Chapter 717 - The Selfish White Who Smiles on the Silver Screen, Part One
In that instant, I clearly sensed the air change.
In response to their impudent junior's challenge, [Screen] shot back a look of pure exasperation, as if to say, What is with this guy? …and yet, they still showed no signs of fighting spirit.
"…Whatever, but let me say one thing. Being annoying is one thing, but—"
With both hands tucked into the pockets of their robe, the beautiful figure clad in battle attire underneath revealed a crimson tongue from beneath their languid, silver eyes.
"—if you can actually manage to piss me off, you'll be something special, kid."
They didn't smile, nor did they sneer. They simply stated it, and then muttered with boredom.
"[Hel Hecatle Heistio]."
And what flashed forth was a violet light. An authority that affected all who perceived them activated, and the rules of the silver screen came to dominate the battlefield.
And so, two changes occurred in the players whose avatars' miracles had been seized.
Namely, "Seal" and "Rampage"… Of [Status], [Skills], and [Magic], only one would remain. That remaining one would be violently enhanced to a degree that a first-timer would find impossible to adapt to, and it would be assigned through one of three corresponding performances.
First, the "March," which governs [Status].
Second, the "Blood Dance," which governs [Skills].
And third, the "Decadent Song," which governs [Magic]—which brings us to now… Haha, seriously, this is a cruel joke. My body feels incredibly heavy all of a sudden.
With my [Status] values sealed, my superhuman physical abilities have vanished. With all my [Skills] sealed, the supernatural power dwelling in my body has fallen silent.
All that remains is [Magic]… and, as a bare minimum of mercy, the HP and MP on my status bar. One might question if it's even possible to use magic when the crucial Mind (MID) stat has been wiped out, but the answer is—the noise filling the space.
The fine, silver particles wavering across the battlefield like the film grain of an old movie are the answer. That is the form of the "miracles" temporarily expelled from our bodies, and it is what constitutes the domain that has [Screen] as its conductor.
The Od of virtual humans, reflecting the blessings of Arcadia.
…Well, it's hard to grasp from just hearing about it, but basically, those particles act as the medium to manifest [Skills] or [Magic] in place of our own stats. Our physical abilities are rock bottom, but we can use the one permitted supernatural power without issue.
Actually, it's not "without issue," it's more like we can use it with a major issue—
I've already thought about how I'm going to brace myself, so all that's left is to ride the wave without fear.
Now then, shall we sing together? Ready, and… go!
"—'Piercing water nails, restraining hooked wings'!"
"—'Rage, o dust storm, a single step of haste'!"
First, Tonic-san and I, the vanguards who stepped forward simultaneously, opened fire.
"—'A guarding flame lies in the heart, offering love to burn away sorrow'!"
"—'Rend the earth's roar, pierce with pebbles, for my eyes desire a pin doll'!"
Next, the rearguards—my partner and their partner—followed suit.
Fortunately, the songs they sang all indicated magic that was within my limited knowledge. However, whether that meant the outcome would remain within the realm of the "existing" was another story entirely.
"[Current Haken]!"
"[Sonic]!"
"[Melty Breath]!"
"[Penetrator]!"
Every miracle that emerged was utterly outside the norm. They manifested with an output that defied fantasy itself, filling the stage with a rampant, overflowing tide of magical power.
The water "sewing nails" I summoned were anything but mere 'nails'; each one boasted the majesty of a greatspear. Their number wasn't limited to the usual four, either; the simultaneous deployment exceeded ten, then twenty… It was a grand spell of such a scale that I couldn't help but question the very definition of 'restraining magic.'
So, what happens to something that was already an attack spell to begin with? The countless great stone pillars floating behind Yurayura-shi, about ten meters away, were the answer.
Just like the "great towers" my partner wields.
The countdown to the charge of that massive, un-spear-like mass spewing killing intent was mere fractions of a second away—but before that, there was another fatal threat to deal with.
The figure of [Dispersion] himself, who had closed in on me with tremendous speed, wind at his back.
An unarmed charge, but his hands, even without a weapon, were a lethal threat to me now. With my stats nullified and my avatar forced into a spec just slightly better than a real human body, Tonic-san had no need to play games with me.
And that's precisely why my prediction came true, and my countermeasure worked.
"—Whoa, there…!"
My bluff must have worked—summoning [Samidorizuki] before the fight and deliberately sheathing it at my waist. Unaware that my avatar's Recall is not a [Skill], he was taken by surprise when a massive battle-axe of immense weight suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.
And with that, he's open—Haken barrage.
"Whoa, that was close!!?"
He managed to dodge the full, point-blank volley with a backstep born of truly superhuman reflexes, but… it's not over yet.
This is the absolute best part of the silver screen's stage.
Memory transcription, image construction, output setting—Reload.
"Huh? Wait…!!!?"
"No holding back, [Dispersion]-dono!!"
Fifty Hakens, full salvo.
I unleash a rain of water spears so dense it robs even me, the caster, of my vision. I fire a lethal volley with enough force not just to restrain Tonic-san, who let out a shriek that went beyond surprise to sheer astonishment, but to grind him to dust.
I activate another one. [Water Enchant] Bullet.
Amidst the stage of [Screen], the color of the "water" coursing along the blade doesn't just trace its outline; the extended edge, without sacrificing swing speed, is as imposing as a greatsword even at rest.
And I'm not holding back my cards. Full throttle!
"Manifestation Release!"
Left arm mastery—Ver. [Parabellum Bullet] + Max Enchant.
Here it comes, fly!
"[Angalta]aaa!!!"
Soaring through the sky is a barrage of giant swords clad in watery light. They are met by the great stone pillars that pierce through the high waves and water vapor created by the Haken barrage. The result is… a successful offset.
And so, the massive objects collide mid-air, scattering a hellish cacophony. But there's no time to breathe a sigh of relief, nor is there any point in feeling frustrated that [Dispersion]-dono managed to evade my surprise attack unscathed.
The lawlessness brought about by [Invertia]'s [Hel Hecatle Heistio] is threefold. The first is a simple 'Super Power Boost,' the second is 'Super MP Cost Reduction.'
And the third is the truly broken part: 'Chant Invalidation.' Once a spell has been chanted and manifested, it can be fired as many times as you want with no cast time.
In other words,
"…Well, not bad. You held on—Now for the next one."
Just as I rapid-fired [Current Haken], Yurayura-shi can do the same with that. The lethal torrent manifested behind them with a single word is proof of that.
It's absolutely ridiculous. So ridiculous it's gone full circle…
"—Hah…!"
What an insanely fun power this is.
I really think you're missing out, senpai. If you have something like that—
"Hina-san!"
"Leave it to me!"
Why not just give up and try to have fun with it?
A massive heat ray, overtaking me from behind, incinerates the newly arrived stone pillars and tears through the sky. My partner compensated for the power drop from her sealed MID with her own super-enhanced enhancement magic, and this was the result of cheerfully firing her first bullet.
Loophole number one to the conductor of the silver screen's dominion: brute force via equipment specs.
The seal brought about by that Anima's authority is limited to the power dwelling within the player themself. This means that add-on equipment, not to mention unique items that exist alongside a person by sharing their soul like Anima and Terror Armaments, can serve as extremely effective breakthroughs.
An eye for an eye, lawlessness for lawlessness. It's the way of the world. And in conjunction with that—
"'Turn, o maelstrom, gather, o waves, a formless shield dwells in the spirit, a shapeless blade wavers in reality.'"
I'll gladly ride the wave of lawlessness you've presented and return the favor on the same stage.
"[Maelstrom]."
Amidst the swirling remnants of rock that were turned to charcoal by the massive heat ray, a new manifestation appears: rings of water—great, circular blades of raging currents, roaring like a whirlpool.
For now, I'll just casually have about five of them follow me in the air.
"Not bad, senpai. As expected—Now for the next one."
"…………Tch, you damn cheeky junior."
I approached, but there was still no smile on their face.
Looks like this is going to be a long one, I thought, steeling myself once more as I took another step forward.
The great magic war begins.