kscans

Chapter 553 - A Hero's Tale for You, A Hero's Tale for Another, Part IX

"…Tch."

Having successfully executed a grand display of her苦手な magic, her guard, which had momentarily loosened, tightened once more as she controlled her descent.

She landed gracefully after the [Rep-la Nobody, The Black Stain That Slays All] she had struck down—and at the same time,

"Whoa, there…!"

A somewhat flustered voice tickled her ear from right beside her.

Turning to see what it was… he was truly right beside her, close enough to touch. A boy stood frozen, his hands half-extended, a hasty, forced smile on his face.

"—, —"

Because she was doing what she wanted, how she wanted, without fear of exhaustion, her mind, which had become a little weary, quickly assessed the situation—

"…Nn."

"No, that's pushing it a bit."

She deliberately stumbled, falling into the arms of the boy who had likely been trying to catch her. She gallantly pretended not to hear the words that immediately flew her way.

Time and place should be set aside. It was rare for him to reach out to her, so it would be a waste not to take advantage, even if by force.

—Whether he was correctly reading her inner thoughts or not…

"W-well, anyway, that was brilliant. Three left…!"

Halu, while reservedly but surely supporting Alicia's body, fixed his gaze on the 'enemy', probably half out of seriousness and half out of embarrassment.

To confess, various emotions unsuited for the occasion were swirling within her—

"You're right—it's about time, isn't it?"

"Ah… Yeah, I guess now's the time to switch…"

Let's put it all aside for later.

This dreamlike moment she had been waiting for. The time to expose the full extent of her endlessly swelling feelings would surely be available in abundance after everything was over.

So for now, just a little longer.

So that this blissful time, which she would never forget for the rest of her life, would shine even brighter.

"Can you give me fifty seconds?"

"Leave it to me. No matter what—"

Beyond the billowing dust, the pressure from the 'shadow', which had three lives remaining and had accumulated wounds, anger, and murderous intent, was explosively intensifying.

"I won't let them lay a single finger on you."

Summoning her 'sword', she took a step forward without hesitation.

From behind her came the words, "That's not a line for a 'princess', you know," and a smile spread across both their faces simultaneously—cherishing from the bottom of her heart the good fortune of being able to walk toward the destination her buoyant spirit desired, filled with nothing but anticipation and elation.

"[Anciel Iris]—[Celestial Clearbellfa, Sword of Protection]."

Transforming her ever-changing armored dress into a second 'sword', the [Sword Queen] advanced, the hem of her pure white dress, devoid of all adornment and color, swaying.

In her right hand, the God-given sword created by the world; in her left, the sword of her other half, a part of her soul. A stance of 'absolute defense' with blades aligned, a form she had used only a handful of times.

A form not for herself, but solely to protect another.

—

A sound, not even a voice, echoed.

A giant beast's arm appeared, tearing through the dust at the point of impact.

The 'shadow's' full body crawled out—its only common feature with its previous form was its nine tails, now cracked, with only three remaining. The monster, which had finally cast off its human form completely, had truly become a demonic fox, glaring down at the small human.

Its ragged breathing reached her skin.

Its ominous killing intent brushed against her consciousness.

Alicia White was by no means a fearless 'Queen'.

The reason her expressions were less varied than others, the reason her words were fewer,

—was all because her exceptionally quick mind brought her 'answers' too swiftly. For any event, the processing of her emotions was completed 'internally' before they could manifest.

So, yes. What was scary was scary.

Even if it was a game, even if it was play, in Arcadia, which thrusts upon her an overwhelming sense of reality that defies fact and reason, she always found herself cowering before monsters.

So, yes.

Iris was no 'Queen', nor was she by any means a 'Hero'.

But—

"…Hey, Haru."

In her whispered words, this time there was no trace of fear.

"—This is fun, isn't it?"

With a single emotion that erased all fear, terror, and awe.

Upon her head rested a glass crown. The name of that crown, which she once despised more than anything—

"[Braver, Lone Hero]."

—the girl who rewrote it in her heart as the hero for one,

—!

"Tch…—"

—met the giant flash of magic fired from the great shadow beast's maw head-on with her twin swords.

◇◆◇◆◇

The [Sword Queen], in a form I'd never seen before, met the ridiculous, vision-filling flash of purplish-black light head-on with her two swords and slashed it apart.

This was the umpteenth time since the battle began. I'd been shown one unparalleled act of heroism after another, and my emotions were about to reach their breaking point.

However, this was no time to be captivated. Therefore—

"[Trance]."

With a trust that now knew no bounds, I closed my eyes without hesitation.

A simultaneous transformation of my avatar's stats, equipment, and skill set.

The words I began to weave, with full confidence, were of course—

"—'I am he who soars through the sky.'"

—the greatest and most wicked trump card I could play.

"'A single falling star connects all, clad in green and swaying with the hurricane.'"

The 'star' song, activated in place of the primary 'water' song. The chant for this peculiar attribute, which allowed neither movement nor haste, required a non-negotiable fifty seconds flat.

"'A fleeting tune plays and circles, the impatient steps become a flash.'"

There was no doubt that using this one-on-one against any opponent was impossible. It was an overwhelming inflexibility that couldn't even be activated without someone protecting me.

"'Clad in white, bursting with blue, the thunderclap first beholds the forming of crimson clouds.'"

To be honest, it was hardly a magic suited to my style of always being the first to charge in, whether solo or in a party. If I didn't have two sets of stats, I would have been hesitant to even set it in place of the [Water Magic Aptitude] I was finally getting the hang of.

"'The time of encounter has come, I announce to the heavens my sin of treading upon hallowed ground.'"

But, if I were to pursue the single point of enjoying myself with all my might.

"—'I am he who seizes the sky.'"

There was no way I wouldn't use this ridiculously stupid magic.

"'This body is the end, and the first arrow of creation.'"

The 'sounds' reaching my ears grew more intense.

"'Banish the veil.'"

The breathing I heard nearby was clearly losing its composure.

"'Transcend the canopy.'"

The sound of something shattering echoed.

"'The unseen destiny lies far in the future, and that is why'—…!"

And still, I did not lift my eyelids until the very end—

"—'The Swift Heavenly Storm Resides in the Soul Yearning for the Beyond'!"

—trusting my world-strongest comrade-in-arms, I finished chanting the long, long 'song'.

And then,

—, ——

'Well now, demonic fox, your mischief ends here.'

The roar of the unleashed 'wind' and 'thunder'. The breath of a beast that had transcended the human form, and the voice of a man (me) that had transcended humanity.

A single step, a veritable lightning-strike of a step, that left a trail of pale blue, shimmering 'hair-lightning'. My casually raised left hand was the process; the massive body of the 'shadow' sent flying high was the result.

Star-Attribute Magic, [Lightning Gale]—the authority it inscribed upon the world was the magicalization of the body.

In other words, from this point on, this body was the very embodiment of an 'attack spell woven from an excessive MID of over 1000', and every single action became a lethal manifestation equivalent to a grand magic spell.

Furthermore, it came with two ridiculously broken enhancement effects: the 'Blessing of Azure Thunder', which 'doubled all physical movement speed', and the 'Blessing of Jade Wind', which 'nullified all bad statuses', plus the massive bonus of physical damage immunity, befitting a magical body.

The duration was thirty seconds flat. But, thanks to the 'Blessing of Azure Thunder', my agility went beyond excessive and became truly uncontrollable. Riding it out with my bare senses was impossible, therefore…

[Eyes Oculus] activated, both eyes open & maximum acceleration multiplier of ten (full throttle).

I could barely move properly for only a short time, until the thought acceleration skill devoured my MP. My alternate form, with an equipment-boosted MID of 1450, would run out of gas in just under seven seconds—

That was, by all means, more than enough time for a hero.

And, one more thing.

'Awaken.'

On the chest of my storm-like avatar, I grabbed the swaying pendant and called upon its 'memory'.

Zero-Type Mana Evocation Manifestation Armament [αtiomart -Sakura=Memento-] activated—materializing in my right hand was the blade of a sacred cherry blossom, scattering magical light like petals.

Now, let's go.

I no longer needed any other skills, including [Rocket]. I simply took one step, then another, carefully advancing—and from the activation of the magic, it had been one second.

After completely annihilating the magic circles, which had already been silenced by the previous thunderbolts, by having the Sakura Sword devour them, I stood next to Alicia, who had been frozen in place.

The flow of time was fundamentally different now. Even she couldn't keep up with my movements… no, the fact that her wide-eyed surprise still managed to catch me was impressive in itself, but—

'…Good job, Alicia.'

Her left sword was shattered from the midpoint, and her soul-bound equipment (dress), whose form I couldn't quite discern, was in tatters. Damage effects still scattered from her body, and her HP was dyed red in a clear state of near-death.

But, just as she declared, she didn't let a single finger, not even a remnant of a magic cannon, pass behind her, and she had even managed to survive. In my heart, I sent her my unreserved praise.

It's not like she'd be able to hear me if I said it out loud now anyway. I wanted to pat her on the shoulder in thanks, but touching her in this form would mean a grand magic direct hit (friendly fire), so unfortunately, I'd have to wait.

So, at the very least—

'Thanks, take a rest.'

—I etched a heartfelt smile into her wide-open garnet eyes.

'Just for five seconds, okay?'

The next moment I kicked off the ground again, my body, now lightning itself, fell upon its prey.

My mind, spinning at explosive speed due to extreme concentration, multiplied by the acceleration skill. Even with a thinking speed that was likely more than ten times normal, it was a bucking bronco that was just barely on the edge of my control.

There was no ease, no room for error.

However, I will make a grand proclamation with the endorsement of the renowned [Sword Saint]. For a mere seven seconds, the [Acrobat (me)] who has brought this deviant 'magic' into being is—

'—Game set. Prepare yourself.'

—a peerless, invincible monster of the virtual world, whom no one can ever hope to catch.