kscans

Chapter 42 - A Castle on Sand, a Throne in Flux, Part Six

"[Bastide, Scion of Dust], huh..."

The HP bar that appeared had two layers. Compared to the five-layered monstrosity of its predecessor, it seemed to have been weakened considerably.

Its appearance, too... many parts of it looked like they were still in the process of growing, and its smooth, glossy skin looked rather soft, as if it had just molted.

But—what was this uneasy feeling?

A fearsome-looking boss serving as the opening act for a boss in an 'incomplete form' that appears in the latter half of the fight... I could think of a few examples.

For instance, it might be weaker than the opening act, just as it appears.

For instance, despite its appearance, it might have ridiculously high stats.

For instance—in exchange for its frail body, it might be blessed with some kind of cheat.

"—Ngh?!"

It was a complete reflex—no, not even a reflex, but some kind of premonition that made me instinctively leap back from my spot.

In the next instant, right where I had been standing—a storm.

"Whoa?!"

What suddenly erupted was a sandstorm—no, a sand tornado. A pillar of sand that could easily swallow a truck raged, scattering the deafening, grating sound of countless sand particles rubbing together.

My airborne body was buffeted by the sudden gust of wind. I readjusted my grip on Sora's avatar to protect her and hurriedly tried to control my posture for a landing—ah, crap, you've got to be kidding me...!

I looked up, and a dry laugh escaped my lips at the sight of a new kind of 'hell'. I've had my fill, really. What is this!?

It was, for lack of a better term, a swarm of tornadoes. Countless sand tornadoes of all sizes were racing around chaotically, a scene straight out of an imagined 'end of the world'.

What was so funny was that the one that had launched the first attack on me was one of the smaller ones. The larger ones were so big they could have easily swallowed not just the [Scion of Dust] that had likely caused this phenomenon, but even the thirty-meter-plus [Great Serpent of Dust].

If the great serpent was a physical disaster, the scion was—no, that doesn't matter. What the hell is a physical disaster? My brain is in chaos!!

"Dammit, I don't know the clear condition! What am I supposed to do to win? This is seriously final-boss-level content!!"

I shielded Sora from the curtain of violent sand whipped up by the tornadoes and cursed the game design, which had finally gone off the rails.

And crap, in the end, it's a full-damage zone again!?

The raging dust didn't seem to be just for show; if I looked closely, I could see our HP slowly chipping away.

The rate of decrease was more merciful than the life-or-death struggle I'd experienced against the great serpent solo. But it was still a time limit, steadily guiding us towards a game over.

"Sora-san, that was a real fine play... If I hadn't gotten that heal, I would've been out instantly."

I wasn't at full health, but I was still at about seventy percent. Sora's was below half, but since her VIT stat also affects her HP, her total pool should be larger than mine.

Judging by the rate of decrease, I had about five minutes—no, maybe four.

"Think...!"

This insane game design, where is it leading?

If I'm supposed to defeat that thing from this position—it would be difficult. I can't wield a weapon while holding Sora's avatar. Since she's unconscious, I can't have her hold on, and I have no intention of tossing her out into a desert filled with deadly, chaotic tornadoes.

So, in that case, it's a dead end. After clinging to life for as long as I can, I'll have no choice but to bow my head to Sora, as embarrassing as it would be after acting so cool.

I decided on one path I'd rather not take and searched for other possibilities—dammit, this is so annoying!!!

"What's wrong, god-tier game! You've suddenly become a total trash-tier game!!"

I screamed curses as I was forced into full-on evasive maneuvers by the tornadoes, which were not only numerous but also moved with such speed and randomness that I wanted to accuse the devs of a setting error. I couldn't even think straight.

The tornadoes were one thing, but this sandstorm was still the epitome of crap. I tried to look around for some kind of hint, but my vision was so bad that I couldn't even—Ngh!?

"Hngh—my back—?!"

As I was desperately running from the attacking tornadoes, something suddenly sent my feet flying without warning. I couldn't brake, and I went tumbling with Sora in my arms—a fierce sense of wrongness shot through my body as I slammed into the ground.

"What, it's hard...?!"

My head was spinning from a sensation clearly different from diving into sand. I frantically looked around for Sora's avatar, which I'd dropped—and then I noticed.

"Huh...?"

Something that should have been there was gone. No, to be precise, it had decreased.

It was something that had tormented me, toyed with me, and at the same time, supported me throughout my time in the [Great Flowing Sand Cavern]—the sand.

The sand that had always been underfoot was now gone, revealing the skin of the sandstone floor, the same color as the cavern ceiling.

I see, so I wasn't sent flying. Compared to the sand that had sunk slightly when I stepped on it, the feel of the hard rock surface had just made it seem that way.

"What is—"

...happening? I pulled Sora, who was right beside me, close and forced my confused brain to work, trying to figure out the situation.

Now that I'd noticed, the change was so drastic I wondered how I hadn't seen it sooner. Not all of it, but most of the sea of sand that had been enough to call the inside of the [Great Flowing Sand Cavern] a desert had vanished.

Where had it all gone—no, I see.

The dense sandstorm that was currently blocking my vision. And the raging sand tornadoes that were still running wild. The field had changed, with the sand being used up as a resource for these things—

"—Ngh!"

A possibility crossed my mind.

In games, large-scale terrain changes are rare. And when they're not natural but man-made, they almost certainly carry some kind of 'intent'.

For example, to signal the appearance of some kind of 'path'.

In that case, it must be there. In this crappy, low-visibility environment—no, because of the low visibility, this being a game, the game has a duty to convey 'it' to the player in some way.

There has to be a hint.

There has to be a landmark.

Something that indicates 'it', in a way that the player can see no matter where they are on the battlefield—

"—————————,"

I stood up, holding my partner's avatar, and ignored the tornadoes grazing past me as I focused my eyes on the field, completely absorbed.

A sensation I sometimes experience during high-speed maneuvers came over me. My consciousness seemed to slip out from my back, as if I were viewing the world from a third-person perspective, my perception spreading out like threads into the space around me.

In my current situation, there were only three things to see. The sandstorm, the tornadoes—and the [Scion of Dust], standing tall against the cavern ceiling, faintly glowing.

Among these, there was only one thing with a clear, distinct movement. And that was—

"........................ha."

The moment my eyes caught it, a dry laugh escaped my lips.

At its unnaturalness, at how hard it was to spot—at the sheer malice of the designer, I couldn't suppress a nasty smile.

I dodged a tornado coming straight at me. I leaped far to the side to avoid it—and then, I didn't stop.

"You think you can just jerk me around like this? Bring it on! I'll clear this if it kills me!!"