Defense Specialization and the Burning Town 2.

After defeating the mid-boss, the samurai assault and archer sniping resumed, followed once more by a downpour of flaming arrows—the three-pronged combo intensified.

The arrows, as expected, were fired in double shots through some unknown technique. The number of samurai increased, their [STR] and [AGI] rising. The flaming arrows dealt greater damage.

Yet Maple and the others did not yield. They had come here knowing what awaited. To lose to such a challenge would be unthinkable. That much was inevitable.

Centered on Mai and Yui’s overwhelming offensive power, and Maple’s overwhelming defense, they crushed through the path others had chosen to flee. The raw output of force remained intact even in the harsh, four-layer area boss dungeon.

And so, Maple and the others finally arrive. Before them, a tower burns high, and an expansive space paved with gravel lies spread out. It is unmistakably a battlefield for the boss. On top of the tower, a tall man stands, unmistakable as a marker.

The man leaps, still wrapped in flames, and lands before the eight.

He walks with a lightness that defies his armor and helmet. From the palms of both hands, flames burst forth—red and blue—then halt at a fixed length, coiling into swords wrapped in crimson and azure fire.

“My flames have long awaited this day… If you stand in my way, you shall die.”

With a sharp sound, the warrior steps forward. At the same moment, the tower behind him collapses, spewing a storm of ash and flame.

It was the signal to begin.

Stepping forward with force, veiled in sand and smoke, the distance closed sharply—this time not Crom.

“【Dragonfire Lance】!”

Choosing a dual-spear style over the dagger, favoring reach, Sally lunged forward, flames coiling in both hands.

The warrior, moving with a speed like 【Overdrive】, collided with Sally. In the swirling dust, the clash of lances and blade flared into fire. Sally deflected the warrior’s strike with precision, yet the warrior’s counter did not land.

As expected, the boss wielded a piercing attack by default, just as every traveling samurai had. Crom, outmatched in speed and forced to endure relentless assault, was poorly suited.

The 【Maple Tree】 bore a third shield. One that had grown stronger with every passing day, up to this moment.

“…………”

The enemy is indeed fast and strong, but Sally’s focused precision perfects this sword strike.

In the breathless exchange, Sally waits for the enemy’s wide, sweeping blow.

She crosses two thick blades in a fixed rhythm, generating a linear area of flame that deals constant damage—high-damage area attack, a great technique.

Because it is a great technique, it becomes its only weakness. Damage will not land properly unless at this precise moment.

Sally watches the warrior’s movements closely. She quickly senses the preparatory motion of the great technique and shouts.

“Mai!”

At the call, Maple and the others move swiftly using their flying machines.

Because they had planned this in advance, everyone understood Sally’s intent exactly. Moving diagonally forward, they stepped in while perfectly avoiding the boss’s wave of fire at the precise moment.

Closing the distance by stepping in.

Sally, knowing Mai would dive in for an attack, kept the warrior’s attention while sliding beneath the descending blade, slipping behind and turning Mai’s back toward her.

The shortest attack window with the least opening is Mai and Yui. A single strike can surpass another’s skill use. Just a single moment of exposing the back is enough time.

"Hey!"

To avoid excessive damage, as in the mid-boss fight, she takes a debuff from Izu, removes her gear, and reduces power via [Power Share].

Being humanoid, their target area is small. Simultaneous attacks from Mai and Yui are difficult, but the heavy blow clearly chips away at the warrior’s HP.

Yet, dealing damage means temporarily drawing the warrior’s attack toward Mai. If even Crom found it difficult to manage, there was no chance Mai could handle it.

“Cover!”

“Leave it to me!”

Crom and Kasumi step forward, blocking the warrior’s path. If each wields only one blade, and the aircraft is at the tenth level, Mai can retreat safely with the time gained.

“Taking it!”

Sally catches up to the warrior, striking quick blows to its back, just as Mai did. Crom and Kasumi hold their ground, defending only. The others remain under Maple’s protection, waiting quietly. The boss’s attention will shift to Sally.

They do not rush in with all attacking at once. Instead, they entrust the early phase of the fight to Sally.

More. Face this way.

Mid- clash, the stacked Sword Dance, accumulated through evasion, pushes damage to its limit, increasing harm to the warrior.

With Mai weakened to the limit, and Sally strengthened to the limit, even counting the number of attacks, it is a fair contest.

Here it comes! Crom!

—Multi-Cover!

—Large-Scale Magical Barrier!

—Fei, Item Empowerment!

To inflict damage on Sally, a major technique must be unleashed, creating an opening.

Crom steps forward, transferring the damage application target from Maple’s Love That Offers the Body to himself.

Over Kanade’s barrier, Iz’s damage-cutting item, and Maple’s Residual Light of Salvation, Crom bears the attack.

Evade the burning area quickly to minimize damage. Using an item enhanced by Fei, generate a healing mist that swiftly restores HP lost within the burning zone.

And Sally fulfills her role.

“[Water Mantle][Triple Slash]!”

A flurry of strikes. The damage is enough for Kasumi and Crom, who barely block the warrior’s relentless assault, to pass the baton.

The flaming blade sweeps across Crom as the warrior turns. A demon wielding a burning spear stands in their place. Two masters of techniques that prevent direct damage to either side. A clash begins again—fierce beyond measure, yet without any damage effect manifesting.

The two monsters exchange several perfect parries, their blades dancing in a motion so precise it might be called beautiful.

While Sally dealt with her opponent, the situation defied logic—safer now than when all remaining stood to receive a great technique.

Confirming the warrior’s HP had dropped below a critical threshold with Mai’s final strike, Sally returned to the others, having completed the requested game mechanics.

The warrior, leaping skyward after absorbing Mai’s blow, hurled a fireball toward the ground. A wall of flame erupted, obscuring all vision across the area. Normally, this would require an invincibility skill or retreat to higher ground. Yet here, Maple’s Love That Offers the Body proved effective—standing still posed no threat.

Still, the precious time was not wasted. In this interval, Maple and the others adjusted part of their gear and formation, preparing for the next assault.

“From here, I’m counting on you.”

“Got it!”

Sally’s most crucial role has been this one-on-one confrontation with the boss thus far. Once the enemy’s behavior pattern shifts, her function diminishes to little more than a lubricant between gaps. From here, the frequency of the warrior’s attacks will ease. The phase shifts to countering repeated powerful techniques with skills. At that point, Sally, specialized for one-on-one combat, will have little left to contribute.

When the searing flames scorched into the ground subsided, the warrior hovered in midair, wreathed in fire. As the warrior raised the sword, two colossal blades materialized—one crimson, one azure—on either side.

The large technique that had previously burned the ground with dual blades, inflicting constant damage, would now proceed autonomously through these blades. If multiple members were caught within, Maple’s HP would dwindle sharply.

“Mount up!”

““Yes!””

Iz's aircraft returned to its original size. On its armored, vehicle-like frame stood Mai and Yui, each wielding a great mallet—one in the hand of 【Salvation's Hand】, one in their own. Tsukimi and Yukimi were lifted aboard and launched into the sky at once.

With their status, remaining on the craft would be effortless.

Tsukimi and Yukimi had no aircraft of their own. Without this, they could not enter the range of 【Power Share】 at the necessary moment.

"Let me show you my practiced handling!" Iz, who had been tinkering with the aircraft since completing the third-layer raid, had today removed part of the armor and nearly all offensive weaponry. She had redirected the surplus weight into speed and control, crafting a custom design for this purpose.

When exploring alone, she does not deal damage—others handle that. Iz's role is to follow the warrior’s movements, maintaining distance so Mai and Yui can strike.

The warrior flies toward Mai, trailing flames. Mai’s face tightens, but she knows only one thing to do when close—she trusts Iz’s control, focusing solely on the counter provided by Giant’s Burden.

In the cockpit, Iz sees the warrior approaching at terrifying speed, sees the two pillars of flame shaped like a descending blade, through the glass. Iz turns the handle.

“Now then, let’s do it!”

The difference in flight performance between Maple’s group, newly gifted flight, and Iz, pushed to her limit in customization, is absolute.

Avoiding the flames, and denying the warrior any unnecessary approach, Mai and Yui maintain a distance where they can strike with the great mallet entrusted to them by the Rescue Hand.

“[Blood Blade]!”

“[Ancient Weapon]!”

“[Hydro Laser]!”

Three distinct attacks from the ground provoke the warrior’s parry. Blocked, but they clear the path for the true assault.

“Tsukimi!”

“Yukimi!”

“[Power Share]!”

Exploiting the range secured by the Rescue Hand, they strike down the opponent in midair.

It would be simple to end it here. But they know it will not be so. That is why they have prepared so thoroughly for this single clash.

In the dust cloud rising from the warrior’s impact with the ground, a red magic circle unfolds across the sky, as if refusing to let it end easily.

“Crom-san!”

“[Guardian][Spirit Light]!”

Crom activated his skill without hesitation as soon as he heard Sally’s voice.

He transferred the damage application from Maple’s Love That Offers the Body onto himself, then entered invincibility, nullifying the enemy’s attack.

A spear descended from the sky—vast as a tower, dwarfing the one Sally held. Everyone dodged, but the impact struck the ground directly, unleashing a whirlwind of flame with no escape, enveloping the surroundings in explosive fire.

Crom protected everyone from the attack with a powerful skill combo, then called out to Maple.

“Next one’s on you, Maple!”

“Yes!”

The flawless response, without waste, came only because they knew the nature of the enemy’s attack.

This time, Maple would guard against the next strike—waiting precisely for Crom’s skill to activate.

Maple and the others trusted Crom would succeed. As the boss moved, they struck in unison.

Damage mounted. The warrior’s HP fell steadily.

“Mai-chan, Yui-chan, keep it up like this!”

““Yes!””

“I’m protecting you too!”

Iz spoke from the airship. Maple called from the ground. Even if struck, Mai and Yui would not fall. Maple would take the damage instead. With [Unyielding Guardian] active, one mistake could be recovered.

Aware of the reliable support, Mai and Yui calmly adjusted their grips on their weapons.

Beyond delivering heavy blows, there was one task only they could do.

They waited, focused, as the warrior’s HP dwindled.

““……!””

In the whirlwind of battle, Mai and Yui clearly saw the warrior’s two swords vanish into the air with the flames, replaced by a single great blade.

The prelude to a fatal strike. The moment they had waited for, eyes fixed, as the warrior’s HP dwindled.

““Quick Change!””

Iz heard the two voices above and immediately pressed the control panel, activating the set item. A crystal with the effect of removing debuffs.

A single move to restore Mai and Yui’s attack power to its original state—reversed the self-imposed restrictions of their combat gear.

Mai and Yui, now equipped differently, each raised eight great maces. The great sword drawn from its sheath by the warrior erupted in violent flames, unleashing a super-wide area slash accompanied by a shockwave, tearing through space itself, aiming to obliterate the eight figures ahead.

"«【Giant's Burden】!»"

Violence meets violence. An out-of-reason blow answered with another out-of-reason blow. The great mace, swung by Mai and Yui with unleashed strength, clashed with the warrior’s slash. A terrible effect and thunderous roar erupted, forcing the attack back.

"Excellent! Just as expected!"

"Alright, now... from here...!"

"Please take care of it!"

This was the final task for Mai and Yui. They had entrusted the rest to the others as planned. They spoke to the ground below, relief in their voices.

At the moment of transfer, the warrior’s HP stood at roughly one-third.

From the rebounding flames, the warrior rose again. Switching once more to dual-wielding, they drove their blades into the earth. Flames surged from beneath the ground, wrapping around the warrior’s body like a buff. At that signal, Maple activated her skill.

"【Aegis】!"

A radiant dome unfolded, nullifying all attacks. Immediately after, a warrior moved with such speed it bordered on teleportation, unleashing a storm of sword flashes that filled the space. 【Aegis】 absorbed the strikes—each one capable of death—and preserved Maple and the others.

Maple had anticipated the enemy’s final countermove, her invincible skill activated in advance. The warrior, however, had no intention of falling. Maintaining relentless speed, it left only a fleeting afterimage at the edge of sight. Magic struck empty air.

"Kasumi! Please!"

"【Mind’s Eye】【Hell of the Battlefield】!"

The difference between 【Mind’s Eye】 and Sally’s prediction was this: It revealed the exact location of an attack—so faint it left no trace—just moments before it was cast.

"【First Cut: Mirage】!"

The warrior, moving at speed, becomes visible at the instant of attack, as if halting mid-motion to swing the blade. Only Kasumi, who has already foreseen the strike and uses instantaneous movement as her weapon, can keep pace without delay. Exploiting the reduced cooldown granted by the 【Battlefield Rakshasa】 effect, she continuously employs 【Mind's Eye】 to glimpse the enemy’s future position, then counters with 【First Cut: Mirage】.

No player can follow the high-speed clash between Kasumi and the warrior.

The difference between victory and defeat was simply whether the strike’s position was known—or not.

【First Cut: Mirage】!

The warrior’s attack meets resistance, but Kasumi’s blade leaves a deep gash at the throat. HP at ten percent. The warrior kneels once, then forces strength into the legs, leaps to close distance for a final strike. The exchange, brief though it was, felt suffocating. All skills enter cooldown due to the debuff of 【Battlefield Raksha】. Kasumi sheathes the blade.

It was confirmation that she had fulfilled her role.

The warrior draws back, raising a greatsword larger than the one wielded by Mai and Yui. When swung, the devastation will resemble Mii’s 【Dawn】. Even effects like 【Aegis】 will not withstand it. Everything will be shredded, reduced to ash, burned to cinders.

The counterattack is repelled by a vortex of flame, buying time to prepare the great technique.

"Kanade, Sally! Please!"

"Right. It's our turn."

Kanade calls forth Sou and reshapes himself into the same form, doubling the number of spells he can cast simultaneously.

"【Hydro Laser】! 【Tidal Wave】!"

"【Water Dragon】【Cannon Wave】"

"Sou, 【Hydro Laser】! 【Tidal Wave】!"

A torrent of water erupts. Sally uses 【Water Manipulation】; Kanade focuses on 【Water Magic】, launching continuous assaults with water upon the warrior.

Water was crucial. It was the effective element in breaking the warrior’s flame vortex barrier.

"“Maple!”"

As the defense collapses, the two call out to Maple.

The path is open. Now only straight ahead, at maximum speed.

"【Barrel Deployment】! 【Attack Initiated】!"

Maple flies straight toward the warrior, faster than the exploding aircraft.

Ahead stands 'Shadow Night's Sketch.' She drives home the preserved [Evil Feast], the goal all had aimed for in this battle. Thanks to everyone's effort, it remains intact.

"Haah!"

Maple dives into the warrior's embrace, slamming down her raised shield. The blow clears the warrior's remaining HP, as planned. The carefully orchestrated strategy completes without flaw.

Returning to the fourth-floor zone, the quest is fulfilled. Maple and the others succeed in securing the 'Demon King's Power III.'

"Phew. Made it through. Good, good."

"The boss of the fourth-floor zone was quite strong."

"Fighter type. We'd have had a hard time if we hadn't been ready."

Without eight people executing their skills properly, victory would not have been possible.

Each fulfilled their role. That allowed them to pass through the journey without needing key abilities. A smaller party would have faced the monster swarms along the way as a serious threat.

Hmm. This marks the true second half.

The two in the eighth-floor area are ready to advance at any time. Come by when you have free time.

The sixth-floor area… will Maple come alone?

Yes, I will!

Good. Have fun…

Sally must not go to certain places. Places where area attacks fly. Places where certain hits strike. Above all, the sixth floor.

Then it’s the fifth-floor area!

Um… how about this…?

It’s going well too! Moving forward steadily!

The boss that appeared wasn’t as troublesome as this one, I suppose.

The remaining areas: fifth-floor, sixth-floor, eighth-floor. Considering none of them are untouched, Kasumi’s words suggest the ten-floor challenge is now in its latter half. Approaching the final stretch.

“No word on the Demon King yet. Though it’s unlikely we’ll be first, given the number of players, this pace feels remarkably swift.”

“Indeed. We still have time to attempt it while it’s fresh in our minds.”

“We’d all prefer to win in one go. This boss was particularly difficult.”

To challenge the Demon King, one must expend the Demon King’s magic. If victory is not achieved, all boss types must be defeated again before the chance to challenge the Demon King is regained.

Victory is not assured. The bosses are not easily defeated. Still, it would be preferable to avoid them if possible.

"We'll succeed if we all work together—just like this time!"

"Indeed. Then, when that moment comes, we'll give it our full strength!"

"Ah. Let's look forward to that challenge."

"And after that, there's also the event...!"

"So much still remains to be done!"

"Right. We're just at the final stretch."

"I'll keep pushing until the very end."

Amidst the shared realization that they were nearing their ultimate goal, Sally looked into Maple's eyes and spoke.

"You too, Maple. See it through to the end."

"Of course! We'll clear it for sure!"

"Right. Let's do it."

With their promise to defeat the Demon King sealed, Maple and Sally's journey through the ten layers continued. The end was no longer distant. It was close. It was real.