TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
With an absolute determination to survive, the group approached the VR machine in the virtual reality, chanting the secret words to transform into light and re-enter the test environment.
The scene immediately changed. The four of them arrived at a complex abandoned building.
It looked strikingly like reality, resembling city streets suddenly plunged into a Hollow by a Hollow disaster.
"This is completely different from the training ground before!"
Soukaku hefted her battle flag, feeling a sense of novelty.
Although this was more like a familiar combat environment, compared to the initial training ground, the difference was immense.
"Apparently, [Null_Face] deliberately used their permissions to pull a pre-existing realistic environment to delay us a bit longer,"
Yanagi observed the surroundings, noting the overlapping floors and all sorts of obstacles blocking the way.
The entire building was like a maze; finding the three monsters they needed to defeat wouldn't be easy.
"Then let's smash our way through."
Miyabi drew her katana and advanced toward a few Ethereal they had spotted.
With a resolve to protect, she held her blade firmly, ready to slice through all obstacles.
"It's lit, Captain!"
Soukaku felt a surge of power and charged forward, swinging her battle flag and executing an advanced Pudding Slash, delivering a lethal blow to an enemy.
The residual force sent a data-form Tyrfing flying far, landing with a broken leg. It could only crawl toward the group using both hands, looking somewhat ridiculous.
"What a stubborn fighting spirit!" Harumasa joked wryly, "Virtual Ethereal, you're way tougher than in reality!"
Yanagi thrusted her naginata forward, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. "Watch the area. Our target is the three enemies we didn't defeat during the test—they take on the appearance of the rebels!"
"There it is! It's trying to escape?"
Harumasa fired an arrow to mark the direction, astonished as the rebel-shaped virtual monster jumped over obstacles and ran.
Normally, test monsters should have charged fearlessly at them.
"[Null_Face] tampered with the data; they control a significant portion of the permissions!"
Yanagi's expression grew serious as she dashed toward the direction. "But they didn't let this monster completely leave our sight. Clearly, their control over the VR system still has major flaws!"
"Even the computing power HIA Club provides to the VR system isn't infinite. This space is limited—we've got this!"
Her spirits lifted as she finally saw a glimmer of hope for escape.
"Yeah, good news, but first we need to take down the monster blocking our path."
Harumasa narrowed his eyes at the monsters appearing along the route. "These guys aren't normal. My arrows should have taken them down already based on their previous health, but they're still moving."
"This world is fundamentally data-based," Yanagi analyzed calmly. "[Null_Face] is altering the data to make these monsters as tricky as possible within limits."
"Hmm…" Harumasa chuckled wryly. "So… a 'partial opening' doesn't really count?"
Yanagi took a deep breath. "Either way, we need to push harder!"
The group followed the special data monster forward.
Although the virtual enemies along the way had buffs—five times the HP, double attack, explosions on death—they were only slightly tougher for Hollow Special Operations Section 6.
But these monsters existed as data, dependent on computing power.
Killing one merely destroyed its outer shell; with power supplied, it could immediately revive.
And as long as the computer stayed on, computing power was essentially limitless.
The mental capacity of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 had limits; in this VR world, mental fatigue acted as stamina.
Against infinite computing power, their limited spirit couldn't outlast the enemies.
"We need a different strategy!" Yanagi quickly realized. "Chasing them like this will burn out our mental energy."
"What do you suggest, Yanagi!"
Soukaku smacked a data-form Ethereal with her flag and looked toward Yanagi.
Yanagi pointed backward. "Notice this? A few data-form Ethereal were knocked over by Soukaku and broke a leg. They didn't immediately recover or respawn—they're crawling toward us with difficulty."
"The stubborn Ethereal?"
Harumasa tilted his head, understanding immediately.
"Exactly. Those guys pose no real threat."
"Apparently, [Null_Face] doesn't fully control the VR system yet; they can't forcibly cut computing power or reconstruct the monsters."
"Let one person chase the special data while the rest control the monsters, only wounding them instead of killing them. That way, the computing power remains focused on the monsters," Yanagi said, inhaling deeply and speaking calmly.
"The special data isn't guarded; it'll be caught soon enough!"
"At least for now, this should work."
Since these monsters respawned, they wouldn't kill them, merely pinning them down.
"Good plan, Deputy Chief!"
Harumasa praised loudly. "Deputy Chief, you're the most meticulous of us all. We'll hold the monsters; you go grab the special data!"
"Right."
Soukaku moderated her swings, controlling the force as she pounded the data-form Ethereal around.
Miyabi leapt to Yanagi's side, redirecting nearby data-form monsters toward her previous position with her sword.
In an instant, Yanagi provided the plan, and the others executed it flawlessly.
This was the unspoken coordination of Hollow Special Operations Section 6.
"Mm."
Yanagi nodded firmly without ceremony.
She dashed toward the special data, unwilling to waste the time her teammates had bought.
Controlling the monsters without killing them consumed more energy than reckless attacks.
There were over a thousand data-form monsters, including higher-level enemies like Dullahan and Thanatos. Managing them without killing was no easy feat.
This strategy would also inevitably allow the enemy to collect more data on the captains.
Normally, they would want to preserve the strongest data, but Miyabi wasn't suited for a hide-and-seek style action.
She had to strike quickly, minimizing losses.
She sliced through stacked crates blocking the path and moved forward.
A solid wall blocked the way.
She examined it carefully, breaking the part concealed by false data, then advanced.
A floor with a massive drop loomed ahead; falling could be lethal.
Without hesitation, she followed, feeling nothing more than full pain feedback.
No obstacle could stop her resolve. Her eyes only saw slicing through the special data to get everyone safely back to reality.
"Damn! This madwoman!"
[Null_Face], manipulating the special data, cursed as she chased it through walls and jumps, boldly frightening him.
She even figured out how to manage monster deaths to counter his massive waves of enemies.
Even compared to a fully combat-ready Void Hunter, the Deputy Chief of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 was a formidable nuisance!
Damn it. If he could just buy a little more time, he could gain more permissions; controlling the data-form monsters would be as easy as flipping a hand, and her strategy would fail.
[Null_Face] maneuvered the special data, cornered by Yanagi, with no escape left.
There were three special data entities in total, each needing to buy enough time for him.
The performance of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 far exceeded his expectations; the first special data had bought too little time.
If the remaining two were the same, this operation would fail, and he'd be stuck sharing a table with that idiot Bringer.
No choice—he had to gamble again!
Hundreds of identical data-form monsters appeared, hiding the special data among them; the difference was impossible to spot with the naked eye.
Meanwhile, Yanagi finally arrived, facing a formation of rebel-shaped monsters.
She frowned slightly and sighed. "Such a cliché trick."
Cliché, yes, but effective.
She moved through them one by one; of course, she could find the real one, but it would waste too much time.
Her section chief's data was still being collected—as such speed was essential.
===BREAK===
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