a chance to counterattack.

“I’m not done yet, Yuri! This is just the beginning of my strategy!”

As she spoke, a new message window popped up in my field of view. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The Spirit Blade Futsunomitama has disabled three of your skills, chosen at random, for the next three minutes. Skills affected: Weapon Barricade, Merchant of Death, Demon Lord Kin.

“Wh-Whaaat?! You’ve disabled my skills?!”

“Heh heh heh. Sorry about that, Yuri! But you shouldn’t have let me land a hit!” Korin drove the blade in deeper, her face full of wholehearted smugness. Then, with a good shove, she sent me falling from Chirpster’s back!

“H-How did you—?!”

Damn, she got me good! Without Weapon Barricade, I can barely do anything!

And my problems were only just getting started. Directly below me I saw a thousand players all charging toward the spot where I was going to land!

Interlude — Hey, Devs! You Might Wanna Patch That Item Duplication Glitch!

As Shiru and Yuri were both thrown into crisis, screams were echoing through the development staff’s office as they faced a crisis of their own.

“Grrrraaaaaggggghh?! How’d she steal over fifty thousand items?!”

“Oh crap! Whose bright idea was it to make a skill that steals from killed players?! One small slipup with this and there’ll be pandemonium! And when Yuri’s involved, you should’ve known there’d be major slipups, dumbass!”

“Don’t pin this on me! Everyone agreed in the meeting! ‘Giving one powerful skill to the pathetic little crafters can’t do any harm.’ You all said it!”

“Noooooooo! I just know that Demon Lord’s going to sell off every item she doesn’t want and hit the real money trading system hard!”

Developers were rolling around on the floor crying and screaming. Yuri was out of control with yet another trick for gaining power and materials, leaving some developers on the verge of losing their minds.

But now wasn’t the time for despair. The developers pulled themselves together and rushed to their screens to check what was going on back in Starting Town. Their immediate concern was that the players who’d lost items might start a revolt.

The developers examined the faces of those who’d returned from the battlefield.

“Huh? Everyone looks kind of calm.”

“Some of them are still shaking after getting blown up by Yuri, but no one looks mad.”

“There’s people saying, ‘Next time, we’ll get her for sure!’ Maybe they’re all okay with it...?”

The developers knew something wasn’t right.

It was then that a software engineer, the one woman among the male developers, spoke out. “Ooh, I see what happened! Don’t you all remember? We set a special rule before the event started! ‘Any damage to guild bases, death of familiars, and damage to/loss of items and equipment that occurs within the special arena will be reset at the end of each round, so please participate without fear!’ That’s what we told them.”

“Huh?!” The other developers all looked at each other.

After they’d gained some experience from their (shambles of a) battle royale event where no one had been compensated for losses, they’d decided to make it a little easier on players whose equipment broke this time. Now any player who’d had an item stolen would be getting it back. If they hadn’t actually lost anything, that explained why they weren’t protesting.

“Yeees!” The development staff cheered when they realized their newfound consideration for players had averted a tricky dilemma.

“Thank god! Just look at us. We actually gave ourselves insurance in case something went wrong!”

“Ha ha ha. We’ve learned a lot since we started! Have to admit, I was worried for a moment there. Some of those stolen items were event exclusives.”

“Oh, you’re right! Looking at the logs here, Yuri actually stole thirty of Destruction Spear Gungnir! Players should only ever get that once! That’s pretty funny!”

“She stole a limited edition spell tome as well! Only mages are supposed to be able to get the Necronomicon! Looks like she got some high-level armor materials too. Ten pieces of Adamantite even. Wow, they’d be worth a hundred million gold if she sold them all. I’ll bet some players were holding on to them wondering whether to use or sell them!”

“That was a close one. What were we thinking back when we designed that skill? Anyway, once the event’s over, we’ll make certain certain items can’t be stolen! We’ll make it certain certain, ha ha!”

“Agreed! Phew. It’s a good thing we’ve learned a thing or two.”

The developers’ despair had morphed into placid smiles. Realizing that their personal growth had steered them through a crisis, some of them were even moved to tears.

“Phew... So everyone’s items get reset when the event’s over. The huge hoard of valuables Yuri just stole will disappear. Imagine how screwed we’d be if we had to pay her ten million yen right when our player numbers are growing and the profit’s starting to roll in!”

“You can say that again!”

The office was full of laughter. They didn’t normally get along with each other, but their torment at the hands of Demon Lord Yuri had made them develop strong bonds in the face of their common enemy. They patted one another on the back and looked forward to a future full of hope.

“I think we’ve all learned an important lesson. When you’re managing a game, you’ve just got to adapt to the changing situation.”

“Exactly. A few minor design flaws won’t kill us. When things don’t go as planned, we can always work together to find a solution and keep things running.”

“And we’ll all gain experience along the way, growing stronger as a team!”

They were all giggling carefreely. The connection forming between them was looking unbreakable...but then the software engineer nervously raised her hand and added, “Uh, um... You just said, ‘The huge hoard of valuables Yuri just stole will disappear,’ but the way we’ve set it up, lost items get copied into player item boxes from an earlier game state... So, basically...I don’t think anything will happen to the items players gained.”

“Uh... Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggh?!”

The office was once again filled with screeching. Yuri was going to end the event triumphant, still holding on to a stash of costly items!

“Whose fault is this?! Who screwed this up so bad?!”

Their newfound friendship was short-lived. Fear and rage twisted their smiles into scowls and sneers as they each argued with whoever was standing closest. The ties that bound them were all snapping unceremoniously as they each raced to throw one another under the bus.

“Nnnnngh! Who put this error-ridden compensation system together?! Items only supposed to exist once per player are gonna duplicate like crazy!”

“Stop whining, jerk! Let’s get a patch out right now!”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?! If the game goes down for an update mid-event, we’ll be toast, dumbass!”

“Who’re you callin’ a dumbass?!”

The argument was close to turning violent as the developers lost their minds. They might have grown a little through their dealings with Yuri, but people couldn’t completely mature overnight. Their tendency to get heated whenever things went wrong was alive and well.

As if to really drive the damage home, the software engineer nervously made another observation. “Um, um, um, um... The event has another four rounds to go... If Yuri competes in all of them, and if she kills around sixty thousand players every time, she’ll gather a total of 300,000 items!”

“Gaaaaaaaaaaah?!”

With the situation getting out of hand, the developers were left utterly mentally broken! Without a shred of pride or shame, they unleashed liters of tears and mucus while cheering on Korin from the bottom of their hearts.

“You’re our only hope, Korin! You have to end this madness! You have to break her spirit so completely that she doesn’t compete in the next four rounds!”

“Otherwise it’s going to be our spirits that are completely broken!”

More than a dozen developers began bowing to the image of Korin on their screens, chanting, “Please, please!”

As the software engineer watched the situation unfold, she muttered to herself, “Maybe it’s time I found another job.”

Chapter 32 — Bring It On, Korin!

I hit the ground with a slam!, but I took no damage thanks to my Body of a Demon Lord skill.

“Damn you, Korin,” I muttered to myself. “How’d she even get onto Chirpster’s back...?”

It was then that I noticed the shadow falling over me. It was Korin plunging down after me!

“You’re not getting away, Yuri!”

Ha ha ha... Looks like I haven’t got time to talk to myself. She sure can keep on going.

As thousands of enemy players were rushing out of an enemy fort and heading for me, I took aim at Korin above. “All right, Korin! Bring it on! Let’s settle this!”

“Sure! After I’ve killed you, I’ll take the title of top player for myself!”

I drew my bow, then shot several arrows at once in an attempt to knock down Korin before she could reach me. With only a tanto as her weapon, she’d be hard-pressed to repel every arrow, and there was no way for her to dodge while she was in midair. Or so I thought.

“Skill activate! Weight Reduction! And magic art activate! Wind Shot!” Korin swooped through the air like a swallow!

I knew from our fight the day before that she could use her magic like a thruster, but I didn’t know she could combine it with another skill to make herself even more agile.

“Yaaaaah!” Korin fell at supersonic speed, weaving her body through gaps in my barrage of arrows as she plunged madly toward me. “Now please die, Yuri!”

“Ha. You think I’m gonna die just because you asked nicely?!” Now things are getting interesting!

I cast my bow aside and threw my fist into the blade of her tanto.

My God-Killing Fist skill triggered, making my hand invincible, as did Demon Lord Shock Wave, creating a knockback effect. The combination could turn my bare hand into a deadly weapon. A high-pitched whine sound echoed across the battlefield the moment the steel met my skin.

Korin was thrown back, but she had no trouble turning a somersault to land on her feet. “Ngh... I knew defeating you wouldn’t be that easy!” She touched down silently, as light on her feet as a cat. That had to be the effect of Weight Reduction.

“I get it... So that’s how you got up to Chirpster. When you combine your magic with that skill, you can literally fly.”

“That’s right! But take care, Yuri. My combination of spells and skills isn’t the only thing you need to watch out for. My Spirit Blade Futsunomitama is a powerful weapon!” she said while proudly showing me her blue glowing blade. “No matter how deep it cuts, it only ever does 1 damage, but it can disable random skills!”

“That’s what blocked my skills...?”

It was a powerful effect. The random aspect aside, it was basically a broken item.

A weapon like that couldn’t have been cheap. How’d Korin ever afford it after her poor showing in the last event...? Oh, I know how.

“Though there is a catch,” Korin continued. “If the difference between my strength and my opponent’s defense is too great, the effect doesn’t work. You know what all this means, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s the perfect weapon to use against someone with 1 HP and zero defense like me. It was a gift from Baldy, wasn’t it?”

“Huh?!” Her face suddenly went from confident to tense.

I knew it. Baldy’s the one pulling the strings. “And I know what he told you. ‘Kill Yuri if you can. But if that’s too difficult, use the thousands of other players around you to your advantage. You have to force Yuri into using up Boundless Calamity Summon.’”

“Ugh...” Judging by the way Korin’s expression grew even more tense, I was right again.

That’s my brother-in-arms, all right... He’ll do whatever it takes to kill me. Who knew a guy with a face like his could be so cunning? What a jerk. I love him.

“Um, uh... You’re right on both counts. He told me to try disabling Relentless with my first attack, and if that failed, weaken you as much as I can.”

“Yeah, I knew it. You wouldn’t have stopped to blab about the effects of your weapon just now unless you were stupid or you were stalling for time. I was kinda guessing as far as the plan goes, but thanks for confirming it.”

“You were guessing?! Grrrr... You always get the better of me...! B-But how did you guess what Baldy said word for word?! That’s the real surprise here!”

“Huh...? I dunno... Probably ’cause he and I understand each other without having to say anything.”

“You’re that serious?!” Korin was blushing for some reason. “Would you cut it out with that kind of talk! It’s embarrassing!” she scolded.

Huh? What’s so embarrassing about that? All I said is that we’re good friends who know each other well.

Korin followed up with a question. “Well then, Yuri. If you’ve figured out my plan, how come you’re still standing around chatting? Here’s something else Baldy said: ‘I just know Yuri’s gonna try to massacre everyone from the get-go, just like last time.’ He told us to keep players in reserve for that reason. They’re the ones charging at you. So what are you going to do now?”

“Huh? Isn’t that obvious? I’m gonna stand my ground and crush this plot of his head-on. Or more to the point, I’m gonna crush you.” With that, I called up a huge number of summoning circles.

Korin’s eyes went wide with shock as she realized I was using my special art.

“Special art activate! Boundless Calamity Summon! Come, my monsters, crush this army of players!”

“Grrrrgraaaaaah!”

I unleashed a hundred monsters. They’d all been high-level to begin with, and they’d only grown stronger as I gained experience. They were heavily outnumbered, but that didn’t mean they’d be easily dealt with.

Korin was still dumbstruck with amazement as my army of monsters headed off to intercept the approaching players. “W-Wait... Won’t it take an age before you can use that skill a second time?! Why aren’t you saving it for your showdown with Baldy?!”

“Didn’t I just say, Korin? It’s so I can stand my ground and face you head-on. You don’t really think I consider Baldy my greatest rival and everyone else a mere sideshow...do you?”

“Huh...?!” Korin’s mouth hung open. “You don’t...?” she asked in true astonishment.

“Ha. Of course not.” I pointed at her, looked her right in the eye, and declared, “The way I see it, any player who comes at me with everything they’ve got is my greatest rival! That means everyone in that approaching army, and most of all, it means you!”

“Huh?!” Korin reacted by tightening her grip on her tanto. Then the flames of fighting spirit flickered in her big round eyes. “I’m not just a warm-up...? I’m your greatest rival?!”

“That’s right! So let’s do this, Korin! At this moment, I’ve got no greater rival than you!”

“Heh... Heh, heh heh heh! Ah, jeez. You really mean it, Yuri?! That’s what I love about you!” With a roar, Korin came rushing forward.

Korin had gone from being the defenseless girl I’d rescued in the forest to my opponent in a fight to the death!

“Raaaahhhh!” we both cried.

It was just Korin and I, one-on-one, in the center of a scorched battlefield. As I ran at her, I called out my familiars from subspace. “Get out here Puffster squad! Let’s do this!”

“Currrrrrssss!” Eleven monsters appeared around me in the form of arrows.

With arrows held in both hands like daggers, I took a swing at Korin.

There was a good reason for me to resort to this reckless approach when she was the one that specialized in close-quarters combat. The familiars holding back the thousands of players rushing toward me would only last for thirty seconds because of the time limit placed on Boundless Calamity Summon.

I briefly glanced over and saw my monsters using AoE attacks and huge bursts of flame to clear the battlefield of foes, but it wasn’t enough to wipe out everyone. Rather than take chances, the players were dodging the attacks, knowing my special art’s time limit would work to their advantage. Chirpster was there to back them up, but even he couldn’t do much against the overwhelming number of opponents.

Meanwhile, I had to contend with Korin.

“Dieeee!” she hissed.

Here it comes! The Weight Reduction skill plus Wind Shot art acceleration combo!

Korin shot at me like a bullet! With a shiiiiing, arrows shrouded in black haze collided with a tanto bathed in a blue glow.

Korin was thrown back by Demon Lord Shock Wave, but she remained unfazed. “I’m not done! Far from it!”

She flipped in midair to maintain her posture, then used her wind magic to launch herself at me again, and again, and again, coming at me like a bee trying to sting me to death.

I knew why she was being so reckless. She wanted a quick victory.

“You might have disabled my Weapon Barricade, but I’ll get it back if you take too long. More importantly though, you want us to finish our fight before other players can get in the way, don’t you?”

“Too right I do! I’m not letting anyone else have you!” She kept thrusting her blade at me with increasing ferocity. Every time she was knocked back, she’d come at me with another attack with less than a second’s delay, and it was getting harder and harder to fend her off.

Ha ha ha. Not bad at all, Korin... As long as she was using Weight Reduction, Demon Lord Shock Wave would always send her flying back. She’d found a hit-and-run tactic that made it hard for me to counterattack.

It seemed she was also wary of the exploding chimera I could call on with Forbidden Summoning because she was making sure she was never too close nor too far away from me. I’ve got to admit it, Korin. You’re a worthy opponent. Which means... “Chop!”

“Huh?”

As Korin attempted her umpteenth thrust attack, I waited for her to come at me, then I used the Puffster arrows in my right hand to cut off my left arm at the elbow!

For a moment, Korin’s face went blank at the sight of the blood spraying from my severed limb as it fell.

Don’t be losing your wits just yet, Korin!

I endured the act of self-harm through Relentless, then stood on one leg with the other foot far behind me.

“Eat this!” I swung my foot forward, delivering a powerful kick to the severed forearm before it could hit the ground, sending it straight as Korin as she came at me with her tanto. Demon Lord Shock Wave triggered and propelled the loose limb with fearsome force, sending it flying at Korin like a rocket punch!

“Huh?! Whaaaa?!” Korin cried out in surprise. She couldn’t help but fend the bloody body part off with her blade. But the moment she blocked it, the wet sound of limb against her weapon made her realize her mistake. Her weapon sank into the soft flesh right up to its hilt, leaving her short blade completely covered!

“U-Uh-oh?!”

“You have to stab me to trigger the weapon’s effect, right? Well, you can’t do that while your blade’s stuck! Now let’s finally settle this!” With the bundle of arrows held in my remaining hand, I thrust at Korin while she was still reeling and drove the arrows into her small chest.

Korin spat out blood with a “Guhah?!” But I wasn’t done. “It’s over, Korin. Monster skill activate! Shade Clone!”

I unleashed the power of my shadow weapons. The murky black arrows divided inside Korin’s body, tearing her apart from the inside out!

“Guhaaaah?!”

Defeated a player: Korin!

Yuri gained +1 event point!

A message window appeared along with fanfare, signaling that our face-off had ended with me as the victor.

“Ha. Ha ha... You really are tough, Yuri. You always find the craziest ways to fight... What made you think to cut off your own arm and rocket punch me?”

“Pretty cool, right?”

“No, it was disgusting,” Korin said as she began turning into fine particles. But then, with a tone tinged with frustration, she declared, “It’s a shame I lost my personal fight...but as a member of the Demon Lord Slayers Alliance, my mission’s complete.”

“Huh?!”

The moment she vanished, I heard the crunch of footsteps behind me. I turned around, and...

“Let’s go, Demon Lord! Next you have to face us!”

...there I saw thousands of players trampling the burned-out body of my firebird as they came at me!

“Gah! I knew this was coming, but I’m in real trouble now.”

The players all roared as they raised their weapons. Meanwhile, my Weapon Barricade skill was still disabled, and I estimated it wouldn’t unlock for about another minute.

“Nicely done, Korin.” She deserved high praise. She’d weakened me, made me use up my Boundless Calamity Summon art, and left me stranded on the ground. I might have walked into the trap somewhat willingly, but she still deserved full marks for her role in the group strategy.

“She got me good. Feels like I won the battle but lost the war. Maybe I’ll invite her to my guild when all this is over.” I stopped mumbling to myself and yelled at the approaching players. “All right! Let’s do this! Come at me, all of you! Sorry, but I’m taking you all down!”

I can’t die yet!

True to my declaration a few days back, I had to kill Baldy. I owed it to him for giving me a hard time with all these group tactics.

“Let’s goooo!”

“Bring it on, Demon Looooord!”

As I charged toward the crowd of players, I was fantasizing about the intense battle with my nemesis that awaited me.

Chapter 33 — The Demon Lord’s Army Assembles!!!

It felt like the height of recklessness as I charged in alone against thousands of players.

“Magic art activate! Meteor Shoot!”

“Slash art activate! Swooping Swallow Blade!”

Countless attacks came at me. I negated some of them with God-Killing Fist, but I was literally too short of hands to deal with every single one.

Not only was I outnumbered, I was still down to one arm after my fight with Korin because I hadn’t found time to pull out an Event Recovery Potion and heal myself.

“You’re going down, Demon Lord Yuriiii!”

“Urgh! Damn!”

Long-range attacks were flying toward me ceaselessly. Barely ten seconds after the battle had begun, I’d already negated lethal damage thirty times. I occasionally threw an exploding weapon, taking out one or two players in a blast, but there were just too many of them.

“How am I gonna get through this?!” There’s another half a minute until Weapon Barricade unlocks! Can I survive that long?!

I frantically batted away attacks with my one remaining arm, cold sweat dripping from every pore in my badly wounded body.

It was then that I heard a coarse shout from behind me. “Assist our Demon Lord!”

“Ooooooh!”

At the same time, countless weapons flew past me and exploded upon hitting enemy players.

“Wh-What?!”

I thought Shiru, Grim, and my NPCs were my only friends on this battlefield...? And was that an exploding weapon?! What’s going on here?

The enemy players turned their attention to the source of the flying weapons, and so did I.

“Looks like we got here on time, Yuri. The Crafters’ Revolution Army offers you its strength!”

“Oh... You’re that craftmaker!”

That player looking at me with sunlight gleaming from his glasses was the sage crafter from the workshop. Behind him were the others I’d met in the workshop, along with a gathering of hundreds of players also dressed like crafters.

“What are you all doing here?!”

“What a foolish question, Yuri. Didn’t you know? Friendly cooperation is the crafter way. And need I remind you, you’re one of us.”

“You guys...”

“But more importantly, didn’t you say it yourself? ‘You can let the combatant classes belittle you your whole lives, or you can forge a new path.’ We chose the latter, and now we’re going to show them all!”

The sage crafter stepped between me and the enemy players like a shield. Then more craftmakers smiled proudly as they lined up next to him.

As unexpected as it all was, my bewilderment was nothing compared to that of the enemy players. They were yelling at the crafters, demanding to know why they’d appeared on the battlefield. “What are you guys doing here?! If you don’t get out of the way, we’ll kill you all along with Yuri!”

“I’d like to see you try! We’re about to show you the true power of crafters!”

Then the fight began.

The enemy players grew serious once more and readied their weapons. Then they launched a fresh barrage of ranged attacks using their slash arts and magic arts to slaughter the crafters who’d dared stand up to combatant classes. However...

“Wah ha ha ha ha! Too slow! Too weak!”

What happened next left the enemy even more baffled. The sound of rapid footsteps filled the battlefield as all of the supposedly powerless crafters started rushing at the enemy, all the while dodging the attacks coming their way! They moved with such speed that they seemed unable to control themselves, and even when they stumbled or got hit by an attack, they kept on charging forward like it was nothing.

The scene was throwing the enemy players into confusion. “Wh-What’s up with these guys?! Crafters shouldn’t know how to fight!”

“Wah ha ha ha! That’s where you’re wrong, combatant fools! We merely lacked any means of attacking! We too thought we could never fight, and that’s why we spent all our attribute points on defense and agility to make it easier to gather materials out in the field! That means you’ll never find a gathering of players as fast and robust as us!”

“Whaaaat?!”

As the enemy players were crying out in surprise, the swarm of craftmakers continued to scuttle ahead, successfully breaking through the barrage of enemy attacks. When they finally got up close to their opponents, each craftmaker materialized a massive sword in their hand, and every sword was cloaked in the blackish red aura characteristic of exploding weapons.

That’ll never work! “Surely you guys can’t use those big weapons!” I yelled. “If you put all your points into defense and agility, shouldn’t your strength be rock bot— Oh!” Before I could finish the sentence, I realized what was going on. I knew it better than any other player. When someone tried to hold a weapon they couldn’t use, there could only be one outcome!

“Wah ha ha ha! You figured it out, Yuri?!” the sage yelled. “The secret to successful creation is to steal the ideas of another... We’ve copied your ultimate attack, Demon Lord!”

Their greatswords all fired out at once! When someone tried to hold on to a weapon they weren’t capable of using, the game would make it repel out of their hand. Countless weapons flew at the enemy players, creating a massive explosion upon impact!

“Arrrrrgh?! Wh-What’s happening?!” Players were screaming as they were blown away.

As the crafters launched their exploding weapons without mercy, creating hell on the battlefield, I smiled in appreciation at the scene unfolding. “Ha ha ha ha... Wow, you guys couldn’t be any cooler!”

“Shucks. It’s all thanks to you, Demon Lord. You gave us the kick in the rear we needed to join the fight. Now leave this to us! According to intelligence from crafter spies among enemy guilds, Baldy and Zansword are in the huge fortress over that way!”

Wow... They’ve got intelligence gathering covered too? Turns out there’s no one you can count on more than a crafter!

As I watched the craftmakers laugh with joy while bombing the enemy to ashes, I decided I’d never do anything to turn them against me.

I’d better get moving while they’re buying time.

But before I could run off, multiple enemy players, badly bloodied by the exploding weapons, leaped out at me from the flames of the explosions in spite of their injuries.

“We’re not letting you get away that easily!”

“If we lose to a bunch of crafters, we’ll look pathetic!”

Their bodies were burned to a crisp, but they were still coming at me. But then, before they could reach me, more players appeared and mowed my opponents down!

“These ones are nice and weakened! Stick together and we can crush them!”

“Woooo!”

Another massive crowd had appeared from somewhere behind me. The weapons in their hands were still shiny and new, and they were crowding around any enemy player who was down to low HP.

“Huh?! Whaaat?!”

“Woooo! Kill ’em all!” they cried. Hundreds of these new arrivals were taking on the small handful of wounded enemy players, driving their spears and swords into my injured foes with much squishing and squelching, reducing them to piles of giblets. Among these barbaric killers I noticed some familiar faces.

“Oh, it’s you guys. It’s great to see you again.”

“Oh, it’s the Demon Lord!”

The barbaric killers looked at me with twinkling eyes. They were the beginners I’d played with the other day.

I thought none of these guys could get into a guild. What are they doing in the guild war?

Before I could get an explanation, an elegant voice behind me cried, “The enemy is weakened! Continue to slice and dice!”

“Françoise?! What are you doing here?!”

“Oh, Yuri. Good day to you. Oh ho ho ho... It all started when I heard about the mini event you’d held for beginners. Not wanting to be outdone, I joined them, and we formed our own guild. We call ourselves The Beginners Who’re Gonna Slaughter You All!” With a brilliant smile, she added, “They were all so pleased.”

Françoise looked entirely out of place wearing a white dress on a battlefield burned black, but only until I saw her occasionally firing a laser spell from the umbrella she carried and obliterating enemy players. She must have reached a high enough level to get a secondary class. Everyone I met was terrifying in one way or another!

“Now, Demon Lord, I suggest you withdraw and leave this to us and the crafter’s guild. Please enjoy your battle to the fullest!”

I nodded firmly. “I sure will!”

I accepted the offer from my newfound reliable allies, then sprinted off to where I hoped to find Baldy.

Chapter 34 — Yuri the Demonic Enchantress!!!

I ran across the battlefield, heading for a giant fortress carved out of rock. With my skills fully unlocked and my missing arm regrown with a recovery potion, I was back in perfect form. Or maybe better than perfect.

“Thanks so much, everyone!” I muttered to my allies behind me, my fighting spirit burning in my heart more intensely than ever.

I won’t lose now! There’s no way I can lose! Not after all those players came to my aid and cleared the way forward! The situation made me so happy I could barely contain myself. There’s only one thing for it!

“To thank everyone, I have to make this the greatest battle there ever was! Right, Baldy?!”

Now that I was close enough to the stone fortress, I fired all one hundred and thirty of my exploding weapons right at it! It was a saturation attack that would leave the whole structure in ruins. My exploding swords and spears glowed with dark red auras as they shot at the fortress like a meteor shower.

“I’m not letting you finish this that easily!”

Before my attack could hit the fortress, there was suddenly a massive eruption from inside it, and a tekkou gauntlet shrouded in a murky black haze burst toward my swarm of projectiles. As the tekkou zipped through my mass of exploding weapons, it created a sonic boom that detonated them all one after another.

Now what’s going on?! That looked like a rocket punch! “That sure was powerful...but was it really a good idea to blow up your own fortress? That surprised me more than the attack.”

A reply came from within the cloud of dust and dirt. “Ha ha. Don’t sweat the small stuff. The guild core’s gonna be fine as long as Zansword’s looking after it.” Fragments of the ruined fortress crunched like hard candy beneath the feet of the voice’s owner as he revealed himself to me. “Hey, Yuri. You know, I went to a ton of trouble to make sure you’d never make it here. But here you are, refusing to die.”

“Hey, Baldy. Judging by that grin on your face, this is exactly what you were hoping for.”

Each of us had a friendly tone as we greeted each other, but our bloodlust and eagerness to fight were steadily approaching fever pitch.

Baldy cracked his neck as he approached. I could see he was fully geared up for a fight. For me, however, there was just one thing I wanted to figure out before we got started. What’s up with that tekkou on his wrist? It’s shrouded in some sort of black haze. And didn’t he fire it away from himself just now? It felt like I’d seen something similar somewhere before.

“There’s a black haze around your glove... And it teleported back to you... Oh, don’t tell me?!”

“Figured it out, have you? That’s right: I picked summoner for my secondary class. You’d better watch out—the monster living in my glove boosts my fist’s attack power!”

Baldy slammed his fist into his palm, setting the air trembling with an explosive fwoooom! the moment his two hands connected.

I get it... So that’s what the rocket punch was. Power grapplers could already raise the attack power of their fists in close-range combat, and now Baldy had powered his fist up even further with a monster that possessed his tekkou. It explained how he’d gotten it back after launching it away: He’d recalled it with the Summon Return art.

Looks like he came up with an interesting class combo of his own...and it’s another summoner combo.

“Hold on a second... Weren’t you totally trashing the summoner class back when we first met?”

“Heh. I’m a changed man. I’ve seen a lot of things differently since meeting you, Yuri. I don’t look down on people for their classes or skills anymore. But more to the point, I’ve learned the thrill of putting everything into a fight.” Baldy clenched his fist tight, then faced me with a fighting stance. “Let’s do this, Yuri! Let’s show everyone watching how much fun it is to go to extremes in a no-holds-barred battle to the death!”

“I hear that, Baldy! Let’s make sure everyone can see that we’re putting everything into this fight!”

We were both so excited to kill each other that we couldn’t hold back any longer. The passion that burned within both of us became more than we could contain, and we both charged forward at the same time! “Raaahhh!”

His fist met mine amid the falling fragments of the fortress. Sadly for Baldy, no matter how much he increased his destructive power, I’d always have God-Killing Fist. Whatever he threw at me, I could negate it, and then my Demon Lord Shock Wave skill would send him flying... Except that didn’t happen.

“How did that not just send you packing?!”

“Ha ha ha. Bad news for you, Yuri! I’ve got it too! God-Killing Fist, that is!”

“Since when?!” Before I could get over my astonishment, I felt pain run through my abdomen. Baldy had sensed that my surprise put me off guard and used the opportunity to punch me in the gut. “Guh?!”

“I’m just getting started!” Baldy pressed his foot firmly against the ground, then stepped forward with so much force that the dirt beneath his boot exploded! “Art activate! Fist Mastery, Forward Cannon! Urrrgh!”

“Guhaaaah?!”

He hit me so hard it really did feel like I’d been shot with a cannonball from close range—my insides felt like they’d been crushed to a pulp. The impact sent me careening dozens of meters back.

Relentless stopped me from dying to the initial attack, but nothing could stop me from repeatedly bouncing across the ground. As I was still rolling, Baldy chased after me, moving with more speed than I’d thought possible.

“Let’s pick up the pace, Puffe d’Arc! We’re keeping this up until we beat Yuri senseless!”

The boots on Baldy’s feet began emitting black particles in response. “Curse thee!”

Wow, the nerve on this guy! He’s got a monster possessing his boots, just like me. He’s not just taking inspiration, he’s totally ripping me off! I knew he was the best!

“I...can’t...lose!” I punched the ground, using God-Killing Fist to cancel the momentum making me roll, then I fixed my gaze on Baldy and triggered my new skill. “Skill activate! Merchant of Death! Convert all two hundred of my item box slots into weapon slots! Next, skill activate! Weapon Barricade, full power!”

“Whaaat?!”

A moment later, two hundred weapons appeared around me and all shot out at once!

Baldy responded with a flurry of punches, knocking swords and spears aside one after another as best he could...but he literally had his hands full trying to deal with them all, so the storm of weapons gashed his flesh in every which way as it rained down him to shreds.

Then I rushed at him while the weapons were still flying! “If a barrage of weapons isn’t enough, let me add my fists to the mix! I’ll show you you’re not the only one who can punch!”

“The hell is this?! What sort of bow wielder are you?!” Even as Baldy complained, his punches flew ever faster.

Right, this jerk has a bunch of skills that make him faster and stronger the lower his HP gets, doesn’t he? It’s scary to think about the reflexes it must take to keep his superhuman form under control.

With pinpoint accuracy, he was blocking my punches as well as the weapons I was launching from point-blank range. Each time his speed increased, the fraction of my projectiles actually hitting him dropped.

This is what I love about Baldy!

“You’re going down, brother!” we both cried as we each bared our canines and rushed each other at full speed. Our fists drew closer and closer to each other’s faces, and then, just as the blows were about to connect...

“Art activate! Swooping Swallow Slash!”

“Huh?!” we both cried as we sensed the attack coming. Without so much as making eye contact, we each knew what the other was thinking.

I dodged the punch he’d thrown at my face as he dodged the punch I’d thrown at his, then we both struck down the airborne slash projectile flying toward us.

Then Baldy’s face turned fierce as he roared at the lowlife behind the attack. “You asshole! Zansword, are you trying to get in the way of what I’ve got going with Yuri?!”

Standing there, in samurai garb, was Zansword—one of the game’s top players.

Didn’t Baldy say he was guarding the guild core? What’s he doing here?!

With slow, swaying steps, Zansword approached me as I glared at him. “Gah... I can’t hold back anymore! Forget protecting the core! Whenever I recall the passion Yuri made me feel that night, it’s enough to set my body trembling!” Zansword drew his blade, pointed it toward me, and sprinted at me in an ardent frenzy, his eyes wild. “You’ll keep out of this, Baldy! Yuri’s mine!”

“We’ll see about that!”

“Uh... What?!” I couldn’t understand why they were so angry at each other. “Didn’t you two form an alliance against me?”

And so, our fight had evolved into a three-way standoff!

Chapter 35 — Three-Way Showdown

“Yuri’s my prize! I’ll kill anyone who gets between us!”

“Silence! I’ll be the one to take her!”

First, I heard the metal of Baldy’s tekkou collide with Zansword’s blade, then the pair began throwing attacks at each other in quick succession, both desperate to kill the other.

This sudden twist got a loud reaction from our little announcement fairy. “Ooooh! Now the two men are fighting over who gets to have Yuri!”

For once, she sounded excited rather than panicked, and for some reason, she didn’t sound at all surprised to see two allies turning on each other.

The crowd of spectators was getting worked up too: “Now it’s the two dudes duking it out!” “Yeah! Show us what you got!”

“This is nice, but...” I muttered to myself as I watched their high-paced fight. Though I couldn’t make sense of it all, I felt a sense of satisfaction somewhere deep down.

Baldy was my greatest rival. That much went without saying. We’d pushed each other to the breaking point during our intense clash in the battle royale, and now he’d assembled tens of thousands of players all for the sake of defeating me. But Zansword wasn’t easily outdone. When he’d appeared out of nowhere in the cavern and claimed to be stronger than me, my initial thought had just been What’s this guy’s problem? only for me to end up impressed by his swordplay. He was also higher level than me, and he had more combat experience after pouring countless hours into the game.

“Raaaahhhh!” the pair roared at each other as I watched.

Knowing that there were two amazing men fighting a duel to decide who’d get to take me on, I couldn’t have felt happier. So there was only one way to respond.

“You guys think I’m gonna just stand here while you have all the fun?!” While they were still focused on each other, I began pummeling them with over two hundred of my weapons!

They both reacted immediately, using powerful attacks to knock swords and spears off course one after another.

“Guh... Stand down, Yuri! Just until I kill this smooth-headed fool!”

“Who are you calling smooth-headed, you no-life loser?!”

Even as they hurled insults at each other, their eyes were aimed at me. But I was the one who really had something to say!

“You think I’m your ‘prize,’ do you...? Well, I’ve got news for both of you jerks! I’m gonna be the last man standing! You’re both my prizes!”

They both gasped. I could feel their hearts pounding in response. Then Baldy and Zansword each bared their canines with a grin and rushed at me, still knocking all my projectile weapons aside!

“If you’re gonna talk big like that, Yuri, then you’d better be ready to take a pounding!”

“Ha ha ha ha! Music to my ears, Yuri! It shall be my blade which runs you through!”

Just what I wanted. I smiled at them as they charged me. Merely watching these two wonderful men fight each other would have been a waste.

I don’t care whether they take me from in front or behind! Baldy, I’m ready for that pounding. And Zansword, I’m ready for your sword to penetrate me. In return, I’ll give you all I’ve got to give! There are tens of thousands of players watching this superheated scene—let’s make the most of it together, all three of us!

“The rule’s simple: Whoever’s left standing is the strongest!” I declared. “Class ability activate! Forbidden Summoning!”

“Bwah ha ha ha! I like keeping things simple! Skill activate! Divine Oni Transfiguration!”

“Heh. Now that’s my kind of woman! Special art activate! Ultimate Fire Enchant!”

The battlefield was lit by three distinct lights.

Firstly, a summoning circle glowing with a black haze appeared behind me, then a chimera bathed in dark flames known as the Genocide Firebird emerged with an ominous beat of its wings.

Baldy, meanwhile, was glowing red-hot with fighting spirit as he changed form, two horns sprouting from his forehead. It was the same skill he’d used in our previous battle—it would boost his stats but kill him after a minute passed.

And finally, there was Zansword, whose entire body was bathed in eerily blue flames thanks to the special art of his enchanter secondary class. His body temperature now exceeded a thousand degrees Celsius, and the flames had entered a state of perfect combustion. It was a testament to his power.

Something wasn’t adding up, though... “Uh, hold on, Zansword. I could swear when I checked the online guide it said that enchanters don’t get the Ultimate Fire Enchant skill unless they upgrade the class... But enchanter’s your secondary. You can’t have upgraded—”

“Ha ha ha! That’s where you’re mistaken, Yuri! An upgrade to your secondary can be attained at level 75! Since my defeat to you at level 50...I’ve spent twenty hours every day engaged in constant hunting for the sake of obtaining this power!”

“Twenty hours a day?! You’ll kill yourself doing that!”

Baldy and I both winced. The guy needed a job, but before that, he needed to stop ruining his health. Should I be worried about this flaming no-lifer samurai...?

Baldy had a simple solution to Zansword’s stupidity. “Hey, Yuri, how about we both focus on this flaming no-lifer samurai? If we finish him off quick, he’ll be forced to get some rest for once!”

“Who are you calling a flaming no-lifer samurai?! And I won’t suffer defeat!”

As we laughed at Zansword’s reaction, we each kept close watch on our two opponents. Then our three-way standoff began in earnest.

“Genocide Firebird, go! Give your life to take them down!”

“Pikwaaaaaaw!” The hellbird obeyed my order by diving toward the ground in a suicidal strike. It only had one means of attack: self-destructing through a mana overload.

The Genocide Firebird crashed into my two enemies, creating a massive explosion that they couldn’t possibly dodge. However...

“Ora ora ora ora ora ora!”

“Futile!”

Even my special attack proved useless against my rivals! A flurry of punches from Baldy reinforced with God-Killing Fist erased the blast wave, while Zansword charged straight through the ball of flames.

I know all Baldy’s tricks, but how’d Zansword come out unscathed?! “Oh, I remember reading about this... The effect of Ultimate Fire Enchant...!”

“Indeed! Not only is my every attack imbued with the fire element, I’m entirely immune to all fire damage! And now you die, Yuri!” Zansword claimed the initiative as he lunged at me!

Holding up my Beginner’s Bow as a shield, I blocked his sword swing. But now that Zansword had taken the form of a flaming demon, the heat from his body was enough to sear my skin!

The Ultimate Fire Enchant effect is active!

All players and monsters within a radius of one meter will take damage equivalent to a Scorched Earth zone. Damage equal to 1% of maximum HP will be dealt each second!

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!

“You can’t be serious!” If he can deal damage just by getting near me, that means real trouble! I’m always at 1 HP!

To make matters worse, I had zero strength. I still had as much strength as a real-life human, but I was a mere baby in the face of the superhuman capabilities belonging to a high-level player like Zansword. His sword was pushing me down effortlessly as his face moved close enough for our noses to touch.

“Now look upon me, Yuri!” he gloated as I struggled. “I’ve reigned supreme in every game I’ve ever played—you were the first person to ever make me taste humiliation! And now, I’m your greatest rival! Cast out Baldy from your mind and focus your thoughts on me as you die!”

“Crap...!” There’s no way I can beat this guy head-on. Sorry, Zansword, but I’m gonna have to play dirty! “Skill activate! Weapon Barricade!”

I activated my special attack while he still had me pinned down, causing summoning circles to appear right under Zansword’s feet!

“Wha-What are you—?!” He’d figured it out, but too late.

I could use Weapon Barricade to summon weapons around me. In other words, once someone got close, I could quite literally take out the ground from under them!

“Get skewered!”

A torrent of swords erupted from the very patch of ground Zansword was standing on, cutting his body to shreds and launching him high into the air.

“Guuuuuh?!” I could hear his screams as he headed for someplace above the clouds.

I doubted he’d survive, but I wasn’t taking chances. I leisurely took aim at Zansword’s rising body with my bow. “Now you’re finished!”

But before I could draw my bowstring, I heard a Stomp! behind me. My remaining opponent, Baldy, was winding up to throw a punch!

“B-Baldy?!”

“Yuri... That’s the last time you play around with another man! I’ll teach you to keep your eyes on me from now on!”

I spun around, but it was too late. His deified fist slammed into my chest, sending me hurtling backward dozens of meters!

Chapter 36 — The Duel’s Finale

“Guhah?! Ugh?!” I bounced across the dirt multiple times after Baldy knocked me flying.

As long as he was using his power-enhancing skill—Divine Oni Transfiguration—his strength was out of this world. The mental toll of being hit with so much force was limited by the game’s limiters on the pain we could feel, but the impact shook my body so severely that my senses were thrown into disarray. As I rolled across the ground at supersonic speed, it felt like I’d been put in a washing machine.

A hit like that would have knocked me unconscious if I hadn’t been used to intense battles already...but Baldy wasn’t even finished.

“It’s a little too soon to call it quits, Yuri!” Baldy slammed his foot down hard enough to create an explosion of dirt as he launched himself into a sprint and quickly caught up with me.

“Uraagh! I’m sending you straight to heaven!”

The next impact hit me from below as his fist shot up like a rocket. Baldy’s arm, thick as a tree trunk, sent me hurtling high into the air!

My body was his toy. I was helpless to do anything as I flew upward, reaching an altitude of dozens of meters within an instant. The sudden lateral and then vertical acceleration to extreme speeds was leaving me struggling to stay conscious.

“Oh... I...get it...” As my vision faded, I saw a message in front of me.

Warning: Rapid drop in alertness level detected.

Unless you show signs of recovery, this will be treated as a medical abnormality and you will be forcibly logged out.

Logging out in 10...9...8...

The system message had begun counting down. So this is how Baldy plans to force a win!

“Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Baldy laughed madly. “You’re gonna be left senseless when I’m done with you, Yuri! You’re all I’ve been able to think about ever since the day you beat me! I’ve been burning with a longing for you, and now I’m finally gonna get these feelings out!” With enough power to start an earthquake, he tore up the dirt beneath him as he launched himself up into the air and flew right toward me!

It had all gotten too much for me. Anything was possible in this world of VR, but each player’s human mind was still holding the reins. Our awareness of our bodily movements and our spatial orientation was no keener here than in real life, yet somehow, Baldy was pulling off feats only seen in manga. It could only be his single-minded devotion to winning that made it possible.

“Yuri, it was fate that brought us together! We think the same, we talk on the same wavelength, and I can be myself around you! I’ve never met anyone like you! And that’s why I have to be the one to kill you! After I’ve reduced your body and your heart to a ragged mess, it’ll be you who can’t stop dreaming about me!”

Baldy roared as he flew higher into the air. The effects of Divine Oni Transfiguration meant that his entire body was searing hot, and his physical appearance was unreal.

He was putting an abnormal level of passion into defeating me. Talking other guilds into working with him to back me into a corner was an obvious idea, but his plan for overcoming the Relentless skill and pure luck build combo that made me invulnerable was madness. He was going to win by rendering me unconscious in real life.

I knew it would all be over once he caught up with me from below. He’d be able to send me flying upward and downward as many times as it took for me to pass out. He could keep going until my inner ear was utterly ruined.

I felt the fearsome passion that drove him to such extremes...and it ignited a hot fire within my own chest!

“Ha! Give me your worst, Baldy!” He’s so eager to defeat me he doesn’t care if he messes me up in real life! That’s awesome! I’ve fought all kinds of players and monsters, but no one was ever this dead set on beating me!

I felt Baldy’s fighting spirit so keenly it snapped me back to my senses. With just one second remaining on the log out timer, I recovered and fixed my eyes on my opponent.

“Huh? You came round? Just when I thought your body was all mine!”

“You think I’m about to sleep through this fight?! Prepare yourself, ’cause I’m about to finish you!”

We roared as our fists collided in midair! As we were sent flying apart, we each remained determined to eliminate the other here and now.

“Skill activate! Weapon Barricade!”

Countless summoning circles appeared around me. As the swords and spears emerged and locked themselves on to Baldy, I was also getting my hazy arrows ready. I couldn’t afford to take chances.

Baldy grinned at me and drew his hazy tekkou way back while taking aim at me. “Arts activate! Power Burst! Power Burst! Power Burst! All right, Puffzabeth! Let’s put on a real show!”

“Currrsss!”

Using the power-up arts he’d gained after choosing summoner as his secondary, he increased the strength of the (probably female) shadow weapon living in his glove to its absolute maximum. He was probably gearing up to use the same rocket punch he’d used at the start.

What a guy... He’s turning this into a summoner showdown just seconds before Divine Oni Transfiguration kills him. Ahh... He really is, without a doubt, the best man I’ll ever meet.

“I love you, Baldy. I’m so glad I met you.”

“I feel it too, Yuri. So to finish...!”

“No holding back...!”

“Let’s give it all we’ve got!” we both roared as we unleashed our attacks.

Hazy black arrows led the way, followed closely by a mass of over a hundred exploding weapons, rare swords, and enchanted spears, all rushing at Baldy.

At the same time, Baldy launched his hazy black glove, sending it hurtling at me with enough speed to ignite the atmosphere around it!

The army of weapons collided with his superhuman punch, creating an explosion that consumed us both! The shock wave sent us both hurtling back, but we weren’t about to back down now!

“You’re going down! And I’m coming out on top!” we both yelled.

We were mirror images of each other as the final moments of our fight played out. Using the broken weapons scattered across the sky as stepping stones, we clenched our fists and shot toward each other like bullets! No more strategy, no tactics, no tricks up our sleeves. We were guided by nothing but sheer manly determination!

“Raaaaahhhh!”

He’s the only one I care about beating! He’s the only one I don’t wanna lose to! When I’m up against the manliest friend I’ve got, I have to be a man to the very end! Those were the feelings burning in my heart as my path finally crossed his.

“It’s my win!” I ducked under his arm then landed a perfect punch right on his face!

Blood poured from Baldy’s flattened nose as he plummeted down toward the ground. “Yeah... You got me buddy... You win.” Win or lose, he had no time left.

There was wild cheering from the spectators as the death sentence imposed by Divine Oni Transfiguration took effect, erasing his body just before he could strike the ground.

“You did great, Yuri!”

“Baldy was amazing too!”

“Take us on next time!”

Thus, my second duel to the death with my brother-in-arms ended while the crowd showered us with praise.

Chapter 37 — The Outcome of Battles Backstage

With my showdown with Baldy over, I landed on the tattered plain. “Phew. I won...somehow...”

Now that Baldy was out of the way, I’d be unstoppable. All that remained was to smash the guild cores and declare victory. I had to get it done quickly, or players would start respawning.

“But before any of that...”

I jumped back a few paces to get clear of the threat I felt coming at me from above. A moment later—bam!—Zansword thrust his sword into the ground with his body still flaming.

The spot where I’d just been standing had been burned to a patch of ash by his blue flames.

“Yo, Zansword. Don’t die easily, do you? Ultimate Fire Enchant might be powerful, but it’s not the best for surprise attacks. I noticed the light and heat from a mile away.”

“Haah... Haah... Shut up...”

Zansword was glaring at me, but he literally looked half dead. He was bloodsoaked and full of holes where my swords and spears had pierced him. His hair had been tied back in samurai fashion earlier, but now it was a mess. He looked like a fleeing soldier.

As a man, I still couldn’t let my guard down for a moment. I quickly activated Weapon Barricade and surrounded him with summoning circles. There’s no way he’s getting out of this one.

“Whew... Ha ha ha ha...!”

Despite all that, he was laughing. And it wasn’t the laughter of a broken man on the verge of destruction. It sounded like the laughter of a man whose victory was certain.

“Got another trick up your sleeve?”

“No... My means are already exhausted. It makes me sick to my core, but I must admit, I challenged you for the title of strongest player and met defeat. But Yuri, victory in the guild war is ours!”

He opened up a menu window, tapped a few buttons, then showed it to me. In the window was a video of a lone girl running through the castle at the center of my guild base. She was wearing the fur of some beast and smashing through the walls and floors of the castle as she slipped by the tentacles of the town’s guardian, Cthulhu.

“N-No way...!”

Zansword wore a triumphant smile. “You’re so focused on solo play that you may not have known about it, but party members can share footage of their surroundings with one another. When entering a dungeon, the quicker footed party members can go on ahead and use this feature to show the others what lies in wait for them... Her name is Wacko. It was her ability to move unimpeded by barriers of all kinds that allowed her to prevail in the battle royale. There’s no one better at infiltration.”

So, while I was distracted by our three-way battle, she was infiltrating my town. They got one over on me there. I smiled in spite of the situation, seeing that Wacko had already reached the room that contained the guild core.

Our gothic lolita crafter, Grim, was standing guard, but I knew she had no chance of winning. How could she? She had zero combat experience.

Grim was in tears as she spread her little arms wide to block the path to the guild core, but she accomplished nothing besides looking cute. Heartwarming, but pointless.

As dire as her situation was, I was powerless to help her.

Zansword laughed to himself. “Heh heh heh... I dispatched an infiltration force of a hundred players, only for them to be slaughtered by monsters and strange tentacles that sprouted from the castle. I thought we were done for... But as long as Wacko made it, nothing else matters! How does it feel to have fallen headfirst into my trap, Yuri?! You can’t say anything in response to that, can you?!”

Anything.

“You could try to kill me quickly then destroy my guild core, but it’s no use. Why, you ask? Because Wacko isn’t a member of my guild! Mwah ha ha! It’s too late to cry over it now!”

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.

“And what’s more, Spearo is keeping Shiru and your NPC army busy in unspectacular fashion! You’re out of options!” Zansword began laughing to himself.

He must have secretly put this plan together without even telling Baldy. When I remembered the feelings we’d shared on making eye contact, I felt certain of it. Baldy had been entirely focused on me right to the end. If he’d known there was a backup plan, he wouldn’t have fought with the same desperation.

Oh, that explains it... “You’re a real strategist, Zansword. You kept the details from Baldy so he’d fight harder, and I didn’t suspect a thing. You really got me.”

“Mwah ha ha. You figured it out? To fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends! Now, Yuri, you’ll vanish the moment your guild core is destroyed. Any final words before it happens?”

“Yeah, a few.” There was one thing that really had to be said. I clenched my first then slammed it hard into his smug face! “You’ve been droning on too long!”

“Urngk?!”

I remained defiant. “It’s a little soon to celebrate, Zansword. Yuri’s Justice Team still has this! Don’t underestimate my allies!”

“Guh... Wh-What are you... Huh?!” Zansword grunted in pain, and then his face froze up in shock as he looked back at the video footage.

Wacko had successfully smashed the guild core...but Grim and I hadn’t disappeared.

⬧⬨⬧

“Ouh ouh ouh ouh!” Wacko laughed aloud as she slipped through the tentacles sprouting at random around her. In front of her was a huge door.

The headquarters of Yuri’s Justice Team truly had proven fearsome. Soon after entering the town with her underlings, she’d watched as thousands of monsters descended on them and made short work of half the infiltration squad. Then tentacles had sprung out of the ground, crushing her remaining allies to death one after another. Wacko had come close to despair multiple times, thinking she’d wandered into hell itself.

Wacko had an unusual past—after being raised by beasts up to the age of five, she’d never learned to speak in human tongues. It was a backstory so unusual that she often felt proud of herself for having made it up, and she loved the role-play that went with it.

For someone to build a guild base like this, however, they couldn’t just be role-playing a weirdo. She was sure it was someone who was genuinely weird.

Missions didn’t get any more challenging than this. None of her allies were left alive, and even Wacko herself was so badly wounded she was close to death. But despite all that, she’d used every ability the beast riser class afforded to her, smashing through walls and ceilings until she’d finally reached the depths of the base.

She checked the display in the corner of her vision. The indicator on the map removed all doubt—the guild core was here.

“Ouuuh!” This is it! I’ve reached their guild core! As soon as I destroy it, I’ve won! I’ll be the one who took out Yuri—the game’s strongest player!

Wacko kicked down the door blocking her path so hard that it broke apart, then she entered by rolling across the floor. In the room’s center was the guild core, shrouded in black haze.

“Uhh... I won’t allow it...! I’m protecting this guild core!”

“Ouuh...”

There was a tiny blonde girl standing between Wacko and the core, but Wacko could tell she was no threat whatsoever.

This must be Grim. Wacko had researched Yuri’s guild members. The crafter Yuri had welcomed into his guild wasn’t a veteran like Françoise—unlike her, Grim couldn’t fight at all, in fact. She wasn’t worth wasting time on.

Wacko ran on four legs like a beast, leaping around the room, then hit Grim in the cheek with a flying kick while she was struggling to keep up with Wacko’s movement!

“Uhhh?!” Grim was sent flying into a wall.

The fight was over in an instant. Grim had survived—the experience she’d gained from constant crafting must have gotten her to a high level—but Wacko had lost interest in her. She’d be a fool to pay any attention to weaklings when stopping for a single moment would result in a tentacle sprouting from the ground and grabbing her.

All that really mattered was the guild core right in front of her. Destroying it would mean the end of Yuri’s Justice Team.

“Ouuh!” I win! Wacko’s gonna be the last one standing in this event!

With that thought, she kicked the guild core with all her might. “Ouuuh!”

The core shattered into a million pieces, shards of glass glimmering like snowflakes as they rained down around Wacko as if to honor her victory.

“Ouuuh!” I did it! I’m the MVP! Wacko bathed in the falling fragments, triumphant. But not for long...

“Grrriih!”

“Ouuuh?!”

In her moment of ecstasy, she was grabbed by plump tentacles! They could only belong to Cthulhu Replica—the unique monster that had possessed the entire town.

Huh?! Why?! How?! Wacko struggled to understand why the guild hadn’t vanished the moment she’d destroyed the guild core.

As Wacko began to panic, the weakling she’d ignored—Grim—approached her. “Sorry, assassin, but the core you just destroyed was a replica I made myself.”

“Ouh... What? It was fake?!” The shock Grim had just delivered was enough to make Wacko forget her simplistic role-play.

Grim grinned. “That’s right. I imagine you’d relied on the map in the corner of your vision to find it, but that’s only a simplified map. The real guild core is over here!” Grim materialized a giant hammer then smashed a huge hole in the wall beside her.

Visible through the hole, in the center of the neighboring room, was the real guild core.

“Whaaat?!”

Wacko had walked straight into a trap created by Grim and her crafting abilities. So long as they had the right materials, craftmakers could make interior decorations, but Wacko never imagined a crafter using the ability to set up such a devious ruse. The realization left her in despair.

“You gotta be kidding me!”

“You couldn’t help but be fooled. If you’d looked more closely at your map, you might have noticed that the core you saw didn’t quite match the position of the indicator, but Loo was doing her best to make sure you wouldn’t have time for that. Weren’t you, Loo?” Grim asked affectionately.

“Grreeeh!” The entire castle warbled in response.

The battle of wits was over, and now that the would-be assassin had fallen headfirst into the trap, there was only one possible conclusion.

Grim raised her hammer with a smile, then spoke the last words Wacko would hear. “I am Grim! The crafter chosen by Demon Lord Yuri! You were a fool to underestimate me, beast girl!”

“Ouuuuuuh?!”

With a Ker-slam! the hammer crushed Wacko’s skull, wiping out all her HP with a single hit.

Ugh...crafters are scary...! The realization was Wacko’s final thought before death took her and her body vanished.

⬧⬨⬧

Baldy had fallen in spite of his determined effort, and Wacko’s mission had failed through enemy deception, but Spearo, the self-declared hero, remained unbeaten.

“I’ll run you through with my spear of justice!”

“Guuh?!”

Spearo wielded his weapon with pride as his spearwork kept his greatsword-wielding opponent on the back foot. His opponent was the girl known as Shiru—an evildoer with a history of player killing.

Spearo’s commander, Zansword, had told him that “She’s lower level than any of the top players because she spent too long playing with a group that targeted weaker players”—and sure enough, while Shiru wasn’t weak, she wasn’t particularly strong either. Spearo felt that victory against such an opponent was all but assured.

I always choose the best option available to me! I can keep this up while her situation steadily worsens!

Spearo’s tactics never had anything to do with preferences or enjoyment. In real life, he was always steadfast and tireless, never giving in to the temptations of alcohol, cigarettes, or women. He was generously described as an industrious individual, though some would simply say he was boring. In either case, Spearo had made his unerring diligence his ultimate weapon.

I might be boring in real life, but in this world, I’m a hero!

His attacks never overreached; his defense was never overly cautious. He simply wielded his spear in whatever manner yielded the highest chance of victory. He was nothing like a certain silver-haired big-breasted bimbo known for throwing punches while wielding a bow and forcing a victory by exploiting loopholes whenever cornered.

As long as I stick with reliable approaches, I’ve got no weak points!

Spearo couldn’t possibly lose to Shiru when every aspect of her approach to combat was inferior. And although she had an army of NPCs in tow (all of whom had mohawks for some reason), his own allies had since caught up and were keeping them busy.

His fight with Shiru was nearing its conclusion. He’d forced her into a 1v1 battle where he could calmly predict and dodge every swing of her greatsword as he slowly but surely whittled down her HP.

“Sorry, villain girl, but your defeat is nothing but a stepping stone on my path to glory!”

He wouldn’t normally want to fight a girl, but she was different—she was an underling of the notorious Demon Lord. Fighting her actually tugged at his heartstrings as he role-played as a hero.

Spearo secretly smiled to himself as he inched closer and closer to victory. But then things took an unexpected turn.

“Haah...” Shiru sighed. “Well, there’s no getting around it now. Sorry, minions, but I’ll have to kill you all.” Shiru drove her greatsword straight through the back of a mohawk NPC who was locked into battle with another player!

“Wh-What are you doing?!” It was so unexpected, Spearo couldn’t believe it. “Why would you do that?! Have you lost your mind?!”

In spite of his confusion, he still saw the opportunity to take aim with his spear. Shiru’s nonsensical attack on her own ally had left her vulnerable—after all, each time she swung with the greatsword, it took a short while for her to draw it close and shield herself again. So long as Spearo took advantage of moments like this, his victory was certain!

“Die, evildoer! Spear art activate! Sonic Spear!” As he thrust out his weapon with incredible speed, he felt certain that Shiru hadn’t left herself any chance of defending. He grinned, expecting their fight to end here...but instead, a high-pitched ringing echoed around them as his spearhead struck a hard surface.

“Oops. That was close,” Shiru said.

“What?!”

Somehow Shiru’s movements had quickened, allowing her to block when it should have been impossible. And she wasn’t done.

“You’re strong for a guy with a plain face. I’ve given up trying to win through an ordinary fight!” Shiru leaped away from Spearo and began swinging her greatsword in a sort of dance, cutting down anyone who stood near her—she was massacring her own mohawk NPCs, plunging the battlefield into chaos!

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

“Whoooa?!”

“Sh-She’s cutting down her own allies?!”

In an instant, the field was awash with blood and screaming. Since most players were mid-fight with an NPC, they didn’t have a chance to counter Shiru’s sudden destructive rampage. Heads, limbs, and torsos scattered like snowflakes in a blizzard as she turned the front lines into a slaughterhouse.

Shiru wasn’t the only one acting strangely either. Her NPCs were grinning at the sight of their leader’s crazed actions. They began grabbing on to their opponents and crying out to her.

“That’s right, Sis Shiru! Kill us all!”

“We’re ready to go next!”

“Kill ’em all! The enemy and us both!”

With the NPCs cheering her on, there was no end in sight for Shiru’s bloodbath!

Everything was a total mess. Shiru made no distinction between friend and foe. If anything, she was prioritizing killing her own NPCs over the players.

“Ah ha ha ha ha! Yes! This is what I wanted! I love the slaughter!”

“Wh-What’s wrong with you...?” Spearo turned pale and trembled at Shiru’s insanity.

The other players were just as disturbed. Watching the NPCs feverishly cry out “Kill us! Kill us!” as Shiru laughed madly, her scandalous outfit stained red with blood... It was a scene so detached from rationality that all who saw it were frozen in terror. It made them easy prey.

It’s too much to take in. I feel like my mind’s being overwhelmed... Was that this girl’s plan the whole time?! Having convinced himself as much, Spearo charged forward, almost in panic. All I have to do is kill her. Kill her right now. Spearo’s intuition screamed at him, telling him his chance of winning would be higher the sooner he stopped her.

“Arts activate! Covert Action! Attack Boost! Brave Strike!”

To brace himself for whatever might follow, Spearo activated a number of arts belonging to the versatile brave lancer class. He combined an art that made him harder to notice with another that increased his strength for just a few seconds, then he activated an offensive art that would unleash a powerful spear thrust. All of this was for the sake of delivering a single blow that would kill Shiru and halt her rampage.

“I’m ending this now!” He closed the distance in no time at all and was about to thrust his spear into Shiru’s back.

“Ugh, it’s taking too long to cut them down one by one! I’ll just blow them all away at once!” Shiru thrust her greatsword into the ground where she was standing.

Now the end was upon them. The ground exploded as if hit by a meteor strike, creating a tsunami of dirt!

“Huh?! Whaaa?!” Not even Spearo knew how to react to this. Along with the many players around him, he was knocked off his feet by the torrent of dirt and rocks, and he was launched high into the air.

As he was blown away like garbage, he realized something. Shiru’s speed was increasing with each kill, and after killing everyone around her, she was capable of slashing with unimaginable power and speed. In other words...

“She... She gets a buff with every kill?!”

“Good guess!”

Spearo scowled as the girl appeared ahead of him. Somehow Shiru had thrown her greatsword and ridden on it to overtake him. Her stats had increased to the point that she was capable of seemingly impossible feats.

“The little girl we’ve got crafting for us comes up with some crazy ideas! She made me some gear that boosts my stats higher for a moment with each kill I get! And the best part is, it still works when I kill my own allies!”

“What?!” For a moment, Spearo was left speechless. Since he couldn’t control his movements in midair, all he could do was make a face in disgust. “Wh-What kind of ridiculous gear is that?! The maker would have to be heartless!”

“Ha ha. Well, the Demon Lord chose her for a reason. Our crafter put everything into my gear because, in her words, ‘Bloodsoaked female killers are really cool!’” As if oblivious to her own flaws, Shiru added, “I’ll bet she scores a zero in all of her ethics classes.”

From Spearo’s perspective, Shiru had to be just as evil as Yuri if she was willing to cut down her own allies...but Shiru wasn’t done yet. To his horror, she grabbed the severed head of a mohawk NPC out of midair and grinned all the more maniacally. “Perhaps I’ll call my equipment the Specialized Serial Killer Collection. It might get a failing grade in an ethics class, but it gets a perfect score from a player killer like me!”

“Eek?!”

“Now die, you plain-faced hero! You’re going to explode purely for the sake of my enjoyment!”

With Spearo right below her and her stats still enhanced to the extreme, Shiru threw the NPC’s head straight down!

There was no surviving the impact. Traveling close to the speed of light, the mohawk head melted from friction with air, becoming pure energy in the form of a thousand-degree-Celsius laser!

“Grrraaaarrrrnngghh?!” Spearo died screaming as it hit him.

No matter how much play skill he had, no matter how good his intuition for choices that would lead to victory, it all meant nothing when faced with an immoral player willing to trade her allies’ lives for hyperinflated stats.

Unable to counter Shiru’s ultraviolent play style, Spearo was reduced to dust.

Fine... Go ahead and call me plain. I’m done being a hero. In his final moments, he made himself a promise. I’m not going near any of Demon Lord Yuri’s followers ever again!

⬧⬨⬧

“This can’t be happening. Wacko’s a top player...and Spearo too...how could they lose to those girls?!”

The message in front of Supreme Commander Zansword read, “Your party members have been wiped out.” He stared at it in astonishment and fell to his knees.

“Aren’t my teammates just amazing, Zansword?”

“Ngh...!”

Now it was time to deal the final blow. Demon Lord Yuri slowly approached the despairing commander.

“The name’s Yuri’s Justice Team. Remember it as I send you to hell!” Yuri launched the projectiles of Weapon Barricade without mercy, entirely obliterating Zansword.

With no one left capable of defending the guild cores, Yuri’s long-fought battle came to a swift conclusion.

Chapter 38 — Everyone Gets Along in Blade Skill Online!!!

“Well done, everyone! You’ve all fought brilliantly! And with that, the first round of the guild battle event is over!”

A few minutes after defeating Baldy and Zansword, I was back in Starting Town, where the voice of the event’s facilitator, Navi the tiny fairy, could be heard everywhere.

Naturally, my allies, Grim and Shiru, were here with me. Their exploits must have been broadcast to everyone too, considering they were both looking pleased with themselves as spectators called out, “Grim, you were so cool!” and “Sis Shiru, let me join your gang!”

I’ll bet they’re loving this.

Naturally, I was getting a lot of praise myself and looking just as smug as they were as people asked to shake my hand.

That prompted Navi to float over us and loudly declare, “Isn’t anybody listening to me?! Hey, don’t look so pleased with yourselves just because you touched Yuri! She’ll probably kill you later!”

“No I won’t!”

“Anyhow, a certain someone might have massacred most of the players this round, but thanks to the brave efforts of Baldy and Zansword, we all got to see some great fighting! To finish it all off, I’d like to show the top three scoring guilds out of those that survived until almost the end! Here it is!”

#1: Yuri’s Justice Team. Time survived: ∞ (final winner). Total points acquired: 103,282.

#2: Crafter’s Revolution Army. Time survived: 48 minutes. Total points acquired: 10,285.

#3: The Beginners Who’re Gonna Slaughter You All! Time survived: 45 minutes. Total points acquired: 8,756.

“Whoa. Demon Lord Yuri’s guild gave no one else a chance...”

“Those guys got second and third? Are you for real?!”

“I’m changing my class to crafter!”

The players all had a lot to say about the event results visible in the sky above them—and no wonder. Even the spectators had no idea that the crafter army and beginner team would finish in the top three.

The last part had been real fun. Once I’d destroyed the guilds under Zansword’s control, the three members of Yuri’s Justice Team clashed head-on with the Crafter’s Revolution Army and The Beginners. We’d all had a blast.

“All right! Now I’m gonna aim to get the top spot in all four remaining rounds!”

Just as I was getting hyped for the rest of the event, a flash of light shot through the spectator’s plaza, then the elderly king appeared from out of nowhere.

Didn’t the king... I mean, didn’t that dev leave it all to Navi and then disappear somewhere? And maybe it’s just my imagination, but it looks like he’s sweating an awful lot...

With me and everyone else staring at him, the old man awkwardly began, “M-My subjects! What a jolly good fight that was! As a deve— I mean, as your king, I was overjoyed to see the event was such a success!”

Okay, sure. But what are you doing here?

“So... You see... The truth is...some players acquired a skill for stealing items from other players that was supposed to be terribly difficult to learn... And, well, things are set up so players get their lost items back after the event... And the thing is...certain limited items are going to become more common... And, um... Oh, but it’s not a bug! It’s just...” The old man could barely get his words out.

I had to wonder whether he’d gone through a lot of trouble to keep the event running smoothly. It was likely he’d just logged back in after being in a meeting with other developers.

“They must’ve put a lot of effort into all this...” I mumbled to myself. I was still holding a grudge against the devs for hitting me with a laser-focused nerf and then selling pictures of me without permission, but I’d have been remiss not to appreciate their hard work today.

Got to respect someone who’s putting in the work. That’s what a good man does. Okay, just this once, I’m gonna show them some appreciation!

“And, well,” the dev continued, “I won’t bore you with the details, and I’m terribly sorry about all this, but Yuri, I’d like you not to participate in the next—”

“Hey, developer!” I yelled, cutting him off so I could tell him how grateful I was. “Thanks for giving us this really fun game to play!”

“Ugh?!” The dev froze in surprise, giving me a perfect opportunity to share more of my feelings!

“I know we’ve had our disagreements, but I really love Blade Skill Online! I’ve met so many new friends since I started playing! And it’s all thanks to you. Thank you for giving me a place where I feel I belong!”

“Y-Yuri, hold on! Don’t you realize this is the absolute worst time for me to hear all that?!”

“Why’s that, dev? You embarrassed, dev?!”

“N-Not at all!” The dev was getting a little flustered.

Then Baldy appeared beside me and began shouting too. “Bwah ha ha ha! I owe you guys some appreciation as well!” He put his arm around my shoulders and said, “It’s thanks to you that I met the greatest partner I’ll ever have! Keep it up so I can keep having good times with Yuri!”

“B-Baldy?!” the dev stammered.

Then the tens of thousands of players in Starting Town all followed his lead and started a chorus of appreciation!

“Thanks for everything you’ve done, developers! We can’t wait to play the rest of the event and get some revenge on Yuri!”

“I was always saying, ‘Crafters are too weak! Why didn’t the devs balance it better?!’ Sorry for getting it so wrong! Now I know you gave crafters ways to fight! Sometimes I forget how smart you guys are!”

“It’s amazing how we never find any bugs despite how much there is to this game! You’ve got my respect! I’m gonna join in next round and try taking on Yuri’s guild for myself!”

Surrounded by loving cheers from jubilant players, the dev began to cry. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes, muttering, “I w-w-wasn’t ready for this!”

Heh heh heh. He had no idea he’d have everyone showing him all this appreciation. Good for him!

I made my way through the crowd to the center of the plaza, grabbed the red-faced dev’s hand, and shook it with a smile. “Now, dev, keep up the good work so rounds two through five can be as bug-free as the first! I’ll do my best to rampage again! Everyone’s hoping for another fight with me, so I’ll have to make sure I keep up the carnage in every single guild war!”

“E-Eeek?! F-Fine! I give up already!” The emotions must have gotten too much for him because he fell to his knees.

Now that I’ve made up with the devs, I can raise hell throughout the rest of the event with a clean heart!

Everyone gets along in Blade Skill Online! (*Crying developers notwithstanding)

[Nice Fighting] General Discussion Thread 730 [In the Guild Battle!]

1. Impatient Adventurer

This thread is for general discussion.

Speak your mind freely, so long as you’re not breaking the forum rules. However, if you want to recruit party members, rant, hate on the game, or start drama, please make your own thread.

A new thread will be created automatically when this one reaches the reply limit.

Previous thread: http://**********

107. Impatient Adventurer

Nice work, everyone!

The event was a real blast, just like last time!

108. Impatient Adventurer

>> 107

Nice work!

Yuri might have totally wrecked us all in that first round, but I’m glad we managed to stop her winning the second through fourth!

109 Impatient Adventurer

>> 108

With all of us working together, we stopped her from winning anything except rounds 1 and 5.

That said, winning twice when you’ve got tens of thousands of players teaming up against you is still crazy lmao.

130. Impatient Adventurer

>> 109

It’s partly because Apocalypse NPC Army was so strong with Shiru in charge, and invading Yuri’s guild base was virtually impossible because of Grim and her horde of monsters lol.

But what really got me was how big of a role the crafters played. I can’t believe the crafter guild actually won the third round.

151. Impatient Adventurer

>> 130

Right? I regret ever looking down on them!

Seems it was Yuri who first realized what crafters were capable of, but even before that, the devs must have made sure they’d find a way to fight if they tried hard enough.

173. Impatient Adventurer

>> 151

That has to be it. Everything in BSO is carefully thought out even when it looks like the devs are winging it!

You hear some people say, ‘It looks like everything in BSO is carefully thought out even when it looks like the devs are winging it, but actually, they really are just winging it.’ But I don’t believe that!

175. Impatient Adventurer

>> 173

Agreed! Like when it looked like they were bullying Yuri with that nerf, but they’d actually left her a path to get stronger. All the destruction we saw from the crafters is just the latest example. Clearly, the devs put careful thought into how crafters were going to get stronger!

Speaking of the developers, they said they’re taking the game down for maintenance for a full day after what happened in the event. I guess they’re going to put some limits on Weapon Barricade after seeing Demon Lord Yuri abuse it?

176. Impatient Adventurer

>> 174

They have to. It’s totally overpowered. When someone can launch 200 exploding weapons at once, it’s just silly lol.

But knowing Yuri, she’ll find a way to go on being overpowered regardless... (I have faith).

177. Impatient Adventurer

>> 176

No doubt lol.

Speaking of updates, the last update gave us a load of story quests. Has anyone been playing them?

179. Impatient Adventurer

>> 177

Yeah, but it’s kind of lame because of all the fetch quests.

I did so many that were just “Please give X to Y” that I was totally sick of them lol.

I gave up halfway through since I had to grind levels for the event anyway.

180. Impatient Adventurer

>> 179

It feels like every online game turns into a series of fetch quests sooner or later lol.

181. Impatient Adventurer

>> 177

Event leaders like Yuri, Baldy, and Zansword are so focused on leveling I’ll bet they haven’t bothered with quests at all lol.

182. Impatient Adventurer

>> 181

Are you sure Zansword wasn’t doing all the quests at the same time? He’s logged in like 24/7 so he’s obviously unem— I mean, someone with plenty of time for them!

Anyhow, nice fighting in the event, everyone!

Next time we’ll overthrow the guys at the top!

“Uuuuuuuuuuuugh!!!” Ominous wails echoed through the development office, accompanied by rapid tapping sounds as fingers hammered madly against keyboards.

In the dead of night that followed the event, the development team were in tears as they tried to rebalance the game based on everything they’d just seen.

“Damn that beautiful witch of a Demon Lord!”

Once again, a player named Yuri was making their lives a nightmare. By combining explosion attacks with an item-stealing skill, she’d amassed items of tens of thousands of different types.

Now the whole development team was in turmoil. The original plan had been to simply erase all of the items Yuri had collected. However...

“Goddammit! Yuri got us again! I can’t believe she thanked us with everyone watching!”

“We can’t afford to take any chances with her. Not only did she find new ways to fight after we nerfed her into oblivion that first time, she even showed the crafters how to fight and got everyone thinking we were the masterminds behind it all!”

“‘Oh, the devs put so much thought into everything in the game!’ Yeah, right! We sure as hell hadn’t thought of this!”

The developers continued to vent as they applied various fixes.

If they released another update that singled out one player, their users would be disillusioned. People would say, “It turns out the devs really hadn’t thought anything through.”

For now, they made it so item-stealing skills couldn’t steal key items and wouldn’t work on players of lower level than the user. Also, stolen items were marked as contraband and couldn’t be converted into real money by anyone other than the original owner. These quick fixes allowed them to relax a little.

For the developers, it was their last resort after failing to find an excuse to erase all of Yuri’s items, but to most players, it would look like a genius solution. The two changes would stop high-level players with the item-stealing skill from attacking lower-level players en masse, and it would put a stop to any ruinous requests for real money. It also would serve as some good motivation for players with the item-stealing skill to take on stronger players, and the rule preventing anyone but the true owner from selling the item meant that the thief would be stuck with it unless they reached out to the original owner and negotiated a deal.

That said, the staff didn’t realize any of that as they continued their work, still venting their complaints.

“One of these days, we’ll teach that Demon Lord a lesson!”

“Damn her! Damn Yuri! She might’ve gotten more people excited about the game, but it’s her fault we can’t leave work on time, dammit!”

“Honestly, I’d make Weapon Barricade totally unusable if I could...but that skill costs too many event points. I’ll nerf it as much as I can without making the other players who’ve bought it too mad!”

“If we can’t focus on Yuri, we’ll just have to make the game harder!”

“She’s not interested in the beginner zones, so let’s leave those as they are. But we can give monsters in higher level zones more moves and bigger power boosts, and we can add in some unique monsters. Oh, what if we bring in some awesome superstrong enemies that make Yuri look like trash and call it a story quest?!”

Thanks to their hate for the thuggish Demon Lord, the development team was motivated to turn Blade Skill Online into a much more fulfilling game (without ever realizing they were doing it). And so, they worked through the night, unable to go home or sleep.

Chapter 39 — A New Chapter Begins! Yuri the Walking Mass of Special Moves!

“Heh heh! I have arrived!!!”

A full day after the guild war event’s conclusion, I’d logged on in my usual high spirits and descended on the plaza in the holy city of Helheim where my guild base was located.

“Whew... Yesterday was real hectic. Someone at school was chasing me around all day...”

It was the same girl from the arts and crafts club who’d made me wear a dress at the culture festival. It seemed she had a real thing for making me cross-dress. This time she’d come at me with a nurse outfit and a maid outfit, crying, “Oh but you must try them on!” and sounding all high-class about it.

If it had been a boy, I would’ve punched them, but I obviously couldn’t get aggressive with a girl from a year above mine. So I gave in and told her, “Okay, but just for a little while.” Well, once I’d tried on an outfit or two, she pulled out a camera... You can bet I started running at that point... Whew...

Things had only gotten worse after that. I ran outside the school and bumped into this guy with a chiseled face who was walking by the school gate. We both fell over, with it looking like he’d pushed me down and gotten on top of me. Of course, this is all happening while I’m wearing a uniform meant for girls. A middle school girl happened to be walking by, and when she saw what happened, she kicked the guy off me and yelled at him, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

From there it was total chaos! Things didn’t calm down until I forced my way between the guy and the middle schooler to stop her beating him up (despite her straitlaced appearance, she sure knew how to fight).

I felt really bad for the guy. He was in tears, saying, “I venture outside for the first time in so long and then this happens... Real life might be the hardest game of them all.” Though when I put an arm around him to help him to his feet, he sprung up from the ground in an instant. I guess he couldn’t have been badly hurt.

It had been a busy day with a lot going on. It might have been more tiring than the event even.

“But real life’s real life! The game’s the game! Time to get in the right mindset!” I slapped myself in the face and pulled myself together.

It’s time for another day of wreaking havoc!

“Now then... The game went down for a day for updates right after the event, just like last time,” I muttered to myself as I brought up a menu window. “Let’s see what they did...”

The latest update makes changes for the sake of balancing combat.

The key points are listed below.

1. In response to the extreme behavior of a number of players, a limit of 7 has been placed on the number of weapons that can be summoned using Weapon Barricade.

Additionally, weapons can no longer be summoned under an opponent’s feet (because this is too difficult to counter).

To compensate for the weakening of the skill, the lifetime of the weapons it materializes has been increased from 3 seconds to 10 seconds.

2. In response to the extreme behavior of a number of players, the following restrictions have been placed on item-stealing skills.

Key items obtained from events and the like cannot be stolen, nor can items be stolen from players of lower level.

Additionally, stolen items are marked as contraband and cannot be sold by anyone other than the original owner.

3. In response to the extreme behavior of a number of players, when NPCs are led out into the field, each one will now consume one of the twelve available party member slots. This restriction will be disabled during certain events.

4. To better align with the current capabilities of high-level players, monsters in advanced areas have been made more powerful (and the experience they yield has been increased accordingly).

Additionally, some powerful special monsters have been added.

5. A new karma system has been introduced.

Until now, players given death sentences and the like would be feared by NPCs to some degree. Karma serves as a numeric value quantifying this effect.

Players that perform good deeds through quests and similar such actions will gain positive karma, while violent conduct will decrease karma.

Upcoming events may change depending on whether players have positive or negative karma, or based on how deeply positive or negative a player’s karma is.

Players who achieve certain karma values will fulfill hidden achievements and gain special abilities.

6. Assassins have been unleashed, and they’re targeting high-level players!

The precise details are secret, but we recommend that players over level 50 keep their wits about them.

“Ngh... Grrrrr! Should’ve known the trash devs would nerf me again!”

It was frustrating, but they hadn’t hit me as hard as last time. Points 1 and 2 were more or less what I’d expected.

“Haah... It figures. I did kinda feel that firing out two hundred exploding weapons at a time was overdoing it, and Zansword didn’t stand a chance when I turned him into a human firework like that.”

I decided not to be mad about the first point. They’d gone easy on good old Yuri, and they’d even given me a longer time limit on my summoned weapons.

Point 2 was fine with me too. There was no point in robbing lower-level players, and I had tons of gold without needing to sell stolen goods.

“As for 3... This must be their response to Shiru running amok with her army of NPCs. Looks like she caught the devs’ attention too.” And that’s why she’s my lieutenant. I’ll have to give her a head pat when I next see her.

Points 4, 5, and 6 actually sounded interesting. It was surprising to see the devs make a positive change for once.

“All right, I get the gist. A nerf to Weapon Barricade is fine by me! I’ll just find another skill to use!”

I already had another power-up plan in mind!

I opened my status window with a grin and looked at the message waiting for me in the class section.

You have reached level 75.

You can now upgrade your secondary class, craftmaker.

Please choose one of the following options.

1. Craftmaster

The orthodox route for craftmakers.

Makes all crafting activities more efficient.

2. Battle Crafter

A specialized form of craftmaker.

Grants the ability to use six different types of weapon, as well as arts belonging to the weapon you’re wielding, even if it’s not your specialty weapon.

However, the MP cost for arts outside your specialty will be five times higher than normal.

“Gotta be battle crafter!”

I’d been interested in it ever since I’d heard of it. The MP cost was a concern, but if I could use arts from a bunch of different classes at once, it was going to be awesome!

“This is what I really wanted! I’ll even be able to use archery arts! I might be a bow wielder, but since I didn’t pick the archer class, I’ve only been able to shoot ordinary arrows.”

I’m a boy, after all. I might have figured out ways to get homing abilities and arrow splitting with some help from Puffster, but I’d still love to try out the standard bow arts! I’d love to try swinging a sword too!

After getting to level 75 by causing chaos at the recent event, I was ready to upgrade.

“No need to think this one over! Battle crafter, let’s gooo!”

Congratulations on your class upgrade! You are now a battle crafter!

You gained a class ability: Weapons Master.

You can learn six additional weapon types, and you’ll gain arts associated with each weapon!

* You also gain access to any arts associated with the weapon you chose during character creation.

You may choose your new weapons through the status menu. If you haven’t decided on all six, you may choose some now and leave the remaining choices until later.

“All right! I’m gonna get even stronger!” The thought of using a bunch of new weapons had me excited.

I had plenty of time to consider my choices carefully as I walked through town, and I didn’t even have to decide on them all just yet.

“Mweh heh heh! Those devs are idiots if they thought that puny nerf was enough to slow me down!”

I mulled over my options as I headed for the training ground where I could experiment with new fighting styles.

[The Guild War] Beginner’s Discussion Thread 153 [Was Really Fun!]

1. Impatient Adventurer

This thread is a place for beginners to chat.

Let’s share tips and support each other as we get used to the game. More experienced players are, of course, welcome to give advice. Let’s all help each other.

A new thread will be created automatically when this one reaches the reply limit.

Previous thread: http://**********

173. Impatient Adventurer

Yesterday’s guild event was fun!

It’s all thanks to the Demon Lord for the money she gave me and Françoise for the invitation! （＾ω＾）

175. Impatient Adventurer

>> 173

Yep. And now we can get limited skills with all those event points we earned!

I can’t wait to try out the cool new stuff added in the last update!

176. Impatient Actual Beginner

Hello!

I decided to start playing BSO today after hearing so much about it. What class and weapon should I start with?

177. Impatient Adventurer

Ooh, someone even newer than us! You’ve come to the right place!

You can’t go wrong with the fighter and mage classes. They’re known as the big two basic classes. Both come with a good set of arts, and both have plenty of upgrade options.

179. Impatient Adventurer

>> 177

This. If you choose fighter, you should pick sword, tanto, or greatsword as your weapon. You can use the same slash arts with all three weapons types.

In fact, fighters can’t use their arts at all without a blade of some sort.

180. Impatient Actual Beginner

>> 179

Arts? Are they special attacks or something?!

What if I choose fighter as my class but then bow as my weapon? Do I just lose all my arts?!

Why even let people choose the fighter class with a bow in that case?

185. Impatient Adventurer

>> 180

It’s true that losing the slash arts is a huge disadvantage, but that doesn’t make the fighter totally pointless without a blade.

Each class gets some class abilities too. For instance, fighters get Foresight, which increases their reflexes slightly.

190. Impatient Adventurer

>> 185

The archer class is another good example. It comes with an ability called Hawk Eye that improves your eyesight, so a lot of players choose it as their secondary to help them be better scouts.

Some classes also get magic arts that you can use without needing a weapon at all.

198. Impatient Adventurer

>> 190

Fighters get a magic art called Sitting Meditation that lets them rapidly regain HP while they’re sitting down. (I guess that counts as magic?)

Another example is the all-rounder class, brave lancer. It has an art called Covert Action that makes you look so dull that other players won’t notice you approaching.

200. Impatient Actual Beginner

Thanks, everyone! I think I’ll go with the fighter and a sword combo since everyone seems to be recommending it!

Though what I really want to know is...can you dual wield in this game?! You’ve gotta have dual wielding in online games!!!

210. Impatient Adventurer

>> 200

Sounds like you’ve been influenced by a certain series lol.

Yes, you can dual wield. You won’t see many people trying it though.

212. Impatient Actual Beginner

>> 210

Why not?! It’s cool as heck!

215. Impatient Adventurer

>> 212

If you want to equip a rare sword in this game, you’ll need a high enough strength to use it.

If a sword requires 100 strength, you’ll need 200 strength to wield two of them at once. But in that case, you’re better off just using one sword that needs 200 strength.

Besides, your arts can only affect one of the swords you’re holding.

218. Impatient Actual Beginner

>> 215

Oh... Guess I’ll give up on that idea... (´ ；ω ；`)

220. Impatient Adventurer

>> 218

Don’t worry about it lol.

Here’s some trivia for you. The arrows used by archers are the one exception: an art can affect multiple arrows at a time.

For example, if you nock two arrows on your bowstring then use an art, it gets applied to both arrows with no extra MP cost. It got a lot of discussion over in the archer thread.

221. Impatient Adventurer

>> 220

But firing multiple arrows at once puts their attack power down and makes accuracy plummet, so it’s still basically impossible to double up your arts lmao.

Anyway, Newbie...

I suggest you follow Demon Lord Yuri’s example and try to find some of the game’s hidden techniques while you’re trying things out. Now go enjoy BSO to the fullest!

223. Impatient Adventurer

>> 221

Who are you talking to? Everybody’s a newbie here in the beginner’s thread!!!

⬧⬨⬧

“All right, let’s get started!”

I’d left the town plaza and walked to the Colosseum-like training ground (while eating a grilled skewer I’d bought along the way), where I could begin the search for a new fighting style.

“I guess I’ll start by choosing sword, greatsword, and spear as new weapon types. Tap, tap, tap...”

They were popular, easy-to-use weapon types. This meant I had the arts available to four different weapon types, including the arts of the bow, which I’d chosen during character creation.

“I’ll save the other three until I’ve come up with ideas... Though most of the other weapons are weird things like scissors and cards.”

Shield was another odd inclusion in the list of weapons. They all sounded cool, but I didn’t want to pick them if they wouldn’t be useful in a fight.

For now, I was done making choices, and my build looked like this.

Name:Yuri

Level:76

Class:High summoner

Secondary class:Battle crafter

Weapons:Bow, sword, greatsword, spear (three slots remaining)

Attributes:Strength: 0 / Defense: 0 / Magic: 0 / Agility: 0 / Luck: 850 × 3 × 2 + 85 + 900 = 6,085

Skills:

Attribute-enhancing skills: Luck Boost, Against All Odds (doubles all attributes when HP is 1)

Survival skills: Relentless

Damage-boost skills: Fatal Strike, Up Close and Personal, Genocide Killer, Merciless Death God, Absolute Zero, Twisted

Weapon recovery skills: Hello? Forgetting Something?

Familiar support skills: Demon Lord Kin, Demonic Leadership (limited skill)

Other avatar support and feature enhancement skills: God-Killing Fist, Demonic Archery, Demon Lord Shock Wave, Body of Demon Lord, Master of Evil, Weapon Barricade (limited skill), Demon Lord of the Crimson Lotus, Profane Pillager, Merchant of Death, Lord of All Things

Class abilities:

Taming, Chimera Creation, Summoning, Forbidden Summoning, Giant Monster Summoning, Production, Carrying, Forwarding, Weapons Master

Equipment:

Head: Accursed Death God Princess Hair Tie (created by Françoise and modified by Grim)

Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, Luck +300

Body: Accursed Death God Princess Dress (created by Françoise and modified by Grim)

Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, Luck +300

Feet: Accursed Death God Princess Boots (created by Françoise and modified by Grim)

Effects: Halves the wearer’s strength, magic, defense, and agility. MP +100, Luck +300. Possessed by Mor

Equipped Weapon: Beginner’s Bow (Requirements: None. Attack power: 1)

Accessories: Accursed Princess Ring (limits HP to 1, but while worn, there is a very low chance that a skill cooldown time will be reduced to zero), Dark God’s Covenant Necklace (triples luck when HP is 1), Poison Resistance Ring (has a low chance to nullify poison).

“All right, that’s enough preparation... Now come on out, combat-training Cthulhu Replica!”

“Grrreeh?!” An unsettling clone of the Forbidden Dragon Cthulhu Replica, dripping with slime, appeared before me with a growl.

I was using the same features of the training ground that I’d used before. I could call out monsters I’d already defeated as much as I wanted, but I couldn’t gain any experience through fighting them.

“Sorry, Fake Loo. No disappearing into the terrain this time, please. Your job is to measure my attack power.” Conveniently, the training ground allowed me to specify little details like this.

“Grrreeh?!” the clone of Cthulhu Replica (does that make it a replica replica?) shrieked as if to say, “Do I hafta?”

“But don’t worry. I’m not gonna beat a defenseless opponent to death. You can still attack however you want, just so long as you don’t go into the terrain.”

“Greeh?! Grrreeeeeeeeeh!”

The moment I’d given her permission to attack, Loo perked up and sent a mass of tentacles at me!

Yeah! That’s the idea! No time wasted thinking! I like forming strategies after I’m already in a fight and under pressure!

I followed suit and materialized my bow in my right hand, ready to fight.

“Let’s go, Cthulhu! Skill activate! Weapon Barricade!” I activated the same special skill I regularly relied on.

Multiple summoning circles appeared behind me with the tips of enchanted swords and holy spears emerging from them. However...

“Ha ha... Wow, this really isn’t many...”

I was limited to just seven summoned weapons. Considering how I’d been able to summon over a hundred weapons until now, it felt like a substantial nerf.

“Meh. No use moping about it. Fly, my weapon army!”

My weapon items flew at Cthulhu, then all seven of them hit the tentacles at once, creating major explosions that filled the training ground with a massive dust cloud.

“At least the explosion effect hasn’t lost its punch. How’d you like that, Cthulhu?!”

“Greeeehhh!” Cthulhu barely missed a beat, sweeping away the dirt cloud with countless tentacles before sending all her appendages rushing at me at once!

I hastily called on Armor Knight, the monster possessing my boots. “Mor! Use Flash!”

“Hrrr!” Mor helped me dodge the swarm of tentacles with some high-speed footwork.

“Damn. Seven explosions weren’t enough to slow her down!”

I should’ve known. Cthulhu Replica was a powerful hidden boss, after all. Still, if I’d been able to use a carpet bomb like I had at the event, an instant kill might have been possible.

“That sucks, but I’ll just have to deal with it. I have to keep thinking until I find some new attack that’s just as powerful!”

“Grreeh! Grreh!” Cthulhu shrieked while her tentacles flailed wildly.

I dodged each one by mere inches as I gave my situation careful thought. “What can I do now that I couldn’t do then...? I’ve got more arts, for one.”

Arts were special abilities that cost MP to use. Until now, I’d been limited to using magic arts such as Power Burst to buff my monsters. Arts used with weapons, known as combat arts, were triggered by yelling out the art’s name during an attack to give a weapon a special effect. Combat arts could make a basic attack do several times more damage, drastically speed up slashes, or give an attack the power to break through armor. And that wasn’t even the best part—using these arts would make the weapon give off a super cool magical light! It was enough to tug at any man’s heartstrings!

“Grrreeeeeh!”

“Oops. I forgot about you, Fake Loo!”

Five thick tentacles were coming at me, so I fired a few greatswords straight down from above with Weapon Barricade to nail them to the floor.

“Grriiiiih!” Cthulhu screeched in frustration.

Up to now, weapons would disappear three seconds after summoning, but now they’d last a whole ten seconds. It meant I had this new use for them.

“Looks like I’ve made an opening. Time to try out some arts! Get out here, Deathly Flame Sword Icarus!”

A flaming sword appeared in my left hand. As Sir Yuri, the hero of Blade Skill Online, I couldn’t be using flashy attacks without a weapon that looked the part.

The attack I was about to use, Light Blade Slash, produced one of the coolest effects. A blade of pure light would fly out from my sword and cut through any enemies within a wide range. It was the perfect move for a main character!

I’m all set! Now let’s see how cool I look using a cool attack with a cool weapon!

“Let’s do it! Light Blade...”

* Error: You do not have the 200 strength required to use Deathly Flame Sword Icarus.

“...Slash! Wait, what?!”

As I was trying to trigger the art, an error message appeared and the sword popped out of my hand!

“Oh, crap! I’ve got zero strength!”

I’d been using swords and spears without a second thought with Weapon Barricade for so long that I’d totally forgotten. I was supported by the power of luck while actually being super weak!

What was I thinking, trying to hold a sword and use arts like that?! What a dumb mistake. How embarrassing!

“Awww... Just when I was about to use one of the coolest arts!”

To make my blunder even worse, I’d finished saying the attack name, so I’d probably just wasted the MP. And MP wasn’t cheap, since battle crafters used five times as much as normal. I’ve got to learn not to be careless with my MP like that.

“Haah... Sorry, Cthulhu. We were supposed to be fighting, but I’m just making myself look dumb!” Red in the face, I looked over at Cthulhu.

“Grrriiih?!”

“Huh?”

Cthulhu was screeching in pain and thrashing wildly while severed tentacles fell from her body! They were the same tentacles I’d nailed to the floor with my swords just moments ago.

“Huh? What? What just happened?! How’d you lose those tentacles? All I did was nail them down!”

Confused, I looked at the five greatswords that were about to vanish. Then I noticed something.

“Uh... The swords are...giving off light?”

Blades of light had emerged from all of the swords.

That’s got to be the effect of Light Blade Slash. But how’d it happen...?

“Did the online guide have it wrong? It said arts only affect one weapon, no matter how many you’re holding. I know arrows are an exception, but... Ohhh?!”

I felt a flash of inspiration! It was like scattered puzzle pieces all falling into place to make a perfect image!

“Uh... Oh... Think about what’s happening! When I launch weapons with Weapon Barricade, I’m making use of an error condition where weapons pop out of my hand because I don’t fulfill the requirements to use them. That really shouldn’t count as an attack at all...”

Basically, the error was just an error. It wasn’t some sort of missile attack. That meant that any damage-boost skills supposed to activate upon attacking should’ve been completely irrelevant.

However, as I’d already figured out, the system registered any weapon flying away from me while I held a bow as an attack, even though that wasn’t part of the specification. That was how I’d turned Weapon Barricade from a defensive skill into an offensive skill.

“That’s right... The system registers weapons fired away from me while I’m holding a bow as attacks! But what sort of attack?! Exactly what sort of attack does the system think it is?!”

It wasn’t hard to figure out. If I have to be holding a bow the entire time...

Having happened upon this frightening revelation, I couldn’t help but shout the answer.

“It thinks they’re arrows! Anything fired by Weapon Barricade follows the same rules that arrows do! In other words, the art applies to every projectile!”

The result was a series of devastating wounds dealt to Cthulhu Replica.

My five swords had been added to the “arrow” category while still being swords, allowing them all to simultaneously carry out the wide-range slash art, Light Blade Slash.

“Heh... Heh heh heh heh! I’ve found it! I’ve found the new bow wielder fighting style!”

Things were really getting interesting. Now that I’d thought of a new fighting style, ideas were coming to me one after another.

“Ah ha ha ha ha! All right! Status window open! Now to pick another new weapon!” I excitedly tapped some options in the menu window.

“Grrrriiihgraaah!” As the Cthulhu Replica replica recovered from her agony, she screeched in rage. Then she glared at me and opened her mouth wide! “Grrraaaaah!”

In no time at all, she’d charged up her mana and began firing a destructive laser beam of dark energy right at me!

“Ha ha. I forgot you had that move!”

I knew from seeing it firsthand that this attack was powerful enough to cancel out the Gigantic Dragonplant’s special attack. But I didn’t need to summon a monster to protect me this time.

“Skill activate! Weapon Barricade! Seven shields, come forth!”

Hard, thick shields answered my call by springing out from another dimension. This was the new weapon type I’d just chosen, and I knew just what to do with it.

“Art activate! Shimmering Barrier!”

Shimmering Barrier was a defensive art that coated the shield in glowing mana and neutralized impacts with great effect. It was applied to all of my seven shields, which dissipated Cthulhu’s destruction beam before it could reach me.

“Grreeh?!”

“Sorry, but it’s over for you!”

I erased the shields, then I summoned another seven swords. On top of that, I called out several arrows possessed by shadow weapons and nocked them in my bow.

“Ha ha! Other bow wielders might not be able to hit anything unless they shoot one arrow at a time, but I’m a summoner! I’ve got monsters to boost my accuracy and attack power!”

“Currssss!”

Puffster and his crew were eager to see some action after a long time on the sidelines. I smiled at my adorable underlings as I drew the bowstring tight.

“Every single weapon I’m using counts as an arrow.” That had an important effect. “If I use an arrow art, it won’t just work on Puffster’s crew, but the swords too! Which means it’s time to die, Cthulhu! Archery art! Shining Arrow!”

I unleashed a flock of light-based arrows, each coated with an art effect that boosted attack power as they flew at Cthulhu Replica!

Skill active: Genocide Killer! Damage doubled!

Skill active: Fatal Strike! Damage doubled!

Critical hit! Triple damage dealt to a weak point!

Skill active: Merciless Death God! Critical damage boosted a further thirty percent!

“Grrreeeh?!”

The power of my pure luck build was still alive and well, of course. With my base attack power boosted by the art, the damage boosts stacked on top, leaving Cthulhu screeching in despair. Now it was time for the finale.

“Explosion skill activate! Demon Lord of the Crimson Lotus!”

A moment later there came a violent Booooom! as every sword exploded!

Using my new skill that let me control the timing of explosions, I’d waited until my swords had pierced deep into Cthulhu’s body before detonating them. The result was that the forbidden dragon was utterly obliterated, leaving nothing but a red pillar of flames spewing a rainstorm of blood and flesh.

“Thanks, Cthulhu. That was fun.”

With my body soaked in blood, I left the training ground, ready to take the next step on my journey as the game’s strongest player!

I’ve finally assumed my final form as the awakened hero!

(*awakened Demon Lord)

Chapter 40 — Poor Yuri Captured Once Again

“Now run! Run, Wolfster! Head for the farthest far east!”

“Awooooo!”

Soon after finding a new combat style, a new idea had motivated me to climb on the Wolf King’s back and head for a place known as the dazzling town of Nakatsukuni, a place that, according to the online guide, was full of Japanese-style elegance. I had business there with the player using it as their stronghold.

And so, Wolfster—happy to be making his first appearance in a long while—carried me on his back as I rode for about half an hour.

“All right, we’re here! So this is the dazzling town of Nakatsukuni!”

The first thing I noticed was an absolutely massive torii gate. Beyond it were streets that looked straight out of the Edo period, or like something from a period drama, and a castle with huge stone walls stood right in the center of the town.

“Oooh! Anyone big into history would be overwhelmed!”

I headed straight in while admiring everything around me. In keeping with the “dazzling town” moniker, it was full of arresting sights. The sakura were in bloom, scattering petals on cheery NPC merchants dressed in Japanese clothing who were hawking their wares with phrases like, “You won’t find a better deal! At this price, you’re practically robbing me!”

“This Nakatsukuni place isn’t half bad! Now I just need to find that guy...”

As I walked carefreely through the streets like a tourist, I heard a voice say, “Hm? I sense an evil aura from that woman! Everyone! There’s a fiend among us! Apprehend her at once!”

“Raaahh!” countless others roared in response.

Huh...?

I’d barely been in the town for a minute, and already I was surrounded by a bunch of NPCs that I guessed were military police, all dressed like the Shinsengumi.

Don’t tell me I’m getting arrested again?!

⬧⬨⬧

“Ah ha ha ha! And then the NPCs led you away?”

“It’s not funny!”

A few minutes later, I was walking around town again, but this time I was accompanied by a samurai player. The guy I’d been looking for had shown up just in time to save me from being thrown into another prison area.

“It was really unfair how they arrested me like that, Zansword! Don’t they know I’m the righteous hero?”

“Hah. Most humorous, Yuri.”

“That wasn’t a joke!”

That’s right. I’d come here in search of Zansword—my samurai rival. He’d given me a real fun time in the event the other day.

“If you’re ever arrested within Nakatsukuni again, you need only call on me. After I fulfilled every quest this town had to offer, the ruling NPC bestowed upon me the title of Daimyo Samurai. So long as I commit no crimes of my own, I have the authority to overrule decisions made by the NPCs on patrol.”

“Already?!” Must be a special reward for doing all the quests.

“The town’s ruler is a kind soul. I was even given permission to use the castle as my guild base. What sort of NPC ruler does your town have?”

“Oh, that’d be Pope Gregorian. I killed him for being a total jerk!”

“Oh...yes, I remember now.” Zansword recalled my capture of the holy town of Helheim and added, “The streamed footage was quite shocking.”

For some reason, Zansword was grimacing. Why’s he making that face?! That’s no way to react to the exciting tale of the righteous hero, Yuri, leading the persecuted as they rise up and kill their evil pope!

“Ahem! Now, tell me, Yuri, what is it about this town that interests you?”

“I’m not here for the town. I was looking for you, Zansword. Truth is...I was hoping to learn a few sword techniques.”

“Hm?!” Zansword looked shocked.

Oh, that’s right. He thinks I’m just a bow wielder. “You see, I upgraded my class to battle crafter, and now I can use swords. I was thinking it’d be nice to learn some close-quarters combat just in case.”

“Mm-hmm. I see. But Yuri, weren’t you putting all your points into luck? Not only will you fail to deal damage at close range, you won’t be able to hold a real sword.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Come on out, Puffs 9 and 10!”

“Currrsss!” A pair of Beginner’s Swords emerged from the void.

“Oh, I see,” Zansword said with a nod. “So you transferred some of your possessing monsters from arrows to swords? Now the monsters’ strength augments the weapon’s attack power, allowing you to deal higher damage.”

I held the pair of swords, both enveloped in a dark aura. “Yup. I can hold these just fine, since beginner’s weapons don’t have stat requirements.”

Heh heh heh. There’s nothing more badass than dual wielding swords! This is getting me hyped!

“I’ve got Demon Lord Shock Wave to add force to the impact, and Absolute Zero to give a damage boost to all starting weapons, so even with zero strength, I’m not gonna lose at close range!”

“Bold of you to speak those words to a samurai such as I! Very well, I agree to be your sword master, and I daresay I’ll teach you some humility while we’re at it!”

Zansword drew his katana. Despite getting wrecked when we’d last fought, he was no less determined to win than before.

“Now that’s what I like to hear! All right, let the battle begin!”

What better stage for a clash of two swordsmen than these beautiful streets?!

(*The pair were quickly arrested for drawing weapons in town.)

Chapter 41 — A Lurking Threat

“Well that sucked! You know, we wouldn’t have gotten arrested like that if you hadn’t tried to start a fight in the middle of town!”

“Me?! You seemed rather eager yourself, Yuri!”

“You can’t blame me for that! You know I love fighting!”

“As do I!”

Late at night, several hours after our arrest, I was crossing swords with Zansword again in a forest behind the dazzling town of Nakatsukuni. It was a scenic spot full of blossoming sakura trees, where falling petals caught beams of moonlight as we rushed at one another with our swords drawn.

“Die!” Zansword yelled with a forceful swing of his sword.

I didn’t even consider dodging. Instead, I swung both my swords with all my might. “Ora ora ora ora ora ora!”

My style was to focus entirely on attacks with no consideration for defense. Truth be told, I was more or less swinging my swords around at random. It looked dumb at a glance, but Zansword knew better.

“Good! We’re merely amateurs playing an online game. Forget the subtleties of swordplay and put all your momentum behind each swing!”

“So, it’s all about momentum? Now that’s my kind of thinking!”

I ignored the blood gushing from the wound cut into my chest and tried to slice Zansword clean in two by swinging my blades at him from either side!

Zansword simply laughed and dodged with a backflip at superhuman speed. And he wasn’t the only one relying on superhuman powers.

“Good thing I’ve got Relentless to cancel the damage. If this were real, there’s no way I’d survive a wound like this.”

“Indeed. This world gives us skills and stats that elevate us beyond any human. Combine that with magic, and the principles of real life swordplay are completely irrelevant.” Zansword readied his blade once more, his keen gaze aimed at me. “And so, Yuri, once you’ve grown accustomed to close-range combat, you can find the style of swordplay that best fits your build. Find a set of principles that complements your skills and arts and works best for you and you alone!”

“Zansword...!” Ooh... This guy says some cool stuff! And those sharp features of his are kinda handsome... It almost feels like I’ve seen a face just like it somewhere else recently. “I’ll bet you’re real popular with the ladies in real life.”

“Wh-What are you talking about?! I haven’t so much as touched a girl in over a decade... Oh, actually, I did find myself in the embrace of an exceptionally beautiful schoolgirl recently!”

“You got with an exceptionally beautiful schoolgirl?!” I patted Zansword on the shoulder. “Sounds like real life’s going great for you”

“E-Enough about that!” Zansword smiled bashfully.

That reminds me. I found myself in the arms of a man with sharp features not so long ago. Not that that’s relevant!

“All right,” I said. “I’ll practice the sword by myself once we’re done. Sorry for getting you to teach me even though we’re rivals!”

“As you should be... Do you know how much frustration I felt when you foiled all my plans and utterly defeated me at the recent event?” Zansword glared at me, yet his tone felt friendly. “I’ve been wondering why I was unable to beat you ever since. The question tormented me to such an extent that I took a walk outside for the first time in years to clear my head.”

His first time going outside in years...? I wonder how that went.

“Then I ran into some trouble when I met the beautiful schoolgirl I just mentioned. When I saw her, it made me think of you... That’s when I asked myself, what preparations did Yuri make that I didn’t?” He was looking at my twin blades as he spoke.

“Currrss?” Puff 9 and Puff 10 said from within their swords, shrouded by dark haze.

“It should have been obvious. You trained your monsters as a summoner should, and, most importantly, you’d been strengthening your allies. And we saw the result. My side’s numbers were thinned by the crafter army and beginner’s guild that you’d led into battle, then my strategies were ruined by Shiru and Grim—two girls who weren’t even top players. I met with utter defeat because my thoughts were focused on controlling my allies.”

“Zansword...”

“And that’s why, henceforth, instead of following a solitary path forward, I’m going to spend some of my time teaching others.” Zansword gave me a warm smile. “You are my first pupil.”

It was a beautiful smile. He’d always looked so tense up to now that I’d had no idea he could make such a face. “Ha ha... You really are a good-looking guy.”

“I-I’ve no need for your flattery!”

“I’m not flattering. I mean it. And I’m not being humble when I say I’m proud to have you as a rival, you know.”

“Hmm... I see. Then watch closely! It’s a given that I’ll defeat Baldy, and then I’ll defeat you also! I’ll go from being one of your rivals, to the only man worthy of your attention!”

It was then our peaceful chat was brought to an abrupt end.

“Oh my, it can’t be. Zansword, is that really you? How low you’ve fallen.”

A voice speaking with a strange accent caught me by surprise. A moment later, I watched as a woman in a kimono revealed herself and used her long sword to cut Zansword clean in half through his torso!

Chapter 42 — A Powerful Invader from Another World!

“Guhaah?!”

“Z-Zansword?!”

The tragic scene played out before me, lit by moonlight amid falling sakura petals. Zansword’s upper body fell to the ground as blood poured from his mouth. The blade had cut through both of his arms along with his torso, and the severed body parts hit the ground with wet thumps!

I pulled out a recovery potion as I rushed toward him.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. No healing allowed, I’m afraid. ♡”

“How could you?!”

The mysterious woman stepped in front of Zansword, putting herself between us. With a golden pipe held in one hand, she had the air of a courtesan. She might have been charming, but the splashes of Zansword’s blood on her cheek and the sword she held in her other hand made her overall demeanor terrifying.

“How dare you!” I roared. “Why’d you attack Zansword from behind like that?! That was a rotten trick!”

“Oh? ‘Rotten’? Women of your kind are beyond my understanding—so mindlessly focused on face-to-face contests. Surprise attacks and stealthy assassinations are at the very heart of Six Realms of Warring States Online.”

“Six Realms of Warring States Online...?” Before I could ask what that meant, the woman rushed at me with lightning speed. “H-Hey, you’re not supposed to attack while we’re talking!” I managed to contort my body enough to dodge, but she didn’t stop.

“Ah ha ha ha! In my world of Six Realms of Warring States Online, assault is the only means of communication! Now, die!” The mysterious woman doggedly aimed attacks at my neck, chest, wrists, and legs. A hit to any of these vital points would leave me unable to fight.

I tried to parry and counter with my dual swords, but her swordplay was so much more refined than mine that I couldn’t do anything. The tip of her blade grazed me repeatedly, reducing my dress to tatters!

“You’d better cut that out, mystery woman! My outfit’s revealing enough as it is!”

“Oh? Do you really think you can afford to worry about your appearance?!” The mystery woman (I wished she’d give her name already) glared at me in irritation.

I laughed as I answered her. “Oh, I know I can. Because I’ve got friends to rely on!”

Then, right on cue... “You’ll pay for your insolence!”

“Ah?!”

Zansword, now fully recovered, slashed the mystery woman across her back.

“Z-Zansword...how did you...?” The mystery woman asked as she collapsed to the ground.

“I used my recovery art, Sitting Meditation. I’m not sure lying on the ground when you’re reduced to just your upper body should really count as ‘sitting,’ but small matters aside...” He stared down at the woman as he spoke. “What are you doing here, Kirika? Weren’t you Six Realms of Warring States Online’s top player?”

“Nngh...!” The woman—apparently her name was Kirika—had no answer to Zansword’s question. There was hatred in her eyes, like she held some incredible resentment toward him.

“Hey, Zansword, I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounds like you know her. You’ve gotta tell me what this Six Realms of Warring States Online thing is. I’m feeling like a third wheel here.”

“Forgive me. Six Realms of Warring States Online is an early VRMMO that focused on PvP combat.”

Zansword then gave me a brief summary. The game was set in Japan’s warring states period. Players assumed the role of a ghoul who’d escaped from hell and sought to enter another realm. Each ghoul ascended through a realm of suffering, such as that of the hungry ghost or Asura, and then was rewarded with special powers. Ghouls constantly tried to kill other ghouls—other players that is—to increase their corporality. To level up, essentially.

“It’s an interesting setup. Slaughtering another player drains their levels completely, taking their power into yourself.”

“What?! Wouldn’t that mean a beginner can just leap straight to the top?”

“More or less,” Zansword replied. “NPC monsters do exist, but the experience scraped together from those is barely worth the time. We found our fun in hunting weaker players or banding together to target the strong. That is, we behaved like ghouls.”

Wow... Sounds brutal. If Kirika was from a game like that, it made sense that surprise attacks were second nature to her.

“Sounds messed up, but also kinda fun!”

“Yes, it was interesting, indeed,” he agreed. “But the game strips you of everything when you die, making it hard to remain invested for a long time. That drove many players to leave. Likewise, my wandering brought me here, to the world of BSO, in search of a new battlefield.”

Ooh... So online gamers have their own backstories. I recalled Zansword’s previous attempt to kill me with a surprise attack. He’d picked a cavern where it was hard to keep a distance from an opponent. Most bow wielders would’ve had no chance.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve got no right to criticize Kirika for being sneaky. Leaping out at people in dark caverns isn’t exactly fair, is it?”

“I-I couldn’t help it! My ghoulism was still high back then!”

“Ghoulism...?” Now that’s a term I’ve never heard before!

While I was trying to guess what it meant, Kirika yelled at us from where she lay on the ground. “Seeking another battlefield?! Pooh!”

“Pooh”! That’s cute.

“Zansword, what you did was run away! Now you’ve found yourself a cozy game where you can flirt with this pretty girl! There’s not a shred of your ghoulism left!”

“Someone tell me what ghoulism is.” And I’m not a pretty girl. We weren’t flirting either.

“You be silent. Well, Zansword, I’ve come for you. You may have abandoned Six Realms of Warring States Online while you were still the ghoul of ghouls, but I’ve accepted an invitation from the developers of this game to come here and finish what we started!”

“They...invited you?! (And what the heck’s the ghoul of ghouls?!)”

Before I could figure out what she was talking about, Kirika unleashed a crimson shock wave from her entire body!

When Zansword and I both leaped back rather than try to endure it, Kirika floated up into the air above us.

World News!

The Invader from Another World event began at midnight!

Yuri and Zansword have encountered Kirika the Asura!

A public showdown with the assassin is about to commence!

“What?!”

A message appeared in the sky above, along with a huge window showing footage of me and Zansword facing off against Kirika!

“‘Invader from Another World event’...? ‘A public showdown with an assassin’?!”

“Indeed!” Kirika said. “Didn’t you receive an update announcement?! It should have informed you that assassins had been sent after high-level players!”

So this is what that meant! I’d been expecting some special monster to come after us. I hadn’t been expecting them to call in top players from another game. It was another wild idea from the devs.

“By the way, since I’m a boss character, the developers made my avatar unique. For instance, I can do this!” When Kirika clapped her hands together, countless summoning circles appeared around me and Zansword in an instant, then hundreds of skeleton warriors came crawling out!

“Th-This looks like Boundless Calamity Summon! She’s a summoner too?!”

“Not quite, Yuri!” Zansword hastily explained. “This is a secret talent from Six Realms of Warring States Online only available to high-level Asura ghouls!”

Boundless Calamity Summon only let me call out a hundred monsters, but it looked like Kirika had called out something closer to six hundred. And her skeleton warriors weren’t like any monster I’d ever seen.

“That’s what you mean by a unique avatar? Assassin players can use abilities from another game?”

“Oho. You catch on quickly, young lady. Correct you are. And I’m about to treat you both to a grisly end!” Kirika yelled as the hundreds of skeleton warriors all charged at us!

“Gahgahgahgahgah!” The hellish warriors came at us with their exposed jawbones quivering.

Wow, so many of them. The long-dead soldiers reduced to mere bones were brandishing swords and rushing at us. Any ordinary player would have been terrified...but not me.

“I had tens of thousands of players attacking me just the other day. This is nothing compared to that!”

Just as the dead were about to overwhelm me, a massive summoning circle appeared at my feet. A moment later, a one-hundred-meter tall giant monster—the Gigantic Dragonplant—had appeared with me and Zansword standing on its shoulders!

“Grrrgraaaaaaah!”

“Gagagagaaa?!” The skeleton warriors were sent flying back as the plantlike monster rose high into the air. They might have been numerous, but individually, they were weak. Already, a good number of them had smashed apart and vanished.

“Okay, Giganster, let that assassin from another world have it!”

“Grrrgraaaaaaah!” Giganster’s seven flowers began to shine brightly. Then one of the game’s most powerful special attacks—Genocide Seventh Laser—fired straight at the Asura woman!

“I think not! Om khili khili vajra hum phat! By my powers, demons begone! Asura mantra, Demon Slaying Blade!”

The light of hell poured from Kirika’s weapon as she recited her incantation. Then she held it in front of her and blocked Giganster’s Genocide Seventh Laser head-on!

“Ah ha ha ha!” Kirika laughed triumphantly. “Your powers have no effect on me!”

The magic beam that should have annihilated everything in its path was split in two the moment it hit her blade, leaving her completely unscathed.

“Okay, so she’s got an art that blocks all magic!” That’s a nice power to have. Wish they’d give us that in BSO.

She didn’t have to endure my attack for long. Since I was limited to summoning giant monsters for just ten seconds, Giganster soon vanished, crying “Grrgraaahhh!” in frustration. But we weren’t finished.

“Zansword!”

“Hngh!”

My ally had been taking action while Kirika was busy blocking the magic beam. He’d activated his special move, Ultimate Fire Enchant, which bathed his entire body in blue flame, and now he was swooping down like a phoenix to slash at Kirika!

“Kirika! Let’s see how you handle the blade I’ve honed in this new world!”

“Just what I wanted!”

Metal scraped against metal as the pair collided in midair. The superhot flames covering Zansword immediately began to roast Kirika, but she simply smiled. It was as if she welcomed the damage he was causing her. “Seems you have a mantra that continuously burns all who get near you! For a cozy game, that’s quite the ability, I must say!”

“Indeed it is! And it’s not the only thing you’ll find in this world. There’s a ghoul here powerful enough to bring you down!”

“No, I think not.” Kirika growled and mustered up all her strength in an effort to push Zansword back.

“Oh, there is. She’s bested me twice already. She’s more than a ghoul, in fact, she’s a demon lord!” Then Zansword suddenly relaxed. As he let Kirika push him back, he fell from the night sky like an autumn leaf.

“Huh? B-But why...?” It was so unexpected, Kirika didn’t know how to react. Then, with a start, she spun her head around to face me. But it was too late!

“You really shouldn’t have given me time to prepare myself,” I told Kirika while standing on my flying familiar, the Vanishing Firebird.

With a sword in either hand, I’d activated Weapon Barricade to call out an additional seven greatswords behind me. Up to now, I couldn’t use Weapon Barricade without holding a bow, but not anymore.

“I’ve realized I don’t actually need it in my hand. Right, Puff 11?”

“Currrss!” The growl came from my Beginner’s Bow as it floated right beside me.

That’s right. I hadn’t just transferred shadow weapons into the swords I was holding, but into my bow too. Much like my firebird, any weapon with a Puff living inside it could fly using the Navigation trait.

Now I had nine swords, and each one’s point was aimed at Kirika.

But she merely sneered. “Hah! I hope your intention wasn’t to impress me! I’ve seen the videos and know you well. There was a time before the update when your swords numbered in the dozens. How pitiful you are now by comparison!” The flames of hell rose from Kirika as she bolted toward me with her longsword in hand! “Worthless fool! What makes you think you can defeat me?!”

You’re not wrong. It feels kinda lonely when I think of all the weapons I used to have. But...

“I might not have as many swords as I used to, but that’s fine as long as I make each one more powerful than before! Art activate! Shining Arrow!”

“Wha—?!”

The flock of swords I launched shone with brilliant light. The weapon art serving as my new attack powered up all nine different weapons at once, leaving Kirika stunned as she was completely overwhelmed!

Chapter 43 — Darkness Soul Online

“I see you’ve done it again—you’ve found another nonsensical means of attack.”

“Heh heh. Pretty cool, right?”

With the battle over, Zansword and I stood beneath the moonlit sakura trees. For a short while, I’d been a little worried, but fortunately, we’d won.

“How are you feeling, Asura woman?” I asked while looking down at the spot where Kirika had crashed to the ground. Nine gaping holes had been torn through her body, and she was already breaking apart into particles of light.

“Damn you... How could I not feel awful! And that move you used...that was no real sword technique!”

“Who cares? A win’s a win.”

“Ngh?!” Kirika looked at me, her eyes full of irritation. “Your ghoulism’s higher than I thought!”

Now I understood. Ghoulism was all about seeking victory by every means necessary. In that case, it was a badge of honor.

“It was fun to see some moves from another world. How about we fight one-on-one next time?” I offered.

“Haah... The first thing on your mind after the fight is over is the next fight? There’s really no hope for you, is there? But very well, I accept. You’re a fine ghoul, Yuri!” Kirika was glaring at me right until the very end, but in her final moment, I saw a slight smile.

The moment that her body burst into fine particles and disappeared, a message displayed in front of me.

World News! Kirika the Asura, an invader from another world, has been defeated!

Yuri gained a special event-limited item: Asura’s Red Cloth!

* For a limited time, invaders from other worlds will continue to do battle with high-level players.

Watch out for more of them.

“Nice. I don’t get what’s going on, but I won some item I’ve never heard of!”

“Huh?! Are you serious?! Do I not get one?!”

“I guess you had to be the one to deal the final blow. But wasn’t she your friend? Is that really the first thing you’ve got to say after watching her die?”

Not that dying was a huge deal in this game. I’d just expected him to have some parting words for her. Kirika had followed him all this way, after all.

“I’m done with her! We’ve fought so many times it grew tiring! But Yuri, I suggest we stake our next fight on that limited item!”

“Wow... Now that’s some serious ghoulism.” I sighed, half in exasperation. “I guess I can’t compare to an actual ghoul.”

We were interrupted when a girl’s laughter echoed through the moonlit sakura, followed by a voice. “Oh dear. Looks like Kirika fell in love with the wrong person.”

Zansword and I spun around to look at the source of the voice, and there we saw a short, silver-haired girl wearing a gothic dress. She reminded me of Grim, but unlike Grim, this girl had some serious curves, and there were demonic wings extending from her waist.

“Demon wings... I’ve never seen an avatar with those. Don’t tell me?!”

World news!

Yuri and Zansword have encountered the Wrathful Queen Arisu!

A public showdown with the assassin is about to commence!

“You’re another invader from another game, aren’t you!”

“You surmise correctly. My name is Arisu. I’m a top player from Darkness Soul Online, a world that pits knights against demons. And now...” As she introduced herself, Arisu produced a red book in one hand. With her other hand, she pointed at us. “My purpose is to eliminate the both of you! Now begone! Dark incantation, Darkness Breaker! 666 successive casts!”

“Huh?!” By the time I opened my mouth, it was already too late! A beam of destruction came at us, enveloping everything around Zansword and me in pure darkness!

“Wh-What trickery is this?!”

“Shields!” I quickly leaped in front of Zansword and used Weapon Barricade, calling out seven pieces of equipment to absorb the attack. But it wasn’t enough.

Durability depleted! Your Steel Shield broke!

Durability depleted! Your Silver Shield broke!

Durability depleted! Your Gold Shield broke!

After a series of loud cracks, three of my shields had shattered in mere seconds.

“Hnngh... It’s no good. How’s this attack so powerful?!”

Her attack power’s too concentrated! How am I supposed to handle 666 casts at once?!

“I’m not going down this easily! Defensive art activate! Shimmering Barrier!”

The four remaining shields shone brightly, reinforced with an art that increased defense. I hoped it would let me endure the attack to the end...but it still wasn’t enough!

Durability depleted! Your Justice Shield Altena broke!

Durability depleted! Your Evil Shield Gialga broke!

The 666 destruction beams were just too much. I was down to two shields, and they weren’t going to hold out much longer.

Damn! Only one option left! “Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! If she’s gonna spam an attack spell, I’ll just spam a defensive art to counter it!” In a last-ditch attempt to hold out, I reinforced my two remaining shields as much as I could! “Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering Barrier! Shimmering...Barrier!”

The two shields shone all the more brightly within the destruction beam.

Another shield cracked and disintegrated under the power of the dark energy wave...then at long last, it ended.

“Well, I am impressed. I never expected you’d endure my attack on our first encounter.” The invader spoke with a melodious voice in an astounded tone.

She’d cost me six shields and every point of MP I had, but I’d survived her ridiculous attack. With my MP spent, I wouldn’t have any arts to rely on for the rest of the fight.

“Haah, haah...! How do you like that, little girl?!”

“Little girl...?” Arisu scratched her cheek with an awkward smile. “I’ll have you know, I’m an adult in real life.”

That’s a surprise. I thought everyone’s face had to stay the same to minimize psychological distress caused by VR? That’s clearly the face of an elementary schooler. And that avatar can’t be much taller than 130 cm. But anyway...

“‘Darkness Soul Online, a world that pits knights against demons’? I don’t know how it works, but if it’s just another online game, I can make some guesses. To make your magic attacks that powerful, you must have had to sacrifice other stats.”

“...That’s correct. I’m a demon, a form of demonkin specializing in the magic stat. I’m quite sure even a rhinoceros beetle could knock me down, if it could get close enough.”

“All right... In that case, you’re finished!” I summoned a pair of swords and rushed straight at Arisu. As I closed in on her, I swung both blades at her slim neck, but just before they hit...

“I’m afraid I’ll have to leave this one to you, Lady Knight.”

“Not a problem!”

With a sudden Ka-diiiing!, both of my swords were knocked out of my hands.

“Huh?!” Only then did I notice her.

“Well met, Demon Lord. The common folk speak much of you.”

A white-haired woman was standing right in front of me! She had yellow eyes reminiscent of a dragon, and she wore a silver tiara with a white armored dress. In her hand she held a sword whose blade and hilt were both made of pure white light. The weapon glowed beautifully in the light of the moon.

World news!

Yuri and Zansword have encountered Pendragon, Goddess of Dawn!

This boss player leads the group of assassins. Surviving an encounter with her for at least 20 minutes, or dealing a given amount of damage to her, will yield a reward of experience and an item.

A public showdown with this boss player is about to commence!

“Another assassin?! And this one’s the boss?!”

None of this makes sense! You’re telling me the toughest opponent of all showed up when I’m already tired from nonstop fighting?!

“Heh heh heh... I see you’re struggling just as much as the others, Yuri. But that’s fine. Just put up the best fight that you can. I do love to see people trying their best.” The boss player stared at me with an arrogant smile.

“You can’t just stride in here when I’m already tired then start talking big!” Damn it. I can’t let her get away with this! I’ve beaten a ton of tough enemies so far. If I start running away now, I won’t be able to call myself a man! “You’d better be ready for me, Pendragon!”

I was about to summon two new swords into my hands, but before I could...

“Too slow!”

Her sword’s light flashed before my eyes, followed by an eruption of fresh blood. Before I could figure out what was happening, I realized that my severed arms were falling to the ground!

“Wha—”

But she didn’t stop there. By the time I realized I’d lost my arms, Pendragon’s blade was already in motion again. This time, it was my legs that fell to the ground.

“Huh, what?!”

My upper body was falling down after my severed limbs. It was a strange new feeling to be falling despite my feet never leaving on the ground.

But the woman before me wasn’t satisfied with removing my four limbs. She drew back her sword then crouched low.

“Now’s no time for daydreaming! Come on, Yuri! I was expecting more from you!” As she yelled, she thrust the blade up at me multiple times. Moving with incredible speed, she stabbed me over and over, leaving my body a total mess!

She wasn’t even letting me hit the ground, juggling me through the air and leaving me completely helpless. Her sword of light pierced my flesh repeatedly with each passing second. It felt like a meteor shower was tearing through me!

“Gaaaaaah?!”

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!

A flood of messages appeared before my eyes. Unfortunately for me, my focus on the luck stat meant that I couldn’t even die. I just had to watch as my vision filled up with message windows and my own flesh and blood.

There’s no getting myself out of this one. I just have to hope that Zansword can—

“Sorry, but I had to kill your friend because he was trying to save you.” Just like that, my despair began.

While Pendragon continued her flurry of sword thrusts, I looked at what lay behind her and saw Arisu standing by Zansword’s charred black remains, a cold smile on her face. The hopelessness of my situation had become all too clear.

Ah... It’s all over. I was utterly convinced I’d lost. I could practically hear the cracks running through my fighting spirit.

Chapter 44 — Striking Back for the Finale

At the start of our fight, Pendragon had said something interesting: “I see you’re struggling just as much as the others.” Just based on that, I’d been able to guess a lot.

I get what this is. The devs convinced them to hound top players like it’s a boss rush...

That had to be it. There was no way my luck could be this bad.

The Blade Skill Online player base was in the tens of thousands, and high-level players who the assassins could target had to number in the thousands. More to the point, this world was ridiculously vast.

Despite all that, I’d encountered three assassins one after another the moment the event began, with one of them being the final boss. That was just silly. It could only mean that the devs had given them orders to target me specifically.

Ha ha ha... Now that I’ve got the attention of the devs—this world’s gods—has my luck run out? I can’t believe they’re throwing this crap at me right after I got nerfed! If I hadn’t come up with a new fighting style, I would’ve died to Kirika. Dammit... It’s always like this... In games... In real life...

After all the bad luck I’d been through, I couldn’t bear to lose in the game. It was what motivated me to find solutions, no matter the problem. But this time... Dammit, there’s no way to win this time! I felt tears collecting in my eyes.

They’d said it was a public showdown, which meant that players throughout the game would be watching as I got my butt kicked. They were making me the laughingstock of the internet.

Ha ha... Back when I was an ordinary player, people might not have noticed, but now I’m known as Demon Lord Yuri. Not to get too full of myself, but virtually every player in the game is gonna want to see my fight.

The idea of my rise to the top all being a setup for this downfall was such a horrible thought it made me feel sick.

While I was feeling sorry for myself, Pendragon, Goddess of Dawn moved her sword ever faster, and with each attack, I felt the shock of the impact and saw the same “Survived with 1 HP” message.

Damn... I’ve already lost all will to fight back, but she still won’t finish me off quickly!

“Well, so-called Demon Lord, I expect your survival skill will soon fail. Or shall you pass out before that can happen?!” Pendragon gave me a crazed smile then began striking me with her empty hand at the same time, making my head shake!

Everything in my vision shuddered violently, then a familiar red alert message appeared.

Warning: Rapid drop in alertness level detected.

Unless you show signs of recovery, this will be treated as a medical abnormality and you will be forcibly logged out.

Logging out in 10...9...8...

“Uh...”

Not only was Pendragon a powerful fighter, she was ignoring the rules of combat by using the VR game’s safety features against me.

“Ugh... Uh...”

She wasn’t showing a shred of mercy. Even when I was already helpless, she kept piling on more pressure to the very end.

“Ngh... Ah...!”

Every shred of hope had been torn from me, leaving me with zero chance of winning.

I know it’s impossible to get myself out of this...but... “But I’m not letting you beat me that easily!”

My fighting spirit was rekindled deep within my heart. When Pendragon piled on extra pressure, it gave me the strength I needed!

“Wh-What’s gotten into you?!” Pendragon was caught off guard by my sudden shouting.

I couldn’t blame her for being shocked. What sort of player suddenly got more determined right when they were put in checkmate? But finding myself in checkmate was what made me remember how much I hated losing!

She was using the exact same tactic that my strongest rival—Baldy—had tried on me before.

“You’d better not let her beat you, Yuri! The only person who’s allowed to defeat you is me!”

I grinned imagining my rival’s voice in the back of my mind.

Just picturing him was enough to eliminate all my feelings of despair. I’d been this close to giving up on thinking, but now my thoughts were racing at supersonic speed!

“Like I’m gonna get killed by some random player from out of nowhere!”

“You think you can fight back when you’ve got no arms or legs?!” Surprised as Pendragon was, her sword didn’t slow down at all. She thrust her blade right into my mouth, silencing me.

Now I couldn’t even call out my skills or arts to use them. But I wasn’t beaten.

“Ahm ’ot ’iving ugh!” (I’m not giving up!)

I contorted my body, and then, with a sudden jerk of my neck—the only part of me I could really move—I thrust my head toward Pendragon, forcing her sword deeper into my mouth. I timed it carefully, throwing my head forward just when she was thrusting the blade at me, so that even the hilt of her weapon went into my mouth.

When my teeth hit Pendragon’s hand, I bit down hard! “Annnngh!”

“Huh?!”

My attack automatically triggered Demon Lord Shock Wave, creating intense knockback. The skill synergized perfectly with the bite, hitting Pendragon’s hand from both above and below as my teeth kept her pinned in place from both sides!

The result was that a chunk of Pendragon’s hand was torn off, and the pure white sword fell from her grasp. Now, with the sword held in my mouth, it was me who had the weapon “equipped.”

* Critical error!: Genesis Sword Excalibur is an event-limited item that may only be equipped by guest avatars! Ordinary players cannot use this item!

“Ha ha ha ha! ’Ust at I ’ough!” (Just what I thought!)

An instant later, a powerful shock wave threw my body backward across dozens of meters! Just as I’d predicted, I was hurtling away from her, getting me clear of her attacks.

Normally, it was the weapon sent flying when a player tried to equip something they weren’t supposed to. But in this case, I was already in midair. And not just that—I was lighter than ever due to my missing limbs and lost blood. There’d been no way my body would be unaffected by the weapon’s repulsion.

On top of all that, Pendragon’s sword was no ordinary weapon. It was re-created from another game, only meant to work with a special avatar belonging to an “invader from another world.” Players couldn’t be allowed to steal something so important. On top of that, after seeing one of their key NPCs killed by a player, would the devs go easy with the repulsion force used to prevent anyone from holding her sword? Of course not. And now, thanks to the excessive protection they’d applied to the thing, I’d been able to escape from a series of attacks that would’ve proven fatal.

Now it was my turn. “For...bidden...Summon...ing...!” Every syllable was a struggle for my torn-up tongue, but I successfully triggered the ability! Come forth evil demon wolf, cloaked in fire and lightning. Howl in my stead! “Chime...ratic...Light...ning...Wolf!”

Bolts of electricity arced between falling sakura petals, reducing them to ash in midair.

“Awwwwooooo!” As if answering the call of my fighting spirit, my fastest and most ferocious familiar had emerged from the depths of another dimension! “Grrrraaaah!”

With a snarl, the lightning wolf charged ahead at full speed. With every level I’d gained, I’d given the creature more power. Now it moved like actual lightning, reaching Pendragon in approximately zero seconds.

“What is this thing?!” With her sword held like a shield, Pendragon quickly leaped out of its path.

I’d guessed she’d be wary. If she was using the same tactics as Baldy, then she must have learned about my fighting style and familiars from watching videos, so she’d know that the lightning wolf applied the paralysis effect to anyone it touched.

But that was fine. I wasn’t aiming for her. I was aiming for Arisu—the girl behind her getting ready to hit me with a spell!

“Grrraaaah!”

“Huh?! Ahhh?!”

Just as I’d expected, she had no time to react before my adorable wolf monster could close in on her and sink his teeth into her small body!

World news! Wrathful Queen Arisu, an invader from another world, has been defeated!

Yuri gained a special event-limited item: Demonkin’s Black Cloth!

It turned out she hadn’t been lying when she’d said getting close was all it took to beat her.

I knew it. After all that 666 successive attacks stuff, I just knew she had to have sacrificed her HP for unbalanced skills and gear. Hopefully we’ll meet again. I’d love to talk to her.

As I watched Arisu disappear, I finally hit the ground. Reduced to little more than my upper torso, I had no way to break my fall as I bounced over grass and foliage. Ouch.

“Haah... What a...mess...” Lying beneath the moon and falling sakura blossoms, I knew I was in a terrible state.

I guess I’ve done all I can. I’ve got no MP, no limbs, I can barely speak. Even my will to fight’s running out.

When I lifted my head a little, I saw Pendragon racing madly toward me with a delighted smile. “Ah ha! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Nicely done, Yuri! I never dreamed you’d hit Arisu while I had you in that state!”

Ha ha. Well, at least I pleased someone. Shame I don’t have a way to beat you though... That is...unless...

“I’m...far from beaten! Forbidden...Summoning!”

One last Forbidden Summoning was all I had in me, and I managed to activate it just before Pendragon could close the distance.

Dark hell bird, finish this battle for me! “Come forth...Genocide Firebird!”

“Pikwaaaaaw!” The bird spread its wings of dark flame. Right above my own head soared a firebird burning so intensely that it seared its own flesh!

“Dive! Hit me!”

“Wha—?!” Pendragon’s eyes were wide with surprise. She immediately tried to put some distance between us, but she wasn’t getting away that easily.

“Mor...”

“Hrrr!”

Before she had a chance to react, my boot slammed right into her pretty face!

It was, of course, the work of Armor Knight, the monster possessing my boots. I’d been watching him as he desperately hopped toward me from the place where my legs had been severed. His hit did virtually no damage, but he’d done enough.

“Guh! Oh no!”

Pendragon hadn’t been ready for a hit coming from behind. The distraction was enough to make her stop for a moment. And in that very moment, the Genocide Firebird’s attack began!

“Pikwaaaw!” With roaring dark flames consuming its entire body, the hellbird plummeted at us.

That’s right, firebird. Come kill me. Burn my body to ash, and this crazy woman along with me!

“I’m not...losing... I’d rather...die...!”

“Yuuuuuriiiii!”

The resulting explosion consumed us both, bringing an end to everything as it burned away sakura trees and outshone the moonlight!

World news!

Yuri dealt significant damage to Pendragon, Goddess of Dawn, a boss player!

Yuri gained a special event-limited item: Paladin’s Golden Cloth!

The announcement was quickly followed by a warning.

You were inflicted with the aflame status abnormality!

You will take 1% of your maximum HP as damage every second.

Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill active: Relentless! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage! Skill...failed to activate.

Your HP was reduced to zero.

[Invaders from Other Worlds] Advanced Players Discussion Thread 113 [Are Too Damn Powerful!!!]

1. Impatient Adventurer

This is a discussion thread for advanced players.

To keep things simple, we consider players advanced once they reach level 50 and select a secondary class.

Let’s share advice on how to get stronger as efficiently as possible. Beginners are, of course, welcome to ask questions. The thread should be welcoming to all.

A new thread will be created automatically when this one reaches the reply limit.

Previous thread: http://**********

182. Impatient Adventurer

Hey everyone. Anyone still alive...?

185. Impatient Adventurer

>> 183

Rest in peace, me. Tragically killed by an assassin shortly after reaching level 50.

I died from some nonsense attack that wasn’t even from the same game. Assassins are freaking strong...

186. Impatient Adventurer

I heard late last night was hell.

Attacks began at midnight, right? Meanwhile, I was sleeping through it all rofl.

187. Impatient Adventurer

>> 186

You think this is funny?! The invasion event isn’t over yet, so don’t think you’ve gotten away with it!

188. Impatient Adventurer

Judging from the announcements so far, they’ve pulled in assassins from a bunch of different games.

Here’s a few of the well-known titles.

Gun Hunters: A hardcore game based around guns and traps set in an apocalyptic future.

Galactic Rulers Online: A space sim on a massive scale with a focus on interplanetary wars.

Multiverse Online: Genre-spanning game where players travel between various different worlds and try to conquer them.

I’m honestly amazed they got top players from all of these.

189. Impatient Adventurer

>> 188

The devs really went crazy with this latest event.

But won’t pulling in these top players harm the games they’re from?

People were already leaving games like Six Realms of Warring States Online because of the ridiculous gameplay, and now BSO’s drawing away more of the users.

190. Impatient Adventurer

>> 189

Nah, if anything they’re throwing these old games a lifeline.

BSO’s all anyone talks about these days because of a certain Demon Lord.

Showing our players another game’s combat system is a good way to get people interested.

195. Impatient Adventurer

>> 190

That makes a lot of sense. The best way to figure out what assassins are capable of is checking out the game they came from. It should generate a little interest at least.

It’s amazing that the devs thought of that. This is a team of young, up-and-coming developers, and they’re already making ties with other game studios.

196. Impatient Adventurer

>> 195

Rumor has it, the dev team has worked with Rindo. If that’s the case, she should be able to hook them up with anyone.

197. Impatient Adventurer

>> 196

Rindo...? Am I meant to know who that is?

198. Impatient Adventurer

>> 197

Lol, yes!

A generation ago, everyone knew her name. She’s the legendary developer that made the world’s first VRMMORPG: Darkness Soul Online.

199. Impatient Adventurer

>> 198

I heard she handled DSO’s management at the same time.

The top player from that game, Pendragon, was some kind of event boss, so maybe Rindo helped organize the event?

Speaking of Pendragon, that third fight last night was crazy!

200. Impatient Adventurer

>> 195

Yuri had one public showdown after another right after it all started. I watched them from town.

When Kirika first appeared, everyone was saying, “How’s Yuri gonna win this one?”

Then Arisu appeared, and they were all saying, “Okay, now she’s finished!”

Then when Pendragon came along at the end, things went south fast, and everyone was yelling, “She’s done for real this time!” lol.

208. Impatient Adventurer

>> 200

And then came the impossible comeback lmao.

When she was in pieces with Zansword already dead, it started to feel like a public execution. I’m surprised she didn’t give up.

Though Pendragon was still standing when it was all over, so I guess you could say Yuri lost. That said, you had to be impressed when she got the limited item.

210. Impatient Adventurer

It’s like she lost the fight but won the contest through sheer determination. She finished with a suicide attack rather than going down easy. For an idol, her way of handling difficult situations can be real manly...

220. Impatient Adventurer

>> 210

Let’s not forget the weird new fighting style she showed us lol.

It really threw me... Aren’t arts supposed to work on just one weapon at a time...? And how come she was dual wielding swords? Wasn’t she a bow wielder...?

222. Impatient Adventurer

>> 220

I’m guessing she got to level 75 and upgraded her secondary class from craftmaker to battle crafter. That’s one way to equip extra weapon types.

Doesn’t explain the arts thing though...

225. Impatient Adventurer

>> 222

The fabled battle crafter class! She picks the worst class every time lol.

I’m totally making a new character so I can try out her fighting style.

I know the devs are just going to nerf it and make it unplayable again before I can catch up to her, but I’m still gonna try lol.

228. Impatient Adventurer

>> 225

I’m just glad Yuri wasn’t beaten.

For players near the top like us, there has to be something more to aspire to. Here’s hoping she finds another broken ability and uses it to kick Pendragon’s ass for real next time!

230. Impatient Adventurer

>> 228

Hear hear! After seeing her put up a good fight like that, we’ve got no excuse for surrendering to the assassins!

Speaking of which, I was thinking, wouldn’t it be a ton of work to put together avatars for all the different player assassins? The devs must have been working on this since way back.

They sure kept it quiet. It was announced and then started right after the update...

231. Impatient Adventurer

>> 230

Well obviously they plan these things lmao.

Of course they didn’t re-implement the mechanics from dozens of other games all in one night rofl.

Anyway, we all need to follow Yuri’s example and keep fighting!

* The actual contract situation:

The devs, not putting much thought into anything as usual, reached out and said, “We were wondering whether you’d be interested in a collaboration.”

Each game studio replied, “Yeah? Sounds like good promotion for us. When’s it start?”

A developer of struggling software declares, “Tomorrow!”

Every game studio replies, “Tomorrow?!”

Chapter 45 — Aim for Higher Heights!

“Hey there! Coming through!”

The day after I’d endured the assassin boss rush, I logged in with high spirits and headed for an izakaya restaurant in the dazzling town of Nakatsukuni.

I was here because Zansword had sent a message asking to meet up. And so, I strolled into the bustling place and searched for Zansword among all the rowdy NPCs in kimono.

“Haah.”

“Haaah.”

“Haaah...!”

In the farthest corner of the place, I spotted him. He was with Spearo and Wacko, and the trio were sighing in unison.

Uh... Whatever’s going on with those guys, count me out. “I just realized, I’m underage and shouldn’t be drinking. I shouldn’t even be here. Adieu.”

Zansword jumped to his feet and yelled, “Hold it right there, Yuri! You can’t leave so soon!”

Ugh... I’m spotted. Now I’ll have to go talk to him. “So...what did you want to talk about, Zansword? And is that Spearo and Wacko? Huh?”

The moment I saw that pair of top players, I realized something wasn’t right. I’d never met them in person, but they weren’t how I remembered them from events.

It’s like they’re not just feeling down... I don’t know what to call it... Like they’re...sulking?

“Heh heh. Hey there, Yuri! Must be nice to be you... I’ve been getting beaten down by assassins this whole time...” Spearo smiled weakly then gulped down some beer.

Hold on. Wasn’t being brash and boastful basically his whole thing?!

“Heh heh... Spearo’s not feeling so heroic after dying in all his fights lately. And I know how he feels. I was running away from this big scythe-twirling assassin called Ange when I got sniped by another assassin called Kidd. I was humiliated with everyone watching! I just can’t do it anymore!” Wacko took a big swig of her own beer and gulped it down.

What happened to her?! Her thing was making “uooh uooh uooh” noises instead of talking! “What happened to you two? What happened to your role-plays?!”

“We’re done with that crap!” they both yelled.

“Huuuh?!” What in the world did they go through? “Zansword, something’s not right with these two. Did losing to assassins really get to them that much?”

“Not quite... What initially made them lose interest in the weirdo characters they were playing was their unfortunate encounters with the bona fide weirdo girls in your guild.”

“‘Bona fide weirdo girls’?! They’re not weirdos! A coolheaded guy like me wouldn’t have teamed up with them if they were!”

Inexplicably, all three of them shouted back, “You’re the biggest weirdo of all!”

“You guys are so rude... Anyway, let’s get down to business. I just know none of you are gonna be content to lie low until the event is over.”

“That goes without saying. I refuse to let this disgrace stand!” As he spoke, Zansword brought up a number of windows in front of him.

Likewise, Spearo and Wacko knit their brows and brought up windows full of text for me to look at. I skimmed over the content. “This is...info on the assassin players!”

“Indeed. The nature of the public showdown system provided a set of good starting points for studying the enemy. We’ve learned all we could.”

The data the trio had gathered went beyond simply listing the appearance and combat style of each assassin. It was full of reports from players who’d actually tried fighting them.

This is awesome. It must’ve been a ton of work.

“I’m the one who did the interviews,” Wacko told me. “As the game’s best scout, moving fast and gathering information are my strong points.”

Spearo added, “The next step is for me to take on the assassins to try various approaches on them. That way we can get a feel for their weaknesses... I might be basic, but when the situation calls for a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, I’m your man.”

When I saw the smiles on Spearo’s and Wacko’s faces, I knew I’d found some allies I could count on. “I knew you guys still had some fire in you. You wouldn’t be top players otherwise.”

“You may praise us, Yuri, but the truth is, you put us all to shame,” Zansword replied. “I called you here to ask about your experience fighting Pendragon. I’ll be putting everything I learn together in a highly accurate strategy book that I’ll distribute to other players.”

“That sounds like a great idea!”

Looks like we’re gonna band together and pull through this invader event. That’s what I like to hear! We’ll show top players from other games what BSO’s best can do!

“You guys are always amazing. I had no big ideas besides grinding to get stronger...”

“Ha ha,” Zansword laughed. “That’s all you need to do. After all, you’re Demon Lord Yuri, the face of the game in recent days. Get stronger fast, then come back and crush Pendragon!”

“You got it!” As I responded with a thumbs up to my dependable allies, the hunger for greater power burned within me all the more!