Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 160
160. Mari-Nee and the Battle Under the Moon (Part 1)
The number of fireballs floating around Roulette-san was nine.
The blue flames flickering in the darkness felt eerie rather than enchanting.
Sensing something unusual, I called out to Roulette-san, and her previously downturned face snapped up.
The movement was like something out of a horror movie, making the situation even more terrifying.
As I suppressed a scream, Roulette-san’s mouth opened, speaking haltingly.
<<You… who… accompany… this girl…>>
The voice that emerged was a low, male voice.
“Who are you?”
Switching to skills for Gils and Vel, I questioned.
I equipped myself with [Magic Silver Thread], staying vigilant.
<<Eventually… someone who accepts this eye… will appear. I foresaw that… but to meet someone so extraordinary…>>
He didn’t answer my question directly, but I wondered if “extraordinary” was a compliment.
And what exactly is so extraordinary?
Ah, it must be karma.
It couldn’t be anything else considering the numerical values.
I secretly worried if he meant my personality, but thankfully he didn’t elaborate.
Good… though it might be too early to feel relieved as he hadn’t stated it outright.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, the situation progressed without waiting for me.
<<That’s why… you managed to suppress it… always taking such risks.>>
Despite the exasperation, his tone was somehow gentle.
But in the next moment, the atmosphere changed completely.
Roulette-san’s glasses were removed, and her crimson eyes turned the same blue as the surrounding fireballs.
The fireballs spread out like a mandala around Roulette-san.
<<The one chosen by this girl… let me see where this ends.>>
Immediately, all the fireballs flared up and then transformed into nine Roulette-sans.
Hostility was directed at me all at once.
“Wait, no questions asked?!”
“Gils!”
“Leave it to me!”
While I hastily readied my [Magic Silver Thread], Gils immediately stepped forward. I tried to continue speaking to his back but fell silent. Saying anything would just burden Gils. If I were the one at the forefront, it would be different, but it wasn’t something I should force on Gils… but…
“I’ll focus on defense. Hurting Roulette would make Maria sad.”
“Gils… thank you.”
Gils’ back looked bigger than before. As I savored how quickly he’d grown, I steeled myself and focused on the front.
One of the Roulette-sans wavered slightly, and then…
“Ah!”
“Gils!?”
Suddenly, there was a heavy impact sound near Gils’ side. I realized he had been attacked but didn’t understand much beyond that. While I was still bewildered, the attacks continued, overwhelming Gils who couldn’t even defend himself.
Trying to fend off the oncoming attacks from all directions, I used [Magic Silver Thread] to create a barrier around Gils, but the blows were too powerful and rendered it ineffective.
Gils endured the onslaught desperately. As I was on the verge of tears from my helplessness, Vel raised his wings straight up and let out a cry.
“Pweeeep!”
Ignoring my surprise at this unexpected action, Gils blocked an attack from above.
“Pweep!!”
Vel cried out again, spreading his right wing horizontally. Then an attack came at Gils’ right side.
Could it be…?
“Vel, can you tell where the attacks are coming from?”
Puffing out his little chest, Vel nodded vigorously.
I had no idea how he was able to read the attacks, but that could wait.
“Gils!”
“I got it! I’m counting on you, Vel!”
“Pweep!!!”
The moment Vel gave his brave cry, Gils raised his left arm to protect his head and successfully blocked the attack for the first time. And not just once, but continuously.
“You’re amazing, Vel!”
As I shouted excitedly, I started to understand the mechanism by following Vel’s movements and line of sight.
The nine newly appeared Roulette-sans, their subtle movements were linked to the direction of the attacks.
For instance, if the Roulette-san at the bottom right moved, an attack would come at the left side.
If the one above moved, an attack would come from below.
The tricky part was that the movement of Roulette-san didn’t always match the attack direction.
Even so, knowing there was a pattern, we could predict the attacks.
Just as I started to feel relieved, thinking we finally had a way to deal with it…
<<Not bad… but how about this?>>
The male voice echoed again. Before I could ponder the meaning of his words, a change occurred.
The attacks, which we had been able to predict based on the Roulette-sans’ positions, suddenly became unpredictable.