Chapter 277 - An Enjoyable Ordeal
Was it during the main selection round for the Four Pillar War? I remember thinking that I was better suited to fighting monsters than people.
Now, after a half-month away, having come back, I've realized that with even greater conviction.
Arcadia's 'inhuman PvP' was, in many ways, fatally fun, that's a fact. But that aside, PvE just has a different kind of flavor.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a reliable partner, challenging a monster so huge you have to look up... this brain-tingling heroic experience was truly irreplaceable.
—And so,
"Let's crank it up, you bugs!"
"Ah, watch ou—?! Honestly, Haru!"
—it's only natural that I'd get my tension wires crossed after so long and get scolded by Sora. No matter what anyone says, it was beyond my control.
I'm aware I leaned forward with the momentum and blocked her 'line of fire,' so I performed an upside-down triple twist while raising a hand in an 'I'm sorry' pose.
My vision was a hair's breadth from being a single horizontal line. Amidst it all, I barely caught sight of my partner's angry face as she,
"[Acht]!"
—unleashed a volley of magic swords straight at me without the slightest hesitation.
Of course, it wasn't a punishment or retribution born of anger... It was nothing less than a generous provision of footholds (support) for me, who was still suffering from my 'ailment.'
My body was already in the process of dying, having activated [Rabbit Rapid, Crimson Brilliant Bullet]. I ran through the air, a crimson blade dashing—in the boss area's 'great cavern,' facing off against the 'Queen Bug.'
[Jemlant Quintesta, the Gem-Eating Queen]—the giant boss residing in the lowest level of the [Great Rock-Eating Hive], and a queen of a different species that subjugates the soldiers.
Its massive body, easily over ten meters long, is composed of rock and gems just like the ants, and it has undergone a bizarre mutation that deviates wildly from any 'prototype' one could imagine.
Its abdomen is excessively bloated, reminiscent of a grub. Although its misshapen 'wings' serve as armor, they can't completely hide the belly, which looks ready to burst.
The state of its 'legs,' which have abandoned movement, seems not to be a regression but an evolution. The leg parts, thick and tough like tree trunks and not at all insect-like, are loaded with massive gem warheads, even more vicious than those of the ants.
I mean, the whole thing has transformed into what can only be called a different creature... Like the grasshopper, I always imagined you as an agility-focused type—you old katydid.
"Haru!"
"Thanks!"
No details were needed in her call. The moment I heard her voice, I turned my head and saw one of the flying magic swords glowing with a green light.
The Queen laid down an anti-air barrage aimed at the insolent one leaping about above her head, but once I figured out her fixed pattern of suppressive fire and periodic targeted shots, it was no longer a threat.
Deftly dodging the gem bullets, each the size of a human head, that came at me with a roar, I planted my feet on the indicated magic sword—and in that instant, the recovery magic that had been on standby, Qualia Veil, enveloped my avatar.
My HP, which had been dwindling due to the strain of [Rabbit Rapid], was replenished. Furthermore, the secondary effect of that excellent healing magic, regeneration, offset—well, not completely, but it did reduce—the self-inflicted damage.
Cheating the cost of super-speed with my partner's support—and right there, an opening.
"Sora!"
Responding to my voice, Sora, standing in the middle of an immense pile of rubble, raised her hands to her sides—and in the next moment, two giant towers appeared from the void.
"[Schwert Kreis]—"
"[Totsuka no Tsurugi]—"
And me, too.
—The light sealed in its scabbard is already on the verge of its critical point.
"[Zwei Riesig]!"
"[Enrei Kagura]!"
It was, truly, an inescapable guillotine approaching from three directions.
From the left and right came the giant sand swords created by Sora. And from directly above, the great crimson blade of my scarlet sword, drawn from its sheath, was swung down simultaneously—
Before it could even cry out, the head of [Jemlant Quintesta] was severed, and it exploded magnificently into blue phosphorescence.
—The battle lasted for about five minutes. It was terribly anticlimactic... but well, after six runs, I suppose that's to be expected.
"—Hah... haaah...!"
"Good work, Sora. ...Getting tough?"
No longer even glancing at the results screen, I called out to my partner, who had sat down as she dispelled her magic swords. She had been putting on a brave face until around the third run... but now, the girl experiencing her first real 'marathon run' laughed weakly and finally admitted, "I'm at my limit."
—And that's the situation. The reason I had classified this expedition as 'Hell' or 'Super Hell' wasn't because I was overestimating the dungeon's difficulty.
It was because I was anticipating this hellish grinding, the very essence of a hack-and-slash.
...However, no matter how many times we repeated it, I was completely in the zone. Tag-teaming with my partner was so much fun that I felt no fatigue whatsoever.
Furthermore, there was one element that kept the grind from becoming simple repetition. It seems even monsters have 'personalities' or 'characters,' as the enemy changed its tactics with each attempt, which helped keep things fresh.
Well, unfortunately for its 'strategies'—
"Haru... you seem fine."
"Heheh, the fruits of my training, perhaps."
—no matter what form they took, this lovely partner of mine would instantly mow them all down with her 'thousand blades.'
As a result, the boss battle, which was likely intended to be a 'battle against a legion of soldiers controlled by a fixed turret boss,' turned into a one-on-one fight mere seconds after it began.
No matter how ridiculously high its durability or how demonic its barrage firepower, we weren't about to fall behind in a one-on-one against an immobile opponent at this stage... though my opinion that Sora-san is just too broken remains unchanged.
"Alright... It's getting late, let's call it a day."
"J-Just for today...?"
"Well, that depends. Whether we have seconds or not will be decided after we see the results of our loot appraisal."
"...N-No, it's fine. This is part of the fun of games, right...!"
Well, I don't intend to force her, you know? From the occasional glances I stole, Sora seemed to be having fun in her own way.
Though she was clearly put off by the boss's rather grotesque appearance.
"In that case, sorry to ask, but..."
"Ahaha... Leave it to me."
Before we wrap up the expedition.
Looking around at the immense number of things that needed to be done scattered all around, I spoke, and Sora stood up, showing a rare, slightly weary expression.
As always, the sorting process takes more time than the boss fight itself. It can't be helped... As a mere observer who possesses neither a mana discharge nor a 'controllable-intensity area-of-effect attack,' all I can do is watch in gratitude.
The hem of her [Dress of El-Clelia] fluttered in the magical wind as she, perhaps out of fatigue, looked somewhat listless... yet the sight of the girl majestically raising her hand—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was 'like a painting.'
Not that I'm captivated or anything—I muttered to no one in particular. Watching my partner work beside me, I began to cool down my flushed spirits.
Thinking of the 'later' that was fast approaching... into a heart that had been lightened by the diversion.
I could feel just a little bit of tension beginning to seep back in.