kscans

Chapter 481 - The Magic Eye

To describe the battlefield in one word, it was pandemonium. The dragon that had arrived at the speed of sound had crashed their fight with Chariot, and the situation had devolved into chaos.

Deeger had been blown away the moment the dragon intervened. As a result, Chariot, which had been on the verge of defeat, unleashed its horn swing at full power, turning it into a devastating wide-area attack. Rick's voice chat had to tell everyone to stop using ice-attribute attacks, the trigger for the swing.

They couldn't land any effective attacks, healing couldn't keep up, and the dinosaurs' defensive line was crumbling. The pets serving as attackers were also exhausted from taking damage. Though the boss was just a breath away from being defeated, their forces had been significantly depleted by the dragon's surprise attack from above.

Information was being relayed for defeated players to resurrect at their base. Resurrection via magic was an option, but it consumed a lot of MP, and healing drew hate, so it couldn't be used carelessly.

Their current tactic was to have the fast-moving players from Highway Star distract Chariot while casting less effective magic attacks of attributes other than ice.

Even so, it didn't feel like they could defeat Chariot. The dragon attacking from the sky with fighter-jet-like movements was just too much of a nuisance.

It wasn't just the dragon. The whip wielded by the clown riding it moved with an uncanny agility, capturing players one after another. Captured players were then flung in front of Chariot, a truly traumatic attack.

A mood of resignation was beginning to spread, but Parfait's group was oblivious to such an atmosphere. All the members of the clan "Mont Blanc" were hidden in a particularly dense cluster of trees in the jungle, trying to avoid being targeted.

"Rick-kun, how can we win?"

Rick, looking slightly exasperated by Parfait's overly broad question, muttered, "Let's see."

"First, we need to defeat Chariot. To do that, we should probably knock that clown off the dragon, Garland. From what I can tell, Garland is just for transportation. The main attacks are coming from the clown's whip. Just sealing that off should make things a lot easier."

So far, the dragon Garland hadn't attacked on its own. It was just repeating hit-and-away maneuvers from the sky. While it did create harmless wind pressure when it moved, that was all. It hadn't breathed fire or anything of the sort.

"Does anyone have a skill that forces a dismount?"

There were several skills that could forcibly dismount a rider. They were unpopular with players who fought on mounts, but since mounted attacks were quite powerful, it was apparently a balancing measure. Several weapon skills and spells had attacks that could create such a situation.

However, Parfait's swordsmanship skills didn't include such a weapon skill. Sniper skills might have one, but Parfait didn't know and couldn't use them.

"I have Backhand Blow, but there's no way I can get close enough. It would be possible with a skill like Shukuchi that allows instant movement, but I can't use that yet."

"Chris-chan's Hand-to-Hand Combat skill, huh. Yeah, getting close to that thing would be tough. You can use Shukuchi at Hand-to-Hand Combat skill level 100, right?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I'm not there yet."

When Garland attacked, it did descend near the ground, but it only came down to a perfect height that was out of reach even if you jumped, making it difficult to land a melee attack.

As for ranged attacks like bows or magic, it was also at a tricky distance, making it hard for attacks to connect. Moreover, even if they used skills or spells that guaranteed a hit, it employed a tactic that would surely draw complaints from players, using its sonic-boom-inducing speed to escape the attack's range.

"If only we could stop its attack for just a moment."

When Wilnel said that, everyone turned their attention to her.

"Would stopping it help?"

"The dragon's position is exquisite, but depending on where it is, there are spots where you could probably jump from a tree. If we stop its movement... yes, I think you could jump from that particularly tall tree over there. It might be difficult to knock the clown off, but you could at least interfere with its attacks."

Wilnel pointed to a tree that stood significantly taller than the others in the jungle.

Parfait agreed that it would be possible to jump from the top of that tree.

"No way, that's impossible. Not even an action star could make a jump like that. Maybe someone with Agres-san's level of athleticism could pull it off."

When Abel, the aspiring actor, said that, everyone thought for a moment before turning their gazes to Parfait.

"Can you do it?"

To Rick's question, Parfait answered, "Probably." Abel looked surprised, but after a moment's thought, he let out a sound of understanding, "Ahhh."

However, Wilnel, who had proposed the idea, looked a little troubled.

"I believe Parfait-san can do it, but the problem is whether we can stop its movement for even a moment. I think it stops for an instant when it attacks, but that's not enough, even for Parfait-san. We'd need to stop it for at least ten seconds."

"Um, about that."

Ginny timidly raised her hand.

"I might be able to stop it."

"Ginny-chan, what's your reasoning? Does Spirit Magic have a spell like that?"

"No, it's not magic. I'll make it quick since we don't have time, but in my estimation, that clown is Surya-san. My eyes can't be fooled, no matter what she looks like."

"Eh? Surya-san?"

Surya, who had declared herself both a friend and a rival to the animal-loving Maris. A professor at the university in Colony "Zoology," belonging to the Sagittarius Foundation, teaching subjects like biology, and so respected that Orion looked up to her. To Parfait, though, she just seemed like an animal-loving lady.

"How can you tell?"

"I've kept this a secret from everyone... but I have a magic eye!"

Ginny's words, delivered with a smug face and a thumbs-up, made question marks pop up over everyone's heads. Natsu started to say, "Wha..." but Chris covered her mouth. It was to prevent her from revealing their location with a loud voice, but Natsu, despite being muffled, excitedly said, "What did you say?! I want one too!"

"Um, Ginny-chan, what is this magic eye? Is it from a manga?"

"No, no, it's real. It's a power born from my obsession, my desire, to have many people wear the most suitable cosplay. I can now tell a person's body measurements even through their clothes. I call this the magic eye! By the way, I can also tell their weight... Natsu-san, let's cut back on the donuts. You won't be able to wear that cosplay...!"

"To mention my weight... even if I fell to the Dark Side, I would never do something so cruel!"

Thinking what an unpleasant magic eye that was, Parfait managed to squeeze out some words.

"Ah, uh, I see? So, what was it again?"

"That magic eye is telling me. That is Surya-san."

"R-right...? Um, assuming we believe that, how are you going to stop her?"

"Simply put, a mental attack."

"A mental attack?"

"Everyone has a history. Yes, everyone has a dark history!"

"Ah, that kind of thing. You'll reveal something to stop her. I have my doubts about that as a person, but is it really okay...?"

Natsu started to say, "You're about to do something that would make the Dark Side turn pale!" but Chris covered her mouth again.

"The dark history I'm going to mention is only known to us and her, so I think it'll be fine. Besides, Ashley-sama also says that mental attacks are fundamental. Fufufu, manga really does teach us important things...!"

As Ginny said this with a serious face, Parfait grew a little worried about whether this was really okay. But despite her concerns, Rick said, "Alright, let's do it."

His lack of hesitation at times like this made Parfait feel a mix of reassurance and fear.

"We'll just get beaten if we stay like this. Even if it's a game, a fight is a fight. Parfait, go climb the tree right away. I'll explain the plan to Orion-san and the others."

"Uh, yeah, I'll leave that to you then. So I should jump over when Surya-san's movements stop?"

"That's right. But Parfait, you don't need to knock Surya-san off. Just keep her from attacking. While you do that, Orion-san's group will take care of Chariot."

Understanding the gist of the plan, Parfait headed towards the tree Wilnel had indicated. She looked up from its base and immediately began to climb.

I have to make sure Surya-san doesn't notice me... But, is it really Surya-san?

With that question in her mind, Parfait nimbly climbed the tree. Partway up, she started leaping from branch to branch, moving higher and higher, and soon reached a spot near the top.

Now all she had to do was wait for them to lure Garland and Surya, Parfait thought as she looked down.

It seemed Rick's plan had been communicated to everyone. First, Rhadia's group was leading Chariot away to create some distance. Then, in a relatively open area, the members of "Mont Blanc" emerged.

And then, with deliberate theatricality, Ginny alone fell.

Will that work as bait...?

It was probably supposed to look like she had fallen while trying to escape, but it was blatantly obvious. For some reason, she was looking away, hiding her face.

Still, it seemed to have an effect. The dragon Garland approached at high speed. And the clown, presumably Surya, swung her whip and captured Ginny.

Immediately after, Ginny turned her hidden face towards the clown, who seemed to flinch with a visible shock, even from a distance.

Ah, so it probably is Surya-san. She might be surprised because she saw an acquaintance. Maybe she didn't know we were here?

For some reason, Surya tossed Ginny aside and tried to flee.

And Ginny, while being thrown through the air, cupped her hands around her mouth in a pose for shouting.

"It's normal to end your sentences with 'nyan' when you're wearing cat ears!"

Her loud voice echoed through the area. Then silence. For a moment, the only sound was the rampage of Chariot, but soon the sounds of players fighting could be heard again.

Ah, that thing.

Parfait recalled the past incident and, while sympathizing with Surya, leaped towards the dragon's back.

Using the flex of not just a branch but the entire tree, she flew further than expected. And she landed on the back of Garland, where the frozen Surya was riding.

The impact seemed to finally snap her back to her senses. From under the clown mask, Parfait heard Surya's voice say, "Whoa!" Then she looked at Parfait behind her.

"Pa-Parfait-chan!? ...Ah!"

"So it is you, Surya-san? Excuse me, but I'm going to have to get in your way."

Garland's back was wide, but it was uneven, and if it started moving at high speed, she would surely be thrown off. Thinking this, Parfait quickly closed the distance to Surya. And she drew her sword.

But Surya parried the attack with her whip. With just one hand, no less. Her other hand was still holding the reins to control Garland.

This surprised Parfait. She hadn't expected her sword draw, even if it wasn't a finishing blow, to be blocked.

"It's for my research funding, so I'm going to be serious!"

A comment that suggested this wasn't just for fun reached her ears, but setting that aside, Parfait recognized Surya as a formidable opponent and gripped the hilt of Beelzebub's scabbard once more.