Sun Tournament (1)
Eve.
The cities surrounding the Zeta Plateau, where the Sun Tournament would be held, launched fireworks all night.
There were no entry restrictions.
All High Gear users streamed toward the Zeta Plateau, moment by moment.
Anyone could fight.
The fact that even people from the same nation could be flagged as enemies might have predicted pandemonium, but…
"You don't need to worry about the mayflies." Once the fighting starts, an individual's petty desires get swept up by the crowd's massive hunger.
"The most important thing is the Sun Palace—especially the main gate. It'll be breached eventually, but we have to buy as much time as possible."
Ascension Guild's First Squad held their strategy meeting in an annex at the Sun Palace.
Besides Ascension, the top five western guilds were each secluded in their rooms.
The Operator spoke.
"If we hold for twenty-four hours, we win. As the top-ranked guild, Ascension will act as the command center. We'll run a special task force and defend the inner perimeter. The strike squad commander will be Little Witch."
"Yes."
Little Witch raised her hand.
"East defense commander: Agwi. West: Rubymix. Center: Tae Daecheon."
Tae Daecheon asked, "North?"
Because the East Country's start point is in the south, breaking the north gate would require a wide detour around the Sun Palace.
"The Black Demon Guild will take it. If we commit the whole First Squad, we can balance things out."
It was a fourth-ranked western guild.
"I've drawn up the formations. I pulled evenly from the Second and Third Squads; I've put codenames into the comms channel. Regional tactics are left to the local commanders."
The formation was distributed over the comms.
"Meeting adjourned. You can go enjoy the festival until three a.m. Just keep the guild channel open."
The eve festival was one of the things High Gear users liked most.
There was nothing special about it—only that there were an enormous number of users, and with the Sun Tournament imminent everyone was aglow with excitement.
The walls of the heart fell away, and the crowd's sense of safety made it easy to accept pleasure.
It was a night of revelry and abandon.
As Ascension's First Squad warmed up and left the room, Little Witch still sat in her chair.
Breaking the awkward silence, the Operator asked, "Aren't you going to the festival?"
"And you?" she shot back.
"You've never been to one, have you? There are so many users waiting for the Operator."
"I don't have to submit to their demands. If there's freedom in High Gear, not going to the festival is my freedom too." Little Witch searched his expression.
Her white face, blond bangs hiding her eyes, was merely indifferently beautiful.
"Hmm."
That was that.
"A fake world where countless people pour out their desires. But for you, it's the only real thing?"
"I don't like complicated talk. I just… hate exchanges I didn't agree to."
"What did you do?"
Little Witch's question came like an ambush.
"You went to Moon Isle before, right? You met Yahweh2—I'm guessing you didn't go just to ask after him."
The Operator twisted his lips slightly.
"Don't worry, I'm not blackmailing. I'm just curious. If you don't want to say, don't say it."
"Nothing special. We talked about each other, there was some mutual understanding. But nothing changed. Yahweh2 refused my proposal."
"A proposal?"
"To live together in High Gear. He turned me down. So I offered my own farewell."
The Operator looked at Little Witch and, almost playfully, brought a finger to his lips.
"We kissed."
For a moment it felt as if a flash of killing intent had come from Little Witch's rig, but it was probably just his imagination.
"Why? Did it upset you? Want revenge?"
"Pfft!"
Little Witch shrugged.
"What are you talking about? We didn't actually press our lips together. This place is farther from reality than a dream. If you insist on parsing it that way, then what about all the users enjoying the festival right now?"
The Empress of Kashan knew better than anyone what would enrage someone most.
"…Maybe."
It was only the reverence sent by a fake.
"Yahweh2 probably didn't feel anything special either. He just wanted to win the duel and drag me into reality. But precisely because of that, he can't beat me."
"I agree on that point."
Uorin had also grasped the core.
'Shirone, if you don't realize what that kiss meant, you'll never be able to beat the Operator.'
Therefore neither mining the Apocalypse nor erasing the real demon realm would happen.
In the end…
'He will come to me.'
Brilliant fireworks burst over the Sun Palace.
The windows flashed.
"So pretty."
While Des Gongju watched the fireworks outside, Golden Halo's First Squad finished their meeting.
Fermi said, "The key on the way to the Sun Palace is keeping Yahweh2 alive. By the time they restart from the start point, the East's formation will already be collapsing. All risk management prioritizes Yahweh2's survival."
"Understood."
At Golden Halo, Fermi's words were law.
But there was one person who could openly object to him: Shirone.
"Change the plan."
Everyone in Golden Halo's First Squad, and even the group led by Destruction Demon 707 who had been by the window, turned.
Fermi asked, "Why?"
The seriousness of his tone meant Fermi felt a sliver of unease too.
"I don't think we can beat the Operator."
Silence fell.
Wild West, who handled level-ups, tipped his cowboy hat and asked, "Your current level is 307. Higher than we estimated, but still unlikely to get you into the ranks. Wasn't that already accounted for?"
"Of course, but…"
Shirone hesitated and Fermi pressed, "If you have something to say, say it. If we need to change strategy, now's the last chance."
"If the Operator were another user with the same level and the same patch, we could fight on equal footing. But the Operator is different. He perfectly understands the system. Against an opponent of my level, output differences will decide the match."
"I said earlier your chances are under ten percent. Producing that result is your role."
"I know. But…"
Shirone remembered the Operator's kiss.
"It's not a tactical problem. It's a problem of the heart. I have a strong feeling this won't work."
"The heart, huh."
If it's not zero percent, it's a hundred.
"If you're convinced of that, there's no chance. So how exactly do you want to change the plan?"
"How about this?"
Shirone laid out everything he felt honestly.
Fermi had no rebuttal.
"Long live the East! Long live the East!"
"West will win. The sun will be ours tomorrow too!"
Shouts rose from the East and West camps as dawn began to break.
- Ten minutes until the Sun Tournament begins.
When the alert appeared in augmented reality, the shouts turned into screams.
The noise that could shake heaven and earth was only a distant roar inside the Sun Palace.
Kneeling alone and waiting for someone, the Operator checked the satellite feed.
The view relayed by Magnan's satellite communications was spectacular.
About four thousand participants.
Among that dense column of users, Yahweh2 would surely be there.
"Come."
For the Operator, defeat today would be like the end of the world.
"I will destroy you thoroughly, Yahweh2."
Blue electricity sparked in the eyes hidden beneath his blond hair.
- Five minutes until the Sun Tournament begins.
Outside the Sun Palace, the countless West users waiting for the enemy fell silent.
As Ascension's auxiliary captain Uorin scanned the front, someone came up beside her.
"Heh heh! See you again this time."
The user whose lower body looked like a horse went by the codename Madu-Yongsa, ranked seventy-sixth in the duel rankings.
"The task force is the most fun."
"I agree. I'm not one for sitting on the sidelines. Where do you think it'll be fiercest? I'm thinking of going to the West Gate."
"Center."
Madu-Yongsa asked, puzzled.
"Center? Sure, the fiercest fights will happen at the end, but they wouldn't push through from the start. Would the East risk a frontal clash and take heavy losses?"
"I'll go to the center."
Because Shirone would go there.
'Golden Halo will accept friendly losses to scatter the West's forces. The best way to do that is to break through the center as quickly as possible.'
Uorin intended to cut off that path.
'You'll see soon, Shirone.'
- Three minutes until the Sun Tournament begins.
In the East camp where Golden Halo gathered, Shirone made a final check of his rig.
On Yahweh2's left arm was another legendary weapon: the Air God.
'Activate.'
A seam opened on the inner arm and a gun popped out, automatically fitting into his hand.
Des Gongju watched.
"Air God, huh."
It was a weapon that, via the command "Rilorid," could fire energy rounds repeatedly.
"Yeah. Legendary grade. Regardless of armor efficiency, it cuts durability by ten per shot."
"Is that safe? If each shot takes ten, a part with 500 durability would need fifty hits."
"But it has an armor-ignoring judgment. No matter what good weapon I picked at my level, it wouldn't work on rankers."
Since Mikelan's firepower was strong, Fermi had suggested focusing the sub-weapon on utility.
"Rilorid."
As the command was entered, the energy recharged instantly back to one hundred percent.
Des Gongju smiled.
"Do your best. We're nervous too, since it's our first time, but we'll help you as much as we can."
"Hohoho! Just because you raised your Magnan level, you think you can do something at the Sun Tournament?"
A user in a sleek metal frame, with a ponytail-like ornament on the crown, approached.
Codename: Princess.
She was an experienced player ranked ninety-third.
"First time in an actual Sun Tournament, huh? You'll probably die the moment you collide. Try your best from the start point."
Destruction Demon 707 bristled.
"Hah! First time playing doesn't mean first time watching the broadcast. And we're Golden Halo."
The Princess shrugged.
"Ah, Golden Halo's washed up. Bringing a 200-level from the Third Squad? And those codenames—Destruction Demon? Des Gongju? Hohoho! Now that I see it, you're my cheap knockoff."
Des Gongju's expression crumpled.
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm the real Pri—!" She cut herself off and, not wanting to argue, turned and melted into the crowd.
- Ten seconds until the Sun Tournament begins.
The countdown started. Every user checked the satellite feed and prepared to launch.
- The Sun Tournament has begun.
The moment the message appeared and thousands activated their High Gear at once, a roar exploded.
Twenty kilometers of distance shrank instantly, and bullets began to exchange before that.
KABOOM!
Two hundred seventy people were sent back to the start point.
"Faster! Move it!"
Little Witch led her unit in a dash toward the Sun Palace's main gate.
She reached the gate first and used the satellite feed to pinpoint Shirone.
"Huh?"
In that instant she realized.
"What is this?"
The massive flow of Eastern users on the video was nothing like she had expected.
'It's not the center.'
They were matching the West's overall balance and opposing them evenly.
"They intend to win the Sun Tournament…"
The footage's message was unmistakable.
"They mean to win."
A jolt like electricity ran down her spine and her shoulders trembled.
"Hoho. Hohoho."
An excellent choice, Shirone.