Chapter 195 - Gathering Gazes
"You for real?"
A boy muttered as he watched the fifth pillar of light shoot into the sky.
"Five hundred points in the first two minutes is insane… I bet it's the work of that [Acrobat] guy."
"Probably."
The Southern Faction, having smoothly reorganized to deal with the waterway and sent their troops out in sequence, was now watching from the sidelines. Auerin and the other two, who had been told to 'wait and see,' couldn't help but smile wryly at the situation likely created by the East's enigmatic Ninth Seat.
"…At this pace…"
"Yep, he's gonna get all of them. Five from the North, five from the South… a one-thousand-point lead, huh? What a clear-cut disadvantage."
"No, I don't think we've ever seen anything like this."
As the boy and Fuji exchanged words, Auerin turned to the presence behind him… where Helena stood, watching the sixth pillar rise with the same calm demeanor as the other two.
"Your take?"
Auerin sent the words along with his gaze, and she, still looking at the pillar of light, narrowed her eyes slightly behind her monocle.
"Just as we suspected, it is likely the work of the player in question. Unless the [Sword Saint] has returned to the main stage on a whim, there is no one else capable of such a feat."
Of course, that wasn't to slight the East's other rankers. It was merely an objective evaluation based on the fact that they lacked a player specializing in agility.
As Helena said this, the tall young man's cheeks twitched.
"Are you saying this new Ninth is on her level?"
"If that is the case, he would surely be in the upper ranks. Even if not, he appears to be a being who possesses both power and speed."
—The seventh. The signal fire of destruction showed no signs of stopping.
"He's a big deal, no doubt about it… So, what's our response?"
Helena—the 'Queen'—was paying attention. That meant she had no intention of letting him run wild.
"Uni."
"Hm? Oh, my turn?"
The boy—Uni—turned when his name was called and asked, to which she nodded.
"Go and scout. I want a detailed report on the situation within the area."
"Okay. What about that guy?"
—The eighth. He pointed to the pillar, the sight of which was now losing its shock value. Helena entrusted the decision to him, saying, "I'll leave it to you."
"Act according to your own judgment. If you happen to encounter him, so be it. However, losing a rook this early in the game is not something I can permit."
"Haha, okay, okay. I'll be back safe, so don't worry."
Uni lightly laughed off the warning look she gave the pleasure-seeking boy.
"The Princess seems pretty interested, too, one way or another."
He gripped the hilt of the short sword at his waist as if to confirm its presence, and cast a glance toward the castle where his 'King' was waiting.
"If I 'accidentally' get carried away and beat him, you'll help me apologize, right?"
—Sotalm's Second Seat, the [Heavy Tank], smiled with the innocence of a child.
◇◆◇◆◇
"The ninth one?!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!!"
"It's so ridiculous I'm starting to laugh."
"This is no time for lol'ing! We have to defend the last one at least! Hurry!!"
On the north side of the enormous rectangular maze, the players of the Northern Faction, Nortalia, had scrambled onto the battlefield with barely any time to share map information. They were now advancing, kicking up water in a scene of utter chaos.
In less than five minutes, five Southern pillars and four Northern pillars had been destroyed—an unprecedented and abnormal situation, to say the least.
Incidentally, the reason they knew the breakdown of the destroyed pillars was because they could see with their own eyes a blue pillar—Nortalia's faction color—still standing tall where their forces were headed.
In the Four Pillar War, the number of 'Pillars' that appear on the field is equal to the number of participating rankers from each faction. And for the last few wars, the North-South alliance has made it a standard to send five rankers each, for a total of ten.
The reason was simple: any more than that, and the disadvantage of having more Pillars as weak points would outweigh the benefit of increased combat power.
If they could defend every single one from start to finish, it wouldn't be a problem. But if even one was destroyed, they'd be dragged into a quagmire.
They would be forced to thinly spread their defenses across many Pillars, then use the barely scraped-together forces to chase after respawning Pillars at random locations without a moment's rest.
Meanwhile, the attacking Eastern Faction would, of course, be an elite force. It was a one-way ticket to defeat.
"—Well, at least we made it in time."
The hand of the entity that had destroyed nine pillars in quick succession had not reached the final tenth one. A young man, watching the deployed players form a defensive line, let out a word in a thick accent.
"We're on standby here, right, Tora-san?"
"Yeah. Dunno if he'll show, but stay sharp."
"Roger that."
Entrusting command of the eighteen-man unit—three linked parties—to the squad leader, the young man stepped forward from the formation, twirling a long spear in his hand.
"The [Acrobat], huh… Sounds interestin'."
He slammed the butt of his spear into the waterway, striking a picture-perfect defiant pose.
"—Come at me if you dare, ya monster."
As if in response to his words—though surely not intentionally so.
At the end of the corridor he was casually glaring down—a figure of azure and white leaped out at a hazy speed. The player, who seemed to have spotted them, slammed on the brakes, landing with a huge splash of water…
From dozens of meters away, the figure raised its face. From the darkness of its deeply drawn hood, it stared intently at the young man.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Ah… Sorry, Gossan, I couldn't get all of them."
'What're ya sorry for, ya moron? This is a bigger haul than we could've hoped for. Get a big head about it.'
"This is the first time anyone's ever told me to get a big head."
I slammed on the brakes and looked ahead. The tenth pillar already had defenses set up. Roughly twenty players—and at their head, standing apart from the formation, was a familiar face.
"…And as for this, you could call it bad luck, or maybe… an encounter."
As I said that, I felt the playful mood from Gossan, connected via `Telepathy`, disappear from the other side of my consciousness.
'Do you know who it is?'
"I do—it's the North's Seventh Seat."
'[Great Tiger]…'.
My knowledge was crammed in, but I'd at least memorized the names, faces, and general combat styles of the title holders from each faction.
Nortalia's Seventh Seat, [Great Tiger]—a pure, hardcore martial artist who wields a long spear.
'Are you being tracked?'
"They've spotted me. But I'm not surrounded, so I can still get away."
My role is strictly that of a runner, a pillar-destroyer. If I have time to take on a ranker plus a defensive line of players head-on, I'm better off preparing for the respawn of the pillars I've already destroyed.
I get that.
'Alright then. Retreat.'
Gossan's order was perfectly reasonable. And just as we'd agreed in yesterday's meeting, I had no intention of talking back.
—Even if [Great Tiger], who was now casually walking towards me, was fixing me with a gaze filled with unmistakable battle intent.
"…Hey, Gossan."
At most, I intended to make a proposal, not defy an order.
"If I said I can win… would you let me fight?"
'—…'
The young man stopped five meters away.
He probably sensed I was communicating with my commander, but he showed no sign of making a move.
'…Oi, kid. Are you serious?'
"Don't use that scary voice. I just thought it might be a useful proposal if it's an option, so I figured I'd ask."
And I'm also confident—no, certain—that I can escape from this distance without any problem.
This wasn't some impulsive whim, but a proposal based on calm, calculated thought…
'—Alright.'
My intention got through.
'You made your boast, now you're not allowed to lose. Don't become a clown, Haru.'
I could feel the general's smile on the other end of the telepathic link, and the trust he'd placed in me sent a deep warmth through my chest.
"No problem. I won't lose."
My words, spoken deliberately loud, naturally reached [Great Tiger].
"I can hear ya, ya cheeky brat."
Nortalia's Seventh Seat—a young man known for being a battle junkie that would put Istia to shame—bared his teeth in a ferocious grin that lived up to his title and snorted.
The number of characters keeps increasing, but please try to keep up…!!
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