Chapter 696 - A Celestial's Norm
"Whoa, everyone's super serious."
"Well, it's four guys, so of course it'd get like this... Speaking of which, the next match is gonna be just as intense."
"Ufufu. Genkotsu aside, I'm sure Goldow is egging them on."
"Man, that Yata is always on the back foot. I wonder how long he can keep acting so composed."
The waiting room served as our viewing box.
Screens floating in the air displayed the stadium… and as we watched the 'Great War of Monsters' unfold in the explosive first minute of the match, we exchanged carefree comments.
A chain-and-weight, that most interesting of armaments, raced across the stage at blinding speed; fists and feet sent thunderous roars through the arena with every single move; and a black-robed shadow continued to swallow it all with its inexhaustible darkness, consuming the storyteller's endless barrage of tricks as he spoke of heroes, borrowed their names, and unleashed them one after another.
Thanks in part to Ui-san's 'thoughtfulness,' the flashy, full-throttle battle that kicked off with the grand appearance of every single 'Crown' had masterfully captured the audience's wavering excitement.
The [Sword Queen] and the [Sword Saint] were certainly in a league of their own in the current Arcadia, but from a normal person's perspective, the other rankers were no different from celestial beings.
The four currently rampaging across the stage were each stars with countless fans of their own. There was no way anyone could look away from genuine stars like them getting serious.
So, yeah, that's why…
The strange part is just that we're watching all this and feeling… calm.
I mean, we're used to it. Not just used to seeing it, but used to being in it… right? Ui-san and Iris's sword dance had been an overwhelming display of 'technique' that was downright terrifying, but a colossal war between monsters was just another day at the office for us 'rankers.'
"Still, this is the first time I've seen Tetra get this serious in a fight. He uses a bow, huh…? …Wait, you can even call that a bow, right?"
"Of course it's a bow."
"It is as you see."
I'm sorry, but even if you all look at me like it's common knowledge, this is my first time seeing it in person. I've never seen a 'bow' that fires torrents of darkness like that.
I mean, come on.
"No, that's just monstrous… What's with that insane attack range? It's terrifying."
"…Haru-kun, is this perhaps your first time seeing it?"
"Yes."
"Don't just say 'yes.' You mean you don't know the armaments of a senpai from your own faction?"
"Y-Yes. I'm quite ashamed…—"
"Natsume-chan, Natsume-chan, Haru-san's the type who feels weird about looking up his friends' profiles online, you know? And even besides that, he became a ranker two months after debuting in the virtual world and then this and that and all sorts of other stuff went woosh and got super hectic, and he's had no time to breathe, so can't you just let it slide that he doesn't know some things? Please? Pretty please?"
"Wha—… F-Fine. I understand. Understood."
"Rinne-chan, you really do love Haru-kun…"
"I'd call this less 'love' and more 'troublesome fan'… Natsume-senpai, don't worry about it. This is on me; I could've just asked him about it at some point."
That said, I don't really talk about that kind of stuff with my virtual world companions. Other than my compatriot in a similar fighting style, the [Ever-Changing] Maru II—who just defended his junior with a mysteriously rapid follow-up—the only people I really discuss equipment with are artisans like Kagura-san and Nia.
And while what Rinne said is technically true, I have looked over the information on the rankers, including those from my own faction, several times. But because we'd fought alongside each other so often, I might have just assumed I knew all there was to know about Tetra.
"…What does he mean, 'I'm not good at fighting'?"
Admitting my negligence in gathering information is a bit late now. Still, I couldn't help but genuinely reflect on Natsume-senpai's pointed remark because…
"Every Istian who acts modest is not to be trusted…"
"…………What are you muttering about? Creepy."
The senior—my junior—who was rampaging in the video was a side of him I had never seen before.
◇◆◇◆◇
Three minutes remaining until the match ends.
"—Damn you, as stubborn as ever!"
"Never giving up is my best quality!"
"A man who doesn't know when to back down isn't popular, Ricky!"
"THAT'S IT, YOU CROSSED THE LINE! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, GO TO HELL!"
The two vanguards, their bodies now thoroughly warmed up, drove their tension to new heights. Their endless clashes scattered aftershocks across the arena.
As they deepened their friendship with well-oiled banter, they continuously chipped away at each other with their respective fists and weapons… Both had a little over fifty percent of their HP remaining.
The battle was a stalemate. And so, in this situation, the one with the advantage was—
"Son of a…!—You really are strong, old-timer…!"
The one with the absolute advantage in PvP. The one who parried every one of Ricky's assaults, which held the upper hand in Agility (AGI), and forced an equal exchange despite an insurmountable disadvantage.
Auerin, the [Adamant]. A veteran soldier who had held a number since the 'Ranks' were first established.
In these few dense minutes, he had demonstrated his masterful skill time and again. He judged the distance perfectly, not even flinching as the deadly weapon grazed past not just his cheek, but his very eyeball.
Without so much as a blink, he took a step forward, driven by an absolute confidence backed by instinct and experience.
In the midst of their playful taunts, the [Cloud-Hider] let slip a word of praise—and in that instant, a figure in brown dove into his personal space, a fist roaring as he bellowed.
"—TEAR HIM APART!"
The left fist—the fourth blow in a four-limb sequence. Following his right fist, left leg, and right leg, the mighty punch that had found its mark now revealed its hidden power, manifesting as a 'severing' blow.
The condition was met. 《Zel-Ex Destra》 special effect activated.
A severing follow-up attack, combining all four strikes, erupts.
"—Hk, ————"
A merciless blow to the face. The inhuman strength behind it struck a critical point, sending the avatar flying like a scrap of paper. Simultaneously, the infused power detonated, and a force capable of cleaving even a giant beast tore through the small human form.
And yet, Ricky, blown away without a sound,
"—Thought I was gonna die!"
…reassembling his body, which had been unbearably scattered to pieces, and denying death by proclaiming it, he planted his intact feet on the ground—or at least, he tried to.
"—Woah, crap!"
"He really is strong, our number five…!"
His partner, the storyteller and deceiver known as the [Poet], hoisted him up with 'threads' he controlled at will, pulling his body away from the 'shadow' that had instantly filled his landing spot.
Then, facing the torrent of 'shadow' that reared its head like a snake ready to strike, refusing to let him escape,
"Now that's scary…—[Peerless]."
As he uttered the 'name' and waved his right hand, a phantom blue sword appeared in his grasp. A torrent of ice erupted from it, swallowing and sealing the tsunami of materialized darkness in a single breath.
And so, for what felt like the dozenth time, the battle reset.
"Thanks…!"
"You're welcome, but that was the last time. I've used up most of my major countermeasures."
"Ugh, seriously…!?"
As a support role… or rather, as a true all-rounder capable of handling any situation.
He had weathered the onslaught from [Undying] and [Adamant] alongside his partner, but he was inherently unsuited for a full-power, head-on battle against monsters due to resource issues.
As long as the match carried over, he could 'reuse' his skills due to the 'Duel System' rules, but if he played too many cards in a single match, he would naturally run out of steam.
That's why,
"So, I suppose it's about time we made our move. We can't let the excitement of this first match die down with a whimper as we run out of steam, can we?"
"You've got a point… Can I get my hopes up?"
"Absolutely. This is the grand debut of my 'trump card,' after all. The only question is whether it will work on them… especially on Tetra-kun, who's rumored to be good friends with 'him'…"
Beneath his hat, his black eyes turned toward the boy whose own black eyes were gleaming.
He knew it wasn't that the boy was actually cold-hearted, but… just like at the Four Pillar War the other day, he seemed to be in a particularly good mood lately.
Therefore, while it was terrifying to use his newly acquired 'borrowed name' on him,
"My, my, this is fun—I don't dislike this kind of thing, not one bit."
…it was also something to look forward to, as a man, in a rather childish way. His partner, standing beside him, returned his smile—which betrayed his inner thoughts—with a weary one of his own.
"Either way, neither of us plans on losing. Let's give 'em hell."
"It's not like they're just going to wait for us, after all."
As they faced off at a distance, he couldn't take his eyes off the figure of [Undying] standing behind Auerin. It wasn't his imagination; the pressure he exuded was growing with every passing second.
Something was coming. If so, they had to go meet it, or it would be simply uncivilized.
"Well then, let's go, Ricky-kun—Let's make the finale especially grand."
Yata, the [Poet], rank nine of the Southern Faction. The weapon he wields is a Unique of the highest order.
Fifth Tier Anima, 【Bardenhode (The Storytelling, Deceiving Dreamer)】… its hidden power is,
"—[Acrobat]."
A limited projection of an entity of equal standing.
You get it, right? There's absolutely, positively, no way it has a normal, straightforward use.