Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 63: Belrug

4 Hours Later,

29th Mazem, 1092.

"Uaak!" The last desperate cry of man was buried beneath the even louder songs and war cries of those engaged in the battle for the dungeon floor. Locked in position, Lunette's party fought to protect the remaining bodies still logged out. Their adversaries comprised soldiers backed up by the buffs from songs by priests at their back.

Syel and Shoko led the defense at either end of the dungeon, destroying their enemies at the entrances. Luckily, the only entries were sets of staircases at either end, which meant they only had to face a handful at a time. Shadow assisted Shoko in dispatching any stray warrior that managed to squirm through. Neither of the three warriors knew how to fight defensive battles, so they had resorted to 'attacking to a certain point' (a strategy which entailed pre-emptively dispatching anything that came into view, but never leaving the dungeon floor itself.

After fighting for four hours straight, not only should their mana have run out, but they should have exhausted all of their stamina. However, thanks to Lunette, the triplets, and some of the orchestra members who had returned, there were sufficient musical buffs to keep them energized.

Lunette had also proposed that the support group alternate, allowing time to regenerate mana for the songs. With this system, the warriors always had songs not only backing them up but also protecting them against ailments/debuffs from the enemies' songs.

The battle had revealed a few denominations of the Chaos Order. They seemed to use a ranking system similar to those used by religious organizations. The lowest-ranked -and most numerous- members were grunts, lead by slightly more powerful deacons. So far, the party had only encountered a handful of priests, and they were significantly stronger than both Deacons and Laites combined. There were sure to be higher denominations, but they had yet to encounter any.

Suddenly, beside Lunette, Lufer's body twitched, signaling his return. Moments later, he got to his feet, baton at the ready. "Thank you for protecting my body, Ms. Falsetto."

Lunette signaled for someone else to take her place. She rested against the wall, breathing heavily as she waited for her mana and stamina to rise. "You should thank them," she said, pointing at the warriors. "They're the ones who have been fighting nonstop for hours. It's a wonder they haven't collapsed."

"They owe that to your invigorating songs, no doubt," Lufer observed the rotational system she had put into play. "Impressive strategy. Most would have wanted to use the full force of the orchestra and burnt out within an hour."

Lunette shook her head with a wry smile. "I just learned from watching two of the most brilliant strategists I have ever met."

Lufer smiled. "I would like to meet these strategists sometime." A loud cheer from the orchestra drew his attention. "It would seem all our members have been gathered. " He took out his baton and chanted something under his breath. His baton glowed bright blue, then released waves of light that encompassed the entirety of the dungeon. He looked to Lunette. "Have you ever been led by a conductor before?"

Lunette shook her head. Confused, she asked, "Conductor? There's a class like that?"

"Not exactly." With a wave of his baton, the orchestra entered formation. "I created the class myself."

"Wha-"

"Now, Ms. Falsetto, would you do us the honor of taking the lead? I assume Iggy taught you most of our songs already?"

"Well, yes he did, but-"

"Do not fret. You will do fine. You're about to be part of power like you've never seen before."