MV – Chapter 184: The Flame Vapula and the Minor Villain

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It seems Vapula has absorbed the Flame Spirit King. Just a guess, but Lanpeach mentally clicked his tongue, thinking this was a typical cliche development.

“So, the energy absorption type sensed danger and made its escape? Even though the log said it was defeated… Is this a bug in the scenario?” (Lanpeach)

They must have barely managed to defeat Vapula in the nick of time. Already half-awake, Vapula likely fled and sought energy absorption. The superior energy source -the Flame Spirit King- was supposedly sealed underground after all.

[It seems he absorbed the magic seal along with the Spirit King. My hunch says Vapula won’t last more than a few days before his body breaks down. Oh, and I’d like an extra-large parfait for tomorrow’s snack.] (Libra)

[I know where this is going. If we leave him be, the city will probably be destroyed, right?! Seen this kind of plot plenty in anime and novels. Those only give you the illusion of a choice.] (Lanpeach)

Sighing, Lanpeach protested against Libra’s “intuition”. The whole “city will be wiped out” thing felt more like a threat than anything else. No real choice but to take Vapula down. Also, parfaits are a tall order. Those are for dining out.

“Whoa, my brain melted in a second! I thought I was going to die!”

“I turned to ash! Wait, why is my body back to normal?”

“This guy’s bad news! We need to run!”

The soldiers Vapula supposedly killed were resurrected while Lanpeach was figuring out a strategy. They were back in their human forms.

“Were these guys…in Element Fusion? No, Demon Fusion!” (Lanpeach)

Seeing the surreal sight, realization dawned. It seems death merely undid the fusion like Element Fusion.

[Looks like the underlings didn’t undergo full Demon Fusion. It’s like those ‘immortality scams’. They were probably told they’d get immortal bodies, but it was just cheap Demon Fusion.” (Libra) explained with smug detachment.

Libra-san was really trying hard here to not allow direct communication with Mira. Still, this common scam worked out in their favor this time.

“Ahhh, I’m gonna die for real this time. Help! Wait… Now that I think about it…”

The former demon soldiers, now fleeing in terror, suddenly turned their gaze toward Lanpeach. A bad feeling crept over him.

“Hunter, save us! We’ll pay you handsomely!”

“Right, we’ve got a Hunter here!”

“Please, I don’t want to die!”

The soldiers begged, even clinging to his legs. Annoyed and exasperated, Lanpeach held their heads and yelled.

“You guys serious? Asking the person you were just trying to kill to save you?” (Lanpeach)

“Of course! Hunters help anyone who hires them, right? Whether they’re friend or foe, they’ll squeeze every penny out of both sides!”

“Wow, that logic makes me sad because it kind of makes sense.” (Lanpeach) 

Lanpeach couldn’t argue with the way too desperate soldiers. He knew at least one Hunter who fit that description. Or more like, there’s only one.

“If there’s treasure, they loot it. If enemies have good gear, they strip it. Heck, even knock allies unconscious with stray bullets and strip them. Having greed that surpasses even that of demons is what defines a Hunter, right?”

The Hunter reputation took a serious hit.

“Fine, fine. My manager will handle your contracts later. For now, just run. You don’t mind me taking down Vapula, right?” (Lanpeach)

“Yeah, no complaints here. Them not leaving admin rights behind during emergencies means our lives don’t matter to them. I’m done with Harkein after this.”

The soldiers grumbled, but seriously, they should have quit ages ago. That company was obviously a black company.

“But still…” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach raised a hand beside a soldier’s face, sparking flames.

“Once you join, it’s hard to quit. That’s how these things work, right?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach blocked Vapula’s flaming fist with his hand, grinning defiantly. Heat radiated as the flames writhed, distorting the air like a mirage.

“Threat level increased. Eliminate at once.” (Vapula)

“So no negotiations, huh?!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach grinned, loosened the strength of his hand grabbing Vapula’s fist, and stepped back. Vapula, unbalanced by the sudden lack of resistance, stumbled, and Lanpeach landed a hook on its jaw.

“Hngh?!”

The impact only returned a hard sensation. Vapula’s lion face remained expressionless with not even a crack as it launched a low kick with its right leg. Lanpeach blocked with his knee and countered with a spinning elbow, but once again, the attack barely left a mark.

“Eliminate.”

“Muoooh!”

The arm that had launched the elbow strike was grabbed and lifted, only to be slammed forcefully into the ground. A dull impact reverberated through the body as the ground caved in significantly.

“What the hell is with this monstrous strength?!” (Lanpeach)

Vapula unleashed blazing flames from its fist, raising it like a pile driver. Lanpeach hastily rolled to the side to dodge. The fist struck the ground instead, melting the surface into a molten, lava-like state.

[Initiating Vapula’s analysis!] (Libra)

[Flame Vapula: Level 11.]

Observing the scene, Libra concluded that this opponent was far from ordinary…but wait, was the log bugging out?

[Ugh, this thing’s exceeded its limits, Soldier!] (Libra)

[I really wanted to ignore this!] (Lanpeach)

Level 11 already-desu desu. A harbinger of doom, no doubt. This feels like it’s surpassing not just the game’s final boss but even the secret boss!

Vapula extracted its fist, molten lava clinging to it, and advanced again. Its speed and earlier monstrous strength surpassed Lanpeach’s stats. Frustratingly so.

“Ugh, don’t make enemies this strong right after a power-up! I’m against battle inflation!” (Lanpeach)

Suppressing the urge to sigh, Lanpeach braced and drew upon all available strength. Battles of Lanpeach difficulty were absolutely detestable.

“Full power! Changing equipment!” (Lanpeach)

[Equipping Divine Spirit Armor.]

Switching from the Sword Saint’s Garb to the Divine Spirit Armor, Lanpeach sacrificed the status boost from the former. Not that it mattered. Going all out would’ve shredded the Sword Saint’s Garb anyway.

“Commencing elimination!” (Vapula)

Vapula unleashed a punch with a voice tinged with more emotion than before. The high-speed blow broke the sound barrier, generating shockwaves as it hurtled forward.

“Doryaaa!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach met the punch with a strike of his own. The collision pierced the wall of wind, unleashing a gale and scattering shockwaves…and Vapula was sent flying.

“Now the real fight begins, Vapula.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach’s silver hair fluttered amidst the storm as Vapula was blown back. He emerged as the winds settled while speaking in a light tone.

Clad in streamlined blue armor adorned with intricate magical runes, the power contained within the armor was overwhelming. Soldiers trembled under its oppressive presence, fearing their eyes might burn out.

“Heh. This is my final form. Vapula, you have no chance of winning now.” (Lanpeach)

This minor villain copied that phrase somewhere. His appearance didn’t quite match the theatrics at all.

[That armor is so elegant it’s meant for either girls or really beautiful guys, right?] (Libra)

[Could you not point out things I’m already painfully aware of? I get it. Bulky armor suits me better…] (Lanpeach)

The armor is way too elegant. It certainly didn’t match him. 

[This type of armor definitely picks its wearer. This is probably what it means when people say ‘armor that chooses its owner’.] (Lanpeach)

[I don’t think that’s the case… Wait, look! Vapula’s arm! Its arm!] (Libra)

Libra sounded baffled, but urged him to observe Vapula. 

Upon being repelled, Vapula’s arm couldn’t withstand the recoil…its joints were now grotesquely multiplied. No, it had been snapped in multiple places.

Yet Vapula remained unfazed, showing no sign of pain. Its arm momentarily turned pliable, like clay, and regenerated to its original form.

“This thing has regenerative abilities? No, it’s something even worse, isn’t it?” (Lanpeach)

Regeneration was manageable; overwhelming damage could overcome it. But the way Vapula regenerated seemed different from typical recovery powers.

“Ooh, so this is a Hunter… the enemy of us from Harkein. Truly impressive strength.” (Vapula)

Vapula’s voice held a tone of admiration as it regarded its restored arm. It seemed to be gradually developing sentience.

“Nonetheless, this Vapula will eliminate you!” (Vapula)

“Bring it on!” (Lanpeach)

Vapula melted the ground into lava, scattering it as it launched a melee assault. Its lion-like face shifted from a mechanical expression to one of arrogant glee.

A flaming fist shot forward, but Lanpeach, undeterred, stepped forward. He coiled his body around that arm like a serpent.

“I’m taking that arm!” (Lanpeach)

He wrenched the arm downward, locking it into position, then twisted his body to tear it off. With Lanpeach’s current stats and martial arts, even an opponent as formidable as Vapula could be handled.

“Hmm?! Why does this feel off?” (Lanpeach)

However, the sensation was strange… Too light. It was as though he had torn through clay, with no resistance from Vapula.

Indeed, the severed section resembled a droplet-like texture of clay, making it hard to believe any damage had been inflicted.

“You foolish Hunter!” (Vapula)

[The Flame Serpent ensnares its prey and devours it.]

Vapula’s lion head revealed its fangs as it uttered words of power. The molten arm Lanpeach held writhed, morphing into a snake-like form that wrapped around his body.

“Damn it! So it really has a slime-like body, despite being called a fortress!” (Lanpeach)

“Fufufu, I shall eliminate the Hunter!”

Vapula, now more expressive, raised its remaining arm against Lanpeach who couldn’t move. The arm melted, reshaping itself into a blade.

“Behold the ultimate blow of Vapula, the strongest fortress demon!” (Vapula)

[Blade Bomber!]

With that, Vapula launched a lariat with its blade-like arm, striking Lanpeach squarely in the torso.

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