Chapter 459

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 459

Defense Specialization and Waiting for Morning

As Maple emerged from inside the purple dome created by Hinata, Sally rushed to her side. After making sure that Velvet was nowhere in sight, she dispelled the illusion of thunderbolt and restored Maple’s HP.

“Good job, Maple.”

“Thanks! What about Velvet?”

“She seems to have retreated.”

Although Velvet was unlikely to have a hidden skill like [Godspeed] to ensure her escape from a fierce and uncertain battle, Sally couldn’t let her guard down.

Sally prioritized Maple’s safety.

“Thank you for your hard work, Sally! You were amazing!”

“Really? Thank you. Maple also didn’t stop attacking back then.”

“Hehehe, I believe in you!”

“I’m glad I delivered.”

The timer couldn’t be checked during battle. Only Sally was capable of calmly counting the time during the penultimate moment.

Against two opponents who had enough power to defeat them head-on, they used their respective strengths to triumph.

“Phew, we made the right call by ending it with [Break Core]. Anyone who had never seen it would have a problem avoiding it.”

There weren’t many enemies that Maple tried to defeat by self-destructing with her skill.

Only the members of [Maple Tree] knew the exact range of the powerful explosion.

“You did a good job researching it! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to use it!”

“I agree. Certainly, it’d have been unusable if left as it was.”

For a long time, Maple had apparently misunderstood about [Break Core]. She managed to survive not because of her defensive power, but because of the [Bomb Eater] she’d obtained a long time ago.

Because of that, she was able to survive even after self-destructing despite receiving defense debuff from Hinata.

By changing her perception, she was able to choose that grand move for the finishing blow.

“I’m glad it went well... But, I’m a bit tired...”

That was another reason why they didn’t pursue Velvet. Sally, who had improved her performance for that battle, was at her limit. Her focus dropped, while her body became sluggish along with her reaction time. She didn’t think she could deliver the same performance again.

Ray descended from the sky to help the two.

“Are you two okay!? What happened!?”

“Hinata lost. But I think Velvet has retreated.”

“Kasumi has fallen. I don’t think they’ll attack for a while because of the debuff. ...I’m sorry.”

“They are forced to stop. I want to defeat Velvet once and for all, too.”

Although the majority of the plan went without a hitch, Maple’s [Indomitable Guardian] wouldn’t be up for another day.

It’d have been better if they could defeat Velvet, but that part went awry.

“Uhm, Sally is reaching her limit...”

“Because she has been fighting all day. I know.”

She didn’t have to force herself. Without Hinata, Velvet’s defensive power and mobility should’ve dropped dramatically. Another opportunity would arise.

“There’s a message... Mai and Gilmen from the [Congregations of Holy Swords] were taken out. However, it seems that they defeated Marx and some other guild members.”

“It would’ve been a disadvantage in terms of numbers, but leaving that aside, the results are great.”

Thus who were up against the [Kingdom of the Flame Emperor] must’ve had it rough.

Although their strength didn’t only consist of the three, now they’d have to proceed without them.

“The plan was to defeat those three.”

However, Kasumi closed in on them, and because they were preoccupied with taking her out, they couldn’t leave the range of debuff in time.

“As expected, I’ll pass tonight. I’m too tired...”

“The next big battle will be the turning point. Our debuffs should be gone by then.”

“My status will also return to normal.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

“Then, the real question would be how to defeat them.”

The wave of monsters triggered battles. At that time, the first problem was the existence of Maple.

Lily and Wilbert were fixated with defeating Maple because they wanted to prevent the invasion born from [Darkness of Rebirth].

“After my recent battle with her, I’m not very sure.”

“I can see why. If Mii and my attacks are also dodged, then there’s nothing we can do.”

A torrent of light from Payne’s holy sword would ransack the earth. From there, Maple’s monsters would emerge.

That development was bound to happen. On top of that, the four of them didn’t think they stood a chance.

Usually, they’d buy time before the enemy could unleash a big move, and defend against powerful blows.

The defeats of Hinata, Marx, Misery, and Shin—who were in charge of those—created a gaping hole in their strategy.

“Unfortunately, we have no real solution.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Lily glanced at Velvet and Mii, wondering how they were doing.

“I have one.”

“I also have one.”

“Nice. Very nice.”

Lily listened to the two’s plan, trying to make it the last meeting before taking a break.

After hearing that, Lily and Wilbert nodded in agreement.

“Sure, then we might be able to reverse this situation. It’s worth trying.”

“I agree.”

“I need to make some preparations.”

“Yes. Right now, the enemy is probably on guard, too. If we go out to see someone, we’ll be caught.”

Whatever the plan may be, they better start acting on it after their status had reverted to normal. As such, they’d have no choice but to rest for the day.

“Lily, Wilbert. If you decide to do it, then [Rapid Fire] will probably become the center.”

“I know. It’s my forte.”

Before the monster invasion tomorrow, they decided to share the strategy with as many players as possible, before going to rest.

“It’s going to be a tough battle.”

“If there’s a way to win, that’s good enough for me.”

There were several things that must be prepared before the battle. Tomorrow, they’d have to start making preparations early in the morning.

“As expected, it took the last day of the battle to bring forward that idea.”

The two fell asleep while thinking that tomorrow would be their last battle.