Retribution for Injustice
♯
[SFIA Sphere] Final Battle [Tower of Legends], late on the second day—
.
Having welcomed Kirigaya into our faction, we immediately held a strategy meeting in a room on the eighth floor.
The topic, of course, was “how to defeat Saeki Kaoru.” The Angel faction would activate their shortcut tomorrow and reach the top floor. To stop their victory, we needed to act now.
Participating in the discussion were me, Mizukami, Minami, and Kirigaya—namely, the official members of the Revolution faction, plus Himeji, my avatar, making five. Additionally, continuing from earlier, Fuwa and Kugasaki from the Demon faction joined via terminal communication.
And, as I’d told Fuwa earlier, our allies weren’t limited to just them.
[‘—Hello? This is Sarasa Saionji from the Kingdom faction. Over there… oh, you sound a bit out of breath. Could it be you’re nervous because my voice is just too cute?’]
“No way, Saionji. If my breathing sounds off, it’s not nerves—it’s a sigh. I was hoping to chat with the hot new dark horse instead.”
[‘Hmph… no way, absolutely not. Even if we’re from different school districts, I can’t let a promising first-year fall into Shinohara’s clutches. You’d better be content just hearing my voice!’]
Snorting and throwing out that retort is none other than Sarasa Saionji. Yes—she and I had been secretly working together from the start. Since the [Tower of Legends] only allows up to four winners, a loss in the [Duel Game] would mean ruin for either me or Saionji, making this a tough conditional battle. That’s why I pushed forward with straightforward conquest, while Saionji took on the role of “puzzle-solver,” searching for the conditions to break through the top floor.
To her, I briefly explain the situation.
“—That’s the deal. So, unless we act now, the [Tower of Legends] will be over soon.”
[‘Hmm… I see. It’s mainly for stalling, but by sacrificing allies, it can also meet the conditions for activating the shortcut. Honestly, it’s so despicable I’m at a loss for words.’]
Saionji mutters in a voice that makes it easy to imagine her tossing her lavish red hair. …Indeed, Saeki’s methods are morally questionable, to say the least. But they don’t violate the rules of the [Tower of Legends]. As long as there’s no infraction, any act can be justified under the banner of “justice.”
“By the way… Saionji, how’s your progress? The great ‘Empress’ herself wouldn’t come crying with something like ‘I haven’t found anything yet,’ would she?”
[‘Oh, don’t underestimate me. Unlike you, who just got lucky with a 7-star, I’m not some one-hit wonder. I’ve got plenty of info gathered. You should be the one crying with gratitude!’]
“…”
I deliberately provoke her to play up the rivalry between a 7-star and a former 7-star, and Saionji fires back with a gleeful tone that doesn’t sound improvised at all. Continuing her role as a genius heiress must be wearing her out a bit.
“…So? What’s this info you’ve got?”
[‘In a word, it’s about the escape conditions for the [Tower of Legends]. From the fragments scattered throughout the tower, I’ve deduced there’s an elevator on the top floor. Activating it allows players to exit the tower… in other words, clear this [Duel Game].’]
“Huh… I see. So just reaching the top floor isn’t enough.”
[‘Exactly. And since it’s within the tower, that elevator has “activation conditions” too. There are three in total. The first is an item, and there’s a quest on the first floor to obtain it. The second condition is also an item, but it seems the Angel faction already has it. We’ll have to take it through battle.’]
“One’s from a quest on the first floor, and another’s in the Angel faction’s possession. …And Saionji, the third? You’re framing it like it’s not just another item.”
[‘Right. Of the three conditions, the last one might be the biggest hurdle. Honestly, it’s why I’ve been continuing my search.’]
Saionji pauses for a moment, then lowers her voice slightly and continues.
[‘[“The Sword of the Holy War” and “The Talisman of Exorcism”—when the “captive maiden” bearing these steps into the tower’s innermost sanctum, the tower will honor her valor and break its thousand-year seal.”] …I understand the sword and talisman are items needed to activate the elevator, but the last part is vague. The captive maiden… what does that refer to?’]
“The captive maiden, huh…”
While listening to Saionji’s whispered musings, I start racking my brain as well. Beside us, Mizukami lifts her head, her sleek black hair swaying.
“Speaking of the captive maiden, isn’t that from the [Duel Game]’s flavor text…?”
[‘Yes. The girl all factions—Angels, Demons, Kingdom, and Revolution—are after. Imprisoned in the tower by the Reaper, whoever rescues her will become the ruler of this world—that’s the gist.’]
“That’s it, Shirayuki-senpai! If that’s the case, it doesn’t make sense to escape without bringing her to the top floor. Though we don’t even know what she looks like…”
Saying that, Mizukami tilts her head slightly.
“But then, how does Kaoru-san plan to escape the tower?”
“Hm… that’s simple. With EXP, brute-forcing it…”
[‘Indeed. The rule of the [Tower of Legends] is that all doors can be forcibly opened with EXP. However, according to STOC’s estimates, it’d take nearly 200,000 EXP.’]
“I-I see… It feels like a waste for a [Duel Game], but that makes sense.”
Mizukami lets out that comment in response to Minami and Himeji’s explanation.
As for me, I continue mulling things over silently. …The captive maiden. So far, there’s been no word of anyone encountering such a person. It’s possible we just haven’t explored enough, but another theory is forming in my mind.
“Hey, Mizukami—do you remember that fragment we got a while back? The one about the maiden and the Reaper?”
“Huh? …Oh, yes, I remember! [Fragment 14—The captive maiden is, in essence, the same kind of existence as the Reaper]!”
To my question, Mizukami recites it fluently without even opening her terminal screen. Back then, it made no sense, but now I can parse it a bit better.
“This is basically a hint for finding the captive maiden, right? It’s not enough to pinpoint anything on its own, but fragments are supposed to be ‘pieces of information’ after all.”
“I-I see…! So, if we combine everyone’s fragments!”
Saying that, Mizukami spins around, her black hair flaring, toward Kirigaya nearby. Kirigaya looks annoyed, as if to say “What?”, but seeing Mizukami’s sparkling determination, he shrugs slightly.
“Sorry, don’t remember any. I’m part of the Revolution faction now; I can’t access the Demon faction’s info. Besides, why ask me when there’s someone better suited right there?”
“Y-Yes! Then, Fuwa-senpai, um—”
[‘It’s okay, I can hear you. The Demon faction has two fragments related to the “captive maiden.” [Fragment 2—The captive maiden cannot be defeated by the Reaper’s power] and [Fragment 9—The captive maiden may exist anywhere within the tower].’]
“Anywhere within the tower…? Mmm, that’s a tough one…”
Mizukami groans with a troubled expression. Indeed, Fuwa’s info makes it hard to pin down the “captive maiden.” The bit about not being defeated by the Reaper’s power sounds like mere flavor text, and the idea that she could be anywhere in the tower only makes searching harder.
(But… maybe that’s not the point. If she can exist anywhere, it means there’s no fixed location—like she’s moving. And if she’s “essentially the same as the Reaper”… wait, that’s it.)
At that point in my thoughts, I widen my eyes slightly. …Yes, it makes sense if you think of it that way. The “captive maiden” in the [Tower of Legends] is, in essence—
“‘—A player.’”
In that instant, Saionji’s voice from the terminal and my own murmur nearly sync up. Barely suppressing a grin at the coincidence, I continue calmly.
“It’s annoying to agree with Saionji, but… yeah, that’s probably it. In this [Duel Game], the Reaper is a special role given to a player. If the captive maiden is ‘essentially the same kind of existence,’ she has to be a player, or it’d be contradictory.”
[‘Right. Including the part about hating to agree with Shinohara, I’m with you. The captive maiden is one of the players… and actually, we’ve got a fragment that helps identify her.’]
“W-Wow…! What kind of information is that!?”
[‘Hehe, no need to rush, I’ll tell you. [Fragment 20—The captive maiden is the purest existence.] …Building on our earlier talk, this can be read the same way as [The Reaper is the player with the highest chaos value]. The captive maiden is the purest existence… meaning, the player with the lowest chaos value.’]
“…Got it. Mizukami.”
“Huh? …M-Me!?!?”
Mizukami, leaning forward eagerly, lets out a startled yelp at my and Saionji’s words—but there’s no need to wait for the rankings at the end of day two. It’s a done deal. Thanks to her steadfast refusal to sabotage others, her chaos value remains at 0.
Yes—that means Mari Mizukami is the “captive maiden.”
An indispensable existence for conquering the top floor of the [Tower of Legends].
“That means we’ve got two things to do. First, secure the item on the first floor. Second, catch up to Saeki and the others before they activate the top floor’s elevator and challenge the Angel faction to a battle. If we win, we can steal their EXP, stopping them from operating the elevator. Plus, with their defeat penalty, we can snag the sword or talisman, letting us meet the escape conditions first.”
[‘Yes, that’s how it works. …But how exactly are you going to do it? Even if the path is clear, the second day of the [Tower of Legends] is almost over. If the Angel faction reaches the top floor first thing tomorrow morning, no matter how fast you move, you won’t make it in time.’]
“Normally, yeah. But—Saionji, you sound awfully relaxed for saying that.”
[‘Hehe, well, sure. Because stopping Saeki Kaoru is your job, not mine. A 7-star who beat me should be capable of at least that much, right?’]
Her playful chuckle and sigh tickle my ear. …It seems she genuinely trusts me. Just as I had near-unconditional faith that “Saionji would pull through,” she’s relying on me. Betting on me.
In that case—I can’t let her down.
“To win, we need to catch up to Saeki. But like you said, Saionji, there’s only a few minutes left in the second day of the [Tower of Legends]. Normally, it’d be impossible… but.”
[‘…But?’]
“Answer me honestly, Fuwa. You—no, you and Sumire—brought a special ability into this [Duel], didn’t you? One that, if used right, could turn this situation around.”
[‘!? H-How does Shinohara-kun know that…!?’]
“It’s not me, exactly. …Mizukami told me.”
I glance at Mizukami as I say it. Hesitantly, she brings her mouth closer to the mic.
“Y-Yes. Actually… while Shinohara-senpai and Kirigaya-senpai were battling, I got a message from Sumire-senpai. It was through the backer-exclusive skill [Will]—a skill that automatically sends a designated message when you drop out of the [Duel Game].”
[‘…And it mentioned our ability?’]
“Yes. It said, ‘I’ll tell you about our trump card.’ And, ‘I trust Mari won’t misuse it,’ and ‘Please, save Mitsuru!’ …”
At Mizukami’s words, Fuwa falls silent on the other end, letting out a choked ‘…!’ Yes—while I was fighting Kirigaya and Akutsu, Sumire, eliminated by Saeki, sent Mizukami a message via the [Will] skill. It contained a straightforward SOS and info about their trump card. The message was fragmented, likely prepared in secret from Fuwa, but that doesn’t diminish her feelings one bit.
“I had Himeji check, but there’s no record of you guys using it. You were probably… hiding it, or rather, saving it, right? For a critical moment.”
[‘…Yeah, that’s right. Exactly.’]
“Then now’s that ‘critical moment.’ The final phase of the final battle. No holding back at this point—don’t worry, Fuwa. I won’t let you and Sumire’s ‘trump card’ go to waste.”
My request for cooperation thrown over the terminal.
In response, Fuwa stays silent for a while, as if wrestling with something—
[‘…Alright. If Sumire trusts you, I’ll trust you too.’]
Eventually, he must’ve resolved to fight back. With a small sigh, he begins revealing their secret.
[‘The thing is, I—or rather, we—are Single Color star holders. We have a peach-colored star.’]
“Peach? That’s new… never heard of it.”
[‘I figured. Like Shinohara-kun said, it’s a bit “special” star—shared between two, you could say? The peach star belongs to both me and Sumire.’]
Fuwa gives a wry chuckle, saying it’s vague. …I see, that’s an unusual situation.
[‘And… maybe because it’s shared, the star only becomes usable as an ability when just one of us remains in the [Duel]. Its effect is out-of-hours action—[Extra Turn]. It lets you continue playing as if the [Duel Game] is still ongoing outside its designated hours. It’s powerful, but there’s a cost. The time you spend in [Extra Turn] cuts into the next day’s [Duel Game] time. So, if we use an hour for out-of-hours action now, tomorrow we can only participate until 4 PM instead of 5 PM. The remaining hour leaves us defenseless.’]
[‘…What the heck. That’s an insanely powerful ability.’]
[‘Yeah. But I’m always too scared to use it. There’s a restriction that you can’t interfere with other players during [Extra Turn], so I can’t push it to the point of securing a win. The thought of getting reversed later terrifies me…’]
Fuwa says with a hint of self-deprecation.
I get where he’s coming from, of course—but in this situation, there’s no reason to hesitate. Reverse or not, if we don’t act now, Saeki’s victory will end the [Duel Game]. The risk of using “out-of-hours action” is well worth it.
“Considering the cost, we can probably move for about four hours in [Extra Turn]… any more would affect tomorrow’s [Duel Game]. In that case, I’d like to split into two groups: one for the first floor and one for the eighth floor and above. Fuwa, how many people can [Extra Turn] cover?”
[‘Four. I have to be included, though.’]
“Four… Then rushing the top floor with everyone might be tricky.”
“Nah, not really. There’s a backer-exclusive skill called [Door Open]. It keeps a door you’ve passed through open until the next player uses it—lets us carve a path. The two handling the upper floors can explore the eighth and ninth while using [Door Open], and the one handling the lower floors can race from the eighth to the first, using [Door Open] along the way… If we set it up, by tomorrow morning, there’ll be a clear path from the first floor to the top.”
“Whoa…! That’s amazing, Shinohara-senpai!!”
Mizukami’s eyes sparkle with excitement at my words.
On the other end, Saionji agrees plainly with a [‘…Right.’]
[‘I’m mostly on board with your plan. By that logic, anyone can handle the upper floors… but since Fuwa-kun is required, can we leave it to Shinra’s two?’]
“Tch, treating me like an errand boy takes some guts… but fine. I don’t mind. Can’t think of anyone better suited for high-floor conquest anyway.”
[‘I’m in too. I’m still on the fifth floor, but I’ll join up with Toya-san as soon as I can.’]
Kirigaya and Fuwa both affirm Saionji’s suggestion. That settles the team for the eighth floor and beyond, but Saionji cuts in with a troubled tone.
[‘The issue is the lower floors. I forgot to mention earlier, but the first-floor quest has a role restriction. Only a pair of a Summoner and a Backer can challenge it… meaning, while I, a Summoner, am fine, Misaki, an Explorer, has no right to try.’]
“Oh, so that’s why you put it off. Then it comes down to a Backer—either me or Kugasaki—having to descend to the first floor. But the [Tower of Legends]’s elevators only move upward… Saionji, how’d you get down?”
[‘Thanks to Misaki. She adopted the [Descent] ability, which lets her activate elevators downward. Because of that, only Kingdom faction members can move downward in this tower.’]
“…Got it.”
I nod at Saionji’s explanation. I understand the logic, but—
(If Yumeno’s there… or rather, if I could join the Kingdom faction, I could use [Descent]. But the [Faction Transfer] command requires at least one member of that faction to be in the same room. The Kingdom faction members are Saionji, Yumeno, Ishizaki, and Yuikawa—four in total. Since the other two have dropped out, only the two on the first floor remain… meaning, in the current situation, transferring to the Kingdom faction—)
There’s no way to do it… So, what, it’s impossible? This strategy, from the very start,
was doomed to fail…
That’s what I thought—in that instant.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt a strange sound hit my eardrums, and I instinctively lifted my head.
It was the low hum of the elevator’s motor, accompanied by a faint vibration. But the movement restriction penalty imposed on Akutsu Miyabi hasn’t been lifted yet.
There shouldn’t be any players coming up from the seventh floor at this timing.
None should exist, at least.
And so, holding my breath for a dozen seconds or so… the elevator arrived,
carrying an unexpected person.
“Phew… Man, that was one scary floor. To think I’d get such heartless verbal abuse just for passing by… If it wasn’t me, I might’ve been on the verge of tears.”
“…You…”
“And—hey, you guys are from the revolutionary faction, right? Meeting like this must be some kind of fate, so how about I join your group? Or rather, please, I beg you, let me join!”
District Fifteen.
Yuikawa Kanade, third-year at Ibara Academy.
Yes, it was him who came up from the seventh floor. The refreshing, handsome guy who was scouted by Hexagram midway through the fourth-stage semifinals and acted as Saeki’s pawn in The Tower of Lore.
He was also supposed to be one of the “sacrifices” eliminated in the recent Countdown.
“…How the hell are you still alive?”
“How, you say? How rude. Just in case something like this happened, I equipped the One-Time Revival ability. Heh,
you didn’t think this ace would go down that easily, did you?”
“Huh… Gotta say, you’re one tough bastard.”
I said, half exasperated, half impressed.
No—more importantly, that doesn’t matter right now. There’s something far more critical.
“Hey, Yuikawa. This is a super important question, but… which faction are you with?”
“Me? I’m with the proud Kingdom faction, of course… Why?”
“—…That’s perfect.”
In that moment, all the pieces came together.
And so, we held a bare-bones strategy meeting right then and there.
As Fuwami used her ability, the second day of The Tower of Lore reached its scheduled end.
♯
SFIA Sphere Final Battle, The Tower of Lore—Second Day, Extra Turn.
Thanks to Fuwa Mitsuru’s unique colored star ability enabling “overtime actions,” I immediately started moving toward the first floor, where Saionji was.
Along the way, I forced open any doors I could with EXP points, except those I could unlock instantly, and used the Door Unlock skill to keep them permanently open.
Since it was outside the Duel Game timeframe, Libra’s broadcast was offline. There was no need to worry about prying eyes.
And so, at exactly 6:12 p.m.—
“…You’re late, you idiot Shinohara.”
Naturally, the one throwing that jab at me when I reached the first floor was Saionji Sarasa.
Her familiar cherry-blossom uniform and the elegant, extravagant red hair of an refined lady.
Her right hand rested on her hip, as if expressing her irritation, and her strong-willed ruby eyes were fixed intently on me.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to be kept waiting this long. Do you even have a shred of human decency, leaving a girl alone for over an hour?”
“Sorry, okay? But it’s not like I had a choice. I came down all the way from the eighth floor. Even knowing the shortest route, it takes time.”
“I know that much. That’s why what I said was… just a complaint, a simple complaint. It’s not like I was lonely or wanted you to hurry up or anything like that.”
“…”
“W-What’s with the silence, Shinohara?! Acting like that makes it seem like I said something embarrassing—”
“—Um.”
““!!””
In that instant, a cool voice cut into our conversation, and Saionji and I both flinched in unison.
The voice, of course, belonged to Himeji Shirayuki, dressed in her witch attire.
Since her avatar in The Tower of Lore isn’t a regular player, she doesn’t count toward the Extra Turn’s participant limit… which is why she’s able to be here.
Naturally, she was also the one who helped me with my “dash down” to this floor.
Himeji approached us quietly, lightly tipping the brim of her tricorn hat.
“Indeed, I planned to give Rina some consideration by arranging for ‘a brief moment alone together…’ But isn’t it a bit much to start flirting just seconds after reuniting?”
“W-We’re not flirting! I was just complaining to this guy!”
“Your face seems awfully red for just complaining…”
Himeji stepped closer to Saionji, her cheeks slightly puffed out, staring at her with clear emerald eyes.
Saionji let out a “Tch!” and squirmed for a moment, but then, with a single toss of her extravagant hair, she raised her voice as if to switch gears—or perhaps to cover her embarrassment.
“A-Anyway! Now’s not the time to mess around. We need to get that item before the Extra Turn ends!”
With that preface, Saionji cleared her throat with a small ahem, her cheeks still flushed.
“The item in question is up ahead. You can enter from any of the three surrounding rooms, but the quest tied to the unlock condition is a bit of a pain.”
“Hmm… [Unlock Difficulty EX / Genre: Quest] [Restriction: Only a duo of a summoner and a supporter can participate]. Even so, why didn’t anyone notice this room’s existence yesterday, despite it being on the first floor?”
“That’s obvious. There were several conditions to make this room appear. You have to circle the first floor via a specific route, which draws a magic circle along your path. Then, using a designated skill summons a familiar to guide you… That’s the gist. Because of the Lingering Restriction, we had to retreat to the second floor occasionally, and each time, our progress reset. It was a real hassle. Plus, we didn’t have all the fragments to begin with…”
“Heh… So you filled in the rest with imagination, huh? As expected of Saionji-”
“-san.”
“? You’re being awfully honest, Shinohara. Fufu, have you finally realized my greatness?”
“No, it’s that smug face of yours.”
“Ugh… W-What’s wrong with a little boasting?! I worked hard, you know!”
Saionji puffs out her cheeks and grumbles sulkily.
…Of course, I know how amazing she is, but when it comes to actually praising her,
I get hit with sudden embarrassment, so I end up teasing her instead. It’s a complicated psychological thing, I guess.
Whether she knows my inner thoughts or not, Saionji crosses her arms over her chest
and continues speaking.
“Anyway, this quest was supposed to be cleared by just us—me and Misaki.
But because of these restrictions… we didn’t have enough EXP to force it open,
so I had no choice but to invite you. Don’t get cocky.”
“I get it. And that’s why you asked Himeji to come along, right?
I’d probably just drag you down and make things messy on my own,
but with Himeji here, we can manage somehow.”
[’Indeed. I don’t think Master is that useless,
but compared to Rina, it’s inevitable you’d be overshadowed. I’ll support you with all my strength.’]
“Fufu, as long as you understand, it’s fine. …But, Shinohara,”
With a flourish of her luxurious long hair, Saionji steps closer to me.
She taps her fingertip lightly against my chest and continues with a fearless smile.
“Remember this. An ordinary player, even with Yuki’s support,
could never keep up with me, the Empress. For me to entrust my back to you…
it means I trust you, at least to some extent.”
“—What, you’re putting pressure on me now?!”
Her ruby-red eyes gaze straight into mine, dazzlingly bright.
I loosen my lips into a teasing smirk and avert my gaze.
♯
[–Quest Cleared]
[Player Sarasa Saionji has been awarded the “Talisman of Exorcism” –]
About two hours later,
the three of us—me, Himeji, and Saionji—having barely cleared the quest in time,
collapsed onto the pristine floor just beyond the now-opened door.
Difficulty EX— I don’t know exactly how tough “EX” is supposed to be,
but it was undeniably grueling. Constantly shifting situations, relentless enemy monsters appearing one after another.
A single mistake meant instant failure, so our mental stamina was worn down whether we liked it or not.
“…I’m exhausted.”
[‘Yes… I’m completely worn out too.’]
Next to me, Himeji, unusually showing signs of fatigue,
is sitting in a collapsed seiza position, likely because her avatar had to move the most intensely.
The distance between us is just a few centimeters—a subtle closeness, neither too intimate nor too distant.
Then, Saionji, also sitting on the floor, brushes back her red hair and speaks up.
“I’ll thank you, I guess, Shinohara. Thanks to you, we managed to move fairly efficiently.
Especially your ideas in the second half—they were good.
Using an enemy that repels all attacks as a reflector in front of us,
or spamming ‘Ice Rain’ and ‘Blazing Fireball’ with their short cooldowns to create a fog to obscure our forms…
Yup, a refreshingly cunning victory, very Shinohara-like.”
“…You didn’t have to throw in ‘cunning.’”
She might mean it as a compliment, but as usual, her phrasing stings.
Well, anyway—by clearing this quest,
we’ve secured the second of the three conditions needed to escape the Tower of Lore.
The captive girl, Minakami Mari, and the key item, the Talisman of Exorcism.
The final piece is held by the Angel Faction… which means,
in the end, it’ll come down to a one-on-one showdown with Saeki Kaoru.
“The upper floors are being tackled by none other than Kirigaya and Mitsuru’s pair,
so the path from the first floor to the top should be fully open.
With this, the minimum preparations are complete.”
“Yes. But the problem lies beyond that. Even if we catch up,
we still have to win in combat, or it’s meaningless.
Can we really stand a chance against Akutsu-san’s avatar in a direct fight?”
“Nah, probably not. Akutsu’s ability—Control Overdrive—is a ‘self-damaging’ type.
It sacrifices safety to an extreme degree in exchange for insanely boosted performance,
so even with Minakami’s Pinpoint Breakthrough, defeating her head-on would be incredibly tough.
It’d take a miracle.”
[‘I agree. Saeki Kaoru’s colored star, her Unique Star, is likely involved as well…’]
Himeji murmurs, gently touching her gloved fingertip to her cheek.
Saionji also slightly shakes her red hair.
“So… does that mean winning is impossible?”
“Yeah, if we fight normally, that’s how it’d go. So, we’re going to beat them with ‘cheating.’”
“Wha—What are you saying, Shinohara?! Doing that would play right into Hexagram’s hands!”
“No, I’m not the one who’s going to cheat—I’m going to make them cheat.
We’ll drag them into a situation where they have no choice but to use cheats,
and then hit them with sanctions from outside the Duel.”
—Exactly. That’s probably our only path to victory.
We know Akutsu’s avatar is overwhelmingly strong.
No matter how many strategies we devise, we can’t win through fair means…
so we’ll have to resort to some underhanded tactics.
“Eimei’s looking into things on their end too, but Hexagram has done some pretty vile stuff so far.
The reason their status hasn’t wavered is because they haven’t crossed a definitive line—
in other words, they’re staying just within the rules.
The one maintaining that balance is, without a doubt, not Saeki. Nine times out of ten, it’s Akutsu.”
“…I agree. After all, I can’t imagine Saeki Kaoru being capable of such delicate maneuvering.”
Saionji nods in agreement with my speculation.
Yes—while Hexagram’s leader is indeed Saeki Kaoru,
the one actually running things is highly likely to be Akutsu Miyabi.
She’s the lifeline keeping this so-called justice organization functioning.
In other words, if we can take down Akutsu, we’ll have a shot at victory.
“But to do that, we have to steal the Reaper ability.
We need to somehow make Saeki use that ability and turn one of us into the new Reaper.
If we can expel Akutsu from the tower that way, Saeki will be cornered and resort to cheating—or so I hope.”
“Hmm… But it’s Saeki Kaoru we’re talking about. She might have other ways to rack up Chaos Points.”
“Yeah. That’s why we’ll also prepare a way to force her to burn through the Reaper ability.
For example…”
“…I see.”
After hearing my plan to the end, Saionji slightly softens her expression.
“Not bad. Though for you, it’s a bit of a rough strategy, isn’t it?
It’s logically sound, sure, but it relies heavily on allies like me, Yuki, and Minakami-san…”
“Ugh… W-Well, what choice do I have? My usual cheating tricks won’t work here,
so I need to cover for it somewhere.
Besides… I thought it’d be fine. Not just with Himeji,
but if I can borrow your strength, Saionji—
if I can openly team up with you, who I usually have to oppose,
then even an opponent like this should be a piece of cake.”
“!!!!!!”
The moment I finish saying that, Saionji buries her face in her knees,
her red hair scattering dramatically. Immediately after, a low groaning sound escapes her.
As I watch her, Himeji speaks up with a tone of admiration.
[‘Master… you have a surprising knack for this sort of thing, don’t you?’]
“…For what?”
[‘No, this is something I won’t tell you.’]
Himeji lets out a soft smile, shaking her silver hair with an inexplicably pleased air.
”
Argh, enough already!”
Right after, Saionji, who had been writhing in agony, shoots up with a bright red face.
As her dazzling thighs come into view, stopping my breath,
she points her index finger at me.
“Hmph! You get it, don’t you, Shinohara—when we team up, we’re unstoppable.
With a lineup like this, there’s nothing in Academy Island we can’t do!”
Declaring so with conviction, Saionji turns her radiant ruby eyes toward me and Himeji.
♯♯
Day two, late at night—
After the Extra Turn ended, I returned to the basement and sat facing Himeji.
[‘—I owe you one, Shinohara. Thanks to you, we’ve gathered a good number of Accusers.’]
Himeji says this in her cool voice… but of course, these aren’t her words.
She’s merely reading aloud a message from Enomoto in real-time.
Since we can only contact the outside world through Himeji, we’re stuck with this setup, like it or not.
[’As you reported, Hexagram’s surveillance was still partially active.
But since we got the info in advance, it wasn’t too much trouble.’]
“I see. Nice work, Enomoto.”
[‘I told you to use honorifics, Shinohara. …Well, I’ll let it slide this time.’]
“…Thanks for that.”
It’s a line I’m used to hearing, but when it’s whispered in Himeji’s voice, it sends a shiver down my spine.
Anyway, Himeji—no, Enomoto Shinji—continues in a calm tone.
[’Your theory that Akutsu Miyabi is the key is looking pretty solid.
I infiltrated Hexagram’s data management server,
and all the critical files listed Akutsu Miyabi as the administrator.
If we can take her down, Hexagram will likely collapse.’]
“Yeah, I know. I’m working on a strategy for that right now.”
[’I’m counting on you, Shinohara. If Saeki commits a definitive cheat,
we can move immediately. Not just Minakami’s sister,
but Koga Keiya—Eimei’s former ace who was expelled by Hexagram—
is also cooperating with the administration. This is a total war, no exaggeration.’]
“…Got it. Eimei’s student council president is as reliable as ever.”
[‘That’s my duty. Anyway, just win, Shinohara—thoroughly.’]
With that, Enomoto wraps up the message. Himeji murmurs, [‘That’s all, it seems.’]
For a while after, I keep thinking, with Minakami’s sleeping breaths as background music.
To defeat Saeki Kaoru, to take down Akutsu Miyabi… what do we do?
The second night in the Tower of Lore grows ever deeper—
[SFIA Sphere Final Battle Tower of Lore — Progress Report (End of Day Two)]
[Angel Faction] — Akutsu Miyabi / Saeki Kaoru / Fujishiro Keiya / Kururugi Senri (Current Location: ???)
[Demon Faction] — Fuwa Mitsuru / Kugasaki Seiran (Floors 5–9)
[Kingdom Faction] — Saionji Sarasa / Yuikawa Kanade / Yumeno Misaki (Floors 1–8)
[Revolution Faction] — Shinohara Hiroto / Minakami Mari / Kirigaya Toya / Minami Shizuku (Floors 1–8)
♭
Day three of the Duel Game. SFIA Final Battle Tower of Lore — Top Floor.
Less than an hour after the start, the central express elevator was activated,
and the ones who reached the tower’s innermost depths, skipping not just one but several steps,
were none other than the Angel Faction.
“Hoh… It seems this really is the top floor.”
Staring at the terminal’s display, Kururugi Senri, a second-year from District 16’s Tsuyuri Girls’ Academy, says this.
The Onikami Miko, distinguished by the wooden sword at her waist, mutters warily.
Responding with a smile is Hexagram’s leader—Saeki Kaoru.
“…Haha. Are you still doubting me? Guess I’m surprisingly untrustworthy.”
“Obviously, you fool. Even if we’re in different factions,
how could I easily trust someone who’d casually betray two allies for victory?”
“? If that’s the case, you could’ve just switched to the Demon Faction during the hunt.”
“Mgh… No, that’s not an option. For me, and for Tsuyuri,
the outcome of this event is incredibly important.
It might be laughable to those vying for the top like Ouka or Suisei,
but the lower ranks have their own pride.
Even a scoundrel like you—I’ll use you if it brings me closer to victory.”
“I see. That’s an admirable mindset. Suisei could use someone like you.”
“…There are things you shouldn’t say, even as a joke.”
Kururugi shakes her head in disgust. Fujishiro, watching from the side, says nothing.
Though it’s probably unrelated, Saeki slightly softens his expression.
“Anyway—as you can see, we’ve reached the top floor of the Tower of Lore faster than anyone else.
To operate this floor’s elevator, three conditions must be met.
But we haven’t gathered them, nor do we plan to.”
“You’re going to force it open with EXP, huh… Well, that’s the only way.”
Frowning, Kururugi slightly shakes her black hair.
“Will it be enough? …Like most Duel Games, inflation exists in the Tower of Lore.
The top floor’s elevator is likely the most expensive in the tower.
Yet we’ve barely explored, taking shortcuts all the way… I doubt we have enough EXP resources.”
“Haha, good question, Kururugi-san. Of course, we’ve got that covered too.”
To Kururugi’s question, Saeki responds without a hint of panic, calmly shaking his head.
He slowly steps closer to her and, with a gentle gesture, places his right hand on her shoulder.
—That very moment.
[District 16 Tsuyuri Girls’ Academy / Second Year / 5-Star / Angel Faction — Kururugi Senri. Status: Eliminated]
[Cause of Elimination: Countdown / Prohibited Action: “Being tapped on the shoulder by the opposite sex” / Count: 1]
“…Huh?”
“This is the answer to your earlier question.
You see, there’s more to Countdown’s effect—
the more players it eliminates, and the higher their Chaos Points,
the more massive amounts of EXP I gain.
Kururugi Senri-san, the EXP resources I got from you will fuel our victory.”
“You… bastard…”
Kururugi stammers in stunned disbelief. …But the fact that she’s “already eliminated from the Duel Game” is undeniable.
She knew she’d be betrayed eventually, yet her caution was outmaneuvered.
And then… the next moment, a low humming vibration echoes through the floor.
The unmistakable sound of the elevator activating.
When Kururugi hurriedly looks back, she sees a familiar figure—
the final member of the Angel Faction, standing with a hexagonal emblem gleaming on their chest.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kaoru.”
—District 2 Suisei Academy’s 6-Star player, Akutsu Miyabi.
Exuding a faint allure within her cold demeanor, she strides toward Saeki with steady steps.
Brushing back her silver-gray hair, she continues.
“The Overtime Action triggered last night… As expected, they pulled some tricks during that time.
I’ve blocked off as many paths leading here as I could,
but there’s a chance they might catch up. Seems they’re not ready to admit defeat yet.”
“Yeah, as expected. They’re quite persistent.”
“Truly. Even though it was decided long ago that you, Kaoru, would be the victor of SFIA Sphere.”
Akutsu chuckles. That entranced expression is one she shows only to Saeki Kaoru.
“Now, Kaoru… the pointless foreplay is over.
All that’s left is for you to stand at the top. For you to show justice.
Soon, the world will belong to just you and me…”
“Haha… sounds nice, very alluring.”
Saeki, nodding contentedly at Akutsu’s whisper, no longer spared Kururugi
even a single glance as he turned on his heel. His gaze was fixed
on the elevator leading outside. Step by step, he drew closer to victory.
Perhaps thanks to Akutsu’s interference, the elevator to the ninth floor
didn’t rumble with a deep hum—but then, at that moment.
“…Oh?”
Just as Saeki, with a gentle smile, reached for victory,
a man stood in his way. Ouka’s Six-Star and final weapon, Keiya Fujishiro. The dull-blond-haired boy,
hands stuffed in his pockets, lazily blocked Saeki and Akutsu’s path.
“Fujishiro-kun… what exactly are you planning?”
“Planning? Nothin’. Just standin’ here, can’t ya see?”
“I see. Then let me rephrase: why are you obstructing me? If you follow me,
Ouka can become the victor of SFIA. You’ll maintain a high rank in the school standings,
and your reputation will naturally rise. What reason could you possibly have to interfere?”
“Dunno. I ain’t the type to care about reputation. If I move, it’s for
more personal reasons.”
With that, he glanced briefly at Kururugi beside him.
Then, in a single sentence:
“I was asked—by someone I owe a cheesecake—to hold you up for five minutes, Saeki.”
“Cheesecake…?”
“! N-no way, Fujishiro-dono, could it be—”
“Lemme make it clear, I ain’t that loyal. I wanna win this Duel Game,
and picking a loss for personal reasons is somethin’ only idiots do.
But this time’s different. Whether I win or the Empress wins, it’s Ouka’s victory—
so I’m bettin’ on Shinohara, not you.”
At Fujishiro’s declaration, Saeki bit his lip for a moment, “…Tch.”
But even so, he quickly regained his composure and smirked.
“Haha… I see. It seems you’re not very wise either, are you?
If you won’t step aside, I’ll have to eliminate you by force. I’ll make you feel the power of the Reaper—”
“—Three minutes and twelve seconds, huh? Pretty quick, man.”
As if cutting off Saeki and Fujishiro’s exchange, a whirrr echoed—the sound
of the elevator’s drive mechanism.
Right after, as expected, the one who appeared before Saeki’s Angel Faction
was Shinohara Hiroto’s group—or rather, perhaps not quite as expected.
To be precise, it was several times more than that. There was Minami Shizuku, as sleepy-looking as ever,
Kirigaya Toya with his usual flippant attitude, and the refreshingly nihilistic Yuikawa Kanade.
Fuwa Mitsuru, with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, was supported
by Kugasaki Seiran, who nudged his shoulder. In contrast, Yumeno Misaki was bursting with energy,
and Saionji Sarasa wore her usual composed expression. Then there was Minakami Mari, looking resolute,
and Shinohara Hiroto, with a fearless grin—
Nine in total.
All the remaining players in the Tower of Lore, excluding the Angel Faction.
Leading this group, as if at the forefront, was a man… Shinohara Hiroto.
He fixed his gaze straight on Saeki, quietly raising his terminal.
In response, a beautiful witch avatar was summoned. Alongside the girl in a tricorn hat,
Himeji Shirayuki, who gave a slight bow, he took a single step forward. Then, in a tone
as if announcing the climax—he spoke:
“I’ve caught up, Saeki Kaoru. —So, are you ready to face regret and repentance?”
♯
SFIA Final Battle, Tower of Lore, Day 3—Top Floor.
We, having reached the deepest part of the tower, quickly came face-to-face
with Saeki Kaoru.
The time was 10:15 a.m. Originally, we planned to storm the top floor
the moment the Duel Game resumed, but Akutsu had beaten us to the punch.
Still, we made it in time, so as far as utilizing the Extra Turn goes,
it was a resounding success. Of course, the price for moving outside regular hours
meant today’s Duel Game would be a four-hour short battle, but at this point,
time hardly mattered. Because the winner of this battle would be the victor of SFIA.
“Nn…”
While thinking this, I decided to take another look at the top floor’s scenery.
Like the seventh floor, it had a unique structure. All walls and doors were removed,
leaving the entire floor as a single room.
And, aside from the direct elevator presumably used by the Angel Faction,
there were two types of elevators. The one we had just ridden, connecting to the ninth floor,
and the only path leading outside, which Saeki was about to board.
However—since a battle request had already been approved, the Angel Faction
couldn’t escape without a fight.
“Sorry to interrupt when you were about to end the Duel Game,
but you’ll have to face us first. If I recall, your only summoner is Akutsu, right…?”
As I said this, I felt a sense of unease and tilted my head at the scene before me.
…What’s this? I understood why Fujishiro was standing with his back to the elevator.
After all, I was the one who made that request through Saionji.
But I couldn’t make sense of Kururugi, standing a bit away, hanging his head.
“—Well, well, look at this. Everyone’s all here, welcome.”
As I silently observed the situation, Saeki eventually turned to us
with a gentle smile. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he scanned us and continued.
“Since you’re standing with Shinohara-kun, does that mean you all
believe in a cunning rule-breaking player instead of us, the righteous Hexagram?
To think that the aces of each school district would condone cheating…
This is quite a serious matter. What do you think, Saionji-san?”
“Oh, me? I wonder. I absolutely despise cheating,
and I don’t exactly trust Shinohara either. But more than that,
I just can’t stand your methods.”
“…Oh? Even if we’re a righteous organization?”
“Yes. Because a justice you proclaim yourself has no value whatsoever.”
Saionji brushed back her luxurious red hair, rejecting him with a resolute attitude.
As she stepped forward, I quietly raised my terminal and spoke.
“As expected, Kururugi’s been taken out. …Was that your doing, Saeki?”
“Indeed. But there’s no need to look at me with such resentment.
This Duel Game is a district-versus-district battle, isn’t it?
Just because we’re in the same faction doesn’t mean we’re necessarily allies—
thanks to that, Miyabi’s avatar has grown quite strong.”
“Yes, exactly… Avatar Summon.”
As Akutsu spoke in a cold tone—at that moment, a blinding white flash
engulfed her terminal, and a massive magic circle filled the spacious top floor
of the Tower of Lore. What was summoned was
an angelic avatar cloaked in divine light.
[Top Floor Conquest EXP Requirement: 100,000]
[Angel Faction—Avatar: Akutsu Miyabi. Total Modified EXP: 972,000]
(Tch… come on, this is no laughing matter…!)
Staring at the displayed total EXP status, I silently bit my lip.
The number was far higher than what I’d seen on the seventh floor.
The skills must be absolutely outrageous too.
“…Therefore, we have no particular reason to refuse a battle.”
Standing beside the angelic avatar, Saeki narrowed his eyes and declared calmly.
“There’s almost no chance of Miyabi losing in a straight fight.
It’s a bit unfortunate we couldn’t beat Smooth, but defeating Shinohara-kun head-on
will better emphasize Hexagram’s justice.
But—aren’t you forgetting something important?”
“Something important…? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the rules of this Duel Game.
In the Tower of Lore, the player with the highest Chaos Value becomes the Reaper.
And the Reaper can eliminate any player at will.”
Saeki spoke those words with a gentle smile.
Yes—of course, I hadn’t forgotten. The Reaper. Saeki Kaoru was the Reaper.
With a mere wave of his terminal, he held the power to expel any player
from the Duel Game.
“I know that. You want to eliminate either me or Minakami, right?
We’ve already prepared for that—the Iron Wall effect of Ten People, Ten Colors.
As long as Minami’s in the Revolution Faction, we can nullify a skill’s effect once.
The Reaper’s scythe is just another skill, after all.”
“Yes, I understand. Our explorers in the Angel Faction are quite skilled,
so we’ve peeked at the general outline of your abilities.
That’s why all the trap skills we acquired have been shelved…
But anyway, I’m not targeting you, Shinohara-kun.
Saionji-san, it’s you.”
“…Me again? Don’t people tell you you’re the clingy type?”
“No, no, I choose my targets carefully.
And… Saionji-san, it’s a lie that you’ve adopted an emergency evasion ability, isn’t it?
With a build so focused on exploration, it’s impossible to include evasion.
Haha, you’re quite skilled at bluffing.”
“Hmm? If you think so, why don’t you try killing me?”
“Yes, I’ll take you up on that.”
Saeki responded to Saionji’s provocative words with a gentle smile,
raising his terminal. In an instant, a pitch-black scythe-like effect enveloped it.
The lethal blade. If Saionji fell here, it would mean my ruin as well…
But even so, I chose not to move.
“This is farewell, Empress. I thought we could work together…
Haha, what a shame.”
Because I knew—the name of the man who would inevitably intervene at this moment.
“—How laughable!!”
The moment Saeki swung down the Reaper’s scythe, someone threw themselves
in front of Saionji. With a booming voice, he spread a jet-black cloak
in front of himself, shielding Saionji from Saeki’s deadly strike.
Naturally, a system message indicating Elimination appeared above his head a moment later,
but even so, he—Kugasaki Seiran—grinned and continued.
“Kuku… To think you’d try to bring down my goddess with such a dull blade
is the height of foolishness. You’re a thousand years too early to step onto this stage.
Come back when you’re ready, you small fry!”
“…Quite the unique character, Kugasaki-kun. Is that something you say while being eliminated?”
“My victory or defeat is irrelevant. All that matters is my goddess seizing victory.”
“Ha, haa… I see. Some people are quite peculiar.”
Saeki shrugged slightly, as if giving up.
At the same time, Saionji let out a small chuckle and winked at Kugasaki,
saying, “Thanks, you saved me.” Kugasaki, receiving this, clutched his chest
as if having a heart attack, muttering in a trembling voice,
“A-ahh, my goddess, my goddess is thanking me…” as he staggered to the wall.
Well, anyway.
“Now your Reaper role has been stripped from you. The next Reaper selection
is in thirty minutes—and it’ll definitely be someone other than you.”
“Indeed. My Chaos Value has plummeted due to that action.
In other words, the threat of the Reaper is gone for you, Shinohara-kun.
One step forward, as it were.”
“Yeah… but is that really true?”
“Come now, Shinohara-kun. If you distrust me that much, it’s almost like I’m a liar.”
Saeki said this, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scanned our group again.
With Kugasaki fallen to the Reaper, we were down to eight members—
From the Revolution Faction: me, Minakami, and Minami.
From the Kingdom Faction: Saionji, Yumeno, and Yuikawa.
And the sole survivor of the Demon Faction: Fuwa.
Among them, the summoners were Minakami, Minami, Kirigaya, and Saionji—four in total.
The Angel Faction, on the other hand, had three members—Saeki, Akutsu,
and Fujishiro, a dangerous lineup. Akutsu was their only summoner,
but the performance of her avatar was simply insane.
We couldn’t afford to let our guard down just because we had the numbers advantage.
But—there was no way we could back down now.
“““Battle start!”“”
The voices overlapped, echoing as one.
♯
[Tower of Lore Top Floor: Angel Faction VS Kingdom Faction + Revolution Faction + Demon Faction: Battle Start]
[Top Floor Conquest EXP Requirement: 100,000]
[Kingdom Faction—Saionji Sarasa. Avatar: Saionji Sarasa. Total EXP: 35,000]
[Revolution Faction—Minakami Mari. Avatar: Himeji Shirayuki. Total EXP: 67,300]
[Revolution Faction—Kirigaya Toya. Avatar: Kirigaya Toya. Total EXP: 84,800]
[Revolution Faction—Minami Shizuku. Avatar: Tohno Konohana. Total EXP: 28,900]
[Angel Faction—Akutsu Miyabi. Avatar: Akutsu Miyabi. Total Modified EXP: 972,000]
[Status: All avatars except Angel Faction have a five-second lag on all actions]
[Condition (Akutsu Miyabi): Immune to all interference while using any skill]
[Condition (Others): Cannot touch opposing avatars]
SFIA Final Battle, Tower of Lore Last Battle—.
Seeing the simultaneously revealed total EXP statuses, we exchanged glances.
“Ugh… H-how did they accumulate so much EXP?
They skipped the middle floors, and they should’ve conserved EXP
to activate the final elevator…”
“…Indeed.”
Responding to Minakami’s shaken question was Himeji Shirayuki,
wearing her tricorn hat. Fixing her clear blue eyes on the opposing angel,
she spoke in a slightly firm tone.
“The benefits from defeating Kururugi-sama must have been significant…
Or perhaps they didn’t reserve any EXP for the elevator.
By stealing the items we’ve secured, they could meet the activation conditions legitimately.”
“…I see.”
That possibility certainly made sense. …But understanding the logic
didn’t mean we could do anything about it. I cut off pointless thoughts
and turned to Minakami beside me.
“Minakami. Just to confirm, what’s the total EXP status if we use Single-Point Breakthrough?”
“Uh… um, yes. It multiplies the total EXP by about ten,
so with Single-Point Breakthrough, it’s around 650,000…
I’m sorry, Senpai, it’s not even close…!”
“…No, that’s not something you need to apologize for.”
The ultra-enhanced ability Single-Point Breakthrough, designed specifically against Hexagram—
I was the one who thought it would be enough to counter them.
I’d turned a blind eye to the fact that only an utterly outrageous opponent
would be beyond its reach, but unfortunately, Akutsu Miyabi was exactly that.
“Looks like I’m going first.”
While we were at it, the turn order was decided, and Akutsu,
with her superior total EXP, naturally took first move—
though in a non-one-on-one battle, it was technically first turn.
She then selected her battle skills with practiced ease.
With three factions—Angel, Kingdom, and Revolution—fielding avatars,
three skill selections were required per turn.
Shaking her silver-gray hair, Akutsu cast a cold gaze our way.
“What’s wrong? If you don’t pick your skills, we can’t start the battle…
Or could it be, you don’t even know how to choose skills?
I didn’t expect you to be that incompetent.”
“…No way. I was just thinking about the most efficient way to take you down.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to seeing how long that bravado lasts.”
Spitting out the words, Akutsu glanced at Minakami.
Minakami flinched for a moment, “…Tch,” but soon shook her black hair
as if brushing off her hesitation.
“Yes—please look forward to it, Miyabi-senpai.
I… no, we will definitely make you two open your eyes!!”
Her words were like a defiant roar—at the same time,
Minakami slid her finger across her terminal screen, activating Single-Point Breakthrough.
The ultra-enhanced ability exclusive to countering Hexagram.
The trump card that had turned the tide countless times was absorbed into Himeji’s body,
instantly rewriting her total EXP status.
[Revolution Faction—Avatar: Himeji Shirayuki. Modified Total EXP: 67,300 → 654,000]
[Status Update: Avatar Himeji Shirayuki’s freeze time reduced from five seconds to three seconds]
“…Hmm?”
Seeing Himeji’s skyrocketing total EXP status, Akutsu’s expression shifted slightly.
“That’s the limited enhancement ability that only works against us Hexagram… huh.”
“Haha. To think we were ‘comrades’ just last week, and now we’re so hated.
Though, being resented by evil might just be the fate of justice…”
“No, that’s not true! Hexagram is not a champion of justice!”
“I see… You really are quite stubborn, Mari-san.”
Saeki shrugged, his expression filled only with confidence.
And that wasn’t surprising. The power of Single-Point Breakthrough was indeed tremendous,
but what was proven now was the fact that it still didn’t reach Akutsu’s avatar.
The moment our ace ability was countered, our chances of defeating the Angel Faction
were almost entirely closed off—.
(—Or so they think.)
But I raised the corner of my mouth as if mocking that assumption
and stepped forward beside Minakami, pulling out my terminal.
The first step to bringing down the angel—creating a situation
where we were at least equal in numbers.
“What’s with that smug look, both of you? Did you think this was the extent of our strategy?”
“…It’s not? As I mentioned earlier, I have a rough grasp of your abilities.
The only ones capable of altering total EXP status are Mari-san with Single-Point Breakthrough
and Minami-san with Numerical Management… and the latter’s adjustments
are trivial at this scale. There’s no way your Revolution Faction’s avatar
can match Miyabi.”
“Well, yeah. I’ll admit I haven’t adopted any straightforward enhancement abilities.
But—”
Grinning, I swiped my terminal’s screen. Just like when Minakami used Single-Point Breakthrough,
a significant change appeared on the displayed status screen.
[Revolution Faction—Avatar: Himeji Shirayuki. Modified Total EXP: 654,000 → 981,000]
[Status Update: Avatars Himeji Shirayuki and Akutsu Miyabi are now equal]
[Condition Update (Akutsu Miyabi): Immune to all interference while using any skill]
[Condition Update (Himeji Shirayuki): Movement speed increased while opponent avatar is using a skill]
“—How about this?”
Looking up at the situation now finally equal, I said in a taunting tone.
“I’m not irresponsible enough to leave your opponent to Minakami alone.
From start to finish, my goal has been ‘to handle any situation.’”
“…No way, Ten People, Ten Colors? And you secured it in Eimei’s guaranteed slot…?”
To Saeki’s skeptical response, I nodded, “Exactly.”
Yes—the Ten People, Ten Colors ability, which activated various effects
depending on faction members. For Eimei Academy’s slot, which was always active,
I’d assigned the fundamental Enhancement ability.
The reason I hadn’t used it until now was simply to avoid raising suspicion.
“By the way, here’s the details. By consuming 10,000 of the faction’s EXP points,
it multiplies the avatar’s total EXP status by 1.5 for one minute…
Of course, I’ve allocated the minimum to standard avatar enhancements,
but for the final battle, it’s more cost-effective to go for temporary boosts
rather than base increases. RPG basics, right?”
“…I see. It’s certainly not a bad move.”
Saeki nodded, as if convinced, but continued with an unfazed smile.
“But—that also means you’ve triggered a time limit.
The Revolution Faction’s current EXP is around 50,000,
meaning the Enhancement effect of Ten People, Ten Colors can only last five minutes.
What can you possibly do in just five minutes against Miyabi’s avatar?”
“Nothing, probably. But Saeki, you’re forgetting something.
This battle isn’t just between you and me—it’s a total war
of all the players left in SFIA.”
At my cryptic words, Saeki slightly furrowed his brow…
At that moment, a familiar fluorescent green system message projected between us.
[Faction Transfer—Minami Shizuku: Revolution Faction → Demon Faction]
[Faction Transfer—Yumeno Misaki: Kingdom Faction → Demon Faction]
[Faction Transfer—Fuwa Mitsuru: Demon Faction → Kingdom Faction]
“…Huh?”
Saeki tilted his head slightly, his expression one of confusion.
I understood his feelings, but for me, this was entirely according to plan.
The second strategy to bring down the angel. With a fearless grin,
I glanced diagonally backward, where Minami and Yumeno were boarding
the elevator to the ninth floor.
“—I’m counting on you two.”
“Leave it to me, Last Boss-san! When you first asked,
I spent a good hour agonizing, ‘Why does the protagonist—me—have to do this…?’
But then the witch maid said, ‘Errands are an important part of a protagonist’s job, you know?’
and it was like a lightbulb went off! To become a splendid protagonist,
I’ll complete this errand quest perfectly!”
“And I’m her escort… or rather, a date event.
A big chance, just the two of us… By the time this Duel Game ends,
Yumeno-chan will be head over heels for me.”
“Hii!? Uh, um… umm! By the way, what about member swaps or—”
“None. …Alright, we’re off.”
Minami, expressionless, gave a small wave before descending to the ninth floor with Yumeno.
Waiting until the elevator was out of sight, I turned back to Saeki.
“Saeki. You took shortcuts, so you probably don’t know,
but dungeons like this usually have farming spots.
In the Tower of Lore, it’s the ninth floor. A sharp player can clear a quest
in under a minute, earning nearly 5,000 EXP points per run.
With two people, that’s 10,000 EXP in a minute—our resources won’t run dry.”
I declared with a fearless grin. …This was entirely thanks to Fuwa and Kirigaya’s efforts.
Of course, since Minami and the others were now in the Demon Faction,
it might seem pointless at first glance, but we’d ensured the Demon Faction
acquired the EXP Transfer skill before reaching the top floor.
In short, the EXP they earned would automatically be added to the Revolution Faction.
(Now we’re finally equal… No, Himeji’s the only avatar that can compete head-on,
but with our numbers, we’re actually at an advantage. If we keep pushing like this—)
“—Tch, what a hassle.”
But… there, Saeki shook his head elegantly, as if seeing through my thoughts.
“Clinging to the Seven-Star seat through cheating is one thing,
but you’re certainly tenacious. However, it’s futile.
A righteous organization will never yield to evil—Miyabi.”
“Yes. Leave it to me, Kaoru.”
Called by Saeki, Akutsu, standing beside him, pulled out her terminal.
Her silver-gray hair swayed slightly as she cast a cold, dismissive gaze our way.
“As I mentioned on the seventh floor, my avatar is under the influence
of the Control Overdrive ability. I’ll soon be unable to fight,
but in exchange, it’s achieved extraordinary buffs.
And Control Overdrive doesn’t just affect the avatar—it affects skills too.”
Pausing for a moment, Akutsu quietly raised her terminal.
Her gaze was fixed on the angelic avatar, cloaked in divine light and wings.
Against this outrageously powerful entity, Akutsu declared with a cold expression:
“Attack Skill—Roar of the Seraphim.”
[—!!!]
The moment Akutsu issued her attack command, a shockwave-like force
shot from the angelic avatar toward Himeji. A straightforward, no-frills strike.
Judging it unavoidable, Minakami shouted, “Immortal Great Shield, Shirayuki-senpai…!”
declaring the use of a defensive skill.
But the next moment—
[Kyaa…!?]
Despite the defensive skill activating in time, Himeji’s body,
holding her staff, was effortlessly blown away. Of course, with her total EXP status
significantly boosted, she had enough leeway to kick off the wall mid-air
and return to her original position. Still, the edges of her black robe
and tricorn hat were visibly torn in places.
“How’s that? This is the difference in power between the Angel Faction
and the rest of you. Have you realized it yet?”
“…I-I’m so sorry, Shirayuki-senpai! Are you hurt!?”
[It’s fine, Minakami-sama. It may look a bit painful,
but there’s no pain feedback linked. However, this…]
Himeji said with a serious expression, glancing at me with her clear blue eyes.
…Yeah, I know. If Control Overdrive could produce skills like this en masse,
even with equal total EXP statuses, a fair fight was impossible.
We needed a decisive move to turn the situation around.
So, I—
“—Come on, Saionji.”
“Alright, I get it. Following your orders is a bit galling,
but—just this once, I’ll go along with it.”
As I called her name as if it were obvious, Saionji nodded just as naturally.
She then shook her luxurious red hair and used the [Faction Transfer] command.
Her destination, of course, was the Revolution Faction.
With the faction change, the avatar standing before her—default appearance set to Saionji Sarasa—
underwent a dramatic transformation. From a dignified female hero
to a bright, somewhat whimsical, and cute witch girl.
Though quite different from Himeji, the Revolution Faction’s other avatar,
it likely reflected Saionji’s personal witch image.
“…Ugh, this is subtly embarrassing. I should’ve set a different appearance…”
Standing beside me, Saionji muttered under her breath, barely audible to the relay.
And—almost simultaneously, another [Faction Transfer] was completed
on the top floor.
“Hyaha… Don’t you dare drag me down, Fuwa.”
“…Yeah, I’ll do my absolute best. I finally get to fight alongside Toya-san.”
“Huh? Argh… You’re kinda annoyingly clingy, ain’t ya?”
“Maybe? But I—”
“Welcome to my faction, Kirigaya-kun! Let’s make Saeki-kun eat his words!”
“…Yuikawa, you’re unbelievably brazen sometimes.”
[Faction Transfer—Saionji Sarasa: Kingdom Faction → Revolution Faction]
[Faction Transfer—Kirigaya Toya: Revolution Faction → Kingdom Faction]
Yes—
The one who transferred to the Kingdom Faction in place of Saionji
was none other than Kirigaya Toya himself. As Fuwa and Yuikawa welcomed him
with mixed reactions, Kirigaya’s avatar appeared before him,
dressed in heroic attire. Rather than dignified, it gave off an outlaw warrior vibe.
“Faction realignment complete. Now, my faction includes Minakami and Saionji…
In other words, Eimei and Ouka. On top of the Enhancement from Ten People, Ten Colors,
Seal is now active, disabling one of the opponent’s abilities.
The target is Control Overdrive—existing effects can’t be undone,
but you’ll have to hold off on overdriving skills or anything else from now on.”
“…I see. They say grouping is a sign of weakness,
but for Ten People, Ten Colors, it’s nothing but advantages.
After all, it lets you pick the optimal counter for any strategy after the fact.”
In response to my declaration, Saeki placed a hand near his chin,
narrowing his eyes in thought. …Yes, this was the third strategy.
By bringing all players to the top floor, I could fully utilize
the effects of Ten People, Ten Colors. It was like having an infinite hand of cards.
No matter how formidable the opponent, there was no situation I couldn’t handle.
And—by advancing the battle this far, we finally glimpsed
a faint chance of victory. The main force, the Minakami-Himeji pair,
was now evenly matched with Akutsu’s avatar in total EXP status,
and with Saionji joining the Revolution Faction, Akutsu could no longer
use broken skills. While Saionji and Kirigaya’s avatars were inferior in total EXP,
they were providing interference with support skills.
As long as Minami and Yumeno kept working on the ninth floor,
our EXP resources wouldn’t run out either.
(We’ve cornered them… I should be able to say that. Now, how will you move, Saeki…?)
“…Hmm. Shall we do this, then?”
And, at the start of the second turn—Saeki quietly spoke,
suddenly turning his gaze away from us. With an elegant smile,
he faced Akutsu Miyabi beside him.
“Hey, Miyabi. It seems the time has come for us to use our trump card.”
“—…Are you serious? I didn’t expect you to have that kind of resolve, Kaoru.”
“Resolve? By resolve, you mean… the mindset to stand at the top?
Of course I have it. Hexagram will dominate SFIA.”
Akutsu nodded, “…I see,” swaying her long hair,
in response to Saeki’s answer, his eyes narrowing.
As she broke eye contact, Saeki—
“Sponsor-Exclusive Skill Ritual of Sacrifice—Activate. Eliminate player Akutsu Miyabi.”
“—…What?”
As I let out a stunned reaction to his unbelievable words…
Saeki’s terminal emitted a blinding white light, and immediately after,
a fluorescent green message appeared before us.
[Angel Faction: Akutsu Miyabi—Status: Eliminated].
The Hexagram executive, with her terrifying skill and intellect,
was abruptly removed from the SFIA stage.
“…What the hell are you planning?”
“Planning? For victory, I suppose. First, Miyabi has the Reincarnation ability registered.
When she’s eliminated, it allows her to pass her avatar—complete with all enhancements—
to someone else. This transfers Miyabi’s avatar to me.
The penalties of Control Overdrive apply to Miyabi, so I face no downsides.
And… have you noticed, Shinohara-kun? It’s been about twenty-five minutes
since we started this battle. That’s right—the Reaper is coming back soon.”
“…!? So you mean, you did this to—”
“Yes, exactly. I’ve tried various things, but friendly fire
is the most efficient way to rack up Chaos Value.
As a champion of justice, it’s a bit painful… but rest assured.
To honor Miyabi’s sacrifice, I’ll expose your cheating without fail.”
Saeki smiled, silencing any rebuttal. …I see, so this was his plan.
Use Akutsu’s Control Overdrive to supercharge the avatar,
avoid the penalties with Reincarnation, and then eliminate her
once she’s no longer needed to gain massive Chaos Value,
reclaiming the Reaper role—a ruthlessly logical strategy.
Unlike before the battle, Minami isn’t here now,
so we can’t use Iron Wall anymore.
“Once again… it’s time to judge the traitor.”
Saying this, Saeki narrowed his eyes and slowly approached us.
The pitch-black effect emanating from his right-hand terminal
was unmistakably the Reaper’s scythe—and its tip was aimed not at me,
but at Minakami, the summoner. Saeki continued in a gentle tone.
“Hey, Mari-san. Just once… I’ll give you one more chance.”
“…A chance?”
“Yes. You betrayed us, the emissaries of justice,
and stooped to joining the rule-breaker Shinohara-kun’s ranks.
But I think a single act of disloyalty can be forgiven.
Everyone makes mistakes, after all.
We’re an organization that judges evil, but we don’t have
the simplistic mindset of branding everything as evil for one misstep.”
“…”
“So—swear it, right here and now. Acknowledge that Shinohara-kun is a rule-breaker.
Promise never to doubt us again. If you do, we’ll welcome your return.”
Pointing the Reaper’s scythe, glowing with dark light, at Minakami’s throat,
Saeki made that invitation with a friendly smile.
No, it wasn’t an invitation—it was a threat.
Nod, and she’d be welcomed back to Hexagram;
refuse, and she’d be expelled from the Tower of Lore immediately.
A completely unbalanced binary choice.
The smile of an absolute powerhouse was thrown at Minakami, as if mocking her.
…And in that moment,
“Yes, Kaoru-san. My answer… has been decided for a long time.”
With everyone on the floor watching—Minakami raised her face,
her flowing black hair swaying.
“Because I will never lose to fake justice!!!!”
“…I see.”
To her clear rejection, shouted with her eyes tightly shut,
Saeki let his smile fade for the first time in this Duel Game.
His expression was cold, almost bored.
Without another word, he swung the scythe horizontally with almost no motion—
but,
“—What?”
The moment the evil light of the effect touched Minakami’s body,
it transformed into sparkling particles, as if purified.
Saeki’s jaw dropped, stunned by the impossible sight.
But we all knew this outcome. We’d aimed for it.
We’d waited for the Reaper’s power, reclaimed by sacrificing Akutsu,
to be used against Minakami.
Why?
“[Chapter 2: The Reaper’s Power Cannot Defeat the Captive Maiden].
…Did you know, Saeki? The Captive Maiden is the player with the lowest Chaos Value—
in other words, Minakami.”
“What…!?”
As Saeki’s face visibly paled, I took a big step toward him, grinning.
Yes, exactly—unlike Saeki, Minakami had fought without ever hindering other players,
embodying true justice. She alone had the power to repel the Reaper’s tyranny.
“—In the end, you know.”
Turn 3, second move. Catching Himeji, Saionji, and Kirigaya
readying their weapons in my peripheral vision, I slightly raised the corner of my mouth
and continued.
“Your justice is arrogant, Saeki. You talk about a just future or whatever,
but you only accept a world that fits your ideals.
No, chasing ideals is fine, I guess? But do it on your own.
Don’t drag others into it.”
“…Haha. Switching to lecture mode the moment you gain the upper hand, Shinohara-kun?
I’m merely trying to stand at the top of SFIA to expose your cheating.
I won’t say I don’t have ideals, but what of it?
A world where everyone does what’s right, with no evildoers.
Is it wrong to wish for that?”
“That’s why I’m saying it’s warped when you alone decide what’s good or evil.
Even the Hexagram organization, meant to maintain balance,
has become your personal dictatorship.”
“I see, your delusions are quite impressive at that level… Or rather,”
At that point, Saeki, who had been looking down, slowly raised his gaze.
His expression showed neither anger nor irritation.
It was, as always, a calm smile filled with confidence.
“Aren’t you misunderstanding something? The Tower of Lore isn’t over yet.
If you can’t believe in my ideals, that’s fine,
but as I’ve said repeatedly, the final say belongs to the victor of this Duel.
Look down on our—no, my Hexagram after you’ve defeated this avatar!!”
With that, Saeki raised his terminal high… and in that instant,
[—!!!]
With a voiceless, anguished roar, the angelic avatar,
bearing Akutsu’s likeness, was enveloped in blinding light.
As if evolving, it grew larger, its form becoming more complex.
Checking my terminal’s display while holding my breath,
the total EXP status had already become [Unmeasurable].
And naturally, the situation had updated accordingly.
[Status Update: Any avatar that touches Akutsu Miyabi’s avatar will be erased instantly.]
“—Haha.”
Looking down at the scene, Saeki elegantly spread his arms.
“Haha… hahaha, this is incredible. I didn’t expect it to go this well.
What do you think, Shinohara-kun? This is the iron hammer of justice
that will crush your hopes. Mari-san’s ability—
Single-Point Breakthrough, was it? I took inspiration from it
and created an ability with the restriction of super enhancement only against traitors and enemies.
Well… compared to Mari-san’s ability, it might be a tad less restrained.”
“…A tad? It’s a shamelessly blatant cheat, isn’t it?”
“Cheat? That’s harsh. When facing a rule-breaker like you,
a righteous organization should have this level of power.
Miyabi might stop me, but we’re usually a bit too cautious.
…By the way, I love that expression. Does it mean you’re out of moves?”
Raising his terminal toward the angel beside him with a smug smile,
Saeki was certain of victory. …No matter what we used—EXP, skills, or abilities—
breaking through this situation was impossible.
A single flap of that angel’s wings could easily annihilate our coalition.
But—no, because of that, I…
(Yes… good. Now the final condition is in place…!)
Feeling deep relief, I suppressed a loosening expression
and stared at the scene before me.
The flow of events—the battle—had unfolded almost exactly as I’d envisioned.
Saeki lost the Reaper, lost Akutsu, and lost his composure,
resorting to a kind of taboo. At this point, the conditions
for bringing down the angel were already met.
Unfortunately, the one to deliver the fatal blow wasn’t me.
“Haha—farewell, Shinohara-kun. Your reign ends here.”
Saying this with a smile that couldn’t hide its malice,
Saeki moved to lower the arm he’d raised toward the angel—
[—Ahem, ahem. …Hey, you, can you hold on a sec?]
—Right before he swung it down. A voice, tinged with faint static,
rang out.
Not from someone’s terminal, but resonating through the entire room.
The processed voice, sounding neither male nor female, continued
as if reading from some document.
[You’re Saeki Kaoru-kun, right? This won’t do.
You’ve got a laughable amount of error logs piling up around you.
It’s a total mess. Sorry to interrupt when the final battle’s heating up,
but as the Duel Game’s management, we can’t overlook this.]
[Honestly, we only noticed because of a certain tip-off…
You seem awfully practiced at this. Is there usually a more skilled player
keeping things in check?]
[Anyway, penalty time—by the authority of the Academy Island Management,
we’re executing sanctions on you.]
With that, the transmission cut off with a click—and immediately after,
a dramatic change occurred in the scene before us.
The angel, previously cloaked in divine light, rapidly lost its radiance,
eventually unable to float and landing on the floor with a thud.
It was, in every sense, a fall.
The total EXP status displayed above read [Accumulated EXP: 45],
indicating an absurdly weakened state.
“What…!? No way!? What the hell is going on—!?”
Saeki, utterly confused, was in disarray.
Having assessed the situation, I stepped forward,
grinning fearlessly as I spoke.
“Didn’t you notice? You overdid it, Saeki.
You moved too far outside the Tower of Lore’s rules.
Resorting to such a cheat was bound to trigger a management intervention.”
“…No way, you’re saying you relied on such a coincidence?”
“Coincidence? No way, I planted the seeds—before the Duel even started.”
…Yes.
While I was conquering the Tower of Lore,
outside the tower, Eimei members led by Enomoto—
secretly supported by The Company—
gathered whistleblowers exposing Hexagram’s true nature.
With the help of Minakami’s sister and Eimei’s former ace,
they got word to the Academy Island’s management.
My mission was to corner Saeki by cooperating with all players outside the Angel Faction.
If Saeki, pushed into a corner, resorted to cheating,
all the conditions would be met.
“So… Saeki, your downfall was your arrogance.
Normally, Akutsu probably made your reckless plans work,
adjusting them to stay within the rules.
But you mistook that for your own talent—
so you eliminated Akutsu without hesitation,
driven by the short-term gain of reclaiming the Reaper.
By cutting off your ally, you lost your regulator.
It was only a matter of time before errors like this popped up.”
At my words, Saeki’s expression twisted violently, “…!”
No longer bothering to keep up appearances, he continued,
his voice thick with genuine anger.
“Shut up… Why!? Why does everyone keep getting in my way!?
I could lead this island in the right direction!
Eradicate evil! Let the righteous be rewarded!
Some cheating nobody has no right to deny my ideal future!!”
“Ha… Finally being honest, huh, Saeki? It suits you better.”
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!
Shinohara Hiroto! What do you think my justice is!?
My ideals, my reforms—what are they to you…!!”
“What I think of your justice…? Alright, since you asked, I’ll answer.”
At that, I paused for a moment.
…Because Minakami, who had been silently watching the exchange,
suddenly ran up to me. We stood side by side in front of Saeki.
And then—as if returning everything up to now—
we grinned and said in unison:
““—It’s none of your business.””
“…GAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
After a beastly roar, Saeki collapsed to his knees,
like a robot whose battery had died.
From there, everything happened quickly—
Due to the sanctions imposed by management,
the angel’s total EXP status was reduced to nearly zero,
leaving it barely able to move.
Himeji pressed her staff against it with a “Hya!”,
vaporizing its HP in an instant.
After a short wait, the Reaper’s hidden role shifted from Saeki to Kirigaya,
who used the scythe’s dark effect to banish Saeki Kaoru
from the Tower of Lore.
And so… August 10, 11:57 a.m.
Hexagram leader Saeki Kaoru suffered his first-ever defeat.
[Tower of Lore Top Floor: Angel Faction VS Kingdom Faction + Revolution Faction + Demon Faction: Battle Concluded]
[Victor—Demon Faction / Kingdom Faction / Revolution Faction]
♯♯
Some time after the battle with the Angel Faction—Hexagram—came to a close.
Only a handful of players remained on the top floor.
From the Revolution Faction: me, Minakami, and Saionji.
From the Kingdom Faction: Kirigaya, Fuwa, and Yuikawa.
Having successfully defeated the formidable Saeki Kaoru,
Minakami and Fuwa, in particular, visibly relaxed.
But… at this moment, it was hard to say everything was settled.
The reason we’d been able to cooperate so far was the common enemy in the Angel Faction.
“It’s a tricky situation…”
Standing a bit away from me, Saionji crossed her arms with a serious expression.
“Even considering school districts, we’ve got Ouka, Eimei, and Shinra
plus Ibara here… Shizuku and Misaki should be up soon,
so that adds St. Rosalia and Amanezaka.
The Captive Maiden, key to activating the elevator, is Minakami-san,
and the items are split between the Revolution and Kingdom Factions.”
“…Yeah, a discussion probably won’t cut it.”
Yes—the Holy Sword of Crusade, one of the escape condition items.
The one Saeki had was transferred not to us, the Revolution Faction,
but to the Kingdom Faction.
Due to the chaotic multi-faction battle that just ended,
the items seized as victory rewards were randomly distributed.
So even if we tried to sneak away, we couldn’t activate the elevator.
The straightforward option was to clash again,
but the four of us who benefited from Extra Turn—me, Saionji, Kirigaya, and Fuwa—
would become incapacitated in about an hour.
Just as I was pondering what to do, my terminal suddenly vibrated softly.
“…? Hello, Minami? What’s up?”
[! That’s weird… I haven’t even spoken yet, how did you know it was me?
Could it be, you’re someone who can identify me by my breathing alone…
In other words, a sound fetishist?]
“No. …Anyway, what’s the deal, Minami? You know we’re short on time, right?”
[I know… that’s why I’m calling, with a dash of mischief…]
Minami’s flat tone carried a hint of playfulness as she continued.
[Actually, good news for my stalker-san…
We’ve been farming EXP points on the ninth floor quests,
but this place feels like a trap… Earn too much,
and you get stuck for a while.
So right now, we’re caught by slimy tentacles, getting naughty punishments…]
[Hyan! M-Minami-san, where are you touching!?
You’ve been worse than the tentacles this whole time… Hyaa!
This isn’t the kind of protagonist I’m supposed to be!?]
“…”
[Hehe… I can hear you swallowing hard.
If you want to join, come on down…]
“No way I’m going…”
[Really? That’s a shame… But if you’re not coming, I have a message.
We’re stuck in this trap and can’t move… so feel free to abandon us.
Decide the winner among yourselves…]
“! …You sure?”
[Not really… You owe me one later.]
With that, Minami cut the call without hesitation.
Relaying her message in summary, Minakami tilted her head slightly, “So…”
“If Minami-senpai and Yumeno-san aren’t coming,
we just need to pick four people from the six here to join the winning faction… right?”
“Yeah, that’s the gist of it. For starters, since Minakami-san is the Captive Maiden,
she’s guaranteed one of the four slots as part of the escape condition.
That leaves three slots to fight over.”
“Right. With four school districts, we could split it evenly,
but…”
The top floor had representatives from Eimei, Ouka, Shinra,
and Ibara—four districts.
A peaceful resolution seemed possible,
but that would make Minakami Eimei’s slot,
leaving me out of the winning faction.
As someone who absolutely couldn’t afford to lose, that wasn’t an option.
Just then—
“I see, understood. In that case, I’ll withdraw from the victory.”
Yuikawa Kanade said this with a flashy gesture, brushing back his bangs,
offering a refreshing smile.
“I’m certainly a man destined to stand at the top,
but I’m not just strong—I can read the room.
If it makes the ladies frown, I don’t need that kind of victory.”
“Oh? That’s pretty classy… So, what’s your real reason?”
“Of course, that’s my real reason. But—just one thing.
As the brilliant me, I can tell.
If I stay in the winning faction, I’ll get roasted on STOC…!
That’d tank my reputation, just like with Astral!
So, I’m fine staying right here!!”
Yuikawa said with a nihilistic smirk.
He seemed to thrive on controversy, but… well, if he was okay with it, fine.
Hearing his declaration, Fuwa gave a wry smile, as if pulled along.
“If Yuikawa-san’s stepping out, that works perfectly.
Actually, I can’t join the winning faction either.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The cost of Extra Turn. I told you four hours, Shinohara-kun,
but I was actually active a bit longer.
That’s how I found the ninth floor quests.
…But as a trade-off, I’m hitting the freeze state earlier than everyone else.
All Duel Game actions are locked, so naturally, I can’t use the [Transfer Request] command.”
“Hyaha! Sucks to be you, Fuwa!”
“Ugh… You’re the one who told me to do it, Toya-san.”
“If you hadn’t nagged about ‘making me shine,’
I wouldn’t have given you that job.
…Well, whether it’s me or you, as long as one of us survives,
it’s Shinra’s win. It’s far from the ideal outcome,
but this result ain’t half bad.”
Kirigaya waved his hand casually, sounding somewhat satisfied.
Using a sponsor-exclusive skill, he transferred the Holy Sword of Crusade
to our Revolution Faction and immediately used the [Faction Transfer] command.
His target, of course, was the Revolution Faction.
This finalized the winning faction’s roster.
“Gulp… T-then!”
And—with Minakami leading, swallowing hard,
I, Kirigaya, and Saionji stepped onto the elevator in turn.
The Captive Maiden, the Holy Sword of Crusade, and the Talisman of Exorcism.
With all three activation conditions met,
the elevator began to hum with its familiar whirrr sound.
Immediately, a gentle floating sensation enveloped us—
And we emerged victorious in SFIA.
[Summer Major Event SFIA—Final Results]
[Total Participants: 250,239 (20 Districts). Final Battle Advancers: 16 (10 Districts)]
[SFIA Final Battle Tower of Lore Winning Faction: Revolution Faction]
[Affiliated Players: Saionji Sarasa / Shinohara Hiroto / Minakami Mari / Kirigaya Toya]
LNN.LibrarianNetNews.Special Edition
[Breaking News!] (SFIA) Final Battle— 《Tower of Legends》 Final Results Announced!
With a series of shocking twists, the grand summer event SFIA concluded in an unexpected way! Here’s the breaking news, nya! The ultimate victors were the revolutionary faction led by Sarasa Saionji (Ouka Academy, 2nd Year, 6 Stars), Hiroto Shinohara (Eimei Academy, 2nd Year, 4 Stars), Mari Minakami (same school, 1st Year, 3 Stars), and Eiya Kiriya (Shinra High School, 3rd Year, 6 Stars), nya!
Hiroto Shinohara’s Astonishing Comeback! Hiroto Shinohara-kun stirred controversy across Academy Island with accusations of cheating involving 《Hexagram》, sparking heated debates. In the end, his bold, unconventional ideas and charismatic ability to rally others led to a stellar performance. Through sheer tenacity, he exposed the misconduct of his greatest rival, Kaoru Saeki-kun (Yoshimuro Academy, 3rd Year, 6 Stars), resulting in a triumphant victory, nya!
The “Just” Organization 《Hexagram》 Was Actually Evil!? 《Hexagram》, long seen as Academy Island’s “guardians of justice” with a clean image and strong support, clashed fiercely with the 7-Star faction, electrifying the event. However, Kaoru Saeki-kun’s cheating within 《SFIA》 was uncovered by the organizers, leading to his disqualification—a shocking outcome, nya… Furthermore, victims came forward with accounts of 《Hexagram》’s past misdeeds, and this scandal isn’t likely to die down soon. The future of those involved will be closely watched, nya.
Players Who Gained Attention During the Summer Event Hiroto Shinohara-kun and Mari Minakami-san (Eimei Academy, 1st Year, 3 Stars), a key figure in the conflict with 《Hexagram》, emerged as major players. Misaki Yumeno-san (Amanezaka Academy, 1st Year, 4 Stars) also shone as a dark horse, creating a storm of excitement. Meanwhile, Shizuku Minami-san (St. Rosalia Girls’ Academy, 2nd Year, 5 Stars) won fans with her cool, stylish gameplay, becoming a new star, nya! Additionally, Senri Kururugi-kun (Ibara Academy, 3rd Year, 5 Stars), nicknamed “The Zombie of Thorns” on SNS, has gained both passionate fans and detractors, drawing significant attention, nya!
