kscans

Chapter 329 - The Subjugation of Shuten Doji and an Unexpected Battle

When Hayato logged in that morning, he could tell the area outside was bustling with activity.

The full-scale subjugation of Shuten Doji was beginning today.

Players who rarely came to the Eastern Country were now actively making the journey, since the event coincided with registering monsters for their monster sealing encyclopedia. The fact that the Shuten Doji subjugation was a brand new event was likely another factor.

Wanting to get ready so he wouldn't be left behind, Hayato left his room and headed for the great hall.

He only realized after opening the fusuma sliding door. They had a visitor.

He didn't know him personally, but he recognized the face.

It was Rauxal, the leader of the clan Imperial.

Imperial, as in the empire, and Rauxal was even known by the nickname "Emperor." Hayato had once thought it a bit much for a man approaching thirty to have such a title.

But seeing him up close for the first time, he was without a doubt an emperor.

He had deep-set features with blond hair and blue eyes. His hair was perfectly styled, and his every movement was elegant. For a time, it was rumored he was connected to one of the Foundations, but he himself denied it.

Rauxal was sitting cross-legged at the lower end of a long, Japanese-style table in the great hall. A man and a woman stood behind him as if in service. It seemed Ney had been handling him, as she was seated opposite Rauxal.

Seeing Hayato open the fusuma, Rauxal’s lips curved into a slight smile.

"I thought it might be too early, but I’ve intruded. I am Rauxal. You must be Hayato of Daedalus, correct?"

Before Hayato could answer, Ney explained.

"I’m sure you know him, but he’s the leader of Imperial."

Nodding at her words, Hayato sat down across the table from Rauxal, to Ney’s right. Then he gave a slight bow.

"A pleasure to meet you. I’m Hayato."

"Yes, likewise. I’m sure you’ve heard the details from Keith, but Jolth asked me to look after you, so I came to pay my respects."

"Thank you. Having Imperial on our side is very reassuring."

From the moment the game launched, Imperial had often been a topic of conversation.

A well-disciplined clan had high combat power and progressed quickly. In the early days, Imperial had published a great deal of information online, which was treated as strategy guides. Their willingness to share information was one of the reasons he was called the Emperor.

It was said that most of the strategies now considered common knowledge had been devised by Imperial. Hayato had benefited greatly from their skill-leveling guides in the beginning.

"I’m happy to hear that, even if it’s just flattery. Jolth should be arriving today as well, so I don’t think there will be any problems. However…"

"However?"

"We haven’t confirmed it yet, but there’s a possibility that Shooting Star has allied themselves with other major clans. They might try to cause trouble, so it may be best not to trust any clans other than ours, Over the Top, and Starkest."

"Why would that happen?"

He understood that Shooting Star was targeting his clan, but he couldn't see why other clans would cooperate. The NPC forces were surely appealing, but he didn't think a major clan with a decent reputation would need new forces so badly.

Rauxal took a sip of the coffee on the table, then looked at Hayato.

His expression seemed somewhat exasperated. Not at Hayato, but at someone who wasn't there.

"You could call it a power struggle. The major clans are divided into factions based on when they were formed. There are roughly three. Before the Clan Wars, during the wars, and after the wars. It seems the newer a clan is, the more they want to prove they are superior to the older ones."

"So it’s like, ‘Don’t act like our seniors just because you started the game earlier,’ is that it?"

When Hayato said that, Rauxal laughed and nodded.

"That’s exactly right. But there’s no Clan War event for players to fight each other and prove their strength. Apparently, the more recent major clans are saying they could have won if they had fought us in the Clan Wars. Of course, they only say that where we can’t hear them."

I’m pretty sure you can hear them, Hayato wanted to retort, but held his tongue since it was their first meeting.

Rauxal continued.

"However, even without a Clan War, they can prove their strength if they defeat or subjugate a certain clan."

"A certain clan… no, I understand."

"Well, that’s how it is."

Clan Daedalus consisted of NPCs, aside from Hayato. Players and NPCs could fight even without a Clan War. And Hayato's group had already defeated Bandit, one of the old major clans. Beating Daedalus would imply they could also beat Bandit.

The story was that Shooting Star had likely planted that idea in the other clans' heads.

(So our clan has become the benchmark for proving strength.)

Hayato more or less understood the situation. He knew things were getting complicated, but now they had become even more so.

"The major clans to watch out for are Bounty Hunter, Despair Angel, Kiss of Death, and Rampage. There might be others, but they’ll be smaller in scale, so they shouldn’t be a problem."

"The smaller clans might not be a problem, but I think having too many major clans to watch out for is a problem in itself…"

"You can leave that side of things to us. We can’t fight other players, but we can interfere with any attempts to harass you. The most dangerous time will probably be right after this Shuten Doji event ends. That’s when people let their guard down the most."

"Right, I’ll be careful."

Rauxal nodded, then stared intently at Hayato. He looked like he wanted to say something.

"Um, is there something else I should be careful about?"

"No, that’s not why I was looking at you. To be honest, I have a desire to fight your clan myself."

"Huh…?"

"I’m half-joking, so you can relax. But it was truly shocking back then. I never thought Bandit would lose. I was hoping to fight you in the final match. That wish never came true, though."

Realizing he was half-serious, Hayato took a sip of the coffee he had prepared for himself and smiled.

"We’d rather not have to face you, though."

"Is that humility? Well, never mind that. There’s something I want to ask. Which clan was it that beat you? Since you didn’t end up in first place, you must have lost the final match, right? No matter how much I investigated, that’s the one thing I couldn’t find out."

The final match had been against a special clan prepared by Diite. They had ultimately lost, but that was because Esha had ordered everyone to throw the match to save Hayato.

He couldn’t tell Rauxal the real story, but he had prepared an answer for when he was asked. He put on a casual expression so he wouldn't be caught in a lie.

"Actually, beating Bandit guaranteed us a spot in the top five, so we didn’t participate in the final match. We had an unavoidable engagement. Besides, the system doesn’t allow NPCs alone to participate in Clan Wars."

"Is that so. None of the clans that fought Daedalus last came forward. The system kept the opponent a secret until the day of the final match, so perhaps in the case of a default win, the opponent remains unknown… what, so even if we had matched up, we wouldn’t have been able to fight you?"

"That’s right."

Only for the final match was the opponent kept secret beforehand. It was said to have been a measure to prevent match-fixing, but Hayato suspected Diite had done it to surprise him.

Rauxal nodded and then stood up.

"I’m glad to have that question answered. It was worth coming all this way to greet you."

"We’re grateful to have met you as well, Rauxal-san."

"I’m not the kind of person you should be grateful for. In any case, we’ll be fighting together for a while. I look forward to seeing you in action during the Shuten Doji subjugation."

Rauxal said his farewells and left with his two attendants.

Hayato and Ney saw them off at the entrance and then looked at each other once they were out of sight.

"He was surprisingly friendly, just like Keith yesterday. I was imagining someone more… intimidating."

Hayato agreed. He had imagined someone sterner, given the title of Emperor. He didn’t know how Rauxal maintained discipline, but his image of the clan was one with a strict, military-like hierarchy.

"Clans come in all shapes and sizes. I can’t tell from just that conversation, but he might have a sort of rugged charm. I wish I had some of that."

"It’s okay, you have your own charm, Hayato… I think?"

"Don’t say it like a question."

"I’m kidding. Just being around you gives people a strange sense of peace. That’s a wonderful charm in itself!"

Being told that to his face was rather embarrassing, but Hayato just replied with a casual, "Well, thanks."

Ney grinned and slapped Hayato’s back a few times, then cheerfully declared it was time to fight Shuten Doji and headed back into the mansion.

Hayato chuckled softly and followed after her.

Hayato’s group stood out. This was especially true in crowded places.

As they made their way to the foot of the mountain where Shuten Doji was, the gazes of many players were focused on them.

The Demon Lord Lunaria's army was likely the most conspicuous.

A group of beautiful women clad in black gothic lolita outfits, and at their center, Demon Lord Lunaria in crimson armor. The players watched from a distance, wanting to get a glimpse of the Demon Lord.

The person in question, however, was in no state to be seen.

"R, Rosalie-chan, p, please make sure no one gets close. If they approach, Arondight might unleash its true power."

"Please calm yourself. If you wish, I can make an example of two or three of those people for Arondight to rust on."

"Don’t say that, what are you talking about. Lunaria-san, you don’t try to draw your sword either."

Just like during the Stampede in the Demon Country, once the battle started and her tension rose, Lunaria could fight normally. The hard part was getting her to that point.

"Lunacchi is so cool normally, but she becomes useless when there are lots of people around. It’s so funny. It’s like, gap moe!"

"Is she cool normally?" Hayato wondered at Benitsuru’s words, but he knew saying it out loud would endanger his life, so he kept quiet.

"Th, this is an act. An act to show that even a perfect Demon Lord has a weakness. I’m aiming to be a friendly, approachable Demon Lord."

"You can’t really say that while your legs are trembling like a newborn fawn. But Lunacchi always pulls through when it counts. When I first met you at the port, the moment I mentioned capturing Rozacchi and the others, your trembling stopped and you attacked me like a real Demon Lord!"

"Hmph, praise me more."

"Yes, yes, that’s enough, let’s go. And Rosalie-san, stop looking so moved. We’re almost there, so switch gears."

Hayato, feeling like he was chaperoning a group of children, spoke up.

They would be fighting Shuten Doji soon. It wouldn’t be a problem if they were defeated, but he wanted them to get their heads in the game.

It was the same during the Stampede, but these festival-like events where players could fight without any restrictions were Hayato’s favorite. He couldn't fight himself, but the experience was on par with the adventure of stepping into a place no one had ever been before.

He always seemed to get caught up in some kind of trouble during these events, but for a little while, he wanted to forget all that and just enjoy himself.

With that in mind, he headed toward Shuten Doji’s location. The voices of the players gradually grew louder.

"A shockwave is coming!"

"It’s drinking sake! I need a fire wall spell!"

"Hit it with everything you’ve got!"

"Five-star potions here. Also selling Elixirs."

When Hayato’s group arrived, a considerable number of players were surrounding and attacking Shuten Doji.

His new acquaintances, Keith and Rauxal, were also on the front lines. Keith’s clan members were all fighting on their own, doing as they pleased, but Rauxal’s group was launching attacks with military precision.

Despite such fierce assaults, Shuten Doji’s HP bar had barely moved.

Conversely, Shuten Doji's attacks were almost a one-hit kill if you weren't prepared. Every time it swung its iron club, the players clinging to the front lines were sent flying.

(It has a constant area-of-effect attack with a knockback effect. Even without pain, I wouldn’t want to take that… wait, are some of those people actually enjoying being sent flying?)

Shuten Doji's normal attacks were quite slow. It wasn't impossible to dodge them. The fear of such a massive club might freeze you in place, but looking at the players being sent flying, their smiles were radiant. There was probably a group of people who enjoyed it like an amusement park attraction.

"Its HP has barely gone down," Esha said, looking at Shuten Doji.

"Well, it’s only the second day. They probably didn’t get to fight much yesterday, and it’s still early today, so this is probably about right."

"We only have one week to fight, right? Even if we start fighting seriously from today, can we even defeat that thing?"

It was only natural to want to defeat it if you were going to participate. Plus, defeating it meant getting drop items. In fact, if they couldn't defeat it, they'd get nothing at all. It would be a waste of time and could affect their motivation going forward.

He felt they should definitely defeat it, but he also wondered if it was possible for something to be unbeatable with so many people here.

"It’s true that its HP is only going down by a millimeter at a time, but it should be fine… I think. Besides, we have your Destroy."

"Shall I give it a try then?"

Esha ate a dish that increased her MAG status and received support from Noat’s song and dance. Then, she readied her Beelzebub.

"Having a large target is helpful. Destroy."

Ten magic circles of varying sizes lined up from the muzzle of her Beelzebub. Immediately after, a sound like a cannon blast echoed, and a massive, laser-like attack broke through the magic circles and struck Shuten Doji.

The attack was a direct hit, but Shuten Doji’s HP bar only decreased by about one millimeter. It became clear that she would need to hit it with Destroy over a hundred times to win.

Even so, it was a considerable attack, and the surrounding crowd erupted in cheers.

"We can’t let Esha have all the glory! Let’s go, guys!"

"Alright, Kokuryu, charge! Diite, you’re coming with us!"

"Very well, I shall accompany you."

"To be outshone by the Demon Lord… Esha-chan, you are a troublesome child. As the Demon Lord, I cannot lose."

"Then I guess I’ll go too! No one seems to realize I’m the princess of the Eastern Country, so I’ll just have to stand out!"

Cecil, Ney’s Kokuryu clan and Diite, as well as the Demon Lord’s Army and Benitsuru, all charged toward Shuten Doji.

"Surya! As the aces of the Tamer Guild, we need to stand out too!"

"Why are you so competitive? But I guess I should put in some effort for the sake of improving the status of tamers. Let’s go, Garland."

Maris on Lancelot and Surya on Garland began their attack from the sky.

All that remained were Esha, Noat, and the Genesis Dragon group.

"Can you guys do the dragon transformation thing?" Hayato asked.

Ash frowned at the question.

"We can, but it’s better not to. Dragon Breath would hit too many people, and we might end up becoming the target of the subjugation ourselves."

Agres nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that’s right. Ash and Ren are one thing, but me, Pat-san, and Suien-san all went on a rampage during the Stampede. If we suddenly showed up, we’d probably be the new targets. Not that I think we’d lose, though."

"It’s certainly possible they’d get even more fired up and attack us. So you’ll have to do your best in human form…"

Suddenly, Hayato remembered something and looked at Randa, who was in her class rep character persona.

"By the way, Randa-san, what kind of dragon are you? I mean, what type of dragon are you?"

During the Stampede event, Randa was the only one whose dragon form he hadn't seen. She had fought in human form, casting recovery magic from the back of the dragon-form Agres.

"Oh, you’re asking? I’m a pure white dragon, Holy Dragon Randa Doga… wait, the name sounds the same as Seiryu. A surprising pronunciation overlap…"

"I don’t really care about the name overlap, but what are your dragon’s abilities?"

"I’m a dragon with super powerful natural healing abilities, and I can use wide-range recovery magic. I also have a holy-attribute, wide-range attack called Holy Breath, and a once-a-day skill called Sacrifice that fully restores surrounding allies’ HP and MP, cures status ailments, and even resurrects them!"

"Even once a day, that’s amazing. But, Sacrifice…? Does that mean…"

Sacrifice. It means to give something up, or an offering.

"I die after I use it!"

"Don’t say it so cheerfully. But if it comes down to it, I might have to ask you to use it. Randa-san, you didn’t appear as a dragon during the Stampede, so the chances of you being targeted are low, and since you die right after using Sacrifice, there shouldn’t be a problem."

"…Hayato-san, you can be pretty scheming sometimes. Well, I’ll do it when it’s necessary!"

Randa said this and gave Hayato a thumbs-up with her right hand.

"Alright, let’s go then. Ren, can you use Dragon Curse?"

When Ash asked, Ren thought for a moment.

"Shuten Doji’s attack range is too wide, so it’s risky. Even if I reduce its STR, I’ll probably get taken out in one hit. Considering the effective range, I think it’s a little too dangerous."

"I see. Then it’s probably better for you to just cast curse magic from a distance. Agres, you be careful too. Your fire breath is one thing, but you’re weak to physical attacks."

"Even with high defense, that thing will probably take you out in one hit. Being weak to physical attacks doesn’t matter. Randa, if I die, I’m counting on you for a resurrection."

"Roger that. I’ve got plenty of MP recovery juice, so go ahead and die as much as you want!"

"…I think you’re plenty scheming yourself."

The Genesis Dragon group, led by Ash, also left Hayato’s side and headed toward Shuten Doji.

Now, only Esha and Noat remained near Hayato.

It was probably dangerous for someone who was being targeted, but he figured no one would try anything in a place with so many people. Still, he scanned his surroundings just in case. Then, Hayato also began to participate in the battle by making Melon Juice.

Esha drank the Melon Juice while attacking with Critical Shot, and Noat provided support by increasing magic attack power with her humming and dancing. Their style was to attack unilaterally from a safe zone.

But after a while, Noat’s singing and dancing stopped. For some reason, she was staring not at Shuten Doji, but in a different direction.

"Noat-san, is something wrong?"

"I hear a song."

"A song?"

"A pretty good voice. And the music is good too."

Hayato couldn’t hear it. The sounds of the surroundings were pouring into his ears, so he couldn’t tell what was a song and what was music.

Noat began to wander off.

"W, wait, Noat-san! Where are you going?! Esha, come with me!"

Noat walked in a straight line. Hayato and Esha followed her.

"I wonder what’s wrong."

"Noat gets like that when she hears singing or music. When we were fighting in the Clan Wars with Ivan and the others, she would wander off towards the enemy clan’s singing and dancing support players, even in the middle of a battle."

"So she’s interested in singing and music?"

"Probably. But she doesn’t react like that unless the opponent is really good. There must be a very skilled singer or musician ahead."

Skill level didn't affect the support from singing, dancing, or music. Humming was fine for singing, swaying your body was fine for dancing, and just randomly playing an instrument was enough for music.

However, some players did sing, dance, and play properly. Those people were respected, regardless of their skill in the game.

Suddenly, Noat stopped. She stared at a single point with an intensity he couldn't imagine from her usual self.

From this distance, Hayato could clearly hear the singing and music as well. And once he heard it, the noise of the surroundings seemed to fade away. It was a beautiful voice that was hard to get out of his head.

A woman in a white dress was on a simple, raised stage, playing a violin and singing. Like Rauxal, she had blond hair and blue eyes. Her straight hair reached down to her waist. It wouldn't be strange to call her a white fairy.

Around her, other women were singing, dancing, and playing instruments in time with her performance. Naturally, their support effects were active, and the players around them were covered in buffs, enhancement effects.

Hayato called out to a nearby person and asked about the person on stage.

He learned that the person on stage was named Alvie, the leader of the major clan Kiss of Death.

They were a clan that had risen to prominence right after the Clan Wars ended. Their overall combat power was low, but their support abilities were tremendous. It was said they could raise abilities to the game’s system limits.

Not only did they switch their support to match the situation, but they could also attack and defend while providing support. He was told that their perfectly synchronized movements made the entire clan look like a single living creature.

He also learned that the leader, Alvie, could even provide support through dancing from that state. However, the effect was low, so she usually stuck to just singing and playing.

(I've heard of them. That there’s someone who can provide three types of support at once. But more importantly, that clan is Kiss of Death. The one Rauxal mentioned, right?)

In Hayato's subjective view, he felt a little disillusioned to think that even such a beautiful woman might have feelings of wanting to be better than other major clans. Her appearance was such that she seemed to be above such things.

"Is that the kind of person you prefer, Master?"

Esha said this while drinking her Melon Juice.

Wondering what she was talking about all of a sudden, Hayato shook his head.

"No, not really. I was just looking at her and wondering if even someone that beautiful cares about who’s on top or on the bottom. Why are you making such a strange face?"

"Because that was not the reaction or response I was expecting. I thought you might get a little flustered, but I’m disappointed in you, Master."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"It doesn’t matter anymore. To answer your earlier question, the more beautiful someone is, the more they care about being on top or on the bottom. Incidentally, I care as well."

"Are you saying you’re beautiful too? … You’re not denying it, so please don’t point your gun at me."

"You two should be careful. A real-life romantic comedy will result in a death. The victim’s, of course."

Noat had, at some point, returned to her usual sleepy expression. And as usual, she was saying something strange.

"You’re back to normal. I’ll ignore what you just said. So, are you satisfied?"

"I’m fine now. When I heard it up close, it was just normal."

When Noat said that, the people around them who had heard her words began to stir.

"Hey, Noat-san, what are you saying!?"

"My honest impression. The surrounding singing, music, and dancing aside, the person singing on stage is just doing it skillfully. She’s not putting her heart into it. In other words, it’s not worth listening to anymore."

The murmuring around them grew louder.

The people here weren't fighting Shuten Doji; they were here to watch Alvie and her group's singing and music. In other words, the people here were Alvie’s fans. She had essentially picked a fight right in the middle of them.

The music and singing stopped. It was as if all sound in this area had disappeared. He could hear the sounds of the battle with Shuten Doji in the distance, but the silence here, the tension, was so thick that it drowned it out.

Alvie, still smiling, looked down from the stage towards Hayato’s group.

The players in her line of sight parted like the sea, leaving no one between Hayato’s group and Alvie.

"That’s an interesting thing to say, NPC-san."

"An interesting thing to say, what? I couldn’t hear you very well."

"Ah, that’s right. My apologies. I said you are an interesting person. May I ask, you believe I’m not putting my heart into it? What is your basis for that?"

They were five meters away, and in such a noisy place, Hayato was impressed she could hear their voices so well. It was a virtual reality, so it probably had nothing to do with her real-life hearing, but she was definitely skilled at distinguishing sounds.

Noat, the one who was asked the question, tilted her head.

"You know it yourself, don’t you?"

That answer seemed to be effective, as Alvie’s smile wavered slightly. But it was only for a moment. It returned in the next instant.

Then Alvie looked at Hayato and frowned.

"Could you be Hayato-san from Daedalus…?"

Now, the attention shifted to Hayato.

"Uh, well…"

"Then, is the NPC with you Noat-san?"

"Yes, but…?"

He could vaguely understand how Alvie knew him, given Rauxal’s testimony. But he didn’t know how she knew Noat.

Noat wasn't even a clan member. If asked about their relationship, she was closest to being Esha’s friend, or perhaps a house guest. She had been acting with them a lot recently, but that was only because Cecil had been forcing her to. Normally, she was shut up in her room at their base.

Unless you were a very well-informed person, you wouldn't know Noat's name.

Noat seemed to find it strange too. She glanced at Hayato once before turning her gaze to Alvie.

"Do you know me?"

"Yes. You are Noat Vabeck, the exclusive singer for Orchestra Brunhilde, aren’t you?"

Orchestra Brunhilde. An orchestra composed entirely of NPCs. Hayato had heard them perform once before at Mist's mansion. That was also when he had first met Noat.

After that, Rose was kidnapped by bandits, and Hayato had asked for Noat’s help in exchange for a week of free meals to rescue her. She had been living at their base ever since.

She paid for her rent and food, so it wasn't a problem, but despite being together for quite a long time, he had never asked what the orchestra was doing or where they were.

Alvie’s fairy-like smile transformed into a bewitching one.

"This saves me some trouble. I wanted to meet you, Noat-san. You’re just as wonderful as I imagined."

"Do you want an autograph?"

"No, I don’t. What I want is proof that I am better than you. I have been looking for you ever since Brunhilde rejected my request to perform with them. You will accept my challenge, won’t you?"

"Fine."

Noat nodded and then looked at Esha.

"Esha-chan, hit that person with Destroy. That’ll be our win."

"I don’t think that’s the kind of challenge she means. She probably wants to compete with singing. I think."

"Oh, that kind. Well, I don’t think it’ll be much of a contest, but are you sure?"

"Are you implying that I am no match for you?"

"That’s a funny joke. I mean you might lose your confidence to sing after we’re done. If you’re okay with that, then I’ll compete."

"…Your joke is also quite amusing. To think you could say such a thing to me. You really are a wonderful person."

"I get that a lot."

"That was sarcasm."

The surrounding crowd, watching this exchange, was getting quite excited.

The only one left out was Hayato.

"Um, we’re in the middle of a battle with Shuten Doji right now…"

His words didn't reach anyone, but Esha patted his shoulder as if to comfort him.