Moto Sekai Ichi – 192 | Sousaku – 創作

192　Tenmouza Match Part 3

【Thread Manipulation】
《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》 The most powerful single attack, limited to the restrained target.
《Dragon Horse Thread Manipulation》 Simultaneously emits multiple threads, forcibly restraining the touched object.
《Rook Thread Manipulation》 Very powerful single attack using a bundle of threads
《Bishop Thread Manipulation》 Powerful penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Gold Thread Manipulation》 Thread restraints on objects within a 4-meter radius.
《Silver Thread Manipulation》 Powerful single-target attack with a bundle of threads
《Knight Thread Manipulation》 Manipulate monsters, humans, and puppets with strings for a certain period of time.
《Lance Thread Manipulation》 Penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Soldier Thread Manipulation》 Single target attack with a bundle of threads
(Gold + Lance or Bishop can be Combined)

Tenmouza match, final game.

The guy who showed up in the arena looked like a sketchy band guitarist.

Black hair and purple tinted mesh. This is the kind of haircut that junior high school boys like.
He is dressed in all-black leather pants and a leather jacket. Isn't it hot?

However, his face is quite handsome. And he is young. Hence, such an outfit that a normal person would seriously consider wearing looks good on him.

"Hey, second-rate actor."

Facing one another, we greeted each other briefly.
Then Prince stared at me, his sharp eyes even sharper, and said

"Hey, rip-off."

Rip off?

"What? "
"You stole (ripped off) my torch (light stick)."
"Your……light stick……? "

Is that some sort of dirty joke?

"Don't play dumb with me, it pisses me off. A torch. You were using it in the game before. Don't lie like a fool and say you discovered it yourself. There's no way you could have found that out on your own."

Ah, the torch.

"No, I brought that one with me. I asked Yukari to get me a branch of a pine tree from the garden."
"That's not what I meant!! "

What the hell is with this guy? So grumpy. A calcium deficiency?

"What are you trying to say? "
"I'm saying that you saw my game in the winter and you stole the torchlight strategy! "

……………………

Haa.

"You are telling me that you were the first to discover the use of the torch? "
"Who else but me could it be? Six months ago I used it for the first time in my Tenmouza fight. I'm the inventor, not you."
"…………"
"Don't be silent. What's your counterargument? Hey."
"……You'll see soon enough. Whether you really invented it or not."
"What are you talking about? First of all, why don't you apologize? Are you stupid? Die."

He's for real.

Ahh, I couldn't be happier.

For now, I'll let it go, I'll let him call the world's number one a rip-off for now.

"――Bow to each other! Get ready! "

Following the order, we took out our weapons.

I'm still using the same 16lb fluorocarbon.
Prince is using the same spider thread as Yve, huh?

"Hey! I ain't done talking yet! "

……Prince. This man is like a child.

He is desperate to keep up the appearance he has built up, with his sharp tongue and loud voice, asserting his legitimacy.

He is so thorough that he will not hesitate to cheat even in the slightest, such as making up his own act, as long as he is not exposed, to be the best.

Working hard in places where people can't see you, struggling to shape up, create a cool character, and somehow become popular.

And then this anger. I'm sure he must have gone home after the incident yesterday and went crazy all by himself, red in the face.

I get it.

This guy is strong.
Stronger than ever.

Truly ideal for online popularity.

But……

"――Begin! "

His spark is not enough.

＊ ＊ ＊

"I didn't understand what he meant. Do you know, Cloakie? "
"Does that mean that Second-sama imitated Prince Tenmouza's strategy? "
"No, I don't think so. Because, Second-sama, in the winter, he only watched the matches for the titles he was competing in."
"I'm sure he wouldn't have copied him in the first place, given his personality."
"What do you think, Cloakie?" "

"……Hey, can you stop calling me that? "

The members of the fan club who were listening to the conversation between Second and Prince in the spectator's seats were tilting their heads.

One of them was a woman who was not a member of the group.
She was the cloaked woman who helped Prince to stage yesterday's performance.

"Well, you never told me your name."
"Do you think I'll tell you my name? "
"Okay, Cloakie, then."
"…………"

The cloaked woman heaved a sigh. It seemed she gave up.

"By the way, was Prince Tenmouza really that strong? Even though he didn't imitate him, it means that he developed a tactic that Second-sama would use, right? Isn't that amazing? "

Immediately afterward, someone questioned, causing the cloaked woman to look dumbfounded.

Then she uttered the word "no way" in a shocked manner.

"Don't you know the shock of the winter season……? "
"Shock? "

Of course, not everyone in the Second's fan club knew about it. Because, at that time, their interests were already focused solely on Second. No one watched the Tenmouza match where Second was not present.

In response to their reaction, the cloaked woman put her hands on her forehead and opened her mouth, saying, "Impossible".

"Listen. Let me explain it to you fools. Prince won the Tenmouza without suffering a single blow in all of his matches in the winter Tenmouza tournament. Do you know why? "

Everyone shook their heads.

"Torch and Dragon's Whiskers."
"Dragon's Whiskers……? "
"If your opponent's weapon is spider silk, they can't win against you if you use a torch. If the opponent's weapon is a wire, beat them up with a dragon's whiskers. With this tactic, Prince-sama has become the Tenmouza."
"I see....... Six months ago, no one used hair like Yve-san. Then, the only countermeasure to the torch was a wire. But the dragon whiskers are a perfect match for that wire, right? So, are those dragon whiskers hard to get? "
"But the most important factor is the effort of Prince-sama. The way he fought with the dragon whiskers, which were intended to be counter-wire, was too perfect. That's how he achieved the Tenmouza title unscathed."
"So you became his fan."

"Please don't lump me in with those losers! I am the most senior! "

"Whoa, talk about getting angry."

Suddenly, the cloaked woman was enraged.
However, the members of the fan club were eager to hear more, as if they could somehow relate to what was going on.

"I heard that you've lost some fans, does that have something to do with you being angry? "
"……It has, a lot. Most of the old-timers have been absorbed by your idol, and now all we have are newbie wimps. Prince-sama is the strongest~, the smartest~, the strategiest~, all of them are stupid women who don't understand anything at all! "
"Ah......"
"But Prince-sama, you see, is not only like that! There's something about his cuteness that makes you want to protect him or his child-like way of acting as he gets carried away after becoming the Tenmouza! He's stubborn, gets easily riled up, cheats in a low-key way because he hates not being the best, and puts on a cool face like "I'm not working hard at all" even though he's working hard behind the scenes! "
"……Ahh, yeah……"
"I didn't like that part either! Such a blatant pretend play as he orchestrated everything! But I helped him out, because that's what love does to you, isn't it!? "
"Yes, I think so.……"

It appeared that Pandora's box had been opened.
The cloaked woman, her pent-up reserves exploding, lamentingly outed herself.

The members of the fan club, for some reason, were overwhelmed, and they consoled each other with words that could neither be described as pity nor sympathy.

Finally, to change the subject, one of the members spoke up.

"……Cloakie. Um, I have a simple question, what about the previous Tenmouza tournament? I mean, I think there should have been contestants other than Second-sama and Yve six months ago, but where did they go? "

Begin! ―― the referee's command echoed in the arena.

Immediately afterward, the cloaked woman responded.

"――They've lost the will to fight, probably. The winter season was just too overwhelming."

Someone once said.

【Thread Manipulation】 is a martial art.

Undoubtedly...... those who have witnessed the match between these two will agree.

《Soldier Thread Manipulation》 was the equivalent of a fist. The theory is that they hit each other with their fists until they stepped into a four-meter distance.

It was intense.

The two sides never took a step back from each other in their forward exchange of blows.

Both arms swinging with all their might, they collide with each other wholeheartedly.

"Ohh, that one just now hit! "
"It didn't! You idiot! "
"Hey, that right now! Are you sure you aren't cheating or something!? "
"Like I said, it didn't hit! Do you have low blood pressure?! "
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! "
"Ahh, that girl, nice upskirt."
"Eh."
"Chance! You fell for it! "
"Eh! That's dirty! "

Someone thought.

They are just like children.

They were playing with each other.
They played mindlessly.

As if to relieve the frustration of not having had a playmate for quite some time now.
Like a tireless child who forgets everything else and immerses himself in his own world.

They could play endlessly.
With an innocent smile on their faces, but serious, they could play all the time, forever and ever.

"I'll go first!! "

Entering the four-meter threshold.

The first move was made by Second.
From 《Lance Thread Manipulation》 to 《Knight Thread Manipulation》, he took out a torch from his inventory.

A moment later, Prince removed the spider silk from his equipment and equipped himself with "Dragon's Whiskers."

The spider thread is effective because of its reach and flexibility until it enters the Gold range. Once within Gold's range, Dragon's Whiskers is effective because of both its reach and firepower.

A wire would fall short, and the spider's thread would not have enough firepower. But Dragon's Whiskers was a weapon that reached that sweet spot.

"Do you think my strategy will work on me?! "

Prince prepared his 《Soldier Thread Manipulation》 to intercept Second's torch.

Second pulled the threads in front of him quickly and, in the nick of time, prevented his Knight's threads from being severed by Prince's 《 Soldier Thread Manipulation》.

"Fooo! That was close! "

Second canceled 《Knight Thread Manipulation》, let go of the torch, and moved away again.

Prince saw this and changed his weapon back to spider silk.

"Hey, hey, what's the problem, mister five crowns? Are you scared? "

Prince, swinging around a swishing, long-reaching string, challenged him.

He would spin it in the air, then drop it to the ground, then dive between his legs and turn his body side to side with a whiz...... to show off his technique in the midst of his idle time.

"Ohh, that's too cute."

In response, Second also began boasting about his technique.
A wild dance of threads passed at high speed through the very edge of his body caressing the fine hairs in his limbs. Suddenly, the audience cheered.

"What, that's……! "
"There's still more."

Prince, trying not to be outdone, chased after Second. Second, however, did not relent, but rather increased the difficulty even further.

"Damn, even I can! "
"How about this, and this, and this."
"Uh, oh-ooooohhhhh! "
"How about this?"
"Daaaaahh! Fuck! "

The bragging contest that began abruptly ended in Second's victory.

As expected the difference was clear. This man was a top player who was mesmerizing even against the world rankers. The world's number one.

"Alright, let's go at it again! "

Smiling, Second said.

"Fine, come, you bastard! "

Restoring their distance. A 《Soldier Thread Manipulation》 beat out.

With glazed eyes and an innocent smile, Prince and Second banged their fists against each other.

A child who couldn't stand not to win and a child who couldn't stand not to have fun.

With two kids together, they were bound to play.

"If you leave those two alone, they'll just keep going at it forever."

In the audience, Raspberry Bell muttered with a smile.

Silvia replied, "Seriously."

However, the girls looked at them enviously.

As one grew older, there were more things that one could see, and conversely, some things that one could no longer see.

It was kind of refreshing to come full circle, to be able to expose yourself like that and get so caught up in the game.

The essence of the world's number one was a child's mind. He was a child who was so engrossed in his play that he didn't care about his surroundings, didn't want to look good, and didn't think about anything else.

That was why he was so hauntingly strong――

＊ ＊ ＊

"I'll take the lead! "

Come on, come on, we are within Gold's range for the second time. Why are you coming? Prince-kun.

"Eat the real thing――！ "

As expected, 《Knight Thread Manipulation》, huh? In addition, a weapon swap to Dragon's Whiskers and a torch at the end of it. So this is the complete package, huh?

Still, it's by no means random. By shifting the first shot of Lance a little late and then adding Silver afterward, he was able to create time for the weapon swap. Instead, Knight was delayed a bit, but the argument is that, after all, the wire doesn't have enough reach and there's probably no way to prevent it with a thread other than Dragon's whiskers.

I see. A true Game Plan move. It is well thought out.

"……But, too bad."

But that's exactly why you're wrong.

Isn't that right? Prince. You are a fake.

"I'll teach you."

Did you even discover the torch? Can my own strategy work on me? I'll teach you to not ask these stupid questions.

"This is the real way you counter torches."

"! ! "

To defend against this by switching to Dragon's Whiskers is nonsense. A measure that is designed to prevent something is not a measure at all. That's just a temporary solution.

A countermeasure can only be called that when you get to the point where you say, "I can't use the torch if there's such a move".

"Why!? "

Prince's astonished voice echoed.

Why I wonder? I'm curious too. But that's just the way it is, nothing I can do about it.

――The fluorocarbon line does not break off easily. At least not by being burned by a fire.

This may just be a very game-inspired reason...... yes, all threads other than wire and dragon whiskers are set to break immediately with fire, but fishing lines are not set to do so.

But the fact is that this characteristic of not being able to snap immediately made it a perfect countermeasure against the torch.

The thread itself is the countermeasure. The Arrogant Princess, who was the first to discover the usefulness of the torch, must have been astonished.

In addition, the strength of 16lb, its resistance to stretch, the weight of the line, and its high abrasion resistance, all of these factors are in perfect balance to improve its operability. It has a very delicate feel that other threads do not have. That's why I prefer this 16lb fluorocarbon line, even if it has less firepower and a shorter reach than other softer lines.

Now, to summarize, what happens when a 16lb fluorocarbon line, which has slightly more reach than a dragon whisker, is not easily broken by the torch fire?

"Shit……！ "

Using 《Silver Thread Manipulation》, you can one-sidedly cut the strings of your opponent's 《Knight Thread Manipulation》.

Prince's torch fell to the ground with a thud, and he was struck by the stiffness that followed Knight's severance.

"The good times are over."

I will miss you. Prince.

"Weren't you copying it……? No way, were you really the one to discover it……? "

Prince, looking stunned, mumbled to himself.

I activated 《Gold Thread Manipulation》 and restrained Prince.

Then, I began preparing for 《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》.

"Hey, Prince-kun, did someone teach you this?"

"! "

Bullseye.

……I see.

I knew it, you're not it.

You're supposed to have a more guns-blazing, intuitive style. There was no point in common tactics or game plans. You shouldn't been using your head. You weren't supposed to be like that. You should have enjoyed the game more out of instinct. You would have been playing selflessly. Your eyes should have been shining brighter.

Never worrying about appearances. Not conscious of how you look. Never thinking about anything else, just focusing on having fun. You were lacking a lot of focus. Remember when you were a kid? But you're not it. You're nothing like that.

"You're amazing. You have excellent taste, top-notch technique, and a great deal of effort. The reason for your loss was that you didn't see through my torch measure and you weren't used to fighting against a string with a longer reach than yours. You would have already noticed. You're strong. Totally strong. But……Just strong. This style doesn't suit you. You have a much more personal way of doing things."
"……Shut the hell up."
"Your strategy of switching to dragon whiskers is called 'tsundere strategy'."
"! ? "

The moment I said those words, Prince's eyes widened in surprise.

"D-Do you know Linlin-sensei? ? "
"Who is that? I don't know anyone like that."
"……Ah? "
"I don't know anyone called―― ahh, no, so it's like that."

The people who came to this world were all "alt-characters" except for Takahashi-san. Then, isn't it natural that they have a different name? Besides, if they were operating under the name of their former world, they would be conspicuous by now, even if they don't want to be. In other words, it is possible that they are using fake names and purposely working to keep a low profile.

A person named Linlin, who taught Prince the torch and the tsundere strategy. They are definitely a player. And that, too, if my prediction is correct, is a world ranker I know very well.

"Listen, don't be fooled by this Linlin person. You have your own way of having fun. So...... don't get too obsessed with winning. That's all I'm trying to say. Sorry, it took so long."
"…………"

The preparation of my 《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》 was finished.
Prince was silent and listened to my closing speech.

Even if only for a little while, we could play and laugh with each other from the bottom of our hearts.

I believe that Prince must have felt comfortable with that.

That is why I went a bit overboard and meddled with this new friend of mine.

"――That's enough! Winner, Second Firstest! "

Six crowns achieved.

Well, let's leave it at that……

"A sin is a sin after all."

I stripped the unconscious (stunned) Prince down to his underpants and wrote on his body with an oil-based marker, "I'm sorry I staged everything up to show the girls my love for them".

I'll let you off the hook with only this much for calling me a rip-off.

======

Thank you for reading.

Cheat sheet

Status Details

HP　Hit Points
MP　Magic Points
SP　Stamina Points
STR　Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
DEX　Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
AGI　Quickness, avoidance rate.
INT　Attack Magic skill power.
LUK　Good luck, critical rate.
VIT　Simple defense.
MGR　Magic defense.

Skill Ranking

From lower (16th) to higher (1st) class, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade

16th class
15th class
14th class
13th class
12h class
11th class
10th class
9th class
8th class
7th class
6th class
5th class
4th class
3rd class
2nd class
1st class
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9 (Can challenge Title when all related skills are at this level)

Types of combat skills

Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.

Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
Lance(Kyousha)
Knight (Keima)
Silver General (Ginshou)
Gold General (Kinshou)
Bishop (Kakugyou)
Rook (Hisha)
Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).

List of Swordsmanship skills

【Swordsmanship】　Damage： STR Dependent.

《Dragon King Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack forward + stun.
《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》　Powerful ranged attack in all directions.
《Rook Swordsmanship》　Very strong single-target attack.
《Bishop Swordsmanship》　Quick and powerful penetrating attack.
《Gold Swordsmanship》　Ranged attack in all directions.
《Silver Swordsmanship》　Strong, single-target attack.
《Knight Swordsmanship》　Precision attack＋added damage against vital points.
《Lance Swordsmanship》　Penetrating attack.
《Soldier Swordsmanship》　Normal attack.

(Rook＋Knight, Silver＋Knight, Lance＋Knight, Soldier＋Knight are possible for Combine)

List of Jojutsu (cane) skills

【Jojutsu】Thrust・Strike・Sweep

《Dragon King Jojutsu》　Extremely powerful wide-area attack
《Dragon Horse Jojutsu》　Wide range defense + knockback
《Rook Jojutsu》　Very powerful ranged attack
《Bishop Jojutsu》　Rush piercing attack
《Gold Jojutsu》　Very strong defense
《Silver Jojutsu》　Powerful ranged attack
《Knight Jojutsu》　Rush attack
《Lance Jojutsu》　Piercing attack
《Soldier Jojutsu》　Conventional attack

List of Spearmanship skills

【Spearmanship】

《Dragon King Spearmanship》　Extremely powerful single-target attack
《Dragon Horse Spearmanship》　Powerful long-range attack (shockwave)
《Rook Spearmanship》　Rush attack (charge thrust)
《Bishop Spearmanship》　Powerful ranged attack (Cleave)
《Gold Spearmanship》　Counterattack (Counter)
《Silver Spearmanship》　Powerful single-target attack (charge thrust)
《Knight Spearmanship》　Forward leaping attack (leaping thrust)
《Lance Spearmanship》　Ranged attack (Cleave)
《Soldier Spearmanship》　Normal Attack (Thrust)

List of Archery skills

【Archery】

《Dragon King Archery》　Powerful on-impact ranged attack.
《Dragon Horse Archery》　Powerful piercing ranged attack.
《Rook Archery》　Very strong single-target range attack.
《Bishop Archery》　Strong piercing range attack.
《Gold Archery》　Range attack with added knockback.
《Silver Archery》　Strong single-target range attack.
《Knight Archery》　Precise sniping range attack.
《Lance Archery》　Piercing range attack.
《Soldier Archery》　Normal range attack.

List of Shield Arts skills

【Shield Arts】

《Dragon King Shield Arts》　Very powerful ranged attack to the front.
《Dragon Horse Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense + all-range attack.
《Rook Shield Arts》　Powerful forward Rush attack (VIT converted to STR and added to net STR)
《Bishop Shield Arts》　Great Reinforced Defense (16th class: 250% ~ Grade 9th: 600% Defense)
《Gold Shield Arts》　Range homing defense ＋ Knockback（While active, attacks within a certain range would redirect themselves towards the shield）
《Silver Shield Arts》　Reinforced defense (parry grace time reduced by 0.01 second, successful parry triggers counterattack effect)
《Knight Shield Arts》　Defense + Knockback.
《Lance Shield Arts》　Piercing Reflective Defense
《Soldier Shield Arts》　Normal defense.
Success condition for parry: Activate the skill 0.287 to 0.250 seconds before the attack reaches the target.

List of Magic skills

【Magic】 (Four attributes: fire, water, wind, and earth)
Advantages and disadvantages: Fire>Earth>Wind>Water>Fire
・First Form　Normal Attack （Preparation time： Super short. Cooldown： Super short）
・Second Form　Extended range attack （Slow. Long）
・Third Form　Strong single-target attack （Short. Short）
・Fourth Form　Powerful extended-range attack （Super slow. Super long）
・Fifth Form　Very powerful extended-range attack （Slowest. Longest）

【Magical Magic】
《Combine》　Combines two magic skills into a single attack.
《Synergy》　Overlays two magic spells on top of another magic spell.
《Charge》　Magic attack that increases in magnitude the more it is charged up.

List of Thread Manipulation skills

【Thread Manipulation】
《Dragon King Thread Manipulation》　The most powerful single attack, limited to the restrained target.
《Dragon Horse Thread Manipulation》　Simultaneously emits multiple threads, forcibly restraining the touched object.
《Rook Thread Manipulation》　Very powerful single attack using a bundle of threads
《Bishop Thread Manipulation》　Powerful penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Gold Thread Manipulation》　Thread restraints on objects within a 4-meter radius.
《Silver Thread Manipulation》　Powerful single-target attack with a bundle of threads
《Knight Thread Manipulation》　Manipulate monsters, humans, and puppets using strings for a certain period of time.
《Lance Thread Manipulation》　Penetrating attack using thread like a needle.
《Soldier Thread Manipulation》　Single target attack with a bundle of threads
(Gold + Lance or Bishop can be Combined)

ToC