kscans

Chapter 378 - The White Journey Unburdened, Part Two

The phase transition was happening several stages earlier than predicted from the last attempt's data.

They must have assumed the change was still a ways off. Before I knew it, a cry of reflexive panic escaped my lips, aimed at my partner who was still soaring through the sky at full power.

My desperate follow-up bore fruit, and I watched her narrowly escape another one of her reckless stunts—the moment I breathed a sigh of relief, my vision was filled by a great wall of 'white.'

Close enough to touch, if it reached out.

It was the avatar of the [White Throne] and me. Nothing else.

The only other players within what could be called close range were two… a light warrior with twin swords who looked anything but a tank, and a support caster clad in cloth robes. The girl had just barely grasped the situation when one of the ten 'whites' made its move.

And then,

"—[Schwert Kreis]!"

Casting aside tension, panic, fear, and everything else,

"[Turm Riesig]!"

Sora raised a 'sword' that could be mistaken for a colossal tower. It all happened in almost the same instant.

As if following the swing of her right hand, a giant sword of sand emerged from the void, point-first, and collided with the 'white' one's forearm. A tremendous shockwave, one that seemed to blow away sound itself, erupted and sent cracks spiderwebbing across the ground beneath them as if it were a joke.

"Ngh… urg, ughhh…!"

It's heavy. But not so heavy that a pushing contest is impossible.

If she'd been able to pour her full MID—undiminished by the cost of [Scareless]—into the magic sword, pushing it back on her own wouldn't have been out of the question.

Which meant that with the scales currently tipped in my (Haru's) favor, this was her limit. Taking it head-on, she could do no more than fight it to a standstill—but that was more than enough.

"…Please, I need… help!"

"""WE'RE ON IT!"""

The frontline warriors, who had rushed in during the brief moment the girl had bought them, all pushed at once against the massive sand sword that was locked with the 'white' one's tree-trunk-like forearm.

Instantly, the stalemate that had been tipping into disadvantage shattered with ease—

"[Drei Riesig]!"

Released from the immense pressure, the master of the magic sword wove a series of towers that slammed into the staggering 'white' one's side with a deafening roar.

A shockwave twice as powerful as the last collision surged through the air.

『————————』

A cry, which could only be taken as a scream of agony, echoed across the field.

"Seriously, that's insane…!"

"My goddess was right here all along…!"

"Looks like I've got a new favorite!"

Putting aside the buzz surrounding her position, she was a complete unknown with no track record to speak of.

Yet as they watched the girl wield her power in a public setting for the first time, they shouted whatever came to mind, utterly dumbfounded—but these were men who were celebrated in their own right.

"Get up there and form a wall, you idiots! We're defending our Sora-chan with our lives!"

"Hold for ten seconds! That's all it'll take for him to get here!"

"Don't you dare fall this early on! Stay alive, focus on defense!"

They were at the very edge of the battlefield, separated from the ranked players who served as the core fighting force.

The number of players who could act as vanguards could be counted on one hand, and their rear guard was skewed toward support casters—a force composition that embodied the 'worst-case scenario.' Yet, not a single one of them had lost their fighting spirit.

The warriors swapped places with the girl who had been called their 'linchpin,' raising their weapons without a hint of fear to challenge the 'white' one, despite their thin numbers.

The even fewer artillery mages layered their incantations, weaving a song to make their meager firepower count… while the support casters, in turn, layered their own chants into a round, forming a chain of countless healing spells to sustain the front line.

Even in the face of disadvantage, the smiles never left their faces.

And so, the saving arrow they all believed in—

"—Sorry, did you wait?"

"—Yes, I waited. You're late."

—arrived far sooner than anyone there, save for the one person complaining so sweetly, had expected.

Words were unnecessary. At this moment, in this place, even meeting each other's gaze was superfluous.

"[Vermeil Kreis]."

"Manifestation, Release."

They knew what the other wanted to do as if they were holding it in their own hands.

"[Turm Riesig]."

Only a single flame sword was born. The second magic sword swelled like a raging inferno gaining strength, feeding on the magic bestowed by its master and changing its 'color'—

"—Here I come, Haru!"

"Let's do this, Sora!"

A giant tower of flame, now blazing a brilliant blue instead of white, was unleashed in a straight line.

It wasn't slow, but it wasn't fast either. It was a speed that allowed the astonished players to react and dodge in time.

Therefore, the avatar of the 'white' one, now a mobile 'dragon,' certainly wouldn't be polite enough to take it head-on. As the frontline fighters who had been swarming it pulled back in preparation for the impact, it showed signs of evasion, just as expected—

"Invert—"

Faster than the encroaching heat could scorch him, a white shadow caught up to the flying azure flame and held out its left hand… no, it seized the flame in its grasp.

The armor on its pulsating left arm shone with a singular brilliance—and what manifested in its hand was the flame sword, transformed. It radiated a light so fierce it was difficult to look at directly, a single blade that could be mistaken for the sun.

"[Angalta (Soul-Stealing Sword)]."

An arc of white and blue streaked forth to pierce the 'white' one, and the number of foes was reduced from ten to nine.

Having delivered that single slash, he was wreathed in the fading remnants of the brilliant sword. The eyes of one person, carried by momentum into the air, and another finally met.

As if capturing a vision of the future he'd just imagined, his partner flashed a grin and a peace sign—

"—The next one! Hurry!"

"Yes, ma'am! Sorry, on my way!"

Sora barked a concise command, and Haru, responding instantly, scrambled to kick off the air and retreat. He was flustered… but the smile never left his face.

Because he had already seen the look on his partner's face, who was trying—and failing—to compose herself for the sake of time and place.

Of course, the only one who could correctly read the girl's inner thoughts from such a fleeting exchange was a certain 'someone'…

"…………Um, is something the matter…?"

"—Not at all! Your orders, please!"

"Huh?! Uh, um…"

""We await your command!""

"Wha… I, what—"

"""YOUR ORDERS!"""

"Eek… I, I don't know! Just hurry up and go support everyone else!"

"""""Understood! ALRIGHT, LET'S GO, YOU GUYS!"""""

Was it truly an unfortunate accident that his partner's reputation—who appeared to have the infamous [Acrobat] completely under her thumb—had been instantly twisted in a bizarre, albeit still positive, direction… or was it something else entirely?

"……………………"

Though her mind was reeling, she had urged her partner to 'hurry,' so…

"…………I don't really get it, but I'm sure it's Haru's fault."

For now, she pushed aside her confusion—and chasing after the boisterous group of men, the girl also kicked off the ground and sprinted forward.