1. In SLF,Copy !req
2. the keys to victory
lie in the story itself.Copy !req
3. I'd always assumed Wethermon
was some kind of cyborgCopy !req
4. who'd modified his body with
tech from the Age of Divinity.Copy !req
5. But then...Copy !req
6. he's not a cyborg!
Wethermon's undead!Copy !req
7. So I brought some holy water.Copy !req
8. Yo, our boy's screaming.Copy !req
9. He about to shockwave us?Copy !req
10. Nah, man.
This is a different animation.Copy !req
11. Bingo! I just cancelledCopy !req
12. his shockwave altogether!Copy !req
13. Aw, face full of
old lady sploosh.Copy !req
14. Not your thing, huh,
Samurai Jag-off?Copy !req
15. Oh, gross. Can you please not
make it weird for once?Copy !req
16. That "old lady" is like
a superstar in SLF!Copy !req
17. Uh, guys?Copy !req
18. You mind filling
me in on the wholeCopy !req
19. "Wethermon the Wet" thing?Copy !req
20. No, wait!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!Copy !req
21. Hey! Looks like Seabiscuit's
transforming over here!Copy !req
22. What the ever-loving
crap is that?Copy !req
23. You're the expert here.Copy !req
24. Whatever it is,
I bet we don't want itCopy !req
25. combining with
Wethermon either.Copy !req
26. I wonder if this form
is specific to phase three.Copy !req
27. Crap!
What the hell do we do now?Copy !req
28. Okay, a new form
calls for a new solution.Copy !req
29. Pencilgon. Go draw aggro
from Katzo, will ya?Copy !req
30. Check out his armor.Copy !req
31. You can see it crumbling
as the fight goes on.Copy !req
32. For phases one and two, we had
to hold out for ten minutes.Copy !req
33. Maybe for Phase three,
we have to stay aliveCopy !req
34. long enough to see
him completely fall apart.Copy !req
35. I'd say we confirmed
the "time passes" theory.Copy !req
36. Hard to argue
otherwise at this point.Copy !req
37. It wouldn't surprise me if this
phase was ten minutes, too.Copy !req
38. Okay.Copy !req
39. Ten minutes,
that's our final goal!Copy !req
40. I got this.Copy !req
41. Another ten minutes
shouldn't be a problem.Copy !req
42. All right, dude.Copy !req
43. Just, don't get too
reckless, yeah?Copy !req
44. You won't have any backup.Copy !req
45. One false move and it could
be a game over for all of us.Copy !req
46. He's all yours.
Make it count!Copy !req
47. Will do.Copy !req
48. Thing about all this is...Copy !req
49. ever since Pencilgon
laid out our grand strategyCopy !req
50. and it was just a
battle against the clock,Copy !req
51. I couldn't help thinking...Copy !req
52. where the hell
is the fun in that?Copy !req
53. So we have this epic fightCopy !req
54. with a unique world boss,Copy !req
55. and all we do is dodge
for 30 minutes?Copy !req
56. How's that go as the player?Copy !req
57. Let me spell it out for you.Copy !req
58. It's boring as shit!Copy !req
59. What? We're playing a game
that puts its story first?Copy !req
60. Story games are a dime a
dozen, and I've played dozens!Copy !req
61. Any time a dev tries to
balance the gameplayCopy !req
62. with the story and fails,Copy !req
63. they're routinely
dragged through the mudCopy !req
64. and given the trash stamp!Copy !req
65. Come on, Shangri-La Frontier.Copy !req
66. I thought you were
God-tier, after all!Copy !req
67. That's what I thoughtCopy !req
68. when I saw him react
to that holy water.Copy !req
69. I assumed he'd been weakened.Copy !req
70. Seems my
"Theory of Vulnerability"Copy !req
71. has been verified!Copy !req
72. Sometimes a game rewards youCopy !req
73. for putting up with its BS.Copy !req
74. In this case, endure
20 minutes of thankless combat,Copy !req
75. and you get...Copy !req
76. a chance to fight back!Copy !req
77. You act like you've never been
parried by a helmet before!Copy !req
78. Allow me to
introduce you to myCopy !req
79. newest
Quad Beetle battle-helm!Copy !req
80. Looks cool, too!Copy !req
81. I'd also like to requestCopy !req
82. that you don't fall
apart too soon.Copy !req
83. Because I want to
destroy you myself!Copy !req
84. Pretty awesome, right?Copy !req
85. Before the fight, I
practiced that parry a ton!Copy !req
86. "But, Rakuro, why parry
with a helmet," you ask?Copy !req
87. Well, if I do it with
my head exclusively...Copy !req
88. it leaves two hands free!Copy !req
89. Wind Slash!Copy !req
90. Oh, come on, man!Copy !req
91. Am I dealing any
damage to this guy?Copy !req
92. I land a damn critCopy !req
93. and it doesn't seem
to faze him at all!Copy !req
94. I may not be Uncle Moneybags
like Pencilgon over there,Copy !req
95. but I still dropped a
pretty penny, you hear me?Copy !req
96. That money-grubbing bunny.Copy !req
97. She got 80,000
from me for all this!Copy !req
98. Worth it to rub
your face in the dirt!Copy !req
99. Vorpal.Copy !req
100. Blade Tech: Moon's Reflection!Copy !req
101. You better watch
your back, old man!Copy !req
102. Your six is wide open now!Copy !req
103. Moon's reflection was a bluff.Copy !req
104. Hope you're ready
for the real attack!Copy !req
105. Assassin Pierce!Copy !req
106. What's wrong, dude?
You look tired.Copy !req
107. But we haven't even
finished the warm-up!Copy !req
108. Have a taste of Drill Piercer!Copy !req
109. If scars on the back
are a swordsman'sCopy !req
110. greatest shame,Copy !req
111. I hope you're a masochist.Copy !req
112. Uh...Copy !req
113. Of course, he's fighting.Copy !req
114. How'd I know he'd
end up in a brawl?Copy !req
115. He's cackling like a
crazy person over there!Copy !req
116. Dang, man, you okay?Copy !req
117. As long as we
hear him laughingCopy !req
118. like that,
we'll know he's fine.Copy !req
119. With Sunraku, the
crappier the hand he's dealt,Copy !req
120. the more motivated he gets,Copy !req
121. and the better
he is as a player.Copy !req
122. Him, though...Copy !req
123. if we can't stop this
dude in his tracks,Copy !req
124. well then, there's
no way Sunraku wins.Copy !req
125. I just tried punching it
a few times,Copy !req
126. and it looks like
the iron giant'sCopy !req
127. finally taken some damage!Copy !req
128. Still tough as hell, though.Copy !req
129. Mm.Copy !req
130. Kei, listen to me.Copy !req
131. I don't think we
should be riskingCopy !req
132. our lives to beat
this guy.Copy !req
133. If we're dead, we can't
keep Kirin's aggro on us.Copy !req
134. We need Sunraku alive,Copy !req
135. so we take down Wethermon
with a passing grade.Copy !req
136. A passing grade, sure.
But... come on!Copy !req
137. Whip Puppet: Snake! Let's go!Copy !req
138. If I'm gonna be graded,Copy !req
139. I'd rather leave with
a perfect score!Copy !req
140. Honestly, how am I
gonna pass with these two?Copy !req
141. Geez!Copy !req
142. Huh?Copy !req
143. Well, the joke's on me.Copy !req
144. I didn't leave a scratch.Copy !req
145. What are these?Copy !req
146. Evil Force! It increases
the user stats for 15 minutes!Copy !req
147. Hell, even someone
at your levelCopy !req
148. will get a huge buff!Copy !req
149. And when I say
huge buff, I'm not joking!Copy !req
150. As soon as you
take it, you'll be on parCopy !req
151. with someone level 99 or so!Copy !req
152. Are you kidding me? 99?Copy !req
153. Doesn't sound evil at all.Copy !req
154. We could've used
this earlier, you know?Copy !req
155. Why were you holding out?Copy !req
156. Because the side
effects are no joke!Copy !req
157. I've used it before,Copy !req
158. and if I'm being honest,
it freaking sucked!Copy !req
159. Side effects, huh?Copy !req
160. I'll admit,
this one-sided battleCopy !req
161. is starting to
royally piss me off!Copy !req
162. Hey, you said you
want a perfect score.Copy !req
163. That's not gonna happen unless
you're willing to take a risk!Copy !req
164. Yeah.Copy !req
165. Who cares, right?Copy !req
166. I can handle
a couple of side effects.Copy !req
167. I'm gonna turn
you to scrap!Copy !req
168. I'll do whatever it takes
to leave with that big A+.Copy !req
169. Wait, why is everything
suddenly in photo negative?Copy !req
170. And I feel like my
hearing's gone all fuzzy!Copy !req
171. I bet it's gonna screw with
your smell and taste, too!Copy !req
172. That's fine by me!Copy !req
173. I mean, it is making
me feel weird and all,Copy !req
174. but it's not nearly
as bad as I expected!Copy !req
175. Yeah, but that's
not the bad part!Copy !req
176. You see, every 30 seconds,Copy !req
177. your level is gonna
decrease by one!Copy !req
178. Huh?Copy !req
179. What?Copy !req
180. My level goes down?Copy !req
181. The buff duration
is 15 minutes, dude!Copy !req
182. Please don't tell me it stays
on after we're out of combat!Copy !req
183. Well, it does,
and speaking from experience,Copy !req
184. the sense of
loss was palpable.Copy !req
185. If I lose a level
every 30 seconds...Copy !req
186. I'll be down 30
levels in 15 minutes!Copy !req
187. So when the fight's over,Copy !req
188. I'll have to start all the
way back at level 20!Copy !req
189. You coulda said
something sooner, ya know?Copy !req
190. And there it is.Copy !req
191. You ate it before I
could tell you anything!Copy !req
192. Oh, I almost forgot.Copy !req
193. I better use my remaining scale
points to boost my own stats.Copy !req
194. Hey!Copy !req
195. For real.Copy !req
196. You shoved 'em in.Copy !req
197. I know it's only flavor text,Copy !req
198. but when I read what
those are made of,Copy !req
199. the thought of putting oneCopy !req
200. in my mouth makes me wanna...Copy !req
201. What the hell did
you let me eat?Copy !req
202. Now I'm super ultra pissed off!Copy !req
203. And you're gonna be my punching
bag, you big hunk of junk!Copy !req
204. Red! Plus black!Copy !req
205. Makes Crimson!Copy !req
206. Combo Spirit Fist:
Flame Crimson!Copy !req
207. I better use
every buff I've got!Copy !req
208. Katzo! Let's do this!Copy !req
209. Infight!Copy !req
210. Into...Copy !req
211. Dual Impact!Copy !req
212. My left hand burns
a cross into the target.Copy !req
213. When that sucker's
nice and hot,Copy !req
214. I pound it with
a mean right cross!Copy !req
215. Nice! You finally staggered it!Copy !req
216. Those poison
pills did the trick!Copy !req
217. I got a spear with
his name on it.Copy !req
218. All right, big boy!Copy !req
219. Time to shatter those knees!Copy !req
220. Spear of Sunlight!Copy !req
221. I dealt damage for sure, but...Copy !req
222. even with all these
buffs and boosted stats,Copy !req
223. I barely made a dent?Copy !req
224. Pencilgon!Copy !req
225. Not cool, dude!Copy !req
226. Next time your
stagger phase ends,Copy !req
227. a little heads up
would be awfully nice!Copy !req
228. Guess we're gonna need
a lot more than stat boostsCopy !req
229. and youthful enthusiasm to
make a breakthrough here!Copy !req
230. You notice how heavy the
armor is around his torso?Copy !req
231. I bet that's where all the
important bits are stored!Copy !req
232. But here's the thing!Copy !req
233. How the hell are we
supposed to break intoCopy !req
234. the world's largest
chastity belt?Copy !req
235. Hmph.Copy !req
236. Okay!Copy !req
237. I'm starting to get the
hang of this combo!Copy !req
238. Head-parry, slash, repeat!Copy !req
239. Aw, what's the matter, bro?Copy !req
240. Are you just butthurt
that your Robo-SamuraiCopy !req
241. technique is too
predictable for me?Copy !req
242. Man, this feels good!Copy !req
243. I knew these Moonblades
would gel with my skills!Copy !req
244. I've got one that I
can only activateCopy !req
245. when my HP falls
below one-third!Copy !req
246. Climax Boost!Copy !req
247. For five precious minutes,Copy !req
248. my stats get a boost that's
proportionate to our level gap!Copy !req
249. Really helps even the odds when
fighting a more powerful enemy!Copy !req
250. But with HP as low as mine,Copy !req
251. there's no way to
use Wethermon's attacksCopy !req
252. to whittle it below one-third!Copy !req
253. He hits way too freakin' hard!Copy !req
254. However, thanks to
my Moonblade's abilityCopy !req
255. to make my HP rise and fall,
I can do it!Copy !req
256. But wait, there's more!Copy !req
257. Hunger Wolf!Copy !req
258. It only lasts for a minute,Copy !req
259. but in exchange
for draining my stamina,Copy !req
260. dexterity, and tech stats,Copy !req
261. it amps up my strength,
agility, and vitality!Copy !req
262. Thunderclap!Copy !req
263. It all scales to how littleCopy !req
264. HP I have and
my "hunger" level.Copy !req
265. Nimbus Fist!Copy !req
266. You know, like a wolf.Copy !req
267. Most games aren't
life-like enoughCopy !req
268. to have a hunger meter,
but SLF does.Copy !req
269. It fills up when you eat,Copy !req
270. and if you go
hungry for too long,Copy !req
271. it impacts your
stamina recovery rate.Copy !req
272. Of course,
I accounted for that!Copy !req
273. I'm at just the right
level of hunger!Copy !req
274. If I can balance these skillsCopy !req
275. with finesse, I might
actually win this thing!Copy !req
276. Sword on hip.
Another Wind Slash?Copy !req
277. Let's see how you
like it when I useCopy !req
278. my head to block it
with Parry Protect!Copy !req
279. And now...Copy !req
280. Parry Protect!Copy !req
281. Hello?Copy !req
282. The hell? Where's
your Slash, my guy?Copy !req
283. A...Copy !req
284. Alice.Copy !req
285. He's an awkward soul.Copy !req
286. Everything's
just a little bit off.Copy !req
287. He's a living corpse
unable to even putCopy !req
288. himself to rest.Copy !req
289. The poor pitiful wretch.Copy !req
290. Before you go, I'd like
to entrust you with somethingCopy !req
291. special to aid in your
fight against Wethermon.Copy !req
292. Alice...Copy !req
293. Alice, who?Copy !req
294. Alice.Copy !req
295. ID key fragment.Copy !req
296. Her tale...Copy !req
297. is it still...Copy !req
298. known?Copy !req
299. Oh, man!Copy !req
300. This isn't spellcasting!Copy !req
301. For a long time...Copy !req
302. in eternity...Copy !req
303. He's talking?Copy !req
304. I have lain here,
withering away...Copy !req
305. - my curse...
- I was convincedCopy !req
306. he was a corpse
animated by the machinery.Copy !req
307. I'm starting to think I
might have been wrong.Copy !req
308. Is it true?Copy !req
309. The Frontier.Copy !req
310. They made it...Copy !req
311. they forged it...Copy !req
312. We've got a "They."
We've got a "Frontier."Copy !req
313. Are they seriously using this
moment to flesh out the story?Copy !req
314. Child of the Second Plan.Copy !req
315. Let us fight, here and now!Copy !req
316. Every neuron in my body
is firing on all cylindersCopy !req
317. to beat you, so don't make
me think about anything else!Copy !req
318. If it is your intentionCopy !req
319. to interfere with my vow,
then trample it.Copy !req
320. Then you shall be crushedCopy !req
321. by my Clear Sky Conquest!Copy !req
322. We're finally
getting serious, huh?Copy !req
323. What are you waiting for?
Come at me, bro!Copy !req
324. Wind Slash!Copy !req
325. And here I thought
you'd spice things up.Copy !req
326. But a Wind Slash?
Really?Copy !req
327. Thunderclap!Copy !req
328. Whoa! Easy, fella!Copy !req
329. You've been here forever!
What's the big rush?Copy !req
330. Nimbus Fist!Copy !req
331. Come on!Copy !req
332. You're already hurling fistsCopy !req
333. when your lightning
hasn't even stopped yet!Copy !req
334. He's chaining
attacks are so fast!Copy !req
335. There's basically
no time in between!Copy !req
336. Tidal Rush!Copy !req
337. Wow, I thought that attack
was a no-sword special!Copy !req
338. Wind Slash!Copy !req
339. At my head?Copy !req
340. - Wind Slash!
- Torso?Copy !req
341. - Wind Slash!
- And legs?Copy !req
342. Okay, I get it now.Copy !req
343. With no recast times,Copy !req
344. you can spam the same skillsCopy !req
345. as you want, huh?Copy !req
346. I can't believe this crap!Copy !req
347. The devs really expect meCopy !req
348. to anticipate his every move?Copy !req
349. Seems pretty unbalanced to me.Copy !req
350. What the hell is that?Copy !req
351. Pyroclastic Wyrm.Copy !req
352. A new move in the third phase?Copy !req
353. Come on!Copy !req
354. Huh?Copy !req
355. Black clouds?
For real?Copy !req
356. Ash Blizzard!Copy !req
357. A combo attack? Why not!Copy !req
358. Nice try, Samurai!Copy !req
359. If you don't hit me
on the first shot,Copy !req
360. you got no chance, you hear me?Copy !req
361. My skills and stamina
are pretty much tapped out.Copy !req
362. If this barrage doesn't
end soon, I am toast!Copy !req
363. Bring it on, man!Copy !req
364. And good luck trying to
take me down when I've gotCopy !req
365. the power of vorpal soul
and stubbornness on my side!Copy !req
366. Plus, I've got a few ideas—Copy !req
367. Clear Sky Conquest!Copy !req
368. Through rebirthCopy !req
369. andCopy !req
370. - a parting gift,
- He's fast.Copy !req
371. I'm moving at top speed here!Copy !req
372. I bring finality!Copy !req
373. My legs!
What the hell?Copy !req
374. With the transformation of...Copy !req
375. This isn't like
his other moves!Copy !req
376. I deal the ultimate...Copy !req
377. I'll face it head-on!Copy !req
378. I didn't come all this way
to lose lying down!Copy !req
379. I gotta try and parry!Copy !req
380. It's now or never!Copy !req
381. Behold!Copy !req
382. The destroyer of dragons!Copy !req
383. Sky Clear!Copy !req
384. What the heck was that?Copy !req
385. I think I heard him shout
"Sky Clear" or something.Copy !req
386. Or whatever it's called...Copy !req
387. it was freakin' dirty!Copy !req
388. - Will it reach?
- Not yet.Copy !req
389. But you know...Copy !req
390. I made it before.Copy !req
391. Good luck trying to take me
down, you miserable old hack!Copy !req
392. SLF Theater!Copy !req
393. Mini!Copy !req
394. The day starts earlyCopy !req
395. for a girl in love.Copy !req
396. Who? Me? I, uh...Copy !req
397. Well, I thought it might be
nice if we, you know,Copy !req
398. walked to school together,Copy !req
399. or something like that is all.Copy !req
400. Even on an
ordinary, sun-soaked morning,Copy !req
401. things that seem
trivial to mostCopy !req
402. could change the way a girl
sees the world around her,Copy !req
403. especially Miss Saiga here,Copy !req
404. deep in the throes of love.Copy !req
405. And it's just like...Copy !req
406. I know the route he
walks to school, and, uh,Copy !req
407. I like it too.Copy !req
408. No big deal, really.Copy !req
409. It was a total coincidence!Copy !req
410. The, uh, the planets
just so happened to alignCopy !req
411. on one miraculous day,Copy !req
412. and then on that day,Copy !req
413. I just so happened
to see Hizutome.Copy !req
414. Then by happenstance,
I saw him again,Copy !req
415. and coincidentally
a few more times,Copy !req
416. and then enough
times after that,Copy !req
417. I ended up seeing him
over and over again,Copy !req
418. which was whatever, so...Copy !req
419. From there, it was
only two more times.Copy !req
420. I mean, it really
was a coincidenceCopy !req
421. that I happened to realize
that he came this way a lot,Copy !req
422. and it, like,
wasn't on purpose at all,Copy !req
423. but yeah, I was a
little curious, obviously.Copy !req
424. Well, I guess curious makes
me seem eager, so, uh...Copy !req
425. Forget I said that,Copy !req
426. but with all the information
I had, I kinda put it together.Copy !req
427. Honestly, it really wasn't
on purpose, seriously.Copy !req