Original subtitles

In SLF, the keys to victory come from the story.

I'd always assumed Wethermon was some kind of cyborg,

who'd modified his body with technology from the Divinity...

But...

His classification is "undead monster"!

For undead, you use holy water!

Hey, the guy's screaming!

Putting Feelings Into a Moment, Part 3

Is his field attack incoming?

No...

This isn't that animation.

Bingo!

I canceled his field attack!

Guess he didn't appreciate getting splooshed with the saint's special water.

Hey, can you not make it gross?

The saint is like the idol of the SLF world.

Hey, what's going on with Wethermon?

H-H-Hey!

I-I think that thing just transformed!

What in the world is that thing?!

I dunno,

but I'm betting we don't wanna let it combine with Wethermon, either!

An exclusive new form for stage 3?

Wh-What the hell do we do now?!

A new form calls for a new approach.

Pencilgon, go help Katzo!

Wethermon's body has started gradually crumbling.

For phases 1 and 2, we had to hold out ten minutes.

Maybe for phase 3, we have to hold out until he falls apart.

I'd say this all but confirms the "time passes" victory condition.

Given how it's gone up until now, I'm betting it's ten minutes more—

That's our final time limit!

Leave this to me.

I'll survive ten minutes, no problem.

All right.

Just... don't get too reckless.

Until I can get back to acting as support,

one death could spell the end for you.

I'm leaving this to you, Sunraku-kun.

Sure thing.

Sorry, Pencilgon.

Ever since you mentioned the thing about hanging in there through the time limit,

I've been thinking...

Where the hell is the fun in that?

A boss where you just turtle up for thirty minutes straight...

What kind of game would that be?

I'll say it flat-out—one that's boring as shit.

Game design that puts the story first?

I've played tons of games like that...

Games that go for a balance between the fiction and the gameplay and fail

are regularly given the "trash game" stamp.

But Shangri-La Frontier...

You're supposed to be a god-tier game!

Yeah, thought so.

It popped into my head when I saw that holy water attack...

In the state he's in now,

he might just take damage!

Head Equipment Changed

Spiked Battlehelm [4A]

A passable compromise between the fiction and the gameplay...

Any player who endures those twenty minutes gets a reward...

A turn to fight back!

What, is that your first time being parried by a helmet?

Moonblade (Waxing) equipped.

Moonblade (Waning) equipped.

Spiked Battlehelm [4A] equipped.

Time to unveil the new armor I created from Quad Beetle materials...

Before you get a chance to fall apart, I'm gonna beat you down...

Wethermon the Tombguard!

Pretty awesome, huh?

I practiced the helmet parry a ton.

"But why parry with a helmet," you ask?

'Cause if you can parry with your head...

it leaves your hands free!

Wind Slash!

Damn it!

That one did deal damage, right?

I landed a damn critical, and he's not even fazed...

I didn't go as hard as Pencilgon,

but I still dropped a ton of cash on you, got it?

That money-grubbing bunny...

I'm gonna use the 80,000 mahni I paid her to rub your face into the dirt!

Vorpal Blade Tech...

Vorpal Blade Tech Moon's Reflection

Moon's Reflection!

Better watch your back, man.

Your six is wide open!

The Moon's Reflection was a bluff!

The real attack... is here!

Assassin Pierce

Assassin Pierce!

Oh, I haven't even started to get my revenge!

Drill Piercer!

Drill Piercer

If "scars on the back are a swordsman's greatest shame," then sorry...

I'm about to deal you a whole lot of shame.

How did I just know he'd end up in a brawl?

He's cackling like a madman over there!

Is that guy okay?!

I guess as long as the cackling goes on, he's fine.

The bigger of an underdog Sunraku-kun is,

the more his motivation and player skill spike.

But...

If we can't hold this thing in place,

he'll still end up an unwinnable fight.

I tried punching it a few times,

and it's looking like it'll take damage now!

Still tough as hell, though...

Okay, look.

It's not worth sticking out our necks to beat this thing.

Staying alive and drawing Kirin's aggro from Sunraku-kun

is enough to earn us a passing grade.

A passing grade, sure.

But...

Whip Puppet: Snake!

Whip Puppet: Snake

If I'm gonna be graded, I'd rather get a perfect score!

Oikatzo

These two, I swear...

Divine Lifesalve

Okay, maybe not.

I didn't leave a dent!

Evil Force

What's this?

Evil Force.

It increases the user's stats for fifteen minutes!

Even in your current state,

it should give you abilities on par with level 99 or so!

Level 99?!

That's a god-tier item!

Why didn't you whip this awesome thing out earlier?!

Using it comes with a serious penalty.

I've used it before, and it was a pretty rough time...

Penalty?

I'll admit, I'm getting tired of this one-sided fight, too...

You said you want a perfect score, right?

So I'm sure you're prepared for the risk—

A penalty?

Sounds fine to me.

I'm gonna turn you to scrap and get a big old A-plus!

H-Huh? Why's everything suddenly in photo-negative?

I feel like my hearing's gone fuzzy, too...

It's probably screwing with your sense of smell and taste, too!

Is this the "penalty"?

Well, it does feel a little weird,

but it's not nearly as bad as I expected!

Actually... that's not the bad part.

Every thirty seconds, your level decreases by one.

Huh?

Huh? My level goes down?!

Th-This thing lasts fifteen minutes!

Does it stick around after the battle, too?!

Yeah.

I've used it myself, and the sense of loss was palpable.

If it's every thirty seconds...

For fifteen minutes... I lose thirty levels?!

So when the fight's over, I'll have to start back from level 20?!

Why didn't you say that sooner?!

Oikatzo

Ah, it went down...

You ate it before I could!

Oh, and I'll use my remaining Scale points to boost my own stats!

Hey!

Still, I can't believe you chewed it.

I know it's just flavor text stuff in a game,

but I learned what those are made of,

and I haven't been able to stomach one since...

What the hell did you let me eat?!

Okay, now I'm pissed!

You're gonna be my punching bag, you robot jerk!

Red plus black makes crimson!

Combo Spirit Fist

Combo Spirit Fist: Flame Crimson!

Flame Crimson

And I'll max out my buffs...

Arthur Pencilgon

STR AGI VIT Stamina

Let's get to it, Katzo-kun!

Infight!

Into...

Dual Impact!

Dual Impact

With my right fist, I create a cross-shaped seal...

Then I pound it with a right straight punch!

Nice! You finally staggered it!

Looks like the medicine did its thing!

Now I'm gonna stab its knee until it shatters!

Spear of Sunlight!

Spear of Sunlight

Spear of Sunlight

I know it dealt damage... but even with all those stacked buffs...

I still can't even crack it?!

Pencilgon!

Sheesh...

I wish you'd be clearer about when your stagger phase ends!

I guess we'll need more than stat boosts to make a breakthrough here.

Its armor seems thickest around the waist.

That's probably where all the important bits are stored...

But how the heck do we go about prying it open?

Okay!

I think I've got the hang of the head-parry-slash combo.

What's the matter, man?!

Are you that depressed

that your robo-samurai sword techniques won't work on me?!

I knew these Moonblades were a good match for my skills.

Sunraku

I've got a skill I can only activate when my HP fall below one-third—

Climax Boost.

Climax Boost

For five minutes after activating,

it boosts my stats in proportion to the level gap between me and my enemy.

Sunraku

But I've got so little HP,

there's no way to use Wethermon's attacks to fine-tune them down to one-third.

But...

With the Moonblades' ability to shave down and recover my HP with every attack,

I can do it.

And one more thing...

Hunger Wolf.

Hunger Wolf

It only lasts for one minute,

but in exchange for depleting my stamina and such,

it increases my strength, agility, and vitality!

Thunderclap!

The stat increase is in proportion to how few HP you've got, and your "hunger" level!

Sunraku

Nimbus Fist!

SLF has a gauge to represent your hunger.

It fills back up when you eat,

and if you go hungry for too long, it impacts your stamina recovery rate.

Naturally, I micromanaged that too!

I'm at just the right level of hunger!

If I can combine these skills just right, I know I can win this!

His sword's at his hip.

Another Wind Slash?!

I'll block it with a head-parry from Parry Protect!

Here it comes!

Parry!

Huh?

What the... Where's the slash?

A...

Alice.

He's an awkward one, you see.

He's a living corpse, unable to even put himself to rest.

So as you face down Wethermon the Tombguard, I wish to entrust this to you.

Alice.

Alice?

A...lice...

ID key...

fragment.

Alice... is still... known?

This isn't a skill incantation.

For endless eternity...

He's talking?

I have lain here... rotting...

I did not... see... their fate...

I thought he was a corpse animated by the machinery,

but maybe not?

Indeed...

the frontier... has been established...

"They"? "Frontier"?

Are they seriously giving me story stuff now?!

Let us do battle... Child of the Second Plan.

I've got every neuron in my body hard-focused on beating you.

Don't make me think about anything else.

If you intend... to infringe upon my vow...

Then be crushed by my

Clear Sky Conquest

Clear Sky Conquest.

Guess he's finally getting serious!

Sounds great! Bring it on!

Wind Slash.

I thought maybe you'd changed things up,

but a standard Wind Slash—

Thunderclap.

Not a second's break between them?!

What's the big hurry, Wethermon?!

Nimbus Fist.

You kidding me?!

The freaking lightning hasn't even stopped yet!

He's chaining attacks like crazy,

with basically no time lag between them...

Tidal Rush!

You can do that one with your sword in hand, too, huh?!

Wind Slash.

At the head?

Wind Slash.

The torso?!

Wind Slash.

The legs?!

Okay, I get it now!

You can spam attacks without recast time!

Recast Time = Time needed before a skill can be reused

That's pretty messed up!

Am I supposed to see every move coming?

That feels like pretty broken game balance...

The hell is he telegraphing?!

Pyroclastic Wyrm.

A new move, now?!

Black clouds?

Ash Blizzard!

A combination attack?!

What's the matter, man?

If you don't get me on the first hit, you miss your chance!

Parry Protect Skate Foot

Still, I don't have much in the way of stamina or dodge skills left...

If this chain attack barrage keeps up...

Well, bring it on!

I'll hang on with pure chutzpah!

It's gonna take more than this to beat me!

And I've got a few ideas of my—

Use Item Rebirth Tearjewel Divine Lifesalve Potion High Potion

Clear Sky Conquest.

Through the cycle of rebirth

and a parting gift,

He's fast!

I'm already running as fast as I can!

I bring the ultimate end.

What the hell? My legs—

With transformation of "clear sky,"

This isn't like his other moves.

I deal the ultimate

I'll have to take it head-on!

I'll use this helmet to parry, no matter what!

strike.

That which can cleave even dragons...

Sky Clear

Sky Clear!

What the heck was that?

"Sky Clear," he called it, I guess...

But this move is way too nasty.

Will it reach?!

Wait!

But it's like I told you...

Rebirth Tearjewel

It's gonna take more than that to beat me!

SLF Mini

SLF Theater!

The Day Starts Early for a Girl in Love

Mini!

SLF Theater

The day starts early for a girl in love.

Why are you up so early?

W-Well, it's just... er...

I th-thought it might be nice... if we could walk to school together, maybe...

Even on the most ordinary of days,

the most trivial things can change the scenery you see.

As a girl in love, Rei Saiga's gaze is focused.

W-Well, I know the route Hizutome-kun walks to school, so...

How did you find that out?

I-It was a total coincidence!

It just happened that, miraculously,

the planets aligned such that I happened to catch sight of Hizutome-kun...

Then, a series of coincidences

ended up with me happening to come this way a few times...

And it happened enough times that

I ended up happening to catch sight of Hizutome-kun a few different times...

And from those coincidental sightings, I coincidentally...

I mean, it really was a coincidence that I happened to

realize that he tended to come by this way a lot...

I mean, it wasn't on purpose at all.

It was just a little curiosity...

Well, I guess "curiosity" is a rude way of putting it...

Forget I said that.

Well, with all the information I had, I kind of put it together...

I mean, it really wasn't on purpose!

I mean it!

But in the end, I did kind of find out where Hizutome-kun lived...

Um, that is...

As she speaks on with the force of a raging bonfire,

there is embarrassment in her voice, combined with a strange sense of hope.

After having a brief breakfast at home,

Ms. Rei Saiga arrives at a certain corner.

But her eyes are unfocused and hesitant.

What are you doing?

Well... it's just, well...

Maybe I... you know... might not be brave enough to...

Touching her pinkened—no, reddened—cheek,

Ms. Rei Saiga stares around the corner.

Hizutome-kun generally passes this way between eight o'clock and ten-after.

He sometimes comes running at twenty-after, too, but...

I-It's him!

Love — it is that which fuels courage.

Ms. Rei Saiga hides behind the wall,

but as the high schooler passes by in front of her,

she reaches out her hand, and speaks...

So, as you were about to talk to him,

you caught sight of a middle-school girl running alongside him,

and you hid?

That was probably his sister, you know.

Yes, probably...

At this rate, you might graduate before you ever talk to him!