Chapter 384 - The White Journey Unburdened, Part Eight
The moment I understood the situation around me in this 'Boundary,' which seemed to have transitioned into the third phase of the raid, I honestly thought it was over.
Before us was a vermilion monster, a mixture of white and red, radiating a pressure incomparably greater than before as a result of its grotesque transformation.
Opposing it, our ranks were missing key strategic players… and on top of that, our group of eleven was hardly balanced. It was a lineup skewed toward damage dealers, without a single support mage.
No, to be precise, there was one person who could be called a 'key player'—but even though she had clearly demonstrated her power on this battlefield, I couldn't immediately hail this still-unknown girl as our 'hope'.
—And so,
"—Right two, fall back! Recover and return immediately!"
""Understood!""
—And so, remembering a day from long ago, he thought.
"I'll take down the projectiles! Rear guard, just keep layering your attacks on the main body!"
—Ah, I really do,
"Mr. Shield, please hold on for ten more seconds!"
have the absolute worst judgment when it comes to people.
"Leave it to me!"
With no hesitation or distrust, Elephant Three charged forward.
She wasn't just the linchpin; she was boldly acting as the very core, holding together a hopeless situation with insufficient forces. To her command… there was no other possible answer but 'yes'.
The reason he, the sole tank, was able to perfectly fulfill his role as a tank.
The reason the damage dealers, who would have had to prioritize their own survival and been unable to perform their duties, were now able to swing their weapons with all their might.
The reason the rear guard, who would have been helplessly hunted down and annihilated in an instant if focused, were now able to chant their incantations with confidence.
It was all because of her, the partner of that [Acrobat], who had taken on both the command and protection of the squad and was succeeding magnificently.
A mace in one hand, a round shield in the other. He had switched from his former light warrior style, and this steadfast defensive form was now second nature to him.
However, this monster was what you could call his natural enemy.
More accurately, it was the natural enemy of any warrior who built their defense around a shield. Whether through simple, overwhelming power or some kind of special ability, the red tentacles, while fragile, boasted an absurd attack power and had once easily pierced a hole in his prized shield.
The only reason he was still on the battlefield was entirely thanks to her (Sora). When she had intervened at the last second and even healed his wounds with magic…
His jaw had dropped. That was the only way to describe it.
She had built up a track record worthy of his trust in the blink of an eye. He may be an old man, but to not get fired up now, to hell with his age, would be a lie.
"Come on, you monster…!"
Beneath the sky where the girl fended off the barrage of tentacles with her flying sand swords, the vermilion creature, still moving despite losing the upper half of its head, took aim at the tiny shadow that leaped out in front of it.
The towering giant coiled, shaking both the ground and the space around it—and charged.
Judging by the visuals alone, it was a head-on confrontation that defied sanity. It was a mass that a warrior who prided himself on being within the realm of common sense—unlike those Title Holders—could not possibly contend with fairly.
Yes, that is, if he contended with it fairly.
A yellow effect, not yet reaching gold, brightly enveloped the raised round shield. With mere fractions of a second until impact, the warrior's face was filled only with faith in his weapon.
Though he wasn't a ranker, he was known as the 'Defense Captain', and his specialty was counter-tactics against his former high-mobility warrior brethren, leveraging his own experience.
Therefore, no matter how an outrageously massive body charged at high speed, it wasn't difficult to see it coming. And as long as he could see it coming—
"[Primz Jenas (Stepping Giant Pavilion)]!"
—countering a reckless charge, while requiring a hell of a lot of grit, was not impossible.
His round shield, with its plain appearance relative to its performance, was the butt of fond jokes, called 'fitting' or 'like its craftsman-like owner', but it was his prized Anima, one that had never once betrayed its master when it counted.
Third Tier [Round Shield of the Giant Elephant]—its power was extremely simple.
It was a one-time-use, perfect reflection ability.
—
The moment the vermilion monster's claw touched it, there was no impact on the right arm holding the shield.
The warrior met the attack without retreating a single step. On the other side of him, the giant, knocked back by its own reflected force, crashed to the ground with a roar. And then,
"The rest is up to you…!"
Taking no damage but losing his right arm, which vanished as its durability was completely depleted, he slumped to the ground. Before his eyes,
"[Vermeil Kreis, Flame Sword Ring]—!"
A golden form rushed past him, dancing as it went… drawing a straight trajectory, running, and,
"Ah… honestly."
A laugh of disbelief escaped his lips.
In the blink of an eye, seeing the single back become two—
"You just can't beat it, can you? A protagonist."
His calm eyes, watching the powerful youths, narrowed as if dazzled.
◇◆◇◆◇
I knew you would come.
I knew you would make it in time.
I believed without a doubt that it couldn't be any other way—that's why I threw myself into doing things I wasn't used to, things beyond my station.
I was scared, I was terrified, I was embarrassed, I was hesitant… but still, I knew that you,
""—[Crossing the Other Half]!""
would rush to my side.
My partner appeared out of nowhere, like a whimsical breeze. As if telepathy were a given, he ran alongside me without a word, slipping his arms through the twin shields he'd summoned as we uttered the key phrase.
The connection was re-established. But I wouldn't use [Scareless].
There were only moments until we clashed with the vermilion foe, and though we hadn't planned anything… a single glance between us was enough, his joyful eyes telling me, 'It's your turn.'
And so, the girl drew her staff.
The [Integral (Staff of Lodging Dawn)] released from the holster at her waist was a command baton, yet not a command baton. Because what she desired was not to be a mage, but—
""[Enchant]!""
—a swordswoman, fighting alongside someone.
Light and Water, two types of magic that, while not inherently opposing, could not normally coexist.
However, there was the piece of wood of unknown origin gifted by the [Traveler], and the ancient wood from the first boss she and her partner defeated, which converts mana into growth power.
When these two materials were combined by that [Playful Fire-User], the special staff she created… could hardly be expected to have its performance confined to the realm of the ordinary.
[Integral (Staff of Lodging Dawn)]—its nature was the limitless absorption and integration of mana, regardless of attribute.
Devouring, mastering, and weaving together the poured-in mana without end, it formed… the proof of the swordswoman the girl wished to be.
With the mana generously poured in by two players with MID stats of 800 and 650, what ignited at the staff's tip was—a greatsword of Light and Water.
"Clear the way for me, please!"
"Ha! You've really learned how to talk—with pleasure!"
A grin splitting his face, the white and blue figure kicked off the ground and soared through the air, carving through the rain of red projectiles.
His movements were, as always, impossible to follow with the naked eye. A talent unique to him, one I had to accept I could never imitate, no matter how much I tried to chase it.
That's precisely why I had to run, too.
To be by my wonderful partner's side—to earnestly give shape to my own talent, one he could not imitate.
…Still, I really think this name is a no-go.
Even if I have no plans to announce it to the world,
Even if, considering the two attributes, the naming isn't that far off the mark,
Even if the other member gave it a passing grade, saying, 'I don't think it's that bad'—what's embarrassing is embarrassing.
Still, to fulfill the global standard of this virtual world,
"S-Sword of Our Bonds—Version One…!"
I had to shout the name of my special move with all my might.
"—[Azure Sky]!"
A single flash ran toward the vermilion giant, which had been pushed back by the warrior's great shield and had its restraining barrage torn to shreds.
The brilliant sword of light, wreathed in water, cut through the tail unleashed to intercept it after a moment's struggle—
The girl cloaked in the azure sky's celestial dress landed softly on the vermilion monster's back.
And then, the wielder of the magic sword swung her staff. In the next moment—
"—[Grandschwärmer Neun (Nine Sword-Monuments of Cremation)]."
Nine lances of blue flame that had been gathering light in the sky rained down, piercing the giant's body. With each tower of flame that erected itself, the dragon shook the earth with its struggles… and then the ninth.
The monster, illuminated by the flame-swords that stood like gravestones,
—, —, —
let out two, three more inhuman cries, and then fell silent.
"……………………huff… haaau…!!"
And the girl, having magnificently pulled off her grand feat, could hold on no longer—and collapsed in a heap atop the dragon that had become a 'corpse' for the second time.