The Playboy Awakened His Spark
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Miri, Jun, Yuka, and Max faced Naoto with unwavering resolve. Yuka summoned her familiars—Scale, Blubby, and Spryt—to handle the Brainless swarming them. She held back Balboa, her Rock Golem, and Gyutei, her Poisonous Frog, for strategic moments. Max hefted his greatsword, while Jun readied his dagger. Miri raised her shield and sword, determination glinting in her eyes. Naoto's face twisted into a maniacal grin as he shouted, "C'MON! BRING IT, YOU INSECTS!"
Unlike a reckless charge, their approach was tactical.
Yuka stayed back, using her Encouragement skill to enhance Balboa's strength and ordering the Rock Golem to rush Naoto with a powerful punch. Balboa's stony fist connected, sending Naoto skidding backward.
However, Naoto blocked the attack with the shaft of his scythe and didn't notice Jun dropping from above. Jun aimed a dagger strike, but Naoto conjured a light shield to block it. Undeterred, Jun relentlessly struck at the shield, shattering it with a decisive stab that nicked Naoto's torso and injected poison into the wound.
"You white-haired freak!" Naoto spat, as he caught Jun's arm to prevent the dagger from digging deeper and snarled. His scythe began to glow white as he activated a Legendary Weapon Skill called
Jun's body stiffened, his eyes glazing over as he fell under Naoto's influence, moving like a marionette. Naoto grinned wickedly and ordered Jun to attack his own allies.
Jun lunged at Max, his dagger flashing. Max barely dodged the strike and deflected another with his greatsword. "Jun! Snap out of it!" Max shouted, but Jun's lifeless eyes made it clear he was no longer in control.
Realizing reasoning was futile, Max focused on stalling Jun while looking for a way to incapacitate him without causing serious harm.
Max spotted Yuka and managed to signal her. Understanding his intention, Yuka ordered Balboa to intervene. Max struck Jun with the flat of his greatsword, pushing him toward Balboa.
The Rock Golem grabbed Jun and pinned him to the ground. Despite Jun's struggles, stabbing at Balboa's stony hands, the Rock Golem's immense strength held firm. Max gave Yuka a nod of thanks before rushing back into the fray.
Miri engaged Naoto with flurries of sword slashes, her Strength Up and Agility Up enhancing her speed and power. Naoto blocked with a new light shield, but Miri's relentless assault caused it to crack and shatter.
Naoto retaliated by summoning a sharp bone from the ground, which grazed Miri's shoulder and pierced her shoulder piece. Gritting her teeth, Miri slid under a follow-up scythe slash and retaliated with a precise Pierce attack. Naoto caught her blade with his scythe and yanked her forward, aiming another slash, but Miri raised her shield in time to block it.
Max flanked Naoto, delivering a powerful downward slash that carved into Naoto's shoulder and chest, eliciting a pained roar. Max followed up with a spin kick to Naoto's midsection, sending him crashing into a bone pillar. Miri and Max exchanged a thumbs-up, but their brief moment of triumph was cut short when a scythe projectile struck Max, wounding him. Miri dashed to block further projectiles with her shield, transforming Bastion into its wall form.
Despite his injuries, Naoto laughed, blood dribbling from his mouth. "Haha... That was weak... utterly futile... HAHAHA!" he taunted.
However, he didn't anticipate Yuka's next move. She half-summoned Gyutei, whose long tongue wrapped around Naoto, flung him up to the air, wrapped around him again and slammed him back into the bone pillar. Scale followed up with a powerful Wind Cannon, embedding Naoto deeper into the bone structure. Spryt delivered the finishing blow with a Multi-Elemental Energy Bomb, creating a catastrophic explosion.
The attacks and damage he recieved—Max's powerful slash, Miri's Shield Rush, Jun's poison, and the forceful impact of Yuka's summons—left Naoto battered, bloodied, poisoned and enraged. His frustration culminated in a deafening, rage-fueled scream that silenced the battlefield. The Brainless suddenly collapsed, deactivating alongside Jun, who was released from Naoto's control.
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Naoto's Spark,
Transforming him into a silent, feral, wild beast-like state. His movements became erratic and unpredictable. The air grew tense as he stepped out of the bone pillar's rubble and dropped to the ground, his bloodied form radiating raw power.
The group regrouped, Miri activating all her buffs (Strength Up, Defense Up, and Agility Up) and spreading them to her allies. Oculis cast Wide Party Heal, mending their injuries, while Yuka's Encouragement skill bolstered her summons. They spread out, preparing for Naoto's next move.
Naoto struck first, slicing the bone pillar behind him with a casual swing of his arm. The massive structure toppled as Naoto hurtled it toward Scale, knocking the summon unconscious.
The group reeled in shock. Jun, recovering quickly, dashed at Naoto with All-Four Rush, using his wired hook to entangle Naoto. Jun thrusted his dagger, but Naoto's enhanced speed allowed him to dodge and appear behind Jun. Grabbing Jun's head, and slammed him into the ground with bone-crushing force.
Max activated Overdrive, charging Naoto with a downward slash. Naoto, unimpressed, caught the greatsword between two fingers and countered with a devastating punch to Max's gut, sending him flying.
Yuka's summons launched a coordinated assault. Spryt fired a Multi-Elemental Beam, Blubby in turret form unleashed a barrage of slime shots, and Gyutei spat poison. Naoto endured the onslaught, his clothes and cloak shredded, singed, and scorched, his skin battered and bruised. Yet, his resolve remained unbroken.
Slamming his palms into the ground, Naoto summoned a field of sharp bone spikes. Blubby was impaled, and Gyutei's tongue attack was intercepted as Naoto grabbed and hurled the Poison Frog at Spryt, who's arm was also impaled.
Balboa charged headlong through the forest of bone spikes, ignoring the jagged edges scraping against his rocky frame. His massive fists blurred as he unleashed a furious onslaught upon Naoto. Left punch, right punch—a relentless rhythm of destruction. A straight right, a left hook, a right hook—each impact echoed like thunderclaps across the battlefield. A left punch followed by a devastating right uppercut sent Naoto airborne. Before Naoto could react, Balboa leaped, clasping his massive hands together for a double hammer downslam, driving Naoto back into the ground with seismic force.
Pinned beneath Balboa's unrelenting strikes, Naoto gritted his teeth, enduring each blow. Stone fists rained down, pulverizing the earth around him. Summoning his strength, Naoto caught Balboa's incoming fist mid-strike. The ground trembled as Naoto pushed back, forcing Balboa to stumble. Rising slowly, Naoto gripped Balboa's arm with both hands, his muscles bulging as he twisted with immense force, spinning the Rock Golem in a wide arc before hurling him across the battlefield.
Balboa's massive form careened toward Yuka, who gasped as Blubby—now free from his earlier impalement—leapt to her side. Transforming into his Defense Form, Blubby expanded into a shield-like barrier just in time to absorb the impact, protecting Yuka from harm.
Meanwhile, Miri observed the chaotic skirmish, her mind racing for a strategy. Her gaze fell upon her shield, Bastion, and an idea sparked. Without hesitation, she activated Bastion Weapon Integration, causing her shield to merge seamlessly with her sword. The result: a hybrid weapon imbued with both defensive resilience and offensive power. Steeling herself, Miri charged forward.
Naoto's sharp eyes caught Miri's movement. With a flick of his wrist, his Angel Scythe spun through the air, landing in his grasp. He positioned himself, ready for her advance. Miri dashed behind a towering bone spike, momentarily vanishing from Naoto's sight. Anticipating her to reappear on the opposite side, Naoto poised himself for a counter. To his surprise, Miri emerged from above, descending rapidly with a spinning, rocket-powered downward slash.
Naoto barely managed to block the strike, raising his scythe in the nick of time. The clash created a dazzling burst of sparks, illuminating the battlefield. Miri's momentum carried her into a graceful backflip, landing with precision before launching another offensive. Her blade and Naoto's scythe met in a whirlwind of strikes, each collision sending shockwaves rippling outward. Miri's calculated movements contrasted with Naoto's wild yet deadly precision, creating a deadly dance of steel striking steel.
Capitalizing on an opening, Miri deflected Naoto's scythe with a parry and delivered a sharp kick to his gut, forcing him to stagger. Without hesitation, she shifted forward, plunging her blade deep into his chest. Naoto's growl of pain turned into a snarl as he retaliated with a powerful sweeping kick to Miri's shin, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Her weapon remained lodged in his torso as Naoto loomed over her, his scythe raised high for a finishing blow.
Just as the scythe descended, a sudden green sparking blur struck Naoto's temple with explosive force. Tobe, with a crackling, electrified roundhouse kick, sent Naoto hurtling into a distant wall. The impact left a crater, and Naoto's body slumped momentarily.
Tobe landed gracefully, extending a hand to Miri. "Looks like I made it just in time, huh?" he quipped with a smirk as he was holding her (supposed to be lodged-in) sword, momentarily suprising her as she shared a warm reassuring smile.
Miri took his hand, rising to her feet. "Thanks senpai, we're not done yet," she replied, as Tobe handed her sword back to her. Together, they turned to face the rubble where Naoto stirred, the battle was just as almost over...
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End of Chapter Stats of our Young Adventurers:
Tobe Lvl 88 - (Race Abilities: High Jump, Cat-like Instinct) (Spells: Mana String, Explosion Impact, Fall Lighting, Space Space, Aqua Control, Reconstruct, Firas Bolto, Rock Spire Shotgun, Vine Whip) (Spark - Ambition Ignition 15% Current)
Flake Lvl 47 - (Skills: Ice Creation, Icicle Rush, Frost Breath, Ice Ball Shot, Familiar Fusion)
Miri Lvl 83 - (Race Abilities: Halo Flash, False Judgement, Weightless Embodiment) (Skills: Strength Up, Defense Up, Agility Up, Slash, Pierce, Shield Block, Shield Bash, Shield Rush, Bastion Wall Shield, Bastion Weapon Integration)
Oculis Lvl 45 - (Skills: Health Drain Tendril, Soft Healing Glow, Wide Party Heal)
Yuka Lvl 74 - (Race Abilities: Creaturea Lamvia) (Skills: Contract, Summon, Half-Summon, Encouragement. Summons: Blubby Lvl 51, Scale Lvl 56, Balboa Lvl 64, Spryt Lvl 53, Gyutei Lvl 49)
Jun Lvl 79 - (Race Abilities: Danger Sense, All-Four Rush, Bleeding Bite) (Skills: Disguise, Silent Step, Smoke Bomb Drop, Snatch, Stab, Slice, Hook Pull, Needles, Healing Steal, Decoy, Theft Hook, Escape Plan)