Chapter 309 - The Heroic Tale of Two, Part Five
[Dress of El-Clelia]—an outfit that forms a set with my [El-Gran Series], a special piece of clothing that also possesses the qualities of an accessory, crafted with all of Nia’s skill.
Its most notable feature is its defensive performance.
In Arcadia, concepts like attack and defense aren't displayed as direct numerical values, but if they were to be shown in the details pane...
The defense value for the [Dress of El-Clelia] would undoubtedly read—0.
Despite being crafted as 'clothing equipment,' that pale blue dress possesses no defensive capabilities whatsoever, just like a cosmetic 'costume item.'
And it's not as if it boosts other stats to compensate, either.
The [Dress of El-Clelia] that Sora wears has only one ability—the accumulation of magic power.
Its fabric, interwoven with gems possessing high magic affinity, continuously siphons small amounts of mana from her avatar and stores it for a specific purpose.
Unlike magic crystal accessories that function as a player's reserve tank, the use for this accumulated magic is predetermined from the start.
Amplification & Compression of Accessory Effects—this extremely simple power is the function Nia incorporated into the dress with a smug look on her face, and...
"—[Ecturus Aurum, the Woven Golden Garment]!"
...it's an extremely specialized and broken ability, befitting of the triumphant look from [Milmarinus].
At the girl's call, the Golden Sapphire gem adorning her waist emits a dazzling radiance—and in an instant, a golden light unfolds.
The ability hidden within that brooch is Barrier Deployment... but the thin wall it creates, one that could never normally be described as "sturdy," is now...
"Ngh—...!"
...transformed by the immense magic power accumulated by a magic swordsman who likely boasts one of the highest total MID stats in Arcadia—into a bulwark as impenetrable as a castle wall, capable of deflecting even a mighty blade.
"Haru!"
The moment I heard her call. I caught Sora, who had blocked not only the attack aimed at me but also the one from behind. As the golden light shattered in the blink of an eye, I broke away at full speed.
No sign of pursuit—but right now, I need as much time as possible to assess the situation.
Without stopping, I retreated to the wall of the boss room. When I looked back, the twin knights stood perfectly side-by-side, watching us with a calm, imposing air.
"...My bad, I rushed in too thoughtlessly—"
The words of apology I tried to offer were cut off by a green light that healed my wounds.
My HP, which had been deep in the red from [Rocket]'s self-inflicted damage, was refilled, and the crown from my special title, which had been glowing above my head, vanished.
With a gentle pat on my arm, I set her down on the floor. Sora smiled, seemingly unconcerned.
"It's just how things turned out. I was trying to do the same thing—to press the attack before they could do something scary. If I'd been the one targeted, you would have saved me, Haru."
"Y-Yeah..."
Damn, I almost broke into a grin. Does a partner this reliable, both mentally and physically, who even provides perfect follow-up, actually exist? She exists right here next to me, can I please brag about her to the entire world???
"...Y-You're thinking something weird, aren't you? This isn't the time for that, geez!"
She glanced at me, reading my mind as usual. With a look that was somewhere between annoyed and exasperated, she nudged my shoulder, and I gave up trying to hide my grin.
Ah, my partner is adorable today, too—but putting that aside.
"Sorry, I barely saw anything. What happened?"
"Um... about ten seconds after you started, you know, doing that."
"I was bouncing around for ten whole seconds?... Ah, please continue."
That thing makes my vision, hearing, and even my sense of time vanish.
"The 'chain' appeared, it glowed, and the 'White' one vanished."
"Vanished."
"Teleportation, I think."
Ah... I see—so in other words,
"A countermeasure against being separated."
"That's what it seems like, yes..."
More growth, more learning, huh? How very studious of them.
"By the way, how did you make it in time, Sora?"
"I-I did something a little reckless. I used the 'Mana Shroud' skill to spike my agility for just a moment... but managing to control my body properly was a complete fluke."
"I see... It's probably best if there isn't a 'next time'."
"Yes, if possible..."
In that case—well, if it's come to this, there's really only one option left.
Perhaps growing impatient with our conversation, the armored knights started to advance. I tore my gaze away from them and looked to my side. And there, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her amber eyes were watching me.
"...Alright—let's do this!"
"Hehe, this is making my heart pound a little."
As if there were no tension at all, we shared a laugh.
Then, in sync with the metallic clank of their approaching footsteps, we took a step forward together.
If they've sealed off our ability to separate them, we have no choice. I can see a future where this becomes far more troublesome than fighting them one-on-one... but well, at this point, all we can do is execute our original plan.
We knocked on that door with this intention from the very start—to show this former "wall" the teamwork of the new us.
"[Everquartz, the Soaring White Crystal Sword]."
"«What I seek in this hand (Prima), is but a single sword (Eins)»"
Each wielding our swords, we faced our transformed nemesis.
"Haru?"
"Ladies first."
When I replied to her unspoken question with a flourish, Sora gave a small smile.
"Well then—I'll take you up on that."
She quickened her pace, stepping out in front of me. Her back was small and slender—and yet, she was so reliable it almost brought a tear to my eye.
Witness this, [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]!
And to the world, it's a shame you can't see this.
Because from this moment on, this is a genuine—
"[Scareless]."
—stage for two, starring me, Haru, and her, Sora.
[Ecturus Aurum, the Woven Golden Garment]
Decoration: Brooch
The masterpiece of a smug artisan—that would be the outfit. This accessory itself isn't all that exceptional. The materials are fairly rare, so it's valuable in its own right.
Fundamentally, Arcadia's accessories are specialized in different areas: 'crafted items have stat bonuses,' while 'dropped or reward items have special abilities.' When a player tries to make an item with this kind of special ability, it inevitably turns out mediocre... however, the golden protection that blocked the boss's back attack was the result of boosting it with the bizarre technique of having the outfit support the accessory.
But as mentioned in the main story, it's designed to presuppose a 'magic accumulation (charge),' so it has a limited number of uses. Not only that, but the outfit's mechanism is 'Amplification & Compression,' so the enhancement is immense precisely because the effect duration has been shaved down to the absolute limit. This is the part the protagonist was referring to before when he said something about it having "an oddly specialized finish." To be specific, it requires just-guard-level timing and can only be used twice even with a full magic charge.
In other words, the [Dress of El-Clelia] is a zero-defense outfit that only allows you to be hit twice.
So cute.
Also, I'm sorry.
I C A N' T F I N I S H T O D A Y S O I T W I L L C O N T I N U E T O M O R R O W ! ! ! ! !
I'll write an even more heated, intense battle, so please forgive me.
That's all for the Valentine's Day double post!!