An important mistake was found in the previous chapter, “Chapter 191,” and we would like to report it.
There was an instance of “Gal no Panty” in two places in the previous chapter, but this was an error, and it should have been “Gal no Panties.”
We sincerely apologize for this oversight.
We are truly sorry.
This may be the first time since coming to this world that peaceful times are passing by.
Other than occasionally practicing my skills, I now spend most of my daytime hours helping my companions.
What I do specifically varies by person: I accompany Ena in her training, go to the dojo with Mitsuki to spar, get extorted for library entrance fees by Sahzan, take a dispirited Ringo out to eat around town, handle strange requests Maki took on herself, challenge Layla to cook dangerous ingredients, get introduced to the mansion’s residents by Bear, and so on.
During this time, other companions are sometimes with me, and other times they act independently.
However, once night falls, we naturally gather at the mansion, and a habit of watching the slate’s video recordings has formed.
Technically, we are called heroes who defeated the Demon Lord, but Alex and his companions’ adventures were completely different from ours.
They don’t attack enemies with bug skills, they don’t exploit teleportation skills to sneak into places they shouldn’t, and they don’t drown the Demon Lord.
While using the “Nekoneko” system as a fundamental basis, a straightforward hero’s story unfolds, much like a normal action-adventure tale.
In Chapter 9, Alex and his party defeated a Demon General, left the front lines to Sword Saint Ruden, and crossed over to an isolated island southwest of Ramur, where they met a people known as the Seal Clan.
In Chapter 10, they met Neithia, the clan’s priestess, a blind girl who, at a young age, sealed a Fragment of the Evil God within her own body, and swore to save her no matter what.
Chapter 11 depicted a large-scale battle against evil giants who had infested the ruins of an old fortress called Old Castle, based on information from the Seal Clan.
In Chapter 12, they underwent the Trial of the Gods at an altar deep within Old Castle and obtained the only weapon capable of countering the Evil God, the “Absolute God Sword Altihate.”
Using the power of the God Sword Altihate, they fought fiercely and successfully shattered the Fragment of the Evil God that resided within Neithia in Chapter 13.
While all of these were interesting as stories, as a true Nekoneko freak, there were many events I couldn’t afford to miss.
Regions and events that were not implemented in the game, and items that were absolutely impossible to obtain, appeared in the videos.
First, the isolated island southwest of Ramur was outside the game map, making it an unimplemented region. Old Castle, though it had suggestive altars and giant-type mobs, was a dead zone where nothing happened when you went there.
As a side note, on a certain bulletin board, the customary response to the question, “I went to the altar in Old Castle, but nothing happened?” was to mockingly say, “It was all for naught.”
And the ultimate prize was the “Absolute God Sword Altihate” that Alex obtained.
This was a weapon that only its specs were revealed, and it was never implemented, a weapon that Nekoneko players yearned for.
The appearance and performance of Altihate were revealed in a pre-release introductory article.
According to that data, this weapon’s attack power stat was 999, exceeding Soul Eater from the Hidden Dungeon, and was the highest among all weapons, with a weight value of 0.
Not only that, but it possessed incredible special abilities such as nullifying ranged attacks as long as it was held, and increasing all stats by the number of friendly characters on the field, making it arguably the best weapon in terms of overall performance.
The equipment visuals were also incredibly detailed, so naturally, expectations for this weapon were high even before its release, but the final product had no sign of Altihate, disappointing many players.
I secretly suspect that they lacked the technical ability to implement special abilities such as nullifying ranged attacks or changing effects based on the number of people on the field, but I don’t know the truth.
Looking back now, it feels like something they could have been sued for false advertising, but well, it’s a common occurrence in Nekoneko.
However, it would be difficult for me to obtain it.
The event trigger condition in Old Castle seemed to be the priestess Neithia uttering a keyword, which required heading to the isolated island to search for the priestess.
Furthermore, the Trial of the Gods that was initiated in that way had the worst compatibility with me.
Only one person could undergo the trial, and it had a malicious setting that limited even those with excellent physical abilities to ordinary human levels when taking the trial.
Naturally, no skills or magic could be used.
The trial itself seemed simple: walk straight across a path in mid-air, about two meters wide and thirty meters long, and touch the God Sword at the far end. However, with every step, blades of light, which would be instantly fatal if hit directly, flew from all directions. Alex, who was supposed to have ordinary human athletic ability, managed to dodge them with his natural reaction speed and intuition, performing evasions like in an action movie, but that was something I could never imitate. I would have been cut in half on the first step.
And finally, the blades of light, which had been flying from the sides and above, suddenly came from directly below, from within the path itself. I truly thought it was devilish. Even veteran Nekoneko players would likely find it impossible to dodge that on their first try. But conversely, seeing that confirmed for me that this event was not entirely original to this world but an extension of the Nekoneko game.
The difficulty level, which disregarded the player entirely, as if to say “die and learn,” and the number of ill-natured gimmicks. This was indeed a feature that the Nekoneko developers had considered but never implemented.
This world is not “Nekoneko” itself, but rather a “Nekoneko Complete Edition” with added elements, an append disk. It could be said to be a more complete Nekoneko world than the game. …Well, considering it’s the complete edition, it feels like there are still bugs, and even increasing ones, but I’ll just think that’s part of the Nekoneko world, too.
Getting back to the point, there’s another reason why the God Sword Altihate is essential for defeating the Evil God. It seems that attacking the gem in the Evil God’s heart, which was called an orb during the great Evil God war, with Altihate’s skill can split the Evil God depending on the power of the attack. Of course, the more it splits, the weaker the Evil God becomes, and its size, abilities, and usable skills change in proportion to the size of the orb. However, if a fragment is defeated, its power is absorbed by the remaining fragments, so to truly defeat the Evil God, one must fight the fully formed Evil God.
This was information I had never heard of in the game either, but it was certainly plausible. The Evil God fragments I have encountered are the one in Ramur’s dungeon, the game’s true boss, and the one I met at the sacrificial altar after coming to this world. Perhaps because the fragment at the sacrificial altar was small, it did not use the wide-area attack skill “Genocide Wave” that the fragment in Ramur’s dungeon used. It seems the size and abilities of the gems in the core are indeed proportional.
According to the video record, the giant Evil God fragments can speak freely, create fog that prevents the opponent from escaping the field, emit miasma that induces status abnormalities, steal one item from a deceased opponent, and possess the ability to break through the dimensional wall. “Break through the dimensional wall” was something I didn’t understand either, but it apparently means the ability to move between isolated maps. In other words, Evil God fragments of a certain size or larger are unaffected by space-closing type seals. In that sense, the Evil God fragment isolated in Ramur’s underground might still be relatively small.
Then, how are such Evil Gods sealed? It appears to be one of three options: using a large-scale sealing technique that sacrifices a portion of the country to immobilize it, continuously bombarding it with attacks that counteract its self-regeneration ability after weakening it to the extreme, or sealing it within the body of a human with the aptitude, like Neithia. Of course, each of these methods involves significant sacrifice. We assumed our hero Alex would not accept such a thing and would face the fully formed Evil God with the God Sword, but that was for Chapter 14…
(This is terrible…)
In this world, when people and monsters die, they dissolve into light particles and vanish into the air. No corpses or blood remain, but broken paths and burning houses indicate what happened there.
“Why! Why is this happening…?”
What awaited Alex and his party, who had obtained the God Sword Altihate, was a city destroyed by an Evil God attack. Monsters roamed freely and people fled in panic; it was like a scene from hell.
And so, they reached the front lines. A particularly large monstrosity appeared, accompanied by many monsters.
–The Evil God, Diz-Aster.
Its form and appearance were not vastly different from the Evil God fragments I saw in the game. However, its size was completely different. It must have been about fifteen meters in length. It looked less like a living creature and more like a moving hill.
“YOU CAME, HUMANS.”
And surprisingly, the Evil God, upon recognizing Alex and his companions, spoke in an extremely difficult-to-understand, grating voice, but it did speak. Or perhaps it wasn’t surprising. According to the information from the Seal Clan, almost complete Evil God fragments possessed intelligence and could speak. However, seeing such a massive body actually speak made me instinctively recoil. As the heroes tensed up, the entity slowly extended its right arm, a hideous grin on its colossal face. I thought it was an attack, but it wasn’t.
“…A forgotten item.”
From its massive right arm, a battered, slender sword fell. The unique, peerless sword, Swallow Edge. –It was the sword of Sword Saint Ruden, who was supposed to have been fighting on the front lines. The moment Alex understood what that meant, he roared.
“DIZ-ASTAAAAAAR!!”
And that signaled the beginning of a deadly battle.
They, the ten strongest, including the late Sword Saint Ruden, were all individually capable of fighting thousands. While their skill and magic usage might have been a step behind Nekoneko players, all of them were first-class warriors comparable to Mitsuki.
“Two-Sword Hero Alex,” wielding the Knight Sword Richter in his right hand and the God Sword Altihate in his left. “Princess Ciel of Light,” who masterfully employed high-level swordsmanship and magic on the front lines, supporting allies from both openly and in secret. “Magician Nameless,” who had the most profound understanding of fire and light magic, renowned as the greatest magic user in history. “Ebon Priestess Neithia,” who fulfilled her mission and now, under Nameless’s tutelage, had her magical talents blossom. “Cat-Eared Swordsman Shizuru,” a mysterious mercenary with astonishing speed and swordsmanship, using a single-edged sword called a katana. “Macho Healer Giyamon,” who, despite his muscular physique, possessed the most precise healing magic. “Divine Archer Roden,” a solitary hunter who never missed his prey, regardless of the adverse conditions. “Reaper Fien,” whose cheerful and lively personality was in stark contrast to her terrifying assassination techniques, allowing her to eliminate targets without anyone noticing. “Moonlight Princess Luna,” the younger sister of Princess Ciel of Light, possessing magic power not inferior to her sister’s, bolstering allies with support and healing. They all fought desperately. Alex’s performance as the hero was particularly phenomenal. In defense, he shielded his companions with the sword’s power to nullify ranged attacks, and in offense, he relentlessly carved through the Evil God with his enhanced abilities, boosted by the God Sword and the Sand Dragon Sword. But even that had its limits. No matter how many wounds they inflicted, the Evil God Diz-Aster, which continued to self-regenerate unless its core was destroyed, and humans with limited HP and MP, had a difference in stamina. The first crack appeared on the front lines.
“Heehee. The rear is unattended, poof!”
Even in such a situation, the assassin Fien, who had not lost her cheerfulness, slashed at the Evil God’s arm from behind…
“Fien! Run!”
“Eh?… Ah…”
It was a moment. The assassin girl, who had gotten too close to the Evil God, was instantly entangled and engulfed by countless tentacles, and then… crushed.
“You’re kidding. Fien…?”
Alex stood frozen, as if his previous efforts were a lie. The Evil God leisurely extended its tentacles towards him. It wasn’t an attack. It was like a reenactment of the exchange before the fight. Clink. A crushed bracelet was dropped before Alex. It was a treasured bracelet that Fien had received from the children at the orphanage she came from during a previous event…
“…Trash, isn’t it.”
Alex’s reason shattered at the Evil God’s malicious declaration.
“Uaaaaaaa!!”
Unlike his previous intense yet logical combat style, he charged forward wildly.
(What a personality…)
Watching him, I too scowled. It seemed the Evil God’s special ability to steal equipment from defeated opponents was meant to mock its foes. This was probably another Gimmick conceived by the Nekoneko staff, but in a bad way, they are truly impressive. And from there, the collapse accelerated. The battle, which had been barely a tie with nine against one, clearly began unraveling once one person fell.
“Alex, calm down! If you lose your composure, the enemy–”
“Princess, you’re in danger!”
The next victim was Divine Archer Roden. An Evil God’s beam shot towards Ciel, who was trying to calm Alex, and Roden, who shielded her, was pierced through instantly and died.
“Roden? Damn it, Daaaamnn iiittt!!”
Seeing Roden fall, Alex spurred himself on further, but it didn’t change the course of the battle. Rather, as Alex and his companions closed in, the Evil God spewed miasma from its entire body to counter them. Some were paralyzed, some fell asleep, and others were struck by tentacles while trying to avoid the miasma. Alex and his companions, despite their efforts, fell on the spot.
“…This is the end, I suppose.”
–Except for one person, a girl called Princess of Light, Ciel Elroona. Amidst the swirling miasma, Ciel cast healing magic on Luna, then ran towards Alex. But upon reaching Alex, Ciel did not help him; instead, she took the sword from his hand, the sword mutated from the demon Richter, the Knight Sword Richter.
“Ci-el…?”
Alex, who had no idea what was happening, looked at her with bewilderment. Ciel smiled gently at him and, holding the Knight Sword Richter, raised a small jewel in her other hand.
“No way…”
It was said to be one part demon and one part dragon treasure that only existed within the royal family. She raised it and then…
“Alex, I loved you. …Please, take care of the world.”
“Stop it! Stop it, Ciel!!”
With a sad smile, as if in response to his plea to stop, she spoke those words.
” –Knight Sword, Ciel Elroona.”
The transformation occurred in an instant. Her transparent white skin became a pure white blade, her beautiful silver hair, the sword’s tip. The lovely girl ended her life and was reborn as a holy sword that dispelled darkness.
” …Ci-el.”
What Alex, who muttered her name, thought, or what expression he had, is unknown. However, in Alex’s eyes, as he stood up holding the newly born “Knight Sword Shieru,” a strong, unbreakable brilliance resided.
” –Evil God, Diz-Aster. I will destroy you!”
Alex declared so quietly, and then…
“…Ah.”
The next moment, the footage remaining on the slate ended, and we were returned to the original room.
For a while, we just looked at each other, unable to say anything. Since the talk had been so positive until then, we couldn’t cope with the sudden shift. As a story, it made sense. A heroine sacrifices herself to give power to the protagonist in the final battle. It’s a common trope, if you think about it. And even considering the game mechanics, it made sense. The Dragon’s Treasure creates weapons based on equipment modifiers and stat reference. That is, if a person already wielding a Dragon’s Treasure weapon uses another Dragon’s Treasure, the resulting weapon’s stats would be “previous character’s modifiers + current character’s stats,” creating a sword incomparably more powerful than if a single person used one. That made sense. It made sense, but perhaps it was because I got too emotionally invested in Alex and his companions, I couldn’t quite accept that fact.
“…Let’s just disband for now,” Mitsuki, who seemed relatively less shocked, said first, and everyone slowly dispersed. Then, only Mitsuki remained. There’s probably no particular meaning in Mitsuki being the last one to stay. She probably didn’t have any specific intention. But perhaps because I let my guard down, I unintentionally voiced my thoughts on this story, which I hadn’t shared with anyone, to Mitsuki.
“…I was surprised. I knew it was coming, but seeing people die like that, it’s a bit…”
No matter, I had seen people die many times in movies and games. However, this time, the reality was different. We too have fought against the Demon Lord and the Evil God fragments. If even one step had been wrong, it could have resulted in sacrifices like in this story. Thinking about it that way, I couldn’t help but feel it concerned me.
“Yes. However, to save the world is such a difficult task. It’s not something that can be done without any sacrifice.”
“Ah. Well, I suppose so.”
I should have always been aware of the risk of someone dying. Yet, to be confronted with it like this now, it’s strange. As I lowered my head, Mitsuki gently spoke to me.
“Don’t make that face. You are Soma, the hero who saved the nation. You, who saved the world without a single sacrifice, have done more than they did.”
“No, but I…”
Mitsuki gently placed a finger on my lips as if to silence my rebuttal.
“I know what you’ve done. I’ve seen everything, both good and bad, since you were in Ramur.”
“M-Mitsuki…”
I had spent as much time with her as Ringo, and had met her earlier than Ringo. With Mitsuki saying such a thing, I couldn’t say anything more.
“With that said, I’ll tell you. You’ve tried hard enough. So, I think you should proceed as you wish without any reservations.”
“As I wish, you say…”
Without answering my question, Mitsuki smoothly moved away from me.
“Tomorrow is finally Chapter 15, the final chapter. Our long adventure may be coming to an end.”
As I watched Mitsuki’s retreating back, I pondered. –The end of a long adventure. Was she referring to Alex’s journey, or…
The release date for Nekoneko Volume 4 has been decided, so the activity report has been updated.
I immediately failed to meet the deadline, but the next update is also scheduled for the day after tomorrow! But I couldn’t beat the game…
