Defense specialization and Demon King six.
Maple and the others exploit the effect of Love That Offers the Body, steadily draining the Demon King’s stamina.
The debuff applied to Maple’s STR continues to extend in duration. It will not be lifted during this battle. No matter.
“Electromagnetic Leap! Maximum Force Strike!”
They surround the Demon King, creating an opening. Velvet’s strike pierces the Demon King’s back. They skillfully evade the Demon King’s powerful movement patterns, reducing his HP to roughly thirty percent. His actions shift again.
A storm erupts from the Demon King’s center, marked by red effects. The area of effect is vast. The red wind instantly engulfs the front line. Maple shields them all. Her body is thrown backward, away from the Demon King.
“—!“
“Maple!”
“Thank you, Sally!”
Sally swiftly pulls Maple back with a thread as she is knocked backward.
The formation is saved by Maple’s sacrifice, but the red effect raging around the Demon King indicates the wind continues to expand. To pursue the Demon King, now flying away, is impossible.
—This feels terrible…
The distance between them has widened greatly because the Demon King has moved away. It is beyond the range of the twin blades, still blazing with crimson aura.
The fact that the Demon King’s weapons are useless is as if signaling another method of attack.
Behind the distant floating Demon King, a massive magic circle appears—same size as the one previously spread beneath his feet. The bad feeling is confirmed.
Dread and Sally’s instincts sound the alarm.
This can kill you.
The sharpened instinct tells her that whatever emanates from there cannot be felt by Maple.
"Shadow—[Release of the Pack]—[Realm of Shadows]!"
When the cooldown of the Shadow Realm is removed by the liberation of the pack, Maple leads the others into the shadows and retreats to the Night Castle.
Frederica! Defend with all your strength!
……! [Sea of Mana]!
Frederica does not hesitate at Dread’s ominous call. Dread had said it was dangerous.
That is sufficient as a criterion. The radiance of magic bursts forth from Frederica’s body, amplified by the Sea of Mana.
"Notes—Chorus!—[Hyper-Multiple Barrier]!"
An immense wall of magic spread before all of them.
The demon lord’s attack strikes against a defensive mechanism that could not possibly have been erected by a single player.
A monstrous shape writhed from the magic circle behind them.
Larger than Maple’s [Violence] in just its upper body, it shielded the Demon Lord with both massive hands, opened its mouth wide with a shrill wail, and expelled a thick crimson beam toward Maple and the others.
“C-Can’t… too strong…! [Super Multi Barrier]!”
The barrier shattered like exploding stone the moment the beam struck. Frederica maintained the wall without pause, but the beam from the monstrosity had no end.
This balance relied on the [Sea of Mana]. It would break. Only a matter of time.
“H-hey… do something! I can’t hold this much longer!”
“Ray! [Holy Dragon’s Breath]!”
Pain fired a long-range glowing breath at the Demon Lord, aimed through Ray.
Yet the attack barely reduced the Demon Lord’s HP, blocked by swirling gales and unnatural hands.
[Holy Dragon’s Breath] was Ray’s greatest technique, nurtured fully by Pain. Though it reached long distance, unlike before, the damage it inflicted through Ray’s strike suggested a considerable time would pass before the attack pattern shifted through physical exhaustion.
“Lily-san!”
“Ah! I know—!”
“I’m prepared…!”
Maple relied on the two with the most powerful long-range attacks. She had endured much during the event, and now placed her hope in their overwhelming firepower to break the deadlock.
““Quick Change!””
Responding to Maple’s call, Lily and Wilbert switched their gear. Both knew the roles they were expected to fulfill.
Wilbert nocked the bowstring. His eyes—gifted with a rare sight—saw through the beam of light, the gale, and the demon hidden beneath the malformed hand.
“Frederica. Can you gather the buffs the others have cast?”
“…! Okay! Say it when you’re ready—! 【Super Multi Water Wall】【Super Multi Light Wall】!”
In the time Frederica bought, the buffs were spread. Through 【Multi-Transference】, they were poured into Wilbert.
There was only one way to stop this attack: reduce his HP. Nothing else.
“Thank you. I’ll end it with one shot. I’ll fulfill my part, as called.”
“【Royal Talent】【Tactical Guidance】【Power Beyond Reason】【Wisdom of the King’s Command】【Sacrifice of the Body】【Advice】!”
“【Berserk】【Rage】!”
“【Magic Boost】【Fire Formation】【Flame of the Fire God】!”
Each activated their maximum offensive buffs. All poured into Wilbert.
“【Item Enhancement】! Heh heh, rarely do I get to use so many at once. A grand display, indeed!”
“That’s right. Normally we have no need to boost our offense… 【Goddess of Victory】【Power of Collapse】【Ascension of the War God】【Overwhelming Violence】【Offensive Formation】! Always felt odd, though.”
From Iz’s inventory, a flood of items tumbles out—drawn down by gravity, shattering upon impact with the ground, unleashing their effects and scattering buffs across the area.
An excessive number of powerful buffs, far beyond what Yui and Mai require, yet each one rises to staggering heights, fleeting in duration but immense in power.
From Kanade’s bookshelf, a cascade of books is drawn forth, each unfolding into a magic array that activates its effect in sequence.
Though seldom used in daily practice, each possesses rare skills as if designed for players long gone—each buff’s power is immense.
"Please."
Wilbert speaks quietly. Frederica raises her staff.
"Okay...! [Song of Battle] [Euphoria]! [Hyper Multi-Boost]!...Then, please, [Multi-Teleport]!"
Frederica draws every buff she can and pours them into Wilbert.
Countless buffs overlap. Wilbert is wrapped in a seven-colored aura as he draws his bow.
[Draw Tight] [Long Range]... [Annihilation Arrow]!"
A crimson-black effect crosses the battlefield in an instant. The shot is a killing blow.
No matter how much the view is blocked, Wilbert’s arrow finds the demon's position with perfect precision. It strikes true, shattering the monstrous hand before him into fragments, piercing through the storm barrier, and embedding deep into the demon’s torso.
The abnormal surge of damage effect erupts behind him. The aberration collapses into crimson liquid. The beam Frederica had barely held steady ceases.
"Regrettable. Damage cap, then."
Wilbert speaks, watching the demon lord’s HP halt exactly at fifty percent.
The shot, blessed with unprecedented buffs through [Multiple Full Transference], had felt substantial.
It was output sufficient to reduce nearly every boss to zero HP in one strike. Given the damage inflicted thus far, the demon lord’s defense had not differed.
Yet the demon lord did not fall.
"My bow ends here. Lily, I leave the rest to you."
"Enough. I’m grateful."
Wilbert’s arrow loses significant power if it fails to fell an enemy on first strike.
They switch equipment once more. Wilbert now focuses solely on buffs.
I’m running low on mana—still, I’ll push through a little more.
Thanks! I’ll work harder for it!
Yeah, win properly, okay?
Frederica’s time under the 【Sea of Mana】 effect will end soon. After that, her ability to cast spells will be restricted. She’ll effectively withdraw from the front lines, entrusting the rest to Maple and the others.
Two fighters, incapacitated, having overcome a dire situation thanks to their reliable rear guard.
A clear cost, exchanged for the advance into the second half of the battle against the Demon King.