The sharp short spikes stabbed wildly at Herohero's chest, throat, and other vital points.
Herohero chose to evade instead of meeting her head-on. His body rippled and reshaped continuously, making it effortless to slip past every strike.
"Why did she suddenly snap?"
He dodged a spike aimed at his head and hopped backward, widening the gap. Watching Clementine's expression, like a carnivore locked onto prey, Herohero fell into thought.
He felt completely worn out. He had only wanted to clear up a small misunderstanding, so why was she fighting like she didn't care if she lived or died?
He wanted to say something, but Clementine didn't give him the chance.
[Flow Acceleration]
Clementine lunged at him again, activating a martial skill mid-sprint to push her speed even higher.
The short spike in her right hand drew a long streak through the air, aimed straight for Herohero's head. She didn't know anything about his weaknesses, but she still went for the head. For most creatures, that was the weak point.
Herohero didn't move an inch. He simply raised a pitch-black palm and casually blocked the strike. Then, carefully controlling his strength, he grabbed her arm and flung her away.
"Troublesome."
Herohero let out a sigh. He had to fight back while holding his power in check, so he wouldn't accidentally end her in a single hit.
[Message]
"Hey, Naohara, Momonga. Hurry up and get over here."
He opened Message and contacted them directly.
With Clementine like this, there was no way she'd listen to anything. At this point, the only option was to have Naohara come in.
"How's it going, Blackie? Did it work?"
Naohara's voice made Herohero's mouth twitch. He glanced at Clementine in the distance, already back in a fighting stance.
Work? Sure. It worked. She'd gone completely insane.
Herohero: "I'm honestly confused myself. Just come here first."
Momonga: "Sounds like something went wrong."
Naohara: "Even this can go wrong? I'll be there in a second."
On a rock not far away, Naohara paused mid-game while playing cards with Momonga. The motion of his hand stopped.
He set down the magic card he'd been about to play and exchanged a look with Momonga. Without a word, they packed up their unfinished duel. They'd have to continue it next time.
"Phew…"
After notifying them, Herohero finally relaxed a little. With Momonga and Naohara's speed, they'd be here in at most a few dozen seconds.
Clementine had no idea Naohara was on his way. She spread her legs, lowered her center of gravity, and leaned forward until her chin was nearly scraping the ground, taking on the posture of a hunter about to pounce.
[Greater Evasion]
[Ability Boost]
[Greater Ability Boost]
[Wind Stride]
Several bursts of light flared across Clementine's body. At the same time, she triggered the additional magic on both short spikes. Flames and lightning flickered into being, and the spikes tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound as they shot toward Herohero.
Inside her, Dragon Blood Brew continued to reinforce her abilities without pause. In that instant, both her power and speed pushed past the limits of a human hero, reaching a new level altogether.
"Die…"
With that whispered threat, the short spikes wreathed in flame and lightning drove straight at Herohero.
Herohero didn't resist or retreat. He spread his arms wide, openly adopting a defenseless stance.
Whatever. Do what you want.
Naohara and Momonga would be here any second. Herohero decided to stop trying and just take it.
Her attacks might have reached around the level 40 range, but against a level 100 slime like him, they couldn't even break through. Letting her hit him a few times didn't matter.
If anything, it was perfect. He could act like the victim in front of Naohara and Momonga and prove he was innocent… wait. He was innocent in the first place…
While Herohero was still lost in that thought, Clementine's strike reached him.
The enchanted short spike plunged hard into Herohero's head. The slime on his surface rippled violently as the magic inside detonated, forcing his upper body to arch back. In an instant, flames and lightning surged wildly across his entire form.
But it was completely useless. All Herohero felt was a tingling sensation spreading through him, oddly pleasant, like a full-body massage.
At the same time, he carefully controlled the slime inside his body to keep it from corroding the short spikes embedded in him. If he accidentally dissolved them, that would be awkward.
While Herohero was practically enjoying himself, Clementine was sinking into despair.
Staring at the nightmare before her, wrapped in flames and lightning, she felt no satisfaction at all. The spectacle looked impressive, but she knew her attacks were doing nothing.
They weren't just failing to deal damage. Her full-force strike was like a stone thrown into the ocean, not even stirring a ripple.
"Why… why… why?!"
"Die! Die! Just die already!"
Panting heavily, Clementine screamed in despair and kept thrusting the short spikes in her hands, stabbing wildly at the unresponsive Herohero in front of her.
But it was useless. Completely useless. Against attacks of this level, Herohero didn't even need to act. His body nullified them automatically.
"It's pointless. Don't waste your strength."
Watching her twisted expression, Herohero couldn't help but speak.
At the same time, he felt uneasy. If she had truly gone insane, that would be a real headache. He definitely didn't want to be blamed for this.
"Heh… heh…"
"Are you playing with me?"
"I won't give you the chance…"
After realizing her attacks had no effect, Clementine fell silent. She pulled out the short spike and leapt back to an open patch of ground.
The frenzy slowly faded from her pale face as she looked up at the sky.
Thinking back on her past, a bitter feeling rose in her chest. Her life had been nothing but a mess.
Naohara… if I hadn't tried to talk to you that day, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have run into this monster today…
The first time we met, I actually wanted to kill you. And today, I was planning to apologize. Looks like I won't get the chance.
"Goodbye…"
After giving the world one last glance and whispering her farewell, Clementine raised the short spike in her hand and drove it straight toward her own heart without hesitation.
Rather than be tortured and devoured by the monster before her, she chose to end her life herself. If this miserable life was going to end, she would be the one to draw the line.
"Damn it!"
Not far away, Herohero, who had been indifferent just moments ago, cursed again. It felt like he was about to be stuck with the blame, and there was no way to dodge it.
Just as he was about to activate [Item Destruction] to shatter the short spike and stop her from killing herself, a familiar presence entered his senses. The magic circle that had already begun to form faded away.
Alright. They're here. Not my problem anymore.
[Item Destruction]
A scaled hand shot out and grabbed Clementine's arm. The short spike that had been aimed at her heart shattered instantly, breaking apart and dispersing into the air.
Feeling herself stopped, Clementine slowly opened her eyes.
A figure both unfamiliar and strangely familiar came into view.