Chapter 735 - The Eastern Wings
—The former #3 and #4 rankers of the Eastern Faction. These two girls, who at one point had even surpassed the [General Commander] Goldow and sat just below the [Sword Saint], are not, strictly speaking, “Mages.”
While it is true that they manifest miracles of reality-altering power using mana—that is, MP—the process by which those miracles are brought forth is so vastly different from conventional magic.
To emphasize their abnormality, to pay them respect, to express awe. They are not called “Mages,” a term that applies to all players, but rather “Magic Users.”
The core of their power is none other than the unique spells born from their [Starlight Magic Aptitude]. The illusionary magic held by the [Right Wing], Ri-na, 《Anhelmia》—and the manifestation magic held by the [Left Wing], Mi-na, 《Ramanheye》. Each power is bizarre and, on its own, incomplete.
Simply put, their lawless barrage of grand magic is a collaborative technique where “Ri-na draws an illusion and Mi-na converts it into reality,” manifesting it into the world.
Of course, it’s not as if they are accomplishing this miraculous two-person act with perfect synchronicity by pure instinct alone. This is where their paired Anima, likely the only ones of their kind in this virtual world, come into play.
The Fifth Tier [Myriam, Brush of Manifestation], and its counterpart, the Fifth Tier [Lilyam, Brush of Dream-Drawing].
With the power to integrate the two users’ stats, skills, and various senses, their minds are linked, allowing them to truly become “one person in two bodies” and serve as avatars of cataclysm.
In essence, every spell they create is a jointly produced original. And because of that, the completed miracles of the [Eastern Wings] are bound by no “shackles.”
Incantations, or the predetermined behaviors dictated by the system—the “restrictions” that always exist in conventional magic—are utterly absent.
“—Nngh, fu-NUAAAHH!!”
My crown alight, my body alight, I soar through the air, my cries born of desperation and the will to survive.
I’m being chased by bolts of lightning whose speed, number, and homing capabilities—and likely their power as well—are completely broken. I counter them with a barrage of punches enhanced with [Water Enchant].
The runts’ magic has no “core” like normal skill-based magic. This means you can’t neutralize it by targeting a single point; you have to obliterate the entire thing.
Therefore, I can handle something roughly human-sized with my trusty enchant-and-Frezon-Revolver magic-countering combo, but… there’s a limit to everything, you know?
“Agh, this is impossible! Help me, Onee-samaaah!!”
“Right, right…!”
The moment I managed to shoot down every last one of the stalking lightning bolts, a brief lapse in concentration—unavoidable for both my reason and my instincts—was all it took. The floor of the arena broke apart… no, the floor itself transformed into the jaws of a giant dragon golem, lunging at me from below—and from them erupted a torrent of explosive flames that threatened to swallow everything.
Thanks to [Hellgread Ignis (Crimson Red Hellfire Seed)], I had absorbed her magic beforehand, so other than being blinded, I was naturally unharmed. And the flames of [Scorching Gaze]—though they may be outclassed in versatility by an order of magnitude, in terms of pure power, they are by no means inferior…
“Bwah…! I thought I was going to die…!”
“To move that much and not get hit is quite impressive… Just watching you makes my head spin.”
…perfectly incinerated the great spell that was not quite magic, allowing me, her partner, to return to her side.
No, seriously, thank you, Hinayo-sama. For these past two minutes, it’s only because she was my partner, only because I had her fire support, that I’ve managed to survive this long.
Against the Eastern Wings, I honestly don’t think I could have held out this long with any other partner from any other faction. At first glance, the [Castle Lord] might seem capable, but even that sleeping princess has her weaknesses, so she’d be at a disadvantage against an all-purpose opponent.
As expected of the former “Strongest Artillery Cannon” and current “Strongest in Instantaneous Long-Range Firepower.” Among the countless players, Hinayo-san is likely the only one who can single-handedly face their barrage.
Of course, with the difference in the number of attacks, a complete stalemate is impossible. But that’s where, with all due respect, I come in to cover for her. …As I was thinking that, I glanced to my side.
“Are you all warmed up now?”
“Thanks to you working so hard to draw their attention, yes.”
“Well, I have a feeling they were just playing along, pretending to be distracted…”
The unceasing tyranny of miracles. Having weathered the explosions, the lightning, and the earthen dragon, we were now being stared down by a giant of roaring storms that had materialized, shaking the very stage.
It was such an absurd sight that I almost wanted to laugh it off as ridiculous. Not only was there one massive attack, but it was also politely attended by a surrounding barrage of multicolored projectiles. I wanted to just give up—but it was too early to raise the white flag.
“Alright, shall we return the favor?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Then, the muzzles are raised,
“[Second Bullet, Looking with Both Eyes].”
A line of destruction, twice as powerful as the awakening, traces a path so ridiculous it feels like a joke.
And so, the second shot from [Scorching Gaze] pierced the torso of the storm giant that was about to bring down its building-sized arm, right on target—and the aftershock of the crimson flash scattered and blew away all the attendant flames, water, lightning, ice, rocks, and everything else in a furious blast.
Her warm-up seems more than sufficient, which is excellent. Now, it’s my turn.
“Recall.”
And then, [Rocket]—the jog is over. Time to break into a full sprint.
From within the aftermath of the explosion, the figures of the Eastern Wings emerged, naturally unscathed. Without hesitation, I took a step toward them, a single spear summoned into my hand.
As I pushed off, my eyes met theirs—one crimson, one aqua. The four eyes were still brimming with confidence. I smirked back at them, thinking, You damn strongest little runts, and…
The blade I swung was the color of water.
“Wha—huh?!”
“…?!”
One spinning step, a charge executed while twisting my body in the manner of the Yui no Tachi, Seiran. Following the rotation, the thing that punched and swatted away the countless spells that instantly blocked my path through the air was not…
…the tip of the long spear, but the butt end on the opposite side. To be more precise, it was the small stone fragment on the butt cap, which held a mysterious glow of mixed red and blue. And from that point emerged the blade of a great scythe.
[Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor]—or rather, one of the tricks of the [Demon Crimson-Blue Spear: Raparis Laphane].
“Hey, what is th—?”
“Secret.”
I scoffed at the astonishment before me and swung the blue blade.
The sweeping scythe was blocked by the same barrier of light as at the start of the match, but that was fine by me.
“—Mi-na!”
“I know!”
In that instant, a deafening explosion.
It was likely the easiest and most reflexive illusion for them to conjure. Just as at the beginning, an inferno erupted, forcing me, who had closed the distance, into a retreat.
—But the results were significant. In just under two seconds, I had reaped a full ten percent.
“Whaaa—what was that?! That’s nasty, nasty, nasty…!”
“…”
After another retreat and reset—I’ve lost count of how many—the reaction from the other side was not a repeat of before. After confirming that a huge chunk of their MP had been instantly shaved from their status, the red one started clamoring while the blue one frowned. Watching them, I finally felt like I’d landed a solid blow.
Alright, this is just the beginning.
Will the flames that grow hotter with time reach them first, or will the water that grows greedier with every touch of magic steal their power away—or will the flapping of the Eastern Wings extinguish everything?
Coincidentally, this stage belongs to the four of us from the festival faction, Istia.
“Hah hah, but we’re not gonna lose!”
“That was close. Concentrate.”
“One down, ninety-nine to go, I guess?”
“How many hours are you planning on fighting, I wonder…?”
Let’s keep ramping this up, without limits.