The story we started

[Far away from the river bank, in a hidden patch of grass. ]

[A pair of binoculars stretched out from the bushes, taking in everything that happened under the bridge beside the riverbank—the blue warrior was thrown out of the water, and the enemy followed closely to the shore and confronted him.]

[“That’s Kuuga——It hurts!”]

[The girl who put down the telescope was about to stand up, but because of her excessive movement, her red forehead, which was still covered with a bandaid, accidentally hit a nearby electric pole, causing her to squat again with a scream of pain, crouching with her hands on her head with tears in her eyes like a little animal.]

【"Woo..."】

[The girl, with tears still in her eyes, picked up the telescope that had fallen to the ground and looked at the battle scene in the distance again.]

[“The battle isn’t over yet. It would be dangerous if we go there now. Should we wait until it’s over? Hmm?”]

[She was observing the battle situation and suddenly made a puzzled sound. She twisted the telescope lens a few times with her right hand holding the tube.]

[The two fighting under the bridge suddenly moved closer in the telescope's field of view, and the scene became clearer.]

【"……well?"】

[Looking at Zaimokuza in the telescope, who turned on the element awakening mode and changed from a blue dragon form to a Titan form covered in silver-white armor, and Biran, who turned on the enhanced form and became more ferocious and hideous, the girl's chestnut eyes gradually widened.]

[“Kuga and No. 23——have transformed into a completely new form???”]

[The girl quickly grasped the telescope with both hands and stared at the two people in the distance in disbelief.]

[Especially when she saw Zaimokuza summon countless protruding stone pillars from the ground with a wave of his hand to pierce Biran, and the other party was wrapped in water and rushed through the gaps between the stone pillars at an extremely fast speed towards Zaimokuza, her voice could not help but rise several tones, and her voice was full of wonder.]

[“According to the records, shouldn’t Kuuga have used the blue form throughout the entire battle, and used his own exclusive weapon to deal a fatal blow to No. 23 at the end, killing him!? What the hell is going on???”]

[“And their appearance and abilities…why, why are they not recorded in the database at all!???”]

23. Backstab and pig teammates two in one

【Tokyo City, a tributary of Tokyo Bay. jingwubook.com】

[clang——]

[Biran crossed his hands, and the two water blades extending from his elbows formed a blue cross, and chopped down towards Zaimokuza! ]

【Zaimokuza showed no intention of dodging, and roared, holding his chest high to meet the enemy's attack without dodging or avoiding.】

[The cross-shaped azure blade slashed at the breastplate of the Titan's awakened mode. The blades, which were clearly formed by water flow, splashed out blazing sparks at the moment of collision, illuminating the various eyes of the two as they looked at each other.]

[But this time, Biran made Zaimokuza's previous embarrassing attack fail to achieve the results it should have. After only breaking several pieces of the breastplate when chopping, the blade got stuck on the surface of the heavy armor and could no longer move forward.]

[“Tsk, your turtle shell is really tough!”]

【"snort!"】

[Biran couldn't help but smack his lips when he saw this scene, while Zaimokuza snorted coldly and swung the Titan Sword forward, the blade cutting through the air and heading for its neck, intending to decapitate it with one blow!]

[But Biran dodged this sharp sword with a standard iron bridge move, then bent his knees and did a backflip to easily avoid his next slash. ]

[“Too slow? Your slow attack can’t hit me, kuuga!”]

[The Piranha Gurongi somersaulted to the ground with an elegant dance on a tightrope, looking at Zaimokuza who was defending with a sword across from him, and provocatively raised his right index finger and hooked it, mocking his useless efforts.]

[Zaimokuza said nothing in response to the enemy's ridicule, and calmly watched its next move. The cuts on his armor began to repair at a speed visible to the naked eye, and were fully healed in less than ten seconds.]

[But he did not feel the slightest bit of joy. Instead, he tightened his grip on the Titan Sword with both hands, trying his best to suppress the anxiety in his heart.]

[The reason is very simple. Although after turning on the awakening mode of the Titan form, the super strong defense can easily block the opponent's previous attack that made him feel extremely difficult, this awakening form has a huge flaw. ]

[While possessing unrivaled defensive power and defensive strength, as a price of balance, the Titan form completely loses the high-speed mobility of other forms and becomes extremely cumbersome.]

[This is the situation before the awakening form is activated. After the elemental awakening is activated, while the defense and attack are strengthened again, the mobility is further weakened. Every step is as difficult as an ordinary person running a marathon with a 50-kilogram load on his back. It takes more than ten seconds to run a hundred meters, and the physical energy consumption is very huge.]

[Although this form can completely ignore the opponent's attacks, Zaimokuza's own attack speed cannot catch up with the opponent. Biran's super fast movement speed further highlights the weakness of the Titan form. The stone pillar, which is the only long-range means of this form, can't even catch up with its shadow. ]

[So now the situation is just like a bee attacking a turtle. The turtle's shell can block the bee's stinger attack, but the turtle itself cannot attack the bee, and can only fall into a long tug-of-war.]

[This is why Zaimokuza is anxious. He simply can't keep up with the opponent. ]

[The opening time of the elements is limited, and the current Zaimokuza cannot use the power of manipulating elements as freely as these Gurongi, regardless of time, as if it were a part of the body. ]

[Therefore, once he crosses the timeline and is forced to exit the awakening mode, his strength will be greatly weakened. If he continues to face the enemy in front of him, he will basically have no choice but to let the enemy slaughter him.]

[But Zaimokuza had no other choice. It was not that he could not defeat this enemy. At least if he awakened his all-powerful form with the strongest firepower, he would definitely be able to defeat the enemy. But in that case, there was no guarantee that the tourist boat on the river not far away would not be affected.]

[He glanced at the sightseeing boat that was gradually approaching this side, thinking whether there was any way to keep them away, or at least to find a way to lure No. 23——]

【? ? ? 】

[Wait... the ship is gradually approaching this side? ]

【“What!?”】

【Zaimokuza was extremely shocked and spoke English directly from his mouth. He turned his head suddenly and stared at the sightseeing boat that was coming towards him quickly without paying attention.】

[The boat cut a sharp angle on the river, cutting through the waves and approaching the shore, with no sign of slowing down.]

[What the hell!? Why don’t they just sail the boat away but come here!? ? ?]

……

【A few minutes ago, in the control room of the sightseeing boat. 】

[“Xiao, Xiaolu, are you really okay?”]

[Kotobuki Tsumugi asked Tianzhong Ritsu who was standing in front of the control panel with a pale face, and tried to turn her eyes away and not look at the bloody bodies of the crew members behind her.]

[When I first came in, the situation here was horrible. Almost all the crew members were slaughtered as soon as Biran boarded the ship. The broken limbs were scattered all over every corner of the control room.]

[The only junior member of the light music club, Nakano Azusa, fainted when she first came in due to the bloody scene and was helped out. The remaining girls, with the help of a group of passengers, suppressed their nausea and fear and moved the bodies that had fallen in front of the control panel away to make room for them to stand.]

[“Lv, are you sure?”]

[Akiyama Mio's face turned pale after being shocked by the scene of corpses all over the ground. However, this was not her first time experiencing this, so she had some resistance. She endured the stimulation of the bloody smell in her nose and asked her friend while resisting the dizziness.]

[“Even if you’re not sure, you should still give it a try!”]

[Looking at the blood-stained control panel in front of her, Tianzhong Ritsu swallowed her saliva. Her face was not much better, but she still spoke with a firm and strong look in her eyes and a trembling voice.]

[“Number Four is fighting to protect us! If we stay here, he will be afraid to fight and won’t be able to use his full strength. So we have to drive this ship far enough away. Even if we can’t help, at least we can’t hinder him!”]

【"Can……"】

[After hearing this, Akiyama Mio looked up at the glass window of the control room with a big hole in it. From this direction, she could see the unconfirmed life forms No. 4 and No. 23 fighting on the shore. She pursed her pale lips.]

[Although she knew that what Tianzhong Ritsu said was right, she still had a bad feeling in her heart because she had a deep understanding of how her childhood sweetheart always failed at critical moments over the years.]

[“But Lu, can you drive a boat? Do you have any experience in driving a boat before?”]

[But with the thought of wanting to help her savior, Akiyama Mio still asked with a hint of expectation. ]

[“Uh, I guess… yes, right?”]

[The tomboy who had just been speaking righteously suddenly became listless after hearing her best friend's question. Her eyes moved around and she spoke uncertainly.]

[“Wait! What do you mean by should be considered as having???”]

[After hearing this answer, Akiyama Mio's eyes twitched a few times, and she felt the ominous premonition in her heart suddenly become stronger.]

[“Can you sail a boat?”]

[“I’ve used the first-person perspective when playing a battleship game, so that should count as… I guess?”]

[Akiyama Mio, Kotobuki Tsumugi: "..."]

【Hirasawa Yui: “=￣w￣=?”】

[Other passengers: “???”]

[Faced with the shocking answer given by their own captain, the remaining normal members of the Light Music Club fell into silence, and even the unrelated passengers standing outside the control room were stunned. ]

[“Anyway! We should at least give it a try, right? The current situation can’t get any worse. How do you say that? Die, die, die—”]

[“…We should try our best to save the situation?”]

[“Yes! That’s what I said!”]

[Looking at the suspicious and dull eyes of her own members, even the tomboy who was always as carefree as boys couldn't stand it. Tianzhong Ritsu, with cheeks as red as monkey's buttocks, covered her mouth with her fists and coughed a few times, forcing herself to become serious and said.]

[“It doesn’t matter if you die late or early. Since we’re all going to die anyway, why not give it a try and treat the dying horse as a living one!”]

[“That’s not how you use this sentence!? Ritsu, you idiot!”]

[Hearing this, Akiyama Mio's uneasiness suddenly reached its peak, just like the constant beeping of a boiling kettle. She couldn't stand it any longer and complained loudly.]

[“Stop talking! After we get back this time, Mio, come and teach me again!”]

[The dusty Tianzhong Ritsu turned around and looked at the control panel, then looked up at the battle still going on on the river bank not far away, took a deep breath, and his flat chest swelled for a moment due to the large amount of oxygen infused.]

[She took the captain's seat, swallowed her saliva again, and stretched out her hands towards the control panel in front of her.]

[Remember, you need to pull this handle down first——]

[Recalling the few remaining game control methods in his mind, Tianzhong Ritsu held the joystick with one hand and the car clock on the console with the other hand with trembling hands.]

[If an electrocardiogram was used to show the speed of her heartbeat at this moment, it would definitely be as high and steep as Mount Everest. Incomparable pressure descended on her heart. The girl who was still in high school only felt that her palm holding the bell handle was as heavy as a thousand pounds at this moment.]

[The weight of life and death of everyone on the ship weighed on Tian Zhongli's shoulders at this moment, making her almost unable to breathe, but she finally mustered up the courage to close her eyes, gritted her teeth, and pulled the handle down with all her strength! ]

[At this moment, she prayed devoutly to the original game producer, praying that the game they made was really as they said when it was released, "inviting military experts and people who experienced it firsthand to participate in the production", "100% reproduction of the meticulous operation of real ships" and not lying.]

[At this moment, she also began to wander inexplicably, thinking back to the name of the ship she had chosen when she played the game? I remember it was called "Arizona" or "California"? ]

【boom--】

[Just as Tian Zhongli was lost in thought, a heavy roar sounded, and the propeller of the sightseeing boat that had been stagnant began to turn again, rolling up waves on the water, and the heavy boat slowly drove up. ]

[“Success!!!”]

[“Ritsu-chan, you’re awesome!”]

[When she felt the ship start to move, Tianzhong Ritsu's eyes suddenly filled with tears. She turned around and hugged Hirasawa Yui who rushed over, shouting excitedly.]

[“Did you see that? Everyone! I can sail a boat! I can sail a boat!”]

[“…Well, the ship did start to move, but…”]

[Akiyama Mio's expression was inexplicably stiff, and she spoke hesitantly.]

[“——Is there something wrong with the direction of movement?”]

[Kotobuki Tsumugi smiled very reluctantly and pointed at the riverbank that was gradually getting bigger through the hole in the window, and said what she wanted to say later.]

【“——”】

[After hearing this, the two people who were hugging and cheering suddenly froze their joyful expressions on their faces, as if they were having a great time playing a game when they saw the dean's students watching outside the window through the reflection of their phones.]

[“Oh, oh no! I got the direction wrong! Joystick! I need to use the joystick to change the direction quickly—”]

【jump?】

[Realizing that he had made a mistake in the direction, Tianzhong Ritsu grabbed the joystick on the seat handle with both hands in fear and twisted it hard! ]

[——After a clear sound, the entire control room fell into an unspeakable silence.]

【“…”】

【“…”】

[Looking at the small joystick in Tianzhong Ritsu's hand, the members of the light music club turned their heads and looked at the pair of dull eyes that were also staring at them, like rusted and stuck machines due to disrepair.]

[“I, I…”]

[Looking stupidly at the joystick in his hands, Tian Zhongli looked up at his friends with frozen expressions, the corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and a smile that was close to collapse appeared on his face. ]

[“…Looks like I messed up again.”]

[Silence, as deadly as the deepest part of hell.]

【——And three seconds later, extremely terrified screams echoed throughout every corner of the tourist ship.】

【“Xiao, Xiao Lu!!!!!!”】

[“Look what you’ve done!!!”]

[“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!!!!!!”]

[With tears streaming down her face like a waterfall, Akiyama Mio grabs her childhood sweetheart's neck with both hands and shakes her wildly. Tianzhong Ritsu is shaken to the point of foaming at the mouth and screams miserably. Kotobuki Tsumugi frantically reaches out her hands to try to stop them. Hirasawa Yui, who is confused about the situation, tilts her head and stares at the murder scene in front of her blankly...]

[Amid all the screams and confusion, the sightseeing boat, like Don Quixote charging towards the windmill, sailed towards the river bank where a fierce battle was taking place.]