Chapter 390: Golden Lightning
Just as the Players on the beach showed shocked expressions, the two crimson and azure shadows in the sky suddenly began to descend rapidly.
Like two comets wrapped in a fiery storm, they plunged straight toward the ground.
"Quick... get out of the way!"
The two comets descended too quickly.
In less than a second, they crashed onto the beach.
"Boom!"
Iwanaga Kotoko reacted extremely fast.
Before the comets fell, she had already created a thick barrier of Black Particles in front of the group.
Although they did not receive the direct impact of the flames, everyone could still feel the sudden rise in temperature. It was a terrifying heat, one that seemed as if it could burn away all the moisture in the air.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Hearing the heavy breathing, and seeing the ground charred black, even starting to melt under the terrifying heat, Asagiri did not hesitate and immediately whispered,
"Disperse, retreat, sell, flee!"
Asagiri and the others had no foolish idea of carefully observing the true appearance of the two creatures.
They did not waste a single moment.
Completely ignoring the other Players who were fighting the two monsters, they quickly retreated in another direction.
...
Fifteen minutes later, within a dense forest on the edge of the island.
"This should be far enough, right..."
Fujiwara Chika leaned against a tree trunk, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and spoke with slightly rapid breathing.
"Just what were those two monsters earlier? Such massive size, the ability to fly, and surrounded by flames... that's just too absurd..."
"Bang!"
Just as Fujiwara Chika was speaking, Asagiri suddenly threw the Rope Dart in his hand toward her.
Fujiwara Chika's body trembled in fright.
When she regained her senses and turned to look, she discovered that on the tree she had just been leaning against, there was a thick, dark green python that had blended almost perfectly with the trunk.
Its head had been pierced by the Rope Dart Asagiri had thrown.
"Eh? A snake? There's actually a snake here!?"
Seeing the disbelief on Fujiwara Chika's face, Asagiri smiled.
"Hah, what's so surprising about that? In this kind of wilderness environment, wouldn't it be stranger if there weren't any snakes?"
"That's true, huh..."
"Let's get back to business."
Looking at the muddy surroundings, Iwanaga Kotoko very reluctantly changed the Phantom Dress she was wearing from the appearance of a long dress into a sportswear style convenient for movement.
Only then did she speak slowly.
"Those two monsters seem to possess the ability to manipulate flames, and they aren't ordinary flames either. We cannot measure their abilities using the conventional knowledge from our own world."
"Their size alone is simply too massive. That is also a very troublesome point."
"Yeah..."
Yuuki Asuna's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She looked at Shimmering Light in her hand, worry showing in her eyes.
"My strongest technique, Space Killing Art, has enough power, but facing a giant of that size, the kill range is too small."
"Unless I can directly hit a vital point. But for creatures that defy conventional logic, does a so-called vital point even exist?"
Most of Yuuki Asuna's sword skills dealt physical damage, but her strongest sword skill, Space Killing Art, was different.
Rather than calling it a physical attribute move, it was more accurate to say that she used her own power to sever space, then let the spatial tears created by those sword skills directly attack the enemy.
That counted as unavoidable true damage.
"No matter how massive a creature is, as long as its head is sliced into pieces, it definitely won't survive."
Asagiri shrugged and smiled indifferently.
"If it were just about dealing with those two monsters, it wouldn't be a problem for us. But the Dungeon has only just begun, and the noise made during combat might attract other monsters."
"In other words, to ensure the sustainability of our stamina and mental energy, we must avoid combat as much as possible. Even if we are truly forced to fight, we must resolve it quickly."
"Ultimately, we still need intelligence."
Kaguya Shinomiya spoke indifferently at first, then looked at Asagiri and said,
"Let's split up from here. As for sharing intelligence with each other..."
"You should take her with you."
Asagiri reached out his hand.
Chibi Mita, who was only a few centimeters tall, was sitting on the edge of his palm, swinging her two short legs. She looked very cute.
"Okay."
Kaguya Shinomiya took Chibi Mita and placed her into the pocket on the front of her clothes.
Asagiri shared a mental connection with his Personas.
As long as they were in a summoned state, regardless of how far apart they were, they could complete the transmission of intelligence.
This point alone could already be called an absurdly powerful talent.
Not to mention that a Persona's main role was actually combat. Intelligence reconnaissance and similar abilities could only be considered bonuses.
It was simply overpowered to an unreasonable degree.
After the four person team of Kaguya Shinomiya, Fujiwara Chika, Hayasaka Ai, and Sakurakawa Rikka left, Iwanaga Kotoko finally spoke.
"The most important thing right now is to figure out the specific area and terrain of this island so that we can decide which direction to move in. The hidden mission says we need to reach the center of the island, so..."
Upon hearing this, Yuuki Asuna could not help furrowing her brows slightly.
"You aren't thinking of having him fly into high altitude to conduct reconnaissance, are you?"
"This is the most efficient way."
"But those two giant dragons we encountered at the very beginning both possessed flight capabilities. If Shadow were surrounded by those monsters because of that..."
"I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious yet."
Seeing that Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko's opinions differed, and both sides were holding their ground, Asagiri, as the team leader, immediately spoke up to stop them.
"I agree with Necro's opinion. We must first confirm the general area and environment of this island before we can formulate the next plan."
"Moreover, while we are still prepared at the beginning, testing whether this Dungeon environment has restrictions on flight is the most reasonable choice."
"Most importantly, have you forgotten? It's not like I have to fly into the sky to scout myself. Isn't it the same if I let Walrider go?"
"Uh..."
Hearing Asagiri's words, both Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko could not help blushing.
When the two of them heard about aerial reconnaissance, they subconsciously assumed that Asagiri intended to fly into high altitude himself, completely forgetting the option that he could summon Walrider and have the Persona conduct the reconnaissance.
Perhaps this was what people called being flustered out of concern.
"However, if Walrider attracts monsters in the surrounding area, we on the ground also risk being discovered. After all, beasts that have entered a combat state have the sharpest perception."
Kato Megumi glanced at Yamauchi Sakura standing there and spoke softly.
"There are two plans now. The first is to directly send Walrider up into high altitude to conduct reconnaissance, while I apply the Void Touch effect on everyone to lower our presence, hoping to evade the perception of those monsters."
"But if we are discovered this way, because March and Necro's mobility isn't outstanding, it will be difficult for us to quickly disengage from combat."
Asagiri already understood what Kato Megumi meant and spoke indifferently.
"The second plan is for you and me to first move to a more distant area, and then send Walrider to conduct reconnaissance. This way, if we are discovered, relying on our mobility, even if monsters spot us, we can quickly escape."
"The disadvantage is that if we get into a fight, the three of them cannot provide timely support, and there is a risk of losing contact due to unforeseen circumstances."
"If we want to avoid this risk, I can leave one Persona with the three of them. But because I would have already summoned two Personas, I wouldn't be able to summon Walrider anymore, so I would have to personally fly into high altitude to conduct reconnaissance."
"Hmm..."
As the team's strategist, a look of hesitation appeared on Iwanaga Kotoko's face.
She knew that no matter which choice they made, there were risks that had to be borne.
In a fifth stage difficulty Dungeon, just one wrong choice could lead to unpredictable danger.
"Leave a Persona with us, and take Phantom with you to a distant area. Then fly into high altitude and conduct reconnaissance."
In the end, Iwanaga Kotoko made her decision.
She chose to trust the strength of Asagiri and Kato Megumi.
"OK. Leave it to us."
...
Five minutes later, in a dense forest area two kilometers away.
"Are you ready?"
"Ready."
Asagiri picked up Kato Megumi directly in a princess carry.
Kato Megumi gently pressed her right hand against his chest.
Although this was to continuously apply the Void Touch effect, such an intimate posture still caused a shy blush to appear on Kato Megumi's face.
Without any sound, in just an instant, Asagiri had already risen into high altitude.
Walrider's flight ability did not conform to any physical laws.
It did not need to rely on reaction forces or flapping wings, and could move completely silently.
"This is..."
After rising to more than a hundred meters above the ground, although Kato Megumi could not help feeling a little afraid, she still controlled her fear of heights and began seriously observing the distant surrounding environment.
However, the scene that entered her view was completely beyond both her and Asagiri's expectations.
Before them lay a landmass so wide it was exaggerated, with no visible edges.
In the distance, beyond a green forest area, there appeared an abrupt black red region, like a volcanic zone, completely inconsistent with geological logic.
At the edge of their vision on the left, there was a realm of pure white, like a snowy mountain.
This scene looked as if several completely different natural environments had been forcibly pieced together and merged into a single island without any rhyme or reason.
"Boom!"
Just as Kato Megumi and Asagiri were observing, a deafening peal of thunder erupted from the clouds.
Golden lightning flickered in and out of sight within them.
Then...
A pair of golden pupils radiating a ferocious aura locked onto the two people high in the sky.
.....
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