Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 195

In the second round, the Black Cats sent out their starting lineup. The first round had ended quickly, so their stamina wasn’t significantly depleted. They also anticipated that the God Knights would engage in a physical battle, which influenced their strategy.

However, unexpectedly, the God Knights sent out their second string. This was a significant deviation from expectations, and the Black Cats unleashed a full-force offensive. Winning would reset the score, and a draw would put them at a severe disadvantage, so they felt they had no other choice.

“Everyone, give it your all to stop their advance! We absolutely cannot let them break through!”

Erpina’s urgent voice echoed throughout the arena as she directed the team. Even with their morale slightly lowered, the Black Cats still held a power advantage, and their charge to break the formation was fierce. Fortunately, the gladiators of the God Knights were in good physical condition; otherwise, their lines would have been breached long ago.

“The God Knights’ resistance is too strong! Fall back and regroup!”

The Black Cats’ new captain, Gladiator Number 1, gave up on the advance and pulled his teammates back. Breaking through the God Knights’ formation in a static position was impossible. They intended to create distance again and attempt an entry with added momentum. Soon, they retreated to the rear, reformed their wedge formation, and charged forward rapidly.

“We must break through!”

“Now’s the time! Everyone, move quickly to the right!”

As the Black Cats’ wedge formation advanced straight ahead, Erpina shifted her formation to the right, evading its direct path. Of course, the Black Cats could change direction, but a sharp turn would reduce their speed and weaken their breakthrough power.

A thud resonated as the left side of the God Knights’ formation vibrated intensely. Some gladiators lost their balance and wavered, but the formation barely held due to the significantly weakened breakthrough force.

The chase between the formations continued throughout the second round. The God Knights moved left and right to avoid the direct charge of the wedge formation, while the Black Cats were determined to break through, rushing forward with their formation’s point.

As time passed and both teams’ gladiators gradually tired, an opportunity arose for the Black Cats. By chance, they managed to break through the right side of the God Knights’ formation, successfully dividing it. Consequently, the captain, Agelia, along with Rin, Polia, and Lilith, were separated from the main force and found themselves surrounded by Black Cats gladiators, putting them in a dangerous situation.

“Agelia, get out of here! Just you!”

Rin shouted urgently, blocking the incoming sword tips from all directions. If the captain, Agelia, were captured, the game would end, so they had to ensure she escaped. Although she lacked combat skill, her agility and speed were exceptional, and they believed she could break through the encirclement.

Lilith, thinking the same, immediately bent down to provide a foothold.

“Thanks, girls!”

Agelia, abandoning her shield, didn’t hesitate to step on Lilith’s back and Rin’s shoulders, jumping high. Having practiced the high jump and long jump in her athletic days, she soared through the air and easily escaped the encirclement.

Seeing this, Gladiator Number 3 and Gladiator Number 18 broke away from their formation and chased after her. However, the God Knights’ main force, led by Erpina, wouldn’t stand idly by. They immediately blocked the pursuers, successfully rescuing Agelia.

“Agelia! As the captain, you need to be more careful! What if you had been captured!”

Agelia entered the formation with an embarrassed expression at Erpina’s scolding. As the captain, she had been surrounded by the enemy, leaving her with no excuse. The captain’s primary mission was to survive until the end of the game by any means necessary, and to do so, she had to avoid dangerous situations as much as possible.

“I’m sorry, Erpina.”

“Okay, just secure your position. Don’t lean to one side like before, and stay in the center of the formation. Got it?”

“Yes, Erpina.”

Erpina sighed deeply and turned her gaze towards the Black Cats’ formation. In a very short time, they had eliminated Rin, Polia, and Lilith, and were preparing to charge again. Now, it was a 12-on-9 situation. With tension filling her eyes, Erpina commanded everyone.

“Everyone, retreat as far back as possible.”

The God Knights gradually moved backward, creating distance. Erpina intended to buy even a second.

“They’re only nine now! If we play it right, we can win! Let’s go!”

At the cry of Gladiator Number 1, the Black Cats’ formation, in a wedge, moved forward rapidly. The God Knights, already at the outer edge of the arena, watched the trajectory of the advance, ready to move at any moment. And just as the Black Cats’ formation reached their front, they quickly shifted to the left, evading the center of the charge.

At that moment, four Black Cats gladiators quickly broke away, blocking the God Knights’ path. With numerical superiority, they had the luxury of employing an encirclement strategy.

“Don’t worry about the formation, run quickly to the north!”

Seeing this, Erpina ordered her teammates to sprint towards the empty space to the north. There was a possibility that the formation would collapse rapidly, but with their individual strength and numerical disadvantage, they could be defeated if they were surrounded like this.

“Aaaaaah!”

A scream rang out. Judging by the voice, it was definitely Chiria. Erpina, having escaped the encirclement, quickly reorganized her gathering teammates and looked around for Chiria. However, she was already under concentrated attack from several Black Cats gladiators near the wall, falling into a state of incapacitation.

‘We’re going to lose like this.’

Erpina glanced at the scoreboard to check the time. There were about seven minutes left. They had held out quite long, but defeat was certain if things continued this way. If they were breached even once during that time, their numbers would be greatly reduced, and the Black Cats could relentlessly attack them, regardless of formation.

Realizing this wouldn’t work, she decided to change her strategy. It was a bit early, but she thought it was time to start the ‘Runner’ strategy.

“Agelia! From now on, you’re the Runner!”

“Yes, Erpina! Leave it to me!”

Agelia, with a confident expression, stepped back from the formation and alternately bent her knees, preparing to run. As a gladiator, she was lacking in many areas, but when it came to running, she was confident she wouldn’t lose to anyone.

Erpina then pointed to Matilda and Violet. They were among the top runners in the team and could partner with Agelia.

“Matilda, Violet! Follow Agelia and protect her!”

“Yes, Erpina.”

Erpina separated the Runner Party from the group and formed a wedge formation with the remaining five. From now on, they needed to prioritize rapid movement rather than defense.

Agelia was unqualified as a professional gladiator in almost every aspect, but she had one significant advantage: her speed was world-class. To catch her, the Black Cats would have to deploy gladiators throughout the arena and gradually corner her. However, if they adopted this strategy with a large number of enemy team gladiators remaining, they could be defeated one by one. Therefore, the Black Cats needed to neutralize the God Knights’ main force first.

‘I need to buy time to make it easier for Agelia.’

Erpina immediately sprinted towards the opposite edge of the arena from where Agelia was heading, luring the Black Cats’ main force.

“God Knights are using the Runner strategy! We need to eliminate their main force quickly!”

It was an obvious move, so the Black Cats, as expected, targeted Erpina. However, their captain, Gladiator Number 1, made a small mistake. Perhaps due to inexperience in game management, he was simply chasing after her without any strategic changes. Even though they were using the same wedge formation, the God Knights’ main force, with fewer numbers and better physical condition, was unlikely to be easily caught by the Black Cats team, which was fully staffed with 12 members.

‘Heh heh. Fools. That’s good for us.’

Erpina controlled the speed of the main force, darting around the arena. It was a bit risky, but she created situations where she seemed about to be caught, forcing the Black Cats team gladiators to stick together. At this rate, it seemed they could waste all the remaining time.

However, before long, the Black Cats team’s formation split into three groups. Perhaps unable to tolerate Gladiator Number 1’s foolishness, orders were issued from the dugout. Erpina, with a disappointed expression, shouted to all her following teammates.

“From now on, it’s going to be really dangerous, so stay focused!”

Her prediction was accurate. With one group chasing and the other two blocking the path, it was difficult to find an escape route. Soon, Erpina saw a Black Cats gladiator blocking her path and quickly veered to the right. However, this was part of a herding tactic. Other Black Cats groups blocked her path.

In a desperate crisis, Reimi, who was following Erpina, rushed forward and shouted.

“Erpina, I’ll block them, just run!”

She threw herself at the group of four Black Cats. It might seem like a reckless act, but her role was to hold out until Erpina and her teammates escaped, so she could fulfill her mission.

“Well done, Reimi!”

Erpina, having quickly escaped the encirclement, expressed her gratitude.

Reimi smirked once and wildly swung her sword at the Black Cats gladiators surrounding her. She had achieved her goal, but since she was still in good condition, she intended to buy more time if possible. However, she couldn’t fight so many opponents alone. Before long, she was stabbed in the back and collapsed to the ground.

“Oooooh. The God Knights are being cowardly!”

“What are you doing with such underhanded tactics!”

The Black Cats fans, angered by the God Knights’ stalling [draw-seeking] strategy, stood up and pointed their fingers. They had to win this round no matter what, and as time passed, they were going crazy. Currently, only Erpina and Emma remained in the God Knights’ main force, but there were less than four minutes left. They doubted whether they could catch Agelia, who was being protected by Matilda and Violet, in that time. Moreover, they had just lost one Black Cats gladiator due to the self-sacrificing attack by Reimi, a gladiator on loan from Silvia and Dragon Knights.

“Emma, what we need to do now is reduce the number of Black Cats. That way, Agelia will have more room to maneuver.”

Emma nodded at Erpina’s strategic instruction. Currently, with the Black Cats running out of time, only four were chasing them, while the remaining seven were slowly moving towards Agelia. Thanks to this, the difference in power was not significant, so if they could make a proper tackle, they thought they could eliminate one with a combined attack.

“Okay, I understand. But who’s going to make the tackle?”

“I’ll do it.”

That meant Emma would be the one to ultimately stab the sword. She gripped the sword in her hand tightly and said.

“Okay. Leave the rest to me.”

“Okay. Let’s go now!”

Erpina quickly turned around and focused her gaze on Gladiator Number 4, who was running on the far right among the Black Cats chasing group. The reason she specifically chose her was that Emma could escape to the side after completing her mission. Soon, Erpina leaped and grabbed Gladiator Number 4’s legs, knocking her down, and Emma brushed past her, forcefully stabbing her sword into her neck.

“What!”

The Black Cats gladiators, startled by the sudden attack, hesitated. But after witnessing their teammate being attacked, they rushed towards Erpina and Emma.

“Emma, go!”

Erpina leaped again without even getting up. Her intention was to let Emma escape, even if she was too late. Fortunately, her second tackle was also successful, and the God Knights were able to preserve one more member of their force.

“Agelia, Violet, it’s time for us to shine.”

At Matilda’s words, Agelia and Violet checked their condition by jogging in place. The seven Black Cats gladiators were crossing the central boundary line and slowly closing in.

They first chose the route where Gladiator Number 14 was approaching among the seven gladiators. Although it was the most dangerous path because the three gladiators who had defeated Erpina were running behind them, Emma was positioned in the middle, so they could receive help.

“Be careful. There’s a God Knights gladiator approaching from behind!”

Gladiator Number 14 turned around with a bewildered expression at her teammate’s shout. And after confirming Emma with her sword sharply raised, she quickly moved aside. She wasn’t a very strong opponent, so she could have faced her, but Agelia, Matilda, and Violet were approaching, so she was likely to be defeated if she stayed there.

As a result, Agelia and the Runner Party were able to escape the encirclement without difficulty.

“Hey! Why did you dodge! You should have stopped them by any means possible!”

The three Black Cats gladiators who arrived late scolded their teammate with the number 14 on her back. However, Gladiator Number 14 also had a lot to say. If they hadn’t missed Emma, she wouldn’t have had to dodge. Even though there were three opponents, she could have blocked them with difficulty if her back was secure.

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

Ah. Christmas is over, and there are only six days left until the end of the year. I probably won’t have many opportunities to drink then, so my body will feel better. Hahaha.

Well, everyone, have a good day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.