Chapter 41

**Dark Yurina** (闇ユリナ *Yami Yurina*) is the forty-first chapter of Oumi Noko's manga series S Rare Soubi no Niau Kanojo.

## Summary

As they continue through the corridors of Shogakukan, Yurina, Daigo, Haruka, Ami, Riho, and Saori encounter a large swarm of monsters. Daigo suggests that they flee so as not to run out of strength, but Yurina wishes to save the girls that the monsters have possessed. Haruka advises that it would better to thin out the enemy's numbers before reaching Ea, which Daigo agrees with. Haruka tells Yurina to keep fighting, but Yurina seems despondent.

Meanwhile, Ea continues to draw monsters under the vigilance of Rebecca. When Rebecca takes a momentary break, Ea check's Marimo's phone, contemplating her petrification status and the mysterious drop item. Suddenly, Rebecca is attacked and Venomous Moon Jelly appears, apparently having grown much stronger. She reveals that she has injected a drug into her body that has made her stronger and will turn her into a humanoid. Moon Jelly then grabs Ea, stating that she is going to "borrow" her.

Back in the corridors, Yurina and the others have defeated the monsters, but are a bit tired from the physical exertion. After expressing his concerns about being able to rescue Ea, Saori makes an inadvertently insensitive comment that Yurina is just a game character and has no preference for who she saves. Yurina tries to object, but the group discovers a door to another room. They open it and find Ea inside, unconscious and bound to a chair. As Daigo impulsively rushes towards her, Yurina tries to stop him, speculating that it could be a trap, but Daigo angrily rebukes her and swats her away. Despite his efforts, Daigo finds that he is unable to awaken Ea, leading the others to believe it may be a fake. However, Venomous Moon Jelly appears and assures them that it is the real Ea. She further explains that she has given Ea the "Sewage of Death" poison, which will kill her in ten minutes if she does not receive the antidote. Believing that Moon Jelly is a weak monster, Yurina and the others prepare to attack, but Moon Jelly uses her "Darkness Age" skill, spewing forth black goo from her mouth. The goo penetrates Saori, Ami, and Riho's ears and causes them to see visions that tap into their insecurities. Moon Jelly explains that the "Darkness Age" draws out a person's darkness, turning them into a monster. Incredulous, Haruka demands to know how Moon Jelly can use such a skill, to which she explains that the drug in her body was melted down from a humanoid monster, allowing her to use greater skills. The Darkness Age then penetrates Haruka's mind and she begins to succumb to it. As Yurina tries to snap everyone out of it, Moon Jelly taunts her with the claim that she is the easiest one to exploit. The goo enters Yurina's brain, making her succumb as well. As Daigo angrily admonishes Moon Jelly, she explains that she had previously exploited Yurina's love during the beach festival. She further taunts him, claiming he has no idea about Yurina's feelings. Daigo objects that Yurina only wants to save the world and protect people, which Moon Jelly scoffs at. Daigo tries to help Yurina as she falls deeper into despair, but after seeing flashbacks of Daigo's feelings towards Ea, she is pushed over the edge. Having fully succumbed to the "Darkness Age", Yurina transforms into Dark Yurina

Dark Yurina begins to attack the others, greatly delighting Moon Jelly and causing her to boast about her skills. Weakened, Daigo asks why Yurina is doing this since she wanted to save Ea, but Yurina is unresponsive. Venomous Moon Jelly then offers to save Ea and spare Daigo and the others since all she cares about is becoming humanoid and Rebecca will get the blame for Ea's escape. However, in exchange, Moon Jelly demands that Daigo delete all of his Grimzelia files and destroy Yurina. Hearing this offer, Yurina's good side begins to break through and she tells Daigo to delete her. Although she is supposed to be a hero who must save the world and Ea, she confesses that she has failed since she cannot erase her feelings of love for Daigo. Daigo is shocked by her confession and scolds himself for not realizing her feelings sooner. Moon Jelly then gives Daigo the Wi-Fi password so he can send a message to Rikoha to delete his account. Despite objection from the others, Daigo appears ready to accept Moon Jelly's offer. Suddenly, Dark Yurina reawakens and attacks Daigo, piercing him through the stomach. However, Daigo apologizes to Yurina as he sends a message on his phone. A bright light bursts out from Yurina's body as she apparently begins to uninstall, with Moon Jelly gloating and taunting Yurina over her victory.

Yurina begins to descend into a world of a data. She contemplates that she was wrong to believe that she was special amidst the hundreds of other Yurinas that are created by Grimzelia. She apologizes to Daigo for not being stronger and admits that at least her death will help save Ea. However, a strange warrior-like woman suddenly appears before Yurina and asks her if she truly believes that her master sees her as nothing but data. Yurina then begins to recall all the wonderful moments she had with Daigo and the woman assures Yurina that she is special.

To everyone's shock, Yurina reappears, equipped with a new gear. Her new weapon emits a light that destroys the Darkness Age, freeing everyone from its effects. Haruka recognizes Yurina's new weapon and Daigo confirms that it is the SS Rare "Villager's Excalibur", which he obtained by fusing 50 Villager's Swords to the Corona Blade. Daigo further explains that he sent a message to Rikoha instructing her to change Yurina's equipment, rather than deleting her. He assures Yurina that, even if she asked him to, he would never delete her. Realizing how costly it must have been, Haruka asks how Daigo could possibly have obtained so many Villager's Swords. Daigo explains that he took advantage of the Grizel Summer Holiday Event by repeatedly fighting the event boss, which gave him Damascus Steel that allowed him to evolve his gear. Furious, Venomous Moon Jelly attacks Yurina, but is instantly defeated as she is cut into several pieces. As she fades away, Moon Jelly once more expresses her desire to become humanoid, but Lamia suddenly appears and ridicules her, stating that there is no way she could ever be humanoid. Lamia sees that Venomous Moon Jelly was tricked and explains that there is nothing that can turn a monster like her into a humanoid, as humanoids have a mix of monster and human blood. Venomous Moon Jelly defiantly continues to believe she can become human, until, finally, she passes on.

As Daigo picks up the antidote dropped by Moon Jelly, Lamia leaves, taking Rebecca with her. Daigo tries to stop her, but Lamia claims that, even with an SS-Rare, they still can't fight her as they need at least ten people since she's a Group-Quest Boss. As Lamia departs, Yurina reminds a frustrated Daigo that even Eternal Wind could not beat Lamia. Daigo concedes and laments that Marimo and the others are not with them.

## Key Events

* Yurina awakens the Villager's Excalibur
* Yurina battles and defeats Venomous Moon Jelly and frees Ea

## Character Appearances

* Absorber
* Yurina
* Haruka Nanao
* Ami Utsugi
* Riho Utsugi
* Daigo Seko
* Saori Kashiwagi
* Ea Yuki
* Rebecca
* Venomous Moon Jelly
* Lamia