kscans

Chapter 700 - A Single Exchange as a Greeting

What does it even mean to go ‘all out’? For someone like me with too many cards up his sleeve, drawing the line is difficult, but for now, I know which one I need to play.

“—As you wish, feel free.”

[Desperate Crimson], activate.

My hair returned to its usual style, and the [Aquamarine Rabbit Heart] shone in its usual spot, releasing one of its powers. My avatar was now clad in the crimson phosphorescence that has become widely known as my signature.

The appearance of the black flames, glowing with the color of darkness, had already signaled the start of the battle. Naturally, the enemy’s response to me taking a battle stance would be—

“No warm-ups, let’s go!”

A merciless, all-out attack.

A surface-suppressing assault by the threads, imbued with a dark glow, soaring through the air and closing in all at once. Under normal circumstances it might be different, but those things are clad in an enchantment of the special Dark Magic attribute. Touching them is a game-over.

In other words, trying to parry them like I did during the Four Pillar War would be a bad move.

So, I’ll do this.

“Kesshiki Ittoryu, Sixth Strike—”

I summon a single blade.

Through the combined, parallel activation of `Matoi`, `[Rocket]`, `[Ignition]`, and all other mobility options, I achieve a pseudo-`Shukuchi`. With power refined through system assistance, I unleash an unsheathed strike.

“`[Ekou]`.”

A ranged, invisible slashing wave that cuts down my foe by slicing through the very air.

The ‘Black Flame’ of the Dark attribute is a flame of plunder that devours and consumes all magic. That encroaching fire extends not just to simple magic, but to any creation of a Magic Crafter.

In other words, magic, the primary ranged option for players in Arcadia, is useless as a countermeasure… worse, it’s instantly consumed, only adding to the enemy’s firepower.

Even if I were to throw a weapon as a physical counter, if it were a masterpiece capable of resisting the [Thread-Weaver]’s threads, it would be instantly devoured and become a one-way trip.

Such a difficult-to-intercept threat attacking from all directions, a combination of perfect freedom and endless quantity. It’s a simple and brutal power, but not without a solution.

Namely—as long as I use a force woven without magic and cut them down without touching them, it’s fine.

“Impressive.”

“Thanks!”

Four slashes in a single breath. The blades of `[Ekou]`, released in a square pattern, chewed through the black-flame-clad threads with sheer physical force, and the burning embers, their connection to their master severed, dissolved in mid-air.

But this isn’t the time to be grinning from a senior’s praise. Even those scattered remnants are dangerous goods that will inflict a nasty burn if touched—however,

I don’t have to push myself to handle everything alone.

A light click echoed.

It was obvious who the finger snap from behind belonged to. As I envisioned her in a ridiculously cool pose that surely sent her female fans who call her ‘Onee-sama’ into a frenzy,

a brilliant crimson flame was born in the center of the dancing dark fire—

“—Bang.”

With a playful word that sent the crowd into a further frenzy and even startled me, her own partner—“Are you for real with that?!”—the crimson light burst, and a blast wave raged.

Her Anima, the twin pistols of the fifth-tier [Nova Rescellerate], produces heat that is entirely magical in nature. Therefore, by all rights, its crimson glow should not be able to overcome its natural enemy, the black flame—but she is the [Heat Gaze], a ranker of the Eastern Faction.

Putting out the pilot light with mere aftershocks is something she does as a matter of course.

“Haru-kun!”

“I’m on it!”

I activate `[Eyes Oculus]` and `[Rocket]`, breaking through the massive hole in their formation before it can close. Following the attack predictions from my silver eyes, I weave through the difficult-to-see threads that are mixed in without the black flame enchantment. My goal is a single point.

“Y-You monsters of Istia…!”

A phantom musical scale echoes in my head. As if… no, exactly like playing a piano, the [Thread-Weaver] manipulates countless threads with her ten lightly dancing fingers.

Again, she is the natural enemy of players who rely on their mental stats. Thus, while I, with my MID of 1500, at least have a way to deal with her head-on, it would be fatal for Hina-san, a pure magic attacker who only has trick-based methods of survival, to be targeted by her.

The power of the black flame varies depending on the target’s mana pool—if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be strange if my transformed body were to die instantly from a single graze, but so what.

Getting hit means it’s over. That’s business as usual for me!

And so, right in front of me, having slipped through the threads and everything else, I’m now on the ground, close enough to reach her in one more step. As I step towards my senior, who shows a look of both shock and ‘I knew it,’—

“Don’t you forget about m—”

“—Like I ever would!”

…I’ll postpone that step for a moment. An interception from this troublesome fan, who had been diligently placing obstacles in my path alongside her partner, was an obvious eventuality, not even something I needed to predict.

Therefore, my expression is not ‘You’re here,’ but ‘Welcome.’

—Now then, Instructor. Grit your teeth!

“Eeek…?!”

The area filled by the sound of a soundless fatal attack was now empty. It took less than a moment for Rinne to realize her prey had escaped her grasp, but that was more than enough.

Letting out a rather rude shriek, she instantly tracked my presence and turned, her impressive reaction speed allowing her to solidify her defenses with both her arms and the invisible sound armor that embodies her “name,” [Bell-Mail]. Right before her eyes.

Equip: `[An=Ru Galta (Hypothesis: Armor Singing of the King's Road)]`—and of course, the ammunition is already loaded.

“`[Sextuple]`.”

A flash of my left fist, a roar splitting the air.

As if to say ‘who cares about STR values,’ my absurdly high AGI generates power with a roar, backed by a host of skills, and makes the stage tremble.

And so, the [Bell-Mail], sent flying like a ball at high speed—

“W-Wait—an instant kill?!”

“You’re not dead, but I’m sorrrryyyy…!!!”

Just as I suspected from the feeling of hitting an elastic ball, she survived with no damage. Regretting not using a penetrating attack, I watched as she flew off. Her junior partner, who had to hastily open a hole in the black flame encirclement to avoid burning her teammate, yelled a retort, to which I yelled back an apology.

She flew past the wall of darkness, letting out a cheerful scream.

With that, my plan was a爆速 complete success. My reliable Onee-sama will handle things over there. Isolating one opponent for a one-on-one is a perfectly valid tag-team tactic.

It’s not like Hina-san has a good matchup with Rinne either… but then again, that [Bell-Mail] is fundamentally without weaknesses, so it can’t be helped.

That ‘Sound’ power is just too versatile. She has the advantage against most opponents and has no unfavorable matchups. She’s second only to Sora in terms of broken abilities.

Anyway, putting the invincible nuisance fan aside… I turn my eyes back to my opponent, and our gazes meet. Her yellow eyes narrow in annoyance. “Ugh.”

“Well then, that’s that.”

“…, …”

Don’t make that face. This is what you wanted, isn’t it, senpai?

“As you wished, I’ll be coming at you with everything I’ve got.”

“…A true one-on-one is, honestly, something I’d rather avoid.”

Hahaha—I’m in the same boat.

I had her sent away because the chances of an accident with Rinne’s support were through the roof. It’s not like I have any guarantee of winning now that it’s a duel.

Again, and again, from the bottom of my heart.

“Aah, fine… I’ll brace myself, you little…!”

“Heh, that’s the spirit. As expected of Nacchan-senpai.”

“I told you not to call me Nacchan-senpai!”

When facing these dazzling predecessors, there’s no room for underestimation.