Chapter 378 - The White Journey Unburdened, Part Two
The phase transition had come several steps faster than the predictions based on the last attempt's data.
He had likely been assuming the change was still a ways off. Toward her partner, who was still soaring through the sky at full power, she found herself calling out in a reflexive surge of anxiety.
Her quick support paid off, and she watched him safely navigate his usual recklessness—the next moment she let out a sigh of relief, her vision was filled by a great white wall.
Close enough for it to reach out and touch her.
The White Throne's splinter and herself, right in front of it.
Other than them, there were only two other players at what could be called close range… a lightly armored warrior with dual swords who looked nothing like a tank, and a support caster clad in cloth armor. The girl grasped the bare-bones situation at the same time one of the ten divided white figures made its move.
And then,
"—[Schwert Kreis]."
Casting aside tension, anxiety, fear, everything,
"[Turm Riesig]!!"
Sora raised a 'sword' that could be mistaken for a colossal tower, all in almost the same instant.
Following the swing of her right hand, a giant sword of sand emerged from the void, tip first, and clashed with the white foreleg. A cataclysmic shockwave that blew away all sound erupted, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ground beneath them both as if it were a joke.
"Ngh… ugh, uuuu…!!"
It was heavy. But not so heavy that a pushing contest was impossible.
If she had been able to pour her full, unimpeded MID into the magic sword, without the cost of [Scareless] being deducted, pushing it back on her own wouldn't have been out of the question.
In other words, with the scales tipped in her partner Haru's favor, this was her limit. Taking it head-on, the best she could do was fight to a stalemate—but that was more than enough.
"…Please, I'm counting on you…!"
"""WE'VE BEEN COUNTED ON!!!!"""
Vanguard warriors who had rushed to her side in the single moment the girl had bought them all pushed against the sand greatsword, which was locked in a struggle with the tree-trunk-thick white foreleg.
Instantly, the stalemate that had been leaning slightly against them shattered with surprising ease—
"[Drei Riesig]!!"
Freed from the immense pressure, the master of the magic sword wove a chain of towers that crashed into the white figure's flank with a thunderous roar as it staggered.
An impact twice that of the previous clash ripped through the air, and…
"————————"
A cry, which could certainly be taken as a scream, echoed across the battlefield.
"No way, that's insane…!!"
"My goddess was here all along…!"
"Looks like I've got a new favorite!!"
Setting aside the buzz surrounding her position, she was a true unknown with no track record to speak of.
As they witnessed the girl wielding her power in public for the first time, they shouted whatever came to mind, utterly flabbergasted—yet they too were warriors praised by many.
"Alright, you meatheads, form a wall! We're protecting our Sora-chan with our lives!!"
"Hold for ten seconds! That should be enough time for him to get here!"
"Don't you dare fall this early on! Stay alive, focus on defense!!"
They were at the farthest edge of the battlefield, separated from the key combatants and rankers.
The number of players who could act as vanguards could be counted on one hand, and the rearguard was skewed toward support casters. It was a lineup that embodied the 'worst-case scenario'… and yet, not a single one of them had lost their fighting spirit.
In place of the girl they called their 'linchpin,' the warriors raised their weapons without fear, despite their thin numbers, and charged the white figure.
The even scarcer artillery mages layered their incantations to weave a song, desperate to make their meager firepower count… while the support casters, in turn, lined up their chants in a round, forming a chain of countless healing spells to sustain the front line.
Even in the face of adversity, the smiles never left their faces.
And thus, the arrow of salvation they believed in—
"—Sorry, did you wait?"
"—I waited. You're late."
—arrived far sooner than anyone present, save for the one who complained so sweetly, could have ever expected.
Words were unnecessary. Here and now, even making eye contact was…
"[Vermeil Kreis]."
"Manifestation Release."
…because they knew what the other wanted to do as if it were their own thought.
"[Turm Riesig]."
Only a single flame sword, a Flamme, was created. The second magic sword swelled as if the roaring flames were gaining momentum, and fueled by the mana granted by its master, it changed its 'color'—
"—Here I come, Haru!!"
"Let's do this, Sora!!"
A colossal tower of flame, no longer white but a brilliant, shining blue, was unleashed.
It wasn't slow, but it wasn't fast either. It was at a distance where the astonished players could react and get out of the way in time.
Therefore, the splinter of the White Throne, now a mobile dragon, surely wouldn't just take it head-on. As the vanguards who had been clinging to it pulled back to prepare for the impact, it showed signs of evasion, just as expected—
"Invert—"
Faster than the encroaching heat could scorch him, a white shadow caught up to the soaring azure flame and raised its left hand… no, it seized the flame in its grasp.
The pulsating armor on its left arm shone with a particular brilliance—and what manifested in its hand was the flame magic sword, transformed. Wielding a blade that shone with a ferocity that made one hesitate to look directly at it, a blade that could be mistaken for the sun,
"[Angalta (Soul-Stealing Sword)]."
The white and azure light pierced the White Throne, and ten became nine.
With just that single flash, cloaked in the lingering remnants of the dissipating brilliant sword, one person soared through the air from the momentum, and another's eyes finally met his.
As if capturing a vision of the future he had just imagined, his partner flashed him a grin and a peace sign—
"—Next one! Hurry!!"
"Yes, sorry, on my way!!"
Sora issued the command with few words, and Haru, responding instantly, scrambled away, kicking off the empty air in a panic. He was flustered… but the smile never left his face.
He had already seen the expression of his partner, who was only pretending to be composed and professional for the time and place.
Of course, the only one who could correctly read the girl's inner thoughts from such a brief exchange was a certain someone…
"…………Um, is something the matter…?"
"—Not at all! Your orders!!"
"Huh!? No, um…"
""We await your command!!""
"What… I, what—"
"""Your orders!!!!"""
"Eek… I-I don't know! Please, hurry and go support everyone else!!"
"""""Understood! Let's go, boys!!!"""""
Her partner's reputation, which now looked as if he was completely under her thumb, had maintained its positive momentum while twisting in a bizarre new direction… Whether this could be called an unfortunate accident was debatable.
"…………"
Her eyes went wide, but having just rushed her partner to 'hurry up,'
"…I don't really get it, but it's probably Haru's fault."
She decided to put her confusion aside for the moment—and chasing after the boisterous group of men, the girl also kicked off the ground with vigor and began to run.