By Zephyria ‘Whip?’
Leonardo carefully pulled Ero back while watching the front. He asked quietly as he hid the group’s body among the fluff reed fields.
“I thought he went up earlier?”
“I, I thought so too… It looks like he’s still acting as a gatekeeper. Brother, what should we do?”
Ero’s expression was as if the world was collapsing. Just a moment ago, he was boasting that ‘that guy’ would cry in front of Brother, but his words and actions were completely different.
The participant, who was recognized as a ‘sadist’ by Ero’s words, was wearing a black cloak and a silver mask. The long whip in his hand was dangling down from the Surgery Tower like a fishing rod. But the length was so long that even if the guy twisted his wrist a little, the recoil of the whip stirred the entire lake.
A sharp friction sound tore through the air. Every time that happened, water splashed from a large area of the lake, and screams like death throes echoed from the other side. A heavy sound of something falling into the water followed.
Ero’s complexion turned pale like a herbivore facing an unbeatable predator. Leonardo stared silently at his fearful eyes and asked.
“Are you scared?”
“He’s standing there and hitting all the guys who approach! Especially that whip, it’s so powerful that you’ll go to hell in one hit if you get hit!”
As if to support his claim, a spooky wind sound came at a good time. Leonardo, who flinched for a moment, put his palm on the back of Ero’s head and pressed down hard.
“Ugh, Brother!”
Just as Ero was about to fall over after losing his balance, the surrounding fluff was cut off all at once as if a long knife had cut through the reeds.
Leonardo, who was lying flat on the ground, stared at the surface of the reed forest that had been neatly cut above his head.
“……”
The power was so fierce that his pupils dilated in his golden eyes for a moment. If he had kept his head up, he might have been dragged away with his neck wrapped around the whip. Or maybe he would have been cut off cleanly.
“Br, Brother. Did he find us?”
Ero, who was holding his bristling hair, crouched down and asked falteringly. The fluff of the Great King Plarinus that had been cut off above the two floated for a while and then fell down 1 or 2 seconds later. Thanks to being covered by the debris, it didn’t seem like they had been discovered, but the fact that they were within his range even though the distance was considerable was quite threatening.
Instead of answering, Leonardo took his hand off the back of Ero’s head and watched the situation.
The whip continued to move in an unspecified radius, its length appearing to be at least 30 meters, if not more. Its thickness was also considerable, and the way it writhed freely made it look like a living snake.
Even when other participants popped out and drew attention, it was only for a moment. The whip swept over their heads several times, like the light of a lighthouse guarding the surroundings. It seemed to be keeping a multitude of potential threats in check, but its movements also suggested it was searching for someone. However, having come this far, they couldn’t just keep hiding.
Leonardo, rolling his eyes, grabbed Ero’s collar from behind and half-raised him, saying,
“We weren’t caught. Hey, more importantly, are you good at climbing?”
“Excuse me? Climbing…? Did I climb on you, Brother?”
“No, I mean, are you good at climbing walls or trees?”
“Ah, yes, I’m good at it! Didn’t you see me climbing that tree earlier?”
It was a fairly tall tree with considerable thickness, and there weren’t many places to grab onto. Ero had even climbed that tree trunk quite well while carrying a bag full of decisions. Of course, the target in front of them now was on a different level… Leonardo, judging that it would be okay, nodded and continued.
“I’ll explain the plan now. Don’t overthink it. Our plan is a frontal breakthrough.”
“…Excuse me?”
As soon as Ero asked back with a dumbfounded expression, Leonardo gestured with his chin towards the upper part of the Surgery.
“I’ll take you and fly up there. I’ll throw you somewhere near the top, even if it’s not all the way up, so you climb the tower and find the entrance leading to the Seed Chamber.”
“By myself? What about you, Brother?”
“Someone has to hold him back. Do you think that guy will just stand by? Do you want to fight him instead?”
Ero let out a short sigh, “Ah.” Then, he shook his head wildly as if it were absurd.
“I’ll leave it to you, Brother! Trust me with the Seed Chamber!”
“…Just in case, if you open a Portal and run away by yourself, I’ll follow you to the end and kill you.”
“Oh, Brother! I can’t open it right now anyway because of the cooldown! I can’t even pass through alone. And isn’t the benefit of going in together greater than what I’d gain by betraying you, Brother?”
Leonardo nodded once with a blank expression at the response of his temporary collaborator, who waved his hands.
‘He’s definitely got a good head on his shoulders.’
He seemed to know that a conditional statement, saying that passing through together would also benefit him, would instill more trust in him than unconditionally trustworthy words.
Leonardo placed his palm on the ground and slowly rose to his feet.
“Then get ready. I’ll jump in three seconds.”
“Uh… but are we going up already? There’s still about 20 minutes left until the cooldown ends. It’s not good to be seen by other guys so early…”
“He said that guy is strong. We have to consider the time it takes to deal with him.”
It was unclear whether the Sadist’s goal was to let only specific people pass or to eliminate a large number of people. However, what was certain was that he was a strongman who could manipulate this game at will. But the gatekeeper concept, which he volunteered for even though it wasn’t in the game rules, would be liquidated from the moment he blocked his path.
“It seems like no team has gone up yet thanks to that guy, but if the cooldown ends while we’re being held back and another guy passes through by chance, that’s a bigger problem. If I’m the only one among the remaining participants who can deal with him, wouldn’t it be better to move quickly and wait in front of the Seed Chamber? And also check the structure of where the Portal opens.”
“Ah, that’s right. Then, uh… should I get on your back now, Brother?”
“Are you crazy? Just take care of the decisions. I’m going to throw you with the bag.”
“Excuse me?”
Leonardo immediately grabbed the top of the bag that Ero was carrying in front of him with one hand. As he gave it a forceful tug, Ero’s arms instinctively clung to it.
“Here we go. One, two, three.”
“Uwaaaah!”
With Leonardo’s count, the two of them leaped into the air in the blink of an eye. Ero, who had been desperately hugging the bag while lying down, had his spine bent in the opposite direction as if he had been grabbed by the collar due to the tremendous propulsion. In that state, he was dragged along by Leonardo while dangling from the bag.
“Bro, Brother! Wait, wait a minute! My back is going to break!”
The skin of Ero’s lips fluttered due to the air resistance. Along with it, a scream that was hard to distinguish between a feigned exaggeration and a desperate plea echoed throughout the Surgery Tower area.
He was trying to win with speed, assuming they would be discovered, but if he attracted attention like this, he would be pursued before he even reached the top.
As Leonardo expected, the Sadist’s head turned in response to the voice. At the same time, the whip that had been stirring the bottom of the tower instantly soared into the sky. As a chilling sound vibrated the air nearby, Leonardo, who was ascending vertically along the Surgery Tower pillar, instantly changed direction.
Swish―
A black line was drawn in the position he had been in just a moment ago, and unknown fragments scattered in all directions from three or four protrusions on the Surgery Tower. Soon after, a tearing sound like bursting fiber tissue rang out, and the protrusions, which had been tilting unstably, snapped off like a withered tree struck by lightning. Transparent mucus dripped from the exposed cross-section.
The heavy fragments of the tower fell, creating splashing friction sounds and huge sprays of water. Leonardo, while quickly rushing towards the vicinity of his destination, inadvertently looked down at the lake where violent waves were forming.
He had thought it was unusual since it had brushed past his head earlier, but the terrain was being destroyed with just one swing of the whip. It was definitely not an opponent to be ignored.
He didn’t know about himself, but if other participants were hit by that head-on, they would suffer at least fractures or ruptured organs. He couldn’t allow his collaborator to be eliminated unconscious.
Just in time, the whip, having gained momentum from below, chased after Leonardo again. As Leonardo passed the upper 70% point of the Surgery Tower, he felt a clear sensation of something wrapping around his ankle.
There was no time to look down and check the situation. Gripping the bag and Ero’s clothes with both hands, he spun his body around to gain momentum and shouted.
“Ero, go up―!”
Ero, who had curled up into a ball, didn’t even have the mental capacity to answer. He was thrown from Leonardo’s hands into the fading sky.
“Brotheeeeer―!”
Ero, who didn’t know that the word “throw” was meant literally, desperately flailed his arms and legs before flying to the top of the tower with an echo. Subsequently, he collided strongly with the protrusions hidden beyond the clouds several times. It was fortunate that his body caught on a moderately flat and wide surface just before he lost his mind. He wouldn’t avoid bruises, but he managed to land without any major injuries.
“Haa, haa―.”
However, aside from his panting breath, his limbs trembled like aspen leaves. Ero, with his soul completely gone, moved his lower jaw while peeking his head out towards the bottom of the Surgery Tower.
It was difficult to secure visibility because the sun was setting and clouds were hanging around. So, in addition to the dizzying height, the unusually cold temperature and strong winds of the highlands made his spine tingle.
Ero swallowed hard, gripped the outer wall of the tower, and barely stood up. When he raised his head, the blunt tip of the Surgery was right in front of him, as if the end was near. As soon as he gauged his position, he put his hands and feet into the uneven grooves and hurriedly began to climb the pillar. Doing his best in the assigned mission was the pride and destiny of a errand boy.
At the same time, Leonardo, who had been staring in the direction Ero had flown, loosened his lips into a smile after confirming that there was no figure falling below.
‘He went up properly.’
Then, he lifted his leg as if kicking the air with his leg entangled in the whip. The black whip was pulled taut, tightening around his ankle as if to crush it, but he didn’t care.
He immediately wrapped the end of the whip around his hand, used the strength of his arms and legs to pull the connected line towards him with all his might. Then, as if the positions of the fisherman had been reversed, the Sadist, who had been wielding the whip, began to be pulled into the air like a freshly caught big fish.
Leonardo, not missing the opportunity, stepped on the Surgery Tower and used the momentum to close the distance with him. The strange thing was that he didn’t seem to have any intention of avoiding it. On the contrary, he firmly grabbed the whip and charged in a straight line.
The two strongest players in the F Group test match met in the sky, centering on the Surgery Tower. Leonardo stretched out his arm as if to tear off the opponent’s silver mask. Flames fluttering from his fingertips and a chilling voice rippled around him.
“It’s been boring, but you just happened to be in the right place.”
Just in time, an announcement came from the Amplification Magic Circle spread in the sky.
<4 hours have passed since the start of the match, 2 hours left until the end. The total number of passers so far is 22.>