Chapter 704 - Meanwhile, Between the Seniors
"—Wha-! What is that, what is that, Onee-sama! I looked away for a second and something crazy is happening again!"
"Oh my, isn't that just the usual Haru-kun?"
"Well, yes, that part is very much the usual, but—"
"Ufufu… Rinne-chan, you've become quite a skilled dancer, haven't you? —To think you have enough time to look away while facing me."
"Heeh?!"
An abnormal scene flickered at the edge of her vision. A host of black flames had brightly flashed and split into two, rampaging in one corner of the stage. Elsewhere, a dance of crimson 'Flame' and 'Sound' was unfolding.
Meeting the unleashed 'heat' with an armor of sound was all well and good. But every time the after-effects of the heat scattered, the stage tilted further in favor of the [Heat Gaze]'s victory.
The other two might have it slightly better since they were at a distance, but Rinne, fighting just a few meters away, was already engulfed in a heat so intense that, if this were her real body, she would have collapsed within minutes.
Yes, just seven or eight meters—a distance at which Rinne thought she could 'definitely close in,' even against an opponent of a higher rank who was supposed to be poor at close-quarters combat.
The gaze, like a scorching sun, never set.
"Ngh…! Seriously, the top brass from the East are just too much!"
As the heat lingering in the air intensified, making it harder to detect the tells, she barely caught a premonition and blocked a close-range explosion with a cliff of sound. A complaint filled with both exasperation and admiration spilled out as she recalled the 'past her' she had fought four months ago during the tenth Four Pillar War.
She's even stronger now. She should already be at a height far beyond ordinary people, yet her growth rate, which leaves them in the dust, shows no signs of slowing.
It's not just her favorite, the junior who just joined the ranks of the rankers. The title holders of the Eastern Faction are all beyond 'special'; they're just too 'abnormal'—
"Whoa, that was close!!?"
"Thinking about something? You really are relaxed, aren't you!"
Her reaction was delayed, and a grazing wave of heat scorched her shoulder. Coupled with the debuffs accumulating from exceeding her avatar's heat resistance limit, her HP, which was steadily being chipped away, was now just under seventy percent.
Furthermore, she hadn't moved a single step since the start of the battle. The onee-sama, who was pinning Rinne down with nothing more than her gaze, unleashed a follow-up attack—
"—[Ririnku Festa]!"
Refusing to fall without landing a single blow like last time, she called forth the true brilliance from beneath her [Berumail]—her 'Crown'.
A soundless 'power' born from sound scattered the flames and shook the stage.
Thus, the eighth-ranked member of the Northern Faction, who had forcibly blown away the murderous, simultaneous, all-around explosion from its epicenter, raised a tiara-like crown formed from colorful sound waves…
"Now for a comeback—or I wish I could say that…!"
In this situation, she lamented her 'Crown', which was proving to be of little help.
The enhancement effect of the unique title 'Sound Armor', [Ririnku Festa], was a power specialized in group combat, showing its true worth in many-versus-many situations. Activating it all by herself, the only benefit she received was a moderate buff to her existing abilities.
If only Natsume were by her side… but even that wouldn't help, which was the sad part.
Honestly, her mouth aside, Natsume's abilities were 'quiet,' making her and Rinne a poor match as a tag team. A power play using their 'Sound' and 'Thread' abilities, both of which excel at spatial control, would be a threat to many opponents, but unfortunately, their synergy was weak.
In other words, against a different opponent it might be another story, but against none other than 'Onee-sama', activating her crown was like throwing water on a hot stone… no, more like throwing water on the sun.
Lately, a certain someone had been calling her 'all-powerful' and 'too strong,' but from the perspective of the user herself, the power of 'sound' was not as invincible as they made it out to be.
She could only amplify and turn into a shield or spear the sounds she directly produced herself; indirect sounds, like those from throwing an object, were not applicable, so her fundamental range was limited.
Even with a full-charge, simultaneous release, her maximum range was just over ten meters. She could fire it in succession, but the closer the intervals, the more her power was dispersed, and she needed to recharge what she had expended.
On top of that, the momentary inability to move when activating her ability from her own position was a fatal flaw.
In other words, within a range where she could activate it instantly—an interval of roughly three meters—Rinne was confident that she was 'super strong'. But being pelted with a difficult-to-handle number of attacks from a greater distance was what she found truly agonizing.
If her opponent was the type to zip around on a whim like a certain someone, it would be a different story, but against a type like her who stood her ground in one spot…
"Ow, hot!!?"
Somehow, Rinne had to be the one to get closer.
And when that was impossible due to an absolute difference in skill—
"Waaah!!! Help me, Natsume-chan!!!!"
"…A-Are you sure you don't care about your dignity as a senior anymore?"
It was truly, deeply regrettable.
There are some situations where guts and determination just aren't enough.