Defense specialization and morning of the third day.

The march of destruction, which had continued through the night, ended at six o’clock in the morning.

With all acquired orbs set and our own orbs restored, this operation concludes.

“Haa… tired… never ran this much before…”

Maple, still in her monstrous form, murmurs this.

Though Maple suffered little damage thanks to Sally’s crisis management, fatigue remains.

And if this is the first time she has moved so much, exhaustion is inevitable.

“Can I rest a little? Come wake me if anything happens…”

“Yeah, okay.”

Maple vanishes into the depths without reverting to her original form.

It would be a waste to dissolve before destruction, after all.

“Should a large guild arrive, we’ll fight just enough as planned and end it without anyone being taken down?”

Yes, that will do. Our own Orb will be taken to Maple’s position.

Since 【Maple】 is classified as a minor guild, any guild that loses its Orb will likely attempt to reclaim it, seeking to avoid major penalties.

There are ten Orbs currently at 【Maple】.

Seven of them belong to large guilds.

If all these guilds arrive, the likelihood of a clash before entering 【Maple】 is high, as their destinations are identical.

Even if all guilds unite temporarily, that unity is fleeting. The competition for Orbs will simply shift focus.

If they do not come to reclaim, they are likely attacking another guild.

No matter how the ten Orbs move, many players will fall somewhere, somehow.

For 【Maple】, who seeks to hasten the unfolding, what is desired is not the Orbs—but the condition of mutual destruction.

It mattered little whether defense succeeded or failed.

"Even now we should make top ten... the start was favorable."

"We're aiming for a clean escape... well, will they come?"

All maintained vigilance at the entrance while working to relieve the fatigue accumulated through the night.

A little past seven, about seventy players entered, led by one bearing a large shield, reinforcing their defense.

"...After they've crushed each other?"

"Yeah, probably. I think we're few in number too."

Still, the number was small—small even for a large guild assault.

【Maple】's formation placed Sally, Crom, and Kasumi at the front, opening the center for Yui and Mai.

Izu stood between Yui and Mai, Kanade at the rear.

The space directly ahead of Yui and Mai is open, of course, so they may hurl iron spheres.

"“Ei!”"

The shield, having endured repeated strikes, would shatter if it absorbed another impact.

"Adding more!"

To attempt to run out of spheres would be madness. Between Yui and Mai, Izu operates the Workshop, producing iron spheres in endless succession.

Still, the enemy advances, relentless—strong shields and sheer numbers pushing forward.

Even with Yui and Mai’s spheres carrying lethal force, simultaneous attacks cannot be delivered to all. They cannot stop everyone.

And naturally, the three who launched the initial assault become targets of magic. Three spells strike them.

"【Cover Move】!"

Crom moves in front of the three, absorbing the attacks with shield and body.

A heavy blow lands, yet he regains strength through shield resilience and skill recovery.

Crom recovers simply by standing, even if he does not die. He possesses several traits that make him hard to kill.

Though often overlooked because of Maple’s presence, he remains a formidable nuisance.

“[Frostbound Earth]”

The pale blue spellbook held by Kanade now freezes the players’ feet to the ground.

They are immobilized for only five seconds.

Yet, to be reduced to a target for Yui and Mai, it feels like an eternity.

One by one, their shields shatter. Even without dying, damage to equipment becomes severe under the nature of this event.

Damage has already accumulated.

“Hinata, [Shadow Clone]”

Sally casts [Shadow Clone] at random, attacking with it.

Sally avoids direct defense against multiple foes. She maintains moderate support while using skills to disorient opponents, gaining mental damage through sustained pressure.

Kasumi commits fully to hit-and-run tactics. She dismisses frontline shieldbearers with instant teleportation, then retreats with a leap.

Each of the seven possesses unique strengths. When they employ these, only players of comparable skill can match them—numbers alone mean nothing.

Without exceeding a certain threshold of power, combat becomes unmanageable.

And with the sound of iron balls colliding so fiercely, even the central figure—still half-asleep, perhaps an hour since sleep began—cannot help but stir.

From the rear passage, something slinks out, annoyed by the noise, rising from its slumber.

"Quiet, please! I'll destroy you! Now!"

A creature born from one who has crossed the line, sustained by another who has stepped beyond it entirely—yet one who has not even crossed the line itself is expected to defeat it. That was impossible.