Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The black greatsword and the military shovel clashed head-on, locked in a stalemate for a second, but the elf took action in that very second.

Hedin, who was using Mia as a "shield," began to move.

"...!"

He ran or jumped around the perimeter of the theater stage, as if drawing a circle.

It also left behind several lightning bolts while moving at high speed.

The lightning spears that emitted the electric shock sound did not immediately fly towards the target (Ota), but were set up in sequence on the east, northeast, and north sides, waiting in mid-air.

Upon witnessing this scene, Otto's eyes widened for the first time since the start of the battle.

He quickly saw through the enemy's intentions and immediately used brute force to shake off Mia, intending to shoot down Hedin.

"[Flame Lightning]!"

"【Red Chickweed】!"

However, their path was blocked by two flames.

Bell fired a barrage of fiery lightning at high speed, while Ryu wrapped his entire body in flames.

The former is to interfere when they know they cannot successfully stop the attack, while the latter is to launch a surprise attack using powerful firepower.

The rapid-fire lightning strikes, almost without proper aiming, exploded one after another, creating strong winds and flames that obscured Otto's vision. The ensuing explosive slashes forced him to engage. Despite his impenetrable "Absolute Defense," the boarman was halted by the exploding flames. Even though he ignored Bell's rapid-fire and knocked Ryu away, the resurrected Mia attacked again.

Just as Mia and the others were relentlessly attacking, mines were also set up in sequence on the northwest, west and southwest sides.

Next—

"That's the agreed-upon ten seconds. Now it's time for me to reciprocate your efforts."

Hedin set up the last spot on the southeast side and stopped.

"This is……!"

"A 'net' of lightning!"

As Bell and Ryu exclaimed in surprise after looking around, the theater stage was now completely surrounded by countless lightning bolts floating in mid-air.

This is a "thunderbolt" set up to put magic into a "standby state".

Hedin, with his Lv.6 ability level—or more specifically, his exceptional magical control—kept the lightning bolt stationary in its path. Even Ryu, with the same ability level, couldn't do that.

The magic projectiles, arranged in a dome shape, resembled a breathtaking starry sky.

It was also a "cage" for imprisoning fierce wild boars.

A total of 978 mines were set up.

Looking around at the lightning spears, all of which were aimed at him without exception, Ota narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Three forwards, go all out—I'll handle the rest."

After understanding Hedin's "instructions" through instinct and intuition, the adventurers followed them and took the plunge.

"Drink it all!"

Bale, leading the charge, attacked from the side, brandishing his dagger.

Otto adopted an "absolute defense" stance, intending to let his opponent suffer the consequences.

The current situation is exactly the same as the previous offensive and defensive maneuvers, but what follows will be completely different.

"Three soldiers."

The missiles positioned on the east side were launched in conjunction with Bell's attack.

「!?」

O'Ta was taken aback.

Because the three magic missiles approached rapidly from the opposite direction of Bell's attack, that is, from behind.

Otto quickly adjusted his arms and upper body to meet the boy's attack, correcting his posture, but Hestia's Blade still came swinging menacingly.

A piercing metallic clang erupted.

The boy's backhand slash was blocked by the boarman's rapidly raised left arm, or more precisely, by the gauntlet on his hand.

However──

(It was blocked! But—it hit him!!)

Bale was greatly surprised, and also shuddered because this was his first successful attack of the day.

The boy adhered firmly to the hit-and-run tactic, quickly retreating before Ota could counterattack. Then, as if taking over from the boy, Ryu approached from the opposite direction. She lowered her body as much as possible, and from a blind spot below Ota, who was over two meters tall, she swung her flaming sword upwards with sharp and swift movements.

Despite this brilliant strike, Ota reacted with extraordinary speed, but—

"Seven soldiers."

This time, other lightning bolts were fired from the southwest, where he was facing away.

As if to prove that the same method would not succeed again, Ota bulged the veins on his strong arm, raised the black greatsword and quickly unleashed two slashes, successfully deflecting Liu and Lei Dan—but Mia appeared at this moment.

"Uraa ...

"Ugh!?"

Otto briefly revealed a weakness due to his counterattack.

Seizing the perfect moment to approach, the soldier swung his shovel, blasting the boarman's massive body, along with his absolute defenses, away.

"Hit! Aaaaaaah!!"

"That's amazing!!"

The gods, who witnessed the entire attack and defense through the "Divine Mirror," cheered loudly in the thirtieth floor of the "Tower of Babel."

Seeing the victory that finally forced the "fierce warrior" out of the center of the theater, everyone, regardless of whether they were on the opposing side, cheered excitedly.

"That's disgusting! A 'magic' move that's usually used as a killing blow is actually perfectly timed to complement the striker's attack!"

"Furthermore, to avoid accidentally harming Bell and the others, they carefully considered the quantity and power!"

Loki and Hermes, who were watching the game live, also praised it.

With the all-knowing eyes of a god, Hedin's "plan" was immediately seen through.

"A hastily formed team can't really show much chemistry! At best, they can only manage a barely passable coordination! But now, the intelligence of the guards alone can make up for that, and even provide timely support from the sidelines! Completing a 'one-sided coordinated attack'!"

Hedin's strategy was to "attack simultaneously" with the forwards.

By staying at the very back, he could not only clearly see the actions of Bell, Ryu, and Mia, but also freely control the lightning arrows set up in all directions, seizing the right moment to coordinate with Bell and the others' attacks.

Hedin would never resort to the foolish tactic of firing nearly a thousand magic missiles simultaneously. Even though Otto was injured, his "Complete Defense" could still block simultaneous attacks from all directions, so Hedin opted for "Simultaneous Attack," forcing Otto to face more options when "defending" by coordinating with his forwards in the attack.

Even if it doesn't cause any damage to Ota, that's fine too.

The combination of time-difference attacks, disruptions to focus, and a lack of coordination between offense and defense will eventually dismantle a "complete defense."

The "choose one" option is forcibly added and continues to appear.

Thunder (noise) is forcibly injected into Otto and Bell's "response methods".

"Each of these magic bullets possesses the power to instantly knock out a Level 2 adventurer, not to mention the ferocity of the attacks from Level 1 adventurers (Miya and the others). Even the [Fierce Warrior (King)] cannot ignore either side!"

"They actually turned the tables and used the opponent's defensive tactics against them! This white elf has a face that's as pretty as any girl's, but she's a born sadist! Although it's thanks to the boys' good performance... but to be able to injure the infamous Otto, that's quite something, isn't it, Bert!"

"Tch... With such a superb defender, anyone could make Oklahoma eat dirt."

Hermes and Loki were shouting excitedly, while Bert, standing to the side, had a sour face.

Although the werewolf resolutely refused to utter any words of approval for the bastard (Bell), saying so would be tantamount to praising Hedin, which only made him more depressed.

"Oh, this is the 'formation' designed to surround and kill you. I abandoned it because I couldn't perform the actions of both a forward and a defender on my own... I'm just taking this opportunity to reuse it."

The magic-wielding Hercules stood on the east side of the theater, not moving an inch, calmly whispering to himself.

To reiterate, the relationships between the members of the Freya Familia are extremely poor.

The fierce internal competition is no exception, even among first-class adventurers. Hedin, who began to devise this minefield several years ago in hopes of using it to defeat Otto, is finally putting it into practice at this moment.

"Hmm—!?"

This hypothetical tactic proved highly effective against Austria.

Each of the lightning bolts that "attacked simultaneously" with Bell and the others seemed to possess its own consciousness.

To put it simply, it was like a massive army of "thunder soldiers" under the command of King Hedin, attacking like a tidal wave, forcing Otto to be distracted by countless thunder swords and spears.

Hedin's tactics were absolutely brilliant.

The lightning troops, deployed overhead, were flexible in their deployment, sometimes conservative and sometimes boldly offensive.

At first, it was thought that Hedin would only launch sneak attacks from Otto's blind spots, but he would also openly fire from the left and right front of his field of vision, skillfully avoiding alerting his opponent to his fatal blows, thus directly striking Otto's massive body. Sometimes he would use Bell and his companions' attacks as bait, and sometimes he would use up to thirty lightning bolts to draw attention, meticulously calculating the angle, speed, and sequence of his shots. Even if he couldn't break down Otto's defenses, he could at least keep the opponent busy. In addition, the lightning bolts blocked by the black greatsword or gauntlets would still conduct electricity, ensuring that the damage would accumulate inside the orc's body.

By staying at the rear and manipulating magic to coordinate with the forwards' surprise attack, Hedin was truly a "conductor."

The long sword held in place of the baton is the first-class weapon, "Dizaria".

This long-handled weapon, made from the branches of the Great Sacred Tree, is the same as Ryu's "Elf Goddess of Justice" and can also enhance the magic power of elves, similar to a "magic wand".

The magic gem at the bottom of the handle emitted light, and the thunder soldier, having received the command, roared in response.

"Ryu! Kid! Let's attack together!!"

Bell, Ryu, and Mia gradually got used to the support of the lightning bombs, so they stopped taking turns attacking and started attacking at the same time.

The moment Ota's "complete defense" began to falter, the adventurers swarmed forward.

"Oraaaaaah!!"

Mia launched a frontal assault.

Hedin issued his command as if in response.

"Twelve soldiers! Line up and attack!"

All the missiles located on the north side were launched, raining down on Ota's back like a sudden downpour.

"!!"

Even when attacked from both sides, it stubbornly refused to "dodge".

The "fierce one," in a situation akin to being relentlessly pursued by hounds, was certain that abandoning his "absolute defense" would play right into Hedin's hands. So, he twisted his massive upper body, instantly creating a "whirlwind."

He unleashed a powerful spinning slash.

He skillfully used the black greatsword, whose blade was as tall as himself, to sweep away Mia, countless lightning bolts, and everything else that came near him.

After Mia managed to block the attack with her military shovel and retreated, she suddenly raised the corners of her mouth.

Because Mia and the large number of lightning bombs were all just a "decorative act".

"[—Like a streak of light across the sky, leaving behind a trail of brilliant stars across the earth!]!"

This was followed by "parallel chanting".

As Ryu releases the flame petals, she begins chanting the inherited magic (Starry Memory) as she launches her attack.

Ota had just used all his strength to repel an attack, and now that he had stopped spinning, he couldn't be without openings. Seeing the gale preparing to cut into his embrace, Ota's eyes widened—but he still managed to react in time.

"Ughhhhhh!!"

Ignoring all inertia and reaction forces, Ota let its entire body groan as it prepared to unleash a slash.

Superhuman reaction speed, coupled with boundless strength that even giants would envy.

Just as the black guillotine was about to fall, its reflection appeared in Ryu's sky-blue eyes—

"Go! Go! Go! Go!"

「!?」

Suddenly, a "scarf" that was also jet black flew out from the side.

This is the "Goliath scarf" that Bell took off from his neck and threw out.

Unlike straight shots, this "indirect attack" is unconventional, resembling a black snake twisting its body.

The scarf was wrapped around Otto's black greatsword, blocking the guillotine's strike.

Under normal circumstances, Lv.5 has absolutely no chance of winning a "tug-of-war" against Lv.7.

However, the boarman's repeated forced changes in posture after the spinning slash ultimately backfired, causing him to lose his footing for a moment.