The room grew tense as everyone considered the items they could buy. Lois stood at the head of the table, looking at each Colonel as if encouraging them to speak first. After a moment, Colonel Edward cleared his throat.
"We should focus on defensive buffs first," he began firmly. "The [Reinforced Armor] and [Elemental Armor] buffs are very good. Boosting both physical and elemental defenses will increase our troops’ durability and let them endure longer in combat. It’ll cut down on casualties and buy us crucial time to strategize and adapt to their debuffs during battle."
Lois shook her head, her eyes narrowing. "Sure, they’re good for defense, but they’re not worth the cost. Remember, those buffs only add 20% to physical defense and 30% to elemental resistance. With the enemy’s power and tactics, that increase might buy us an extra few minutes, but it won’t turn the tides of battle... They’ll have much more buffs on their sides"
Oliver leaned forward. "What about [Crowd Control Immunity]? If our troops can’t be stunned or held down, they can keep pressing forward and wear down the enemy. It’s game-changing!"
Lois looked at him, stunned. "Yes,
[Crowd Control Immunity]
would prevent stuns and holds, but it costs 100,000 points, Oliver. Did you even read the prices before suggesting something? We have 33,370 points! Are you trolling?"
Colonel Cero smiled at Lois’ expression before suggesting. "Why wouldn’t we heavily invest in our best players and make them one-man armies? Let’s say we buy [Crowd Control Immunity Tokens], [Damage Immunity Tokens], and all individual buffs in bulk to arm the strongest 10 players and send them to slaughter the enemies. I’m confident we can wipe them out quickly with Ralph, Asami, and Aang’s might and protect our troops with elites like Kara."
Lois gave a frustrated sigh. "I can’t say I don’t like the idea; it would probably give us the best chance of winning... But I’m afraid all our remaining troops would be slaughtered just as fast. The whole division contributed to these points, and we can’t just sacrifice them. And I doubt a few players can protect thousands of players for long"
Colonel Aang responded with his own suggestion. "Then maybe we need to invest in [Mana Waste] to cripple them. If the Dark Elves are forced to spend more mana, they’ll run out faster, weakening their attacks over time. We’d be leveling the playing field by draining their resources."
Lois nodded, "I like the idea.
[Mana Waste]
would hurt them a lot. It’s the best item we can afford, and I feel like it’s really worth the price. , However, we’d be spending 30,000 points on one item... It would leave us with next to nothing for other game-changing options. We only have a little over thirty-three thousand points after all."
"And think about it," she continued, "they’ll likely spend their points on [Mana Waste] and add five levels of [Suppression]... dropping our max level from 80 to 75. If I were them, that’s exactly what I’d do with this many points..."
The tension rose in the room at the idea of losing five levels during the main battle. Players above 90 and 100, like them, were all limited to level 80 during the war, and losing even more levels would make a dent in their power.
"One of the strategies I’m considering that would give us the maximum chance to win the war is... combining Aang and Cero’s ideas. We’d invest on Captain Ralph, General Asami, and Aang for destruction, and criple the enemies with [Mana Waste] as Colonel Aang suggested. However, the points left after buying that buff would be minimal."
Colonel Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You’re planning to sink nearly all of our points into one debuff? That’s too risky. We’ll be left with almost nothing for buffs."
Lois countered, "We need to hit them with the harshest penalty we can afford. Without a debuff like [Mana Waste], they’ll obliterate us."
Asami, listening intently, added, "If we can disrupt their casting and focus on our top fighters, we’ll make the most of the remaining
Sora glanced at his inventory, noting the items with a mix of gratitude and pressure.
5 x [Level Up Token], 3 x [Crowd Control Immunity Token], 1 x [Damage Immunity Token].
’They really invested heavily in me...’ he thought, eyeing the small but powerful stack of tokens in his hand.
Lois had suggested a stash of
[Mana Refill]
items, which cost a mere 10 points each, but when she offered one to him, Sora declined. She had stocked up on them, distributing the items among the elite players. In this battle, those small boosts could make all the difference.
Then, a notification flashed across everyone’s vision.
[Everyone who has been notified, advance to the field number prepared for you, and fight.]
The final battle was upon them, and each soldier braced themselves.
Sora took his place beside an angry Kara and Richard. Ahead, Oliver, the other Colonels, and Asami stood at the front lines, their faces set and determined. Across the field, the enemy army mirrored their formation, standing resolute and ready.
Silence filled the space between the two forces. Only the distant clink of weapons against armor and a few unsteady breaths disturbed the silence, each soldier feeling the immense weight of what lay ahead. The tension was thick, pressing down on everyone as the field lay waiting for the inevitable clash.
Asami stepped forward, her voice calm yet filled with conviction. "I may not be from these lands, and I didn’t grow up here. To most of you, I might even be a stranger."
"Yet, from the moment I first set foot on this soil, I fell in love—with the snow covering these landscapes, the fierce brilliance in your eyes, and, yes, even the beauty of your men."
She had a warm smile on her face. "I came here alone, on a simple mission. But with every step, I found friends, comrades who fought by my side."
She paused, letting her gaze sweep over the faces before her, touched with memories and emotions.
"I watched every fight you entered, always rooting for you. It feels natural now, seeing you all here."
Her expression grew serious, her tone heavy with meaning. "Today, we stand on the edge of everything we love, and it hurts to know we’re risking it all on this one battle."
"We were given the opportunity to forfeit and save everyone here from death in case things went south."
Her eyes shone with fierce determination. "Make humanity proud. Do not yield. Do not give up. Fight to the death!"