With the addition of new teammates, Guinevere and the others once again launched their challenge against Shadow Yser and Shadow Ashen.
This time, with Bagst and Nochnare now part of the group, their Yser Challenge Party had grown to eight members: Artoria, Bawanxi, Guinevere, Redra, Grim, and Gareth.
As for Oberon… he seemed to have a strong aversion to the Orkney region. He had already departed when Guinevere's group first arrived nearby, heading off to continue gathering intelligence across Britain.
—Of course, if you counted all the clones Artoria could summon at once in her Crowned Sovereign form, the number could increase even further.
This led to their later group battle descending into absolute chaos. As a result, everyone had to constantly worry about not harming their teammates during the fight. This made them overly cautious and hesitant. Meanwhile, Shadow Yser, with Shadow Ashen's Water Mirror providing cover, darted between them with ease. After one round, they realized they had actually lost even faster than before.
"I think we need a unified battle plan. We can't keep fighting separately like this, or I swear we're turning into the Sukuna Challenge Squad."
After yet another team wipe, Guinevere lay sprawled across the now half-demolished staircase, speaking solemnly.
"What's the Sukuna Challenge Squad?" A soot-covered Artoria peeked her head out from below the stairs.
"In short, it's a group of people who clearly have the power to overwhelm their opponent together, but insist on taking turns getting slaughtered one by one—turning an easy win into a 50-50 gamble."
Guinevere stood up while holding her head and scanned the group. Her eyes quickly landed on Nochnare.
"Nochnare, can you formulate our tactics and command us?"
"Huh? Me?" Nochnare pointed at herself, momentarily stunned.
"Well, you are the Queen of the North, right? Among us, you're probably the only one with actual command experience. Plus, you can apply various buffs to everyone. If you're the one giving orders, you can also coordinate support based on the battlefield in real time."
"...Alright! I'll do it!"
Though she felt a strange sense of unease, it was quickly dispelled by Guinevere's trust in her.
Puffing up her chest with confidence, Nochnare declared:
"Since Guinevere says so, leave it to me!"
[After handing over command to Nochnare, your group once again held a serious discussion about your battle plan. Once preparations were complete, the Yser Challenge Party resumed the fight against Shadow Yser and Shadow Ashen.]
Arriving once again at the familiar fog gate, this time no one rushed in. Instead, they began buffing themselves: Grim offered his parting blessings, Gareth munched red and orange potions and fruits while sharpening his blade, Bawanxi unleashed her tide from the landscape orb and let it drift overhead, and Nochnare had everyone swear loyalty to her before dividing them into smaller squads for easier buff distribution. As for Artoria—she simply pulled out her belt and shouted "Henshin!"
Everyone showcased their unique abilities like a band of legendary heroes.
Once all preparations were done, they entered the fog gate in waves, just as planned.
Then, as the eyes of Shadow Yser and Shadow Ashen turned toward them, Nochnare barked a series of commands:
"Infantry squad! Formation Fire! Engage Shadow Yser head-on!"
"Ranged squad! Formation Fire! Suppressive fire!"
"Guard squad! Formation Mountain! Hold the rear!"
"Cavalry squad! Formation Wind! Pursue Shadow Ashen!"
As her words fell, Guinevere charged ahead, with the blue and black Saber-class clones summoned by Artoria flanking her on either side, intercepting Shadow Yser.
Those assigned to the infantry squad were all powerful frontline fighters who could withstand Shadow Yser's pressure—Guinevere, along with the two Saber-class Artoria clones, were the main assault force.
Meanwhile, the ranged squad included two more of Artoria's clones: Archer Artoria wielding a water gun version of Excalibur, and Sniper Artoria with a rifle; along with Bawanxi and Grim.
While the infantry squad engaged Shadow Yser head-on, the ranged squad began laying down suppressive fire—jets of water and fireballs bombarded both Shadow Yser and the more distant Shadow Ashen.
In response, Shadow Ashen immediately conjured a Water Mirror before Shadow Yser. With one step, Shadow Yser phased right past Guinevere and the Sabers, arriving directly in front of Nochnare and Artoria's real body.
Despite lacking consciousness, the battle instincts of Shadow Yser and Ashen remained formidable. From the start, they targeted the rear—Nochnare and Artoria—who had not been assigned to combat squads due to their unique roles and weaker fighting strength. These two were the "command group," the brains and heart of the entire operation.
Naturally, their protection was also the most comprehensive.
Just as Shadow Yser's "Midnight Meteor," powered by his blade Song of Night and Fire, was about to strike, a greatsword came crashing down. Bagst, waiting in ambush, brought down a mighty "Courageous Assault" in Garen style. Though Yser blocked it in time, his charged-up skill was interrupted.
In a fluid motion, Shadow Yser's blade shifted into the famed Tsukikage. With ghostlike agility, he dodged to Bagst's blind spot and swung at her side.
Bagst instinctively wanted to dodge but stood her ground, unwilling to expose those behind her. She gritted her teeth, activated her "Courage" skill to boost defense, and took the thunderous strike head-on.
The razor-sharp slash shattered the first shield, cleaved her armor, and finally met her skin—only to be slowed again by an earthen aura that rose as a third defense.
Though the barrier eventually broke, the triple-layer protection drastically weakened the blow. What could have incapacitated Bagst completely ended up being just a moderate wound.
Meanwhile, ranged attacks poured in, forcing Shadow Yser to retreat. He even used a "Karian Parry" to absorb magic into his shield and fire back powerful magic swords at Bagst.
But just as Bagst prepared to block, a Water Mirror opened before her—redirecting the magic blades past her, straight toward Artoria and Nochnare.
Before they could be struck, Gareth stepped forward, shield raised. With Nochnare's Mountain formation buff aiding her, she blocked all three deadly projectiles.
With Yser's rear assault neutralized, Guinevere and the two Sabers regrouped to encircle him again.
—It was a familiar scene.
Guinevere remembered: this formation had occurred in previous fights, and each time, Yser used Water Mirrors to teleport, kiting them until fatigue and casualties broke their line.
But this time was different.
As Yser instinctively backed away, expecting Ashen to open an escape portal, nothing happened.
Because Ashen was now fully occupied.
Hoofbeats echoed from afar—White Knight, Black Knight, and the brown fae mount closed in at full speed, chasing the witch's shadow.
With the Wind formation boosting them, Redra and the Lancer-class black and white Artorias moved like gusts. They relentlessly hounded Shadow Ashen, forcing her to stay on the move.
Though she could still reposition with Water Mirrors, her range was limited—bound to this region, and she couldn't stray too far if she wanted to support Yser.
Which meant every teleport still left her within range of the Cavalry squad.
While Ashen was decent in melee, she was no match for both Lancer Artorias plus Redra. Though she couldn't be killed easily, killing her wasn't the goal—interference was.
As long as she couldn't freely cast Water Mirrors, the pressure shifted entirely to Shadow Yser.
Surrounded by Bagst, Gareth, Guinevere, and the two Sabers, and constantly sniped from afar, even Shadow Yser couldn't hold out for long.
Seeing the situation, Shadow Ashen made a final choice—rather than escape, she cast her mirror to help Yser flee.
This opening was all the white and black Lancer Artorias needed. Their twin spears pierced her body in an instant.
Though Yser burst from a mirror right after and felled both Lancers with his buffed Moonlight Greatsword, it was too late.
Alone, even a seasoned spellblade couldn't hold out against twelve elite combatants.
Though he showed off an impressive array of spells and weapons before falling, it was ultimately futile resistance.
Guinevere finally hurled her Wyrm Lance, charged with rune overload and ancient dragon thunder. The crimson bolt struck, piercing Shadow Yser through.
"I don't know whether you come from the past or the future… but your story ends here."
Looking at the kneeling figure of Shadow Yser, Guinevere murmured softly:
"Rest in peace, shadow of the past."
At that moment, the system notification arrived right on time:
[Beep—Players have successfully defeated Shadow Yser and Shadow Ashen head-on. Mission objective complete. Rewards will now be distributed.]
[Each participating player will receive one random draw for a weapon or spell from the Souls-like world.]