Defense Specialization and the Underwater Temple 3.

The waterfall pool deepens vertically. What cannot be seen from above the surface becomes clear when diving beneath: something truly glows within the water.

"Sink straight down."

"Uh-huh."

Maple maintains her usual activation of Love That Offers the Body. Safety remains assured. Sally follows, guiding Maple’s hand as they descend toward the pool’s bottom.

No monsters appear. The two reach the depth unharmed. What they find is a massive hole extending in four directions, and a large, faintly glowing pearl-colored scale, as tall as themselves.

"Is this what was glowing?"

"Likely. Nothing else matches this location. And this place hasn’t been discovered yet."

At the base of the waterfall in the middle of the underwater temple. To survive being thrown about like Maple and the others is not a standard occurrence. To reach this place safely requires deliberately diving into the pool precisely when the mechanism is deactivated and a passage opens before them.

Not many players have arrived here. The possibility that this location remains undiscovered cannot be ruled out.

“This isn’t a normal route, is it?”

“That’s right. It’s an underwater temple, yet the dungeon interior requires no diving suit.”

“Let’s move deeper.”

“Yeah. While we still have breath. We don’t know what lies ahead.”

There is no noticeable difference between the large holes surrounding them. The two choose one at random and proceed forward.

“The scales we saw earlier were huge.”

“Something of considerable size may lie ahead. A hidden boss… or something lurking about. Not unlikely.”

If scales lay at the entrance, then something swimming through this vast space is not unthinkable—just as the snail was in the second event.

“Hurry, but carefully!”

“Maple reaches her limit quickly. I’ll keep watch around us.”

Sally steps forward slightly, checking for anything that might be swimming, while Maple activates only the 【Love That Offers the Body】, doing her best to remain alert.

After walking for a time, structures appear—remnants of what must have been an underwater temple, now shattered and scattered as rubble.

“This might be the true underwater temple.”

“It’s properly underwater, after all!”

“Yeah. Though it does look like it’s been destroyed.”

The ruin did not appear to have weathered naturally from water erosion. Rather, it had been torn apart as if something massive had forced its way through the passage.

“Those walls look solid. Some great force, perhaps?”

“Not as strong as Mai or Yui, I hope.”

The unseen presence, still hidden, swam recklessly through the tangled underwater temple. Remnants of debris rolled along the unchanging corridor, stretching endlessly left and right.

“Hmm… which way is correct?”

“It’s quite large. There should be a landmark… just as expected!”

Sally, slightly ahead, halted her swim and called to Maple. She pointed. There, at the entrance, lay the same faintly glowing white scale.

“Oh! So we’re on the right path!”

“This passage is being used. Let’s keep searching.”

"Yeah! Doesn't look like any monsters are coming out."

As Maple said, no golems, not even fish-type monsters, as there had been earlier.

The glowing scale was easy to see. Only rubble drifted in the dimming water. Nothing moved. The stillness felt slightly unnatural.

"Good for focusing on the search... but there's nothing here at all."

Only the scale was unusual. That, and it was as tall as the two of them, glowing in the dark—impossible to miss.

"Maple, did you see anything down below?"

"Nothing at all! No diving suit material either."

"Then we just keep going... if anything changes, the passage's atmosphere will shift noticeably. Watch the oxygen."

"Yeah!"

Whether a way to the surface lies ahead is unknown. If no obstacles appear along the path, what awaits at the far end may be all the stronger for it.

Maple’s usual tactic—endurance—would be difficult here. As Sally says, they must move quickly.

“I’ll watch the details. We’ve come far enough. We’ll notice anything amiss.”

“Truly, Sally!”

They may find an unexpected hidden entrance, as they did when entering.

They proceed, alert to such things, toward whatever waits at the farthest point.

No clear pattern. They move forward, following scales embedded abruptly in walls or floor. The dim water grows darker still. Visibility diminishes.

The two had been carrying headlamps since a short while back, and as promised, the细致 exploration was centered on Sally.

“Ah! There’s another scale!”

“Even in the dark, these are easy to spot. Not so dark that we can’t see at all, but we have to be more careful than usual, just in case.”

Maple had moved slightly ahead, then smoothly caught up, examining the scales as she always did, searching for any special clue. Suddenly, a low rumble passed through the ground, as if something heavy were being dragged.

……Did it just shake?”

“Yeah. Not in our heads.”

Something moved beneath. The destination did not seem far.

“Visibility’s getting worse all around. Be careful. If we’re sure, we can release the Love That Offers the Body.”

“Got it! Sally, call me anytime if you find anything!”

“Of course. I’ll rely on you.”

Alerted by the enemy's presence, the two press forward. Though visibility is poor, they recognize the tunnel-like passage ending, opening into a wider space.

"Wow... It's dark."

"...But something's here."

"Eh!?"

Following Sally’s gaze, Maple looks down. In response, a massive shadow stirs deep in the dark water, shaking the ground.

Before them, the water’s surface begins to flicker with faint light, the glow rising slowly, lifting what was shadow into form.

The scales are the same as those seen along the path. Not detached fragments, but solid masses of light, moving slowly upward from the depths.

Its body, covered in faintly glowing scales, was a mass of fish and dragon fused together—perhaps thirty meters long. Arms and legs, small and degenerate, resembled fins. Many tendrils and whiskers extended from its form, writhing like living threads. As its luminous body illuminated the darkness, it lifted itself from the seabed, stirring up sand.

"Big!"

"Can't tell what it'll do—stay alert!"

At the moment both assumed battle stances, the boss surged upward with the current. The speed, at odds with its massive frame, made Sally kick hard and accelerate instantly.

"【Hyper Dash】!"

"K-【Cobalt Move】!"

Following Sally’s burst, though forced, avoided a direct hit. The current generated by the boss’s movement swept both of them along.

As the boss and the two reversed positions, a large tail fin shifted. It turned toward them.

"Quicker than expected! Maple, can you dodge?"

It might be difficult like this...

Dodging by swimming isn't possible at Maple's speed. She cannot avoid it unless Sally stays right beside her.

I'll take it once. This charge wasn't a piercing attack before.

...Okay. Then let's split up. Maple will draw it in first. While she does, I'll circle around and attack.

Yeah!

If the charge were a piercing attack, their roles would reverse. Sally confirms the charge is coming again. She steps back from Maple, avoiding being caught, and moves into the blind spot with precision.

[Provocation]!

Maple raises her large shield and stands firm against the boss charging straight at her. But this is underwater. It is not the same as on land.

W-w-wait!?

The boss bites straight into the head, dealing considerable damage, yet the charge does not cease. It hurls Maple, unsupported in the water, away.

Maple crashes into the seabed. A cloud of sand swirls at the impact point.

"Now, do what must be done—[Water Cloak]!"

Sally worries about Maple's condition, but if [Unyielding Guardian] remains, she cannot be defeated. Then the opening Maple created must be used. Sally draws two daggers, clad in blue armor, and swims along the boss's long back, slicing through with momentum. Each strike adds further damage. Even as her status declines slightly, her equipment deals more harm.

"Something this large can't turn quickly, can it?"

The boss twists its body, attempting to swat Sally away, but cannot land a proper strike as Sally maneuvers fluidly around its frame, maintaining optimal distance.

“【Full Equip Deployment】! 【Attack Initiated】!”

Against the boss, projectiles and lasers erupt from the ground, scattering dust and smoke.

“Sally! You’re alright—!”

The boss’s charge rebounds harmlessly off Sally’s signature defense. Maple’s voice cuts through the gunfire.

“Yeah! I’m relieved!… Now I can focus on the attack.”

Close-quarters combat would normally be devastating against a standard party—its bulk makes evasion difficult, allowing full-body strikes to land simultaneously, inflicting widespread damage. But here, facing a direct charge, it is helpless.

Sally can dodge the charge. Maple can withstand it.

Charge, sweeping strike with the tail fin, relentless movement and attack—none of it lands. A direct, predictable assault cannot break through these two.

The high stat values mean nothing against Maple. They do not affect Sally.

The massive form sleeping beneath the water erodes steadily, inch by inch, without delivering harm befitting its presence.

“[Oozing Chaos]!”

The summoned beast collides head-on with the boss, whose mouth opens wide from repeated charges, taking heavy damage and halting the charge.

“Keep firing!”

While Maple continues her barrage, Sally seizes the moment and strikes. The boss does not counterattack. It simply sweeps both aside and ascends at a speed Sally cannot follow.

“Huh? It’s gone.”

“No. Not just fleeing!”

The boss ascends, turning upside down, its face now toward the two. It bends the long strands of its whiskers, twisting them forward into position before its face.

At a distance too great to reach, the light clinging to its tail fin fades, dissolving into the dim water.

The light does not vanish. Instead, it gathers at the tip of the whiskers, growing brighter, larger.

By this point, Maple, who has seen similar sights before, can already sense what will happen.

"Attacking!?"

"Attacking! Ready!"

"[Heavy Body]! [Pierce Guard]!"

She activates the skills, bringing the large shield forward. As she assumes the defensive stance, a pillar of light descends from above.

"It's fine! Stay behind me!"

"Got it. Leave it to me!"

Sally hid behind her. Light enveloped the two of them. A blinding flash. The light was absorbed by Maple’s shield. Yet before it could be fully contained, the light shattered and scattered in all directions.

“Huh?”

Maple’s eyes followed the scattered light. She saw black scales embedded in the ground and walls drawing in the light and glowing.

“Something… wrong.”

Sally’s instinct was correct. The main beam had stopped. Yet the countless scales had become发射 and reflection devices. Thin beams of light began bouncing chaotically.

“Sally.”

“Yeah. Stay like this. I’ll avoid them, but keep still.”

Having confirmed Love That Offers the Body, the bouncing beams grew to an unignorable quantity.

The boss remains a black scale, its light extinguished. It will not fire that laser again until energy builds up.

"Be careful with the charge! You'll be thrown back!"

"Got it. I'll take the offensive!"

Maple presses her back against the wall, positioning herself so that a frontal charge would only knock her against the stone. She stabilizes the range of Love That Offers the Body, preventing it from shifting. This allows Sally to engage safely from a protected zone. Only Maple, unharmed by damage, can maintain this stance.

Sally ascends sharply, closing the distance to the boss. Naturally, light beams bounce from scale to scale, converging from all directions.

"Good practice. You can't avoid this much...!"

The water changes the rules, but to Sally it makes no difference. She weaves through gaps using sudden brakes and bursts of acceleration, closing in on the boss.

Avoiding attacks like a barrage is essential for Sally. It is necessary to face an opponent ill-matched to her style, for without it, she cannot step onto the field.

“Triple Slash!”

The slash splits the dim water. Cutting effect and damage bloom in its wake.

The boss, stripped of light, blends into shadow, hard to judge distance. Sally, undeterred, continues with movements precise to the centimeter.

“Still not enough ease…!”

Avoiding rays from around her, she evades the boss’s twist and sudden launch, still not satisfied. She seeks further refinement.

Whether Sally thought it or not, and whether the boss landed the attack, were separate matters.

Even if improvement remained, even if perfection was not achieved, the fact that Sally had not been touched at this moment was all that mattered.

“Maple! I’m going!”

“Leave it to me! [Invitation to the Abyss]!”

From within the diving suit, a darkness darker than the dim water spilled out, and Maple’s left arm transformed into a tendril.

If no damage came from standing idle, then the only course was to wait, and devour everything with that grasping limb.

Five tendrils snapped open and crushed the boss’s head as it charged forward. Without regard to strength, the tendrils sank into the boss’s head, their nature to consume what they touched, and five large damage effects erupted.

“W-wait! It won’t stop!”

Even as Maple’s head was torn open, the boss did not halt its charge. It pressed its body against Maple, flattening her against the wall.

The weapon it had extended shattered to dust. Yet Maple, rather than recoiling, saw the closeness as an opportunity to strike. She activated her skill while being crushed.

“[Predator]! [Oozing Chaos]!”

Three abominations tore at the boss’s body, their tendrils delivering damage. The boss staggered back, its HP greatly diminished.

“Poison… won’t work. [Barrel Deployment]!”

Poison was useless in water—too indiscriminate. From Maple’s back, multiple barrels unfolded. They ignited in unison, firing after the retreating boss.

“Sally! I’m going!”

“Fine!”

Maple tells Sally to shift targets, though she already knows this path is futile. While attacking Maple, the torrent of light beams fails to strike Sally.

Neither Sally nor Maple has a clear time limit on their defensive capabilities. One relies on player skill, the other on a constantly active ability. If the attack does not land, it does not matter how long it persists.

“Cyclone Cutter! Quintuple Slash!”

A basic skill’s derivative attack, neither special nor a grand technique. Still, these strikes reduce the boss’s HP steadily. If damage is dealt unilaterally, nothing more is needed.

And should it be necessary, Sally can borrow Maple’s power for just an instant.

“Quick Change! Barrel Deployment!”

Yellow polygons converged upon Sally’s back. Multiple barrels emerged, spitting flame just as Maple’s had.

“[Reality Inversion]”

The attack, fired at close range, pierced through the boss and exited the other side. It dissolved into yellow light, mingling with the damage effect, as the armor on the back vanished.

“Can’t sustain it unless I keep firing… ah, Maple, I’ll leave the rest to you!”

“Got it!”

Sally saw a barrage of beams approaching. She transformed her weapon into a large shield, shielding her body as she retreated from the boss.

Then, an explosion erupted beneath the water. Like a switch, Maple shot forth like a bullet, deflecting the rain of beams.

Maple adhered firmly to the boss’s face. Closer than Sally, she pressed the barrel directly against the boss’s flesh and fired the laser.

“How’s that!”

The red light pierced the boss. For a moment, the boss’s body flared intensely—light spilled outward—then collapsed. The massive frame shattered as it fell.