章 7: Killing For Points

What would it feel like to rub against that slimy-looking skin?

Kuwabara was already fantasizing about something unattainable. He was always seeking pleasure. You could say he was drowning in it.

He stomped out the cheap cigarette with his foot. No good. No matter how much he smoked, it just wouldn't seep in.

"See you in the next life."

It was a life form he had never seen before. Calling it just a snake copy was insufficient. Round, jewel-like shining eyes, peach-colored antennae. Eyebrows of the same color, long and trailing down. In contrast to its assertive eyes, a diminutive mouth. Breath leaked out.

What drew the eye most wasn't even the face. The beige-colored torso maintained perfect lines flowing into the light blue tail. The deep red pattern attached at the end of the tail also contained an unreal feeling that was refreshing.

If it absolutely had a hole somewhere. Kuwabara closed his eyes. Imagined. It would undoubtedly be very tight. He would likely taste a sensation unlike anything before.

But he did have some discretion. If the alien was weak, that was fine. But this opponent was fairly tough. Restraining it to commit the act would be extremely difficult. He didn't want to miss the chance for a combined hundred points either.

That's why, without hesitation, he pressed the trigger with his finger. The two barrels lit up, creating a brief charged feeling.

The snake seemed to somewhat predict what would happen. It immediately moved from the designated coordinates. Right after its tail tip exited, the ground in that circular range deeply caved in.

That extent was within expectations. Kuwabara had already become accustomed to the opponent's speed. So he could manage tricks like predicting where it would try to escape. He shifted the Z-Gun's aim slightly from the snake's current position and fired.

It was desperately crawling away, but likely couldn't escape that area in time. Seeming to realize that, the snake stopped and stared fixedly at Kuwabara. His crotch grew a little suspicious. As expected, he hesitated over watching it get crushed as-is.

"Fwoooooo."

After raising a deep cry, it looked up. Accurately comprehending the direction of the invisible impact coming. But he didn't think it could do anything about that.

Something appeared above the snake's face. It looked like a transparent board. A beautiful rectangular shape, you might also call it a fairly translucent mirror.

And the Z-Gun's bullet reached there. An attack that would normally mercilessly flatten the opponent's whole body was somehow stopped.

"Fwuuu..."

The snake made its expression even more harsh. Its posture was gradually becoming lower.

"What the..."

Before Kuwabara's dumbfounded face, the opponent still survived. The board it formed and the collision of impacts were deadlocked, but the trend was visibly leaning toward one side. The snake's body sunk a little into the ground. Sweat streamed down its forehead.

Finally after crying out loudly, the board shifted up. Then the impact that had descended was extruded in a visible form, its direction changed.

"Huh?"

Kuwabara could move because he was fortunate. He did have some experience with unknown situations. So he managed to evade the deflected Z-Gun bullet somehow.

Having leapt back, he lost his balance considerably. Therefore he couldn't cope with the approaching ice line. It scored a direct hit on the Z-Gun slipping from his hand, and in an instant froze it.

"This guy... how much can it do?"

Even Muroya seemed surprised, lowering the Z-Gun in a manner that said as expected this was bad.

The ground ahead had already been destroyed here and there. Transformed into miserable shapes by the overwhelmingly powerful impacts from above.

"Pogyuuu..."

First the horns. Then the face, torso, and foot sections started swelling up. The sea slug-like alien had already taken Z-Gun attacks who knows how many times yet still regenerated. Stubborn, yet there was a limit. For the Osaka team this was a first-time experience. That something could withstand this weapon to such an extent.

The sea slug that completely reverted to normal opened its eyes nearly triangularly, quivering its mouth area. The color around its somewhat chubby cheeks grew deeper, seeming angry.

"Bowaaaaaa!"

Shaking its whole body largely. Nothing is fired. Muroya had already shifted to evasion, but belatedly noticed nothing came flying.

"Woah!?"

However, the attack had already commenced. Muroya couldn't remain standing there. Despite his torso also being enhanced by the suit, intense enough shaking came that he was blown away without resistance. Unable to support, it also affected Nakayama and Yamada trying to help out.

"Kyaaa!"

"It's an earthquake! This is bad!"

Yet the damage didn't only extend to their side. The snake alien greatly shouted something at the sea slug. Naturally they didn't understand what it said. But it was certainly caught up in the earthquake that just happened too.

Two ice lines intersected. They scored direct hits on the Z-Guns held by Muroya and Nakayama. They had no leeway to dodge whatsoever.

And the angered snake that seemed the same as the sea slug took a stance. Lowering its body then stretching greatly upward.

The phenomenon occurred instantly.

One of the sunglasses guys aiming for a side attack, the long straight-haired man Kimura, threw away the weapon in his hand. After largely inhaling, he shouted toward the gigantic wave filling his field of vision.

"Whaaaaat!? No way, with no water or anything around, this level of water..."

Unable to finish speaking, most of them including the surrounding people were swept away. Parts of the buildings were also destroyed. The houses that weren't directly hit probably had their first floors considerably flooded. Having properly received that torrent, Muroya's group couldn't resist of course and disappeared far into the distance.

George overlooked the disastrous scene while holding his breath. He was the only one who narrowly escaped by climbing onto the roof.

The plant also stood on the same roof. After looking at the sea slug and snake that seemingly started arguing, it shook the flowers on both sides. Aiming a sharp look George's way, as if to say now it's just you left.

"Ha..."

He gripped his katana again. Rather, he considered this fortunate. He could take down all four and obtain something like two rounds worth of premium bonuses by defeating the bird that got away. Uplifted and tense, those feelings mingled in exquisite balance. His senses were sharpened. If he approached now, he could likely sever the opponent's neck in one stroke.

"My luck's turned around. I'll start with you. Gonna take you out in an instant..." His tongue wouldn't move properly. "Huh...?" Just the tip grew numb. And not only there. George collapsed where he stood. Both lower and upper body paralyzed, unable to move. He knew he had to stand but couldn't budge a bit.

Unable to deduce anything, George lost consciousness.

…

Snorting through its nose, Roserade slowly drew near. After stomping the black guy's body several times with its foot, it rode that smooth head for a good ten seconds. Then it jumped down from the roof to stop Gastrodon and Milotic still exchanging hyper beams.