Chapter 464: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 41

Author's Preface

I wrote this while losing my mind, so naturally, I haven't proofread it.

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We've done it now! Kukuku, we've really done it now!!

"Look at that, they even nicely displayed markers separated by faction."

"You look like you're having fun."

"Of course I am. PvP is the flower of MMOs. And faction wars with a ton of clear conditions are insanely fun once you get used to them...!!"

What's wrong, what's wrong? If you want to aim for my back, I won't stop you, y'know? Unfortunately, due to my job, I'll be refraining from going for kills myself, but... Nice, the tension is rising.

"How far can Liberato be applied? Needs verification... The sky is turning white, it's almost time... Will we make it? Yeah, we can, if I just send him flying somehow..."

"H-hey?"

"Just talking to myself. Verbalizing my thoughts helps organize them... Tch, the balance between firepower and convenience is seriously garbage. Absorption? No, considering capacity, it might be better to go full masochist? Though it won't be a laughing matter if I actually die here."

"Stop muttering to yourself with weird words! It's making me intensely curious!!"

Yeah, I don't care. It's not like I'm thinking about things logically step-by-step anyway. As long as I can nail down the main points, I can connect the rest with nuance.

"We're in the final stretch. I bashed him a bit earlier, and there were a few horns that felt suspicious. Two from the top of the right three, and the bottom one of the left two."

"I don't think I can hit them just by being told to..."

"No, that's where you're wrong. Oh, Rust! Perfect timing!"

"...What?"

"We're playing telephone. The guy providing fire support with Brunbas over there... Ah, he's an acquaintance of mine, alright? Go tell him 'Right Top & Mid, Left Bot.' Use Suzaku to get there, too."

"...Fine. But do you have a chance of winning?"

"You could say I do, or you could say I don't. But there's only one thing I can say for sure..."

I'm going to snap his horns right the hell off. And as for a "chance of winning," that's not about me.
Unique Scenarios are someone's story. Even if every single person here is just an extra standing on that golden dragon's stage... there's still such a thing as an ensemble cast where everyone is a protagonist. Who's the narrator? At the very least, we're the side characters taking a different route.

"Hey, don't you agree...... Ah, it's Rei-shi, right?"

"Eh? Y-yes."

"Not a predatory organism that ate Rei-shi and usurped her stats?"

"Don't casually kill off my little sister."

"Eh, ah... This is, um, just that kind of armor... yes."

Wow, that helmet is blinking and it's all sticky and gooey (Deeply disturbed).

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A person like Akitsu Akane does not play the game completely immersing herself into a role from the bottom of her heart like Josette.

A girl like Akitsu Akane does not consciously tailor her behavior precisely because it is a game like Sunraku.

A player like Akitsu Akane does not coldly categorize it as merely graphics moving based on a string of numbers like Deep Slaughter.

"........."

Then what kind of gamer is Akitsu Akane?

"Noirlind-san."

『What!!』

"This is a very important conversation... and I believe what's about to happen is very important too."

『Nuu?』

There was no embellishment in her words. She spoke the words that surfaced from the ocean of Akitsu Akane's heart without decorating them, conveying her sincere feelings to the dragon.

"Noirlind-san, you are Noirlind-san. Fighting to surpass Siegwurm-san... admiring Siegwurm-san, chasing after him... and now, you've come so very close."

『Is that...! Something you must say right now!!』

"Yes."

Akitsu Akane does not roleplay. Akitsu Akane does not look down on NPCs. Understanding fully well that they are fictional entities (NPC) clearly distinct from the humans (players) living in reality, she still spins words no different from those she would use in reality.
And for that exact reason, her style possessed unparalleled value within the game known as Shangri-La Frontier... no, within the "System."

"But still... you can't live your life only looking forward, only looking up. Noirlind-san, you have to face your past."

『.........』

Precisely because she was on Noirlind's back—meaning she possessed a higher vantage point compared to the other players—Akitsu Akane could see it. Was it a mere illusion, or the truth shown by ShanFro's non-standard graphics?

"........."

"........."

Far away at Skull Azuchi, at the front of a group slowly but steadily marching toward Noirlind.
Akitsu Akane put a little strength into biting her lower lip, certain that her eyes had just met with a single woman's in the distance.

『Are those... Hmph, do they think they are the ones to slay me?』

"Yes, and... I'm sure, even if Pencilgon-san and the others turn everything upside down, if they still don't give up... I'm sure that, in essence, it's the exact same as your feelings of trying to surpass Siegwurm-san."

Akitsu Akane hates giving up.

Akitsu Akane loves those who do not give up.

Akitsu Akane believes that a clash between those who do not give up absolutely must be settled.

Because, isn't it true?

If someone doesn't move forward, and someone doesn't stop... the hand reaching out will never reach what it longs for.

『Trash of that level, with my breath alone───』

"No, Noirlind-san, you focus on Siegwurm-san. I will... yes, I will do something about those people."

『What did you... Hey!』

As Akitsu Akane casually hopped off, Noirlind called out to her with a roar. But the girl in the fox mask did not look back, continuing her words.

"I am cheering for you, Noirlind-san. I want you to look only at Siegwurm-san and keep moving forward. That's why... I'm going to help you do that. That's why."

Looking back, Akitsu Akane shifted her fox mask just a little. Exposing only half of her face, she formed a wide smile and grinned at Noirlind.

"Leave it to me! I am your retainer? Your servant? Something like that! So I'll go settle this? Take responsibility? On your behalf!!"

『Akitsu Akane, you...』

『What is the matter, Noirlind! Will you atone with your body for the folly of daydreaming before my eyes! While bearing that name!!』

『Gunoa!? You bastard...!!』

A breath that scorched the sky struck Noirlind, and though groaning, the black dragon glared straight at Siegwurm.
That's fine, Akitsu Akane thought as she quietly faced forward. Realizing that acting entirely on her own desires made her quite selfish, Akitsu Akane nonetheless took on Noirlind's burden as a proxy, heading toward the anti-Noirlind faction... Emi-Lia, [Knights Tempura], and the mixed parties of crafters.

Ah, come to think of it, what would they say at a time like this?
The people Akitsu Akane admired, the people who enjoyed Shangri-La Frontier by letting the things she didn't possess shine—what would they say?

If it were OiKatzo, who steadily accumulated progress with a caution Akitsu Akane didn't possess.

If it were Arthur Pencilgon, who stirred up not just players but even NPCs with a cunning Akitsu Akane didn't possess.

If it were Psyger-0, who reached an incredible title like Record Holder through a refinement Akitsu Akane didn't possess.

If it were Kyougoku, who skillfully manipulated a katana with techniques Akitsu Akane didn't possess, fighting without fearing the brand of a PK.

If it were Rust, who displayed an unseen three-dimensional mobility in mech piloting within a realm Akitsu Akane didn't possess.

If it were Mold, who aided Rust with a perspective Akitsu Akane didn't possess, syncing their breathing perfectly to contribute far beyond mere firepower.

If it were Sunraku, who dashed through the world in an unprecedented manner with an audacity Akitsu Akane didn't possess.

Because they were different from her, anyone who possessed something she lacked was someone to be respected. That's why she wanted to chase after them, to aim for them. And as for giving up, that could wait until after everything was truly over.

Because until then, she wanted to reach out her hand and run.

"I've heard the rumors... but to think that you are explicitly cooperating with Noirlind..."

"Yes! My name is Akitsu Akane!!"

Ah, that's right. If it were Sunraku, at the very least, wouldn't he do this?

"I am going to send you all flying right now!!"

Because for Akitsu Akane, challenging things was her very playstyle (way of life).

Author's Afterword

Akitsu Akane is the type who just starts running entirely on her own once she reaches a conclusion in her own head, but because she has the Light attribute and her real-life luck is maxed out, it somehow works out in the end.
Normally, she'd be the type to drag everyone around her along for the ride... but you see, every single member of Wolfgang is a runaway express train...