Defense specialization and the five-layer area two.

As they advance, magic users appear, launching water-element attacks concealed within the rain, centered on the cloud soldiers that first emerged upon entering the labyrinth.

Yet this is merely the bare minimum required for formation. The rain resembling spears—truly troublesome—is rendered harmless by the rain-shielding helm. The enemy density is manageable, and their patterns are already known. The combat along the way presents no hardship to the two.

After overcoming several waves of enemies, a wide space unfolds before them. This is unmistakably the Boss Room within the Cloud Labyrinth.

No monsters are present inside the room, but rain continues to fall, as it has throughout the journey. The rain-shielding helm remains essential.

There is nothing further to learn from outside... Maple, are you ready?

Yes! I'm ready anytime!

Maple double-checks her gear and skill cooldowns, signaling her readiness to fight at once.

Good, then let's go.

Yes.

The two leap into the hall. A rain cloud forms in the center. Upon it, a woman appears, standing as if on top of it, holding a large blue water jar.

She who controls this rain, impossible to endure without proper gear.

The boss raises her water jar, and a torrent of water bursts forth, floating in the air around them—her signal to begin combat.

Love That Offers the Body!

The floating water masses, confirmed during the journey, explode when stimulated—and can trigger chain reactions.

Maple endures, using several emergency evasion skills including the Unyielding Guardian, becoming the final defensive line. Sally, freed to act without restraint, deflects attacks. Should Sally err, she can recover—this is their unique, mutual defense stance.

"Attack is on you!"

"Got it!"

Maintaining distance from the water masses allows time to elude the chain reaction's barrage of thorns. The enemy floats atop clouds. It is more practical for Sally to stay back and let Maple deploy her Ancient Weapon.

Maple continues storing energy with the drill at her chest, unfolding the Ancient Weapon above her. Mode: Gatling. Target: the boss alone.

" Ancient Weapon!"

The blue projectile flies straight toward the boss, piercing through water masses en route.

The flat mass generates a water membrane that hinders movement upon contact, but they remain outside its range, having maintained sufficient distance.

The problem lies in the two forms: thorns and rods. They respond to Maple’s attack by countering in kind.

Water thorns, scattered explosively in all directions, strike the water masses in succession, spreading damage beyond what Maple’s shot alone caused.

“Leave this to me.”

Sally deflects the water thorns heading toward them—those on a direct collision course—using Ice Column and Water Manipulation. Her focus, however, is on the other trap.

“Maple, this way!”

“[Cover Move]!”

In response to Sally’s call, Maple vanishes in a high-speed retreat. A thick water column erupts upward toward the ceiling immediately afterward.

“Thanks!”

“Would’ve been nice if a magic circle appeared. Still, don’t worry—I won’t miss.”

“Yeah!”

A cylindrical water mass generates a torrent of fixed damage and upward knockback at its base. Effective against Maple, yet gives no warning before activation. Thus, this trap is the true danger.

Amidst the downpour and incoming attacks, visibility poor, Sally precisely tracks how many cylindrical water masses have shattered and at what timing. She calls out to Maple at the correct moment, ensuring their evasion is certain.

"Ready—boss will attack now."

"Got it!"

So far, a test. Seeing the boss replenish water masses from the broken water jug, and simultaneously unfold five blue magic circles around them, the two tighten their focus.

They have seen water-based attacks before. Whether torrential or foaming, straight or curving, Maple can anticipate several patterns.

This time, a narrow, high-pressure water laser connects the ground to the magic array. Five lasers cut through the cloud-like terrain, too fast for Maple to evade even at her peak speed.

“Follow me!”

“[Cobalt Move]!”

Sally, who has refined her play to compensate for Maple’s weaknesses, adapts swiftly even as her focus expands.

“[Seeping Chaos]!”

Dodging through gaps in the laser barrage by rapid-fire [Cobalt Move], Maple concentrates solely on striking the boss.

As long as she keeps declaring [Cobalt Move], Sally, trusting her completely, will position her body safely without hesitation.

If there is no doubt in Sally’s judgment, then Maple needs to look only at the boss.

Without focusing entirely on the boss, she would be thrown off by the shifting position caused by the 【Cowl Move】's continuous motion, unable to land a proper shot.

By relying on Sally’s judgment for every necessary decision, Maple managed to keep pace with the high-speed combat, compensating for her lack of skill and stats.

"Cutting nicely! Keep it up!"

"Leave it to me!"

With the specialized countermeasure gear, the 'Rain-Blocking Helm,' and the two of them in perfect coordination, the boss's attacks failed to achieve their intended effect, and its HP dropped below half.

"Wait—!"

It was always the same: attacks intensified as HP decreased. Sally, who had been on high alert since the HP bar fell below half, immediately sensed the boss’s change.

A mass of water, suspended only by floating from the vase. It should have been manageable with minimal damage if attacked from afar. Now it flows toward the two.

"Maple, step back a moment!"

"Understood!"

Maple's weapon, precise to within a few centimeters, strikes Sally's head perfectly. By retreating to the maximum range of her weapon's reach, she aims to delay the water mass's trap impact just enough to process it.

"【Poison Dragon】!"

"【Water Dragon】!"

Maple's wide-area poison attack shatters the approaching water mass as it strikes the boss. The triggered trap pulls Sally into the water, sweeping her along.

"Uhn, my output's rising quite a bit now."

"Let's push through it!"

"Agreed."

The repeated use of 【Cobalt Move】 causes Maple’s damage intake to rise sharply. A single piercing strike would be enough to fell her.

No slack. No intention to lose. Confidence in their ability to see it through is why they chose this strategy.

【Ancient Weapon】!

【Ancient Weapon】【Reality Inversion】!

Copying Maple’s weapon, Sally launches her own attack simultaneously.

Neither expression betrays the slightest lapse. They deflect violent assaults and chip away at the boss’s HP without pause.

Driven by relentless offense, their combined strikes detonate the boss’s body into fragments, which dissolve into light.

The rain of spears ceases. The scattered droplets vanish. The two exhale, feeling the battle’s end at last.

“Sally, thank you. It was tough, wasn’t it?”

This light. So light. You’re alright, aren’t you? That was fiercer than anything we’ve faced before.

This light. So light!

Fufu. Then it’s settled. Let’s go to the Town.

Ooh!

They leave the Boss Room behind. Step by step, they move forward—solely toward the ‘Demon King’s Power.’