Third Casino "1,000,000 QP Per Second"

Your attention please. Please come to the center rink for the main attraction.

Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to continue enjoying the slot machines later.

Now, prepare to feast your eyes on the miraculous swan... The beautiful dance of swords that entrances all who see it.

Prepare to witness the show of the most gorgeous Swimsuit Swordmaster in all of Las Vegas: Mistress Lambdaryllis's S Stage.

Yes, finally! This is what I've been saving all of my money for!

I already ran out of gold tokens, but I regret nothing.

Getting to see her show live and in person is goddamn priceless.

Totally! This is my third time, and it just keeps getting better! Ahh, maybe today will be the day her beauty finally melts me into a puddle!

Tch, beauty this, beauty that, blah blah blah. I'm gettin' real sick of it.

The only thing a swordmaster oughta brag about's their skill with a sword. You can't live on popularity alone.

'Sides, what's so beautiful 'bout a gal dressed up like a penguin? I don't get these people.

？！

Master! Hokusai! Did you see Kotarou or Nero!?

？！

Me neither. I searched the whole casino top to bottom, but there was no sign of them...

Kotarou may be good at hiding, but Nero stands out so much I was sure I'd find her in no time...

Yeah, good point. I'da sworn we'd find Kotarou tryin' ta stop that empress gal from blowin' all her money on slots.

But it looks like maybe they ain't here at all.

It's hard for me to imagine that empress having any interest in a skating rink with no slot machines around...

I don't know...though I hate to say that I wouldn't put it past Nero.

？！

Either way, we should take advantage of this chance to fight another Swimsuit Swordmaster and head to this rink as well.

Come on, everyone. Let's settle this as soon as we can.

Something is telling me the sooner we leave this casino, the better.

Hmph. I was all rarin' to go before, but now I'd rather take any of the other Swimsuit Swordmasters.

Who cares about some dumb old S Stage, whatever that is? It's probably just some silly tent Little Black Ridin' Hood put up ta entertain the kids

Jackpot! It's the real deal, Toto-sama!

Look at her! She's like a real-life angel or somethin'!

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Thank you all so much for coming to Casino Suiten Palace.

Though my show will only last a few minutes, I hope it will serve to enrich you for the rest of your lives.

That was a lovely little speech. And here I thought this Lambda person was supposed to be an evil Alter Ego. Perhaps she turned over a new leaf.

Well, we can't challenge her to a battle and ruin this atmosphere now. Let's wait until her show is over, Master.

(Oh yes... The rest of your soon-to-be-much-shorter lives.)

(I'll show you something so enriching it'll even help you after you've become pathetic little dolls.)

？！

It's starting... Hmm. Hmmm. There, she's open. No, wait, she's not. Look at that beautiful turn she made after darting in at that angle!

This is really something!

I can't explain it very well, but my heart is beating just as fast as when that evil dragon had me in its talons!

Yes, it's beautiful. It's almost like she's skating on top of water!

I saw a show like this on video once, but seeing it in person really is entrancing...

I can't take my eyes off her for a second... Her body language is just so expressive and uplifting.

And the sheer speed with which she darts from one end of the rink to another is so much more impactful in person!

Anastasia once told me that a professional ice skater could kill a Naumann's elephant with their legs alone... Now I see what she meant!

？！

Y-yeah, I'll admit, she's pretty fast, and kinda rivetin' to watch. But really, she oughta be, seein' how she's a Swimsuit Swordmaster 'n all.

(...Although, it feels like there's more to this than that... Like, why do I got this weird pain in my chest...?)

(Man, seein' her do a quadruple axel as she speeds by... The way her slender legs kick up waves in her wake, almost like a dragon...)

(...Dammit, I don't even feel like fightin' her now. No way I can beat her like this.)

(I can tell there's somethin' different about her compared to the other Swimsuit Swordmasters I've seen so far...)

Thank you, thank you. It's a thrill to perform like this for all of you.

But, I'm getting tired of all these same faces here, so now, it's time for the S Stage to begin in earnest.

Get ready! My cruel spectacle is going to melt each and every one of you, body and soul.

Aah! Senpai, slot machines just popped up in front of every spectator here!

Individual slot machines for every guest...? But at these rates, there can't be many people willing to

Wheee! This is awesome! I love these slot machines!

I can't believe we get to play slots and see Mistress Lambda's show at the same time! This is the best!

I know, right!? I could play these slots all day! Golden, purple, who cares! I'll throw in every token I have!

Wh-whoa! They're all pullin' those levers like there's no tomorrow! But, if they spend that much that fast...

Wheee! Heeelp! I can't stop! I can't stooop!

Aaah, I'm melting! I can feel my body dissolving beneath meee!

Mmm, going bankrupt feels so good! And my body falling apart feels even better!

Oh no... It's the Rheingold all over again!

They're so entranced by the show that they've become overrun with desire to play the slots!

Khh! I'm stopping the man next to me, but there's no way we can stop them all!

We need to cut off the entrancement at its source!

No, Master! Stop! Here, I'm going to hang onto the tokens myself!

？！

...Mmm, not bad. Not the best meal I've had by any stretch, but at least I'm nice and full.

Those purple tokens represent your very existence... Remember how I said the more you use them, the more it'd decrease your level?

You were just too weak to resist the temptation. Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you.

This is awful... Every other person here turned into a puddle...

We can't let her get away with this. Come on, everyone!

We're going to defeat that wicked Alter Ego here and now!

D-don't gotta tell me twice! C'mon, lady! It's time for a Swimsuit Swordmaster match!

Aww, you guys didn't play the slots yourselves, huh? Well that's too bad.

It's not very elegant to get in a fight with customers, but if you're going to climb up onto my stage, I guess I have no choice.

All right then, it's showtime! You're up, Kingprotea!

Hehe, finally!

(Agape)

Hi there! Nice to meet you, little customers! Welcome to Suiten Palace!

Did you like the casino? Did you enjoy Lambda's show?

Great! Now I'm gonna finish things off with one last spectacle! Oh, by the way, I'm Kingprotea, an Alter Ego.

I'm a huge evil monster threatening to plunge Las Vegas into chaos☆

Oh gosh, oh gosh... That enormous hostile Servant is headed this way! Our chances of winning are slim to none!

Get ready to fight, Master! The first thing we need to do is get out of her reach!

Was that fun? Was it scary? Then let's finish things off with a splash!

I'm gonna show all you brave warriors right to the bottom of the pool! Kablooosh!!!

It's no use! We'll never be able to get away in time! Everyone, hang onto my shiel

？！

Gah!

So, you like to overwhelm your opponents with a barrage of attacks, and yet it only took two little kicks to stop you in your tracks. Pathetic.

But don't blame me, Hokusai. Blame yourself. You're the one who showed up here looking like that even after I took the time to warn you.

You pickin' a fight with me, ya damn witch!? Whaddaya mean, "lookin' like that"!? Somethin' wrong with my face!?

I already know I got a tiny, dumb-lookin' nose! Ya don't gotta rub my...uh, nose...in it!

...Do stop playing dumb, will you? It's painful to watch.

An artist of your caliber must have realized something when watching my show.

"What is it I truly want to express?"

I'm sure you have no problem answering that question as a painter, but you haven't figured it out as a swordfighter.

That's why your blades went dull, your eyeline wavered, and you lost the momentum you had up to now.

And if that wasn't enough...you even fell prey to my charms, didn't you?

...!

Oh well. Now that Protea smushed your friends, our little game is over.

Too bad. If you'd fought with them, you might have been able to get away.

...

Hehe, that's the kind of face I like to see. That's just the sort of expression that gets my own heart pumping.

So, what say you? Are you ready to stop playing at being a swordfighter and go back to being a wonderful artist?

I'll even let you live if you do, you know. I was just thinking I could use an artist to draw my new box art.

Just melting you down into EXP would be a waste of good talent!

Hehe. Now, you're all my toys.

In the face of a raging current, even the strongest fighter is no more than a fragile, floating leaf.

They'll all be swept up into Suiten Palace's madness like all of the other crazies.

Once you see Suiten Palace's true form, you'll know just how small and insignificant you truly are.

Serve us. Devote yourself to us. Kneel before us. Skip sleep and work for us.

Group A's current completion rate is...eighty-nine percent.

Only...eleven percent to go until the completion...

...of the not-to-scale figures manufactured on Earth up through the year 2020.

？！

Group B's current completion rate is...sixteen percent.

Only...eighty-four percent to go until the completion...

...of the modeling for all the figures of Mistress Lambda's favorite characters that were never made into figures on Earth up through the year 2020.

Group C's

Are you kidding!? There's no way we can mass-produce a line of identical figurines with just our bare hands!

Besides, I'm a buyer, not a makerAah! Don't zap me! I don't need another fetish!

What kind of slapdash operation are you running here!? Take it from someone who knows what he's talking about:

Treat! Workers! Right!

You can't draw out their potential if they don't have the bare minimum of food, shelter, and clothing! Haven't you ever heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs!?

And these collars! You can't zap our brains with electricity like this! Now is the time to unioni-i-i-i-i-i-i...

I'm sorry, this is all so sudden that I'm having difficulty catching up. Can someone please explain what happened to us?

(Nod)

After one thing led to another, we ended up fighting Lambda...

...but then the giant Servant Protea appeared from the water stage and wiped us out single-handedly.

We were then washed away by a giant wave and carried down here to this underground factory, where we're now being kept prisoner.

Umu. I'd hoped you came here to rescue Kotarou and me, since we were the first to play the slots and be dissolved...

...but it seems that is not the case. (Wince)

I tried to stop her, but the only thing she said was...

"Hurry up and give me your tokens too!" before snatching them out of my hands...

(Nod) I see.

Eventually, after we washed up here, Hokusai was seriously injured and wound up here as well.

Fortunately, Master was able to use his Mystic Code to close her wounds, and now she's, well...

Holy hell, what is this place!? It's even worse than Toto-sama's year-end crunch time!

She's got artisans locked up in collars and forcing 'em to make dolls! And not just dolls of herself!

She's also got dolls of other people, includin' some that never existed in real life, along with robots, beasts, teddy bears... There's a whole mountain of treasure here!

I knew Little Black Ridin' Hood was a dyed-in-the-wool sadist, but I didn't know she was also a doll freak!

She's been just as animated as usual ever since she first saw this factory. If she was ever dejected about losing to Lambda, she's clearly forgotten all about it.

Oh, and we also know one of Lambda's deepest secrets now.

？！

I see. Thank you. I think I understand now.

So she uses her show to charm people into giving up all their money and EXP, rendering them powerless...

...then melts them down and confines them here underground, forcing them to work for her...

Heh heh heh...

That isn't all she's got planned. By the way, anyone ever tell you you'd look real good in a slave outfit?

？！

Columbus! You came to rescue us!

Rescue you? Hahahaha, you've got it all wrong, girlie.

We have met before, right? I always follow my heart, and what my heart wants more than anything is money.

So which side do you think I'm going to pick here: yours, or the casino's?

？！

...

Whoa, I'd think twice about throwing that hidden dagger at me if I were you, kid. See, I'm the guy in charge of this little underground factory.

You mess with me, you're gonna get the horns. Specifically, the horns of a certain giantess keeping an eye on things.

Watching... Watching... Me and the factory chief are always watching...

So unless you want to go another round with her, I'd keep your dagger right where I can see it.

Besides, you're gonna be winning us a lot of bread from now on. I'd hate to lose out on your income for no good reason.

You mean...you're going to make us work for you?

That's right. Lambda and I managed to work out a deal.

What'd she call it... A city-type engine...? No, no, I got it. It was SE.RA.PH.

She's gonna sink all of Vegas into the ocean and claim it for herself.

See, she's not collecting all this EXP at the casino just for the fun of it.

Once it's maxed out, she's gonna turn herself into an ocean and swallow Vegas whole.

It'll be like the legendary Leviathan come to life. Awful story. Just awful.

But it's also a huge waste, right? All those people won't do anyone any good at the bottom of an ocean.

So I made her a proposition. I said:

"Let me have all these 'resources' you're not using, and I'll help you do whatever you want with Vegas!"

Now I see, pirate. So in exchange for increasing this factory's efficiency...

...she agreed to let you have all the people she no longer needs.

Haha, I'm not a pirate. But you're not the first to make that mistake, and I doubt you'll be the last.

Anyway, there you have it. I'm not here to fight you or to kill you.

It'll only be a few more shows until Lambda's level is all maxed out.

All you have to do is sit tight until Vegas's final curtain call. Here you go.

Senpai, look! The white-bearded factory chief opened the door to our cage!

Well sure I did. How're you supposed to get to work otherwise?

It's not like you'll be making an escape with the giantess keeping an eye on things, so I don't see the harm in letting you go free.

Besides, you'll all be mine when this is said and done. I'm counting on you to earn me some big bucks, brother!

...He may be evil, but I'll say this for him: he's certainly good at fending for himself.

At any rate, it's a lucky stroke that he let us out of our cage.

That said...what do we do now, Master?

Now that we know about her plan to destroy Las Vegas, we have to find a way to stop her.

Our only responsible course of action is to destroy this underground factory, free its workers, and defeat Lambdaryllis in an official Swimsuit Swordmaster match.

But, unfortunately...

Umu. Unless we can defeat that new Alter Ego face of BB, we have no hope of escaping.

And she is not the sort of opponent one can defeat with mere brawn.

I swear, if it is not one troublesome Alter Ego with BB, it is another. Why do I not have more variations!? No fair!

？！

Good point... For reasons I can't begin to understand, it looks like we can collect QP here as well.

I'm still wondering about the final curtain call the factory chief mentioned, but for now, we should save our strength until we really need it!