Defense specialization and the vessel within.

After a moment of weightlessness, Maple fell to the ground on her backside.

"Wha—? W-where... is this?"

Maple scans the surrounding area.

The field stretched flat, a distant wall rising high in the distance.

A field so wide that Maple would not think to walk from end to end.

...Hn? Something approaching?

Maple pressed a hand to her forehead, squinting into the distance. Scorpions with hard, purplish shells, centipedes, even spiders—all bearing chitinous armor they did not naturally possess—moved toward her.

Approaching at considerable speed, her form grows larger with each passing moment.

Fufuun, if I knock that down, it should be fine! I’m starting to get it!

Maple's hand moves to her hip. She draws the dagger.

"Ah!? S-So, I'm not equipped!?"

Maple is thrust into battle still in sightseeing mode. Her dagger and great shield remain in inventory.

"Wait—uh, uh, wait!"

Maple fumbles to pull out the blue panel, then hastily taps the screen with her finger.

She misselects unrelated items in her haste, wasting time. The delay sharpens her panic. Before she can press the final equip change button, the fastest scorpion seizes her torso and lifts her.

"Wait—no! H-hey, wait! Time, time, time!!"

Trapped in the scorpion’s grip, she cannot move. Yet all its attacks miss her completely.

Maple is unharmed. Her new kimono is not.

"Ripping—ripping! Oh, no—ugh!? Don’t drip venom!"

The centipede lifts its body into position above Maple, dripping purple liquid from its mouth toward her. It has no effect on Maple.

Yet, as always, her equipment suffers greatly.

Maple attempts another equipment change. The kimono, not designed for combat, dissolves into a fleeting light and vanishes.

"Ahh... "

Maple ceases resistance. Her feet dangle. She lets the venom drip. Slowly, she reconfigures her gear.

Her equipment shifts entirely to black. Maple swings her arms to their limit. She slams the great shield into the scorpion’s pincers. She breaks free.

"Uwah... so many..."

Maple mutters, soaked in centipede venom.

The sight of countless, venomous monsters gathering around her during her capture floods her vision.

"Really... absolutely destroy them all."

Maple summons the Predator and activates Love That Offers the Body.

"Full Armament Deployment!"

Weapons extend from Maple with a clank.

"Attack Initiated."

Each successive strike hits the monsters, rebounding off their purple carapaces.

All monsters are encased in purple shells.

Even serpentine forms writhing through the air are no exception.

"Hard... very bad... not good at all... that kind of thing!"

The Predator's attacks join Maple's, striking the scorpion before her most intensely.

The result is the purple carapace shattering before Maple's eyes, exposing soft, yielding flesh.

"More fragile than expected... Oozing Chaos!"

Maple opens her mouth toward it, and the creature dissolves into light.

The HP was not great, but it could be compensated for in number.

The predators were always under attack. Even bees and moths that flew through the air were among them.

It would take time to eliminate them all.

“That’s right! … First, return the predators…”

Maple sent back the two companions. She pointed the gun and cannon barrels toward the ground, launching them high into the sky.

“Shiroppu!”

Maple called to Shiroppu midair and immediately caused it to grow large, lifting it into the sky.

Maple soared above Shiroppu, then landed on its back, positioned directly beneath her.

“Ehehe, thanks, Shiroppu.”

She ran her fingers along Shiroppu’s shell, which had held her perfectly. Then she moved toward Shiroppu’s neck and gave the command.

“Take it.”

Shiroppu said nothing. It obediently opened its mouth and took Maple in, holding her up to knee level.

“Yosh, yosh.”

Maple held Shiroppu parallel to the ground. Now she turned it perpendicular, pointing downward.

Maple, suspended upside down, now had her weapon’s barrel aimed at the earth.

“[Attack Initiated]! First, shatter the shells of all monsters!”

A downpour of laser beams and bullets fell from sky to ground.

“Like a crane game.”

Maple rotated Shiroppu in a slow circle, evenly striking all targets.

She could see the ground. The prominent purple shells were breaking. The process advanced without misses.

“Aerial monsters fell easily—their shells were soft. Now, ground them directly—gently!”

No longer needing to look upward, Maple returned Shiroppu to her ring. She adjusted her stance in midair, then stepped firmly onto the earth.

I’ll finish you next time… prepare yourself.

The dying cries of the monsters became Maple's reply.