[Harumi activated Subtle Heal. Your party’s HP will slightly regenerate faster in the background. Your Party’s defenses, endurance, and will has increased by 15%]
[Ming activated Prophet’s field. The magical playing field between you and the Viper maiden has been leveled.]
[The training of your team is showing!]
Sophia chuckled and allowed black aura to radiate around her.
“Interesting. But I am a maiden of the greatest being on the planet,” she said. “I don’t care if you bring an entire army to take me on, I will slaughter you all.”
[stone-viper games.]
[Your party has entered a Boss fight!]
“Alice, to me,” Clyde said. His life mate joined him at his side, pink aura flowing. “Those on support, do support. That includes you too, Ruri.”
The hellhound sighed.
“Fine. It’s not fair.”
Sophia held a hand into the air.
“Give me strength, oh great Viper.”
“She’s nuts,” Alice said, “serving someone who’d destroy the world.”
[Sophia activated Galactic slash bolt.]
Clyde was about to step into it, for the spirit shield, but Noona beat him to the punch.
[Noona activated Radiant Reflect.]
The magic that funneled from the ceiling bounded back to the Viper maiden, but instead of damaging her, it vanished. Sophia teleported to an empty half of the giant and slowly aimed a hand at Clyde.
“You who are the enemy of my master. Perish.”
Chika interrupted, coming out of the stealth with a kick that knocked her to the ground. The silver-haired girl tried to follow up with a knife, but Sophia rolled to the side, then bashed her away with magic.
[Sophia used Force bash.]
Sophia leapt to her feet, dusting herself off. Tear teleported next to her.
[Tear activated Tier 1 skill: Pulse drive.]
Sophia quickly put up a guard, seeming to know the incoming magic, which jumped from the succubus’s fist.
[Sophia activated Lunar Shield.]
A yellow-white glowing translucent semi-sphere surrounded the maiden. Tear’s magic hit, but barely budged. Level one hundred sixty nastiness, holding together despite so many buffs. Clyde and Alice simultaneous aimed their palms in her direction, as if in sync.
[Clyde invoked Mystic wrath.]
[Clyde activated Mystic lightning.]
[Alice activated Tier 1 skill: Raid destruction beam.]
Sophia’s shield still held.
“Ha! Let me show you what a real spell looks like.”
[Sophia activated Bronze tier skill: Cosmic wave.]
She leapt into the air, then punched ground, like a…super hero landing. Clyde wanted to laugh, but the shockwave bashed everyone in the entire room to their backs. Transformation deactivated, he fought the pain and stood. He decided to keep track of just his own HP, due to the party size.
[Your HP has dropped to 158%]
[You have been inflicted with slow. Your special defense is 132, therefore against her higher attack and will, your speed reduction is 35%]
Clyde frowned as he virtually moved against what felt like invisible weights. Sophia blasted both Tear and Chika into the air, but before she could combo, Noona took aim.
[Noona activated Tier 1 skill: Harmony’s light stream.]
Sophia didn’t see that one coming, because the beam of white magic smacked the maiden to her ass. Clyde followed it up, watching his attack through the combat log.
[You activated Spiritual Fire!]
The blue fireball he hurled at Sophia bashed into her from the side.
[Harumi and Airi activated Duo Attack: Whirling Grace Blast.]
The maiden still didn’t budge, nor did she take much damage. What kind of defense did she hold? Clyde touched the edge of the power, but a quick dose of severe pain made him think again.
[Sophia’s HP has dropped from 275% to 200% so far.]
[You still do not have access to that system nor is it recommended to utilize.]
“You fools still do not realize who I am,” Sophia said then raised her voice. “Just who I serve! A maiden of the Viper is not trained to be a weakling.”
She teleported next to Clyde, hand on his chest. He flashed stepped out of her path then countered. At the same time, Chika prepared to unleash some kind of magic. The slow status effect wore off.
[Clyde activated Tier 2 skill: Neptune’s water edge.]
[Sophia’s HP has dropped to 188%]
His attack seemed to piss her off. Alice added to the fuel.
[Alice activated Tier 1 skill: Radiant Septor’s blink.]
[Airi activated Tier 1 skill: The King’s first move.]
[Chika activated Tier 1 skill: Rogue magic hand!]
[Tear activated Tier 1 skill: Blood Lightning.]
With one palm smashed against Sophia’s chest, blue and gold energy erupted from the half-demoness’s hand, bounding the maiden at least a dozen yards, right into the wall. Airi’s green magic followed up to put on more hurting. Tear and Chika added lightning and heavy-hitting magic to the pot.
Clyde couldn’t track all of them, but the entire team worked hard, supporters included.
[Sophia’s HP has dropped to 153%]
[Critical! Attack once more!]
[Talent. Main character stuff. Life of your party.]
[The combined attack of your party entered your next attack.]
Clyde trembled as he took aim. Then he cast the magic.
[You activated Holy spirit wave.]
[Your MP has dropped to 50%]
When the magic hit Sophia, she screamed then slid from the wall to fall to the floor.
[Sophia’s HP has dropped to 100%]
The maiden began to cry.
“I can’t do this…this compulsion. It’s frying my brain. I…just want to go home. I swear, I won’t serve anyone. Please forgive me!”
Clyde shot the woman a blank stare. As if he’d fall for one of the most classic clichés and anime tropes around. The crying girl sneak attack. The amount of damage it normally did was unreasonably OP, perhaps broken. He placed a hand in front of his softhearted new friend. If Harumi wasn’t used to battle and the horrors, Clyde imagined Airi would be doing the same.
Just then, someone clapped and laughed.
“Marvelous, marvelous.” A man dressed in a white lab cloak dropped from the ceiling, which was at least fifty feet high, landing beside Sophia. Clean shaven, with short brown hair and strange orange eyes, this man made Clyde feel very uncomfortable. He assumed the feeling was mutual throughout the party.
“Uncle? What are you doing here?” Toru said.
Clyde analyzed the man. And his stats were not friendly.
Hideo, Crusader Researcher.
Level: 378 (compressed.)
Type: Crusader.
Work under: the Order.
Special: Holy Death Slash.
Weakness: ???
Resistances: ???
Secret: blocked by a barrier created by the Order.
“Your uncle’s a crusader?” Clyde said to Toru.
“He is?” Toru said.
Hideo flashed a grin.
“You know the deal. To be a part of something greater than yourself, you must learn to keep secrets. Oh how you would’ve made a great crusader, nephew. It’s still not too late. Come with me. There is much to learn. And if you want, you can practice your skills on this sack of trash right here.”
He kicked Sophia, causing her to whimper. “Crazy maiden was hellbent on destroying the city. But we had a chat. Now she’s an experiment.”
“Aren’t you crusaders supposed to be fighting for what’s right?” Harumi said. “You’re not supposed to mirror the evil.”
“It’s not evil,” Hideo said. “I’m a researcher. Sometimes I do jobs no one else wants for the glory of science, discovery, and the Great Ones. It is believed that behind magic is something greater, something that
holds back both the purity and tainted elements. I intend to find this gray area. Or prove it not to exist.” He knelt beside Sophia. “Are you going to join me, Toru?”
“No Uncle, I will not,” Toru said.
“Very well, check this out.” He pulled out an injection needle then slammed it into Sophia’s neck. She screamed and convulsed and began to change. “The orders still stand, you worthless trash maiden. Kill them all.” Hideo leapt into the air, vanishing.
“Your uncle sucks,” Clyde said.
“He’s such a jerk,” Airi said.
Sophia’s skin turned green as she wailed and grew and grew until about fifteen, maybe twenty feet tall. Her white hair did too, but not as much. Grey wings sprouted from her back, covered in spikes. Her figure shifted from supermodel thin to bulky and muscular. Her eyes shifted to glowing ember red.
“Well, we certainly can’t leave her like this,” Clyde said. “Or she’s probably going to go Hulk smash on the entire town.”
“Hulk what?” Airi said.
“Nothing,” Clyde said. “Everybody focus. Support, continue doing your jobs. Attackers, keep it up. Also, I want the snipers to actually do something. Kitome, new plan. Focus on attacking.”
[The Raid boss has manifested…]
[Your party has entered a Raid boss fight! Phase 2.]
[Hideo has changed Sophia into a failed experimental beast, a geist.]
Sophia howled, which sounded like a giant depressed wolf. Clyde actually felt a little bad for her, but readied his sword. Alice pointed Hellbreaker at her.
“I’ll start the honors,” Clyde said, dashing toward the tall monster. He dodged its fists pounds—there were four attempts—then jumped, incredibly high. However, when he stabbed his sword toward the enemy, the blade shattered. The young man let go of the handle as it too, crumbled to dust. “What the fuck?” He dodged the fist pummel to the ground, then aimed.
[Clyde activated Energy blast!]
[Geist Sophia took no damage.]
Clyde retreated.
“Any bright ideas, Alice?”
“Not going to ask Tear first?” she said.
He looked at her. She smiled.
“I’m joking,” she said. “Truthfully, I have no idea what that thing is.”
“My analysis calls it a geist, whatever that is,” Clyde said.
“A what?” Natalia said. “Never mind, get out of the way.”
Everyone did. The loli pointed the golden staff in a goofy manner. “Super kamikaze attack!”
Alice began to chant familiar, explosive words.
[Natalia activated Silver tier skill: Atomic Blast Meltdown De Grande!]
[Alice activated Special tier skill: Explosion!]
The amount of raw orange and red magic that came out of the Staff of Hopes made Clyde’s jaw dropped. It helped ease the pain of losing a legendary sword. Until the prompt made him cringe.
[Geist Sophia took no damage.]
She dashed toward Tear, but missed a backhand attempt, as the succubus jumped out of her path. She continued after her, failing to make a direct blow.
“Shoot!” Natalia said. “Why didn’t it hurt her.”
“Nya, she’s juiced up with more than drugs,” Neko said. “I think the Omen’s sphere is behind it. Clyde, you’ve got to NYA—neutralize it.”
“You tried to force that one in, didn’t you?” Clyde said, staring at her blankly. Neko sighed.
“Win some, you lose some, nya,” she said.
[Objective: find the Omen’s sphere!]
[Time limit: 5 minutes…]
“Five minutes?” Clyde hissed then looked around, seeing nothing.
[Geist Sophia activated an undodgeable attack. Tier 1 skill: Wrath of the Cosmos.]
The monster smashed the floor, just like with her other attack. The stronger shockwave hurled the party around like pieces of used tissue paper. Pain reechoed throughout Clyde’s body until felt like dying.
[Critical! Your HP has dropped to 45% You are stunned.]
A giant green backhand shot the young man painfully into the air. Everything slowed down for him as he hit the ground.
[Your HP has dropped to 15%]
[Time limit: 2 minutes.]
[Harumi activated Skill fusion: Mass Drastic Heal + Mass Refresher!]
[Your HP has increased to 150% Negative Status effects gone.]
[Your current MP: 40%]
“Harumi, you are too amazing,” Clyde said as he recovered. He dodged a giant fist that almost turned him into a pancake. “Why is she targeting me?”
“Hey green vomit girl! You suck! Fuck you!” Seth taunted then bolted as the furious geist chased him with reckless abandonment.
“Everyone in the battle now,” Clyde ordered. “Help him!”
The raid party scurried into motion. But Noona joined Clyde.
“Are you okay?” she said.
“I’ve got a minute to find the Omen’s sphere,” Clyde said, searching frantically through wreckage.
“That’s what you’re looking for?” she said. “I think the girl with two different eye colors said something about it.”
“Where is she?” Clyde said.
“Over there.” Noona pointed to a spot only a few yards away.
“Thanks,” he said then flash stepped to Ming.
“Clyde I’ve found this,” Ming said.
“You’re awesome!” he said, taking the baseball-size glowing orange glass orb from her. The timer stopped at one second.
[Objective completed!]
That was close! This would’ve been a failing point for a lot of people , Clyde thought.
He was relieved the objective was no more than just a steroid-induced fetch quest. And impossible without Seth.
He concentrated, neutralizing the Omen’s sphere, absorbing it. Ming watched him, curiosity in her eyes.
[Geist Sophia’s Ultra Tough Skin has been disabled!]
“Finish her!” Clyde shouted, adding just a touch of power into his voice.
As everyone launched everything they had, the young man prepared to unleash his special attack.
[Geist Sophia activated *Almighty* Tier skill: God’s Absolute Shield.]
[You can feel that this is a copied skill from the Viper.]
“Fuck, this is a disaster,” Clyde said. “How do we kill this thing?”
A giant fist almost made the answer for him—as the geist was right back on him. The spells everyone else shot missed or did little damage. “Fuck it, nickel and dime her, I don’t care.” Despite their efforts, she didn’t look as if she’d be going down any time soon. The young man had to think. Maybe this should treated like a super boss fight. What else did he need to do? His MP wasn’t infinite, charging too slow to matter much.
He missed a step and the giant fist came down on him…
“Clyde!” his party yelled, but they were worried for nothing.
Clyde caught the fist, which was almost the size of a car, with a single finger.
“I’ve had enough of this,” he said softly then leapt into the air. With a single downward kick, white aura surrounding him, he felt the crunch of the monster’s arm. Sophia screamed and roared at the same time.
Clyde spun-kicked the monster in the face, rocketing her to the other side of the room at thousands of miles per hour. She smashed into the wall, heavily denting it. The building trembled.
“Holy shit!” Seth said.
“I will free you from your torment ,” Clyde said, his voice a god’s chant.
[Warning! You do not have access—]
He cut off the prompt as he lazily glided over to the unmoving monster. He lifted the giant into the air with a single hand. She choked.
“This is what happens to those who serve the Viper,” Clyde said.
“Wha—what’s going on?” Airi said. “How is he…”
[Clyde activated….data not found.]
A light surrounded the monster until she reverted back to human form, crying.
“From this day forward, you will be a Stone Maiden,” Clyde said.
[Perimeters accepted. You stole one of the Viper’s maidens! You have unintentionally declared war on the Viper. Secret discovered. You have earned the title: Robbing the Snake.]
[Quest: take her virginity to increase the power of you, her, and your prophet. This quest isn’t mandatory, but it cannot be refused.]
“I shall serve, my lord,” Sophia said softly, tear’s falling from her face. “I…don’t have any place to go. I do not know where your temple is located or if I should build a new one.”
He had a temple? Questions for later.
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Clyde said, voice normal. He looked at the others. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. Tear. Noona. Can you please take care of Sophia? She’s going to be doing…. whatever Stone Maidens do.” The young man addressed the rest of the party. “Check the building to make sure no one’s left. Yuki will be blowing it up.”
The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #6 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 22