novelraw Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Chapter 152
"A fake... Patchenaga-san...?"
"Gii (Translation: That is... surely... something terrible has happened.)"
"What is that?! Why is Shimaenaga-san here...?!"
"Gii (Translation: My lord, Doctor, that is not senpai. That is the residual thought-form of the experience point trash born from senpai's soul, corrupted beyond redemption—Kuzu-enaga Manifestation!)"
"Kuzu-enaga-san...?!"
"Gii (Translation: Most likely, because senpai is being held and deprived of experience, the negative energy clinging to the witch's hat has been amplified and used the kouhai's body to incarnate.)"
A residual thought-form of experience point trash?
Damn it, even locked up in prison, she's still causing trouble.
Wait, our little hedgehog got absorbed!
"Once again, shamelessly trying to cause trouble for everyone. That's enough. I'll blow you away and end this. Excalibu──"
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: Hideo-kun, I won't let you, chee.──Activating skill 'Witch's Withered Finger'.)"
Ah. Crap. My finger snap didn't trigger an explosion.
"Gii (Translation: 'Witch's Withered Finger' is a harmful skill that seals your skills after a single hit...! You absolutely must not get hit!)"
"A little late to tell me that..."
Kuzu-enaga-san is pulling more toxic trash moves than I imagined.
Now, how should I punish her?
"Finger Man, duck."
Told to, I said sure, sure, and ducked.
Immediately after, gunshots rang out.
Happy-san gripped Pizon with both hands and tried to turn Kuzu-enaga-san into a pincushion.
"Go ahead, do it, Happy-san."
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: That attack won't hit, chee.)"
Kuzu-enaga-san tackled Happy-san with lightning speed and sent her flying.
Happy-san was launched—ah, into the Mugen High-Load. Not good.
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: I just had a brilliant idea, chee. If I activate Mugen High-Load in this state, this human's going to suffer horribly, chee. Can't wait, chee.)"
"Idiot, stop!"
"Finger Man, stop that Kuzu-enaga-san! Putting a human into Mugen High-Load is way too dangerous!"
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: Too late, chee. When Chee says I'll do something, I've already done it, chee. You're all just a bunch of mammoni, chee.)"
Saying that, Kuzu-enaga-san kicked the door of the Mugen High-Load shut.
Unbelievable. We have to rescue her immediately.
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: Whoa there, don't move, chee.)" Just as I was about to dash forward, Shimaenaga-san—no, Kuzu-enaga-san—snapped her wings with a pop (a wing snap?). From behind the container, the captain of the Black Fingertips appeared. Armed with a black spear and a machine gun, he wore modern dragon armor. The captain grabbed Na from behind in a full nelson and showed her off. Na looked limp, seemingly unconscious. "Chee-chee-chee (Translation: If you don't want this one killed, hand over all of your experience points, chee.)"
"Why is the captain on their side...?"
"Looks like he's being controlled by something."
"Gii (Translation: Most likely it's senpai's skill 'Blasphemous Change of Heart Lv3.' The captain is under Kuzu-enaga-san's control.)"
"Isn't that Shimaenaga-san's skill?"
Huh?
Could it be... that's what this is?
Did Kuzu-enaga-san copy all of Shimaenaga-san's abilities?
"Gii (Translation: She's a residual trash thought-form, after all.)" That doesn't explain anything. Finger Man, you're not very persuasive. ———————————————— Kuzu-enaga-san Level 140 HP 1,443,500/1,443,500 MP 1,301,700/1,421,700 Skills 'Blasphemous Morning Star Lv4' 'Blasphemous Pact' 'Blasphemous Gaze' 'Blasphemous Regeneration' 'Blasphemous Counterattack' 'Blasphemous Sword Dance' 'Blasphemous Flash Lv2' 'Blasphemous Change of Heart Lv3' 'Witch's Withered Finger' ———————————————— Tch, there's no doubt a terrifyingly troublesome enemy has appeared, but there's no choice—we must act. We have to rescue Happy-san from the still-active Mugen High-Load immediately, and deal with Kuzu-enaga-san who's holding Na hostage. "Chee-chee-chee (Translation: You better not think of attacking, chee. I'm just borrowing the hedgehog's body. If you attack, the hedgehog gets hurt, chee.)"
A complete villainous trash all-in-one.
She's pulling every scummy move in the book.
Now I'm mad. I won't forgive her.
————
——Kuzu-enaga-san's perspective
Kuzu-enaga was convinced of her victory.
Chee-chee-chee, now Hideo-kun shouldn't be able to move, chee.
She had even brought the twelve captain-class dragon knight Breakdancers under Team Finger Man under her control, chee.
Chee had been patiently waiting for this moment, chee.
Now was the time to settle her regrets, chee.
——Oops.
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: Now then, stuff the 'Golden EXP' into the bags, chee. Once that's done, collect the 'Fruit of Power' from the Tree of Experience Points on Calamity Island, chee. It's all mine, chee.)"
She ordered the captain-class Breakdancers to pack it up.
That's when it happened. Finger Man vanished from the edge of Kuzu-enaga's vision.
"Ch-Chi!?"
Finger Man seized a brief moment of inattention and closed the distance to the captain restraining Na in a single step.
Then, holding Na close, he launched a wild yakuza-style kick and blasted the captain away. The impact was immense—he flew to the wall, smashing it in a radial pattern and embedding into it.
Even if he's the captain of the Black Fingertips, to Finger Man, he's no different from a Chihuahua.
Kuzu-enaga trembled.
He was fast.
Far faster than Kuzu-enaga had imagined.
He's become stronger than Chee thought, chee.
Looks like Chee has no choice but to get serious, chee.
Activating skill——'Blasphemous Flash Lv2'
————————————————
'Blasphemous Flash Lv2'
A display to the world.
A clandestine operation like a flash.
Increases speed by 200% for 5 minutes
Usable once every 720 hours.
Can resolve cooldown with 10,000 MP.
————————————————
Kuzu-enaga-san whooshed! and vanished with high-speed movement, then puffed up to the size of a balance ball and launched a beak-stabbing God Bird Attack at Finger Man.
The powerful strike whipped up a gust of wind.
Finger Man stopped her beak with just one hand.
"Ch-Chi...! (Translation: N-No matter how I push or pull, it won't move, chee!?)"
"Let's take this outside."
Finger Man, still gripping Kuzu-enaga-san's beak, used Super Catcher.
Her balance ball-shaped body was compressed in his hand.
With her immobilized, Finger Man passed through the "door" leading to Calamity Island and hurled Kuzu-enaga-san onto a beach on the remote island.
"Ring of Cthurnia, open."
"Tch! (Translation: That was an option, chee! I forgot, chee!)" Finger Man lit the ring with golden flames and materialized his skill. In his hand was a double-edged sword ablaze with golden fire. Even with 'Snap Finger Lv7' sealed, the anomalous substance 'Absolute Sword Excalibur Lv7' could still be used. "Chee-chee-chee! (Translation: I'll defeat you, Hideo-kun, chee!)"
The captain-class Breakdancers skillfully swung their spears and charged in.
There were twelve of them.
Could even Finger Man be forced into a tough battle?
That's what Kuzu-enaga-san hoped, but the result was utterly hopeless.
Finger Man dodged every fierce assault from the captain-class Breakdancers, and with each rough swing of the Absolute Sword, one by one they were engulfed in golden flames and reduced to charred remains.
"Release Excalibur."
The blade of the golden holy sword melted into shimmering flame particles.
The particles slithered like sentient dragons, attacking the captain-class Breakdancers on their own, and within five seconds, not one remained.
The golden dragons returned to Finger Man's hand, merging into the hilt and reconstituting as a sword of radiant flame.
"Chee-chee-chee! (Translation: You're a sword amateur, chee. I can still beat you, chee!)"
The battle between Kuzu-enaga-san and Finger Man lasted for hours.
With massive HP, healing methods, and buffs to strengthen herself, Kuzu-enaga-san proved to be a real pain for Finger Man.
She kept buffing herself with 'Blasphemous Sword Dance' and 'Blasphemous Flash Lv2', and when attacked, used 'Blasphemous Counterattack' to deal cruel double damage—the stronger Finger Man was, the worse it hurt.
Even as he fought, Finger Man was baffled, thinking, "How do I beat this bean pastry...?"
As the forest of Calamity Island fell into ruin, Kuzu-enaga-san finally lost in a battle of endurance.
Finger Man could keep fighting without using much MP and just by healing his HP.
With the ultimate healing-type anomalous substance 'Blue Blood Lv8', which restores 1,000 HP per 1 MP, he could inject himself and never run out of HP.
On top of that, with the skill 'Blue Pulsation Lv4' recovering 2 HP per second, he steadily pulled ahead in stamina against Kuzu-enaga-san.
"Chee... chee (Translation: Th-This wasn't supposed to happen, chee... Chee's grand dream... to be defeated by someone like Hideo-kun...)"
Kuzu-enaga-san staggered pitifully on unsteady feet as she made her way back to the EXP factory.
Those consumed by experience points return to the holy land of experience.
To witness the pitiful end of the residual thought-form, Finger Man trudged after her to the EXP factory.
They returned to the starting point.
The containers were scattered, but the usual quiet and beautiful Uyuni Salt Flats (the knockoff version) spread out before them.
Suddenly, one of the containers began to open its door.
"That's the Mugen High-Load, isn't it...?"
As he stood there dumbfounded, a silhouette emerged from within.
Wrapped in steam, she walked with innocent steps.
It was Trigger Happy, who had earlier been shoved into the machine by Kuzu-enaga's scheme.
Her gaze was unfocused, and her whole body emitted a faint light.
Was it his imagination, or did blue lightning crackle around her like SS2?
"Happy-san, are you okay?"
Finger Man had a lot of questions, but he was so relieved that Trigger Happy was safe, he couldn't help but run toward her.
But at that moment, Kuzu moved.
"Chee-chee-chee! (Translation: Don't move, chee!)"
Realizing she couldn't beat Finger Man, Kuzu-enaga-san resorted to her usual dirty moves once again.
Using the last of her strength, she reached Trigger Happy before Finger Man could and took her hostage.
"Kuzu-enaga-san, just how low are you willing to sink?"
"Chee-chee-chee (Translation: I'll sink as low as I have to for experience points, chee! Now pack all the EXP into the bag, chee. Or this Happy-chan will suffer, chee!)"
"......Move——"
"Chee?"
Trigger Happy muttered softly and slapped Kuzu-enaga-san.
It was a light gesture, like brushing away an annoying fly with a "shoo, shoo."
But even that was enough to send Kuzu-enaga-san flying—"Chiiiii——!?"—before she vanished in a puff of black mist. Thus, evil was vanquished.
When the black mist disappeared, the Calamity of the Ancient Dragon that had been used as a vessel was released.
Finger Man caught the Calamity of the Ancient Dragon and tucked it into his pocket.
He turned back to face Trigger Happy.
She was wrapped in a pale white light, clothed in blue lightning.
Her expression somehow looked more composed and sharp.
"Happy-san... did your vibe change somehow...?"
Overcome by unease, Finger Man couldn't help but ask.