kscans

Chapter 382 - The White Journey Unburdened, Part Six

In a corner of the battlefield, separated by the spatial isolation of the [White Throne] annihilation battle's third stage—two shadows fought against a monster with bursting flames and a single blade.

In the field carved out by the pure white cliffs, only three things were moving.

"—…Ngh!"

"Dammit… focus, Hinayo! If we go down too, this won't even be a funny story!"

Namely, the 'white' one's avatar, and the two champions, [Peerless] and [Heat Gaze], who faced it. In this place where nine others had been scattered in the blink of an eye, they were all that remained.

With her back to the white wall, taking as much distance from the 'white' one as possible, Hinayo—the current eighth seat of the Eastern Faction (Istia)—had a pale complexion as her wide eyes shot down every 'red' projectile in her vision.

Her concentration wavered, causing her to miss a few shots… and she earned a sharp rebuke from Irori, who was holding the front line alone.

It was impossible to tell her not to blame herself.

Of the eleven people trapped with this avatar, all ten besides her were frontline players. For that reason, they had prioritized protecting Hinayo, their only 'cannon'—and in the end, they had fought valiantly, their numbers dwindling one by one.

What was terrifying was the power of the 'white' one… which had mixed with 'red' and become a 'vermilion' abomination.

Irori, who could fudge things to some extent with the power of his Anima, was somehow holding on, but those red tentacles had pierced right through the shields of even the most dedicated warriors.

They were fragile masses of power, easily cut by a swinging blade. But if you were caught by their points even once, they were countless lances specialized in destruction that could easily pierce through you.

It was, in effect, a mirror image of Hinayo's own style, which was to unilaterally burn everything to the ground… and for that very reason, the fact that she had been overpowered and unable to protect her allies was unbearably frustrating.

Thanks to the efforts of her junior, who was showing incredible resilience despite being unable to use his trump card, they were managing to fight back, albeit little by little.

However, the combination was just too poor. And this was before even considering the compatibility of 'that vermilion thing' and themselves; it was a more fundamental problem.

Simply put—Hinayo and Irori's compatibility was just too awful.

Fire and ice. Their respective attributes, which canceled each other out, did not allow them to stand side-by-side.

With no other options, Hinayo had no choice but to wield her flames… which inevitably meant that Irori was in a state where his trump card was sealed during its cooldown, and he was under further restrictions.

And due to the heat that was unavoidably spreading across the area, he was already beginning to have difficulty even maintaining his [Bushin] barrier that protected him.

If they had someone to bridge the gap, or if both of them had been in perfect condition, it might have been a different story… but as things stood, proper coordination in a one-on-one situation was impossible.

They each shot down the barrages that came at them, and when they found an opening, they each attacked the main body. It was, all in all, an incredibly inefficient state of affairs.

Without the support of a healer, a prolonged battle was hopeless.

"…This is the limit, I suppose."

Hinayo murmured, a drop of sweat trickling down her cheek as she continued to shoot down the approaching 'red' projectiles in her vision.

'If we go down too, this won't even be a funny story.'—He was right.

However, they were completely checkmated. A 'long-range cannon that exceeds my own rate of fire' was, to begin with, Hinayo's weakest area, even more so than a close-quarters fighter.

Like, for example, the 'Wings' who had overtaken her—she didn't have a card that could forcefully break through such an opponent head-on.

"…………"

Unfortunately, she only possessed one such card.

"Irori-kun!"

"Ngh, what—"

In a brief opening, the young man turned for just an instant, and his gaze met Hinayo's. No matter how poor their combat style compatibility was… they had been comrades on the battlefield for a year and a half.

Connecting their thoughts was a simple matter.

"Da, mmit…!"

Swearing in a way that was unlike him, Irori immediately turned on his heel.

Activating [Extended Step], he further ignited his unbalanced strength stat and dodged through the rain of tentacles pouring down on him—

He even slipped past the 'vermilion' giant's body, and in an instant, he was outside its perception.

Without hesitation or even a word in response, he had swallowed everything with a single curse and acted on it. Having watched him make that swift judgment, as always…

"[These Eyes Desire Ashes]."

Above the head of the lady clad in a dress and explosive flames, a crown of the Fire King manifested, as if forged from compressed fire itself, radiating a dazzling light.

The twin guns that had been in her hands had vanished, and in their place, a small flame now resided on her left index finger. She pointed it, like a hand-gun, at the 'enemy' that was to be annihilated.

"Your 'red,' and my 'flame'… shall we decide which is hotter?"

In that moment, in place of the vanished [Peerless]—all of the 'vermilion' one's hostility was directed towards the red flame shining in the distance.

『——————————』

"[Ars]…————!"

And then, a beat later.

Of the two facing each other, only one unleashed a 'bullet.'

The countless 'red' projectiles fired in pursuit of the small body opposite it were all cut to shreds and melted into the void.

Hinayo, wearing the crown and with a flame still lit on her fingertip, stared in stunned silence—

"————Hah… ngh, haah… That, um, you see…!"

She looked on in astonishment at the back of her junior, who had his hands on his knees, holding two crimson blades, his undone hair swaying as his shoulders heaved dramatically.

"Whew… I messed up last time and didn't look cool at all, so let's call this take two. —How about some reinforcements, Hinayo-san?"

His profile, stained with an exhaustion that suggested he had been through quite an ordeal to get here.

"………………—Yes, you're more than welcome, Haru-kun."

Blowing out the desperate 'flame' on her fingertip, [Heat Gaze] took up the twin guns that formed from the scattering phosphorescence—and with a smile that was truly her own, she sang out happily.

Seeing his smile as he turned around, she found herself completely convinced.

"This time, shall we dance together?"

Ah, yes—it was no wonder the Princess wouldn't leave him alone.