Chapter 22 ~ Enemy
The night sky unfurled above them like an artist's dream, a canvas of deepest indigo spangled with a breathtaking array of stars. A luminous river, akin to a fantastical Milky Way, flowed across the celestial expanse, its nebulae swirling with ethereal hues of sapphire, amethyst, and diamond dust. A slender, silver crescent moon hung suspended, casting a gentle, watchful glow. The stars themselves shimmered, pinpricks of brilliant white, soft blue, and the faintest hint of violet.
A cool night breeze whispered across the land, rustling through the knee-high grasses that flanked their path. The pale moonlight painted a silver ribbon on the trail before them, guiding their steps. Hikari and Rentarou walked in comfortable quiet, the only sounds the soft thud of their boots, the sighing of the wind through the verdant blades, and a faint, almost subliminal night-travel orchestral score playing in their minds.
Hikari's simple adventurer's attire, predominantly a practical brown, seemed darker under the night sky. White bandages were neatly wrapped around his hands beneath light brown, fingerless gloves designed for a novice adventurer. Beside him, Rentarou's dark clothing absorbed the faint light, making the polished silver cuirass protecting his chest and back gleam with a muted, lunar sheen. The gentle breeze tugged at Hikari's golden hair, which seemed to capture and hold the moonlight, giving it an almost ethereal glow, while Rentarou's grey locks shifted like strands of spun silver.
Hikari tilted his head back, his blue eyes reflecting the distant, star-strewn galaxy above, the fantastical vista seeming to swim in their depths. The reflection was even more pronounced, more brilliant, in Rentarou's wide grey eyes. A soft smile touched Rentarou's lips.
"Ever since I entered this game world," Rentarou mused, his voice quiet and content, "this is the first time I've felt such profound peace while traveling. I believe the reason is… you being here with me, Hikari-san."
As he spoke, a tiny, golden-yellow orb, like a fleeting spark or a wayward firefly, zipped silently past Rentarou's eyes. He blinked, but it was gone so quickly, he dismissed it as a trick of the light or a stray particle effect.
Hikari lowered his gaze from the heavens, his expression calm as he looked ahead. "That's merely because you perceive me as a shield between yourself and any lurking monsters, correct?" he replied, a hint of dry humor in his tone.
Two more of the same golden orbs flickered past Hikari's own face, darting around him like inquisitive sprites. He gave them only a cursory, unconcerned glance.
Rentarou chuckled lightly. "That might be partially true, relatively speaking, but that wasn't precisely what I meant, haha."
A comfortable silence settled between them for a few moments, broken only by the rustling grass. Then, more golden orbs began to appear. They winked into existence all around them, dotting the grass like fallen stars, hovering in the air above and around their small patch of the path.
Rentarou's eyes widened, a look of pure, childlike wonder dawning on his face at the fantastical, shimmering spectacle. "This is beautiful!" he breathed, his voice filled with awe. "What… what is all this?!"
Hikari's voice, in stark contrast, was low, calm, and serious. "Just as a precaution… draw your shield."
"Huh?" Rentarou blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Before Hikari could elaborate, all the golden orbs began to pulse, their light intensifying into a brilliant, almost blinding yellow. Hikari's eyes widened fractionally, a single, sharp curse escaping him.
"Damn it!"
BOOOOOOOM!!!!!
A concussive, golden-hued explosion ripped through the night, engulfing the very spot where they stood. The knee-high grass flattened outwards in a violent shockwave, the air instantly thick with the acrid scent of smoke and burnt ozone.
Rentarou coughed violently, staggering as the rapidly swirling night breeze quickly dispersed the densest plumes of smoke. Hikari's stance was unbroken, though his hair was disheveled by the blast. He glanced at his HP bar; it glowed a furious, critical red: 100/1000.
Direct hit… Hikari thought, his mind racing even as his body absorbed the impact. The force of that explosion… it can obliterate 900 health points in an instant. But what triggered it? A cleverly concealed game trap we failed to notice? Or perhaps…
The Water Fox Fang materialized in his right hand, coalescing from shimmering blue digital sparks. The blade, a sleek, bluish metal, pulsed with an inner light, and fantastical droplets of water seemed to bead and dance along its razor edge.
With a lithe, powerful movement, Hikari launched himself into the air, twisting his body. He slashed outwards three times, each movement a blur of cerulean light, sending three crescent-shaped waves of cutting water screaming into the night in different directions, carefully avoiding Rentarou. The whoosh-slash of the water arcs tore through the remaining smoke, clearing the air further.
Both Hikari and Rentarou heard it – the distinct thwack-splash of water impacting something solid. They snapped their heads towards the source of the sound.
Droplets of water hung suspended in the air for a microsecond, glittering like scattered jewels in the moonlight before falling. Standing there, a smirk playing on his lips, was a man with tousled blond hair and sharp green eyes. He was clad in attire that bespoke a life on the road – a highwayman or a rogue – and held a longsword in a practiced grip, its position clearly indicating he had just parried Hikari's slicing waves.
"Yare yare," the newcomer drawled, his voice laced with a mocking amusement. "That was a rather close call… Who would have anticipated they had such an attack hidden up their sleeves?"
Droplets of displaced water slid like quicksilver down the length of the blond man's sword, tracing silvery paths before dripping onto the night-darkened grass. He canted his head slightly, his verdant green eyes locking onto Hikari across the roughly fifteen meters that separated them. In that charged space, blue met green—a silent clash of wills.
That blade… the blond man, Arujo, mused, his gaze sharp and analytical as it lingered on Hikari and the glimmering Water Fox Fang. It doesn't originate from this region. That craftsmanship—it's from the 'Water and Wind Dance' territory. Which means… he's received help from a player of moderately high standing. Yet both he and his companion are merely level ten. Therefore… the benefactor isn't physically present. No need for concern.
At the same moment, Hikari's thoughts raced in tandem. He parried a rare weapon's signature skill… with a standard sword? His outfit—too roguish to be a typical adventurer. A highwayman, most likely. But… there's no player name above his head. Only 'Lv. 14'. This one isn't a player. He's an NPC.
To Hikari's side, Rentarou shifted uneasily, grey eyes wide with apprehension as they scanned the blond figure. Level tags only appear for NPCs once they've been attacked… meaning Hikari must've triggered it with that water slash. Level 14…? That's high. What's a hostile NPC like that doing out here?
A dry, mocking laugh rang out from their left, snapping both their heads toward the sound. A second figure stood roughly ten meters away—a youth, perhaps their age, with long, straight black hair that framed a sharply angular face. His eyes, black as obsidian, glinted with cold amusement. His clothes mirrored Arujo's in style: layered leathers and faded fabrics that screamed vagabond or rogue. He appeared unarmed… yet a faint, residual shimmer—yellow-gold—flickered across his palms before vanishing entirely.
Hikari caught it. That glow… identical to the color of the detonation orbs from before. That's no coincidence.
The long-haired rogue smirked. "Arujo," he called casually, his voice infused with smug self-satisfaction, "looks like my opener didn't finish them off. Ugh. I really should refine this elixir at some point."
Arujo, now standing opposite his dark-haired partner with Hikari and Rentarou between them, sneered. "Naturally it failed, you imbecile. Your concoction's a Class-C relic. Stop wasting your time and Diamo on that trash, Yuta."
Yuta's grin was oily. "You're blind to brilliance, my friend. Once you've tasted the euphoria it delivers, you'll be begging for a vial of your own."
Hikari's voice sliced cleanly through the exchange, cold and commanding. "Save your trifling quarrels for another time. Your actions tonight have established you as enemies. If you have any final pleas that might dissuade me from delivering your deaths, now is the time."
Rentarou flinched, stunned by the tone. What… what is that voice? His HP's still at 100… same as mine. And we're surrounded. Why does he sound so calm? So certain? And more than that… he's threatening them?
A brief, chilling silence followed. Then Yuta burst into derisive laughter. "You—! Are you broken in the head, little worm?! A death sentence, is it? Are you mocking me?"
Hikari's reply came instantly, a quiet torrent of certainty. "Even if we fall, we're players. We'll respawn—revived in the Ruins of Rona. You, however… if my blade finds your throat, your digital existence will cease. Permanently."
Arujo chuckled, humorless and cold. He rested his sword lazily on his shoulder, tilting his neck with disdain. "You speak prettily, whelp. But do not concern yourself with our deaths. It is beyond imagination for the likes of you to defeat us."
He paused, eyes narrowing into a predatory gleam. "We're highwaymen. We wait near the Ruins of Rona to rob travelers of their Diamo and potions. Rarely do we need to fight—mere threats suffice. But you, Rising Star," he said, gaze hardening as it flicked to Hikari's crimson PK tag, "you're a Player Killer. Do you have any idea the bounty your head commands in the Third Region, 'Water and Wind Dance'? It fluctuates, of course. But yours? Yours is easily worth ten thousand Diamo. Enough for me to spend a year in luxury, without lifting a finger."
Rentarou leaned toward Hikari, his voice low with concern. "It seems you've made quite a name for yourself… I didn't expect your infamy to catch up to us so quickly."
Hikari's eyes swept the terrain. Beyond them, the forest loomed—dense, dark, and close. "Start running," he said quietly. "Head for the forest. Draw the weapon we got from the Stone Gorilla. Use it if either of them comes after you."
"No!" Rentarou hissed. "I'm not leaving you here alone!"
The Water Fox Fang pulsed faintly in Hikari's hand, glowing with a soft, cerulean light. He raised it slowly until the blade aligned with his face, its tip pointed directly forward. His eyes locked onto the enemy, gleaming with steel-like resolve.
"You have two options," Hikari said, voice steady as a drawn bowstring. "Surrender and beg forgiveness… or fight—and perish."
Yuta erupted into cruel laughter, his palms already glowing again with that dangerous golden energy. Rentarou, tense and pale, summoned his Stone Gauntlets. Blue digital sparks shimmered around his arms as smooth, rune-etched rock formed around his hands, his fingers curling into fists of stone.
Arujo's posture shifted. His mocking air was gone, replaced by a cold solemnity. His voice dropped, low and menacing.
"You have insulted me gravely, boy. That cannot go unpunished."
[ A/N ]
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