I apologize for the delay in updates!
The gap was longer than I expected, so I’ll provide a summary of what happened previously for clarity!
**Previous Summary**
Soma and his companions set their sights on the unprecedented flying city, Sky City, as their next destination. On the ground, they discovered a collapsed portion of Sky City. Using the power of the mechanical doll left behind, they succeeded in transferring to Sky City.
Forced by an unforeseen accident to explore with only three members, they found that even the ancient defense mechanisms were no match for heroes who had defeated Demon Lords.
However, standing in their path as they advanced with unstoppable momentum was Sky City’s guardian, Barnis V!
Stripped of most of their skills by Barnis V’s terrifying power, Soma was quickly put at a disadvantage.
But rushing to his aid in his moment of crisis was Kuma, who was thought to have died in a fierce battle against an Evil God!
With Kuma’s assistance, Soma and his companions narrowly escaped Sky City. However, their relief at reuniting with their companions was short-lived, as Barnis V, having flown from Sky City, caught up to them, plunging them into another desperate situation.
At that moment, deeply moved by Mitsuki’s resolve to protect her companions with her own life, Soma decided to unseal the forbidden secret technique he had sealed away, deeming it too powerful for him to wield: “True Setsuna Samidare!”
Ignoring his companions’ pleas, Soma faced Barnis V in a duel with his life on the line. He masterfully used “True Setsuna Samidare” and finally defeated the formidable enemy, Barnis V!
***
*Nekoneko is a classic hot-blooded shonen manga!*
“True Setsuna Samidare.”
This was the ultimate attack method I discovered in the game era of Nekoneko. It’s an incredible technique that unleashes hundreds of slashes in an instant. To explain how it’s possible, we first need to understand skill cancel timing.
“Cancel” is a “technique where you use the next skill during the activation of a current skill, forcibly ending the active skill and immediately transitioning to the next.” However, skill cancels can only be performed at specific timings called cancel points. For common attack skills like Slash, the cancel points are generally as follows:
1. **Pre-attack motion** (wind-up, stance, etc.)
* Short Cancel Point
2. **Attack motion/effects** (hit detection occurs)
3. **(If hit) Damage calculation/damage application**
* Long Cancel Point
4. **Post-attack motion** (sheathing sword, afterglow, etc.)
5. **Skill end/skill recovery**
When you cancel, the current skill ends at that point. For example, a short cancel on Slash means you only perform the pre-attack motion (like raising your sword), without the slash motion or damage, and transition to the next skill. On the other hand, a long cancel means the skill functions up to step 3. The slash motion and, if it hits the enemy, the damage calculation and application will occur, but you can skip the remaining motion (steps 4 and 5), such as the afterglow or post-skill recovery, and move to the next skill.
Now, that’s for general skills. However, with Midarezakura, due to the Nekoneko staff’s lazy mentality of “it’s too troublesome to assign hit detection to hundreds of slashes individually!”, they implemented a system where “hit detection and damage calculation for hundreds of slashes are performed just before the slash effect appears.” When the skill ends, “the pre-calculated damage is unleashed all at once.” It’s a peculiar specification.
1. **Pre-attack motion** (stance)
* Short Cancel Point
2. **Hit detection/damage calculation**
3. **Attack motion/effects** (approximately 18 seconds of slashing)
* Long Cancel Point
4. **Post-attack motion** (sheathing sword)
5. **Skill end/damage application/skill recovery**
The key point here is that hit detection is handled all at once in step 2. Therefore, enemies not nearby when step 3 occurs will not be hit at all, despite appearing to be slashed repeatedly, leading to an unfair situation. This skill is quite strange in itself, to say the least.
…By the way.
Generally, the longer the skill’s effect, the longer the cancel point reception time tends to be. Among these, Midarezakura boasts an overwhelming duration of about 20 seconds at default speed, making its cancel point the longest I know of.
A long cancel point means that the next skill can be activated without needing to precisely time it, making Midarezakura a very easy skill to cancel for Nekoneko players, and I agree. In fact, I used Midarezakura’s long cancel for practicing cancellations at triple speed, and I even think cancelling Midarezakura is the easiest when just cancelling.
And here’s the main point: perhaps because Midarezakura has a long cancel reception time, some results differ depending on whether “a short cancel is performed immediately after the reception time starts” or “a short cancel is performed after waiting until the end of the reception time.” So, what happens if you perform a short cancel at the very end of the reception time? The flow would be as follows:
1. **Pre-attack motion** (stance)
2. **Hit detection/damage calculation**
* Short Cancel Point
3. **Attack motion/effects** (approximately 18 seconds of slashing)
* Long Cancel Point
4. **Post-attack motion** (sheathing sword)
5. **Skill end/damage application/skill recovery**
Yes, well, the short cancel point is bleeding into an area it absolutely shouldn’t, or rather, it is. I imagine the cancel system was either retrofitted or developed separately, but it’s truly awful.
What changes with this is that for Midarezakura, damage occurs when “the skill is ended through normal means after damage calculation.” Therefore, even if you perform a short cancel after step 2, “Hit detection/damage calculation,” damage will naturally occur. So, if you wait until the very end of the input reception time before performing a short cancel, an unbelievable phenomenon occurs where “hundreds of slashes’ damage is applied without the sword having swung even once.”
If we consider this as a technique, its attack speed is by no means a mere super speed. For the enemy, it would be, “Ah, they’ve readied their weapon! Are they going to slash soon?” and in the next moment, they take hundreds of slashes’ worth of damage without even being cut, so they wouldn’t understand what happened. Frankly, I was also truly surprised when I accidentally succeeded in “True Setsuna Samidare.” At that time, I was leveling up Midarezakura’s proficiency with short cancels, and a stray Nor, who was joyfully hopping around in front of me, suddenly disintegrated without any discernible reason. It’s no wonder I was surprised.
“…That’s why it’s perfectly normal for Mitsuki not to see the slashes! In fact, if she could see them, I’d suspect an abnormality with her eyes or brain!”
For Mitsuki, it would be shocking if there were slashes invisible to her. I said that to encourage her, but Mitsuki clutched her forehead with one hand and staggered as if drained of strength.
“Are you… alright?!”
I called out to her in a panic, and Mitsuki quickly recovered. However, she still looked pale, and more importantly, her cat ears drooped as if to say, “I can’t take it anymore!” Yet, Mitsuki valiantly replied, “Y-yes. I’m fine. My head just started to hurt a little… while listening.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry, was it a bit too difficult?”
Despite her reputation as a brainless warrior due to her combat frenzy and charge, Mitsuki is quick-witted and intelligent. Still, when it comes to foreign worlds, especially topics as alien as games or programs, she might not be able to keep up.
I wondered about the others and scanned my gaze. First, Ringo was expressionless as usual. …Or was it? Lately, her eyes seem more vacant than usual, her expressionlessness even more profound. But it’s probably just my imagination. Maki was also as usual. With an attitude of “Well, that’s Soma for you,” she shrugged. It irked me a little.
Meanwhile, Ena, who had been distraught until just moments ago, honestly praised me. She looked at me with sparkling eyes and showered me with unreserved admiration, “Um, uh, it’s a clever technique, right! That’s amazing, Soma!” Ah, Ena really is a good kid. As I nodded, I saw Kuma facing him beside her. Completely unrelated to the conversation, they were playing rock-paper-scissors… No, they were making gestures that looked like rock-paper-scissors, but it would be impossible for them to make scissors or rock with their hands.
My own head started to ache, so I shifted my gaze again. Sazan, who had been on the verge of tears just a while ago, was writhing while clutching a mask. It seemed something struck a chord within her, as she muttered, “A technique that twists causality and unleashes slashes before they are even thrown. Damn. ‘Invisible slashes,’ perhaps? …Ah, no, ‘curtains of slashing’ is also compelling!” She seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit.
However, personally, I won’t give up the name “True Setsuna Samidare.” Actually, I discovered this “True Setsuna Samidare,” and I’m the one who gave it the name “True Setsuna Samidare,” inspired by “Setsuna Samidare.” In fact, I couldn’t find anything about what happens when cancelling Midarezakura in wikis or online searches. When I first discovered “True Setsuna Samidare,” the Nekoneko community was largely defunct, so in reality, I had no choice but to verify it myself.
I can’t help but wonder why such an incredible technique remained undiscovered until now, but perhaps it’s natural. Midarezakura is one of the “Three Great Obsessive Player Conditions”—dubbed the “Trash Conditions”—making both its acquisition and use incredibly difficult. After all, the ultimate skill for the Odachi is impossible to learn without raising proficiency with Master Torch. Furthermore, in this world, the entrance to the Hidden Dungeon, which can be reached by digging, is only accessible after clearing the Game. Consequently, to learn Midarezakura using Master Torch, defeating Demon Lord with a controlled level is a prerequisite.
And even if you learn Midarezakura, the stamina cost, which is double the initial cost, becomes a barrier. Stamina doesn’t increase with level-ups, so it’s not something that can be used easily. And then, even if there were someone crazy enough to learn such a skill and practice short cancels, the situation where one performs a short cancel at the very edge of the timing for Midarezakura, a skill that’s easy to cancel, is already extremely rare.
To top it off, even if “True Setsuna Samidare” were to activate during proficiency training using short cancels, the likelihood of noticing it is low. In the materialized world, especially in narrow passages, it shattered walls and ceilings. In the game, however, objects like walls are all indestructible. Proficiency training is usually done when no one else is around. So, even if “True Setsuna Samidare” were to activate, there would be no target for the damage to occur. I, who was leveling up skills in the middle of Deus Plain with low-level monsters for a change of pace, and happened to have “True Setsuna Samidare” activate with a monster right in front of me, am the Irregular.
Therefore, “True Setsuna Samidare” is my original technique. I’ve thought about posting the information on a message board or wiki someday, but I indulged in the thought of having a secret ultimate technique (possibly) all to myself and kept postponing it until I was transported to this world. So, I suspect I’m the only one who knows it.
If I safely return to my original world, I plan to post it on the Midarezakura comment section of the wiki, I resolve quietly. As I’m having these thoughts, Mitsuki, who has apparently recovered, asks,
“I find some aspects very hard to accept, but I understand the mechanism and power of the technique. However, why didn’t you use such an extraordinary technique before? It’s not as if your good sense would have held you back, given it’s you.”
Her words seem to carry a slight edge, but it’s a valid question.
“First, this skill consumes a lot of stamina, so it’s not suitable for prolonged battles.” Though it decreases slightly with repeated use for proficiency, the initial stamina cost of 200 is double the player’s initial stamina. I’ve doubled my stamina with the “Rage Seed Death Bug,” but even so, using it normally would drain my stamina in one go. If I used it with many enemies around, I might be able to defeat the front half successfully, but then I’d be pummeled by the remaining enemies behind me.
“There are also other drawbacks, like rapid weapon degradation and the fear of collateral damage due to its wide range, but the biggest reason is the difficulty of timing.” Skill cancelling itself requires practice. However, the timing for “True Setsuna Samidare” when cancelling Midarezakura is extremely brief. It’s a much shorter window than ordinary skill cancellations. If the cancel timing is too early, the cancel itself succeeds, and no attack is generated, which is the best-case scenario. But if the timing is too late, the cancel itself fails. You’d be left exposed in front of the enemy during Midarezakura’s lengthy slashing motion. Honestly, it’s nothing short of suicidal.
As I finished explaining, I felt a tap on my head from behind.
“…Don’t do reckless things.”
It was Ringo. Her expressionless face had returned to its usual state, so she seemed to have calmed down.
“W-well, I was able to do it in the game when the speed wasn’t tripled, and I succeeded once even now. From now on, I need to practice to be able to execute it reliably.”
I vaguely replied and moved towards the dead end as if to escape.
“Oh, Soma! This is glowing again.”
Maki, completely ignoring the flow of the conversation, happily showed me the glowing transfer device. I nodded and turned back to my companions.
“Alright then, as planned, let’s go on a city tour, everyone.”
Leading my companions, who were gazing around with wonder, I headed towards the bow, the bridge section of the space battleship. With the weak monsters deactivated and the only threat, Barnis V, dead, there was no danger. …Although saying that sounds like a flag for strong enemies to appear, absolutely nothing happened until we reached the bridge. Upon arriving at the bridge, I operated the panel and first turned off the external cannons. Here, the defensive functions and such can be turned on and off, but unfortunately, that’s all. You can’t, for example, make the weak monsters or cannons act as your allies. Well, it would be strange for Nekoneko to put effort into making specifications advantageous to players, so it’s ordinary in the grand scheme of things.
“Um, um! So, Soma, what are you going to do here? You’ve already obtained the Pegasus Boots, right?”
Ena asked, tilting her head.
“Ah. But if my only objective was to obtain the Pegasus Boots, I wouldn’t have brought such a large group. Besides, once I got the boots, I could have just jumped off from the tower instead of going to Barnis V.”
There were two objectives for coming to Sky City. One was to obtain the Pegasus Boots, and the other was…
“H-hey! Isn’t the ground shaking a little?”
At Sazan’s flustered voice, I grinned.
“That’s not all. Look at the monitor.”
At my words, everyone in the vicinity turned to look at the bridge monitor displaying the exterior view.
“The scenery is moving?… No way?”
Mitsuki’s cat ears twitched as she said this. I nodded, “Yeah! This Sky City is currently moving under my command!” That’s right, this was the other reason I came to Sky City. I can’t go out into space, of course, but this Sky City, once cleared, can be used as the typical “freely flying vehicle” in the latter half of the game.
“Okay, test run complete. It looks like this will get us to our destination properly.” And this, which travels fast and can cross the sea, will allow us to go to places we couldn’t reach before.
“S-Soma! Where is the destination?!”
“I told you, Sazan. After going to Sky City, I’ll lend you my strength.” I smiled at Sazan and pushed the panel button once more.
“—Sky City, depart! The destination is Sazan’s homeland, the Southern Isolated Island!”
And with this, the Sky City arc concludes! The ending has a bit of a cancellation feel, but don’t worry! The next update will be… soon, I’m sure! I’ve already started writing the next story because I had time! I’ve already written over 500 characters! I’ll deliver it as quickly as possible, so please wait!
