kscans

Chapter 696 - A Celestial's Norm

"—Whoa, everyone's super serious."

"Well, it's four guys, so this was bound to happen… Speaking of which, the next match is probably going to be just as intense."

"Hehe. Genkotsu aside, I'm sure Goldow is egging everyone on."

"Oh man, Yata's on the back foot. I wonder how long he can keep up that cool act."

In the waiting room, our viewing seats.

Watching the stadium on the floating screen—the “great war between monsters” that had erupted a minute into the match—we exchanged carefree comments.

A fascinating weapon, the chain-weight, zipped around the stage at high speed; every single move of the fists and feet sent roars echoing through the venue; and the storyteller’s endless arsenal, which told of heroes and claimed their names, was continuously swallowed by the bottomless darkness of the black-clad shadow.

Thanks in part to Ui-san's “consideration,” the flashy, full-throttle battle that followed the initial reveal of the “crowns” had successfully recaptured the wavering passion of the audience.

The Sword Queen and the Sword Saint were indeed in a league of their own in the current Arcadia, but from a normal person’s perspective, the other rankers were no different from celestial beings.

The four currently rampaging on stage were each stars with countless fans. There was no way anyone wouldn't be captivated by the sight of these bona fide stars fighting for real.

So, well, I guess…

It’s us, who have calmed down watching this, that are a little strange.

I mean, we’re used to seeing this, or rather, used to being in it… you know? Ui-san and Alicia's sword dance was overwhelmingly impressive with its terrifying skill, but a colossal war between monsters is just a part of our daily lives as Title Holders.

"But man, this is the first time I've seen Tetra fight for real. He uses a bow? …Wait, is that even a bow…?"

"Of course it’s a bow."

"Just as you see."

I'm sorry, but even if you all look at me like you already know, this is the first time I'm seeing it. I've never seen a “bow” that fires a torrent of darkness like that.

And, you know.

"No, he's just a straight-up monster… What is that insane attack range? That's terrifying."

"…Could it be, Haru-kun, that this is the first time you've seen it?"

"Yes."

"Don't just say ‘yes.’ You don't know the armament of a senior from your own faction?"

"Y-Yes. I'm quite ashamed…—"

"Natsume-chan, Natsume-chan, Haru-san is the type of person who feels bad about looking up his friends’ profiles online. Besides, he became a ranker just two months after his virtual world debut, and with all the stuff that happened, he's been super busy and hasn't had a chance, so please overlook his lack of knowledge, okay? Please?"

"S-So… O-Okay. I understand."

"Rinne-chan, you really do love Haru-kun, don't you…"

"This is less love and more of a hardcore fan… Nacchan-senpai, don't worry about it. This is something I could have just asked about whenever."

That said, I don't really talk about this kind of stuff with my virtual world friends. Other than my fellow jack-of-all-trades, Ever-Changing… Maru II, who was my partner and just gave that surprisingly fast follow-up, the only people I consult with about equipment are artisans like Kagura-san and Nia.

And while what Rinne said is true, I have looked through the information on the Title Holders, including those in my own faction—but because we fought together so often, I might have just assumed I knew everything about Tetra.

"…What does he mean, ‘I’m not good at fighting’?"

It’s too late to admit my negligence in gathering information. But, I had to honestly reflect on Nacchan-senpai’s comment…

"Every Istian who acts humble is untrustworthy…"

"…What are you muttering about? That's creepy."

The senior, my junior, rampaging in the video was a completely different person from the one I knew.

◇◆◇◆◇

Three minutes remaining until the end of the match.

"—Damn it, you’re as stubborn as ever!"

"Not giving up is my specialty!"

"A man who doesn't know when to back down isn't popular, Ricky!"

"That's it, you crossed the line! I'll never forgive you! Die!"

The two vanguards, their bodies finally warmed up, drove themselves on with boundless energy, their tension rising endlessly as they scattered aftershocks from their infinite clashes.

Deepening their friendship with their sharp tongues, they continued to chip away at each other with their fists and weapons… Both had just over fifty percent of their HP remaining.

The battle was at a stalemate. And so, in this situation, the one with the advantage was—

"Damn it…—You’re as strong as ever, old-timer…!"

The one who parried every assault from Ricky, who held the absolute advantage of superior agility (AGI) in PvP, and forced an even exchange to cover the unavoidable cost of his disadvantage.

Auerin the Adamant. A veteran who had held his number since the very beginning of the Rank.

In the dense few minutes of battle, he had displayed the master's techniques time and time again. Without flinching at the lethal weapon that grazed not just his cheek but his eyeball,

Without even blinking, with the absolute confidence born of instinct and experience, he took a step forward.

Amidst their playful taunts, the Cloud-Hidden let slip a word of praise—and the amber-eyed warrior who had leapt into his guard roared, his fist howling.

"—Tear him apart!!!"

The left fist, the fourth blow in a sequence. Following the right fist, left leg, and right leg, the mighty fist, having found its mark, unleashed its hidden power and became a slash.

Condition met. Zel-Ex Destra, Body of Severance special effect, activated.

A combined, four-hit follow-up slash erupted.

"—!"

A merciless blow to the face. The avatar, struck in a critical point with inhuman strength, was sent flying like a piece of paper, and at the same time, the power infused within detonated, a force that could sever even a giant beast tearing through the small human body.

And Ricky, sent flying without even a cry,

"—I thought I was going to die…!!!"

His body, which had been scattered to pieces, reassembled, and he denied death by declaring it, his still-intact legs about to touch the ground—but he couldn't quite make it.

"—Whoa, that was close!"

"He’s really strong, our number five…!"

The one who caught his partner, who had nearly stumbled into the shadow that had instantly filled his landing spot, was the storyteller and deceiver, the Poet, who controlled his partner’s body with his own strings.

Furthermore, as the torrent of shadow reared its head like a snake, ready to strike,

"No, no, that's scary…—Peerless."

He uttered the name and waved his right hand. At the same time, a torrent of ice overflowed from the illusion of a blue sword that had appeared in his hand, swallowing the materialized tsunami of darkness in a single breath and sealing it away.

And so, a reset for the umpteenth time.

"Thanks…!"

"Yeah, but there won't be a next time. I've used up most of my viable counters."

"No way, seriously…!!!"

As a supporter… or rather, as a true all-rounder capable of handling any situation.

He had managed to fend off the fierce assault from Undying and Adamant with his partner so far, but he was not suited for a full-on frontal battle against monsters due to resource issues.

Although the “Duel System” rules allowed for his abilities to be reused between matches, if he played too many cards in a single match, he would inevitably run out of steam.

And that is why,

"So, I think it’s about time we made our move. We can’t let the excitement die down in the first match by letting it end with a whimper as we run out of steam, can we?"

"You’ve got a point… Can I count on you?"

"Absolutely. It’s the grand debut of my trump card, after all. The only problem is whether it will work on them… especially on Tetra-kun, who’s rumored to be good friends with that problematic ‘him’…"

Under his hat, his black eyes turned to the boy, whose own black eyes were glowing.

He knew that he wasn’t actually as cool-headed as he seemed, but… what with the Four Pillars the other day, and now this, he seemed to be in a particularly good mood lately.

Therefore, as terrifying as it was to use his newly acquired “borrowed name” on him,

"My, my, this is fun—I don’t dislike this kind of thing, you know."

It was also, childishly, as a man, something to look forward to. At the smile that betrayed his inner thoughts, his partner returned a tired-looking smile.

"Either way, neither of us plans on losing. Let's give it our all."

"It doesn't look like they're just going to wait for us, after all."

As they faced each other after a brief pause, behind the guarding Auerin, he couldn't take his eyes off the figure of the Undying, whose informational pressure was increasing by the second. It wasn't just his imagination.

Something was coming. So, they had to go too, or it would be unrefined.

"Then, let us go, Ricky-kun—Let’s end this with a bang."

Yata, the ninth-ranked member of the Southern Faction, the Poet. The weapon he wielded was a unique, special-grade existence.

The Fifth Tier Anima, Bardenhorde, Dreaming Storyteller… Its hidden power was,

"—Acrobat."

The limited projection of a being of the same rank.