Chapter 273: Chapter 163: The Tower of Cyber Brain VS The Judgement of Genesis Part 2

「…… Yeah!」

「Of course!」

Then there was knocking on the door, and someone from staff appeared. The time has come to make a show!

「---- That about covers it when it comes to introduction to our latest work, “Galaxia Heroes: Chaos”, but let’s be honest here…… You guys want to see how it looks like in action, right?」

I don’t know the name of the guy who was currently speaking on top of the stage, but apparently he was the director in charge of creating Galaxia Heroes: Chaos.

According to the briefing we had beforehand, members of Star Rain and ourselves were going to step on the stage right after that.

「Say, Sanraku…… -kun?」

「What’s up, Natsume-san?」

「I think I’ll start writing “God” on the palm of my hand after all.」

「Really now?」

Just then the lights shine directly at us and Star Rain, and we can see a crowd that was at least a few times bigger than any school assembly we have witnessed so far in our lives.

And somehow, the pressure that all those stares were making on us was almost unbearable.

「Before we begin, a piece of advice: mercenary Jack is someone who always smiles in the face of adversity, even if others can’t really see it.」

「Thanks for making my roleplaying somewhat clearer…… Oho.」

I don’t really know who that character is or what it did in the game’s story. I’m just happy that the costume itself comes with a mask, so that my anxiety can be quelled at least to some degree.

So I do my best to straighten my back and take a step forward. Yes, that’s right, just like that. After all, not so long ago I faced a huge underwater predator that was shooting lasers at me. If I managed to best that, then what is there to be afraid of?

「Well then, when it comes to Galaxia Heroes: Chaos Presentation Party…… We will kick this off with an Exhibition Match between members of Star Rain and Nitro Squad! As for Moderator and live commentary, I’m going to be your man, Sasahara Eight, pleasure to be here!」

「…… Sasahara Eight?」

「Games Playing Idol that’s all at rage for the current moment. Apparently at some point she even tried her luck at ShanFro, but……」

「But what?」

「You see, there is that Saint at ShanFro, right? And that she’s really popular with players? She’s like that, but with real people.」

I don’t really know the details about the people like that, but I could tell that this Sasahara was once heck of an amazing person. But to be a real world idol and be inferior to an NPC…… that’s gotta hurt, no matter what.

Her outfit looked really idolish, with an overall cybernetic vibe to it. She was holding a microphone in one hand, and her words alone were enough to make the crowd become enthusiastic and cheerful.

「Oh my, oh my? Do my eyes deceive me, or is there someone missing from the Nitro Squad?」

「Um, it’s about Kei……」

「He’s currently waging a war with his stomach on the toilet!」

「I’m sure that he’ll emerge victorious from that battle before long, so no need to concern yourself with him.」

「Ha, haa…… Well then, let’s review the rules! Even though it may seem like your typical ordinary fighting game, Galaxia Heroes: Chaos possess rules that makes it quite different from its predecessor! This time around the map is full of lively NPCs! And there is a special cube that awaits the players!」

There is a bunch of difficult technical jargon being thrown around, but the gist of it is that there are now NPCs as well as obtaining the cube as a means of victory. I don’t know if there’s going to be more special win conditions in the future, but if there were, they would have announced them here. On the other hand, more rules can create unnecessary confusion down the road.

「Also, as an additional commentator, we have here Asama Ayato-san, a member of the Pro Gaming team “Colt Bison”!」

「I’m not really an expert when it comes to fighting games, but I’ll do my best…… Please treat me kindly.」

「Hmm, you might think something like “Is this guy really good for that sort of thing?” but his skill at commenting are second to none! That’s why he’s invited to all sorts of gaming events to provide commentary!」

「Fumu.」

I don’t really care all that much if this guy is a Pro Gamer or not, but who knows? It might be a good idea to make a mental note of him if his skills really as good as Miss Idol there makes them to be.

「Everyone, but that’s not all that Galaxia Heroes: Chaos brings to the table! After the match is over, I will explain the functions of Babel, a new type of service that Utopia Computer Entertainment will bring to you this Fall!」

Babel?

「As you may already know, Babel is a “real time translating” system that is scheduled to premiere at the end of September and be compatible with Full Dive systems released by the UCE.」

「The very same Babel has been pre-installed in the system that both teams will be using during the Exhibition Match, since we are aware of the potential language barrier in between members of Japanese Nitro Squad and American Star Rain. But now, they can communicate with one another without actually having to worry about that……!!」

「I see, speaking of the main premise, it is…… Was the language barrier a problem for you ever before? And this match is something you’ve been waiting in anticipation for…… right?」

「SO DA YO, WATASHI, SUGOI DESHOU, HOMETE, HOMETE!」

「You see, that’s what we actually call a language barrier……」

「Come on, a single “Oui” or “Come on!” would be enough for others to understand just fine……」

「Your Grandma is so funky, oi……」

I was starting to have serious doubts whether or not our carefully constructed strategy would actually be okay, seeing how Natsume-san was sweating nervously and looking as though she was about to collapse at any moment now. Finally, the first match was about to begin: Natsume Megumi VS Lucas Garcia!