Part 72: Unavoidable Loss

Update 72


Enough dilly-dallying. It is time to enter SAKURADAYAMA.





And there he is, Ace Detective Kazama.



And our dashing heroes arrive as well.



"Kazama? What're you doing here in Sakuradayama...? I thought you went home after your night shift."




Detective Kazama: "I got an urgent call from the boys on the force... Seems there's been a break in the serial murders. "
"Well, that's no fun. After you get home from work and all..."
Detective Kazma:"We got a tip that the wood splinters at the crime scenes were actually insect cages... Once we looked into that angle... We learned those things go for big bucks for those in the know. People spending that much money on insect cages, pretty as they are, isn't normal in my experience. So my boys are thinking the insect cage robberies are tied into the serial killings somehow. I had the Kantou Haguro-Gumi help me spread the word of an insect cage trade going on in Sakuradayama... All it took was a few words whispered in the right ears, and we've got a sting set up just ahead that way."



Detective Kazama: "You can say that again. I talked Satake into it myself. Walked right over there, still half asleep... "




Detective Kazama: "It's his fault I'm not getting my shut-eye right now! Aaah, that's a detective's luck for you..."



Narumi is rather self satisfied with that result.


: "Yeah... Your men sound like some real hard-working jerks."




But then, an interruption happens.





Oh boy.




"Up the stairs to the left, where you can just see the Radio tower... The sky here looks the same as what we saw in the rooftop of the agency. That reddish glow... I don't like this one bit."




Detective Kazama: "What was that scream just now?"




Not the required sake, unfortunately.



And Narumi is exactly right. There is that RED glow thing there.





Oh Shit.

Bigass DIFFERENT BUG



Yeah I'd say she is fucked.



Very, very definitely fucked.




Even Gouto is rather impessed with that... Thing.




It seems there is one more victim!



Ayup.



In a case reminiscent of Vagrant Story's intro, Raidou is the backup.




"Look sharp, Brian."



The screen fades a couple of times inbetween dialogs.



Like that.


Well that's just no good.




And back to the illusory place.




holy shit that bug is ugly.




Shinado Masked Man:"Yeah, that's right. All of you. There's something I want you to hear. I want you to understand my sorrow in having to break such cruel news to you... That black monster you saw is called Apollyon. The bad news is, you can't defeat Apollyon right now. Picking a fight you can't win is a waste of time..."





Shinado-masked Man: "Maybe that's because the Capital's luck is bad and getting worse. But you're not going to sit there and let your bad luck in meeting the Apollyon walk all over you, right? You understand how important it is to resist bad luck... So I'm betting it all on you guys. Think of this as a little wager..."





Shinado-masked man: "Me, I'm looking forward to the future where you step all over Apollyon..."





"You said that name while you were out, Brian... Is that the monster's name? "Apollyon"?"




Whatever it is called, it is not happy.

(Guess what being is called Apollyon besides its other name)





"You've never been up against an Apollyon before, Brian, and neither have I... We're completely in the dark on this one. Be careful... "





And there it goes.




Destroyer. That doesn't sound good.



No escape, no negotiation.



AND NOTHING DOES SHIT TO IT.






Not even the mighty cross slash that fucked up the Jack-san 5 last update.




Oh no.



MAGIC SAWBLADE.



Daaammn.



And Raidou is out for the count.





It is useless.



But losing this time is not a game over.





Certainly seems like it.




But then it suddenly leaves.




There is something there that was not present before.






Holy shit.




Well, it appears that Raidou is indebted to this person. If this person is what drove away the Apollyon.





And despair is apparently enough to start causing BIG FUCKING INVINCIBLE BUGS to appear.



Like that.




Shit. Who knew being a debbie downer could cause such effects?




Damn you, Dahn!




God damn it. Literally.



And so, things got pretty goddamn fucked. Damn.


Next: What can be done against an invincible THING?