"NecroLord!!"
Damn it! The conversation I had was just a distraction to buy time for the necromancer's spell! A magic circle appeared before the necromancer, and from it emerged a skeletal figure dressed in shrine maiden attire, wielding blades in either hand.
"Ha ha! This here is a skeleton lord, once known as the 'King of the Undead' and considered the strongest undead around! There's no one in AIWOn who can match this thing!"
"Now, which of you will quietly surrender?"
Indeed, the skeleton exuded a presence unlike any ordinary one. Even Ava was unusually flustered.
"Suzanne, fall back for a moment! This skeleton is dangerous!"
As Ava urged us to retreat, the shrine maiden skeleton unleashed an incantation.
"Explosion!"
In the next instant, the house exploded, reduced to splinters. We barely escaped in time, but the lead men were caught in the blast. Seriously, this situation is totally out of control!
"Don't mess with things you can't control!"
"That's definitely dangerous. The Skeleton Lord is made from the remains of a fallen hero, so its strength is off the charts. But it seems that this one isn't crafted from a hero's remains; it looks like a mimicry of the priestess goddess Fenris."
"Is that really the priestess goddess Fenris?"
Ava revealed surprising information. The atmosphere around me exuded a power I'd never felt before. It might be on par with the full strength of the ancient Drake, the 'Apostle of Beginnings.'
Ignoring our predicament, the priestess Skeleton Lord drew its swords and began to move gracefully. In an instant, it swung its sword right in front of me.
"Whoa!?"
I instinctively used Unicorn as a shield and took a quick step back to create distance. That was instantaneous—purely a moment of speed. Since I could use the same technique, I managed to react, but for anyone else, that moment would have been fatal.
Yet, the priestess Skeleton Lord wasn't done. Despite the distance I'd gained, it vanished from my sight in an instant. Just as it appeared behind me, sword poised to strike down, Ava intervened, saving me from the impending doom.
"Infinity Ava Blade!"
With her azure sword raised, Ava unleashed a flurry of ice blades, shooting them like bullets towards the priestess Skeleton Lord.
The Priestess Skeleton Lord effortlessly deflected the onslaught. With each step and precise swordplay, she shattered the countless ice blades raining down upon her. As expected of the founder of the Two Heavens Sword Style; her sword dance was astonishing.
Seizing the moment when the ice blades were momentarily halted, I unleashed the full version of the Instant Blade—no mere incomplete technique this time. In an instant, I closed the distance and, using my body weight, hurled Unicorn towards the Priestess Skeleton Lord.
But she simply sidestepped, evading my attack with ease. Are you kidding me? She could dodge that!? To my dismay, my momentum took me right into the path of her blade, which she had placed perfectly in my line of attack.
"Ugh!"
I narrowly avoided the blow, but my hastily altered trajectory sent me flying off in a wild direction. I managed to twist my body and land somewhat awkwardly just as Ava unleashed her magic swords, striking at the Priestess Skeleton Lord, who retaliated with her own magic blades.
"Aquarius Fang!
Shadow Fang!
—Fang Impact Cross!!"
"Explosion!
Thunderstorm!
—Heavenly Fang Lightning Cross!!"
The clash between Ava and the Priestess Skeleton Lord's magic swords erupted in a thunderous explosion, sending debris flying in all directions.
The Miko Skeleton Lord wielded the sword technique Heaven Fang Flash and the dual-wielding technique Cross Slash, complemented by flames and lightning in its magical sword attacks.
Amidst the lingering flames, the two prepared their next moves. Ava unleashed a homing magic projectile while leaping upwards, using an ice sword as her platform, and executed the sword technique Buster Breaker. The Miko Skeleton Lord responded with a tornado of wind magic, engulfing the surroundings.
Despite being exposed to the Drake's attack, Ava landed a blow on the Miko Skeleton Lord, creating some distance between them. Magical swords and large-scale spells continued to fly back and forth.
What is this? The level of combat is on a different plane altogether. At times, I launched support attacks with Swift Blade and the original Ava's Spirit, but the situation became increasingly dire. The ground was torn apart by the aftereffects of the magical swords, and collateral damage from the large-scale spells destroyed nearby houses. I stood in awe at the sheer difference in their battles.
"She's incredibly strong. I might not stand a chance in a fair fight... However, since she's a copy of Fenris, that leaves an opening."
"What are you planning?"
"My target is the weapons. From what I can see, they look like the cursed blade Muramasa and the Moonlit Sword used by Fenris, but they're probably copies too. If I overload the swords and shatter them, I can unleash that momentum to defeat the Skeleton Lord."
Both of us were keeping our distance, gauging the timing for the next attack. It seemed Ava's target was the weapon of the Priestess Skeleton Lord.
"I'll focus my assault on the blade, wearing down its durability to the limit. When I give the signal, Suzanne, you unleash the ultimate technique of the Sword Princess style. Well, even if you mess up, it'll be fine. I have a trump card to fall back on."
...Hmm? What could her trump card be? It didn't sound very reassuring. Am I just imagining things?
"Understood."
Ava once again approached the Priestess Skeleton Lord. Meanwhile, I began chanting a spell, applying magic sequentially to the inside of my sheath. This time, I was using a series of stronger spells.
Fire Magic: Fire Blast, Water Magic: Water Slash, Wind Magic: Wind Cutter, Earth Magic: Stone Blast, Lightning Magic: Blitz Spark, Ice Magic: Ava's Blast, and the Non-Elemental Magic: Leap Slash—seven elemental spells in total.
Once I finished casting all the spells, I sheathed the Unicorn and merged the seven attributes into one, enveloping the blade in magic.
Now, all that remained was to wait for Ava's signal. She, too, had been watching for my readiness and unleashed a spell to create an opening.
"Aquarius Fang!"
Water flowed along the ground, forming fanged tendrils that lunged towards the Priestess Skeleton Lord from below.
The Miko Skeleton Lord narrowly dodged the attack but still lost her balance from the grazing hit.
"Suzanne, now!"
"Sword Princess One-Sword Style Secret Technique – Seamless Armor!!"
In an instant, I closed the distance using the Gale Thunder Flow technique, aiming to slash the Miko Skeleton Lord with a quick draw, Unicorn poised to deliver a single, decisive strike.
Kiiiiiing!!
My attack shattered her weapon, but it failed to reach her body. She barely managed to defend herself with the dual-wield technique, Cross Guard.
Damn it! What a missed opportunity!
I took a step back, wary of a counterattack from the Miko Skeleton Lord. She stood frozen, staring intently at the remnants of her swords.
Then she suddenly jolted back to life, her movements mechanical and jerky.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
"Whoa!? That's unsettling!"
Was she grinning?
"Diamond Mist!"
A torrent of icy mist engulfed the area, draping everything in a shroud of silver. I retreated again, keeping my weapon ready. Ava began chanting a spell to dispel the frost.
"Wind Breath!"
The strong gust blew away the icy haze, but the Miko Skeleton Lord was nowhere to be seen.
"Wait... it fled? Seriously?" Despite overwhelming us, the Priestess Skeleton Lord had withdrawn.
"It seems like it really did back off. Normally, undead should be controlled by their summoner, but that Skeleton Lord seems to be something out of the ordinary," Ava said, keeping an eye on the surroundings with her sensing ability.
"Is it really okay to leave such a dangerous monster roaming free?" I asked.
"Well, it's hard to say. If it has copied Fenris's behavior patterns, it likely won't attack people easily, but being undead, you never know. For now, we'll have to ask the townspeople to stay alert. Honestly, though, I have a gut feeling that we don't need to worry too much about that Skeleton Lord."
She based her assumption on the fact that it had laughed after losing its weapon. Apparently, it was pleased by our unexpected strength.
But doesn't that logic suggest we might end up being chased by that Priestess Skeleton Lord later?
"Sigh... so can we consider the situation settled for now?" I asked.
"Yeah, but... it seems like the aftermath is going to be quite a hassle," she replied.
That was certainly true. Dealing with the emissary from Drake's court, handling the true culprit from another world, clearing out the destroyed neighborhood, and providing compensation for all the damage—there was so much to do.
We were troubled, watching members of Trinity and the Thieves' Guild rush toward us from the other side.
---
AIWOn Exposure Thread #7
101: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:03:03 ID: ggrks99054
These guys are the worst—
They've killed residents of AIWOn!
>> Guns, Rod, Nendoro, Buff, Zakkart
102: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:08:15 ID: Kbk69bkri
Oh? Should we expose their names and addresses as usual?
103: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:11:52 ID: P6so7GdaN
>> 102 Wait, let's hear the charges first.
104: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:19:26 ID: OkitSitLow
Many people still treat AIWOn like other games.
In that world, AI is truly regarded as persons.
105: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:21:33 ID: KazusaTOGS
>> 101 Yeah, I've heard of those names.
They're known for their bad behavior in AIWOn.
106: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:23:03 ID: ggrks99054
They've even killed a messenger from the Drake Palace in the port town of Longness, Jipan Empire.
107: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:26:03 ID: nikuManMchukM
Despite being a key player in the Angel Quest: Mermaid,
108: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:28:15 ID: Kbk69bkri
Guilty!
109: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:31:52 ID: P6so7GdaN
Guilty!
110: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:35:33 ID: KazusaTOGS
It's a death sentence then.
111: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:38:15 ID: Kbk69bkri
Alright, just like always, let's spread the word and expose their real names and addresses.
112: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:43:26 ID: OkitSitLow
Executing them in AIWOn won't mean anything. It just causes inconvenience, as they'll come back with new characters.
113: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:46:03 ID: nikuManMchukM
Account bans are pointless in AIWOn.
114: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:51:33 ID: KazusaTOGS
Oh, it's not account bans, but red bans have been implemented, you know?
115: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:53:03 ID: nikuManMchukM
"What's that?"
116: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 03:56:33 ID: KazusaTOGS
"In AIWOn, even if you try to create a new account, you can only play one character. The red ban implemented by the administration means you can never play with that account again."
117: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 04:04:03 ID: ggrks99054
"Oh right, that's the forbidden spirit punishment they introduced about a year ago. I completely forgot about it since I've never actually seen anyone get hit with it."
118: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 04:04:26 ID: OkitSitLow
"I remember something like that now."
119: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 04:06:52 ID: P6so7GdaN
"Exactly, a red ban is like a red card."
120: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/8 (Thu) 04:10:33 ID: KazusaTOGS
"Well, it's pretty rare to get a red ban, but this time it might actually happen.
'So what are we going to do now?'
'What do you mean, what are we going to do?'
'I mean, we're not just going to capture the real culprit and call it a day. We were looking for the messenger of Drake Shrine to get to Drake Miyagi, right? But where's the messenger from Drake Shrine…?"
"So, what are we going to do now?" Trinity's sharp question left me speechless.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
We discovered that the rumors surrounding the envoy from Drake Palace were nothing more than a disinformation campaign to cover up the misdeeds of the otherworldly beings. We had come to apprehend them, alongside members of the thieves' guild, although we faced the challenge of a runaway summoning of the uncontrollable Shrine Maiden Skeleton Lord. Despite that, we managed to capture everyone.