CHAPTER 35 – DEFENSE SPECIALIZED AND DESERT EXPLORATION
Compared to up until now, the scale of the forest was small.
「Oh, we’re already out!」
「Oh〜……it’s a desert」
It was a vast desert that spread in front of the two.
There was sand while cactus can be seen everywhere.
There was no appearance of players.
「Let’s go」
「Alright」
The two stepped into the desert.
「It’s good that we don’t get thirsty」
「That’s true, if that is so, we can’t explore after all」
Dehydration symptoms don’t exist in this game.
Just because it’s the desert, it is not like they would receive damage from the temperature.
But since it is hard to walk on sand, it was difficult to say that it is easy to explore, but the two passed through the sand dunes, and moves forward slowly but surely.
「There’s nothing〜」
「From how it looks that is」
Because there are many sand dunes, there might be something if they passed through them
「For the meantime, let’s move ahead」
「Okay」
They didn’t let out Oboro and Syrup.
Firstly, even if Syrup comes out, it couldn’t climb up through the sand dunes.
Because on the way, it was pushed back by the breaking sand.
And looking at Oboro, seeing that it was covered with sand, Sally returned it.
According to Sally, she feels bad for it.
And the two who had climbed over ten sand dunes, they finally saw an oasis.
「We finally see it!」
「Let’s go quick!」
In the scenery that was full of sand, they could see that greens vibrant and shining.
The two went to the oasis with light steps.
「How is it? Does it connect to a dungeon?」
「Let’s split up and search around the corners. It’s not that big so it would finish quickly」
The two searched all of the corners of the oasis, but they only figured out that there was nothing.
「Mu〜… there’s nothing」
「Unfortunately, it seems so」
「You want to take a little break?」
「Let’s do that. I’m also a little bit tired」
Sally took a stretch.
Both Sally and Maple had already gone through a long battle today.
They couldn’t be blamed if they were tired.
Maple lied down and sloppily looked around.
「n〜……n? Sally! Someone’s coming!」
Maple stood up and readied her large shield.
Sally also reacted to that voice, and stared at the player that was going towards them while holding her dagger.
「Ohh… someone’s first huh. On top of that, it’s Maple…… my luck isn’t that good」
The person who came was a girl wearing Japanese clothes.
She wears a sakura-colored kimono in her upper body.
Also, a purple hakama.
And she is equipped with on katana, so it’s easy to figure out her features with a glance.
「That person, she’s sixth ranked in the last event」
「Eh?! Really」
「I’ve checked quite a bit, so I at least know that」
「Ahh, excuse me while you’re talking, but……if it’s alright, can you let me off」
It looks like this girl doesn’t have the will to fight.
Although it is unknown if she really feels like that.
「……what would you do if we say no?」
「In that case……it can’t be helped. I’ll make sure that I’d take one of you with me」
The girl said ‘one of you’, but her consciousness was towards Sally.
Maple was readying her self so that she could attack or defend anytime.
「With that, the one who remained would get all the medals so it’s quite favorable for us」
Sally whispered.
「…………ah!」
「Let’s do it?」
「Let’s do it, huh?」
The two looked at the girl at the same time.
「【Super Acceleration】!」
The girl escaped with full power.
She ran away without looking back as fast as she could.
「【Super Acceleration】!」
Sally chased after her with full strength.
She chased after her as if to look at a prey.
「W-Wait for me〜!」
Maple chased after them with her full strength.
She chased after them with the speed of a tortoise.
「Why do you have【Super Acceleration】……!!」
「Did you look down on me?」
The two’s super acceleration ended. The place where they are was a valley surrounded by sand dunes. There’s no place to escape.
The girl also reluctantly drew her katana.
In fact, she thought that she could win if the opponent isn’t Maple.
After all, she was sixth.
「【First of the Blades・Kagerou】」
The girl’s appearance shook and disappeared.
And, the next instant, she appeared in front of her.
The katana that was swung sidewards cuts through Sally’s torso.
「Ha…?!!」
The girl was surprised.
The thing that Sally was disappeared in front of her as if she melted into air.
「Everyone, they react like that at first you know」
Red effects scatters from the girl’s body.
Because Sally doesn’t have that much attack power, the damage isn’t that big, but she slashed through her stomach while passing through her side.
And, Sally once again took distance.
「If you don’t defeat me before Maple comes, it looks bad」
Sally said to the girl.
「Ku!……【First of the Blades・Kagerou】」
The girl once again approached Sally with fast speed.
And, her katana slashes through her just like before.
「That, I saw it before」
It was a strange sight.
The katana that slashes through close distance was dodged by Sally by charging while crouching making it only cut the air.
Sally continued like that and ran towards the woman’s left side with a low posture.
「Gu……!」
Red effects scatter from the woman’s feet.
「I didn’t think, that you were this strong……」
「Well, thanks」
The two turned around and faced each other.
Sally didn’t attack from her side.
It was to aim for when her opponent breaks its posture when she dodges the attacks.
If she receives a counterattack, it would be over.
Although, her opponent doesn’t know about that though.
「……I can only use my whole strength huh」
The girl who said that with a low voice changed her air.
No, even her appearance changed.
Her beautiful black hair changes to a snow white, and her black eyes were dyed in scarlet.
Around the girl, effects with sakura colors just like in her kimono shines.
「………」
Sally also stops saying gibberish and heightens her concentration to the limit.
This is Sally’s best trump card.
An absolute power that anyone else couldn’t imitate.
「【Last of the Blades・Oborozuki】」
Invisible consecutive attacks had attacked Sally.
Because of their speed, the blade trembles, as if they disappeared.
It would be impossible to see those blades through vision.
「……!!」
The one who whispered softly was the Japanese clothed girl.
The invisible consecutive attacks couldn’t catch Sally.
She could only follow the somewhat decided movements until the skill ends when consecutive attack skills are activated.
“Hit”, “Hit”, she swings her blade while praying.
Sally had dodged these consecutive attacks.
The movement of her feet.
The movement of her eyes.
The movement of her arms.
The movement of her shoulders.
The sound of the blade cutting air.
Using all of that information, she predicted the movement of the blade, and dodges within skin length.
For her opponent, it should be weird as it can be. The attacks she did was being dodged using the least amount of movement right in front of her
That’s right, it was as if.
She could see that the blades were dodging Sally instead.
The twelve consecutive attacks that each have killing strength ended.
After the girl had looked at Sally, she smiled pleasantly and collapsed to her back.
「I lost. Do it with a single thought」
The color of her hair and eyes also returned.
The aura also disappeared.
「In my part, it was quite dangerous」
「Next time, I’ll make sure I hit you」
At that time, when Sally was about to swing down her dagger.
「AHHHHHHHH!! Wait, I cant stoppppppppppp!!!」
The two instinctively turned towards the place where the scream was coming from, and there they saw a black object rolling down the sand dune while catching up sand.
「Eh! Wait! Maple! W-Wait!!」
That’s right, that object was Maple.
The only thing that she could be praised for was that she had unequipped her large shield.
And, it is already not a situation that she could stop even if she were told to wait.
Maple flies to were the two was.
She collapsed while catching up sand big time.
The three of them, it took a long time for them to do something about this situation.
And, within that blank instant, a change happened beneath their feet.
「Ha?!!」
「Ku! I can’t escape!」
「Eh?? Eh??」
The three reacted in their own ways, and got devoured by quicksand with tremendous speed.
There was two who was able to fall on their feet after taking their balance mid air.
One of them was thrown into the ground while her armor echoed.
Of course, it’s Maple.
Fortunately, it was not that high so the damage was zero.
「W-What happened?」
「A dungeon that reacts with the number of people… I guess〜. It suddenly responded when Maple fell after all」
Looking at Sally who tried to hold her head to think of what to do, everyone noticed.
To the fact that the three’s hand were connected with a black chain.
「「「Eh?」」」
Sally’s right hand to the Japanese clothed girl.
Sally’s left hand to Maple.
The only hands that were free were the girl’s right hand and Maple’s left hand.
The length of the change was a meter and a little bit, they shouldn’t be able to move as usual.
And for the three, it took a little bit of time to understand the situation.