Alain turned back, picked up the greatsword he had previously tossed on the ground, and started walking towards the girl in the hat.
He was a bit puzzled. Was Millie's earlier expression genuine fear, or just part of an act?
Seeing him approach, the hatted girl's face once again showed a playful, teasing look, which slightly reassured Alain.
But the next second, her expression suddenly turned deathly pale, as if she had seen something terrifying. She weakly raised a hand towards him, lips slightly parted, seemingly trying to warn him about something.
And the position... it was coming from behind.
"Alain! Watch out!" Just as Alain was about to turn, the voice of his dear Misha arrived first.
"?!"
He heard an unprecedented clang of metal, sharp and piercing, making his head spin and ears ache. Then, turning around, Alain saw Misha shielding him from behind. She had intercepted the sudden attack.
It was the roar of two baseball bats colliding in the air. Misha's bat was bent forcefully out of shape.
"..." The mere shockwave from the impact forced a pained grunt from her.
And the perpetrator of all this—Crazy Mita—had a face like ice. She didn't even glance at Misha, her gaze fixed solely on Alain.
"You're in the way," she said to Misha, her voice chillingly cold, like entering an ice cave. She leaped high, preparing a sweeping leg kick.
Misha, nearly unconscious, could naturally offer no resistance, only await the incoming attack.
But the attack was blocked by Alain's outstretched greatsword.
"This strength...!"
An impact force exceeding that of the large worms erupted from those fair legs wrapped in thigh-high socks. A single blow sent both Alain and Misha flying backward off the greatsword.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he caught Misha. Thump, thump, the two landed on the soft, large bed.
Hurriedly putting down the girl in his arms and getting up from the bed, he ordered, "Bro, take care of her!"
Alain raised his sword again, meeting the oncoming baseball bat head-on.
Millie quickly ran to the unconscious Misha's side to check her condition.
"She's fine, Bro! Just fainted!"
"Good!"
This was both good news and bad news. The good news was that his dear Misha was alright; he could still ask for kisses and affection later. The bad news... he would have to face Crazy Mita alone now.
The metal bat collided with the Accelerated Cleaning Greatsword. A strong numbing sensation enveloped his hands, nearly causing his sword-wielding wrist to lose strength.
Alain was struck back, hitting the corner of the wall, the intense vibrations throughout his body making him extremely uncomfortable.
Back when he fought the Devouring Complete Form and the Altered Form using the Gauntlets of Failure, he had already sensed Crazy Mita's power. It was... formidable enough to swat aside the Devourer and heavily injure the Altered Form. Yet, whenever she met him previously, this girl always showed a gentle side, restraining her strength.
Until just now.
At this moment, she slowly walked towards Alain, like a solitary traveler trudging across a narrow log bridge.
Thump, thump, thump.
With each step Crazy Mita took, the entire Version 1.75 house trembled as if in an earthquake. Furniture and decorations rattled, threatening to fall like autumn maple leaves. Even the giant worms didn't exude such pressure.
In other words, Crazy Mita was serious.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"Don't call me Honey."
Thud.
Her steps halted. But her final step was particularly bizarre, shattering the bedroom floor with a single stomp. Pale white code leaked out from the cracks.
Crazy Mita's face was half-swallowed by shadow, her once clear eyes full of love now completely clouded. Yet, seemingly wanting to let him have some last words, the girl raised her baseball bat, pointing its tip towards the nearby transporter screen.
"?"
Alain looked over and noticed a few characters on the screen:
[Teleportation Complete. Battery Recharge Progress: 3%]
"You really... listened to that woman's words, went to the Core, wanting to reset me, didn't you?" She glanced at Misha. Her voice trembled, sounding like she was holding back tears from being deceived. Yet her face remained expressionless.
"Didn't you say my essence was cute? Then why reset me?" Crazy Mita took slow steps, gradually approaching him. "Indeed... how could this essence be considered cute? I must have been blinded by love too." She forced a smile uglier than tears.
"Why? Alain... why?" Her bat tapped lightly on the floor, like a feather landing on water, yet the ground vibrated, sending ripples through the code.
"Huh?!" Alain thought, What is this? He went to the Core purely to check if there were problems, if it might endanger the Mitas in Mita's world. He never once thought about resetting the 'bad girl'. Not to mention, he was even planning to find a way to bring her to reality in the future.
Alain wasn't the type to hide things. "I went to the Core to—what the hell?!"
BANG— A heavy thud echoed as her baseball bat slammed into the wall beside Alain.
Whoosh, code poured out like leaking water, cascading onto Alain's shoulder. It felt soft and comfortable. But he had no time to enjoy it.
"You don't need to say it. I can't be bothered to listen," she stated.
Then why did you ask me?!
The baseball bat embedded in the wall didn't hinder her movements at all. Like stirring water with a stick, Crazy Mita stirred the wall itself, sending the bat, along with spurting code, straight towards Alain's head.
He dove away, dodging the attack. Where he stood a second ago, a wide, long canyon was smashed into the wall.
Alain understood: when the 'bad girl' was truly angry, she completely refused to listen to his explanations. Just like... that time in the little black room.
"...Still have to fight, huh."
Alain charged towards Crazy Mita. The greatsword and baseball bat clashed between them, constantly playing out a thunderous symphony.
After just a few exchanges, Alain was struggling to hold on. His hands were numb; the opponent's heavy blows seemed to carry a concussive effect every time. Misha was defeated in one hit; it was already remarkable he had lasted this long.
The reason... wasn't just because Crazy Mita was serious, but also the fatigue from continuously fighting the swarm, the giant worm, and even the Altered Form earlier. He had run and walked for who knows how many kilometers in the Endless Corridor, and now he had to fight the 'complete form' bad girl. Even Mita-Man couldn't be pushed this hard.
Meanwhile, the girl still on the large bed tending to Misha watched the current battle anxiously.
Thump.
Alain was knocked back again, forced against the wall. His breathing was rough, like a heavy downpour.
"..." Amidst the continuous heavy blows, he let out a pained grunt and glanced towards Millie's location. As if gaining some motivation, he charged forward again.
"Bro—I want to help too!"
"Don't you dare come over here! Take care of her!"
His suggestion was flatly rejected by Alain without hesitation. Millie naturally understood why. Taking care of Misha was one reason; the other... was that he didn't want her to get hurt. This player had a gentle nature and treated her very well. Precisely because of this, Alain must have seen Misha faint and didn't want her to suffer the same fate.
Clang!
The fast and heavy baseball bat swung relentlessly within the house. The mere wind generated by the swings audibly affected the room's hanging decorations through the physics engine. She didn't understand what kind of motivation, what kind of strength, allowed Alain to block those heavy blows time and time again—blows powerful enough to obliterate walls and spew corrupted code.
Millie understood only one thing: right now, she could do nothing. She could only sit here, ostensibly taking care of her best friend, but in reality, enjoying the safety Alain had hard-won for her.
Millie looked at her unconscious friend. After receiving the name "Misha," she seemed to have constantly been helping Alain. Whether it was Misha's forte in planning or combat situations inherently unsuitable for Mita... Misha shouldered it all.
And Alain. From the first moment she met him, he played with her, told her jokes, even acted along with her... Now, he was even protecting her and her best friend.
But thinking carefully... since getting the name "Millie," all she had done was flap her gums. She couldn't help... at all.
Useless her, unworthy of such an excellent player like Alain.
"I... want to help too." Millie's throat tightened, feeling increasingly dry. She scrolled through her inventory, desperate to find any item that could help Alain.
Fire axe... no good. Close combat, I'm not fast enough. Ranged... I might hit Alain by mistake.
Climbing rope... no... not enough time, and it wouldn't hold her. Pistol? It only has paintballs inside.
Millie searched her entire inventory but couldn't find a single item useful in this fight. The strength of an ordinary Mita simply couldn't intervene in their battle. She understood that.
"Then... what exactly can I do?" She was lost, but knew she absolutely couldn't just stand by and watch.
Nothing in the inventory, then check my pockets, search everything for anything I might have missed.
Finally, Millie found it on her person—the game controller Alain had given her.
The blue and purple controller had exquisite modeling, seemingly custom-made for Millie. The moment she held it, she couldn't put it down. Because this was the first gift she had ever received from someone else. And the giver... was the Bro who treated her so well.
When he invited her to reality, Millie constantly fantasized about taking him through all the difficult mountains of the game. Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert... none would be a problem, as long as she and Alain were there... as long as she and the player were there.
"I love playing games. I like all interesting things. I am... a master gamer. And "Mita"... is a game." Millie stared at the controller. Its power button, glowing blue, seemed to possess a magical charm, captivating her attention.
She looked up at Alain. Right now, he was cornered by Crazy Mita. Crazy Mita raised her bat, slowly walking towards him step by step.
Millie lowered her head, her gaze refocusing on the power button. She pondered, what was Alain's intention in giving her this gift? No. Deep thinking was never her—Millie's—strong suit. The girl believed that right now, she should seize every possibility.
So, just press it.
She pressed the controller's power button.
On the other side, the young man finally cornered gasped for breath, like an autumn leaf about to fall in the wind.
"Hey... you really won't listen to a single word I say, huh."
"...You didn't hold back either, did you?" Her voice was cold as she continued walking towards him, step by step.
"I did nothing wrong," Alain stated. Wrong is wrong, not wrong is not wrong. Every block, attack, and defense he made just now was with his full strength, treating Crazy Mita with the same force he used against the bugs. But even so...
Alain glanced at his desperate surroundings. Nowhere left to retreat. The fatigue in his limbs made even lifting the greatsword difficult. In contrast, Crazy Mita, relentlessly advancing, wasn't even breathing hard.
The low-ponytail girl faced him, baseball bat already raised. And Alain barely had the strength to lift his greatsword.
He regretted not kissing his dear Misha one last time. And Millie—he should have just dragged her to the kitchen sink to wash her hands earlier. And maybe her hair too. He initially planned it as payment for returning to reality... now, it seemed he wouldn't get it.
"Damn it... pain is just pain. Anyway, that crappy reality—"
[Bluetooth Connected]
[You Have Obtained Infinite Stamina]
[Your Strength, Speed UP]
[You Have Unlocked Skill System Rewards. Current Skills Obtained: 0]
"Huh?"
Faster than the bewildered Alain was a move he himself didn't anticipate.
Thud.
Unexpectedly, the greatsword blocked the path of Crazy Mita's baseball bat. Also unexpected: the two were locked in a stalemate mid-air.
"Huh??"
Although there were signs he still couldn't completely stop the opponent's monstrous strength, "Alain" suddenly gave up blocking. He turned the greatsword into a "track," with Crazy Mita's bat acting as the "train."
"?!" The low-ponytail girl was shocked to find Alain turning sideways, letting her force strike the tilted greatsword. Following the inertia dictated by the realistic physics engine, the baseball bat slammed violently into the wall, smashing out darkness and corrupted code.
"Huh???"
Alain still hadn't processed what was happening, but his limbs moved faster. Reaching Crazy Mita's side, he delivered a flying kick, striking the girl squarely in the side of her abdomen. The momentary softness of her flank, combined with her unpreparedness, made her cry out in pain. Crazy Mita was slammed hard against the wall.
In that instant, Alain raised the greatsword above his head, the wide blade like a giant hammer.
"Don't bully—my Bro!!!"
He had no time to figure out the hat girl's ill-timed indignation from behind before seeing the greatsword smash down like a whack-a-mole hammer towards Mita's head.
THUD! A massive sound, the clash of hard objects. Alain felt like he had struck something as solid as steel. Is this what they call "iron head"...?
"You make me so mad!!!" Millie's voice grated, accompanied by sounds like button mashing. She clearly wasn't done with Crazy Mita yet.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three consecutive impacts thundered through the room, striking Crazy Mita repeatedly on the back of the head. It looked painful even to Alain. But it felt so satisfying...
As if still not enough, Alain, surprising even himself, raised his hand and slapped the girl hard on the butt.
___
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