In the sticky darkness, one man cowered.
　He slowly pulled his creaking body out of the mud.
　He heard the sound of sewage trickling down from somewhere. Although it was a sewer, it was different from that of modern Tokyo in the global world. The area around which the man roosted was nothing more than an underground labyrinth with sewage no wider than a finger's width running here and there.
　The man rises from his bed, a mess of old clothes taken from the Adventurer, and runs his fingers across his abdomen. The rusty substance clinging to his fingers is dried blood. The feverish wound is already closed up in the shredded, torn jet black cloak.
　-- apparently the wound has healed.
　The interior of the iron helmet, which resembles a mask, glows faintly. It's a magical effect that grants night vision.
　The movable armor is an unbreakable magical tool that has been around since the ancient times. It is a magic item, an artifact of magical civilization, and a lukewarm memento of illusion.
　It is the crystallization of a lost skill that surpasses the current civilization of the Earthmen and Adventurers and even that of the Sacrificial Clan.
　In the pale green of his vision, the man examines his own body.
　The wound has healed.
　The man's physical abilities are high. If I were to use the word "HP", it would be more than three times higher than when he was not equipped. However, on the other hand, it was characterized by the fact that its recovery ability was not enhanced to that extent. In the first place, it was not based on the premise of taking damage. The defensive ability of Power Armor would be able to nullify most attacks. If it didn't take any damage, then there was no need for the ability to recover. This wounding revealed a surprising weakness in the Power Armor, and it was no small humiliation for a man. It was no small humiliation for a man.
　But now a man's armor was not the only thing he had in his arsenal.
　The scabbard clattered in his hand.
　It is said to have been used by Rugglius, the hero of the Ice Wall, to give its owner the qualities of a hero. Its power seems to become more and more familiar to your body the more you let Hakumamaru suck your blood. The muscles in his arms, which have grown thicker by two sizes, tell the story. This spirit sword that clicks its sheath is asking for more sacrifices.

　The man growls low in the darkness and leaves the roost without looking back.
　To begin with, the man has little awareness that this sewer is his headquarters or base of operations. As long as he can hide in moderation and there's no noise, that's all that matters. This underground cavity is a space beyond the collapsed hierarchy. There is a flow of air, so it will be connected to the ground at some point, but as far as the man knows, there are no longer enough passages left to allow people to enter or exit. It wouldn't be inconvenient for a man who could use the transference, but if an ordinary earthling or adventurer tried to break in, they would need to do extensive civil engineering work.
　The man pictured the city of Akiba in his mind. This is the city he has been guarding for a long time. The structure of the city was familiar to him. Recently, buildings have been renovated and expanded one after another by "adventurers," but the basics of the street remain the same.
　The man jumped to one of the transitions he had remembered.
　Instantly, the air that blows through the man's surroundings envelops him.
　The winter night wind beat to freeze the man's body, but it did not bring any itchiness because of the resistance to cold air (resist cold) of the Power Armor. In fact, it was an excellent aperitif that gave us a taste of the party to come.
　From the crumbling ruins, a man looks down on a crowd of empty street stores.
　A few lights lit in the depths of darkness. The man couldn't suppress a smile as he looked at the fragile and unreliable lights. The man leans over his hunched over body to the max and licks his tongue in delight.
　After the light and noise of the day has passed, the streets of Akiba have fallen silent to reveal a girl lying still in the depths of darkness. During the day, she is a proud woman who is very stubborn and proud, but in the darkness of night, she is nothing more than a frightened girl, like a rabbit.

　The skinny man pulled his sword from its scabbard.
　The icy winter chill swirled around him, making him slimy.
　The man let out a distorted laugh in pain and delight as his own soul crystallized.
　Winter was a man.
　The freezing cold air was the man himself. The man shed his black cloak in the darkness of the night so that the raging blizzard would not feel the cold.
　The man's silhouette was unbalanced as it emerged from the lights of Akiba's distant streets. The body is lean and toned, but there are no muscular muscles floating around. The man, wearing a black tank top that clung to his body and leather trousers, wore metal armor - small hands and gushy feet - only from his knees and elbows. The parts are the wrong size, as if they belong to someone else. The man who had shed his unholy cloak, falling into the city like a black monstrous bird, was a viciously forged weapon.
　The huge metal shell is densely packed with brown-gray fibers that combine magic power storage and impact mitigation. The magic fibers received a supply of magical power from the magic circle and began to drive without a sound. Several barriers were generated on the man's limbs, causing a force field to develop outside his body.

　Memories of fighting the giants on the frozen plains of the north country came back to the man.
　It is not the man's memory of Akiva's Daichijin, but that of the hero Lugrius.
　It is the memory of Ruglius, the hero.
　As an ancient species, and as the Knights of the Ismo, he fought. For a hundred years, he fought off evil giants to keep the people of Susquino smiling. It was to the credit of Luglius, the hero of Ezzo, that he drove them into the Jade Garden in the deep mountains of Ou and brought them one step closer to the seal.
　That intense pride is blowing through the man like a raging ice snow.
　If only "Harunire's daughter" had not betrayed him, if only she had not conspired to kill Lugrius with her vile poison, he would still be revered as a hero in the north with the old seed of immortality. If not for the betrayal of that fragile girl.
　A snowflake wind leaks from the mouth of the sword as rage rages through the air, freezing everything in its path. The spirit sword wants to wield its curse ice magic in response to the man's rage.
　Lugrius's grudge cries out to gather many people's grasses, bring them to their knees, and take their life for his own.

　The man shook his head.
　He shook his head, "Lugrius is not me.
　He is the Earthling, the sacrificial clan. The proud guardian of Akiva. But without that honor, he was scorned as an automaton of the human race. Although capable of surpassing even the adventurers, their status is such that they are treated at best as security devices, in effect, accessories to the city.... A warrior of the very clan of slaves dedicated to sacrifice.
　The man traced his own situation and saw the black vindictiveness that burned there. That vindictiveness is intertwined with a rage that freezes in the pure white. That's right. That's why I was chosen by Luglius, he thought.
　I'm going to be the one who betrayed me, to destroy the daughter of Haru Yume.

　Without any hesitation, the man fell from the building and without any particular effort, his feet hit the ground. I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do that. Most of the streets of Akiba are not even cobblestone paving. Most of the streets of Akiba are not even cobblestone paving, but soft, black soil with mossy roots. As the man landed to crush the twisted branches and roots of the trees, he noticed that there was little sign of life.
　There was no prey.
　The killer thought scornfully. He wondered if he had escaped, too.
　The killer was an excellent fighter, but he was not all-around good at it. There were countless things he was not good at, one of which was his ability to search for enemies. To begin with, the family's "guards" are usually stationed in security facilities. When the security facility detected a crime in the city, the guards, clad in powered armor, would rush to the scene of the crime and capture the criminals.
　Detecting and spotting criminals was a capability of the security facility, not the guards themselves. Of course, the ancient magical equipment of the "powered armor" did not have the ability to enhance them either.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has the ability to sense the entire Akiba area, but that doesn't mean that this night was too popular. It was common practice in this world to go to bed at sunset, but in Akiba, it was different. The adventurers tend to go to bed later than the earthlings, perhaps because of their superior fighting abilities. Perhaps that's why the Adventurers tend to sleep later than the Daichijinshi, for they are better able to defend themselves against nocturnal monsters.
　Perhaps this is why the adventurers rarely disappear completely from the streets of Akiba, the city of the Adventurers, even late at night. The men who have been sacrificed to the sword in the past were one of those people.
　But now, there is no sign of them.

　The man waved his white demon circle in frustration. A whirling blizzard was released, freezing the thorny bushes. Crushing it with a kick, the man turned northward on Central Avenue in search of his victims.
　The transference ability of the Power Armor is only for the zone of Akiba's city.
　An ancient magic circle believed to have been built underneath the city gives the armor the power of transference. Therefore, if Akiva's adventurers are seeking refuge outside the city, we cannot follow them out of the city.
　Also, this transfer does not have the ability to cross zones.
　Isolated, closed spaces sometimes form small wards called zones. For example, a room in an inn is an example of this. A small space, which can be as small as two beds, becomes an "individual space" due to the presence of a door and is cut off from the outside world by a spell. Although it is within the city of Akiba, it is not considered to be the city of Akiba.
　The same is true of the Guild Hall, a magical facility used by the adventurers. All of the many strongholds within the obsidian-like building are said to function as individual spaces. Many of the buildings rebuilt by the Adventurers are now used as individual zones as well.
　A man cannot penetrate these spaces through transference. Even by direct entry, the Zone's magic strictly identifies and excludes anyone who can enter or leave.
　The hunt for prey holed up in the Zone is therefore difficult.
　The man chuckled as he grabbed his throat with one hand and held it in place.
　In other words, it's a siege.
　The adventurers, intimidated by the hero's bravery, had finally cried out and shut themselves away. The man wandered around laughing and looking for his prey. As if he didn't enjoy peering into alleyways, smashing signs and wielding a sword in his hand. It was exactly the action of a blood-drunk killer, though he would never admit it.

　The man didn't have to wait much longer.
　A small shadow appeared to block his path.
　The skinny mouth twisted into a crescent shape.
　What small, tender-looking flesh.
　The murderer intercepted the shadow coming toward him, trailing a faint scent of camellia oil. The sword of ice and snow growled and demanded a sacrifice. The rage and hunger of the heroes would be slammed into this city.




◆



　Akatsuki braced himself for the response they had discussed.
　The opponent is a monster. You can't let your guard down to the slightest degree. No, there's no need to let your guard down, Akatsuki deeply understands that the possibility of his defeat is higher.
　Akatsuki is not a warrior position (tank) that specializes in undertaking enemy attacks, but a weapon attacker that specializes in dealing damage.
　In this strategy, Akatsuki's priority to enter this position is third. In other words, there are two more people above him who are better suited to direct engagement than Akatsuki.
　Nevertheless, it was half a coincidence that Akatsuki ended up in direct conflict with the murderer in this way. The city of Akiba covers an area of two kilometers square. It's not large, but it's not small either. And moreover, one unit is too small to build a vigilance network against this killer, who could appear anywhere. However, there were circumstances that prevented us from deploying a large number of personnel.
　That's why Liese, the raid leader, chose to patrol with her platoon. By dispersing actions by three to six members, they would cast a thin but wide net.
　Another reason is the experience of engaging Akatsuki's subordinates. Akatsuki's subordinates, or "trackers," have a number of specialties, such as detecting signs and spotting, that allow them to search a wide area. Akatsuki alone can detect a range as large as four platoons. It was a coincidence that Akatsuki was able to discover the killer, but that's not the only reason.

　Wordlessly, Akatsuki unleashes his blade from the left.
　A silver glow that seems to cut the night in two, a quick assault. Knowing that she couldn't finish him off with that level of attack, Akatsuki threw herself into the air with the remainder of her slashing power. This is because the increased leg strength and agility provided by the Quick Assault's properties will allow him to find a safe zone at the murderer's side.
　However, a horrifyingly cold air and shock flashed across the small sword that sprang up on his back.
　Although he knew it, Akatsuki let out a bitter groan and heaved himself up, spinning forward.
　I thought I had jumped into my opponent's blind spot, but I was forced out of it.
''Akatsu..........''
　Marielle covered her face as she was exposed to a storm of cold air. Even so, a slight shimmering recovery effect flickered on Akatsuki's back. It's reaction-activated recovery. It is an effect of a spell called class special recovery that characterizes the three recovery professions, as well as the pulsation recovery of the Forest Curse Master (Druid) and the damage blocker of the Shingi Officer (Kanagi).
　Akatsuki steps forward, feeling that wave of recovery like Marielle's warm palm. She dodged the cutting edge of the attacking blade with her petite body swinging from side to side, and moved forward, forward.

　In front of you is the murderer that was not able to live up to that day.
　It's the center of the case that must be defeated.
　The man waits for Akatsuki's assault with a wan smile on his face. The deceptive armor the man wears is a "power armor". --Akatsuki and the others now know that it is at least a part of it. Its defensive capabilities could even rival the magical armor of the illusory class. However, Akatsuki is undaunted.
　In the middle of the night, the main street of Akiba was quickly turned into frozen earth with a blizzard blowing in the middle of the night.
　If you look across the street, you'll see the walls of the building as they always are. While fighting, Akatsuki thinks desperately. The blizzard's range would be five meters, or at most ten meters. The Japanese sword wielded by the killer was the starting point for the cold air blowing out.
　While dodging new attacks that he didn't receive in the last fight, Akatsuki tried to figure out how to respond. That was the first lesson Akatsuki received from Liese. Determine your opponent. To observe what you can do and what you can't do, and make it clear. Do not give up in the middle of any hard fight. Akatsuki abides by this lesson with biting lips.
　But he couldn't be on the defensive, either. It's a good idea to have a good time. The leader of the Crescent Moon Alliance with his radiant smile. A friend of my lord. I couldn't let her get hurt. As a burglar and as a gamer.
　She's a healer. In order for her to complete her work as a healer, the vanguard must draw the enemy to her. Even if she is not a full-time warrior (tank), Akatsuki is the only one who should be fulfilling that role now. So she must collect the murderer's enmity (hate) all at once.
　Her impatience is so strong that it tears her limbs off.
　Restraining itself from wanting to scream out loud, Akatsuki wields her blade.
　One. I throw in the Axel Fang. I know I can't reach it.
　Using that recoil, he throws in another Axel Fang. You rub your opponent's cage slightly. The grating sound of slicing metal and the scent of burning. Using the two almost identical trajectories of the two accelerated fang, Akatsuki sank down as if to hug the ground.
　The previous Akatsuki would have jumped up.
　He was desperate to multiply the power of his attack and wanted to be as high as possible above his opponent. But this time it was different. If Akatsuki's merely small body spun around so that he could get down, his opponent would lose sight of Akatsuki as his own limbs became blind. This kind of attack, which uses one's own complex against one's opponent, is something Akatsuki never had in the past.
　All of it, all of it, was given to Akatsuki by everyone.
　Prying open the Death Stinger. The strike that slammed into the back of my knee unfortunately didn't have the additional effect of continuing damage. However, that strike slightly disrupted the killer's center of gravity, and in a forceful blow, Akatsuki struck the Yohen Tenmoku no Tsurugi (Change in Kiln).

　The sound of steel striking steel resounded high in the Akiva night.
　Akatsuki is already sweating, having jumped back five meters without resisting the momentum. More than the cold air blowing from the killer, the movement and tension of the series of offensive and defensive moves is making Akatsuki's body temperature jump. Both arms are sore. Just in time to match the opponent's blow, I brought my right hand along the small taiji, which I usually hold up with my left hand. This is because I sensed that if I did not do so, I could not get through.
　But in reality, with both hands along, the damage was still significant.
　That's understandable. It is the specification of Elder Tail that if the timing is precisely matched, the attack will have a countervailing effect, but this is not something that can be normally aimed at, and it is not the kind of effect where the damage becomes zero just because it occurs. It only allows you to reduce some of your opponent's attacks with your own attack. A high-powered attack will directly injure the opponent's body beyond offsetting. Just as this killer's attack penetrated Akatsuki's offsetting with an order of magnitude of power.

　Akatsuki still had a small smile on his lips.
　A glimmer of golden sand envelops both arms, which feel flabby and inflamed, as they recover. Reaction Activation Recovery is a spell that automatically recovers HP in response to damage inflicted by the enemy. Five to ten attacks will support you with this kind of healing power. The effect of this spell, which automatically heals every enemy attack, is immense. The mental reserve of being able to cast the spell in advance is an irreplaceable advantage for Akatsuki and Marielle, who are novices in large-scale combat.
　But it's not without its weaknesses. It is impossible to avoid fatal injuries by recovering after taking damage, that is to say, after the damage is done. It is not possible to respond to a powerful attack that would cut off your arm in a single blow. Moreover, Marielle's reactive recovery is inferior in skill level to that controlled by, say, a D.D.D.'s Healing Priest (Cleric). In fact, even if she was recovering, Akatsuki's HP was far from being fully recovered.
　But.
　Akatsuki ran.
　He charged as if he were rolling, . A forceful twist of his right leg, a half-turn. In a disorienting move, he ran past his opponent's side and then the Paralyzing Blow.
　Because Akatsuki wasn't dead.
Akatsuki!
　Another killer attack grazed Akatsuki. He could see it tearing through his armor. The current blow was a deadly storm that passed over Akatsuki's heart.
　But Akatsuki is still alive.
　Akatsuki's fighting spirit was burning. A week ago, he had to sneak behind Soujiro to fight. The situation is definitely worse. Even if you stack normal heal spells on top of your reactive activation recovery, Akatsuki's HP continues to decrease. But that's natural. The opponent is a killer. This is clearly a large scale combat (raid) class Enemy. It's not a monster that a haphazardly trained, weak guild member like Akatsuki can take on. Even Soujiro, the leader of the West Wind Brigade, was sunk by the attack. There is a reason why they can take on this killer, albeit with a time limit. That reason aroused Akatsuki.

　It's a "Meiboshi Grasping" wrapped around the right arm that has been thrust out. This production-grade basket was made by the sisters of Lucky Dice. The frosted bracer generates a force field, giving it greater protection than it looks. Even if the protection of its right arm is knocked out by a blizzard, the Sumiwa Clothing emits a slight magical glow, forcing Akatsuki to cower for a brief period of time.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your new armor by using your natural agility to slip into the gap. The fluffy silhouette provides several times more attribute protection and increased abilities than before, yet the weight has barely increased. It was all a gift from the girls gathered at that tea party.

--Does this kind of thing work?
--I'll fix it for you. I'll fix it for you.
--Why don't you finish those? There's enough for everyone.
--I've got everything you need. Hush.

　With their smiling faces, they bothered Akatsuki as if she had a new sister. They may have been more than half teasing, but they provided Akatsuki with a generous helping hand.
　Most of the equipment now protecting Akatsuki was a gift from them.
　The old equipment had become too diminished in durability from the fight against that killer, and it was obvious that they would not be able to keep up with Akatsuki's new battle.
　Akatsuki remembered all of their faces, but about half of them were women he had never even spoken to. These women may or may not have heard Akatsuki's description of the murderer and the situation regarding Akiva's crisis, but they would offer words of encouragement and sweetness.
　Those were frustrating, old familiar emotions that rolled through Akatsuki. It's a conditioned reflex that she doesn't want him to treat her like a child. But on the other hand, he also felt a sense of comfort that he hadn't had before.
　Akatsuki was in a position where he bowed his head and hung on to everyone's cooperation. So, in a way, it's no wonder that he's treated as a child. Giving up on the rebellion, Akatsuki thinks, "It's because of my lack of ability. It is because of his lack of ability, he thinks. It's a good idea to admit that you are defeated by everyone.
　But surely, lack of ability and losing are not meaningless.
　There are things that can only be understood by admitting our weaknesses.
　One of them is the serenity of this chest.
　When I thought back on it, I realized right away that many of the people who approached Akatsuki had no ill intentions. They were just doing me a favor.
　Most of the people Akatsuki had rejected and bared their fangs to had no intention of belittling him.
　Of course it was a very ticklish experience, but there was nothing unacceptable about it.

　Strangely, Akatsuki's sword fights were brilliant.
　The HP bar that was slowly and visibly decreasing didn't bother me either.
　He threw more attacks in, giving the killer as much action reduction (debuff) effect as possible. It wasn't so much to prolong Akatsuki's own life as it was a statement of confidence in the confirmed tactics.
''Ten more........five!
　At the sound of Marielle's shouting voice, Akatsuki gave a small smile.
　Come to think of it, Marielle also said it was her first time.
　Right now, Akatsuki and the others are fighting a large scale battle (raid) for the first time since they were born.



◆



　After receiving the telepathic message, Liese immediately forwarded the contents to the other team leaders.
"Target supplementation. Move on foot along Chuo-dori Avenue towards Old Ogawa-machi. First contact was Akatsuki's unit. Team D will move, everyone else stand by.
　Liese herself starts to run as well while sending a telepathic message around as she shouts.
　At last, a large scale battle (raid) has begun.
　Liese sends telepathic messages one after another. There are currently 24 adventurers in the city of Akiba. According to the theory of party formation, there are four platoons of six adventurers. If they were combined, there would be a full raid of twenty-four adventurers. However, that formation could not be adopted this time. With four platoons, it was impossible to patrol the entire area of Akiba. It would be necessary to split up, in other words, to form a smaller group. Although it hadn't been announced, the twenty-three men under Liese's command are currently divided into two or three irregular platoons, of which there are more than ten. There are more than ten of them.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. With Kyoko in tow behind her is Kyoko. She is a level 90 Guardian. She is one of the victims of this incident. Liese herself is a sorcerer.
　We're too weak. Even if we were to join Team D, there would still be four Akatsuki's. It's not easy. It's not easy, but it's not possible to hold back a large class of Enemies.

　Liese and Kyoko, who were in the direction of the canal, ran underneath the guard and hurried to Chuo Street. Unfortunately, the scene was far away. You'll have to cut diagonally through Akiba. That distance is probably less than a kilometer. But with a strong adventurer's body, he could get to his destination in about two minutes.
　We bypassed a dilapidated advertising skeleton and sped along a path covered in green undergrowth.
'Are you Akatsuki?'
Yeah. I'm worried about you.
'Yes..... But surely.
　Liese runs, returning the affirmation with a "yeah" to Kyouko's words that didn't last. Crossing the station square cleared by Akiva's volunteers to make the open air more comfortable, the two of them crossed the station square with strides like a long jump, and ran into the guild hall and up the concrete stairs as if they had grown wings.
　Liese bit her lip and reviewed the mission this time.
　Most of the mystery has been solved. It could be said that we now know most of the tricks.

　The enemy is the death warrior Lugrius.
　No, it's something like Luglius.
　It was a raid enemy and quest boss in the "Order of the Decayed Order" in the tenth expansion pack "Heart of Dreams". The Order of the Decay is a full raid, so the game is supposed to be played by 24 players, but the difficulty level itself is not very high. I can't remember ever having a hard time with it afterwards, let alone in the early days when there was insufficient information. No, the Order of the Decayed Order is an introduction to the larger quest, the Ninth Prison of Halos. There was no way it could be that difficult.
　Lise doesn't know why Lugrius, the death warrior Lugrius, who should have died in the Ezzo Empire, and the Enemy that even appears in Hokkaido as a raid boss, is now attacking the city of Akiva. She doesn't even bother. It's not in Liese's nature to have a hobby that bothers her for a reason. In Liese's opinion, reasons only make sense during the coping phase, and in this case, only a decisive response can improve the situation.
　Liese has interviewed every victim who has ever been attacked by the killer. As a result, she surmised that the killer was Luglius or one with Luglius-like tendencies and powers. The reason it took so long is that the killer had not initially been able to use his full potential, or was trying to hide it.
　It was also because the killer was not simply a Raid Monster Luglius, but also possessed the battle power of Power Armor. He is a monster that controls two different kinds of power, but at the time of the incident, these two kinds of power were camouflaging each other.

　The key to uncovering the truth is the fact that the murderer used the Hail Mary and Hakumamamaru as his weapons.
　That's what Akatsuki, who fought the killer for the last time, declared.
　The small tachi is a rather small and hard to distinguish weapon. Riese was not confident that he could see it equipped and even guess its name. However, Riese decided that the fact that the girl who was also a kotai sword wielder had assured her that she was sure.
　After that, it was quick. The name of the hara-katana, Hakumamamaru, because it reminded Liese of the story of the hero Luglius, who fought for Ezzo with it as his beloved sword, and the quest to defeat him after he fell into darkness.

　The cursed weapon (,,,,,,).
　It's ridiculous, but the Hailstones and Hakumamamaru are it.
　There's a situation with the erosion of flavor text, Liese learned about it from the report delivered by Mikakage. The hero, who died in ignominy, wrote down his rage and vindictiveness in the explanatory text of his beloved sword. That cursed sentence had materialized and attacked its owner.
(Ridiculous!)
　Liese bites her lip with frustration for what must be the hundredth time. The flavour text materializes and attacks the person.
　It was as if a nightmare had swiftly emerged from the realm of dreams and tried to tear the dreamer's master apart, a situation that evoked physiological fear.
　But in a different realm of horror, the brains in charge of the D.D.D. leadership team have a tactical plan. If the killer has the abilities of Luglius, they can be divided into three main categories.
　One is a significant increase in HP. Luglius' maximum HP varies greatly depending on the number of people present in the zone. In the quest to confront him in the Catacombs of the Order of Decay, more than fifty of the Earthlings kidnapped by him were in the same zone. That alone had swelled Ruglius's HP to three times its lowest level.
　If the city of Akiba was still bustling with activity in normal times, his HP would have a capacity that was several hundred times greater than it was in normal times. No one can defeat such a monster. Even if it was the Westwind Brigade or the D.D.D.
　That's why Liese thought of a plan. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. Just as they had evacuated the Daichijin out of the zone in the former Raid Quest, they would make the city of Akiba their own private battle zone. This was the minimum requirement for fighting Ruglius.
　The second is to increase their full capacity in proportion to the number of people in the area. Luglius increases his attack power, evasion, defense, and hit ratio in proportion to the number of adventurers within 50 meters. This is one of the secrets of Luglius, who has slaughtered even Soujiro. And it's also the reason why Riese has split the full raid into the smallest number of people.
　It was the same in the Order of Decay quest. Only six of the strongest were left, while the remaining eighteen were evacuating the Daichijin while fighting off the grudges summoned by Lugrius' grudge. Only then would Lugrius be weakened to the point where he could be defeated by the Enemy.
　One of his last attacks was a ranged attack that controlled ice. The front of Lugrius will become a blizzard and his visibility will deteriorate. There should even be cold air damage. It's a simple ability in itself, but because of its simplicity, there is no other way to deal with it but with equipment with attribute defense.
　''The more living people there are in the vicinity, the greater its ability will be. The more people in the vicinity, the greater its ability. These abilities are meant to represent the background setting of Luglius, who died from drinking resentment.
　They are unique abilities because he was given a dramatic backdrop as a raid quest boss, not just some random monster wandering around a dungeon or field.

　These three abilities were Ruglius' secrets and pushed this battle to a desperate level of difficulty. For a 90-level raid content, a gimmick that is just a test of skill, but in the human-rich city of Akiba, it's the worst ability.
　The combination with the transference ability of the Power Armor was especially fatal.
　Lugrius can escape at any time and can target crowded places and times in this Akiba city. The killer is currently choosing the night to attack Akiba, but even that doesn't know how long it will last. It could be because the fight is at night in the original quest, or it could be the killer's preference. It could even be a coincidence.

　There is a further worst that Riese considers.
　That is, could a killer with Luglius' abilities no longer be considered an Enemy NPC?　This is a concern. According to eyewitness accounts, the killer is named Emberto Hernanes. He is a samurai. That would mean he's cursed and has a human brain. That means he has the ability to learn.
　--Raid quests are the content of the game. It's true that they're made to be so difficult that you'll get wiped out many times, but that's only because the management has prepared them that way so that you can enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when you eventually conquer them. I know this because I'm a member of the largest raiding guild on the Yamato server, Liese. There was an invisible, but enemy-like trust between the players and the management, who enjoyed large-scale, brutal battles.
　But this is no longer an Elder Tail game, and Liese and her friends are no longer characters in the game. It's possible that this massive battle wasn't designed to be "eventually conquerable". Rather, it's more likely that it is.
　And isn't that possibility going to get higher and higher in the future?　Once fought, Riese and his team's strategy would be known to the murderers. The murderer could also launch more cunning, more deadly attacks against the city of Akiva. The ability to transpose and Lugrius' vindictiveness were too good to be true. Beyond that combination, Riese could only imagine hell.

　Of course, he thought of a countermeasure. There is a chance of winning in Riese's own way.
　But even so, there is no certainty.
　In a post-disaster world where the game was no longer a certainty, all plans were no longer guaranteed to be accomplished. Liese shuddered at this realization. The mere mention of the obvious in her mind suddenly sent a shiver down Liese's spine as if she was being held captive by an ice demon. An unstoppable chill made Liese buzz and shiver.
　Neither the title of operations commander nor the pride of being the commander of an instructional unit was of any use.
　Rather, they were just fuel for Liese's fears, or rather, increased them. With such a title, Liese was capable of even failing to put other people's lives on the road.
　Liese scolded her oddly weak knees and paced.
　It was horrible. "The horror of involving others and not being able to take responsibility for it," Riese finally reached that horror. Liese thought of the silver-haired princess, wondering if she had known such a horror since birth. She even felt almost awe-stricken that she had jumped into the Lord's Council and rode on Milord and Gryphon, even though she knew the horror of it.
　Big deal. That princess.
　And Krusty. And Shiroe. And the eleven guild masters. And Akatsuki.
　How horrible it is to try to change things, even though there is no guarantee of success. I'm ashamed of myself for making fun of it as a junior high school diary, etc. I was just making lofty pronouncements from above from a place where I thought it was safe.
　Liese was embarrassed by her own ugliness. But that's why I can't run over it.
　There are nine different types of deadlines for the strategy we've prepared this time. I tried to explain to everyone that I was being resourceful, but it's a sign of my incompetence as a military strategist that I can't narrow it down to just one.
　However, even so - it's better than losing.

I'm here.
　Kyouko smashed open a steel door that led to the moonlit sky. Below him were shattered concrete beams, and far below the evergreen treetops that covered half of his vision, he could see Akiba's station square.
　The roaring of the wind was the fifteenth floor of the Guild Hall, the proud obsidian fort of Akiba. The shattered top floor of a former high-rise building that looked as if it had been crushed by a giant's blow.
''Be careful, Liese!''
　The clear and therefore freezing cold wind made Liese's cloak swell up wide in an attempt to kidnap her. Kyouko's hand clutches Liese's belt as she quickly stiffens, and the two of them duck into the shadows of the pillar.
　While opening up the telepathic menu again, Liese and Kyouko also threw themselves into the middle of more battles.