The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #9 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 19

  [The mindflayer activated Tier 1 skill: Dark raid ender.]

  [Alice activated Tier 1 skill: Radiant raid canceller.]

  The giant black sphere of magic that almost expanded from the monster girl popped out of existence to Clyde’s relief.

  [Time limit: 1 minute.]

  “You’re just as bad as Natalia, Harumi,” Clyde said.

  “Oh shut it,” Harumi said. “I’m rusty with this one, okay? Just make sure you’re not in my way.”

  The others had already got a fair distance from Harumi, while firing magic at the mindflayer. The monster moved too fast, dodging and laughing.

  [The mindflayer activated *Tentacle Special.]

  Seth just barely dodged, then retaliated with a nice counter strike.

  [Seth used Tier 1 skill: Magma Pulse Swing.]

  [The mindflayer has been inflicted with paralysis.]

  Clyde grinned.

  “Well, she’s dead. Good work Seth.”

  Seth gave him a thumb’s up then bolted the hell away from Harumi. Clyde followed suit. The mindflayer looked terrified as the kitsune grinned widely.

  “This one’s for my sister, you bitch.”

  [Harumi activated KITSUNE GODDESS TIER SKILL: RE: World Destruction Hellstorm! This is an unblockable skill.]

  Enormous waves of lightning and fire blasted from Harumi’s hands like an endless stream of death. The sound of buzzing and crackling coated the monster girl’s screams. The building violently shook.

  The magic tore away the entire roof. And like Team Rocket , the mindflayer and the roof were blasted off to god knows where.

  “Well that takes care of that,” Harumi said, shifting back to normal form.

  “No,” Clyde said.

  “What the hell do you mean, no?” Alice said. “Harumi blasted that thing to ashes.”

  “Language, highness,” Natalia said, getting herself a light karate chop to the head.

  [Boss HP has dropped to 150%.]

  [The mindflayer used passive skill: Squid shield.]

  Clyde sensed the movement at the last second, but it was too late. A blast of air magic knocked them backward. The monster creepily emerged from the hole in the roof, snarling. She dropped all the way to the ground. When she stood, the young man took notice of the missing squid creature.

  [Clyde’s HP has dropped to 580% of 610%]

  “You …I won’t go down so easily. My feasting will never end!” The mindflayer wailed.

  “You disgusting shit,” Matsume said.

  [Your party has entered a Boss fight, phase 2!]

  [The mindflayer undergoes a metamorphosis...]

  Her skin changed from purple to orange, eyes red, tentacles larger and spikier. Orange bat-like wings burst from her back.

  [Clyde invoked Mystic wrath.]

  Clyde sheathed the sword and warped the staff from his inventory.

  [ Executioner Staff of Merlin. Item class: *Legendary, One of a Kind *. Does Dragon and Volcanic damage. You may trigger its special attack: Balinor’s Havoc, after filling the weapon’s soul bar to 100%.]

  “Go for the fucker’s weakness,” he commanded. “Lightning, holy and purity—come on! We need to wrap this shit up before the cops come. Or they’ll be in danger.”

  He dodged three fast orange tentacles. “You know, everyone always hated mindflayers in the games.”

  [Clyde activated Angel Spirit wave.]

  [Angel Spirit Wave [evolution 2]. Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious.: Shoot a wave of concentrated spiritual energy. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 9%. Chance to do triple damage on dark creatures: 35%. Does holy and purity damage.]

  [If conditions are met, this attack will become Fallen Angel Spirit Wave instead. Will do demonic and taint damage. Chance to cause agony at 11%. Chance to do triple damage on non-dark creatures at: 37%.]

  His beam no longer took on its iconic blue color, but a curious gold and white. And since it came from the staff, the magic was more…concentrated, larger in size, hotter. The disgusting tentacle creature didn’t enjoy the intake of holy and purity. The prompt awarded him.

  [WEAKNESSES EXPLOITED! CRITICAL! Boss HP has dropped to 80%.]

  [Soul bar: 70%]

  No status alignments? This attack should’ve one-shot the bitch. It had to be due to the level difference. Since he wasn’t abusing Stone Mode this time around, he had to face the fights like everyone else.

  The boss’s HP continued to drop as his team moved around, fired, or engaged. Unfortunately, they took damage from the tentacles. Clyde had mystic senses aiding him. The others, though fast, couldn’t evade every attack.

  [The mindflayer activated tier 1 skill: Mind Control EX.]

  Oh shit. And what the hell did the EX mean? Clyde continued to move, looking for the victim.

  [EX for this attack means Extra. It is an enhanced version of the original skill.]

  The obvious glowing tentacle rushed toward his Alice. That turned out to be a big mistake on its part. As if she’d accept such a fate.

  Wielding House Hades’ legendary sword, Hellbreaker, the half-demoness easily dodged the tentacle. In a swift move, she sliced it in two, then four, eight! She finished it off Dragon Ball -style, by ending the combo with a large blast of magic.

  [Alice activated Tier 1 skill: Raid destruction beam.]

  The tentacle monster girl screamed in agony.

  [Boss HP has dropped to 11%]

  [The mindflayer has high defense.]

  “She’s a sturdy one,” Tear said, “but we’ll drop her.”

  The orange mindflayer spread its new wings and launched off into the open sky, widening everyone’s eyes. “I don’t think so.”

  Tear’s wings sprouted into existence.

  “Non-flyers standby for the police,” Clyde said. “Attend any woman that needs it, especially the one on the bed.”

  “Are you going to use the power?” Tear asked.

  “I just learned a skill that enables me to fly,” Clyde said. “Now, let’s catch that bitch before she gets away.”

  “If I turn into my goddess form, I’d give out my location to Father,” Melody said. “But I’ll do it if you tell me.”

  “No, we don’t need that burden,” Clyde laughed. “Not while…not when Stone Mode is recharging.”

  Before anyone could ask, he used his skill. Thanks to the times he took flight in Stone mode, the young man had plenty of practice.

  [Clyde activated Fly.]

  [*Fly. You may fly for some time, if you have the MP.]

  Glowing wings with the intensity of a lightbulb, appeared on his back. He and Tear launched into the air in pursuit of the escaping boss enemy.

  He raced Tear toward the monster ahead, cool air washing over his body. Despite being fast, the succubus was faster and maneuvered better than him. The magic wings provided by the skill highly depended on his pool of MP, but that didn’t stop the duo from catching up to the monster.

  [Your party has entered Aerial combat.]

  [Boss fight Phase 3.]

  “Oh shit,” Clyde said, “this is a thing?”

  [MP: 390% remaining…]

  Clyde warped the staff into his inventory and switched to his wind blade. He had no need to tempt fate. Not yet. The soul bar still remained in his mind’s eye, transparent and on seventy percent. He’d use it if he could.

  “Why don’t you just fuck off!” the mindflayer screamed. She actually aimed her hand, instead of a tentacle, at Tear. It flickered, indicating a charge of magic.

  Tear dipped beneath the monster, sword out, and almost got her with an upward thrust. The monster girl just barely dodged, flying up. That didn’t save her from Clyde’s blade.

  While the mindflayer maneuvered from the worse of it, the grazing was deep enough to make her snarl. She smashed the young man with two tentacles and even a wing, causing him to slow down a bit.

  [Clyde’s HP has dropped to 550%]

  [Clyde’s MP has dropped to 350%]

  That di
d both HP and MP damage. Shit, that was NOT what he needed. They were hundreds of feet in the air, moving very fast. He let this go on long enough.

  [Tear activated Tier 3 skill: Back burst.]

  The succubus sped ahead of the monster girl then turned around. She flapped her wings in quick succession, creating intense wind. The young man dipped out of the path. The mindflayer screamed in frustration.

  “You whore!”

  Clyde sheathed the sword and switched back to the staff.

  [Clyde activated Bronze Tier skill: Holy energy ball.]

  Bronze Tier Skill: Holy Energy Ball. [evolution 2] . Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. (Mystic counterpart is available.) Does light and holy damage. You can will them to explode on impact with enemies to rack up the damage.

  The staff seemingly warped time and space as it gathered the magic. The mindflayer was ready for the attack.

  [The mindflayer activated Wind barrier.]

  It blocked the damage, but not the progression of Clyde’s soul bar. He wasted no time, triggering the staff’s special with a smirk on his face.

  [Clyde activated the staff’s special attack: Balinor’s Havoc.]

  The staff seemed to roar as it unleashed the geyser of fire, light, magic, lava, and death all in a giant, concentrated beam that moved too fast for her to dodge. And it fried the monster girl to the molecule.

  [Boss HP has drop to 0%]

  [Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 800,000 EXP, 20 million dollars, Wand of Wonder. Item class: epic . Potion of Sharpness. Item class: very rare .]

  [Your fly ability has worn off.]

  Wow, this is really happening. And without a timer , Clyde thought.

  It was at that moment Clyde knew, he fucked up.

  Clyde gasped, watching in horror as the wings flickered out, and without the ability to shift into Stone Mode, he was a dead man.

  As soon as he descended an inch, the young man felt arms wrap around him.

  “Don’t you hate inconvenient limits like that?” Tear said.

  “I know right?” Clyde said as he let out the sigh of relief.

  Tear kissed his cheek. With a powerful stroke of her wings, the young woman started for the others.

  “Tear, I fucking love you.”

  “I know,” she said. “You took on the entire inquisition just to safeguard our love.”

  “And I’d do it again,” Clyde said, meaning it.

  Even he couldn’t deny his immense strength. However, he was going to learn how to properly control it once and for all. Though to be fair, he felt in full control when he fought the inquisition bastards for the second time.

  And while he didn’t tell anyone, he was a little disappointed that they all died in one move. Well, at least during the time when blood thirst craved his mind.

  Looking back on the fight now, he had no fucks to give about how the dead was avenged—he was just glad that they ended the bastards. And with Team Stone surviving.

  Clyde would not let a single one of them die on his watch. They were more than survivors. Team Stone housed a ton of destroyers. Lessons learned, the party had no intention of being caught off guard again with a bullshit nuke attack.

  Tear landed the duo a good distance away from the police. While they had no suspect to pin the blame on, they still got the women in ambulances. Liru was not among them, which made sense. A kitsune had no need for mundane healing.

  “I’ll Jump us to Liru’s,” Tear said.

  “No, let’s walk.” He pulled the blushing young woman into a kiss. Holding hands, the duo started toward Liru’s house.

  Tear wished this moment could last forever. She wasn’t some damsel or typical woman fawning over a man, but of noble blood, yet…Clyde captivated her since the moment they met. She didn’t believe in love at first sight, but there wasn’t a doubt that she was interested.

  And now he planned to travel, at last leaving Lot City behind. She’d make sure to be at his side during every step of his evolution.

  The Supreme could fuck herself. If they met, that woman more than likely took an interest in her Clyde. Tear would unleash heaven and hell before letting her touch the young man. There was no room for another succubus in this harem.

  Episode 50 (Part 3)

  Outside the Temple of Aunder…

  Aunder wanted to enjoy the drink this night—he really did. And to not feed his body a good cold beer or something that could make anyone seem beautiful, well, that would just be cruel, to both his body and the drink makers.

  Then it hit him. He actually made quite the miscalculation. He invited the True Poison. These devious women were more than likely meant for a Viper with a plan that was doomed to fail, like one of the TV villains Olivia watched on her soap operas. They were just as dangerous to him as they were to everyone else. Even the Venus sisters remained wary of them. Lack of honor.

  The Maidens of Love on the other hand were for people like Aunder. Sure, at first they seemed desperate for money and preached as if the man was some kind of fabled hero, but the women were lovely. Trustworthy? He wasn’t sure, but their attitudes were gentle, kind. The man almost questioned if they were actually Viper maidens. However, he honestly hadn’t a clue about any kind of maidens and why they existed.

  He settled with the knowledge that the stone-viper games was the entertainment of the Watchers, but honestly couldn’t accept…this Viper thing. Why him? Shouldn’t they take dangerous criminals from the universe and place them in this role to be executed? He shook his head. Aunder didn’t enjoy the idea of the ML being treated like dirt or played with…

  Maybe that was why he didn’t actually do anything with them in bed. The innocent women would blindly follow his orders. Then again, he passed out drunk, almost all the time.

  Who really were the maidens and why did he have this attachment to them? Aunder…never attached himself to anyone. Never. Something was going on behind the scenes.

  Aunder, black cloak on, needed a break from this place. He started toward the streets of the town, but a voice halted him.

  “Shall I accompany you, my lord. You shouldn’t wander the streets alone.”

  He didn’t have to turn around to know that was Hibiki, leader of the True Poison. Her words struck a nerve and an emotion he had never felt before surged within him. Anger. The man who took life with nonchalance and drink and honor, cracked. Now Aunder knew for sure he had to get away from them.

  He turned to the kneeling Hibiki. He’d never seen a woman flinch from his gaze before. Her head fell to the ground in a bow deep enough to make even emperors jealous. And at last, he felt the fear from her. Or was it an act, hiding arrogance?

  Fuck. Aunder never wanted to rule by fear—it was pointless. The challenges would be removed, one which included the attempt to get a lady in bed. If he wasn’t getting slapped a few times, then what was the point? Still, True Poison may be composed of beautiful women, but they were deadly. Assassins and they’d do whatever it took to complete a job. Even if it was to take down the Viper himself.

  “Drop the act,” Aunder said. “And tell me who put you up to this.”

  “My lord, what are you talking about?” Hibiki said.

  “Do not fuck with me,” Aunder said. “I sense one more of you, lurking and waiting.”

  “Lord, we must protect you at all—”

  “ I SAID ENOUGH OF THE ACT ,” Aunder snapped. His voice carried with it a god chant that shook every multiverse in existence. Hibiki was in tears now. False tears?

  “My lord please…You’ve had too much to drink, let us get you to bed.”

  “I didn’t touch any drink,” Aunder said in a deadly voice. “You think I’m dumb enough to trust anything YOU offer. You believe me to just drink away poison and happily accept my death so you can go to your boss. So you can hang high your glory of defeating the Viper.” The man shook his head. Quickly mulling over a decision, he aimed a hand at the redhead.

  “My lord, don’t!”

  Aunder f
roze when the arch priest held onto his arm, tears streaming. Yuriko continued. “Our sisters have trained themselves to be your hardened—”

  The man held up his hand, stopping her the moment he sensed the lie. It all made sense now. The reason why she was the only one who knew where True Poison dwelled…The Arch Priest was both a Maiden of Love and an agent of True Poison. Yet, she didn’t tell him this information. Her supposed master. The other maidens truly had no idea, a secret oath and no transparency. Aunder thought about the prompt which gave him a brief overview of the women.

  [About two hundred years ago, the Viper Maidens received new leadership, which ultimately divided them into two factions. You are at the main, larger section known as ML. Maidens of Love…The small section, which called themselves the True Poison are in an unknown location, which may be known by the leader of ML, the Arch Priest. ]

  May be known… The innocent women didn’t know. The Arch Priest hid all of the information, essentially keeping a weak force as a front. In fact, if he didn’t specifically request them, Yuriko wouldn’t have told him. The real leader of the ML was most likely dead, deemed too weak and probably just as innocent as the others.

  Aunder…felt disgusted, but not surprised. The reality of things was destined to be bitter for him. Abandoned by the not-so-make-believe goddess of his world to a game with a purpose of watching him die, the man neared the limits of his patience.