The Final Victory

5:00 PM, at the hour of dusk.

The sun began its descent, staining the sky in shades of orange and red.

Just as everyone assumed the day was drawing to a close, a sudden commotion erupted at the base of the mountain.

The entirety of Class C—fifteen people, led by Ryuen—pressed forward from both the west and south sides.

Class A moved as well, with Katsuragi leading ten people to close in from the east.

Two classes, twenty-five people in total, launched an assault from three directions simultaneously.

On Lookout Hill, Class D and Class B had only eighteen people combined, including several who were injured.

They were at a disadvantage in numbers, terrain, and stamina.

"Is this... an all-out attack?" Sudo's face turned pale.

"It appears so." Horikita gripped her weapon tightly.

Everyone turned their eyes toward Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji looked at the crowd below the mountain, took a deep breath, and made his decision.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and tuned it to the public channel—a frequency that all classes could hear.

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

Down below, the leaders of both classes paused in surprise.

Ryuen picked up his walkie-talkie: "What, are you looking to surrender?"

"No." Ayanokoji's voice was calm. "I just wanted to tell you one thing."

"What thing?"

"Class D will not lose."

This sentence traveled through the public channel and reached the ears of everyone present.

The base of the mountain went silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter.

"Will not lose?" Ryuen laughed. "With just the few people you have left?"

"With us," Ayanokoji said. "And I advise you all to stop now."

"Why?"

"Because if you continue your attack, you will regret it."

Ryuen's laughter grew even louder: "Regret? I'd certainly like to see how we'd regret it."

He was just about to order the attack when, suddenly, a new sound echoed from the distance.

It was the sound of footsteps—the footsteps of many people.

From the woods on the north side, a group of people emerged—the entire main force of Class B, led by Honami Ichinose, twenty people in total.

"Class B..." Katsuragi frowned.

"Sorry, Katsuragi-kun." Honami Ichinose's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "We in Class B have decided to fully support Class D."

The situation reversed in an instant.

Class D and Class B combined totaled thirty-eight people. Class A and Class C totaled twenty-five.

The numerical advantage had flipped.

Ryuen's expression turned extremely ugly: "Ichinose, are you sure you want to do this? To make an enemy of Class A and Class C completely?"

"We are simply following the rules," Honami Ichinose said. "The rules allow for alliances, so we formed one. Besides..."

She paused. "I don't like the feeling of using numbers to bully others. Now the numbers are even; isn't fair competition better?"

Fair? Now Class A and Class C were the ones at a numerical disadvantage.

Katsuragi looked at the situation before him, thinking rapidly. If they fought hard, they weren't guaranteed a win, and the losses would be significant.

"Ryuen," he spoke up, "what do you say?"

Ryuen stared fixedly at Ayanokoji on the high ground, the killing intent in his eyes nearly overflowing.

But he also knew that attacking now was not a wise choice.

"Retreat." He gritted his teeth as he said the word.

The members of Class C were stunned.

"I said retreat!" Ryuen roared. "Are you deaf?!"

Class C began to pull back. Class A slowly retreated as well.

A decisive battle that could have erupted was thus extinguished into nothingness.

6:00 PM, the final moments of dusk.

At the base of the mountain, both classes had returned to their respective camps.

On the high ground, the people of Class D and Class B gathered together, watching the setting sun.

"We... held them off?" Sudo still couldn't quite believe it.

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

Indeed, with night falling, it was too late to organize another offensive. Furthermore, the alliance between Class A and Class C had already shattered; cooperation was no longer possible.

The mission was essentially complete.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the edge of the high ground, gazing out at the distant sea.

[Ding! Time-limited mission "Hold the Line" completed!]
[Evaluation: Successfully repelled the joint attack and utilized strategy to resolve the final crisis.]
[Rewards distributed: "Tactical Command" EXP +200, Class Cohesion +15.]
[Ding! Hidden mission "Declaration of Reversal" completed!]
[Evaluation: The declaration successfully deterred the opponents and secured the full support of Class B.]
[Rewards distributed: "Leadership Charisma" +10, Class Reputation +20.]
[Current Class Cohesion: 45/100]
[Current Leadership Charisma: 15/100]

The system prompts announced the victory of this phase.

Honami Ichinose walked over and stood by his side. "That was very risky just now."

"But it succeeded."

"It did." Ichinose looked at the setting sun. "However, Class B has now officially picked a side. From here on out, both Class A and Class C will treat us as enemies."

"Do you regret it?"

"I don't," Ichinose smiled. "I think this choice was worth it."

The two of them watched in silence as the sun sank below the horizon.

Night fell, and the stars began to emerge.

There were two hours remaining until the mission ended.

But everyone knew that the most difficult part was already behind them.