Chapter 69: Chapter 68

"Monsters are pouring out faster than expected."

I spoke as I gazed at the red fissure hanging in the sky.

Soon, flashes of light followed, and what looked like falling stars began crashing to the ground. All of them were monsters spewing from the gate.

"The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will become."

"Yes, that's true."

"We should split up," Cecilia suggested.

"Laura, you handle the monsters. In the meantime, I'll take down the 'Monster of the Red Mist.'"

"Interesting plan. But there are a couple of issues with that."

"What issues?"

"First, do you really think I can handle all those monsters by myself?"

The sky was showering with what looked like shooting stars, but they were actually countless monsters falling to the ground. Dozens, maybe even hundreds.

"Can't you stop them all, Laura?"

"You underestimate me. Of course, I could crush them all underfoot. But if you fail to defeat the 'Monster of the Red Mist,' then I’ll be stuck dealing with these creatures endlessly."

The gate would remain open until the 'Monster of the Red Mist' was killed. That meant I'd be fighting an endless stream of monsters until then.

"I know that. That's why I'm asking you to hold them off, Laura."

"And why me?"

"Even though you've left the academy, there are still many people here who follow you. You're the only one who can rally the remaining survivors."

She wasn’t wrong.

The gate may have consumed the academy, but there were likely still survivors hiding somewhere.

Only a few people could lead them.

The Crown Prince of this country. The son of the Grand Duke of the North. The President of the student council, standing at the top of the academy’s hierarchy. And perhaps a few faculty members, like the principal or teachers.

If none of them were able to step up, then as the Duke's daughter, I might be the only one left to lead the survivors.

"If we work with the survivors, I believe we can handle the monsters."

"That makes sense."

"And the second issue you're not mentioning, Laura—isn’t it whether I, Cecilia Blonie d'Allenmis, will survive fighting the 'Monster of the Red Mist'?"

Cecilia stood up from her wheelchair.@@novelbin@@

Annoyed by her dress’s hem, she ripped it off, and then even tore off the sleeves.

She grabbed the greatsword that had been resting behind the wheelchair.

"If I die, then I was simply too weak to overcome this trial, nothing more than a small, insignificant person."

Cecilia slung the greatsword over her shoulder and walked away into the distance.

"We'll only know for sure when I clash with the 'Monster of the Red Mist.' Whether I’ll slay it and devour the trial, or whether I’ll be consumed and become just another part of the monster's growing strength."

"Cecilia."

"If I die, feel free to return to your duchy, Laura. Thank you for helping me this far. Even if I lose my life, I’ll never forget the favor you've done me."

With those final words, Cecilia left.

Even if one leg had been severed, there was still another to stand on. Rinko swung her sword, balanced on her remaining leg.

But Laura had no intention of letting her continue. She threw her weight against Rinko, trying to disrupt her balance.

Gritting her teeth, Rinko endured, but the price was steep. One of her arms was cut off.

Still, she kept fighting. She swung her remaining leg.

That, too, was lost, leaving her with just one arm.

‘I can’t win…’

Ever since her planned downward attack failed, Rinko’s spirit had been broken.

The only reason she kept attacking was out of pure inertia. She didn’t even know what that inertia was driven by anymore.

She just swung and kicked aimlessly, knowing full well that such thoughtless attacks wouldn’t work.

She was completely, utterly destroyed.

Or perhaps she had been broken from the start.

"I’ll hold off MadMask this time."

"While you break through the main force, Narim."

The exact words from her past echoed in her mind.

She had known, even as she said it, that she wouldn’t be able to beat MadMask. She wouldn’t even be able to stop him.

Maybe it was just stubbornness, or pride.

Maybe it was inertia, or the mindset of a professional VTuber.

She had refused to acknowledge what she needed to accept, and the result was catastrophic.

"It’s a wall."

With the word ‘defeat’ looming in front of her, Rinko found herself thrown back into the waiting room.

She had realized it the first time she fought MadMask. She was just a regular gamer, someone who happened to be decent at games.

But professional gamers were on a different level, and she had collapsed at the foot of that wall.

The overwhelming sense of that wall’s grandeur, the guilt she felt towards her team back then...

What could she do now, as nothing but the hollow shell of the passionate player she once was?

Could a victory even mean anything?

With such an empty heart, there was no way she could win.

In her heart, she had already lost to Aurora. She would certainly lose the third round as well.

[Arcade Mode: Sewer Map]

[A dark underground sewer. The passageways are narrow, with filthy water running alongside them. You win by either eliminating the enemy player or defeating the boss before your opponent.]

With vacant eyes, Rinko read the description of the third round, the one that would mark her end.

How should she hand over the title of EYEAI’s representative VTuber of Labyrinthos to Aurora?

That was all she could think about.

Maybe getting all her limbs cut off like before wouldn’t be such a bad way to go. Being completely destroyed might make it easier to let go.

With that thought, Rinko locked in Gladiator.

"Why did she cut off my limbs?"

Rinko paused just before clicking.

She didn’t have to go that far to win, right?

Cutting off one leg was understandable, but was it really necessary to methodically break her down, one limb at a time? She could have just beheaded her or stabbed her in the heart to end it.

At the last moment, when she had lost her will, she had left so many openings.

Curious.

After a moment of contemplation, Rinko called Aurora on Discord.

[Senpai? What’s the matter?]

Senpai.

Aurora had been calling her that ever since they met. Even though Ainatsu dropped the formalities quickly, Aurora always treated her with utmost respect.

Rinko didn’t understand why, but she asked her question anyway.

"Why did you go that far? You didn’t need to cut off my limbs to win, did you? I’m not angry; I’m just genuinely curious."

Rinko asked quickly, and Aurora responded in her usual calm voice.

[Do you remember when Sora cried earlier?]

"…?"

Sora? Why bring her up?

"You mean after Winter Team won? She got auto-logged out of the VR capsule because of that, right?"

[Why do you think she cried?]

"Well... because she was moved, I guess?"

[I think it’s because she took the match seriously. You can’t be moved unless you take it seriously.]

That’s true.

But what does that have to do with anything…?

[So, I took it seriously as well. Isn’t that what makes it fun?]

"Mm…"

Come to think of it, Laura always had a thorough approach, even when she seemed reckless.

When she believed she was in a favorable position, she wouldn’t take unnecessary risks. If she could win by slowly wearing down her opponent, she wouldn’t give them a chance to make a comeback.

That’s why she was strong.

It wasn’t a defensive mindset. Every move she made was calculated, and she had the sharp mind to weigh the risks and rewards perfectly.

‘No wonder she’s often misunderstood.’

In any case, Rinko understood the reasoning.

Even when Rinko was completely broken, Laura hadn’t let her guard down for a moment.

"I see. Thanks for answering."

Rinko ended the call with Laura.

And once again, she found herself staring at the character select screen.

As she looked at the portrait of the Gladiator, Rinko was lost in thought.

"…How pathetic of me."

Maybe she shouldn’t have asked.

It wasn’t surprising that Laura hadn’t let her guard down. To Rinko, Laura was like a flawless champion.

But what bothered her was that Laura had mentioned Sora.

Suddenly, she felt ashamed of herself.

Ayanokoji Sora. A junior who had only debuted about a month ago.

She might’ve been bold compared to other 6th-gen members, but to Rinko, she still seemed inexperienced.

That’s only natural, though. It’s strange that Aurora, on the other hand, never showed any nervousness in front of her seniors.

Honestly, Rinko had underestimated Sora.

No matter how much Aurora had trained her, how good could she possibly be at Labyrinthos? The preparation time for the tournament had only been about a month.

Anna had at least some prior experience with Labyrinthos. She wasn’t starting from a blank slate when Laura took her under her wing.

But Sora had no such background. Rinko had assumed she would drag her team down.

But the results speak for themselves. Winter Team had won.

Sora had taken the tournament more seriously than anyone else, and when they won, she cried and got auto-logged out of VR.

‘My juniors are better than me.’

"I’m the senior here, though."

The words slipped out of her mouth.

"Yeah... That’s how it is…"

And in that moment, Rinko realized something.

Why she was standing here in the first place. How she should live her life from now on. What remained for Kisaki Rinko.

What meaning she had left.

"……"

Her fingers trembled.

It wasn’t just nervousness, but a deep sense of fear, like a nightmare creeping in.

"…Because I’m the senior."

With a sigh, Rinko clicked.

She locked in Trickster.

There was once a first VTuber.

After witnessing the success of that VTuber, many others aspired to follow the same path.

The Four Kings of VTubers emerged.

They each created their own agencies, representing the VTuber world and guiding the next generation.

That was all in the past.

The era of 3D VTubers came to an end, and the age of Live2D VTubers began.

Many 3D VTubers retired due to financial difficulties.

The so-called Four Kings began to fade, one by one. Even the very first VTuber ceased their activities.

Those who had paved the way for VTubers disappeared amidst failure and suffering.

And yet, the VTuber industry continued to move forward.

-Tap. -Tap.

Footsteps echoed in the dark, damp sewer.

Rinko glanced sideways and saw the faint glow of red eyes in the distance.

"Senpai, Rinko?"

Laura called out to Rinko, who had been standing idly.

As she turned to face Laura, a trace of fear reawakened in Rinko’s heart.

A wall.

It was the same wall she had failed to surpass in the past.

Instinctively, she knew. She couldn’t beat Laura, just like she couldn’t beat MadMask.

But at this point, it didn’t matter anymore.

Winning or losing held no meaning.

"Laura, I don’t know if you’re aware, but in this industry, many people become VTubers because they admire other VTubers. Did you know that?"

Rinko asked suddenly.

Laura nodded.

"Anna is one of those cases."

"Right. She said she admired Rui."

Rinko chuckled. She had worked with Rui in the same league last year.

It was funny. Rinko was a VTuber from the same company, and yet Anna had idolized a VTuber from another agency.

"I wonder if anyone ever became a VTuber because they admired me."

"I'm sure there are."

"Then, do you think I’ve been a respectable VTuber for them?"

"I’d say so. At least more respectable than Ainatsu."

"Ainatsu’s already at ‘that’ level, huh?"

Well, it was deserved. Ainatsu earned that kind of reputation.

"I want to be known as a good senior to you guys. A role model."

"……"

"Soon, you’ll all be seniors yourselves. Next year, there might even be a 7th generation coming in."

The once-great VTubers of the past faded away with time.

But because of them, the VTubers of today were able to shine.

The saying that "seniors guide juniors" was a common phrase.

But in another sense, it also meant that "seniors become the sustenance for their juniors."

Rinko—pulled on a wire.

-Slash!

"Oh my."

Blood spurted from Laura’s left arm.

Though Laura reacted quickly, it wasn’t a small wound.

It had caught her off guard.

She hadn’t expected Rinko to pick Trickster.

"Have you ever played Story Mode in Labyrinthos?"

As Rinko fiddled with the wires in her hands, she pulled out a 'piano wire' from her palm.

She had anticipated Laura’s movements and set traps of piano wire and strings around the battlefield, slicing through Laura’s arm when she pulled the wire.

"In Story Mode, the Gladiator says this: 'Everything that cannot kill me is just a trial.'"

Rinko tucked the piano wire back into her hand and gripped her sword again.

The Sabre.

The Trickster’s main weapon.

"──From now on, I will be your trial."

Aurora.

You’ll either devour me and grow stronger, Or you’ll be crushed under the weight of this trial and perish.

Now, the only thing I have left is this one fact.

That I am your senior.