Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The fight with the small mobs was mercilessly cut~

***

Tens of minutes passed in what seemed like an eternity, with waves of bugs swarming around them…

“That’s…the last one…”

Crim cut and kicked away the bugs, which had seemed endless as they swarmed around the Harunia trees.
Then she turned up, throwing her scythe into the air, tearing apart the last of the bugs.

Seeing that…left with no strength to catch the returning scythe… Crim fell on her knees. All she could do was let out a deep breath hearing her scythe clattering on the ground next to her.

“Hahh… hahh… there, thou art beaten, Aery…!”

There had been so many enemies at first, but now there was not even a single one in sight.
The other players were also worn out, sitting or lying on the ground. Those in the north were not even moving anymore, surrounded by a wasteland of destruction.

“On the other hand… Queen, I’m sorry, we couldn’t keep almost any of the young trees safe.”

The young trees, which held up a barrier to protect the older ones, had been torn apart by the bugs, leaving only one or two at most in any of the areas, and it felt like a miracle that those were still standing.

*”There’s no need to apologize… The fact that the eight older trees necessary for the barrier are standing is more than enough for me, especially after such a relentless attack. Thank you, everyone.”*
“Very well then… But it’s still a bit too early to celebrate, as our main opponent yet stands.”

Crim raised her head, looking into the distance where a red dot appeared far to the north in their minimap.
It was a big dot, which then became surrounded by twelve smaller ones.

“…So she’s finally showed up.”

An electrifying presence could be felt in that direction, pushing Crim to stand on her unsteady feet again.
Even Belial had called her a princess, so coupled with the title of Qliph2i, it was clear she had one of the highest positions amongst the devils.
Her presence was so ominous that even Crim felt an urge to run away from there.

Far in the distance, they saw her descend from the sky, the black wings of a fallen angel on her back…Ba‘al Zəbûl Aery.

She was surrounded by twelve strange servants, who looked like women with the lower half of their bodies being those of flies. All of them wielded daggers with twisted blades in each hand, and together they landed on the ravaged forest.

Then…the young girl elegantly held the hem of her skirt and bowed, acting like she was greeting guests.

*”Welcome, all 500 of you heroes. I’m Ba‘al Zəbûl Aery. I’ve watched how you fought, and as reward, I shall grant you the privilege of fighting me directly.”*

As she said that, four flying orbs of light appeared around her, which rapidly became brighter burning like small suns.

*”…But before that, I’ll grant you a grace period, before I and my 12 guards charge at you. If you manage to stop us, then I’ll concede defeat.”*

She smiled ominously as she said that, trying to instill fear in the players, who…

“She’s so cute…”
“Aery, was it? That’s a cute name too…”
“A fallen angel…who needs a spanking…”
“Ye lot art truly beyond redemption!!”

…reacted that way.

Even though they had looked like dead people, lying motionless on the ground, various players began to jolt up like revenants, a strange glint in their eyes.
Their off-beat reactions irked Crim so much she could not hold back from yelling back at them.

“Umm… Spirit of the Night, what do they mean?”
“Err… How do I put this… I’m truly sorry!”

Even Aery was taken off-guard by that, and all Crim could do was apologize to her.

With that commotion aside…
Everyone was able to take a moment to rest while Aery waited, as the guilds in other locations also gathered there.
That obviously also included the fighting force and rear guard, Nord Glacier and Lan Canglong.

“…Alright, she does look really intimidating. Now I get why you came to request our aid.”
“This is so messed up… It’s way too early for the final boss to show up.”

The other two Demon Lords quickly noticed the power of Aery, even if she was just enjoying a cup of tea before the fight. One of them was happy about it, and the other scowled with disgust as they each gave their opinion.

“To everyone from the Blueline Republic, I’ll be facing off against the strongest enemy, so please focus on the other enemies around her. And I’ll leave Lan Canglong in the hands…of Mei.”

Shao joined Crim’s forces while announcing that.
Meanwhile, Sorleon was talking with his closest aides, Reinhard and Cheval.

“Reinhard, Cheval, pick a team for each of you and go fight those women. I’ll be too busy with the devil girl to lend you a hand.”
“Roger that, commander. We’ll take care of them as fast as we can so we can help you after.”
“Leave that to us. This is the final hurdle, so we can’t let the enemy pass no matter what.”

With that, the two left to take command of the rest of the guild, while Sorleon unsheathed his twin swords and went to the frontline.
Then, one more person joined.

“You really have a knack for getting involved with the craziest quests out there, don’t you?”
“Suzaku… thou art still among the living?”
“Don’t just write me off as dead like that. I can still help out.”
“That’s good to know…and where’s Haru?”
“I dunno, she said something about talking to management and vanished.”

He said that while brandishing the red blade Da’at gave him, showing he was not holding back here. Aery took notice of that, frowning for a moment, but then returned to her usual deadpan face.

“Don’t forget about us!”
“It might be a bit difficult, but we’ll be here until the end!”

Hinagiku and Lycoris also went up and stood next to Crim, their weapons ready. The rest of Lua Cheia’s members also stepped forward, not wanting to lose to the youngest of the group.

As far as Crim knew, this was the most powerful lineup possible in the entire first server, all to fight against the devil princess.

Aery watched as all the main members gathered around Crim…her deadpan face shifting into what looked like a satisfied grin.
After that, she politely put away her tea cup before readying herself to fight against Crim’s army.

*”Now then… Come, and entertain me to your heart’s content!”*

Her voice reverberated ominously, as a blazing gust of wind like a sun corona passed across the battlefield, signaling the start of the final fight…