Defense Specialization and the Floating Castle 3.

"Y-yeah, amazing."

"Right. I think there's an entrance somewhere... "

They had reached the base of the mountain, or rather, the base of the cliff, and were looking up at the mountain face rising nearly vertical into the sky.

Climbing this wall directly seems impossible. Especially for Maple.

"Shiroppu's flight ability shouldn't be a requirement. There must be a normal path leading into the castle somewhere."

"True, that makes sense."

With Shiroppu’s shield or Sally’s thread-weaving, one might scale the cliff directly. But that wouldn’t be the usual way.

"We decided to tackle this head-on..."

"Right. Let’s go all the way around the cliff. Maybe we’ll find something."

Fortunately, the monsters emerging from the forest posed no threat to the two. The exploration presented no hardship. Walking alongside the cliff face like a wall, warding off monsters, they paused as a change appeared along the mountain’s side.

This was a gap between two towering peaks, shaped like a valley. The grass at their feet had been trampled away, worn smooth by passage, forming a natural path. Deep within that valley, distant though it was, stood a gate made entirely of pure white material.

“Is this place meant to feel like a natural fortress wall?”

“Ooh, definitely the entrance!”

“Yeah. Shall we storm the castle?”

“Okey-dokey! Fully ready!”

They raised their weapons and advanced straight toward the gate. As they drew closer and the gate came into clear view, the deep roar they had heard just moments before—echoing from beyond the gate—rang out again.

The gate opened in response, and one after another, dragons with humanoid forms and wings—those known as Dragnyoot—flew forth.

"Maple, they're coming!"

"Right! [Full Armament Deployment] [Attack Initiated]!"

If they came straight ahead, she would meet them with a curtain of fire. Maple scattered a torrent of bullets. Yet the Dragnyoot twisted their bodies and evaded every shot, closing the distance at speed.

"Ah, they're not hitting!"

"Looks like aiming's not the point! Abandon the close range!"

"Got it!"

They were not ones who could not fight at close range. On the contrary, this was the range where a fatal strike could be delivered. Amidst this, the lead Dragonyute suddenly ascended, evading the barrage, then plunged downward, charging straight at Maple. Maple could not avoid it. She took a bite to her shoulder, then was struck directly by a burst of flame expelled at zero range. Her weapon shattered upon impact.

"Maple!"

"J-just startled me... but I'm alright! Go for it, Sally!"

Maple's body was far more resilient than any weapon. A dragon's bite would not wound her. Now it was her turn. She thrust her cannon at zero range. The two 【Predators】 on either side lunged forward.

"【Frozen Ground】!"

"【Quintapulse Slash】!"

At the instant she leapt, the ground froze solid. The dragon’s feet were stitched into the earth. There was no avoiding it now. Maple’s full-force barrage struck. Sally’s rapid slashes followed.

It could not endure even this. The body dissolved into light.

An instant. The dragon remained. It advanced boldly. Unlike players, monsters that did not retreat were easier to fight.

“Better at meeting them head-on, right?”

“Yeah. That’s easier.”

Maple waited. Sally struck without hesitation. The attacks landed clean. No damage had been missed. The dragon’s fate was sealed—like that of a lizard or a great serpent.

“Phew. Got it down safely.”

“Yeah! Glad we didn’t need piercing strikes.”

Maple and Sally had safely defeated the swarm of Dragnyutes. They stepped through the open gate and moved deeper into the castle’s interior. The fortress was carved into the mountainside in places, and built along the contours of the land in others. At present, the two walked through a corridor with no clear direction.

The floor and walls, like the gate, were made of white material. They reminded the mind of something other than clouds—something that marked this place as the fifth level.

“Maple, where do you think the goal is?”

“Hmm… probably the highest point?”

“Oh, same as me.”

For now, rooms lined both sides of the corridor, but the path remained a single route. The moment of branching was unknown.

They moved through the castle, aiming for the highest point—the summit of the mountain—since the boss was likely to be at the farthest point from the entrance. They had glimpsed this section of the fortress immediately after teleporting.

After a moment, branching corridors appeared along the hallway. The dragonite emerged once more from the corner.

“Ah! It’s the same one from before!”

“But different this time. Be careful!”

As Sally said, the dragonite ahead was unlike the previous ones. Its scales, already hard, were now covered in additional armor. Its fists were sheathed in some kind of metal, clearly enhanced. There was no doubt about it.

It noticed the two of them. Its grip tightened on the ground. Wings spread wide.

“Maple, 【Gourmet】?”

“I used it on the last swarm… only five uses left!”

“Save it for now!”

If 【Gourmet】 could handle this enhanced variant, they would reserve it for the boss. 【Gourmet】 was Maple’s rare offensive resource. The number of remaining uses directly determined their offensive capacity. Wasting it was not an option.

“If speed and movement are unchanged… hah!”

Sally dashes forward to meet the approaching dragon-newt. The dragon-newt opens its mouth wide and exhales a wave of flame across the entire corridor. No space remains for evasion, even for Sally. There is no choice but to retreat to avoid being struck.

“It’s alright! Go, Sally!”

“Okay!”

They decide the breath attack is identical to the one at the gate, and act accordingly. Sally uses Love That Offers the Body to neutralize the flames. Then, with the dragon-newt frozen in place, she leaps upward using Jump.

“Power Attack!”

Sally twists her body and brings the dagger down onto the head. The armor reduces the damage, but that was never the aim. She knew from battle at the gate that even a hit in midair could bring it crashing to the ground.

The dragon-newt falls as intended. The armor clatters on impact.

"Shiroppu! Great Nature!"

While it is still, Shiroppu extends vines to grip it tightly. With that secured, all that remains is for Sally to cut it apart.

"Phew, nice work, Maple!"

"The armor looked cool, but didn't change much."

"True. Still, having gear means we’ve moved forward a little, don’t you think?"

"Could it change things inside the room too?"

"Maybe. Let’s look for treasure chests as we go."

They moved through each room facing the corridor, checking interiors carefully. When they found a luxurious sofa, they sat and took photographs, then climbed upward whenever they found a staircase.

They reached a section built along the mountain's side. Through the window, the forest they had walked through and an endless sea of clouds stretched out below. The height became clear.

"Ah, Sally! A real dragon is flying!"

"That might be just background scenery. Or perhaps a countermeasure against something like Shiroppu, flying oddly close..."

"Five floors in, no one else has made monster companions yet."

Though they could fly now if they wished, that had not been possible when this floating castle was first constructed. Avoiding total ruin from rare airborne invasions was a reasonable precaution.

"Come on. The summit should be near."

Uh! Phew, my heart’s racing—

Moving in circles through the castle’s interior while defeating monsters, the two come to a stop before a tall tower. The spiral staircase attached to the outer wall made this tower seem like the endpoint of the floating castle.

Could it be up there?

Oh wow, it’s really happening now.

The tower’s diameter is about twenty meters. One can easily imagine the size of the monster likely waiting in the Boss Room above.

Well, we won’t know until we go up.

Go go!

Maple and Sally race up the spiral staircase. At the tower’s peak stands a door, open to the interior. They nod to each other, ready, then push the door upward and step inside.

The tower’s interior has no windows. Darkness fills it. Only Maple’s Love That Offers the Body effect glimmers.

The two step fully inside. The door shuts behind them. A roar shakes the air from the darkness.

—!

—! That sound!

Sally and Maple brace against it. From the dark, a flame erupts—white, almost blinding. The nature of the presence reveals itself in an unexpected way.

Vibration from the ground. The roar echoes again. Wind slices through the air. The tower’s ceiling collapses as something massive shifts.

—Sally!

—Maple!

They endure the gale, standing in the Boss Room now exposed—walls gone, ceiling gone. They look up at the thing that has destroyed everything.

A massive dragon soared through the sky, its entire body covered in red scales that burned like flame. From its maw spilled glowing fire. The wind from its wings could easily sweep the two off their feet. A single swing of its tail would turn most of the twenty-meter combat zone into a danger zone.

Its wings stretched wide. Its eyes fixed on the two, unblinking. They conveyed no escape. This was not a fight to avoid.

“You must’ve been desperate.”

“S-so strong…!”

“Really strong, aren’t you? Watch your balance!”

“Yeah. We’ll take it down.”

They readied their weapons once more. Facing the crimson dragon in flight, they stood firm.