No one's POV
Lemia: Irregular, huh?
Lemia spoke with uncertainty that something awful is happening while she was away. Astrea stood there beside here with her eyes pleading.
Astrea: Please Lemia. If there's a chance that Ryuu is in danger, I want you to please and go assist, Sora.
Lemia: I was wondering why he left us during that assault in Knossos, but I guessed now I know why.
Lemia smile ruefully, then looked at Astrea with eyes full of determination.
Lemia: Leave it to me, Astrea.
Then she looked at the rest of her Familia whom had joined her and Astrea to Orario. Bella, Sumela, Susora, Balda, Mejila, Milo, Melo, and Raquelta. The 8 of them all nodded at Lemia telling her that they too will join.
Lemia: Then, let's go!
Astrea Familia: Understood!
(Elsewhere)
Crash! A cup slid off the table with a clatter.
Lunoire: Hey, Syr! Are you okay?
Syr:...
The waitress Lunoire rushed to the girl with the blue-gray hair, who was surrounded by ceramic fragments. The item that had fallen did not belong to the bar; it was instead the favorite cup of one of their coworkers. It belonged to the elf who was no longer there with them. Syr shifted her gaze from the smashed pieces of pottery to her hand. Drops of red blood were seeping from her slender fingers.
Syr:...I'm sorry everyone. I'm going to step out for a minute.
Anya: Syr! Where are you going~nya?!
Syr ran out the back door, ignoring the words of the catgirl Anya. She and the other waitresses were left behind in the quiet bar, which hadn't opened yet.
Chloe: Think she went to look for Lyu~nya?
The catgirl Chloe asked as she turned over a piece of the cup in her hand.
Lunoire: Can't think of what else she'd be doing...even though we have no idea where that girl could be.
Lunoire, the only human of the three, frowned as she answered. Her words were devoid of conviction. The same went for the kitchen workers. But Mia, the owner of The Hostess of Fertility, did no more than watch and sigh as her employees went about their work completely distracted.
Anya: Meow...It's all Ryuu's fault, meow! The fact that Syr's acting strange and also Mia and the others being so worried, not to mention the gloomy mood around here—it's all her fault!
Anya shrieked her words at the ceiling. Before Ryuu up and vanished, she had been tense for days on end, and her fellow waitresses suspected she had gotten wrapped up in something bad. It was only a hunch, but one based on a long friendship. They couldn't explain it, but they all felt it in their bones.
Hestia: Excuse me, is anyone in there?!
Just then, as if trading places with Syr, someone else arrived.
Anya: Meeeow?
Lunoire: A goddess? A customer?
Chloe: No, it's the Hero's patron deity...Lady Hestia~nya.
The goddess, who could easily have been mistaken for a regular girl, was standing in the doorway of the bar. Judging by her panting and how hard her black pigtails were bouncing, she must have run there. Without stopping to properly catch her breath, she rushed up to Anya, Lunoire, and Chloe.
Hestia: Were you guys close with the elf? Close enough to know what she's up to?
Anya: The elf...? You mean Ryuu~nya?
Hestia: Yes! And this is the most important question: Are you guys as absurdly strong as she is?
Lunoire: Just wait a second, Goddess. What are you even trying to find out after barging in here like that?
Chloe: Yeah~nya. First you should explain why you're asking that question~nya.
As Anya tilted her head quizzically and Lunoire worked herself into a fluster, Chloe alone coolly demanded an explanation. Hestia, who had been leaning eagerly toward them, clammed up.
Hestia:...Look at this.
Instead of answering, she held out a letter. Anya took it, while Lunoire and Chloe peered over her shoulder from either side.
Hestia: It's a letter Sora and my supporter...
The message contained an explanation of Gale Wind's current predicament and a request for reinforcements. Also Sora's on cryptic message that Anya, Lunoire, and Chloe could understand immediately. Although the three women were supposed to be no more than ordinary waitresses, the looks on their faces were as sharp as that of hardened warriors.
(Elsewhere)
Crack! A fracture raced down the hammer with a loud pop.
Tsubaki: Huh...?
The cracked tool was in Welf's workshop in the rear garden of HearthFire Mansion, the Hestia Familia home. The woman who had been using the hammer to forge a sword, helping herself to it even though she wasn't its true master, stared in disbelief.
Tsubaki: Did it get too hot? No way, must be Welf's fault for not taking care of his tools with the proper smith's spirit! It's definitely that! It can't have been my fault...Is it my fault? Uh-oh, this is bad...He's gonna be so mad at me.
Clutching her head as she muttered, her curvy upper body wrapped in a single strip of bleached cloth, the woman was undeniably suspicious. She glanced back at the ruined hammer.
Tsubaki: Or is it...a bad omen?
She muttered. As she stood staring at the hammer in the now-quiet workshop, the door opened behind her.
Tsubaki: What, the owners are back already? Or could it be a thief in the Hestia Familia home...?
Miach: Calm down. Just like Hephaestus kept you behind, we've been asked to watch the place while everyone's gone.
Tsubaki: Oh really? My bad, my bad. Now that you mention it, you do look familiar...the god Miach and his follower, if I remember right.
The woman let down her guard as Miach entered the workshop, Naza following close behind. She laughed nonchalantly and was about to make small talk when she noticed their expressions and wiped the smile off her face. With Hestia having run off to The Benevolent Mistress, and Astrea talking things with her own Familia, Naza was the one who spoke up.
Naza: Um...I know it's a terrible bother, but can you do us a favor, Cyclops?
The woman's nickname echoed through the room along with the word "favor." Tsubaki Collbrande, captain and Master Smith of Hephaestus Familia, narrowed her patchless right eye.
(Elsewhere)
It was clad in white. Two rearing heads. The huge, beautiful body brought to mind the phrase "dream dragon," but in fact, it was the embodiment of violence and destruction.
Lili: The Monster Rex of the twenty-seventh floor—
The dragon's double cry echoed forth. The two weaving heads blended hostility and murderous intent in perfect harmony.
Aisha: Amphisbaena!
As a stunned pallum looked up at the dragon, the Amazon beside her spat out the monster's name.
Amphisbaena: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Its immense roar thundered across not only the twenty-fifth floor but all three floors of the Water Capital. The members of the alliance backed away in unison when they heard the battle cry of the Amphisbaena, the floor boss that had emerged from the Great Falls linking the three floors.
The alliance had been formed by multiple familias to carry out an expedition, with Hestia Familia at its core, venturing into the lower levels for the purpose of uncovering the truth about the murder that Ryuu, the Gale Wind, was being blamed for. They had parted ways several hours earlier with Bell, who had joined the elite party that went on ahead to the twenty-seventh floor. After that, there had been a chain of explosions so great it seemed the entire Water Capital would be demolished, followed by the Sora's appearance and also the appearance of an irregularity in the Dungeon—the banquet of calamity—that had occurred only a scant twenty or thirty minutes earlier, although Lilli's party had been untouched, thanks to Sora's interference. Now it was appearing again in front of their eyes, together with a new Irregular.
Chigusa: That's...a floor boss from the lower levels.
It was the next Monster Rex after the seventeenth floor's Goliath. Chigusa, who belonged to Takemikazuchi Familia, stared at the monster
in a daze as she spoke. It was looking up from the huge lake that was the twenty-fifth-floor plunge pool. She had to crane her neck to take in the majestic form towering over twenty meders high. Dozens of times as wide as an orc, it truly lived up to the moniker "floor boss." Its entire body was white. The form encased in chalky scales was certainly huge, but it also evoked a certain magnificence.
The light in its eyes, however, was undeniably that of a monster—the glint of a heinous being that abandoned all logic to indulge its instinct to destroy.
Rin: A two-headed dragon...
Muller: Just like the one that appeared in Azbaya 7 years ago.
Rin: Taichi. Ana.
Hearing that made both Rin and Muller shudder as they remembered the horror that happened 7 years ago. Where a twin headed dragon appeared and took the life of two dearest adventurers belong to Sora, Rin, and Muller. Taichi and Anastasia. The two heads, which seemed to move independently, were particularly noteworthy. The long necks split apart at the point where they emerged from the body. Each ended in an unmistakably bestial face covered in dragon scales as large as breastplates. The pair of eyes set in the left head was blue, while the pair in the right was red.
As those whispered words fell from Rin and Muller's lips, not a single member of the party—not Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime nor Ouka, Chigusa, Daphne, and Aisha—could hide their shock.
Daphne:...Ah.
Daphne's face turned white. Her clenched fist opened audibly. She could hear the shattering of forgiveness after she had sacrificed so many lives to save her friends. The dragon she faced was truly an embodiment of despair.
Amphisbaena:—
Its roar—so deafening that even the persistent din of the Great Falls, the Dungeon's largest waterfall, could not drown it out—broke off, leaving the residual cries to echo through every corner of the Dungeon.
As dim light from the crystals of the Water Capital reflected off its white body, the two-headed dragon slowly trained its menacing glare on the foreign substance threatening its mother, the Dungeon. In other words, it was targeting adventurers.
Amphisbaena: OOOOOOOO!!
Another ferocious bellow. The blue-eyed head exhaled a horrendous breath. Blue flames raced forth, singeing the air. The sight was so beautiful that the onlooking adventurers felt chills run down their spines. Terrifyingly, the instant some embers touched the surface of the plunge pool, a tremendous gust of steam exploded upward. Ouka and the others stared in horror as the scorching flames marched toward them, vaporizing the water as they went.
Muller: Scatter!!
Muller's scream, which didn't leave even the tiniest room for hesitation, spurred her companions into action. They launched themselves away in that instant. Welf grabbed his backpack and forcibly pulled Lili toward him, while Aisha hugged Haruhime to her chest, and Mikoto fled with Chigusa as fast as they could.
Daphne: Cassandra?!
The healer alone lagged behind. She was in a daze, stock-still. Unable to move. Daphne had already started to escape, but she quickly reversed course and grabbed Cassandra's arm. She was too late. The blue light of the terrible inferno illuminated the two girls' faces. What saved them from certain death was the blue mage magic wall.
Rin: Protection!
Muller: Rin!
Mikoto: Lady Rin?!
Fulfilling her duty as the party's mage, Rin thrust forward her long staff. The Level 4 adventurer had narrowly escaped death more than once in the course of venturing down to the lower levels. Now she used her mind's eye— which might also be called her quick wit—to protect the party. Instead of blocking the flames head-on, she held her magic shield at an angle.
Shoving the surprised Daphne and Cassandra out of the way with her back, she jumped aside and deflected the barrage of fire breath. Her quick thinking exhibited the skills she had gained on the current expedition as well as his accumulated experience. But...
Rin: Holy?! The attack was so sudden. I didn't have time to completely visualize my barrier
Rin gulped as she looked down at palm of her hand to see her beautiful skin burned. Although Rin had managed to ward off the immediate danger, her hand had not fully blocked her enemy's fiery breath. Any spots where the flames had skimmed across the floor or collided against the walls were left with gouges and melted pieces scattered about. Worse, the crystal columns had melted exactly like candles under the heat of the blue flames, and were collapsing with thunderous crashes.
Welf: That heat is unbelievable...!
Every hair on Welf's body stood on end as he kneeled on the crystal ground and stared at the fiery dragon breath. Until a few moments earlier, the twenty-fifth floor had been slightly chilly due to its proximity to the great rush of water. Now it was so hot every adventurer present was dripping sweat.
Lili: The breath of the Amphisbaena...those flames are burning on the water's surface...
Just as Lili said, the flames burned not only on land but on water, too. From the crystal shore to the steaming water, blue flames danced gracefully on everything that had been in the path of the dragon's breath. Lili had read up on the two-headed dragon at the Guild before they set out, and now, as she kneeled on all fours beside Welf, the very real, raw power of that horrifying monster was unfolding before her eyes.
The breath of the Amphisbaena was laced with a special type of flammable liquid produced in the dragon's bile duct. Thanks to its extremely hydrophobic quality, the substance repelled water, transforming the breath into a paradoxical river of fire. The Amphisbaena was born in a watery world, yet its primary weapon was fire; this was its special attribute.
Rin: Enchanting blue napalm.
Even on water, the blaze raged at unbelievably high temperatures. It made for a surreal scene, but whatever or whoever was unfortunate enough to be in the path of the Amphisbaena's deadly breath would be instantly incinerated, leaving not so much as a dusting of ash behind. A direct hit meant certain death.
Aisha: Don't let it touch you! You'll catch fire and keep burning! Recovery magic is useless!
As Aisha shouted that warning, she set down Haruhime amid a swirl of blue sparks and picked up her podao. Rivulets of sweat were streaming down her coppery skin—caused both by the skyrocketing temperature and her own panic.
Aisha: We're gonna fight a floor boss right now?! What a nightmare! No way do we have the manpower to take down that piece-of-shit monster!
Level 4 second-tier adventurer or not, the current situation struck fear into her heart. When she had belonged to Ishtar Familia, Aisha fought the Amphisbaena multiple times and always killed it. But that had been with a band of Level 3 Berberas, and even more crucially, the Level 6 Phryne had been there.
The monster was so fierce it usually required more than twenty Berberas working together to defeat it. Her current party was far weaker than Ishtar Familia.
Muller: How in the world are we supposed to get through this? Other than you, me and Rin, the rest lacked the combat strength, plain and simple.
Aisha: Damn the guys up there for taking off!
Far above her, on the cliff at the southern tip of the huge cavern, not a soul was to be seen. Boris had stationed a group of adventurers at the mouth of the passage connecting to the twenty-fourth floor to watch for Gale Wind, but it looked like they'd turned tail and fled to a higher level. It wasn't surprising, given the string of irregularities topped off by the appearance of a floor boss.
Adventurers tended to put themselves first. It didn't make sense to hold a grudge against them for it, but Aisha couldn't help cursing as she glanced up at the cliff. If they'd been able to work together to pincer the dragon from both sides, they might have had a chance at breaking through.
Lili(mind): What the hell?! If the Guild's information is right, the Amphisbaena shouldn't have appeared for another two weeks!
Lili, the brain of the party, had collected all the publicly available information she could from the Guild before they left, but Aisha hadn't slouched on her intelligence gathering, either. Checking on the presence of floor bosses and the intervals at which they emerged was one of the most basic preparations whenever a party was setting off on an expedition. It was essential to thoroughly investigate what the potential dangers were on the planned route, including any irregularities, in order to eliminate as many risks as possible. Indeed, Hestia Familia had timed its expedition to specifically avoid the periods when lower-level floor bosses were expected to appear.
The moss huge, the lambton, the skull reaper...it's been one Irregular after another!
Aisha: Shit!
Muller: The situation has truly gone from bad to worst
Lili: Ms. Muller, Ms. Aisha! I think retreat is our only choice...!
Aisha: Obviously!
Muller: There's no way we can put up a real fight against that thing!
Muller and Aisha returned Lili'sshriek from behind without taking her eyes off the two-headed dragon.
Aisha: We can't go back into the maze on the twenty-fifth floor. It caved in after that last huge explosion.
Muller: It's a long shot, but the only way we'll have a chance is by escaping to the twenty-sixth floor...
Neither humans nor monsters could pass through the interior of the cliff now that the explosion caused by the Inferno Stones had destroyed it. Muller and Aisha glanced back at the gaping maw of a tunnel on the southeastern side of the cavern, which led to the floor below them.
The problem was that since the Amphisbaena was a mobile floor boss, it could use the large rivers that connected with the Great Falls to leave the cavern and enter the labyrinthine sections of the Water Capital. If they were driven into a corner, the second a jet of that blue napalm came shooting down a passageway, they'd all be toast— Muller and Aisha's line of thought had gotten that far when they heard a dripping sound.
Muller and Aisha...?
Something was raining down hard. When it hit the ground, blue sparkles scattered apart. It sounded like hail. Tiny motes of light danced around Lili and the others, bouncing off their hoods, robes, and battle clothes.
Lili: Crystals from the ceiling...?
She peered up at the ceiling of the twenty-fifth floor far, far above. The whole surface area was carpeted in crystals, with huge roots emerging from the blue field here and there. They were the same roots Bell had seen when he first arrived on the floor, measuring five meders in diameter and radiating outward, a sign of the Colossal Tree Labyrinth above.
Amphisbaena: OOOOOOooooooo!!
The Amphisbaena roared. Ignoring Aisha and the others as they pressed their hands to their ears, it looked up and let loose another cry. The cavern shook. The showering hail of crystals intensified. Countless ripples spread across the plunge pool.
The roar sounded like an accusation.
Like the dragon was begging the Dungeon for something.
No one knew for what, though.
But the next moment, the ceiling of the twenty-fifth floor creaked.
Everyone:—
As Lili, Rin, Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, Ouka, Chigusa, Daphne, Muller and Aisha gazed at the ceiling and saw it quietly begin to crumble, all of them felt as if time had stopped. Slowly and steadily at first, and then with irreversible force, the crystals rained down. Fragments of the shattered ceiling were falling around them. And then.
Cassandra: The colossal tree is—
The trunk had lost its support. Like a proclamation of unending despair, the roots that had radiated across the ceiling plummeted downward.
Cassamdra: The cage of despair—
Her face white, the prophetess of tragedy whispered as if she had finally realized everything.
Amphisbaena: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The roots tore through the air with a whipping noise and fell toward the plunge pool. On their way down, they scraped against the cavern walls and even struck the Great Falls with a horrible crash, as if the immense dragon was dragging its claws down the cliffs and waterfall. The iguaçu lurking behind the falls were swept up by the fallen debris. With no time to escape, the brilliant scarlet swallows were smashed flat and hurled into the plunge pool, the remains of their ruined wings scattered everywhere.
Like the Iguazu, Welf and the rest of the party had nowhere to run. All they could do was take up positions for battle, eyes wide. The mass of roots finally smashed into the ground.
Everyone:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!
As she violently bounced up and down from the impact, Lilihad the illusion that the entire floor was caving in. A storm of crystal fragments flew from the walls and floor, shook the plunge pool, and were swallowed up in the waves caused by the burning blue flames.
Unable to withstand the shocks, the adventurers stumbled and lost their footing one after another. Gradually their blank minds rekindled and started to process their surroundings.
It took a few seconds to realize they were still alive. And it took another few to become aware of the new environment that had been created.
Lili: What—?
An enormous dome rose from the center of the plunge-pool lake. The strange object was actually formed by the enormous roots of the colossal tree. Like a crushed birdcage, the twisted heap had landed between the shore where Lili and the others stood and the wall. The entire twenty-fifth-floor cavern was carpeted by the fallen roots that had once stretched across the ceiling.
Ouka: The colossal tree from the twenty-fourth floor...fell?
Daphne: Must be because the part of the twenty-fifth floor that had been holding it up was destroyed...
Ouka's mutter answered Daphne, who still hadn't stood back up. It wasn't that the entire twenty-fourth floor had collapsed. What they had witnessed was one portion of the Colossal Tree Labyrinth's roots dropping down.
And only the bottom-most part of the roots at that.
Aisha: Wait...! We lost our escape route!
Aisha snapped her head around to check the southeastern shore. A long, thin splinter that must have come from a massive root had pierced the wall and mercilessly demolished the connecting passageway. Which meant that the adventurers had indeed lost their way out of the cavern.
Amphisbaena: Oooo...
The two-headed dragon was undeniably still in the center of the lake. It was moving each of its heads in turn, without the slightest sign of confusion or distress. The roots were woven together like a net, blocking their escape. The dome-shaped lid now covering the plunge pool was indeed a cage.
Mikoto: We can't escape...
Chigusa: It's...
All color drained from their faces as Mikoto and Chigusa voiced their trapped companions' fears. It was now impossible for them to leave the Water Capital. They couldn't even escape to the twenty-sixth floor. Their only option now was to face the dragon that was the embodiment of despair. A compulsory battle demanded by the Dungeon.
Amphisbaena: OOOOOO!
Everyone: ?!
As if to say the stage was set, the Amphisbaena belched a stream of blue flames. Lili and the others reflexively jumped away from the hellfire that burned water and crystal alike. Flames flickered across the northeastern shore where they stood. Again, the temperature on the floor skyrocketed. Fires raged around them as if they were inside the devil's cookpot.
Aisha: Ready your weapons!
Muller: We've got no choice but to fight!
Not surprisingly, Muller and Aisha were the first to recover from the shock. Aisha brandished her podao, shielding Haruhime behind her.
Haruhime: But...Lady Aisha... Lady Muller...
Muller: Steel yourself!
Aisha:...I already made my peace.
There was no way to retreat. They had to fight. That is, if they considered themselves true adventurers. A moment after shouting at the rest of the party that they needed to prepare for the worst, Muller and Aisha grimaced.
Aisha: Is this even remotely possible...?
Muller: They've lost all their morale.
The faces of the party members as they stared up at the floor boss seemed on the verge of losing all hope. This was different from their encounter with the moss huge. Their lives were at even greater risk this time.
No one present was so stupid as to be oblivious to the difference in combat strength. The Amphisbaena had a potential equal to a Level 5. Aisha was unaware of this, but on paper, it was on the same level as the Black Goliath. A hundred upper-class adventurers had been present for that battle. Sora, Asfi, Ryuu, and Bell had all been there. Right now, there were only eleven of them. Even if the goliath's insane ability for self-regeneration made it stronger than this dragon, the party still had plenty of reason for succumbing to despair.
There was only one thing that was certain. They were under attack by a mountain of absurdity that seemed like it had been sent specifically to kill them. This would break them. Break their will, and their spirit. It was almost as if the Dungeon was whispering to them.
Dungeon: Don't think you'll escape!
Their will to fight was sputtering like a candle in the wind. Cassandra was the worst off. She simply stood in place, having resigned herself to her fate.
Aisha: We don't have enough combat strength. We don't have enough firepower. We don't have enough morale.
Muller: We don't have a pillar to rally around.
It was astounding how unprepared this party was for a fight with a floor boss. Even Aisha wanted to throw in the towel.
Aisha: This is an ill-fated day.
Aisha muttered, thinking about how they'd already encountered so many Irregulars that she had never seen, even in the deep levels.
Aisha: If only Sora Yatagami and Bell Cranell were here.
Muller: Get yourself together! Since when were you the kind of spineless woman who relied on a man, Aisha Belka?
Muller shouted to Aisha. Suddenly, Aishia's face flushed with rage. She denounced the passing thought, ashamed of herself. As a pureblood Amazon, she couldn't tolerate such whining. She let out an indomitable battle cry, hardening her resolve.
Aisha: But these guys...
She had fought this monster before. She had faced its brutal, absurd reality multiple times and overcome it. That, above all else, was her prime weapon against losing heart. But the same could not be said for Lili and the rest of the party. They didn't have Muller and Aisha's strength or as much experience straddling the line between life and death. And without that, they couldn't hold back the encroaching despair.
Muller had said something to Bell when they entered the New World on the lower levels for the first time a few days before.
Muller: If you stumble, the party stumbles. That's the kind of party this is.
She'd been mistaken. The alliance and Hestia Familia were strong. They were tough enough to beat back adversity even when the boy wasn't with them. But this was different. They were staring into the jaws of death. The strength of the vessel was being tested.
The situation threw into sharp relief the importance of a figure like Sora or Bell who could act as the support pillar.
For them...Sora Yatagami is a hero. And Bell Cranel is someoneg close to a hero.
Bell was a weakling and honest to a fault, and Sora was unwavering determination to always gathered what courage he had and challenged hopelessness itself, the two of them had became a beam of light propelling forward everyone who knew them.
Bell's tears wrung Lili's heart.
Sora's raging voice stole Rin and Mikoto's heart.
Sora and Bell's back shrinking into the distance spurred Haruhime's feet.
But the two heroes were not with them now. What became of troops who didn't have their hero? In fairy tales, they were crushed by monsters like sacrificial victims.
Lili(mind): If Bell and Sora were here. If only Bell and Sora were here.
Muller and Aisha could see at a glance that those words were rising in Lili's throat. Sora Yatagami and Bell Cranell were so important to them that not even Muller nor Aisha could fill their shoes. They needed a pillar to take the place of Sora and Bell. A voice to spur them forward. Right now, they had no pillar.
But... they had flames. An instant later—Bang!
Everyone: !!
Lili and the others swung their heads toward the clang of staff being thrust against the crystal floor. The brown head at the tail end of the party steadied her staff with both hands, her casual kimono still swaying. Everyone's focus was on her. Even the Amphisbaena stopped moving for a moment to train its eyes on her. Still looking down, Rin sighed loudly. Her face was dripping sweat, but when she turned toward Welf and Lilly at her side, her expression was nonchalant.
Rin: Lili, Welf, I bet this is your first one.
Lili: Um...?
Welf: Huh...?
Rin: Your first adventure without Sora nor Bell.
Welf and Lili's eyes went wide at her words.
Rin: You guys might think that we can't fight without the strongman, that we can't stand up without our heroes—but that's wrong, right? That's not the case, yeah? That's not how it is for adventurers.
Mikoto and Ouka held their weapons with trembling hands.
Rin: It's about time we show Sora and Bell what we're made of! We've gotta prove we can take down floor bosses on our own!
Haruhime and Chigusa gulped.
Rin: If we tell those two, 'We're helpless when you're not around'...well, that's just causing those two trouble! And all of the teaching that Sora had pour into training all of us would be pointless. Am I wrong?!
They didn't have a pillar. But they had a blue magician who had fought beside them and watched over them from the very beginning. Rin smiled a resolute, fearless, and impudent smile.
Welf:...Obviously! We are not mere luggage!!
Welf snapped and smile viciously.
Lili: Lili will stand side by side with those two and play a part in the adventure!
She pressed one hand to her small chest and hollered her big decision.
Haruhime: I...I, too, refuse to be left behind. I will not go back to being a prostitute who only waits for Master Bell and Master Sora to save me!
As she spoke, Haruhime wagged her fox tail.
Ouka:...I'm on board, too, Mikoto. We must not bring shame to Takemikazuchi's name!
Mikoto: Yes! I'll be too ashamed to faced Sir Bell and Sir Sora if I don not find the strength to fight!
Ouka: Chigusa, I won't let Bell Cranel or Sora Yatagami beat me!
Chigusa: Yes!
Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa all shouted their battle cries.
Daphne: Oh, come on, you guys...aren't you a little too simpleminded?
Daphne was the only one who hadn't said anything yet, and while her comment was spoken in a profoundly exasperated tone, she was visibly on the verge of tears. A moment later, she was smiling.
Daphne: I know, I know...We're adventurers, after all. If we're really pushed into a corner, we've gotta fight.
To Daphne, who strove to make decisions objectively, their rising morale felt like a sign—like a fair wind blowing them toward battle.
Cassandra: Daphne...
In front of her dazed eyes, Cassandra watched Daphne step into the battle line and draw her baton-like dagger, confirming her decision.
Aisha: Not bad, Priestess of Element.
Muller:...I'm in excellent condition, Rin.
As Muller and Aisha watched this go on, the two gave the big-sister figure of Hestia Familia a silent word of praise. Flames tinged the faces of adventurers. Ignited by the fire the adventurers turned their eyes forward and took in the monster. They met the eyes of the two-headed dragon awaiting them.
Welf: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Mikoto: Forward!!
Welf's roar matched the dragon's. Mikoto copied him. It had begun. The quest to resist despair.
Haruhime: Kokonoe!
The one who blew the battle's starting whistle was neither the floor boss nor the adventurers. It was a certain magic user.
Haruhime:Beloved snow. Beloved crimson. Beloved white light.
Before anyone else had even moved, she began to chant. Haruhime had watched fights with a floor boss play out many times before. It was a typical scene when she was a part of Ishtar Familia. When the adventurers gathered everything they had to take on such a tenacious monster, her job as a sorcerer was to immediately invoke her magic.
Sorcery combined with firepower.
By conferring an overall level boost, she was able to improve the performance of the entire party. Either Lili or Aisha would direct her to the person she should buff, so she prioritized focusing on the chant. As she wove her spell, which was one of the longest chants, she began to summon the golden tails with all her strength.
Welf: Hiyo!
The next to take action was Welf. He swung his deep aqua longsword down from above his head. He aimed the magic-blade ice gun at the water.
Amphisbaena: ?!
The lake instantaneously froze. Four dragon eyes registered surprise as water transformed into a field of ice. Ouka and the other adventurers had the same expression on their faces. There had been no strategy meeting, and no one had told Welf to do it. He had simply concluded that in order to approach that massive floor boss and take it down, they'd need something to stand on. That was what made him bring down the huge magic blade that had the power to freeze everything in sight.
There could have been no better strategy for taking on the two-headed dragon. Normally, the preferred method was to fight Amphisbaena inside specific rooms where the waterways were dotted with numerous islands, providing places to stand. Large numbers of adventurers would go to these specific areas on the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, or twenty-seventh floors and lie in wait while others lured in the floor boss.
Muller: Not bad!
Aisha: Good thinking!
Muller and Aisha cheered with a smile. Their worry over the lack of natural footholds necessary for this battle had just been dispelled.
Amphisbaena: OOOO!!
The third to make a move was the Monster Rex itself. As if to say it had no intention of letting the adventurers do as they pleased, it twisted its two necks and breathed out a stream of dreamlike blue napalm. Cracks appeared all across the frozen lake as the blue flames began to melt it. The solid field of ice was quickly becoming a multitude of islands. Now they had the ideal terrain for taking down Amphisbaena, just as Muller and Aisha had been hoping for.
Aisha: With me, brave conqueror!
Muller: Respond to the contract...
To round off the preliminary skirmish, the Elf and the Amazon began their concurrent chant. Those two intended to draw the monster's attention until Haruhime finished the level boost. The renard girl couldn't move at all while performing such a powerful chant. To make sure no attack reached her, Muller and Aisha quickly jumped onto one of the islands and approached the floor boss.
Amphisbaena: OOOoooooOOO!
Muller !!
The dragon zeroed in on Muller, who had begun to activate her impossible- to-ignore magic and was now acting as a decoy. The dragon's right head bellowed as if to spur its left counterpart, which responded by spitting out blue flames.
Muller leaped out of the way in the nick of time, grimacing at the deadly heat, and circled the floor boss in a broad arc. Dodging the enemy's torrent of fire, she and Aisha continued casting without pause before finally unleashing magic in place of a greeting.
Aisha: Hell Kaios!
Muller: Scarlet Flames!
Aisha slammed her podao down on the iceberg at her feet, launching a slicing wave that sped forward like a shark's fin. Muller swing her sword diagonally, sending multiple flames of slashes. The dragon's second head moved quickly in response.
Amphisbaena: HAAAAA!!
Though the left head had spit out blue flames, what the right brought to bear was a crimson mist. A sickle-shaped band of dense fog protectively curled around the dragon's body. Not even a second later, the magic podao hurtled toward the monster's side.
The moment it made contact, the magical power clearly weakened. The wave swayed like a shimmering heat haze and grew smaller, but managed to break through the mist in the end. As it made contact, the floor boss's body made a popping noise. The dragon scales were entirely unscathed.
Rin: Huh...?!
Mikoto: The power of the magic dropped?!
Mikoto and Rin were stunned. Aisha replied to the confused pair without pause.
Aisha: It's the Amphisbaena's mist! Any magic that touches it gets diffused!
This was the second dragon head's ability. If the blue flames were the dragon's sword for eradicating its quarry, then the crimson mist was the shield that warded off its enemy's attacks. The effectiveness was obvious. It could neutralize even a second-tier adventurer's deadly attack that had slaughtered every kind of monster the lower levels had to offer.
Aisha sounded irritated as she shouted her next words.
Aisha: The only way to kill Amphisbaena is to strike it from close range!
That was why adventurers typically chose rooms with many islands when they had to take it down. Normally, voluntarily fighting an oversized water dragon over water would be considered suicidal. But because the crimson mist suppressed the magic that was so crucial to killing other floor bosses, adventurers were forced to engage Amphisbaena in close-range combat.
Their weapons couldn't reach the magic stones in the monster's massive body, either, which meant killing it with a single stroke was not an option.
Lili: If we pounded it with magic, it would eventually open a hole in the mist or blow it away, but it's not worth it! At the very least, we cannot manage that!
Lili added what she'd learned about the monster even as she trembled before the living specimen. The mist wasn't impenetrable. Each time it crippled incoming magic, the mist itself thinned out a little. But the dragon could replenish any openings with fresh mist from its right head. It was reasonable to liken the immense body of the Amphisbaena to a bottomless storage tank of mist. In all likelihood, a party's magic users would run out of Mind before the monster ran out of mist. Or they would be incinerated by the blue flames first.
The dual breath of the Amphisbaena was truly ideal for both offense and defense.
Rin: Dammit! I'm basically useless here!
Rin grimaced at the explanation. It was always had been Rin whom support the team with her long range chant-less magic. Now hearing about Amphisbaena's mist that diffused magic had made her magic practically useless. The best thing she could do was joined the close range attack and support the party with enchantment magic.
Haruhime: Grow. Uchide no Kozuchi!
With that, Haruhime finished her preparations. The five fox tails that had manifested as she performed the concatenated casting were now fully charged with level-boosting magic.
Lili: Give them to Mr. Welf, Mr. Ouka, Ms. Mikoto, Ms. Chigusa, and Ms. Daphne!
Lili shouted immediately. The Amphisbaena had the potential of a Level 5. If a Level 2 adventurer took a direct hit from its attacks, the results would be fatal. Fortification of the front and center was essential. At the same time, Lili's list left out the Level 4s, Rin, Muller, and Aisha and the rear guard made up of themselves, the party's supporter, and Cassandra, the healer. The pallum had decided on conducting a quick strike.
Lilly had stepped into the role of commander now that Muller and Aisha stood on the front line, so Haruhime quickly heeded her orders.
Haruhime: Dance!
The tails of light that had grown from Haruhime's lower back separated from her body and transformed into orbs of light. The Kokonoe enchantment, charged by the Uchide no Kozuchi spell, flew to Welf and the others, entering their bodies as though the magic was possessing them. The level- boost light orbs formed a chain.
But there were only four.
One tail of light was still attached to Haruhime's body. She pressed one hand to her chest, panting as she took out a magic potion.
Haruhime(mind): If all five were sent out at once, I'd collapse. But if I hold one back for a moment...!
Haruhime had learned that lesson from their battle with the moss huge. If she tried to use all of the Kokonoe magic simultaneously, she would suffer a Mind Down and crumple into a pathetic, useless heap.
This was a method she had come up with to sidestep that problem. By activating all but one of the magic tails and keeping the last bit of magic on standby, she could retain one tail's worth of Mind and avoid fainting. Once she recovered, she could provide the party with level boosts again. Plus, she could use the remaining tail as a spare in case of emergency.
She simply couldn't afford to collapse at this moment.
That much was plain to see.
She had discarded modesty and humbleness. What the party needed most in their current situation was her power. In order to stand a chance against the outrageously strong floor boss, she had to continuously produce that level- boosting light in order to support Mikoto and the others.
She felt guilty, but this was the only way she could manage. Haruhime's eyes met Chigusa's, the one person among those named by Lili who had not received a boost.
Haruhime: I'm so sorry, Chigusa.
Chigusa: It's okay.
What Chigusa meant was I can still fight. Haruhime felt tears come to her eyes as her childhood friend smiled, one kindhearted eye peeping out from behind her swaying bangs. In her hands, Chigusa held a bow and arrow. She was part of the center guard.
Her tail wagging, the renart fixed her gaze on the battlefield, determined not to look away for even a moment, then focused on recovering.
Daphne: I didn't want to use this, but...this isn't exactly the time to be stingy, is it?
Daphne chuckled hollowly as she stood beside Haruhime and watched the Amphisbaena thrash about. Looking reluctant but resigned, she began her own chant.
Daphne: Follow blindly the sun in the sky. Blossom, armor of laurel, so that all will flee from thee.
It was a short chant. Drawing a circle in the air with her dagger, Daphne completed casting the spell.
Daphne: Raumure.
A film of deep green light enveloped her entire body. It was protection magic, similar to enchantments. The result was a small increase in her endurance and a large increase in her agility. It was the only magic Daphne had, and she didn't like to use it because it reminded her of a certain deity; she hadn't even used it during the war games, when her familia's very existence had been on the line.
Ouka: Ooraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!
With that, the pseudo–Level 3 adventurers, boosted by Haruhime's magic, charged forward. Their statuses had risen dramatically. Including Daphne's magic, the party buffing was complete.
All their preparations had been made. They were about to shift from skirmishing and begin the main battle.
With a powerful battle cry, Ouka and the others moved from the shore onto the islands atop the water and rushed the floor boss.
Their boots stomped on ice and their new strength rocketed them into the air. Using the momentum granted by their temporary Level 3 status, Welf, Mikoto, and Ouka leaped energetically from one island to the next, scattering in three directions as the floor boss bore down on them.
Together with Muller, Rin, and Aisha, who had already circled around to the dragon's back, they surrounded it, all aiming at different targets. But...
Amphisbaena: UOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Welf: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Amphisbaena: ?!
As soon as the two heads let slip a double roar, the advancing trio found themselves instantly on the verge of defeat. Welf dodged the dragon's right head by a hairbreadth as it swooped ferociously down on him, while Mikoto and Ouka had to leap away from the left head's attempt to mow them both down. As the head swung horizontally, grazing the soles of their shoes, their fighting stances crumbled and the huge ice island they were standing on split in a V-shape. A flurry of water droplets flew into the air, beating down on the three adventurers as they somehow managed to land on another island.
Welf: It's so fast!!
Mikoto: But more than that...!
Ouka: It never lets its guard down!
Welf, Mikoto, and Ouka spoke with voices that trembled in fear. The two rapidly undulating dragon heads each had minds of their own.
Whether they were surrounded or caught in a pincer attack, the heads' combined situational awareness eliminated all blind spots. Moreover, the long, powerful necks braided with dragon muscles attacked with extraordinary speed and were able to strike at enemies approaching from any direction.
Mikoto: —?!
Without so much as a pause, the dragon's right head shot forth in dogged pursuit of Mikoto. She had let her attention waver for a mere instant, not even long enough that it could be called a moment of carelessness. But even with her Level 3 status, she was still unable to fully escape. This dragon-hammer was more than enough to prevent Mikoto from recovering.
Rin: Watch out! Aero Armor!
Mikoto:...! Rin!
Rin put some wind enchantment on everyone else to increase their endurance and speed while also swept Mikoto out of the way without a moment to spare. Her outstanding precognitive ability warned her about Mikoto's impending danger, and by using the extreme agility gained by the effects of Aero Armor, she had managed to leap to Mikoto's side from her position in the party's center.
The dragon's attack missed its mark but shattered the hunk of ice where its intended prey had been moments earlier. Carrying Mikoto by the waist, Rin landed on another shelf of ice and set her down.
Rin: I've put some enchantment on everyone. And this may sound unreasonable, but you've gotta get used to this monster quick. I can't be rescuing you over and over.
Mikoto: Right, of course!
Dripping sweat, Rin returned immediately to the battle line. Mikoto stood up, a shiver of terror running through her as she realized that becoming distracted meant instant death in this fight against the floor boss. As she gazed at the dragon, she told herself to sharpen her senses even further.
Mikoto: The dragon floor boss...I thought I understood how fierce it was even without seeing it up close, but this strength is unbelievable!
The grand appearance of the white dragon shrouded in crimson mist alone struck awe into its opponents. Though the menacing glint in the dragon's eyes threatened to overwhelm them entirely, Mikoto and her comrades flew at it once again. This time they attacked in unison from the dragon's front, left, and right. Thanks to Muller stepping in to help, Ouka was able to escape the Amphisbaena's notice and finally land a successful blow, but the results were not what he had hoped.
Ouka: Eh?!
A violent storm of sparks flew from Kougou, his huge battle-ax made from the high-quality ore varmath. The tough dragon scales had hindered his attack. Penetrating a dragon's scales—which were among the highest quality drop items available—was one of the greatest challenges any adventurer could face. The combination of vicious attacks and this nigh-impenetrable defense was what gave dragons their reputation as one of the strongest monsters.
Completely unaffected by Ouka's assault, the dragon swung its two necks back and forth as if they were caught in a violent storm. The four attackers were forced to flee the scope of its assault, their protective gear already battered. No sooner had they pulled back than a blue haze appeared around the dragon's mouth.
Daphne: The breath is coming!
Daphne shouted the warning from one of the ice islands where she anchored the center of their formation, her dagger-style magic blade gripped in one hand. Chigusa ran behind her and loosed an arrow in an attempt to distract the white dragon, but it did not pause.
Everyone:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!
New waves of blue napalm swept over the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, an ice-float measuring ten meders across melted into nothing, and the surface of the lake ignited.
The blue napalm fueled by dragon-bile propellant did not rely on magic, but rather on pure firepower. For this reason, even Welf's anti-magic fire chant was useless against the monster's breath.
The billows of steam rising from the path of the blue flames had made the entire floor incredibly hot and humid. It changed the normally cool waterside environment into a sauna—or more accurately, into a cauldron of blue flame.
Mikoto: I can't breathe...
Ouka: My throat's burning.
Every time adventurers fought Amphisbaena, the Water Capital underwent this transformation. Aisha was used to it, but the others were different. This baptism by steam—despite the fact that it wasn't a volcano floor—was unpleasant even for upper-class adventurers and eroded their ability to concentrate. And when they did manage to collect themselves, they were still significantly weakened. Standing near the blue flames that constantly consumed the oxygen in the air, Mikoto and Ouka groaned.
Rin: This crimson mist...it doesn't just block magic. It also interferes with attacks by reducing visibility.
Muller: Combined with the heat and humidity...this is awful.
Muller and Rin stood side by side rushing from the front line, carefully observing the Amphisbaena. If they entered close combat, the mist veiling their enemy acted like a curtain blocking their view. Most likely, Ouka's first strike had been ineffective not only because the dragon scales were so protective, but because his timing was off, too.
Daphne(mind): We technically have footholds to stand on, but these ice platforms are unreliable compared to solid land...
Thanks to the water pounding down from the Great Falls on the north side of the cavern, the countless fragments created when the iceberg shattered were like unstable floating islands. The distance between them was constantly varying, so it was impossible for the adventurers to move as they pleased.
Daphne(mind): To start with, those two heads move way too quick for a humongous floor boss!
When they faced the goliath, all the adventurers needed to avoid taking lethal damage was being vigilant when they were directly in front of it. Plus, they were able to creep up close to attack.
But this battle with Amphisbaena was different.
Its speed seemed impossible for an ultra-large-class monster, and it skillfully used that speed to both gather information and intercept attacks. It was like an extra cherry on top of the potent blue flames that seemed to incinerate everything they touched and the misty barrier that blocked magic.
Daphne: Wish I could escape...even though I can't.
Thanks to the commanding roles she'd been pushed into ever since her time in Apollo Familia, Daphne couldn't help analyzing the enemy, and muttered her gloomy conclusion in spite of herself.
Amphisbaena: GUaaaaaaaa?!
Aisha: Damn, too shallow?
Aisha had slipped past the enemy's sharp teeth with her usual confidence and landed a blow aimed between the protective scales, but she managed to draw only a few drops of blood. Fury at the Amazon who had hurt it seeped from the eyes of the floor boss.
The two heads roared in turn, and the next moment the dragon plunged under the water's surface. Apprehension consumed the adventurers as they watched the monster disappear deep under the water. The white dragon dove nearly to the bottom of the lake, glared up through the rippling surface with its four eyes, and then burst upward.
Ouka: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Amphisbaena: Guooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
The two heads surged above the water followed by the massive body, which barreled straight for the adventurers. Neither retaliation nor defense was possible. As Ouka and the others fled the hulk shooting out of the water toward them, they were overtaken by the tsunami it had created.
The water dragon—which reached its greatest potential in the water—was charging them. After achieving incredible acceleration underwater, both the force and the range of the incoming attack were on a different level compared to everything they had seen so far.
The shock waves even reached Daphne and Chigusa in the center, cowing them.
Welf: Cough, cough...Argh!
Their undine cloths now sopping wet, Welf and the rest of the front guard kneeled on an island and glanced up at the floor boss as it peered down at them.
Rin(mind): The Guild rates them at Level 6 when they're encountered on the water.
Aisha had mentioned before. The others were only just beginning to understand the meaning of her words. The watery world that spread out on the other side of a single piece of ice was itself their enemy's most important weapon. It went without saying that if they were pulled into the depths, they would be brutally killed in the blink of an eye.
Welf: Damn it's strong...Stronger than any monster we've fought before!
Ouka: But we'll take it down! Right?
Welf: That's right. Here I go!
Welf and Ouka returned the dragon's glare, hoisted their weapons onto their shoulders, and rushed forward to renew their assault.
Lili: W-w-w-wait! Just wait a...!
Meanwhile. Standing on the shore behind the attacking members of their party, Lili couldn't do a thing. Her last action had been to tell Haruhime what to do with her level boosts.Since then, she'd felt like a lost child.
Lili(mind): What in the world should we do about this thing...?!
A fight against a floor boss was completely different from an ordinary battle.
There was just too much information to take in. When they were in passageways within the labyrinth, Lili had been able to handle the job of commander. But now they were in a cavern. The space was incomparably huge, and it included difficult waterfront terrain. The scale of it was alien to her, especially with that oversized dragon diving in and out of the water to attack them as it pleased. To top it all off, there were the countless ice floes, raging flames, and the final straw—the root dome surrounding them overhead and on all sides. Lilly wanted to ask someone if she was in a fairy tale.
Lili was still a commander in training. The current situation was beyond what she could handle.
Lili(mind): What should Lili do...?!
In the vast wilderness of her brain, the options were endless. She couldn't swiftly figure out the correct choice. Far downshore, flames swirled around the ajura tree. It burned briefly, its fallen petals scattering to the ground. Lilly watched Haruhime press her hands to her chest and rest both elbows on the ground, desperately trying to recover. To Lili, the renard seemed to mirror her feelings of anguish.
Sweat rolled down her cheek as she drank in this profound scene from the corner of her eye.
Rin: Lili! Keep it together!
Lili: !!
Rin: Remember what Sora had taught you on how to become a commander! What's most important for the rear, especially the commander, is insight and decisiveness! And composure! You must keep a cooler head than anyone else in the party!
Lili: I-I understand! But...!
From the far side of the iceberg, Rin cut off Lili's cry with a shout of her own.
Rin: 'The best commanders don't ask what they should do in a given situation. They ask how they can change the situation!'
Lili: !!
Lili's eyes widened when Rin imitate Sora's word to her when he was training her on how to become a commander.
Rin: I'm sure, once you can do that, Sora would be able to say 'you surpassed me as a commander' proudly!
With that, Rin took off running.
Rin: With my long range magic useless and how we're short on people! I'm going to the front!
She left command of the party entirely to Lili. The pallum paused for a moment as she considered the unspoken trust that Rin's decision rested on. Then her chestnut eyes flashed angrily. The confusion had vanished from her mind. All she felt now was the will to fight blazing brightly in her heart. The heavy pressure that came hand in hand with responsibility was gone. In its place burned the heat of an oath to not fail the party, to not let a single one of them die, and to fight alongside them.
Invigorated by Rin's encouraging advice, Lili's little head began to spin big plans.
Lili(mind): There's the frozen plunge pool and the tree overhead...
First, she observed her surroundings.
Lili(mind): We have four magic blades left, and the status of the party members who can use them is...!
Next, she scrutinized the cards in her hand. Luckily—though that may have been the wrong word—the destruction of the maze meant no other monsters could find their way onto the shore. She was still within range of the blue napalm, but as long as Welf and the others were keeping the dragon occupied, she had time to think. Eventually she settled on a strategy.
Lili: Ms. Mikoto, do your chant!
The other adventurers turned around at the pallum's loud shout.
Lili: Trade positions with Daphne and drop back to center! Ms. Rin, please provide protection for everyone! Everyone in the vanguard, please hold back the enemy with all your strength! Ms. Chigusa, continue providing support!
Issuing a flurry of orders, their commander set her plan in motion. Her powerful, clear-cut voice had the authority to spur warriors to action. It was like a beam of light piercing the darkness. No one questioned her. Mikoto nodded, Welf smiled, Muller grin, and Aisha licked her lips.
Mikoto: Forgive my impudence as I beseech thee—
Mikoto fell back to the center of their formation where Chigusa was and began her chant, as ordered. Meanwhile, Daphne—who had a higher status than Mikoto to start with— adroitly filled the gap she had left, using the bird's-eye perspective she'd gained before to skillfully coordinate with the rest of the front guard.
Welf: There's no one who fills in more smoothly than you!
Daphne: Well, thank you, sir!
Welf and Daphne: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Welf and Daphne, who had faced off against each other in the war games, now ran side by side while trading banter. As the dragon's right head darted toward them at a downward slant, Daphne lured it as close as possible before pulling back. Meanwhile, Welf used his greatsword to slice at the monster's trunk.
Aisha and Ouka threaded between the crackling blue flames to suppress the left head. Rin and Muller distracted the red mist to suppress the right head.
Mikoto: Bring forth the evil-crushing blade! Bow to the blade of suppression, the mythical sword of subjugation. I summon you here now, by name.
All this time, Mikoto was steadily building up her store of magic. She had decided that staying in one place would be dangerous, so as she performed her concurrent casting, she constantly moved from island to island. It took everything Chigusa had to keep up and guard Mikoto, who was leaping and sprinting like a Level 3.
Amphisbaena: !
The Amphisbaena had noticed the adventurers' threatening movements. As the monster attempted to aim its blue napalm at Mikoto, Aisha and the others intercepted the attack. The white dragon shook its two heads, as if annoyed at the tiny beings that hovered around ready to brandish their blades at the slightest opening.
Right head: OOOOOOOOO!
Left head: AAAAAAAAAA!
Muller: It dove underwater again!
Perhaps having realized their current attack pattern was getting them nowhere, the two heads roared and then disappeared underwater. More icebergs cracked as the dragon's huge body banged against them, and Muller retreated slightly annoyed.
Her target wasn't visible anymore. She didn't know where it might pop up next. Would it target the chanting Mikoto? Or would it attempt to scatter Muller and the others on the front line? As electrifying tension ran through each member of the party, Lili issued another command.
Lili: Ms. Mikoto, use your Yatano Black Crow skill!
Mikoto: Yatano Kurogarasu!
Mikoto reflexively obeyed the divine revelation. Yatano Black Crow allowed her to detect previously encountered monsters. Thanks to her level boost, the dragon could not escape her notice even after diving underwater. On the black map that unfurled at the back of Mikoto's mind, there was one crimson dot moving with extreme speed. She had continued her concurrent chanting while using this other skill, so she simply pointed to indicate where they should direct their attacks.
Mikoto: Northwest! Under Lady Rin!
Rin: !!
Without missing a beat, Lili screamed the information. As the pallum's voice echoed into the corners of the yawning space, Rin and those near her promptly leaped away. Less than an instant later, the floor boss struck. Ice fragments scattered and water sprayed into the air. The adventurers had successfully avoided the attack originating from underwater.
Mikoto: Shinbu Tousei!
Almost simultaneously, Mikoto finished her chant. Its attack failed, their enemy was now fully exposed. This was a perfect opportunity. But with astounding reaction time, the right head breathed a new screen of crimson mist. Muller and the rest of the front guard scowled with frustration as the dragon donned its armor in the nick of time—but Lili quietly issued her final command.
Lili: Aim as far and as high as you can.
Mikoto: Huh?
Mikoto muttered, but as she looked to where the pallum was pointing, she heard ice cracking. The noise came from directly above the floor boss. From the cage-like root dome encircling them. Mikoto guessed Lili's intention and spoke the name of her spell.
Mikoto: Futsu no Mitama!
A sword made of deep purple light appeared, and concentric circles rippled outward from the Amphisbaena. Mikoto had activated her gravity-controlling magic.
Amphisbaena: UUUUUU...
The gravity attack bearing down from overhead surrounded the Amphisbaena, but predictably, its armor-like mist weakened the impact. The most it could do was force the monster's neck down until it barely touched the water's surface. The field of gravity shaved away at the mist's density, but the dragon immediately breathed out more. The magic strike was not a lethal blow. The floor boss shook its heads in apparent irritation.
Amphisbaena: GA?!
Then, a series of fierce blows landed on the two heads. The rain of blows did not stop, continuously pouring down on the Amphisbaena without pause. Its mind went blank. There was no way for it to grasp what was happening.
Muller: The colossal tree roots...
Rin: She brought them down with her gravity magic!
The adventurers were watching the scene unfold from a distance. Muller and Rin were amazed. The sword of light—a sign of the gravity being manipulated by Futsu no Mitama—had been deployed at its maximum range, appearing right by the root dome above the dragon's heads. In other words, the massive tree-cage overhead was within range of its power.
Pulled down by extreme gravity, the section of the root dome directly above the floor boss had collapsed in on itself. The mist could only weaken incoming magic; it could not block a hail of tree roots. With the added force of the gravity, a mountain of roots measuring five meders wide hurtled down at the Amphisbaena.
Amphisbaena:......?!
One head of the immense floor boss was bludgeoned by massive amounts of debris. It was instantly stunned.
Welf: You did it Li'l Lili!
Aisha: Your turn now!!
They were not the kind of adventurers who would let an opportunity like this slip by. The dazed floor boss was like a sitting duck quietly floating on the water. The attackers licked their chops at this ideal prey—an oversized, defenseless target. Aim for the legs and bring it to the ground. That was standard practice when fighting floor bosses and other large-class monsters.
Lili had done the opposite: Aim for the head and bring it to the water. Welf and Aisha cheered their young commander, while Muller, Rin, Ouka and Daphne flew forward so they wouldn't miss their chance.
Everyone: UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
The instant Futsu no Mitama dissipated, Muller's spell-sword, Rin's lightning sword, Welf sliced, Ouka smashed, Daphne pierced, and Aisha shredded. Dragon scales flew off under the onslaught of greatsword and battle-ax.
Blood spurted from a shower of dagger thrusts, the blade working its way between scales. A hunk of flesh came away from one neck as the sharp edge of the podao bit deeply. Mikoto's sword and Chigusa's arrows joined the assault.
The huge body covered in countless large scales was injured, and the two necks suffered damage as well. Not long after, the dragon recovered from its stunned state and roared in outrage at the all-out attack that the adventurers had launched.
Everyone: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!
Its roar also served the dual purpose of summoning other monsters to the fight. The adventurers jumped back from the thrashing dragon only moments ahead of multiple snake heads bursting out of the water.
Rin: Aqua serpents!
Muller: And harpies, too?!
Welf: Looks like it called its friends!
The long bodies of the aqua serpents emerged from the water between the ice-islands. The party cursed as a flock of harpies descended from above at the same time. In all, six monsters had appeared. The reinforcements were irritating opponents. But their number wasn't anything the party couldn't handle.
Lili: We'll take care of these monsters first! Ms. Aisha, Ms. Muller, and Ms. Rin, distract the floor boss!
Wasting no time being indecisive, Lili directed the flow of the battle with her swift command. Daphne, Welf, Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa went after the monsters. Meanwhile, Aisha, Muller, and Rin distracted the dragon until the rest were exterminated.
Haruhime: Dance!
Just when she needed it most, Chigusa found herself on the receiving end of a level boost. When she and Mikoto looked up, they saw Haruhime moving on to the next part of the Kokonoe chant, plump beads of sweat rolling down her body. Mikoto's heart swelled to know her friend was supporting them, and she threw herself into a sword attack on the monsters.
Mikoto: Push them back—!!
The fierce clanging of sword attacks rang out, the song of the battlefield. The adventurers wielded their weapons with all their might.
(Elsewhere)
Cassandra(mind): How strong these people are.
This was what Cassandra thought as she stared at the scene before her.
Cassandra(mind): They keep on fighting...without giving in to the despair.
How brave they looked, their bodies covered in wounds and their cheeks bloody. They fought with all their strength, not a single one cowering in fear.
Cassandra(mind): I...
Cassandra couldn't do it. Hopelessness was still wearing away at her heart. Terror had nested deep within her.
Cassandra(Mind): No matter what we do, it will happen again. It will happen again.
The words echoed incessantly in her ears. She felt overwhelmed by her powerlessness to surmount the nightmare. Even if she were to join the struggle, the world would push her off the peak of hope into the depths of the abyss. Terrified by the misery and heartbreak that would assail her when that happened, her hands and feet refused to move.
Cassandra(mind): If this is the "cage of despair" then...does that mean this cavern where the floor boss appeared has already become the "coffin"...? We won't escape death in time...? It's no good, I can't think...
Some part of her heart wanted to ask a question: Is it okay to give up on everything here and now?
But just as if the wires connecting her mind and her physical body had been severed, her body refused to move as she willed it. She felt like she was watching a tragic play unfold.
Cassandra had left so many adventurers to their fates. She had offered them up as sacrifices to calamity. That, too, was a cancer that fed her resignation. Shouldn't you pay for your sins with your own life? her weak heart whispered to her.
She lost both her spirit and her will to fight. Cassandra could not stand. Cassandra could not face it.
Daphne: Get it together!!
Cassandra: Ow!
All of a sudden, something hit her on the side of the head and the world filled with stars.
Cassandra: D-Daphne?!
Her best friend was standing next to her with one hand clenched in a fist and her breathing ragged. The teary-eyed Cassandra was about to ask why Daphne was there, but she didn't have a chance.
Daphne: Pull! Yourself! Togetherrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
She was interrupted by an intense demand. It was the most terrible yell Cassandra had ever heard. Haruhime, who was standing on the same shore, shook her tail in surprise at the furious voice. A whimper escaped Cassandra's lips in spite of herself.
Daphne: You're a healer! What are you doing just standing here?! You guys in the rear are more important than anyone else in floor-boss fights! Do you think we can hold the line with you acting like this?! We don't even have enough people on the front line!
In response to Cassandra's terror, Daphne went on a rant, her eyes bloodshot. The sight of the healer neglecting her work apparently drove her mad, prompting her to leave the combat on the front and race over to bring down a hammer of righteous fury.
Daphne: And now I have to run all the way back over there! It's double the trouble! I didn't have time to spare in the first place!
Cassandra leaned back to avoid the incensed Daphne. Then she noticed something. Daphne was covered in wounds. Red lines crisscrossed her arms and shoulders. Her undine cloth was in tatters and her shoulders heaved as she breathed.
Cassandra: Daphne...is this my fault...?
Daphne: That's what I've been saying! Hurry up and get to work!
Cassandra looked down, pale-faced, as she gripped the undine cloth wrapped around her. She didn't look up when she spoke.
Cassandra: Why hasn't everyone given in to the despair?
Daphne: Huh?
Cassandra: Aren't you all afraid of the despair that's going to swallow us whole?
Cassandra knit her brows. She knew her real meaning wasn't getting across, but she asked anyway. This was the Dungeon, the endless labyrinth. The fight she and her companions put up was nothing more than a speck of dust in comparison. She was asking whether the embodiment of the Dungeon—the dragon that transformed hope into despair—failed to terrify them.
In response, Daphne, who already had a habit of glaring on a regular basis, glared even harder.
Daphne: Isn't it obvious just by looking at me?! Of course I'm afraid!
Cassandra: What?
Daphne held out her arm, which was shaking even now. Then she continued ranting at the bewildered Cassandra.
Daphne: But I fight anyway! I fight to survive!
She leaned forward, her voice full of determination.
Daphne: Despair sure is a convenient word, isn't it?! You know you might get in even more trouble if you try to fight! It's the best excuse for giving up instead!
Cassandra: ?!
Daphne: I was the same until a few minutes ago! But what choice do I have? Lilliluka and her friends stood up to fight, and I figured I wasn't ready to give up, either!
No matter how difficult the struggle, Daphne wanted to return home alive. Plus, in spite of herself, she had found a group of companions she was actually growing fond of, and she didn't want them to die. Her motives were as simple as that.
Daphne: You like them, too, don't you? It's hard not to like them, right?!
Cassandra: !!
Daphne: So make yourself useful already! Heal someone! Protect someone! You're still alive and so am I! Don't let the word 'despair' beat you!
Daphne's words were like a rousing slap to the face. She was telling Cassandra not to turn away from reality. It wasn't over yet. Cassandra interpreted that to mean she shouldn't give in to the future that hadn't yet arrived, or to a prophecy that hadn't yet been realized.
Regardless of how hard or painful it was, she had to struggle with all her might until the very end. She had to because she was an adventurer, and adventurers never gave up on a challenge.
Daphne: Yes! Even if despair awaits— Look to the future! Rise up! 'May the Light of Hope accompany you on your journey'! That's what Sora Yatagami had said, didn't he?!
Cassandra: !!
Daphne: That Hero probably had predicted this predicament and given us his blessing! Even when he's scared or how much despair struck him, he fights till the bitter end! If he could do it so why can't we?!
Always. Always, Daphne was spurring Cassandra forward. She didn't believe Cassandra's prophecies, but when Cassandra curled up in grief, she scolded her and pulled her back up. Daphne was Cassandra's polar opposite, and Cassandra felt a combination of envy, curiosity, and admiration toward her. That was why she had become so attached to her. That was why she wanted to be her closest friend.
Cassandra:...I...
There was no time to waste—that is what Cassandra gleaned from Daphne's receding form as she rushed toward the battlefront once more. One look at her made it obvious she believed in Cassandra.
Still rooted in place, Cassandra gripped her crystal rod in both hands and pressed it to her forehead.
Just a little bit longer.
Just a little bit more.
She would keep resisting despair. Cassandra had failed to save many lives. But those most important to her were still alive. She would do it again. She would challenge the tragic prophecy one more time.
Cassandra: Heavenly light, once rejected. Merciful arms that save my shallow self.
Light shot up from her rod. The magic that was released sent out sparkling brilliance full of a warmth that banished the darkness.
Haruhime: Lady Cassandra...!
Haruhime, who had been watching the scene from the same shore, could not help smiling.
Cassandra: Rescue my miserable companions in place of my words that cannot reach them. Oh sunlight, may you beat back ruin.
Chanting the spell with her eyes closed, Cassandra looked like a prayer maiden. The prophetess of tragedy shunned by the world sang her song of resistance once more, and when she was done, she opened her eyes.
She set her sights on the central area where fighting had become most fierce. Summoning all her mental power and aiming as far as she could, she cast her magic.
Cassandra: Soul light.
Sensing the spell sooner than anyone else, Daphne shouted.
Daphne: Recovery is coming! Everyone, gather around Ignis!
Warm magical light poured down onto the ice-islands from the air. Ouka and the other fighters abandoned their positions and raced to a circular area measuring about ten meders across that had been illuminated. In the blink of an eye, their bodies were fully healed.
Welf: Yeeesss!
Mikoto: Ready to go again!
Welf and Mikoto shouted with delight, energetically mowing down the monsters that flew toward them. Now that they had recovered from their exhaustion, their movements were as crisp as they had been at the start of the battle.
Cassandra: I'm so sorry...so, so sorry! I'm rejoining the fight!
Cassandra pressed her hands to her chest and shouted as loud as she could. Her words of atonement faded on the battlefield, which had reached a new level of ferocity. None of the fighters could even spare the breath to respond. But she thought she caught a glimpse of Daphne smiling at her as she sliced through a monster that happened to cross her path.
Lili: You've finally recovered! Ms. Cassandra, you really are slow!
Cassandra: I'm s-sorry!
Lili: I'm going to work you and Haruhime to the bone! Without you two, we won't be able to win!
Haruhime and Cassandra: U-Understood!!
Lili was her usual self—or rather, she was even more prickly than usual, which compelled Cassandra and Haruhime to answer sharply. For some reason that made them both very happy, and they broke into grins.
Lili: This is no time for smiles! We're changing location! The monsters have noticed us!
Haruhime and Cassandra: Yes, ma'am!
The three members of the rear guard moved together to a different spot on the shore. Though still embroiled in a pitched battle, the party was now at its very strongest.