kscans

Chapter 656 - A Name Respun

—If she were being honest, she wanted to run not forward, but straight back.

He had done something new again. He had shown her a sight she had never seen before.

And once again, he had soared right over her head. Her heart, captivated and unyielding, was held fast. The reason she could stop herself from chasing after that form that had once again stolen her gaze was also thanks to that heart.

She knows what kind of look is being directed at her. She knows what parts of her are looked upon favorably. That is precisely why she won't make a mistake.

To avoid losing to her formidable rivals in love, it would be the height of folly to tarnish the very 'strength' that only she possessed. This isn't an act of endurance; it is what she desires.

Because her unbearable desire for both is the same.

In that case, she will simply choose the path that allows her to obtain both. For now, she will endure the urge to run to his side—and win, and in doing so, capture his eyes.

"Guh... Stay back, General! Stop putting the commander on the front lines every single time!"

"Hah!? Then who else is gonna tank this guy, huh!?"

A massive, chaotic battle on a scale she had rarely experienced, even after spending more time on this battlefield than anyone else.

In the midst of a chaos so complete that a single lapse in concentration would make it impossible to even grasp her own situation. With her freewheeling friend who shares the name of her 'sword' absent, she faces the East's second and third ranks, who are the top two on the field.

Golden hair and golden armor. With matching colors, they come at her, exchanging friendly-sounding roars. She parries the 'blade' and the 'fist' with her 'sword' head-on, while also slicing apart the scorching heat-gaze that flies through the gaps in the battlefield.

"—...Fufu."

She can't stop the smile from escaping.

Her ears catch the sounds of her enemies and friends shouting this and that in the corner of her consciousness—but she can't suppress the dance in her heart at the utterly unknown presence that has risen from far behind her.

The blades of a windmill, caught in a sudden gust, begin to spin furiously.

On the stage she had longed for, the once-lonely [Sword Queen] lets out a pure sound. The fire lit by his brilliance is no longer just for 'him'; it has certainly spread.

"You've gotta be kidding me...! How in the world can one sword—"

"Oi, Irori, she's laughing elegantly, like 'ufufu'!? She's seriously got room to spare! She's on a completely different level of strong compared to before—"

Her playmates have grown so numerous.

It's not just her friends, who have cast aside all unnecessary emotions like pity and reservation. The fear in the countless gazes from those around her is now gone, replaced by awe.

Thanks to a certain someone, she was finally able to convey it properly.

That the [Sword Queen], Iris, Alicia White—is just a normal player who falls in love like anyone else and just wants to have fun with everyone.

Just a slight change in the color of their gazes makes the world so much kinder.

So much happier.

So much more—fun. That is why, that is precisely why.

I will probably never have to hate this crown again.

"...It's a race, Haru."

If you can make it in time, then try and catch me.

A single flash to the left. Her sweeping sword strikes away a golden fist and blows away the encroaching ice. In the midst of it all, she spins a small murmur and touches with her free right hand... the black and navy blue hair accessory (lariat) that adorns her silver-blue hair.

[One's Gift]—one of two in this world, a matching item with her beloved prince.

Its hidden power is—

"[Little Braver]."

—a curse transformed into a blessing, its form respun into a 'connection.'

A small yet certain light illuminates a transparent crown that blooms into existence, and the flash of her sword becomes even sharper.

In the heart of the greatest, most chaotic festival the virtual world has ever seen—

—there were no longer any who bore their solitude alone.