Chapter 94

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Art World (94)

Francis placed her hand on the crystal ball that controlled the aquamarine.

"Let's start by mapping out this area. It would be convenient to have a general idea of the terrain."

Leonard raised a question that had come to mind.

"Hmm? Isn't it true that exploration magic can't be used inside the 'Rift'?"

"Direct exploration magic is indeed ineffective. However, the magical formula installed in the aquamarine can emit sound waves and determine the surrounding terrain based on their echoes. Even if the magic itself is nullified, the phenomena derived from the magic are not."

"Echo location, quite creative."

It was a technique often used by sound masters, who could perceive their surroundings through sound and vibrations. For them, sight and smell were not particularly important senses.

They could 'see' with their entire body.

"By the way, this is not a technique that individual mages can use, right? While it might be possible to gather information within a few meters, it's impossible to convert hundreds of meters of data into a map. Special artifacts or proper exploration equipment like this ship, the aquamarine, are necessary."

Esther's words were correct.

Even the Seven Sound Killers, a notorious member of the Four Freaks who had reached the pinnacle of sound mastery, was killed by a mere archer's ambush from over two hundred feet away.

If he had detected the arrow from beyond two hundred feet, he wouldn't have died so futilely. The range of precise detection using echo location was limited to a few dozen feet at most, even for a sound master.

"[Sound Detection Device], activate."

Following the command, a barely audible ultrasonic wave spread from the hull of the aquamarine and returned within a few seconds.

The aquamarine quickly processed the massive amount of information and drew the surrounding terrain on the surface of the crystal ball.

"City, settlement?"

"It looks like a city to me. The architectural style is unfamiliar, though."

The team members exchanged opinions after seeing the map created by sound waves.

Surprisingly, a large and magnificent city was located at the bottom of the deep sea, the domain of the interdimensional beings in the 'Abyss of the Demon Octopus.' The bell tower mentioned in the report was just one of many buildings in the city.

If it were on land, it could be described as a major city in a foreign country.

"...This is not good. Or should I say, it's a fortunate misfortune?"

Jack Russell, the chief elder of the magic tower, shared his insights based on the scene.

"I knew the Demon Octopuses were intelligent, but I didn't realize their civilization had developed to this extent. In this case, it seems that the low exploration frequency has been a blessing."

"Why is that?"

"This deep-sea city is not a garrison. It's more like a residential area."

Francis, understanding his meaning, widened her eyes.

"Refugees? They've invested all their resources in accelerating the magical landscape, leaving the internal defense forces insufficient?"

"Indeed, as befitting a daughter of Njord. If they were friendly to humans and inherently good, there might be room for acceptance... But from what I know, the Demon Octopuses are fanatical and cruel to other races."

"Then we should send them back to their homeland this time."

The operation was already aimed at 'sealing,' and now they had a reason to do so. If left alone, the precursor signs of magical landscape transformation would appear within a few months, at most one to two years.

Once that happens, even a 'Rift' designed for residential purposes would become several times more difficult to conquer.

If another magical landscape appeared in the Fifth Sea while Bermuda was unable to fulfill its role, it would cause significant chaos.

With renewed determination, Francis raised her voice.

"From this moment on, the operation 'Rising Sun' begins!"

All the team members, fully armed, waited for her words.

Francis shouted in response to the atmosphere.

"All members! To your positions! We will hold them off until Leonard and Russell complete their mission!"

* * *

While the aquamarine team members were preparing for battle, Leonard and Jack Russell stood on the deck, gazing into the darkness where they couldn't see more than ten meters ahead.

Although it was the deep sea, where sunlight doesn't reach, this unnatural darkness even blocked their qi senses.

The archmage Russell muttered, having a similar realization.

"Interdimensional laws. My control range doesn't exceed thirty meters? Without a way to secure visibility, it will be difficult to distinguish directions."

"Wouldn't [Night Vision] work?"

"Hmm, this darkness is more of a magical phenomenon than the absence of light. We can either create light to dispel it or scatter it like we do with fog."

Leonard nodded in agreement.

He had tried using one of his qi techniques, the Eye Method, but it was impossible to penetrate the darkness. The fact that neither night vision nor透视力 worked at all was indeed extraordinary.

Despite this, the two were not worried at all.

They planned to use one of the methods Russell had mentioned earlier.

"How long can you maintain it?"

"Two hours."

Russell answered his question immediately.

"Using the aquamarine's power to supply the necessary mana, my role is essentially to activate the magical formula. Considering the possibility of ship combat, I can hold out for at least two hours."

"What if it takes more than two hours to eliminate the 'Rift Guardians' and destroy the medium?"

"We would have to return to the ship using spatial travel and wait for a later opportunity. The transformation of the magical landscape would take several more months, so requesting A-grade reinforcements from Bermuda would be enough. You don't have to solve everything on your own."

While it would be best to resolve the situation at this point, he added, pushing up his glasses that had slipped down.

The defensive posture of the 'Abyss of the Demon Octopus,' more accurately the 'Deep-Sea City,' was almost defenseless. Finding a more critical moment to strike would be nearly impossible.

Due to the long absence of intruders, they were completely complacent.

{Leonard, Russell. Can you hear me?}

At that moment, Francis's ship announcement reached the two.

"I can hear you."

"I can hear you."

Upon hearing their responses, Francis gave instructions.

{We are now initiating the 'Rising Sun' operation. Russell, please start the deployment of the magical formula once you're ready.}

"Understood."

And, starting with that, Francis added a few more words.

{Leonard. I know your skills are even more outstanding than I expected, but please don't overexert yourself. The success or failure of this operation is a much smaller issue compared to you.}

"I will keep that in mind."

{We will hold out until you achieve the mission objectives or return to the ship. Good luck!}

Her voice abruptly cut off after those words.

For some reason, Russell, who had turned to look at him, was grinning.

"You're quite popular. With that face and those skills, it's no wonder."

"Russell, Commander Francis is not the type to be swayed by personal feelings."

"I know of her genius, but she is also a young woman in her prime. Being easily swayed by passion is a privilege of the young."

Leonard, who was about to argue, recalled his own experiences of being swayed by youthful passion and held his tongue.

"...Maybe you're right."

"Hmm?"

Russell found his unexpectedly honest response interesting, but it was time to start the operation.

Rumble...!

Seven circles rotated within the archmage's body, and his control range extended to interact with the world.

The internal environment of the 'Rift' had not changed.

Although the control range was slightly reduced, the archmage's control power squeezed the world, dispersing the darkness within its range. The shadows that had been hidden in the darkness, now visible at a distance of several dozen meters, were finally noticed.

However.

"——Dawn, arise."

It was far too late to stop the 7th Tier Archmage.

"O chariot that ends the night, O light that has circled the sea of stars since the beginning of time. I borrow your power. I will cast your face upon the bottom of the sea where light cannot reach. I will dispel the two-dimensional darkness and summon the bright light."

Although the 'Rift' was a space close to two-dimensional, the world laws that could be applied within it were not limited to those of the other dimension.

As a proxy of the world laws, an archmage could expel the laws of the invaders using the laws of this world.

And the most fatal law for the 'Deep-Sea City' was the phenomenon that the Demon Octopuses had to avoid by crawling to the bottom of the deep sea.

"Rise, [Helios]!"

The moment Jack Russell's incantation echoed, a brilliant sphere of light appeared above the aquamarine.

While the <Three-Legged Crow> that Leonard used against the fifth shadow was a compressed bomb of immense power, the sun created by [Helios] was a sustained cycle of power lasting for hours.

The deep-sea city, previously shrouded in cold darkness, was suddenly bathed in sunlight, and the Demon Octopuses' habitats began to echo with agonizing screams.

—————————!!

The sounds were filled with pain and fear, as if their thighs were being seared by a red-hot iron, or even worse.

The light and heat from [Helios] were apparently the Demon Octopuses' greatest nemesis, even more so than they had expected.

Russell, looking at the deep-sea city, smiled and said,

"As expected. They are gathering."

"They are not fleeing."

"Powerful intruders would hide in their dens, but if their home is on fire, they would all come out to try to extinguish it. To anyone, the source of this light would look like the aquamarine."

The aquamarine was undoubtedly a powerful ship, but it was not capable of directly attacking the 'Rift Guardians' or the medium.

If there was no risk of the 'Rift' being sealed, the Demon Octopuses had no reason to avoid a full-scale battle. It would be better to repel the aquamarine and save their carefully constructed residential area, even at the cost of some of their population.

This was precisely what Jack Russell and Leonard were aiming for.

"[Floating Board]."

As soon as he finished the incantation, a disc-shaped platform similar to what he had seen at the magic tower was created.

It was a flying disc.

While it could be used from the 4th Tier, it was difficult to control and lacked speed. At least a 5th Tier was needed to fly it at a speed slightly slower than a bird.

But with a 7th Tier Archmage controlling it?

"Come, get on quickly. I'll also show you the direction of the medium."

"Understood."

While indicating the direction his control power was pointing, Leonard raised a question that had come to mind.

"Russell, can you control the flying disc and perform attacks and defenses simultaneously while flying?"

"Defensive magic can be replaced with a few artifacts."

"What about offensive magic?"

"I haven't had a chance to use it in the air recently, so I didn't bring any."

Jack Russell answered calmly, turning to look at him.

"I can block most attacks, but intercepting necessary targets is your job. Can you handle it?"

"It's sudden."

Leonard, answering, pulled out four more swords from his spatial pocket. He judged that a single sword would not be enough to deal with the situation.

Strapping the scabbards to his back and waist, he was now armed with five swords and answered nonchalantly.

"Well, it's not a difficult task."

"Good. Shall we fly?"

The [Floating Board] carrying the two of them shot up from the deck.

The flying disc, which had climbed to a height of a hundred meters in an instant, transitioned to horizontal movement without slowing down.

At a speed close to 200 knots!

The flying disc, easily surpassing the aquamarine's maximum speed, shot off in the northwest direction.