97: Chapter 97 A Triumphant Start!

PD opened the team list and scanned it; the configurations were uneven.

There were heavy-spending whales with max-NP Jeanne dArc Alter, as well as free-to-play players bringing a bunch of three-star war gods.

"Alright, regardless of your skill level or how much money you've spent, once you enter this room, you have to follow my commands! If anyone messes around and causes a wipe, I'm kicking you out on the spot!"

PD then demonstrated the professional demeanor of someone who had seen it all. He didn't blindly order everyone to charge, but instead shouted directly into the voice channel:

"Don't rush into the map yet! First, report your high-level main DPS and core supports! I'll assess the situation and assign roles accordingly!"

The voice channel immediately erupted with a cacophony of people reporting their configurations.

"Boss P, I'm a low-spending player. I have a max-skilled Arash, plus a few high-level Rider-class Defenders!"

"I have Zhuge Liang and Tamamo, plus two high-level AoE Healers specialized in keeping health up!"

"I have a max-NP Sakata Kintoki! My single-target burst is definitely enough; my range is just a bit short!"

"I only have Caster-class AoE Noble Phantasms for clearing mobs..."

Listening to the reports from his followers, PD quickly profiled and categorized the combat power of the 19 people in his mind, then began to methodically lay out the tactics on the tactical map.

"Listen up, there are five points on the map. We twenty people will be divided into five teams, four people per team!"

"Team 5, bring plenty of Defenders and Caster-class AoE damage dealers to guard the [Pseudo-Spirit Vein Tower]. You are the lifeline of the entire raid; you cannot let a single monster through. If you let one slip, we'll all run out of cost and wait for death!"

"Team 4, bring your AoE Healers to the [Mana Supply Pipe]! That point deals damage to the entire screen. Healers, keep the health bars up at all costs, and destroy the Pillar's shield generator as soon as possible!"

"Team 3, bring crowd control and high-ground damage dealers to the [Hatred Incubation Furnace] to clear the flying insects; Team 2, bring high-burst single-target units to the [Foundation Anchor] to dismantle the Pillar and interrupt its ultimate ability casting!"

"Team 1, which is me and three other followers with high-end configurations, we'll head to the core [Temple Administration Bureau]! Once you clear the mechanics on the perimeter, we'll use fully-loaded Noble Phantasms for a nuclear strike to forcibly kill the Pillar!"

The rigorous tactical assignment made the followers in the live stream feel pumped, with the screen flooding with comments like "Commander P is amazing" and "The first kill is in the bag."

"Do you all understand? Let the battle begin!"

PD waved his hand and pressed the confirm button heavily.

[Analyzing Quantum Record Band...]

[Tactical link complete! 19 Masters from parallel worlds have taken over the defense of the Servant frontline!]

Of course, no matter how many netizens were matched, from the perspective of the plot, PD (and every player themselves) remained the sole Master fighting alone.

Accompanied by a stream of azure data flashing across their retinas, an epic cutscene unfolded simultaneously on the screens of PD and all the players!

In the scene, beneath the boundless sea of stars, the magnificent Grand Temple of Time was forcibly divided into five massive, three-dimensional tactical disks.

Countless golden lights, like meteors, descended with a whistling sound that tore through the void, accurately striking the four nodes on the perimeter of the Temple.

As the light dissipated, it transformed into those masterless Servants who had crossed time and space to spontaneously come to their aid!

Sword energy, artillery fire, and magical radiance instantly detonated in the four outer battle zones, desperately holding back the tidal wave of demons surging forth!

The camera cut back to the Chaldea control room, where the previously silent radar screen was now erupting with brilliant golden light.

"This is incredible... Ritsuka, Mash, do you see this?!"

Dr. Roman slammed his hands onto the main console, his voice trembling with excitement: "Strong Spirit Origin reactions detected on the perimeter of the Temple! They are constructing a defensive line for you! But... there are no Spirit Veins in this void at all. Who exactly is commanding them?!"

"Hehe, this is the moment for the omnipotent genius to make an appearance!"

In the corner of the screen, Da Vinci was frantically tapping away at the holographic console, her staff erupting with dazzling light.

She turned her head and flashed a confident smile at the screen.

"I've pushed the output of Trismegistus (calculation device) to 120%! I've forcibly cut through the barrier of the Quantum Record Band!"

Da Vinci's bright voice seemed to pierce through dimensions, "I have completely linked the command of those masterless defensive lines with the millions of 'yours' in parallel worlds! A joint assault frontline spanning countless parallel universes has been established at this very moment!"

"Go, Ritsuka! You are absolutely not alone!"

Following Da Vinci's declaration, the scene cut back to the Grand Temple of Time.

"Senior!"

On the ruined altar, Mash raised her scratch-covered cross shield, guarding tightly in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka.

The girl's eyes burned with unprecedented fighting spirit as she stared straight at the Demon God Pillar in the abyss ahead, "Everyone is fighting for us on their own front lines! Please issue the final order for the total assault!"

The CG animation slowly froze on Mash's determined back.

Immediately after, the image dissipated like broken glass, replaced by a highly sci-fi [Joint Assault Staging Room] interface!

The IDs and team compositions of all 20 players in the raid were neatly arranged on the left side of the screen.

And in the very center of the interface was that holographic tactical map flashing with five nodes.

At this moment, the conspicuous [40:00] assault countdown at the top of the screen had already begun to slowly tick away!

[Global instant communication channel is now open!]

[Please have each team move to their designated defensive nodes. You may engage the enemy only after confirming readiness.]

In this Blue Star gaming world, long accustomed to "spending money to buy stats and then auto-battling," this hardcore raiding atmosphere that required twenty real people to have extreme chemistry and close cooperation was simply a first!

This unprecedented, novel experience and the suffocating sense of pressure made the adrenaline of PD and all his followers spike instantly.

"Brothers, the time to test our execution has come! Get to your positions, everyone pick the node you are responsible for, and make sure you don't go through the wrong door!"

As the raid leader, PD commanded loudly over the voice channel.

"Team 5, enter the Spirit Vein Tower! Team 4, enter the Supply Pipe! Team 3 and Team 2, get ready. I and the other three high-end main DPS are locking onto the Administration Bureau!"

The voice channel instantly erupted; the voices of the nineteen followers intertwined, even becoming distorted with excitement.

"Team 5 received! We guarantee not even a mosquito will fly past. Brothers, rest assured and leave your backs to us!"

"Team 4 Healer squad, standing by! Even if I have to soak in poison water, I will tear this damn shield down!"

"This is so fucking hype! I've played mindless auto-battling online games for so many years; this is the first time in a single-player tower defense game that I've felt the tension of twenty real people working together!"

"My hands are shaking! Brothers, let's go!"

On the screen, the cursors representing the five teams moved to the five nodes on the tactical map, and one by one, they lit up with the green light representing "Ready."

Watching the dazzling green lights turn on one by one in the raid status bar, PD gripped his controller tightly, took a deep breath, and roared loudly:

"Three, two, one! All forces, attack!"

As twenty players simultaneously pressed the confirm button on their holographic panels, the seventy-two Demon God Pillars lurking in the depths of the Temple's void simultaneously twisted their massive, mountain-like fleshy bodies, thousands of eyeballs spinning wildly, and let out a terrifying roar that shattered the galaxy!

[BATTLE START!]

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, the tower defense battle interface fully loaded!