Chapter 212

　The colossal tree that intertwines like vines and reaches towards the sky is the World Tree in Alo. At the base of the World Tree lies a vast city, filled with buildings. In front of each building, mineral lamps emit colorful glows in the night sky, like starlight. This is Arun, the largest city in Alo.

　　The flight from Siluban to Arun took about twenty minutes. The combined forces landed in front of the city gate. Asuna and I belonged to a separate mobile unit and were not integrated into the combined forces, so we flew alongside the main force.

　　Unlike some of the elf players who were observing Aloen with great interest, Asuna and the others, as well as I, were not visiting this city, which is known as the largest city in Alo, for the first time. After all, it is common to come to this city, which is closely connected to the World Tree, if you want to conquer it. The main purpose is to gather as much information as possible.

　　However, the useful information we were able to gather was limited and consisted of only bits and pieces. The most useful piece of information was that the starting point for conquering the World Tree was a gate within Arun City that led to the interior of the World Tree, and our first target location upon arriving in Arun City was that place, a place called the Giant Egg.

　　Around three hundred players marched into the city in a grand procession, inevitably drawing a crowd of onlookers. This World Tree strategy had already been posted on Alo-related game forums and had even sparked heated discussions.

　　Most players are looking forward to it, a small number of players who have experienced the World Tree quest are cautious, and a small group of players are not optimistic. But in any case, this joint attempt by the three races to conquer the World Tree is the largest World Tree conquest operation since Alo’s launch.

　　Therefore, most players knew about this operation, and those who didn’t know learned about it through their companions’ explanations. As a result, the players in Arun City were not too surprised that so many well-equipped players entered the city.

　　The allied forces marched briskly along the main street of the city without any hesitation. The gate to the World Tree was not hidden in a secluded part of the city; as the ultimate goal of the game for all players, it was open to all players and was prominently located on the left side of Arun City.

　　”It’s finally starting.” Asuna looked up at the long staircase in front of her. The staircase was wide enough for ten people to walk side by side. At the end of the staircase was a light bronze door, which was the door leading to the inside of the World Tree.

　　“Yes.” Silica gently stroked Pina’s head. She had summoned Pina not long ago, ready for battle.

　　The girls exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fighting spirit. They had been working hard for this mission, leveling up, acquiring equipment, increasing skill proficiency, and so on, so their fighting spirit was extremely high.

　　”Gentlemen, the gate to the World Tree is not far away. Now let’s find out what the final mission is all about.” After Sakuya finished speaking, the allied forces began to walk up the steps and reach the gate.

　　The light bronze gate is engraved with intricate patterns. Combined with its height of nearly three stories and width of six meters, along with the elven wing patterns on the floor and the two huge elven statues wearing armor on either side, it is clear at a glance that this is no ordinary gate.

　　Sakuya, Alisa, and Eugene, representing the three races, led the way. As representatives, they were all top-notch in strength, so there was no problem for them to be at the front. Asuna and I were in the second group, following behind Sakuya and the others.

　　When Shuoye and his two companions arrived at the gate, they looked at the tightly closed door and were about to try to trigger the gate’s switch or start the corresponding mission, since such a large door couldn’t be easily pushed open.

　　Then, just as Shuoye stretched out her delicate hand, the huge armored elf statues standing on either side of the gate suddenly moved, pulling out the swords that were originally stuck in the stone platform and crossing them to block the gate.

　　Sakuya wasn’t surprised that the stone statue could move; it was a fairly common feature in games. But how was he supposed to get through the gate? He couldn’t just force his way through, could he?

　　Just as Shuo Ye was filled with doubt, the two enormous stone statues spoke in a deep voice, “Do those who are ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth dare to dream of reaching the royal city?”

　　”How is it, Shuoye? Have you received the mission notification?” Seeing this, the brown-skinned, short-haired catgirl Alisa, standing next to Shuoye, immediately sensed what might have happened. Like a curious cat, she approached Shuoye and asked, wagging her tail.

　　“Yes.” Shuoye glanced at the light white dialog box that popped up. The dialog box asked whether he wanted to take on the World Tree Guardian challenge. This must be the triggered quest.

　　”Then hurry up and accept it! I want to see what this mysterious final mission is all about.” Alisa waved her little hand, urging Shuo Ye with great enthusiasm.

　　”Okay, okay.” Shuo Ye extended her slender, white finger and pressed the blue circle button in the chat box to indicate that she accepted the task.

　　Then the dialogue box disappeared, the two swords that had been crossed in front of the gate were raised, and the huge armored elf statue spoke again, “You only need to show the wings on your back to be able to fly in the sky.”

　　As the armored elf statue finished speaking, the previously tightly closed door slowly opened. Through the crack in the door, only complete darkness could be seen, making it impossible to discern what lay inside.

　　”Everyone, let’s go.” Now that the mission had been accepted, Shuo Ye waved her hand, and led by several leaders, the players participating in this World Tree mission entered the gate one after another.

　　The passage inside the gate was pitch black. Everyone used their own magic to illuminate the way. After walking for several dozen steps, Shuoye suddenly stopped, and Alisa stopped as well. They walked out of the passage and came to a spacious place.

　　Just as the green-haired elf was about to use a fireball to check the situation, a sudden burst of light shone down from above, illuminating the entire area.

　　At first glance, the area is surrounded by tree walls, with vines that crisscross like tree roots. Among the intertwined vines are diamond-shaped crystals, which are so densely packed that they resemble honeycomb cells, extending upwards along the tree walls.

　　“That is…” Alisa looked up along the tree wall and saw at the end of the tree wall a huge white flower-shaped object. In the center of the flower, where the flower bud was, there was a round bud with a cross-shaped seam clearly visible on it.

　　”That should be the giant egg. It seems the way to the top of the World Tree is to go inside.” Asuna looked at the large white flower above her head. Passing through there would be the key to solving everything. The blue-haired elf girl unconsciously tightened her grip on the hilt of the rapier at her waist.

　　”It doesn’t seem like there are any obstacles. Could we just fly up and get through?” Alisa carefully looked around but didn’t find any traps or monsters.

　　”It might be trigger-based. We’ll find out whether we try it or not.” Shuoye drew the katana hanging at his waist, and pale green fairy wings appeared on his back. “Everyone, spread your wings and head towards the giant white flower above.”

　　Upon hearing this, all the players who entered the large circular area spread their fairy wings. Asuna and I did the same, and the players who came in later followed suit. After spreading their fairy wings, everyone flew upwards in unison.

　　The three leaders who took off first had already flown a certain distance and there were still no unexpected situations. However, they did not let their guard down and gripped their weapons tightly.

　　Asuna frowned as she looked at the blue fluorescent crystals around her. Liz, who was flying beside her, asked, “What’s wrong, Asuna? Did you find something?”

　　”No, but I have a bad feeling about these numerous blue crystals.” Intuitively, Asuna felt that these blue crystals covering the tree walls were not just decorations.

　　“These crystals…” Liz glanced around at the crystals embedded in the tree wall. So many rhomboid crystals were embedded in the tree wall. If Asuna’s premonition was right, “Wouldn’t this be terrible…”

　　Then Liz paused at the end of her sentence because Asuna’s premonition was confirmed. A diamond-shaped crystal not far above emitted a blue light, and then a white figure appeared from the blue light.

　　Clad in silver-white armor, holding a pale blue longsword, with slender limbs and a pair of pale black wings on her back, she didn’t look like someone who had come out to welcome them.

　　”Everyone, prepare for battle!” Shuo Ye katana charged directly at the suddenly appearing silver-white armored elf soldier, who then swooped down rapidly.

　　The two figures approached rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they crossed paths. Shuoye’s katana slashed across the chest of the silver-armored elf soldier, leaving a red data wound on his chest. Then, the elf soldier exploded into white smoke.

　　”Everyone be careful. These elf soldiers aren’t too strong, but they’re not weak either.” Don’t be fooled by how easily she took down that armored elf soldier just now. Shuo Ye knew that it was the result of her quick-draw sword strike combined with her superior strength. It wouldn’t be easy for an average elite player to kill them instantly.

　　In general, most players in the Allied Forces should be able to handle the Armored Elf Soldiers in a one-on-one situation, but Shuo Ye’s expression was quite solemn, as was that of Alisa beside him.

　　“Jian, do you think these crystals…” Leafa choked on her words. How many blue crystals were there from the ground to the top of the tree wall? Thousands? Thousands? Even tens of thousands? Even if the individual elven soldiers inside the crystals weren’t particularly strong, if the number was this terrifying…

　　”I think it’s very likely.” I don’t need to say more; the development of events has already spoken for itself. After the first armored elf soldier was killed, the surrounding rhombus-shaped crystals lit up with blue light, and one by one, elf soldiers wearing silver-white armor appeared from them.

　　”This number is outrageous.” Silica blinked as she looked at the armored elf soldiers that filled the sky in the blink of an eye. The number of them already exceeded the number of the allied forces.

　　”The enemy numbers are too large, so everyone should work in pairs to deal with them. Mages should provide support from the rear with spells.” It would be difficult to force a breakthrough with so many elf soldiers, so Shuoye stopped and directed everyone to meet the enemy.

　　While Shuoye was issuing the orders, a portion of the armored elf soldiers had already flown down, and the players under attack quickly engaged in combat.

　　”Let’s join the fight too.” Two fists can’t fight four hands. Even if Asuna can take down an elf soldier with one sword, she can’t withstand attacks from multiple directions. To force a breakthrough, they need to find the right opportunity, otherwise they’ll just be throwing their lives away.

　　Upon hearing this, the girls took the initiative to meet the oncoming armored elf soldiers. Unlike the players in the joint forces who needed to fight in pairs, the girls, being stronger, could handle two or even three armored elf soldiers on their own.

　　Liz’s hammer swung, sending the armored elf soldier flying. Sometimes, it could even strike another elf soldier, causing secondary damage. Silica’s short sword and Pina’s dragon breath worked together to effectively control the elf soldiers’ offensive posture through close and long-range attacks.

　　Leafa’s skillful swordsmanship allowed her to easily take on multiple opponents, while Asuna’s rapid swordsmanship enabled her to handle several armored elf knights by herself. Meanwhile, I mainly focused on buffing the girls, and Suigintou easily dealt with the elf soldiers who approached me using her black feathers.

　　The current situation seems quite optimistic. Even if the players in the combined forces cooperate with each other, they can handle the situation as long as it’s not four or five armored elf soldiers attacking at once. In addition, there is fire magic support from the rear mages, so they can generally cope.

　　But all of this is on the premise that the elven soldiers in the rear do not all rush over at once, otherwise the situation may become quite bad. As for the reason why they have not acted for the time being, is it because of their position?

　　Shuoye glanced at the distance to the top. The main force had only flown less than a third of the way and was still quite far from the top. If her deduction was correct, then the reason why the armored elf soldiers had not launched a full-scale attack should be this.

　　Nevertheless, they cannot remain stagnant indefinitely, because most games will likely set time limits for level challenges. When the time limit is reached, the game will notify the player of the challenge failure in various ways. The simplest way is to directly pop up a dialog box indicating mission failure, and another way is to have various monsters increase in number or suddenly become much stronger.

　　Shuoye hasn’t seen a countdown for the mission deadline yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The deadline might be another reason for the armored elf soldiers to launch a full-scale attack.

　　Furthermore, there’s no way to save progress in the strategy missions. If you spend the whole night here, you’ll have to start all over again the next day unless you don’t quit the game. Considering all the possibilities, Shuoye finally decided to take the initiative and push forward. “Everyone, get ready to start moving upwards. We can’t stay here forever.”

　　Those participating in this World Tree strategy mission were all elite players. With their rich gaming experience, they naturally knew a lot about the game and generally agreed with Sakuya’s instructions. Moreover, it was too frustrating to stay stuck here. If they died while advancing, they could just try again next time, although who knows when that next time would be.

　　This is the biggest difference between Alo and Sao. Alo is not a death game after all. When facing an enemy force that far outnumbers your own, most players think, “This is the final mission, it’s going to be tough,” rather than, “I’m doomed this time.”

　　Therefore, under Shuo Ye’s command, the players of the joint forces began to advance steadily. The players themselves were quite strong, and with the addition of some top-tier players, the battle line was advancing steadily as long as the elf soldiers did not launch a large-scale attack.

　　This situation continued until the battle line had advanced more than halfway, that is, when they were only halfway to the top of the giant white stone flower. Just as the fire elf general Eugene was using his magic sword to kill an armored elf soldier, a golden arrow shot down from above.

　　Eugene, clad in red armor, suddenly turned around, his purple magic sword sweeping across the room, deflecting the golden arrow aimed at him. The fire spirit general looked up and immediately locked onto his target, “Archer?”

　　Among a group of armored elf soldiers wielding swords, an armored elf soldier with a bow appeared. The bow and the arrow were both golden, appearing to be formed from magical energy.

　　“Now that one has appeared, then…” Just as Eugene had predicted, a large number of armored elf soldiers wielding bows began to emerge from behind the sword-wielding armored elf soldiers.

　　”This is troublesome.” Faced with the sudden appearance of archer-armored elven soldiers, Shuo Ye couldn’t help but frown. With ranged support and the advantage in numbers, dealing with them would be even more difficult.

　　”Everyone be careful of the arrows from above. Mages, prioritize casting spells towards the archer elves.” As soon as Shuo Ye finished speaking, many archer elves began to draw their bows and launch attacks.

　　Golden magic arrows rained down like raindrops, and the players quickly dodged or blocked them with their swords. Fortunately, there were not many archer elves compared to swordsmen, otherwise the barrage of arrows alone would have sealed off the allied forces.

　　Even so, there were still quite a few archer-armored elf soldiers, and their numbers were increasing. Coupled with the attacks of sword-wielding elf soldiers, the pressure suddenly increased.

　　”Damn it…” With a shout from an elite player, one of the two players caught in the crossfire of three armored elf soldiers wielding swords was hit by a lot of golden arrows. Unfortunately, he was hit by an arrow and the armored elf soldier seized the opportunity to cut him with his sword. His health, which was already hit by several arrows, instantly dropped to zero.

　　Meanwhile, another player found himself surrounded by three armored elf soldiers, with golden arrows raining down from time to time. Knowing he was likely doomed, the player launched a fierce attack on one of the armored elf soldiers, hoping to take him down one by one.

　　But just then, a red figure arrived at the player’s side. Eugene returned to the Demon Sword and killed two of the armored elf soldiers, rescuing him from his predicament.

　　”Thank you so much, Eugene.” The rescued player breathed a sigh of relief; if he could, he certainly wouldn’t want to quit the quest prematurely.

　　”You’re welcome. Be careful from now on.” Eugene nodded simply, then flapped his pale red elven wings and returned to the front line to face the swooping, sword-wielding, armored elven soldiers.

　　Starting with this, players in the allied forces were gradually killed, and their advance came to a standstill. As they advanced further, the number of sword-wielding armored soldiers attacking increased, often with five or six armored elf soldiers flanking a group, plus the occasional stray arrows, which the players could no longer handle.

　　”This can’t go on.” The number of armored elf soldiers is not decreasing but increasing. The enemy’s attacking force has become quite large as they advance this far, and even Shuo Ye himself feels a certain amount of pressure.

　　“Indeed, with so many enemy soldiers, it’s impossible to get through. Wow, another arrow is coming.” Alisa dodged the golden arrow to the side and swiftly cleaved down an armored elf soldier.

　　”I don’t know if the large number of enemies is due to their sheer numbers, or if this is how it’s supposed to be. But that’s not the point right now. The point is, what should we do next?”

　　Given the current situation, Sakuya believes that it is virtually impossible to break through to the giant white stone flower with the main force. Since a large force is not feasible, the best option now is for a small force to break through. “Asuna, can I ask you for a favor?”

　　Asuna, who was also fighting on the front lines, could hear Sakuya’s question: “Is there some kind of plan, Sakuya?”

　　”Well, it’s almost impossible for the main force to break through. The best course of action now is to do everything we can to help one small team break through. That way, there’s a better chance of them getting through the heavy guards and reaching the top. And I think it’s most suitable for you, the strongest among you, to lead this small team.”

　　Sakuya brandished her katana, her green kimono sleeves fluttering with her movements, and one by one, the armored elf soldiers exploded into white smoke with her graceful slashes.

　　“No problem, leave it to us.” Sakuya’s plan was exactly what Asuna wanted. Even if the green-haired elf didn’t bring it up, she would have suggested it later, because Asuna also realized that continuing to drag things out was not a solution.

　　Shuoye and Alisa exchanged a glance, and the blonde catgirl nodded, indicating that the decision had been approved. As for the fire spirits, they were mainly used as henchmen in this campaign, since they had failed in their sneak attack.

　　”Listen up, everyone. We’re about to launch a full-scale attack to pave the way for the special operations team’s breakthrough.” With the decision made, Shuo Ye immediately issued new orders; breaking through was of course urgent.

　　While Shuoye was directing the allied forces to prepare for a general offensive, the girls had already gathered together. Apart from occasionally deflecting falling arrows, they did not actively attack the sword-wielding armored elf soldiers as before, but instead prepared to break through.

　　”Although we have high-end combat power like Shuoye, Alisa, and Eugene, the disparity in numbers is too great. Even if we launch a full-scale attack, we may not be able to clear a smooth path for you. How about I stay and help?”

　　As a member of the squad, I also joined the girls, but I made an unexpected suggestion: to stay behind and help the allied forces launch their final offensive.

　　”Huh? Jian, your abilities are indeed very suitable for multi-person operations, but without you, our team’s combat strength will drop a bit.” Leafa didn’t expect me to say that suddenly, and the girl looked at me in surprise.

　　”It’s alright, I’ll have Suigintou go with you. It might have some impact, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.” For me, there’s not much difference between staying here or going with them. If I stay with the main group, I can multitask and keep an eye on Asuna and the others, especially with Suigintou coming along.

　　The advantage of not going along is that it makes it easier to perform certain operations, which is why I made this suggestion if needed.

　　“What Jian said makes some sense.” Liz glanced at the densely packed armored elf soldiers above. It was uncertain whether the combined forces could successfully clear a path; if not, they would have to expend considerable effort.

　　“Indeed.” The long-haired, azure-blue elf girl, who was the captain, nodded. Then Asuna came up to me, raised her hand, and placed it on my shoulder. “So…”

　　Just when the three girls thought Asuna was about to agree, Leafa was even prepared to say a few more words of persuasion, since she would rather someone stay here than have someone act together. However, the blue-haired elf girl did the exact opposite.

　　”I definitely reject it. As an important member of the team, how… can… we… leave… you… out…?” Asuna emphasized each word carefully at the end. Although the girl seemed to be smiling, there was no real feeling of laughter.

　　It seems Asuna has discovered my thoughts. Apart from Suigintou, only she and Silica know my true strength, and Asuna knows even more than Silica.

　　“I agree with Asuna.” Silica immediately raised her hand in agreement. Having her master with her made her feel much more at ease, and Pina, who was flying beside her, also called out.

　　“That’s right, that’s what I think too.” Leafa nodded in agreement, while Liz looked around and said, “Since everyone says so, I have nothing more to say.”

　　”Well, it seems my position in the team is truly indispensable,” I remarked, only to receive eye rolls from several girls.

　　Then I glanced at Asuna’s slender hand on my shoulder. Even though I had given my answer that I was taking back my previous suggestion, the girl’s hand was still pressing firmly on my shoulder, as if to say, “You can’t get away.”

　　Asuna noticed where I was looking. Although she probably wanted to keep holding onto my shoulders all the way to the giant white stone flower at the top before letting go, she ultimately let go of my shoulders considering the presence of the other three girls.

　　Just then, Sakuya’s voice came through: “Asuna, are you all ready?”

　　”Yes, we can leave anytime.” Asuna gave someone a subtle warning with her blue eyes. It was better for that person to be by her side than behind the scenes, which was also the reason she had objected earlier.

　　“Then…” Having received a positive reply, Sakuya raised the katana in his hand. “All members of the joint forces, let’s launch the general offensive now and open a passage for the special squad.”

　　Under Shuoye’s command, the elite players of the Allied Forces formed a cone-shaped encirclement, with melee players on the outer layer and magic-based players on the inner layer. This formation surrounded, or rather protected, me and Asuna and the others.

　　The outer layer of players resisted the sword-wielding, armored elf soldiers and the falling arrows, while the small number of magic-based players in the inner layer took the opportunity to deal damage with magic. Asuna and I, on the other hand, tried to conserve our strength within the encirclement. This was Sakuya’s breakout strategy.

　　Once the formation was set up, the combined forces launched their breakout. It must be said that the elite players were quite capable; they used all their strength in this all-out attack and breakout, enduring arrows and armored elf soldiers to advance to three-quarters of the way.

　　With only a quarter of the journey remaining, the armored elf soldiers began charging straight downhill with their swords, essentially turning themselves into human missiles. Their impact was on a completely different level than before, and the number of them attacking had reached the point where one soldier had to deal with five armored elf soldiers.

　　The breakout formation began to break down, and it was probably impossible to advance any further. It was already good enough that they could hold out here for a while. Shuoye took down two armored elf soldiers who charged straight down and used his katana to block another elf soldier. “I’m counting on you guys from now on.”

　　Sakuya was obviously speaking to our small team behind us. We would have to break through on our own for the rest of the journey. This had been expected beforehand, and Sakuya had explained it to us. So, the moment Sakuya, Alisa, Eugene, and a few guards made way for us, Asuna took the lead and rushed out.

　　The elven girl with long, azure-blue hair thrust her rapier forward repeatedly, the silver-white blade creating afterimages with each rapid thrust, as if a dozen swords were thrusting simultaneously.

　　Silica had Pina’s dragon breath cover the area to the left, while Liz’s hammer knocked away approaching enemies on the right, Leafa’s longsword cut down the charging sword-wielding elf soldier, and the golden arrows falling from above were blocked by Mercury Lamp’s black feathers.

　　The armored elf soldiers reacted immediately to the sudden appearance of the assault team, but with my speed buff, the girls’ flight speed was quite fast. Even if they reacted in time, it would be impossible to shift all the offensive at once, not to mention that there were also joint forces diverting their attention.

　　The entire assault team was like a sharp sword, tearing a gap in the armored elves’ defenses with unstoppable momentum. Seeing this, Sakuya finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the operation had been successful. Now it was up to Asuna and the others to perform.

　　Shuoye watched the figures of the girls, and finally her gaze fell on the only male in the team. If there was one person she couldn’t figure out the most, it was this man named Jian. This man’s ability was undeniable, but Shuoye always felt that he was hiding something. However, judging from the atmosphere of the team, there shouldn’t be any problems.

　　The girls had no idea what Sakuya was thinking. Even if they did, Liz would probably be the only one who cared. They were currently breaking through the last line of defense, with the huge white stone flower at the top right in front of them.

　　With a “bang,” Asuna pierced through an armored elf soldier, sending him flying onto the giant white stone flower. The armored elf soldier then exploded into white smoke, and when the smoke dissipated, only the figure of the long-haired azure elf girl remained.

　　”This…” The silver-white slender sword pierced into the white round flower bud with the impact, but only penetrated a little bit. It seemed that the round flower bud was very hard. Faced with the still closed flower bud, Asuna couldn’t help but frown.

　　”How is it, Asuna?” At that moment, the other girls also arrived at the giant stone flower and stopped in front of the huge, round bud. “Can we open it?”

　　Upon hearing this, Asuna shook her head. “There was no response, and no hints or anything like that.”

　　”How could that be? We’ve already arrived. We can’t possibly have to eliminate all the elf soldiers below to pass, can we?” Silica blinked. She thought that just getting here meant she had passed.

　　Liz and Leafa were equally puzzled. The pink-haired girl Liz glanced down and then at the round flower bud. “Since it didn’t open automatically and there were no quest prompts, let’s try another method.”

　　“Another method?” Silica looked at her friend, unsure what the other method might be.

　　“Yes, another way.” With that, Liz raised the hammer in her hand, and the hammer, which was far too large for the petite girl, emitted a bright brown light.

　　”Huh? Liz, you wouldn’t be thinking of…” Seeing Liz’s posture, Silica already knew what her friend was about to do.

　　“That’s right, we can’t waste too much time here. Who knows if those elf soldiers will attack us? So we can only try to break through by force.”

　　As she spoke, Liz swung her fully charged magic hammer with both hands. In addition to its great power, the skill she used also had a significant environmental destruction effect, capable of destroying even the walls of a typical maze. It was considered a high-level skill, but its drawback was that it required a relatively long charging time.

　　With a “bang,” the iron hammer, gleaming with a bright brown light, collided with the white, round, flower-bud-shaped stone wall. The strong vibration even caused a shockwave, and the round, flower-bud-shaped stone wall seemed to tremble slightly, but it quickly calmed down.

　　”Hmm, it seems there’s some effect, but it’s minimal.” Liz shook her slender hand, which was numb from the reaction force. The white stone wall only trembled slightly. Unless she could keep hitting it, there was basically no chance of successfully destroying it.

　　”The mark where the sword pierced me has disappeared. I guess this stone wall has a self-healing function.” Asuna looked at the spot where she had stabbed the elven soldier with her sword. The mark where the sword tip had pierced her was gone.

　　”What should we do then?” Silica glanced at me intentionally or unintentionally. They couldn’t afford to waste too much time on this; they still needed to proceed with the next part of the strategy.

　　Coincidentally, Asuna also glanced at me subtly. Since there was no better solution at the moment, I couldn’t just stop here, so I summoned Yui.

　　In a faint white light, a tiny, black-haired loli, no bigger than a palm and wearing a white strappy dress, appeared. The moment Yui appeared, she tried to fly towards Asuna, but I stopped her by grabbing her by the back of her collar.

　　”Ugh, you big bad guy, why did you stop me from going to Mommy’s?” Yui turned around and puffed out her cheeks, looking at me with dissatisfaction.

　　”Yui, you haven’t forgotten what we’re going to do tonight, have you?” In response to Yui’s dissatisfaction, I simply used my other hand to reach out and rub a finger against her smooth little face.

　　”No, I didn’t!” Yui pressed my mischievous fingers down with her small hands. “I just wanted to say hello to Mom first.”

　　”Oh, then go ahead and hit her.” I grabbed Yui by the back of her collar and turned the little girl towards Asuna.

　　”Mom.” Yui pouted and greeted Asuna, giving her a pleading look. I don’t know how to deal with this little girl.

　　Asuna really wanted to help Yui with her request for help, but she wasn’t much better than Yui. If no one else was around, she would have just tried to snatch it, even though she probably wouldn’t have been able to.

　　Therefore, Asuna could only give Yui a slightly reassuring look, and then turn her gaze to the person who caused all this, “Did you summon Yui because she has some way to open this giant stone flower?”

　　”Yui has the ability to analyze scenarios and solve problems, but with you guys usually on duty, she doesn’t really have a chance to use her skills. This time, we can let her give it a try. Whether she can succeed depends on her.”

　　As an AI born from Sai, Yui can obtain certain permissions in Alo, a game world based on Sai. Originally, this might not have been enough, but since the current Yui is reproduced by me, this level of permissions can still be obtained.

　　Hearing this, Yui finally understood what they wanted her to do. The black-haired little girl raised her hand and patted her chest, “Leave it to me.”

　　”Then I’ll leave it to you, Yui.” I reached out my hand and gestured for Yui to approach the bud of the giant white stone flower. Upon seeing this, Yui immediately placed her small hand on the white stone wall.

　　”Wait, you big bad guy, let me go first. I can fly by myself.” After saying that, Yui’s pair of transparent little wings flapped behind her, the thin transparent wings slapping against my fingers, as if expressing her dissatisfaction.

　　”Okay.” I released Yui’s collar, and the little girl immediately flapped her fairy wings to stay in the air. Then Yui closed her eyes again and began to analyze the giant stone flower.

　　The girls and I waited quietly for Yui to finish her analysis, but Asuna secretly hit me with her sword sheath during the process, which was a way of getting back at Yui.

　　I responded with a gesture to Asuna, implying that since Asuna had slapped me with her long scabbard, she shouldn’t blame me for slapping her back with something long as well.

　　About two minutes later, Yui opened her eyes again. Seeing this, I asked, “How is it, Yui? Can you open it?”

　　If Yui can’t open it, then I’ll have to let Suigintou use brute force to break it open. I’ll use Kuroba to fill the two intersecting gaps of the giant bud until it can be forcibly opened. Thinking about it this way, it seems a bit like opening a bud.

　　”Okay, it will take about thirty seconds.” As she replied, Yui had already started operating the device, her small hands tapping in the air as if she were pressing a keyboard.

　　Silica, Liz, and Leafa were seeing Yui do this for the first time, and they were all quite curious. They didn’t expect this little girl to be able to do such a thing. Silica and Liz, in particular, had previously thought that Yui was just an ordinary little girl that Asuna had taken in, but after coming to Alo, they found that this was not the case.

　　Thirty seconds passed quickly. Yui stopped what she was doing and then gently touched the white stone wall with her small hand.

　　With a “rumble,” the round flower buds, which had previously shown no response, began to slowly open, spreading out in all directions along the intersecting seams, looking just like flower buds blooming.

　　”I did it, Mom.” Having completed the task, Yui flapped her fairy wings and pounced on Asuna’s face, rubbing her little cheek against Asuna’s smooth, pretty face.

　　”Yes, you did a great job, Yui.” Asuna ran her fair fingers through Yui’s long black hair, which made Yui smile happily.

　　However, this heartwarming scene was quickly ruined. I reached out and grabbed the back of Yui’s collar, pulling the black-haired little girl over. “Alright, that’s enough with the cuteness for now. We’ll give you more time to be cute after this is over, Yui.”

　　”Hmph, I never intended to act cute for long, it was just a little bit.” Yui made a face at me and stuck out her little tongue. “Besides, why should I stay by your side, you big bad guy?”

　　”First of all, Yui, you are my summoned partner, and secondly, it is safest for you to stay by my side.” After Yui “accidentally” learned during a conversation with Asuna that I was the mastermind behind the obstacles between her mother and father, she immediately called me a big bad guy.

　　Of course, Yui doesn’t know many of the details, and Asuna can’t tell her either. The black-haired little girl probably knows that I haven’t let her mother and father meet for some reason. If she knew the specific reason, and if Yui could understand, she probably wouldn’t just call me a big bad guy.

　　“Ken is right, Yui, you should stay with Ken for now.” From any perspective, it is indeed safest for Yui to stay with someone who can do whatever they want in the game world, Asuna can’t deny.

　　”Okay.” In fact, Yui understood that what he said was true. Putting everything else aside, Suigintou’s existence alone was very powerful, much stronger than her, an AI born from the emotion management system, not to mention the person who created her.

　　”OK, the matter is resolved, so let’s move on.” Ignoring the little black-haired girl sitting on my shoulder and pulling my hair, I said to the group of girls.

　　The girls had no objections and flew together into the open white boulder bud. After we disappeared, the open boulder bud closed again.