Chapter 392 - Dawn Breaks White, a Funeral Song for a New Beginning, Part Six
"—Hmph! Haru! Iris-san! I need twenty seconds!"
The 'White's' movements were completely different from the being that had existed on the 'surface'—deceptively fast and sharp for its massive size.
Sora shouted to her two party members, who were absurdly maintaining a 'stalemate' against it. Both responded not with words, but by accelerating even further.
"Area Designation—Restriction, Lifted!"
Centered on the otherworldly battlefield where two swords flashed, ribbons of light danced, and a colossal body soared, sand swords flew through the air, stabbing one by one into the great crater to form a massive circle.
A little more, just a little more—and the circle was complete.
"[Territory Construction]…! Here I go!"
In that instant, as if they had planned it from the start.
The two, without so much as a glance, read the girl's intent and charged the 'White' from the left and right, pinning the white dragon in place… and a fire seed ignited above and below it.
The circle drawn by the swords was a domain ruled by the Master of the Magic Sword—which meant that, at this moment, every inch of space within her sight was her fingertip, birthing magic blades.
"—[Kieferlion, Great Jaw of Blue Flame that Scorches and Shatters]!!!"
A total of ten giant, blue towers born from both earth and sky became a literal 'jaw,' sinking its teeth into the white dragon's massive form.
It was a true special move, one that would make you scream, if this doesn't work, what will?!—but it was an abnormal entity, a Colored, precisely because such an attack wouldn't bring the curtain down.
Therefore,
"""—!!!"""
"Not yet…!"
Even hearing the dragon's scream, she didn't let up.
"[Perflame, Exploding Conflagration]!"
That wasn't a technique, precisely, but the destination of a flame sword whose control had been relinquished. The moment the key phrase echoed and the two holding the 'White' in check instantly created distance,
The ten giant towers erupted in unison, shaking the world with furious destruction and a deafening roar that swallowed the dragon's cry and everything else.
"—Ugh… kh…"
She could still move, but she couldn't stop herself from falling to her knees.
This was the end for the girl who, despite this being her first large-scale battle, had continuously exceeded every player's expectations and fulfilled her crucial role.
Her phantom fatigue had reached its peak; she could no longer be expected to perform at a high level.
But that was fine.
From the moment they had come face to face with the new… the true 'White Throne,' the will of the three had surely been unified.
There was no holding back. They had to strike it down with everything they had.
Without a doubt, she had accomplished her task.
"It's your turn…!"
A short, decisive battle to determine the end—she had delivered the first move that would lead to the final blow.
◇◆◇◆◇
—How envious.
That thought, running through my mind in this critical moment, made me smile in spite of myself.
It was a self-deprecating smile, one born of disbelief in my own foolishness. This was no time for such things, so what was I doing leisurely nursing feelings of jealousy?
I struck down an approaching ribbon of light, deflected another, and leaped sideways to evade the blow of a tail like a great tree swinging down from above.
Even though I was having so much fun right now… humans, it seems, are creatures who always want 'more' once they get something. I could only shake my head at how incorrigible we were.
This 'jealousy' was directed at those two.
It was the thought that Haru and Sora had walked the path of adventure to this point as each other's greatest partner, and a feeling from the bottom of my heart that envied it.
The white dragon, its wings scorched by the girl's all-out attack, turned its golden eyes, filled with rage or some other strong emotion, toward me… and its jaw opened.
Though I couldn't see the flicker of fire deep in its throat, I knew what to expect.
When you think of a dragon—it's impossible for it not to possess a dragon's breath.
The instant I leaped back in a split-second decision to evade, the space I just occupied was hit by the expected unexpected. In place of the 'dragon's breath' one might imagine, something invisible carved deeply into the earth.
It was likely a breath of annihilation, one that erased space itself… even now, its outrageously overpowered abilities were running rampant.
In that case,
"Sword Brilliance Release."
I would simply have to meet its absurdity with even greater absurdity and cut it down head-on.
…It goes without saying, this was a first.
"'In the name of the Sword King—'"
To unleash this ultimate strike, acknowledged by the virtual world itself,
"'—I now demonstrate my divine might.'"
for the sake of connecting to someone else's next move.
Therefore—therefore, precisely because of that,
"I weave… the world—!"
I couldn't suppress the pounding of my heart at this long-awaited 'adventure alongside someone else'.
"—[Arcadia, Ideal Land Embracing the Old Moon]!!!"
For the first time, I chanted the name of that technique not for myself, but for someone else.
A spectacular, massive flash of silver light ascended toward the heavens. My 'sword,' which governs the 'world' and embodies 'power,' closed in on the white dragon, which governs 'boundaries' and commands 'space'—
It sliced through the tail swung to protect the dragon's body and then completely shattered and consumed the halo floating above its head.
And then,
"—Haru, it's your turn."
The next move was made, the connection forged.
"Show me what you've got, my prince."
To the white and blue figure—high in the sky, carrying a dazzling, star-like brilliance in his hand.