Infinite Checkpoint Project: No Game No Life

Read ahead on my P@treon...

[email protected]/MayaMatengele01

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Haruya knew full well that having flashbacks in the middle of a battle was a bad habit, but he still couldn't completely rid himself of this way of thinking.

In negative terms, it was an act of escaping reality; in positive terms, it was a way to calm himself down through recollection.

While following Izuna, he recalled an incident from the past when he participated in a race with others.

It was an incident, not just a simple event...

The prize for the race was a limited-edition figurine of a 'Three-No Goddess' that Haruya had his eye on, and most of the participants were fellow otaku.

At first, he thought everyone was on the same starting line, but in reality, there were also many normies among them.

Indeed, there's no strict definition of what makes someone an otaku. Anyone could become a fan of an anime.

Just as Haruya was getting excited and ready to sprint for the figurine, the road collapsed.

It might have been a natural occurrence, or perhaps it was yet another stroke of misfortune caused by Haruya...

Because of this incident, the race was cancelled, and many people ended up in the hospital, though fortunately, there were no casualties.

From this, Haruya realized that his misfortune could spread to others...

Of course, he had no reason to tie all the misfortunes around him to himself, nor did anyone say that an unfortunate person couldn't lead a happy life and escape their misfortune.

In the end, so-called misfortune is simply the result of happiness being outweighed by misfortune. If happiness outweighs misfortune, can't that be called happiness?

Just as he was thinking this, Izuna who was moving alongside him ran into trouble...

Her sharp senses failed her as her clothes got caught on a falling sign, nearly causing her to fall.

Fortunately, even when off balance, Izuna could recover through her own movements.

Although Haruya wasn't sure if this was caused by him, he couldn't easily let it go.

But now, he had to separate one thing from another and think carefully and meticulously.

Before he could finish his thoughts, Izuna's question interrupted him, "Haruya, you must be really strong, right? They sent that Flügel after you instead of having her fight me, desu."

Haruya, on the street below, shook his head, "Not really strong. I just did some things that made them wary, so they're being cautious. That pair of siblings is very meticulous..."

"I remember you said, desu..." Izuna jumped from one rooftop to another, "That you're from another world. But on the first day you arrived, you became a noble of Elkia, desu..."

"Oh my, you know about that? It was just luck."

"I've done some research. There's still a lot I don't know about Haruya, isn't there, desu?"

'So that's what Izuna-chan probably wanted to know...'

But now wasn't the time to reminisce or tell his story. They were already very close to the park where Sora and Shiro were.

The enemies (Kuuhaku) were planning to use Shiro's calculations to take down Izuna, so there couldn't be any mistakes in the process.

Shiro would pretend to be hit by Izuna, then use the fight with Sora as bait.

Next, Jibril would pressure Izuna, forcing her to take action.

From the current situation, the only ways to break through the siblings' defense were from above or below.

If Izuna attacked from above, it would follow the original plot. So, what if Izuna charged from the front?

Impossible. Such an idea was inherently unreasonable, and the reason was simple: Haruya couldn't take Izuna's place and attack the siblings from above, a height of over ten stories.

Shooting from such a height would make it impossible to hit the siblings, and with Jibril defending there, it would only make failure more likely.

Compared to the original plot, Izuna's only advantage now was Haruya.

How could Izuna win without using her trump card?

Did such a method even exist?

"Haruya, enemies are coming, desu..."

"So soon?! Impossible. They shouldn't be–"

"It's NPC girls, desu."

Haruya let out a sigh of relief. Now wasn't the time to panic.

Exchanging a glance with Izuna, the two picked up their and began firing at the NPCs surrounding them.

Presumably, Ino was reporting information to Izuna from the other side, i.e the sibling pair's movements and Jibril's current actions.

Sora and Shiro must have known that Izuna and Ino were communicating and would therefore likely set up their plan at the last moment, not revealing anything to Ino outside now.

In that case, there was only one thing Haruya could do...

He casually threw a , not at the NPCs, but to attract their attention.

"What are you doing, desu! They'll notice, desu!"

"Don't worry, this is a tactic. Izuna-chan, you charge from above their position and launch a surprise attack."

"...I don't understand, but I got it, desu."

Seeing that Izuna didn't press further, Haruya slowed down, "I'll distract them from another location."

"Haruya, don't get taken out so easily, desu."

"Ah, okay, okay." Responding to Izuna's words, he also offered some encouragement, "Go and claim victory, Izuna-chan."

"Understood, desu... Right now, they're..."

Izuna fell into her own thoughts...

Up until now, she had defeated many races that challenged the Werebeasts of the Eastern Federation. She must have her own plans and ideas for changing the current situation.

Although she was young, her gaming skills were incredibly refined.

In this virtual game world, without magic, a Flügel's physical stats were about the same as a Werebeast's, so Izuna wasn't at an absolute disadvantage.

Additionally, she possessed an ability called 'Blood Break'.

A power that exceeded physical limits, one that even bends the laws of physics.

Izuna had her own goals, and both of them shared the same thought.

'...For victory...'

To that end, Haruya's complex thoughts narrowed down to a single goal: to disrupt Sora and Shiro's plan...

He couldn't let them complete their plan and push the battle toward Immanity's victory.

The most crucial part of their strategy, aside from Shiro's calculations, was Steph firing the decisive shot.

"Based on the NPCs' movement patterns, the initial situation, and the replay of the plot in my memory..."

'Is she(Steph) over there?' His gaze fell on the eastern intersection of the crossroads. Without overthinking it, Haruya ran over. Now wasn't the time for doubt.

When it's time to act, act; when it's time to hold back, hold back. That was probably many people's creed.

Despite experiencing countless misfortunes, Haruya still believed in happiness.

Kemonomimi were one of the sources of his happiness. He had to achieve his goal.

Find Steph, make her fall in love with him, and in doing so, shatter their plans...

...

{T/N: The term 'Three-No Goddess' refers to a character archetype in anime and manga known as the 'Three-No Girl' or 'Three-No Goddess'.

These characters often have a mysterious and cool demeanor... Some well-known examples of these types are ; Rei Ayanami from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and Yuki Nagato from 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'}