kscans

Chapter 820 - Shine Forth, O Chosen One. Art Thou Worthy of Entrusted Love? Part 4

"—Hah, so Nia was first out. Well, that was predictable."

"Naturally."

Four points of light surrounded the monolith.

One was a `fire` that swayed serenely, one was a `flame` that burned fiercely, one was a `rain` that danced through the air, and one was a `rainbow` that lightly scattered its colors.

[Scorching Arm], [Pyromancer], [Raindrop Koropokkuru], [Hit Maker]—the artisans who held ranks in the West and stood at the pinnacle of their craft were in the midst of expanding their respective formulas to tackle the unknown analysis.

Amidst it all, Enra let out a lighthearted quip, his voice filled with amusement upon receiving the report from Gin, who was acting as the liaison between the inside and outside of the dungeon. Next to him, Kagura chimed in her agreement.

Red, crimson, scarlet. Hues of the same color, yet their brilliance was anything but similar.

Any magus-artisan with a certain level of skill would unanimously declare that they 'resembled each other in no way at all'. As their brilliant flames clashed, they both laughed without taking their eyes off what was in front of them.

Needless to say, the space had until then been filled with extreme concentration. In other words, silence. And even now, though the shackle of time that had been chasing them was gone, the artisans' spirits had not waned.

""──────…, …""

The other two, Shizuku and Balast, were proof of that, continuing to focus intently on the object of their analysis without a word. The latter, with his comical and unique attire, was one thing, but the face of the small, girlish avatar was etched with desperation.

In other words, it was likely just these two, with their friendly vibe and similar hair colors, who were the strange ones.

Sora, the only one standing outside the circle of artisans and watching over the profoundly fantastical scene—entrusted with the role of guard—silently came to this conclusion without voicing it.

Sora had no deep technical knowledge of `Mako`. Therefore, she had no way of guessing what they were doing.

However, she knew Kagura. She knew her personality and her stance when it came to `work` and `responsibility`.

Therefore, the thought that she was likely not dropping her performance in the slightest while chatting… well, it was as clear as day. And as for the [Scorching Arm], touted as being even more skilled than her in both name and reality, it went without saying.

And the astute girl's mind didn't stop at understanding and admiration.

"—Um… is it really… natural?"

This was not a situation for joking around. It was not the time to be distracted. And yet, she had read the intent behind the two who had exchanged lighthearted words, and she spoke up hesitantly.

In response to Sora's question, two mouths curved into smiles.

"The system gave her the cute title [Milmarinus (the Sapphire Fairy)], but… among us artisans, Nia is mostly known as a 'witch'."

It was Enra, Nia's direct superior (Clan Master), and…

"The 'Witch Who Sees Through Memories.' She makes a really disgusted face when you call her that, though."

…Kagura, a senior with whom Nia had a close relationship.

"The Witch Who Sees Through Memories…"

Just as Enra had said, Sora repeated the name under her breath and tilted her head. It was a name the non-artisan had never heard before.

"Everything that exists in Arcadia has a [Memory]. Not just living things, but even the rocks rolling around are no exception. All of it."

"It might be more accurate to call it a [Record], though. Because this is a game, a created world, information is carved into everything that exists here."

They took turns finishing each other's sentences. Whether they knew the girl was thinking how well they got along, for reasons unrelated to their words, was another matter.

"Being able to read and utilize that information well is one of the most fundamental and ultimate techniques for a magus-artisan—hey, like the [Atiomart -Sakura=Memento-] that Kagura and I made. The 'Lost Echoes' it was made from are a prime example."

"Don't talk about your 'failure' with such a proud look on your face, it's embarrassing."

The two crimson figures continued their words, and their description of the sapphire one was singular.

"In that regard… that is, when it comes to deciphering things. Like this one, analyzing something unknown with her own `eyes`—"

"Well, there's probably no one who can match her. At least, not in this virtual world."

One who had no equal.

The fact that the highest-ranking artisan in present-day Arcadia, and those associated with her, all praised her in unison spoke volumes of her ability.

Indeed, even at this very moment, her friend and rival in love was proving them right and forging ahead.

As Sora felt the outline of Nia, the 'embodiment of liveliness' second only to her partner, become more vivid through their words—the astute girl's mind, however,

"…Um—I understand the intention to create a highlight for the archive from what would otherwise be a silent work scene, but… are you sure this is okay?"

...still did not stop at understanding and admiration.

"I have a feeling Nia-san is going to be really angry with you two later…"

""………………""

And so, the two artisans fell silent as if nothing had happened and dove back into their work.

It was a brief scene, just moments before the four points of light surrounding the monolith would reach their answer.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis huuuuuuurts…ッ!!!!"

A little under two minutes since the start of the battle. Having traversed seconds that felt like an eternity to reach this point, I let out the scream my brain was outputting and yelled it from the corner of my mouth.

Limit-breaking maneuvers with no time to even breathe, countless bosses slain… and yet, the pandemonium's encirclement was only growing stronger, not weaker.

Even if I consistently took one down every few seconds, the extermination speed was nowhere near enough. The number of bosses being teleported in one after another was overwhelming my processing speed.

And on top of that,

"Guh… crap—"

Bishiri. My body suddenly froze. A debuff icon for incapacitation flashed on my status bar. And I had no way to escape the lethal rain of attacks pouring down from all directions….

In that instant, a single `thread` pulled me, forcibly yanking my avatar out of the unavoidable kill circle. Following it back, the source of the saving hand was, of course,

"Which one?!"

"I don't know!!!"

"Tch… then everything in sight—"

...a single white cat, wreathed in black flames.

"I'll burn it all!"

And then, a dragon of flaming thread raced through the entire area.

Enemy equals monster. Monster equals demon. While that's a very generic fantasy interpretation, the reality is that the `MP` possessed by a boss enemy is incomparable to that of a player.

Therefore, her dark magic was naturally far more devastating against them than against humans, becoming a hellish flame that was super effective against enemies regardless of type, and it raged wildly.

She did as she said. The burning blackness filled the entire area—

"Good job, Nassen!"

"What did you just say?!"

The debuff icon vanished. I drove my newly freed body and ignited [Rocket], deeming it my role to deal with the flying types attacking from the `top`—the hole in the circular wall.

Shifu Itto, Second Strike.

"[Shizuku]!!"

A spinning flash of the blade, a soaring circular slash to mince the swarming abominations—

"You damn, ghaaa…!"

—I can't.

Recalling my jade blade, I followed up with a barrage of punches. I forcefully compensated for the lack of power with ranged strikes from [Frezon Revolver], then used another [Rocket] to deliver a kick to the one that still survived.

My techniques are lacking their usual sharpness. My fatigue is reaching a point where I can no longer fake it… no, it's already there. I've reached my limit of averting my eyes from the truth.

On top of that, as time passed, foes with troublesome traits other than slowness—in other words, agile movements—joined the fray, leading to a repeat of the previous scene every few seconds.

A breakdown was undoubtedly in the near future.

"Whoa, hey, what…?!"

A mutual support system had naturally formed. Just as the white thread had pulled my body, I pulled on the shadow thread attached to my partner, catching the avatar who let out a mix of surprise and complaint.

Well then, time to start a game of tag.

"Hey, you! What are you doing?!"

I abandoned offense entirely and focused solely on escape. But I kept the targets' attention on me, choosing a route that ran close to the pandemonium to prevent any stray shots from hitting Nia in the distance.

My senior, who had been suddenly carried like a sack of rice, was yelling and screaming, but the fact that she had the composure to instantly extinguish her black flames probably meant she was in better shape than me.

…In that case, I guess there's only one option.

"Sorry, I'm at my limit. I'm definitely going to mess up and get killed soon."

"…!"

While kiting the ever-growing, ever-pursuing horde of monsters, I bluntly stated my own end.

It's frustrating, but it can't be helped. I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not some truly invincible being with limitless stamina… so, in order to struggle until the very end.

"Can I ask you for… fifty seconds, senpai?"

"………………"

To burn out this body, which would soon be useless, until the very end.

"Without dying, of course. I'm going to give it my all and clean up… ah, ninety, or maybe eighty percent of them. I need you to protect Nia somehow until the next wave arrives."

"…So, you prioritize not letting Nia get scared over the success of the raid, huh?"

"Is this really the time for teasing? I'm thinking about the raid too, you know."

That's why I have no hesitation in betting myself here.

Dropping out midway is, again, frustrating, but if the raid succeeds in the end, it's all good. I'd rather not regret not playing a card I could have played later on.

So,

"Haru."

"Yeah?"

"You're not cute, but I don't dislike that manly side of you."

"Hah."

"Leave it to me. Both now, and after."

I left my senior, who had pushed my back without much argument, in that spot—

Taking a large step back, I turned around.

My black hair gave way to white, and I began to chant sonorously,

"—'I am he who soars through the sky.'"

The answer to the ever-swelling tide of death, an unreasonable power dwelling within a human body.

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One and a half minutes left.