The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #9 a LitRPG (ATS) Read online

  He didn’t want to look but his body turned. A duplicate of himself floated several meters into the air, cold eyes locked on him.

  “ What’s this? Not charging headstrong ? ” the clone said, voice full of mirth. “ You really are going to let them push you around. The man who defeated Hades, Nezerath, even the Abyss and Amaterasu, She Who Dawns Time .” He chuckled. “ You suffer one itty bitty loss and now you’re cowering in a closet. Resting a fractured shoulder is just an excuse, but you have no idea what to do. Abandon the city? Or confront the inquisition. You are a pathetic man of indecision .”

  Clyde’s green eyes which reflected back to him, glowed. “You’re not even good at the self-pity thing. Poor Alice, dead. Tear, dead. Melody, dead. Natalia, Yuki, Ruri, Matsume, Kitome, Harumi, Chika, Kanako, Airi. Toru, Sazuki, Seth, and Kiko, and Maki and Sophia.” The clone shook his head. “You should join them. Why did you survive? Become one of the dead .”

  Clyde watched the petrification of his body in horror, unable to move. Screams of agony echoed from the other bodies. Then demonic laughter.

  Clyde snapped awake, covered in sweat. The pain in his shoulder was gone.

  [HP: full at 510%]

  [MP: full at 480%]

  [Status alignments: Deeply bottled, dark fury .]

  He needed to end this nightmare. Even if he rescued Ming right away, what good would that do? Clyde opened the closet to see nightfall. Some streetlights functioned, though barely. Most were flickering. Damn did the scene feel creepy. Considering that two million people…died, the young man wanted to get somewhere far away. Sure, he’d seen many demonic horrors, like the pumpko. But…

  Something moved…He looked around. How did Kanako’s statue get on the counter? It had its back turned. Whispers suddenly echoed from nowhere.

  Clyde pinched himself, but this was no dream. He wouldn’t get the luxury of waking up again. He also kept his eyes on the statue, not wanting the damn thing to disappear, then reappear in his face for the jump scare. He hated that shit.

  Suddenly, it turned to the side. Then turned again, slowly but surely rotating. Clyde couldn’t move.

  Episode 48 (Part 2)

  Destroyed Lot City…

  7:30 PM…

  Fuyoko still had trouble processing everything, but her little kuudere Naoko figured things out instantly. To think that the Inquisition came here of all places. These poor people…Such a waste of life, casually thrown away by these damned demons. And the petrification.

  Fuyoko could undo that all at once in her sleep, but with the stupid inquisitors roaming about, doing so now would only get her killed. Bloody hell. She was just here to spy on Julius’s family, not get involved in an apocalypse. She considered just leaving, but Naoko insisted that someone very important survived the devastating attack. The young woman didn’t think it was possible…it’s either die or petrify. No in between. And who was important enough to warrant the attention of the Master of the Stars?

  “Naoko where are you taking me?” Fuyoko said. “You know I really think we should leave. We’re in a city where so many people died, with inquisitors roaming the place.”

  The kid elf continued walking the sidewalks of twenty-first street, uncaring.

  Fuyoko sighed, following. “You’re going to end up getting us killed.”

  Seriously…who could make Naoko act so out of character?

  Abruptly, a young man burst out of a pharmacy store just ahead, running as if he’d seen a ghost. Naoko chased after him.

  “Naoko wait,” Fuyoko said—she was a very, very fast runner. The young woman started after them, but stopped when a statue of a…girl hovered out the door, then fell over. Tears suddenly streamed from it. “It’s okay,” the young woman said as she knelt to the statue’s side. “You only startled him. To be able to move this much, even under petrification. You must contain an immense amount of the spiritual element.”

  Fuyoko waved a hand over the petrified girl. She shimmered, then reverted back to her original form.

  “I’m…I’m back to normal,” she said softly. The girl was quite beautiful, with perfectly tan skin and…elven ears. Her long purple-white hair was tied in a ponytail. Fuyoko tried to ignore her huge breasts.

  “This place was attacked by the inquisition,” Fuyoko told her. “It’s best to get out while you can.”

  “Where’s Master?” the girl said softly. She stood and gave a polite bow. “Thank you so much.” The girl hurried off before Fuyoko could get out a word.

  The young woman chased after them, knowing the lack of choice in the matter. Her little Naoko had taken an interest in something for the first time in her life.

  “Be careful,” Fuyoko hissed after the purple-haired girl. She suddenly turned a corner. Fuyoko followed.

  **

  Clyde stopped at a corner to rest. He felt a little bad about leaving Kanako’s creepy moving statue behind, but when the system warned him about a possible approaching inquisitor, the young man had to get the fuck out of there.

  Why did Kanako’s statue move on its own? Was it her…spirit…No, genies are spirits, right? Fuck he wished he could’ve tried communicating with the woman. Maybe she could still turn back the clock and fix this. Well, getting caught by the inquisitor wasn’t an option. What good would he be to anyone, dead?

  Clyde’s mystic senses tingled. Someone rapidly approached him. Fuck! He worked so hard to keep his presence off the map.

  The young man flashed stepped around yet another corner, passing a newspaper machine, and ran like hell. The inquisition would not be fucking him over.

  He found an alley bathed in the evening’s darkness, and hid again. Someone approached. His fists clenched. This just couldn’t be happening. Fuck it. The young man wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  Clyde mentally counted to three then leapt out, preparing to launch his strongest skills from the start. This was it! He saw no inquisitor.

  An elf kid anime-dove into him. A kid…in this wreckage. Was she a survivor? He knelt to her level. She probably hugged his leg, just happy to see anyone.

  “Are you okay, kid?” Clyde asked. The green-haired kid said nothing, staring at him with different colored eyes: one green, one red. She also had elven ears. He’d never seen an elf in Lot City or at all to be honest. Yet, this kid seemed to be one….surviving without a scratch, clean clothes…Kuudere expression. The young man analyzed her. The non-enemy prompt showed itself.

  Name- Naoko

  Level: 450 (compressed.)

  Type: Blood Servant of the Master of Stars.

  Relationship: friendly.

  The kid went right back in for a hug.

  “Four hundred fifty,” Clyde whispered. “Blood servant of the Master of Stars. Naoko, who exactly are you?”

  “Onii-chan,” Naoko said. “When will you save us?”

  Clyde pulled back the loli to look at her. Someone watched a little too much anime.

  “You’re not really a child, are you?”

  Naoko didn’t answer, just stared back at him. She…awaited her answer. Maybe elven children were just this strong and humans needed to step it up. Ha! Clyde sighed.

  “There are some really bad men out here that want to get in the way of that. They did this to the city, yet I survived—”

  The girl hugged him again.

  [You have established a relationship link with Naoko!]

  [Your relationship with Naoko has increased to friend level 2 and ???.]

  “Onii-chan…I am Naoko,” the kid said.

  “I’m Clyde,” he said, still wondering what the fuck was going on. “Listen, we’ve got to get moving—”

  “Master!”

  Clyde’s eyes widened as Kanako anime-dove into him, hugging his waist.

  “You’re back to normal? But how?”

  The teary genie snuggled into the young man before looking up to him. Naoko pouted and attempted to push her away. Futile. Getting Kanako off his waist was almost as easy as breathing in sp
ace.

  “Someone helped me,” the genie said.

  “That would be me.” A woman emerged into the alleyway. She had blue-green hair and a matching eye color, wearing a short green dress. An unsettling gaze. Her eyes seemed to glow a little.

  The analysis told him a little of her story, also a non-enemy prompt. No illusion, no inquisitor in disguise, no nightmare. But…it still said something that put him on the edge a little. Her title. And…her level. Why the hell was it so much lower than the child’s. Who were they?

  Name- Fuyoko, “Master of Stars,” leader of the Blood Seekers. Adventurer.

  Level: 98

  Type: sorceress

  Relationship: Neutral.

  Priorities had to go somewhere and asking these two about their lives didn’t fit in with what needed to be done. Besides, he was glad not to be alone in this fucking creepy city. Then her words hit him.

  “You undid the petrification?” Clyde asked, standing. Kanako did too. Naoko hugged his leg.

  “Yep,” Fuyoko said then looked at her…servant, although she seemed more like an adopted sister. Her eyes widened. “I…I’ve never seen my Naoko show affection before. She sensed and chased you an hour or so after we came into this city. Who are you?”

  “Don’t be rude to Onii-chan,” Naoko said, her voice still shy and soft.

  Fuyoko’s nose bled a little. She wiped.

  “She’s…so cute.”

  She snatched Naoko in a hug.

  “Can you heal everyone in the city?” Clyde said. “Maybe that’s too much at one time. If you can cure my friends, we may be able to come up with a way to fight the inquisition.”

  “Sorry, no can do,” Fuyoko said. “Sure, I can heal the city all at once, but it will release a plethora of energy that will instantly attract them. I took a risk with your friend due to her abnormal situation.” She held a hand up right as Clyde was about to protest. “Let’s just wait for them to leave, okay? And I’m curious to why Naoko’s attached to a stranger.”

  “I said no being rude to Onii-chan,” Naoko said as she wiggled out of the woman’s hold and anime-dove right back into Clyde. “He’s better than that other man.”

  Clyde noticed for just an instant, the flashing rage…panic…something—just a millisecond. Were they running from someone? Or did the kid let just a hint of a secret slip?

  Well, it was none of his business. They were going to undo all of the petrification. Would Kanako be able to turn back the clock on the dead? One final wish…And then he’d never see her again.

  “Let’s find someplace else to discuss the situation,” Clyde said. Sure, he could tell every fucking stranger about being the Stone, but what good would that do? That information couldn’t change a damn thing about the situation. “And…I’ll need you to tell me how you were able to get into the city.”

  Fuyoko shrugged.

  “We had business here and Jumped. At first, I could not figure out for the life of me what happened. Naoko pointed out the inquisition plus their handy work and so it all made sense. Bloody hell. They’re known to take drastic measures in the name of their Supreme demon lord.”

  The kid continued to be clingy as they cautiously left the alley.

  Clyde didn’t want to think about his phone that couldn’t grab a signal. He still asked the common sense question, anyway.

  “Could you check to see if your phone has a signal? There’s got to be someone we can call for help.”

  Fuyoko checked then shook her head.

  “Sorry.” She showed Clyde a smartphone with zero bars. “It is best for us to simply hide until they finally leave. The inquisition is a busy lot. I’m not sure why they’re still here.”

  “They’re looking for someone,” Clyde said. “Through millions of statues.”

  “How can someone be so horrible,” Kanako said softly. “So many people.”

  “Kanako, can you do something about this?” Clyde said. “Even if it meant risking the punishment squad’s wrath? Can you turn back the time for this city?”

  “I…don’t think I have the spirit energy,” Kanako said, shaking her head. “Even if I could…that would be your final wish. I’ll be sent home, but you’ll be stuck here, forced to deal with their charges on your own.” She continued when Clyde raised a finger. A pinch of anger sparked through him. This was becoming a trend. “Although I lack the power to fully restore this place, you’ve given me the energy to at least reverse time for the people. There’s nothing I can do for those who are petrified and I can’t fix the buildings.” Kanako shuddered. “There’s no guarantee this would work.”

  “Shit,” Clyde said. “We’ll have to try when they leave. Fuyoko can handle the petrification, Yuki can fix the buildings. You reverse time for the deceased people.”

  Clyde sighed. “That’s what I want to say, but what if the punishment squad are just as bad as the inquisition?”

  “So…she’s some kind of wish granter. A genie. So that’s why you’ve got an immense amount of the spiritual element within you.” Fuyoko nodded then looked at Clyde. “Rumors say the punishment squad won’t always show up. Apparently there’s some kind of process the leaders in Celestial go through before giving them the okay. This is how some people end up rampaging for weeks before actually being stopped.”

  “They will first send someone to investigate the abnormal use of power,” Naoko said. “More than likely…at the start of the winter. Our best bet would be to leave the city for a month.”

  “Our?” Fuyoko looked at Naoko. “What do you mean, our? You know we cannot stay here.”

  “I may stay wherever I choose,” the kid retorted, still calm and in kuudere mode. “It is fate.”

  “I am not leaving you with—”

  “Think, Fuyoko,” Naoko said, interrupting the visibly hurt young woman. “And remember what I told you on the day of the seal.”

  “You will know when it is time for me to fulfill my purpose,” Fuyoko quoted, then she grabbed the loli in an embrace. “I can’t do this without you, Naoko, so please reconsider. I need you.”

  “So…you really do have affection for me,” Naoko said. Fuyoko pulled back to look at the kid, face to face. “Very well, you can join us.”

  “But—”

  “I am a holy being,” Naoko said. “An incomplete entity and I cannot survive under the presence of him. You may return as you wish but this man.” She pointed at Clyde. “Is the one whom I searched for. I couldn’t sense him last time because of the taint and it made me sick.”

  Fuyoko wiped away her tears, but they reoccurred.

  “If I stay and break the honor of the contract, he’ll kill me.”

  Naoko said nothing as she hugged Clyde’s leg again.

  “Onii-chan, after this, I shall teach you how to prevent this ugly situation from happening again.” The kuudere loli sighed. “I will teach you during the journey. I may…need some help. An assistant teacher. Preferably one who’s extraordinarily skilled in magic.”

  Clyde blinked.

  “I feel like this is yet another anime trope, one that I cannot name. Look, go comfort…your friend.” He turned to Kanako as the loli hugged Fuyoko. So many questions there. They dropped no names…but who could this other person be? The young man had a sneaking suspicion and if he was right, there would be no leaving for the Master of the Stars.

  At least not back to that person. “Do you think my house is still standing? We’ll need to find somewhere to sleep until they’re…”

  “Hey! You! Unbelievable for there to be survivors.”

  The group took off running without looking back at who was undoubtably an inquisitor.

  Episode 48 (Part 3)

  Clyde selected the group through Jump’s interface and hit confirm. He didn’t take them to his house, but on the side of a home opposite of his own. And what he saw, drastically increased the bottled-up super-anger within. An inquisitor had most of his friends’ statues gathered in the front yard.

  The
house still stood, but not without damage.

  The inquisitor suddenly pulled the petrified Harumi to the side and inspected her. The young man couldn’t hear his mumbled comments from afar, but anyone could guess the obscenities. Things got worse. Despite the cold autumn air, the man pulled out his little brother and jerked, leering at the stony young woman. He then laid the statue down, as if preparing to do the unthinkable.

  Abruptly, a barrier guard spawn and stabbed the inquisitor in the back. It looked like a fully armored roman soldier with a shadow for a face.

  “Son of a bitch, another one of these fucking things!” he yelled, backhanding the guard.

  [Current Main barrier level: 13. PP: 100. BP: 100. You are moderately protected. Not even deities would easily detect you.]

  Clyde thought about raising the level, but decided it was best not to waste his free points on this.

  “What a sick piece of shit,” Fuyoko said.

  “An enemy of all women,” Kanako said. Naoko nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s go,” Clyde said. “The guards will continue to spawn and attack.”

  “But he’ll kill it and then violate Harumi,” Kanako snapped. “I won’t let him violate her.”

  “We can’t just engage someone nine hundred levels higher than myself,” Clyde said. “I almost shifted into Mystic wrath to burn it off with some lightning, but held back. I would’ve moved Harumi using my telekinesis, just so another guard could spawn and buy us more time.” Clyde smiled. “Don’t give me that look, Kanako, I have a better idea. But Fuyoko, this will highly depend on you.”

  She nodded.

  “Just give me the word. I don’t want these inquisition bastards thinking they can blow up any city they—”