kscans

Chapter 699 - The Spinning Heat Ignites

—And so, after a bout that lasted the full ten minutes.

“The second round is decided!!! The winners are the [Great Tiger & Twin Fists] pair!!!”

The closing call that echoed through the arena confirmed the outcome that most people had expected.

The four men, who had continued to unleash a roaring symphony of fists and blades so intense it went beyond heated to sweltering for the entire 600-second time limit… all wore satisfied expressions, though each was different in its own way.

“Man, oh man. Trying to keep up with these young punks is exhausting. Every last one of ‘em just runs wild with the energy of youth. No way an old man like me can keep up.”

“Says the one who was running wilder than anyone else…”

On one side, the [General Commander & Amorphous] pair, who had suffered a narrow defeat after a truly serious brawl. There was Goldow, who, despite losing, was beaming with a豪快な laugh more joyous than anyone’s, and Maru II, who looked more exhausted than anyone as he retorted.

“What’s the deal with your general…? Is he serious, putting out only thirty percent of his power?”

“…Well, he is our [General Commander]. It’s only natural.”

On the other side, the [Great Tiger & Twin Fists] pair, who had snatched a narrow victory after a desperate brawl. There was Tiger Lucky, who let out a sigh of exasperation at the unchanging monstrousness of the titan he hadn’t fought in a long time, and Genkotsu, who replied quietly with a single word and a nod.

Fists flew, blades flew, points flew, and other things flew… after spreading a heat no less intense than the first match, the contest reached a conclusion that satisfied both sides.

“Alright… let’s get the hell out of here, you guys. The audience has gotta be sick of looking at men’s faces by now. Let’s hurry up and let the beauties bring some elegance to the stage.”

He surveyed the audience with a magnanimous air, his performance punctuated by practiced gestures.

His words, meant for his friends, reached not just the four of them but everyone watching… His demeanor, born of a deep understanding of his own public persona, effortlessly drew laughter.

Facing tens of thousands of eyes, he showed not a hint of nervousness, his presence completely natural.

The fact that he was, at this moment, the ‘loser’ was not enough to cast even the slightest shadow on his imposing figure. The overflowing confidence he naturally projected spread to others, planting seeds of both relief and anticipation in the hearts of all who saw him, all who heard him—

He was like a mischievous gang leader.

“Well then, keep on enjoying the show.”

With a bright, joyful grin.

Leaving behind words as if casually chatting with friends.

He departed with the comrades he had played his heart out with, passing the baton to those who would follow.

And the four shadows that appeared in their place… or more accurately, the one particularly small shadow among the four, though the person themselves would likely look away and feign ignorance… Upon seeing it.

The audience, hit with the second surprise of the day, erupted in an explosion of cheers.

◇◆◇◆◇

“—They’re cheering that much…?”

“Of course they are. You’re the hottest topic right now.”

“Haaah… even compared to my public persona, I’m an overwhelmingly hot topic, I suppose…”

Still in a suit. However, unlike a short while ago, this was a suit that he could now say with confidence he was ‘wearing to death.’

This stylish suit automatically adjusted to his avatar’s physique, which meant, in turn, that it would naturally look sharp and perfect on him—and the result of it being too perfect was this.

“It fits this body better than my male one. I will never, ever be okay with that…”

“Fufu. It really does look wonderful on you, surprisingly so.”

“‘Not happy’ wins by a narrow margin, so please stop.”

His swaying white hair was styled elegantly, not swept to the side as usual, but tied back behind his neck. And so, the ‘Transformed Body’ adorned in formal wear he was unaccustomed to in both the real and virtual worlds…

“—Haaah, so, so, so cute and cool, it’s insane, what is that, I can’t, I really can’t, I need Sora-chan to get dressed up and stand next to him…!!!”

“I knew it, but it’s still so annoying… Why is the guy the biggest ‘beauty’ here? It makes no sense.”

…had apparently turned out so well that one person across the stage was glitching out, and another was openly glaring at me. So, yeah, this is my life now.

The reason I came out in this form wasn’t for fan service or as a surprise, but whatever I say now would be pointless. No one would be willing to listen anyway.

I think I can hear the voice of some former idol commentator yelling something in the distance, but I’ll calmly ignore it. Ignore it.

I think I can hear the entire venue chanting some nickname like ‘Something-chan’, but I’ll empty my mind and shut it out.

Narrow your vision. Just become completely tunnel-visioned.

Trying to play to the crowd like Goldow is an impossible task for me. So, at the very least, I’ll do what I can to carry on the heat from my predecessors.

“Suuuu… Okay, I can do this.”

“Mm, fufu… doesn’t look like it.”

No, I really can’t. So let’s just get this started already, senpais…!

Let me run wild, so wild that I don’t have the slightest leeway to worry about my surroundings—and as if sensing my wish, my enemy smiled.

One, joyfully. The other, as if exasperated… but in truth, just like me, desperately psyching herself up amidst extreme tension.

All four of us took a step forward in unison, and dresses and suits transitioned into battle attire.

“Are you alright?”

“—I’m fine. As planned, I’m counting on you to keep Rinne in check.”

“Of course. You can count on me.”

Walking beside me was the [Heat Gaze] in her gardenia-colored dress. Exchanging words with my partner, who radiated her usual brilliance, I forced myself to calm my heart and took a deep breath.

Facing us were two girls. One was the familiar incarnation of energy, [Bell-Mail]. The other was the still-unfamiliar white cat, Nacchan-senpai.

In the third round, the opening match for the [Acrobat & Heat Gaze] team, my main opponent would be—the latter. The senior who commanded infinite threads, one rank above me.

“Please don’t get taken out and leave me all alone, Rinne-senpai.”

“I’ll do my best! To protect my dignity as a senpai!”

“I’m not exactly filled with confidence… Well then.”

Coincidentally both white-haired, our gazes and fighting spirits met and connected.

After our first contact in the Four Pillar War, our battle record stands at one draw. They say discretion is the better part of valor, but even I’m not foolish enough to declare a ‘win’ for simply escaping an opponent who wasn’t serious.

The seventh rank of the Southern Faction, [Thread-Weaver]—also known as the natural enemy of all MID-focused players.

“I learned the hard way that you’re ridiculously strong, but that’s beside the point.”

A confident voice reached my ears, and the flash of ten slender fingers entered my sight. It seemed she had quite a lot to say to her not-so-cute junior.

“If you underestimate me, you’ll get more than just a little burned—[Ember Kitty].”

Above her white hair, two small crowns of fire flickered like a cat’s ears.

Her attendant threads were now imbued with silently raging black flames.

There are currently eight confirmed users. In a way, it’s an ultra-rare attribute that surpasses even ‘Star Magic,’ and in a different sense from that specialty, it’s an extremely difficult magic to handle.

The special attribute, “Darkness”—not the kind that resides in an item like that of its poster child, the [Undying], but the power of the only player who has perfectly mastered the darkness that resides within her own body.

“…I’ve never once underestimated you predecessors. Seriously.”

“Are you sure…? Well, fine. In that case…”

The threads, clad in burning darkness and soaring through the air, looked like the writhing bodies of countless dragons, their heads reared back.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got, my not-so-cute junior.”

The trembling kitten I saw in her gaze was no longer there.