“The problems are the enemies’ levels and types, and the bosses,” said Makoto.
He was quietly looking out toward the underground labyrinth.
The monsters seemed to be coming from beyond the Cerou area which was meant for level-40 players, so it was safe to assume they might be level 50 or even higher.
Next to Makoto, Misaki was doing her final prep, pulling at the bowstring to check the tension.
“You’re all so impressive,” she said to Makoto.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The battle formation, for one…”
Behind the mechanical soldiers were unaffiliated players from the west, followed by fighters from Twilight Adventurers, Yamata, Crest, and Aegis.
“Everyone’s focused and ready to give it their all. Unlike when Allistras was in danger of invasion,” Misaki added,
Almost imperceptibly, Misaki’s hands were shaking. Remaining calm when a swarm of unknown enemies was approaching was impossible for her. Yet Makoto and everyone else seemed relaxed.
“We’re only putting on a brave face,” said Makoto, leaning on his shield. “Besides, the circumstances are different. Anyone who’d run away now would be branded a coward, especially if they’re not from Crest.”
The frontline fighters who hadn’t contributed to saving Allistras from invasion had an excuse—their duty to clear the game. This time, though, the invasion was coming from the front lines. The fighters had no reason to refuse participating. Furthermore, the problem wouldn’t go away on its own if they fled to an earlier town. These monsters had to be defeated.
“We didn’t really have time to prepare for this battle,” said Makoto. “So we’ve resigned ourselves to do this, accepted it, and channeled fear into resolve. I bet you that’s why most people seem so calm.”
And that was true of Makoto, too. He slapped his thighs to stop his legs from shaking.
“The fast ones are coming!”
No sooner had Misaki hollered than she nocked an arrow. On her minimap, she noticed countless dots flying toward Fort Sandras. They were so close, she could already see them with her own eyes—an undulating swarm of black creatures that merged into the shape of one giant monstrosity flying straight at the fortress.
Chorus Bat Level 35
Native to the Sorn Mines area, Chorus Bats hunt as a flock. Once they have their prey surrounded, they stun it with a cacophony of noise and then carry it off to their nest.
“Prepare to fire the magical cannon!”
Immediately after players heard King Tyrone’s booming voice, the fort’s cannon fired at the bats. A sweeping beam of light pierced the sky, followed by a loud whomp a fraction of a second later, and the explosion’s resulting shock wave smashed the bats into polygon shards.
Monster drops and coins rained down onto the battlefield.
“That pretty much wiped out the entire swarm…”
“Watch out! There’s more!”
Some Chorus Bats made it past the mechanical soldiers and began attacking players. Screams of pain and fierce roars reached Misaki and Makoto. Then a giant bat swooped down on them. Its wingspan was no less than five meters. Getting bitten by a monster this huge was certain to be very painful.
“Over here!” shouted Makoto, casting Provoke.
The bat attacked him, exposing its back to Misaki, who promptly shot an arrow at it. It screeched in pain and thrashed, but it didn’t die, even though Misaki was using a powerful steel bow.
Beads of sweat formed on Misaki’s forehead.
“Multistrike!”
She sent forward a parabola of countless arrows that hit several bats in the flock. Two flopped to the ground and died from fall damage.
The fort’s weapons are doing decent work…but will they be enough to dent the bosses?
Misaki decided not to think about that. She proceeded to methodically shoot down the bats Makoto had lured. She didn’t even pay attention to her level rising, fully focused on exterminating as many monsters as she could.
“All monsters from the first wave are dead! Use this time to recover!”
Since Misaki was the lookout, it fell to her to give instructions to the players. Fighters around her breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to rest while they could.
“Huh? H-hey! Where are you going?!” Makoto shouted, suddenly breaking into a run.
He’d spotted Matsu, the sub-master of Aegis, shakily walking toward the underground labyrinth. He caught up to her quickly and stood in her way.
“What do you think you’re doing?! Turn around!”
“I have to…go to Shirokado…”
“Shirokado…? Wait, is he still stuck in there?”
Matsu shot Makoto a furious look. “He’s not ‘stuck in there’! He stayed behind, because he saw that as his duty! You…you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?!”
She drew her sword as if she was about to attack Makoto, and yet he kept calm.
“Doesn’t look to me like you understand him, either. He put his life on the line to buy you time to get outta there alive, no?”
Matsu stuck her sword in the ground and crouched beside it, her face contorted in anguish. She started sobbing.
“If you go in there alone, those monsters will rip you to pieces. Calm down and think about what you can reasonably do—how you can actually help! If you refuse to come to your senses, I won’t stop you again,” Makoto spat before heading back to the battlefield.
For a while, Matsu stared vacantly in the direction of the labyrinth, muttering Shirokado’s name. But then she stood up. Members of Aegis looked at her with relief.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she said. “Shirokado would be disappointed in me…”
Her guildmates shed tears, agreeing that she shouldn’t go back on her own. Matsu got back into battle formation.
“We will defend this town and then go rescue the Aegis members who stayed behind!” she declared loudly. “Until then, I will be the acting guild master! I might not be cut out for this…but I ask you to lend me your help!”
Wataru had positioned the Aegis troop on the far wing, since he’d been worried that, without their leader, they might lack commitment, but they rallied under Matsu.
Players from various guilds successfully united to vanquish the first wave of enemies, a feat that began to form a strong bond between them.
“Their main forces are coming! They are within sight!”
At Misaki’s warning, everyone looked to the horizon. The monsters had made faster progress than they’d estimated. First, the players saw a billowing cloud of dust, and then the monsters that stirred it: creatures with deer- or bull-like heads, a line of giants dragging rusty chains behind them, a troop of semitransparent knights, flaming beasts covered in sores, and a group of grotesque monsters covered in miasma.
The enemies were dealing damage to one another, even killing other monsters, but they were undoubtedly heading toward Fort Sandras.
When the monsters at the front got close enough for the players to see their levels, the players screamed and reflexively backed away.
The scope of the enemies’ levels didn’t come as a surprise, but it was at the higher end of that range.
Fort Sandras cannons fired at the swarm, engulfing the monsters in a searing blast that reduced their numbers. The mechanical dragons breathed fire from the sky, scorching the ground below. Many enemies perished, but the entire mass of them kept marching on, as if some invisible force was pulling them toward the fort.
The mechanical soldiers attacked, and then the regular soldier NPCs joined in. The players prepared to fight.
“All right, Misaki! I swear, when this is over, I’m gonna tell Barbara I love her!” Makoto proclaimed, casting defense buffs.
Misaki, who was about to shoot an arrow, was so thrown that she couldn’t help glancing at Makoto.
“Why are you telling me that now…?”
“You know death flags in games? By not keeping this secret, I won’t trigger the ‘dies before confessing love’ death flag.”
“Oh. Okay…”
Makoto was cracking jokes despite the danger, but Misaki understood this was his coping mechanism, and she followed his lead. She thought about the players she was close to, those she respected and felt loyal to. She’d bonded with some players, but not through love. Romantic feelings were alien to Misaki.
The person who came to her mind first—although she wasn’t sure if it was because she liked him the most—was a certain boy who had once saved her life.
Shuutarou… I’ll stay alive until we meet again.
Players cast spells, threw spears and orbs, and shot arrows at the mass of invading monsters. Misaki fired multiple arrows that fanned out and flew at the enemies, and Makoto readied himself for combat.
Umineko, the guild master of a tiny progression guild called Marebito, was regretting being brave and participating in this battle.
“M-Master…!”
“I know… Trust me, I know…”
Marebito had only twelve members. Most of them joined because they didn’t think the other progression guilds were a good fit for them. They weren’t exceptionally strong players, but they were capable enough to survive on the front lines.
Those who didn’t join the larger guilds shared a distaste for limitations on their freedom, stiff hierarchy, and rules. A death game was still a game, and they wanted to choose how they engaged with it. Players with that mindset gravitated to one another and, over time, formed their own guilds in different towns.
Marebito was one such guild, and they’d been on the crest of a wave. With only twelve people to split between, guild quest rewards were extremely generous. Information from beta testers guaranteed their safety as they progressed through the game. For a small guild, they were very successful. They’d even managed to clear 10 percent of Ciola Tower and had been preparing to take on the first boss of that area when this invasion began.
I’ve been foolishly optimistic… In this battle, we’re really risking our lives, thought Umineko.