Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Clash with the Ebony Shadow (2)
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An event where the player can't intervene, forcing companion characters into their own battle.
It was the companion strengthening event from Holy Warrior Brayden NX.
The problem was that, despite being called a companion strengthening event, no one ever succeeded.
The player couldn't do a damn thing but watch the screen, while the companions they'd carefully raised—ones they could've crushed the enemy with if they could just control them—fumbled around frustratingly before losing pathetically...
And if it ended with just defeat, that would've been fine, but absurdly enough, companions who failed this strengthening event died.
You'd pamper them like gold and jade, only for a sudden event to trigger with no option to decline. Then your precious companion dives into a battle you can't control, fails without fail, and dies.
They called it a companion strengthening event, but since no one ever succeeded, everyone who'd played the game—including me—dubbed it the companion deletion event.
To minimize losses from these companion deletion events, where you couldn't even recover equipped gear, the ironic best strategy was to treat companions like expendable trash and dress them in rags instead of pouring affection into them.
Considering that players of Holy Warrior Brayden NX were fans of the original light novel Loveholic, this was a massive mockery of the source material and an insult to its fans.
There were enough reasons that shitty game bombed to fuel debates for three days and nights, but I could confidently say the insane companion deletion event took up a huge chunk.
Already, characters who'd been so tight-knit in the original light novel were killing each other off, and whenever you finally recruited one as an ally after hardship, bam—companion deletion event...
In a game built around raising characters with affection, this structure that forbade affection made me want to crack open the designer's skull and see what was inside.
The real issue was that this companion deletion event was now unfolding in reality.
Based on countless experiences so far, this event never succeeded.
And every single character caught in it died—one hundred out of a hundred.
"This fucking... Who'd let that happen..."
Last time with Vector, it guided me to slice Ravi—captured by him—and attack Vector. This goddamn fate or whatever kept telling me to abandon the women around me whenever things got dicey.
Shouldn't it help turn the tide in tough spots? Why the hell is it always screwing things up?!
Of course, there was never an option to follow that nonsense.
The most I'd compromise was helping the three defeated heroines reconcile with Brayden somehow. But now I'd scrapped that idea and decided to claim all three defeated heroines for myself since things had come to this.
And now a companion deletion event hits in the middle of that? You think I'd just sit back and let it sabotage us? Fuck off and die?
No matter what, I'd protect Ravi and Lenis's lives! I wouldn't watch that trash game's character deletion event play out with my eyes wide open!
Gritting my teeth through the excruciating pain to cling to consciousness, I lifted my head toward the two of them. There they were, getting overwhelmingly pushed back by Sophia and O'Brien.
"Kyahahaha! I thought some big shot was charging in barking loud with some secret trump card, but that's all you got? The loser behind you's just rolling on the ground grabbing ankles, and you—bold as you were—you ain't shit either!"
"That expression's perfect, miss. Please keep that spirit till the end. The shock and belated terror on a brave soul's face as their head rolls... it stirs an irresistible urge to possess."
"Ugh... Aaagh!"
"Gaaagh! Hah..."
"Kuhuk... Damn it all..."
For backlash to hit at this critical moment, leaving me helpless...
If this dragged on, those two caught in this brain-dead deletion event would definitely die...
Ravi and Lenis couldn't focus on the fight, their attention split toward me as I staggered, mind clouded by pain.
"Alvis! You okay? Agh...!"
"Alvis, what the hell are you doing here right now?! Get it together... Kyaaak?!"
"Ravi! Lenis! Shit...!"
Ravi and Lenis, bleeding from wounds all over, staggered back up, but the battle had already tilted heavily toward Sophia and O'Brien.
"Alvis! I'll hold them off for now, so if you can't fight, at least get out of here!"
Hwaaa—
As Lenis finished her spell, her Winged Staff glowing white, the pain eased slightly.
It seemed the staff's Pain Deferral effect applied to my backlash damage too.
My breathing steadied, but Lenis had weakened her forward defenses by tending to me.
"Taking your eyes off the enemy mid-battle for baggage? Poor form, miss."
Kwaaaang!!!
"Aaaah!"
"Lenis!"
Lenis, hit by O'Brien's explosion magic, flew back covered in soot.
"Lenis! You okay?!"
"You ape, how dare you look away with me right here!"
Chwaaak!
"Ugh...!"
A bad snowball was rolling. I'd brought everyone here believing I could handle any problem, but now I was the one dragging them down.
Cursing inwardly, I forced myself up, and Ravi and Lenis rose around the same time.
They hadn't lost their will to fight, but their accumulated injuries were too severe.
"Still getting up? This time, I'll rip your limbs off so you never rise again!"
"I can't wait to mount your head on my shelf, miss. We've got our own business and no time to waste, so let's end this."
Sophia merged her two sabers into one, gripping it with both hands and swinging full force at Ravi.
At that instant, Ravi raised both arms to block the dozens of blade shards on the saber with her bare hands.
Shuuuuk—!
When Ravi's knuckles clashed with the steel blade shards, no sharp metallic ring echoed—instead, a sound like something being absorbed. In that moment, Ravi exploded forward, slamming her knuckle into Sophia's jaw.
Kwaaaaang!!!
It was Counter-Impulse Release, one of the abilities on Ravi's Ancient Knuckles.
Sophia, struck square in the jaw by the knuckle's power to absorb an enemy's attack once and hurl it back with equal force, screamed as she tumbled backward.
"Gaaaaahhh!!!"
Ravi didn't stop, chasing the wildly flying Sophia faster than she could flee, catching up and driving a fist into her gut. Simultaneously, the Ancient Knuckles shifted form, revealing sharp, beast-tooth-like ornaments.
"Haaaaah!"
Ravi's vertical fist plunged into Sophia's horizontally flying belly, triggering Crushing Strike—the second ability.
Kuuuung!!!
A fearsome technique unleashing intangible shockwaves that destroyed from within.
No armor or barrier could withstand it. Sophia's body, mid-flight, bent nearly ninety degrees and slammed into the ground, vomiting blood.
"Kuh... Heuk..."
"Sophia!"
O'Brien, shocked by the massive damage from two blows, called out to her.
"Didn't I say no distractions mid-battle?"
As O'Brien's head turned, Lenis counterattacked.
Her raised hand bore a ring where gold and silver intertwined beautifully.
Thick clouds hid the moonless night sky, but as she lifted her hand, bright moonlight poured down from nowhere, illuminating O'Brien.
Through that light, a massive moon plummeted toward him like a falling meteor.
Not the real moon—just an illusion making it seem so—but its overwhelming presence awed everyone, O'Brien included.
"What parlor trick... With your skill, piercing my defenses should be impossible!"
"The moon's near full tonight. Meaning... my ring's power is at its peak too!"
The Intersecting Twin Moons Ring, a trophy from Arborness given to Lenis.
Beyond consuming extra mana from new to full moon to boost all spells and skills' power and effects, it could condense lunar energy for Falling Moon strikes.
O'Brien scoffed, layering barriers, but...
"Useless!"
Falling Moon was an absolute strike—unavoidable, unblockable, unabsorbable.
As it pierced his barriers like they never existed, O'Brien's eyes widened in horror.
"What—"
Kuuuuwung!!!
The crashing moon collided with O'Brien, erupting in massive explosion and dust.
"Hah... Hah... M-My mana..."
Falling Moon let the caster adjust mana cost and thus power.
Judging by the force, Lenis had poured nearly all her mana, plus the ring's extra from near-full moon conditions.
Drained of mana, Lenis collapsed trembling. Ravi, having downed Sophia in two hits, leaped over and slumped beside her.
"Hah... Hah... Can't... move anymore..."
"Hah... Sorry, both of you. I was useless..."
"Don't say that, Alvis. Without you, Elfin, Lenis, or I couldn't have made it this far."
"Hmph, hmph! That settles the debt from Aldebaran!"
As the two sighed in relief, catching their breath—
Shuyuuuuk... Pfuuk!
"!!!"
"!!!"
From the dust, sharp black tentacle-like things pierced Ravi and Lenis's abdomens.
The black tentacles retracted into the dust, and beyond it came screams from imperial soldiers.
"Wh-What's this?!"
"S-Smoke! Black smoke's dragging people away!"
"Uwaaaah! H-Help!"
Uruduk kwaduk
Ujeok ujeok...
Ravi and Lenis, still unaware, clutched their pierced guts, blood flowing, as sounds of chewing, crushing, and swallowing echoed from the dust.
"Heh... Hahaha..."
"Never imagined it'd end like this."
Familiar voices emerged from the dust as Sophia and O'Brien stepped forward again.
No longer as before—from necks down to navels, most of their upper bodies were shrouded in pitch-black energy, faces half-blackened too.
Dozens of wriggling eyes dotted the black facial areas, and over ten toothy mouths on their torsos extended black tentacles, snatching imperial soldiers.
Dragged in, the soldiers were devoured alive by one of the many mouths on their bellies, which then dripped red blood after feeding.
"I nearly died... If not for the boss and clients' contingency, I'd be dead! Me! Blood Rose Sophia, almost killed by a punk like you!!!"
"We got careless. The clients warned us about a party including a hit target—we should've been more cautious. My thinking was too shallow."