Curse Removal (2)
In reality, even if it was a security system prepared by the Seraphs, merely touching it wouldnt immediately trigger mass hysteria or cause the Seraphs themselves to emerge.
Lets say that an important facility was being infiltrated and alarms started blaring, would the higher-ups come running to stop the trespasser by themselves? Of course not.
Logically, the first ones whod come running would be the security force.
-!
And the security force that angels usually deployed was the Automaton, an autonomous combat doll equipped with a core.
A mechanical giant made of steel marched its way out from within the light cluster.
Fitting of its size, every stomp of the giant made the entire dome tremble.
An Automaton made of starsteel? How are the three of us supposed to deal with something like that!?
Iliya let out a scream of panic.
Speaking about starsteel, it was the metallic substance making up the core of the Heart of the Star that I just struck. In terms of strength, hardness, or any other criteria, it was the highest-grade metal that one could wish for in this world. Like, there was a reason why they used it as a base material for the Holy Sword.
As Iliya mentioned, a couple of mere students would never be able to take it down. We would at least need to bring someone at the level of a department head to match the power difference.
I remained silent as I stared ahead.
System Notification
[ A moment of danger has been detected. ]
[ Determined the situation as life-threatening. ]
[ Skill: Desperation raised to Grade A. ]
Grade A, huh?
The fact that it didnt get raised to EX grade felt strange, but
This was probably because they were just machines that followed predefined commands. And so, they failed to fulfill the hostile intent condition during the grade adjustment process of the Desperation skill.
I let out a bitter laugh.
Well, when someone openly tried to harm a holy relic left by the Seraphs, it honestly didnt matter whether it was an angel or a machine that came out.
The thing was, because of the Commandments, angels were prohibited from directly harming someone anyway. Even in situations where they had to resort to force, they still couldnt directly intervene.
As such, the reason why this machine was so sluggish was because it was trying to find a way to subdue its opponent without using force.
When you think about it, its quite ironic.
Devils relatively had more freedom to intervene in the material world.
Fragments of their main bodies were already scattered throughout the material world, and even though their followers might not flaunt their status, they were enormous in number. Additionally, under the right conditions, they could manifest themselves directly through the Vessels by using the fragments that they attached.
In contrast, angels could, at most, only indirectly provide graces or blessings to someone.
For their actual body to emerge directly into the material world, it required more than just a Devils Fragment attaching itself to a Vessel; it demanded a level of complexity beyond the Vessel going wild.
This situation happened because of the Commandments.
A covenant made between those old men at the pinnacle of Heaven and the rulers of Pandemonium.
It was a really important setting in the latter parts of the scenario as it could directly influence the games ending itself.
Hmm, how should I put this Heaven and its angels were technically an ally to humanity.
However, their stance wasnt as concrete as you might think.
An example of this could be someone like the Pope. He could wield an enormous amount of divine power, but was not necessarily an ally to humanity, nor was he good.
The main reason behind this phenomenon was that there were factions, even within Heaven itself.
Anyway
Thanks to the contents of the Commandment, the means by which the angels could influence the material world were extremely limited.
Therefore, when they wished to do something in the material world, their influence was usually concentrated on a single human.
In the material world that we lived in, we called this human a Hero.
And by Hero, I was talking about the orange-haired girl next to me who was drawing her sword while clenching her teeth.
Seriously! You! I cant anymore!
While saying this, she tried to approach me, but I extended my palm towards her.
Anyone could tell that it was clearly a gesture to tell her not to come any closer.
No, what? What is it this time?!
Dude, I know youre irritated and all, but
This time, I didnt bring you along to get help in battle.
On the contrary
Its better if you dont join in.
In the current situation, it would be better if she did not get involved at all.
Iliyas mouth opened slightly, as her pupils trembled with a fierce intensity.
What Uh What What are you What do you mean?
Hm? I meant exactly what I said.
As I mentioned before, the setting of the game was that a human who received concentrated graces and blessings from angels was called a Hero. Additionally, our MC over here was currently a Hero Candidate.
Considering that she was supposed to be officially appointed as the Hero, if any traces of her involvement were left behind in what I was about to commit, a shitshow would bound to happen.
Im not saying I dont need you because youre weak or unhelpful, okay? So dont start fanfictioning weird thoughts on your own.
Of course, I couldnt explain every little thing in detail.
The Karen nature of those in Heaven was often far worse than the Devils in Pandemonium.
There was a high chance that they would try to dig into how someone like me, a complete outsider, knew about the inner workings of Heaven.
Then why!
Whoops.
Before Iliya could say anything again, the Automaton raised its weapon and struck down at my location.
There was no need for me to trigger Swordsmans Focus. An A Grade in Desperation was more than enough to handle this.
The problem was, I didnt really have a means to deliver an effective blow on it.
Well, I guess thats why these Automatons are the best thing they could pick as a guard.
The reason why angels frequently used Automatons, even with their sorely lacking attack power, was because they were optimal for buying time.
These motherfuckers just wouldnt die.
Even if Desperation was EX Grade instead of A Grade, it would still take a tremendous effort for me to take it down.
It looks quite tough. Can it even be cut with a sword?
Next to me, Yuria displayed such words while tilting her head.
She didnt react to my actions like Iliya did, and she showed zero signs of tension even though a gigantic and powerful enemy had appeared.
As I lightly dodged another attack from the Automaton, my mind started drifting elsewhere.
I realized this quite often, but Yurias emotions were definitely more twisted than normal people.
The majority of potential Vessels for Devils were like that, but she was particularly worse even among them.
To be more specific, most of her emotions seemed to be concentrated in a direction related to me.
Joy, sadness, fear, anger. Honestly, anything, really.
Thats lowkey scary
It really do be like that sometimes.
I guess it could be because, due to the nature of the White Devil, she had already undergone fusion between the Devils Fragment and her own soul. Regardless, it was still hella terrifying.
After all, I couldnt even begin to guess what kind of bullshit her sporadic emotions would cause in the future.
Well, at least for now, even if she were to stay far away from me, shed only feel a mild case of anxiety.
However, if things went awry
She could actually say something like I want to be together with you forever, and start planning a double suicide with me
Goosebumps rose all over my body.
At the very least, I should make more of an effort to prevent Eleanor from turning out like that.
After all, she would probably also complete her merging process with the fragment soon.
Putting that aside
There was a way to immediately deal with the Automaton.
I could use her. Yuria Greyhounder.
But, that method was a bit Well, it wasnt ideal.
Id turn into the biggest piece of shit in the world if I were to use it.
I sighed and alternated my gaze between her and the Automaton.
Well, whatever, there was no other way around it anyway.
I mean, that was why I brought her here in the first place.
Yuria, so
Yes. Ill do it.
No, wait, time out.
How about actually listening to my request before making a decision?
More importantly, Owner called me by my name for the first time! Oh my gosh! Im so happy!
Stop it. Dont do this to me.
STOP MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A BIGGER PIECE OF SHIT THAN I ALREADY AMMM!!!
For now, take that off and put it around your wrist.
I pointed to the collar.
No, like, I knew we needed it, but, it would be too much to do it while she was still wearing that.
D-Do I really have to take it off?
Why were you tearing up?!
It wasnt like I said something deranged or even unreasonable!
No, that You know what? Whatever. Just leave it there
It felt like it would take too long to persuade her, so I just gave up and firmly gripped the leash in my hand.
It was sturdy and strong. I now understood why the one who made it assured me with an ominous expression while saying, It will never break, no matter how much you play with her.
Even though I had emphasized multiple times that I had no such intentions of using it for playing, I would still get a little angry when I recalled how he looked at me with a face that said Yeah, yeah, sure you wont.
Anyway
Since that was the case, I could use it for something like this.
Heup!
With a shout, I pulled the leash behind me.
Then, immediately, I threw Yuria, as if she was a stone fired from a sling.
Since Desperation was at an A Grade, this much should be manageable.
With a Keuk, Yuria let out a choking sound, as she soared high into the air.
A moment later, she collided with the Automatons head with a loud Bang!, and slid down its body while making clanking noises.
It was like a scene out of a manga.
What are you doing?
I asked, what the fuck are you doing?!
Although Iliya glared at me as if I was a shit stain on the ground, I just ignored her.
It was all part of my master plan.
-!
The Automaton spotted Yuria nearby and turned its target towards her. Its arms rose to strike once again.
If it landed directly, it could pose a lethal threat to her, so
I eyed the distance between the Automaton and Yuria.
One and a half steps away.
That should be enough. Well, I think.
Wait, its dangero
Before Iliya could even finish her sentence
Yuria pulled out Severer at lightning speeds.
And the next moment
-!
-!!!!
In a single blow.
The Automaton was split in half.
What the!
Iliyas mouth hung open in shock.
I cant even see her moveme! No wait, how is she a student?! Isnt she stronger than Dean Conrad?!
I couldnt help but chuckle at her astonished reaction.
She finally got it. I didnt twist my body around, trying to avoid getting within three steps away from her for no reason.
The Curse of Severance; The closer an opponent got to the bearer, the more ruthlessly it tore them apart. Within two steps away from the bearer, the attacks would become even more ruthless.
Even a starsteel Automaton couldnt do shit against it besides getting its asshole split apart.
Now, if it had been one step away, well
Among the characters in the current scenario, there was absolutely no one who could withstand Yurias one-shot kill.
.Thats why there was a cheese strat that blatantly used this trait.
Within the game community, it was commonly referred to as the Blender.
The method was simple: use any means necessary to push Yuria right into the heart of the enemy. As a result, anything nearby got completely shredded to pieces.
And what I just did was a similar maneuver to that.
It might have been incredibly shitty of me, but it worked wonders.
Ill gladly abuse this in Chapter 2.
In the showdown against the Boy King, this ability was beyond important.
The penalty imposed by the Curse of Severance was that Yuria indiscriminately projected such destructive power, regardless of the victims identity. However
The reason I came to this place was to give her the ability to distinguish between friend and foe.
W-Wow! I took it down with one hit!
Hey, hold on. Wait! Dont!
The problem was, even with such terrifying qualities, she still tried to recklessly stick to me without any hesitation.
I stepped back in panic to adjust the distance between us.
As such, Yuria became sullen and suddenly stopped walking. It felt like I was looking at a puppy that brought back a frisbee and was waiting for her owner to pat her on the head.
Wont you praise me?
I reluctantly picked up a long stick that came out of the demolished Automaton.
Using this, I gently stroked Yurias head from afar.
Good girl. Well done.
Hehe
I wonder
Should I be happy because she still liked me, even after I treated her like this? Or should I be terrified instead?
Are you kidding me? What are you two even doing?
Shut up.
Youve only been dissing me since earlier.
Well, it wasnt like I had time to hear her rebukes anyway.
Since the Automaton was destroyed in an instant, the angels would probably be in Code Red at this moment. Someone would come out soon.
And just as I was thinking this
The radiant mass of light in the surroundings surged even brighter.
-!
Then, from within the white light, a winged figure in white armor appeared.
A woman with blue hair that reached all the way down to her feet.
She was someone I was familiar with. In the first place, females were extremely rare among angels.
A Virtue15th ranked in angel hierarchy. Not a name! Similar to Archangels, Seraphims, Thrones, etc. . With qualities of nobility and virtue, they were known to bestow miracles upon humans who dwelled on the surface.
When considering the hierarchy of angels in Sera, she was quite high-ranking; around the level of a high-ranking government official.
A-An angel?!
Beside me, Iliya was gaping in shock. Well, I guess from her perspective, it was probably akin to seeing a celebrity in person.
However, to be honest, I was also surprised by the appearance of this specific angel.
Higher ranked than I expected.
From the very start, I never expected to come face to face with a Seraph.
Those boomers would only show their faces near the end of the scenario. No matter how much of a commotion I caused, it would be impossible to meet them.
After all, position-wise, they were antipodes of Devils.
That was why, I thought maybe some random low-ranking angel would come out, but who would have imagined that a Virtue appeared instead. What a surprise.
Honestly, isnt this pretty nice?
All things considered, this was a pleasant surprise.
Itd help to save me some time.
I needed to negotiate with a high-ranking angel in order to lift the Curse of Severance, but since she was only a Virtue
I could rip her off more than I had originally planned.
Time to take a more radical approach.
This commotion. I see that you were the one who caused it?
The angel wore a compassionate smile as she spoke in a chiming voice.
However, when I looked into those eyes, it made quite the contrast to the demeanor she wished to retain.
The corner of her eyes were trembling and even her lips couldnt stop twisting, as her supposedly benevolent smile continued to fall apart.
She was fucking pissed.
Well, a tyrannical superior gave her a task to handle and someone was fucking with it. She had all the right to be upset.
I dont know what you were thinking when you committed such an act but
The Virtue spread her wings wide.
Her golden feathers majestically fluttered. Subsequently, divine power began to gather ominously around her.
I think what happens next would be
More than often, angels would employ mental suppression in situations where they could not physically overpower their target.
Theyd directly infiltrate their opponents mind to manipulate their actions without causing direct harm.
Instead of trying to cause me serious harm, shed simply restrain me as punishment for fucking around places where I shouldnt be.
Are you prepare
Yes. Im prepared. Hurry up and do that shady thing you angels always do.
As I interrupted the angels threatening words, she momentarily turned speechless as she blankly stared at me.
Oops. You cant deny that, can you?
I cant even begin to comprehend why they shamelessly call it divine power when its nature is so wicked.
I deeply sighed, my thoughts wandering elsewhere once again.
A significant amount of skills that used divine power interacted with the mind. Allegedly, the compatibility between the two was good.
And it seemed like even holy and pure beings such as angels freely exploited this without a care.
Bruh, what kind of angel resorts to brainwashing or mind manipulation?
You really need to be taught a lesson!
With that, the Virtue shot her divine power towards me.
Shortly thereafter, I felt a sensation of something intruding into my consciousness. It was probably similar to a feeling of someone elses mind mixing with mine.
It was the divine power that an angel directly manipulated. Even a powerful opponent wouldnt be able to resist it.
I let out a wry smile.
But, well
From my perspective, I was practically welcoming the angels actions with both arms.
She just activated my trap card. GG.
If she was infiltrating my mind directly
I had prepared some glorious surprises for her.
!
And in the next moment
The angels eyes widened in surprise.
TL/N:
Hey guys! I know there has been a lot of complaints about slang, memes, cringe, and inconsistent with previous TLer! So Im here to clear everything up with you!
The author of FLV uses quite a lot of slang, Korean humor, and Korean idioms/sayings. I try my absolute best to translate a funny Korean joke into an English one. Obviously, it misses the mark sometimes, so I will try to make the humor more pleasant from now on. Bear with me! However, please know that we are ALWAYS keeping in line with the authors intentions AND tone. I never pull something out of nowhere, just because I want to troll you guys. If you feel like the characters personality, attitude, or word choice has changed, it has not.
This leads to how it seems inconsistent with the previous TL. Once again, I will repeat. When Im translating, I follow what the author wants. If Dowd seemed eloquent before, but now, he seems like a NEET? Thats because HE ALWAYS WAS. So PLEASE, be understanding even if you are not happy with the changes in personality. The author meant Dowd to be one of us! A gamer, webnovel reader, anime lover, etc. That makes him just the more relatable, and Im sure youll love to see him as more time passes.
About references: This novel is INCREDIBLY difficult to add every single nuance and reference. If you wish to know a brief list, there has been: WOW, LOL, Chainsaw Man, Abrahamic religions, Naruto, etc. It takes a long time to research all of these and try to bring the best experience to you guys! Please understand and show this novel (and our team) a lot of love!
With that, I will briefly mention a release schedule because a lot of people have been asking: Our goal is to have at least 4 chapters per week. This weeks daily releases were special because we have just started the novel. However, you can depend on us to deliver consistent chapters every week. Who knows? Maybe if you guys shows enough love, Ill release daily :)) And for our premium readers: We will have 5 premiums next week! And maybe more the following Well see! Anyway, look forward to the adventures of our yandere-rizzler MC! Ill always try my hardest to allow you guys to read the best TL quality of all the lands. GIVE US LOVE AND SUPPORT! I WANT TO SEE ONLY GOOD VIBES IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND DISCORD!
I hope you guys enjoyed todays chapter! See you tomorrow!
-DOMINUS
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Footnotes:15th ranked in angel hierarchy. Not a name! Similar to Archangels, Seraphims, Thrones, etc.