kscans

Chapter 375 - The White Lingering Dream, Swaying in Slumber - Part 4

The biggest problem in this White Throne subjugation battle is the immense burden on us, who are dealing with countless turrets with just a few people, constantly at full power.

It's not about the effort, but simply that our MP (resources) won't last.

Of course, everyone in the squad brought mana recovery potions, but Arcadia's potions, considering their meager effects, are nothing more than insurance.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, our mana wouldn't keep up. Sora, who is operating `Scareless` while going all out with magic sword generation and control, is a given, but I'm also rapidly depleting my MP gauge by keeping `Fatal Leak` constantly active.

Lux, for her part, seems to have abandoned trying to control the magic swords freely like Sora and is using a fire-and-forget style. Because of this, the loss from firing and dispelling means her MP will also run out soon.

And that's where our junior (senpai), the boy clad in black, comes in.

Tetra's Terror Armament, [Per=Fe Grim, True Theory: Shadow Cloth Looking Up to Black Wings], has the ability of Dominion of Darkness.

It's so cool it makes you tremble, which is great, but what kind of performance does it have? That's a question that can't be avoided—but it's impossible to give an answer to that.

Because among the five currently confirmed Terror Armaments, including my [An=Ru Galta (Hypothesis: Wedge-Armor Singing of the King's Road)], that black robe is the only one whose information has not been made public at all.

According to its wielder—

"It's kind of a mess of sophistry and broad interpretations."

"Oh?"

"Because of that, I'm honestly just tilting my head while using it."

"I see…?"

"That's why I haven't made it public. It would mean spreading uncertain information, and if my own interpretation gets muddled, it might interfere with my ability to use its powers."

"………………I, I see."

"Haru, that was a textbook monotone response."

—And so on.

The detailed information about that black robe is completely unknown. Bits and pieces of its abilities, like generating a mysterious dark field or draining luck stats, have been confirmed, but the origin of these phenomena and their precise effects have not been revealed, making it a mysterious armament.

Well, it's cool and mysterious, I think. It fits his character, and since there's PvP, it's only natural to keep your personal build information secret.

If he can accomplish something no one else can, like he's doing now—then no one can complain.

"—…Alright, that'll last for a hundred seconds, at least!"

After slicing the last turret in two, my role for the first cycle is successfully completed. Clear time was just under ninety seconds, a decent score with some room to spare.

I'll need to be careful about performance degradation due to fatigue and loss of concentration, but judging by the excitement below, a phase transition will likely occur soon.

When that happens, the anti-air ace will be temporarily off duty. In other words, as long as I get 'resupplied,' there's no problem at all.

With the continuous cost of `Fatal Leak` and the small cost of `Aqua` required each time I use `Rocket`, I can manage one cycle with about 80% of my max MP.

And as for that resupply, a super-express delivery has already been dispatched.

—The power of [Per=Fe Grim, True Theory: Shadow Cloth Looking Up to Black Wings] is Dominion of Darkness. Though he prefaced it with a 'details are NG,' Tetra said his image of 'the power of darkness' is to 'swallow.'

For example, the remnants of magical power overflowing in space from over a hundred players firing off skills and magic.

For example, the vast battlefield itself, by spreading his shadows.

For example—us party members, using the magic swords of [Cradle of Sword-Craft (Cradle)], an antenna connected by Sora's invisible mana path, as a medium.

His 'darkness' swallows all equally, and shares it.

In short, Tetra's most important mission in this White Throne subjugation battle is,

"Ha—…busted."

To connect and share an inexhaustible source of mana with me, Sora, and Lux, the members who are pouring out resources while ignoring the rate of consumption.

A buff icon lit up below my status bar, and a night-sky-like darkness overflowed from the antenna I held in my right hand. It traveled along the sand sword, and Tetra's shadow hand seeped into my avatar—my nearly depleted MP gauge was instantly fully charged.

Not just mine, but the gauges of all the members in my view.

Though there are apparently many limitations, for an individual to possess a means of instantly fully recovering the MP of multiple people is beyond abnormal. With the existence of just one person, the words 'war of attrition' are half-erased from our side's vocabulary—an lawless power.

Unlike HP, for which there is the option of healing magic, there are currently almost no means of recovering MP in Arcadia, aside from potions.

It's exceptionally rare—the usefulness of that ability alone is enough to convince the public that it's no wonder he was added to the rankers.

The gentle tone of the alarm. A tune that announces the second forced teleport after the start of the battle.

As expected, I can't hope for a safe landing if I get hit by that while flying or falling. So, to avoid crashing to my death, I returned to the ground by following the path laid out by my Bullets.

Instantly, a flood of praise and other comments washed over me from my surroundings, to which I responded with a noncommittal "No, no, not at all"… I looked up, and before my eyes was the unchanging majesty of the 'White.'

…Well, 'unchanging' might not be right.

"Your skin seems a little sooty… Now, how many more times will it be?"

Two times, three times, or even more?

Our morale and fuel (MP) are literally infinite. As for my stamina (HP), it's at my standard 100%, which means I'm operating in my stable 10% fixed `Crown Crown` style…

—This is just starting to get fun. I'll play with you as long as you want, you monster.

"The second round is coming!!"

A warning, a form of insurance, rises from somewhere. And the second teleport (gimmick) since the start of the battle, the third since our encounter, activates… The 'White Throne,' which has yet to show any significant movement, continues to mess with the small ones.

The battle is proceeding smoothly. But its progress is not visible.

For all we know, we might not have even reached one percent yet—the large-scale raid battle with no end in sight has only just begun.