"Alright, first things first. I'll introduce the one you're all staring at."
I started the meeting with that. Every eye in the Mt. Kurama base was fixed on the girl standing beside me.
"Her name is Floria—at least, that's what I've named her. She's an AI-driven management NPC for the World Tree Fortress. Her official designation is WT-01."
The room, filled with those who hadn't been on the scouting trip, erupted in confused murmurs.
"World Tree Fortress? What the hell is that?"
"Wait, she's an NPC? I honestly couldn't tell. Her movements are way too fluid!"
Floria stepped forward and gave a polite, practiced bow.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. As Master Shana stated, I am Floria. I am tasked with the administration of the World Tree Fortress."
"And where exactly is this fortress?" Yamikaze asked, leaning forward.
"It's the landmark everyone calls 'The Sentinel Tree.' I've officially taken over as its Master."
"No way..." Tarako blinked. "That giant tree was a fortress?"
"And here I thought it was just a spot where people went to confess their love to their sweethearts," Yamikaze joked.
"First, find someone who actually likes you. Then worry about the tree," I retorted, making Yamikaze slump in mock depression.
I continued the briefing. "We went out there today and found a way inside. Since I was the first to enter and clear the initial requirements, the system registered me as the owner. That's the gist of it."
Yamikaze, recovering with supernatural speed, grinned. "Speaking of today, the rumors are already flying through the capital. People are saying you flipped a couple of buses and roasted everyone inside with plasma grenades. That true?"
"Oh, right. That did happen," I said dismissively.
"You say that like it was ages ago," Yamikaze laughed. "But hey, I don't hate that kind of ruthlessness."
Eva, speaking for her squad, looked at me with a mix of awe and concern. "Shana-san, was that related to... well, the rumors about us?"
"Yeah. We're essentially at war with a bunch of random player groups right now. I'm just neutralizing anyone who tries to jump us."
"We knew you could handle it, but we were still worried," Eva said softly.
"Thanks. Right now, it's not an issue, but if their numbers keep growing..."
"Then we'll fight with you!" Eva shouted.
"It's dangerous, but—" I started, but the entire Amazon squad cut me off.
"""""""We're fighting with you!""""""
"I... okay. I'll count on you then."
"""""""Yes, sir!""""""
The girls were fired up. They'd clearly been biting their tongues over the nasty rumors circulating in the city.
"I was actually going to ask for your help anyway," I admitted. "So this works out."
"Shana-san... needs us?!" Eva looked like she was about to ascend to a higher plane of existence.
"Yeah. I trust you guys."
"Guys... guys..." Eva's eyes turned into predatory slits. "Alright, you heard him! It's open season! We're going to wipe out every single bastard who stands against Shana-san!"
""""""YEAH!"""""
They had officially class-changed from "Motivated" to "Bloodthirsty."
"My squadron is in, too," Yamikaze added, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "If you need a vanguard, just call."
"Thanks, Yamikaze. I owe you one."
"And I'll make sure the new squadron I'm building only has people who are down with this alliance," Tarako said.
"Thanks, Tarako. I won't forget it."
Rosalia turned to the two men. "I've been using the info you gave me to track the player who was spying on me. He hasn't logged in since the incident."
"Figures," Yamikaze grunted. "Cowards like that usually go to ground when things get hot."
"I won't stop looking," Rosalia said firmly.
"Don't worry, Rosalia-chan! We'll keep our eyes peeled too," Tarako promised.
Pitohui smirked at them. "What's this? Is Rosalia-chan the official 'Princess' for Yami-yami and Tarao now?"
"Hey, we helped rescue her from a bad spot. That makes her a VIP in our book," Yamikaze said.
"Plus, her absolute devotion to Shana is legendary. It's respect, Pito," Tarako added.
Rosalia looked at the two of them with a small, rare smile. "I am truly grateful to both of you... almost as much as I am to Shana."
"Yes! Did you hear that, partner?!" Yamikaze cheered.
"Second place! I'll take it!" Tarako laughed.
I waited for the excitement to die down before bringing us back to the task at hand.
"Anyway, moving on. By becoming the Master of the fortress, I've triggered a flag. It's a Base Defense Event."
"Wait, I've read about those," Yamikaze said, snapping his fingers. "There were articles on the overseas boards about it. People tried to find it here, but they couldn't find a single viable facility. Most people thought the JP server just didn't have the content."
『As I explained to the Master, the locations vary by server,』 the proxy Floria added. 『The players here simply hadn't looked in the right places.』
"And Shana found it," Tarako concluded.
I explained the details of the First-Clear Bonus. The room erupted again.
"Ohhh!"
"A bonus stage!"
"Nice work, Shana!"
"As a crafter, I need to see the facilities in that place," Ikoma added, his eyes gleaming.
"Alright, let's set a date," I said. "I'll start with tomorrow. Raise your hand if you can't make it... Tomorrow?"
No hands went up. I sighed. "Are you guys sure? Nobody's forcing themselves to clear their schedule, right?"
"If we don't 'force' it for this, when would we ever?!"
"I'd cancel a wedding for this!"
"One day of missing target practice won't kill me!"
"Fine. Tomorrow it is. There are seventeen of us total, so we'll need one more vehicle."
The next day, the convoy was ready.
In Black: Me, Ikoma, Sinon, Tarako, and the proxy Floria.
In White: Shizuka, Kei, Pitohui, M, and Yamikaze.
And in the temporary rental Humvee—which Nyangoro had dubbed the 'Nyan-Go': Nyangoro herself and the six girls of Eva's squad.
"Seriously? The 'Nyan-Go'?" I asked, staring at the rental.
"Silence!" Nyangoro snapped, her face flushed with excitement. "I am the driver, therefore I name the vessel! Now, let's move out!"
"Fine, fine. Let's get this show on the road."
The seating was tactical. Black carried the long-range snipers to deal with pursuers. White held the heavy hitters and mid-range support. The Nyan-Go held the CQC specialists, driven by Nyangoro, who had the most stable driving record outside of my core group.
We were five minutes out of the city when I signaled the stop.
『Hold position. Scanning for tails.』
A few moments later, Floria whispered to me. 『Master, two buses are approaching from the rear. High speed.』
"You can sense that?"
『It is not standard for my proxy to have such a wide sensor range, but since we are currently en route to a Fortress Event, the system has granted me a temporary exception.』
"Handy. Shizuka, Master—stay back. Black will take the first engagement. I'll issue orders once we see their formation."
Black pulled ahead. Sinon and I climbed into the roof hatches.
"I'll take the tires on the left bus. Sinon, you take the right," I ordered.
"Copy that."
"And if you have the shot, take out the drivers."
"Of course."
We focused on the horizon. The moment the silhouettes of the buses appeared, we fired.
"Hit," I said.
"Hit," Sinon echoed.
The buses swerved as their front tires disintegrated. We reloaded instantly and fired again.
"Driver down."
"Same here."
The cheers from the other two Humvees crackled over the radio. Both buses ground to a halt, smoking.
"Alright, let's finish this with the plasma grenades. I'm worried about survivors jumping out like last time. White, Nyan-Go—be ready to pick off anyone who exits the vehicles."
Black rolled closer. I triggered the twin hood-mounted launchers. Two glowing spheres of plasma arced through the air and impacted the wrecks. The explosion was absolute. Anything that wasn't vaporized was melted into the asphalt.
Black's combat rating was, quite frankly, absurd. A few survivors did manage to scramble out, but they were cut down instantly by snipers from the other two cars. The convoy rolled on, triumphant, toward the World Tree.
"Alright, the warm-up is over," I said as the massive tree came into view.
"Let's do this."
"That was even more ruthless than the stories," Eva whispered, though she didn't sound like she was complaining.
As we pulled up to the massive roots, the "Main" Floria emerged from the opening in the bark.
"What?!"
"Two Floria-chans?!"
"Wait, what's going on, Shana?!"
"Calm down," I said. "They're the same person. One is the base unit, the other is a mobile proxy. They share the same memory."
『Exactly,』 the main Floria said, stepping forward. 『Please feel free to treat us both the same. For the initial event, only those inside the fortress count toward the scaling, but for future events, anyone within a one-kilometer radius will be included. Now, to avoid confusion, my proxy will enter sleep mode.』
The proxy Floria vanished into light. I parked Black inside the base, followed by Shizuka and Nyangoro.
The moment the last car entered, the atmosphere shifted. The lighting in the fortress dimmed, and a crimson alert flashed on the console.
『Warning. Hostile forces are approaching the World Tree Fortress. Countdown initiated. Arrival in 3,600 seconds.』
"One hour," I muttered. I turned to the seventeen players gathered in the hall. "Listen up! I'm going to give you a lightning-fast tour so you know the layout. After that, we're facing three hundred mobs. Unload every weapon and every box of ammo from the Humvees. We start with long-range rifles from the upper decks, then we move to the mid-ground for the melee. Got it?"
""""ROGER!"""""
"I can't believe this place was inside a tree..." Tarako marveled.
"The architecture is incredible," Ikoma added, his eyes scanning the gear-racks.
"We'll have time for a deep dive later, Ikoma," I said. "For now, get ready."
An hour passed in a blur of preparation. Ten minutes before the deadline, I spotted the first wave through my scope.
Beside me, Sinon was already dialed in.
"Sinon," I said, my voice low. "One shot per mob. Even if you don't kill them, move to the next. The goal isn't the kill-count; it's to weaken as many as possible so the others can finish them easily once they close the gap. Don't waste time on a single target."
"Understood."
I took a deep breath, centered my crosshairs on the leading enemy, and squeezed the trigger.
The first shot of the defense of the World Tree echoed across the plains. The war had truly begun.
-------------------------------
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