Defense specialization and poison two.
"Let's catch one first. We know the poison can be healed, so we should be able to endure it."
"Hmm... how do we catch it?"
"Trying inside the poison mist is too risky. I'd like to bring it up to Shiroppu's level, but... it's not impossible, though..."
Most monsters don't slow down when weakened. They're still lively as long as they have one HP left.
"Any ideas, Sally?"
"Hmm... I suppose I could think of something..."
"Really! Tell me, tell me!"
Maple leans in close, eyes bright with interest, waiting for Sally's words. Sally sighs. She's resigned. She decides to tell Maple about the plan she's just thought of.
"Could work!"
"I didn't say that. It's a bit dangerous."
"Fine. I'll attack first if it gets too risky."
...That’s true. Understood. Then let’s try it, Maple—stand there.
Sally stands Maple upright and extends a thread from her hand, winding it around Maple.
Signal when it feels right.
Okay!
Sally steps onto the end of Shiroppu’s thread and slowly lowers Maple toward the ground. The prey is a serpent. The bait is Maple.
Fishing begins.
The ground is shrouded in violet mist. Sally waits, motionless, for Maple’s signal.
Then—
Sally! It’s good—!
The voice from below. Sally pulls the thread back. A heavy, solid weight. The prey is caught.
Potion, please!
Yes, yes!
Sally throws recovery potions at the thread’s tip, pulling Maple up. Maple, tightly coiled by the serpent, unable to move at all, lies on Shiroppu, her neck bitten.
“Shall I open your mouth?”
“N-no, I can manage!”
“Then I’ll handle the recovery. I’ll apply the defense-down debuff too.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll add seasoning at random.”
“Ah, thanks?”
Maple’s resistance is lowered, but without her poison mist, she cannot reach full power. Even if she inflicts damage with her own toxin, Sally will heal her.
The damage from Maple’s predation, though minimal, is real. The serpent has no means of recovery. That difference matters.
“Changing the flavor a bit.”
“Might sting!”
“…That’s probably the serpent’s poison.”
“Ah, right.”
Maple eats slowly, steadily. The serpent’s HP reaches zero.
The catch will be a fine meal. The serpent vanishes with a soft pop. Maple is freed from restraint.
“How was it? The skill?”
“Um… sorry. Doesn’t seem to be any.”
“Well, happens. Plenty of monsters out there. If we find another like it, we might try again.”
The debuff resistance skill widens Maple’s tactical options.
While searching the tenth layer, they might encounter such a monster—or something resembling an event.
One more thing to look forward to. They decide to press on, avoiding the surface, deeper into the ruins.
“Will it interfere?”
“Hard to say. Perhaps it will allow us through, at least at first.”
Shiroppu flies onward toward the poison lord deep within. The two continue their comfortable journey through the sky, praying the monsters do not interfere.
No interference this time. The two reach the innermost chamber unharmed. They pause again to confirm the ground from atop Shiroppu.
"Can't see it."
"Only way down."
With no sign of enemies, even two like them would find it hard to prevail.
They could use the bombs from Izu, or the weapons forged by the Machine God, without hesitation. Eventually, they might prevail. But it would take too much effort, too many resources.
"Maple, lower the height."
"Yessir!"
Unable to confirm the ground below, they do not leap as usual. Instead, they descend slowly, riding Shiroppu. To not know if the ground is swarming with monsters, or split by a great chasm—this is dangerous.
She had nearly been skewered before without checking below—this time, she proceeds with caution.
“Anything there?”
“Nothing moving.”
“Then I’m going down.”
Zun. Shiroppu lands. The area remains shrouded in purple mist, unchanged. No sign of monsters.
“Where’s the poison coming from?”
“Maple, isn’t it there?”
“……?”
Sally pointed at a deep fissure in the ground. Wide enough for two to stand side by side, arms stretched. Leaning close, peering into the depths, a torrent of purple mist erupted—far stronger than before.
“Uwah!”
“Without immunity to poison, we can’t go further.”
“Love That Offers the Body is active at all times, then.”
“Good to have.”
Closer inspection reveals a path following the edge of the crack. Shiroppu cannot descend onto it. Only the prepared path will suffice here.
“Be careful. We don’t know what lies below. If we drift too far, we’ll lose sight.”
“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”
Moving down the crack, both check their footing. The underground space they reach is thick with toxic mist. Hissing sounds of poison spewing rise from all around.
“Be careful.”
“Yeah. We don’t know what might come out.”
Scanning the area with caution, they find it to be a moderately wide space. The ceiling is low. There’s little room to move. Darting about would be difficult.
Plop. Amid the hissing of poison, the two detect the sound of a viscous liquid bursting.
A thick, purplish liquid pierces the violet mist. The two recognize it instantly. Undoubtedly poison. A clump of poison, resembling Maple’s own toxic dragon, splashes down upon them. Sally reacts swiftly.
“[Iron Cannon Water]!”
She steps outside the range and unleashes a powerful jet, forcing the poison back. Maple, facing an unknown foe, raises her large shield and retreats to Sally’s side.
“Something’s here.”
“Boss… right?”
“Probably.”
They must confirm its form first. Yet the enemy does not wait. Clumps of poison continue to fly.
The speed is slow. Sally could easily dodge. Maple could manage, too. But the poison user avoids direct confrontation.
“Remains on the ground…!”
“Sally, don’t let it touch you!”
A pool of poison spreading from the impact point. The purple mist, thickening visibility, turns the battlefield heavily in favor of the enemy.
Without the defense of Love That Offers the Body, there would be no room for speech at all.
"Shoot the ones coming through the air first!"
"Got it!"
Maple deploys her weapon, firing a barrage of bullets toward the incoming poison. One bullet, angled from ceiling to floor, left to right, strikes something—HP drops.
The two feel the resistance. They close the distance without pause. Sally, leading just within the range of Love That Offers the Body, identifies the boss.
"A creature like a slime...!"
A large, flowing, viscous purple body. The main form, spewing purple mist, is entirely made of poison. Limbs absent. No eyes. No mouth. A living mass of poison, indeed.
“【Cobalt Move】!”
Sally advances further as Maple catches up.
The boss moves slowly. Sally need not fear escape. She summons Oboro, coats her weapon in flame and water, and drives it deep—closing the distance in one motion.
“【Quintuple Slash】!”
The blade sinks in with a wet thud. A deep mark remains. Damage effects scatter. Yet even with triple damage from the skill, the resistance feels less than expected.
“Hard… Damage cut?”
Before the boss can counter, Sally steps back slightly. She peers into the mist, watching for movement.
Then the boss swells. A dense, deep purple poison gas erupts from its form—thicker than the surrounding fog.
“Sally!”
Evading the rapidly spreading gas is difficult. Though Love That Offers the Body is available, Sally is summoned nearby by Maple just as the gas engulfs both of them.
“Ugh...!?”
“Thought it might be worth holding onto!”
Maple’s icon indicating poison status. Even ground snakes had resistance reduction. Nothing strange if the boss possessed it.
The problem is there is no place to flee.
“Maple, full recovery, please.”
“[Throne of the Heavenly King], [Residual Light of Salvation], [Meditation]!”
In addition to Maple’s self-recovery, an emerald mist of sustained healing is generated using an item received from Iz, countering the boss. With potions used as needed, five layers of healing restore Maple’s depleted HP swiftly. Seeing Crom nearby, Maple understands clearly the strength of continuing to heal.
If it’s just poison, we might manage.
The problem is Maple sits upon the throne and cannot move. She cannot attack either, not while using Meditation. Right now, Maple is like a statue scattering absolute protection across the area.
We’ll have to draw it in… but will it come?
The boss only fires poison masses from a distance. It won’t initiate close combat. The boss likely didn’t expect to endure a prolonged fight within this poison, but that means one of us—specifically Sally and the others—must close the gap. Otherwise, nothing changes.
But Sally cannot leave Maple’s protection.
Perhaps use the Water Cannon skill to lure it in. Just as that thought forms, Maple speaks.
“Sally! It might be our chance!”
“…?”
“The boss seems to have lowered resistance!”
“…! Got it—leave it to me!”
This close friend seems to have considered neither defeat nor hardship in this battle. Perhaps it is confidence born of strength. Perhaps it is trust in herself, fighting alongside. Sally hopes it is the latter. She recalibrates her plan.
The serpent is an appetizer. The main course remains.
If it is the boss, it may possess what is desired. To deliver that toxic mass to Maple, Sally begins her preparations.