Defense Specialization and the Castle Above the Clouds 3.

— Fū, Sally’s not here…

Maple moves across the floor, the sound of splashing water rising from rain-slicked puddles.

She descends several flights of stairs, travels far downward, yet finds no trace of Sally.

As she progresses, her movements grow more efficient. She now advances by continuously poisoning the entire path with toxic masses launched by the Toxic Fission Body. Splashing sounds. Not only the splash of water displaced by her steps, but also the steady fall of poison.

Unlike the Poison Dragon, the Toxic Fission Body continues releasing poison without limit once summoned, consuming no MP. Water spreads beneath her feet. The lethal toxin dissolves into it, spreading across the entire floor.

Maple flooded the entire area with lethal poison water, combining her summoned toxins with the enemy’s prepared floor. She walked slowly across the rain-like surface, umbrella held above her.

Every monster born into this world perished instantly, consumed by the fatal poison before they could harm Maple.

“Fuh-fufu~n fuhn~n…?“

Maple paused, humming to herself as she enjoyed the rain. She had found another staircase leading down. She closed her favorite umbrella and stepped down the stairs with light taps.

Before her stood a large door.

“Ah…?”

She knew this door well. No mistaking it. The door meant Boss Room.

Maple paused, considering. She had found the Boss Room door before reuniting with Sally. What should she do now?

She had entered the dungeon with Sally. It would be possible to defeat the boss alone. But still— nmm—

Without Sally, mobility and adaptability dropped sharply. When stronger enemies appeared, facing them alone would only lead to trouble.

Maple had not thoroughly explored each floor. She had repeatedly descended as soon as she found a staircase. Now she paused, turning back, and summoned the panel to check the map. Perhaps she had passed Sally somewhere along the way.

Ah!

She realized, for the first time, that she could now send messages.

Maple guessed the condition for this change. Most likely, reaching the Boss Room had triggered it. She sent a message to Sally, reporting her current state.

Sent! But— if Sally still had a debuff, she wouldn’t be able to reply?

Sally’s condition remains unknown. Yet if she could send a message, she would reply. Maple decides to wait. She pulls a chair and a table from her inventory. Eats sweets. Waits.

“Everyone sit?”

Her inventory holds several chairs. For relaxation with the guild. Maple places the toxic split-body on one. Lays the predator on a mat. Time passes.

Maple rests. A message chime rings. She checks immediately.

“Got it! Sally… hnnhnn”

She reads carefully. Sally’s location has only stairs upward. She reached the boss door, too. The dungeon is split. The party must divide. Two bosses. One path each. No meeting.

Sally moves alone toward the boss. Likewise, Maple must overcome the threat before her without aid.

If they cannot meet again, there is only one thing to do now. Defeat the boss safely, and reunite with Sally outside the dungeon with a smile.

Maple replies, I will beat you, Sally, and stows the chair and table in her inventory before standing.

"Alright, here we go!"

She gathers her resolve and pushes open the great door leading to the Boss Room, stepping inside.

The interior is dim, the depth hidden, but the space is vast. As she takes a step forward into the silent room, the door behind her shuts with a creak.

At that sound, a crack of thunder echoes—lightning streaks along both walls, illuminating the far end of the chamber.

The figure seated upon the throne at the chamber's far end was a kinglike presence, its form so pure and white it seemed carved from marble, its beard long and dignified, crowned with a regal headdress.

Even seated, its frame dwarfed Maple by several times, its presence felt despite the distance.

Undoubtedly, this was the boss. Maple tightened her grip on her weapon, recognizing the threat. The boss opened its eyes.

A crimson light burned within them, stark against the white body, making the figure appear even more ominous.

"…Expel the intruders!"

The voice resonated low. As it spoke, the floor before the boss softened, transforming into a cloud. From within it emerged a massive armored man, identical to those seen earlier on the path.

"…!"

The air thickened. The scent of battle.

Amidst the tension, Maple kept her focus on the weapon in her hands.

A large man wielding a sword or spear mixed among the great axes. For Maple, every combat situation reduced to recognizing whether an attack inflicted damage or not, and responding accordingly.

Deflecting damage-inflicting attacks. A fundamental exchange any warrior could perform, yet Maple’s high defense made it simpler, more effortless.

While waiting for Sally, Maple did not simply idle.

What enemy would appear. How to counter. The time spent waiting was perfect for considering countless counteractions.

“[Rebirth of Darkness]!”

Black against white. Before Maple, the approaching pure white soldiers were met with darkness spreading from her feet like mud. With four white feathers unfurling behind her, Maple reshapes all creatures born through [Ancient No Hai]—[Predator], [Toxic Fission]—into monstrosities.

"Over here! Over here!"

Maple calls a portion of the malformed creatures born from [Ancient No Hai]—[Predator], [Toxic Fission]—toward her. She wraps them around herself, forming a sphere of abominations that encloses her.

The creatures twist together with a grating, unpleasant sound. Their entanglement physically blocks attacks aimed at the one within.

Without the protection of [Love That Offers the Body], the high performance granted by her rare skill, combined with the healing and damage reduction from [Residual Light of Salvation], gives her the strength to push forward, equal to the boss’s summoned soldiers.

"Encourage! Push forward!"

Within the monster, a guardian angel sends a rallying cry. The soldiers are cut down. The boss is attacked. Black fills the pure white room.

Maple watches the battlefield within the grotesque mass. She confirms clearly that the abominations sent to the front line, having reached the boss, are trading damage with the boss—each hit chipping away at their health, yet still pressing forward.

"Just a little more… advance, everyone!"

From the spherical mass of entangled forms, limbs extend. The body shudders, scraping forward toward the boss.

Within range. At optimal health. At the moment the boss shifts its pattern—lightning strikes scorch the abominations, felling those at the front line one by one—the bud that has sheltered Maple at the rear bursts open.

"【Attack Initiated】!"

Straight toward the boss. Same output as when she breached the castle wall, flames trailing—this time charging the boss. The self-destruct flight, repeated countless times, was a cleaner, smoother arc than any aircraft.

【Cradle of the Earth】!

Amidst the downpour of lightning, Maple strikes the ground before the throne—then vanishes into it.

Preparation for a burst damage impossible to defend against, impossible to hinder.

The cannon, the shell, herself.

How’s that?

Maple bursts from the ground. An overwhelming flood of effects fills the field of view. [Annihilation Field] [Seeping Chaos] [Toxic Dragon] [Mechanical Deity] [Ancient Weapon]. With [Call to the Abyss], Maple strikes down [Gluttony], the boss flinching at the moment. As if to deliver the final blow, she exposes the spark-lit core at its chest.

"【Break Core】!"

The attack motion ceases, but Maple has already delivered the burst damage. The entire field, now entirely engulfed, is sealed around the boss. The room, illuminated only by flashes of lightning, now holds an artificial sun.

The roar fades. The crimson gleam that had trembled in the king’s eyes vanishes. He leans back on his throne, calm, his gaze resting gently upon Maple.

"Seems you have cleansed the wicked force that dwelled within me... I offer my thanks."

Maple exhaled, relieved. She straightened her spine, satisfied that she had ended the battle as planned.

“Ah! No, no! Are you alright…?”

“Though I ask the impossible, I would have you save my queen, as you did me…”

Maple understood, from the king’s measured breath, the identity of the second boss Sally now faced.

“I understand!”

“Count on you…”

The king closed his eyes, resting. At once, a black mass drifted slowly before Maple and settled in place.

She reached out. It fit into her hand as an item. A note described it: “Fragment of Demon King’s Power,” two of which combined would form the “Demon King’s Power.”

This was the item Maple had sought.

“The other is with Sally… ah, the magic circle has appeared too!”

The return magic circle had appeared as well—clearly indicating that they were meant to use it. There was no point in resisting what was offered. Maple stepped onto the circle. A brilliance enveloped her vision, same as when they had been sundered. The transfer began.

Maple closed her eyes against the glare. Then, abruptly, she opened them. She stood in the split passage they had been separated in. Ahead, the entrance to the castle lay visible. The dungeon had been cleared. The path home had been revealed.

“Phew… I should wait for Sally…”

“Fufu. Waiting for whom?”

“Eh? Eeeh!?!”

“Good work, Maple. Looks like you won.”

The familiar voice came from beside her. Maple turned. There stood Sally, waving her hand gently.

“Amazing! You’re incredible, Sally! I thought I was doing pretty well and would finish quickly too….”

Maple had used every skill at her disposal to launch a lightning-fast battle. She blinked in surprise, her eyes widening. She knew Sally’s skill and firepower, but the speed of the clear had exceeded her expectations.

“Just luck. The opponent was focused on defense, but that left me free to act as I pleased.”

“Wow, that would’ve been dangerous.”

An opponent who focused on defense was easier for Maple to manage than one who launched reckless, ineffective attacks.

“Hey, Maple, you cleared it too, right? You’ve got it, don’t you?”

“Yeah! A fragment, that’s all… uh, yes! Here!”

The fragment of the Demon King’s power that Maple pulled from her inventory and the one Sally held in her hand drew toward each other when brought near. They lifted from their hands and floated in midair, merging into a single piece.

"We did it! The 'Demon King's Power IV'!"

"Good. Now we've cleared the long Cloud Labyrinth."

"Next up... ah..."

"Yeah... unfortunately, the sixth layer area..."

"Leave it to me! I'll clear it properly!"

"Yeah..."

The sixth layer area, where the undead stir. The nature of the place offers no favorable start for the two, yet they depart the castle, rejoicing in the fact that they have fully conquered the fifth layer.