kscans

Chapter 376 - The White Lingering Dream, Swaying in Slumber - Part 5

My vision cleared, and a flood of information rushed in.

In a world thrown into chaos, I instantly grasped my position, and my body moved faster than anyone else's—no, at the same time as someone who was already soaring into the sky.

There was no need to hold back. Unlike in PvP, this was a hopelessly disadvantageous test of strength against an overwhelming individual, where no amount of force could be considered excessive.

Lift, and bring down.

With a slow, almost languid motion, a small shadow rushed like the wind to the landing point of the descending foreleg and swung the 'sword' in its hand with all its might.

"—Tch…"

Stalemate was allowed for only a moment. Unlike the unmotivated tail sweep, interrupting a movement that carried an absurd amount of weight was, as expected, a tough sell.

Even with the [Sword Queen], the best she could do was slightly deflect it.

"Get back."

"Thanks…!!"

However, the objective (support) was successfully accomplished. A support mage, who had been summoned to extreme close range and would have been unable to escape no matter how hard they struggled, quickly retreated.

Just a little more… now.

"`Fort Rouge`."

As I whispered a keyword to reinforce the image, my 'Anima' changed its form in response to its master's request. The dress-like attire, befitting its name, shifted—from a serene white to a brilliant red.

[Anciel Illsee (Phantom Goddess)]—also known as the 'Rainbow Garment.' While not the absolute best, it is one of the few Sixth Tier Anima that exist in the virtual world.

A versatile armor ranked second in the armor category of the 'Unofficial Anima Ranking,' for which the graders are unknown.

Its hidden ability is,

"—…!!"

The free and unrestricted transition of stats.

The offensive red. The defensive performance of both avatar and armor is stripped to the limit, and the poured-in power doubles the might transmitted to the 'sword,' sublimating a single swing that could at best strike the monster into a small blade.

Again, there's no need to hold back. The moment the retreating player was out of the range of the aftershock, Iris unleashed a slash with all her might.

There's no need for the blade to reach.

The divine sword, swung from bottom to top as if looking up at the heavens—brings with it a blade along the extension of its trajectory.

'————————————————'

The slash that ran through the air struck the 'White Throne's' lower jaw, and a roar echoed from its wavering body. As always, it was a sluggish reaction that made it impossible to tell if it was effective or not.

I was keenly reminded of how grateful I should be for the system of visualizing life force (HP gauges) in games.

Unlike analog games where you just need to look at the screen, VR games, where you yourself enter, have a桁違い of information flowing in. The battles in Arcadia, which must be fought while processing all of that, are taxing not just on the body, but on the mind as well.

Simply put, it's tiring. And not being able to see the end of that fatigue is, while it varies from person to person, usually a great source of stress for humans.

You can't see the opponent's health, and you're required to challenge it for the first time to avoid it learning. All in all, it's a difficulty level that's laughable, for better or for worse.

…I'm sure I would have been fed up.

If I had remained withdrawn in my shell, like before—sullen and pathetic, pretending to be alone as I challenged it.

"`Armo Blanche`."

The transition is from red to white.

A well-balanced, slightly agility-focused stat adjustment—I regained my mobility and kicked off the ground. The next moment, a barrage of cannon fire, based on trust, came from behind without any warning, and one after another, they struck the faltering white giant.

And the next wave was human figures. Blowing away the remnants of the layered magic and dust, the warriors representing the East and South overtook Iris.

Following them were the frontline fighters.

As I braked and came to a stop, the songs of the mages weaving their next volley came from behind.

—And when I looked up,

"…………"

There he was, soaring through the sky with countless sand swords, looking like he was having fun.

"…Hey, Goldow."

That day, I think he said something like this.

When you get old, you get sentimental—he said.

I'm still not old enough to say I'm getting old, but.

"…I think I might have become a bit of a crybaby too."

Because from my heart, which has become lighter thanks to someone… for some reason.

If I let my guard down, all sorts of things start to overflow and I can't stop them.

When I think about when I was alone, it's like a lie—because I can smile and think, this is fun.

Two, three times, the small one's numbers don't change, the cycle is repeated calmly and steadily.

Even without an end in sight, the steps are surely being taken—and in the back of an eye that reflects nothing, someone's pupils light up.

By a strange coincidence—like the one who changed their attire from white to red.

By a strange coincidence—like the one who wears white, commands red, and soars through the sky.

At the bottom of the source 'White,' a writhing 'Red' flickered.

---

[Anciel Illsee (Phantom Goddess)] Anima: Battle Garment
Iris's full-body attire and one of the few Sixth Tier Anima in the virtual world. It can freely change the wearer's stats, ignoring the once-a-month restriction, and can also arbitrarily customize all its numerical values, such as the equipment's own correction values and resistances. It is speculated that its name is derived from the French word for rainbow, 'arc-en-ciel,' and is thus called the 'Rainbow Garment,' but there is no such restriction as seven types; the variations are infinite. However, even the Sword Queen can't perform instant memory transcription like someone else, so if there are too many options, switching becomes confusing. Therefore, the 'colors' she generally uses are about five. The versatile 'White' is a one-size-fits-all powerhouse unless the situation is extreme, and the specialized other colors tend to be overkill, so she rarely changes colors in PvP (she actually tried to switch to a specialized anti-physical defense build to counter `Yuikaze` in the final scene of the Four Pillar War, but didn't make it in time). Incidentally, not only its numerical specs but also its appearance can be freely customized. Its current attire is a simple design dress armor with little metal armor, but it can also be used mischievously, such as having the performance of a physically specialized heavy armor with the appearance of a thin one-piece dress.

Looking only at the catalog specs of its positive aspects, it's broken. However, it also has a huge demerit. Specifically, if she combines it with other equipment, the Anima gets sulky, so Iris can only wear a few accessories that don't interfere with [Anciel Illsee (Phantom Goddess)]. So what, it's still broken.

Note: The basic design of the dress is Presented by family.