Redefining the META at VRMMO Academy 4
“Bop 'em good, cheep cheep!" His little brothers were getting hyped, too!
Kokoru shot a nod at us with a cool look on his face.
Ooh, nice. Not an ounce of fear! That fight with Peater gave him the confidence he needed!
It would be no exaggeration to say that Kokoru had awoken.
Now win! Win, and let me say the thing! The legendary line I’ve been waiting to say all this time! I’m just about dying to say it, man!
“Mwahahaha!”
“Whoa! Ahahaha... You really want Kokoru to win right away, huh?”
“Oh? How’d you know?!”
“How would I not know? That laugh was so sus, and ‘I raised that boy’ is written all over your face. You’re practically drooling!”
“Hmm, was I that obvious?”
“Yep. You know why I can tell? ’Cause I wanna say it, too!” Akira’s eyes sparkled in anticipation.
Hah! So we’re in full agreement!
“I’m really happy that Kokoru’s so strong now. I was pretty worried when we first met him.”
Back then, Kokoru had been getting bullied by the other Birdmen, and Akira had been absolutely livid about it. But now, that would never happen again. Kokoru had grown up big and strong.
“Master? Cheep, can he win?!"
I was now in the position of master among these little cheepers. If I could raise those boys one day, too, then I would gladly accept the position!
“Yeah, he can! Kokoru’s still got an ace up his sleeve.”
“Yep. He can totally do this, so don’t worry, little guys.” Akira happily petted the chicks.
They really were so cute that you just had to touch them.
“She’s right. Have faith in your big brother.”
“He really does have quite the trump card.”
“This is gonna be a piece of cake for him. Just watch.”
Akabane, Maeda, and Yano jumped into the conversation, also petting the chicks. Everyone wanted to touch ’em.
Baby chickens had incredible magic. Even I was spellbound with the desire to stroke these adorable creatures. The girls never had a chance against them.
Draco was still number one in my heart, though, so he kept his position in my arms!
By the way, as for the battle itself, we had decided on a full-on brawl between the heroes in order to get a result clear to everyone outside the ring.
The PvP-loving Yukino had wanted the guilds to be able to get in on the action, but I’d proposed an NPC-only battle royale, as I figured it would be the most likely win for us.
Alfred’s tiny little guildmaster, Aiko Hijirisawa, had been fine with either one. Meanwhile, Homura had agreed with me.
Thus, Ms. Nakada had put two “NPCs only” and one “include players” ballots into a randomizer. As a result, the majority won, and it had been declared an NPC-only battle. This way, there was the least amount of uncertainty; the more people involved, the more unknown elements and unpleasant surprises.
In an NPC-only battle, Kokoru could summon the Deadly King and win! One smack from the King, and bam! Battle over and we all go home.
“Now, let the finals begin! Ready... Gooooo!” Ms. Nakada’s voice echoed high.
With the signal given for the final battle, the four contestants took their fighting stances.
Were they sizing each other up? Not quite; our boy made the first move.
“Bawk!”
He immediately revealed and used an item!
Kokoru used Tizona’s Remedy.
Kokoru gained 100 AP!
Mmm, some good ol’ doping!
Tizona’s Remedy (OEX)
Type: Consumable Item
Grants the user 100 Art Points.
[Same effect as the skill War Cry]
Kokoru needed AP to summon his allied monsters, but his attacks couldn’t hit enemies, so his only way of building up AP was to be a punching bag.
However, Kokoru’s HP was very low. One wrong move, and he could go down before he even charged his AP. I’d entrusted him with this item to use it at the very start of the match.
However, the item was designated OEX; the O meant that you could only hold one at a time, while the EX meant you couldn’t give it to others.
In other words, he had had to kill the monster that dropped it himself. Thus, after the Golden Bunny info leak, we had gone to the now-emptied farming spot to grab it.
He couldn’t charge his own AP in today’s tournament, so we’d had to preserve this until now.
“Come to me, Infernal Armor! Baaawk!” Kokoru summoned his monster.
The orange Infernal Armor appeared, but this wasn’t the same one that had dragged Peater to his ring-out death.
Kokoru had six monsters recruited with Golden Sweets, but three of them were Infernal Armors. We had put so many on his roster because they had great synergy with him.
Besides these three, there were the Frost Eagle, the Deadly King, and a Cleric Bunny—a monster we had hired just in case we needed help with healing.
Probably because he’d been battered by those Golden Bunnies so much, Kokoru had a hefty dislike for rabbits by now. In his own words, “Just looking at the Cleric Bunny makes my body hurt, bawk.”
“Armor Possession, bawk!”
Clink, cling, clang!
This could be straight outta that one anime about saints! Let’s ignore the fact that the armor’s bright orange and sticking to a little chicken.
“Come at me!”
Kokoru made his way to the middle of the ring. I knew what he was after: gathering everyone in one place.
Keep it up, Kokoru!
Upon seeing his boldness, Alfred’s expression hardened. “You’ve really grown. I can tell you’re nothing like you were before. But you’re not the only one!” He then unsheathed his swords.
Ooh, when did this guy learn dual-wielding?!
“Haaah!”
Alfred's swords were enveloped in a white glow.
Hey, is that light magic?
It seemed very on-brand for the NPC who’d grown the most. He may have been weak at first, but he had merely bloomed later than the rest. Alfred was very much like a hero—or maybe even a protagonist.
Kokoru, don't lose to a “good” character like him!
“So this is the real Kokoru, eh? I don't have any problems with you, but your guild master gets my blood boiling! You go down first!” Mikott shouted.
Fair. I did steal five points from her when she wasn't looking. She probably hates me for that. Sorry, Kokoru! Do your best!
“Erm... I suppose I shall join in, too.” Bruno also readied his weapon. He was seriously just a generic-looking old guy.
Both ends of the staff he wielded were tipped with steel balls covered in spikes.
Though we had an alliance with Homura’s guild, the final battle was just a beatdown between NPCs, so they were free to fight as they pleased.
Alfred, Mikott, and Bruno all moved to attack Kokoru. As they closed the gap, a three-on-one battle began.
Alfred attacked.
Dealt 66 damage to Infernal Armor!
Mikott attacked.
Dealt 97 damage to Infernal Armor!
Bruno attacked.
Dealt 21 damage to Infernal Armor!
Infernal Armor attacked.
Dealt 71 damage to Alfred!
The logs showed that the Infernal Armor was clearly being pushed back, even if Bruno’s damage was lagging behind. He wasn’t that much of an attention-grabbing NPC, anyway.
Level-wise, Kokoru was 100, Mikott was 78, Alfred 75, and Bruno 73, so the enemy NPCs weren’t that far apart. Just a difference in talent, I guess. Mikott and Alfred were the elite, after all.
Meanwhile, Kokoru had overcome the wall of talent by redefining it!
The fact that Bruno had made it far was thanks to the fact that Homura’s gang of wizards was perfectly geared toward airship battles. Of course, Grand Museum had also received our help.
Infernal Armor attacked.
Dealt 187 damage to Bruno!
“Gah! He really packs a wallop!”
Bruno was the only one who looked like he might fall before Kokoru. If anything, I hoped he would outlast the other two so the final battle could be Kokoru versus Bruno.
Hang in there, gramps!
“I will best you, Kokoru! Ultimate move: Stardust Slash!”
“Me, too! Ultimate move: Grand Breaker!”
The two elites’ ultimates were a direct hit on Fullmetal Kokoru. As a result, the Infernal Armor died and disappeared into thin air. Kokoru emerged naked from within.
“Now!”
Alfred and Mikott leapt in to attack Kokoru himself. Bruno was nearby, as well.
This was the ideal positioning! His AP was in good shape, too.
“Deadly King, heed my call! Bawk!”
“WHOOOOO DAAARES...”
A loud, infernal groan boomed throughout the stadium.
Out comes the ace! The Deadly King we labored so much to obtain!
He was just as cool as ever with his firm build, shining armor, and crimson-red eyes!
Alfred and the others were appalled, but it was too late to run now!
“Bagawk! Attack them!”
Receiving Kokoru’s order, the Deadly King stabbed his sword into the ground.
“GAZE UPON ME! CRIMSON CALAMITY!”
Fwooooom!
With the sword at the center, ferocious flames billowed forth. They spread outward, engulfing the three enemies. Having been countered like this when they tried to attack, they had no time to react.
Deadly King activated Crimson Calamity.
Dealt 2,525 damage to Alfred!
Deadly King has defeated Alfred.
Dealt 2,525 damage to Mikott!
Deadly King has defeated Mikott.
Dealt 2,525 damage to Bruno!
Deadly King has defeated Bruno.
Aww yeah! Everything went perfectly!
“What’s this?! We’re seeing quite the upset! Kokoru of Hell’s Crafters summoned a Deadly King to the arena and conquered the competition!”
Ahahahaha! Did you see that, everybody?! This is exactly why we kept his trump card a secret!
“Heck yeah! Just as planned!”
“We did it, Ren!”
Akira and I shared a high-five.
“Well, that’s a wrap, folks! You saw it happen! With Kokoru Sanders as the last man standing, Hell’s Crafters is the winner!”
“Kokoru, that was awesome! Cheep, cheep, hooray!”
The cheepers were in a frenzy of excitement.
“See that? Your big bro’s crazy strong!”
“He is, cheep! You’re the best, Master!”
Darn right I am!
“Now, Ren Takashiro, guild master of the victorious Hell’s Crafters... Would you like to share your comments with us?"
A winged microphone fluttered its way over to me.
My comments? Hah! There’s only one thing I can say now!
“I RAISED THAT BOOOY!”
"And there you have it. Thank you for sharing!"
After receiving my commentary, the winged microphone flew back into the announcers’ booth in the middle of the stands.
Then, it stopped in midair.
A light-purple barrier had suddenly materialized, blocking its path.
“Huh?”
“Ren, look!” Akira pointed upward.
Suddenly, the purple barrier became a dome that encircled the arena.
Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but that color has to belong to an enemy! I feel it!
As it turned out, my assumption was correct.
“Mmheehee... Mwahaha!”
Alfred and Mikott were still fallen from the damage of Crimson Calamity, but Bruno slowly stood back up. Looking as though nothing happened, he let out a suspicious laugh.
Then, his appearance changed.
Bruno revealed himself to be a tidy, blue-haired young man with a fastidious air about him.
Level 80 Froi Jasin
Crown Icon (rare monster)
“Aaah! Froi?!”
Froi was an executive from the Holy Kingdom of Karanaught, a land at war with Mishuria, where Kokoru and the other NPCs were from.
He had appeared in Telluna during the outbreak of Prison Turtles before. But now, he had infiltrated the ranks of the hero NPCs!
Froi glared at us from inside the ring. “Been a while, eh? You might’ve gotten in my way before, but this time, I’m getting rid of these damned heroes before they can interfere with Karanaught.”
He strode toward Alfred, who struggled to pick himself up.
“I won’t let you hurt them, bawk! Deadly King!” Kokoru attempted to sic the Deadly King on him, but nobody was there to answer his call. “Bagawk?! Where’d he go?”
Argh, Deadly King! You went home because you thought the fight was over?! I can’t believe this happened at such a crucial moment!
While he had come through for us with Crimson Calamity, his wages were way too high for the work he was willing to do.
“Hmph!” Froi turned and seized Kokoru by the scruff of his neck. “How about I end you all forever? I’ll get all the top three at once!” His face twisted in an evil grin.
“Ren, we’ve gotta help him!”
“On it!”
Akira and I weren’t the only ones, either.
“Heheh, count me in, too! My dumb little sister might’ve made this mess, but I’ll be there to clean it up. I’m never gonna let her hear the end of this one!”
“Nobody asked for your help! You’re the one who put that Prison Turtle egg in our Grand Museum, aren’t you? Do you even know how long it took us to rearrange the exhibits after that? And how dare you trick us?! I’m gonna knock you into next week!”
Yukino and Homura were here with us.
Two level 200 upperclassmen to the rescue! Froi might be a rare monster, but he’s only level 80. He doesn’t stand a chance.
We even had Alfred’s guild master, Hijirisawa, on our side!
“Ugh, what do I do? Alfred might be in real danger, but as the Baddest of the Bad, I’m dying to be the bad guy here!”
Oh, uh, do we have her? I’m not even sure anymore.
Worst-case scenario, either Yukino or Homura could detain Hijirisawa while the other sibling defeated Froi. Akira and I might not even have to lift a finger.
However, Froi’s composed grin did not falter.
“Mwahahaha! Not happening!”
Accompanying Froi's voice, the venue surrounded by the dome was filled with a purple haze.
Froi activated Hadean Mist.
Ren’s level was limited to 80!
Akira’s level was limited to 80!
Kotomi’s level was limited to 80!
Yuuna’s level was limited to 80!
Nozomi’s level was limited to 80!
Yukino’s level was limited to 80!
Homura’s level was limited to 80!
Aiko’s level was limited to 80!
“Gah! He can restrict our levels?!”
None of our guildies were over level 80 in the first place, but for Yukino and the other guilds, this was a major downgrade.
“I’ll personally send these so-called heroes to the underworld! They’ll never see the light of day again!”
A magic circle with an ominous design appeared at Froi’s feet.
“Cocytus Fall! Any heroes who fall into the underworld can never return! What a shame, after you wasted your time raising them!”
Froi’s Cocytus Fall will activate in 180 seconds!
Oh god, it even has a countdown! Are they seriously gone forever after three minutes?!
“Oh, nooo! This is terrible! Even I didn’t know about this event! What will happen to our heroes?! The barrier prevents me from helping in any way! All we can do is hope that the four top guilds sealed inside can save the day!”
Is this, like, a secret event? I guess this only happened because Froi-Bruno made it to the finals.
That meant we had helped him unknowingly. Regardless, he had to be stopped, or this would end in disaster!
Leaving all the other details aside, Kokoru was our friend!
“Three minutes! We’ve gotta get in there and fight!”
Level 80 or not, Yukino was still Yukino. She boldly leapt into battle first.
“Oh, I don’t think so. Did you forget about me?”
Hijirisawa blocked Yukino’s path and swung her huge scythe down!
“Argh, seriously?!”
“A PvP battle with the lives of your precious heroes at stake. Delicious, isn’t it? Do you feel it stoking the flames of PvP love within you?”
“Quit being an idiot! There’s a time and a place, Aiko!”
“Bwahaha. Taste my vengeance! Oh, and I apologize in advance!”
“Alfred’s up there, too! Are you really okay with him disappearing?!”
“Even I am not that much of a monster.” Hijirisawa glanced at Alfred.
“Aiko, help!”
“You there, Froi. Sorry to bother you while you’re mid-cast, but might you let Alfred free? If you do, I’ll cooperate with your evil machinations.”
“What? Shut the hell up, you little brat! I don't need your help. Run home and suckle on your mommy!”
To be fair, Hijirisawa looked like a little girl. On the worst of days, she looked like an elementary schooler. It seemed like Froi’s words ticked her right off.
“Grr! I’ll have you know that I’m eighteen years old! Fine, then! Yukino, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. For now, we cooperate! But only because we have to, got it? Let’s get ’em!”
I didn’t see the point of all these theatrics, especially seeing as relief was written all over her face.
“Ugh, you’re way too much. If you wanna help, just say so from the start!”
“Huh?! Erm, no, of course I don’t! I told you, I'm just doing this because the enemy of my enemy is my friend!”
Guess she was trying to find a way to play co-op while also roleplaying the bad guy?
Seeing as Froi was so intent on getting rid of Kokoru and the rest, it wasn’t like he would’ve agreed. She probably knew he would refuse and just pretended to try to negotiate with him. Even Hijirisawa had to feel for Alfred in some way.
Now, it was great that she would help out, but an entire minute had been wasted on this exchange!
Froi’s Cocytus Fall will activate in 120 seconds!
Two minutes left!
“I’ll have this wrapped up in no time. Volcanic Flames!”
Homura’s flame magic rained down on Froi!
“Hmph. Arise, accursed frozen ents!”
Chakatachakata!
Frozen trees started to rise from the ground all over, each coated in shimmering ice! Faces formed on their trunks, and they moved with their branches as arms and roots as legs. They fit pretty well into the Treant archetype.
Level 68 Cocytus Treant
Crown Icon (Rare monster)
There were a lot of them! Ten, at the very least.
Chakatachakata!
Homura activated Volcanic Flames.
The Cocytus Treant protected Froi.
Dealt 122 damage to Cocytus Treant!
As the log said, the Cocytus Treant had protected Froi from the attack and took it in his place. About half of them encircled Froi to protect him, entangling their branches to create a defensive wall.
“He’s just trying to buy time!”
"We'd better hurry!"
Chakatachakata!
The other half, meanwhile, came to attack!
“Everyone, gather together! I’m going to buff us!” Homura called out, and we immediately ran over to her. “This one's expensive, so you'd better thank me later!”
She revealed a lamp-like item and held it aloft. Red particles flowed from within and washed over us.
Homura used God of War’s Incense!
Ren’s attack and magic increased!
Akira’s attack and magic increased!
Kotomi’s attack and magic increased!
Yuuna’s attack and magic increased!
Nozomi’s attack and magic increased!
Yukino’s attack and magic increased!
Homura’s attack and magic increased!
Aiko’s attack and magic increased!
Ooh, an attack buff. Now’s the time to strike!
“Thanks, Homura!”
“Pfft, don’t thank her. It’s her fault!”
“Wha?! Thank me, darn it! You meatheads couldn’t dream of having items this helpful!”
“Hah. I’ll break their wall! Ren, you think of a way to deal with the ones coming over here!” Yukino said, charging toward the impenetrable wall.
“Oh, I can take care of that!” Yano interjected. “Spitfire, can you use some AoE magic to hit the ones comin’ at us? After that, I’ll take all the aggro!”
Homura uses AoE magic, then Yano uses Guilty Steal to take all the aggro. I get it.
“Draco, stick close to Yano!”
“Chirp! Yes, sir!”
Might as well throw in my Enervating Circle to help her run a marathon!
This would drag the enemies away.
“Allow me to add my support!” Akabane shouted.
“Count me in as well!” Maeda added.
I turned to Akira and Hijirisawa. “You two, come with me! We’ll help Yukino deal with that wall!”
“Gotcha!”
“Very well. For once, I’ll play along with you.”
“Let’s get started!” Homura said as she battered the enemy with her wide-range magic.
Chakatachakata! Chakata!
The Cocytus Treants in the blast all turned their attention to her!
“Guilty Steal!”
Then, Yano dragged all aggro away from Homura! Now she had the whole group’s attention.
“Enervating Circle!”
Likewise, I wasted no time in targeting Draco with a movement-slowing field. I made the radius rather large, partly to help prep for my ultimate.
Yano readied her shield and spoke with confidence. “Cool! Leave it to me now!”
She had picked a tank job when she started off, so I imagine she delighted in these kinds of situations.
“You got it,” I said. “C’mon, girls!”
We needed to give Yukino a hand.
“Hey, Hijirisawa? Mind if I turn into you?” Akira asked her.
As of right now, she was still in her school uniform. Even in a tense situation like this, she couldn’t be seen.
“What? Uh, sure?”
“Thanks! I’ll go right ahead.”
She gave Hijirisawa a little smack with the Mimic Fan and immediately activated Mimic.
With a pop and a puff of smoke, there were two Hijirisawas.
Akira gasped in surprise. “Whoa! You’re so light, haha! It’s so easy to move like this.”
“You’re insulting my bosoms, aren’t you?! Are you that proud of your size?!”
“Oh, um, sorry. This is just so easy that I—”
“No time for that! We’re down to ninety seconds!” I interjected.
Yukino was already at the wall of trees. With her combined dual-wielding and kicking attacks, she attacked the wall relentlessly.
Yukino attacked.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 40 damage.
Yukino attacked.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 52 damage.
Yukino attacked.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 44 damage.
Man, these things are annoying!
They didn’t even care about dealing damage; they just guarded. They weren’t even moving out of their guard stances! Even with Homura’s buff, it was too much.
I’d better start attacking, too, so I can grab some AP!
Four of us were attacking through one tree’s guard, but its HP bar didn’t even fall 30%.
This is really bad!
Froi’s Cocytus Fall will activate in 60 seconds!
At this rate, we weren’t even gonna make it through the wall.
“All right, fine. Infinite Reversal!”
Yukino activated Infinite Reversal.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 77 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 73 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 75 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 72 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 77 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 74 damage.
Cocytus Treant guarded the attack, taking 76 damage.
We were grinding it down faster now, but the knockback wasn’t working at all. It remained rooted to the spot.
Even strong knockback doesn’t work on them?!
As if things couldn’t get any worse...
Chakatachakata!
Cocytus Treant began glowing!
Cocytus Treant activated Sunbathe.
Cocytus Treant recovered 1,348 HP!
The one we were attacking replenished all its AP!
“What?! Recovery, seriously?!”
Though it wasn’t coming back at us, the tree was gaining AP steadily from our attacks. It then used that AP to heal, which meant that no matter how much we whaled on it, we would never kill it!
At this rate, the tree could use the AP gained from our attacks to maintain maximum HP by using its recovery skill. We had to grind it down while reducing our number of attacks, to keep it from gaining AP!
Chakatachakata!
Then, more Treants started moving! The ones on either side of the fully recovered Treant glared at us, their eyes glowing like spotlights.
Cocytus Treant activated Sapping Light.
The special effects on Ren faded!
The special effects on Yukino faded!
Yukino groaned. “They can remove buffs, too?!”
“Looks like it!”
We squinted at the bright light as the Treant on the left zapped us. The one on the right activated the same skill, targeting Akira and Hijirisawa.
At the very least, I was grateful we’d been hit with it first so I could warn her. “Akira, change your gear! They’re gonna see you!”
“Equipment Set C!” she shouted.
The light hit her not a second later.
Cocytus Treant activated Sapping Light.
The special effects on Akira faded!
The special effects on Aiko faded!
Bathed in the light, Akira returned to normal. She had made it in time, however, so she was wearing her uniform.
Phew! That was close!
“Thanks, Ren!”
“No prob!”
I looked back at the trees, wondering if they had intentionally activated once the one between them had healed. But then, the eyes of the Treants even farther away from the center lit up in the same way.
Whoa. Do they all just do it in a row?!
At this rate, even if Akira transformed again, she’d lose the transformation in seconds!
Froi’s Cocytus Fall will activate in 30 seconds!
Gah! Not good, not good!
With our attack buffs dispelled, they were getting even harder to take down! As long as they guarded, even my ultimate wouldn’t do much.
What to do, what to do?!
No matter how much I thought, only one answer came to mind.
“Hey, Ren! Akira! I’m just gonna say it now, bawk! I’m glad you two chose me, baaawk! Thank you, and farewell!” Kokoru called to us, trapped and immobilized by the magic circle.
“Kokoru!” we shouted back, nearing tears.
Mikott likewise shouted to her guild master, “I had lots of fun! Thanks for everything, Yukino!”
“No way! You can’t give up yet!” Yukino yelled back.
Alfred piped up, “Erm, me too! Aiko, you made me do some rather strange things, but I appreciate your taking care of me! I’m eternally grateful!”
“Alfred, I... Argh, bad guys don’t need thanks!”
I can’t let this be our last goodbye!
Truthfully, I hated depressing endings like this. I just had to do something about it. In that case, we had to use our secret weapon!
“Akira, I know how risky it is, but we have no other choice”
“Yeah, I getcha. We can’t sit back and let this happen!” As the Sapping Light flowed over her, Akira shouted, “Equipment Set B!”
Then, she emerged wearing Angelic Charm.
Normally, I would have been all for this, but it was bad news for us that her family’s representative was watching.
Still, this was all we could do!
Honestly, its defensive capabilities were kinda lame compared to other equipment available to us at this level, but Angelic Charm had a special effect that more than made up for it: guard nullification! Their ridiculous guard was ineffective against Akira when she wore Angelic Charm.