Defense Specialization and Twisted Space 2.

Inside, the space resembles the path ahead, yet differs greatly. A boundless expanse stretches without walls or floor. Several platforms float within it.

The platforms are arranged in three dimensions, spaced at intervals allowing for movement via flight machines. Given that the boss here is a bird, this layout will likely determine the strategy.

"First, as planned!"

"yes!"

From the depths, a massive white bird slowly emerges from the darkness. Its beak gleams, glass eyes reflect light, and its metallic wings unfold with a sharp snap, projecting a presence befitting a boss.

Yet there is no need to stare in silence. Maple and the others begin their preparations swiftly.

The key is expanding the platform. Using items, iron plates are added to the edges of the rubble, the original foundation. The more mobile Sally becomes, the more effective the fight will be. This is why they seized the precious opening at the boss's emergence.

“[Provocation]!”

Maple draws attention as Izu rises into the air with a flying machine, drifting away.

The boss’s attack range is wide. Taking a position where it could be hit is the same as walking into disadvantage.

“Maple, leave the attack to me.”

“Got it!”

As Maple transforms one hand into a weapon, the swan, fully revealed from the darkness, spreads its wings wide. A sharp metallic screech echoes once, then it takes flight into the dark sky.

“[Attack Initiated]!”

A single laser released from Maple’s hand. At the moment of impact, the boss vanishes into the darkness as if pulled in. In its place, glowing metallic feathers scatter, accelerating sharply toward Maple. They vanish into the dark mid-flight. Several distortions appear in the air, surrounding Maple.

I’m going in for real… [Dragonflame Spear]!

Sally’s hands manifest blazing flame spears. At the end of the long thread of [Threadweaver], her favored blue dagger is tied.

Numerous feathers fly like arrows. Sally stands to protect Maple. But if they strike, Sally too will die instantly.

Yet fear is absent. Sally watches the enemy’s attack clearly. She swings the flame spear.

The spear strikes the feather with a sharp clang. Yet it only extends the reach slightly.

A second feather attacks Maple from beyond the spear’s reach.

Gin. Gin. Sparks scatter through the air.

“Wah…”

“Okay. Got it.”

The feather arcs through the air, flung aside by the metallic clash. A dagger tethered by a long thread. Whipped like a whip, it strikes the feathers with startling precision.

Sally’s unconventional four-blade style. The dagger, no longer in her hand, cannot deal damage. Yet in defense, it moves like an automatic defense system—impenetrable.

Of course, it is absurd.

As if invisible arms were there. As if nerves ran through the air. The dagger, tied only by thread, moves with flawless accuracy.

The dagger possesses will. That is the nature of such skill. It would be easier to accept if explained that way.

It perceives attacks as if eyes were at its back. Strikes down every projectile with flawless precision. No longer within the realm of mere skill.

“It’s fine. Just believe in it.”

“Mm-hmm!”

This is Sally’s defense, honed through relentless dedication to player skill. As long as it holds, every attack within reach of the thread will be struck down. An art no one else can replicate.

“[Water Dragon]! [Cannon Water]!”

The torrential water blocks the descending wings. By combining skills as needed, this defense becomes truly unbreakable.

“[Poison Dragon]!”

“Now I’m coming too!”

Maple continues firing lasers without pause. As soon as a target appears, she and Izu launch their attack together.

Indeed, Maple’s strength lies in her ability to wield multiple powerful ranged attacks.

She seizes the initiative—something a shieldbearer normally cannot—striking the boss directly and reducing its HP.

Yet the boss, as befits its title, immediately reveals its true nature. It stands apart from the mechanical fish encountered earlier.

The boss faces the three of them. Its large metal wings bend with a sharp creak, the tips meeting above its head. As if tracing a perfect circle, the wings begin to glow fiercely.

……Maple!

【Cover】【Pierce Guard】!

Sally moves swiftly, swapping positions with Maple. Izu retreats upward.

The circular wings become a cannon mouth. A moment later, a pure white beam fires, engulfing Maple and Sally along with the platforms beneath them.

I’m fine!

Maple, truly.

Amidst the fading light, Maple stands unharmed—having protected Sally.

Maple cannot withstand the wings. But Sally can. Light beams do not strike Sally. Maple, however, can bear them.

As the two cover each other’s weaknesses, evading the boss’s attacks, Iz, free above, channels energy into four weapons.

Lock on. Fire.

The launched missile fragments midair, exploding around the boss. A dragon’s breath of flame strikes from the front. From above, a pillar of light descends—revenge incarnate. Finally, a storm of follow-up wind attacks, tearing at the boss’s wings.

It is not enough to destroy. But the damage is greater than any production worker would have inflicted.

I wish we could use this anytime… Well, there’s still more ahead.

The machine, refined through countless modifications, responded with solid resistance. Iz continued piloting, watching for another chance to attack, mindful of the platform beneath her after being shot down.

The boss, its HP diminished by Iz and Maple’s assaults, launched its next attack.

Iz’s group had confirmed their limits—only what could be achieved by leveraging Mai and Yui’s offensive power.

Preparation for this attack had already been made. It was, however, an act of sheer force.

Magic circles rose across every platform. A few flickered briefly, and then Maple and Sally leapt straight upward.

“Stay calm.”

“It’s fine!”

Having anticipated the moment, the two moved swiftly to activate their aerial machines. The results of their repeated practice were evident. Though they felt the upward push from below, Maple maintained her balance and flew through the air.

But the flight time of the aerial machine is limited. They must descend onto stable ground among the rubble.

"Maple, this way! — Water Path!"

Sally pulls Maple with a thread of water, guiding her toward a new footing.

The boss attacks without mercy. Metal feathers scatter again, space distorts, and countless feathers erupt around Maple.

"Sally!"

"Keep going."

Even in midair, the aerial machine functions as if on solid ground for Sally. She moves with greater ease than Maple, dancing around the water-current carrying Maple, her flame spear and dagger leaving trails in the air.

"This won't break it."

"Attack Initiated!"

The feathers from the front are shot down by Maple's own barrage, while she aims a precise strike at the distant boss.

Above, Iz's cannon fired in sync, further chipping away at the boss's HP.

Iz's aerial machine could stay aloft for far longer than Maple's. Thanks to this, the three were able to advance without being affected by platform-based puzzles.

"Maple, next move forward."

"Got it!"

"Coming."

Having dealt with the metallic feathers, they adjusted their positions with precise, constant motion to keep pace with the boss circling the sky.

Iz moved in concert. Maintaining range, she never eased her assault.

It could continue, they said. Yet given this strategy relied entirely on Sally’s superhuman performance, ending the battle as soon as possible was undeniably preferable.

"【Seeping Chaos】!"

"【Water Dragon (Leviathan)】!"

"Targeting… yes!"

Without a pure mage among them, the three maintained sustained long-range attacks, steadily chipping away at the boss’s health.

Remarkably, as Sally grew accustomed to the boss’s rapid wing strikes, she began participating with her own skills, increasing the damage further.

If nothing changed, victory seemed likely. Yet the boss, clearly unwilling to fall so easily, triggered its next move once its health dropped below half.

……It’s planning something.

Iz-saaan!

Yes, it’s coming.

Wings flared, metal clanging through the air, it soared higher than ever into the open sky. It appeared to be preparing something. Maple and the others fell back, gathering together to watch.

With Aegis still active, and both Body Offering Love and Pierce Guard remaining, Maple is the most certain to handle the final technique.

High above, the boss halts mid-motion. Metal feathers, detached, form concentric circles in the sky. Light spills from them in a line, bright and unbroken.

It recalls the boss’s previous beam attack. This time, not one or two, but more than ten cannon mouths gaze down from the heavens at the three below.

The platforms, each marked with a balancing magic circle, rise in sequence. They shift position, one after another, allowing passage upward to the boss awaiting above.

Clearly, the final phase. Victory demands breaking through this last barrier.

“Can’t reach range without flying.”

“Let’s decide quickly. It’ll likely fire soon.”

“What… what should we do? Should we fly?”

The floating platform felt less like a path to cross and more like a place to regain balance after being knocked off. Here, where flying machines were the main feature of the third layer, Sally and Izu felt it clearly.

“Let’s close the distance in one go. If Maple’s 【Bad Diet】 hits, we can end this before any accident happens.”

“Yes, I agree. Get on top! I’ll carry you.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Izu brought the flying machine close, stowed the cannon, and placed both women on the roof. Here, emergency escape was possible, and unlike inside the carriage, Sally’s unconventional four-sword style could be used with some effectiveness.

“Here we go! Let me show you my piloting!”

As Izu began to steer, a pillar of light descended from the glowing ring of wings in the sky.

A violent surge. As if holding back until now, the booster ignites—evading the pillar of light with blinding speed and sharp turns.

"Wah—!"

"I'll stitch you in place!"

Sally immediately secures her body with thread to prevent being blown away. Even Sally cannot maintain perfect precision under such strain. Yet she swiftly assesses the situation, noticing that the spatial distortions that had appeared around them before—shooting out wings—cannot keep up with Izu’s machine’s speed. The encirclement fails.

"Okay, then...!"

Sally extinguishes the flame lance and reclaims the dagger tied to her belt, gripping it firmly once more.

Only the boss’s wings descend straight down. Two weapons will suffice.

"I’m accelerating further!"

The aircraft hums as it ascends toward the boss, its voice echoing from within.

Bakīn bakīn—the sound of Sally striking the metal wings, steady even on the unstable, shifting platform.

“Energy barrier, deploy!”

A blow meant to strike the vehicle with light as bright as the boss’s descending pillar is met with a shield that glows in equal measure.

Closing the distance makes evasion impossible. Izu cuts through the thickening barrage with a one-time barrier, used once per day.

“Fufu, this is fun!”

Such feats were beyond her at the third layer. Now, at the tenth, she fully unleashes the aircraft’s performance, raised to meet the tenth-layer foe. She will fulfill her duty.

“Maple, prepare!”

“Got it! 【Full Armament Deployment】! 【Love That Offers the Body】!”

When she had closed to sufficient distance, Maple embraced Sally and faced the boss.

Shielding Sally from her own blast, flying at maximum speed in a straight line.

【Attack Initiated】【Pierce Guard】!

Using Iz's aircraft as a platform, Maple flew straight toward the boss. A forced breakthrough, ignoring everything Iz and Sally could not do. With 【Pierce Guard】 nullifying defensive penetration, she imposed her strength.

【Quick Change】

【Heal】!

【Aegis】!

Switching to white gear, she recovered instantly. With HP secured, she activated 【Aegis】 immediately, maintaining invincibility as she closed in.

Maple reached the point where she could hear the grinding of gears deep within the boss’s body. Together with Sally, she and the aircraft machine attempted their final advance.

Stay calm… right!

"Okay, fine. Leave the perimeter to me!"

She opens her inventory without haste. The great shield, equipped with the finishing move 【Malevolent Feast】, is re-attached to the shadowed blade 'Night's Reflection'. Before the invincibility timer expires, she strikes the boss's swan form—its long neck—with the shield.

A heavier blow than the slow, sustained damage from long-range attacks.

Sally's wings, flapping wildly around, prevent any extraneous elements from interfering. The 【Malevolent Feast】 channels entirely into the boss.

"【Attack Initiated】【Ancient Weapon】【Oozing Chaos】【Poison Dragon】!"

The boss endures a relentless assault—two weapon types clashing, a powerful skill blazing, and the supreme close-combat strike of 【Malevolent Feast】 hammering at it without pause.

The skill unleashed by Maple severed the swan’s head halfway down its neck, sending fragments scattering through the air, the column of light extinguished, and the attacking feathers losing their momentum.

It served as a clear signal that the battle had ended.

As the components making up the boss crumbled and vanished, one thing remained suspended in midair—a ring formed by multiple shimmering metal feathers linked together.

"Successfully cleared, then."

"First of all, yes."

"Phew! It worked out well! We did it!"

"Indeed, truly. Fighting alongside the two of you makes it easy to mistake a manageable opponent for a simple one."

Maple and Sally’s weaknesses were clear. As long as those were not exploited, they often finished battles without taking damage.

Their nature allowed for defeat if a single misstep occurred. Yet this time, they suffered no harm. The outcome, in substance, was a decisive victory.

Still, the opponent was undeniably troublesome... aside from Kanade and the others solving puzzles in the Eighth Layer, perhaps it would be best to call Kasumi and Crom for now.

Since Iz is the one advancing the quest, progressing through Iz’s perspective is most efficient.

Even if Maple and Sally exert themselves now, they would merely follow in Iz’s wake. Time is limited for Maple and Sally—this is not a favorable approach.

Moreover, with that flying machine, Iz could function as a combat asset without needing protection. The range of combinations expands. Battle plans become more flexible. Fighting becomes easier. This time, with Crom and Kasumi present, a different strategy would have been possible—so severe were the enemy’s attack patterns that such an option was urgently needed.

“We still have not obtained the Demon King’s power. Combat is expected in the future as well.”

“Yes. We’ve made reasonable progress. It might be wiser to cooperate and finish the third layer area now.”

The reason 【Maple Tree】 had scattered to continue exploration was to gather information from each area.

Once sufficient data was collected, shifting direction toward advancing from that point was not unwise.

“I’ll take this. I need to begin modifications for the next quest—things that should have been done in the prior quest.”

“Thank you!”

“I can assist.”

“Yes, truly helpful. Let’s keep going like this!”

After the fierce battle, the three offered quiet acknowledgment to one another, then stepped onto the floating magic array that had risen from the debris. They returned to the original field.

Returning from a place nearly otherworldly, the three paused to breathe.

“Today’s quest ends here.”

“Is that so?”

"Yes. It was quite the struggle, wasn’t it? I used my airframe in ways I shouldn’t have."

Without energy barriers or boosters for rapid acceleration, their responsiveness would falter.

Maple cannot use her [Bad Appetite] again in the same manner. Sally’s fatigue must be mounting.

Considering all this, pushing beyond this point would be unwise. A stronger boss may still appear.

"For now, I’d appreciate your company."

"Of course!"

"In our free time… we should focus on reinforcing our airframes."

"Iz’s was impressive, wasn’t it?"

Even if not on Iz’s level, witnessing that strength firsthand changes one’s perspective.

To use them only for flight now would be a waste.

"Yes. That seems best."

The three agreed on their next goal, then parted ways for the day.