Defense specialization and engagement three.

……!

A crimson arrow, moving at a speed beyond Maple’s reaction, grazed past the large shield she held, just missing it, and struck the face she had slightly extended from behind it. A massive damage effect flared. Her HP vanished instantly. The effect triggered 【Unyielding Guardian】. Maple’s HP was not high to begin with; even a single hit could shatter her.

If the timing was precise, and the arrow pierced through the moment 【Pierce Guard】 wore off, there would be nothing left to protect Maple.

“Fall back! We don’t know where the enemy is! Deploy the defensive wall! Maple, cancel that now!”

“Y-yes!”

Maple released her self-sacrificial affection. The burden lifted, the other players fortified their defenses with magic and skills.

“““【Magic Barrier】!”””

“““【Multi-Cover】!”””

As they retreat into the forest, Wilbert's arrows strike at Maple in rapid succession. The range attacks from Wilbert chip away at everyone's HP relentlessly, as if only Maple could withstand piercing effects. Shifting defensive roles while moving toward the woods, but with no chance to counterattack, the situation grows dire.

"I—I can do it too! If I can—!"

To protect all, Maple activates a newly acquired skill.

"【Ancient Weapon】!"

At once, she releases the accumulated energy—shattering into eight black cubes that scatter through the air. Each cube connects to the next with blue light, forming a massive barrier that glows intensely bright. The barrier flares violently as it absorbs the torrent of arrows, sparking with force.

"Oh…!?!"

"Move! Carry Maple! Those with 【Unyielding Guardian】—become the wall!"

He protects Maple with his body, unwilling to lose his strongest force on the battlefield, and retreats through the dense forest, shielded by thick growth.

From afar, Wilbert stares at the woods, slowly lowering his bow.

"I cannot pierce through terrain like this... I cannot reach them any further."

"Hmm. The energy barrier was an oversight. So it seems they've acquired a new skill after all."

The skill was unfamiliar, yet Wilbert's eyes fixed firmly on its origin.

"The black cube floating beside them seemed to shift shape—likely an equipment item."

"Be cautious while it's equipped. Well then, let us return. It would have been best to arrive in time... but mobility remains our weakness."

Many players have fallen. From the camp's perspective, this battle is a decisive defeat.

That is true. Approaching too closely would place us in an unfavorable range... it is difficult.

Yet, the sheer force of that assault was undeniable. For now, no enemy will dare advance into this area. The two descend from the ice spires.

No further progress is made. The area becomes even more difficult to enter. But many players have already fallen.

In this fleeting moment of weakness, they consider striking down Maple. Then, they return to the area they had originally guarded.

A short while later, Sally and two others stand once more before the outer wall of the Town. At the gate, Iz is in the midst of constructing a fortress using items.

"Damn… this is serious."

"Yeah…"

"Feels like the final defensive line on the field."

A line of heavy cannons and erected barricades. Normally, items alone would not suffice for genuine combat. Yet Iz’s construction is different. Charging without plan would not end well, even against a front line with high defense.

“Ah, Sally-chan, you’re back. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“It’s only just begun. First, we’ll observe as planned.”

“We’ll help set it up. We don’t know when they’ll attack.”

Better to prepare early. The three assist Iz when shadows of many players approach from afar.

“Oh, enemy…?”

Crom draws his short blade, alert. Iz checks through a telescope from the pouch, shakes head.

“Those look like the ones who set out earlier. Maple-chan should have been with them.”

Maple? …I see. That number would be effective, certainly.

After a pause, Maple steps from the group of players, bows to the collective, and approaches the quartet.

"Everyone!"

"Maple, good work. How did it go?"

"Most of them were down… I couldn’t tell the exact number, but there were smoke and flames everywhere."

"Haha, you really went all out, didn’t you…"

"But no one was actually felled… we ended up using [Unyielding Guardian]…"

"Something happened, then."

"Yeah… um…"

As Maple recounts what occurred, the others recognize the figure immediately.

"Ah, that’s definitely Wilbert."

"Yes. Though the fact they’re firing from beyond our line of sight was unexpected."

"An attack that blows targets apart in a single strike, fired from outside sight… the enemy’s position is becoming even harder to navigate."

An archer who strikes from beyond sight, shattering targets in a single blow—this is not a threat, but a certainty. She possesses ranged attacks and piercing strikes with perfect precision. No opening exists.

“Maple, for now, prioritize safety. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s certainly watching over a vast area with those eyes. If you enter that range again, she will surely strike through you.”

Maple lacks the stats or player skill to react to that arrow. Without 【Unyielding Guardian】, she would die instantly.

“Sorry, Sally… I used 【Pierce Guard】 first.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! And probably, using it was the right choice. If those arrows had piercing effect, we wouldn’t be here now.”

It was fortunate we followed along from the start. If those arrows had pierced through, we’d all be dead by now.

Thinking of what might have happened without Love That Offers the Body before that downpour of arrows sends a chill through the body.

All survived. That qualifies as a victory.

Yeah! Good! Next time, we’ll defend properly with shields!

Maple regains her composure and immediately begins placing items as Iz’s instructions come. Sally and the others watch, silent for a moment.

In truth, it was brutal. Even the front line of that guild barely avoided being wiped out.

With such a vast difference in range, anyone with low AGI is always at risk. Damage lessens if you endure the attack—but it’s still enough to kill a player.

Maple’s multi-guild contingent moved forward, composed of high-level players. To be unable to endure it speaks only to the strength of Wilbert’s attacks.

I’m not particularly resilient either. In the end, it comes down to the whims of 【Dead or Alive】.

I couldn’t manage it either. If Crom and Maple can’t endure it, the rest won’t either.

The worst part is their greater detection range. We’ll always be struck first.

An attack launched from beyond sight. Without knowing Wilbert’s position, we cannot enter the enemy camp.

We must simply watch our footing. From what Maple said, the terrain isn’t destroyed.

We’ll prepare a countermeasure. For now, we’ll be careful when entering the enemy camp next time.

They could not afford to fail prematurely, not when fighting to the very end.

Allies were strong, but the enemy was strong as well. With the familiar tension of close combat returning after long absence, the three joined Iz's side.