Chapter 219 - Eyes on the Speeding Form
“—Ah… this is bad.”
Just as we finished cleaning up the North and South’s delaying force with our joint attack.
Irori and I snapped our heads in the same direction at the exact same moment, and the mutter that escaped the blonde samurai’s lips was incredibly bitter.
“…Uh, what is this?”
It was a ‘pressure’ that was neither a roar nor an impact—a sensation that resonated through my avatar from afar, like the continuous beating of a great taiko drum in my gut. I felt my cheeks twitch involuntarily.
“It means we’re out of time. Head to the base immediately. I’ll catch up.”
His words weren’t much of an explanation, but seeing how Irori was already deciding my next move… okay, so there’s not even time to explain, huh?
“Got it. I’ll go on ahead.”
“Haru.”
Whoa, I thought you said there was no time?
Just as I summoned Bullets to my hands as footholds and was about to take a step, a voice at my back made me glance over my shoulder—…Ah, right, right.
I’m not against that kind of thing, either.
I casually bumped my fist against his outstretched one with a “You’d better catch up quick,” then turned on my heel and, this time, leaped into the air with force.
“Damn, he’s getting—!”
“Looking away? You’ve got some nerve!!”
“Don’t take your eyes off us!!”
“This way’s closed!”
“Ninth! Go on through!!”
“Hah! Thanks a lot!!!”
I was used to paving my own path as I ran. As I soared through the sky by throwing Bullets and switch-jumping… the allied forces swiftly intercepted the aggro that was about to be directed at me as I passed overhead.
Returning a dutiful thanks to their encouraging shouts, I transitioned into over-acceleration with a kick-like motion and raced over the chaotic battlefield in an instant…
and hurried with everything I had toward the base, where the tremors continued to rumble.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Man, that Haru-kun is really moving…”
“He’s just flying around nonstop, like a tuna or something.”
—At a certain gathering of university students.
During a long stream, it was common practice for viewers to lower their tension and take a break during relatively calm moments. That was the norm for watching the Four Pillar War.
At such times, perhaps out of habit, they would naturally strike up idle conversation with their partners—however…
While Shoko and Toshiki were staring blankly at the screen, a bit tired from the explosive excitement, there was another pair.
“……………………Hey, um, Mizuki-chan.”
“…I don’t know. It could just be a coincidence.”
“If you think about it, the name, too…”
“…………It could just be a coincidence.”
Kaede and Mizuki, huddled together with the closeness of childhood friends, were—on the screen, still staring intently at the white and blue shadow that soared through the air using some incomprehensible method.
His way of speaking… or rather, his energy level was so different that it took them hours of hearing it over and over to finally think, “Huh?” The moment they became aware of a ‘voice’ that sounded vaguely similar to their new ‘friend’s’…
…coupled with the very direct player name, the suspicions began to pile up one after another.
—Sorry, but tonight is really, absolutely impossible.
The image of ‘him’ saying that half a day ago, declining tonight’s gathering, flashed through their minds.
They couldn’t stop the association—however.
“Th-that’s just too much of a coincidence, right…?”
“Well, yeah. That would be…”
It’s not like the world is that small.
Just being a player of [Arcadia] was ‘special’ by normal standards… for a friend they had just met to not only be that but also a top player, a ranker, one of the heavenly beings above.
That was, surely—
““Just an otaku’s wishful thinking…””
—they muttered, looking at each other in confusion, unable to believe their own premonition.
As they turned their bewildered gazes back to the screen—the [Acrobat], who was now the center of attention not just for them, but for the entire world.
As if he were flying, at a blurring speed… he freely soared through the air, crushing the path to the base where the ‘big shots’ awaited.
The message Kaede had sent to ‘him’ still remained unread.
It's short, which means things are getting closer. Can I even build up a stockpile…???
※It seems a faulty predictive text feature has caused some inconsistencies in the notation for the protagonist's armament.
〇 Prologue: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (An-ri Galta)
× Syllable Theory: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (An-ri Galta)
× Gradual Theory: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (An-ri Galta)
I plan to correct these as I find them, but honestly, I don't have the time for that right now, so I'll be leaving them for a while. Please kindly overlook them.