Chapter 78

Author: a little bit of each person’s story

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(3rd POV- Rinne)

「…..Fuu」

It’s morning, though a bit late-ish, past nine.

Rinne who woke up, moistened her throat with the water bottle beside the bed and sighed.

Beside Rinne, was Nana still sleeping without any sound.

Regarding Nana who was sleeping, that trait hadn’t changed at all. Rinne always had this impression.

Nana basically doesn’t make any sound, whether she was walking or sleeping. She also doesn’t have any presence, there was once a time a young Rinne thought Nana was a ninja.

“I’m sure that if Nana makes a sleeping stream, you won’t be able to hear anything”

While thinking such things, Rinne took a look at the sunlight leaking from the shade curtains. “It seems that today’s weather is stupidly good too.”

Today is the day before the event. Since Rinne needs to travel to Fias, it will be quite a busy day. Nana should also have some things to do, but she still isn’t showing any signs of waking up.

Ever since she slept the entire day away, quite frequently when waking up, would Rinne still see Nana sleeping.

Nana, who used to sleep an average of three hours a night, is now going to sleep much earlier and waking up later than Rinne.

Since Rinne values her own sleep, she ensures at least six hours of sleep a day, everyday.

Seeing Nana sleep for more than eight hours, it’s not just on a level that is unusual. Rinne, who understands Nana, can’t help but have this impression.

Though watching Nana’s sleeping face is a moment of supreme bliss, Rinne thought that it might not be bad if she would cuddle closer when she wakes up or greet her in the morning dressed in an apron.

Though, this is not the first time that Nana is still sleeping, according to Rinne’s memory this is the third time.

Rinne isn’t too worried, considering that they can’t play the game together much, Rinne’s intention was to at least flirt with each other when they are in RL.

「Nana, Nana」

「…..nn」

While lightly calling out her name as I shook her shoulders. Nana wouldn’t wake up, in protest she held onto Rinne’s hand.

This is her showing that she has no intention of waking up.

If Nana holds her hand, she would never be able to let go. This was Nana’s habit when she wanted to be spoiled.

「Geez….it can’t be helped.」

Rinne is weak against something like this. Just like how Nana is weak to Rinne’s pleading, Rinne too, would not be able to refuse when Nana wants to be spoiled.

And more than that, for Nana, Rinne knows that holding hands is an act of courage.

For Nana, touching someone directly is a feared action.

This has been so since a very young Nana accidentally crushed her mother’s hand. Ever since then Nana has been living with the fear of breaking someone important to her.

Ever since Rinne was a little girl, Nana has been frightened of herself, even though she became able to control her power by staying with me, she is still scared of herself.

「It’s alright, I’m here with you」

While patting Nana who had a really painful looking expression, Rinne gave up on getting off the bed and layed down cuddling closer.

“Is she having a bad dream? It’s mostly likely. Nana right now looks the same as six years ago”

Even though she should have forgotten about it, that missing memory from a long time ago is still tormenting Nana.

Even so, Rinne can’t really do anything about it. That’s right, she understands.

All Rinne can do is cuddle closer with Nana.

Nana needs to overcome it herself, the emotions she sealed from that past trauma.

With just a little trigger, it’s guaranteed that Nana will remember. Just what will be the trigger, Rinne has no answer.

「As fast as possible, I’d like for that time to arrive though.」

Nana who was sleeping on her side, slowly had the grimace on her face fade as she gently brushed her back.

It’s nothing but a prediction, but that trigger might come with this event, Rinne thought.

When that time comes, all I can do is wait.

「But yeah…for now, I’m looking forward to the event.」

Ever since the first day, that’s right, even though she invited Nana to WLO to play with her, Rinne hadn’t been able to play with Nana for nearly two weeks.

As she had various thoughts, the most important thing right now, is that she would enjoy the event together with Nana.

☆ (3rd POV -Haruru-)

「Haaa….. Haaa」

Before the blazing furnace, Haruru laboriously exhaled as she strikes the metal.

Darker than black, this metal is so dark that it would swallow the light. She strikes it and strikes it and strikes it. The metal’s luster disappears everytime Haruru strikes it. A terrible burden rebounds onto her arms with every strike.

Over Heavy Metal, a weighty metal, the heavy metal. After melting it, mixing it, purifying it, and densifying it, the complete form is a super heavy metal.

Around Haruru, there were more than ten dark colored ingots, and all of these were Over Heavy Metal ingots.

「Fufu….fufufufu…..」

“GONN”…”GONN”……A weighty noise that would make you think it was sounded from a huge bell echoed in Haruru’s workshop.

Haruru looks like she would collapse, however she was happily laughing as she swung her hammer.

All of this was for Sukuna who has the talent to handle “this”.

That’s right, this is the crystallization of Haruru’s desire.This weapon is the first step towards it.

While swinging in a fixed rhythm, Haruru continues to endlessly strike.

This has been going on for over two hours, smithing with all of her heart and soul.

The forging for the Over Heavy Metal, was now going to reach its finale.

☆ (3rd POV -Arthur-)

Fifth Town, Griffis.

Inside the room that was prepared for her, Arthur swung her katana with a gentle motion.

This is what you could call a daily routine for Arthur.

According to her, it’s 「The most important training」. No one could understand the meaning, but Arthur wouldn’t explain more than that.

「Arthur-sama. The eight Knights of the Round Table we could contact have arrived.」

「Well done, Suryuu.」(9: I’m changing her name from Slew to Suryuu, since kana names are sometimes a hell to make sense so just to be safe, this is the kana スリュー)

Arthur, who was swinging her katana as if dancing, answered Suryuu’s call as she sheathed her sword.

Today was for the preparations of the upcoming event. Arthur had called for the members of the Round Table.

Knights of the Round Table. That is the title given to the top eleven in the clan 《Knights of the Round Table》.

Though they do plan to rerank every month, the current knights right now are the eleven people chosen by the 「Beginning Selection」. Though it’s a game that started recently, they are right now, the top sword user players.

Arthur sat at her exclusively prepared chair, she looked around the knights that have been waiting for her.

「Now then…..I praise you well for gathering so fast. Especially Reo, Elmi, I have caused you trouble」

「Absolutely not. Rather, leader should make us work harder」

「Yep yep, that’s right.」

The two sword users that Arthur called. The 1st place Reo, and the 5th place Elmi, even though they came running back from the Sixth Town, they didn’t show any dissatisfaction as they knelt before Arthur.

「The others too, you did well arriving on time. Once the event ends, the time for the 《Selection》will come. But before then, I wanted to see your faces.」

The 《Selection》 was a PVP tournament held in the clan 《Knights of the Round Table》 once a month.

The tournament’s result would influence the ranks within the Round Table.

Which means that right now, the eight people before Arthur were the victors of first selection.

「Fumu fumu. Everyone’s looks have really changed from three weeks ago. Especially Rankaido(乱回胴). Looks like ya have gotten quite better」

「Eh!? Really!? I’m glad.」

The full armored knight who was praised by Arthur, Rankaido, expressed his joy like a child.

He was ranked 6th place. Ever since he was chosen as a Knight of the Round Table, he had worked harder than anyone else「to become strong」. Having his strength recognized was more important than anything and made him happy.

While watching over that figure, Arthur called out to the others in the order she saw them.

「Don’t drown in pride and continue your efforts. Shuuya, how has it been recently?」

「Nn, well so-so ‘ssu. Ah, the other day I found a store that cooks rhinoceros beetle, I’ll give you the loc later」(9: loc, shortened ver of location)

“Just what is this guy doing….” While everyone sent that sort of gaze, they can’t help but accept his skill for being able to search out shops that grasped Arthur’s interest.

And more importantly, the reason that Arthur favors Shuuya was because he had that kind of ability.

「Well done!….Merry and Berry, I see you have changed your weapons.」

「Yes. A greatsword.」

「Mine’s a curved sword.」 (9: scimitar and etc)

「Umu. Master it well in this event.」

Who she called out next was two twin sword users. Both of them wore dress armors, looking like valkyries.

Their rankings are 8th and 9th respectively. Abandoning the one-hand sword they started with, they both chose their new paths, Arthur generously nodded and encouraged them.

「Benobenon, you were slain by the Murder Princess recently weren’t you?」

「Uhiie」

The 5th place, Benobenon. He dual-wielded daggers, which was very unusual.

After being called by Arthur, he curled into himself.

「Looks like I have to properly train you so you can take revenge.」

「Yes Ma’am!」

Though he might have been killed by a PKer, it wasn’t like he lost anything.

However that was only regarding items or Iris. The Knights of the Round Table were the clan’s face. No matter who it was, they were the aces of a large-scale clan. If they lost to a PKer, that would put quite a stain on their name.

Arthur didn’t really mind it, but Reo minded it a lot.

As a clan leader she intended to use tough love to motivate him, and she called out for Benobenon.

“Now then,” making a preface, Arthur opened her mouth.

「The other day, Sukuna came to meet me. Shuuya called her out for me you see.」

「Hee, so she came ‘ssu, that girl.」

Shuuya said it with a rather surprised expression, but for him to have invited her then wearing that kind of expression upon finding out she came, there was no explanation other than that he simply decided to give inviting her a shot.

Well, based on the fact that Touka and Arthur were connected, Shuuya thought that it was natural that it would work out.

「She was a player that was talked about quite a bit, but……fufu, It seemed like we would be good companions.」

「M-master’s friend, you say….Exotic foods….So she can eat those….」

Setting aside if that was what Arthur meant, it was commonly recognized among the clan members that those Arthur called ‘friends’ were only those who she could eat a meal together with.

And because of that, towards Rankaido’s quite shocked exclamation, everyone’s minds synchronized.

Arthur didn’t care about the change of atmosphere, and once again changed the topic.

「Now then, let us talk about the event. I don’t feel like aiming for the rankings, but how about you fellows?」

Arthur herself had once again entered a busy period, so she didn’t have enough time to aim for the rankings.

Although still, Arthur predicted that this event had some sort of influence towards going through the game settings, so it was a legitimate point to want someone from the Knights of the Round Table to be able to get into the top ranks.

Although, if everyone said their opinion then you’d need to be Shoutoku Taishi to catch them all. (9: some sort of metaphorical saying using the Prince Shoutoku as some sort of great person to be able to listen to them all properly I guess?)

That was why they quietly raised their hands to show their intentions.

Reo and Elmi, the two of them who were the farthest frontliners immediately raised their hands, and Benobenon awkwardly raised his hand.

Merry, Berry, and Rankaido didn’t raise their hands. They were, once again, the same as Arthur, players that couldn’t really put in that much time during the event.

「Reo, Elmi, and Benobenon, well, you can do it. Hou, Shuuya, you too, I see…?」

What was unexpected to Arthur was that although late, Shuuya, who had been inattentive, also raised his hand.

「Eeh, yeah. I can take a bit of time.」

「Yoi Yoi(good good)♪ Things sure have gotten fun.」

To Arthur who was happily smiling, Suryuu didn’t say anything in particular.

She was Arthur’s attendant. That was Suryuu’s most important goal within her playstyle, after all.

The moment that Arthur said she wouldn’t be able to seriously participate in the event, Suryuu just matched her decision with Arthur’s.

The flow of things had been decided.

In the clan house that had started to get somewhat comfy, the next moment, tension started to simmer.

「Now then, since you all have gathered here. If there are volunteers, shall we have a spar?」

A spar with Arthur. To those who aimed for the Knights of the Round Table because of their admiration for Arthur’s sword skills, this was a moment that they might even call a miracle.

Before Arthur, who slowly unsheathed her sword, everyone’s gazes mixed together.

Who would be the first one to have a bout? Before the event, the greatest battle was breaking out.

☆ (3rd POV -Kohaku-)

Near the Fifth Town, in an expansive, sprawling woodland known as the《Forest of Illusions》. Aiming for its depths, Kohaku alone walked through the forest.

It was after having separated from Sukuna for a few days. It was dusk in the Forest of Illusions, and here and there, a shadow called ‘darkness’ had started to fall.

When she arrived at a place where vermillion light faintly leaked through, Kohaku suddenly came to a halt.

「Shouldn’t it be time for you to come out?」

Even though it wasn’t particularly a loud voice, it carried mysteriously far and reached out deeply into the forest.

The one Kohaku called out to, at a place she had chosen where no one would hinder them, was the owner of the gaze she had constantly been feeling for the past several days.

「Ufufu, so you noticed it.」

Seeing the blonde-haired crimson-eyed girl appearing as if wearing ‘darkness,’ Kohaku unintentionally stopped breathing.

That was a《color》that only vampires were allowed to have.

Excluding the drifters who came from a different world, of the people in this world, she knew there was only one person who had that color.

「Good evening, oh kijin princess. Should I say, hajimemashite (nice to meet you)?」 (9: kinda confusing to translate on how they used it here, its kinda like “first time meet you” “combined with a polite “hello”)

「You’re right, hajimemashite(nice to meet you) might be the most pertinent word for us to exchange, ‘the last vampire.’ 《Heavenly Eye》, should I call you that?」

「Do as you please. There is only one person in this world who I would want to be called by name by, after all.」

It seemed that she had thought of that one person. Seeing the vampire who weaved words wearing a face like that of a girl who had fallen in love, Kohaku thought, “I see, just as the rumors say.”

The strongest hero, an absolute being. Even though from Kohaku’s perspective, that person was someone way higher than her, that appearance was just like a young girl’s.

The appearance of the world’s last vampire, Melty Bloodheart.

Even after piling up several tens of years of time, even though she had become the world’s prominent warrior, after encountering this monster she had never met, Kohaku couldn’t hide her surprise.

「And so, what might your business with me be? Did you come to destroy the kijin village?」

「Aha, you unexpectedly have quite the sense of humor, don’t you?」

Kohaku jestingly said so. It became a black joke as both of them knew that the one who destroyed the vampire race was the Kishin, but Melty laughed and set it aside.

「Tomorrow, you know that the《Gate》will open, right?」

「Aah, of course. Yesterday, there was an oracle all around the world, you know. It has been, what, eight years since then, I guess? As always, the stars sure do things on a whim.」

Although Melty brought the topic up suddenly, Kohaku nodded as if she had predicted this topic would come up.

Popularly called the -Gate of Trials-. It was originally a huge hole for an 《Apostle》 of the Seven Star Kings to be sent through, but the God of Creation changed that entrance to be as small as possible.　(9: changed heavenly kings to star kings, since it might bring up confusions what the stars are)

「The stars are just like that. Last time I dealt with it, but this time’s plans are different, it seems. The drifters from foreign lands, it’s their trial, but even as people who live in this world, it would just become their entertainment.」

「If you consider their spirit for adventure and the rewards from the God of Creation, it would be reasonable for it to become so. And more importantly, they don’t have the concept of death. Rather than shaving off the lives of the humans of this world, it is certainly better to leave it to them.」

The Seven Star Kings’ Apostle. Or could they be called the Vassal of the Seven Star Kings? They were the vanguard of the invasion by the Seven Star Kings who lived in a different Space, -Sora-, mankind’s greatest enemy.

If you didn’t defeat them, mankind would end. And so, for the God of Creation to protect mankind, the god shrunk the large hole into a gate, delaying the apostle’s invasion.

If they chipped away at the whirling power of the Seven Star Kings inside it, they could remarkably weaken the power of the apostle as the herald.

And because of that, even if they sacrificed many for it, whenever this gate opened to the world of mankind, they dispatched people to defeat the apostle.

And this time, they would leave that to the drifters from the other world. They, who were existences who transcended death, could probably endlessly fight and would incomparably weaken the apostle.

With that being the case, Kohaku totally didn’t have any problems with it, but she also had some worries.

「Though, they are still young and inexperienced warriors. No matter how weakened they are, it’s rather questionable if they can slay the apostle.」

Kohaku’s worry was quite right.

No matter how much they were able to chip away at the power of the Seven Star Kings inside the gate, the apostle would never die.

Chipping away at the power, isolating it in another world, the warriors chosen by the God of Creation would challenge it and then if they defeated it, it would meet its first death.

If they were defeated in the decisive battle in the other world then its figure would show itself to the world, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the return of the calamity eight years ago.

「Even if we participated, we would obstruct their growth.」

「If you consider the possible of the lives that will be lost then, it’s something we can’t help.」

「…..If I come out to help, then along with the apostle, the surroundings will turn into ruins. I’ll leave it to you this time. Of course, this is under the assumption that they can’t defeat it.」

The Apostle was strong. They too were a Named-class monster, as they are a Named themself.

Which meant that Melty had come here to request ‘that’ of Kohaku. She had been searching for someone who could exterminate the apostle without causing large-scale destruction, and the one she found was Kohaku.

Kohaku, who grasped that, let the tension out of her shoulders.

「And so, where will it appear this time?」

「From the future that I saw, the Town of Beginning. It’s the worst choice, isn’t it.」

「So the weakest place, is it? If the apostle appears there, then it would become a terrible calamity.」

「If you have heard about the oracle, you should know that this time’s gate will break in seven days. Before then, you must arrive at the Town of Beginning, make sure you lock that into your head」

「Okay. I am being relied on by someone of your ability. I’ll show you that I’ll protect it.」

It seemed that Kohaku’s reply was enough, Melty nodded her head relieved as she turned her body around.

It was a completely unexpected encounter, but to Kohaku, it was worth the time it took for her to be able to meet the strongest hero.

「Hey, you….Do you want to revive the Kishin? Or do you want to create a new Kishin?」

From the sudden question, Kohaku, who had let down her guard as she saw off the leaving figure, unknowingly hardened up.

Since she didn’t understand the meaning of that question, after all.

「Create? Just what in the world do you mean by-….?」

「Nothing, if you don’t know, then it’s fine. You are without a doubt a good existence, it’s rather rude to throw doubt at you.」

Without looking at Kohaku, while saying something, she melted into the darkness.

「There is a reason for sealing a god. Make sure that you don’t forget that.」

Melty’s figure had completely disappeared, leaving only the echoing voice behind to reach Kohaku.

Released from the strong presence of overwhelming-ness as if squashing everything, understanding that she had completely left, Kohaku let out a big sigh.

「…..The meaning of the seal, is it?」

“Something like that, of course I knew. I already knew that a long time ago.”

Kohaku, who muttered that as if mocking herself, once again started walking towards the Kijin village.

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Uutter noots:

these strong girls talks with only words with mysterious meaning which is kinda mean

next will be the event arc for real