The rooftop surrounding the spire, where countless weapons were being bombarded, was quiet. The fight that had been crossing the roof and ground, protected by defensive magic, felt like a lie.
I was standing still atop the flying greatsword there.
“...”
“...”
“...”
The fierce wave of minions had stopped. The clones left by the [Priest of Conflict], Offnir, all maintained a cold silence. It was a silence like that of an office the day after rumors of layoffs spread. The utter stillness, devoid even of breathing, made me feel trapped in a momentary world.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Offnir’s numerous clones, which had popped out like cockroaches, had all ceased their actions.
‘...Is it over? Ah, ah...! I shouldn’t say things like that.’
I felt a cold sweat run down my back from the line I almost uttered without thinking.
If I were just some passing Yellow Turban Rebel A, I would have died the moment I spoke that line. But since I didn’t let the ominous words escape my mouth, nothing happened.
Get a grip...!
‘Even though my specialty is handling minion waves, the opponent is a boss-level priest with basic ether resistance. I can’t deal with that guy like I did with the [Priest of Erosion]... I don’t know how long I can keep taking down his clones with brute force. I have to hold out until Hilda lends a hand.’
To maintain my focus, I took a deep breath.
“Hoo...!”
Then I felt the cold touch of the red spear in my hand vividly.
Vooom—!
The weapon handed to me by the timid rabbit librarian Mila. But the spear gripped tightly in my hand emitted a slight repulsion.
Feeling the subtle pushback as it rejected me, I smirked.
‘At least it’s a weapon given by the Research Faction, skilled in ether manipulation, so it’s not too bad... I guess all weapons feel like this unless they’re given by our house cat.’
I adjusted my posture atop the greatsword Mila was controlling to minimize the repulsion from the spear. But the altitude was too low, and I couldn't secure a clear view.
‘If only I had something like a small radio, I could ask Mila to raise the flight altitude a bit...’
But nothing like that exists here.
Inside the 'Sage's Room' as well, Freya and the others would be busy preparing bombardments. Anyway, that side needs to be sorted out quickly so that proper support can come this way...
The only one who can fight directly here is me.
I’ll safely eliminate the minions physically until the main body arrives.
Okay.
Mission confirmation complete.
In the suffocating silence.
Various thoughts flashed through my mind due to the tension.
“...”
If I get hurt while overdoing it this time...
I’ll be confined in a cave where bad monsters go. If I get trapped there, I’ll likely receive a punishment where I’ll have to perform cute acts for the events, forgotten by the main story.
It’s not the players I’ll have to charm with my cuteness and antics in front of, but Hilda, who seems like the owner of the cave. I didn’t know she had a hobby of imprisoning her friends.
‘A hell where I have to wear a revealing swimsuit and become a high-performance summer limited character to be released... That’s quite embarrassing.’
Natural state interaction.
Even if I do everything else, that is... that was my last limit. That’s why I had refused the juniors' invitations to bathe together until now.
But to become a limited 5-star event swimsuit Clara all by myself...
It’s truly terrifying.
Even if it's a swimsuit... if I wear a swimsuit, it should be fair for them to wear one too. But Hilda would probably refuse, saying it would damage her dignity. Then how is it different from being naked alone?
Amidst the tension, all sorts of nonsense bubbled up in my mind.
Suddenly, a vague sincerity squeezed its way through my heart.
‘...And even if I ask why she kissed my forehead, she probably won’t answer.’
That soft feeling still vividly lingered on my forehead.
Is such skinship normal between friends?
I wouldn't know, having never been a high school girl in my past life.
“...”
Even while lost in such thoughts, I kept my eyes moving, scanning my surroundings ceaselessly. Because of that, I was more perceptive than usual, three times more so.
“...”
Alertness...
Alertness...
Alertness...
The numerous black suns still stood frozen. The clones of Offnir had stopped, and the main body hadn’t appeared yet... but it wasn’t certain.
Because there was a limit to my perception abilities.
Detection range—events beyond 100 meters had to be directly seen to be known. The main body’s presence lurking underground could have been a decoy, so I held my breath and thoroughly surveyed the surroundings.
‘Honestly, even this level of perceptiveness is unimaginably advanced compared to other [Unique Ether] users...’
The only specialty of [Pink Spiral].
However, individual ability is only at an individual level.
No matter what, it was insufficient for me alone to act as a human radar.
“...”
Among the numerous bombardments, our standoff continued.
“...?”
But even that began to feel off.
We seemed to have been playing freeze tag for about 2-3 minutes.
‘Are they trying to dodge by understanding the “Sage’s Room”’s automatic tracking mechanism?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
If that’s the case, I got scared for nothing.
He wasn’t called the [Priest of Conflict] for nothing.
Using such a high-level fake to humiliate the opponent.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Dozens of Offnirs kept their mouths shut.
They all stood still, each where they had been poised to lunge.
The black ether traces didn’t flow from their wounds when they halted. So the bombardment from the “Sage’s Room” ignored them, shifting to automatically pursue magical skills throughout the city.
‘Maybe Mila’s busy with that... she seems to have completely let go of controlling the greatsword.’
The greatsword hadn’t moved since earlier. After the unusual situation occurred, the rabbit librarian Mila seemed to have something else demanding her attention.
I glanced at the thousands of bombings shooting up into the sky.
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
“...”
The purple weapons ignored the black suns, launched like missiles all over the city. I couldn’t guess why the black suns were so grim-faced.
‘Usually, the side that moves first is at a disadvantage...!’
But now, with the help of the “Sage’s Room.”
So I could afford a hand-to-hand combat without flying around.
I jumped off the greatsword and landed on the ground below the library building from which the enemy had emerged.
Thud—!
I grasped my spear once again and prepared to charge. As I readied myself to crack their heads again like a rice bowl, I pondered the true meaning of this freeze tag game.
‘Command confusion? No, all the clones are connected to Offnir’s mind... Or is the main body about to come out? He’s not one to announce an attack so openly...?’
Tap, tap!
As I descended from the greatsword and took a stance on the ground, one of the black suns, which had been engaged in the freeze tag from afar, spoke in a low voice.
“...Yan Liang. Wen Chou. Lu Bu.”
“What...?!”
“Guan Yu. Zhang Fei.”
“...?!”
Whisk—!
I widened my eyes, unable to help but react to what he said.
‘How does he know the names of the Three Kingdoms generals...?’
This is <Yggdrasil Gate>... a fantasy game world entirely unrelated to Earth. It was unbelievable to hear the names of the Three Kingdoms generals suddenly spoken here.
Moreover, that guy is one of the masterminds of this world... a high-ranking officer in <Ratatoskr>. His combat power is equivalent to three [Unique Ether] users combined, just by virtue of his abilities.
The rising sensation was despair.
Four wings spread under the moonlight.
The [Priest of Erosion] we barely managed to defeat by burning everything.
‘No way... Is that guy also a possessor like me...? The [Priest of Conflict], the prophet mentioned by the [Priest of Erosion]...?!’
If this so-called prophet were someone like me who possessed a game character.
And if that prophet were the [Priest of Conflict] standing right in front of me...
‘Have I... walked into another trap?’
My heart raced wildly, my mind turning blank.
But.
In that moment, one thing came to mind.
“...!”
In the blink of an eye, I was convinced of one thing.
No.
That guy isn’t a possessor or a prophet.
What came to mind were the words muttered by the [Priest of Erosion].
‘...And the [Fate of the Three Heroes] gathered as well...’
‘...Just as “he” said 1,500 years ago...’
There’s no way the [Priest of Erosion] would address the [Priest of Conflict] in such a manner.
Even if he had possessed the [Priest of Conflict] a long time ago, there’s no way a <Yggdrasil Gate> gamer wouldn’t recognize ‘Clara’ from <Central Prism Academy>.
‘...Offnir isn’t a possessor.’
If so... the identity of the ‘prophet’ isn’t the [Priest of Conflict], Offnir.
‘But that guy is recalling something from my words and probing.’
My careless shout about the Three Kingdoms knowledge.
The [Priest of Conflict] has heard stories about the original game and the Three Kingdoms from the prophet. And the [Priest of Conflict] believes I came from the same place as the ‘prophet.’
‘I foolishly revealed myself, but I’ve learned something too.’
[The ‘prophet’ doesn’t have prophetic abilities but is a possessor.]
[And the ‘prophet’ is a figure from the same place as me.]
[The ‘prophet’ played the original game and possessed a character in the game’s past.]
The most threatening possibility...
The possibility that Offnir is both a ‘prophet’ and a ‘possessor’ is entirely erased. In its place, clues about the identity of the ‘prophet’ have emerged.
With this realization, countless previously diverged stories now align. Why the words spoken by someone with prophetic abilities weren’t about the ‘future of this world’ but rather ‘knowledge from the original game.’
‘From now on, I need to find out the ‘prophet’s’ state and how much <Ratatoskr> knows about the possessed ‘prophet’...’
One of Offnir’s clones spoke in a mocking voice.
“Kuhuhuhu...! I see, so that's what it was! They’re there too, huh―? No wonder things didn’t add up!”
“...”
“Kahaha!! How amusing...!”
I faced Offnir’s clone.
Offnir’s clone seemed to have deduced my identity from the momentary flicker in my eyes. The creature grinned widely, his expression brimming with certainty.
‘How much this guy knows about the ‘prophet’ will determine how much of my identity is exposed.’
The thought flickered through my mind.
Rumble――!
The ground shook as if an earthquake struck, and numerous clones began to disappear. I sensed the main body of Offnir, which hadn’t moved much from the distance underground, drawing closer.
“...”
He’s coming.
Boom—!!
The ground exploded outward.
A massive hole formed as cracks spread.
From it emerged a bizarre dragon with a mantis-like body.
Roar――!!
“Kuhuhuhuhu...!”
“...”
Offnir’s main body clicked its giant pincers, bowing its head toward me. The movement spread a foul smell, casting a gigantic shadow over the area.
Hundreds of horns protruded like spikes.
A dragon of chaos aiming to disrupt the order of this world.
“...”
I steeled myself, observing the scene.
‘If I receive maximum support fire from the Sage’s Room... how long can I hold out?’
In that state, Offnir whispered in a chilling voice.
“Hand over the location of the ‘prophet’ on your side, heh...! Then I might just let you live...!”
“...?”
What nonsense is this now?
Offnir seemed to mistake my stunned expression for fear, his voice growing more fervent as he continued his eerie persuasion.
“It’s useless to hide. Heh... the ‘prophet’ from the outer world... you have one over there too, right? Or should I search the academy city myself for a ‘male who can’t use ether’?”
“...?”
“Oho! Is it a noble heart, thinking of your comrades? Do you think I can’t find him? It’s your last chance to sell out your comrade and live...! Hahaha...!”
“...?”
Today, both Rota and Offnir...
Were speaking in riddles I couldn’t understand, leaving me feeling left out.
At that moment.
Rumble――!!
Boom――!!
Towards the gigantic mantis dragon.
Dozens of lightning bolts flashed, engulfing it.
And amidst the massive glow stood a girl brandishing her spear.
Hilda spoke to Offnir with eyes full of killing intent.
“Die.”
Oh, wait, Hilda...!
I have more to hear from him...!
But Hilda scattered the lightning that split into hundreds and thousands, charging at Offnir.
Boom――!!