kscans

Chapter 60 - The God-Wedge Sword-King that Enshrines the Gods, The Scales of the Chant that Celebrate the World, Part Five

A virtual body knows no fatigue, but there is a status ailment in the form of "breathlessness."

Separate from that, there is a phenomenon unique to virtual reality called Phantom Fatigue, where extreme mental exhaustion creates a discrepancy with the tireless avatar, causing the illusion of physical tiredness.

Even without the breathlessness debuff, one's breathing becomes ragged. The brain then registers an error from this respiratory failure, which is nothing more than a virtual sensation, and the avatar's movements become sluggish despite no actual abnormalities in its status.

Even for those adept in the virtual world, it takes only a few hours. For beginners, it can happen in a very short time if they engage in continuous, arduous combat under tense conditions. It's what's commonly known as "virtual fatigue," a well-known quirk of VR.

"—Hh... Hh...!"

Sora grit her teeth and kept moving, feeling her body being dragged down by that sensation she had experienced countless times before.

—Almost an hour had passed since the battle began.

Their strategy was a high-speed switch rotation built on the premise of continuously swapping Scareless, which massively boosted both of their stats.

They attacked in a relentless, unending offensive, taking turns with intermittent breaks while giving their opponent no time to breathe.

This tactic proved extremely effective even against the monstrous Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King. Countless small hits had reduced its eight-stacked status bar by half.

—But their limit was already in sight.

Both of them had long since run out of potions. For a while now, their only means of recovery had been Sora's Qualia Veil. And every time they relied on that sole method, her MP—essential for operating her `Cradle of Sword-Craft`—crept closer to depletion.

Furthermore, over the past hour, they had discovered Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King's properties—the Armor-Breaking Sword and the Weapon-Breaking Armor. These two abilities had shredded Haru's arsenal, though Sora was still managing.

His trademark collection of weapons had all been silenced, their durability completely depleted. Even his `Sand Eel Leather Boots` had been destroyed when he'd recklessly used them to kick away the greatsword in an evasive maneuver.

Sora had very few magic sword resources left. And in Haru's hands, only his Anima, the indestructible `White-Flawed Straight Sword`, remained.

—I guess this is it.

Her mind, which had been performing a relentless, high-wire act of extreme concentration for so long, whispered the thought.

It wasn't a complaint, just a simple fact. She could feel the moment of collapse drawing near, so close now that looking away wouldn't make it disappear.

—We did well enough.

It wasn't an excuse; she truly believed it.

—We should be proud for taking on an enemy that was so clearly out of our league.

Haru would surely say the same thing after it was over.

—We both fought hard. Let's try again someday.

Sora's partner would surely flash his usual innocent, yet somehow relaxed, smile at her.

And she, in turn, would smile back with him—but she knew there was no way she wouldn't feel frustrated.

"I... don't want... to lose...!"

That one phrase, though whispered hoarsely, was what she truly felt.

That's why they both continued to challenge the unyielding wall.

Even with their claws and fangs broken, their minds and legs failing. Even while acknowledging their impending defeat, they couldn't look away from the glimmer of victory twinkling in the far distance.

"—Sora...!"

His panicked voice was a warning to her, who had gotten her feet tangled and was late to dodge.

Of course, I know. She had already tilted Scareless, letting her now powerless body fall gracefully backward. And just like that—in the next instant, she was being held in Haru's arms, soaring through the air.

As Haru effortlessly leaped over Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King's head, she gave his arm a light tap. She was confident he would understand without words—and sure enough, Haru responded without a moment's delay.

A seamless re-tilting of Scareless. She twisted her body, now infused with AGI and DEX, and stood on Haru's arm as he held her.

They both tensed at the same time—and the moment she was launched from his cupped hand like a catapult, her attack was already prepared.

"Twin Strike...!"

A surprise attack from above. The magic swords she fired with her remaining resources were mainly a feint. Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King reacted as expected to the counterattack that came just seconds after its own dodge, batting the two projectiles out of the air with its greatsword—but it didn't stop there. With power to spare, it swung the greatsword at Sora.

The after-image of the slash was itself a fatal blow. If it so much as grazed her, the vicious blade would slice her in two, but that was a different story if she anticipated it.

The trajectory—it strikes down the two先行 magic swords, then targets Sora in the same motion—the connecting line perfectly matched the prediction Sora had drawn in her mind.

"Hmph...!"

She moved the sand sword in her hand and forcibly shifted her body sideways in mid-air. It was an acrobatic dodge that Haru himself would have something to say about, as if she were sliding along the flat of the greatsword's blade at touching distance.

She kicked off the ricasso at the end of the blade—and slammed a blow, fully loaded with the acceleration of her fall and the power of her rotation, into the giant knight's head, its critical point.

—Honestly, I even surprise myself right after I do it.

Haru's words, which he had muttered while scratching his cheek when she had called him out on his casual acrobatics, came to mind, and she found herself completely agreeing.

I see. This really is something that makes you surprise yourself—

The re-tilting of Scareless. Her body, sent floating by the recoil of the critical hit, was snatched from the air by Haru, who had soared through the sky with his re-ignited stats.

A brief exchange of glances. The look in his eyes seemed to be one of amused exasperation. What kind of face was she making, she wondered. Following a sense of embarrassment that didn't forget its cue even in a situation like this, Sora quickly turned her face away.

◇◆◇◆◇

I caught Sora after her breathtaking super play and ducked under the greatsword swung in retaliation, making a mad dash to escape Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King's range.

It was the same reset pattern we had rehashed countless times over the course of our hour-long deathmatch. Getting caught at a medium distance would result in a relentless chase, but if we put more than the radius of the hall between us, Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King would invariably reset its stance and assume a watchful posture.

Being able to trigger a clear break point with a player-side action... was an incredibly generous game mechanic, but the interval it allowed for was short.

"...Sora, you okay?"

She seemed to have grown completely accustomed to being carried, settling quietly into my arms. I set my partner down and checked on her.

She must have been suffering from the same severe Phantom Fatigue as I was; she stumbled slightly as she landed. The complexion of the face she turned to me was not what you would call good.

"...I can still go."

Her strained smile was proof she was pushing herself. I had been certain of her answer before even asking, so I just swallowed my various emotions and nodded at her words.

Grinding for experience with no end in sight.

Hunting for rare drops with a sub-one percent probability.

Throwing yourself again and again at an unbeatable enemy.

A hell known as "grinding," for all sorts of reasons—

In a game that is supposed to be for entertainment, the kind of people who willingly step into such penance are called gamers.

Among them, anyone who has walked through those endless hells alongside others will understand.

—Can you still go (let's not stop yet)?

—I can still go (I want to stop already).

As conflicting emotions melt into a muddled mess, dragged along by the excuse of "just a little longer," you find yourself in a surreal state of being unable to escape a bottomless swamp.

It's a form of madness where you desperately hope for someone, anyone, to call it a day—"Alright, that's it, dismissed, good work"—while being driven by a sense of duty or obsession to never be the one to say it yourself, endlessly chipping away at your own sanity.

The reason you continue to wallow in that swamp is—you are captivated by the brilliance of something you might grasp at the end of the road, at the very edge of hell.

Her complexion, when I glanced at her, was certainly pale. But her eyes had not yet lost their light.

"...Haha."

An involuntary laugh escaped me, and Sora turned around. "What's wrong?" her large eyes looked up at me quizzically, a familiar sight... but the expression on her exhausted face was a world away from the girl she'd been just a few hours ago.

Even though this wasn't the time for it, I couldn't help but think, I've finally done it.

In other words... I'd managed to instill the spirit of a gamer, a path of carnage, into an innocent young girl (presumably).

I shook my head at Sora's gaze as if to say it was nothing and tightened my grip on the single beloved sword I had left. The break time wasn't nearly enough, but Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King would be getting impatient soon.

The conclusion was already in sight. This next attack, or the one after at best, would be the end of the line. I was sure Sora sensed the curtain call just as I did.

—But,

"Sora."

I met the gaze of Sora, who had been watching me after I fell silent.

An extension of the telepathy, like a unison we'd shared for so long. The pleasant feeling, as if our hearts were connected by that alone, made us both break into a smile.

"...Yes."

It wasn't a reply to my call, but an answer to the words that were meant to follow.

We both nodded, acknowledging that our desperate struggle over the past hour had not been in vain.

We had grasped something that would lead us to the still-unseen heights of this world. Affirming that tangible feeling, we would—swallow this defeat.

"We'll have to book a rematch, huh."

"No cutting in line, okay? We'll do it together next time."

Our words were light, our faces bearing relaxed smiles.

There was no doubt that admitting defeat was unbearably frustrating. But we could hold our heads high, content that we had struggled enough to accept that it couldn't be helped.

"Alright then..."

Giving up on us as we stood still, Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King resumed its advance. The countdown had begun, from its leisurely gait that I had burned into my memory to the moment it would shift into its combat stance.

"I'd like to go out with a bang, but..."

I glanced at the ground-shaking footsteps out of the corner of my eye, then shot a look at Sora's status bar and gave a wry smile. Seeing my reaction, she offered a similar smile and said,

"Eheh... sorry, this is the best I can do."

Light gathered in the `Cradle of Sword-Craft` on her right hand, creating just two faint sand swords.

Even if it was efficient, the prolonged use of Scareless, on top of firing a constant barrage of magic swords, had taken its toll. Her mana potions were gone, and her MP was already depleted.

"Well, can't be helped. How about we just charge in together for the finale?"

"That sounds good... Fufu, shall we just crash and burn?"

She must have anticipated my kamikaze attack. She took the floating sand swords in both hands, perhaps planning to fire them at the same time, and let out a soft chuckle.

"I'll leave the timing to you."

"You got it."

It would be a lie to say I felt no fear towards the approaching giant. And if that was true for me, Sora must have been scared and feeling the pressure too.

And yet, she was standing next to me, smiling—the girl I was supposed to be protecting, the girl who had lamented her powerlessness, wanting to fight herself, was nowhere to be seen.

I struggled to suppress the tremor in my voice, a wave of emotion welling up inside me.

"—Alright, let's go!"

"—Yes!"

Just before the approaching Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King took its final step. Responding to my call, my partner and I launched ourselves into one final attack.