♪

The eerie ringing of a bell, rung...

 

♪

...Then, was it a chime?

Not such a contraband...

 

♪

...Maybe a triangle?

Such an offensive object, and its tit-fer...

 

♪

Fuck...

 

♪

And Mi-chan--

--No.

 

♪

...Mochikyun Aimi--

--Spoke his claim.

 

"You know..." (Mi-chan)

 

"...I've always been lucky." (Mi-chan)

 

We walked.

Approaching what we'd assume was a town...

 

It was a difficult subject to process. Yet, it was understandable. He came into this world--such a grueling, punishing world--and yet had the chance to become as powerful as he is.

He was left alone, weak, at [Level 1], without friends or family... Left to rot behind iron bars, being perceived as a foreign species of demon. That was his first day in the Demon Realm. The following night, his sister, Hina-chan, was spawned into the very same jail cell... And every Skill and Stat from his main VRMMO character came along, to enter his current body. Though he remained [Level 1], there, yet, was no nerfing him. He kept the normal ability to Level Up, his already abnormally high stats increasing further... Sealed in the Demon Realm, he was at first disappointed. But he came to realize--that was fucking great...

That was his backstory, in general, as he told me.

And as an adept fantasy genre analytic, I had the full right to produce a valid opinion. His story had no factor of LUCK, I'd say.

But--I agreed with his claim. For one reason...

 

"Of course. You met me, after all--"

"--You fucking suck." (Mi-chan)

 

"...Hmph!"

 

I pouted, glaring hard at the stone ground. It was a genuine reaction, and any sane person could tell.

...The floor was tiled, made of an assortment of stone bricks. They were cracked, and withered foliage sprouted from every crease visible.

It was just a minute ago, that we arrived at our destination. I was not excited at all, though, not even on the way. That was since I had one look, and I could tell, that...

I lifted my head. Before my sight--was an ominous, decrepit city. Most of its walls were fallen, and there was no sign of life or action. Its wood-based planks and trusses were spoiled, and were blighted with decay...

 

"Interesting town..."

"...Indeed." (Mi-chan)

"We should explore this place. This attractive landmark..."

"Mhm, mhm." (Mi-chan)

 

Mi-chan nodded deeply.

So did I.

He seemed to recognize something. Perceiving the such delicate architectures of the fallen city, Mi-chan seemed to consider his options. The next second, he disappeared. Teleporting several times, he surveyed the exteriors of the great city.

He returned, displaying a well-trained expertise upon the areas of movement technique.

 

"...Definitely is. Similar to some Demon Empires." (Mi-chan)

"Really? Could we level this place without leaving you in shame and regret--?"

 

It was natural to worry a bit, for a close friend.

 

"Yeah... I'm fine with it. I've already leveled one or two." (Mi-chan)

"You mean 'liquidated.' Like with your Demon World Nurseries..."

 

...I asked, as I watched the colossal, metallic gates that barred us from the interiors of the great city within its walls. But of course, the walls were fallen, and contributed to no proper defense of the city... Such a disappointment.

 

"My mistake... That's right." (Mi-chan)

"...They were comparable to children." (Mi-chan)

"W- Whoa--! You can't just... ignominiously... label everything you've killed."

 

An insert of advanced English linguistics enhanced the formal mood of my argument.

 

"Pfft. You really shouldn't tell me what to do." (Mi-chan)

 

Mhm...

...Our eyes were squinted, staring into the peak of the watchtower that stood in the center of the city. As I did, I gave my reply a bit of thought. Behind the watchtower was a large castle of sorts. And there was no denying that Mi-chan was a rather difficult opponent.

I prodded at the cold bars of the city gateway, while Mi-chan stood back, still watching the watchtower that pointed to the sky.

"I can't? That's disappointing--"

"--No, no, Li-chan. I didn't say you [can't]. I said you [shouldn't]. That's a suggestion." (Mi-chan)

But I was not flustered. It was only expected, as I've purposefully twisted his earlier words for the worse. His reply was immediate, and was, thus, clear that he had prepared for this beforehand.

"I mean... you could tell me what to do. But to heed such--virginal dictum--is up to me." (Mi-chan)

"I, merely, could. Makes sense."

...

"Then... SIT."

"I already am." (Mi-chan)

--Just to make sure... I looked.

Mmh. Looks like...

"Committing yourself to such virginal dictum. Good boy."

"You should sit too. But away from me." (Mi-chan)

"No thanks... Yet, an Archdemon of the Grand Archduke Rank serves reliable as protection."

"...Bad girl." (Mi-chan)

"--That's unfair. I gave you a Good Boy."

...

"What you seek in such talk is not fairness, but equality... Expect equality from life--and shall you take not equality, but fair judgement..." (Mi-chan)

 

--He said, as he extracted a cup of tea from his dimensional storage. He drank from it like a filthy villain--and that was what he was. I returned his close-sighted saying with another; that was not so tainted with bias, and more reflective of our current crises.

 

"Now is not the time to let rush your vain insight. Now is the time to inspect--enact reconnoitre of--such archaeological remains. Waste not your meager lifespan on conflict, but cherish your short life with friendship..."

"...Hm." (Mi-chan)

 

--The tea set disappeared from his lap.

 

"I'm your guardian. Naturally, I should, too, be a guide." (Mi-chan)

"I did say that you'd serve as good protection. But a guide...?"

...

"...Yes~✭! Mochi~✭kyun~✭!" (Actually Me)

His contorted lips regarded me with disgust.

"Blegh. Stop wasting our time. If we're gonna--enact reconnoitre of--this place--" (Mi-chan)

"--Don't throw the blame on me. The fault is on the author."

 

"...He did, finally, send us to a town... But it's been 'liquidated.' There's no surprise scene here..."

"D- Don't do that... You didn't-- didn't even capitalize his name...!" (Mi-chan)

His face quickly paled in fear, his voice and body trembling...

"You might get killed off..." (Mi-chan)

"You care about me...? But I'm the Main Character... There's no way I'd..."

"...Kg- kgh--! Saying that! That's a HUGE red flag." (Mi-chan)

 

--And he was right.

A HUGE red flag.

 

"...😨...!" (Mi-chan)

 

Because that was when I saw it... And realized.

His face, as he stared at what stood behind me...

 

"...😨...!"

 

I, too, stared.

A shadow...

...As the gates creaked--there was naught but one thing that came from the opening.

 

A shadow that towered...

--That loomed...

...Over all that dare traverse into such an imposing enclave of this fallen city, this such grand lychgate...

 

A languid, rotting stench...

Sweat leaked--flooded--down our necks. Our joints lapsed...

C- Could we--?

Ever beat this loathesome thing?

Th- This...

 

"There's no way..." (Mi-chan)

"...There really isn't."

 

"Our strengths, compared to this... Lousy." (Mi-chan)

"--Laughable."

 

We were blinded. Our fingers. Our MP.

Everything refused to move.

This was--

--Fear.

 

This was...

 

Surprisingly--

 

--A Zombie... Loli...

About as tall as me, she seemed almost human... But her skin was an unusually pale gray, and had marks over every part of her body.

 

"She's cute." (Mi-chan)

"...It's a zombie. You can't just..."

 

"...Jump to conclusions about its pronouns... But. This definitely is a HUGE red flag."

"...Indeed." (Mi-chan)

 

Our attention was fixed onto what our Zombie Loli held.

With her tiny little hands, she dragged along an immeasurably long pole. A wide, bloodstained piece of cloth was attached to it. Its far end ploughed the brick floor, many meters behind her...

 

"Mmgh...!" (Zombie Loli)

 

As she passed the gateway, she swung the pole over, eventually holding it upright. She then gave it a kick by the edge, raising that piece of cloth high into the sky. At first, she seemed proud. She opened her mouth, about to say something, and a look of horror dawned upon her.

She turned slowly, with an expression of dread, ultimately noticing the collapsing gateway. It seems--she's underestimated the height of the flagpole. Now--all that remained of the gateway were its foundations, and the two open gates, now mildly dented.

Of course, I, too, was in range of the falling bricks. Other than particles of dust phasing into my hair, I received no harm...

I nodded to Mi-chan.

He returned a nod. That's a good signal.

 

"...It's fine-- It's fine..."

"...It- It'll be alright..." (Mi-chan)

 

"Uh- Uhm...!" (Zombie Loli)

"Mhm?"

"Its... It was.....!" (Zombie Loli)

"...Yes?" (Mi-chan)

"That- that was just a warning!!" (Zombie Loli)

 

Exactly as she said.

Closing off her escape routes from two ends, we smiled without warmth.

It was a grin, as cold as a... dead body.

I sensually grabbed my fringe.

"You know... I've been holding back for quite a while."

"Same. Haven't done it since the last time I came." (Mi-chan)

"Wh- What are you--!" (Zombie Loli)

 

We surrounded the child.

 

"...You destroyed the gateway."

"Yup, yup. It's your responsibility to clean up." (Mi-chan)

 

We walked into the city, leaving the Zombie Loli dazed. All we saw when we looked back, were her lifeless eyes...

 

"Mm... What should we do here--?" (Mi-chan)

"We're tourists... We should take a few pics."

"We certainly are tourists. Good idea." (Mi-chan)

"Mhm, mhm... Let's go for that spot."

 

I pointed to a collapsed section of what was, presumably, a ruined stable. Rotting chunks of vine encroached its walls and windows...

 

"Certainly. A bit of life-relevant irony wouldn't hurt..." (Mi-chan)

"Absolutely. Such ground represents both the softness and malleability of society, in which people are 'bent' and urged to follow such widespread ideals, while their 'sympathies' and 'softness' of which are often taken advantage of. This is, of which, yet, not 'ductility,' that implies the retainment of durability. A society is damaged further from such, and durability is thus not..."

...The ground squirmed, as we stepped over. Every step wrung out a supple load of viscous liquid, as we approached our picturesque destination...

"...Not maintained. This is firstly exemplary in subjects such as "

'Screenshot...'

+ '...Light.'

"Tsk. Why's your Flash on--?!" (Mi-chan)

"It's getting dark..."

"The 'Light' spell isn't supposed to..." (Mi-chan)

"You're a fucking demon... You're Dark-type. Obviously my Light-type deals extra DMG."

 

Not like I used a whole 20% out of my 61,258,100 MP...

But that wasn't something to worry about...

...?

Because right now, it felt wet, soft, and uncomfortably warm...

 

"Something's on my leg..."

"Nice, nice... Mine too, actually." (Mi-chan)

"...Leave them be. We're beyond taking from the weak. We should be the ones to give. Just some HP wouldn't hurt."

"Right. That's agreeable--" (Mi-chan)

 

"--H- Hey--!" (Zombie Loli?)

 

--?

"...Zombie Loli's back."

"--Is she?" (Mi-chan)

"Yea--"

"L- Leave! You've done enough harm! This is m- my city--!" (Zombie Loli...)

 

--One look at the entrance...

 

"You've done more harm than we have..."

"Th- That's... B- But you're intruders!" (Zombie Loli)

"Oh no. Come to think of it... We definitely are." (Mi-chan)

"Y- Yes. That's why you should leave!" (Zombie Loli)

 

Intruders? No...

 

"I'd say were more of... Tourists."

"Right. My mistake--" (Mi-chan)

--

"--That doesn't explain the damage you've caused!" (Zombie Loli)

"The damage you've caused." (Mi-chan)

"Yes. The damage you've caused."

 

I decided to tour the house next to the stable--

 

"--Th- That's... B- But you're intruders--!" (Zombie Loli)

"We understand..." 

 

Heh. The doorknob came off...

 

"...So I had to come out and-- and inthn- nth- in- intimidate you!" (Zombie Loli)

""Intimidate...?"" (Me, Mi-chan)

 

"Me. I could 'liquidate' this place in... minutes..." (Mi-chan)

"You? Minutes? Pfft. I can do it in one..."

 

Again, Mi-chan gave one look at me, in disgust.

 

"...I'm already being humble, by a factor of 6, really."

"Wh--" (Zombie Loli)

 

I opened my map function, for one look. About 2 square miles... Hm.

 

"Yeah. About 10 seconds--"

"--Th- that's unforgivable--! Don't slander-- don't underestimate m- my city!" (Zombie Loli)

"That's right. Don't overestimate yourself, fucking asshole--!" (Mi-chan)

 

This time around, it was my turn to give one look at him, in disgust.

 

"Switching sides?"

"Yeah." (Mi-chan)

"Sure..."

---

[Li-chan]:

---

...I sent a 'Dragon's Breath' to the left of the watchtower, and another little Glare Ray further to the left, to widen its total range. While the watchtower remained barely grazed, a third of the city was erased...

--

[[Annihilated: [9,879][Undead (Zombie) (Lv125-126)], [9,087][Undead (Skeleton) (Lv125-126)]. EXP Absorbed.]]

[[Ability:[Angelic] Leveled Up:[Lv7 -> Lv25]]]

[[Ability:[Prayer] Leveled Up:[Lv2 -> Lv9]]]

[[Title Obtained: [Undead Killer]]]

--

In that moment, Mi-chan...

---

Li-chan: [00:00:11]

Control: [--:--:--]

---

"--N- No--! Why did you--?!" (Zombie Loli)

Mi-chan--

--His body trembled.

"But still! I- I will fight... fight for my.....?" (Zombie Loli)

Well, I'll deal with Zombie Loli, while I watch Mi-chan.

"...Your city?"

"Any-- Anyway!! You're not getting away--" (Zombie Loli)

"--You told us to leave..."

"P- P- Prepare to be removed--" (Zombie Loli)

--

"--No." (Mi-chan)

--!?

 

"Huhu..." (Mi-chan)

 

He was doing that again.

Clenching his quavering arm...

 

"Huhuhuhu..." (Mi-chan)

 

...His left eye shone brightly.

But there's no way...

 

"...HAHAHAHA--!!" (Mi-chan)

"N- not that pose--!"

"Wh- What-- What's going on?!" (Zombie Loli)

"--Too late. My sealed arm... THIRSTS for DESTRUCTION--! Your ten seconds are nothing, Li-chan...!" (Mi-chan)

---

[Mi-chan]:

---

"Crimson Black Blaze..." (Mi-chan)

(2 seconds have passed...)

"N- No... I- Impossible!"

My heart was shaken. I certainly did not expect this turn of events...!

(3 seconds have passed...)

I felt it...

His next words--!

"...Kingdom o' Demise..." (Mi-chan)

(5 seconds have passed...)

...The winds shifted, pulling backwards.

The once rotten airs of the city turned opaque, and now carried the burning stench of overcooked food...!

(8 seconds have passed...)

"VOID... EXPLOSION...!!" (Mi-chan)

A- A betrayal?!

---

Mi-chan: [00:00:09]

Li-chan: [00:00:11]

---

F- Fuck...

...He's fast.

It couldn't be considered an explosion at all... But the destruction was instant! In a straight row, starting from Mi-chan's outstretched hand, a whole section of the city was simply removed--!

Within the second that it happened, three rectangular pulses were sent through that very section of the city... And suddenly--everything that came in contact with such pulses... everything was gone--!

"Huhuhu... How's that... Li-chan? I've won against you! You can see that..." (Mi-chan)

I looked, in shame, at the leaderboard panel.

"...I have bested your score--!" (Mi-chan)

"It's-- It's my loss..."

"--Why-- What have you-- you--!?" (Zombie Loli)

An look of disbelief was plastered onto Zombie Loli's face, as a depressive teardrop had shamefully leaked from my eyes. Falling to the broken brick ground, my legs doing the same. I kneeled, in shame. I cried, in shame.

 

Such a loss...

 

"...It's alright, bro." (Mi-chan)

"*sniffle*" (Me / sad ver.)

I blew my nose with 'Arch Evasion.' Constantly dodging my snot with my fingers allowed me to form a spiritual tissue paper...

"Like bro... We could do another round, another time..." (Mi-chan)

"...Yeah. You're right. Sorry, my guy... I shouldn't have overreacted like thi--"

"--You-- You--" (Zombie Loli)

 

"I will-- I will pay you back for this--" (Zombie Loli)

""--Sure~!"" (Me, Mi-chan)

Now I couldn't help but smile, experiencing this generosity. Pay us back? Indeed.

We gave her the most hospitable smile possible.

"Make sure to do so~✭!"

"Wh- Wh...! You--!" (Zombie Loli)

 

We gave her a cheer, as she ran away, towards the collapsed entrance. That entrance gateway; it was one of the only few attractions left available. Other than the watchtower, and the remaining half of the castle behind it, everything else had disappeared into either nothingness, or smoke...

 

"Mi-chan. I took a record of her declaration... If we ever need a fresh dollar. A kingdom like this... must have some good booty... *slurp*"

I then clicked my tongue, subtly making an overturned OK sign with my fingers.

 

"...Good work." (Mi-chan)

"That's right."

 

At last, we followed the remnant debris, towards the castle...

 

"W-- Wait! How do I even-- even..." (Zombie Loli)

...?

"Oho... Zombie Loli's back."

"--You need help?" (Mi-chan)

"N- No... I'm-- I'm..." (Zombie Loli)

"Forming an alliance?"

"No-- No--" (Zombie Loli)

"--?"

"--No doubt--! E- Exactly! We should put our... our..." (Zombie Loli)

"...Join forces. Hand-in-hand."

"Exactly--!" (Zombie Loli)

"We'll do it together."

"Yes--!" (Zombie Loli)

"To the castle...!" (Mi-chan)

"Whooo--!!"

"Y- Yes...! No--! I mean--" (Zombie Loli)

"...Let's go."

"B- But the ga--" (Zombie Loli)

"...Let's go." (Mi-chan)