Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 275

“Nikita! Begin!”

Nikita tilted the four-meter-long spear, held in reverse, forward. Simultaneously, the drawn-out crane formation unfolded, with Iphis and Gelsomina on the left and right wings moving towards the center. They and their comrades gripped the shaft of the spear with one hand, careful not to be noticed by the opponent. Just as they were about to reach the East Winds’ formation, they pulled their arms back with all their might.

“Everyone, execute the ramming tactic!”

With a great collision, the blunt end of the spear was launched at Gladiator Number 5, who was in front of the captain, Gladiator Number 1. Unaware, she raised her shield but was sent flying backward by the immense power of the ramming attack. Had she not used the captain as a cushion, she would have flown several meters. However, they couldn’t prevent the center of the formation from collapsing. There was no way one or two people could withstand the sudden attack, where the power of the seven Gods Knights gladiators was concentrated in one spot.

Erphina, watching Gladiators Number 5 and Number 1 fall to the ground, shouted,

“Now’s our chance! Finish it here!”

Oskar and Rapine, who had been preparing in advance, charged into the center, drawing lethal arcs with their swords. Veterans broke through the gaps, protecting the vanguard and widening the gap even further. Emma and Jeremia charged towards Gladiator Number 5 and the captain, Gladiator Number 1, who were lying on the ground.

“No!”

Gladiator Number 1 deflected Emma’s straight thrust with a sweeping motion of her shield. She struggled to get up, but the continuous attacks prevented her from even straightening her knees. Meanwhile, Gladiator Number 5, trying to raise her upper body, was struck in the abdomen by the quickly approaching spear tip and collapsed backward. It was the moment Nikita’s thrown spear shone.

Now, teammates were rushing to rescue the captain gladiator, who was left alone in the enemy ranks, but it was already too late. Receiving simultaneous attacks from Emma and Jeremia, one arm and both legs were partially incapacitated. Then, Nikita’s spear struck her head, a vital point, and she crumpled to the ground.

“Waaaaah! Waaaaah!”

– What is happening! Gods Knights! They took the second round by capturing the East Winds team’s captain in less than a minute after the start of the match. What on earth is that tactic!

Overwhelmed by the audience’s cheers, the announcer’s question was answered by the commentator, who covered his ears.

– Amazing. Gods Knights has come up with a new formation-breaking method using Nikita’s spear. It’s like watching the battering ram tactics used in ancient warfare. The East Winds team has been hit hard.

– But why didn’t they use the spear tip and instead attacked with the blunt end of the spear? It would have been more effective.

The commentator shook his head as if that were not the case at all.

– No. The fact that Gods Knights used the blunt end means they have studied this tactic in depth. Even though blunted weapons are used in gladiator matches, there is no guarantee that the shield and suit will absorb the impact of such power. A piercing accident could occur.

– Ah. So, they considered the safety of the opposing gladiator?

– Hmm. That may be part of it, but the intention was to increase the completeness of the tactic. In fact, if an injury occurs during the match, the match is immediately stopped, right? Then the opportunity to defeat the captain gladiator, like just now, would disappear immediately. Perhaps Gods Knights was trying to avoid the situation where the match would be stopped.

The announcer, now understanding, wore an admiring expression.

– Anyway, Gods Knights has introduced an innovative tactic this time. In my opinion, this tactic seems likely to be used as another way to break formations. If the center is penetrated so absurdly, there is no point in dense defense.

The commentator nodded in agreement. A formation is a formation that maximizes defense by placing shields in a dense formation, but movement is extremely inconvenient. Therefore, they could not properly respond to such a sudden ramming tactic and had to accept the attack as it was.

But if you think about it calmly, it wasn’t impossible to stop. The characteristic of the formation was the strengthening of organization using density.

– Yes. That’s right. It will definitely be one of the options. But it won’t be used much. If it seems like a ramming attack is coming, the gladiators in the center and rear can prepare and firmly support the back of the gladiator who is the point of impact. The reason why the East Winds team was defeated this time is because of carelessness. That’s the biggest reason.

– I see. It can’t be helped since it’s the first time they’ve seen the tactic. Anyway, Gods Knights must be having a lot of fun. Thanks to this, they took one round for free.

– Conversely, the East Winds team will be heartbroken because they missed the opportunity to advance to the finals. Frankly, if they had only drawn this time, today’s game would have tilted sharply to one side. But the more unfortunate fact is that they lost the second round and the game time was too short. If you think about it well, you can see that it is heading towards the worst situation.

– Hahaha. I guess so. With the Gods Knights’ main force so fresh with three rounds left, the East Winds team will have to walk a difficult path from now on.

– Yes. That’s right. This is why gladiator matches are fun. Unexpected situations frequently determine the entire game.

While the commentators were talking, the Gods Knights gladiators returned to the dugout to the enthusiastic support of their fans. Pleased that they had tied the number of round wins, Beomseok went to the entrance on crutches to greet the heroes of the victory. In this way, half of the draw strategy was achieved.

He patted the backs of his team’s gladiators as they came in, encouraging them, and then went to Diana.

“Diana. What are we going to do next?”

She smiled contentedly. She was overjoyed with the current situation. Because the second round ended in a short time, the main force’s stamina was hardly depleted.

“Now that the dangerous rock-paper-scissors game is over, we need to enter a physical fight.”

“I thought you’d think so too.”

“Yes. The main force will play in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds in a row.”

Beomseok nodded as if it were natural. Gods Knights gladiators with good physical condition could play in three consecutive rounds. If the East Winds team had done any prior research, they would know this fact and would judge that three consecutive main force appearances were inevitable. Especially after seeing the scene where the second string suffered an absurd defeat this time.

“That’s right. It’s difficult to put in the second string again in this situation.”

“Yes. If we put in the second string and lose again, we will be giving away two wins, and if we give away even one draw in the remaining two rounds, today’s game will be a draw.”

“But Diana. Can we get 3 draws or more, or 1 win and 1 draw or more, in the 3-game series with their main force?”

“It’s possible. I think we can win by getting at least one draw in the 3rd and 4th rounds and then betting on the 5th round when the East Winds team is extremely exhausted.”

It seemed possible enough. The East Winds team’s main force was superior in strength to the Gods Knights’ main force, but the difference was minimal. Although the Central League-level strength shows a big difference of 12 to 8, Nikita and other top-tier forces are far ahead of the Gods Knights, and even gladiators who are not so good are evaluated as having the highest level of Wide League-level strength. If we apply the situation of a physical confrontation, the strength of the two can be said to be similar. Even though Beomseok and Herse were out due to injuries, it was not for nothing that Gods Knights was ranked 4th in promotion.

“The problem is Erphina… Can she run for 5 consecutive rounds?”

“It will be possible. She was attacked early in the first round, so she didn’t suffer much physical loss, and as you know, the second round ended in less than a minute. If she takes on the captain gladiator, who has little activity, she will be able to handle the remaining three rounds.”

Then there was nothing for Gods Knights to worry about. Now they just had to play three rounds with East Winds on equal footing. Beomseok, who calmly returned to his bench and sat down, enjoyed a moment of leisure for the first time today.

Both teams engaged in another fierce battle with the start of the third round. As Diana expected, the East Winds team put their main force into the game.

“Guys, we don’t need to rush! Just be ready to charge at any time and stay in place!”

Following Erphina’s orders, the Gods Knights gladiators carefully managed their formation and controlled the game. Because they only needed to record a draw, there was no need to attack recklessly. The team that became impatient as the game flowed loosely was the East Winds team.

“Everyone, charge!”

Under the command of Gladiator Number 1, the East Winds gladiators charged all at once. It seemed a bit hasty, but they couldn’t help it. If they failed to win in the third round, they would be caught up in a physical fight and suffer in the second half.

Cha. Chang. Chang. Kwang.

The place where the tips of both teams touched. Oskar was relentlessly swinging his greatsword, blocking the opposing team’s vanguard from approaching. It was a big move, so it could be dangerous, but she didn’t care. She had faith in Nikita. Currently, Nikita was armed with a short spear and shield, filling in Oskar’s gaps.

“Tch! This won’t work!”

The vanguard gladiator wearing number 8 was struggling, showing signs of distress as he was pushed back by Rapine’s strength. Veterans came to help, but it wasn’t like Gods Knights didn’t have veterans either. Soon, the formations of both teams became distorted to the point where they could not be recognized, and they were on the verge of falling into a melee.

“Okay. That’s it! We have to keep the melee going! Then we’ll win…”

Gladiator Number 1’s shout suddenly subsided. It was because he witnessed Emma suddenly turning around and hitting Gladiator Number 3, a skilled member of the team, in the back with her sword. Of course, Gladiator Number 7, who was fighting her, mercilessly struck her waist with his sword, but the value of an almost reserve-level gladiator and an ace-level gladiator in the team could not be treated equally.

But this was not the end. An even bigger crisis was now attacking East Winds.

‘Why is the atmosphere like this?’

I thought we could lead the game favorably enough in a melee, but when I opened the lid, an equal game was unfolding. No, Gods Knights seemed to be ahead in terms of momentum, and I felt uneasy.

Gladiator Number 1 felt dizzy as a thought flashed through his mind. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that his team’s gladiators were moving differently than usual.

‘How could this happen…! My teammates’ morale is greatly reduced! Why are they doing this!’

The cause was the Gods Knights’ spectator seats. There, those who appeared to be the owners of Siya and Chiria were holding the cheering squad microphones and shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Siya! We must win today’s game! Let’s have a nice dinner later!”

“Chiria! Be sure to win today and advance to the finals! Then you know what tonight!”

The advantage of Gods Knights and the anxiety factor of East Winds was the difference between having an owner and not having one. Now, the teammates seemed to be lamenting their situation in response to the enthusiastic support of the Gods Knights gladiator owners. It was clear enough to see that the passion for victory had cooled in the way they wielded their swords. After all, the only gift that the East Winds gladiators could get from today’s victory was a few bucks [small amount of money].

‘This won’t do. We have to retreat and regroup!’

But it was too late. Gladiator Number 12 was hit in the waist by Oskar’s greatsword and was flying through the air. Now that they were one short in number, it could be said that their team was at a disadvantage in terms of strength. And it was not easy to retreat during a melee.

While Gladiator Number 1 was hesitating, Gladiator Number 6 was hit in the head by Jeremia’s sword and fell. Judging that they would all be defeated if this continued, Gladiator Number 1 shouted to everyone.

“Everyone, retreat! Regroup!”

As soon as those words came out, Erphina ordered everyone. She didn’t know what was going on, but she couldn’t miss the current favorable momentum. They had to win the third round and use it as a stepping stone to advance to the finals.

“Chase after them quickly! Even if there are some sacrifices, attack relentlessly!”

Erphina’s appropriate judgment brought an opportunity to Gods Knights. The fast-footed Rapine and Jeremia chased after Gladiators Number 4 and Number 13, who were showing their backs, and put them in an incapacitated state.

As a result, the numerical strength ratio between Gods Knights and East Winds was 11 to 7. When looking at this, it could be said that the third round was over. Erphina reorganized her formation and explored opportunities to charge. Now was the time for them to attack.

She raised her fist with only her index and pinky fingers extended upwards. It was an order to prepare for a tackle attack. There might be some sacrifices, but they could definitely defeat the East Winds team based on their numerical superiority.

“Okay! Charge!”

The Gods Knights gladiators ran towards the opposing team’s formation all at once. Those who stood at the forefront were none other than reserve-level gladiators such as Reimei, Chiria, and Rin. Because the tackler suffered a lot of sacrifices, the main force could not be deployed. As soon as the East Winds gladiators were within sight, they immediately threw themselves. Then, Oskar and Rapine, who followed behind, stabbed the bodies of the opposing team’s gladiators who had fallen by the tacklers with their swords and chased after Gladiator Number 1, who was trying to escape.

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

It seems that God is helping Beomseok. I had to rewrite about 9 pages due to an error in the text, so I won. Hahaha. I shouldn’t be doing this. ㅠㅠ Then everyone have a nice day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.