Chapter 322 - Past the First Act, the Journey Continues
The now-familiar colossal tower of a magic sword swung through the air with a roar, and the ten-meter semicircle in front of Sora was instantly turned into a barren wasteland.
Just as we’d heard, the horde of Red creatures wasn’t that impressive stat-wise. Unable to even put up a fight, the vast number of [Remnants of the Red Circle] were sliced, crushed, and ground to dust, dissipating into the sky like mist.
…Hmm, they vanish differently from the enemies I’m used to. As I can see and hear, they must be a different class from ‘normal enemies.’
—And so on. The only one who could calmly observe this easily predictable ‘result’ was me, who had seen this madness up close countless times.
“Gah!?”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…!?”
“Whoa…!?”
The two men I had held back to prevent the unfortunate accident of them getting caught in the blast, and Rinne, who had put on a magnificent performance as a ‘cannonball,’ all cried out with the same emotion.
Their surprise was understandable… but even if we stopped moving, they certainly wouldn’t.
“—[Parabellum Bullet].”
I let go of Tiger Lucky and Maru II, summoning the crimson daggers into my now-free hands. In that instant, the faint phosphorescence shifted from Sora, who had charged forward, to me.
The scales tipped, my agility skyrocketed, and I ignited it—and took off.
I dashed toward the side opposite the semicircle my partner had cleared. I began to carve up the tsunami of creatures that was flooding into the battlefront space Rinne had secured.
I brought the point of my blade down on the head of a lion that bared its fangs, trisected a massive eagle into torso and two wings, sliced the thin neck of a charging ostrich into ribbons, and split a great crocodile that leaped up from my feet in two from jaw to the tip of its tail.
While I was at it, I activated Flip Stroke. I used my Bullet machine gun to shoot down every flying type within my field of vision—I see, so they’re soft.
Unlike when striking a reasonably tough enemy like the [Gemlant Army] we faced in the ‘Ant Nest’ the other day, let alone the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King], there was none of the feedback I’d expect from hitting a tough opponent.
Personally, I have some thoughts… or rather, suspicions about the information related to the crimson weapons currently in my hands, but…
These things, yeah—they’re empty husks, no doubt about it.
…And so, you three.
Are you done rebooting yet?
“—…Hah, well now, you really caught me off guard.”
As I pushed back the encirclement in a single breath, I bounced around freely, turning upside down, and locked eyes with the still-frozen Tiger Lucky.
Just as his words implied, the young man who had been completely stunned by my surprise clicked his tongue in slight vexation before—a wicked grin spread across his face, and his cheeks lifted.
“Sora!”
“—Eek!? Wh-Yes!?”
Oi, buddy, I get how you feel, but lower your voice. You scared Sora-san so much she dispelled her magic sword.
“That thing—is it a one-shot cannon?”
From a call to a question. My partner, flustered at the thought of having a conversation in this situation, shot me a look.
No, go right ahead. By all means, take your time.
—If you’re going to liven up my partner’s public debut, I’ll kick away any pests and buy you all the time you need!
“Tch… —No, I can use it as many times as I want!”
She nodded at me as I grinned back and picked up my pace. Sora turned around and, while still a little timid—I’ll overlook that for now—she gave a direct, resounding answer.
“As many times as she wants…? You’re kidding…?”
“Wait a minute… is she the real main event bomb here…?”
Hey, you Maru-Rinne pair over there. Thanks for the textbook reaction, but could you stop standing around and help out? It’s not that I can’t do it, but maintaining a five-person space all by myself is making me a little dizzy…!
“…………A monster’s partner is a monster, huh. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Hey, Tiger Lucky, you too! I’ve already taken out a number approaching three digits in the last ten seconds, so hurry up! Stop trying to look cool and give some orders, party leader!
“—Rinne, guard the rear.”
“Tch… Okay, got it!”
“Maru, take the left. I’ll handle the right.”
“Understood…!”
Putting aside whether I could do it or not, high-speed maneuvering is fundamentally super exhausting.
It’s one thing when I’m pumped up or incredibly focused, but doing it with a clear head can be pretty tough.
—So, it wasn't that my unspoken message of ‘hurry up and change the situation, dammit’ got through, but the [Great Tiger] gave his curt orders, and the [Sound Armor] and the [Amorphous] took their positions.
As for him… it seemed he still had more to say. Fine, I’ll handle the front and right a little longer.
“Alright—Sora, you’re the front-runner. Lead the way.”
“Huh…?”
“You can do it, can’t you? The Acrobat’s partner.”
“Heh.”
Damn, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Yeah, that’s good, not bad at all. You get it, Tiger Lucky.
That kind of provocation, I… and I’m sure Sora, too—
“—…Leave it to me!”
—don’t dislike it one bit.
“[Schwert Kreis (Ring of Swords)]…!”
“Whoa…”
“What is that, that’s insane…”
Even as they took their assigned positions and got back to work, their gazes were still glued to her.
The ring of magic swords, created one after another from the void to encircle their ‘master,’ drew voices on the verge of being utterly dumbfounded.
And whether or not she was aware of the gazes directed at her… following her orders, Sora looked straight ahead and—
“[Zwei Rad (Two Wheels)]!!”
—unleashed two giant wheels, each woven from a hundred magic swords. The raging storm of dust attending the ‘golden one’ let out a roar—and the trampling began.
“—Oi, you damn clown.”
“Who are you calling a clown?”
As the army-slaying girl (Sora) began her spirited rampage, the one in charge of the right flank came over to me, now pushed to the remaining right side.
As we traded lighthearted banter, I stole a glance at his profile while lopping off the heads of the varied Red creatures… and though a hint of surprise remained, he looked to be in an excellent mood.
—Ah, this feels good.
Now I really understand how Sora felt when she was happy for me, as if it were her own achievement, back when I made my public debut and stole the spotlight.
“You were hiding somethin’ incredible… That really blew me away. Satisfied now?”
“Extremely satisf—whoa!? You…!?”
I dodged the black spear that was thrust at me with fluid grace in response to my smug face. The [Great Tiger] curled the edge of his lips into a wicked smile and clicked his tongue playfully.
“Haru, you take out every flying type that gets close. Other than that, just support your precious partner. Escort her properly now, ya hear?”
“You bastard… Yeah, yeah, roger that, leader.”
He might get too carried away and mess up—whether that was his genuine thought or just part of his role-play, for someone with such a rough, careless, and sloppy disposition, he was surprisingly observant.
I checked on my partner, who was carving a path with incredible speed, wielding her magic swords… well, she’d probably need my support in the next moment.
Following his orders, I started shooting down birds and fish swimming through the air with a barrage of Bullets. The small back I was watching was the most reckless it had ever been.
But if that was due to her ‘fun’ and ‘happiness’—
“...Haha.”
Then there was nothing to be done, and I didn’t need to be asked.
Sora’s ‘fun’ is my ‘fun.’ Playing the role of supporting my cute partner is nothing less than a rewarding privilege—
—The small circle advanced through the great sea of Red that dissipated only to surge forth again, never stopping its advance. The stage, which had seemed so vast, was far too small for the challengers.
And so, the commotion that had stirred the ‘sea’ was over.
In less than half an hour, in what was but a blink of an eye for the world—they departed, onward in their journey.
Let's just blow through the opening act, shall we?