A Heretic in a Chastity-Reversed World Starts Live Streaming - 27

Chapter 27: Flame Princess ③

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“It’s not really a schedule. It’s just, since this is a gate attack, we’re going to be processing gates nonstop. I’m hoping to clear at least twenty.”

“Huh? Twenty?”

Spica doubted her own ears. She had assumed ten at most, but the number of planned gates to be cleared was double that—and he’d added “at least” for good measure.

“Yeah. I’d like to be done by evening.”

“Huh? By evening…? Wait, do you really think that’s possible?”

“Yes. I’ll make it happen.”

All of Spica’s assumptions were steadily falling apart. If they were going to process gates at the pace he described, they’d have to move at a pretty high speed. On top of that, they’d be operating entirely within unexplored territory, which meant that if the terrain was quite complex, it would be physically taxing. Spica was no exception to that despite being an A-rank attacker.

“Seems like we’ll be moving at a pretty high pace. Are you really sure twenty gates is feasible?”

“Even with breaks, I think twenty gates is still doable. If we end up having to spend a lot of time on a gate boss, it might get a bit dicey though.”

“I-I see…”

(This situation… This situation is making me unable to admit that I’m not confident about this…)

Normally one to lean into provocation, Spica’s usual edge seemed to be completely disabled in front of Yuu. The sense of ease she had felt when they first met had already vanished. Incidentally, finishing twenty gates in just over eight hours meant a pace of about twenty-five minutes per gate.

It was worth noting that for a typical gate attack by an A-rank attacker, the average time needed to process one gate was about an hour.

“Right. Also, I’d like to ask you to provide backline support during combat, Spica-san. Your weapon is a gun, right? I’m a  close-range combattant, so I’ll be charging in.”

Gotta keep the spotlight moments for the stream, after all…

“Okay… got it.”

 (If I’m in the back, maybe I can manage… Or wait, is Yuu-kun secretly a sadist?)

“Alright then, I’ll start the livestream. Once we greet the viewers, we’ll head out.”

“Okay!”

(Ahhh… Where did my ideal date day go?)

Despite being a high-performing, controversial A-rank attacker active overseas, Spica was full of anxiety. But her pride wouldn’t let her voice any negativity to the public.  Yuu immediately activated his Sphere and began the stream. As soon as the infamous “Flame Princess” made her appearance, the comment section exploded and became all about her.

―The Flame Princess has arrived.

―What’d she do this time? Why’s she there?

―The Association has lost…

―My spine just froze.

―Don’t drag Yuu-kun down with you.

―Ignoring your Mama’s warning again, huh…

―Spica-sama, so beautiful. Please save us again today.

―There’s even a Spica cult in the chat lmao

“Good morning, everyone! We’ll be going all-out processing gates until evening today. I’ll only be able to check comments during breaks, so bear with me. Anyway, here’s today’s party member—Spica-san!”

“I’m Spica~♡ Nice to meet you~♡”

―Cute but infuriating to see.

―Is she taunting us?

―Unforgivable..

―It’s annoying how talented she actually is..

―Do we get to see lots of Yuu-kun today?

―Since Yuu-kun is a melee combattant, I bet he’ll be leading the battle. I’m so excited!

―People are already suspecting Spica of rigging the lottery in H. LOL

“Well then, Spica-san, let’s head out.”

“Mm, got it.”

From that point on, it was exactly what you’d expect from an A-rank attacker party: the monster-clearing quickly turned into a streamlined operation akin to a factory production line.  The two sped through the already-explored zones without slowing down at all.

“Alright, we’re heading into unexplored territory now. Let’s keep moving.”

“Roger!”

 (Judging from our pace… Maybe this is easier than I thought♡)

Spica, despite her initial anxiety, began to think this might not be so bad after all. But she still hadn’t realized something important. They hadn’t even reached the real starting point yet.

―Their pace is insane lol

―A-rankers are terrifying

―Even the Flame Princess is keeping up with Yuu-kun.

―I’m honestly impressed.

―Haaaa… Spica-sama… So radiant…

“I’m gonna pick up the pace a bit more now~”

“Roger!”

(W-wait, seriously?!)

Yuu increased their speed even further. From the outside, it looked almost like they were sprinting at full speed. The basic approach for gate attacks was to proceed with no mapping. After a few minutes, they found the first gate.

“Going in now~”

“Phew, okay~”

(Ugh… if he goes any faster, I’m gonna get left behind…)

She didn’t show it on her face, but Spica was starting to feel a sense of danger. The composure she had begun to regain was quickly unraveling again.

“GYAAAAAAAAAH!”

“A Manticore as the gate boss, huh… Looks even bigger than the last one. There’s no way this dungeon should be ranked B.”

“Yuu-kun, I’ll stop its movements—”

“I will strike first! Flying Blade: Fuujin!”

Before Spica could finish her sentence, Yuu already launched a preemptive strike. According to the script in his mind, this scene was meant to be a one-hit showcase. With every swing of his blade, invisible slashes rained down on the Manticore mercilessly. Spica was speechless at the attack, which ignored the laws of physics. Before long, the Manticore collapsed, dead under a storm of slashes.

“…”

(That sword… Is it an artifact?)

―It’s heeereeeeeee!!!

―『My Ultimate Samurai OC』

―Azuma-san’s special move!!!

―Still a flawless reenactment, as always

―Didn’t let it do a thing… Damn, he’s really that strong, huh?

―Even the Flame Princess is bug-eyed

―↑We don’t get that expression out of her often. LOL

―Yuu-kun feels totally different today. Too cool♡♡

“Hey, Spica-san. We’re moving to the next one!”

“Wha—? Sorry! Okay, I’m ready!”

Spica almost never ran dungeons with attackers who were “above” her. That was because she was usually the one seen as the top-tier presence. She had teamed up with Sachi a few times, but those were more laid-back runs, not serious raids like this one.  In other words, this was Spica’s first true hardcore dungeon run with someone stronger than her since she’d risen to her current rank.

And the best way to tell if someone was “above” you was by comparing Artifact-based ability measurement scores. Yuu scored 575. Spica scored 468. A difference of over 100. She’d thought “he doesn’t seem that strong though” based on his streams—but that was because Yuu deliberately toned things down for show. There had been a few unexpected real injuries, but if he had gone all-out from the start, even those irregularities would’ve been over in seconds.

Incidentally, a gap of over 100 in those scores was about the same as the difference between a beginner A-rank attacker and a C-rank one. In practical terms, even if they were both A-rank, there was an uncrossable wall between Yuu and Spica.

(Wait… Is there any reason for me to even be here?)

Not even an hour had passed since the gate attack began, and already cracks had started to form in Spica’s mental state. Even so, Yuu continued dashing through the unexplored territory without slowing down. From his perspective, Spica still seemed to be holding up fine—but that wasn’t the case. Especially not emotionally.

(We’re really doing this nineteen more times? I’m seriously gonna die…)

To be frank, Yuu wasn’t holding back at all. He judged things based solely on rank and was completely ignoring the status gap between him and her—which should have been a key factor.

In other words, he had arbitrarily decided, “She’s A-rank too, so she’ll be fine.” This tactless judgement was the result of his lack of real party experience.

“Found one!”

By the time they discovered the second gate, Spica’s mental energy had been thoroughly worn down. Her physical stamina was still holding up… For now.

“Spica-san, could you fire your gun wildly to flush them out? Looks like they’re hiding themselves…”

“Got it!”

(Though I’m not entirely sure what purpose I serve here…)

—Isn’t the Flame Princess acting kinda weird?

—What part is weird?

—Her expression is clearly off.

—Maybe she’s just tired from all the running.

—↑ At Spica’s level, she should still have plenty of energy to spare.

—Still, you can’t deny it feels like she’s getting swept up in Yuu-kun’s pace.

—Aren’t they both A-rank? That can happen?

—↑ If anything, Japan’s A-rank cap makes the disparity within A-rank absurdly wide.

—So you’re saying Yuu-kun is way above Flame Princess in terms of skill…

—She seems oddly mellow, and there’s been no flamebait at all so far lol

—If you take the “flame” out of Flame Princess, she’s just a ‘Princess’!!!

The viewers noticed something was off about Spica before Yuu did. Since he was currently following a scenario optimized for making his livestream interesting, he might not have been paying attention to the finer details.

“Oh, she’s out! Nice job, Spica-san! I’ll take it from here!”

“Mm, thanks!”

(Why is my chest feeling all unsettled…? Eighteen gates left… This schedule is insane~)

Could Flame Princess Spica endure the remaining eighteen gates—both physically and mentally—in this ongoing gate attack?

―――⭐︎

Standard Ability Measurement Values Using Artifact (Japan)

A Rank: 255 and up

B Rank: 200–254

C Rank: 155–199

D Rank: 100–154

E Rank: up to 99

The average untrained civilian is around 38. World-class attackers typically measure over 400.

There was a massive gap even between A-rank attackers, but as explained later, it was widely accepted that the measured value was influenced by multiple factors, so it wasn’t as strange as it seemed. These values were believed to reflect an individual’s ability, skill, and equipment. For example:

Spica —

With “Magic Gun”: 468

Without “Magic Gun”: 406

Since there was virtually no time gap between the measurements, it was concluded that the equipment “Magic Gun” directly affected her measured value. Also, in Japan, disparities within A-rank were particularly pronounced, which had led some to propose creating even higher ranks.

However, the prevailing opinion seemed to be: “It’s been fine so far, so there’s no need to change it now”. It was a very Japanese attitude indeed. Attackers were legally subject to strict regulations due to their overwhelming individual power. Revising these legal frameworks would also be necessary if the government were to create higher ranks, which likely contributed to the government’s reluctance to act.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー