Chapter 697: Echo Upon the Mirror's Surface, Roar From the Skyscrapers - Part 15

【Library】, ShanFro's largest lore-investigating clan and a bunch of enthusiasts dedicated to unraveling the massive world of ShanFro both inside and outside the game.

With the existence of Orchestra's Canon and Apocrypha routes revealed, they had been cooperating with me—the test case who advanced to the Canon route. But they definitely weren't just playing around the whole time I was preparing to start the raid.

A snake knows a snake's path. Even if they couldn't reach the absolute truth, there were mountains of things they wanted to know. And they were in the closest position to do so.

Saying that, The Professor and the others handed me their secret stash.

"Did you know, Orchestra? A secret stash is meant to be hidden where it can't be found...... Saina!!"

"A dazzling brilliance, illuminating even the moon in a nightless sky......!"

Even while singing, Saina manipulated the Conquista Doll window to deploy that. At first glance, it looked like a slightly oversized medal. By holding it over the back of my right hand, it autonomously hovered, tracking my movements.

"Yo, Orchestra. What you copy is the real-time data of 'me,' right? Let's do some verification then. If I use an item where the ownership doesn't belong to me...... how are you gonna react?"

Here we go, time to prove the hypothesis set up by 【Library】! The Conquista Doll equipment recovery part, the "Collector"!!

As an item owned by a Conquista Doll, it's activated at willActive by the player and controlled constantlyPassive by the Conquista Doll!!

In short, when I usually fought while chucking weapons everywhere, this is the tool Saina used to retrieve them. What in the world did Library investigate, and what logic did they follow to conclude that a player could also use this?...... Well, whatever. The important part is that using this makes the fight more convenient, and using it confirms a certain hypothesis.

"Try and copy this, you knock-off bastard!!"

The moment the medal emitted light, something resembling a wire made of light extended toward the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach lying on the ground...... and stuck to it.

Then, at the exact same time it was pulled back to me, I hurled the Treasure Sword of Boundary LightLumeridian I was holding in my left hand...... Let's go!!

"This is convenient, what a great tool!!"

Window operation! I spawned Aguacate in my left hand and held the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach in my right—oh, the nostalgic Cosmo Buster style!!

Firing Aguacate, I pushed forward, forward, forward. The good thing about handguns is that they're easy to maneuver even in close-quarters brawls. As if he could perfectly track the muzzle, "Sunraku" dodged the approaching bullets without any particular panic, and slashed at me with the separated Isana Togetsu as I deliberately rushed right into his striking range.

But even an idiot could see that coming; or rather, I got close specifically because I wanted him to do that.

I blocked the first strike with the golden sword in my right hand, and dodged the follow-up swing using the rotation from my forward step. Crouching low, I aimed a straight-extending back kick right at "Sunraku's" calf...... but he dodged it with a jump.

"Tch!"

I fired again. To dodge that mid-air, he had no choice but to use a skill. If I was lucky, maybe two...... Lucky!! He used three skills! This is why playing it safe makes you regret it later!!

He stepped on thin air, traced a circle, and stood upside down. Having circled directly above me, "Sunraku's" weapon morphed from twin blades into a greatsword. A brief silence...... How to dodge, how to hit, how to move? The thoughts of a human and an AI clashed, calculating the conclusion.

"Fine, I'll give you the high ground."

I looked straight up and aimed my gun. At the same time, "Sunraku" dove toward me, completely upside down!!

I knew he was also receiving the benefits of the "Fool". Hermes Boots, Multiple Circular Motion, Space Charge...... with an average recast time of twenty seconds, I'd find a once-in-a-lifetime opening in those exact twenty seconds!!

Three shots fired. I haven't dedicated my life to guns like Yashirobird, so two out of the three missed, but one flew straight at his chest. If it hit, no matter how low Aguacate's firepower was, with "MeSunraku's" stats, it would be a fatal wound.

Sure enough, the plot-armor guard flew in. Since the theater was gone, what came flying in was a road sign. A "STOP" sign politely took the bullet, as if protecting him.

I continued to pull the trigger, but no bullets came out...... empty.

『…………！』

"Gotcha!!"

Me and "Me." The same equipment, the same skills, the same items. In order to differentiate myself against a reproduction whose stats were higher than mine, there was only one way. I had to create a new difference!!

"Me" had used his skills! I was conserving mine!

"Me" couldn't wrap himself in a storm! I could wrap myself in a storm!

"Me" couldn't use the Collector! I could use the Collector!

A trivial difference turns into a massive fissure! Even twins raised in the same environment develop distinct personalities. If first-person and second-person pronouns separate the self from others, then this very moment is the greatest opportunity!!

"Now then......... Here we go, 'MeSunraku', and Orchestra! Keep spamming that plot armor until you're completely broke!!"

A frequently forgotten hidden effect of the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach! The ability to charge magical energy proportional to its landed slashes!!

And that accumulated magical energy can be transferred into something else. For example... if it's just loading a single extra shotHidden Bullet into Aguacate, which uses MP for its bullets......!!

The greatsword approached; my time to move was minimal. But...... I could do it. Pointing Aguacate in my left hand forward, I slammed my right hand against my left chest.

Donning the storm, donning the lightning. Using them both simultaneously causes them to rampage out of control, but they can be activated at the same time. In short, as long as I don't trigger one's activation condition, it's fine!!

"Full combo!!"

With my body surging with Overflow, I back-stepped. No matter how wildly you swing it around, a slash is just a linear threat; as long as it doesn't hit, it doesn't mean shit!!

I took aim and fired. The bullet flying toward his skull was deflected by a "DO NOT ENTER" sign...... and at that exact moment, "Sunraku," who had swung at empty air, landed on the ground. Aiming right at him, I hurled the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach in my right hand with all my might, and before even seeing the result, I pulled the Treasure Sword of Boundary LightLumeridian back to me using the "Collector."

"Roar, Treasure Sword! It's still night! Barely night!!"

It was getting close to dawn, and it would be really inconvenient if it turned into the Dawn-Glowing Blade here, so I swung it like a prayer. Sure enough, the blade swung while still maintaining its crimson hue, launching the light as a flying slash that closed in on "Sunraku."

"Come on, bring it on, give me more! Sing, Saina!! Sing and paint over this world!!"

Who cares if this is a fantasy world! Hurray for civilization and enlightenment! No matter how much people dream of fantasy, they can never abandon their washlets and the internet!!

The conventional tactic of throwing away a weapon and pulling out the next—meaning my on-hand inventory equaled my remaining ammo—had gained a new method known as "recycling," thanks to the "equipment" discovered by 【Library】 that didn't consume the player's resources.

"Hah, next up is a speed limit and a one-way sign?"

While watching the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the HeroEska=Wallach get deflected and the flying slash of the Night-Glowing Blade get completely erased, what I gripped in both hands was the true original: Isana Togetsu.

Now then...... I'll drag all their logic and this entire tide of battle into the mix and blow it all away.

---

Author's Afterword

・ "Collector"

An item recovery device that served as the initial equipment for Conquista Dolls during the Collection Project. By focusing consciousness on a target, it projects a pointer. As the equipment user moves, the target "runs" across the pointer at high speed, pulling it back to the user's hand. Visually, it looks like it's being pulled by a wire, but strictly speaking, it's closer to metal snapping onto a magnet.

As a result of 【Library】's verification, it was discovered that while the "Collector" requires a Conquista Doll for its internal calculations, there's no problem if a completely different person handles the actual physical deployment. Therefore, it was adopted as one of the counters to the trait Sunraku reported: "Orchestra performs a perfect copy of the target."

However, this didn't mean that was everything in their secret stash.