Chapter 531 - 厄介な奴ら
"Now, perish!"
As Luty said those words, she fired her dual guns in rapid succession, showering the skeletal Megalodon with bullets.
Since they weren't the type of Magic Guns that fired using magical energy, she needed to reload once she ran out of ammo. However, in Luty's case, she had guns equipped all over her body. As soon as one ran dry, she immediately pulled another from its holster and unleashed a massive hail of bullets. Furthermore, the time from drawing to firing was incredibly fast, and her rate of fire was so high that she exhausted all rounds in less than five seconds.
"Did we get him!?"
Abel uttered those flag-like words that one really shouldn't say, but in his heightened state of excitement, he didn't care. However, defying such a flag, the floating skeletal Megalodon began to crumble away, eventually leaving a massive pile of bones heaped upon the deck.
Drop items appeared in the Item Bags of everyone who participated in the battle, though the fact that they were mostly bones was a bit of a consolation prize. Still, there were some reasonably rare gemstones among them that looked like they would fetch a good price. While there was joy in that, the exhaustion following the fight was greater, and most of them sat down right where they were.
While it wasn't a massive Raid Boss intended for over a hundred players, the fact that they had challenged a Raid Boss designed for a significant number of people contributed to their fatigue. Moreover, Benitsuru and Simon hadn't lifted a finger; it was only Parfait, Abel, Wilnel, Lion, and Luty—just the five of them—so they had struggled considerably.
The formation consisted of the melee attackers Parfait and Wilnel, and the long-range attackers Abel, Lion, and Luty, with Parfait serving as the wall. She acted as a so-called evasion Shield, gathering the enemy's hate while dodging attacks. Since they had no healer to begin with, that was their only option.
Thanks to that, they managed to defeat the skeletal Megalodon with zero damage taken, but it had taken an immense amount of time. Since it was Virtual Reality, there was no physical exhaustion, but the mental fatigue was heavy.
Even in the midst of that, Lion remained energetic.
Lion, whose build consisted mainly of enhancement and magic-type skills, repeatedly unleashed flashy and powerful spells. Her buffs through song and Dance for her allies never lapsed, as if her time management was perfect. When her MP ran low, she would gulp down grape juice to recover it, and on top of that, her management of the monster's hate was so perfect it could be called abnormally efficient.
One would think that fighting like that would cause considerable mental strain, but she herself seemed perfectly fine. In fact, she looked so satisfied that her skin seemed to have a glow to it, despite being in Virtual Reality.
"Lion-chan, you're so energetic. I'm exhausted from concentrating too hard."
"I-Is that so? In my case, it feels easier when I'm concentrated. It's like my idle thoughts decrease. If anything, I'd like to request one more round... I'm still feeling unfulfilled...!"
"Ah, right."
It was the kind of answer that Parfait both understood and didn't, but she kept the thought that Lion must usually have a lot of idle thoughts to herself. However, she remembered Abel saying that Lion gets absorbed into her Set very quickly, and her tired mind wondered if that was what was influencing her.
"Everyone, you're strong! Splendid!"
"Umu. Not only did everyone give their all, but I believe it was a wonderful display of cooperation that made the most of each person's strengths. I did not expect such a performance from a party formed for the first time. Even so, Lion's fighting style reminds me of Noat. Come to think of it, I remain defeated by that one... I should like to fight them at least once more."
Benitsuru and Simon approached everyone, offering those words with smiles. Simon alone was saying something rather dangerous, but Parfait was surprised by the information that Simon had lost to Noat.
"Now then, Lion aside, the rest of you seem weary. In that case, we shall handle the next opponent."
Immediately after Simon said that, something leaped out from the Mist and attacked him—but it was parried by his katana. Even though Simon hadn't been looking in that direction at all, the way he brushed something aside as if it were nothing surprised Parfait and the others.
Then, Simon slowly turned his body toward the direction from which the object had flown.
"To attack so suddenly. Quite a greeting for someone who is not a stranger."
"It is a greeting precisely because we are not strangers. However, to think that you lot would come..."
Just as a male voice was heard, a silhouette appeared within the Mist.
(Wait, this voice...?)
Parfait had heard that male voice somewhere before. She couldn't remember where, but she recalled it the moment she saw the man wearing medieval noble-style clothing emerge from the Mist.
"Damian-san!"
Parfait and Abel cried out at the same time.
"It's been a while, Parfait, Abel. I've heard stories from Natsu occasionally, and I'm glad to see you're doing well."
He was the best friend of Natsu's father, Mist, and also a Doctor working at the Colony "Hospital." The fact that such a man was in this place was a bit of a surprise to Parfait and Abel.
"Damian-san, what are you doing here...? I mean, that outfit..."
"I'm something like an AFO staff member protecting this Ghost Ship. I came to check because the guardians were defeated, but..."
Saying that, Damian looked toward Benitsuru and Simon and let out a sigh.
"What a troublesome bunch you've brought along..."
"Dami-chi, isn't that cruel when we haven't met in so long!? I'll have you paraded through the streets!"
"So we are troublemakers in your eyes. Well, I shall take that as a compliment."
Afterward, Damian, Benitsuru, and Simon seemed to be talking about various things, but Parfait found this relationship questionable. She knew the three of them were part of the so-called Cold Sleep group and were friends of her father, Hayato, but she hadn't realized they were close enough to talk like this. If anything, it would have felt more natural if they were meeting for the first time.
"Um, did you three already know each other?"
At Parfait's question, Damian replied, "Yeah."
"At the level of acquaintances, anyway. A long time ago, I even formed a party with Simon for a very short period. That was a big help back then."
"I only formed a party because I had my own reasons. No need for thanks. Even so, we have both grown old. Was that about twenty years ago?"
"Unlike me, you're surely not at an age where you can call yourself old yet."
"Nonsense, I am already aged."
"I don't think that's true... No, even if I don't say it, you've become an adult since you're properly wearing clothes—Whoa! Don't suddenly slash at me!"
"Do not say unnecessary things!"
The words "you're properly wearing clothes" reached Parfait's ears. She hesitated over whether it was okay to ask what had happened, but her instincts warned her that it was better to stop, as Simon's eyes were overflowing with bloodlust.
"I-I get it! I won't say anything! So stop the attack!"
"You should learn a bit more delicacy!"
Parfait watched this exchange with a sense of 'good grief,' but then a thought occurred to her. Damian was dodging Simon's seemingly serious attacks. Simon's drawing of his blade, which could be said to be invisible to ordinary people—Damian was dodging it without any particular problem.
It seemed Parfait wasn't the only one who noticed; Abel, Wilnel, and the others also gradually widened their eyes as they realized the abnormality of the situation.
After that, Damian caught Simon's attack with his arm, but used the recoil to leap backward and create distance.
"It can't be helped. I wanted to talk a bit more, but shall we just proceed to combat? To tell the truth, I've wanted to try fighting Simon and Benitsuru once."
As Damian said that, Simon seemed to calm down slightly and let out a long breath.
"The same goes for me. Your Clan, which governs immortality, was undoubtedly strong. Allow me to get serious for the first time in a while. Rest easy, I shall face you alone this time."
Damian and Simon both smirked at each other.
As if that were some kind of signal, Damian's body began to transform. Bat wings sprouted from his back, his eyes turned red, and his now-reddened claws grew long.
And Simon lowered his hips into a forward-leaning Stance, resting his hand on the hilt of his katana.
(Damian-san turned into a Vampire? But it's not night... Huh? Is that something like a moon in the sky? No, there's that too, but Simon-sensei took a Stance... This is bad, he's planning to go all out...!)
Amidst the atmosphere that had become wrapped in tension before she knew it, Parfait swallowed hard, despite being in Virtual Reality.