Chapter 215: We Are Not Allies of Humanity, but We Stand as the Vanguard of the Breakwater

[I always plan to keep the long arcs to around Part Ten, so why do they stretch to Part Twenty every single time? I honestly don't know.]

We know that "Blue."

From back when this place was called Ruluiath, when this island was still above the sea. The unidentified thing that nearly destroyed Ruluiath.

Ctarnidd destroyed it, and then flipped this contaminated island down to the bottom of the sea. I'd just thought it was some flavor text for the backstory.

Sunraku: "Emul, get on my head!"

Emul: "Hai na!"

My legs... they're fine. It's probably inactive... so I should be okay to touch it.

Mold: "Th-this is...!"

Sunraku: "Probably what Mold's thinking. Whatever you do, don't touch it!"

This isn't about winning or losing anymore. This is a field gimmick. The classic "it's collapsing! Get out!" that's almost too predictable after beating a boss.

Ctarnidd: "Accursed ghost of the origin..."

Sunraku: "——What did you say?"

I feel like Ctarnidd just dropped some insanely important lore. But I don't have time to think about it, and Ctarnidd doesn't seem inclined to give us a nice, detailed explanation.

Ctarnidd: "O humans, this place shall sink once more into the abyss... Danger is near. Never forget this."

It didn't actually point with a physical finger. But everyone present turned to look in the same direction, as if they'd all been directed.

Ctarnidd: "Go. The journey continues... O humans who live in this world... find... Bahamut..."

Sunraku: "You mean..."

Bahamut. So I hear that word again. What the hell is it? Is it a dragon? Can I just assume it's a dragon?

Ctarnidd: "The present belongs to the 'humans' who inherited it. And so, those who resist and fight are likewise those who live in the present..."

Sunraku: "Tch, I don't really get it, but if you've shown me the location, I'll follow it! Everyone, the field trip isn't over until we're home! Run!!"

Rust: "...Ughhhhh..."

Mold: "Rust, hang in there a little longer! Okay!"

Akitsu Akane: "Alright! Let's go-o!!"

Ceecrue: "Lady Akitsu Akane, you are, how shall I say, quite energetic, de gozaru..."

Araba: "Running again!? I'm about at my limit here!?"

Nereis: "Araba, do your best!"

You can complain, but your bodies are going to move. We've come this far; crying over a scenario failure now would be just too sad to bear. We dash down a path that's unnaturally well-preserved amidst the "Blue" raging through the destroyed city like a stormy sea.

Ctarnidd: "——"

Psyger-0: "...Huh? Ah, um, yes..."

That's why, even though I noticed Rei-shi having some kind of conversation with Ctarnidd behind me, I was too busy retrieving the crashed Seiryu and the thrown "Waxing and Waning" to catch what was said.

Sunraku: "That was close...!"

Emul: "Piii!?"

We narrowly avoid the "Blue"—whatever it is, a slime-like, wave-like, mist-like mass of something that I can tell has accumulated to a terrifying degree—and Emul screams.

Mold: "...Is this an event?"

Sunraku: "You die if you touch it, so we're in the middle of playing it!"

Rust: "...I don't even feel like testing it."

Ruluiath, where you could still feel traces of culture even if it was all just blue, has now become the first circle of hell where the "Blue" runs rampant.

Akitsu Akane: "Where does this even lead anyway!?"

Ceecrue: "Whoooa!?"

Akitsu Akane, at the front, leaps over the "Blue" crawling across the ground. Ceecrue, clinging to her back, lets out a strange cry. Imitating the lead runner's movements, we also leap over the "Blue," which we can clearly tell we shouldn't touch.

Sunraku: "Where else? Outside the island... the sea!"

Mold: "We're escaping by swimming!? I can't say the triathlon is exactly my specialty..."

Sunraku: "If it comes down to it, we'll all cling to Araba and escape."

Araba: "No...! That's... impossible, uwooah!?"

Sunraku: "Tch, aiming for the slowest one, how malicious..."

I quickly manipulate my inventory, throwing the Guardian's Great Armor into the "Blue" to protect Araba and Nereis, who were about to be swallowed. If the description in that journal is correct, this "Blue" parasitizes inorganic matter and consumes organic matter. Different process, but the result is the same: it's a pain to deal with.

Araba: "I-I owe you my thanks again, my friend...!"

Sunraku: "Save the thanks for later! Run, run, run!"

Damn, that was pretty expensive... But unlike NPCs, I can replace it. Sorry, but you're the sacrifice! Sacrificing the chestplate, helmet, waist armor, and leg guards to buy time and distance, we finally reach the coastline.

Akitsu Akane: "Goal!"

Mold: "What now!?"

Sunraku: "...Beats me."

Psyger-0: "Do we... jump into the sea?"

What do we do? Do we need to do something? The lives of players and NPCs aren't equal. If it comes down to it, we can load Emul and Ceecrue onto Araba, send them floating out to sea, and the rest of us can respawn.

Just as I'm seriously considering entrusting Emul and the other NPCs to Araba, watching the approaching tsunami of "Blue"...

???: "You guys!"

Sunraku: "Huh?"

That spoiled brat voice that seems to think the world is full of hope and they're entitled to it, but which has grown just a little bit after seven days of survival...!

Sunraku: "It's that little shit, Stude!"

I turn around. There, I see a strangely brand-new large sailing ship, firmly grasped by a giant black tentacle, approaching us. And at the ship's bow is Stude, swinging a cutlass around as he waves to us.

Sunraku: "Wait, you're just casually going along with that!? How does that even work!?"

Stude: "How should I know!? Just get on, quick!"

Argh, no choice but to go. They throw down a rope ladder from the ship. I put Emul on Akitsu Akane's head and gesture for her to climb up.

Sunraku: "Araba, you go too! You're slow, so climb first!"

Araba: "What will you do!?"

Sunraku: "I'm reeeeeally strong, so I'll cover the rear."

Araba: "...My friend, don't you die!"

Sunraku: "Idiot. Even if I die, I'll come back alive."

I exchange a glance with Rei-shi and face the "Blue," which is so blue it's almost too blue, as it approaches.

Sunraku: "If it's a contest of sheer numbers, I've got some confidence too. I'll hold it off, so keep your eyes on me."

If this "Blue" was just a "phenomenon" as a field gimmick, what I'm doing would be pointless... But I think this "Blue" is a monster. Whether it's a single monster or a mass of multiple monsters doesn't matter right now. What matters is whether it has the concept of aggro.

So, let's test that out quickly.

Step 1: Throw some random item at it. Step 2: Activate Mirror of Fading.

If it has the concept of aggro...

Sunraku: "Gotcha!"

The sight of the "Blue" pouring down and swarming where I was just standing shows that it's indeed programmed to understand aggro. But I realize seconds later that this was all pointless anyway. After all, it’s a violence of sheer mass so extreme that even the word "quantity" feels inadequate. Within moments, the "Blue" surrounds me on all sides, dyeing the sandy beach blue. This is bad. If something like this is left alone, the world is in direct danger. No way. I don't want to play an MMO in a world after it's been destroyed. This isn't a post-apocalypse; it's a planet-scale reset.

Sunraku: "This is getting bad, but..."

???: "Sunraku!"

Sunraku: "Alright, my turn's up. So long, you shitty Blue!"

Since I have no way to physically defeat it, there's nothing a muscle-brain build like me can do. Once the slowpoke Araba and the overall underpowered Rei-shi have made it up, I can just peace out.

Sunraku: "Yah, hup! You think you can catch me...? You're a hundred billion years too early! Try again!"

The waves crashing onto the beach try to snag my feet. My caffeine-deprived brain screams for me to let it rest. I trample all of it and run. The "Blue" covers the sky and closes in, as if to devour me. My tensed legs start to relax at the thought that this might be checkmate. I don't know the principle behind tension relaxing in a digital world, but basically, it's a matter of mindset. My body follows my depressed spirit.

Sunraku: "Wooo! Like I'm gonna die all by myself after coming this far!"

Besides, if I die in this situation, will my respawn point be Ruluiath? No way. I'm fine visiting occasionally, but I don't want to live here!! Three more meters. A shiver... like something passed through the seawater. Two more meters. The seawater that was just lapping at my feet now clearly exerts a force gripping my ankles. One more meter. Ah, this isn't going to make it in time...

It felt like someone chuckled softly.

The next moment, the sea surface right behind me erupts with an enormous spray. No, it didn't erupt. Something hit the surface with incredible force, maybe...?

I turn around. There, I see a translucent tentacle crushing the "Blue's" erosion with pure physical force... No, that's not a tentacle. That's...!

Sunraku: "Why are you alive, Buccalcone!"

The Buccalcone dangles me upside down, then hurls me away with all its might.

Sunraku: "......Ooooooooooh!!?"

A mid-air spin! Followed by... a hero landing on the soles of my feet, my knees, and one fist!

???: "Sunraku! Are you okay!?"

Sunraku: "Does this... look okay to you...? My knees... my fingers..."

THUD! Eyes gather on me as I land, shaking the signboard. My HP has dropped to a not-funny level, so I don't have time for that, but I whip my numb body and glare at the one who threw me... the sea angel woman we were supposed to have finished off, me and Araba. A Blocker with a name like... Kleio Cthylla, I think.

The spread-open Buccalcone closes. Kleio Cthylla, with a beauty that's transparent in a way that's not metaphorical, who is clearly not human, looks up at me, at us. Then, waving her hand casually, she blasts away the "Blue" that tries to consume her with some mysterious energy wave, forcing it back into the island.

???: "...Was that a grand event scene?"

Sunraku: "I'd rather not have something like a movie gun or movie knife with instant-kill effects, though..."

Even a character who would only take damage from falling into lava can die instantly from being stabbed with a knife during an event scene. That's what a "movie weapon" is.

Still, it’s not surprising that a Blocker we supposedly killed could be revived with Ctarnidd’s power. You could just say "it's an event," but Kleio Cthylla uses some kind of power to push the "Blue" into the interior of Ruluiath. Then, she leaps to one of the towers at the city's—no, the island's—four corners and stands atop it.

Rust: "...The other Blockers are there too."

I can't see them clearly from this distance, but Rust is right. I can see figures standing on the other towers. And on one of them, there are two figures. Blockers... What were they sealing? Was it the "Blue"? Or did Ctarnidd create them on a whim to seal itself? This is a matter for the Tome of Truth, but let's not think about it for now.

Mold: "Hey everyone, I've been trying not to think about this, but..."

Sunraku: "...What is it, Mold?"

Mold: "Isn't this ship... about to get thrown?"

The sailing ship is being held by one of Ctarnidd's giant tentacles. And that tentacle is visibly swelling, as if it's putting in force. Before I know it, the ship is tilting, pointing diagonally upward...

I glance over and see Kleio Cthylla looking our way, sticking her tongue out at us.

Sunraku: "Everyone, hold on to the ship!!"

Powerful inertia slams into us, and the ship, meant to sail the sea, flies through the air. The last glimpse of Ruluiath I see as it rapidly recedes is of it being reduced to a mincemeat of rubble and blue by the dancing "Blue"... And yet, the four shining towers of the island stand proudly, a breakwater holding back the devastating waves of the great Blue.

The four towers, and the lights shining atop them. And the sight of the island itself being dragged down to the bottom of the sea by the impossibly massive tentacles spreading out to cover them... Together with the "Blue," Ruluiath disappears once more into the abyss. The reign of the Lord remains unshaken.

[Ctarnidd of the Abyss has once again been parted from the shared heavens.] [Crazed Horde of Blue has once again been sealed.] [Unique Scenario EX "Behold the Abyss Above, as the World Turns on Its Head" has been cleared.] [The small pirate has gained the courage to not fear tomorrow.] [Unique Scenario "Strike the Apostle of the Abyss" has been cleared.] [Title: Survivor of the Abyss acquired.] [Title: True Seeker acquired.] [Title: Flying Innsman's Crew acquired.] [Title: Proof of Succession acquired.] [Title: Different Paths, Same Heart acquired.] [Title: Respected Outlaw acquired.] [Title: Billion Getter acquired.] [Item: Blue Grail acquired.] [Item: Indigo Grail acquired.] [Accessory: Abyss Alert acquired.] [Item: Tome of Truth: Abyss Chapter acquired.] [World Quest "Shangri-La Frontier" has progressed.]

[Once I finish writing the epilogue, I’m taking a break for a while. Seriously, I want to write side stories and smugly dump setting material under the name “Tome of Truth,” so I need about two weeks off. Yeah.]

[Title: Survivor of the Abyss Acquired upon escaping Ruluiath alive.]

[Title: True Seeker Acquired upon defeating Ctarnidd’s Imagination Form.]

[Title: Flying Innsman’s Crew Acquired by taking the ship-escape route at the end of the scenario.]

[Title: Proof of Succession Acquired upon defeating Ctarnidd, whether its Delusion Form or Imagination Form.]

[Title: Different Paths, Same Heart Acquired upon defeating Ctarnidd together with an NPC.]

[Title: Respected Outlaw Acquired by clearing the Unique Scenario of a specific outlaw-type NPC.]

[Title: Billion Getter Acquired by obtaining at least a certain amount of mani within a set period. The lower title is Million Getter; the higher title is Trillion Getter.]

[I hear there’s someone in this group who abused a four-dimensional pocket to clean out a massive haul of treasure, you know?]