Defense Specialization and Trial 3.

Immediately after assuming combat stance, an impossibly thick laser fires toward the two. Even with Love That Offers the Body, avoiding impact is preferable. Sally leaps up swiftly and lands directly before the passage containing the teleportation circle—unlike the others, this one lacks a laser device. At the room’s center, Maple stands, absorbing all lasers, her form now invisible.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah! My weapon broke, but I don’t feel any damage! Whoa!?"

Maple, speaking just moments ago, is suddenly hurled backward with violent force toward Sally. Sally instinctively catches her. Yet the momentum does not cease. Both are carried away together.

"Wait! There’s no wall—she’s going straight into the teleportation circle!"

"Wha—? Wait, that’s—The Throne of the Heavenly King!"

The throne, so often used by Maple as a stopper, served well again this time. By appearing instantly and becoming an immovable wall, it allowed Maple and the others to collide with it, preventing the abrupt end of being knocked back into the teleportation circle.

"Ah… what now…"

"Back then, we were pressed against a wall just like this."

Behind them, the transfer circle glowed. Ahead, a corridor led straight to the previous hall. Directly in front stood a machine god deploying weapons, still firing projectiles that inflicted knockback. The two remained pressed against the throne. If they returned to the hall, the laser weapons would resume firing along the clear line of sight.

"Hmm… this boss might still be coming… better to conserve what we can and get through it."

It seems safe to think about it, so let us consider it carefully.

The usual combat phase, then.

Sally takes hold of the situation with practiced ease. Thanks to Maple’s defensive strength, time is endless. By inserting a tactical phase, they can align their wills precisely and proceed to their next actions. This, too, might be considered an unspoken strength of Maple’s.

Love That Offers the Body extends beyond the corridor, slightly outward… testing it might be acceptable.

Yes. From what I saw just now, the laser doesn’t have knockback. If no bullets from the mechanosaint hit, I can move from here.

Mm-hmm

She dodges, sprinting down the corridor. If it works, she’ll swap places with the shadow behind—making sure the space directly behind remains empty.

Understood!

With Love That Offers the Body, one cannot die even if blown away again—failure is not death.

"Alright, let's go, [Ice Column]!"

Sally raises an ice column before her. It blocks the bullet, freeing her from knockback. But placing the obstacle in the center of the narrow passage concentrates fire to both sides. She cannot move forward from here. Sally taps her cheek once. Breathes deeply.

"Keep going!"

"Leave it to me."

Sally releases [Ice Column]. Bullets rush at her from the front, fast and relentless.

"Fh—!"

She exhales sharply, twists her body, avoids the bullets. Through spaces that seem impossibly tight, she moves as if the bullets themselves bend to miss her. A gap born from the slight delay between shots—she darts through it.

She deflects the unavoidable with a dagger. Moves forward without pause, as if hundreds of bullets do not exist.

"That gun, Maple probably handles it better."

Slides at the last moment to dodge the barrage, then lunges sideways and uses [Change Body] to swap places with Maple, forcing her to escape.

"Ooh! Amazing! One hit!"

"Keep going that way—I’d appreciate it if you’d stay under fire for a bit longer!"

"Got it! [Provocation]!"

Maple redirects the bullets and laser sights toward herself, absorbing them with her body. She knows there is no damage. While she does so, Sally, no longer targeted, walks out from the corridor.

"Phew... Escape complete. Then, counterattack."

"Sally! What now?!"

Maple's voice nearly drowns in the sound of bullets striking. She asks herself what to do from here.

"First, the laser device! No damage, but it’s obstructing!"

"Yeah, can’t see ahead now!"

"If I’m attacked, then at that instant, Maple, target the laser device too!"

"Got it!"

Without constant attack, the weapon could be deployed again. In this situation, Maple’s durability cannot match that of the weapon. It breaks apart immediately upon deployment, rendering it unusable in any meaningful way.

Sally creates an ice pillar before Maple. She assists, allowing only partial deployment—just enough to avoid protruding—ready for any emergency. Starting from the farthest laser device, she destroys them one by one.

“Quintuple Slash!”

Where Double Slash becomes sixteen strikes, Quintuple Slash becomes forty. Each strike deals little damage, but the time it takes to deliver forty hits is vastly shorter than normal. That is its strength.

The result is an overwhelming burst of damage. The laser device explodes in an instant.

“What? Surprisingly fragile. Next!”

At that rate, she could dismantle them one after another. Just as she destroyed the second device, the attack target shifted from Maple to Sally, who continued the sabotage. The weapons and mechanical gods turned in unison toward Sally.

"Fine. Breaking them one by one was tedious. Just as well."

Sally leapt upward to avoid the converging lasers, planted her feet in midair, and landed. She struck down every incoming bullet with her dagger.

Sparks flew. The clash of metal rang out. No damage effect appeared. She danced lightly through the lasers, drawing the assault toward herself. At last, Maple was fully free. The weapons deployed.

"【Full Armament Deployment】【Attack Initiated】!"

Maple aimed each cannon at a separate laser device. She launched the attack in a single, sudden burst.

As the Machine God had prepared multiple laser devices, so too could Maple, bearing the same name and power, achieve a similar result.

Maple's attack force was substantial. This allowed Sally to strike with precision, even if her participation in the assault proved difficult, still enabling the destruction of the enemy.

The remaining laser devices exploded in unison, leaving only the Machine God's core within the chamber.

"Sally! I'll finish this before anything happens!"

"Okay!"

Reacting to the gun barrel once more aimed at her, Sally closed the distance in an instant and unleashed a flurry of strikes.

"【Sextapulse Slash】!"

A fundamental combo skill she had used consistently. The motion was simple, with no additional effects, yet it was more than enough for Sally.

Flames and water scattered with each strike, accelerating the damage. Yet, even with dozens of consecutive blows, the barrel would inevitably point toward Sally.

“【Cower Move】【Heavy Body】!”

Maple knew this as well. She closed the distance to Sally through rapid movement, accepting the attack via 【Love That Offers the Body】. Using the still-unfamiliar 【Heavy Body】, she nullified the knockback. In exchange, she could no longer move. But Sally held the enemy at the edge of reach long enough, allowing Maple to join the attack without issue.

“【Call to the Abyss】!”

Maple transforms one arm into a tendril, clamping down on the mechanized god’s torso as if swallowing it whole. The damage exceeds Sally’s flurry of strikes. Dozens of cannon ports pierce the mechanized god’s body at point-blank range. Health drops sharply. The mechanized god deploys even more weapons.

“Wait—take it down first! 【Leap】【Point-Target Attack】!”

Sally leaps high, positioning herself directly above the mechanized god. Mid-air, she steadies her form and slashes with her dagger. The blade splits the body from head to midsection. The vast arsenal, already on the verge of erupting in flame, collapses as the mechanized god dies.

“Nice one!”

“Yeah, Maple too. And the glutton—five more. Are the weapon reserves okay?”

“Yeah! Plenty left!”

“Then let’s retreat to the center once 【Heavy Body】 breaks.”

Yes, yes! Let’s hope it doesn’t come before then…

I can sense what’s coming. Still, fighting alongside Maple—it’s a little exciting.

Let’s do our best.

Of course. No matter what comes, we won’t lose.