Chapter 1069 - Break Through the Firewall
"...Traveler-sama."
The knight slowly opened his eyes.
"I am impressed. You have done well to come this far."
He looked at us, his eyes reflecting the group he had guided and assisted in various ways, despite his often cryptic remarks.
"...The Trial..."
"It has been fulfilled. Therefore..."
He nodded deeply at Ashe's question.
"With the funeral of the 'Four,' the film that separates this world will be swept away, and the curtain will rise."
The moment he looked up at the sky...
...
Someone said something. But that tiny voice was drowned out by a roar. At the same time a sound like a massive tree being twisted apart filled the world... the next sensation was visual.
A giant 'Crack' suddenly ran through the boundary, snatching away our consciousness and causing us to stumble.
"Whoa! What's happening?!"
Tora-kichi shouted, his volume optimized for the situation, but the transformation didn't stop. The fissures in the space weren't just in the starry sky of the alternate dimension; they reached down to our feet...
"Haru!" "Leave it to me!"
The moment it arrived. The instant it filled the void in my avatar that had remained strangely empty until now, there was zero lag between Ashe's request and my response.
--- [Rocket] activated.
"Pwah... ngh...?!"
"Emergency evasion, sorry!"
In the blink of an eye, I flew at top speed. Nia let out a cry in my arms, but as I said, I had no time or choice to be considerate.
I didn't understand what was happening, so I just had to run...
"Sora! A..."
"I'm fine!"
"I'm okay."
"Good!"
"Hey, you! Worry about me too!!!"
In mid-air, I used the 'shadow threads' from my right arm to tether the party together and ensure our emergency safety, away from the countless spatial ruptures that had appeared on the floor and ceiling. Of course, among those being swept along by this unknown force...
"Haha...! Your reaction speed is as impressive as ever!"
"Is this a laughing matter?! What the hell is going on?!"
There was also the knight who was laughing as he watched the familiar sight.
"Do not worry. Up here in the air, there will be time for a calm explanation."
"That means it would have been bad if I didn't dodge, right?! Give me a warning next time!!! ...Wait, hang on... Sora, I need a foothold!"
"Ah, yes! Um, [Verme Kreis]!"
I threw a heartfelt retort at Bo-Kendy as we hung there. My thread control was shaky because of the sudden recovery of my powers and the overwhelming surge of stats. I called for backup.
"[Turm Riesig]!"
My partner, who had finally regained her [Skill] and her absolute authority along with me, created a massive tower of magic swords.
Its purpose was simply to be a foothold. After I lowered everyone tethered by the threads onto the side of the giant sword floating in the air and landed myself... alright, let's restart. Continue.
"Explain."
Before I could even ask, an expressionless, angry Ashe challenged Kendy-dono. He just smiled at her as usual.
"My apologies. I must confess my heart was a bit too excited, and I deeply regret being late with my warning. I am sorry."
"Mm..."
"Well, I also assumed that my noble Travelers would have no problem handling it."
"You're not reflecting at all, are you?"
His nonchalant behavior was almost enough to make me think he was taunting us. Being able to face that Sword Queen's scowl with such lightheartedness was proof of his status as a likely ancient entity.
...This was no time for messing around, though.
"Ah, um... sorry, I... I can't move... so just a little longer..."
"Don't worry about it, just stay still."
"O-Okay..."
Aside from Nia, whom I kept in my arms, everyone else was on the foothold.
"Is everyone okay? To be honest, I'm at my limit."
"I... I'm okay too, if I move carefully!"
Sora and I were at our limits, but we were okay. However...
"...No, I need a bit of time."
"...Same. I can't go full out right now."
Ashe and Tora-kichi gave the expected answers.
What were we talking about? None other than the 'Skill' that had been returned as the space transformed, and the 'Power' that had flooded into our avatars.
It had been a while since I'd used the system window. I opened it to check my current status.
Status
Title: Stardust Beast (Clown)
Name: Haru Lv: 110+400
STR: 300+700
AGI: 300+500
DEX: 0+500
VIT: 0 (+100)+500
MID: 350 (+450)+1000
LUC: 300+800
*
"Oh boy..."
Instead of doubling from each Lv. 40 equivalent, we'd received a nice, round bonus of one hundred. Including the Dexterity (DEX) and Vitality (VIT) given by the final Emperor, we had a total equivalent of a Lv. 400 pure status buff. It was insane.
Without thinking, it was clear that Sora and I were the weird ones for being able to move without losing control. Before we challenged this raid, we'd done training to adapt to status fluctuations for the [Clown] power, but this was far beyond anything we'd imagined.
It was no time to be saying things like, 'Oh, look, AGI and DEX are perfectly balanced.' This much extra power was a burden that could easily become a debuff. Even with Ashe and Tora-kichi's incredible physical control, there was no way they could instantly master such a transformation.
...And it was precisely because I was certain of that.
"There is no need to worry."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Eh..."
"..."
Four pairs of narrowed eyes fell on Kendy-dono, and for good reason. Nia, who was meditating in my arms, was the only one not looking at him.
What did he mean?
The fact that we'd been given such a ridiculous buff now told us exactly what was about to happen. If so, not being able to move at full capacity was a fatal problem. And yet...
What did he mean by 'no need to worry'?
Before I could finish my question.
"The understanding will follow. For now, look."
Standing on the sword tower in mid-air, the knight looked up at the sky and down at the ground, his eyes following the 'Crack' that continued to cover everything.
"Behold the fruits of the great deed you have accomplished... the deed we have long desired."
As if those words were a trigger, a final sound... like something irreversible was happening... shook the space. The 'world' formed by the starry sky and the path shattered without a trace.
Happy New Year. Welcome back, a message from God (Subtitle).