Chapter 1288: Stinky Fox, Do You Miss Me?
The sky in the computer world held no meaning.
The entire Kinojo City seemed to have sunk into the deep sea, surrounded by an endless ocean beyond. Even the sky above occasionally rippled with clear undulations and waves.
Whether it was sunlight or moonlight, they were merely simulated phenomena.
Sunlight rose from the horizon.
Signaling that the long night had finally passed.
The participants in Kinojo City who had long lost their sanity continued their relentless slaughter without pause.
The total number of remaining participants had sharply decreased to below ten thousand.
"Hmm?"
Minamoto no Raikou let out a soft murmur.
Disturbed by the sunlight streaming through the window, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Where am I?"
Before her was the familiar ceiling of her own bedroom.
But she had no recollection of when she had fallen asleep. She only remembered that the UO finals had finally begun, and after being brought home by Eiji, she had stayed in the living room.
Then, suddenly, there was a tremendous commotion outside. Driven by curiosity, she glanced out.
After that, her memories went blank.
"You fell under the Beast's charm. I've already dispelled it for you."
A gentle voice came from beside the bed.
Minamoto no Raikou was dazed for a moment before turning to look.
Immediately, her eyes lit up.
"Darling, you've finally returned!"
Overwhelmed with joy, she couldn't restrain herself and threw herself into the person's arms.
"Ha..."
Eiji let out a long sigh.
He reached out and gently stroked the back of Minamoto no Raikou, who had buried herself in his embrace.
"I'm not that bastard... uh, Dad."
Hmm.
But was he really not?
Truth be told, Eiji himself wasn't entirely sure now.
A wild hypothesis lingered in his mind, though he remained only partially convinced for the time being.
"Oh, it's you, Eiji."
Minamoto no Raikou came to her senses and quickly straightened up.
She discreetly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Though she was careful, Eiji's sharp eyes still caught the gesture.
If it were the old him, he would have felt nothing but indignation. But now, his heart was filled with a tumult of emotions.
What a man laden with sin!
"Raikou, I need to go out for a while. You and everyone else should stay home and avoid moving around unnecessarily."
Eiji rose from the bedside and headed for the door.
"It won't be long. At most, in three days, everything will be over."
"Wait, Eiji!"
Watching Eiji's retreating figure, Minamoto no Raikou suddenly called out to stop him.
"Are you really sure it'll be alright? Otherwise, Mom could also..."
"Relax, everything will be fine."
Eiji turned around and gave Minamoto no Raikou a thumbs-up.
"Even if you don't believe in me, you should trust that Dad who swore he'd definitely return in the future, right? This world will surely be restored to normal!"
That confident smile made Minamoto no Raikou's vision blur.
By the time she regained her composure, Eiji had already left the room.
Last night, everyone in this house had been somewhat affected by Kishinami. The charm of a fully manifested Beast could only be described as terrifying.
Eiji had temporarily used his own charm to dispel the effects on Raikou, Souji, Touko, and the others.
Fortunately, Morgan had severed the connection in time, so they were only minimally affected. Eiji didn't need to exert as much effort as he had when helping the Black Spear Artoria, avoiding any accidental transformation of everyone into his loyal followers.
However, Souji's gaze toward him had grown peculiar—she would inexplicably blush and react nervously to any physical contact.
It seemed his influence had left some traces.
Given time, it should fade.
"Let's head out!"
In the courtyard, Merlin and Scáthach had been waiting for some time.
Eiji addressed the two.
Only he would participate in this Beast-hunting operation.
Morgan, Arcueid, Melusine, and the others remained in the house, guarding against potential attacks and protecting those with weaker combat abilities.
"Which Beast did you say we're hunting first?"
Once outside, Merlin asked Eiji.
"Ah, I meant this one…"
Eiji opened his watch and tapped a name in the second row.
Location information immediately appeared.
"Hehehe!"
...
"Boom!"
The building instantly disintegrated.
Countless machine gun-wielding demonic beasts were obliterated amidst wails of agony, erased by descending thunder and shockwaves.
Koyanskaya leaped out of the ruins in utter bewilderment.
What just happened?
The beloved little base she had tirelessly been modifying since arriving just hours ago—where did it go?
How could it vanish so abruptly?
Heh, let me see who dares to cause me trouble—
"Koyanskaya, it's been a while, hasn't it? Did you miss me?"
Then she saw a very familiar young man approaching with a perverted grin.
The cruel smile on Koyanskaya's face instantly froze.
Damn!
She knew this person all too well!
Back in the British Lostbelt, her incomplete self had suffered a major defeat at his hands!
Last night, she had just arrived at this Singularity and immediately spotted that bastard battling the fully realized Beast Ⅲ!
And he actually won!
Frustrated, she had taken a cheap shot at him!
And now, the very next day, he's already tracked her down?
"This Beast seems a bit odd."
"Judging by its appearance, could it be that Golden White-Faced one?"
"Most likely it seized Cath Palug's position."
From behind Eiji, two composed figures emerged.
Merlin and Scáthach walked forward side by side, both wearing expressions of absolute confidence.
Koyanskaya, listed only in the second row of contestants, could be handled by Scáthach alone. With Eiji's overwhelming strength, defeat was out of the question.
"How did you find this place?"
Koyanskaya gritted her teeth, glaring at the trio with resentment.
"What, you didn't know? The watch you're wearing has a tracking function!"
Eiji's smirk was thoroughly mocking.
If he recalled correctly, Koyanskaya had joined the competition after it had already started.
Meaning she might not have heard BB's full rules explanation, putting on the watch without understanding its functions.
"What?"
Koyanskaya stared down at her watch, frustration boiling within her.
How could this happen?
Is this really how the UO Selection Tournament operates?
Just as Eiji had guessed, she arrived last night, first observed the battle, then launched a surprise attack before hastily starting to set up her own base—she didn't even have time to explore the functions of her watch.
In her mind, a competition to determine Earth's UO should last at least a month, right?
So, of course, it wouldn't be too late to explore the rules later. The top priority was to build her base amidst powerful enemies—that would give her a sense of security!
But then, her assumptions came back to bite her.
"Enough talk, prepare to die, you sly fox! How dare you ambush me last night? Did I give you too much leeway?"
Eiji grinned ferociously, commanding his significantly strengthened familiars to close in and attack!
All that was left was to beat her up!