by Sakon Kaidou
“It appears the ones who brought you here have no intention of letting you go,” said Nemesis.
“Seems like it...”
Suddenly, the room’s sliding door opened up.
“Hm?!” Completely on edge, I turned towards it.
“Ray!” Nemesis shouted as she transformed into the Black Blade. I hastily grabbed her hilt and brandished her.
The one who came through the sliding door...
“Good morning, Mr. Ray, Miss Nemesis.”
...was a servant.
Specifically, a nakai — a waitress-like girl working at traditional Japanese inns. The lack of crest on her left hand meant that she was a tian.
Besides those two points, the only notable thing about her was the mark on her kimono, which displayed a crescent moon and a closed eye.
“Your breakfast is ready,” she continued. “I will lead you to it once you’ve changed.”
Seemingly having said all she had to, she politely bowed and closed the sliding door.
“Hm...” Nemesis and I were at a loss for words.
Well, that sure softened the tense air in here, I thought.
“What now?” Nemesis asked.
“Guess I’ll change,” I said.
I was still in my pajamas, after all. I had no idea what I was in store for, but considering where I was, I had to at least be battle-ready.
“Very well,” nodded Nemesis. “And then we’ll have breakfast.”
I’m not too sure about that, I thought. What if it’s spiked?
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Nemesis asked.
“What?”
“If the food is poisoned in some way, we can simply use Reversal.”
...Good point. I guess spiking isn’t much of a problem for us.
“With that in mind, let’s go have breakfast. We’re kidnapped, after all. Might as well have a feast at their expense.”
“Nemesis...” I muttered.
I couldn’t help but feel that recently, this partner of mine had become even more gluttonous. Was she about to go into hibernation or something?
But we did go to breakfast together.
“This is really good,” I said after taking a bite.
“It’s... amazing,” Nemesis agreed.
I mean, sure, it had looked good from first glance, but the circumstances certainly hadn’t made me think it would be. Basically, the breakfast we were given was stupidly delicious.
“It just... really emphasizes the taste of each ingredient,” I commented between bites.
“The seasoning is light, but so satisfying at the same time,” Nemesis added.
I’d never even considered that Infinite Dendrogram had Japanese food of this kind. Not having both hands made it a bit hard to eat, though. I couldn’t hold the rice bowl.
“I haven’t been this satisfied with my meal’s taste since our first day here,” said Nemesis.
“Same here, actually,” I nodded.
“I’m glad you two like it, darlings,” said someone behind me.
The food the Star Chef had made for my welcome party had been the greatest cooking I’d ever eaten in Infinite Dendrogram, and these dishes here actually rivaled it.
“It has such detailed flavors,” said Nemesis as we were finishing up. “Looks like the kingdom’s largest clan has no shortage of skilled people. Do they have high-rank and Superior Jobs from the cook grouping or something?”
“Actually, this is my secretary’s natural cooking,” said the voice behind me. “Even in real life, Kage’s food is sooo good that it could be in a manga.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “Cooking is a type of sense skill, so—”
Suddenly, all the cells in my entire body began to shake. It was a reaction to multiple powerful stimuli attacking me all at once.
I belatedly felt surprise at the voice that had been joining our exchanges as though it belonged, then became overcome with shock at the woman embracing me from behind, then felt intoxication from her own scent and the fragrant wood incense smell coming from her clothes, and lastly... I was overwhelmed by fear as a living creature.
I felt as though my neck was in the jaws of a tiger, as though my head could fall off with the most casual of bites.
“Hh?!” I gasped as I realized that the woman holding me could easily end me.
I was familiar with this sensation. I had felt it on my first meeting with Figaro in the Tomb Labyrinth, and in my encounter with Xunyu before the Clash of the Superiors. However, this time, I was feeling such danger directly on my skin, which made it countless times more scary.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, sweetie? You’re shaking,” the woman said, as though whispering to me. “Oh, and don’t glare at me like that, li’l Maiden. This is just some light skinship.” She then slowly let me go, running her pale, slender fingers along my neck in the process.
“Rgh!” I grunted as I instantly got up, ran to Nemesis, had her turn into a greatsword, and grabbed her by the hilt.
I had three Counter Absorption uses — my current maximum. And yet, for some reason, it did little to help me feel safe.
This wasn’t like the time when I’d ran out of uses while facing overwhelming odds, not like the time when I hadn’t been able to activate it fast enough against Xunyu, not like the time when Marie had taken advantage of my flaws in our rematch, and not like the time when it had been broken in a mock battle.
Though she would probably handle it in an entirely different way, I had a feeling that this woman would render Counter Absorption meaningless.
“Oh no, sorryyy.” She put her hands together and giggled while apologizing. “I overdid it with the teasing.” In all honesty, that gesture was quite adorable, and an overwhelming majority of men would find it charming. Had I the emotional capacity right now, even I might’ve been captivated.
However, the fear I’d felt when she’d touched me seemed far more reliable than any cutesy gesture.
“So you’re Ray Starling and his Maiden, Nemesis,” said the woman — or, rather, the woman-shaped aberration.
“You’re sooo earnest,” she continued. “I like that. I like that a lot.”
She cracked a smile just like the one I saw on her in the recording on the crystal, and began introducing herself.
“I’m the High Priestess, Tsukuyo Fuso. I’m the leader of The Lunar Society. Let’s get along, shall we?”
Shu, Lei-Lei, Figaro, and now her. We were face-to-face with the last Superior of the Kingdom of Altar.
After her introduction, Tsukuyo Fuso called some people to clean up the table.
For the whole time they were doing their job, I was just grasping Nemesis and barely moving a muscle.
Nemesis and I were both silent, unsure of how to react to the prime suspect behind our kidnapping.
However, the one to break the tense silence that had overcome us was none other than the person who’d caused it.
“That left arm of yours...” she said while pointing at the limb I’d lost in my fight against Franklin, which was now replaced by a hook prosthetic. “So you really haven’t fixed it yet.”
“Sadly, I don’t know anyone who can do that for me,” I said.
Speaking of which, Marie had said that the High Priestess was capable of it. She held a Superior Job from the priest grouping, after all. Despite that, I had absolutely no intention of asking this aberration to fix me up. I could now understand full well why Marie had recommended against it.
Seriously, who in their right mind would request anything of... that? Might as well try the devil. He’d probably give you a better deal.
“For someone who’s barely even talked to her, you sure seem to consider her a danger,” Nemesis commented telepathically.
Being kidnapped by her is more than enough reason, if you ask me, I replied.
Besides that, merely being touched by her and exchanging several words with her had been enough for me to come to a conclusion.
She’s as bad as, if not wors
e than, Franklin.
“Heh, agreed,” Nemesis said. “I also feel the same way about the presence behind her.”
I could feel her shift her attention towards somewhere behind Tsukuyo Fuso — an area we couldn’t see from our position.
“Hmm...” The aberration showed little concern about Nemesis and me being on high alert. Ignoring that completely, she continued her questions. “You can fix it, but you’re not doing it... Why aren’t you getting the death penalty? Hm?”
“What?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, if you get the death penalty, you’ll be completely healed after just a 24 hour break, no? I don’t see the reason to spend more than ten days... a whole month of this world’s time... with such a disability.”
Oh yeah, Marie said the same thing, I recalled. Still, I don’t think that’s an option.
“What kind of idiot dies just to fix his arm?” I asked.
Even if I had to die in the near future, I didn’t want it to be for the sake of just an arm. That would be unreasonable.
“Ha ha!” Tsukuyo Fuso laughed, her eyes open wide. It wasn’t a loud, roaring laughter — the sounds escaping her covered mouth were a bell-like giggle.
I didn’t know if anything I said was funny or if she was laughing for some other reason, but I felt like taking advantage of this moment was a bad idea, so I just stood stock still.
“This... is so good.” Tsukuyo Fuso muttered as she stopped laughing and looked at us again.
Her gaze was completely different from before.
I felt as if there was some sort of fire in her eyes, and it made me freeze in fear.
“You know, sweetie,” she said, “I actually had you come here to invite you to join my clan. You’re pretty famous, after all.”
“Not happening.”
If I ever entered a clan, this certainly wouldn’t be it.
Cults were freaky in and of themselves, but more than that, I was just really scared of the... thing before me, and that feeling only grew stronger the more we talked.
“I’ll fix your arm if you join us, though,” she offered. “I’m the only one in this country who can do that, you know?”
“Still... not happening.”
“Hmmm...” She turned away from me.
The fact that she wasn’t facing me anymore soothed me, if only a little bit.
I didn’t know whether she was aware of my current emotional state, but Tsukuyo Fuso continued talking.
“I don’t want anyone who chooses a ‘logical’ death penalty.”
Wait... What the hell is this ominous feeling? I thought.
“I don’t want anyone whose reasons for not choosing a death penalty are boring.”
She’s looking away from me, and yet...
“And I don’t want anyone who’s not cute in some way.”
Yet the fear binding me just continues to grow.
“So, honestly...” she said before quickly turning around, making her long hair sway. “I really want you.”
Those words, combined with her gaze, filled me with fear far greater than before.
“...Gh! HELLISH MIASMA!” I shouted.
Still holding Nemesis in my right hand, I directed Gardranda’s right bracer towards Tsukuyo Fuso and launched the triple debuff mist. I didn’t care that we were inside or that she was close to me. That aberration was far scarier than any debuff.
“Oh, so this is the Legendary they were talking about,” she said. “Holy Zone Horizon.”
In an instant, the miasma was gone. The dark purple mist vanished as if it had never been there.
“What?!” I gaped.
The space around us was bathed in light and filled with a purified air. It felt as if the world itself had been remade anew.
“This is one of my High Priestess skills,” she explained. “It nullifies all disease and curse-based debuffs within the area!”
“Nullifies them... all?!” I yelped.
The High Priestess was a Superior Job from the priest grouping, which was focused on healing and purification. I should have expected her to be able to do this!
“It’s quite a shame. That might’ve worked if you’d been up against anyone else.” She covered her mouth and giggled again.
Ohh no, I’m not giving up yet! I thought.
She was a support-type Superior Job, so she ought to have lower stats than vanguard roles. Of course, I didn’t expect her to be as frail as Franklin, but in 1v1 melee combat, I should have a chance...
“Okay, me neeext!” she said as I kicked the tatami below and sprinted to her side. “Lunar Divider Field.” The world was engulfed in night.
We were inside, and yet above us, I saw a dark sky with a large blue moon. An unnatural space — a world abnormal.
“It’s just like in the crys...tal... Gh?!” I said. Or at least tried to, but something strange began happening.
“Ray?!” Nemesis exclaimed.
As the night I’d once seen in Marie’s crystal overtook the world, my body started malfunctioning. I wasn’t taking in any air... No, I was breathing normally, but my lungs and heart weren’t delivering oxygen like they were supposed to. Not only that, but my body was quickly turning colder!
“This is my Kaguya’s... my Superior Embryo’s unique skill,” she said as she looked down on me, squirming on the floor and grasping at my chest. “Its name is ‘Lunar Reduction Field.’ It’s pretty famous. You didn’t know about it?”
No, I goddamn didn’t!
“Basically... this skill creates an area where all the numbers I find inconvenient are reduced to a sixth of their original value.”
Inconvenient... numbers?
“It divides enemy stats by six, the damage they deal by six, their heart rate by six, their body temperature by six... among many other things. Oh, and it’s probably six because it’s ‘Lunar.’ The gravity on the Moon is six times weaker, you know?”
“Wh...?!”
What the hell?! No one could stand a chance against that!
The damage she would receive would be divided by 36 — the combination of the stat and damage division. Not to mention that her opponents’ bodily functions would drop way below tolerable levels.
“Well, high-level people can resist it. A bit,” she added.
That basically meant that a sub-level 100 newbie like myself would be feeling its full effect.
“But... I...!” I said through ragged breaths as I remembered one of my skills.
...I have a way to fight this!
“Neme...sis!”
“Very well!” cried Nemesis as she switched from her Black Blade form into the Flag Halberd.
At the same time, I activated Like a Flag Flying the Reversal. It was one of Nemesis’s unique skills, and it reversed the effects of debuffs I was subjected to.
Now, I’ll turn this Superior Embryo’s debuff against its Master, and...
“Khh...” I groaned and realized that something was off.
Reversal was up and active, yet it was still hard to breathe. It had become a bit easier, sure, but that was the extent of it.
“What... is this...?” Nemesis said, her voice thick with shock. “I... I can’t reverse it? Can’t push it back? The output is just too...”
“What’s wrong, Nemesis?!” I shouted, but all I got in response was silence, as if she was completely dumbfounded by something.
“You have the right idea here,” said the aberration. “My Kaguya is focused on debuffs, so this skill Nemesis has is her, well, nemesis.”
I didn’t know whether she’d learned about my Reversal beforehand or if she’d figured it out just now, but she clearly knew what it did.
“But...” She tut-tutted me. “That only applies when you and I... and our Kaguya and Nemesis... are on a similar tier.”
“Wh-What...?” I stammered.
What does that mean?
“Your Nemesis is still just low-rank, while my Kaguya is a Superior Embryo.”
Smirking in the mo
st terrifying manner, she slightly opened her eyes and looked at me with a spine-chilling gleam in her gaze.
“Their base powers are on entirely different digits, sweetie,” she continued with a giggle. “You can’t carry 100 tons just because you can lift 100 kilos, you know? Same thing. Though, from how it feels here, she can probably reverse debuffs from high-rank jobs just fine. Heh heh.”
“Gh!” I shouted.
The description for Reversal did say that its effects could be affected by the enemy’s level and skill level. But... the skill had reversed so many debuffs I’d been subjected to. It had even turned around all the nightmarish status effects piled on me by the Lich, so how could it have no effect here?
“Up until now, you’ve won against stronger enemies because you were compatible, no?” she said with an eerily gentle voice as she walked up to me. “Well, here’s something for you to keep in mind, darling. Compatibility... isn’t enough to win against someone with absolute power.”
Then she extended her bare foot from out of her junihitoe and kicked me directly in the chin.
“...Hh,” I gasped as my consciousness was forced to shut down.
Chapter Two: The Maidens’ Tea Party
Death Shadow, Marie Adler
Ray had been kidnapped by The Lunar Society, the clan led by the infamous High Priestess.
“Why does he attract the attention of such troublesome individuals?” I mumbled.
First Franklin, now Tsukuyo Fuso... Just what did the guy do to deserve this? I added silently.
“Excuse me, but weren’t you the first ‘troublesome individual’ he encountered?” asked Rook.
“Oh hush, Rook. You might have a point, but now’s not the time for that.”
This was a serious event that might even go beyond the confines of Infinite Dendrogram.
The two of us were clearly not enough to handle this. We needed more manpower, and there was no better opponent for Tsukuyo than another one of the kingdom’s Big Three, Ray’s very own brother bear... the King of Destruction, Shu Starling. I wasn’t sure about in real life, but surely he could counter most of her nonsense here in Dendro.
“What about you, Marie?” asked Babi, the curiosity in her tone all too evident. “Can’t you do it?”