Chapter 636 - Gathering to the Bustle
A crimson demonic gleam flashed, followed by a deafening roar and a raging blast of wind.
The reactive rounds from the [Ruby Rabbit Bullet]—a masterpiece engraved with the name of the enemy whose materials came from that infamous Fire-Wielder—were no mere metaphor. Each shot packed firepower on par with a grand-magic spell, justifying its immense cost.
For any other player, just being caught in the aftershock would send their feet sliding across the ground. If they were caught in the blast, they'd suffer immense damage. A direct hit would leave not even cinders behind—or so it should have.
Well now, I certainly felt the impact, so why hasn't the pillar of light signifying the defeat of a Ranker shot up into the sky? ...No need for such feigned ignorance.
Because I saw it. In the instant the crimson bullet detonated—
"Tch... Way to rain on my parade."
"I can't help what you say. It's the duty of a [Knight (me)] to protect my allies, after all."
Just as the [Great Tiger] took a defensive stance, a figure in full armor suddenly appeared before him, shield raised.
"What's with that? Kinda hard to complain when you bring up your pride... Just so you know, I could've taken that hit easy. And I ain't just talkin' tough."
"Ah, yes, of course... Well, I suppose you aren't just bluffing. You seem to be in perfect shape, despite getting so thoroughly thrashed."
It was a full-face set of plate armor, a rare sight in Arcadia... no, it was more than rare; you'd almost never see one even walking through town.
From within the heavy, rugged gleam of metal, a voice like the ringing of a bell—utterly unsuited for its origin—emerged. Having taken two direct hits yet maintained over ninety percent of his HP (perfectly fine), Torakichi's cheek twitched.
"What, you've been watching this whole time? And you're as cheeky as ever—Aika."
It was as if she'd been watching my fight with Torakichi from the very beginning... which, in reality, was probably the case. Her tone was less a taunt and more a simple statement of fact. Even without seeing her expression, her cool demeanor effortlessly deflected his complaint.
"—A pleasure to meet you, Prince. I'm so glad I finally get to see you."
"...Perhaps I should have paid you a visit to offer my greetings?"
She turned to face me, who had kept my distance, silently observing the situation.
Sotalm's sixth-ranked player, Aika the [Knight]. A rare individual who had climbed the ranks with a tank build, uncommon among female players, and a powerhouse who had earned the moniker of "Guardian."
Rumor has it that no one has seen her face since she rose to prominence, and her beautiful voice has sparked fierce, nightly debates over the beautiful woman or girl they imagine her to be... but let's set aside her popularity for now.
In terms of combat, I figured our compatibility was poor, so she was one of the people I'd hoped to avoid encountering this time. Furthermore, I should add—
"—Well, it'd be weird to come all this way just to say hi, right?"
"—If you meet someone, just introduce yourself then. Isn't that enough?"
...And just like that. I especially didn't want to meet her if she was with her comrades.
As voices reached me from the side, I stiffly turned my head back the way I came. Seeing two more figures emerge from the shadows of the mesh, who could blame me for instinctively looking to the heavens?
One a petite girl in a white robe, the other a slender young man in an ultramarine one—Sotalm's seventh- and eighth-ranked players, the [Thread-Weaver] and [Long Legs].
"Ah... well, this is..."
Putting aside the fact that I was engrossed in my battle with Torakichi, failing to notice not just the approach but the spectating of such a powerful force was my mistake. That said, it's possible they used some sort of technique, but that's another matter.
Even if I couldn't sense their presence, I should've noticed their gazes—I could almost hear some samurai scolding me. Stop demanding I have a sixth sense like it's a given.
But, that aside.
"...Goldow."
"What is it? Didn't see any 'light,' but is it taken care of?"
I knew he was busy, but I couldn't help but call him. Gratefully, the [General Commander] connected the telepathic call in seconds. My own voice, in response, was tinged with a deep resignation.
"Not taken care of. They've multiplied."
"...How many?"
"Three."
"...Problem?"
"A huge one...!"
"I see—Alright then, give it your all. You can handle it. Over and out."
"Wait a second, don't be so cruel—he hung up...!"
I don't want to think he abandoned me, but if not, then he has far too much faith in me. I cursed the disconnected call, which had ended before he even asked who the three were, but my isolated situation remained unchanged.
At this rate, no, seriously, at this rate...
A four-on-one fight is impossible no matter how much I give it my all, no matter what I do—
"...Well, it's a team battle. Can't be helped, I guess."
While I was slowly backing away, the [Great Tiger] slung his rotated black spear onto his shoulder with a clink and muttered with a sigh before turning on his heel.
Naturally, I was dumbfounded, letting out a "Huh?" The other three gave him a mix of half-lidded stares and glares, but he paid them no mind, shrugging it all off with his back—
"I can't really... team up right now. I'd just drag you guys down before we could even coordinate, so I'll get out of your way."
As he declared that, all four of us, myself included, likely realized and understood—so that's the price of his new ability.
I see. So that's why he charged at me all alone in the first place... While I pieced that together, the situation being what it was, I couldn't even manage a single witty remark.
And so, as I stood there, surrounded by my seniors, still on high alert and unable to lower my guard, Torakichi turned back one last time—
"Well then, Haru. See you later."
With a grin like a mischievous brat, he curled the corners of his mouth and...
...left me with those outrageous words...
...before kicking off the ground with a roar and disappearing into the distance.
"..."
"""..."""
And what remained was a silence born of one speechless individual and three others, each with a different quality to their quietude.
"...Um, you see, seniors. What he just said, I'm sure it was—"
"I suppose that's what he meant."
"That's what he meant, right?"
"That's probably what he meant."
"—...not what he meant at all, maybe, probably..."
It wasn't quite anger...
It was more like a great fire being fed a massive amount of well-burning firewood.
I could understand that the three of them, having been told implicitly of the 'certainty that the Acrobat (me) would survive,' were now staring me down, a distinct heat in their eyes.
This was no time to be thinking about how I couldn't see a single speck of skin, let alone the eyes, of one of them.
"...Well then, let's start with introductions—I'm Aika, sixth in Sotalm's rankings, the [Knight]. There's a mountain of things I want to say, discuss, and tell you... but I'll save that for later."
The maiden in knight's armor stepped forward.
In her left hand, she carried a slender, silver-shining knight's sword. In her right, a kite shield, also silver... but radiating an informational pressure that far surpassed the sword, engraved with intricate carvings.
"Guess I'm next—Natsume, seventh in Sotalm's rankings, the [Thread-Weaver]. I've gone through all your archives and, honestly, you've kept me very entertained. But that's that. I'm not holding back this time, so you better be ready."
The white-haired girl took up a position behind the knight, in the middle.
Her hands were empty, holding no weapon. But if you looked closely, you could see countless points of light attending her—countless, extremely fine "threads."
"Then I shall be last—Record, eighth in Sotalm, the [Long Legs]. As for what I want to say... well, I'm with the other two on that."
And finally, positioned at the rear, was the blue-haired young man.
His expression and voice were both calm as he raised a staff—one with a complex head that split and twisted into four prongs, carrying a somewhat sinister aura.
All three were different, but their fighting spirit was at one hundred and twenty percent. Fortunately, from the gazes I was receiving, I didn't sense any fundamental hostility, disgust, or other negative emotions...
Well, that's that, but...
"...Haru, fourth rank of Istia, the [Acrobat]. My apologies for this first greeting being in my transformed state."
"Seeing it in person is truly breathtaking. I can see why they say you're on par with the 'Princess.'"
"You're so ridiculously cute it's starting to tick me off. A complete loss for a fellow white-hair."
"Well, it's no wonder you're so popular."
"Ha, haha... thank you... Um, please, go easy on me—"
As a foregone conclusion...
"For now, though..."
"We're going to crush you with everything we've got."
"Sorry, but we'd be honored to have this match."
"Tch...—Let's do this! Here I come, you damn seniors!"
The curtain rising on a hellish three-on-one battle against my fellow Rankers was an unavoidable future.
It's tough being popular.