Let's turn back the clock a while back, it was when Zephyr had just left for the base.
Lana and others received a new instruction from Rina.
?Your Highness Lana, Shizu-san, Karua-san and Ester-san, please split into two teams. From there, please use the protection period to shut off any chances of the opposing team from fleeing. Just follow the route I will points out.?
The instructions Lana and others could hear, as if someone was speaking right next to their ear, were being given by ?Master-Planner Princess? Rina, who should have been at the base.
Rina had separated from the group right after they had snatched the ?Central Big Castle?, returned to the base and began her preparation for the mid-game phase.
Right now, she is passing her instructions to the members scattered in the area while observing the situation with super rare item ?Dragon's Miniature Garden?. Her instructions, receiving training from Zephyr, were precise to the point and she had already become able to use ?Dragon's Miniature Garden?.
Lana nodded in response to the instructions, and then said to her own reliable attendants.
"I believe you have heard it, right! Ester, Shizu. Let's do it!"
"Right away! Please be assured. I will take charge of the west with Karua."
"Then I and Her Highness Lana will proceed forward to the route while taking down the surrounding squares."
"Hn, then we're off. Later, Lana."
Ester and Shizu took the helm, split the team into two and started taking action, capturing the squares in accordance to Rina's plan.
Since capturing squares puts them into a protection period, the opponent team can not invade during that time frame. And that's how, by creating a route of squares with active protection period, the opponent team was cornered into the southern area.
It was a frustrating development for Saturn team. Well, obviously they will be, as there are very few squares left for them to take down.
"Damn it, what should we do, Saturn!"
"Firstr, let's snatch the area around the Big Castle! Next, we will capture the central area as well! We are splitting into two three-man teams!"
Saturn instantly fired his instructions as Tom questioned.
The 6 members swiftly divided into three-man teams and started capturing squares while also keeping tabs on ?Eden? members.
The main reason to split into a team of 3 was to be vigilant of PvP battles.
The side with the largest number in PvP battle will have the overwhelming advantage, so Saturn had taken precaution just in case a PvP battle sparked between two sides. And when they were driven into the southern corner with Saturn almost sure that they would be facing the opponent anytime, he saw ?Eden? members gradually leaving for the north.
Following that, the upper hand that the opponent had gained by cornering the Saturn team in the south will be lost.
"Hmm? Are they planning to target the Central region? Do they want to block our route to their base…?"
"Saturn, what now?"
"......Then we will focus on capturing the southern area! Since ?Eden? has finally receded to the north, let's paint all the squares in the south in red!"
"Roger!"
As long as there is the wall of protection period, it is hard for the PvP battles to occur.
Henceforth, teams often focus on acquising areas in mid-game phase, and when it is done and it gets hard to overturn square, PvP battle option is the usual option left in late-game phase.
Then the option Saturn chose was to take the lead in snatching squares.
He quickly issued his instructions to Tom and Polish, and started dying the south in the color of red.
◇◇◇
Let's shift to another area—— In the north, The Jilong team of four, red team, were facing a predicament.
"It's bad, Jilong! We will be trapped if we don't do anything!"
"Fufu, leave it to me. It's but a cinch if we switch the white square in the north to our side."
"We have a trouble. They are lying in ambush in the north! And there are too many!!"
"Fuf—!? Kuh, what to do..."
"Hey hey, didn't you just say to leave it to you, Jilong!?"
The place was the neighborhood of ?Northern Big Castle?.
Regrettably, they had failed to take lead in capturing ?Northern Big Castle?, but seeing that ?Eden? had withdrawn towards the white base direction, they turned to capture the squares in that region to surround the Big Castle.
While their attention was preoccupied, ?Eden? on other hand laid out their trap under their nose; the squares glowing in the pea-green light of the protection period belonging to the Team White gradually were encroaching on them, driving them to proximity of the ?Northern Big Castle?.
The Jilong team was now driven into predicament when even the sole exit was ambushed by their opponent. They were forced to choose from two options; either to turn the table on them and confront them , or find a way to break through this area.
"We failed to exercise enough vigilance, it seems, I didn't expect ?Eden? to cooperate so cleverly and corner us. Is this the height one can reach with practice?"
"We can only try to make a breakthrough then! This Venerable will cover your back. You all just put your mind on how to escape from here!"
"Update, Northern route has been sealed off by the protection period!"
"What!? The situation is the same behind us! W, we are trapped!!"
"W, What!?"
In the meanwhile they took their sweet time to decide, ?Eden?, receiving the instruction from Rina, advanced on their encirclement and completely surrounded them.
With their sole escape route being bathed in the light of protection, Jilong team was standing on the precipice of desperation.
No doubt they will be beaten black and blue at this rate. However, not all doors to salvation had closed to them yet.
The protection period for a square had just ended, so they could escape from there.
"Fufu!? T,To there! We are going to make a breakthrough from there!"
" " "O, Ohhhhhhhh—!!" " "
Facing the miracle that occurred just when they were about to lose all hope after being caught like a rat in a trap, Jilong and team wasted not even a second in grasping it.
......Yes, without knowing it was a deliberate move from the opponent.
As soon as Jilong and team raced toward the miraculous square and entered, they heard a voice.
"?Shining Sabre of the Sacred Light?!"
"?Elemental Lance?!"
"?Rapid-Shot?!"
"Fu? Whaaaaaaaaahhhhh!?"
" " "Jilong!?" " "
Helck and the third years inadvertently stopped on their tracks seeing Jilon, who was in the lead, being blown away with a thud sound.
What in the seven worlds happened!?
With that thought crossing their mind, Helck and others turned around to ascertain the situation, however unaware they were, that this action was akin to serving themselves on a silver platter to ?Eden?.
The first to fall victim was third year ?Hunter?.
"?Shield Bash?!"
"Gufu!?"
"Be down."
"Bufuuu!?""
He received shield tackle from Sierra.
?Hunter? who received the attack directly fell into down status showing a unsightly appearance, and then Thwack, Sierra bashed his head with a mace.
The third year student, ?Hunter?, received a critical hit due to being in down status from normal mace attack, and fell victim to the abnormal state ?Stun?.
With this, one of them was down.
Following that, the next sacrificial lamb was the third year ?Dual Swordsman?.
"Face the power of a hero! ?Lolita Tackle?!"