Chapter 183: Convergence of Training and Research

The fateful third round.

They both still had gauge, and their positions were already completely exposed. Zenoselgus probably wouldn't be coming this way for a while, which meant this was the climax; Silver Jumper needed to escape this spot at all costs, and Metius had to score the kill right here, no matter what.

"I lost my cool a little bit back there, sorry 'bout that."

"No need to worry, I'm pretty used to movements that leave humanity behind."

The key to this, as expected, was the Super Arts. At first glance, Metius's Super, "Meteor Strike," boasted absolutely absurd performance... or so it seemed. In fact, when she used it against Clockfire and Cursed Prison, it pumped out devastating amounts of damage.

But Meteor Strike had a glaring weakness, and one of Sylvia's strengths was her technique of hiding that very weakness.

(That whole Tokusatsu flying kick... the end-lag after the move comes out is way longer than any other character's Super.)

Strictly speaking, the Super's active frames last all the way until she turns her back and strikes her signature pose after unleashing the kick, meaning if you manage to land a hit during that posing animation post-kick, you can actually force her into a stagger motion. Sylvia essentially bypassed this issue altogether by only using it to deal the finishing blow so the opening didn't matter, or she used her trash talk and the surrounding situation to divert attention away from the opening entirely.

In Cursed Prison—Sunraku's—case, the defending side was getting way too into the roleplay skit so he didn't seem to notice it, but if he hadn't pulled that stunt trying to protect the NPC behind him in that exact moment and had just instantly popped his Prison Break instead, the results might have been completely different.

(Well, even if he did notice it, whether or not that guy would actually do it is pretty debatable, seeing as he's an idiot.)

A fun draw versus an optimized victory. Unfortunately, Kei's friends were the exact type of people who would choose the former with a smile on their faces.

(She's aiming for me to burn my gauge, and the only time I'd use it is to deal with her Super Art...)

As of Round 3, the Chaos Cube's location was still unknown, but he had a rough idea.

In this game, there was generally a set pattern for the Cube's spawn points. Honestly, if you had to go around searching inside trash cans in back alleys or the kitchens of random delis, the game's entire genre would shift too drastically. Therefore, with a few exceptions sprinkled in, the Chaos Cube was primarily placed in one of three locations.

First was the center of a flat, wide-open area with good visibility, like a park or stadium. It would be floating right above some kind of object, usually a landmark like a fountain. By the way, during last night's testing sessions, a tragedy occurred where the Bomb Fiend—Pencilgon—decided to charge headfirst into a stadium where all the NPCs had evacuated to.

Second was the rooftop of a building. Specifically, only ones that had a helipad, which meant you could confirm its presence or absence right at the start. The shapes of buildings with helipads followed a set pattern anyway, so spotting them was a breeze.

And the third... the biggest symbol in this entire Chaos City, the singular architectural object guaranteed to spawn in a city that constantly changes shape: Chaos Tower. The top floor of that tower, the observation deck, was the final one of the three designated Chaos Cube spawn points.

He didn't shift his gaze; doing so would be enough for Sylvia to instantly deduce the Chaos Cube's location.

Tension ratcheted up agonizingly in direct proportion to the passing time. Moving first wasn't necessarily an advantage, yet failing to take the initiative carried the very real risk of getting completely overwhelmed. Luring Zenoselgus in wasn't a great strategy either; she had probably already figured out a countermeasure. He really wanted to believe it wasn't possible, but if Sylvia had already learned how to utilize MPK strats, then Kei would be the one forced into a one-versus-many situation next.

"A bad habit of mine, huh."

Sylvia and Sunraku were the "think while moving" types, whereas Pencilgon and Kei were the "move while thinking" types. Furthermore, while he and Pencilgon acted according to a predetermined plan, those idiots were constantly updating their strategies on the fly.

Overthinking dulled his movements, and they would brutally exploit any hesitation. If that was the case, if that was the case, if that was the case.

(Securing the Cube, I won't cut corners on anything else.)

Narrowing his actions down to a single point, he bundled his thoughts and focused entirely on the terrifying opponent standing right in front of him. He had lost time and time again, and had continued studying her time and time again. A monster whose strength seemed to get patched with a new update every single time they met, but even so, her foundational habits and battle style remained unchanged.

"Kh...!"

Taking the initiative was Silver Jumper. The silver figure didn't retreat but actually dashed forward, hurtling straight toward Metius. Metius rushed in to intercept him with a massive grin, accelerating and dragging Silver Jumper into her own attack range faster than he could even close the distance.

"Now, let's see if you can catch up!"

"Even if I can't catch up, I've still got ways to deal with you... yo!"

Kei Uomi didn't actually need to put on real-life muscle; he only needed to understand the "how-to" of executing the motions.

Sylvia's dominant leg was her right, and while it wasn't like she couldn't kick with her left, her primary weapon was absolutely her right leg kicks. He couldn't execute those TAS-like movements through half-assed mimicry like Sunraku did, but if it was a movement he had genuinely practiced...

"Thank you, 'VR Aikido Class'...!"

Even if he changed his tactics, his past efforts were absolutely not in vain. He countered with the parrying techniques he had honed specifically to overcome Sylvia Goldberg, movements far superior to some haphazardly slapped-together imitation.

The foundation of Sylvia Goldberg's battle style was martial arts, specifically one with a heavy emphasis on footwork and kicks. It was much more practical compared to typical sports, but in the realm of virtual reality, the advantage of physical specs was practically non-existent.

"As always, you're really good at receiving, Kei...!"

"That phrasing sounds like it's gonna invite a whole lot of misunderstandings!"

"Kei is a 'receiver'."

"Guh... Psychological attack...!!"

Kei couldn't do things like "consciously acknowledge a reflex action while simultaneously planning the next move," but with his accumulated predictions and experience, he could perfectly react to Sylvia's—to Metius's—next move.

But he could never block everything perfectly, which was exactly why he took hits and got sent flying. And every single time he did, he checked his surroundings, desperately searching for that microscopic opening, that razor-thin path leading to victory.

"......!!"

Sunraku called it "the moment the tightrope connects to the opposite shore," while Pencilgon called it "the timing to light the fireworks."

For Kei, it was "one of my many keys has finally fit the lock," and for the first time ever, Kei offered a prayer of gratitude to the RNG God that one of his friends hated with a burning, venomous passion.

There were numerous elements added to Galaxia Heroes: Chaos, and among them was one that undeniably functioned as an incredibly powerful weapon against Sylvia.

That was the situation—the sheer unreasonableness that could never possibly occur in a perfectly balanced, equal colosseum. That right there forged the key in Kei's hand to unlock the door blocking his victory.

The Villain Cursed Prison had put his own body on the line to protect a young child. While that action certainly drew mixed reactions, it was generally received rather favorably. Right, it was that whole "delinquent picking up a stray kitten on a rainy day" phenomenon.

But there was someone who couldn't stand that, someone who wouldn't be able to just sit back and watch if they saw the exact same scene unfold again.

It was a simple story. You had a victim being attacked—an NPC—and an assailant doing the attacking—another NPC. And then you had a Hero who had their heroic spotlight completely stolen by their nemesis in the previous fight.

Tracked down by a mindless magical beast, she must have completely exhausted her strength trying to run away. As expected, the miracle of the exact same NPC getting caught in the crossfire didn't repeat itself, but there was a young woman on the absolute brink of being mauled by Zenoselgus.

If one had looked closely, they would have realized that this was actually the mother of the NPC who was starting to get called "Kurikinton-chan." A miracle had happened.

Right here, it had to be right here. Silver Jumper's gauge depleted, and shattering the very keys to victory he had hoarded, a streak of silver light bolted out.

"Ah..."

"Wide open...!"

A leg sweep—an unbelievably simple technique, yet one that completely reaped the two pillars supporting the human body.

Exhaustion from past fierce battles, the toll of forcing unnatural movements, the sudden stun of an unexpected event, a literal blank in her thoughts. The sheer accumulation of everything birthed a microscopic, truly minute opening in the undefeated, unsinkable Sylvia Goldberg.

Silver Jumper's gauge skill, "Silver Foot," provided a ten-second leg strength enhancement. You couldn't exactly call it dramatic, but it did increase kicking power. However, the true value of this gauge skill lay entirely in its secondary effect: boosting jumping power and running speed.

"Sorry, but I'll be stealing the spotlight 'again' this time around!!"

"Nnaaaaah!!?"

In the split second it took Metius to fall over and scramble back to her feet... a silver trail dashed through the chaotic city. As they say, the more dramatic the exploit, the more Heroic it is; as they say, hope tastes far sweeter when seasoned with a moderate amount of despair.

In other words, the conclusion these fiends had reached for gauge farming was:

(Wait until the NPC is half-dead...!!)

There was no way he could ever say that out loud; unlike those conveniently anonymous scumbags, Kei actually had a reputation to uphold and a livelihood tied to it, after all.

"Greetings, mademoiselle. You're safe now."

"W-Who are you...?"

"Silver Jumper, the silver Hero."

Nailed it. A woman hovering right at the edge of death, a rescue executed just mere inches before Zenoselgus's attack could crush her, the perfect face, the perfect catchphrase... The absolute pinnacle of Heroics caused his gauge to skyrocket, accumulating way more than what he had just spent.

Ostensibly, it was to carry the woman to a safe location, but that was nothing more than a convenient smokescreen; Silver Jumper wildly expanded the distance between himself, Zenoselgus, and the recovering Metius, making a mad dash straight for the Chaos Tower.

"Alright, now I've gotta climb this thing, but..."

He had already dumped the woman in some random spot. From behind him came the footsteps of what was undoubtedly a blue meteor hurtling haphazardly all over the place, accompanied by the thundering steps of an extraterrestrial beast smashing through absolutely everything with brute force.

Figures, you really couldn't pull any careless stunts against Sylvia Goldberg. To think she had already mastered the Monster Train strat... he clicked his tongue bitterly, yet a smile crept onto his face.

"That's how it's gotta be."

A Hero, a Hero, and a Villain. The final battle commenced, using the three-dimensional tower as its stage.

In the end, the one making their Last Stand was...

Author's Afterword
A Hero who deliberately waits for the exact moment the NPC is half-dead before making their grand entrance.
A Villain who moderately beats the shit out of an NPC just enough so they don't die, but also makes sure they don't hold onto any hope.