Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 196
Chapter 196: Real Monster Battle
When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in her own room.
Sora, feeling a bit dazed as she stared at the ceiling, tilted her head in confusion, wondering why she had logged out of the game.
“…Did I log out after lying down on the bed?”
There was a large blank spot in her memory, like something had been erased. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall it. At first, she felt bewildered by the strange sensation, but eventually, she reasoned that she must have unconsciously logged out due to exhaustion.
“Are the two of them… still logged in? They’re probably by Laura’s side right now…”
Unable to move her body, she only turned her head to look left and right, noticing that Kurono and Inori were lying next to her, still logged in with their VR headsets on, which were supposed to block external interference. But somehow, she found herself held between them, with her arms embraced as if she were a body pillow.
Apologetically, she gently tried to pull her arm out, but as she shifted, she accidentally pressed against Inori’s sizable chest, causing her to freeze momentarily.
“W-wow… these aren’t just melons… they’re a dream…”
Wait, what am I even saying?
Flustered by Inori’s soft breath, Sora shook her head to snap herself out of it, trying to shake off the shock.
“Focus, focus—I need to check what’s going on outside.”
After finally escaping the grip of the two girls, Sora collected herself and stood up from the futon on the floor. She opened the closed curtains, glancing outside into the early afternoon, just before 1 p.m.
The weather was, as expected, heavy rain. Not a single person was visible in the streets.
The only activity came from a crab-shaped monster, ?Increasing Crab?. They seemed to be playing some kind of tag game among themselves, dashing around as if playing hide-and-seek. Sora decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything and closed the curtains before heading downstairs to the living room.
Downstairs, she found Shiori, a girl with long black hair tied back, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts. She was sitting in front of the TV, her mouth slightly open in shock as she watched the screen.
“Shiori, what’s going on?”
“Big brother, you should look at the TV…”
“Hmm, what’s going on with the TV…?”
Sora turned her gaze to the flat-screen TV, and froze in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
The live broadcast was showing the port of Kamisato City, where a massive crab, ?Increasing King Crab?, was standing like a giant, its claws raised menacingly.
Sora had encountered this creature twice before and had even fought it once, so there was no mistaking what she was seeing.
The creature was 8 meters long, with eight legs supporting its enormous body. Its two massive, sharp claws could cut through iron like it was tofu.
As Sora was contemplating the appearance of such a formidable monster, a large shark fin emerged from the water in front of the crab. In the next moment, a ?King Shark? jumped high into the air and lunged toward a helicopter flying overhead, its huge mouth wide open.
Sora instinctively flinched, bracing herself for what was to come.
The shark flew toward the helicopter with missile-like speed, and the sight of it approaching made Sora hold her breath, convinced that no one would survive.
But then, with a deep, booming roar, “Ganii!” the King Crab launched a sharp right hook, sending the shark crashing back into the sea.
What followed was a full-scale battle between the two gigantic monsters, like something straight out of a movie.
The crab-like monster seemed to be protecting the port and the people, using its armored claws to block the shark’s attacks, such as tackles and bites, and delivering powerful counterattacks.
The combat style was reminiscent of a boxer, as the crab’s knuckle-like claws rhythmically landed precise blows.
The shark, with no limbs, could only bite or charge at the crab.
In a one-sided battle, the shark attempted to retreat, swimming away into the sea, but the ?Increasing King Crab? leapt high into the air and got ahead of it, diving back into the water.
The crab then delivered a clean left uppercut, knocking the shark out of the water, followed by a devastating right uppercut that finished the fight.
Just like in the game, when the shark disappeared in a burst of effects, the crab emerged victorious, proudly standing on the shore.
After watching the scene of the TV crew praising the ?Increasing King Crab? as a hero, Sora quietly pressed the power button on the remote control.
“Haha, I guess all I can do is laugh at this…”
“Well, it’s good that the TV crew was saved,” Shiori said.
“Yeah, it was fortunate that no one was seriously hurt. But, in the end, they were so happy to have captured such a great scene. You’ve got to admire that.”
The Power of Journalism.
On the other hand, Sora found herself overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. While she couldn’t help but think, ‘So, a giant monster finally appears?’ She also found herself wondering why the crab, despite being the same type of monster, was acting like an ally to humans. There were too many questions, and her processing abilities couldn’t keep up with the rapid developments.
Just as she felt relieved that the situation hadn’t escalated into a catastrophe, Sora noticed that Shiori was staring up at her.
“Shiori, what’s with the intense staring?”
“Hmm… Big brother, do you want a lap pillow?”
“…W-What? What’s going on all of a sudden? I can’t follow this conversation, and I’m really confused now.”
“No, I just thought you looked tired,” Shiori said, a gentle smile on her face.
“I see… If you’re saying that, then I must be pretty exhausted,” Sora replied, realizing her sister had keen observation skills.
Indeed, although the game had been challenging, she hadn’t thought she looked that fatigued. But now, she questioned whether it was appropriate to rely on her sister for comfort, considering her role as a brother and a man.
As she stood there, arms crossed and deep in thought, Shiori’s voice broke through her contemplation.
“Big Brother.”
She called out strongly and stared at her intently. Unable to withstand the pressure of her gaze, Sora reluctantly decided to accept her offer of kindness.
Lying down on her back, she found herself being looked down upon by her sister, who was as beautiful as a girl from a painting. well, now she is a silver-haired beauty too, but…
Lying down also meant that her face was now near her exposed bare legs, which made her feel embarrassed, but this position seemed to be the most comfortable for the moment.
For a few minutes, they simply stared at each other, and Shiori’s face became slightly flushed, as if embarrassed.
“…Why are you the one blushing after inviting me?” Sora asked, somewhat amused.
“Well, it’s just… normally, Kurono-chan is around. It’s been a while since it’s just been the two of us like this.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s a bit embarrassing to look each other in the eye like this… But, since we’re both girls right now, there’s really no reason to be embarrassed,” Sora said, though she immediately regretted it after saying the words.
Sora had stepped on a landmine with that comment, realizing too late that it made the situation even more awkward. she let out a deep sigh.
Her body had transformed, not just from a man into a girl, but into a silver-haired, blue-eyed one at that. She wondered when she would return to normal, and the thought that perhaps by the time she defeated the final boss, she might already be twenty, left her feeling a bit melancholic.
Noticing her troubled expression, Shiori smiled softly and gently patted Sora’s head.
“I’ll always love you, no matter what form you take,” she said warmly.
Sora chuckled weakly, replying, “Even if it’s from my sister? Well, I appreciate the sentiment.”
Just then, sleepiness began to take over her.
“Yeah, I did clear the underwater temple, so I guess… I can rest for a bit…” Sora mumbled drowsily.
“Good night, big brother,” Shiori whispered.
With that, Sora closed her eyes, her head resting on Shiori’s comforting lap, and fell into a deep sleep.