kscans

Chapter 228 - Encounter

The moment I stepped through, every thought in my head vanished.

The curtain of dust that had filled the inside of the barrier was beginning to clear. If I turned around, I could see the commotion happening behind me… but I couldn't.

My neck wouldn't move. My eyes couldn't look away.

I was afraid to make a sound, unable to even breathe properly.

It was as if the water at my feet had frozen over—I couldn't even take a step back.

I knew this feeling. I’d experienced it twice before in this virtual world… The first time was before the [White Throne], and the second was before the [Sword Saint]—beings who couldn't be described by the simple word 'strong,' existences on another plane entirely.

It was, in short, the feeling of awe.

"—"

As my vision cleared, a flash of silver-blue filled my sight.

"…I see."

A pair of translucent, cherry-blossom pink lips parted, and a sweet, bell-like chime struck my ears.

Staring intently at me were a pair of garnet eyes, clear as crystal. A masterpiece of beauty that transcended the human form, something that hardly seemed to be of the same species—

"So you've come."

Arcadia's strongest player.

The embodiment of a one-woman army.

The darling of the virtual world.

The [Sword Queen]—Iris.

"—Hey, kid. You still kickin'?"

"…Yeah."

My gaze still locked, my breath yet to return to normal… I barely managed to reply to the voice echoing in my head. Sensing my state from my hoarse voice, the [General Commander] let out a stifled laugh on the other end of the telepathic link.

"Sorry to be the one you just saved, but this is it for me. The two in the back are about at their limit. We're gonna wipe out the enemies that got in, and while we're at it, we're closing up the base."

"What? Closing it…?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. A complete lockdown. I'm gonna unleash a big one that I can't control, so I'll get caught in it too… but I'm already out of gas, so I'm not much use in a fight anyway."

—I've given the orders. The others will handle the rest, he said, his tone so light it was hard to tell if it was born of great trust or sheer irresponsibility.

"So, I'm leaving her to you."

"—"

And when it came to this, he gave me an order of utter—and absolute—irresponsibility.

The 'sword' she held in her left hand, radiating an incomprehensible pressure of information, remained lowered. Perhaps she was waiting for our conversation to end. As I continued to meet the gaze of the quietly standing girl, I—

"……………L-leave her to me, you say…"

—was already beginning to regret ever leaping into this domain.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a sec…! This whole flow is wrong! 'I'll leave the rest to you'—that was supposed to be my line!"

My desperate plan was to drag out their commander and buy time while the forces 'outside' regrouped.

And yet, why was I now being told to settle the score 'inside'—

"—Haru."

"Hh…!"

The voice that cut off my complaint was one I had never heard before… filled with some kind of powerful emotion.

"Give me something to look forward to—I'm counting on you, newbie."

The moment I, silenced by his hopeful words, instinctively turned around—

"—Wha—!?"

A brilliant light swallowed the world 'outside'.

No, it wasn't light itself, but a precious gem reflecting the moonlight.

With a deafening roar that must have reached the heavens, everything from the castle base to the entrance of the maze was instantly engulfed by a tidal wave of diamond, leaving only the isolated circular field of the Engage zone behind.

The instant it happened, an immense amount of red phosphorescence exploded on the other side of the barrier-separated passage—and from my side… from behind me, a single pillar of light shot up.

It wouldn't be a suicide point. The scoreboard displayed in my vision moved, and a total of 1300 points for 'Commander Defeated' and 'Ranker Defeated' were added to Sotalm's score.

"…………You've got to be kidding me, General…"

He said what he wanted and then just checked out…!

Give me something to look forward to? Seriously, everyone—!

"I'm not used to that kind of expectation…!"

I turned my head back, back to the one I faced. The option of looking away from the garnet eyes that continued to watch me quietly had been torn away.

Beyond the sparkling carpet of light, she confirmed that the maze entrance had been sealed by a great wall of diamond, just as his 'last words' had dictated. For him to say "closing up the base" so casually meant that 'wall' was likely something truly formidable.

Any hope of reinforcements was, without a doubt, gone. I could count on regular players respawning, but it was better to assume there would be no more aid from rankers who could stand against the girl before me.

And most likely, the two who unleashed that attack outside were already out of commission—

"…Are you ready now?"

In other words, if I couldn't do something about this… my side would lose.

Which also meant that in this situation, the words "I'm leaving her to you" signified—

"'Defeat her'... are you serious…? What are you thinking…?!"

The two shortswords I reflexively summoned in response to the twitch of her blade's tip were a true manifestation of 'awe.' It made no sense. I didn't get it, but I understood even before our weapons had crossed.

I can't win. Not as I am now, at least.

A premonition? Or perhaps intuition? A conviction brought on by some ineffable feeling presented me with that 'conclusion.' The fact that my readied blades weren't trembling felt unnatural in itself—

"……………………So, as I thought."

And there, I finally realized it.

"You're not the one, either."

That emotion, plain on her seemingly expressionless face.

Those eyes, staring at me as I resigned myself to the impossible—brimming with 'resignation.'

"—…"

Ah, hold on a second.

I know that look all too well.

Since long ago… since I was a child, I've seen it so many times.

An image of 'someone' from a memory I had deliberately tried to let fade flashed through my mind.

"…Hey."

"…"

Perhaps she hadn't expected me to be the one to speak. The [Sword Queen] tilted her head slightly, her expression unchanging… and to that lone girl, I asked.

"…Are you lonely?"

For a brief—a truly brief moment, her eyes widened. But there was no reply.

"I see."

You can probably do anything you want.

"It's boring, isn't it?"

There's probably no one who can stand beside you.

"There's no challenge, is there?"

I get it, somehow.

And because, until a few years ago, I was someone who couldn't stand beside them, who spent my days near such a person—I know a thing or two more than others about how to make someone like that smile.

"…?"

Seeing me dismiss my twin shortswords… and perhaps taking into account my strange behavior leading up to it, the girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

What I showed her was a smile.

The awe, the conviction, the conclusion—none of it had changed. And yet, I'd had a bit of a change of heart. Let's just toss aside my responsibilities as a ranker for now.

I don't care anymore. Irori and the General Commander can just keep throwing their expectations at their junior all they want… so I'll be a little selfish myself.

My one and only grand objective in this world is to have as much fun as I possibly can.

'Fun' means different things to different people, but I believe that the 'with someone' type of fun has an essential condition for it to be the absolute best.

It's not just that you're having fun, but that the other person is too—and that you can both be so sure of it that you can go all out together without holding back.

…So, you see, it's no good. Not when you're making a face that looks so bored.

So I'm sorry, but… I don't care about winning or losing anymore.

It's time to go back to basics—I'll cast aside all the trivialities besides having fun right here and now.

I raised my empty hands and opened my view. Reflected in the girl's slightly bewildered eyes was the face of an ordinary man with ashen hair, his hood now removed.

Who cares if my face gets recognized? I can just use a disguise later.

I can't let a piece of cloth, however slight the obstruction, get in the way of the 'desperate fight' to come.

Any embarrassment from revealing my face so late, the crushing pressure, the awe that roots my feet to the ground—I'll paint over it all.

Who do you think I am? I'm the berserker part-timer who dedicated three years of his youth to study and labor, the top graduate of my high school and an accepted student at a top-tier university.

And in this virtual world, I'm not just the partner to an angel incarnate, but the [Acrobat] who was granted the Ninth Seat of the Eastern Faction, Istia.

And as for titles, I now have one that carries more weight than any other—

"…[Blink Switch]."

What I summon is the single blade bestowed upon me by my master.

"Now then… my apologies, 'Princess.' For making you wait, and for not quite understanding your situation—but frankly, that's none of my business."

Perhaps she's not the talkative type. Staring straight at Iris, who quietly continued to receive my words, I offered a single, selfish smile.

And to ensure it wasn't just a selfish smile,

"—I'll make you laugh."

Just for my own enjoyment—I'll make her say she had 'fun,' too.

"A belated introduction—I am Haru, the [Acrobat], Ninth Seat of Istia. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess… no, Iris."

I have no intention of treating you like a superior anymore. If you're all alone up on your heavenly throne, so bored you could die—then I'll fly up there right now with the greatest cheat of all.

In response to me drawing my jade blade with a loud ring, Iris also raised her 'sword.'

Her expression remained faint, and she still seemed to be watching me with a puzzled look as I continued to spout whatever I pleased…

Well then, shall I start things off with a little surprise? There's no better stage for a debut than this—so, let me offer one more introduction.

"—Matsukaze offshoot…"

Ahead of me, the girl's cheek twitched.

"—Kesshiki, Itto."

Seeing my stance, a mirror of my 'master's,' color finally, and clearly, entered her eyes.

My blade in my right hand, my scabbard in my left—but these legs of mine cannot harbor the ultimate technique of the [Sword Saint], 'Shukuchi.'

But this is a dream world, a virtual world. A world where the 'magic' to cross cliffs that cannot be crossed by the body alone exists as a matter of course.

I agree with Irori.

I have no interest in the system's intentions or the meaning behind the skills I'm given. Whether it's 'talent' or something else, if it's given to me, I'll grasp it all and move forward.

Then so be it with the 'magic' that dwells in this avatar, the magic to overturn the impossible.

Everyone, equally, no matter what anyone says… I'll wield it to my heart's content as 'my power.'

[Trickster of Zenith]—activate.

Appearing from the void are fine, slender blue threads. The incorporeal light composed of mana connects to—my body, treated as a 'marionette.'

Now then, the time limit is three hundred and thirty-three seconds. I can't waste a single one.

Therefore, with everything I have right now,

"—Let's go… Iris!"

I'll make you say—that this was so much fun you could die.