Though the original Yggdrasil was far bigger, the one that was prepared for the Rating Game still looked pretty big to us. The rules were simple. Just climb to the top and the one who reaches it first, wins. It was really easy to understand. Consequently, the fight would also be more violent. Ravel then said
“The promotion of [Pawn] is possible after reaching the halfway point.”
This meant that after reaching the halfway-point our [Pawns] and theirs would all become [Queens]. But, we just need to defeat the Valkyrie squad before reaching the halfway point though. And as we thought about that, the beginning of the game drew closer. <<Now, the game will start after both teams teleport to the artificial Yggdrasil game field! The [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] team vs the [Leisure of the Kings] team, It’s the fight of the century! It will be starting soon!>>
While the commentator was announcing that, both my team and the opponent’s team were enveloped in the teleportation light—. The place that we were teleported to was the base of the artificial Yggdrasil. …We could only be astonished by the gargantuan size of the tree. All members looked up, but…
It was only natural that we couldn’t identify the top from here. It’s somewhat higher than the clouds after all. It seemed like Vidar-san’s team teleported to the other side — the tree’s backside. Of course, attacking before the opposing side started climbing was against the rules. On Yggdrasil, a spiral-staircase was hung around the tree, but there were also footholds — floating islands which surrounded the tree. We could utilise those as a place to take a break or do battle. Of course, going to the top by flying was also OK. Based on the overall height of the tree, it looked like it would take a reasonably long time to reach the top. It would take a while even for a normal Devil to reach the top by flying at full speed, and maintaining that pace. We could arrive faster if we focused all of our strength on it, however, we couldn’t do that because our rival would also try to prevent that. Before the game started, there was a brief period for strategy time. We gathered around the table that was set up at the base of the tree and discussed what to do. Ravel then laid out a piece of paper on the table which had the opponent’s team composition written on it. Starting from the [King], Typhon, it really was a formidable lineup. I started the meeting while observing it
“…Other than Typhon, Vidar-san, and Apollon-san, there have been some alternations in the opponent’s team, but this time it is a serious lineup.”
The [Pawns] this time were — the Valkyrie squad. On top of that, it seemed like they were all Rossweisse-san’s colleagues. “……To think that I will be fighting not only Brynhildr-senpai, but also the other Valkyries.”
Rossweisse-san had a complex look on her face. But Xenovia laughed fearlessly as she trembled with excitement. “…It’s a parade of Gods. Even I can’t stop trembling, you know”
Well, that’s normal. I also didn’t like the fact that my opponents were all Gods, but as we already came here, we had no choice but to fight them. “Could they be the worst, and strongest opponents that I have ever fought?”
I asked Ddraig
[Yeah, they exceed everyone, including Rizevim and Apophis.] Well, I was glad that this was only a normal match, not a deathmatch. Even so, they weren’t going to give me any kind of handicap. Ddraig then said with frustration in his voice
[…… A lineup this formidable, and even I didn’t have a chance to meet them in my previous existence. Now I feel somewhat bitter with this body.] I couldn’t have imagined that I would be fighting a team that surpassed mythologies and races. Ravel then told us clearly
“Speaking honestly, it’s not unnatural if we lose this match. That’s just how great of a difference there is between our basic fighting power and theirs.”
—However, Ravel’s expression changed completely into a brave one. “But, let’s fight with the intention to win. There will probably be many opportunities for us to win because of the rules.”
[Yeah!] We were also fired up by our strategist’s words! Even if our opponents are Gods, the winner will be the one who reaches the top first. We only need to reach the goal first, even if it was only one of us. …Well, I personally didn’t want to end it like that though. I wanted to at least punch Vidar-san once with my fist. Ravel then said to Roygun Belphegor-san who was participating in our team this time. “Roygun-sama’s specialty as a Devil is [Crack], isn’t it? It’s a specialty that allows you to create a ‘tear’ on anything… You can produce a crack on most things, right?”
Roygun-san then laughed sarcastically
“There is of course a limit you know. I can’t produce a ‘crack’ on those whose power far exceeds mine. It was quite an ability when I was ranked second, however…… As I am right now, if the opponent is Maou-class or God-class, the ability won’t be very effective.”
Ravel then said as she looked up at Yggdrasil
“…I wanted to have you produce a [Crack] around Yggdrasil’s roots and make the tree fall over, but…it seems like it’s fairly well-built, so we shouldn’t expect that much.”
She was thinking about something that audacious! Really, my manager was trying to ruin the core of the rules from the start, huh! Ravel then continued
“Because the rules are simple, our strategy is also simple. —The aim is to go with a multistage-rocket formation.”
[—]
Everyone gasped at Ravel’s plan. …Multistage-rocket formation. That meant that we would fly together, and then she suggested that we should separate in the middle. Ravel then continued
“I am sure that while our opponents are climbing Yggdrasil, they will have their players crash into us over here. When that happens, we must also leave someone behind to face them. As for both teams, the common thing is what we and they have recognised, and that is the fact that we only need to have one person reach the top, and that we had to protect the [King].”
…Well, that’s the case. Because the rules were simple, we could also easily imagine the situation that would unfold. Irina then said
“There is also a possibility that all of us will face off against all of them, right?”
The possibility of everyone fighting in the middle certainly did exist. Ravel then said
“An all-out fight, right? There sure is some possibility of that, but…judging from the opponent’s nature, I think the players would just move based on their judgment. They are all strong players, therefore their assertiveness is equally strong. And that’s coming from the [King], Typhon. This means that because they don’t have good coordination, the chance of them attacking us one by one is high.”
Just as Ravel said, Vidar-san’s team was not a team that excelled in teamwork. It was the type of team that entrusted everything to its members regarding how to fight and earn victory. It was because every member had a strong ego and individual strength.