Chapter 215: Although We Are Not Allies of Humanity, We Stand at the Vanguard of the Breakwater

Author's Preface
I always plan, "Let's wrap up this long arc around Part 10," yet it stretches out to Part 20 every single time. Why does this happen? I just don't get it.

We know that "Blue."
Back when this place was called Ruluia, back when this island was above the sea—the unidentified something that nearly drove Ruluia to ruin.
I had always thought it was just background flavor lore—that Ctarrnid had destroyed it, but since the island was still contaminated, Ctarrnid flipped it to the bottom of the ocean.

"Emul, get on my head!"

"Y-Yes sir!"

My feet... are fine. If it's inactive, I can probably touch it.

"T-This is...!"

"It's exactly what you're thinking, Mold! Whatever you do, don't touch it!"

This is no longer a matter of 'can we defeat it or not.' This is a field gimmick. The quintessential, almost overly-cliché "It's collapsing! We have to escape!" event right after defeating the boss.

『You damn ghosts of the origin.』

"───Say what?"

I feel like Ctarrnid just casually dropped some insanely crucial lore right now.
But we have no time to ponder it, and it seems Ctarrnid has absolutely no intention of explaining it politely.

『O humans, this place shall once again sink into the abyss... The crisis draws near. Never forget.』

There wasn't an actual, physical finger pointing it out, but everyone present turned their gaze in the exact same direction, as if guided.

『Go, the journey continues... O humans who live in this world, find Bahamut.』

"You, that's..."

Bahamut. Am I really hearing that word again? Just what the hell is it? A dragon? Is it safe to just assume it's a dragon?

『The Present belongs to the "Humans" who inherited it. Therefore, those who must resist and fight are also the ones living in the Present...』

"Damn it, I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you've marked the waypoint, I'll follow it! The field trip isn't over until we get home! We're running!!"

"...Uweeeh..."

"Let's do our best for just a little longer, Rust! Right!"

"Alriiiiight! Let's ruuuun!!"

"Akitsu Akane-dono is, how should I put it, quite energetic..."

"We have to run again!? I'm seriously at my limit here!?"

"Araba, will do his best."

You can whine all you want, but you're going to move those legs. After making it this far, failing the scenario while kicking and screaming is a tragedy too sad for tears.
Through the ruined cityscape where the "Blue" raged like a turbulent sea, we sprinted down a path that was preserved to an almost unnatural degree.

『───』

"...Eh? Ah, um, yes..."

That's why, even though I noticed Rei-shi talking about something with Ctarrnid behind me, I was way too preoccupied recovering the crashed Seiryu and the tossed 【Twin Moon】 to actually catch what they were saying.

"Whoa...!"

"Piiiiiii!?"

Gubaa, I narrowly dodged the "Blue"—which looked like slime, a wave, or a mist... the only thing I knew for sure was that it was a horrifying accumulation of something—causing Emul to let out a shriek.

"...Is this, an event?"

"If touching it kills us, we're still in active gameplay!"

"...I don't even want to test it."

Even though it was entirely blue, Ruluiath definitely still retained remnants of civilization earlier. But now, this place is straight-up the first circle of hell, with the "Blue" raging completely out of control.

"More importantly, where does this path even lead!?"

"Hooo!?"

Taking the lead, Akitsu Akane leaped over the "Blue" creeping along the ground, causing Ceecrue—who was clinging to her back—to let out a weird yelp.
Mimicking the lead runner's movements, we also vaulted over the blue mass that was obviously a bad idea to touch.

"Obviously, outside the island... to the ocean!"

"We have to swim to escape!? I-I'm afraid triathlons are a bit outside my field of expertise..."

"If push comes to shove, we'll just all cling to Araba and escape that way."

"No way...! That's seriously... impossib—owaaaa!?"

"Tch, aiming for the guy in last place, how malicious...!"

Quickly operating my inventory, I chucked the Guardian's Great Armor into the "Blue" to protect Araba and Nereid, who were just about to get swallowed.

If the descriptions in that journal were accurate, this "Blue" parasitizes inorganic matter and consumes organic matter. The processes are different, but the end result is the same: "it takes time to process."

"Y-You've saved me once again, my friend...!"

"Save the thanks for later! Run, run, run!"

Damn it, that armor was pretty expensive... But unlike NPCs, it's replaceable. Sorry, but you're gonna have to be a sacrifice!
Sacrificing the chest plate, the helm, the waist armor, and the leg guards to buy time and distance, we finally broke out onto the coastline.

"Goal!"

"What do we do from here!?"

"...No idea."

"Do we... jump into the sea?"

What now? Do we have to take some kind of action? The lives of players and NPCs do not carry equal value. If worst comes to worst, we can just dump Emul and Ceecrue onto Araba, set them adrift, and let ourselves respawn.

Just as I was seriously considering whether to entrust the NPCs to Araba while watching the incoming tsunami of "Blue,"

"You guys!"

"Nn?"

That spoiled, childish voice tone that sounded like someone who truly believed the world was full of hope and that they were entitled to it, yet tinged with just a hint of growth from surviving for seven days───!

"You little shitty brat!"

Turning around, I saw a surprisingly brand-new giant sailing ship being firmly grasped by a massive pitch-black tentacle, drawing closer to us. And standing at the bow, waving a cutlass in our direction, was Stude.

"Wait, you're acting like this is totally normal, but what the hell is going on with that!?"

"Like I'd know! Just hurry up!"

Gah, guess we have no choice but to board. Rope ladders were thrown down from the ship. I plopped Emul onto Akitsu Akane's head and gestured with my hands for them to hurry up and climb.

"Araba, you hurry up too! You're slow, so climb first!"

"What about you!"

"I'm woooooondrously strong, so I'll act as the rearguard."

".........My friend, don't die!"

"Idiot, even if I die, I'm coming back alive."

Sending a quick glance to Rei-shi, I turned to face the overwhelmingly blue "Blue" rapidly approaching us.

"If it's a battle of attrition, I have a bit of confidence myself. I'll hold you off, so focus all your attention on me."

If this was just a "phenomenon" as a field gimmick, then what I'm doing would be completely pointless... But most likely, this "Blue" is a monster. Whether it's a single monster or a collective mass of multiple monsters doesn't matter right now. What's important is whether or not this thing has a concept of aggro.

Therefore, let's run a quick verification.

Step 1: Chuck a random item at it.

Step 2: Activate Vorpal Secret Arts 【Fading Mirror】.

If it has an aggro system...

"It took the bait!"

The sight of the "Blue" swarming and raining down on the spot I had just been standing proved that it was programmed with enough mechanics to understand aggro. But a few seconds later, I realized that such a thing was fundamentally meaningless.
After all, this was a violence of mass that made even the term 'attrition' feel like an understatement. In the blink of an eye, the "Blue" surrounded me in all directions, staining the sandy beach blue. This thing is seriously bad news. If we leave this alone, the world is going to be in direct, critical danger. Hell no, I don't want to play an MMO in a ruined world. This wouldn't just be post-apocalyptic; it would be a planetary-scale reset.

"Things are starting to look really bad..."

"Sunraku!"

"Alright, my turn came around, so see ya later, you shitty Blue!"

Since there's no way to physically defeat it, there's absolutely nothing a pure-STR build like me can do. As long as the sluggish Araba and the universally debuffed Rei-shi have made it up, it's our win. Best to make a swift exit.

"Yo, ho, if you think you can catch me... come back in ten billion years!"

The waves crashing onto the beach tried to entangle my legs. My caffeine-depleted brain screamed at me to just let it rest. I trampled over all of that and sprinted. The "Blue" blotted out the sky, surging forward as if trying to devour me.
Thinking 'Is this checkmate?', my tensed legs nearly went slack. I have no idea how the physics of losing muscle tension in a digital world works, but basically, it's a matter of mindset. When your spirit wavers, your body gets dragged down with it.

"Uooooo! You think I'm going to be the only one to die after making it this far!?"

Wait, if I die here, wouldn't my respawn point be Ruluiath!? Hell no, visiting occasionally is fine, but I do NOT want to live in a place like this!!
Three meters left. A sensation like something passing through the seawater sent a shiver up my spine. Two meters left. The seawater, which until now had only clung to my legs, exerted a clear pressure, as if grabbing them. One meter left. Ah, yeah, I'm definitely not gonna make i—

Kusuri, it sounded like someone chuckled.

The next instant, the surface of the sea right behind me erupted with a tremendous splash. No, it didn't erupt—something had slammed into the surface with immense energy...?

Turning around, I saw a semi-transparent tentacle ruthlessly smashing the creeping "Blue" with pure, straightforward physical force... No, that's not a tentacle, that's!

"Why are you still alive, Buccal Cone!"

I was hoisted upside down by a buccal cone and then forcefully hurled through the air.

".........Oooooooooooooooooh!!?"

A mid-air full rotation! Followed by... a superhero landing using the sole of my foot, a knee, and one fist!

"Sunraku! Are you alright!?"

"Does it look, like I'm, alright to you...? My knee, my fingers...!"

Zudaaan! Landing heavily enough to make the nameplates rattle, all eyes gathered on me. My HP had dropped to an honestly unfunny level, so I was a bit preoccupied, but forcing my numb body to move, I glared at the one who had chucked me... the Clione woman who Araba and I supposedly put down for good—the Sealed General named Clionea Ctila.

The buccal cones that had been gaping wide shut tight, and Clionea Ctila—possessing a translucent beauty that, without metaphor, was clearly not human—looked up at me, at us.
Then, with a casual wave of her hand, she blew away the "Blue" trying to devour her with some mysterious energy wave, pushing it back toward the interior of the island.

"...Was that, a grand event scene?"

"I really wish they'd spare me from cutscene guns and cutscene knives having an insta-kill effect, though..."

A character who can fall into magma and only take chip damage will instantly drop dead if stabbed by a cutscene knife. That's exactly what a cutscene weapon is.

That being said, with Ctarrnid's power, it's not all that surprising for a defeated Sealed General to revive.
You could chalk it up to "because it's an event," but using some unknown power, Clionea Ctila forced the "Blue" back into the inner reaches of Ruluiath, and then leaped onto one of the towers located at the four corners of the city... no, the island, standing at its absolute peak.

"...The other Sealed Generals are here too."

It was too far to see the details, but just as Rust said, I could see things standing on the other towers, and one tower even had two figures standing on it.
Sealed Generals... What were they sealing? Were they actually sealing the "Blue"? Or did Ctarrnid create them on a whim to seal itself?
This was definitely a case for the Tome of Truth, so let's put it out of our minds for now.

"Hey guys, I've been trying really hard not to think about it, but..."

"...What is it, Mold?"

"This ship... aren't we about to get chucked right now?"

The sailing ship was grasped by Ctarrnid's giant tentacle, and said tentacle was currently bulging ominously, as if screaming 'I'm charging up my power!' Before we knew it, the ship had tilted, pointing diagonally upwards...

Glancing down, I saw Clionea Ctila looking at us, sticking her tongue out and pulling her lower eyelid down in a teasing gesture.

"Everyone, cling to the shiiiiiiiip!!"

An intense surge of inertia slammed into us, and the ship—which by all logic should be sailing on the sea—took to the sky.
Ruluiath, rapidly shrinking in the distance, was being ground into a mincemeat of rubble and blue by the violently raging "Blue"... yet, the four towers glowing on the island stood majestically, acting as breakwaters halting the destructive waves of the grand ultramarine.

The four towers and the lights shining at their peaks. And then, as if to completely engulf them, an impossibly massive tentacle dragged the entire island down to the bottom of the sea... Along with the "Blue," Ruluiath vanished back into the abyss. The Lord's reign remains unshaken.

『Ctarrnid of the Abyss has once again been sundered from the shared heaven.』
『The Crazed Ultramarine has been sealed once again.』
『Unique Scenario EX "Behold the Abyss Above, as the World Turns on Its Head" has been cleared.』
『The tiny pirate has gained the courage to fear not the morrow.』
『Unique Scenario "Pierce the Apostle of the Abyss" has been cleared.』
『Title 【Survivor from the Abyss】 acquired.』
『Title 【True Seeker】 acquired.』
『Title 【Flying Innsmouth's Crew】 acquired.』
『Title 【Proof of Inheritance】 acquired.』
『Title 【Different Paths, Same Heart】 acquired.』
『Title 【An Outlaw Acknowledged】 acquired.』
『Title 【Billion Getter】 acquired.』
『Item 【Blue Chalice】 acquired.』
『Item 【Indigo Chalice】 acquired.』
『Accessory 【Alarm Bell of the Abyss】 acquired.』
『Item 【Tome of Truth "The Abyss"】 acquired.』
『World Quest "Shangri-La Frontier" has progressed.』

Author's Afterword
I'll be taking a break for a while now that the epilogue is done.
No seriously, I want to do some side stories and dump lore in the form of the Tome of Truth while looking smug, so I can't update for about two weeks, 'su.

• Title 【Survivor from the Abyss】
  Acquired upon escaping Ruluiath alive.

• Title 【True Seeker】
  Acquired upon defeating Ctarrnid's Imaginative Form.

• Title 【Flying Innsmouth's Crew】
  Acquired when taking the ship escape route during the final stage's branching paths.

• Title 【Proof of Inheritance】
  Acquired upon defeating Ctarrnid (regardless of Delusional or Imaginative Form).

• Title 【Different Paths, Same Heart】
  Acquired upon defeating Ctarrnid alongside NPCs.

• Title 【An Outlaw Acknowledged】
  Acquired by clearing the Unique Scenario of a specific outlaw NPC.

• Title 【Billion Getter】
  Acquired by earning over a specific amount of Mani within a certain timeframe.
  The lower-tier title is 【Million Getter】, and the higher-tier title is 【Trillion Getter】.

It seems one of us completely exploited a 4D pocket to monopolize and hoard a massive amount of treasure...?