The Final Victory

It was five in the afternoon, around dusk.

The sun began to sink in the west, and the sky turned orange-red.

Just when everyone thought the day was over, a commotion suddenly erupted down the hill.

All fifteen members of Class C moved out. Led by Ryuen, they advanced from the west and south at the same time.

Class A moved too. Katsuragi led ten people in from the east.

Two classes, twenty-five people, attacking simultaneously from three directions.

On Lookout Hill, Classes D and B had only eighteen people between them, and several were injured.

They were outnumbered, at a disadvantage in terrain, and exhausted.

"Is this... their final assault?" Sudo's face paled.

"Looks like it." Horikita tightened her grip on her weapon.

Everyone looked at Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji watched the people below, took a deep breath, and made his decision.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and switched to the public channel, a frequency every class could hear.

"Katsuragi of Class A, Ryuen of Class C, can you hear me?"

Below the hill, both class leaders froze.

Ryuen picked up his walkie-talkie. "What, are you surrendering?"

"No." Ayanokoji's voice was calm. "I wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

"Class D won't lose."

His words carried over the public channel to everyone.

There was a moment of silence below, followed by an eruption of laughter.

"Won't lose?" Ryuen laughed. "With the few people you have left?"

"With the people we have." Ayanokoji said, "And I advise you to stop now."

"Why?"

"Because if you keep attacking, you'll regret it."

Ryuen laughed even louder. "Regret it? I'd like to see how."

He was just about to give the order to attack when a new sound came from far away.

Footsteps. Lots of them.

A group emerged from the woods to the north: Class B's entire main force, led by Honami Ichinose. Twenty people in all.

"Class B..." Katsuragi frowned.

"Sorry, Katsuragi," Ichinose's voice came over the walkie-talkie. "Class B has decided to give Class D our full support."

The situation reversed in an instant.

Classes D and B had thirty-eight people between them. Classes A and C had twenty-five.

The numerical advantage had shifted.

Ryuen's expression turned grim. "Ichinose, are you sure you want to do this? You're making enemies of both Class A and Class C?"

"We're simply following the rules," Ichinose said. "The rules allow alliances, so we're forming one. Besides..."

She paused. "I don't like the feeling of ganging up on someone. Now that the numbers are even, we can compete fairly. Isn't that better?"

Fairly? Now Classes A and C were the ones outnumbered.

Katsuragi looked over the situation and thought quickly. If they fought head-on, they might not win, and they'd suffer heavy losses either way.

"Ryuen," he said. "What do you say?"

Ryuen stared at Ayanokoji on the hilltop, fury burning in his eyes.

But he knew that attacking now would be unwise.

"Retreat." He forced the word out through gritted teeth.

The members of Class C froze.

"I said retreat!" Ryuen shouted. "Do you not understand?!"

Class C began to withdraw. Class A retreated as well, slowly pulling back.

The decisive battle that might have erupted had vanished without a trace.

It was six in the evening, the last moments of dusk.

Below the hill, both classes returned to their respective camps.

On the hilltop, the members of Classes D and B gathered together, watching the sunset.

"We... held them off?" Sudo still seemed unable to believe it.

"We held them off." Hirata smiled. "There are two hours left, but they probably won't attack again."

Indeed, night was approaching, and there wasn't enough time to organize another attack. Besides, the alliance between Classes A and C had just fallen apart, so they couldn't work together anymore.

The mission was essentially complete.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the edge of the hill, gazing at the distant sea.

[ Ding! Limited-time mission "Hold the Line" complete! ]

[ Evaluation: Successfully repelled a joint attack and used strategy to resolve the final crisis. ]

[ Rewards issued: "Tactical Command" EXP +200, Class Cohesion +15. ]

[ Ding! Hidden mission "Declaration of Reversal" complete! ]

[ Evaluation: The declaration successfully intimidated the opponents and secured Class B's full support. ]

[ Rewards issued: "Leader's Aura" +10, Class Reputation +20. ]

[ Current Class Cohesion: 45/100 ]

[ Current Leader's Aura: 15/100 ]

The system's notification announced their victory in this stage.

Honami Ichinose walked over and stood beside him. "That was risky."

"But it worked."

"Yeah." Ichinose watched the sunset. "Now Class B has made its choice for good. Classes A and C will both see us as enemies from now on."

"Do you regret it?"

"No." Ichinose smiled. "I think it was worth it."

The two watched in silence as the sun sank beneath the horizon.

Night fell, and the stars began to appear.

There were only two hours left until the mission ended.

But everyone knew the hardest part was already behind them.