Neptunia x Sword Art Online: The Literal Power Fantasy

Chapter Two: Illfang the Kobold Lord

'That's not just a cleaver...! It's a Nodachi!' He started panicking. 'That weapon is much lighter than the great sword it was using a moment ago... Which means it's ditching its usual tank properties to do a swift sweep of our team...!'

"Everyone, stay back!" Diavel shouts as he starts rushing into the battle to deal the final blow.

Seeing this act of recklessness (and stupidity), Nanu turns around and rushes after him. "Diavel, stop!! Don't get any closer to it!!"

"Nanu?!" Kiria shouts after him, but gets blocked by Kobold minions.

His warnings were promptly ignored, as he kept running in. Seeing the fool rushing to his death, the giant Kobold leapt from the floor to one of the pillars in the room, and launched itself from pillar to pillar at incredible speeds. After building up enough momentum, Illfang lunges downward, slashing the stunned Diavel straight down the chest. Any closer than he had gotten and the man would be cleaved in two. And after dealing with Diavel, it started jumping around the room again, landing in front of the Assault Team Diavel left behind.

Thankfully, the man didn't disappear yet, meaning he still had HP. Nanu rushes over and grabs his Healing Crystal, about to use it on Diavel, but he pushed his hand away. "What are you doing, you idiot...?! Take the damn Crystal...!"

"I...can't..." He says with a smile. If this was the real world, the man would be bleeding profusely. But thankfully it was a game world, as red pixels emitted off the massive gash would across his chest and face.

"This isn't the time to be dramatic!" He demands and continues to try and give the dying man his Heal Crystal.

"That isn't...my intention..." He says. "I'm not...fit to lead the Assault Team... Clearly... Trying to rush in...and take the last hit bonus for myself... Hahah... It was stupid of me to even attempt it... But I didn't listen to my common sense... I rushed in, and am paying the consequences for it... Naru (that Nanu's avatar name)...it was...an honor to fight alongside you...again...!" He groans.

"Again...?" Nanu was confused by what he mean, but then realizes it. "You were...a beta tester..." He mutters.

"I know...you can lead the Assault Team...better than I could... Like you did in the beta..." He gives Nanu a confident smile. "Fight on... Live... For everyone who lost their life..." He says and finally disappears into shimmering pixels.

Illfang seemed bored with the Assault Team members, as he spots Nanu, still kneeling on the floor. It roars loudly and lunges at Nanu, catching him off guard. But before the massive sword can cut through Nanu's virtual flesh, an arrow is looses and managed to knock the fat lord off trajectory.

"HEY!! SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY AND HELP US OUT!!" Nina shouts off to the side as Kiria rushes in to keep the monster occupied.

"Everyone else is already exhausted...! It's up to us to finish this damn thing!" Kiria calls over to him as she gets knocked back a couple meters.

Nanu stands again, sword in hand, and runs next to Kiria, who joins his charge. "Parry, attack, repeat!" Nanu called out to his partner.

"You got it!" Kiria nods.

As the two run in, Kiria raises her sword to block an incoming attack, then knocks the massive blade away with her own force, as Nanu runs in to slash its chest. He lands a successful hit, breaking its armor as Nina takes another shot. A girl comes in from above, mounted on her wolf as she slams the back of the giant's head with her battle axe. The concussive force made the Kobold turn around and attack, but the wolf was too fast, as the red haired girl in her party hits Illfang with a powerful uppercut with nothing but her bare fists, knocking it off balance. The man and woman in Nina's party were next, the man in red armor slashes the Kobold's bare skin with his scimitar as the girl with pink hair gets behind it and stabs it with her long sword. And lastly, to deal the final blow, Nanu and Kiria hit it with their one-two combo once again, as Kiria takes the last hit and kills the boss.

The room goes dim as the boss is defeated, and a large door revealing the stairs to progress to the next floor. The group in the back cheers and celebrates, but it's soon cut short.

"Stop cheering!!" Kibou shouts over the happiness just to dampen the mood and call Nanu out. "You...! Naru, right?! What the hell?! Did you know the boss was going to do that?! Why did you let Diavel die?! I know...! You're a beta tester, aren't you?!"

Nobody seemed to speak up about this, only quiet whispers. With a sigh, Nanu looks at Kibou.

"Of course I didn't. It's a pretty complex idea called 'logic'. Ever heard of it?" Nanu pulls out his sword as a demonstration. "This is a Nodachi. It's a lightweight sword. Compared to Illfang's first weapon, this thing must weigh as much as a sharp oversized feather. So using logic and deductive reasoning, it was safe to assume that the boss was opting toward a more speed oriented approach for that last stretch of the fight. Just basic weapon knowledge." He explained.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that Diavel died because of you!" Kibou continued to shout. "I bet you just wanted to last hit bonus for yourself!!"

"I didn't see any of you rushing in after him." Nanu glared. "As soon as someone with any semblance of common sense crosses your path, you call them a 'beta tester' or 'cheater'. It's honestly pathetic. But you know what? Fine. If you want a bad guy, I'll be your bad guy. Believe whatever the hell you want. If you think I killed Diavel, then who am I to say I didn't? It's not like I held him in my arms and watched him refuse the help I was trying to give him. To your eyes, you could probably say that I stabbed him myself and everyone would believe you. Class Japanese ostracizing, amirite? After all, you can't trust what a dirty, disgusting, piece of filth 'beta tester' has to say, right?" Nanu shrugs and starts to walk off to the stair. "You losers are free to catch your breath. And while you do, I'm gonna be game sharking my way to the next floor." He says with a smug smirk and starts to ascend the stairs. For those out of the know, game shark is a cheating software for video games. As he does, a voice calls out to him.

"Naru!" Kiria calls, making him stop. "I believe you. I just need you to know that."

"Thanks, but I don't need you to." Nanu states. "Since my help is clearly not necessary, I wish you guys the best of luck." He says and leaves, teleporting at the warp gate at the top of the stairs and entering Floor 2.