Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 131

133

“Now’s our chance! Execute Plan 1-1!”

Instantly, Oscar swung his sword towards the opponent’s flank once more. Just like before, it seemed threatening, and the Muroba gladiators dodged the trajectory, leaping to either side. As they split into a 2-versus-10 formation, Beomseok’s teammates charged forward in unison.

“Hiyah!”

Maka, who had rushed alone into the group of seven, wildly swung the two-handed sword he was holding, thoroughly disrupting the enemy’s formation. Not caring about being incapacitated, he unleashed a continuous barrage of powerful sword strikes without regard for his own safety. In this operation, his role was to cover a wide area and temporarily block the path of the numerous enemy gladiators.

However, it was impossible for him to block ten opponents alone. Therefore, Libe and Therapy, who were in charge of Plan 1’s 2 and 3, rushed forward, not sparing their bodies, and charged towards the Muroba gladiators who had broken through Maka’s sword net.

“You can’t go any further from here!”

Meanwhile, Beomseok was facing one of Muroba’s two vanguards who had been separated. Wearing the number 13, he seemed to possess considerable strength, as his wrist throbbed every time their swords clashed. Although slightly inferior to Oscar, each of his sword strikes was infused with considerable technique, making him a difficult opponent to deal with. Beomseok thought that if he made a mistake, he could be overwhelmed by power and defeated.

‘Damn it. Is he really a World League player?’

While Beomseok was wielding his dual swords and fighting the number 13 gladiator alone, all the Avand gladiators except for the one at the core of Plan 1 were focusing their attacks on Muroba’s number 5 gladiator. One of the objectives of Operation Plan 3 was to reduce the number of opponents, even if it meant sacrificing some of their own gladiators. That way, when they entered the later stages of the round, Ttwimsae’s range of activity would be widened, and the probability of a draw would be greatly increased. However, this was the standard goal of Plan 3. For the Avand team, which had to win, there was a slight modification to the strategy. They limited the targets to World League starting-level gladiators.

“Everyone, quickly take out that number 5 gladiator! Oscar, pressure from the front, and the rest of you, aim for a surprise attack with me!”

Following Mercy’s command, Beomseok’s teammates rushed towards the number 5 gladiator all at once. She was quite strong as a World League starting gladiator, but she was helplessly pushed back by the organized concentrated attack of eight people. While being mindful of Oscar’s continuous sword strikes, swords flashed from all directions, slicing past her arms and legs.

In the end, she was struck in the back by Mercy’s long, piercing sword that had stealthily approached from behind, and she collapsed forward as if falling.

“Kyaaak.”

The Muroba’s number 5 gladiator, whose body was gradually stiffening with a short scream, turned her head towards where her other comrades were gathered. They were already rushing in, having defeated Maka. Of course, Libe and Therapy, who were in the rear, were blocking them, but they were outnumbered.

Beomseok, who glanced at this, shouted loudly.

“Oscar! Go out and block them!”

At the same time, Oscar rushed forward and swung his greatsword at the approaching Muroba team’s gladiators. At the chilling sound, Libe and Therapy raised their shields high and jumped in towards them, who had momentarily stopped advancing. Since Maka had been defeated, it was their turn to take on the role of the core. Well, the core was nothing more than a suicide attack.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Libe and Therapy, who blocked the opponent’s attack with their shields, were at a loss, feeling the vibrations ringing in their forearms. Although Oscar was supporting them from behind, it was not easy to block a large number of Muroba gladiators, including four World League-level players. However, they steeled their hearts, thinking that it was for today’s victory, and they swung their shields until their bones were crushed.

Whirr. Whirr. Whirr.

Oscar wildly swung his greatsword at some of the Muroba gladiators who were breaking through Libe and Therapy’s shield wall, blocking their path. Originally, he had to completely finish off the other one with Beomseok, but if they were to rush in during the attack, this plan would be completely ruined.

“Master! It’s hard to hold on! Finish them off quickly!”

He was already finishing them off. No matter how good a World League player was, there was no way Beomseok, who was being supported by seven teammates including Mercy, could not defeat him. Soon, the number 13 gladiator was struck in the neck by his short sword strike and immediately knelt down.

“Okay. Everyone, get out of here!”

Oscar quickly retreated. However, Libe and Therapy were surrounded deep in enemy territory and could not move, so they could not rejoin the main force. Now that there were no comrades to rescue them, the Muroba gladiators prioritized reducing the number of enemies and rushed towards them all at once. In the end, Libe and Therapy had to lonely block the incoming sword strikes with their backs against each other.

‘Tsk. Libe and Therapy are done for.’

Beomseok turned around without caring at all. After all, they were assuming sacrifice as the core role anyway. Now, it was important to quickly form a formation and prepare for the subsequent attacks. It would be good to save them, but it could lead to a chaotic battle, and there was a high possibility that the relatively weak Avand would be severely damaged. It was not the time to take risks right now.

“Okay. Now, let’s go into Plan 2. Everyone, quickly move to the outskirts of the arena.”

Beomseok moved the rest of his teammates to the edge of the arena. His intention was to rely on the wall on their backs and create a desperate formation. If they were breached, they would be annihilated, but since they did not have to block the rear, they could block the opponent’s attacks more efficiently.

‘For now, things have gone as planned. Although three people were sacrificed, we took out two of the vanguard’s World League players. The problem is how to seize the momentum towards victory from here on out.’

According to the original plan, they were supposed to stall for as much time as possible here, and when the formation was about to collapse, Oscar was supposed to swing his powerful sword strikes to break through. And Beomseok was supposed to slip through the gap and roam the arena, dragging out the time until the time was over. However, if they did that, it would be a draw, and Avand would have to taste the bitterness of defeat. He had to find another clever way to win.

‘First of all, it’s important to reduce the number of opponents. Especially those numbers 3, 6, 8, and 11 must be eliminated.’

The ones Beomseok mentioned were all elf gladiators who played as starters in the World League. From their relatively fast feet and considerable swordsmanship skills to their strong power, there was nothing that was not threatening to Beomseok. If they were going to eliminate them anyway, it was better to get rid of them.

‘Huhu. Actually, we only need to eliminate number 3. Since that kid is the captain gladiator, the game will be over if we eliminate her.’

While Beomseok was contemplating, storm-like sword strikes were pouring in, fiercely pounding the shield wall. Oscar was standing in the back, stabbing with his relatively long sword to keep them in check, but the Muroba gladiators were leisurely dodging and launching attacks again. They had repeatedly heard from the coaching staff before the start of the game that she was not a skilled swordsman. The greatsword, swung with full momentum, was threatening, but no one among them was hit by the clumsy sword strikes thrown in this cornered state where they could not move.

Thud. Clang. Clang.

Cracks were being detected everywhere, where the shield wall could collapse at any time. Here, time was flowing and approaching 8 minutes. Although there was still more than half left, they could not just stand by and be defeated like this in this situation where every second was precious. Fortunately, the Muroba team was greatly exhausted from the attacks they had poured in so far. Considering that Avand had been resting leisurely behind the shield wall and conserving their stamina, it was enough to act as a positive factor. Well, it could not be said to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but if they used it, they could create a foothold for victory.

He immediately used the wireless communication in his helmet to issue orders to everyone.

– Okay. The opponent is now exhausted from making reckless attacks. And they will be off guard because we haven’t launched any significant counterattacks so far. So, we will soon take advantage of this and launch a preemptive surprise attack. The method is to form a group of two, with one person tackling the targeted opponent gladiator in a suicide tackle, and the person following behind immediately strikes with a sword to eliminate them for sure. The targets are numbers 6, 8, and 11. Three groups of two will be the attack team. And the rest will follow me to support the attack team from the side.

The opponent gladiators that Beomseok targeted were all World League starting-level gladiators. They had to eliminate them no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing some of their own. Now that they were fighting regardless of formation and position, there was a high probability that the subsequent battle would be chaotic. If those who possessed World League starting-level skills were to run wild here, the Avand team would collapse helplessly. Of course, number 3 was out, but she was in the back with the rearguard because she was the captain. There was nothing they could do about it for now given the circumstances.

He soon distinguished the attack team and the support team and waited for the right time. And after a while, he shouted to everyone.

“Everyone, start the modified Plan 3!”

At that moment, Oscar, who was in the support team, stepped forward resolutely and drew his sword horizontally in a large arc. The Muroba gladiators hurriedly retreated from the sudden powerful attack. Using the gap created at this time, some of the attack team boldly tackled the number 6, 8, and 11 gladiators. Those who fell to the ground to the point where dust rose up began to hug each other and start a physical fight. In the meantime, the teammates in charge of the assassination mission of the attack team launched their attacks.

“All rearguards, join the battle!”

With the shout of the number 3 gladiator, who was the captain, the Muroba rearguards who were behind rushed forward all at once. There were a total of seven gladiators participating in the attack now. In Avand, even the captain was joining the battle in the rear, so they were outnumbered. Moreover, they were caught off guard by the sudden surprise attack and were not able to respond properly. If they did not provide support quickly, they could be defeated instead.

However, this was something that Beomseok could fully predict. He rushed past the approaching rearguards and charged towards the number 3 gladiator, who was the captain. It was dangerous, but he was trying to tie up the rearguard by using himself as bait.

Clang.

The number 3 gladiator, who blocked Beomseok’s kick with her shield, stretched out the one-handed sword in her hand. Because it was such a sharp attack that made his liver chill, Beomseok was barely able to block it with the dual swords in his hands, let alone counterattack. In the meantime, the rearguards who were advancing returned and began to attack him. Although the attack team was in danger, their priority was to protect their captain first, and the opponent who attacked was Beomseok, the captain of Avand. If they eliminated him, Muroba would win this round.

Cha. Chachang. Clang! Chang!

“Damn it!”

Although it went as planned, Beomseok was facing a dangerous situation. It was good to draw the attention of the rearguard and the captain, but it was quite difficult for him to face them alone. He barely managed to block the attacks of the Muroba rearguards by stepping quickly.

At that time, Rapine and Oscar, who were one of the support teams, jumped in and joined the battle. In the midst of the chaotic battle, four of their comrades were incapacitated, but they were able to come out to support because they had eliminated all of their targeted opponents.

“Where are you attacking our master!”

Clang.

The rearguards who blocked Oscar’s greatsword with their shields were pushed back. As a result, the encirclement was opened, and Beomseok was able to safely escape from the battle area.

He looked at Mercy and Ilise, who had finally found some breathing room. They were surrounded by four Muroba gladiators and were fighting. They were fighting fiercely against twice as many opponents, but they were likely to be defeated if things continued like this. Beomseok, thinking that this would not work, shouted to Oscar and Rapine.

“I’m fine now! Go to Mercy and Ilise!”

They hesitated for a moment, then pulled out and ran towards Ilise and Mercy. This was because they thought that there was no reason for Beomseok, who had escaped from the encirclement, to be defeated. If he made up his mind to run away, no one could catch up with him.

However, the Muroba captain and rearguard did not know this fact at all. They started chasing him with all their might, wanting to end the round if they could just defeat him.

“Hey. Try chasing me. The game is over if you catch me!”

The chase continued for a while. The Muroba rearguard and captain took the form of closely chasing right behind him, creating a precarious chase.

However, the current situation did not make sense. Beomseok had given up his exclusive weapon, the katana, to maintain the balance needed for running, and was holding short dual swords of equal weight in both hands. On the other hand, the Muroba captain and rearguards had much slower feet, yet they were holding sword shields that had high air resistance and no balance. Beomseok was only luring them away from the Muroba gladiators.

‘Good, this is the direction. This is the perfect blind spot.’

Beomseok, who had almost arrived at the stent wall where the fans were cheering, smiled brightly and looked at the backs of the Muroba gladiators who were fiercely fighting Oscar and Rapine. They were so focused on swinging their swords that it seemed like they could be easily defeated if he launched a surprise attack.

He, who was standing under the wall, quickly turned around and greeted the Muroba’s number 3 gladiator and rearguard who were chasing after him.

“Guys! Surround and catch that guy!”

However, it was very difficult for the three of them to surround this wide space. Beomseok leisurely slid into one of the empty spaces, creating dust, and then sprinted towards the wall on the opposite side where Oscar and Rapine were fighting.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Today, I went to the comic book store for the first time in a while and saw a comic called Bakuman. It seems to be a comic about the success of a cartoonist, but at first, I wasn’t very interested in the subject matter, so I was just going to skip it. But the author of Hikaru no Go and Death Note drew it, so I couldn’t help but pick it up. Hahaha. I enjoyed the previous work so much. I only saw up to volume 5 because I didn’t have time, but I’ll have to go back tomorrow and conquer the rest.

Then, everyone have a good day, and I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.