Chapter 389 - Dawn Breaks White, a Funeral Song for a New Beginning, Part Three
It took only a few seconds after the chaotic battle began for nearly every player to grasp the nature of the White Throne's fourth phase.
The creatures reacted to approaching players but never stopped moving. The moment the raid force recognized that the Remnants of the Red Circle were swarming past the front lines toward the motionless 'carcasses,' the battle instantly transformed into a 'defensive war.'
When a 'Red' creature reached a dragon carcass, it would melt into it, becoming one… No one could say what awaited them at the end of this 'ritual.'
But without exchanging a single word, they were all united in their prediction. Namely, that something absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt, terrible was about to happen.
What unfolded was a melee of utter chaos.
But no matter how inexhaustible the enemy tsunami seemed, in terms of overall specs minus sheer numbers, the players were overwhelmingly dominant at the front line.
The problem wasn't whether they could succeed in this tower defense. It was that no one knew how long this pandemonium would last.
Meanwhile—
"—Wait, wait, wait, hold on…! This isn't funny! This is so not funny, so calm down, time out, time out!"
Distracted by this unexpected development, I lost control of my body and was currently in the process of dying in the middle of a crimson horde. There was one such pathetic man—and it's me!!!!!
Not content with just rattling in its scabbard, [Everquartz, the Sky-Soaring White Crystal Sword] had begun to physically drag my avatar around. It had been several minutes since I'd completely lost control.
I had to praise myself for surviving this long while barely able to move properly, but my concentration, my breath, and my will were all reaching their limits.
I tried to just let go and let it do what it wanted, but for some reason, the damn thing refused to leave its sheath. Alright, alright, I get it… You want me to go that way, don't you?!
As if sensing my change of heart, the moment I turned on my heel, my tantrum-throwing partner calmed down. I couldn't help but let out a wry smile—and activated [Rocket].
Shaking off the swarming Remnants of the Red Circle, I returned to the main force surrounding what seemed to be the enemy's objective, the 'carcasses'… but this place was its own brand of hell, too.
They were managing, but they weren't exactly comfortable. The battlefield, where blades, bludgeons, magic, and roars flew in response to the ceaseless enemy assault, was, to put it mildly, a blood-soaked festival.
"…! Haru, what happened!?"
"Sorry, some kind of weird malfunction…!"
My beloved sword started acting up again, as if pointing in one direction. While holding it down, I shouted a reply to my partner, who had landed beside me in surprise.
Anti-horde combat was my partner's specialty.
Standing alongside Hinayo-san and Lux, who were also skilled at clearing out large numbers of enemies… No, not just alongside them. Sora was a step above, and the density of red around her was noticeably thinner.
That gave me a little leeway to mess around by myself… So, I had to make peace with this thing, and fast—
"—Haru."
Just then, a voice called out from behind me. It belonged to the 'Princess,' who should have been mowing down the tsunami with more force than anyone else.
"Tch… Ashe, sorry, I've got a problem! I don't know why, but suddenly—"
"I saw you were moving strangely. What's wrong?"
She was likely checking to see if the gap she'd left had been properly filled. As I turned, she kept her gaze fixed on the distance and questioned me rapidly.
"My Anima is going haywire for some reason. It's rattling, it's pulling me, but it's also holed up in its sheath. I can't do anything with it…!"
"………………Pulling you? Where?"
Where… In other words, the destination [Everquartz, the Sky-Soaring White Crystal Sword] was trying to reach. Even I had figured that much out by now.
My gaze turned to the center point of this battlefield.
The great, crimson hole torn open by the 'Red' tears.
I know, I know—that's why if Ashe hadn't come to me on her own, I was planning on seeking her out for her opinion.
"Your 'Anima' is…"
"Yeah. That thing is its origin."
In a normal game, a 'key' like this would never be entrusted to a single player.
But this world was Arcadia, a utopia spun by the one and only VR device, Arcadia—a god's sandbox that casually allows for the extraordinary.
With its overwhelming freedom and an endlessly explorable world, it's a lawless otherworld, unbound even by the framework of a game, that offers everyone the potential to become 'someone special.'
Which is why my guess had to be right.
My 'Anima' was pointing the way forward for this raid.
The place this thing is trying to take me is the gate to hell that has opened in the earth. If that's the case, then beyond that 'gate'—there's probably something there.
""—""
Our eyes met, her garnet pupils staring straight into mine. Without a word, we both looked at each other, then at the fate of the battlefield, and in the end…
"—Shall we go?"
"—Let's go."
Following the conclusion we'd reached, we stood up.