LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 27
Chapter 27. It’s Fine
Outside the virtual space, the venue of the inter-school competition had fallen into complete chaos.
And it was no surprise, as monsters had suddenly appeared in the virtual space, which was supposed to be absolutely safe.
Moreover, it wasn’t just one, but multiple monsters appearing in an unprecedented emergency situation. There was a real possibility they could attack the venue.
Only a few people were thinking clearly, and one of them, Suzuna, had already taken action the moment the monsters appeared.
“Looks like we can’t get in after all?”
“Yes, the system has completely slipped from our control. This has never happened before. Why now?”
She tried to move to the virtual space, but there seemed to be some anomaly in the system.
“This isn’t a system malfunction.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
She shifted her gaze to the monitor.
From here, she couldn’t see clearly.
But in cases like this, a new breed of monster was always bound to appear.
(So this is what Hanachan was talking about.)
The girl with the [Seer] ability from the Special Ability Unit, Kikuri Hana-chan, had said to her.
“Suzuna-san, I see black clouds in the venue. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this before, so I’m not sure what kind of presence it is. You’re strong, but please, don’t let your guard down.”
Suzuna had thought she was being cautious enough.
But she never expected the monsters would appear in the virtual space.
On top of that, the system wasn’t functioning properly, so there was no way to go and rescue anyone.
As she gritted her teeth at this fact, a man came running toward her. His face was pale, and his expression was frantic. When he reached her, he bowed his head with urgency.
“Please! Save my daughter! She’s a child who’s been sacrificing herself for her sister, and she hasn’t even known the joy of life yet. Please, I beg you.”
He must have heard about her from someone.
The look in his eyes was faint, filled with desperate hope.
“I can’t handle the current situation alone. I’ve called for help, so please, wait just a little longer.”
“Wh-what?”
The athletes shown on the monitor were managing to hold off the monsters’ fierce attacks, but it was only a matter of time. Their stamina was surely running low, and the number of monsters wasn’t decreasing—it was only growing.
(If I could save them, I’d have done it by now!)
There were times when Suzuna felt her chest tighten as part of the Special Ability Unit. It was when she couldn’t help the people who were desperately seeking salvation right before her eyes.
There was nothing more she hated than feeling powerless in moments like these.
(Everyone, please hurry. Otherwise, they’ll all…)
Her gaze shifted, and she noticed cracks forming on the ominous sphere shown on the monitor.
That was where he had been absorbed. The one who had overwhelmed an A-rank monster.
Seeing this, Suzuna let out a slight smile.
“No, maybe I won’t need to wait for help.”
“Huh, will my daughter be saved?!”
“That depends on him. Looks like the sleepyhead finally woke up.”
The cracks spread rapidly across the sphere.
From the gaps, a heat like that of the sun started to pour out.
◇
“Ha, ha.”
The number of monsters wasn’t decreasing at all.
In fact, it seemed like they were increasing, as the area around Masuzu was filled with these ugly, twisted creatures.
“Yaaah!”
“Nene!”
Nene was blown away by an orc’s club.
Masuzu quickly moved to catch Nene’s fall, and without missing a beat, drew her bow and shot an arrow straight into the orc’s forehead.
Everyone was fighting purely on willpower, their stamina already drained.
Her vision was blurry, and her body trembled as if screaming that it had reached its limit.
Masuzu’s arrows were gradually losing power, and even when shooting at F-rank goblins, she couldn’t kill them with a single shot anymore.
Even so, Masuzu kept running, defeating enemies.
However, it didn’t last long.
“Cough!”
A monster’s side swipe struck Masuzu on the flank.
The impact sent her lightly into the air, and without the chance to brace for it, she fell hard to the ground with a dull thud.
Masuzu tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate.
(I think my leg’s broken from the fall.)
Monsters began to surround Masuzu.
Their faces were all distorted in ugliness, their mouths twisted into wide grins as they mocked her.
“Masuzu!!!”
Nene’s desperate cry rang in Masuzu’s ears.
But Masuzu had no strength left to get up or fight.
(I really never catch a break.)
A parade of images passed through Masuzu’s mind.
All she ever wanted was to see her little sister smile from the bottom of her heart.
She dreamed of going shopping together, sitting at the same dinner table.
But now… it was all over.
Tears flowed naturally.
She wished she could live just a little longer.
“Someone, help…”
It wasn’t directed at anyone in particular.
It was just a resolute wish, born out of her inability to give up, that slipped from her lips.
But such a wish would never reach anyone, and the monsters’ merciless strike came down.
“[Mountain Breaker]”
“Huh?”
With a calm voice, the threat approaching her vanished.
Amidst her blurry vision, a shadow slowly approached her, faintly visible.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Masuzu recognized the voice.
“Yanagi-kun?”
“Yes.”
Hayato gently lifted Masuzu and moved her to a safe spot.
“Everyone’s…”
He was shocked by how the righteous senior, who was more concerned for others despite being the most injured, wiped the blood from Masuzu’s cheek and disappeared.
When he reappeared, he was carrying five people, who had been fighting monsters, in his arms.
“Huh? Where am I?”
“Don’t come here—eh? Who are those people?”
“…”
“Masuzu!”
“What’s going on?”
As they were placed on the ground, the five of them voiced their shock.
Hayato ignored their concerns and started walking toward the monsters.
“Wait, you can’t do it alone!”
Ignoring Yamada-senpai’s warning, Hayato kicked the ground.
His sheer strength caused the ground to cave in, and shockwaves spread outward.
He jumped right above the monsters.
Looking down at them with fury in his eyes, he drew his arm back in a large arc.
“Looks like you’ve been having fun, let me join in—[Meteor Shower]!”
In an instant, a storm of fists rained down on the monsters, shaking the sky.
The deafening roar sounded like a cannon as it crushed dozens of monsters, scattering their innards and creating multiple craters.
Masuzu and the others could only stare, speechless.
They were stunned at the sight of the previously overwhelming monsters being crushed as easily as trash.
Standing on top of the gruesome remains of the monsters, Hayato casually swung his fist toward the forest.
The trees were blown away by the force of his punch, and a shadow leaped from within, revealing itself.
It was a grotesque little monster, with unnaturally long arms, its right face laughing and its left face crying.
“Never seen you before. A new breed?”
“KIEEEEEEE!!!”
The monster screeched, and at the same time, three more monsters appeared.
The people behind Hayato gasped in fear.
For them, it was the worst possible additional despair.
◇
“That kind of type, huh.”
I nodded to myself in front of the monster.
“BUUUMOOO!!!”
“GUURAAAA!!!”
“GIIGYAAAA!!!”
The three of them let out roars that shook the very atmosphere.
They were the ones I knew well, or rather, the ones I had recently faced.
A Minotaur, a Ravana, and a Ritter. All of them were vicious monsters that had put the town in danger.
(If he summoned them, what are the chances that they’re the exact ones I just recently fought? If not, then it means he’s reading my memories. Also, judging by the fact that Hattori-san isn’t here, it seems the system has been taken by him.)
I sighed, realizing a troublesome new breed had been born.
“Your ability is probably [Interference].”
Though it was just a guess, I was getting close to the truth.
He interfered with my memories and the system. If you think of it that way, everything makes sense.
Within this virtual space, he would be a formidable monster. But in the real world, he wouldn’t be much of a threat.
(But this isn’t him. The voice I heard in my mind earlier wasn’t from a weakling like this.)
I thought back to the voice that had sent chills down my spine when I was engulfed by the sphere.
It had felt as if my heart was being gripped, but I didn’t feel that at all from the ones in front of me now.
(Who was that?)
“It’s no use.”
Amid my thoughts, a voice full of resignation came from behind me.
“Not just D-rank, but even A-rank, we’re done for here.”
“It’s fine.”
I cut off the voice full of sorrow and despair.
“Sorry. I forgot about the injured. Please wait just a moment. I’ll finish this in seconds.”
This wasn’t the time to think.
For now, I needed to quickly deal with the opponent in front of me.