Chapter 474 - The Beacon
After a lively feast, the final day’s 10:00 PM VM time finally arrived—or rather, ten minutes before.
Full of vigor, brimming with motivation, and with spirits soaring, everyone was in perfect condition for the finale. I, on the other hand, had been placed on a platform—different from the one used for the cannon—and was frozen in place, my famously ‘easy on the eyes’ pretty-boy face fixed in a scowl.
“Even if you ask me to say a few words…”
“““Come on, it’s just for the mood!”””
“Hey, you guys are already perfectly in sync. You don’t need a pep talk to unify your wills.”
I had a bad feeling about this, and it was spot on.
The countdown clock, which had started at the grand figure of one hundred and twenty-six, now showed only two hours remaining.
Since we couldn’t predict the scale or composition of the final raid that would serve as the event’s grand festival, it was only natural to want to wrap things up beforehand so we’d be ready for any kind of ending.
And with thirty-six members in total, the only way to get it over with quickly was to have one representative say something fitting. In that case, it was obvious who would be pushed into the role of ‘representative’…
I can handle giving out instructions, but I have zero experience with this kind of thing. Give me a break.
“Ah… alright, then. First off, let’s take a moment to express our appreciation and gratitude for each other’s hard work so far—thank you all for these four days and three nights.”
Am I hosting a work social?
I was aware that my tone had become rather formal. It couldn’t be helped that I received a few stifled laughs from the crowd, accompanied by an echo.
It was embarrassing, but it’s not like they could expect me to be like Goldow or Arche. I’m sure they didn’t have such expectations for me anyway.
I should have been able to show them what kind of person I am over these past three and a bit days.
—And that is why.
“All in all, I think it was a good group. And a good ‘party.’ I’ve done an over-raid before, but I’d never experienced a normal thirty-six-person full raid. So, well… yeah, that’s it.”
Thank you for sticking with a leader who was only good for saying the right things with the right expression until the very end.
“Thanks to all of you, my first time was a great memory. Thank you.”
It was embarrassing, but saying what needed to be said was the right call. I felt better for it, and looking around at the faces of my party members, it seemed to have been well-received.
I’ll just pretend I didn’t see the smirks on the faces of two of the ladies.
You little… I was tempted to drag them onto the stage in one second and reverse our positions… but then again, only Nia would probably get flustered by that.
Nono-san would probably handle a stage greeting with ease—and so.
Right, right, just one more thing.
“With that said, I know it’s a bit late, but I was thinking of sending friend requests to everyone… what do you all think?”
I quickly manipulated the window and sent the request message to the thirty-five people in my line of sight—excluding Nia and Tetsu-san, who were already registered, for a total of thirty-three. A small system window popped up in front of each of them.
I was thinking it would be nice if we could find the time to get together again—and the result came in less than five seconds.
The names of many ‘ordinary friends’ were now engraved in my friend list, which someone had once called a ‘celebrity phonebook’… It was truly a joyous occasion.
—And then, ten minutes later.
Having moved the platform’s altitude to about ten meters above the ground, I stood by, letting the heat in my face from embarrassment and other things cool down. Then, my skin caught a sense of abnormality.
The trees swayed, the leaves rustled, and the murmuring of the forest that reached me was, without a doubt, the loudest it had ever been. We had prepared several contingency plans based on the four previous raids, and various countermeasures had been set and shared… but still.
As if to taunt the players, the “starry sky” had yet to emerge from the darkness of the forest. At that moment, it was confirmed that this raid, like this morning’s, was different in nature from the previous night attacks.
A clearly controlled offensive—in other words, it was ten-to-one that they were no longer a disorganized mob.
“…‘Rat,’ ‘Ox,’ ‘Rooster,’ or ‘Horse’… Now, which one is the leader?”
This was likely the key gimmick of the final event. A single special individual, or perhaps multiple commander-types… I had no way of knowing, but at any rate.
The moment countless shadows broke through the forest in unison, my role was decided.
Namely—
“I’m not complaining, but this is all I ever seem to do.”
—a lone-wolf struggle of anti-air annihilation, to meet the countless descending ‘wings.’
Not only the massive bodies of the “Dragons” that had appeared since last night, but also a swarm of new, smaller “Birds.” To top it off, a massive boss-like dragon, radiating a special aura, was staring straight at me—
“Pattern D… In that case, I’m leaving the ground to you guys.”
Below me, following the sky, a horde began to appear on the ground. Among them, I could see a huge “Tiger” that looked like another boss… but I would trust them with the ground.
Of course, I don’t mean I’ll leave everything to them until the end.
I’ve muttered to myself time and again that I’m more than aware of my position… but now, as the one leading the charge, it’s time I fulfilled it properly.
The perfect, heroic performance that is demanded of me.
Alright, partner, let’s hunt them all down.
I summoned the [Alv Stella]. I couldn’t help but feel that it enjoyed this sort of thing—heroic moments and all that excitement.
If you trace it back to its origin, I guess it makes sense… but still, it was a little too obvious. I let out a wry smile at the star-sword, which was emitting a faint light as if to show its enthusiasm.
I held my hand over the crimson gem embedded in the guard and chanted the keyword.
“[Alv Call]—[Helia].”
My gaze was fixed on a starry sky, while I wielded another. It probably wasn't my imagination; as if to declare ‘which brilliance is stronger,’
The gem shone with a blinding light, and from it—a torrent of ‘red’ overflowed.