Chapter 288: Glitched characters
*BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM*
The inside of the cube made out of the system's invisible walls turned blinding white as the unrelenting onslaught of superpowered attacks unleashed upon it.
At first, there was no effect.
Then, as the chain of strikes continued, everyone present in the castle felt the vibration rising up as if it was fine-tuning into the violent chaotic melody of each hit.
"Young lady Cranberry's second sin would be..."
Even with all the deafening noise coming from the shining cube, the fallen half-elf, Mason, was going on with the persecutor's speech.
Was.
"GHUH...!"
"Radiance?!"
Because just as he was going to calmly list another fault of the red-haired villainess, the white-haired child, Radiance, trembled and coughed up a mouthful of blood which caused the ashen-haired Mika to gasp in panic and protectively hug her from behind.
"...Caramel, what is going on...?"
Mason frowned and glanced at the light brown-haired young woman - who already was staring at the cube in disbelief.
"I... I don't understand...! She's not supposed to be anywhere near this strong! Is this a glitch that I haven't heard about?!"
Caramel gasped, taking a step back in panic, staring at the shining cube that was slowly but surely losing its original shape...!
The violent thrashing of the villainess was bending the system's invisible walls out of shape!"
*...*
Suddenly the hits had stopped and as the light faded, revealing the bloodsoaked red-haired villainess smiling wildly, staring right at the trembling white-haired child controlling the system walls.
"Fascinating...! And here I was afraid that you all had the actual system on your side, but you are clearly just using some measly proxy that has the finite amount of stamina, isn't that adorable...? Thinking that you can get me with something like that? ME?! CRANBERRY PRIDE?!"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
"GHUGHHGUGH...!"
She roared, rising up her hand before bashing the invisible wall in front of her so hard that the Radiance bent in half and vomited a fountain of blood - able to remain on her feet only because Mika was holding her tightly from behind.
"BITCH! How is your body able to withstand such power?!"
Caramel shouted, baring her teeth in an outburst of aggression.
"Haa? Is little miss reincarnation not know something about the game?"
Cranberry shook off the blood from her hand and wiped off even more blood from her forehead.
Even with all that bleeding, she seemed perfectly fine, ecstatic even.
It all would remain a mystery if not for a thin trail of red and black smoke connecting her nape and the mouth of the blue undead kneeling at her side with closed eyes absolutely concentrated on maintaining whatever skills he was using.
"...! THAT'S NOT HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO USE SKILL COMBINATION!"
A vein had popped up at Caramel's neck ash she shouted her lungs off once she realized the secret behind the impossible stamina of the red-haired villainess.
"Ha! You see, the girl you sent system knows where used a future sight skill and her second vision warned us about what would happen. With that, there's no way I would have come unprepared!"
Cranberry laughed mockingly, looking down at the red face of the young woman boiling with anger.
"BULLSHIT! WHO DO YOU THINK MESSED UP WITH CLAYMORE'S VI... did you just said second vision...? Second?!"
Caramel's eyes almost bulged out as she stopped shouting and became pale as a sheet after she repeated Cranberry's words.
"Ha? Did we somehow end up messing with your plans, miss reincarnation?"
Cranberry laughed with a triumphant smirk while her baseball bat was shining in readiness.
"..."
The light brown-haired young woman didn't respond, bit her lips, and lowered her head.
"Caramel...?"
Mason looked between the two girls and took a spot towards his companion.
"...if Claymore didn't get so angry that he sealed off the future sight and was using it later then it means we aren't following the correct route and we'll get the wrong ending..."
"...!"
Caramel's murmur made Mason flinch.
"I won't allow this! KOPIA! Get over here! I need you to...!"
She spat angrily to the side and turned around, making her dress whirl dramatically.
"Wh-what am I supposed to do?! I'm not going to do anything unless you tell me where exactly did you send lady Claymore! Is she safe?! What if that thing had sent her to the heart of the volcano or something?!"
But the ready response that she was expecting wasn't what she received - the small red-haired androgynous person stepped back into the crowd and crossed their arms while shaking their head in the act of complete denial of any request that Caramel might come up with.
"You...! You filthy glitchy bug! Without me, something like you have no chance of ever protecting that annoying capture target!"
Caramel growled and bit her lips to blood.
"Screw this! As long as we kill the villainess we can salvage the better ending later! We don't need your shapeshifting anymore anyway! Nomannic!"
She turned to the other side, furiously spewing the drops of blood everywhere before shouting out another name.
"Alright."
And this time. She got the response she wanted.
A tall dark-skinned woman with wild black hair, dressed in a skin-tight black dress pulled out the daggers from the sheaths on both sides of her waist and lunged forward.
As her body shone with a bright light, her reflection in every reflective surface instead of showing her as a tall woman with twin daggers showed a large black wolf with extremely long claws getting enveloped in darkness while charging at the closed-off pair.
And as did her beastly reflection, Nomannic turned into a shadowy figure and charged straight at the red-haired villainess.
"HA! GIVING UP TRAPPING US ALREADY?!"
Cranberry scoffed and laughed, expecting that the system wall in front of her will disappear so she readied for the counter and was already prepared for using the blink skill right away.
...
But then Nomannic in her shadow form reached the barrier of the system walls....
"TOO PREDICTABLE!"
*BOOOOM*
With perfect timing, as soon as Nomannic had passed the point where there should be no system wall now since it would be cutting her in half, Cranberry swung her bat with a triumphant roar and caused...
...the whole cube to light up with her skill...
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"?!?!?!?!?!!!?"
Even though Zombie shouted loudly in shock, no one could have been more shocked than Cranberry herself.
Her hit got blocked by the edge of the system wall!
The system wall had no right to be there since Nomannic was passing through it as if it was simple air and not an overwhelmingly powerful barrier!
But alas, the woman clad in shadow somehow managed to pass right through those very system walls and ended up embedding two of her daggers right in the middle of Cranberry's chest, before passing through her and through the other invisible wall as if she really had no physical form whatsoever!
"..."
For a moment, there was silence.
The red-haired villainess stumbled back and raised her hand towards two daggers which blades were fully embedded inside her chest.
But, there was no wound, no blood.
It looked like the daggers were simply a part of the villainess...
"...ha...?"
Cranberry frowned and tilted her head before faltering as her HP began dropping rapidly with no regard to the damage absorption skill that her blue undead was constantly performing.
"CRANBERRY!"
Zombie raised up from his knees just in time to support the blue red-haired villainess before she would fell to her knees.
"Villainess, meet the infinite damage glitch only possible with a bugged-out character like Nomannic."
A smile returned to Caramel's face as she breathed out in relief and explained.