Published at 23rd of July 2023 11:02 pm

Chapter 460

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Defense Specialization and Waiting for Morning 2

The next morning, Maple woke up, the sun shining through the window.

The night went by peacefully without any attack, and the inside of the castle remained quiet.

“Hmm…”

Maple sat up, before stretching her body. Her stamina had fully recovered, and she was at peak physical condition.

When Maple got off the bed and opened the door, Sally stood there, about to wake her up.

“Good morning, Sally!”

“Good morning, Maple. You look chirpy.”

“How are you feeling, Sally?”

“Better than yesterday.”

Sally was fully-rested. With that, they could get the performance issue out of the way.

“Let’s go grab some breakfast. We’ll discuss our strategy there.”

“Got it!”

When they headed for the room filled with the members of [Maple Tree], Iz was already there.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright!”

“That’s great.”

Iz arranged the dishes she stored in her inventory on the table. The dishes would grant them buffs that’d last for a long period of time.

Although the effect was inferior to combat skills, a small numerical difference could sometimes shift the tide of battle.

—Above all, they were delicious.

When the two were enjoying breakfast, the other three joined them. With everyone present, the discussion about today’s strategy began.

“The monsters will start moving around noon, so I don’t recommend fighting until then.”

“Yes, that way, we can also avoid Velvet and Mii’s attacks.”

“That’s true. Although Velvet and Mii are strong, we have Payne on our side, and he is… something else.”

If Frederica focused all her buffs on his torrent of light, it could literally eradicate everything.

What they had to do to attain victory was obvious. In that case, it’d be better to wait quietly until then.

“What do you think the enemy will do?”

“Maybe they’ll attempt something, just like how we lured them out in the middle of the night.”

“What should we do once that happens? If they want a fight, we can give them one!”

Of course, it didn’t mean they were incapable of fighting. However, Sally didn’t think it was necessary.

“Rather than that, I think it’d be better if all the players are in reach.”

It’d be better if there were many players who could respond when Mii and Velvet appeared.

After all, no matter how good the two of them were at ranged attacks, considering the invincibility skill and other counter skills, they wouldn’t be able to recklessly charge into the middle of the enemy’s line.

“Then, we’ll just have to wait!”

“That’s what Maple is good at! If we can pull it off, then victory will be ours.”

Sally could confidently say that after assessing the enemy’s defense and checking the number of fallen players.

“Until then, what should I do? Should I lay in wait while thinning down the enemy?”

“Yes, that should be fine. Just in case, Maple should be on standby at the royal castle as much as possible.”

Yui was basically a weapon, so she wasn’t suitable for anything other than combat. Without a defensive formation to cover her, the risk would be higher.

“Let’s watch out for suspicious movements. We wouldn’t want to get caught up in something else during the sortie.”

“Okay, how about you?”

“Can Chrome and Kanade come with me? It’s so we can deal with whatever comes after.”

“Okay, no problem.”

She had a premonition that in the next large-scale battle, the tide would shift in favor of one side.

That was why they made as many preparations as they could now.

“Maple, didn’t you use [Tyranny] the night before today?”

“That’s right! I can use it again! It’s important, after all.”

Rather than as an attack, she’d planned to save it for emergency. Fortunately, this time, there were many allies who dealt damage and posed a threat.

Basically, Maple had to support everyone with the right skillset at the right time. With [Afterglow of Salvation], [Darkness of Rebirth], and [Machine God], Maple could participate in battle even from the rear.

Sally told Maple that the rest was up to the decision they made on the actual battlefield.

“Stay focused.”

“Okay!”

After breakfast, Sally left the room with Chrome and Kanade.

“I wonder if the next battle will also be the last?”

“It might be. What are you going to do, Sally?”

Kanade took out several books from the floating bookshelf behind him.

If she said she was going to go all out, Kanade would use his magic book. Even though he’d used all his powerful defensive skills, he still had some left for offense.

“I guess it depends on the situation. In the end, it depends on the number of enemies and allies. Ultimately, we’d still have to raid the castle.”

“That’s true, if you use them all up, you won’t be able to do anything during a siege battle.”

“Payne will set it up before we mow them down. If you want to do something, do it later.”

The three confirmed the number of surviving players before going out on the field.

Even after the few battles that happened here and there during the night, the number of players in this faction was still larger than the one in the large-scale battle yesterday afternoon. All that was left now was to crush all the possibilities of a comeback.

“Kanade, do you have any search skills left?”

“I had the [Congregations of the Holy Swords] member patrol at night. I still have some.”

“Good. Let’s start by checking if there are any traps being set. I want to see if there are any other players hiding and lurking during the night.”

The main source of damage reduction in the large-scale battles would be the magician who specialized in area attacks and had long-range skills.

Sally and Chrome were strong in one-on-one battles, but what they could do in team fights were limited.

The next battle would be a team fight. Worst-case scenario, there might be a surprise attack aiming to take out fragile damage dealers.

“I don’t think the enemy is up to something.”

“Still, let’s be careful. Rather, it wouldn’t be strange for us to be attacked.”

“Please cover me.”

“Leave it to me, I’ll be sure to keep you safe next time.”

Thus, the three scored the castle’s premise, and decided to perform one final check before the battle to see if there was anything suspicious, or if there were any enemies lurking.

At the same time, the [Congregations of Holy Swords] was also having a meeting. Their central topic was mostly the same. However, the [Congregations of Holy Swords], which had a greater fighting potential, was talking about more specific content than [Maple Tree].

[Congregations of Holy Sword] had formed alliances with guilds beside [Maple Tree] and were keeping close contact with them.

They’d listen to other guilds’ strengths, policies, etc., before deciding the movement of the camp as a whole.

Whether to attack or defend—it’d be difficult to win in team fights if their mind wasn’t united in crucial situations.

“Payne, how did it go?”

“Many guilds agree to gather here to conclude the game.”

“Hee, well, there’s a difference in numbers, now.”

“That’s right. I guess they want to bring a swift end to it before a fatal mistake could occur and worsen the situation.”

Although they managed to survive, the terror of Mii and Velvet’s ultra-wide range attacks remained. If they weren’t careful, the two would be the death of them.

Therefore, thinking about the worst-case scenario, he wanted to reduce the chances of being attacked by the two as much as possible.

“Shouldn’t that be the case? It’s best to attack when everyone’s ready.”

“The problem is how the enemy might attack…”

The first move of the [Congregations of Holy Swords] had been decided. After buffing everyone, he’d launch an attack using the holy sword, coupled with Frederica’s [Multi-Transfer].

Simple, yet powerful. Nothing could defeat that.

“What should I do? I can cast [Mana Ocean] at the same time…”

“It’s not a bad addition. However, there’s something I’m somewhat concerned about. I want to hear your opinion.”

“Hm? That’s fine.”

Payne spoke to Frederica about his concerns, and Frederica pondered for a moment.

“I see. It’s true, it’s a hassle, hmm…”

Frederica, somewhat concerned, expressed her thoughts.

“Then why don’t we do this?”

Hearing her idea, Payne nodded before accepting her proposal.

“Let’s go with that. This is just one of the possibilities. I’ll relay it to the other guilds.”

“Okay, it’s no use being too passive. I think it takes a lot of courage.”

The two of them kept in touch with other guilds and worked out the details.

The most difficult thing was to turn the advantage into victory. Payne and the others prepared a solid strategy in their own way, trying to eliminate the gaps in their scheme one by one, just like [Maple Tree].

***

A second large-scale battle was imminent.

On the opposite side of Maple and the others, Ignis landed on the land of nature and water, right in front of the outer wall.

Again, the first thing they did was to ensure the safety around the perimeter of their base.

“Thank you. That was fast.”

Wilbert alighted from Ignis’ back. A far easier and more accurate enemy search than Maple and the others gave them a solid sense of security. After all, all he had to do was jump on Ignis’ back and circle the area.

“It’s convenient.”

“There’s nothing. No traps are installed, either. I’m pretty sure of it.”

“I’ll take your words for it.”

In that case, all that was left was how to deal with Maple and the others, who’d charge at them from the front.

When the two returned to the city, Lily and Velvet were already waiting for them.

“Will, how did it go?”

“There’s nothing of note. I saw no abnormalities.”

“Okay, I’ve been waiting for the final confirmation of the operation.”

The movements of the [Kingdom of the Flame Emperor], [Thunder Storm], and [Rapid Fire] were keys to the strategy.

“Start at the timing whenthe predetermined conditions are met.”

“If it doesn’t come to that, it’s also fine, but…”

“I agree.”

“If we slowly get pushed back, it’ll be difficult to carry out the strategy. If you’re serious about it, be prepared.”

“That’s right! Got it!”

After listening to Mii, Velvet slapped her cheeks to encourage herself.

“Be careful during the battle. If you accidentally die, our plan will be lost.”

Keeping that in mind, the four also wait for the battle. While Payne and the others wanted to conclude the battle swiftly, their main idea was to try to reverse the situation by closing the gap between numbers before it could expand any further.

Their reasons differed, but their determination to fight was the same.

A battle would inevitably occur. Depending on the flow of the event, the timing of the sortie would also overlap.

Thus, the four prepared for the upcoming battle.

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