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The battle against the Great Old One, Cthulhu, had begun.Sorleon was already on his way to join the rest of his team, taking command of the frontline. Meanwhile, Crim leaped down from the platform to reunite with her own friends.

“Sorry for the wait, but it’s about time we also—”

Before she could finish, a familiar voice called out as a girl came sprinting toward them— the last missing member of their group.

“Hey, Crim! Sorry for the delay!”

It was Kasumi. She had stayed overnight at the Mitsuki household and then, early that morning, returned home by car, accompanied by Amari, who had wanted to greet her parents.

“Oh, Prez. You made it back safely?”
“Yeah. I ran straight to my room and logged in. At least I made it on time.”

Kasumi was still slightly out of breath from rushing over, but relief was evident on her face. And then… more unexpected arrivals appeared.

“And Jade, Sara, and even Ryunosuke? You guys came too?”
“Yeah, I happened to have the day off.”
“Same here. My husband told me what was happening, so I figured I’d come help—at least a little.”
“…I am truly grateful for thy willingness to aid us, even upon a most cherished day of rest.”

Crim understood how much the weight of adult responsibilities could bear down on someone. Days off were invaluable, and yet, both Sara and Jade had chosen to be here. She was genuinely grateful.

“And Ryunosuke, thy presence upon the battlefield is most unexpected.”

Crim cast a teasing glance at Ryunosuke, who was usually more of a silent observer than an active participant.

“Well, it’s not like I’ll be fighting like the rest of you,” he replied with a smirk. “This is shaping up to be a major event, so I figured I’d capture some footage.”
“I should have known…”

As Ryunosuke spoke, multiple Magius Orbs floated into the air, positioning themselves to record the battle. Crim could only sigh. Of course, rather than fighting on the frontlines, he was playing the role of a war photographer.

Still, seeing everyone gathered like this… it had been a long time since the entire guild, Lua Cheia, stood together.

“Also… umm… I must apologize. I acted of mine own accord, consulting none before—”

Before she could finish, a loud BONK! rang through the air.

“Hghyahh?!” Crim let out a strange yelp and instinctively crouched, clutching her head. “Wh-What was that for?!?!”

It hadn’t really hurt, but the sheer surprise of it sent a jolt through her system. The exaggerated in-game facial expressions even made tears appear in her eyes as she looked around in confusion.

That was when she spotted Frey, standing before her with an enormous slapstick propped on his shoulder, his expression one of exasperation.

“Cut it out with the sappy apologies and grow a spine already,” he huffed. “You’re our leader—act like it.”

“Listen, Crim,” Freya added, crossing her arms. “We all felt the same way as you. That’s why we agreed—if you showed up and started apologizing again, you’d deserve a whack for it.”

“Is that…” Crim’s mouth hung half-open, unsure how to respond. Freya, however, merely smiled wryly and extended a hand to her.

“Master, you really are helpless sometimes.”
“Ahaha… but that’s exactly why we follow you.”
“Ah… umm… Thanks. Really, I appreciate it a lot.”

Despite herself, Crim couldn’t help but smile. And then, as laughter spread among her friends, she raised her fist high.

“Alright, everyone—it’s time to go! Lua Cheia shall fight with everything we’ve got and cleanse this battlefield of as many tentacles as possible!”

“ “ “Yeah!!” ” ”

As the guild charged forward, players nearby watched in admiration, their movements almost like gallant knights storming the battlefield.

◇◇◇

An hour had passed since the raid began. The first floor of the Submerged City of R’lyeh had transformed into a warzone. And in one corner of the battlefield—

“Guh…?!”
“Hey, you okay, leader?!”
“Should we fall back? It’s getting dangerous!”
“No—we press on!!”

Amid the chaos, a small squad of players found themselves overwhelmed, surrounded by countless writhing tentacles. Their HP bars had already dipped into the yellow zone.

They had decided to join the fight after hearing the words of the Scarlet Demon Lord, Crim Lua Cheia, the night before. Originally, they had passed on the event—just a small guild of friends, playing together for fun.

They were no heroes. They had no prestigious achievements to their name. Their efforts would likely go unnoticed and unremembered. They were just a group of ordinary players, like so many others.

And yet, despite that… they had chosen to stand and fight, doing everything they could, even as they found themselves surrounded by tentacles.

Simply being here exposed them to the risk of constant debuffs. Their role was to protect the players responsible for dispelling those effects— a crucial responsibility they had never been entrusted with before. Their guild had never sought recognition or significance.

But now… they had found their purpose. To protect that girl’s smile. And so…

“We won’t retreat, even if we die! Right?!”
“Yeah! We’re not backing down!”
“We’ll fight to the end, leader!”

They were prepared to give everything, holding the line against the writhing mass of tentacles. Their grips tightened around their weapons—

“Good! I like that determination!”
“…Huh?”

A girl’s voice rang out above them—a voice they recognized instantly, one they had heard countless times in videos. The three of them turned in shock, just as a scarlet whirlwind appeared before them.

“I commend thy courage—permit us to lighten thy burden.” she declared, slicing through the tentacles in a single instant. Then, rising to her full height, she turned toward them with a confident smile. “So tell me… didst thou join this raid battle of thine own free will?”

“Ah, well… yes!”
“We thought we could help out however we could…!”
“Good, I do appreciate that, as well as thy resilience in holding these tentacles at bay for so long!”

With a grin, the Scarlet Demon Lord dashed off, disappearing into the chaos of battle. Meanwhile, the three players—who, in a way, had just met the most famous girl in the entire game—

“You know… I’m really glad we came here.”
“Yeah… me too.”
“…I think I want to try even harder now.”

Reinvigorated, they tightened their grips on their weapons and returned to their posts, ready to fight again as the tentacles reappeared.

◇◇◇

“Sector J-9 is stable!”
“Sector K-9 is secure as well!”

Lua Cheia had split into three teams, covering different locations before regrouping. Hinagiku and Kasumi were now reporting their status.

“Morale seems to be at an all-time high,” Hinagiku noted. “Even the newest players, those who’ve never set foot in this dungeon before, are holding their ground.”
“That’s good,” Crim nodded, but her expression remained tense. “Still… I worry about our numbers.”

Even with all the reinforcements, they were still outnumbered. The tentacles kept appearing, and there were simply too many enemies to handle at once.

“Everyone, get down!!”

Crim’s instincts screamed, and she shouted the warning just as a barrage of gunfire erupted from three different directions. She and her friends immediately took cover, their minds flashing back to a certain guild infamous for these kinds of tactics.

But then, as the echo of gunfire faded, they realized something—the tentacles had been blown to pieces.

Crim turned sharply, searching for the source.

“Hey, Demon Lord—feeling overwhelmed by their numbers yet?”
“Could you use a little help from some survival shooter veterans?”
“…Wait—aren’t those the player killers from the other day?!”

The moment the words left Crim’s mouth, Hinagiku instinctively lunged forward, only to be restrained by Lycoris. Meanwhile, Crim turned to face the group of players standing atop nearby rooftops.

“…Well, at the end of the day, we’re gamers too,” one of them said with a smirk.
“We saw your rally,” another added.

Their rifles were already aimed at the next wave of tentacles, their gunfire providing crucial cover for overwhelmed players. Crim recognized them instantly—Twilight Jaeger, the PK guild.

“All to protect her smile, huh? Not a bad slogan.”
“For now, we’re putting our PK activities on hold. Consider this a truce, Demon Lord. We’ll help you today. Our rematch will have to wait for another time.”
“Oh… I see!” Crim grinned. “Then I shan’t ask for more! We shall leave this sector in thine care!”
“ “ “Yes, Ma’am!!” ” ”

With a quick salute, they readied their rifles once more and scattered into position.

That response reassured Crim—she could trust them. Those who had once been indifferent, and even those who had stood as enemies, were now rallying as newfound allies.

A deep sense of unity swelled within her chest, filling her with warmth. With renewed determination, she dashed toward the next battlefield, ready to shift the tides of war in their favor.

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