Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Before I knew it, a private room (a cell) for me had been prepared, and costumes for me were carried in one after another.
"Six Sages. Preparations are complete."
"Nice work, Ness-kun! I'm leaving the photos to you. Don't forget to send them to my PC later!"
"Of course."
"Waaait!! This is totally weird!"
First the yukata for the summer festival, and now—why do I keep having to change clothes lately!?
"As the King of Oceanus, as the Supreme Commander of the Oceanus military, I command you! Shiki-kun... put on the school swimsuit, the maid outfit, the bunny suit... and everything else I prepared!!"
"That's an abuse of authority———!!!"
Surrounded by Oceanus soldiers, I was turned into a dress-up doll.
- ***
—omitted—
Having obtained photos of me in the school swimsuit, bunny suit, and maid outfit, I once again received instructions from Six Sages.
"Unfortunately, I can't leave this city. I'd like you to handle the Triad recovery."
"Uu... I'll never be able to get married now..."
"If it ever comes to that, I'll marry you. Come on, cheer up. It's time for your favorite—battle."
Six Sages clapped his hands to hurry me along.
"You'll take a warship to Jolly Roger, and from there Eve will take you on to the pyramid."
"Ms. Eve... is she free right now?"
"I contacted her just now—she said there's no problem."
That's a relief. When it comes to driving skills, there's no one I trust more than Ms. Eve.
"Rather than sending a driver from here, she's used to driving through that desert zone, so she's the right person for the job. How many guards do you need?"
"None. Just me and Ms. Eve are enough."
The more people there are, the harder it gets.
"That's reassuring."
We left the prison and exited through the castle gate.
A car was parked in front of the gate. A Military Police vehicle.
"We'll take this to the port."
"Will we make it...?"
There's a bounty on my head, after all. The city isn't safe.
On the way here we'd wiped out the advance party, so there weren't many bounty hunters to bother us, but by now they've respawned. It wouldn't be weird for quite a few ambushes to be waiting.
"Don't worry. I'll crush that concern myself. Let me lend a hand for once."
Six Sages looked almost excited.
"Ness-kun, I'm leaving the driving to you."
"Understood."
Ness-san sat in the driver's seat.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
"Hold on. Take this with you."
From Six Sages I received a handgun with the Oceanus military flag—depicting a sea dragon—painted on the barrel.
"'Crime Gun.' Anyone killed with this will automatically be sent to Oceanus's prison. If you run into any players who look like they're under Green Ice's umbrella, try to take them down with this as much as possible."
Usually when you're defeated you only lose half your chips and your stats drop for a set time. But with this you can send them straight to prison. Is it really okay to give something like this to a civilian?
"Six Sages, that's..."
Ness-san showed a flustered look.
"It's a weapon normally reserved for Military Police only. Of course, you'll return it once the job is done."
So it really is something we're not supposed to have under normal circumstances.
"I'm counting on you."
I got into the back seat of the car. Once she confirmed I was seated, the driver Ness-san said "Departing" and started the engine.
We drove through the streets of Ashia.
As expected, while we were driving, the radar picked up something.
A swarm of players was moving to intercept this car.
"As I thought—bounty hunters after me! Ah—! At this rate we'll be surrounded—"
"No problem."
Ness-san spoke without looking away from the road.
She didn't seem to have the pursuers in her sights at all.
"Eh...?"
One after another, the player icons vanished from the radar.
I opened the window and stuck my head out to look behind us.
Soldiers in white uniforms were knocking down the thieves targeting me one after another.
What surprised me wasn't their individual abilities, but their coordination. There were dozens of them, yet every single one moved as if connected.
"'Senbatsu Kouryuu.' Six Sages' private unit. It's composed of 100 members, including Six Sages himself. All 100 move together, seamlessly linked, taking down the enemy."
I took binoculars from my item pouch and looked further back.
On the clock tower. In front of the mechanical clock, Six Sages sat with a sniper rifle at the ready. A large number of white soldiers stood around him.
"Their distinguishing feature is that 'Senbatsu Kouryuu' wears white uniforms. On the back is the emblem of a blue sea dragon—an emblem of the sea dragon that devours travelers and drags them to the depths..."
Six Sages' sniping isn't always accurate. He misses quite often. But every miss is intentional. He uses bullets to move opponents, or to restrict their movement so allies can finish them.
One shot from Six Sages changes the unit's movements. From his sniping, the six read what he wants to do, shifting formation to match his intent.
—What a refined unit. I'm almost moved.
"Could you break through them?"
"...Impossible. It feels like watching an orchestra. One conductor perfectly commands every instrument—horns with strong personalities, timid cellos, show-off flutes—turning them all into a single piece of music."
Six Sages' sniper rifle is like a conductor's baton.
"To counter that with a solo performance... I can't do that yet."
Doing the same thing as Six Sages would be impossible for life.
The exact opposite of me—a sniper who shows true value only in a group. That's the form of Infinity Space's strongest sniper...!
The sniper rifle Six Sages holds is powerful, but it's definitely not at the level of ∞Arts. To think he still has a trump card beyond that—terrifying.
"'Yet,' you said."
Ness-san gave a small laugh.
"Ah—um, did I say something weird?"
"Not at all. You're fine just like that."
"?"
In the end, I never had to pull a trigger even once.
I entered the port and boarded the warship. My destination: the pyramid near Jolly Roger—Rabi-chan's treasure vault.
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[Afterword]
Starting today at 19:00, the story of the protagonist Rei's little sister, Furushiki Azusa, begins.
I'd be delighted if you'd read it and, if possible, give it a ☆ rating. We'll also dig deeper into the world-building and Shiki's past, so if you liked Sniper Is a Loner, you won't regret reading this! Thank you very much.