kscans

Chapter 729 - 2&2 vs. 3&3

A crown of freezing ice and a crown of cascading memory counts. Both sides, correctly recognizing the other's strength, revealed their titles without hesitation and kicked off the ground in unison.

Compared to a certain rabbit, their speed was still within the realm of reality. However, that was only because one's senses had been completely warped; to the eyes of an ordinary person, they were still just a blur.

One step, two steps, they crushed the stage beneath their feet, their blades crossing in an instant—

They touched, but did not meet.

Ice materialized in an instant on their intersecting paths, blocking the [Heavy Tank]'s weapon, [Dual Heavy, Starfall Twin Black Steel]. It shattered without even a moment's delay, the resulting shards of ice dancing through the air as a blinding screen.

It was a simple child's trick. However, obscuring one's vision, while being the most straightforward method against a player, was also the most effective means of interference, capable of manipulating their thoughts and choices.

In a virtual world where everyone is given a 'perfect body,' there are no blind players. That is precisely why a 'blinding screen' is a fundamental tactic in PvP that is, without exception, effective. Of course—it worked even on rankers.

When your vision is blocked, all that's left is 'intuition' and 'habit.' No matter how strong someone is, the thoughts they can process during high-speed combat without thought acceleration are limited.

And when your opponent is someone who knows those two remaining factors inside and out…

Reading their next move is a simple matter.

From behind the glittering shards of ice that reflected the stage lights—no, from below, a small figure, crouched low to the ground, launched an attack aimed at the legs.

And the [Peerless], having read the move and lifted both feet from the stage a fraction of a second ahead,

"[Genhyo Rikka, String Ice Six Flowers]."

"Tch…!?"

…weaved the name of his technique in mid-air.

While the [Heavy Tank]'s smile twitched, an endless stream of ice overflowed from the blue-bladed sword. Six 'heads' slithered like snakes, and as they were unleashed—

—they glittered at the points of a hexagon, and in the same instant, a massive pillar of ice filled the domain. Thus, erected in less than a second, a towering spire of ice that pierced the ceiling of the stage…

"—Whoa, hold on… you're being serious!"

"Hah, a little late to realize that."

However, its target was not captured.

Three meters in radius, six in diameter. The area was so focused that the ice possessed a super-hardness belying its nature. A prison from which escape would be synonymous with being knocked out of combat. From outside and inside, two voices echoed.

Of course, the 'master' inside was neither trapped nor captured.

"Now, focus. If you let your guard down, I'll take your head in five minutes."

The attendant ice did not obstruct him; it yielded only to him, opening a path. And so, he walked out from the prison that shattered like thin ice, his declaration not a boast but a certainty as Irori smiled.

And in response, Uni's smile deepened even further.

"Ahaha, nice—that's what I'm talking about!"

Their feet pushed off the ground, once again in perfect sync.

At the center of the stage, steel and ice began to rage.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—…Wow, what a monster."

Steel roared, and ice danced. An exchange of techniques, both precise and flashy. The sight of two masters of PvP, the current pinnacle of the art, crossing swords was, in a word, otherworldly.

For someone who wasn't just not a PvP expert, but didn't even dabble in it, all they could do was let out a voice of呆然とした awe and admiration. And the second-ranked member of the Northern Faction, the [Wolf Pack], was no different—he was on that side.

To be frank, he had no idea what the two of them were doing.

Well, I can see it, but… their thoughts, tactics, deceptions—everything was based on the principles of 'PvP,' so no matter how much he watched, he couldn't grasp the core of it.

He'd known it all along, but it seemed he truly had no talent for fighting 'people.' Adding another layer to the conviction he had held countless times, Gin let out a smile.

As if it were someone else's problem—but, being on the stage, 'someone else's problem' was not an option.

"You've always got that sleepy look on your face, but you sure do your job properly."

Following the clash of the vanguards, it was now the rear guards' turn.

There was no reply to his words; in fact, he couldn't even tell from a distance if her eyelids were open… but above her head, the fragments of a 'castle' materializing one after another were proof.

Her small body and her head, which must have been filled with sleepiness. It was impossible to tell where it came from—but it was proof of a fighting spirit that had indeed been born.

In that case, he had to as well.

"Well then, I guess I'll get serious, too. It's your turn—"

It was no time to be talking about being sleepy.

His opponent was the [Castle Lord]. A transcendent girl who literally commands a castle. In comparison, what the [Wolf Pack]—who, like her, had not taken a single step on the battlefield—commanded was,

"[Wolves, Moonlit Wandering Wolves]."

…true to his name, an endless pack of hunting fangs.

In that instant, a tremendous number of 'presences' overflowed from his body onto the stage… but their forms were invisible to all—no, except for just two.

Except for the 'master' and the 'prey,' no one could perceive their forms.

And that is why the things that manifested in response to their master's call—the countless silver wolves, more than a hundred strong—could not be recognized by the audience, nor even by the [Peerless] or the [Heavy Tank] who shared the same battlefield.

Sixth Tier Anima, [Wolves, Moonlit Wandering Wolves]. The power it holds is a hunt that cannot be interfered with.

"Well then, I leave her to you, Castle Lord-chan."

It was a forced one-versus-many battle, with spectral wolves that were invisible and intangible to all but the 'prey.'

—And so, the battle of 'Steel' and 'Ice,' and of 'Wolf' and 'Castle'

…a truly transcendent conflict, had begun.