Chapter 1229 - A Recreation Trip in an Instant
Time shifted from March 31st, welcoming April 1st on that day.
For Sora and me, coming at the very beginning of the event that held the greatest matters of each other's birthday and, once again, the day we made our vow... well, it goes without saying.
It goes without saying, but that is that.
Leaving us aside as we savored our happiness, the fact that a great shockwave was running through the world, regardless of reality or virtuality, does not fade—it is the news of the Four Pillar War Ver2.0 update.
This and that were written in a long, tedious bullet-point format, but... to summarize, the actual information revealed could not be called plenty or sufficient.
However, even so, it was information (thing) big enough to cause a stir in the world without exaggeration.
Simply put, a hint of PvE following the abolition of the conventional PvP. Well, rather than a hint, it is almost certain.
The various factions that had competed against each other twelve times until now would this time join hands... this, too, is almost certainly, probably. They would be made to fight some kind of defense battle over a long period of twenty-four hours in the virtual world.
Whether it is the fact that the locations of all the Goddess's Blessings, which had been treated as "prizes" until now, would be reset to their initial state, or that the settings for participating personnel are also being adjusted, there is no end to the parts that should be looked at everywhere, and there is no doubt that every single one of them is an important item that deserves special mention.
—But, to be blunt, for us players... or rather, for those participating in this new Four Pillar, the reality is that it is not that big of a change.
It is nothing special; when it comes to the Four Pillar, it being tough has been the same up until now. Whether the specifications change or the format changes, for the side that directly enjoys it, they can take it with a mindset of "Yay, I don't know what it is, but the attraction's flavor has changed!"
No, seriously.
Precisely because it is me, who has run through a year more turbulent and explosive than anyone else, I will take the representative face, puff out my chest, and declare it. If you are running at the top of the virtual world (this world), this level of thing is a daily occurrence.
So...—well, although I myself haven't completely decided on my participation being confirmed for now, at the very least, as someone who probably has a semi-confirmed participation slot since I have absolute value just as a piece to make the full power [Sword Queen (Ashe)] with group battle work,
I can say it.
That, personally, I am not in a mindset to make such a big fuss at the moment.
On top of that, I understand the direction in which I should clearly and inevitably direct eyes of sympathy. Where is that? It goes without saying, it is the spectating side (gallery).
Namely, all of humanity other than the 1,010 people participating in the new Four Pillar, regardless of reality or virtuality.
All of humanity might be an exaggeration, but well, at least everyone who turns their attention to the virtual world Arcadia and the festival of dreams, the Four Pillar War, is a victim of this update.
First, those who have received damage and are currently raging in real-time, the various media and information outlets on the reality side, widely and in great numbers—it is only natural.
To put it simply, it is like the Olympics suddenly going crazy one month before the event and saying, "We are completely flipping everything from top to bottom, including the format!!!!!"
All the plans scheduled to coincide with the grand festival a month later went up in smoke in an instant.
Just thinking about where, how much, what, and what kind of breakdown occurred is terrifying. The world is basically not built to withstand sudden changes in direction.
Even so, humans are resilient creatures. By having a massive number of people work hard, they will probably be able to regain their form in the end... but again, since I am somewhat of an involved party, it makes me shiver.
And regarding that, I can only offer my prayers as a scream of despair born of despair, but other than that. From the general public who simply wish to watch the Four Pillar, there is also a large amount of—despair.
A hellish scene where voices of despair, having exceeded joy and flipped inside out, are overflowing.
Because, look. It is impossible.
No matter how desperately they try, it is physically impossible.
—Because spectating (following) the perspectives of 1010 x 24h is impossible.
Well, in reality, it is not as if every participant's perspective will be streamed constantly, nor will every participant upload their archived videos at a later date. It is not as if 24,240 hours of footage, equal to 24h x 1010, will actually bomb the world, but still, like...
The impact of the massive amount of time that will assault them is immense.
Therefore, not only the busy professionals but also the general public are in utter chaos. On the internet, tweets like I'm quitting my job, I'm going to die, and I've written my will, which I can only hope are jokes, are overflowing day and night. Seriously, the world is in danger.
No joke, seriously.
Everyone should probably calm down a bit, are they okay...? To the point that even I would think so.
And yet, since even I think so, those who are far more thoughtful than me, and hold far more responsibility...—no, those who calmly hold 'awareness' to be so.
There is no way they wouldn't think so, that they must do what must be done.
...In short, from the beginning of April until this very moment.
Until this event, or rather, the 'temporary vacation (vacation) within a condensed time' began, there were those who spent their minds on schemes beyond my understanding in order to alleviate the world's confusion even a little.
What am I talking about? Everything up to this point has been about that.
There is a reason why me and Nia slipped out of the banquet and left the circle of our beloved Zoodiac group. It is not like we were trying to enjoy a night date just the two of us or anything.
The reason we... or rather, mainly I, slipped out is only one.
Namely—
"—Oh! You've come, kid!"
"So slooow!!! The first day's barbecue is already over!!!!!"
The destination we rushed to at hypersonic speed, tearing through the darkness of the night. What was waiting for us were energetic welcoming voices.
The location was several hundred kilometers north of the Zoodiac base. A colossal monolith of tremendous size sitting on the earth, bearing a huge 'lake' surrounded by modest natural greenery.
The shore of the provisionally and simply named [Jewel Lake], a spot discovered during an event a few times ago.
Looking down from the back of Sapphire, who had deactivated the special skill Lightspeed, the shadows that caught my eye... were a total of seven, including our [Grand Commander (Goldow)] and the red one (Mi-na), who looked up at us and shouted welcomes and complaints. Including me and Nia, who joined late, a total of nine people, the gathering is complete without anyone missing.
Irori, who was included in the headcount without a choice as Mi-na's companion, and Sora-san, whom I included without a choice, saying, 'If it's going to be that kind of gathering, there's no way anyone is being left out.' And then, excluding me and Nia, the remaining five—
In other words... starting with Helena-san, also known as the [Lady-in-Waiting]-sama, who is gently smiling and waving her hand next to Gossan, who is innocently waving his thick arm back and forth,
once again, our commander Goldow.
And, standing next to Helena-san, who is next to him, my—or rather, our Princess (Ashe).
And then, the noisy Mi-na, and Ri-na, who is standing quietly beside her, staring at me as if to say, "Hurry up and get down, hurry, hurry, hurry."
The five representatives who, with their respective positions or immense popularity, had strived to help voluntarily settle the confusion. To assist, or rather, entertain them for their recreation is—
"Now then... hey Nia, we've arrived. Are you okay? We're getting down."
"................Was there... a need... to go... at full speed..."
How did each of them manage to come without causing a fuss, you ask?
The protagonist (this guy) probably did some kind of magic trick anyway, just like in the previous chapter.