kscans

Chapter 208 - The Next Front

“Ah… well, I guess that’s how it’s gonna be.”

“They moved a little faster than predicted, though.”

After hearing the situation report, laced with his own speculation, I scratched my head through my hood, fully aware that my face was twitching. No matter how I looked at it, this was a problem I couldn’t just treat as someone else’s.

It was obvious that my completely unrestrained scoring spree was the direct cause of the North and South making their move. And from the sound of it, Goldow had been expecting something like this from the very beginning.

In any case, it meant they’d be attacking soon.

A large force, probably with the “Princess”—the strongest player—as their main weapon, was heading for our Eastern Faction’s base.

“So… what should I do?”

“As for the rankers, they’ve split off more than half of their forces to tie us down here. If it’s just defense, we can hold out for a while on our own—but we can’t hold out forever.”

“Weren’t Ri-na and the others supposed to be able to handle the Princess?”

“If it were just the Princess, yeah. But according to the reports from Hinayo and the others, the South’s second-in-command is on the move. If the [Heavy Tank] shows up too, we don’t have enough trump cards.”

Ah… their special move has some kind of backlash that leaves them incapacitated, right? So they could deal with the Princess, but they’d be unable to handle the aftermath. That must be it.

Still, for him to say they could “hold out for a while” meant I must have a role to play here in the maze. And given the situation—

“I see… So, who do I need to go support?”

When I grasped the flow of the conversation and asked where I should go, the General Commander snorted in satisfaction, as if to say, “Glad you catch on quick.”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Understood. I will prepare the troops. We move out immediately.”

Piecing together the stream of telepathic reports, the situation was unfolding according to plan.

We had successfully engaged the three Eastern rankers on the front lines with the combinations that would buy us the most time.

Our main concern was the wildcard, the [Undying] boy, but preparing a surefire countermeasure for him was impossible from the start. If he attempted to fulfill his presumed role, he would likely appear before Fuji, whom we’d sent to deal with the [Sword Protector]…

If that happens, it happens. Our objective of buying time will be sufficiently achieved.

In that case, the only true wildcard remaining is—as expected—a single person.

“Will he come?”

“He will.”

Uni and Helena exchanged words as they stepped outside the castle.

Naturally, the troops parted to make way for them. They both turned back, and the woman they looked upon stood still, her shimmering, blue-silver hair dancing in the wind.

“…Though I can’t say if he’ll make it to you.”

Her next words could be taken as concern, or perhaps as a hedge.

Looking back into the eyes of Helena, who was ever the attendant, Iris offered a slight—a very slight—smile.

“If that happens, it happens. I will simply wait.”

She had decided to stop acting on expectations. Her stance would not change.

And so, the [Sword Queen] turned and began to walk. Before her lay the ranks of a great army awaiting the order to march—and…

“Let’s go.”

…only the enemy castle, which they were to invade and put to the sword.

◇◆◇◆◇

Hinayo, the sixth-ranked member of the Eastern Faction—who bears the title [Scorching Heat Gaze]—is a player considered unusually unsuited for PvP among Istia’s rankers.

Why? For one, she lacks the exceptional avatar control that her fellow martial-type rankers possess.

Combined with a build focused exclusively on mid-to-long range, the general perception of her is that “she can’t do anything if a melee player gets close.”

Having such a well-known and clear weakness is undoubtedly a massive liability in player-versus-player combat.

—However, for those who truly understand the player named Hinayo… the evaluation of her being unsuited for PvP is nothing short of laughably inappropriate.

The more accurate description is as follows.

She herself admits her weakness, but only in close-quarters combat, and only when the fight begins at point-blank range.

But in any other situation.

For example, if the battle were to begin from a distance—she is, without a doubt, the worthy sixth-ranked member of Istia, excelling in individual strength.

Intermittent explosions echoed through a section of the maze area.

Hinayo stood in a waterway, her long boots soaked. To an uninformed observer, the battlefield surrounding her could only be described as “bizarre.”

In front of her, players from the Eastern Faction had formed a defensive line, like a human pillbox. Beyond them, a duo—a man and a woman, rankers from the Northern Faction, Nortalia—were engaged in a desperate dance against the exploding flames.

The state of the battle… The healers positioned behind the duo, frantically casting one healing spell after another, made it painfully clear who had the upper hand.

What was most peculiar, however, was that [Scorching Heat Gaze], who should have been unleashing a furious assault from her position of advantage, had not yet even drawn the twin pistols at her waist.

Since it was presumed her purpose was to stall, she was hardly in a position to be holding back. The large, crimson handguns simply happened to function without needing to be drawn from their holsters—

—Hinayo, what’s your status?

A call from the General Commander echoed in her mind. Hinayo, her gaze fixed on the opposing duo, opened her mouth without breaking her concentration.

“Sorry, it’s a stalemate. I have the advantage, but it seems they came at me expecting that.”

The criteria for their selection… was likely a tag team that could endure her one-sided attacks by focusing entirely on defense. A logical choice, she had to admit.

Nortalia’s eighth-ranked member, [Berumail (Bell-Mail)]—Rinne.

And their ninth-ranked member, [The Dictionary]—Maru II.

The Anima of the eighth-ranked girl, Rinne, was a good match against Hinayo’s own twin pistols, and she had her partner, Maru II, with her. They would have been a handful on their own, but with a generous retinue of healers to boot, this was the inevitable result.

The plan to have her shield players eliminate the enemy healers had failed a short while ago.

Naturally, the partner pair had stopped them. This meant they had enough leeway to deal with additional threats…

“Hey, Maru!? This is, like, super tough! How many more minutes is this gonna take!? How long do we have to hold out for things to be okay!?”

“How should I know!? Ask Hagi-san! Actually, I’ll ask him—Hagi-san!! We can’t hold out like this! How long do we have to endure this!?”

…Or perhaps they didn’t have much leeway after all.

“…That’s how it is. Sorry, but it’ll be tough for me to get back anytime soon.”

—I see. So if you can just get rid of the healers, you’ll manage?

She almost replied that that was the problem, but something clicked, and a small smile escaped her lips.

“Oh, that—I can manage, and I will manage.”

I see.

That pause, that tendency to draw things out, was a habit of his. Which meant one thing… Resisting the urge to turn around, a command was issued over the channel connecting Hinayo, Goldow, and a certain someone else, in a voice filled with amusement.

—You heard her. Go raise some hell.

“Hell yeah, roger that!!!”

A cheerful acknowledgment rang out as a light, white-and-blue figure dashed past her like the wind.

“Whoa, hey—!?”

“Wha—!?”

Despite having no time to coordinate, the gust of wind effortlessly slipped through the explosions. [The Dictionary] and [Berumail (Bell-Mail)] cried out in surprise—

And in the next moment, his job was already done.

Mission one, complete. How about some reinforcements, Hinayo-san?

Did he cut them all down in one blindingly fast draw? [Haru the Acrobat], who had sliced through the healer squad with the same speed he’d appeared, sheathed his jade blade and sent a rather theatrical message.

I wonder if he becomes that kind of character when he gets excited. She could almost see his delighted expression beneath the hood from the cocky smile on his lips.

Finding that he had a cute side to him, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“A very warm welcome, Haru-kun. Shall we dance together?”

Her voice brimming with excitement for the duet with her wonderful junior, Hinayo drew her own Anima.