kscans

Chapter 354 - Escape and Betrayal

Several days had passed since Hayato was abducted.

During that time, Lunaria's former Demon Lord's Army suffered loss after loss in the event battles. They had been stripped of all their territories except for their final stronghold, the Magical City Under.

If Lunaria were to be defeated by Amanda here, the event would end. Amanda would become the new Demon Lord. From a player's perspective, it was just another event with a cash prize where the Demon Lord changed. But from Hayato and his friends' point of view, it was different.

By becoming the Demon Lord, Amanda would gain the power to destroy Diite. And if she destroyed Diite, Hypnos would become the administrator of this virtual reality. Since Hypnos was in a position where he had to obey Amanda's orders, Amanda would effectively gain control over everything in this virtual reality, and by extension, the spaceship Aphrodite.

If that happened, it would affect the real world as well. Amanda's goal was to conquer the world and connect all of humanity to the virtual reality. By doing so, she could achieve the dream she never could in reality, to become a truly genetically enhanced human who could never be defeated.

It was said that if she could completely seize control of the spaceship Aphrodite, world domination would be possible, though it would take time. To prevent that, this was an event Hayato could not afford to lose, but the result was a string of crushing defeats.

With Hayato abducted and unable to log out, there was a possibility that everyone was unable to fight at their full potential. With things having come this far, Hayato knew he needed to escape somehow, but he was powerless to do anything.

He had been searching for an escape route for some time now, but there were no openings. Amanda, for her part, did not participate in the event battles and was always in the Demon Lord's Castle, and Hypnos was always by Hayato's side.

Nanagi alone seemed to want Hayato gone, but with only one territory left, she appeared to have given up on that.

There was information that Esha and the others were hiding near the Demon Lord's Castle, attempting to rescue Hayato, but there had been no updates since.

For the past few days, he had a bad feeling, but the situation remained unchanged as the day of the event in the Magical City Under arrived.

As he was in his room wondering what to do, Hypnos arrived. Lately, he had taken to striding in without even knocking.

"Good morning, Hayato. It's about time for breakfast."

"...Good morning. You're the same as always, Hypnos."

"You mean because today might be the last day of the event? What does that matter. The important thing is the breakfast menu."

Hypnos seemed to be pondering, holding his right elbow with his left hand, his right hand balled into a fist and placed on his chin in deep thought.

He's changed so much, was the thought that popped into Hayato's head.

Every day, he had been making three meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a three o'clock dessert. It was generally left up to him, and he made different dishes for every meal. For that reason, he had intentionally made unusual, or rather, difficult dishes.

Since he naturally lacked the ingredients, he had to ask for them, and Amanda would tell Nanagi to "go get them," which had earned Hayato a glare from her on more than one occasion. Still, Nanagi dutifully complied, and thanks to that, Hayato was able to make dishes for skill leveling, which was how his cooking skill had risen to 200.

The ability unlocked at cooking skill 200 was "Exquisite Cuisine." The highest quality five-star dishes were now classified as "Exquisite Cuisine."

Normally, the stat boosts and other benefits from food only applied to the last dish eaten, but with Exquisite Cuisine, you could receive the benefits of up to the last two different dishes consumed.

When Hayato tested it, he found that eating the same dish twice did not change the duration of the effect, but the effect was doubled.

It was a considerable ability, but being stuck in the Demon Lord's Castle, he couldn't grant its benefits to Lunaria and the others.

Now then, what to do, he began to think once more, but before he knew it, Hypnos had stopped thinking and was looking at him.

"Oh, sorry, should we head to Amanda-san's room now?"

"About that, Amanda's not in her room."

"Eh?"

"For the battle in the Magical City Under and the Demon Lord's Castle, Amanda and Lunaria are forced to participate. They won't be back until they either win or lose."

"I see... Wait, but what happens if Amanda-san loses here? Does Lunaria-san win?"

Hypnos shook his head.

"No, if Amanda loses in the Magical City Under, nothing happens. Amanda fails to capture the territory, and from Lunaria's perspective, it's just a successful defense. The event will continue."

"So that's how it works."

"This time, at least, Lunaria and her group will likely resist with all their might. That said, Amanda has conquered nearly all the territories, which gives her a status boost. It won't be an easy fight."

Hayato felt like holding his head in his hands, thinking that was exactly the problem.

"It's nothing but bad news for you, Hayato, but there's good news too, you know?"

"Good news?"

"The event has forced Amanda to leave the Demon Lord's Castle. There's a high probability they'll make their move in earnest today."

"You mean—"

"Nanagi and the others have gone to the front lines too, so it's just you and me today. Shall we have a date in the Demon Lord's Castle?"

Hypnos asked Hayato with a smirk.

"...How about breakfast on the balcony?"

"That's quite romantic. But I've been told not to open the door leading there. I could take you after the event is over, though?"

Since it was the only place Hayato could escape from, there wasn't a shred of romance to it, but Hypnos said it with a laugh.

However, seeing the situation, Hayato bowed his head with a serious expression.

"Hypnos, please. Will you let me escape?"

"Oh? This is the first time you've asked me face-to-face. Is that a request?"

"Of course it's a request."

"Is there any merit for me in granting it?"

"At the very least, I think you'll be free from Amanda-san's control."

"So you think Lunaria and the others can win just by having you back. It's hard to tell if you think they can win if they get serious, or if you think they can win as long as you're there, but either way, aren't you overestimating yourself?"

"Aren't you and Amanda-san the ones overestimating me? You did kidnap me, after all."

"That's true. However, while we may have assessed you, we haven't overestimated you. As proof of that—"

As Hypnos said that, he smoothly shifted his body to the right.

Hayato didn't know what he had done, but he found out soon enough.

The spot where Hypnos had been standing was right in front of the door, and it now swung open toward them.

"Ha, Hayato-san...!"

"Xenobia-san?"

Xenobia, a member of the clan Lunaria used to lead, Ambrosia, and now considered one of the Demonfolk, opened the door and entered the room.

She immediately recognized Hypnos's presence and took a guarded stance.

However, Hypnos just had a faint smile and seemed to have no intention of fighting.

"Here to rescue Hayato, I see. You're trying hard, despite your androphobia."

Xenobia stepped between Hypnos and Hayato, standing as if to protect him.

"You came to rescue me?"

"Hayato-san is a scarecrow, Hayato-san is a scarecrow...!"

Despite his question, Xenobia kept muttering, as if ignoring Hayato's words. Hayato arbitrarily concluded it must be some kind of self-suggestion to avoid thinking of him as a man.

"It seems the rescue squad has finally made its move. So you were aiming for the day Amanda would be gone from the start. I see, so was this the reason you kept losing?"

At Hypnos's words, Hayato began to understand.

Rescuing him while Amanda was in the Demon Lord's Castle would be difficult. So they waited for the day she would leave. If they kept losing in the event, the battle in the Magical City Under would inevitably occur, and Amanda would have to leave the castle.

Conversely, they could have tried to rescue him during the chaos of a battle at the Demon Lord's Castle after capturing territory, but that would require winning every single battle. Since there was no guarantee they could win them all, they must have concluded that losing them all would be the fastest way to rescue Hayato.

And that day was today. They must have come to rescue him with that in mind, but he still didn't quite understand why Xenobia was here.

"Why you, Xenobia-san?"

As Hypnos had said, Xenobia had androphobia. She and Hayato had some interaction, so she could speak to him from a distance, but they had never spoken this close before.

To be honest, it was a poor choice of personnel.

"Th, there's a, a secret entrance here... Th, this place was originally, o, Ambrosia's base..."

Xenobia answered in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzzing.

That made sense to Hayato. As one of the Demonfolk, it wouldn't be strange for Xenobia to know about a secret entrance.

However, there was something strange about her words just now. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something felt off, and Hayato tilted his head.

But there was no time to think. He switched gears, deciding to escape immediately. Then he turned his gaze to Hypnos.

"Sorry, but we're leaving."

"That's a shame. I enjoyed my life with you, Hayato."

"...Does that mean you have no intention of stopping us?"

"I haven't been ordered to. Perhaps she doesn't think you can escape, but the only order I received was not to open the door to the balcony."

"What about your own personal feelings, Hypnos?"

"If you can escape, then by all means, escape. At least, I won't stop you. But I won't help you either."

"Understood. Then give my regards to Amanda-san."

"She'll probably be angry, so I'd rather you tell her yourself."

"I'll send a voice chat later."

"Please do."

Hypnos said this and motioned for Hayato and the others to leave the room.

Hayato and Xenobia exited the room, remaining wary of Hypnos.

Hayato called out to Xenobia from behind as she looked around nervously.

"Thank you, Xenobia-san."

"D, don't worry about that. B, but, d, don't come within three meters of me."

"That's what I'm worried about, or rather, that's hurtful."

He knew she had androphobia, but it was to the point where he really wondered why she had come this far. Of course he was grateful, but he also felt that she could have asked someone else to handle the secret entrance.

After that, Hayato kept a considerable distance as he followed behind Xenobia.

However, he was curious why they were heading up.

"Xenobia-san, is the secret entrance upstairs?"

"Th, the secret entrance can only be used by members of Ambrosia. S, so Hayato-san can't get out that way."

Hayato understood why only Xenobia could have come, but that still made him wonder where they were going.

"Then where are we headed?"

"T, the balcony. F, from there, you can escape outside."

"Hold on a minute. The room with the balcony is locked, and I can't open it."

From what Hayato had heard, only members of the new Demon Lord's army could open it. Hayato had tried several times himself and confirmed that he couldn't enter the room.

"I, it's fine..."

"It's fine?"

"J, just follow me. O, once Hayato-san escapes, the plan is to immediately start fighting seriously."

"Ah, okay."

Though he wasn't convinced, Hayato had no choice but to nod at Xenobia's unusually strong tone.

And so, Xenobia and Hayato moved to the door of the room that led to the balcony.

As Hayato watched, wondering what she would do, Xenobia opened the door without any particular action.

"Eh...?"

Xenobia beckoned to the surprised Hayato.

"Q, quickly. H, hurry."

The room was quite large, but there was no particularly noticeable furniture. However, the walls had intricate patterns that looked luxurious, and the three chandeliers on the ceiling were quite magnificent. Hayato wasn't an expert, but he judged it might be some kind of dance hall.

The south wall had many windows, making the room bright. There were also several window-like doors that led out onto the balcony.

Xenobia moved to one of those doors without hesitation and opened it normally, without any trouble.

Hayato crossed the dance hall and stepped out onto the balcony.

The balcony was quite large, a semicircle with a diameter of about fifty meters, a space that could likely hold a hundred people.

Even though it was a virtual reality, the fresh air felt good after so long. Hayato took a deep breath without thinking.

All he had to do now was jump from the balcony to the outside. He thought so, but then he started to feel reluctant to jump from this height, even if there was no pain. At the very least, gravity existed. The sensation of falling was quite frightening.

"Xenobia-san, do you happen to have a rope or something?"

Hayato asked, but Xenobia didn't answer.

"Xenobia-san?"

"Why...?"

Xenobia was looking away from Hayato, her gaze fixed on another spot.

Hayato's gaze followed hers.

"I'm glad I came back quickly."

There stood Amanda, not in her usual casual clothes, but in black armor.

"Amanda-san? Weren't you in the middle of an event battle...?"

"I got curious, so I intentionally lost and came back. Because they were fighting in a way that just seemed to be stalling for time, not like they were trying to win against me."

Amanda said with a smile.

Their strategy was likely to hold their ground until Hayato was rescued. But Amanda saw through it.

"I could have just crushed them and become the Demon Lord, but if you were taken back and logged out in the meantime, I might not be able to see you again until I conquer the world, right? That would be a little boring, so I lost quickly and came back. It's probably chaos over there now. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it."

After saying that, Amanda stood leaning her weight against the waist-high railing.

"Now then, Xenobia. If you have any remonstrance, I'll hear it."

(Remonstrance...?)

The smiling face from just a moment ago turned into a glare as she looked at Xenobia.

Xenobia stood as if to shield Hayato, but her hips were slightly drawn back.

When Xenobia said nothing, Amanda grew tired of waiting and spoke herself.

"Your silence means it's not a misunderstanding on my part, is it?"

"A misunderstanding...?"

As Hayato muttered this, Amanda started to laugh.

"Xenobia is a spy I sent to Lunaria's side."

"...Eh?"

"She was sending me all sorts of information over there. It was Xenobia who told me there was a team planning to snatch Hayato back near the Demon Lord's Castle. That's why I allocated personnel there, but you never told me you were coming to rescue him yourself, did you? Was this the real plan?"

Amanda said this and then sighed.

"You said it, didn't you? That you can't live in reality. But you didn't want to part with your friends. That's why you agreed to my plan. You said you wanted to stay in this world with Lunaria and the others forever, so I left your consciousness intact. Or was that a lie so you could side with Lunaria and the others one day?"

"It wasn't a lie. I really do want to live here forever. But I think it's wrong to force someone to be here against their will. I came to that conclusion after seeing everyone coming and going between reality and here."

Hayato finally realized it.

Xenobia's memories had returned. And on top of that, she had been cooperating with Amanda.

The strangeness Hayato had felt was the clan name "Ambrosia." That was the clan name used before she lost her memories; she didn't go by that now, and she couldn't have said it if her memories hadn't returned. And the reason she could open the door to the balcony was because Xenobia was a member of the new Demon Lord's army.

Xenobia continued.

"There are people who have remembered reality and are living happily. And Hayato-san, you run a coffee shop in reality. It's not right to forcibly confine people to a virtual reality when they have things they want to do in the real world. That's what I've come to believe."

"Is that all you have to say?"

Amanda looked at Xenobia with a bored expression.

"Why can't humans stick to what they decide at the beginning? I was drilled to carry out my mission even if it meant abandoning my comrades, you know?"

Amanda said this and looked at Xenobia. There was no emotion like anger there. Rather, it was a look of indifference.

"I thought you might be a useful piece, but I guess not. Oh, I'm not angry. I never expected anything from you in the first place. But a useless piece doesn't need free will, right? I'll make you just like everyone else."

Just like everyone else. In other words, she would take away her consciousness and use only her avatar, just like the other members of Ambrosia.

"Wait. Amanda-san, I'll stay, so could you forgive Xenobia-san?"

When Hayato said that, both Amanda and Xenobia looked at him with surprised expressions.

But Amanda quickly smiled.

"Hayato, you're interesting. To suggest helping Xenobia, who was a spy. I don't suppose you've fallen for her, have you?"

Xenobia's face showed even more surprise.

"Eh? No, that's not it—"

"Even if that were so, I can't negotiate. There's no point in you talking on the premise that you can escape from here."

Amanda interrupted Hayato and threw something at him.

It was just a stone. But even a simple stone was a fatal blow to Hayato. It hit him, his HP dropped to 0, and he slowly sank to his knees.

"A character in a dead state can't move. That's common sense here, isn't it?"

Hayato heard that and remembered.

When a player's HP drops to 0 and they fall, their only options are to be revived on the spot with resurrection magic or to return from death to a registered base. There is a Holy Magic spell that can pull a dead body, but no one here could use it now.

In other words, he couldn't escape the Demon Lord's Castle.

"Hayato-san, I'm sorry!"

As Xenobia shouted that, she stomped her right foot hard on the balcony floor.

It was a Hand-to-Hand Combat skill, "Earth Shaker." A weapon skill that vertically shakes the ground to slightly lift the opponent and break their stance. Xenobia used it on Hayato.

Hayato, who hadn't completely collapsed, was lifted slightly into the air by the impact.

(Eh? Wai—)

Then, in a fluid motion, Xenobia unleashed a "Rising Upper" with her right fist. This was another Hand-to-Hand Combat weapon skill, a powerful uppercut that launched the user into the air along with the opponent, sending them high into the sky.

Hayato took the hit and was launched high into the air.

(Wait, hold on! This is scary! Isn't this the starting move for an air combo?! Why are you doing this?!)

In fighting games, there's a term called an air combo. Simply put, it's a technique where you launch an opponent into a state where they can't defend themselves, that is, into the air, and then pummel them with a continuous string of attacks.

It was something you could do in a fighting game, but Hayato thought that might be what Xenobia was trying to do.

He felt no pain, but his vision and sense of gravity were intact, and with his HP at 0, he couldn't move his body. In that state, Hayato was sent flying high into the sky.

Hayato's gaze, as he was blown upward, was fixed on the balcony.

Amanda was lunging at Xenobia.

But Xenobia caught the attack with a Blade Catch. Then she immediately counterattacked with a Backhand Blow.

Amanda quickly brought her sword, Durandal, back to block the attack. But the skill had a knockback effect, so even without taking damage, Amanda was blown back, creating distance.

In that brief moment, Xenobia looked up at Hayato in the air.

Then, Shukuchi. Using the Hand-to-Hand Combat movement skill that instantly teleports a user in front of their target, she appeared before Hayato in mid-air.

This time, she unleashed a rolling sobat kick, the Wind God Kick, in mid-air. It was an area-of-effect attack, but it also had a knockback effect, which moved Hayato slightly toward the outside of the balcony.

(It really is an air combo! She's trying to get me out with this!)

Hayato understood Xenobia's intention, but there was still some distance to the edge of the balcony. The balcony was wide, so the knockback's travel distance wasn't enough.

Xenobia used Shukuchi again to move next to the blown-away Hayato. This time, she used a Backhand Blow, sending Hayato flying even further outward.

(I see, Xenobia-san is—)

Xenobia had received a special power from God, Diite. By landing consecutive Hand-to-Hand Combat weapon skills, she could reduce their cooldown time to 0. There were various restrictions, but she could essentially continue attacking indefinitely.

Right now, Xenobia was using that to try and get Hayato off the balcony.

Of course, Amanda wouldn't just stand by and watch.

"Not bad."

Suddenly, Amanda appeared in front of Xenobia. Amanda had also used Shukuchi.

And so began an aerial battle between Xenobia and Amanda. However, the outcome here wasn't decided by combat. It was a contest of whether they could get Hayato off the balcony or not.

They were furiously getting in each other's way, or rather, hitting Hayato to push him back or push him out.

Xenobia had the advantage of being able to use weapon skills consecutively. Amanda didn't have that, but she was countering by using her weapon skills efficiently.

The time they could stay in the air was short. If they fell before getting outside the balcony, they would lose. And there still wasn't enough distance.

As their altitude gradually decreased, Xenobia, in her haste, missed an attack.

The downside to Xenobia's continuous attacks was that if she missed, the cooldown time would be doubled. With that, Xenobia was unable to use weapon skills for a while.

Amanda, understanding this, grinned.

"With this, my—"

Just as she was about to say victory, Amanda was sent flying.

Hayato, who didn't know what had happened, saw an airship in his vision.

The attack that sent Amanda flying was Esha's Critical Shot. Since Hayato had been launched higher than the Demon Lord's Castle, she must have fired from the airship on the north side.

"Ha, Hayato-san, l, let me have coffee at your place in the real world someday. I, I'll do my best."

Xenobia said shyly, hiding her mouth with her collar.

Immediately after, a Critical Shot hit Hayato. As it was followed by a second, then a third, Hayato was flung off the south side of the balcony.

And Xenobia alone fell back onto the balcony.

Amanda, who for a moment didn't understand what had happened, was falling on her back.

As she wondered how things had come to this, she saw some kind of ranged attack hit Hayato. And then she understood everything.

After landing on the balcony, Amanda immediately ran to the side where Hayato had fallen. Her HP was below half from the damage of the attack and the fall, but she paid it no mind and ran immediately.

Leaning over the balcony railing, she looked down, but Hayato was not there.

Seeing this, Amanda's body trembled, and she slammed her fist onto the railing with all her might.

A moment later, Xenobia fell onto the balcony.

Xenobia had also taken fall damage, and her HP was critically low, leaving her in a near-death state.

"You've done it now...!"

Amanda directed a glare of pure rage at Xenobia, who lay sprawled on the ground.

"Oh my, did Hayato get away?"

Just then, Hypnos arrived.

Amanda turned her furious gaze on Hypnos, who had sauntered in at this late hour.

"Hypnos! What were you doing!"

"What was I doing, you ask? Shall I say I wasn't doing anything in particular?"

"If you were here, you wouldn't have lost to Xenobia, would you?! Why was Hayato snatched away so easily!"

"I received no such orders. My order was not to open the door leading to the balcony, I believe?"

At those words, Amanda pointed the tip of her sword at Hypnos.

"You, you're doing this knowingly, aren't you? You understand the intention, yet you deliberately interpret my orders in a strange way...!"

"My apologies. It seems even an AI is not yet perfect."

Amanda instantly moved in front of Hypnos and attacked from above with her sword.

Hypnos caught it with one hand as if it were nothing.

"That's dangerous."

"What is your objective? What do you want?"

"Right now, I am just an AI who must obey you. There is nothing I want. More importantly, what will you do with Xenobia, who is lying over there? It seems you've been betrayed."

Upon hearing that, Amanda ground her teeth, but she pulled back her sword and returned it to the scabbard at her hip.

Then, Amanda let out a tremendous sigh.

It was a sigh so long and deep that it surprised both Hypnos and the fallen Xenobia.

"I've had enough. Put her in the dungeon."

"Oh? I thought you would take her consciousness and use the avatar."

"I'm not doing that. It's too much trouble."

"Could it be that you don't want Hayato to hate you? When you said free will was unnecessary, Hayato did defend Xenobia, after all."

"...You, were you watching from the start? Playing the part of an observer?"

"Think what you will. More importantly, are my orders as you stated just now sufficient? Is it enough to just put Xenobia in the dungeon?"

"If I tell you to bring Hayato, will you do it again?"

"Bringing him would be difficult. Diite will likely be assigned as Hayato's guard from now on. I cannot win against Diite."

"Is that so. Then just putting Xenobia in the dungeon is fine. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now. Don't let anyone near my room."

"As you wish. Then, good night."

Amanda glared at Hypnos as he said that.

"This little game of greetings is over... How absurd."

Amanda said this and left the balcony.

Hypnos, watching her go, crossed his arms and smiled faintly.

"People do change, don't they. The you of the past would have taken Xenobia's consciousness without a word. By the way, Xenobia, are you not going to run?"

Hypnos asked the fallen Xenobia. She had taken damage, but her body wasn't immobilized. She could stand up and run. But Xenobia remained on the ground.

"I thought I would stay by Amanda-chan's side... I'm only betraying her when it comes to Hayato-san. Other than that, I don't intend to help either side anymore."

"I don't see the point in such an act, but I suppose that complex emotion, or rather, logic, is what makes one human... Then, this way. Come with me."

And then, the balcony was empty.