A void skill, Clyde thought. He decided not to worry about it. Natalia knew many things—a witch of the lost path and a brat.
[Tear activated GODDESS TIER SKILL: Re: Final Silence.]
The combination of Natalia’s creepy death spell and Tear’s red lightning sent Risa into a howling tantrum.
[Risa’s HP dropped to 1500%]
[Risa is confused!]
[Risa hurt herself in confusion!]
[Risa’s HP has dropped to 1300%]
“Damn!” Clyde laughed. “On top of dealing some nice damage, she did two hundred to herself. It’s nice to do something without relying on Stone Mode.”
Seth gave Clyde a skeptical look.
“I don’t know dude, I kind of feel better when you’re out there mercilessly kicking their asses.” Seth aimed his bat. “Oh, watch this. I hadn’t gotten the chance to show you this skill yet. It’s new.”
[Seth activated Silver tier skill: Super Death Cannon, No Survivors.]
It recoiled like a shotgun, firing a basketball-sized ball of blue energy that exploded upon contact with the dragon.
[Risa’s HP has dropped to 1000%]
[Risa snapped out of her confusion.]
“I will never understand magic,” Clyde said. “By the way, you shook the dragon out of her confusion, so we’re fucked again. Let’s go. One thousand percent is still way more than we normally deal with.”
“One thousand percent?” Seth said softly. “There’s got to be a way to—”
“Look out!” Toru yelled, but…it was too late.
[Risa activated DRAGON GODDESS TIER SKILL: Dimensional Shift Beam.]
Risa exhaled a beam that hit Chiyo, Kimiko, Harumi, and Naoko. Others were knocked over by the forced of the blast and its powerful gust. The damage done was heavy, perhaps severe.
The dragon allies were back in their human forms. Chiyo was unmoving. Kimiko, Harumi, and Naoko look beat, but they were rising to rejoin the fight.
Clyde checked the combat log.
[Chiyo has taken Extreme Damage. HP: 7%. Status alignment: Unconsciousness.]
“Someone heal Chiyo! She’s almost dead.”
The enemy dragon actually looked at her ex-friend, as if realizing she was there for the first time.
“You foolish girl…I told you to go home. To let me handle business in the name of the Disciple, but you had to get involved. Look at you, needlessly injured.”
The telepathic words made the young man sick. To think she’d casually try to kill off her long-time friend for no damn reason.
Team Stone could be enjoying a hotpot, but nope, they were stuck fighting a dragon in the cold.
[Sol’s HP has dropped to 50%.]
[Sol activated Jump.]
Suddenly there was a scream of utter frustration.
“DAMMIT HE GOT AWAY. THAT HONORLESS COWARD!”
Everyone turned to look at an angry Princess Dire. “I’ll never get him to look at me now. AGH! SO FRUSTRATED. It’s all your fault, you stupid dumb dragon! Your stupid beam knocked him out of my grasps. You gave him the chance to escape!”
Dire teleported a yard above Risa’s head, hand aimed, hovering midair.
[Dire activated Unknown tier spell: Judgment of the Underworld .]
Clyde gasped. Thousands of human skulls poured from the loli’s hand and quickly covered the elder dragon. They…chomped…and chomped. Blood sprayed in multiple directions as the yellow dragon screamed, attempting to take off but couldn’t get into the air.
Risa fell and vanished beneath a sea of hungry skulls. A purple flame was the only sign that she finally bit the dust.
“I hate all dragons! I will kill you all. This will aid in my master’s revelation!” Dire ranted.
Kimiko trembled. She stood up for them, stopping Chiyo from attacking the team, so the young man would return the favor.
Although after seeing how she one-shot an elder dragon… Yeah, fuck that.
“ Tear, get us out of— ”
For some reason, Dire aimed a hand at Harumi.
“First, I’ll take away your prey, right before your eyes. You’ll never get the victory of killing your natural enemy.”
[Clyde activated Bronze tier skill: Holy windstorm.]
[Bronze Tier Skill : Holy Windstorm. Type: wind, holy. Class: very rare. Unleash a storm of wind and holy energy on your enemies! Chance to stun at 13% Chance to inflict confusion at 1%.]
She easily dodged the wind and magic, focusing her attention on Clyde for the first time. Just what he wanted.
“You are so dead,” Dire snapped.
“And you called Sol honorless,” Clyde said, shaking his head, smugly shrugging.
The loli gasped.
“Ooo! Don’t you dare try to frustrate me. Since you attacked—I’ll kill you out of self-defense.”
“Team Stone, get ready. Tear, you know what to do, if it comes to that,” Clyde said.
[Your party has entered a *Fierce SUPER BOSS fight, phase 2!]
[Your party has entered a MAXED DEATH SENTENCE !]
[stone-viper games ]
[Life and Death.]
[You have been challenged by the Viper’s Apprentice, Princess Dire herself! Survive!]
Fuck this , Clyde thought. His team was worn out, beaten, and the girl in front of them looked fresh. Not to mention being the successor of the fucking Viper.
Episode 54 (Part 7)
Natalia felt the silent death curse hum through the air, swifter than a Ninja’s knife to the neck. She’d have to act quickly to save him. The restraints on herself would have to be removed, even at the cost of her life.
What would become of the world if Pervy-nii died? She’d cry and move on… He was the first person to ever make such a promise to her, even though she told him not to. Breaking the curse was impossible, yet he still wanted to go on the fool’s quest. A hopeless quest.
Did fate present Princess Dire right before them?
[Natalia activated Void tier skill: Void lightning. This is an unblockable and undodgeable skill.]
[Warning! Remember the consequences of using Void magic…]
Her void lightning not only burned away the attempted curse, but struck at Dire. Struck at the invisible barrier surrounding her that, is. It shook and cracked, maybe burst.
“Pervy nii-chan, everyone, step aside,” Natalia said, her voice uncharacteristically serious. “I’m afraid this is beyond you.”
“Nat—”
“Everyone’s in terrible condition, Harumi,” Natalia said. “Let me take care of this dummy head.”
“You’re a dummy head,” Dire struck back.
“No, you’re a dummy head,” Natalia said.
“You!” Dire stuck her tongue out. Natalia did, blowing.
Tear whacked them both of the heads.
“Cut it out!”
“Sorry,” both of the girls said, eyes teary, rubbing their struck spots.
“Wait, hey!” Dire said, aiming her hands at Natalia. “Let’s see you deal with this.”
[Dire activated Unknown tier skill—]
The girl stopped.
“No fair, you cheater.”
Natalia smiled innocently.
“Whatever could you be talking about?”
“Fine, I’ll crush your reflect,” Dire said.
The silver-haired girl teleported several yards away. Natalia undid the first seal as she took off running toward her opponent.
“You got this, Natalia,” Clyde shouted.
Second seal undid, she chuckled, wishing his confidence in her could be met with a victory, not a sacrifice. Dire, hand raised, rotated a finger three times.
[Dire activated Unknown tier skill: Oh Hail the Underworld’s Shattering Hammer .]
Natalia gasped as something struck her from above. A…tornado of magic and…something else. It ate away her inherent reflect passive skill and threatened to do the same to her mind. As if she’d let that happen. She was Natalia, Team Stone’s most lovable me
mber and Pervy-nii’s Right Hand.
[Devastating Critical ! Natalia’s HP has dropped from 4200% to 140%]
[Natalia has been inflicted with Anti-healing Blight. Nasty stuff.]
Natalia undid the third seal as she coughed blood. The witch was on a knee, but not down.
[Natalia activated Modified silver tier skill: Cataclysmic Iron Shower.]
The iron magic channeled like an electrical current as it moved through the ground, striking Princess Dire. She gasped, blown upward.
Natalia undid the fourth seal, which caused her brown eyes to turn red. Her dark hair rose a little. Tattoos of black magic, shaped into the tree of life, appeared on her arms.
[Dire’s HP has dropped from 4.5M to 4M]
“Ha! You’ve got to do better than that, poopy-head,” Dire laughed. “In training, my master was a cruel, heartless dummy head that sometimes made me wish he’d drop dead, but I’m so much better off. He keeps saying it will take a few years to learn the true meaning of honor. But I’ll show him!”
Natalia undid the fifth seal. Pervy-nii was right. Even lolis could succumb to the monologuing. She lurched at the other girl, engaging her in hand to hand combat. Well, dagger to dagger, because both witches unsheathed them.
Natalia undid the sixth seal, feeling the savage strength explode into her bones. She began to push Dire back, landing blow after blow and some slashes with the daggers. She kicked the other girl into the air, aimed a hand, and cast.
[Natalia activated Modified special tier skill: Princess Dire Spiral. This is an unblockable attack.]
[Seal six has activated Over-boost passive. Warning!]
[All attack stats dramatically increased.]
Her iconic white, black, and red swirling magic hit the other witch with enough force to rocket her several meters more into the air. Dire still recovered quickly, teleporting back to the ground, reengaging Natalia.
[Dire’s HP halved. Dire has been inflicted with curse and defense down.]
“You’ve really done it now,” Dire scoffed, pointing a finger at Natalia. “I’m really mad now.”
Natalia said nothing as she panted, sweat heavily dripping from her tiny body. Ugh, this is why mages hated exercise. She glanced at Team Stone from the corner of her eye. If she failed, they would no doubt die. The witch would never break the seals if she had even the tiniest feeling of victory. Naoko wanted to help, but she gave her a strong glare.
Princess Dire was not supposed to be this way… A cursed girl, but humble and kind. The person in front of Natalia changed. Maybe the constant witch hunts, tossed away by her family, and other things Natalia couldn’t imagine, did this to her.
[Dire activated GODDESS TIER SKILL: —]
Natalia teleported behind her, but her dagger missed the nimble girl by an inch. She retaliated with multiple balls of magic.
Natalia swatted each away; however, with her teleport cooling down, she had to leap out of the way of Dire’s forward attack.
[Natalia activated Void—]
The pain struck suddenly as she realized that Dire hit her with something other than magic.
[Natalia’s HP has dropped to 35%]
“I think we’re done here,” Dire said, smugness in her voice.
For some reason, Natalia thought of her past…A homeless orphan who was taken in by a coven. More things happened…A life of misery…On the verge of suicide, when a mysterious young succubus offered her a hand.
A witch serving demons…laughable…But the succubus was kind. She introduced her to a twin-tailed demoness and they became friends. Natalia valued their lives and even her own life since then…She never thought of herself as a worthless waste of space again.
Princess Dire was way too strong…
She proceeded to undo the seventh and final seal, ready to die.
**
Night…
Somewhere…
Outside of the portal in a large empty parking lot…
Aunder let his hand fall, shaking his head, sighing.
“You’re not even worth the expenditure of energy. Now that I have your attention, and you’re not so high and mighty, we can talk, deity.” He eyed her critically. “Tell me how to destroy the Princess Dire curse.”
Venus’s eyes widened.
“You…”
“You’re a lot more powerful than I give you credit for,” Aunder said, chuckling. “You’ve done something to your soul and I can’t bind it. It’s almost like you’re not really here. I like that. Give me what I want and I’ll let you live. Next time we meet, you’ll either be a better fight or against the Watchers. Now tell me. And don’t even think of lying.”
“That curse was created by a dark goddess who disappeared a few years ago,” Venus said. “I—”
“Give me a name,” Aunder said.
“Fatalus, Goddess of Curses,” Venus said.
Aunder nodded.
“One more thing. There is a lock, preventing any warps to the realm where the Watchers live. How do I break in?”
“If I tell you that, then I may as well wait for the Punishment Squa—”
“Try again,” Aunder said. “Remember who you’re talking to, because I can assure you, I am not a good person.” His eyes shimmered, deadly. “Trade me the information or die.”
A flash of anger swam into Venus’s eyes.
“To—”
Aunder dodged the sphere of white Ki hurled at him. Then there were hundreds of them. Mortem, in chaos form, manifested next Venus, grabbing her arm.
“Good work, this part of me is saved,” the goddess said softly to her servant as they Jumped.
“Clever girl,” Aunder said, laughing, “but I’ve got what I needed. Thor will be telling me about this Fatalus.”
He’d worry about getting into the Watcher’s realm later. It was time to go. He took on Venus with his full form and yet she still managed to keep herself unbound AND call for help.
For the first time, Aunder didn’t feel confident about taking on the Punishment Squad. In a way, that made him happy. It meant there was a new limit for the man to overcome after so long.
But… He wasn’t sure if anyone could defeat them. He couldn’t go over the limit of Full Anti-Deity for some reason, no matter how much the esper tried.
The power of a Supreme God, but nowhere close to…
Aunder sent a telepathic message to Dire to immediately abandon her objective. It was time to go. He at least found a lead to cure her.
Then…maybe…No, she was his successor, his student. And she needed to break her mental barrier, let go of her past, to walk to road of honor. Aunder doubted he’d ever get his back, but the young woman could still be saved.
He teleported to his room, preparing to get out of the area as fast as possible.
His revelation was only beginning. Venus being the example and he knew the Watchers felt the clash of power.
They’d fear him.
As least they would if it weren’t for the Punishment Squad. He’d need a backup plan to at least disable them for a while.
One thing he did take out of this is that Venus was not responsible for sending Olivia and Su Yang to eternal damnation. Those eyes hadn’t a clue what happened to them at the time. That could only mean someone above her—someone far more powerful. Punishment Squad?
**
Ring City, Terravon…
“Oh bummer,” Dire said, “I have to go. I can’t play anymore. A shame—you were about to do something that was going to immediately destroy your body afterwards. Not that I’d let you complete such a dangerous spell, mind you.” She waved. “Bye! That was fun.” She looked at Harumi. “You watch your back, booby cow lady.”
[Dire activated Jump.]
Clyde lowered his staff, charged with Eternal Soul Wind and dropped to a knee. He had never felt so outclassed in his life… There would be no more relying on Stone Mode, not while
it recharged.
Why did the kid spare them? And to act like this was nothing. The young man just didn’t know anymore.
He rushed to Natalia, lifting and hugging the loli. He saw the prompts, but lacked the resources to stop her.
“Don’t you fucking touch those seals again,” Clyde said. Harumi’s healing and Alice’s All Calm brought the loli into prime condition.
“I’m sorry…onii-chan,” Natalia said, tears streaming. “She was too strong.”
“Don’t apologize,” Clyde said. “If it weren’t for you, we’d probably be dead. And to see that you were about to throw away your own life just to save ours.” He pulled her closer. “It really means a lot. I value you even more than that, so please don’t do that again.”
Natalia…cried. Clyde and Team Stone sat in silence, letting the loli pour her heart out. Alice and Tear joined the hug. Melody and Ruri, who also knew the loli hugged her too.
She quickly pulled herself from their grasps to take her place back onto Clyde’s shoulders.
“I’m okay now,” Natalia said, wiping away tears with her sleeve. “Right Hands don’t cry.”
[Battle completed! System moved. Dire has not claimed the EXP and so your party will receive credit for the defeat of Risa. A gift from the system.]
10.The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #10 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 20