kscans

Chapter 22 - Goddess of Annihilation

It was now exactly one week until the Clan War.

As Hayato had proposed, "Goddess of Annihilation" had agreed to the betting match. That matchup was officially approved today. This meant the administration had determined there was no match-fixing involved in this fight.

(But they really did just bet a single knife. Well, I was the one who suggested it. I doubt they think they'll lose, but they probably don't want to take on any unnecessary risks. Should I see them as cowards, or cautious? Or is this in itself a provocation? Not that figuring it out would do any good.)

He was now able to fight the opponent he wanted. He had countermeasures planned. Things had been going smoothly so far, but Hayato had one last problem.

(The problem is whether that person, Leon, will come equipped with the sword. Considering its performance, I'm almost certain he'll equip it, but there's a possibility he'll realize our aim and not bring it. Still, with the skills currently available to players, it's in a state where it absolutely cannot be stolen, so even if he has a cautious personality, I think it should be okay.)

It was generally said that the upper limit for curse magic that lowered STR was twenty percent. Therefore, as a countermeasure against forced equipment removal, there was a practice of not wearing equipment with a STR requirement of 81 or higher. There were other countermeasures, but this was the one most players used. This way, the equipment couldn't be forcibly removed under any circumstances.

The sword he planned to take back, the Excalibur Replica, had an equipment requirement of STR 60 or higher. Based on the knowledge players currently possessed, it could be said to be a weapon in a safe zone that could never be stolen.

(No one should know that Ren possesses an unbelievable skill like Dragon Curse. In that case, even a cautious opponent would equip it… I hope. Besides, this is the first Clan War where he can test that sword in PvP. And his opponent is of a lower rank. The chances he'll equip it should be high.)

The Excalibur Replica could be called a weapon for PvP. Its effect was to "ignore the opponent's defense." Although its base damage was set low, its ability to completely ignore the opponent's defense could easily shave off nearly ten percent of a player's HP, even at maximum. Its effect was low against magic-user type players who already had low defense, but it could be said to be a threat to warrior-type players.

Testing such a weapon. Hayato believed he would surely test it against a lower-ranked opponent rather than use it for the first time against a high-ranking clan.

(No matter how much I think about it, there's nothing more I can do. I'll just have to leave the rest to fate. Next, I'll check the enemy's strength and tactics.)

With that thought, Hayato left the fortress base and headed for a facility in the Royal Capital.

Hayato arrived at the facility where one could handle clan-related applications.

His purpose was not to apply for anything. Here, one could view the results of Clan Wars, and one other thing, watch videos of them. That was Hayato's objective.

However, videos were only released for confrontations between high-ranking clans, and only those picked up by the administration. One could only see the appearance of the fighting players' equipment, but many players viewed them mainly to study tactics.

All the picked-up videos, including those from past Clan Wars, were archived. Hayato had come to look for a video of "Goddess of Annihilation" fighting.

He sifted through the past videos from the bulletin board menu, searching for his target.

(I'm not sure what the criteria for being picked up are, but I guess good matches are chosen. Come to think of it, Kokuryu was never picked up even once.)

As he was thinking that, his search turned up the video he was looking for. He immediately played the video and began to review it.

After finishing the video, Hayato pondered.

(I see, so "Goddess of Annihilation" refers to that woman in the white dress. Was she the one who originally founded the clan, I wonder?)

Hayato thought this as he walked back toward the fortress base.

The tactics of the clan "Goddess of Annihilation" were mainly based on that woman's attacks. It was a strategy of repeatedly casting the spell "Meteor Swarm."

Meteor Swarm was a spell that randomly dropped meteors on the enemy's territory, and it continued for ten seconds. The drawbacks were likely three things, the time it took to activate, the heavy MP consumption, and the fact that the magic-user had to be in the opponent's territory to use it.

If used solo, it was frankly impractical. An opponent could easily defeat the caster before it activated. But if one person used the spell and many allies protected them until activation, it became a considerable means of attack. The meteors were at a level where three hits would leave you on the verge of death, and four hits was a guaranteed kill.

To withstand that spell in a Clan War, the only option would be to hole up in the fortress. It was possible to attack the field from the fortress, but the specifications made it impossible to attack inside the fortress from the field. The inside of the fortress was outside the spell's range of attack. No damage would be taken at all.

Hayato confirmed the woman in the dress repeatedly casting that spell in the video, and his assessment was that she was wearing equipment that shortened the activation time. This was because a spell that should normally take five minutes to activate was activating faster than that.

(I think it's equipment aimed at repeated casting, not at increasing the spell's power. If they hit us with that from the start, players who can't make it back to the fortress would be near death in no time. At worst, they could be killed by it. And even if we holed up in the fortress, if we can't attack the opponent, we'd lose on total damage. Our only option would be an all-or-nothing charge. And then we'd be intercepted and finished. Ney would definitely go for an all-out suicide attack.)

In Clan Wars, if no players on either side are defeated and the Clan Stones are not broken, the outcome is decided by the amount of damage each side has dealt. The side with the higher total damage wins. Even if Meteor Swarm doesn't defeat the opponent, the damage is high. And if they could keep casting the spell to prevent them from leaving the fortress, they could win. That was the plan.

(We have Esha, so attacking from the fortress is possible. I believe Meteor Swarm can't be used unless you're in the enemy's territory. In that case, we should be within her range too. But no matter how I think about it, she'll be defended. That mohawk guy is probably the tank. He'd block any ranged attacks aimed at the woman in the dress.)

In the video, the mohawk guy and several other players stood protectively around the woman in the dress. Hayato figured they were positioned to obstruct players coming to stop the spell.

(And Leon's role is to protect the Clan Stone in the fortress. He'd probably obstruct any players who ignore the woman in the dress and head for the fortress. Only a few would be able to get through to the enemy's territory, and they'd be nearly dead by the time they did. So he figures he can win even alone. It might be a different story if they had Elixirs, but with enemies trying to get to the fortress, the mohawk guys wouldn't just stand there, they'd go help Leon.)

From Leon's movements, he wasn't defending from inside the fortress but came out onto his side's field and moved to interfere with the opponent's movements. The mohawk guys also subtly changed their actions in response. They were adapting on the fly while sticking to their basic strategy.

(As expected of an A-rank clan. They don't have many openings. And we have various conditions. It would be fine if we just had to win, but it's not that simple.)

At the start, Ash's breath attack might be able to defeat the woman in the dress. But if Meteor Swarm activated first, Ash, who would be larger in dragon form, would have a higher chance of being hit by meteors and wouldn't survive. And even if the Dragon Breath activated first, it would be meaningless if he got Leon caught in it and defeated him. Leon needed to stay alive until they stole the sword.

And the Stealing Skill had a high chance of failure if there were players interfering. Ideally, he wanted Relic to use the Stealing Skill on Leon when he was alone.

(From what I've heard of Relic-san's combat power, his Hand-to-Hand Combat skill is 100. Attacks with bare hands have skills that can inflict various status changes, but their attack power is low. He might be able to handle Leon alone after he's been forcibly unequipped by the Dragon Curse, but it would be bad if there were enemies around.)

Hand-to-Hand Combat skills involved attacks with fists and kicks, so their damage was far lower than weapon damage. But their techniques were diverse.

There was "Blade Catch," which completely nullified an opponent's attack once, "Low Kick," which temporarily incapacitated an opponent, and "Stomach Break," which temporarily canceled out the effects of food. However, all of these attacks were more supportive than for defeating an opponent.

Against Leon, who also fought bare-handed, there was a chance he could overwhelm him, but Hayato thought it would be dangerous if there were enemies with weapons around.

(There are too many conditions against an A-rank clan. I'm the one who said I'd do it, so I can't complain… Maybe I should consult with everyone.)

Hayato contacted everyone and asked them to gather at the base.

Hayato explained his thoughts to everyone who had gathered at the base. But everyone seemed to be absent-minded, or rather, there seemed to be something else on their minds.

"Um, is something wrong, everyone? My idea is as I just explained, but is there something bothering you? Or rather, why is everyone looking at Esha?"

Hayato had shared all the information he knew. And he had asked how they should fight, but for some reason, everyone was fidgety and not listening.

Perhaps unable to bear the tension, or perhaps due to his position as the eldest, the butler Relic spoke up, saying, "If I may."

"Of course. Was there a problem?"

"No, it is not that there was a problem—well, perhaps it is a problem. I would like to confirm, is the opposing clan's name ‘Goddess of Annihilation,’ without a doubt?"

"That's right. Huh? Did I not mention it?"

"This is the first I have heard it, but is it the same for everyone else?"

Everyone except Esha nodded in response to Relic's question.

"Oh, I guess I did tell Esha. I was busy with preparations, so I don't really remember who I told and who I didn't."

"No, this is the first I have heard it as well. Is that so, the opponent's clan name is ‘Goddess of Annihilation.’ As expected of you, Master. To mention such an important thing at this point in time."

"Is there something about it?"

"It is embarrassing to say, but this Esha Crown was once called by the moniker ‘Goddess of Annihilation.’ Personally, I would have been fine with just Goddess."

"Oh… Huh? Annihilation aside, Goddess?"

"Is that questioning tone a declaration of war against me? I could show you the power that earned me the name Goddess of Annihilation right here and now, if you like. I'll seriously destroy you."

"I'm very sorry."

"I shall accept your apology. I do not know the extent of the opposing clan's abilities, but in the Clan War, I will test whether they are worthy of inheriting that name. If they are worthy, I will never use that moniker again and will call myself simply a Goddess. Goddess Esha Crown, it has a nice ring to it."

"You're planning on calling yourself a Goddess? Well, it's good that you're motivated, but please, don't annihilate anyone until we get the sword back."

Though feeling slightly uneasy, Hayato began to plan their strategy with everyone.