Defense specialization and extermination.

Two actions, then.

Late at night.

Riding on Hakku or Shiroppu would draw too much attention. Thus, the six others—excluding Mai and Yui, who were with Tsukimi and Yuki—used a time-limited item available during the event, borrowing the strength of monsters roaming the field, riding them to move.

On flat ground, monsters large enough to ride were abundant.

"Time to dismount, Maple. We’re nearing the boundary."

"Understood."

The eight arrived at the edge of a narrow ravine, where icy wind blew through mixed with snow. This area reduced movement speed and severely limited range beyond melee attacks with weapons.

It was one of several places on the map best avoided.

There should be few opponents waiting here.

With close combat, Maple, whose 【Grim Hunger】 remains, holds the advantage. With this heavy disadvantage, long-range attacks are no longer a threat.

Then I’ll set this up first. Fay, 【Sprite’s Trick】.

Iz pulls out a bomb and arranges it in a hollow that offers rest, placing the final sensor last.

Hmm. So the enemy won’t see it then.

That’s right. In the previous event, this skill helped us succeed.

The forest explosion, you mean?

Yes. This is enough here… but once inside enemy territory, we’ll go more seriously.

We must get deep inside without being noticed.

The goal is to expand their trap-laying area steadily, slowly. The items Iz had prepared for this event remain in place longer than ordinary ones, vanish without trace, and wait motionless for their moment to activate. They will suddenly reveal their fangs, and at times shift the tide of battle.

"Keep moving. Maple. Hold your shield steady. Mai and Yui, stay behind Crom."

"Got it!"

"Yessir!"

With Maple's Love That Offers the Body, they can step into areas normally too dangerous for ordinary players.

They intend to pass through routes that would otherwise be wasteful, unharmed, slipping through the enemy's alert net.

"Next stretch deals damage at regular intervals. Maple, you’ve got this."

"Got it!"

No one yet knows that the march continues with explosive devices placed along the path, hidden beneath the shade of the maple tree.

To step forward is to die. Yet Maple and the others move through the dangerous zone without pause, crossing into the enemy's territory.

Moving forward, the thick fog settled in. In an area where monsters emerged from the ground, Sally halted abruptly.

...Someone is coming!

Understood!

Nothing else has been sensed by anyone but Sally, yet no one questions her words.

Eight figures slipped quickly into shadow, holding their breath as they stared intently past the mist. After a moment, a shape emerged from the thick fog.

"Ten... then?"

The numbers are against them, but with Maple present, they are a match. Crom braces his large shield, just in case, and checks for other enemies.

...Ten without error. Mai, Yui. Can you do it?

I am fine.

I—I can do it.

"Okay. Kanade."

Yes

Sally calls to Kanade, and the operation begins without delay.

Maple and the others, having assessed the situation first, note that the enemy remains unaware of the [Maple Tree].

...No one here?

With fog this thick...

But be careful. They could be hiding.

The ten move in close formation, minimizing blind spots. Shieldbearer on the outside, mage on the inside.

This arrangement allows detection of close approach and safe use of magic. The ten maintain vigilance.

Something invisible snatches them away in an instant. No chance to activate skills. Before the fleeting thought of survival—preserved only by the [Unyielding Guardian]—can settle, the ten vanish from the field. Unaware of what occurred.

Maple and the others emerge from cover.

Oh! You two are impressive!

Maple speaks into empty space. A moment later, Mai and Yui appear abruptly.

"Success!"

"Good... that worked."

Relieved, the two. At their feet, two shadow wolves look up with smug expressions.

"Then I’ll return it for now. Here, this is Yukimi."

"I’m Tsukimi. Be careful not to drop it."

Kanade and Sally hand the Bond Bridge to Mai and Yui. In exchange, they take the one they had been holding.

"This is the loophole."

"Indeed. Exchange is possible."

Only one Bond Bridge may be held by a single person. But by unfastening their equipment and passing it, they can share its power. Of course, trust between players is required. But with the Maple Tree, that is not an issue.

"We’ll do it again when the timing is right—when the shadow wolves and Sō can use Instant Shadow."

"Yess!"

Instant Shadow was a skill that briefly erased form. Even if Sally or Kanade used it, shifting the tide of battle remained difficult.

But with Mai and Yui. Two who could reduce anything they touched to dust. If they closed the distance, the Sixteen Great Mallet would end everything.

No one would survive. Nothing would return.

No chance to flee. Only the barest information—death—would reach the guild members left behind.

That much was certain. Something had turned against their allies. That meant the enemy's approach.

"Maple, I'll meet them. Swallow them whole."

"Un! I'll do my best!"

The more players coming, the better. The more of them, the more corpses would pile up, useless and still.

Eight set the trap. Excessively, completely—nothing left behind.

Unaware. Not able to know. Not even the possibility of knowing. The enemy camp reorganized its forces. Marched forward, blind to the path of death.

"Isu-san. We’ll wait here."

"Understood. Then, everyone, help me prepare?"

Before the enemy players arrived, everything must be ready. The misty ground was perfect for waiting.

All prepared. Now, only silence. Only waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Still. Still waiting. Then, after a time. From behind the rock, a shadow emerged through the mist—slowly approaching, a force of soldiers.

The weight of the fact that ten had died instantly settled upon them. Though the mist obscured precise numbers, the scale was unmistakably different from the scouting party just felled.

"Maple, I'll do it. That one won't fall with just the two of us like before."

"I'm ready. Don't worry."

"Then follow me. While we still can..."

Sally led them quietly from shadow to shadow, repositioning to a favorable spot.

This was the edge where obstacles thinned, opening into a wide space suited for large-scale combat.

If they wished to use their numbers, the enemy would advance to this point.

"Wait until the very last moment before using Love That Offers the Body."

"Right."

"…I'm a little afraid, but…"

"If we've decided, then we'll see it through."

"We're not alone either…"

"Love That Offers the Body is here."

"I'll cover you until impact."

"I'm always ready."

After confirming the resolve of all, Sally used threads conjured by her threadcraft to bind everyone to Maple.

Maple turned her outstretched arm toward the ground, reshaping it into a cannon barrel. She watched the wide space ahead as players entered one after another, then looked to Sally.

"Shadow Clone!"

"Guardian!"

At the same moment Crom activated his skill to absorb all damage for the group, Maple detonated the cannon barrel, launching herself and the bound guild members diagonally upward.

"Something's coming!"

"From the front... no, above too!"

The brief distraction caused by the earlier Shadow Clone delayed her reaction as she soared into the air.

"Area Expansion. Radiance of Protection."

Kanade rendered the entire group invulnerable for a short time. The incoming magic dissipated. The ground approached.

"Get clear!"

Beyond the thick fog, the source of the attack remained unclear. Whatever it was, impact was inevitable if they stayed where they were.

They raised their weapons, created space, and formed a tight formation to await impact.

A cloud of dust rose with a heavy sound. Something that should have fallen was gone—suddenly, vanished.

Not only that. The player who had charged in was nowhere to be seen.

“Gone…?”

“A phantom?”

“The true target must be ahead. Stay alert!”

The ability to create illusions had become common knowledge as players’ skills diversified. It was a known danger. The true target was still aiming at them. That was a reasonable assumption. Forming a dense circle facing outward was not a poor choice.

It sank into the ground, swallowed by mist and sand, the moment it landed. No similar skill had been anticipated. Too few to predict.

“W-what is this!?”

“Sinking… w-woah… gah!?”

The ground shifted, turning to mud, as crimson sparks raced across it. A blue laser swept through, encircling all of them like a cage, binding their feet.

Before they could grasp what was happening, status effects and sustained damage gnawed at their HP. Movement speed slowed further, pressing down.

An explosion followed. A massive vine. A torrent that shattered their balance.

All of it occurred in an instant. No incantation. No prior effect. It simply appeared, as though it had always been there.

“Escape! Get out!”

“Legs…!”

Uncomprehending. Unaware. Overwhelmed before they could react.

Too flashy to be a mere ambush. Too elaborate to have been spontaneous. A slaughter staged with clear preparation. Only at the very end did they finally perceive the entity at its center.

On a rocky outcrop raised above the muddy ground, keeping what sank beneath at a distance, the monster extends four black wings unknown to them and two white wings familiar to memory, scattering blue and red light that brings death.

Surprise capability, annihilation power. They understand now, seeing the vastly grown Maple from the fourth event, that they have been lured in, ensnared.

Maple’s [Annihilation Field] literally annihilated every player present.

A strange range, gained at the cost of a severe disadvantage—drawing in allies—combined with the [Maple Tree] skill, lowering movement speed for all, ensuring no enemy escapes. The enemy camp, abruptly dropped into what could only be described as the worst possible situation, faltered, unable to respond properly.

“[Cradle of the Earth]… damn, I should’ve taken that one instead.”

The compatibility with Maple’s abilities is certainly a large factor… but simply being able to evacuate at all is powerful enough.

When burrowing into the ground using [Cradle of the Earth], any activated skills or retrieved items are ejected back to the surface upon effect expiration. That is what was used here.

Hmm… I doubt anyone expected such a barrage of skills to strike all at once.

That’s true. And who has ever seen Maple-chan’s [Annihilation Field] before?

When confronted with multiple unknowns at once, the ability to respond with composure becomes vital. This time, the perfect surprise attack completely stripped away that composure, resulting in a one-sided victory.

Phew! It worked out well, didn’t it!

"Yeah. It helped a lot that we landed without using Maple’s Love That Offers the Body. If they’d known Maple was the one diving in, everyone would’ve fled."

"That’s true."

"Maple-san is strong."

"Everyone’s on guard now... still..."

Better to stay far from danger. Generally, there’s no need to seek out a battle with something like this.

Without using skills, her movement is slow. Yes. That means we can still escape from this Demon King.

"Next time, will more people come?"

"...I think they’ll switch to a smaller, more elite force."

"I agree. After being defeated like this, they won’t come the same way again."

"Then from here on, we’ll be careful, okay?"

"That’s right. We have to consider Maple’s skill cooldown too. Even if no one escaped, it’s likely they’ve noticed Maple’s presence by now."

Players with strong skills are growing more common, yet those whose abilities stand out so far above the rest that they can annihilate enemies and reduce the battlefield to ruin remain few. If the enemy is this thoroughly broken, who stands before them becomes obvious.

"Let’s hurry and place Iz’s items. It’s true we lack the 【Unyielding Guardian】. We should avoid a fifty-fifty fight whenever possible."

"Understood!"

"Then let’s move quickly before reinforcements arrive."

No stealth remains after such a display. Maple and the others ride Hak, moving swiftly to the next position, scattering Iz’s transparent bombs across the area.