Chapter 468 - Beyond the Skill, a Swamp Awaits
"You know... when you get right down to it, the day you and Kagura-san met was the day this virtual world's luck ran out, wasn't it?"
"You're saying some pretty wild things for someone who's taken over my lap."
The third night, after I had unleashed my full, unbridled power.
It seemed the night raid event wasn't an infinite spawn, because about thirty minutes after I started running at full speed, the assaults from the [Stardust Beasts] came to a halt.
In the end, the kill score ratio between myself and the other group members was 10:0—well, I completely and utterly overdid it, so it's actually a relief to have someone complain or poke fun at me like this.
For the record, the guys in the group, on the other hand, were all extremely pleased, saying things like, 'We got to see a ranker go all out live.'
I wondered if that was really okay, but then I figured I'd probably have enjoyed it too if our roles were reversed, so I decided to just let it be.
And so, as usual, I'm alone on the rooftop with my partner.
The raid ended early, so the accumulated sleepiness debuff isn't as severe, and Nia-chan seems a little more energetic than usual.
I had assumed she'd have been too drowsy to remember, but apparently, she clearly recalled me ditching her last night. Because of that, she caught me just as I was about to head out for 'adjustments' again tonight, and now here we are, under the pretext of making it up to her.
"To begin with, if I hadn't met Kagura-san, I probably wouldn't have met you either."
"Let's set that aside."
"And yeah, Kagura-san's weapons are insane, but your creations are just as crazy, you know? When Alicia asked for the specs of this hair ornament and I told her, the Sword Queen herself froze with a deadpan expression for a good five seconds."
"Let's set that aside, too."
"You're setting too much aside. What's even left?"
"You're so annoying! Who talks about other girls in the middle of a so-called 'date?!'"
You talk about Sora and Alicia way more than I do, is the retort that comes to mind, but I'm sure she'd just tell me to set that aside again.
I wonder what she's after as I swat away her playfully reaching hands... Just then, I feel my cooldown end and activate [Trance].
"Whoa?! H-Hey, what?!"
Whether she was startled by the skill's light effect or by her head suddenly dropping as the height of my lap changed, Nia lets out a cry. Ignoring her, I check my status bar.
After setting off fireworks to my heart's content and completely exhausting my mana, the MP gauge of my inverted Trance form is still empty.
It's not that the replication and reloading of the [Ruby Rabbit Bullet] takes over an hour; it's a feature of the system that the natural recovery of the 'inactive' form's stats is incredibly slow.
In order to smoothly recover everything, I need to bring the stats I want to restore to the surface. It's a bit of a hassle... but well, if they didn't balance it somehow, it would be a genuinely broken ability, so it can't be helped.
Though I have a feeling it's already pretty broken—is the gist of the explanation I give my partner, who is currently fuming at the 'pillow' that startled her.
"Huuuuuhm... by the way, can you fire that gun in your original form?"
"Nope, impossible."
To be precise, if I try, my avatar will literally explode along with the gun.
"I don't really get the logic, but he said he linked it to the 'mana' of my Trance form. So replication and reloading can only be done in this form, and if I touch the trigger in my original form, the same reaction as a warhead impact will occur and I'll blow up. He told me to be careful."
"Ehh... Kagura-san is as incomprehensible as ever..."
"I like it, though. In fact, I love it."
All the weapons he makes... or rather, every single one of them. They're all quirky, and they never get boring to use, so combat is always fun.
They make me want to use them all, so it's safe to say they have excellent synergy with my build, which centers around weapon switching—that was the meaning behind my reply, but it seems the nuance of Nia's 'incomprehensible' mutter was different.
"The quality of the weapons is incomprehensible, sure... but more than that, the fact that Kagura-san can make something like that is what's crazy. It's totally baffling. I wonder what's going on in his head."
"I'm telling you, you're pretty much the same—"
"It's on a whole different level. Nonomi-chan is the same way, you know."
Her dejected tone cuts me off. I glance at her, but her expression shows no signs of negativity. It's... a familiar look.
For example, like the Sword Protector looking at the Sword Saint—or rather, like Peerless looking at the Sword Saint.
"Selecting and linking mana... that means he's established a technique to perfectly distinguish its 'color,' right? No way. That's impossible. I can't even see it, let alone distinguish it. We're on completely different playing fields."
"...Aaah, I have no idea what you're talking about, but..."
"It's like he's doing something on the level of your master's Shukuchi like it's second nature."
"Now I completely understand."
I still don't get the literal meaning of her words, but I understand what she's trying to say.
"Mana has colors?"
"Apparently. I was told a while back that mine is light blue."
Shouldn't it be indigo?
"Well, not exactly 'color,' but something that can be 'perceived as color,' I guess. Like a property, or a wavelength... Something like a personality that's different for everyone?"
"Heeh... I knew it, but Magic Craft seems like a pretty deep swamp."
"It's a bottomless swamp. You wanna try?"
"I'm planning to try if this event becomes a permanent feature."
I had already been thinking about it, so I affirmed it casually. But for Nia, it was apparently unexpected, as she blinked her eyes in surprise.
"Eh, that's unexpected. When all's said and done, I thought you weren't interested in anything but combat."
"Everyone treats me like some kind of battle junkie... Well, when the time comes, teach me a thing or two. As part of our exclusive contract."
"Ngeh...? But I've never taught anyone before."
"You can just follow your 'teacher's' example. Anyway, what do you even learn in Magic Craft? I assume it's not as simple as using a skill and presto, it's done."
"Whoa, you're serious... Uhm, it's hard to put into words..."
Do your best, I cheer her on internally, watching as she presses a hand to her forehead and groans. I don't mean to be rude, but she really has made herself at home on my lap, squirming and rolling around as she pleases—
"Okay, let's do this—heave-ho!"
Just as I was thinking of saying something and confiscating my lap pillow, Nia, looking up, extends her hands toward the night sky, brings her fingers together, and then parts them.
A blue light of mana clings to her slender fingertips... This must be different from the 'color of mana' she mentioned, I think as it appears before my eyes.
No, not just before my eyes, but completely enclosing the two of us.
"—Whoa...?"
A large sphere spun from shimmering threads of light unfolds. In place of the night sky, where the stars are obscured by the distant ground, it has created a planetarium glowing with blue light.