kscans

Chapter 389 - Dawn Breaks White, a Funeral Song for a New Beginning, Part Three

What the players understood almost simultaneously about the fourth phase of the White Throne battle came just a few seconds after the chaotic melee began.

The moment they realized that the horde, which reacted to approaching players but never stopped moving, was swarming toward the unmoving 'corpse,' the raid instantly transformed into a defensive battle.

If the crimson tide reached the dragon's remains, they would melt and merge with it… No one could say what would happen at the end of that 'ritual.'

But without exchanging a single word, they were all united in their prediction. Namely, that something absolutely, positively, without a doubt, terrible would happen.

What unfolded was a grand melee that bordered on pure chaos.

But no matter how inexhaustible the tsunami seemed, in terms of overall specs besides sheer numbers, the players overwhelmingly dominated at the water's edge.

The problem wasn't whether they could succeed in this tower defense. It was that no one knew how long this pandemonium would last.

And meanwhile—

"—Wait, wait, wait, hold on…!? This isn't funny! It's not funny, so wait, calm down, time-out, time-out!"

Distracted by this unexpected development, I lost control of my body and was currently on the verge of death in the middle of the crimson horde—a pitiful man, one and all—It's me, myself, and I!!!!!

Not content with just rattling in its sheath, my [Evaquartz] had started to pull my avatar, and it had been several minutes since it had gone out of control.

I deserved praise for surviving this long while barely able to move, but my concentration, breath, and spirit were all reaching their limits.

I tried to just let it go and do as it pleased, but for some reason, the damn thing wouldn't leave its sheath. Alright, alright, I get it… you want me to go over there, don't you!?

As if sensing my change of heart, my partner stopped its tantrum the moment I turned on my heel. Unable to suppress a wry smile, I activated [Rocket].

Shaking off the swarming Remnants of the Red Circle, I returned to the main force surrounding the 'corpse' that seemed to be the enemy's target… but this place, too, was a serious vision of hell.

They were managing, but they were far from comfortable. The battlefield, where blades, bludgeons, magic, and roars flew in response to the endless enemy assault, was, to put it mildly, a bloody festival.

"…! Haru, what happened!?"

"Sorry, some kind of weird malfunction…!"

I yelled a reply to my partner, who had landed right beside me, surprised at my appearance, as I tried to restrain my beloved sword, which had started acting up again, pointing insistently in one direction.

Battles against large groups were my partner's specialty.

Lining up alongside Hinayo-san and Lux, who were also skilled at mowing down hordes… no, not just lining up, Sora was a step above. The density of red around her was thinner.

I had a little leeway to mess around by myself… which meant I needed to make peace with this thing, and fast—

"—Haru."

Just then, a voice called out from behind me. It belonged to the 'Princess,' who should have been mowing down the tsunami with more force than anyone else.

"…! Iris, sorry, I've got a problem! I don't know why, but suddenly—"

"I saw you were moving strangely. What's wrong?"

She was probably checking to see if the gap she'd left had been properly filled. When I turned, she was looking into the distance, firing off questions.

"My Anima is going berserk for some reason. It's rattling, it's pulling, and it refuses to leave its sheath. I can't do anything with it…!"

"…Pulled where?"

Where… In other words, where the [Evaquartz] was trying to go. Even I had figured that much out.

My eyes turned to the center of the battlefield.

The great crimson hole opened by the 'red' tears.

I knew it—that's why if Iris hadn't come to me, I was planning on going to her for an opinion.

"Your 'Anima' is—"

"Yes, that thing is its origin."

In a normal game, an individual player would never be entrusted with such a 'key.'

But this world was Arcadia, the utopia woven by the one and only VR console, [Arcadia]—a god's playground that casually allows for the extraordinary.

With its overwhelming freedom and a world too vast to ever fully explore, it's a lawless otherworld, unbound even by the framework of a game, that presents everyone with the potential to become 'special in their own way.'

That's why my speculation led to this.

The possibility that my 'Anima' was pointing the way forward for this raid.

The place it was trying to take me was the gate to hell opened in the earth. So, beyond that 'gate'—there was probably something.

""—""

Our gazes met, and garnet eyes stared straight at me. Without a word, we both took in each other and the fate of the battlefield. In the end,

"—Let's go."

"—Let's go."

Following the conclusion we'd reached, we stood up.