arc3 · 193-ch193

Chapter 193: Betrayal

The vanguard and rearguard regrouped and put some distance between themselves and the Lich. Once they confirmed it wasn't coming after them, everyone gathered for a strategy meeting.

"Their chanting is faster than I expected. And the power is higher, too. We change the plan. We will act as the decoys. Kokushi Musou — when its chanting stops, I want every one of you to attack at full strength."

And there it was: Jim proposed a plan that used Queens as decoys and left the offense to Kokushi Musou. True, if someone has to keep eating those magic attacks head-on, Queens are the likelier to endure them. I understand this plan gives the best odds of winning. But making yourselves decoys without a second thought, and handing the other side the tasty part — that's not something just anyone can do.

(Though even so, I'd put our chances at about fifty-fifty.)

"A proposal nobody saw coming!"

"Are Queens actually super serious!?"

"I knew they were efficiency-first, but they can go this far!?"

"If that arrangement is acceptable to you, we have no objection. But acting as decoys carries considerable danger, so do be careful."

By this point, Shinonome-san's estimation of Queens had clearly been revised upward.

"Mikey, we move."

With just that quiet word, Jim took off running, Mikey sticking close behind him.

"‡¶†ゞ∮∋∝"

With the two of them closing in, the Lich entered combat stance once more. Off the swift chant came its dark magic. Different chants for different attributes — but only one pattern per chant, apparently? It's throwing out different spells with the same incantation. The dark magic it just fired was a Dark Whip, by the look of it. A black, whip-like thing came lashing at Jim.

"Another new spell!?"

"A whip this time!?"

"It's caught him."

"Mmm."

Jim had swatted aside the Dark Needle with no trouble at all, but the Dark Whip was another matter. It had wound around his shield and was hauling on it, inch by inch. To resist it, he had no choice but to stop moving entirely.

Mikey, glued to Jim's back, was frozen in place too. There was still a distance to the Lich. Closing that far while under fire looked nearly impossible.

"Leave it to me."

Into that situation, Vivvi swept in to the rescue without missing a beat. She generated a silver arrow and loosed it. The arrow flew trailing light and struck the Dark Whip entangling the shield, scattering it into nothing.

"She can aim at THAT!?"

"Vivvi-sama is incredible!"

"Great teamwork."

"Right, let's go."

Freed from the Dark Whip's binding, Jim advanced once more.

"§*∫†∂∮∬∧"

That chant was fire magic, then. This time a huge swarm of golf-ball-sized fire orbs appeared around the Lich. Trading power for numbers, was it. A top-rank monster indeed — high intelligence.

"It's smart."

"Going with numbers, huh."

"Might be the optimal play against Jim."

When the Lich brought its raised staff down, fire pellets came flying at Jim and Mikey from every direction at once — front, back, left, right.

"Area Defense."

Just when I thought it was all over, I heard Jim's calm voice. The instant he drove his sword's point into the ground, a hemispherical transparent wall appeared with him at its center. A Knight skill, apparently.

"A Knight skill!? Never seen that one!?"

"Is that a barrier!?"

"He is so calm."

DODODODODO!

The fire pellets raining down on the two of them never managed to break through the transparent barrier. The moment the rain of fire stopped, Mikey burst out.

"∝∋¶∀……！？"

The Lich moved to fire off its lightning magic at once, but an arrow arriving at the perfect moment forced it to break off its chant.

"Now!"

Seizing the moment, Mikey shot forward like a bullet. At last, they'd managed to bring the Lich into close quarters.

CLANG!

But the Lich caught Mikey's full-power strike on its staff. This thing — a magic-type, and it blocks an attack like that.

"∝∋¶∀‡∫"

Chanting while holding off Mikey's attack — the Lich was showing off a flat-out illegal move. That's the lightning chant, that one.

"Mikey, pull back. Elsie, barrier."

Sensing a big spell coming, Jim gave his orders fast. The two of them moved without a heartbeat's delay.

Mikey slipped back inside the barrier Jim had raised, and Elsie threw a barrier around Nishikyo-san and Kitora-san, who'd been closing in slowly. For the rearguard, Shinonome-san raised an Earth Wall against the lightning.

BZZT-BZZT-BZZT!

Lightning burst outward around the Lich. Jim and Mikey, caught near it, were blown away — but thanks to Jim's barrier, neither seemed to have taken a fatal wound.

Nishikyo-san and Kitora-san, standing a little farther off, had endured it thanks to preparing in advance.

"The rest is up to you."

"Leave it to me!"

Nishikyo-san answered Jim's words as he picked himself up off the ground. Exploiting the opening after a big spell, the two of them came charging in for all they were worth.

"Flash Thrust!"

"Thunderclap Fist!"

Those two killer techniques — the kind that brought the Terror's Symbol fight to mind — finally caught the Lich's body.

"Woooooon!"

The Lich let out a cry that was clearly no incantation. It seemed the damage had properly landed. The two kept up their assault to deny it any chanting. The Lich's post-spell paralysis had apparently worn off too, and it was somehow riding out their onslaught. With the situation shifting by the second, the comment section had gone completely quiet.

And it was pure, dumb luck that I noticed. Asahi's camera — positioned at the very rear so that neither the Lich nor Queens would break it — caught the figure of Vivvi with her bow drawn. Pointed, for some reason, at Shinonome-san.

"Summon Shiden!"

That's right. These people might be spies. They'd been acting like the very model of explorers, and I'd let my guard down. I summoned Shiden at once and had it wedge itself in between Shinonome-san and Vivvi.

GAGIIIIIN!

"No way!?"

The silver arrow, hurtling in at high speed, was stopped just short of piercing Shinonome-san's head — Shiden had barely made it in time. Vivvi, the one who'd fired it, let out a shout of shock. That said, Shiden was wiped out with that single hit. If that arrow had struck Shinonome-san's head, he'd be dead without question.

I summoned Shiden again, lined it up beside Hayate, and trained its cannons on Vivvi, who stood there stunned that her arrow had been blocked.

"My, my. I thought the timing was perfect — but that's SS for you, I suppose."

Jim came walking closer, saying things that did not bode well at all. The smile on Mikey, walking beside him, felt creepy too. Seriously, these guys — we're in the middle of a broadcast, and they don't seem to care one bit.

"What's going on?"

"Huh? What? Did she just take aim at Gaia-sama!?"

"Somebody call the cops! That's attempted murder!"

Naturally, the viewers were in an uproar. But this is floor thirty-three of Tokyo Mouse Park Dungeon. Not many could get here in time to help.

Nishikyo-san and Kitora-san, still locked in combat with the Lich, hadn't noticed any of this. Knowing that this man called Jim had engineered this whole perfect situation sends a chill down my spine. No — the danger is still unfolding as we speak.

"Soraku, Ryuga — are you two alright?"

Shinonome-san, finally catching up with the situation, checked on Nishikyo-san and Kitora-san first.

"It's pretty rough out here! Where's our support!?"

"Soraku, something's off about you."

The two of them kept hurling out attacks to keep the Lich from chanting. Nishikyo-san was on main attack right now, so it was Kitora-san who first noticed something wrong on our end. But turning his back on the Lich now would be suicide. These people had built a situation where even a failed snipe, even getting caught by Kokushi Musou, leaves them without a problem.

And another thing — if they're pulling something like this in the middle of a live stream, how do they plan on getting out? Pull a stunt like this, and the Special Police will be waiting at the dungeon exit, no question. Don't tell me they intend to punch their way through by force.

But no amount of worrying on my part was going to improve the situation. I had to do something about this. And right as I thought that, my radar picked up a reaction. Seven people, at the stairs coming down from floor thirty-two. Far too fast to be reinforcements. With an even worse feeling settling over me, I set my mind to finding a way through the worst-case scenario using those seven.