127　Aloha

“He’s only got six minutes left to live! Don’t think about defeating him!”

　Raspberry Bell shouted advice to Rokunchea as he confronted Nex who had taken the Madness Agent. The effect of the Madness Agent was to increase all stats by 2,000%. In other words, both his strength and vitality were now multiplied by 20, making his attacks quite devastating.

　Hearing that, Rokunchea was convinced. The eerie blue-white light emanating from Nex’s entire body was the source of his extraordinary power, and his death six minutes later would be the price to pay.

“…………”

　Watch how a title holder fights, he had said. And Rokunchea was a sight to behold.

　Still, his left arm……since he clashed his 《Rook Shield Arts》 against the 《Silver Swordsmanship》, it had been left numb.

　An increase of 20-fold was not something that could be easily overturned, even by a title holder.

　……Endure it for 6 minutes. This was the test he set for himself. Rokunchea readied his buckler, smiled, and then took a silent breath.

　Even in this life-threatening situation, he was as calm as if he was going through his usual routine. His unshakable confidence drove him to do so. He believed, without a doubt, that there was nobody close to him when it came to handling shield. And he had no doubts about this belief.

　He was the best user of 【Shield Arts】 in the world――『Kongou』.

“Here I come.”

　Nex mumbled in a whisper, his shining blue eyes shimmering.

　In an instant, he approached Rokunchea’s sight with such a high speed that one could even see an afterimage, and swung down wildly his sword using a 《Soldier Swordsmanship》 skill.

　Fast. Sharp. And, heavy.

　If it hits you, it’s over. Rokunchea intuitively sense that and timed his parry with 《Soldier Shield Arts》. He could get through this ordeal with no damage if he parried.

　As a result, his parry managed to succeed. Nex was knocked back, losing his stance.

　Normally, this is where one would be going in on a chase. But……Rokunchea hesitated.

　Suddenly, he felt an endless sense of dread. As if the ground beneath his feet had disappeared, and he was now falling into the abyss.

　I wonder if I’ll really be able to endure for six minutes――He began to question himself.

　The opponent was a swordsman who moved at an extraordinary speed. It was impossible to keep on parrying his attacks. It was great that he happened to succeed this time, but if he had failed, he might’ve been killed in a single blow.

“It seems like Bishop is the only way.”

　Rokunchea’s parry success rate was about one-third to a half. But against Nex, it was probably less than a quarter. Rokunchea’s current decision was to use 《Bishop Shield Arts》’s reinforced defense, and only use parry in situations where he knew it would definitely succeed.

“Die!”

　After recovering from his staggered state, Nex swung down his sword wide and tried to land a 《Silver Swordsmanship》 strike into Rokunchea.

　Rokunchea prepared his 《Bishop Shield Arts》 in time, blocking the sword with his shield.

　Reinforced Defense with 600% of his VIT at grade 9. It was the 【Shield Arts】 skill that demonstrated the highest defensive power.

“Incredible……!”

　He received the full blow from Nex!　―― Brighton gasped at the sight of Rokunchea’s battle.

　Brighton and Renko struggled in less than a minute, and even after launching an all-out assault with the help of all of Dizart’s warriors, they were brought to the brink of death within minutes. They were just that helpless.

　That said, Kongou Rokunchea had already defended against Nex’s attacks three times. And without the assistance of Dizart.

　Is Kongou, are all Titleholders really that strong? ――Everyone present was suddenly quite impressed.

　……And yet, it was only Raspberry Bell who could see through it. Rokunchea won’t last much longer.

“Tch……!?”

　At first glance, the situation looked as if the defense by 《Bishop Shield Arts》 had been perfect. Rokunchea took two steps back, a scowl on his face.

　A defense of 600% increased VIT. Rokunchea’s VIT was extraordinary, having raised his 【Shield Arts】 from Soldier to Dragon King to the ninth grade. But even so, that was meaningless……insignificant against a 2,000% increased STR. Even though he was defending, the damage still got through.

　About 20% of Rokunchea’s HP, an amount that was not small, was shaved off. Rokunchea turned pale thinking about what would’ve happened if the strike was a critical hit.

　Parry has a low success rate. Bishop will still let damage go through. Then, what should I do? He was frantically thinking about his next move.

　Nex, however, did not wait. He immediately regained his stance and then slashed at him using 《Soldier Swordsmanship》.

“I’ve got no choice but to fight!”

　For now, all he could do was try his best. That was the only way left for Rokunchea.

　No matter if he lost HP, or whether his parry would succeed or not, he had to keep giving his best performance without being discouraged, which was essential for surviving the remaining six minutes, or rather five minutes and thirty seconds.

　……And then.

　One minute passed, then two.

　Rokunchea’s HP was slowly being depleted.

　In the first place, this was not a contest. The difference was so great that it made one want to look at the heavens and say “This is not a matter that can be solved by skill alone”. The increase of 2,000% in all stats was a feat that overturned everything one had worked so hard to achieve, in a single move.

“Are you reaching your limit?”

　An overwhelming advantage. Nex, however, did not taunt nor provoke but rather pointed his sword at Rokunchea with a very stern expression.

“Not even close. I’ll hold out for the next three minutes.”

　The limits of the brazen Rokunchea were near.

　He couldn’t afford to fail another parry.  《Bishop Shield Arts》 was also not an option due to his remaining amount of HP. He no longer had other methods of defense. In other words, the only thing left for him to do was to keep parrying.

“……Damn……!”

　Brighton exclaimed in frustration, clenching his fists.

　With the only potion he had left, he recovered about half his HP. He was able to fight again, but…… he was no match for Nex.

　And, he knew it very well, that if he tried to help, all he’d do was get in the way of Rokunchea.

　He was frustrated by the fact that he was unable to help his brother in any way when he was in such a predicament. Blood dripped from the corner of Brighton’s mouth. His back teeth grinding from clenching too hard.

“…………”

　Renko, on the other hand.

　She was waiting for the right moment to make her move.

　Her 《Transform》 was undone, and now she was in a simple, unbuffed state. She had already used all her potions, and her HP was about 10% left. But even so, she was still trying to make a move, to take a shot at Pope Black at the perfect moment, when Nex wouldn’t notice.

　She wasn’t thinking about anything else, about what to do afterward. It was all about a single blow to clear her mind. A single blow to make her last stand to the bitter end.

“……No way, you……”

“Yes……I’ll do it.”

　Brighton sensed Renko’s aim.

　And for a moment, Brighton felt ashamed of himself for having lost sight of his purpose.

　To make the revolution succeed at any cost. This was Dizart’s ambition.

　How could he let the gap his brother risked his life to create be wasted? ―― The older brother resolved himself.

“At the count of three, you and I will come from both sides. If one of us gets killed, don’t stop.”

“Hmph. You don’t have to tell me that.”

　Renko smiled wryly.

　If my daughter was alive, she would have been about her age……Brighton gripped the ring on his chest and smiled sadly.

“Let’s go……one, two…………THREE!!”

　Brighton called out. Immediately after, they both ran off.

“――Shit!”

　Seeing the pair trying to get through him by his sides, Nex had an irritated look on his face.

　Rokunchea was many times more tenacious than expected. The time was running out. And on top of that, these two small fries were trying to go the extra mile. Of course, he’d get impatient and irritated.

“Geh fuu……!”

　Nex sprinted at blinding speed and kicked Renko with that momentum. He decided that he didn’t have the time to use 【Swordsmanship】.

　The kick hit Renko directly in the side of the head. And even though the attack came without the use of any skill, Renko was still blown away more than five meters.

　She tried to get up, but she couldn’t. Her remaining HP wasn’t even in the triple digits, in other words, she was dying. In Mobius, this was commonly known as the “dying state”. If one were to go down with less than 4% of their total HP, the down state wouldn’t be removed unless they recovered their HP.

“UUUOOOOOOO!!”

　Brighton roared heroically.

　Please, reach. He prayed to god while activating 《Rook Shield Arts》 and rushing with all his might.

　He caught the fact that Renko was hit with the corner of his eye.

　She might have died. That young, powerful life, nearly his daughter’s age, could’ve been lost. When he thought about this, all his frustration exploded.

　……But, he was naive. In front of an increased AGI of 20 times, it didn’t matter if the surprise attack came from both the left and right.

“Gahhh!?”

　A merciless 《Soldier Swordsmanship》 strike hit Brighton.

　After kicking Renko, Nex quickly moved to slash at him.

　Then, alongside a thud, Brighton’s left arm, the arm holding his shield, fell to the ground.

“Crap……Brother!!”

“Small fries, are annoying……!”

　Rokunchea rushed using 《Rook Shield Arts》.

　Nex, who was about to finish off Brighton, answered while clicking his tongue and forcefully slashed at him with 《Soldier Swordsmanship》. That was all it took to bring Rokunchea’s rush to a halt.

“But first, you!”

　Without even trying to hide his annoyance, Nex walked over to Rokunchea.

“……This looks somewhat bad, isn’t it?”

　With the 《Soldier Swordsmanship》 attack from just before, Rokunchea’s HP had been reduced to about 10%.

　Next time, he had no choice but to parry, or else. How many more minutes were left? How many more attacks he had to receive? A bottomless anxiety took hold of his mind, and cold sweat ran down Rokunchea’s cheeks.

“No……No way, that……!”

　……It was the next moment.

　Raspberry Bell looked behind Rokunchea, noticing something and raising her voice.

　Confused, Rokunchea tried to move his gaze back. The one who appeared behind him was――

“That looks really fun.”

　――A funny-dressed man who spoke those weird words.

　He was dressed in an aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals, which were not at all appropriate for winter. Even so, he was a handsome man in every way, with shoulder-length silver hair, a straight nose, long slanted eyes, and a tall, toned body, which made him seem even stranger.

　There was only one person who somehow understood the manner this strange man was dressed. Raspberry Bell.

　Aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals. This is the kind of outfit worn by players who just started playing Mobius, sort of initial equipment.

　But above all. This man. The identity of this man was……!

“We’ve got three minutes left, right? Alright then, let’s have some fun!”

　Mobius Online World Ranking No. 1――『SEVEN』.

　Yes, it was none other than Second Firstest.

　Second was transformed into SEVEN by a wraith. The wraith was able to duplicate SEVEN’s character data but was unable to recall his equipment data. As a result, he ended up looking extremely unfashionable.

“Senpai. You seem to be in a good mood!”

“Oh. Sort of.”

　Raspberry Bell, who suddenly became excited, spoke to Second with a big smile on her face. When Second replied with a light wave of his hand, she muttered to herself “yeah, that’s him”.

　Why is the saint smiling when we’re in such a desperate situation……?　 Everyone wondered so, but for Raspberry Bell, this was as natural as the earth spinning.

　At last, she could see him with her own eyes. She could hear his voice with her ears. Furthermore, she was able to exchange words with him. How could she not be happy? And there was no way that SEVEN, or senpai, would lose to someone who had just used a Madness Agent. It was a matter of course.

“After all, I saw something really good.”

　On the other hand, the reason why Second was in a good mood, one could say it was truly in poor taste.

　It had been a while since he last saw it……A match between those who put their heart and soul into it.

　The three of them were prepared to face a monster that was prepared to die in ten minutes, a monster with 20 times increased stats. This was the best “spectacle” for Second. Even in the days of Mobius Online, PvP matches were rarely this brutal.

　Therefore, Second couldn’t help but look at this fight for a long time.

　In truth, he could’ve joined a little earlier. Yeah, about by the time Rokunchea appeared.

　However, Rokunchea did better than he expected. Three minutes of near-death fighting. Second thought “Alright then, I’ll watch you,” as if it was normal. For him, watching a bloody PvP battle had a higher priority than the three lives that were at stake.

“My name is SEVEN. What’s yours?”

“Nex.”

“My regards, Nex. I pay my respects to you, who drank the Madness Agent.”

“……Nonsense.”

　Three minutes left.

　Maddened Nex vs Aloha guy.

　The battle between the two began now――