Chapter 379 - The White Journey Unburdened, Part Three
In the corner of his vision, he saw a small sun suddenly appear and incinerate one of the white figures.
He couldn't help but remember. The memory of that day was still vivid, stirring a 'heat' that churned in the pit of his stomach.
The storm of reports announcing an unbelievable battle outcome.
The scoreboard counter, ticking up points as if possessed.
And the countless pillars of light, striking the canopy one after another.
—Ah, here we go again, relentlessly.
Again, it was truly… truly, truly, truly, truly, truly—
"This is just incredible…!"
The white and azure shadow darting across the battlefield was now far away from the corner he'd passed through ten seconds ago.
As a pure power fighter, he wanted to complain that he was being outclassed, but the young man who had forged a stalemate by combining both 'speed' and 'power' was long gone.
His new friend, continuing to paint a dazzlingly spectacular picture. Once his switch was flipped, he'd cast aside any thought of 'this is too difficult' and reach out for pure ecstasy.
Friend and foe alike, without distinction—a poisonous swamp that dragged you in before you even realized it.
Their friendship was still new. He'd only had a few chances to talk with him, barely getting a faint grasp of his personality.
And yet, just by fighting alongside him on the same battlefield, this was the result.
He couldn't help but be drawn in by that flashy fighting style, and what he saw was an intense smile that seemed to scream, 'This is the most fun I've ever had.'
Without a doubt, he was the same as the 'Princess' he looked up to—in other words, a natural-born charmer.
Of course, in the most positive sense imaginable.
Ah, he couldn't help but get fired up himself—he was a natural and superlative agitator.
"Hold it down, Insighter!!"
"—Tch, one second!"
"That's plenty!!"
While fighting on the front lines with his sword, he commanded his troops and kept a healing spell on standby. As someone who was only good for the simple act of charging in and punching things, he could only marvel at such versatile and masterful maneuvers.
He ran past the red-robed figure who was proving himself worthy of the title 'the General Commander's Right Arm,' and their communication was instantaneous.
He wasn't an agility-focused build; in fact, he'd only allocated the bare minimum of status points to AGI. That's why, while he could handle the main body before it split, he probably couldn't keep up with the divided forms that had gained agility at the cost of mass.
In that case, all he had to do was stop it.
"Open your eyes—[Akasha]."
The former seventh seat of the Eastern Faction, the Insighter, opened his eyes.
From green to jet black. His onyx-like eyes, which swallowed all light and glimmered without shining, locked onto their antithesis, the white splinter—
"—, ————"
The massive creature, which had been about to swing its tail to sweep away the approaching 'tobi-iro'—a reddish-brown color—abruptly froze. It was as if it had been hit by lag.
And that would prove to be its fatal mistake.
"Engrave—[Emblem Trigger]!!"
In place of agility, Adamant used his brawn to launch his ponderous body into the air, taking up a position above the white figure's head. He swung a greatsword, nearly as tall as himself, that was released from his back.
The black wrappings unraveled, revealing a double-edged blade covered in unreadable glyphs. And the strike from the Southern Faction's fifth seat, who boasted the highest strength stat in all of Arcadia, homed in on the top of the white figure's head—
With a light clink, the greatsword was repelled, and in the next moment, it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Game over—or is that jumping the gun?"
Paying no mind to his disintegrating weapon, Auerin, who had landed on its head, thrust one hand into the white figure's surface and bared his teeth in a grin.
To the uninformed, the result of the blow would look not just like a misfire, but a catastrophic failure—but two anomalies had occurred.
The first was a magic circle that spread across the white figure's surface, centered on the point where the greatsword's blade had touched.
The second was… Adamant's four limbs, now glowing with a crimson aura that shone with the same color as the circle.
The Fifth Tier Anima, [Emblem Trigger]—its hidden ability was the enforcement of a bare-knuckle brawl.
Any target touched by that blade as its name is called is forced into a contract with the user—and their mutual unarmed attacks are locked in as their maximum possible damage against each other.
In other words—whether it's a full-power straight punch or a light forehead flick, as long as it connects, it transforms into an equally fatal blow.
"Sorry, but it's first come, first served… yeah!!"
A single right fist from the mounted position.
The moment the light jab, carrying little force, connected with the white figure's forehead, the dragon's massive body was slammed into the ground as if it had been hit by a high-mass explosive.
Of course, Auerin, who was clinging to its head, also staggered from the impact—
He tapped its forehead again, and even that was converted into an all-out strike, mercilessly beating down the white splinter.
And then, his right hand, right foot, left foot… as he followed up with a sequence of attacks, the crown made of countless blades floating above his head began to glow.
The enhancement effect of the special title 'Adamant': [Zel-Ex Destra].
Its power granted a slashing attribute to his own four limbs. And the moment an attack from each of his hands and feet landed—it triggered a follow-up attack on the target, equal to the combined damage of all four hits.
"Well then… that's number three."
The fifth seat of the Southern Faction, Sotalm, Auerin the Adamant—also known as the 'Top Melee DPS.'
The descending left fist lightly tapped the white figure's now brutally caved-in forehead… and with a sound like a thunderclap, he completely severed its massive head.
The dragon stopped moving. Cheers erupted from the surrounding players. The Insighter, whose eyes he met, shrugged as if to say 'You're terrifying'—
But Auerin just gave a wry smile atop the corpse.
"Ah… no, wait. Was that number five?"
Just before he dealt the finishing blow, he saw the form of Peerless, who had already lopped off the head of the dragon he'd been fighting. Furthermore, at the opposite end of the battlefield, he caught sight of the Princess, who had just scored her second kill almost single-handedly… and he corrected himself.
And then,
"Man… this really brings back memories."
The white and azure light streaked across the battlefield, a dazzlingly bright white sword flashed—and the sixth figure collapsed.
It was just like the figure he'd seen in the archive footage from that day, the one who had taken down the Pillars one after another and stirred up a storm in the virtual world… It was truly, from the bottom of his heart, just too good.
"Hey, Rotta-san."
"What is it, Auerin-kun?"
"I wonder how old that guy is."
"…Out of the blue. What are you talking about?"
The second phase, which had seemed like a complete rout during their last challenge, was now ending in the blink of an eye. He surveyed the battlefield and judged that there was no point in running off now… As the two men chatted idly, their gazes were fixed on a single young man who continued to fly about frantically.
"Oh, nothing. Just thought it'd be fun to have a drink with him."
"Ah, that… Yes, that does sound fun."
They both let out a stifled laugh, and just like the dumbfounded players around them… they found themselves captivated, their eyes chasing the star that raced across the ground and through the sky.
Never losing his smile, he was boisterous, challenging a mighty foe as if he knew no fear. That figure, laughably so—overlapped with the superhero he had admired as a child.