Chapter 208 - The Next Front
"Ah… —So, that's how it's going to be."
"He's making his move a bit sooner than predicted, though."
After receiving the situation report, laced with speculation, I—the one person who absolutely could not treat this as someone else's problem—scratched my head over my hood, fully aware that my face was twitching.
It was painfully obvious that the direct cause of the North and South making their 'move' was my own reckless scoring spree. From the sound of it, it seemed Goldow-san had been prepared for this from the start.
In any case, they would be attacking soon.
A massive force, most likely centered around their main weapon, the 'Princess'—the strongest player—was headed for our Eastern Faction's base.
"So… what should I do?"
"As for their rankers, they've committed more than half of them to tying us down here. If we're just defending, the rest of us can hold out for a while. But we won't be able to hold them off completely."
"I thought Ri-na and the others could handle the Princess?"
"If it was just the Princess, yeah. But according to the reports from Hinayo and the others, the South's number two is free. If the [Heavy Tank] shows up too, we'll be short on trump cards."
Ah… If I remember correctly, those two have an 'ultimate attack' that leaves them unable to act due to the recoil. They might be able to deal with the Princess using that, but they wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath.
Still, for him to say they can "hold out for a while" suggests that he has a role for me here in the maze. And based on the situation…
"I see… So, who do I need to go support?"
When I read the flow of the conversation and asked where I should go, the General Commander snorted in satisfaction, as if to say, "Glad you catch on quick."
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"—Understood. In that case, I will assemble the troops and prepare. We move out immediately."
As the telepathic reports flooded in, the situation was unfolding according to plan.
They had succeeded in pitting the most time-consuming combination of opponents against the three rankers serving as the East's front line.
A lingering concern was the wild card, the boy known as 'The Undying,' but it was impossible from the start to prepare a surefire countermeasure for him. If he attempted to fulfill his initially predicted role, he would likely appear before Fuji, whom they had dispatched to the [Sword Protector]…
When that time comes, it comes. He would serve his purpose of buying time well enough.
Thus, the only true wildcard remaining was—as expected—a single person.
"Will he come?"
"He will."
As they stepped outside the castle, Uni and Helena exchanged words.
Naturally, the troops parted to form a path. The two turned, and the 'she' their gazes fell upon stood still, her shimmering blue-silver hair swaying in the wind.
"…Whether he can reach you, however, I cannot say."
Her next words could be taken as concern, or perhaps as a hedge.
Looking back into the eyes of Helena, who was ever the attendant, Iris offered a slight—a truly minuscule—smile.
"If that happens, it happens. I will simply wait."
She had decided to stop acting on 'expectations' alone and would not break that stance.
And so, the [Sword Queen] replied and began to walk. Before her was the line of a great army awaiting the order to march—and,
"Let's go."
Only the enemy castle, which they were to invade and where she was to wield her sword.
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The Eastern Faction's sixth-ranked member—Hinayo, who bears the title [Heat Gaze]—is a player considered to be unusually poor at PvP for an Istia ranker.
One reason for this is that she does not possess the same level of outstanding avatar control as the other combat-oriented rankers.
Combined with her build, which is entirely focused on mid-to-long-range combat, she is widely perceived as being "helpless once a melee player gets close."
Having such a 'clear weakness' known to everyone is indeed a massive disadvantage in player-versus-player combat.
—However, to those who truly understand the player named Hinayo… the assessment of her being poor at PvP is nothing short of laughably inaccurate.
To describe her properly, it should be put like this:
Only in fights against melee players… and, to be more specific, only in fights that start with a 'ready, set, go' from close range, does she herself acknowledge her weakness.
But in any other situation.
For example, if the battle begins with distance between them—she is, without a doubt, Istia's sixth-ranked member, excelling in 'individual' strength.
In a section of the maze area, where the intermittent sounds of explosions echoed.
For anyone who didn't know the situation, the scene of battle surrounding Hinayo, who stood in the waterway with her long boots soaked, would be described as nothing less than 'bizarre.'
In front of her, lined up as if to form a pillbox, were the players of the Eastern Faction, their defenses solidified. Beyond them, a duo—a man and woman, both rankers from the Northern Faction, Nortalia—were engaged in a desperate dance against the exploding flames erupting all around them.
As for the state of the battle… the sight of the healers stationed behind them, frantically chanting one healing spell after another, made it abundantly clear who had the upper hand.
What was strangest of all was that [Heat Gaze], who should have been launching a furious assault from a position of advantage, had not yet even drawn the twin pistols at her waist.
Since it was presumed her purpose was to stall for time, she was in no position to be holding back. Her large, crimson-glowing revolvers simply functioned without needing to be drawn from their holsters—
"—Hinayo, how are you holding up?"
The call from the General Commander echoed in her mind. Hinayo, her gaze fixed on the duo opposite her, opened her mouth without breaking her concentration.
"I'm sorry, it's a stalemate. I have the advantage, but it seems they came at me assuming that would be the case."
The criteria for their selection… was likely a tag team that could endure a one-sided assault from Hinayo if they dedicated themselves to defense. Yes, a logical choice of personnel.
Nortalia's eighth-ranked member, [Bell-Mail]—Rinne.
And their ninth-ranked member, [Ever-Changing]—Maru II.
Against Rinne, a young woman whose abilities were a good match against the properties of Hinayo's Anima twin pistols, and her partner, the young man Maru II. They would have been a tough enough challenge on their own, but with a generous addition of a healer squad, this outcome was inevitable.
Her plan to have the players acting as her shields eliminate the enemy healers had ended in failure a short while ago.
The ones who stopped them were, of course, the partner pair before her. Which meant they still had enough leeway to make additional moves if they wanted to…
"Hey, c'mon Maru!! This is suuuper tough, how many more minutes?! How much longer do we have to hold on for this to be good enough?!"
"How should I know?! Ask Hagi-san! Or rather, I'll ask—hey Hagi-san!! We can't hold out like this forever, just how long are we supposed to endure thiiis?!!"
…Though it didn't exactly seem like they had much leeway left.
"…That's how it is. I'm sorry, but it'll be difficult for me to return right away."
"—I see. So if the healers were eliminated, you could handle it?"
That was true, but the problem was that she couldn't do that… Before she could voice this, Hinayo sensed something and let a small smile escape.
"Oh, I'm sure—I can handle it, and I'll do whatever it takes."
"Is that so?"
It was his habit to pause for a beat like that, as if for dramatic effect.
Which meant, it was about that time—Hinayo resisted the urge to turn around, as a command was issued on the channel connecting her, Goldow, and a 'certain someone' in a terribly amused voice.
"—You heard her. Go raise some hell."
"—You got it!!"
With a cheerful cry of acknowledgement, a light, white-and-blue figure shot past her side like the wind.
"Whoa, wai—!?"
"Uwaah?!"
There hadn't even been time to coordinate. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the gust of wind slipped through the space between them, explosions and all, causing [Ever-Changing] and [Bell-Mail] to cry out in alarm—
The next moment, 'his' job was already done.
"First mission clear—care for some reinforcements, Hinayo-san?"
Did he cut them all down in a single, imperceptible flash of his blade? Having slaughtered the healer squad with the same speed he'd arrived, [Haru the Acrobat] sent a strangely theatrical message as he sheathed his jade blade.
My, does he become that sort of character when he gets excited? If she looked closely, she could see a fearless smile on his lips, as if seeing through his hood to the delighted expression beneath.
At this slightly different side of him, she couldn't help but smile, thinking, "So he has a cute side to him, too"—
"—You're most welcome, Haru-kun. Shall we dance together?"
Her voice brimming with excitement at the prospect of performing with her wonderful junior, Hinayo drew her own Anima.
My data got wiped, and I'm not kidding when I say the daily updates were on the verge of stopping.