Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 86
86. Mari-nee and….. Cries
As I stepped into the door, just as Mephistopheles had said, there was nothing but an empty space spreading out.
“It was said that adventurers would follow us…”
With caution, as we proceeded further into the space, doors identical to the one we had opened began to appear one after another, and adventurers emerged from within.
Initially, they looked around to assess the situation, but as soon as they spotted us, they started running towards us.
Despite hastily commanding Kuuga to run, our pursuers continued to increase.
It was infuriating that things were going according to the script, but we were inevitably forced to perform the <Dance of Death>.
“Kuuga, right!”
“Gaoo!”
In response to my command, Kuuga tilted his body to the right, narrowly dodging the incoming magic.
There was no time to think about what kind of magic it was.
Countless spells were being hurled at us, along with a barrage of arrows, and…
“Watch out!”
“Ugh!”
As we struggled to evade long-range attacks, adventurers cunningly engaged us in close combat.
Using “String Manipulation,” I weaved layers of “Magic Silver Threads” into an impromptu shield to block their attacks.
“Don’t forget about us!”
As I defended from one side, another adventurer swung his sword from the opposite direction.
“Nyaa!”
I couldn’t completely dodge the attack on my own, but Nero intervened by approaching and unleashing a lightning strike to repel them.
Still, there were some we couldn’t handle, and he engaged them bare-handed.
Such battles had been going on for over thirty minutes while Kuuga kept running.
We were fighting well… but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that.
Our opponents were over a hundred adventurers, all presumably stronger than me.
And yet, they were being held back… or rather, they were being allowed to.
Amidst the tension, I glanced briefly at Mephistopheles, whose eyes behind the mask seemed to narrow with amusement.
He’s really good at getting under people’s skin.
We were currently trapped within a circle formed by the adventurers, with no way out but to keep running.
Once we stopped moving, we’d become easy targets for long-range attacks.
It was frustrating to be manipulated like this, as if we were dancing according to someone else’s script…
“As expected of the heroes, Lady Maria. You manage to handle such a significant difference in strength very well.”
Easy for you to say, considering you’re adjusting things so we can just barely hold on.
The reason why such a large number of them weren’t attacking all at once…
It must be because Mephistopheles was controlling the adventurers with some kind of manipulation.
The adventurers whose emotions couldn’t be seen were particularly noticeable; they only moved when Mephistopheles commanded.
On the other hand, those who seemed uncontrolled persistently attacked us.
Their emotions were clearly visible.
But those emotions were probably what could be called pleasure.
In that moment, I understood.
What they were.
“PK…”
People in Mebius who enjoy killing.
Do they want to defeat me, who became the top in the event, to become famous?
I don’t want to know what that entails.
But then, what about the other adventurers?
As if he had read my mind, Mephistopheles began to reveal his intentions.
“If we were to consider Lady Maria as the protagonist of this performance, then those who are currently performing so vividly would be the supporting roles,” he said.
“We’re the supporting roles? What a cruel way to put it,” someone retorted.
“Rather, we’re the main characters. We’re the ones who are not just running away, we’re the ones who are sparing her from death and making it more exciting,” another added.
They’re quite vocal about their own perspectives.
Sparing from death, huh?
It’s both a blessing and a curse.
“And those surrounding us are the extras. They elevated Lady Maria, the lead, and they had quite extraordinary emotions towards her. Their emotions were truly enjoyable to watch. Abandoning their country, abandoning their reason, and surrendering themselves to negative emotions… it was truly exhilarating,” Mephistopheles continued.
“What a bad taste…” I couldn’t help but mutter, and Mephistopheles clapped his hands with amusement.
“Such high praise, Lady Maria… However, it’s about time we reached the climax of our performance. Let’s have our supporting roles join in the act as well.”
As Mephistopheles snapped his fingers, the faces of the adventurers, who had previously shown no emotion, contorted one by one.
Their faces displayed anger, hatred, resentment…
How could he darken their emotions to such an extent? I couldn’t fathom it.
One thing was clear: the situation had become even more hopeless.
The relentless rain of magic intensified, pouring down on our escape route. I managed to deploy Wind Roar with Kuuga to minimize the damage.
However, this caused us to come to a complete stop, and our opponents wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Aargh!”
A burly warrior-type adventurer charging towards us swung his greatsword, but just before it could connect, it clashed with the dissipating Wind Roar, sending us flying out of the circle.
“Ouch… Are you okay, Kuuga?”
Thanks to Kuuga holding me, the damage from hitting the floor was minimal.
But Kuuga, who stood up slowly, was leaning unnaturally.
He must have taken more damage because he shielded me from the impact.
Is this the end?
As I tried to help Kuuga up, at that moment…
Arrows were fired at a speed incomparable to before.
Before I realized it, they were closing in on us, probably aimed at my head.
In the instant before I could close my eyes, Nero, who had positioned himself just ahead of me, took the hit.
Immediately after, Nero’s body was torn apart, and one of the magic stones that had adorned his eye rolled to my feet…
“Aah-, nooo! Nero- Nerooooo!!”
I cried as I tried to gather Nero’s body, but the damage was too severe, and even finding a trace of him was difficult.
Meanwhile, more magic and arrows kept coming.
But this time, it was Kuuga who began to intercept them, spreading his arms in front of me.
“No, Kuuga! Please, please come back!!”
No matter how many times I tried to manipulate Kuuga to return, he stubbornly refused.
“Why…?”
It’s strange. Why won’t you listen to me!?
I don’t want to lose any more family!!
No matter how many times I tried to bring him back, Kuuga never moved from his spot, standing in front of me against the attacks, against the malice.
“…Ga-o…”
Eventually, Kuuga let out a final growl, and his large body collapsed as if crumbling.
As he fell, I caught a glimpse of the front of Kuga’s body, but that fluffy fur was torn to shreds, burned, and broken bones protruded from within.
One of Kuga’s green eyes rolled away, further indicating his demise.
“Why… how could this… happen…”
Sadness, anguish, and anger swirled within me, causing an unbearable pain as if my head were splitting open.
The reality before me was too cruel, too painful, and my heart felt like it was tearing apart.
“Uuuugh, noooooooooo!!”
I wailed, overwhelmed by overflowing emotions.
With Nero and Kuuga both lost to me, I could do nothing but watch as the attacks continued to rain down.
‘At least together… ‘That’s what I thought as I closed my eyes, but another family member wouldn’t allow it.
Enduring attacks that even Kuuga couldn’t withstand, he began to speak in a strained voice.
“I wanted this. To unleash the power within me. But at the same time, I didn’t want it. Because it meant you would get hurt.”
“You…”
“Your kindness runs deep. But that alone will never be accepted by what resides within me. To be accepted, a cry of anguish strong enough to tear the soul apart was necessary. And now, your anguish has reached it, and what resides within me has acknowledged you and entrusted everything to me.”
As he paused between words, he turned towards me.
Though his eyes were supposed to be black and devoid of emotion, I felt like I could see his emotions now.
His feelings.
“Call my name, Maria.”
His wish.
So, I…
“…Help us… Gils!”
In an instant, something akin to a black aura emanated from his entire body.
“Leave it to me.”
With these brief words, Gils picked up the magic stones of Nero and Kuga that lay at my feet and bravely faced the adventurers.