Defense specialization and second floor tower.

Even as Maple endured several more skill seals, the two reached the Boss Room.

Before them, the usual large door appears.

"We finally made it!"

"I want to check the route we skipped earlier... but it can wait. For now, is Maple still under skill seal?"

"Hmm... it should be back to normal in about twenty minutes."

"Then we'll wait. Let's go in with full readiness."

They sit before the door, passing time with conversation.

When Maple’s skill seal fully vanishes, they finally enter the Boss Room.

"The atmosphere feels the same... doesn't it?"

Maple scans the surroundings.

The room is wide, with bookshelves packed full of books lining the walls, just as before.

Sally tenses up in caution. In the farthest corner of the dim room, a blue magic circle unfolds in midair.

"Hey, Maple! He's coming!"

"Okay! [Full Armament Deployment]!"

Before the two, the boss appeared—a thick, heavy book several meters tall.

It descended slowly from the air, wrapped in blue light, until it hovered just above the ground.

"First strike wins! [Attack Initiated]!"

As Maple fired a bullet, the book in midair flipped open, revealing a page painted with a burning book.

In response, red books shot out from the surrounding shelves, launching fireballs.

"Maple, handle the right! I'll take the left!"

"Got it, I'm fine!"

Sally stepped away from Maple and began knocking books down with magic and skill.

As she did, a new page of the large book flipped open, and a humanoid shadow appeared at the far end of the room.

Five monsters—sealed by skill during the journey—had been summoned in total.

"Ah! N-no, that's not—!"

"We can't reach them all...!"

—Then, let’s try this! [Poison Dragon (Hydra)] [Seeping Chaos]!

The poison dragon and the abomination, released just before being sealed, swallow the bullets whole and fly toward the boss.

At the same moment, pages flip rapidly, and a blue barrier appears before the boss.

As a result, they are stopped by the blue barrier before the boss, shattering it with a high-pitched crack, yet the damage is greatly reduced.

"Sally, it’s not working at all!"

"Attack power too high—might be counterproductive! I’ll handle it! [Hyper Acceleration]!"

"Then I’ll take the shadows!"

Sally draws an ice column, dodging through the toxic sea created by Maple, and advances toward the boss.

Maple shoots through the shadow monsters closing in on her.

No effect, even when the book is struck by a fireball.

"How’s that?!"

The monsters surrounding Maple are left to her. Sally moves past the boss, slashing repeatedly with her dagger.

The book offers little defense if its pages are not turned. Damage is inflicted.

"Yoh—! Again!"

As Sally uses her thread to move once more, the book's page flips. A sudden gust of wind bursts forth.

Sally stretches the thread to the limit, pulling herself clear of the area in time.

"Close... Good. Knockback?"

Confirming Maple is blown back from afar, Sally slashes the boss again and returns toward her.

"Managed to chip it some."

"Thank you, Sally!"

"Not done yet. Next—?"

As the two confirm the boss, it is just turning a page.

The opened page is blank. No writing.

"...What? Pure white."

"Maple! Move!"

At once, Sally shouts—but too late. From beneath Maple’s feet, black chains erupt, crawling up her body and binding her tight.

Sally tries to help Maple first, assuming her skill is sealed.

“H-hey! Wait—no, it’s not sealed?”

As Sally struggles to break the chains one by one, Maple speaks.

“Huh?”

“It’s not sealed! I—I’m being taken! My skill!”

The weapons on Maple’s body vanish all at once.

“…Huh?”

When Sally cuts the final chain, the boss flips the page.

On it, countless weapon designs are drawn.

“N-no…!”

As Sally’s eyes widen, multiple magic circles bloom in the air. From them, weapons sprout like branches.

“S-sorry, Maple! 【Right Hand: Thread】!”

“Huh? W-what?!”

Sally pulled Maple by the thread and dragged her out of the Boss Room.

Maple bounced along the ground, clattering with each step.

……Retreat! For now!

Right. Can’t afford to fight a fake Maple!

They leapt from the room just as bullets were fired.