Defense Specialization and Floating Castle 4.
"【Full Armament Deployment】【Attack Initiated】!"
Maple deploys her weapons first, firing bullets at the dragon above. If it dodges like a Dragonyute, that is merely a signal to prepare the next move.
The dragon does not dodge.
It takes the bullet strikes, suffers minor damage, then begins to emit a glowing flame from its massive mouth. In the next moment, the inferno is unleashed toward the tower. It races across the ground, heading straight for Maple.
"Maple!"
"Ka—【Cover Move】!"
Reacting to Sally’s urgent instinct, Maple performs a high-speed maneuver to reach her side. The spot where Maple stood moments ago is now engulfed in flames. A wall of fire splits the field vertically, from one end of the tower to the other. Restricted movement area. And undeniable high power.
She won’t die… maybe. But it feels wrong. Be careful.
Yeah, thanks!
Damage is getting through. I’ll read the big moves— focus on shooting, Maple!
Got it!
[Cyclone Cutter]!
[Oozing Chaos]! [Attack Initiated]!
Maple attacks with ranged strikes. Sally strikes with magic. The dragon reacts to the damage. It spreads its wings wide. A storm of wind erupts in return.
Maple!
[Pierce Guard]!
Maple activates her penetration-immunity skill precisely. No reliance on defense alone. She hides her shield behind her back. Preserves [Greed]. The weapon breaks. But Maple is unharmed. This disables attacks that pose low risk of sustained damage. Thus, terrain alteration via fire remains the greatest threat.
"Sally! The wind’s putting out the fire wall!"
"Not just that— it’s coming down!"
The dragon charges straight toward them, wrapped in wind and flame.
"【Super Acceleration】!"
"【Cover Move】!"
Sally dodges past the dragon, glances at Maple, and Maple follows closely, firmly.
"Whoa— I’ll fall if I get hit!"
"Right. But now it’s our chance to strike! Haze【Fire Child】【Shadow Clone】!"
Sally splits into a clone, closing the distance instantly. The dragon spits out multiple fireballs in succession, unaffected by ground or air.
"Then… huff!"
The clone is swallowed by the sun’s glare, but the real Sally reads the trajectory perfectly and dives beneath the dragon’s feet.
"Hah!"
Sally judged the skill attack too risky and slashed both legs deep. The boost from Sword Dance and the follow-up strike from Pursuit slashed sharply into her HP. Though magic could be used, Sally still needed the dagger to deal damage.
Yet beneath the giant dragon’s foot, a counterattack’s claw was formidable. The dragon swung its foreleg sideways, aiming to strike Sally down. Sally could have leapt clear, but she did not. That was natural—she was to be Maple’s warp point.
“Cower Move! Call from the Abyss. Seep of Chaos. Predator.”
Effects burst beneath the dragon’s foot. Maple appeared, flanked by three abominations and monstrous tendrils. They charged forward without avoiding the dragon’s massive claws.
“Yaaah!”
Maple’s five tendrils unleash a devastating burst, consuming all remaining malice, and sever the dragon’s leg clean off. The abominations biting from both sides and front add further damage.
Maple is thrown back as well, abandoning defense to clash directly with the dragon’s foot, yet takes no damage. The dragon, heavily wounded, flares its wings and rises into the air. Sally ignores it, turning instantly toward Maple.
“Got you…!”
Sally swiftly reacts, lashing out with thread to pull Maple back. Maple crashes to the ground with a clang. Sally catches her, glancing briefly over her shoulder.
The dragon’s mouth, arching into the sky, bristled with flame. A swirl of wind gathered around its wings. Sally recognized it instantly and spoke to Maple.
“Hold on tight. It’s fine. We can avoid something like this!”
Maple’s face registered surprise, but she trusted Sally. She clung to her, as instructed.
“[Path of Water] [Frozen Domain]!”
Sally summoned a path of water, wrapped her body in cold, and instantly froze it beneath her feet. She ran across the ice, creating platforms in midair, ascending higher. Like the dragon, she rose into the sky.
“[Ice Spire]... [Leap]!”
She reached a position above the dragon, avoiding the gale and the roaring flames.
“Unbelievable! In just a moment, we’re up here!”
Confidence in mobility, that’s my strength!
Sally landed on the ground, avoiding the wall of flame, and checked the dragon’s HP bar.
Halfway there!
Not giving in now!
The dragon leapt into the air as its HP dropped below half, unleashing another roar that shook the air, summoning Dragonnewts one after another to its side.
So many of them, Sally!
This calls for full reliance on Love That Offers the Body...
To step outside the range would mean certain death from concentrated fire. But the Dragonnewts’ capabilities are known. If they cannot harm Maple, then their presence is no different than none at all.
Bring it down again.
Yeah—take them all at once!
The path to victory became clear. Maple could now use her skill with full force. The weapon, though deployed, shattered instantly—its function as a god-machine nullified. Yet Maple ignored the torrent of flames raining from all sides, turning her dagger toward the dragon. The ability to summon a dragon was not exclusive to the opponent.
“Poison Dragon!”
The serpent of poison, unleashed from the dagger, swallowed the crimson dragon with equal might. Yet the poison seemed ineffective. The dragon took damage, but returned fire with a torrent of flame.
“—! Range is wider than before! Maple!”
“W-wah!”
Sally sheathed her weapon and seized Maple, then hurled her with the 【Body Arts】 skill. She had calculated the sudden expansion of range. To keep Maple, slow-moving, within reach of 【Love That Offers the Body】 yet outside the breath’s range, she shifted position. She did not wish both of them caught at once.
“Haze 【Divine Concealment】!”
Even so, this was only risk mitigation. Sally dashed forward at full speed. At the instant she was engulfed in flame, she vanished through Haze’s skill, escaping damage. Rolling out from nearly seventy percent of the circular field consumed by fire, Sally confirmed Maple’s safety.
“Thanks, Sally. I’m saved.”
“I was the one who could evade urgently. If there were terrain damage, I might have burned to ash before escaping the range.”
Maple, whose natural movement speed is slow, maintains mobility through several methods. Among them, the self-destructive flight of the 【Machine God】 is particularly potent.
With her weapons destroyed by the dragon’s breath, and unable to use them now, if she were to endure terrain damage meant for Sally, the 【Predator】, Hinata, or Shiroppu, the low-HP Maple would not survive.
“Using magic to gradually wear down the enemy… then finally…”
“Finally?”
“Close the distance all at once and finish it!”
If she approaches too slowly, she may be burned by the expanded flame attack range. Sally quickly relays her strategy to Maple. After fighting together so long, Maple understands immediately.
“Then let’s start by reducing her HP properly! Shiroppu, 【Gigantification】, 【Spirit Cannon】!”
The ground is mostly ablaze, yet several long-range attack methods remain. One such technique, the Spirit Cannon, collides with the dragon’s counterfire. Both explode—mutually erased.
“【Seeping Chaos】!”
As with Maple’s ultimate skill, the dragon cannot sustain repeated breath attacks. In that fleeting opening, another long-range skill is driven home. Repeated until exhausted, damage accumulates.
“【Water Spear】! 【Cyclone Cutter】! Ugh—still, even magic-focused, power is waning!”
Sally’s magic is limited to basic spells learned for strategic variety. Their power is not substantial.
“Leave it to me! I’ll land it—just like the plan, we’ll chip away at her HP!”
“Yeah. I’m glad I can rely on you.”
She can focus on the flying dragon without being distracted by the surrounding Dragnyoots. This kind of standstill exchange of powerful techniques is Maple’s specialty.
Having reduced the Dragnyoots’ HP primarily with 【Toxic Dragon】 and 【Seeping Chaos】, the two wait for the opening to deliver the final blow.
“Maple, now!”
“【Quick Change】【Aegis】!”
Maple switches her equipment using her skill, regains the HP she gained by using the potion she had ready, and heals with Sally’s 【Heal】. Before the 【Aegis】 effect fades, she deploys her weapon. While the defensive field of 【Aegis】 remains, the Dragnyoots’ flames cannot damage Maple’s weapon.
“Let’s go, Sally!”
“Okay!”
Explosions from the weapon generate a blaze that rivals the dragon’s breath, hurling Maple and Sally straight toward the dragon. Ahead of the dragon’s breath motion, the two close in. They meet the dragon’s sharp gaze. A confident smirk.
Sally detaches from Maple first, creating a foothold midair, landing on the dragon’s head. She swings her dagger.
“Quintuple Slash!”
The effect of 【Retracing Blade】 activates—twenty strikes in total, two-handed. 【Fire Child】 amplifies the flames, adding critical damage.
“The real target… I’m counting on you!”
“Quick Change!”
Maple re-equips, switching back to black armor. She grips the dragon’s body tightly, then shouts the skill name.
“Brutality!”
Maple transforms abruptly into a monstrous form. She clings to the dragon with six limbs, bites its throat, and吐s fire. Her sharp claws tear through the wings.
The dragon’s breath, aimed at dislodging her, burns through Maple’s outer skin as expected. It no longer matters.
Maple retaliates,吐ing fire in return. She does not relent. Amidst bursts of flame and vivid damage effects, the dragon lets out one final, thunderous roar—then vanishes into light.
“C-cancel!…”
With the dragon defeated, Maple is flung into the sky. She would fall far below. A thread extends from above, wrapping around her, preventing the fall.
“Phew… thanks, Sally!”
“Good work, Maple. Mission accomplished.”
“Hehe~ that worked out well!”
Sally creates a foothold in midair and leads Maple back to the top of the tower. The battle has ended. The dragon has vanished. Only scorched marks remain, a few dragon materials, and a single treasure chest in the center. The two collect the materials and reach for the chest.
“Then, ready…!”
“Yes, yes.”
““Ready… open!””
They open the chest and examine the item inside. Four 【Dragon’s Treasure】 lie within.
They shimmer—clusters of gems and gold coins. Standard currency, in other words.
“Hmm… too bad. I heard equipment could come out too.”
“Is that so.”
This is a dud among boss battle rewards. Without guaranteed equipment, the best possible item is not certain.
"It's beautiful, though. This'll make a good memory!"
"...Well, I suppose! I didn't train just for gear, after all."
Sally and Maple sit at the edge of the tower, gazing into the distance. This is the highest point in the floating castle. Now, the endless sea of clouds, the pleasant wind—both are theirs to enjoy.
"How was it?"
"Fun! The dragon was exactly as a dragon should be—strong!"
"True. That kind of power at the fifth floor is quite something."
"We got treasure, too. Felt like we cleared it without a scratch!"
"Right. Clearing the floating castle. Dragon slain. Well done."
"Good work, Sally! Hey, let's stay a little longer."
"Sure. Should we take a photo?"
"Yeah! If only I'd known how to use it from the start, I could've captured so much more... I'll send it to you later."
"Alright. Do that."
Thus, having captured the view from the tower’s peak and rested a while, the two depart from the floating castle.