The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #14 a LitRPG (ATS)

by Alvin Atwater

  Airi laughed. “Really? Kanako’s like the most helpful around here. I love that girl. I hope she likes the dress I bought her.”

  “I sure hope you accounted her massive—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Airi interrupted the hellhound. “Don’t remind me that she’s got more man-seduction power than me. I don’t need another reason to cry tonight.”

  Harumi sighed. “Let’s go. You’d better hope Tear doesn’t find out you’re skipping out.”

  Airi smirked. “The big bad succubus will suffocate me with the boobs I wish I had.”

  “You’re a piece of work,” Harumi said with a giggle.

  “And more,” Ruri agreed.

  The trio managed to sneak past both Tear and Yuki, bumping into Matsume on the way out. The busty hellhound shrugged.

  Midmorning…

  Downtown Lot City, Yaponiya…

  Kanako peeked through the window of a closed antique shop, eyes staring longingly at a bizarre necklace. It came from her world for sure—the magic it radiated felt familiar. Something like that could greatly restore her lost power. Then she could help Clyde. Maybe he’d even…

  She sighed.

  “I’ll just have to keep saving.”

  Standing yards away, Lilith smiled at the genie. Why hadn’t Clyde presented someone so cute with a ring yet? She licked her lips, turning to the antique shop. How would things look if that genie gained her original power? The Supreme nodded. It’d be a work of art and a kick to the knees of those who put a leash on the genie race.

  She frowned. Non-humans were always looked down on—not by the weak humans, but deities, whether dark or light. Lilith would never abandon her vow to unite Satovia. The woman was still proud of places like the capital city of Alon, allowing non-humans to live there, co-existing with the others. Sure, not all monster-types were welcomed yet, but a start was a start. But for this dream to succeed, the Supreme would need the only god that didn’t attack her on site.

  Clyde, the Stone. He was angry for what her rogue marines did, and she couldn’t blame him, but why didn’t the young man attack? All of Celestial, except Venus of course, wanted her dead.

  Venus… an old friend, but the only one that actually gave a shit about anyone other than herself. Rare for deities. Sure, there were a few others, but no one would probably catch a glimpse of them. They probably hide themselves to avoid the plotting of others. After all, gods could devour each other and take their power. It was also a reason why the Supreme hadn’t left.

  What if Emyo changed for the worst? Sure, only gods could absorb gods and goddesses absorb goddesses, but that didn’t put Lilith at ease. Her people viewed her as either or. Faith magic could enable the dragon to wield the powers of both genders.

  Lilith sighed. No use worrying about it now. The dragon god was nations away—hundreds of miles with no real guarantee of coming in Lot City’s direction… if only that were the case.

  The succubus just knew the Thousand Year was homing onto Clyde’s massive Stone Mode power, curious.

  Not even Lilith, who brought deities to their knees, stood a chance against Emyo. And neither did Clyde. She’d protect him, prove to the young man that she could be trusted—that she only wanted to make the world a better place. Her original spell was meant to give monsters the optional ability to change into human form at will. Well, it worked… for the females, sort of. Her succubus magic held so much power, lust, and sexual energy. Even monsters that did have human or humanoid forms such as the vampires, werewolves and their hellhound cousins, some kitsune, and fairies, certain angels… probably fallen angels now, couldn’t withstand the failed spell.

  Lilith tried everything to draw it back in. She even pleaded with Celestial to reverse the magic flow, but for some reason they refused. They refused… and still came after her. Many of them appeared to be after her life, but after thinking about it for centuries, the Supreme realized the deities wanted to capture the woman. Maybe for experiments, who knew.

  Otherwise, Celestial could’ve sent the Punishment Squad and ended everything in an instant. Lilith, of course, had thousands of escape routes, magical and non-magical, in anticipation of the Punishment Squad specifically. She always believed they were coming for her and that caused her to pour many sleepless weeks into research, hoping to reverse her curse.

  Her curse was unbreakable and irreversible, except by Celestial themselves. Some of them were probably perverts anyway and preferred to keep things the way they were. That didn’t stop the hunt. Of course, the Supreme being the best at magic, showed no mercy. Sure, she didn’t kill any of them, but the deities sure as shit refused to return. After a good beating, Venus probably pulled strings, made threats, or reported the idiots to the higher-ups, which all led to the eventual halt of the hunt.

  Lilith shook the past’s shadow away from her mind. She couldn’t explain this strong attraction to Clyde. But this was her chance. Marry someone she liked, who also held an engagement to Tear. The throne could only be wielded by worthy power. The succubus who hid her terrifying real power so as to not accidentally destroy the planet.

  Of course, if she revealed too much of it, the Punishment Squad would probably have an excuse to lay their eyes on her.

  Tear couldn’t control that power yet, but she was still perfect to be Lilith’s successor. And Lilith could finally rest for the first time in her life, rolling into lust, and tackle projects that could help the kingdom and the world without politics getting in the way.

  Tear’s protection was better for the monster kingdoms, of course. She didn’t have the gods angry at her, she didn’t have people after her life every day, she loved potentially the most powerful young man in existence, and even had friends of all kinds, aiming to push her to better heights.

  Tear had everything Lilith didn’t.

  The Supreme demon lord turned back to the antique shop. She’d focus on the now. While she’d love to cuddle with the beautiful genie girl, Lilith wasn’t stupid. Anyone with red strings of fate tied to Clyde was off limits. Grudgingly, that also meant Tear. Although giving up on Tear was just so damn difficult.

  She wanted the Stone way, way, way, way, way, way, WAY more, but nothing could be done about the hatred, except for atonement and time. And this was possible because he didn’t attack. That meant the hatred wasn’t directed at Lilith. Not entirely. Maybe at one point, the young man considered using the Supreme as an ally. Well, earning someone’s trust was just fine. No one handed Lilith things in life. She had to fight for the right to exist.

  Midmorning…

  Lot City, Yaponiya…

  Kitome bit her lip, still feeling quite nervous about her positive pregnancy test results. She waited the two weeks, following the normal human procedures. Now the only thing left to do was break the news to her mother. Sure, she loved Clyde and would do anything to protect their child and him. That didn’t make the young woman less anxious about the oncoming yelling. She wasn’t alone in this boat. She turned to look at Alice, a beautiful half angel, half demoness, typing with adorable focus on her work, slowly devouring a stick of Pocky.

  She also hadn’t told her mother and felt just as nervous as Kitome. They were both young, after all. Not that people in Yaponiya were judgmental. Alice may have inherited her family’s wealth, but she ran all of the businesses, handling the enormous backlog of work. Clyde had no idea how worn-out the poor girl got on critical days like this.

  Kitome, on the other hand, didn’t have wealth, but she worked her ass off to get accepted into the most powerful college in the nation. Perhaps the most famous in the world. She even helped out Alice, Chika, and Tear on occasion. Sometimes even Noona, although reluctantly. That booby demoness made her jealous being so happy-go-lucky with a tool that could draw everything in her favor.

  Kitome finished the last of load of the paperwork, perfectly following Alice’s instructions, and stretched, letting out a relieved sigh. The half-demoness smiled at her.

  “Sorry for draggi
ng you into this,” Alice said.

  “Not at all,” Kitome said. “I don’t mind shoveling some of the mountain for you.”

  “If you ever decide to accept my offer,” Alice said, “I’d love you even more forever.” She giggled.

  Kitome smiled. “Like I said, I’d like to have the degree first.”

  “I know, I know,” Alice said. “You earn everything and will not accept gifts. I’m still going to keep trying.”

  Shopping Center…

  “Ms. Airi, while you’re waiting for your new phone to activate, our guest manager would like to speak with you in her office,” the clerk said. “I think you may have been chosen for a ton of free service.”

  Airi grinned. “Sure. I’m down for that gift horse.” She turned to Harumi and Ruri. “I’ll be back.”

  “I smell a lie,” Ruri said. “Going into that office isn’t a good idea.”

  Airi’s smile dropped as she turned to the nervous employee. She snatched her new phone, just in case they tried anything, and allowed her mighty super-druidic powers to peek out just a bit.

  “What’s going on?” Airi said.

  “That guest manager smells like dragon,” Ruri said. In a lower voice, she said, “And Harumi just happens to be here?”

  “If they touch my friend, I’ll destroy them, their families, and the cities they live in.” Airi said that in her normally humorous voice, so the terrified employee couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not.

  “Look, man, I’m just a part-timer,” he said. “That lady in there did something to me and so I can’t reject her orders. Please don’t hurt me.”

  “Now, now,” someone said. A woman exited the office dressed in secretary wear with glasses. “No need for violence. I just wanted to speak with the famous number one adventurer. I’m a huge fan.”

  “It’s a lie mixed in with some truth,” Ruri said, nose in the air.

  The woman frowned at the hellhound. Something in her eyes gave it away to Airi. Miscalculation. They wanted Airi’s attention for some reason but didn’t expect her to be friends with a hellhound.

  “Dragon,” Harumi said in a voice that immediately alerted Airi. It was as if the fox girl needed time to process the realization and now the anger built, ready to explode like a powerful volcano. The menacing aura that gathered around her Nine tails best friend proved it.

  “Harumi, let me talk to her,” Airi said. “There isn’t anyone in here that can take you on, so please calm down.”

  Airi entered the woman’s office but didn’t take a seat. She strengthened all of her personal wards and simultaneously disabled all of the dragon’s protective wards as well as any traps. The dragon let the surprise show on her face for just a moment before it curled into a smile.

  “Yes, you’re definitely her,” the woman said. “Airi the God Slayer.”

  Episode 71 (Part 1): Black Raid

  Shopping Center…

  Office…

  Airi burst into laughter after listening to the woman’s so-called offer. The dragon scowled, seeming to be surprised that the super druid wasn’t the slightest bit interested.

  “You’re the God Slayer, correct? We’re offering you the finest treasures and money, even an advance before the job completion. You never turn down giant paying—”

  Airi laughed harder, before wiping a tear from one of her eyes. “Thanks for wasting my time, ‘kay bye.”

  “I think it would benefit us both if we came to a mutual agreement,” the dragon said right as Airi started for the door. “Besides, it’s an easy job. Locate and—”

  “And what will you do if I refuse?” Airi said.

  “I’m just a messenger,” the woman said, “but you do not want to easily turn away such an opportunity from my anonymous employer. He or she could have all of your friends executed with a single command. Hell, I’ll probably be killed if I don’t hide somewhere just for knowing your title.”

  “I don’t go by any titles,” Airi said, humor still in her voice. “I guess the old hags were right about your past trying to catch up with you.” She chuckled. “Listen. Threatening my friends won’t get you anywhere. It’s certainly not going to make me change my mind, favor your dumbass job, or care for the dragons who employed you. And trust me, it’s not hard to figure out. They want a man that I love quite a lot, dead, as well as my best friend.”

  Tetra was spot on about the Disciple wanting to send an assassin, but never in her life would Airi have thought it’d be her. To think they knew about one of her darkest secrets, a past buried and supposed to be forgotten, for she only wanted to walk the path of the light. The path that her druid masters taught her in the first place before she… went through a phase. And now these bastards wanted to take away her only hope for salvation.

  Airi gave the dragon woman a Gin smile, freezing her in place with just a thought of druidic paralyzing magic. Then she chanted, “Et tu parere. Et parere tibi? Audite vocem meam voluntatem. HERE voluntatem.”

  The aura and concentrated super-magic briefly expanded from her like a miniature star explosion. However, Airi was just too good at containing her anger. Her raw fury. Sometimes. The dragon woman now stared at the super druid with glazed eyes.

  “Now that you’re my new slave,” Airi said, “here’s your first order. Tell me everything about your employer. I know you’re some kind of stand-in, messenger, whatever, but I’ll take anything. The fact that you’ve seen the face of at least someone associated with them should allow me to track this Disciple.” She chuckled. Tetra already discovered the Soulless City, just not the people they were looking for.

  “Yes, my Master,” the dragon woman said.

  Harumi and Ruri entered the room, just as the druid predicted. What they saw was an easygoing Airi sitting down with the so-called guest manager and listening to her story. The duo had no idea what the super druid had done just moments ago.

  “Harumi, Ruri, just in time,” Airi said. “Sit in one of the chairs. It turns out she’s not so bad after all.” She smiled. “Take notes, because I’ve finally figured everything out. And to think they’ve handed this over to us on a silver platter with boobs.”

  Noon…

  Clyde’s house…

  [Quest completed. Dragon Business, Step 3: Non-specifics. The time draws near! Thanks to the efforts of your team, the general location of an important figure has finally been located. Excellent! Wait for Airi to explain.]

  [Quest: Dragon Business, Step 4: Decisive Raid. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. Wait for Airi to prompt you.]

  Clyde put his laptop to the side, leaping from the bed, surprised. Just what the hell had happened? What did Airi do? Would they finally put this whole dragon thing to rest, giving Harumi justice while in the process? The young man couldn’t just sit around, he needed to prepare.

  “Tear, just the person I needed to see,” he said as he caught sight of her in the hall. “See Sol’s chest over there in the corner? Do you mind letting your network check it out? Also, make sure it’s not booby trapped or some shit like that.” He pulled the succubus close, taking in her nice high-grade perfume. Tear melted into his kiss, her heart pounding.

  “You really know how to make a succubus love you,” Tear said after he reluctantly pulled back.

  Clyde smiled. “I should be saying that. You’re thousands of times out of my league.”

  Tear laughed.

  And then they briefly forgot about the chest as the succubus, well, used the opportunity to pull the young man into a bubble of passion. Clyde couldn’t resist as he kissed her then took a mouthful of her breasts, nibbling. Tear’s moaning and enjoyment always mega-sized his erections instantly.

  Afterward, Tear warped the item chest over to her team. Clyde wanted to tell her the news, but held back on the account of Airi. After all, he wasn’t one hundred percent certain how things would play out. The system could change the questline at any given moment. Still, things were finally looking hopeful. His team took the traini
ng session seriously, especially when they faced off against the power. Then again, maybe that wasn’t fair.

  Clyde started the mass text draft then accessed his menu to make sure he was properly equipped. The first thing he found made the young man laugh at the irony.

  [Arch Dragon Armor Set: Item class: *Legendary. +1020 to defense. Special protections against dragons and creatures with dragon blood.]

  Holy shit, that was a lot of defense. To put things into perspective, his previous set only gave him two hundred fifty extra defense with protections against bullets and projectiles. Hell, he could feel the power coursing through this new armor like vibrating electricity. It felt empowering, captivating, and only increased his thirst for dungeon diving.

  He did disable the Ki-increase messages due to his ever-increasing horniness, but thanks to Natalia’s bracelets the young man definitely felt something other than magic residing in his veins. It was like a third blood flow that hummed softly, making him feel even more powerful. Thanks to the lovely women, none of it went to his head. He could imagine Kitome or Chika being the first to lecture him. Or maybe Ako smacking his face with a rolled-up newspaper.

  With the power, one would think Clyde should stop caring about equipment or items, but the young man knew that his level said otherwise. The Viper and his party, including his successor, the Thousand Year Dragon, the gods and dark gods, and countless beings he never heard of, refused to let Clyde sit on his ass for too long. Anime logic. Or maybe the anime trope of bullshit power level scaling.

  [System notice. There is a level ceiling.]

  Clyde blinked. Well, that was nice information to know. He just hoped the Viper wouldn’t pull something out of his ass to reach it, making him virtually impossible to beat except by Deus ex Machina. Fuck that. He needed a sure victory. Sure, a little luck could go a long way, but nothing beat total preparation.