kscans

Chapter 479 - The White Star Wears Red, The Blue Star Wears Black, Part Five

Ignoring the great tiger that was now warily glaring at me, I shifted my focus from a single boss to wide-area annihilation, my jade blade held in my one good left hand.

After spamming [Rocket] earlier, my HP was down to thirty percent, dangerously close to the red zone. But pushing it down to the activation threshold for my special title felt a bit too risky. If I messed up and died now, it would be more than just embarrassing—I'd go from an Acrobat to a clown.

And so—

"[Water Enchant]."

I'll play it safe and blast through.

I twirled my [Samidorizuki], now clad in glowing blue mana, and switched to a reverse grip as I burst into a sprint. I don't know much about the proper or improper ways to wield a katana, but even to my amateur eyes, this was definitely not a well-mannered style.

But hey, my master's sword style has reverse grip techniques too, so no problem. At the end of the day, as long as it cuts clean, it's all good!

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Title：Acrobat
Name：Haru
Lv：100
STR(Strength)：100
AGI(Agility)：200(+475)
DEX(Dexterity)：0(+475)
VIT(Vitality)：0(+150)
MID(Spirit)：550(+400)
LUC(Luck)：300
――――――――――――――――――

The stat boosts from Desperate Crimson aren't fixed on activation; they update in real-time. An AGI over 900 in my buffed transformation body is impossible to handle without thought acceleration, but I can just barely manage the 600-something of my base form.

While being extremely careful, I relied fully on the habits and muscle memory ingrained in my avatar—an endless series of steps and slashes, legs and arms in constant motion.

As I raced across the battlefield, connecting the clumps of enemies like dots, my sword, its blade's edge extended, scattered countless stars in sync with my charge.

"Gh... Seriously, you never cease to surprise!"

"Whooo!"

"Go get 'em, boss!"

"—Alright, alright, follow me, everyone!"

Everywhere I went, I was showered with gasps of surprise, cheers, and praise. I returned their high-energy support with my own as I chased down the stars, focused solely on my task.

Surprisingly enough, I haven't seen any new faces on the ground yet. As far as I can see, the enemies are limited to the familiar cast from the previous raids: Monkeys, Wolves, Boars, Rabbits, Snakes, Sheep, and Tigers.

As for the only new type, the Roosters, I wiped them out before they could do anything, so rest in peace. The remaining Rat, Ox, and Horse are still nowhere to be seen.

The commander should already be involved in this battle, though... Hup!

"Whoa there...!"

In the nick of time. During a stalemate with a giant snake, a party member was targeted from behind by a boar. Just as he was about to be sandwiched by their massive bodies, I zipped in, hooked an arm around his torso, and pulled him to safety.

It was a bit rough due to the emergency, but I hope he'll forgive me since the only damage was a hug with the ground. Hmm, we're surrounded on all sides.

"Stay down."

I tossed a warning to the warrior I'd knocked over—keep your head down—then lowered my stance, twisted my body, and perfectly poised my mana-infused [Samidorizuki].

Kesshiki Itto—

Or rather, My-Own-Style-Something... It doesn't have a name yet.

"Hmph... —!"

A charge, followed by a spin. Activating [Matoi] from a stationary position, my avatar whirled with a speed that surpassed my stat limits. The incredible velocity of the swing caused the water-aspected mana blade to extend its edge forward.

Centrifugal force, extension, and a circular flash.

It's still more of a brute force move than a proper technique... but its power is first-rate.

"Wha...?"

The scattered blue light, including the two giant beasts, shredded every single Stardust Beast that had been closing in on the vulnerable player, leaving none behind.

To the voice from below that was hard to decipher as amazed or bewildered, I replied,

"Alright, get up, stand up. We're just getting started, you know."

I gave him a thumbs-up with the left hand holding my jade blade and left some half-hearted encouragement before heading toward my next target.

◇◆◇◆◇

On the roof of a building at the very center of the circular battlefield—a relatively safe zone.

The artisans, their sense of crisis all but erased primarily by the antics of one particular ranker, were watching the hero show as if they were completely used to it.

"Hey, did you see that? He used another new move."

"That one really felt like something an acrobat would do..."

"[Water Enchant] isn't supposed to work like that, is it? That range extension bonus... I thought the limit was about thirty centimeters, even with a full-power swing."

"That was probably just the limit for all the water-aspected swordsmen who've come before."

"Ah... yeah, you're right. I guess we shouldn't try to fit a ranker into a box, huh?"

"—H-Hey, umm... help... me...!"

"Still, he has way too many techniques. He's showing them all off so freely, but even if you know what's coming, it's impossible to deal with, isn't it?"

"It's great against monsters, of course... but in PvP, he's gotta be one of the most vicious. He has too many cards up his sleeve, and they perfectly cover up what should be his weaknesses."

"Looks like the next Four Pillar War is going to be a storm, too. I'll have to do my best to hype up the program again."

"—Hey, will you listen! S-Somebody, help me...!"

A few meters away from the two artisans engrossed in their battlefield analysis, a third, trapped within a "dragon's cage" of a long, coiled tail and massive wings, sent out a cry for help from both inside and outside the loop.

The two who were called for help looked at each other, then at the captive blue figure, and finally exchanged one last glance before—

"...It probably won't hurt you."

"That's just its way of showing love, Nia-chan. Heheheh."

—they replied with appropriately detached and careless words, callously abandoning their friend's plea to turn back to the show. And as for the one who had been abandoned—

"You... you cold-hearted traitors—Hyaaaah?!"

The tip of the dragon's beak, sent by her partner to protect her, plucked at her hair, and she let out the only genuine scream of terror on the entire battlefield.