Defense specialization and the sixth-layer area.

Maple and the others had safely cleared another area, but their next target was the sixth-layer area.

That day, as they prepared to begin the next assault, Sally leaned back on the guild home's sofa, her expression grim.

"Salley, what do you do?"

"Mmm... ah..."

She made no real reply, only groaned. Waiting patiently for her decision, Crom, Mai, and Yui arrived at the guild home.

"Good work, Maple. The fifth-layer area was cleared without incident."

"Yes! Fully and completely cleared in one go!"

"Without any information, right?"

"Indeed... amazing."

"Your ability to adapt across a wide range of situations is showing. So, what about you? Will you come?"

"...I, I..."

"What will it be?"

"I'll go...!"

"R-really? Are you sure? You're okay?"

"I'm not okay... but this time, I want to see it through with Maple to the very end."

Play through to the very end, even the parts I dislike. Sally looks at Maple, as if making a great decision. Yet all she does is prepare to enter the horror zone.

Understood! Then I’ll protect you for sure! Shall I go in your mouth?

Yes.

Got it!

Seems like you’ve gathered yourself. We’re just a little effort away from the Demon King’s power. It won’t take long.

Mai and Yui, please take care of it!

“Yes!”

With Maple here, the two of you will find it easier. I’m counting on you.

Leave it to us!

Thus, the five of them transferred toward the next target area—the sixth floor zone.

Town in the dim sixth-floor zone. Graves dot the area. Souls float in the sky. Voices rise from places with no one present. Isolated from other zones, it maintains the same peculiar atmosphere as the fourth-floor zone.

And naturally, this atmosphere works well for Sally.

“[Ruthless]!”

“Please… if needed, call me… if needed…”

Sally entered the open mouth of Maple, eyes still closed.

Maple’s mouth in [Ruthless] state is a high-performance physical barrier, blocking all attacks. It also allows communication, has feet, and moves on its own—excellent.

“Prepared!”

“Destination is this way. Run ahead.”

“Hai!”

Maple carried Crom and the other three on her back and sprinted across the field toward the target.

Maple stops after running across the field, following Crom’s signal.

Dim blue flames flicker across the shadowed field. Scattered graves mark where monsters rise from below.

Transparent ghosts swarm the sky. It is certain Sally cannot survive here.

“This time, we hunt the monsters here. If we defeat the required number within a set time, we reach the boss we seek.”

“I understand!”

“Crom and I will draw them in with our Provocation. Then Mai and Yui—Sally, if possible—must eliminate them all at once.”

“Understood!”

“Good. Then we split in two and draw the monsters in.”

“Yes!”

Crom and Maple run in opposite directions, each luring monsters toward them with Provocation.

Spirits descend from the sky. Corpses crawl from the ground. Blue flames flicker, shaping themselves into faces, surging forward.

“Mai, Yui!”

“Please!”

At the spot where Crom and Maple reunite stands Mai and Yui, wielding eight blazing great hammers.

The two raise the great hammers into the air with the power of 【Salvation’s Hand】, then swing them in unison at the horde of monsters Crom and Maple have drawn.

““Yaaah!””

Pure, inevitable violence. The burning iron blocks evaporate anything they touch, annihilating enemies in sight with every arc.

No more cost than a full-powered attack from Maple’s entire skill set. No cooldown to consider. Yet it delivers greater firepower, and matches Sally’s speed in strikes.

No attacker is stronger than this in an environment where even the weakness of no mobility and instant death upon damage can be ignored.

Without attacking at all, Maple and Crom caused every gathered monster to vanish without a trace.

"You're reliable, as always!"

"Leave it to me...!"

"We won't lose to monsters like this!"

"Good, good. The first stage is cleared safely. Look here."

The three turned back toward Crom. Before Crom’s eyes, a pale blue flame flickered and hovered.

It was not a monster that had been defeated. Maple leaned her face forward, expressionless, as if searching for its identity.

"I’ve seen this before. It shows the way to the boss!"

"Monsters will come, but with Maple here, defeating them and moving forward is simple."

"Ah, I see. I see."

That is how it is. Let us begin the activation.

Crom touches the flame lightly. The pale blue flames flicker, marking a path across the ground, indicating the direction for the five.

I will ride again. I will continue giving detailed guidance—leave it to me.

Yes!

"Thank you!"

...

With three behind her, one within her mouth, Maple follows the flickering trail, using Mai and Yui’s strength to scatter monsters as she moves forward.

Thus, Maple and the others reach a vast hole opening in the ground. From far below, where the bottom cannot be seen, groans and lamentations echo without pause. Even without seeing, the overflow of monsters is clear.

We could descend slowly with the air machine… but there is no need for that now, is there?

Leave it to me—Love That Offers the Body!

From the monster’s back, an angel’s wing, ill-fitting and awkward, extended with a soft, deliberate motion, preparing to absorb the impact of the fall. Crom had already researched the prior details. The risk of diving into the hole had been confirmed as nonexistent.

Maple gripped the three firmly, then leapt directly into the great chasm.

A brief moment of free fall. Then, a heavy thud. Maple landed with force, crushing the enemy beneath her, eliminating it instantly.

“Remaining threats…”

“Leave it to me!”

Mai and Yui swung their great mallets with practiced ease, striking down every monster that rushed toward them, shattering them completely into nothing.

The waiting monsters were eradicated in mere seconds. Silence settled at the bottom of the chasm.

At the base, a side tunnel yawned open—wide enough to pass through, even without the full power of 【Brutality】.

If bringing Sally along, it’s convenient to keep 【Brutality】 at full power. So, the dungeon quest requiring that size was postponed.

Thank you!

Crom’s consideration worked well. Sally was drawn in, mouth full, deeper into the passage.

Is Sally planning to fight?

If we follow the prearranged timing… perhaps?

Sally, by default, does nothing. She is not without ability—her skills are merely sealed. Were she to act, she could attack or defend.

But with Mai and Yui present, and Crom and Maple forming a double shield, attack and defense are already sufficient.

We must ensure there’s no need for our own involvement.

“Yes!”

Let’s do our best.

Keeping within the protection of Maple’s 【Love That Offers the Body】, they strained their eyes into the unseen darkness ahead.

“The path continues only forward, but ghosts emerge from the walls.”

“Then we’d better be careful!”

“No… that shouldn’t be necessary.”

“…?”

Maple looked puzzled, but she understood quickly why Crom had spoken.

A translucent spirit materialized from the wall. Its upper body protruded—then crushed by a blazing iron mass.

Ah, mole-tapping. Maple thought, watching Mai and Yui’s attacks.

“See? Just like in the sixth-floor area. This time, Maple’s here. Whether there’s an attack we need to watch for… well…”

““We’ll handle it—don’t worry!””

“Yeah, I’m counting on you!”

There are few things one can say with absolute certainty. But sometimes, certainty exists among these three. Maple’s defense cannot be breached. Mai and Yui’s attacks cannot be endured.

Crom waits, prepared only in case of emergency, ready to react at the fastest possible speed.

Even with Sally unable to move, the advance continues with unshakable calm.

Massacre. Annihilation. Monsters that vanish the moment they are born are unaffected by any buffs or debuffs. If they are felled before they can activate their skills, they are no trouble at all.

“Hurry up! We’ve already reached the boss!”

The pace of the advance is incomparable to the slow progress of Maple and Sally, who had cleared the fifth floor by defeating every monster while walking without pause.

There is no need to pause and confirm enemy actions, to verify safety. This single fact makes the progression incomparably smooth.

Crom, who had been prepared just in case, and Maple’s Love That Offers the Body, which was hardly needed at all—Mai and Yui had grown adept with their great hammers.

“Now then, as expected of the two of you… there are a few things to keep in mind for the boss battle.”

“““Yes!”””

Unlike the common monsters, which vanished in a single strike from Mai and Yui’s great hammers, this boss did not fall unless struck with a certain minimum amount of damage at once. The boss’s counter, in response to the improved quality of buffs and debuffs from the players, was nothing new to the three of them. They accepted the fact without surprise.

“Then, I’ll go through the rest one by one.”

Crom lectured on the precautions for facing this boss, preparing accordingly. The buff for increased attack power was already excessive—there was no need to apply it at all.

“…Sally?”

Listening to Crom’s words, a tapping sensation in the mouth. As if Sally wished to say something, Maple slightly parted her lips, blocking the view outside, and allowed Sally to speak.

“Understood… Okay. If you can do it, then I’ll rely on you.”

“Yes.”

“Do your best!”

“Yeah… I’m the right one for it, after all.”

Sally said no more, then retreated again into the depths of Maple’s mouth.

Having finished the explanation, they entered the Boss Room, Maple at the center. In the stagnant air, scattered human bones lay on the ground. Patches of toxic swamp, like those Maple created, dotted the floor.

As Maple recalled her battle with the poison dragon, the ground ahead rose. The boss emerged.

Unexpectedly, it was also a dragon.

Not merely a dragon, but a dragon of bone—no flesh upon it. Hollows where eyes once were. A pale blue flame flickered uneasily where the heart had been, behind the ribs.

The boss was dragged from the ground. It roared. No vocal cords, yet it tore the air with a high, grating sound. The sound stirred the silent skeletons around it, breathing life into them.

Each bone stood slowly, bearing the same pale blue flame. Then, in a single instant, they shattered.

"First strike, guaranteed victory!"

"Nothing must get through...!"

The skeletons rose again, no matter how many times they fell. Slow in movement, but their flames delivered instant death. A relentless opponent.

Mai and Yui moved with literal precision. Some of the raised great hammers were used to break the skeletons’ relentless advance; the remaining hammers were held ready as they matched pace with Maple and the others, moving forward in unison.

From among them, Crom stepped forward first. Ahead of the three closing in step, beyond the range of Love That Offers the Body, Crom ran straight toward the boss. Naturally, he entered the boss’s attack range before anyone else.

From the dragon’s skull mouth, a blue light poured out—flames identical in eerie glow to those animating the skeletons and their bodies—spilled forth and erupted in an instant.

The breath struck Crom—its only target within range—chipping away at his HP bar. Yet Crom stood firm, a top-tier shieldbearer, unbroken in place. He had stepped out from under Maple’s protection precisely because he had planned to bear this attack alone from the start.

He acted with the certainty of survival, having already decided on this course of action. In essence, both taking the hit and surviving were within expected parameters. The breath did not fire in rapid succession, but it inflicted a powerful status-down debuff.

Whether the boss’s attack would penetrate Maple’s defense remained unknown. Her defense was unmatched, leaving no way to test it beforehand. Crom had drawn the attack alone to safely bring the others within reach.

“Now—please!”

“““Yes!”””

Crom finished his task. Maple swiftly transported Mai and Yui past him.

The distance to the boss closed in an instant. The boss roared, a harsh cry, summoning more skeletons from the earth to block Maple and her allies, separating self from other. It sought to burrow beneath the ground, using the time gained.

"Sally!"

Maple did not flinch from the skeleton's instant death attack. She stepped forward, firm, and called her partner's name—once, as agreed beforehand.

["Cannon Water," "Water Dragon," "Wave Ride"]...

Responding to Maple's call, Sally unleashed her skills in rapid succession. Though not as precise as Sally's, Maple knew the range. As the skeletons entered it, her mouth snapped open wide. A torrent of water burst forth, pushing the skeletons aside like a breath, clearing a path for Mai and Yui.

The unleashed cannonwater thrust the boss, attempting to hide beneath the ground, upward and out into the open. A single moment's opening granted damage exceeding Maple's for several seconds. This was the manifestation of pure force—Mai and Yui's strength.

"Double Strike, Battle Formation!"

Damage per hit was capped at a fixed value. Yet this was merely an attempt to keep players beyond normal limits within bounds. It could not halt a finishing blow from an overcharged ultimate move. Not when two such fighters, wielding their ultimate attacks, closed in for the fight.

"Ah, still reliable... well, I suppose I can handle that one."

Crom had checked the boss’s information out of caution. He watched the boss’s fading disappearance, unsure whether he’d seen enough of the unbearable injustice forced upon him. Yet as Sally remained unchanged, he knew it was his duty to prepare for the worst.