When the opening prologue, with its immense visual impact and desperate sense of oppression, came to an end, PD had his mouth hanging open involuntarily, and goosebumps covered his entire body.
The rich player who had been clamoring for a "skip cutscene" button just a moment ago was now frozen in place like a wooden statue.
The livestream chat fell into a silence that lasted for three whole seconds.
Then, it was instantly drowned out by a dense barrage of comments:
"Is this... really an opening that an indie developer could make?!"
"Going from daily life to apocalypse so suddenly? This twist is insane!"
"The moment the Earth caught fire, my legs went weak! This sense of oppression is practically a disaster blockbuster!"
"What about that pink-haired underclassman from earlier?! She didn't die right at the start, did she? You shitty developer, come out!"
...
When PD regained consciousness, his nasal passages were filled with the smell of scorched air.
[Prologue: Singularity F - Burning Fuyuki City]
[Current Objective: Survive and Establish a Defense Line]
He was lying in a patch of scorching ruins, surrounded by crumbling walls engulfed in flames, with black ash falling from the dark red sky.
"Damn... the immersion is unbeatable."
PD scrambled up from the ground, still shaken, but the disdain in his eyes had completely transformed into shock.
Just then, a "clacking" sound of bones rubbing together came from the sea of fire ahead.
Several pitch-black skeleton monsters (Dragon Tooth Soldiers), holding broken scraps of metal, were stumbling out from behind a wall of fire, their hollow eye sockets flickering with bloodthirsty red light as they closed in on him.
"Watch me hack you all to death!"
Accustomed to games where you can "kill everything in one hit," PD instinctively reached for his newbie wooden sword, only to find his hands empty.
A system notification rang out:
[Warning! The Master's physical body is extremely fragile; please do not engage in direct physical contact with hostile targets.]
"I don't even have a sword? Then what the hell am I supposed to play with!"
Just as one Dragon Tooth Soldier raised its rusted iron sword, a split second before it could strike PD's face—
"Senpai, please step back!"
Boom—!
Accompanied by a crisp female voice, a black metal shield, as huge and heavy as a cross, descended from the sky and slammed viciously into the ground in front of PD, kicking up a sky full of sparks!
The immense shockwave sent those few Dragon Tooth Soldiers flying.
As the dust settled, a young girl wearing a slightly tight black combat suit stood in front of PD, holding that shield, which was even larger than she was.
The girl turned her head, the breeze blowing through her short pink hair; although her cheeks were stained with ash, her eyes were exceptionally firm:
"Demi-Servant, Mash Kyrielight. Master, please issue your combat orders!"
"Mash?! You weren't... you didn't die?!"
PD recognized her, and a surge of immense surprise and a sense of security welled up in his heart.
The livestream chat was also completely boiling over:
"The underclassman didn't die! She changed into her combat gear to save me!"
"Wife! This is my one and only wife!"
Whoosh—!
The perspective in front of him zoomed out sharply.
PD realized his perspective had shifted from "first-person" to a "God's-eye commander view" high in the air.
The entire burning ruined street had turned into a 3D tactical sandbox covered in a pale blue grid!
A translucent prompt box full of magical and technological aesthetics popped up:
[Connected to Chaldea tactical command network.]
[As Master, your magical circuits will naturally generate 'Cost' over time. Current Cost: 15, regenerating 1 point per second.]
[Please expend Cost to summon and deploy 'Servant' to the Leyline nodes on the battlefield to establish a defense line and block the enemy.]
At the bottom of the screen, a card with Mash's portrait appeared, with a blue number written in the top right corner: [8].
"Expend 8 Cost to deploy?"
PD manipulated the VR controller, clicked on Mash's card, and dragged it to a grid in the center of the street.
"Mash, deploy!"
On screen, the pink-haired girl slammed into the designated position like a meteor, raising her giant shield.
The three Dragon Tooth Soldiers rushing at the front slammed fiercely into Mash's shield.
[Class role tutorial: Shielder (Heavy Armor/Shield Bearer)]
[Characteristic description: Mash possesses extremely high physical defense and has a block count of 3. Can intercept 3 enemies simultaneously.]
The three Dragon Tooth Soldiers waved their rusted weapons, attacking Mash frantically, but facing that heavy shield, the health bar above Mash's head dropped extremely slowly.
PD zoomed in, and he could even truly feel the vibration of the monsters hitting the shield, along with the particle effects of sparks flying everywhere!
"Senpai, high-energy reaction detected! Elite enemy unit appearing, requesting permission to release Noble Phantasm!"
Following Mash's delicate shout, a massive skeleton soldier, burning with black flames, lunged out from the sea of fire ahead, its heavy footsteps making the entire tactical sandbox tremble slightly!