chapter05 · 125-ep125
Episode 118: Malice Revealed
Karin's Elegant high-difficulty deep-layer conquest revenge stream, undertaken after many hours of training.
Unlike her previous high-difficulty deep-layer stream, which had made lavish use of <Divine Artisan> equipment, the purpose of this broadcast was to see how far Karin could advance with her channel's original concept: an Elegant style using only her bare hands while perfectly evading every attack. And now her first obstacle had appeared.
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
Just like in Okutama Dungeon, the deep-layer floor 1 boss was a Storm Dragon.
It was a powerful monster with the sturdy scales unique to dragon species, a towering body, and a suit of raging-wind armor that sent anything and everything flying.
Karin had defeated this monster several times on-stream before, so under ordinary circumstances there would be no cause for concern.
But this time she was attempting an Elegant victory with no <Divine Artisan> equipment, and the comment section overflowed with all kinds of reactions.
【Are you truly fighting it barehanded!?】
【If she can one-shot the bug and redirect the volcanic cannonballs, I feel like anything is possible now...】
【W-well, she beat that spatial-magic boss, so she'll manage!】
【But Ojou-sama said the Storm Dragon was harder to punch at the time, desu wa yo!?】
【Harder to punch barehanded (she never said she couldn't)?】
【The pile bunkers could pierce its thick wind armor through sheer weight, but won't attacking it barehanded send her flying and ruin the Elegance!?】
【How is she going to penetrate that wind armor while maintaining perfect evasion...?】
In their previous battle, Karin had slain the Storm Dragon using enormous pile bunkers.
She had equipped superheavy magical armament capable of producing exceptionally powerful blows and forcibly punched through the dragon's wind armor. But befitting a deep-layer boss, that wind armor was normally extremely powerful.
Its raging winds possessed tremendous force, redirecting and deflecting various attacks, including the magical rounds fired by the Elegatling guns. Striking it with her bare body would likely lead to the un-Elegant outcome of Karin's dress being torn apart or Karin herself being sent flying. The wind armor was reasonably thick to begin with, so if Karin tried to punch through it barehanded, her entire body would be swallowed by the storm.
But—
"Then let us begin, desu wa!"
"GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
The viewers' concerns notwithstanding, the battle began.
The Storm Dragon moved first.
DOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
With agility and dynamic vision disproportionate to its enormous body, it tracked Karin's movements and unleashed a breath attack like a compressed typhoon. And once its massive, storm-clad form began thrashing around, it practically became a tornado with a will of its own.
ZUBABABABABABABABA!
Naturally, Karin evaded every part of the fierce assault.
Her dress fluttering before the swirling wind, she raced throughout the boss room as if dancing.
【Ojou-sama's evasion is insane as everrrrrrrrrrrr!?】
【Wait, isn't this Storm Dragon insane too!?】
【Every fight ended instantly before, so I never noticed, but this dragon is super strong, huh?】
【Thrashing around normally with THAT storm around it is just cheating】
【If it hit you with the strength of a dragon added to that raging wind, you'd go flying at a disgusting speed】
【I got sent flying by one once, and every bone in my body shattered, desu wa】
【Lmao, we have a top explorer in chat】
【Please pass on peacefully】
【With this, it repels ranged attacks AND any half-assed close-combat strike with its storm. Completely lawless】
【This is one of those monsters everyone underestimated because its opponent (Ojou-sama) was the worst possible matchup】
【This is Gojo vs. Jogo】
【Wait, has Ojou-sama been stuck on defense this whole time?】
【C-can she really beat this thing Elegantly, barehanded only...?】
【If Ojou-sama is this confident, I'm sure she'll manage】
【But HOW!?】
Compared to her previous instant victories, the battle unavoidably made it seem as though Karin was struggling to find an opening, and scattered doubts still rose from the viewers.
But—
"—"
Karin's gaze never wavered as she focused exclusively on the Storm Dragon—and the wind armor surrounding its enormous body.
Then—
"—There, desu wa!!"
She concentrated to the limit the detection skills further honed by her recent lessons in reading and manipulating the flow of mana and force—and BAM!
She kicked off the ground and closed in on the rampaging Storm Dragon.
Her right hand blurred as if vanishing. The next instant—DOGON!
"!? GRUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!?"
Karin slipped through the wind armor as if passing through a gentle breeze, leaped, and buried her left fist in the Storm Dragon's stomach.
【Hah!?】
【What!?】
【Eh!?】
The Storm Dragon screamed as its massive body bent in half.
The viewers doubted their eyes at Karin, who landed as if nothing had happened.
But—
"ORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! DESU WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
DOGOGOGOGOGOGOGON!
"GRUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
They had not imagined it.
Karin continued raining blows upon the Storm Dragon as though the wind armor covering its body did not exist. Not only did the raging winds fail to send her flying, they did not disturb so much as her hair or dress!
【EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?】
【How does this work, desu no!?】
【I figured Ojou-sama would manage somehow, but seeing it happen still makes zero sense, desu wa yo!?】
【The Storm Dragon is obviously still wearing its wind armor, so why does the air suddenly become perfectly still only around Ojou-sama!?】
【Does this not look like a glitched video game!?】
【Ojou-sama IS using a reality-alteration tool, isn't she!?】
【Reality-alteration tool (<Divine Artisan>)】
【Is the wind itself avoiding Ojou-sama!?】
【Like how all of us would instantly leap aside if we encountered Karin ojou-sama...?】
【I can understand being confused that she managed to punch it, but that huge body bending around an airborne arm punch has thrown the laws of physics into lawlessness, desu wa!?】
【The laws of physics are in lawless times!】
【Ojou-sama, what are you seriously DOING!?】
"Following Sharie-sama's example, I blew away the wind armor's weak points using the pressure from my fists, desu no!"
Karin had been sneaking glances at the comments even while punching the Storm Dragon away, and now she explained the general idea behind her 'strategy.'
"Unlike the abyssal boss-sama who manipulated spatial magic, the Storm Dragon-sama's surrounding wind has no gaps. But if I concentrate very hard, I can read the complicated currents, desu wa. I discovered there are frayed spots of weak mana even within the raging wind surrounding it. So when I strike those spots with the wind produced by the pressure of my fist at a sort of nicely chosen angle, it creates a safe zone for just long enough to deliver one punch, desu no yo!"
As she spoke—DOGON!
Proving her words, Karin leaped into the 'eye of the storm' forcibly created by her strike and punched the Storm Dragon away once again!
In short, it was a combination of the detection skills that had grown capable of reading mana with even greater complexity and precision while she learned 'redirection-based combat' and fa jin, and the wind-armor neutralization technique she'd learned from her battle against Sharie.
Karin completely read turbulence more vicious than anything inside a cumulonimbus cloud, then utilized the air pressure from a fist traveling at incredible speed. Without touching the opponent's wind armor, she nullified its defenses for a single instant.
【EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?】
【I don't understand anything this ojou-sama says anymore, desu wa!】
【You say that like you were just barely following until now...】
【Ahh, I see, that's how it works (←does not see)】
【Ah, is THAT how Sharie-sama's attack landed on Ojou-sama while she wore Kazenari's wind armor!?】
【Sharie-sama didn't blow her away through the wind armor—she NEUTRALIZED it!?】
【(Huh? This is a more advanced subject than I expected...)】
【(Huh? Then Karin ojou-sama took a direct magic hit after her armor was stripped away and wasn't injured...?)】
【Only understanding how advanced the battle was afterward is just like a clash between powerful characters early in a shonen manga!】
【See? This ojou-sama is an otherworldly entity who jumped out of a comic!】
【The terrifying part is that Karin ojou-sama stole a whole lot of technique from Sharie-sama in that ONE battle】
【Isn't this ojou-sama dangerously powerful in all kinds of ways even without <Divine Artisan>...? (Yes, we know, we're late)】
"That said, the pressure from my fists is merely ordinary wind, so it would normally have little effect against wind infused with mana, desu wa ne. That is another reason I need to read the storm currents with greater precision. I believe I could strip away the wind armor more smoothly, like Sharie-sama, if I could infuse the pressure from my fists with slightly denser mana... but that shall be a future challenge. In any case—"
As the viewers looked on in shock, Karin muttered with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"The first battle was an emergency, and in the second and third, I used weapons to slay it instantly because it was a monster-sama I had already defeated... But if I concentrate and properly read the wind currents, you can see the result! An Elegant bare-fisted victory like Setsuna-sama's is entirely possible, desu wa!"
DOGOGOGOGOGOGON!
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
With those words, Karin began to grow accustomed to the process and unleashed rush after rush after rush!
Her bare fists struck the dragon-scaled giant body over and over.
Because she had to target weak points in the storm guarding that massive body, she was generally forced to deliver arm punches while airborne, so each fist's force was (relatively) low. And as one might expect from a dragon species, the Storm Dragon's scales were also highly resistant to blunt attacks (though the pile bunkers had been so powerful that they had failed to create that impression). Even after taking many of Karin's fists, it remained alive.
But the damage was accumulating beyond doubt.
"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
After taking yet another fist, the Storm Dragon went flying and scattered scales—then its wind armor abruptly disappeared. The damage had deprived it of the composure needed for precise control of the wind.
Then its enormous body slammed into the dungeon wall.
"Tormenting you unnecessarily would not be Elegant—so this shall finish it, desu wa!"
FA JIN!
BOBOBOH!! DOGOOOOON!!!!
"GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
Internally destructive force that ignored the outer shell tore through the Storm Dragon where it lay against the wall.
The power not only passed through its massive body but opened huge cracks in the dungeon wall behind it—and THUD.
The Storm Dragon fell silent.
Its body began crumbling away.
"Phew."
As the viewers stared in utter amazement, Karin let out one breath.
"And there you have it... I did it, desu wa! My Elegant revenge on floor 1 is complete, desu no!"
【OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!?】
【This ojou-sama seriously did it!】
【No damn way!?】
【How far is this Elegant berserker going to fly off the rails!?】
【This longtime viewer ojou-sama is finally beginning to suspect in all seriousness that Ojou-sama jumped out of a manga】
【At this point, a manga character jumping out into reality would be MORE believable!】
【Hey, this monster ojou-sama is seriously going to Elegantly conquer even high-difficulty deep layers...】
【Forget that, she'll eventually clear the deep layers while drinking tea...】
【You're seriously amaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiing, Ojou-sama!】
【Having this ojou-sama in Japan in exchange for politicians' stomach pain is an unbelievably good deal...】
【If anything, it gives the politicians an advantage in diplomacy, so the stomach damage balances out to zero, desu wa yo!?】
【I'll follow you for the rest of my life (while maintaining a healthy distance because I'm a little afraid), desu waaaaaaaa!】
The comment section erupted with cheers.
"I am delighted you all enjoyed it, desu wa!" Karin said with a bashful smile. Then she proceeded onward, saying, "Now, let us continue by conquering floor 2, desu wa ne!"
The high-difficulty deep-layer floor 2 she entered presented Karin with no problems either.
Because its monster appearance patterns resembled Okutama's, hypnosis bats did appear on the second floor. But unlike Okutama, there was no enormous army of them—only the ordinary number expected from rare monsters.
Moreover, Karin had already raised her Hypnosis Resistance skill considerably, so their hypnotic soundwaves had no effect. And she had already discovered how to defeat their method of attack.
"POSSESSING RESISTANCE IS NO REASON FOR COMPLACENCY, DESU WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! I SHALL BREAK THROUGH ELEGANTLY FROM THE START WITHOUT EVEN LISTENING TO THE HYPNOTIC SOUNDWAVES, DESU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
"""KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!?"""
【Ojou-sama, is that truly Elegant!?】
【Yamadaaa! Stop producing bizarre soundwaves, Yamadaaa!】
【Ojou-sama is covering the floating camera's mic to lower the volume, but my cat is STILL making an incredible face. Lmao】
【Not only the hypnosis bats, but the Insect Warriors that appeared with them look completely terrified lol】
【Of course they'd be scared if a high-school girl in a dress was giving a Gian recital loud enough to burst eardrums in the deep layers!】
【↑At this point, that image is nothing but a new variety of yokai lol】
【Ojou-sama is eventually going to fire a Gyaos-style high-frequency cutter from her mouth lololol】
【She's already that kind of kaiju lololol】
【As always, she smashed through with brute fo... Elegance. Lmao, desu wa!】
Just as she had before, Karin neutralized the hypnotic soundwaves with her own booming voice.
She shot the hypnosis bats down from long range and Elegantly annihilated the other monsters.
In no time at all, she reached the floor 2 boss room.
【She's so fast, lmao】
【Wait, Ojou-sama is displaying THAT physical ability while constantly shouting. What is going on with her cardiopulmonary function!?】
【I wouldn't even be surprised if she said, "Breathing through my skin is more than sufficient, desu wa!" anymore!】
【Floor 2 itself is all well and good, but the boss is the problem!】
【It'll probably be that splitting cerberus, but...】
【How is she going to beat the cerberus or the lion surrounded by electricity...?】
【She cleared the Storm Dragon Elegantly, so anything goes with this ojou-sama!】
【I cannot wait to see what sort of Elegance she shows us next, desu wa!】
The comments grew tremendously excited by her smooth, rapid advance, with viewers wondering how she would defeat the next deep-layer boss.
(Good, good. Everything is going nicely so far, desu wa ne! All that remains are the Separation Cerberus-sama and electric-lion-sama... For the Cerberus-sama, I shall treat the head I punch away as a cannonball and use it to crush the other two heads... And since I currently have no method for neutralizing the lightning surrounding electric-lion-sama barehanded, I shall use the Elegant Fist-Pressure Air Throw we practiced until it grows too weak to maintain the electric armor... This dungeon has no abyssal-class Gigant Fortress-sama in its deep layers, so I shall end at floor 3 today, desu wa ne. Apparently, accomplishing everything at once is not ideal for a stream.)
Karin's cheeks relaxed at the viewers' excitement as she reviewed her upcoming plans.
(I do not yet know whether I can succeed on-stream, but I must somehow reproduce the results of my practice and give everyone an Elegant conquest to enjoy, desu wa ne!)
Renewing her determination, Karin stepped into the floor 2 boss room.
—And that was when it happened.
"Hm?"
The instant she passed through the door, Karin shivered at a strange sensation.
"...? What was that just now?"
【Hm? Is something the matter, Ojou-sama?】
【Did the video glitch just now?】
【Does the audio sound a little strange too?】
【Has the floating camera malfunctioned?】
"No, nothing like that has occurred, but..."
Answering the viewers who'd noticed her reaction and the tiny abnormality in the stream footage, Karin tilted her head at a presence unlike anything she'd felt before.
(Could there be another irregular boss...?) She looked around the boss room with her detection skills active.
"...? There is nothing here, desu wa ne?"
Not only was there no irregular boss, there was no ordinary boss either.
Nothing seemed to be hiding inside the walls like the wyrm had, nor had anything entered the boss room and devoured its usual boss.
【Hm? The boss room is empty?】
【Did someone defeat it first?】
【If they had, the surface-side door shouldn't open until the boss respawned, desu wa】
【Karin ojou-sama could probably open it with brute strength anyway】
【So it isn't that something else is here like when she found the wyrm?】
【What's going on, desu no?】
【Huh? Wait, is the door forward already open?】
【What's happening?】
Karin and the viewers alike tilted their heads at the bizarre circumstances.
After she spent some time looking around the boss room—
"...Huh?"
Karin noticed the anomaly.
"Are those marks of destruction on the wall not the ones I made when defeating the Storm Dragon-sama moments ago?"
【Hah?】
【No way... Wait, what?】
【Eh, hold on, seriously?】
【Hah?】
【Eh】
【Hah? What IS this?】
【She's... back in the floor 1 boss room...?】
Where Karin pointed, there were cracks in the wall utterly identical to the ones every viewer had seen moments ago. It was neither a mistake nor Karin's imagination.
And as no one could understand what had happened—
—Got her!
Far aboveground, Yoko Inukai gave a pitch-black cry of triumph. She had eagerly awaited the moment Karin stepped inside that 'otherworld,' one from which even a spatial unique skill could offer no escape.
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――
On Sunday, I wrote that book volume two with the acrylic-stand bonus had sold out of its made-to-order production run, but it seems to have returned alongside the release on the 18th, desu wa! It can be preordered through the Melonbooks-sama online store until 11:59 p.m. on the 24th, so please take the opportunity if you missed your chance, desu no!
And with book volume two now on sale, I hope for everyone's support, desu wa!
(I've received a ton of purchase reports and impressions, and I'm incredibly happy, desu no! I'm so pleased everyone enjoyed the newly written past arc too, desu wa!)