kscans

Chapter 905 - Azure Stars Dancing in a Feast of Flames, Part 2

"Then, if I may, I shall go first—!"

Sensing that he should finish his test while the demon remained passive, one of the brothers was the first to take a stance, heeding my command.

Ren, the fifth-ranked member of the Northern Faction, [Sword Law]—his left arm swung in a wide, fluid arc, forming a hand seal known as the sword sign before him.

The so-called ninja pose.

However, the power dwelling within him was not of the kind that hides.

"Sword Law, Manifest."

As power overflowed at his command, the Anima necklace hidden beneath his fluttering robes shone, and not the “trio of laws,” but a single, individual power was made manifest.

And so…

""—""

Perfect sync. The moment he settled into his stance, without a word or a glance exchanged, a dazzling reflection of light appeared at Ren's feet, launching his body forward at incredible speed.

Compared to me, who makes a living with my legs, it was still within the realm of common sense. But considering his build wasn't purely for combat, it was a step of more than astonishing speed.

Borrowing the power of Shoh, the “mirror,” his figure appeared before the enemy in under a second. The “attack” unleashed by [Sword Law] was… a direct, head-on body slam.

Sixth Tier Anima, [Sanpou Miken: Enten].

Its power, when not serving as a pillar for barrier construction but as a singular Anima, was—the manifestation and manipulation of a single concept within a five-meter radius around Ren.

And the concept commanded by his namesake, [Sword Law], was none other than “sword.”

"—Hah!"

At the moment of impact, a heavy, dull crash resounded through the hall—a deep bass sound that could be mistaken for the multi-layered sound effect of countless overlapping slashes.

It was only the concept—or rather, the phenomenon—that manifested.

In other words, similar to the limbs of a certain [Great Tiger], Ren's “sword” never appeared. Only the event of ‘a sword cutting its prey’ was carved into the world.

Therefore, what our eyes witnessed was—

"That's terrifying."

"…An invisible, naked blender…"

—the sight of Ren, motionless, glaring at the gut of [Ifrit, the Fire Demon], and the invisible storm of sword strikes originating from him, tearing through the demon's fiery flesh with incredible force.

Well, that alone was a power that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with top-tier warriors, but… as expected, or perhaps, as one would imagine…

A flash of reflected light, once again.

"Guh… No, it's no good. It doesn't seem to be the kind of solution that involves breaking through a single point with a high number of attacks. It appears that conceptual damage, which is neither physical nor magical, isn't particularly effective either. Shoh, thanks."

"Good work, Ren."

Such splendid sibling coordination… In any case, Ren's rapid round trip resulted in the same minuscule damage as ours. If even the special attack of [Sword Law], which bypassed both physical and magical resistance, had that result, then the existence of a gimmick seemed highly probable.

…And…

"Seriously, what's its deal…?"

[Ifrit, the Fire Demon] still hadn't moved.

At this point, contrary to its aggressive appearance, it was possible this was a pure puzzle boss—… wait a minute.

Several minutes had passed since we encountered it, and, well… somehow…

"Haru, um…"

"Ah, yeah…"

…Isn't it getting hot in here?

Because our avatars are incomparably tougher than our real bodies.

"…Haru-sama. My apologies, but—"

Because our tolerance threshold is far beyond that of a normal person.

"—Just now, the heat has surpassed the barrier's protection."

"Figured as much…"

By the time we notice, it's already fatal. That's a situation that happens to us quite often.

Even before receiving the Saintess's apologetic report, my avatar's skin felt the searing heat, and my eyes registered the debuff icon lit up beneath my status bar.

And every one of us, despite being protected by a top-class blessing, was instantly drenched in sweat. In probably less than a minute, it wouldn't be sweat we'd be losing, but life (HP).

In other words, right now.

"Gen-san!"

"Right!"

It seems that for us, who have failed, there is no time left to spare.

My judgment was instantaneous, reflexive. I hadn't been taking it easy or underestimating it before; I had simply been calmly analyzing a new enemy with unnerving behavior.

If that was the wrong answer, then…

"Match me, Sora!"

"Y-yes!"

…we just have to turn things around with a furious onslaught from here on out.

"—ZEAAAAAAH!"

As if to say a fancy technique name didn't suit him, [Twin Fists] unleashed a full-power straight punch with a refreshingly clear roar—and what ripped through space was a wave motion cannon.

A visible mass of ‘ki.’ A ridiculous torrent of energy, fired from a mere fist without the aid of skills or weapons, that would have vaporized any player it grazed.

"[Water Enchant]!"

"[Light Enchant]!"

It nonchalantly, leisurely, wore a gentle smile on its vicious face. The moment the blast struck the solar plexus of [Ifrit, the Fire Demon], who was simply standing there looking down on the tiny humans, with a deafening roar…

"Tomoyori no Tsurugi… Version One—"

The brilliant light that followed was the color of the sky.

"—[Souten]!"

The second blow landed.

The great sword of water and light drew a flash across the “wound” in the fiery body, which had been shaken by [Twin Fists]'s powerful technique.

"Experimental Unarmed Technique…!"

Following that was me, trailing the phosphorescence of ‘Desperate Crimson.’ I swung up my right heel, which had been charged with the propulsive force of multiple [Rocket] dashes and the centrifugal force of a high-speed spin.

External Output: ‘Kai,’ critical convergence.

To top it off, I released [Rocket] and [Matoi], and in the same instant, activated the special assault skill of [Lumina Raygust], [Destruct], which had been charged to its limit!

Here, have a taste! The works!

"—[Kamigari]!"

Impact, impact, and explosion.

My [An=Vogalta], which shot out faster than sound, struck the same “space” just in front of [Ifrit, the Fire Demon]… but the impact was immense, and the effect it had was the greatest yet.

The demon's giant body was lifted into the air by the force of the kick to its solar plexus.

Full-power blows from everyone in turn didn't work. A solo ultra-combo didn't work. So next was a three-hit chain attack on a single point in near-perfect succession. This had to have at least some effect—

"—[Ectulus Aurum]!"

In that moment, I almost died.

Or rather, if not for Sora-san's divine judgment in rushing across the magic sword foothold to shield me, I would have definitely died—or so…

…I faintly understood, because a brilliant flash of flame filled my vision.

"Guh, ugh…!"

It seemed I had avoided direct damage thanks to the instantaneous absolute defense of the golden light from her [Dress of El-Clelia], a creation of [Milmarinus]. But the intense shockwave from the exploding [Ifrit, the Fire Demon]'s body sent Sora, who was holding me, flying.

Naturally, it was my turn next. I couldn't let my partner do all the protecting.

[Flash Traveler], activate.

Furthermore, [Dias Lunaria], activate. Acknowledged.

There was no need for a response or confirmation. I didn't doubt the complete trust Sora placed in me—and so the blessing of the guardian hand embraced the one who took my hand and entrusted herself to me, cradling her in a sanctuary of peace.

…And so, after all that…

"Gah, that was close! What the hell is with that thing? That's just cheap! A first-time instant-kill move is unfair!"

"…Are you one to talk?"

SKRRRT! I landed with a screech, and then yelled.

Having escaped the deathtrap that appeared in an instant and returned to my allies, I shouted my complaints from the heart, only to receive a rare comeback from Gen-san… and in addition to that…

"—Th… That was… s-surprising…!"

Sora-san, emerging from a crack in the shattered space, seemed to be more in my camp, expressing her thoughts while pressing a hand to her chest.

I had no idea what had happened or what had caused it… but that's a given for any first-time boss fight, so it can't be helped. Still, that move was just too much.

Sora-san, you're a lifesaver. It's a miracle we survived that first encounter—

"…How you managed to deal with that, I'll never know… B-but in any case, we saw it, didn't we?"

"Y-yes, I think so… The general direction, at least."

While Sora and I were still getting our virtual hearts under control, the brothers spoke up.

Starting with Shoh and continuing with Ren, they expressed a perfectly synchronized mix of exasperation, awe, and various other emotions, yet they said they had found a clue to the solution.

Indeed. We'd been put through the wringer, but for any gamer, or rather, any Arcadian, it was a godsend that several clues to the solution had fallen into our laps.

A reaction to a certain threshold of damage.

And, linked to that, the reset of the ambient temperature.

And finally—unless I was mistaken, the figure of [Ifrit, the Fire Demon] had shrunk by a size.

As ever, the demon stood there with an attitude that could only be seen as arrogant… But I see. If this was its own version of a “ritual,” then my perspective changes.

In other words…

"…Does this mean it hadn't even started yet?"

"I believe so…"

Wiping the sweat from her brow with a graceful gesture, Sayaka-san murmured the words that summed it all up.

We had been getting fired up on our own, but the battle hadn't even begun. This was probably—a preliminary trial to test our qualifications for the challenge that lay ahead.

A timed wall-banging exercise. A classic PvE game mechanic, the “DPS check.”

"Damn you, looking down on us like that…"

Okay, okay. If that's how it is, this is simple.

"Sora-san, you're cleared to go all-out."

"Ahaha… Understood."

If it wasn't that our attacks weren't working from the start, then…

"—[Einzige Hunderte]…!"

…we'll just skip this annoying ritual from a safe distance, in a matter of seconds.