Explosive Tag: 1,000 item points, a single one equal to an advanced grenade; Pauper's Rose: 30,000 item points, equivalent to a tactical hydrogen bomb, a devastating blast with a radius of several kilometers...
"In a confined exam zone like this, it actually feels like quite a bargain, doesn't it?" Chris mused as he walked.
Beside him, Shiina Hiyori followed with small, quick steps and replied softly:
"If we use the Rose... none of us would be spared either, right?"
"Even though we've got extra lives and don't have to fear being blown to death, we still couldn't escape the lingering deadly poison afterward—so it'd basically be a last-ditch, mutual-destruction fail-safe?"
Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo thought it over, then spoke:
"Setting aside the 800,000-point Divine-Slaying Tool and the cheap Stone Mask for now... actually, the only things really worth buying at the moment are the Class Cards and the Imperial Arms, right?"
Chris nodded:
"The problem is, both of those are completely random—way too much uncertainty. If our luck's bad, we'd just be throwing points away for nothing."
At this point, Shiraishi Asuka, who had been quiet for a long while, suddenly stopped. Gazing at the towering Chimera Ant nest ahead, whose outline was now clearly visible, she abruptly spoke:
"...I think the [Stone Mask] is actually a pretty good choice."
Under everyone's gaze, Shiraishi Asuka tucked back the loose strands of hair by her ears and laid out a clear, orderly analysis:
"Sure, you'd still fear the sun, but indoors where there's no sunlight, with a vampire's vitality and recovery, it should still be pretty handy..."
"In any case, the moment we get back to school, the Black Sphere will forcibly strip it away, so there's no need to worry about it affecting real life, is there?"
Chris praised her without reservation:
"Good idea."
"Not only is it low-cost, it's also plug-and-play." "Worth a shot."
Asahina Nazuna, on the other hand, hadn't joined the group's discussion at all from start to finish.
She just walked quietly along the edge, gazing off at the towering, earth-built Chimera Ant nest not far ahead.
A look of worry couldn't help surfacing on the girl's lovely face.
She was worried about Nagumo Miyabi.
Lately, Nagumo Miyabi seemed to have undergone a drastic shift in temperament because of the Black Sphere exam's appearance...
Or rather, he'd exposed his true self; his whole manner had become somewhat unfamiliar to her. It even felt... like his very orientation had changed.
But there was no way Asahina Nazuna could not care.
After all, they were childhood friends, with the bond of having grown up together laid plain.
There was no way Asahina Nazuna could truly be indifferent to whether he lived or died.
As long as Nagumo Miyabi could make it back alive and unharmed.
Being just gal-pals afterward... honestly wouldn't be so bad either...
'Miyabi, you absolutely mustn't get hurt.'
Asahina Nazuna prayed silently in her heart.
...Meanwhile. Deep within the Chimera Ant nest.
Because the Ant King had been born prematurely, the Ant Queen lay dying in a pool of blood.
The nest was in utter chaos.
Apart from the King's three Royal Guards, most of the other Division Commanders were in fact clustered around the Ant Queen, frantically searching for a solution. The remaining Squadron Leaders and ordinary combat soldiers left on perimeter watch naturally couldn't hold back the well-equipped army of qualified candidates led by Nagumo Miyabi and Ayanokoji.
What's more, since the other side was simply trying to leave.
The soldier ants, whose hearts were set on the Ant Queen's safety, couldn't wait for Nagumo Miyabi and the rest to hurry off, so their resistance was utterly half-hearted.
Unfortunately.
Because Ayanokoji had a Parasyte fused within his body, and the enhanced Ripple constantly circulating inside him,
the scent on him was fundamentally different from that of an ordinary human.
This unique aura, brimming with life energy, was successfully picked up by the Cat Woman, and it successfully piqued the Ant King's interest.
And so. Just as Nagumo Miyabi's group was advancing unstoppably, preparing to head up to the surface to rendezvous with Chris and the others.
They suddenly noticed.
At the sole patch of light before the cave mouth.
A humanoid creature, with a green helmet-like carapace atop its head and a tail tipped with a sharp venomous needle, stood there.
And at his side, three Royal Guards led by the Cat Woman surrounded him like stars cradling the moon.
At the sight of these monsters, who were clearly a cut above the earlier rabble.
Fujimaki, walking beside Nagumo Miyabi, felt a jolt of alarm and hurriedly raised his wrist to check the radar screen on his controller:
"They definitely weren't here a second ago... did they just appear out of nowhere?" "Everyone, look ou—"
Fujimaki hadn't even finished speaking.
Neferpitou, the Cat Woman who had been standing at the Ant King's side, vanished on the spot. "Swish—!"
The air didn't even have time to crack with a sonic boom.
The Cat Woman had already appeared, as if teleporting, right beside Fujimaki!
Smiling, she reached out, ready to tear off Fujimaki's arm along with that controller.
"What's this thing? Let me have a look, nya~"
At that hair-trigger instant! "Back off!!"
Nagumo Miyabi, clad in the heavy [Gorilla Suit], struck in a flash.
The elbow thrusters spewed flame, propelling him into a violent swing!
The Black Sphere Combat Blade mounted on the outside of his arm shot straight for the Cat Woman's neck, attempting to behead her.
"Nyaa?"
The Cat Woman, Neferpitou, let out a soft cry.
She was forced to pull back at the very last moment, just as she was about to touch Fujimaki.
With a kick of her legs, she forcibly twisted her waist in midair.
She lightly tapped both feet on the back of the metal blade Nagumo Miyabi had swung, using the momentum to fly backward.
And landed nimbly back at the Ant King's side.
Neferpitou licked her claws and spoke in a slightly boisterous tone:
"You're not even the human who smells so nice, yet you've got this kind of speed, nya?"
"How scary—you very nearly got me there, nya!"
Though her words spoke of fear, the pupils trembling with excitement gave her away.
Nagumo Miyabi curled his lip.
"Looks like she's the type that specializes in speed and burst power..."
"Cat Woman... Neferpitou?"
Without turning his head, he swiftly issued his orders:
"Kiriyama, you, Ayanokoji, and the few others carrying high-value gear—stay and help me."
"Everyone else, don't get in the way here. Leave at once!"
Faced with a situation where they could be wiped out at any moment.
No one voiced an objection, nor did anyone put on some melodramatic "if we die, we die together" act.
In the Black Sphere exam, obeying the strong's command and not becoming a burden was the greatest contribution the weak could make.
They simply gripped their weapons in silence and quickly withdrew inward, hugging the edge of the cave.
On the other side.
At his words, the Cat Woman, Neferpitou, was at first a little taken aback.
She tilted her head, seemingly mulling something over, then realized that Nagumo Miyabi had just been calling her name. "Neferpitou..."
She savored it carefully.
Come to think of it, it did seem she'd heard a similar pronunciation from the Ant Queen's mouth once before.
But at the time, because of the Ant King's premature birth, the Queen hadn't finished saying the name in full.
"So this is my name, then, nya~"
Still. For a guard born solely to serve the King, a name held no real meaning, really.
By comparison. What Neferpitou cared about more right now was this human before her, clad in an iron shell.
Just how much was he really worth? Could he pose a threat to the supreme Ant King?
"Nya... let me see just how hard your tin can really is!"
Just as the Cat Woman bent her legs slightly, preparing to strike again. "Hold on." Beside her, Shaiapouf, who bore splendid butterfly wings, suddenly laid a hand on her shoulder.
The Cat Woman's movement halted, and she turned her head in some confusion. Only then did she notice.
The Ant King, who had been keeping his arms folded, had at some point lowered them.
His gaze swept past Nagumo Miyabi, fixing on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who stood at the back of the formation.
"That strange energy fluctuation..."
The Ant King spoke slowly:
"That human—is he a rare species among your kind?"
At his words, the Cat Woman immediately dropped to one knee, her tone supremely reverent and fervent:
"My King... I should think so, nya~"
"I caught that mouthwatering fragrance on him. I'll capture him for you and make him into—"
"Smack!" Before she could finish.
The Ant King's tail had already lashed across Neferpitou's face!
Blood instantly trickled down the corner of her mouth. "I didn't ask you anything more."
The Ant King shot her a cold glance: "Don't go making decisions for me as you please."
The Cat Woman simply prostrated herself again, burying her head even lower:
"Understood... this servant overstepped."
And while they were busy with their internal squabble.
After Nagumo Miyabi confirmed that Kiryuuin Fuka had safely led Tachibana Akane and the others back into the interior of the Chimera Ant nest.
He didn't hesitate for an instant.
"Strike first, gain the upper hand!"
Nagumo Miyabi let out a thunderous roar, cranking his armor's output to the maximum. Like a hundred-ton juggernaut, he flashed forward right up to the Ant King's face!
To this, the Ant King made no move to dodge.
He merely gave his tail a casual flick.
"Clang—!!!"
The crisp, ringing clash was deafening.
He'd assumed this single blow would be enough to whip the tin-plated bug before him clean in two. But the Ant King discovered, to his surprise. Not only was his opponent not instantly killed, but while meeting the strike head-on, the human had grabbed his tail with a backhand!
He forcibly swung the Ant King around and hurled him straight out the cave mouth!
"Get the hell out of here!!!"
Only at this moment did the Ant King, sent flying through the air, finally take an interest.
"Heh heh... interesting."
The Ant King steadied himself in the air and landed lightly.
"Your strength is passable. You don't have that delicious energy, but you'll just barely..."
"...qualify to become my food."
Seeing the lofty, almighty Ant King actually caught off guard by a mere human.
Neferpitou, the Cat Woman who had just clambered back up, burned with rage, her hind legs taut, ready to charge out at once and tear this audacious human to shreds.
However. "Boom—!"
A scorching pillar of fire roared up and sealed off her path entirely!
Wielding the flame-spewing Imperial Arms [Purgatory Summons].
Kiriyama Ikuha's gaze was icy cold:
"Your opponent is us!"
"You meddlesome bug!"
Neferpitou frowned in displeasure, her killing intent razor-sharp:
"How dare you obstruct me from protecting my King... unforgivable, nya!"
"Swish!" The Cat Woman vanished from her spot once more.
She flashed straight to Kiriyama Ikuha's side, her sharp claws lunging for his throat!
Just as Kiriyama Ikuha seemed about to meet his end.
The Parasyte, whirling into a blade of light, had already severed every one of the Cat Woman's lines of attack.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood expressionless at Kiriyama's side, his right hand already fully transformed.
At this sight. Shaiapouf, who had yet to make a move, set aside the elegance on his face.
He turned to the burly Menthuthuyoupi beside him:
"Youpi, you stay and help finish off these two humans who don't know when they're beaten."
"I'm a little worried about the King's condition... I'll go take a look outside. In such a cramped space, my ability isn't easy to bring to bear anyway."
Menthuthuyoupi said nothing, merely giving a sullen nod.
As his muscles swelled, he broke into a sprint.
Meanwhile, Kiryuuin Fuka, who had been forced to retreat into the Chimera Ant nest.
Looking at the tunnels branching out in every direction around her, found herself, for the moment, caught in a real bind.
"This is genuinely troublesome..." After all, before retreating, she'd already confirmed that, of everyone in the entire Chimera Ant nest—apart from Nagumo Miyabi, Ayanokoji, and the others currently battling the Ant King and his three Royal Guards—all the rest of the students teleported in had already gathered right here.
And among this group. There was no sign of the Mysterious Merchant or the Staff Member hinted at by the Black Sphere!
Which meant. Their current strength was now completely fixed in place.
No supplies, no enhancements.
Against the endless stream of Chimera Ants in the nest, this was no different from waiting to die.
Tachibana Akane gripped her Y-GUN, her face deathly pale, yet still forcing herself to stay composed:
"So what do we do now? Just sit here and wait?"
"If Nagumo and the others can't hold out... won't we all end up at a dead end too?"
Just as Kiryuuin was weighing whether to risk leading everyone in search of another way out. "Rustle, rustle—" A dense flurry of footsteps came from the corridor not far off.
Kiryuuin Fuka's eyes turned sharp. "Prepare for battle!" Before her voice had even faded.
A Chimera Ant covered in cheetah spots had already led a squad of soldier ants and found this group of humans who'd come back to the nest! "Yoho! What luck!"
The leopard Chimera Ant let out an excited whistle. "They look all soft and tender—they must taste pretty good!"
Faced with this sudden skirmish. Tachibana Akane drew a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and took aim at Cheetu. "Zzzt—!" A deep-blue laser cord shot out.
However, since it was itself a speed-specialized type of Chimera Ant. And on the way over, it had already learned from other Chimera Ants about this "weird weapon that glows and makes you vanish the moment you're netted." Facing the incoming laser cord, Cheetu naturally wasn't about to just stand there and wait.
"Too slow! Too slow!"
Cheetu bounced rapidly off the surrounding walls, leaving a string of afterimages.
Then, riding that momentum, it moved to tear the gun-firing Tachibana Akane to shreds!
Honestly. With the main combat power all tied up at the cave mouth facing the Ant King and his three Royal Guards. An enemy like Cheetu, able to use superb mobility to dodge the Y-GUN's laser cord, was absolutely a tricky one for the ordinary students left behind here.
Fortunately. During the first-year Uninhabited Island exam, Kiryuuin Fuka, after linking up with the main force, had also seized the chance to go out and hunt monsters for points.
And so, she too had the boost of a Combat Suit!
Just as the sharp claws loomed ever larger in Tachibana Akane's eyes. "Swish—!" Kiryuuin Fuka swung her Black Sphere Combat Blade backhand! "Splurt!" Blood sprayed.
"Aaagh—my hand!!"
Cheetu let out a wretched scream.
In the same instant, Kiryuuin Fuka pressed in, meaning to strike while it was down and behead it outright.
Because at this point in time, aside from the three Royal Guards who came with Nen of their own, no Chimera Ant had awakened its own "Nen ability." So its actual point value wasn't very high; it was purely running rampant on raw talent alone.
Just as it barely dodged Kiryuuin's slash, in its panic, Cheetu neglected its back!
The moment the curving laser cord coiled around it, Kiryuuin Fuka swung her blade without hesitation and lopped off its head in a single stroke!
Killing this troublesome speed-type Chimera Ant.
Before she could even catch her breath.
Tachibana Akane was already calling out a panicked warning: "Fuka! Watch your back!"
Without even turning her head, Kiryuuin rolled to the side at once. "Bang!" The very spot where she'd just been standing was now occupied by a puppet Chimera Ant sprouting dozens of arms!
"This is never going to end, is it!"
Retreating as she swung, Kiryuuin severed every one of the arms the puppet Chimera Ant thrust at her.
But when her peripheral vision swept the surroundings, her heart sank. At some unknown point. From the once-gloomy passages, Chimera Ants were now pouring out in an endless stream!
Ones with lobster claws, koala heads, crocodile tails... a dense, teeming swarm, hemming them in.
This was also why Tachibana Akane and the others, apart from at the very start, hadn't been able to help her.
"Damn it... there are just too many of them."
While fending off the charging puppet Chimera Ant, Kiryuuin forced herself to stay calm and racked her brain for a countermeasure. With no rescue coming, deep in enemy territory, being besieged by a sea-of-ants tactic was clearly the most foolish situation to be in.
It was practically slow suicide.
But before she could actually come up with any clever trick to break out.
"Move, move!! All of you, out of my way!!" Accompanied by an earth-shaking thunder of hooves, a massive centaur Chimera Ant came charging in!
Without a care, it trampled two nearby humans flat, then charged straight at Kiryuuin!
Kiryuuin could only rein in her focus, about to kill the puppet Chimera Ant first before concentrating on the rest. Suddenly. A rumbling roar came from behind her!
As the rock wall blasted open, countless stone fragments rained down around them.
This sudden explosion brought everyone present, Chimera Ants included, to a momentary standstill.
Even the centaur Chimera Ant, already halfway through its charge, stumbled because of it.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Before Kiryuuin Fuka could seize the chance to reap the battlefield. She suddenly noticed, to her astonishment. Whether it was the massive centaur or the surrounding Chimera Ants like the lobster and koala ones... they all collapsed to the ground at almost the very same moment, as if drained of all their strength!
Kiryuuin Fuka was slightly stunned. For no reason at all, almost on instinct, she looked toward where Tachibana Akane and the others stood.
Through the smoke and dust that hadn't yet fully cleared. She noticed that, at some point, several more girls had appeared.
They were pressing eerie, blood-stained stone masks over the faces of the injured classmates fallen on the ground!
And among those girls. Kiryuuin Fuka recognized two familiar faces.
Shiina Hiyori from Ryuuen's class, and... Asahina Nazuna from Nagumo Miyabi's class!
Since they had shown up here. Then the one who'd just acted could only be...
Just as she was thinking it. A hand waved before her eyes.
"Senpai, are you all right?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kiryuuin let out a breath of relief, and looking at Chris in his silver-white armor, she smiled, the tension melting away: "...Saved, huh."
"Many thanks. You pulled me out of this utterly tedious little trap."
Chris shook his head, gesturing that there was no need for thanks.
He went straight on: "Let's skip the pleasantries, Senpai—care to give the [Stone Mask] a try?"
Chris pointed at the classmates being revived:
"This thing can turn you into a vampire who, as long as you stay out of the sunlight, is practically immortal."
"And once you're back at school, the Black Sphere will forcibly purge the bloodline, so there's no need to worry about any aftereffects."
At his words, Kiryuuin Fuka glanced again at the classmates whose wounds were rapidly healing after donning the masks, and understood:
"This thing must be the clearance item you used to farm points in the last exam, right?"
"Don't tell me—besides selling it to the Black Sphere for points, you can actually carry this thing out of the exam yourself?"
She paused: "Or rather... the 'Mysterious Merchant' for this exam is actually over on your side?"
Chris nodded and raised his hand to point at Shiina Hiyori and Asahina Nazuna:
"As sharp as ever, Senpai."
"That's right—Shiina is the Mysterious Merchant for this exam, and Asahina-senpai is the Staff Member in charge of handing out your midterm rewards."
Kiryuuin Fuka pondered for a moment. Then she looked at Chris with blazing eyes:
"Since the Mysterious Merchant is here with you."
"Then does the shop have anything this time that could turn the tide of battle—some killer weapon?"
"Nagumo and Ayanokoji are already locked in combat with this exam's target at the cave mouth—we need something that can settle it in one decisive blow."
Chris didn't keep her in suspense either; after a brief pause, he told her the truth:
"There's a [Pauper's Rose] worth thirty thousand item points."
"A miniature tactical nuke—once detonated, it can blow this entire Chimera Ant nest sky-high."
"There are others too, but they're either far too expensive, or random luck-of-the-draw mystery boxes."
Kiryuuin Fuka was slightly taken aback. "The Pauper's Rose... that'll do."
"In this test, destroying the Chimera Ant eggs is the only way to earn item points. I remember where they store the eggs—once we've got enough points, we'll have Nagumo Miyabi lure the target over and just blow this whole place sky-high!"
At this point, Kiryuuin suddenly changed tack:
"By the way, didn't you say earlier that both Stands that dropped in the last test are with you?"
"Could you lend me one to use for now? Just consider it your Senpai owing you a favor."
Chris smiled, and wasn't stingy about it. He casually fished out a capsule and tossed it straight into Kiryuuin's hand.
"Inside is [Crazy Diamond]—you should still remember its ability, right?"
Kiryuuin caught the capsule, crushed it in one grip, and refined it in an instant. Feeling the brand-new power welling up within her, she looked at Chris:
"You've lent me Crazy Diamond..."
"Which means the Stand you're using now is that one called [The World]?"
"Time stop... no wonder you cleared out those mobs so fast just now."
Chris twitched the corner of his mouth and grumbled a little helplessly:
"Senpai, carelessly using the word 'fast' to describe a man really isn't a good thing, you know."
Far from being put off, Kiryuuin Fuka instead let out a coquettish little laugh:
"Oh? Well, I haven't tried it firsthand, so naturally I can only go by what my senses just witnessed~"
"All right, enough teasing you."
She put away her smile and glanced behind her. "The injured classmates are just about finished transforming—we should get down to the real business too."
And just as the last two injured classmates were turning into vampires under the Stone Mask's effect. Asahina Nazuna suddenly mustered the courage to speak:
"Um..." "The custom equipment I'm holding can only be handed personally to the top three of the midterm—Nagumo and the others—for them to test out..."
Asahina Nazuna looked at Chris and steeled herself:
"Why don't you all go on ahead and destroy the eggs to earn points."
"I-I'll go find Nagumo first!"
But Kiryuuin Fuka shook her head and refused without a moment's hesitation: "No."
"You don't even have a Combat Suit—going over there now would just be throwing your life away for nothing."
"Be good and listen—it won't be too late to go once we've gathered enough points and upgraded our gear. A few minutes won't make any difference."
Chris chimed in at just the right moment too: "Indeed."
"Besides, I recall that among this round's monster targets, there's a Cat Woman with very keen senses."
"By now, I'm afraid they've already heard every word we've said."
"Honestly, what we're doing right now is actually taking some of the frontal pressure off Nagumo and the others."
Asahina Nazuna fell silent for a long while.
Anxious as she was inside, she knew that what Chris and Kiryuuin said was the truth.
In the end, she could only lower her head weakly and softly murmur a reply: "...I understand."
____
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