Chapter 410 - Time for Analysis
“—And with that, let’s pick up where we left off yesterday.”
“Without a shred of pity or praise… you’re jumping right in?”
The party was in full swing with no end in sight. Having wrapped up one event, the venue was livelier than ever.
After being sentenced to the dignity-destroying punishment of pigtails under the guise of “Purification Ritual, Part 2,” I was mercilessly abandoned. That’s when the duo who had been deliberately staying out of the loop approached me.
I lifted my head from the table as Iris’s voice drifted down from above, only to see silver-blue and indigo standing side-by-side, looking down at me.
Alright then, first a word for the indigo-haired girl who offered me a prayer a moment ago.
“You heartless girl.”
“Wh- no, no, no! If I had stepped in to help, it would have just made things worse!”
That was true. I just needed to vent a little frustration. Seeing her flustered face was enough, so I decided to call it even.
The upper-ranked players had all gone downstairs, where a karaoke tournament and other festivities were kicking off. It was less about networking and more about just having a good time together.
Whether we were left behind or they had tactfully given us some space, I wasn't sure. Either way, the three of us were the only ones left.
As for Sora-san, she’d been whisked away by Lux and was now surrounded by a crowd of fawning players, looking endlessly flustered.
They all seemed like perfect gentlemen, so I didn't think I needed to worry… but well, even if some rogue did appear, Hinayo-san was standing nearby, ready to incinerate them.
Though she herself was embarrassed, Sora-san didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by the attention. It looked like I didn't need to play the overprotective guardian and keep a watchful eye on her.
“...So, what's this about continuing from yesterday?”
With that, I steered the conversation back to Iris’s comment. She had casually taken a seat next to me and was now nibbling on a mini tart. As for Nia, who had sat down on my other side and started playing with my hair… well, I guess I’ve gotten used to people touching my hair.
She probably wouldn't stop even if I complained, so I decided to just leave her be.
“I've organized my thoughts on the White Throne subjugation battle.”
“Ah… you were saying something like, ‘Maybe it never had any HP to begin with.’”
And now, after being made to wait, I finally get to hear the [Sword Queen]'s personal analysis.
It’s a bit late to state the obvious, but Iris’s creativity and mental agility are on a completely different level from my own. If she went out of her way to say she’d ‘organized her thoughts,’ then this was likely more than just one person’s opinion.
I was actually looking forward to comparing her ideas with my own.
“First, my conclusion. The Colored Monsters… the ‘Five-Colored Pillars’… it's possible that all of them, at this point, are ‘corpses’.”
The ‘Five-Colored Pillars’—that’s the official-ish name the NPCs use for beings like the ‘White Throne’ and the ‘Red Circle.’ ‘Colored Monster’ was a term players came up with, likening them to other named monsters.
“Corpses… You mean all of them? Not just the ‘White’ and ‘Red’ ones?”
“Yes. The remaining ‘Green,’ ‘Blue,’ and ‘Black’ as well. They might already be… at least physically, dead. I have two reasons for thinking this.”
That was quite the bombshell right off the bat. Before I could even process such a profound theory, Iris continued, ignoring my dumbfounded expression.
“First, their raid design is exceptionally bizarre, even for this world, Arcadia. To put it simply, they're far too game-like—meaning, I can't feel any will or intent from them.”
“Ahh…”
I had a vague sense of that myself while fighting the White Throne.
Monsters in this virtual world almost always act in a way that suggests some level of emotion or intent. You can analyze their behavior and attack patterns to formulate strategies, but those are just tendencies.
Even the most ‘inorganic’ enemy I’d faced, [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King], moved with a certain regularity that felt less like a string of programming and more like a practiced ‘form.’ In short, every last one of them feels alive.
But as for that [Tsarkalv of the White Throne]…
“Yeah, it really felt like it was just moving.”
“Yes. And the various mechanics seemed less a result of some will or nature, and more…”
“Game-like, or maybe mechanical. Like it was just trying to ‘process’ us? Its fundamental specs were so absurd that every phase was a grand spectacle from our perspective, but still…”
From the main body methodically intercepting players who challenged it, to the automated turrets that locked onto anyone nearby, to the timed activation of its Authority mechanics… when you broke it all down, it was all very rigid and game-like, completely unlike a typical Arcadia enemy.
I mean, it is a game, but you know.
“In addition to that, there's the final phase we entered… no, I'm not even sure if that was truly a ‘conquest phase.’”
She was talking about what happened after Sora, she, and I jumped into the “great hole.” She closed her eyes for a moment, as if recalling the majestic white dragon… then opened them again and spoke.
“I felt that that was the true ‘White Throne’.”
“………………Yeah, I’d say so.”
On that point, I agreed with her.
“—That thing was alive.”
“...Mm.”
Iris nodded, but then shook her head.
It was certainly alive, and yet, not alive. That’s probably what she meant.
“I think it was something like another dimension… a mental world. The original body was the will-less ‘White’ that existed in that crater. And that ‘White Dragon’ was—”
—its heart, or perhaps its soul.
“The thing on the surface was a corpse, a hollow shell. If we assume that, then the [Red Circle: Rieltaheria] I fought in the past was the same.”
I wasn't there, so I couldn't say, but if she… the [Sword Queen] who personally took its head… said so, then it must be true.
“That's one reason. The other is—”
“The funeral,” I finished.
Again, Iris nodded.
“The announcement deliberately distinguished it from ‘subjugation.’ That alone could be just a stretch, but after seeing both the ‘White’ and the ‘White Dragon,’ it's possible to interpret it differently.”
As I listened, I couldn't help but think, This girl is amazing.
The starting point of her analysis was impressive enough, but the way she connected one ‘what if’ to the next ‘then’ was always brilliant.
What’s more, she was skilled at optimizing her explanation as she spoke, adding or removing words depending on my level of understanding.
Heck, just by listening to her, I almost felt like I’d arrived at the answer myself. And yet, I hadn't even scratched the surface of this line of thought on my own.
“Just destroying the ‘body’ on the surface only gets you a ‘Subjugation.’ To reach the true victory, the ‘Funeral,’ you probably have to do something about the ‘consciousness’ in that other dimension.”
“Do something about it, huh.”
Her choice of words was deliberate; she didn't say we had to ‘destroy’ the consciousness. I had a feeling I knew why. I didn’t think we’d defeated the White Dragon, either.
—I mean, come on.
“That bastard looked so satisfied…”
I’ll never forget the look on the dragon’s face as its golden eyes narrowed in that final moment before it unleashed its white lightning.
“I'm sure you were the ‘key’ to this raid. I think you were able to deliver what the ‘White Throne’… what that dragon wanted.”
That was probably the end of that thought. Iris took a sip from her glass, marking a pause before concluding that part of her analysis.
“We all unleashed our best techniques, I think… but that explanation is more convincing than the possibility that we actually depleted the ‘final phase’s’ HP.”
“...If that's the case, he must have been a boy. He went out satisfied after a battle of ultimate moves.”
“... ...Heh, perhaps so.”
Man, if Iris's theory was correct—
“...Somehow, it feels like he won by getting away. It's kind of annoying.”
Not that I really minded, though.