Chapter 228 - Encounter
—The moment I stepped inside, every thought in my head vanished.
The curtain of dust that had filled the space within the barrier was beginning to clear, and if I turned around, I'd be able to see the commotion happening behind me... but I couldn't.
My neck wouldn't turn. I couldn't look away.
I was afraid to make a sound, unable to breathe properly.
As if the water at my feet had frozen over—I couldn't even take a step back.
I know this feeling. I've experienced it twice in this virtual world... The first time was before the [White Throne], the second, the [Sword Saint]—both were beings who couldn't be described by the simple word 'strong,' existences on a completely different plane.
It was, in a word, awe.
"—"
As my vision cleared, a flash of silver-blue entered my sight.
"...So."
Her lips, the color of cherry blossoms, parted, and a sweet, bell-like sound struck my eardrums.
Staring at me were garnet eyes, clear as crystal. A masterpiece of beauty that transcended humanity, almost as if she wasn't of the same species—
"You've come."
Arcadia's strongest player.
The embodiment of an army of one.
The darling of the virtual world.
The [Sword Queen]—Iris.
—Hey, kid. You still alive?
"...Yeah."
My gaze locked, my breathing still caught... I barely managed to reply to the voice echoing in my head. Sensing my state from my hoarse voice, the [General Commander] let out a stifled laugh on the other end of the telepathic link.
Sorry to have you rescue me and then run, but this is as far as I go. The two back there are at their limit—I'm gonna wipe out the enemies that got in and close up the base while I'm at it.
"What, close it...?"
Exactly what it sounds like. I'm sealing it completely. They're about to unleash a big one that they can't control, so I'll get caught in it too... but I'm out of gas anyway. Not much use in a fight now.
—I've given the orders. The others will take care of the rest.
He said it so casually, was it confidence or irresponsibility?
So, I'm leaving her to you.
"—"
When it came to this, he gave me an order of pure, unadulterated—irresponsibility.
In her left hand, the sword that assaulted my senses with an incomprehensible amount of information remained lowered. As if waiting for our conversation to end, the girl stood quietly, our gazes locked—
"...L-Leaving her to me, you say…"
And here I was, already beginning to regret ever leaping into this domain.
"No, wait, wait, stop...! Something's wrong with this picture! 'Leave it to me' was supposed to be my line!"
My plan was to drag out the enemy commander and buy time while the outside forces regrouped—that was the suicide mission I had signed up for.
So why was he talking as if he expected me to settle things inside—
—Haru.
"...!"
The voice that cut off my complaint was one I had never heard before... filled with some kind of powerful emotion.
Give me something to look forward to—I'm counting on you, rookie.
The moment I heard those wish-like words and instinctively turned back—
"—Wha—!?"
Light swallowed the world outside.
—No, it wasn't light itself, but a precious stone that reflected the moonlight.
With a deafening roar that must have reached the heavens, everything but the isolated circular field of the Forced Combat (Engage) was consumed... All the passages leading from the base's castle to the maze entrance were instantly swallowed by a surging wave of diamond.
In that instant, on the other side of the barrier, an immense number of red phosphorescent lights exploded—and from behind me... a single pillar of light shot up.
It wasn't a self-destruct. The scoreboard in my vision shifted, and a total of 1300 points for 'Commander Defeated' and 'Ranker Defeated' were added to the southern faction, Sotalm.
"...You've got to be kidding me, Commander…"
He just said his piece and checked out...!
Give him something to look forward to? Seriously, every single one of them—!
"I told you I'm not used to expectations...!"
I turned my head back to face her. The option to look away from the garnet eyes that continued to watch me quietly had been torn away.
Beyond the shining carpet of diamond, I confirmed that the maze entrance had been sealed by a great diamond wall, just as his last words had implied. Since he'd said "close up the base" so matter-of-factly, I could only assume that wall was the real deal.
It was safe to say any hope of reinforcements was all but gone. I could count on regular players respawning and returning, but I'd better assume no help from other rankers capable of standing up to the girl before me was coming.
And the two who unleashed that thing outside were probably out of commission—
"...Is it alright, now?"
In other words, if I can't do something about this... we lose.
And in that situation, the word "I'm leaving it to you" could only mean one thing—
"'Defeat her'... you've got to be kidding me...! What were you thinking...!?"
The two short swords I reflexively summoned in response to the flick of her blade's tip were a true manifestation of my awe. It made no sense. I didn't get it, but before our weapons even crossed, I understood.
—I can't win. At least, not as I am now.
A premonition? An intuition? Some ineffable feeling was giving me that conclusion with absolute certainty. The fact that the blades in my hands weren't trembling felt unnatural in itself—
"...I see. So it's you, after all."
And then, finally, I noticed.
"You're not the one, either."
I noticed the emotion she, who seemed so expressionless, wore all over her face.
I noticed it in her eyes, which looked at me with resignation as I had already decided it was impossible.
"—…"
Ah, wait a second.
I know that look all too well.
Since long ago... since I was a kid, I've seen it so many times.
—The image of someone from a memory I had tried so hard to fade flashed through my mind.
"...Hey."
"..."
Perhaps she didn't expect me to be the one to speak. The [Sword Queen]... a single girl, tilted her head slightly, her expression unchanging, as I asked her a question.
"...Are you lonely?"
Her eyes widened—just a fraction, but they did—and she gave no reply.
"I see."
You can probably have anything you want.
"It's boring, isn't it?"
You probably have no one who can stand beside you.
"There's no challenge, is there?"
I get it, somehow.
And because I spent several years as someone who couldn't stand beside a person like that—I know a little more than most people about how to make someone like that smile.
"...?"
Seeing me dismiss the short swords in my hands... and probably including my strange behavior leading up to it, the girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
What I showed her was a smile.
The awe, the certainty, the conclusion—none of it had changed. But I had a little change of heart. Let's just toss aside my responsibilities as a ranker for now.
I don't care anymore. Irori, Goldow, all of them, just throwing their expectations onto their junior... If that's how it is, then I'll be a little selfish too.
My one and only grand objective in this world is—to have as much fun as I possibly can.
"Fun" means different things to different people, but I believe that the kind of fun you have with someone else has an essential condition for being the absolute best.
It's not just that you're having fun, but that the other person is too—and that you can both be sure of it, so you can go all out together without holding back.
...So, yeah, it's no good. Seeing you make a face like you're so bored.
So, my bad... but winning or losing doesn't matter anymore.
It's a return to basics—I'm going to cast aside every triviality other than having fun right here and now.
I raised my empty hands and cleared my vision. Reflected in the girl's slightly bewildered eyes was—the face of an ordinary man, hood down, revealing his gray-black hair.
Who cares about my face getting out there? I can always use a disguise.
It was a minuscule hindrance, but I couldn't let a piece of cloth obstruct my vision during the suicide mission ahead.
The awkwardness from revealing my face, the crushing pressure, the awe that pinned my feet to the ground—I'll paint over it all.
Who do you think I am? I'm the part-time berserker who dedicated three years of his youth to study and labor, the top graduate of my high school, and a current student at a top-tier university.
Furthermore, in this virtual world, I'm not just the partner of my angelic companion, but also the [Acrobat] who holds the ninth seat of the eastern faction, Istia.
And as for titles, I have one now that carries more weight than any other—
"...[Blink Switch]."
I summoned the single blade gifted to me by my master.
"Now then... sorry about this, Princess. I know I made you wait, and I don't really know the details of your situation—not that I give a damn, anyway."
She probably wasn't a very talkative person to begin with. Staring straight at Iris, who quietly continued to listen to my words, I offered a single, selfish smile.
And to make sure it wasn't just a selfish smile,
"—I'm gonna make you smile."
Simply for my own enjoyment—I'll make her say that she had fun, too.
"A belated introduction—I am Haru, the ninth-ranked [Acrobat] of Istia. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess... no, Iris."
I have no intention of treating you like a superior anymore. If you're all alone on your heavenly throne, so bored you can't stand it—then I'll fly up there right now with some extreme cheating.
In response to me drawing my jade blade with a sharp ring, Iris also raised her sword.
Her expression was still faint, and she continued to watch me, who had been spouting whatever I pleased, with a look of bewilderment...
Well then, shall I start things off with a little surprise? There's no better stage for a debut than this, after all—so allow me one more introduction.
"—Of the Matsukaze offshoot."
Across from me, the girl's cheek twitched.
"—Kesshiki, Itto."
Seeing my stance, a reflection of my master's, color finally entered her eyes for the first time.
Sword in my right hand, sheath in my left—but my legs did not possess the ultimate technique of the [Sword Saint], Shukuchi.
But this is a virtual world, a world of dreams. A world where the bridge (magic) to cross a cliff you can't cross alone exists as a matter of course.
I'm with Irori on this one.
I don't care about the system's intentions or the meaning behind the skills I'm given. Whether it's talent or something else, if it's given to me, I'll grasp it all and move forward.
So even if it's the magic that resides in this avatar, a magic that overturns the impossible.
No matter who says what, I'll wield it all as... my own power.
[Trickster of Zenith]—activate.
From the void, a thin, blue thread appears. The ethereal light composed of mana connects to—my body, which has been cast as a marionette.
Alright, the time limit is three hundred and thirty-three seconds. I can't waste a single one.
So then, with everything I have right now,
"—Let's go... Iris!"
I'll make you say—that this was so fun, you could die.