Richard turned to Sora with a serious expression. “Check the war menu,” he said. “You should see some new options there. Captains have more information”
Sora glanced at his status panel, spotting a new tab that hadn’t been there before. He selected it, revealing the [War Menu]. A list of stats and summaries appeared, and as he began to read through them, he shared the details with Kara and Richard.
“So, it says here we’ve won 400 squad battles and lost 600…” Sora's voice faltered slightly, the weight of the losses unpleasant. “That’s… not great.”
Richard crossed his arms, nodding solemnly. “Yeah, it's rough. But we knew they had the advantage in terms of levels and troop experience. It was actually way worse before reinforcements came”
Sora scrolled down, and more stats filled the display. “It shows they’ve had 187 aces and 115 flawless victories.”
Richard smirked slightly. “That’s not surprising. Going for a flawless win is usually harder than aiming for an ace. When you’re trying to get that last blow with one teammate, it can mean sacrifices—one or two players might get picked off. They’re focusing on Aces as they give more points.”
Sora scanned further down. “We’ve managed 152 aces ourselves and… 130 flawless victories.”
Kara’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait, we got more flawless wins than they did?”
Richard nodded, a bit of pride flickering in his expression. “We may be outnumbered, but we’ve got some serious talent. We pulled in elite forces from all over the New European Union. Most of our captains and vice captains are top-notch players. However, our squad members are local military forces as we couldn't request too many reinforcements. The war in Dubai requested even more reinforcements than we did and NEU also sent reinforcement there. Our strategy’s different, as we focused on elite troops to win the main battle. Even then, we have thousands of players who are even better than us and did not come back for the war... I wonder why.” Sora processed the information, a sense of hope mingling with the urgency of their situation. “So, maybe we have a chance at winning the war?”
Richard shook his head, a grim look crossing his face as he reviewed the numbers. “It’s not that simple. Sure, we’re way stronger than a few weeks ago, but I can't say for certain that’ll be enough. They’ve held onto a solid lead, and we’re still playing catch-up.” He glanced at Sora, then added, “Check the overall score—only captains and above can access it.”
Sora continued scanning the screen until he found the summary. He read it aloud for the benefit of his vice captains. “In this round, we won 4,170 points, but they scored 5,445 points. Total so far is 41,895 to 24,870... Damn, they’re really ahead.”
Kara sighed as she heard the numbers. Richard ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. “We’re looking at a massive gap, and they’ll probably use the points for one hell of a debuff in the final battle.” He looked around, sensing the tension rising among the team leaders who overheard. “It’ll hurt, but we’ll have to face it head-on,” he added resolutely.
Sora turned and looked at his company, all divided into squads and teams, some of them discussing the results of their recent battles. He saw the mix of relief and frustration on their faces—many had given it their all, but a handful wore faces full of self-blame. They knew the stakes were only getting higher.
He turned back to Richard, a question forming in his mind. “Are there bonuses from winning flawlessly or killing all enemies in the next battle?”
Richard laughed, his tone a little lighter this time. “That’s the kind of wishful thinking only a newcomer would have! Both generals tried going for full Aces and flawless wins in the second wave of fights. Even when Generals got close, there were always casualties on both sides. If one player tries to hog all the kills, it means the rest have to hold back—and that’s when it starts falling apart.” He shook his head. “People lost entire companies that way. So, no one tries it anymore.”
Sora nodded slowly, taking in Richard’s words. It made sense; even the strongest players faced limitations, especially when held to level 80. Still, something in him stirred, a lingering desire to attempt the impossible.
'My strength and innate skill would be wasted if I don't even try going for it'
The second wave of battles was set to start in 30 minutes. Sora opened the company chat, summoning everyone. He could feel their collective focus shifting towards him as they connected.
“Let’s talk strategy for the 100 vs. 100,” he began, his voice calm but carrying a weight of authority. “I’ve been watching your fights, and I’m gonna be honest with you: our company didn’t perform as well as others. We’re below average. We can’t keep handing points over to the enemy like this.”
A murmur rippled through the company, a few voices muttering in agreement. He continued, “We racked up 4 flawless victories and 4 Aces, thanks to Kara, Richard and Jordan. But our results were lacking. Our company handed Dark Elves 13 fights and a whole lot of extra points.”
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He took a breath, steeling himself as he prepared to lay out his plan. “What I’m about to suggest, plenty of others have tried before us. I’m not pretending it’s a new idea.”
One of the Team Leaders, a grizzled soldier named Slim, cut in. “You’re talking about a total Ace? One player taking out all the enemies? Or a Flawless?”
Sora nodded. “We will attempt both. But the main goal is the Ace.”
A chorus of skepticism filled the group, mingled with curiosity. Another Team leader spoke up, “But that’s crazy! If we try that and mess up, we’re handing over points like candy.”
The company may be presented to the world as an army corps, but it was full of players, and players of company weren't real soldiers. They saw how real soldiers fought and lived, and they weren't ready to live such a life.
Richard's voice chimed in, steady and resolute. “Look, our captain is right. I've seen his strength, and we can do it. If you listen to the arrangements, we can make it work. And let’s face it, the current strategy isn’t cutting it. We’re going to keep losing ground unless we try something new.”
Sora continued, “Right now, we're considered one of the weakest companies in this Coliseum. And we have to make use of that. We'll take them by surprise. And they'll regret giving us the chance to act. And I swear you can count on me to make these words into reality. We will crush them.”
They didn't know why, but the players in the company started believing Sora as he made his speech.
Richard smiled, an evil grin on his face. “Let’s give them a reason to sweat. They'll taste hell, like I did.”
Over the next ten minutes, Sora outlined his strategy, detailing the timing, the roles, and the adjustments each squad would need to make. As he spoke, the doubts in the company gradually turned into murmurs of disbelief.
One squad leader chimed in again. “There is no way you can do all of this, right? If we believe you, we're basically cheerleaders.”
Sora finished, “Follow my instructions, I'm confident in doing my part! But you need to stay alive at all costs.”
As the players buzzed with newfound determination, Sora looked at the sky, feeling the weight of their expectations settling on his shoulders. He glanced at Kara and Richard. “This will go down as an epic victory.”
Richard smirked, his eyes glinting with excitement. “This strategy ... This is not a strategy! This is madness! But if we’re going out, we’re going out with a bang.”
Soon, words appeared in the sky:
[Companies who have been notified, advance to the field number prepared for you, and fight.]
Five companies from each side were summoned. Sora and his teammates barely spared them a glance, too focused on preparing a plan to counter each situation. Their captain’s plan was undeniably bold, maybe even crazy, but they were tired of handing points over to the enemy. They trusted Richard when he said the Captain was a monster. It was time for a change.
Sora took a moment to review the skills in his arsenal, refined over hours in the [Time Space] and during his relentless training since arriving in Paris. His Martial Titan class had unlocked a variety of powerful skills, some of which he copied and recreated and evolved as he pushed his limits.
'It's been a while since i've last used my class skills. The Martial Titan really has decent skills for a tank class'.
[Blood Clone]
Description: Summon copies of yourself by drawing on the strength of your blood. These clones can be ordered to use skills at the cost of blood. Their strength is a portion of the original’s power, scaled to your achievements in Supreme Skill.
Effect: Affected by your [Eternal Body Craft] and limited to ten clones at present.
Effect: Affected by your [Mana Evolution], it gains the ability to store mana and self-detonate. [Wind Whip]
Description: Shape wind into a thorned whip that can extend at will, lashing out with incredible reach. [Earth Dome]
Description: Create a protective or trapping dome of earth around a designated area. [Ice Rain]
Description: Summon rain with mana-controlled droplets that freeze mid-air. The size of ice drops, velocity and quantity of the ice depend on the amount of mana used.
[Titan's Might]
Description: Plant your feet in the ground, make your blood boil, and unleash your full potential. You will be immune to any crowd control effects for 10 seconds.
[Titanic Strike]
Description: Channel your maximum strength into a ground strike, sending a shockwave that stuns or trips enemies within a radius proportional to your body level. [Extreme Bloodlust]
Description: Unleash your emotions, strength, and mana to create an overwhelming shadow of yourself that terrifies enemies and disrupts their ability to use mana. The skill’s effectiveness depends on the intensity of your emotions, mana control, and strength. [Blizzard]
Description: Summon water and slow its mana flow until it freezes, forming a blizzard around you. Enemies on the frozen ground are slowed, and those caught in the blizzard experience further effects.
[Floor is Lava]
Description: Combine Earth and Fire to cover the ground with a layer of molten earth with intense heat, covering it in a substance that burns all who step onto it.
Sora’s most significant development, however, was a new addition to [Mana Evolution]: a sub-effect within his Mana Customization that allowed for unparalleled flexibility.
Sub-effect: [Elemental Control]. By recreating elements through [Mana Customization], you unlock a sub-effect allowing for perfect skill creation based on your comprehension of each element.
Elements Unlocked: 5.
Sora grinned as he scrolled through his skill panel. With this range of abilities, he felt like the sky was the limit. He was ready to unleash everything in the battles ahead.