Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 12 - Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: A Story Written in the Sky 
Gideon the City of Duels 
“Figgy loggin’ in outside is a real silver lining here.” Thanks to Figaro appearing in the Nex Plains and Hannya going after him, the situation had shifted drastically. As Shu considered how to handle things now, someone contacted him through the Telepathy Cuffs. 
[Hello? Can you hear me?] 
[Rook! What is it?] 
[I just met up with Xunyu. The shuffling effect was canceled, so she can target Hannya now.] 
Angeldeath Dominion had been undone, allowing Xunyu to use Tenaga Ashinaga’s ultimate skill. 
[Can we count on her tearin’ out her heart?] Shu asked. 
[She says there’s only like a fifty percent chance that she’ll succeed, because Hannya has high AGI and she’s moving around like crazy.] Tenaga Ashinaga’s ultimate skill didn’t come with a lock-on function and it could easily miss if the set coordinates were incorrect. That was why Xunyu had first immobilized Figaro before using it on him in The Clash of the Superiors. 
With Hannya and Sandalphon being so large and mobile, it was difficult for Xunyu to land the skill. 
[...Hannya’s probably wearin’ a Brooch, too,] said Shu. [Even if it lands, it won’t be enough... And then she might go on to make a mess out of more than just the plains.] 
[That’s true.] 
[...Let’s leave it to Figgy for now. We’ll go with Xunyu’s plan if he doesn’t make it.] 
[Understood.] After cutting the comms with Shu, Rook gazed at Sandalphon and Figaro in the distance with an inquisitive look in his eyes. 
“Why is Figaro climbing up Sandalphon?” he asked. “He could easily win by just standing on the surface and using Gloria ?... or any other ranged skills.” 
“It’s sooo weird,” said Babi. “He could just go SHWING like he did in the duuuel!” 
“...Is there some kind of issue with using long-ranged attack skills against Hannya?” Rook theorized. “Would she block them somehow...?” 
“NopE,” Xunyu cut his musings short. “For someone with sUch a good head on your shoulders, you’re prEtty ignorant.” 
“...Ignorant?” Rook rarely heard anyone call him that, so he was a bit taken aback. 
“The reAson he’s climbin’ is prObably really simplE.” 
“It is?” Whatever Xunyu was thinking, Rook couldn’t see it yet. 
“YeAh. He ain’t wiEldin’ a weapon, and he’s using thE ult he didn’t use even in oUr duel. Ya know whAt that means, right?” 
Rook didn’t, actually. Based on what he’d been told, Figaro had been looking forward to dueling Hannya, and according to what Ray had said that had been exactly their plans for today. Because of this, Rook assumed that Figaro saw this as a duel or some sort of fight to stop Gideon from being destroyed. 
“Well, you’ll find oUt if ya just think abOut it. Just thinking cAn make for a good lessOn, Rook.” 
“For a little girl, you’re so much like a big sisteeer,” said Babi. “I won’t let you be Rook’s big sister, though. That’s my role!” 
“I don’t even wAnt it,” Xunyu chuckled as she watched Figaro’s fight, preparing her ult just in case. 
 
Nex Plains 
Two different sounds now resounded over the plains: the roar of the pulverized ground and a young man’s voice. 
“Fall! Please just fall down already!” Sandalphon shouted this while continuing his devastating stomping. 
However, Figaro was weathering every movement and shockwave, never stopping his dash to the top of the tower. 
The scene seemed to defy the laws of physics, but Figaro’s stats and his boots’ Climbing skill, buffed by Cor Leonis, made this feat possible. The ult had already expired, but because he was limiting his equipment, the enhancement was still sufficient. 
It also bears remembering that Figaro had tons of experience fighting on unsteady terrain. 
“He’s absurd...!” This was the first time Sandalphon had ever encountered someone who had tried to climb on him while he was attacking. 
So far, he’d only lost against two enemies: the incarnation of nature that specialized in area-wide extermination and a slime that negated all physical damage. Compatibility had been against him in both of those fights — Sandalphon couldn’t make use of his strong points and afterwards could fully understand why he lost. 
However, Figaro was just a human — a creature that should have died with a single stomp. 
The fact that he was still alive began to make Sandalphon panic. 
The Over Gladiator was already halfway up his tower-leg. 
“...??” 
“Lady Hannya...!” While Last Berserk was active, Hannya was basically a machine devoted to attacking Figaro. It made the movement of her body completely automatic, and if Sandalphon wasn’t there to provide stability, even the massive tower-legs would be moving at a maddening rate. 
However, her thoughts remained her own thanks to the player protection function, so even though she was rampaging, her feelings for Figaro remained the same. 
Bloodlust, rage, grief, love... too many emotions swirled within her to pinpoint just one, but the effect of them all had already convinced her to use Last Berserk and attack him. 
This was the only way of handling lost love that she knew. 
She’d only fallen in love twice in her entire life. The first love ended in betrayal, and the second was an illusion. The only way she could feel any kind of relief was by releasing her grief, anger, and hate onto the object of her affection. 
Sandalphon knew how she felt better than anyone, and he knew that this was the only way. After all — he was born from her mind and heart. And as her loyal Embryo, he once again fulfilled her will. 
“Screamer, set,” Sandalphon said, as he slightly changed his appearance. 
The towers remained top-heavy, but spiral grooves now appeared on their surface. Figaro couldn’t see them in their entirety from his current vantage point, but everyone else watching the battle could. 
As someone described what it looked like now, Sandalphon suddenly began to shine... 
“Downfall Screamer!” 
...And used his only offensive active skill. 
Sandalphon was now a kilometel-tall pair of drills. 
He’d acquired this skill when Hannya was still trying to escape the gaol to meet Figaro and evolved into his seventh form by using ???. 
Though it hadn’t been enough to let Hannya escape, it was a space-warping, all-pulverizing, penetrating, perforating attack that ignored material toughness. 
Of course, there was little point to some of those attributes now. The skill’s effects were concentrated at the very tip of the tower-legs, and Figaro was running up the side. 
Why did Sandalphon decide to use it, then? Simple — to make the towers spin and throw Figaro off. 
With an obscene 600 revolutions per second, the drills were like giant centrifuges, and the angel was confident that they could easily throw off anyone and anything clinging to them. 
That was exactly what happened a moment later. Figaro was flung into the sky... 
“Liferend Shield Formation.” 
...and landed on thin air. 
“Huh?!” Sandalphon couldn’t hide his shock at this feat. Figaro had used a skill from his blue coat-like MVP special reward, Rendshield Cloak, Closer, which created barriers that doubled as platforms. He had used it for air mobility when fighting Gloria, and now he used it to approach the top of Sandalphon. 
He was already past the halfway point, which placed him close enough for the Liferend Shield Formation to take him up the rest of the way. Hannya was trying to stomp him out of the sky with the spinning towers, but his movements were too unpredictable. 
Figaro was soon high enough to make Sandalphon panic even worse. 
He was aware that he was a powerful Superior Embryo with a gigantic size and an ability that warped space, but he had his share of weaknesses, too. 
One of them was common to all Apostles — the absolute lack of stat growth bonuses to their Masters. 
Another was a flaw specific to him — because of his size, he had absolutely no way of dealing with enemies that reached his weak point: the very top of the towers. 
His battle abilities were useless against someone who made it all the way up, and even if Hannya unequipped Sandalphon and fought Figaro by herself, she wouldn’t stand a chance even with her buffs from Last Berserk. Without her Embryo, the gap between them was just too vast. 
As Sandalphon panicked about the danger that would soon befall his Master, Figaro made the final jump to the top... only for something to shoot him down. 
The sudden snipe shocked many people present, but it wasn’t enough to end Figaro’s life. He’d switched Closer’s barriers from platforms to the absolute defense bubble shield he’d used in his duel against Xunyu. However, the disappearance of the platforms forced Figaro to fall back all the way down to the ground. 
Sandalphon watched the sight in confusion, while Hannya looked down at Figaro with a face still full of rage. 
 
Cruella Mountain Belt 
A hit, thought the man with closed eyes. 
In his hands there was a pen and a notepad, and next to him there was a strange creature composed of four mechanical legs and an upper body armed with a bow. 
Behind his closed eyes, he watched Figaro fall with a view from right above Sandalphon. 
It was about to end too early. This is an extremely rare event, so I want to watch it a bit longer. It’s quite unusual for me to interfere like this a second time... 
The man wanted a true struggle between Figaro and Hannya — an emotional clash between two Superiors. That was why he’d sent DIN the photo that would set this in motion. He hadn’t expected that story to get scooped by another newspaper, but the result was the same, so those details didn’t matter to him. 
And now, because it seemed like it would end too soon, the man waited until Figaro had no control over his aerial movement and sniped him using his own Embryo. It would have been terribly disappointing to end the battle with that one shot, but just as he’d expected, Figaro sensed the attack coming and defended against it. 
Thanks to that, the emotional clash had been reset. 
Sagittarius did a good job, he thought. The strange creature’s arrow was special because it was made of light rather than physical matter, but perhaps the most extraordinary thing about it was the fact that it had hit a target in Nex Plains from all the way here in the Cruella Mountain Belt. 
Though, unlike my first interference, this one was much too direct. Everyone who watched the battle could see that Figaro had been sniped from the side, and thus they now knew some outsider was interfering. 
Still watching Sandalphon with his closed left eye, he opened his right and looked up at the sky. 
What he saw was a silver Prism Steed galloping across the heavens towards him. 
I knew it... I was fully aware this might happen when I decided to interfere. Still, I hope this doesn’t make it too difficult to observe. 
The man heaved a sigh, and Sagittarius vanished, leaving behind twelve black orbs. 
He put them back in his crest and gave the incoming Prism Rider a welcoming smile. 
“Good morning, Ray Starling,” he said, making the Master... that is, Ray Starling, adopt a shocked expression. 
He clearly hadn’t expected this reunion. 
 
Prism Rider, Ray Starling 
Someone had shot Figaro down right as he was about to make it to Hannya. 
I’d been high up in the air, so I noticed where the attack originated and rushed to the Cruella Mountain Belt, only to find a familiar face — the man who’d let himself be captured by bandits, F. 

 

“...Did you do that?” I asked him as I put Silver away. 
“Yes. With my Embryo,” he replied, showing no intention of hiding it. 
“Why?” 
“Because I felt that it would be regrettable if things ended too early.” 
“R... Regrettable?!” I shouted, not bothering to hide my shock and anger. 
However, he showed no reaction to my emotion and continued to speak plainly. 
“A romantic tragedy between Superiors isn’t something you see every day. Isn’t it natural to want it to last longer?” 
“Like hell it is!” 
“Also, I took the picture that caused all of this. I didn’t want those efforts to go to waste,” he said, showing me a photo — the very one responsible for this ordeal. 
He’s behind this whole thing?! 
“Just what are these people to you?!” I roared. 
“Sources of material. Very good ones, to be more precise.” 
The quickness of his reply made it clear that these were his honest thoughts. 
“Gideon might be destroyed! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!” 
“Of course it does. My heart would ache,” he said, as if he couldn’t believe what I was implying. “However, my own emotions would make for excellent material, too, so I would take note of them, as well. And Gideon’s destruction itself would also be quite a good source of inspiration. That would at least make up for missing Franklin’s Game.” 
His words shocked me speechless and reminded me of a character from a particular short story: “Hell Screen,” the 1918 story about Yoshihide — an artist who’d painted his own daughter burning to death. He placed his art above good, evil, and even morality itself... just like F. 
“...I see.” Now that I understood what kind of person he was, I remembered the uncomfortable feeling I’d gotten back when I first met him. He hadn’t seemed to care one bit about what the bandits were doing — he was satisfied with just being “kidnapped,” and didn’t spare a single thought for the evil the bandits might’ve committed. That was why F had said he’d even thank the bandits for what they’d done, and that wouldn’t have changed even if the bandits had gone on to kill someone before finally being apprehended. He was only interested in their punishment insofar as their villainy might be useful for improving his work. 
And now, he was staring right at me with his one open eye. 
He readily admitted everything he’d done because he wanted to see my reaction and use it as “material.” 
“...All right,” I muttered. He found joy in his accomplishments, and even the casualties caused by his actions were a positive to him. I knew someone who was much like him, and in spite of their shared search for inspiration, it wasn’t Marie... F was more like Franklin. 
That mad scientist was the greatest enemy I’d faced so far, and the threat he’d posed to Gideon was unmatched. He was the kind of person who didn’t hesitate to put others through hell for the sake of his goal. 
And F here... he destroyed Figaro and Hannya’s relationship for nothing, created a disaster that could destroy the city, and observed it all with satisfaction. He was clearly cut from the same cloth as Franklin. 
“Ohh, he’s trying to climb up again,” he said, still looking at me with his right open eye. 
Figaro had probably recovered from the fall and was trying to reach Hannya again. His condition was deteriorating and the situation was growing worse by the minute, but he was still fighting. 
However, as things were, F would get in his way again. 
He claimed that he just wanted to observe the battle for longer, but based on the rest of what he said, he also wanted to support Hannya and see her destroy Gideon. 
“I won’t let you get involved in this any further,” I declared. “I’ll stop you.” 
“Yes. Please, do try. You are The Unbreakable — one who defeated many powerful foes in highly dramatic ways. Fighting you directly is bound to make for good material, as well.” 
He wasn’t lying about wanting this. Anything that happened was just further material and more accomplishments to him... and what a troublesome mentality that was. 
“Oh, wait. Allow me to introduce myself again,” he said as he took out a small object — a Job Crystal. “I’m King of Light, F... the thirtieth in Altar’s kill rankings.” 
He surprised me one more time by switching from High Secretary into his true job... 
“Let’s see what material I can get from The Unbreakable.” 
...And attacked me with lasers fired from his fingertips and countless orbs of light that had appeared around him. 
“...!” I quickly shielded myself with Monochrome. The Black Warcoat absorbed all light-based attacks, instantly protecting me from all the damage except the slight heat created by the lasers burning through the air. 
Without this special reward, I would’ve definitely died. 
...I was running into way too many laser-wielding enemies recently. First there was Monochrome, and if I hadn’t acquired the Black Warcoat from it, I would’ve had a really bad time against the whale in Quartierlatin. 
“I see,” said the King of Light. The light-based spellcaster Superior Job had observed me protect myself against his attack. 
“The fact that you assumed a defensive position tells me that this isn’t the type of item that grants you protection by simply being equipped.” The battle had just begun, but F had already figured out my weakness. 
If the lasers hadn’t hit Monochrome, they would’ve easily pierced my body. 
“Glint Pile.” He switched from pointing his fingers at me to opening his palm in my direction. 
Knowing that an even stronger attack was coming, I took evasive action while simultaneously preparing to shield myself with Monochrome. 
A moment later, I felt an impact on my coat far stronger than the ones before. 
“Gh...!” 
“Ray!” Nemesis shouted telepathically. Based on the power level, this had to be the ultimate job skill of Flashmancer... a high-rank job. 
It’s powerful, but Monochrome absorbed most of the dama— 
“Above?!” My thought was cut short by a shadow falling over my body, which made me notice two orbs of light right above me. 
They were growing in radiance. That couldn’t be a good sign, so I quickly jumped away. 
Right as I did, the orbs released the same high-rank ultimate job skill I’d already blocked once, launching a deadly laser that melted the ground I’d just been standing on. 
“Spell extensions... Drones! Ray! Don’t stop moving! They’ll surround you!” 
“I know!” I used Instant Wield to equip Silver and began running around the mountains. 
Going into the sky wasn’t an option because he would just shoot me down with his lasers. Instead, I zigzagged between the obstacles, aiming for a chance to strike F. 
His left eye was closed. He was probably using his orbs and some optical skill to watch Figaro and Hannya’s battle — and if that wasn’t an opening, nothing was. 
I approached him from his blind spot and launched my attack. 
“How decisive. Is that one of your strong points?” I was sure I was in his blind spot, but King of Light was still smiling. 
A moment later, the lasers from the orbs of light attacked us so precisely that it was like they were threading the needle between the trees. 
“Gh...!” 
“How?! We’re in his blind spot!” 
“I suppose you guessed that I’m using my left eye to watch the fight, and you would be correct,” F said as he faced me. “But if that’s the case, it only makes sense that I would be able to do the same here, no?” 
He then closed his right eye. 
Shocked, I looked over his head — at the orbs floating above him. 
He’s using one of them to watch the battle! I thought. 
“It can be quite tiring to see different things with each eye, but if you’re used to it, it won’t even make you dizzy.” 
“Is that so?!” F had a grasp of the entire battlefield and would attack me with lasers if I came close. 
That only left one option — to use a ranged attack that couldn’t be blocked. 
Thanks to his own attacks, I had just the thing. 
“MONOCHROOOME!” In response to my call, the Black Warcoat wrapped itself around my left arm and transformed into a cannon. “I’m leaving defense to you!” 
“Understood! Counter Absorption!” The orbs of light released yet another ult laser at me, but Nemesis’ shield blocked it off. 
Seizing on this chance, I fixed my aim on the King of Light... 
“Shining... DESPAIR!” 
...And fired back at him using the greatest firepower I had — my concentrated laser cannon. 
In the blinding, burning white, F stood still... 
“I see.” 
...And made something black appear out of his crest. 
It was a dense wall of dark orbs. 
In less than a moment, it clashed with the laser... and fully protected F against it. 
Not a single spark of the laser made it to him before Shining Despair stopped, and once it was over, the black orbs were shining as if they’d completely devoured all of that light, sealing it away inside them. 
I instantly understood what it meant. 
“...Light Absorption?!” 
That Embryo has the exact same skill as Monochrome...! 
“It appears that we have a similar repertoire,” he said. 

“Guess we do...!” Similar, but not exactly the same. 
I also had Gardranda, as well as Nemesis. 
I could still win if I hit him with Vengeance — it would deal double the damage sustained by Monochrome. 
“Allow me to show you another similarity,” F said as he swung his finger like a baton. Seven of the orbs that had absorbed Shining Despair followed his movements and formed into a very particular shape. 
I instantly recognized it. 
“...Cancer?” It was one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. 
“A Story Written in the Sky — Zodiac: Cancer.” As though to tell me I was right, the King of Light activated his ultimate skill. 
At that moment, the seven orbs of light became a giant crab. 
Both its claws and the shell on its back were made of thick, gleaming armor, and anyone with any gaming knowledge would know that it had been summoned to act as a tank. It moved to cover and protect the King of Light, much like the great crab Karkinos from Greek myth that had appeared to protect its friend the Hydra. 
“A monster summon...! This is like Arc-en-Ciel... Wait, no!” If F really was an author, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to have an Embryo that functioned similarly to Marie’s Arc-en-Ciel, but that wasn’t what he was referring to. 
“I’m aware that you also have a summon skill.” Indeed... He was talking about Miasmaflame Princess: Gardranda. 
However, I’d completely emptied Gouz-Maise during the battle against Logan, and I still didn’t have nearly enough power to summon Gardranda for a reasonable amount of time. 
“Or have you expended all the battle Resources needed for it? I can’t blame you. The battle at Quartierlatin was quite intense.” 
“...Who knows?” 
I was finally beginning to understand something. 
King of Light most likely had a fighting style very similar to mine, and it wasn’t just because of the skills we shared. 
Nemesis’ Counter Absorption, the MP and SP storage in Gouz-Maise, Monochrome’s Shining Despair charge... I increased my battle potential by charging up abilities ahead of time, then unleashing them later in battle. 
F was the same in that regard. The black orbs that had absorbed Shining Despair probably had to be charged with light to be used. The ult that had summoned the crab had most likely come at the cost of a certain number of orbs. 
As a fighter, he was indeed very much like me. 
“...A pre-Superior with my exact fighting style, huh?” He’d claimed to be the thirtieth in the Kingdom’s kill rankings, but under optimal conditions, he had to be far more powerful than that statistic suggested. I’d readily place him next to top rankers like Juliet... if not higher. 
“...Can I ask why you’re only the thirtieth?” 
“I want to gather material in the war, but rising too high would make it difficult.” 
“I see.” Like I’d suspected, he was only thirtieth by choice. Considering how he operated, it would’ve been hard for him to find a clan, and from what I could remember of the kill rankings list, the thirtieth place only showed a job and no name, just like Shu’s. 
“So, what are your intentions?” F asked. A pre-Superior that could match high-ranking duelists like Rosa, Juliet, and maybe even Kashimiya. 
He’s clearly too much for me as I am now... 
“...It’s too early to give up!” I roared before finishing my thought. 
...But I’ve fought worse! 
“I’m glad to hear that.” He spoke with nothing but honesty, before attacking with both his crab and lasers. 
 
About F 
To F, this world was a wonderful source of material and inspiration. 
The extreme realism of Infinite Dendrogram formed the ultimate environment to stimulate his mind. The information he could gain from a single description was far less than he could get out of properly experiencing something, and that greatly influenced the writing he could weave. 
This world had the foreign townscapes, untrodden lands, and strange, fantastical sights that made it the best tool for inspiration he could have possibly asked for. 
There were actually many people who were logging in to see the sights, but he stood out from them because he wanted more than that. 
F also had a fondness for risk. 
Situations where a single mistake could mean death, acts that could make him a pariah and end his life as he knew it... such things were too risky even for him in reality, but as a Master, he could dabble in all of those things without any real danger to his life or livelihood. 
He spent most of his time spectating and observing himself, this world, and its lives, not letting a single moment go to waste. 
F had entered areas dominated by dangerous monsters, died fighting Masters, led a tian party into a deadly mountain pass, unleashed monsters upon a small fishing village, let himself be captured by bandits... and made Superiors fight to the death. 
As he did all these things, all he saw was more reference material for his own work. 
Fellow creators such as Marie and Veldorbell could perhaps relate to him, but he was different from them because he had no limits and never hesitated to go as far as he wanted. 
No matter how terrible the tragedy, it was just a source of material for him as an author. 
That was why there were always people ready to try and stop him. 
In the mountains, it had been a power-suited Superior who hadn’t known when to back down. 
In the fishing village, it had been a newbie party calling themselves “The Fairytale Squad.” 
And now, it was The Unbreakable himself. 
 
...His gear counters me, but it’s his persistence that stands out the most, F thought. He doesn’t hold that title for nothing. 
He watched in wonder as Ray fought against him, Cancer, and the many stars of his Zodiac. 
F was generally known as the greatest wielder of light magic. This element actually boasted some of the game’s strongest offensive spells. 
Only fire surpassed them in sheer power, and they moved at the speed of light, making them by far the fastest spells of all. 
However, casters who used light magic were actually fairly uncommon. 
This was due to its three major flaws. 
First — the spells were MP sinks, with offensive spells using about five times more MP than similarly-powered spells of other elements. Second — though the spells themselves were the fastest, their activation times were the slowest of any element. 
And third — their spell trajectories were extremely simple. Most of them were just straight lines, making it easy for any skilled fighter to counter them before they were even launched. AGI builds could use the slow activation time to make their own moves or dodge after predicting the trajectory, while END builds would have the time to use appropriate defensive or resistance skills. 
Because of all this, despite its power, light magic wasn’t well-suited for one-on-one battles. 
However, as the Master of Zodiac, F was an exception. 
The King of Light made up for the excessive MP usage by stocking up his stars with light ahead of time. 
The slow activation wasn’t a problem, because he made sure his stars were always ready to fire. 
And the simple trajectory didn’t matter when he could attack from every direction and make his attacks impossible to dodge. 
Even without his ultimate skill, F had already conquered every flaw inherent to light magic. 
Though he needed time to prepare, at his best, he was one of the greatest light magic casters. 
He was exceptional even among pre-Superiors... if not a match to some actual Superiors. 
And Ray, despite facing such a powerful enemy, was still persevering. 
F was well aware that Ray possessed gear that countered him, but that didn’t stop him from recognizing his abilities and deeply appreciating him as a wonderful reference for his work as an author. 
I wouldn’t have it any other way, he thought. But I doubt he’ll survive this intense barrage. 
Splendid Starsky, Zodiac was a Type Legion-Arms Embryo that absorbed light and used it to power his spells and vision skills. It not only allowed him to fire lasers — he could also use it for remote viewing and optical camouflage. 
Just now, Ray felt his side pierced by a star he hadn’t even seen. 
F achieved this by placing an optical camouflage star right next to one that fired lasers. That was also how he managed to hide the star he was using to look down on the battle. 
He used powerful abilities like summoning and giant beams while simultaneously chipping away at his enemies using little tricks like this. As someone who willingly jumped into risky situations, F was an extremely experienced fighter, and it showed. 
This is what’s happening over here... but what about over there? F was still using his left eye to watch Figaro and Hannya. 
Not much had changed — Figaro was still climbing Sandalphon to reach Hannya. However, due to the damage he’d sustained and Hannya’s resistance, he was far slower than before. 
F was also puzzled about something. 
Why does he insist on climbing in that state? Figaro had yet to attack — all he was doing was climbing up. 
What he was doing went against F’s... and Tweedle’s... expectations, and it wasn’t what he’d hoped to see. 
F thought that it might end up being necessary to help Figaro next, but he also thought that the Over Gladiator could turn things all around. 
He didn’t want to miss something like that, but Ray was still continuing his struggle. 
F was already satisfied with what he’d received from Ray and now wanted to focus on the main event. 
“You really are quite persistent,” he said. “But why not focus on those two now? To tell you the truth, I feel that the highlight of the battle may come at any moment, and it’s making me anxious. Would you like to see it with me?” 
“...” F was nothing but sincere, but Ray responded with only silence. 
It was impossible to tell if he was too focused on surviving F’s attacks or if he was already beyond the stage where he was capable of conversation. 
I suppose the battle continues, F thought. F himself hadn’t thought it was likely that Ray would agree to the offer, but in a state like this, there was probably much more material to extract from him. 
Since this isn’t enough to seal the deal, I’ll add another constellation. I just used Sagittarius, and I want to leave Pisces in case I need to escape at supersonic speeds. 
The battle here had become far too intense. Even if F defeated Ray, other Masters would come here to fight in his stead, so he wanted to keep an escape route in reserve. 
His ultimate skill, A Story Written in the Sky — Zodiac, had two limitations. 
First, it required fully charged stars, just as Ray had guessed. 
Second, the monsters he summoned returned after fulfilling the single order carved into them, and then he couldn’t summon them for a whole twenty-four hours afterwards. 
Cancer’s order was simply “protect F,” so it lasted for quite a while, but there were also those that disappeared after a single activation — such as Libra, which had been commanded to “investigate the target,” and Sagittarius, which had “sniped the target.” 
Because of this, if F wanted to intervene in Figaro and Hannya’s battle again, he would have to fire lasers from the star he was using to observe them. He hadn’t done so earlier because it would increase the chances of that star being destroyed, and that would leave him without any means of watching the battle. 
Of course, using Sagittarius had ultimately let Ray know where F was and brought about this new battle, but he was the kind of person who welcomed that. 
“A Story Written in the Sky — Gemini.” This time, he summoned a pale shape with an outline that looked much like F’s. 
This monster was Gemini, which “acted as his clone until it ran out of energy.” It had his exact stats and could even use the same spells. F himself remained under the protection of Cancer and sent Gemini to fight Ray in his stead. 
It attacked him with light magic, just as F would have. 
Charged stars, a clone, waves and waves of attacks from every direction... It was the kind of onslaught that could easily kill high-ranks and even overpower Superior Jobs. 
The reason Ray was still alive was his evasion ability, which he’d honed over his many life-or-death battles, and Monochrome cutting down most of the damage from the lasers. Without the Black Warcoat, he would’ve died dozens of times over by now. 
That was just how powerful F’s attacks were — it was an overwhelming onslaught employing his sheer volume of Resources. 
Even so, Ray was still alive. 
Hm...? F raised an eyebrow. A whole minute had passed since F had gone on the full offensive. 
Because there were more projectiles now and Monochrome couldn’t fully cover Silver, Ray had stored the Prism Steed away. He hid his weak points beneath the Black Warcoat while doing everything he could to dodge. Despite all of this, he ended up beaten and battered, and his ability to evade all these attacks slowly dwindled. 
And even so, Ray was still alive. 
That just didn’t make sense to F. 
...Why isn’t he dying? That same thought might’ve gone through the minds of many of Ray’s opponents in the past. With his abilities and stats, it just didn’t make sense for him to still be alive. 
Even so, Ray lived, unbroken and still going for his enemy’s throat. 
“Hh...!” F gasped as cold sweat went down his back. 
It was caused by panic... a fragment of fear. 
F sought out risks he couldn’t experience in reality, so real fear was actually a welcome thing. He could use this as reference... but something was off this time. 
After facing Ray alone and seeing how he was for himself, F began wanting to run away. 
Suddenly, Ray looked up to where F was hiding his observation star. 
Thus, his right eye met Ray’s... Though, “met” might’ve been the wrong word for it. 
For all F knew, Ray might’ve not realized the star was even there. 
However, that gave F a glimpse. 
Like those who gazed at the abyss found it gazing back, F saw what lived in Ray’s eyes. 
It was pure rage, directed solely at F. 
He’d first caused the conflict between Figaro and Hannya, then asked Ray to watch it with him, increasing his anger beyond all reasonable limits. 
It was something many of his enemies had seen, and F now joined their ranks. 
To F, fear felt while gathering material was a good thing. It was just another accomplishment, after all. He would simply analyze it, and it would become reference material for his own writing. 
But now, he’d seen the weight of the emotion in Ray’s eyes. 
He was no longer simply a source of material or a fellow player. 
Ray was a human being... who couldn’t tolerate F’s actions. 
The sheer strength of this emotion filled F with a fear that left no room for analysis... and wouldn’t let him do it even if he’d wanted to. 
“Gh...!” Gathering material was no longer an option. There was nothing for him to gain from this battle. He felt... no... was certain that if he didn’t end this as quickly as possible, something within him would be damaged beyond repair. 
F began gathering magic in his hands. looking to end this battle as quickly as possible. 
However, Ray acted first. 
“Hellish Miasma... full power!” He equipped his Storm Visage and fired Hellish Miasma from the right Gardranda, covering the area in a dark-purple fog. 
It affected Cancer, but Gemini counted as an elemental, so it remained unafflicted. F himself drank an Elixir he’d prepared. 
The real problem it caused for F was visibility. The star that had been watching the battle from above had its vision completely clouded by the poisonous gas, and Ray was keeping low, so F had now effectively lost sight of his enemy. 
“Kh...?!” The stars and Gemini fired lasers in every direction, but it wasn’t clear if any of them hit. 
The sea of miasma was like the depths of hell, leaving F completely in the dark. At any moment, that black blade could strike out from the darkness and take his life. 
His fear grew, but F also hadn’t given up on victory. 
He used the ace up his sleeve he’d been charging all this time — an attack that didn’t care where the enemy was. 
“Corona!” It was the ultimate job skill of the light magic Superior Job, King of Light. It released lasers that surpassed high-rank ults in every possible direction, drowning the battlefield in all-consuming light and leaving no room for evasion. 
Despite the devastation it caused, Cancer and Gemini were completely unharmed, while the stars actually absorbed the power. Of course, F himself was also untouched. 
Only Ray, still hiding within the miasma, would suffer its effects. 
Not yet...! F thought. He sensed that not even that was going to be enough to finish Ray off. F knew that he would assume a defensive position and shield himself using Monochrome. 
The fight was as good as over. 
With Ray fully focused on protection against the light, Cancer could attack him now. Its pure physical power would break through his defense, and the combined attacks from Gemini and the stars would wipe him out. 
Check... mate! The whiteness drowning their vision soon abated, and the miasma blinding F’s star dispersed. 
He quickly spotted a figure rolled up in Monochrome... as well as Ray, swinging his left fist straight at F. 
“HUH?!” F opened his eyes wide in shock, right before receiving a punch to the face. At the moment of impact, Gardranda opened up and doused him in Purgatorial Flames from point-blank range. 
“GHAAAAHHHHHH!” F had his pain set to on for the experience, so the feeling of his entire body burning was very real to him. 
How?! I saw his Black Warcoat! If he’s right here, then who is that?! he thought, a mere moment before the person wearing Monochrome began moving. 
Cancer was about to crush the person with its giant pincer... 
“Counter Absorption!” 
...But then she — Nemesis — blocked it with a barrier of light. 
“Wh-What...?!” F couldn’t hide his shock. The one wearing Monochrome wasn’t Ray, but Nemesis. 
Normally, only the MVPs could wear special rewards, but there was an exception — Embryos. They were an inseparable part of their Masters and could equip MVP rewards just as well as they did. 
This allowed Nemesis to wear Monochrome, while Ray had approached F without any armor at all. 
He was only wearing ordinary clothes — the defenseless casual clothing he’d changed into using Clothing Switch. Behind him lay the remains of a broken Brooch. 
He took off his armor to lower his defense and make sure he received lethal damage...?! 
With that, F fully understood what had happened. 
Ray had given his lifeline — Monochrome — over to Nemesis, then approached F through the miasma while negating the lethal damage from Corona with the Brooch. 
Monochrome then acted as bait, attracting F’s attention while Ray used the opening to punch him. 
He guessed that I was charging my ultimate job skill... and knew that it was an all-directional attack?! F’s assumption was actually wrong — Ray actually had no idea what kind of skill it was. However, he was already familiar with one caster-type Superior Job ultimate skill — Xunyu’s Zhenhuo Zhendeng: Baolongba. Based on that, Ray had gambled on the King of Light’s ult also being a high-power AoE attack... and that gamble paid off. 
“Khh...!” Still burning, F tried to recover. He moved both Cancer and Gemini, trying to target Ray with his remaining stars. 
“Miasmaflame Princess: Gardranda, 10 seconds.” 
However, Ray was faster. 
Miasmaflame Princess was a summoning skill that cost 1,000 MP for every second of the summon’s life. Not even Gouz-Maise had enough MP to make full use of it right now, but a brief summoning was still possible. 
“That’s short, but enough... for me.” Gardranda began fighting the moment she appeared. 
She took a step forward and struck F’s head with Shu’s signature roundhouse kick — the Kodachi. 
F survived thanks to the Brooch, but it shattered from the damage. 
Not wasting any time, Gardranda continued to make the best use of the ten seconds given to her. She pointed her right bracer at Cancer and the left one at Gemini. 
“Eat this... okay?” The goblin princess simultaneously unleashed the power of Hellish Miasma: Zero and Purgatorial Flames: Zero. These were skills so potent that they rendered all of the bracers’ abilities temporarily unusable. 
Cancer was a slow tank, while Gemini only had the same stats as F — a caster. They couldn’t evade, and both of the “Zero” skills landed without difficulty. The dense poison melted Cancer’s body into a bubbling mess, while Gemini evaporated in flames hotter than even its own lasers. 
“...?!” The two Zodiac monsters vanished, and though F had negated Gardranda’s kick, it had still rendered him momentarily immobile. During this moment, Nemesis returned to Ray. 
The moment their hands joined, she transformed into pinpoints of light that converged into a greatsword, while Monochrome covered Ray once again. 
F quickly had all the stars fire their lasers at Ray, but the Black Warcoat and his own body weathered the barrage as he rushed towards F again. 
The distance between them was soon covered. “Glint Pile!” The King of Light fired the high-rank ultimate job skill from both his hands... 
“Vengeance is Mine!” 
...But Ray just barely dodged them both and lunged at F. 
All the damage he’d done to Ray was returned twofold. 
There was no chance that he could survive all of that, and the King of Light vanished without a trace. 
Many things went through his head as he did, but he was in no state to analyze any of them. F only understood one thing. He had joined the ranks of those Ray had defeated once they’d roused his wrath.