"Let's put as much distance between us as possible!"

"Yes!"

The third floor is a garden.

I've been here many times before, and since I have a relatively good sense of direction, I remember the route from stair to stair, but for someone else, it's a maze-like structure.

In other words, the path from one stair to another is never a straight line.

You have to turn corners repeatedly.

If they came straight down from above, they'd catch up in an instant.

"Wait, this was also a thing...!"

I wanted to sprint all the way to the second floor stairs in one go, but Alex and the others are fighting monsters.

"I'll join the fight!"

"Please!"

Refrea joined in, and the giant tree-like monster, the treant, was quickly defeated. But those few seconds of delay hurt badly.

"Refray! Alex! We're about to be caught! Watch the skies!"

The Mistbound Grand Garden was a layer perpetually shrouded in thick fog, making it difficult to spot flying monsters even if they were present. Moreover, the fog was denser in the sky than on the ground.

The Demon King should be near us by now—

"Dark Sense!"

A wave of perception cut through the mist, revealing the Demon King's position.

He's definitely targeting me. Distance: fifty meters.

"Dark Fog! Shade Shift!"

I enveloped myself in darkness to the maximum extent, and using Shade Shift, created a clone to slightly increase my evasion.

If I take even one hit from the Demon King, it's over.

We're currently five people. As a single party, we should have decent combat power.

But I have no idea how to fight a monster that flies through the sky.

The only means of attacking from the air is the Knight Bug.

Marcothias, appearing from above, flaps its wings and lets out a growl, showing no sign of descending.

In an instant—

　

'Dispel'

A sound that reverberates directly in the mind, uttered by the Demon King.

Whether due to its effect or not, my Darkness Fog and Shade Shift were transformed into shimmering spiritual energy and vanished.

"Damn it! This is magic!"

"Hikaru! Hide behind me!"

Refreia raised her massive sword and stood in front of me, shielding me.

Marcothias fluttered around twenty meters above, observing us.

We have no effective way to attack from this distance."Summon Nightbug!"

He calls forth the dark beetles, figuring they'll at least serve as a nuisance.

The demon lord pays them no mind as they swarm in, buzzing fiercely—clearly, a technique that only inflicts minimal damage is ineffective against a being of his stature.

We watch the demon's movements closely, gradually retreating toward the exit.

"Doesn't Alex have some kind of attack that could knock him down? Even a spirit spell or something?"

"That distance is tough... I can only use up to my third technique, and Kani-Bell's made of earth, so he can't fly. The guy isn't really skilled with spells either. Besides, Jardan's water-based."

"I see. Thanks—I'll handle darkness, and you'll use light. Neither of us has an effective long-range attack, though."

That means we're stuck until he comes down from above.

Shadowbind cannot be summoned into the air either.

Marquisas, flapping noisily, darts through the sky.

It's undeniable that every now and then, it growls deeply, timing its attacks.

Retreating while keeping an eye on the Demon King's movements is painfully slow, and luckily, there's no chance of meeting up with the other explorers.

Losing the horn was a regrettable mistake. If only I'd tried to pick it up immediately, things might have turned out differently—but that's all in the past now.

"Hikaru! Watch out!"

Refrea shouts in alarm.

Looking up, I see the Demon King's massive mouth opening, red and white flames forming within its maw.

"It's going to breath fire!"

That's all I can manage to warn them.

A roaring, crimson flame fills the entire field of view. It's impossible to dodge after seeing it.

In the moment I resigned myself to death—

"Water Screen!"

A barrier of water suddenly appeared, cutting off the flames.

The sound of sizzling as the fire evaporates the water echoes, but the water wall almost perfectly blocks the demon lord's breath attack. Despite his frail appearance, Jarjaridan seems to be a surprisingly skilled spirit mage.

"Saved!"

"Not yet! It's coming!"

With a powerful flap, Marcosias spreads his wings and glides through the air, charging straight toward us.

"Refleia!"

"Got it!"

Using Dark Fog against an opponent descending from above is difficult—especially when deploying it offensively.

But with Reflair's technique,

"Light!"

A blinding light sphere erupted directly in front of the enemy charging straight at them, searing the demon king's eyes.

Overwhelmed and disoriented, the demon king crashed dramatically into the garden bed, shattering it violently before sliding across the ground.

Regardless, this was an unprecedented opportunity.

"Now! Finish him!"

"Ooooh!"

Reflair, Alex, and Cannibal surged forward toward the demon king.

"Ooooooh! Take this!"

Alex's spear struck the demon king just as—

once again, a voice echoed directly inside their mind.

'Fear'

An invisible wave shot from the demon king, and since they were already leaning forward, they had no chance to defend themselves and were hit head-on.

Something pierces through their entire body.

"……Gh! W-what's this?"

Suddenly, the demon lord before them feels overwhelmingly terrifying, their knees buckle, and all strength drains from their body in fear.

Reflare, Alex, Canibell, and Jajardan all collapse to their knees, utterly unable to fight.

Fear.

In other words, this is a spell of terror.

"Damn it! Damn it! Move! Move, damn it!"

"This was our chance...!"

Reflare and the others also seem paralyzed, unable to move.

A technique that spreads terror throughout the entire area—no wonder they're called demons.

This is extremely bad. The words "total annihilation" flash through their minds.

"Darkness Fog... Shadow Bind...!"

I summoned all my strength and enveloped everyone, including the Demon King, in darkness.

Using Shadow Bind, I immobilized the Demon King.

I had to buy even a little time.

"Everyone...! Retreat for now...!"

I manipulated Dark Fog, securing a path for everyone to retreat.

Fortunately, Malcosias doesn't seem to have night vision, just circling around aimlessly, scanning the surroundings.

After a while, the spell's effect began to fade, and I could feel strength returning to my legs.

　

"Alex! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah... I can hear you... What the hell was that just now?"

"Some kind of spell that binds the heart with fear. Anyway, I'll hold him here! You all go get help! We can't survive if we stay here alone!"

"Is Hikaru going to be okay...!? You're the only ones left!"

"We'll figure it out! I'm counting on you!"

"Got it! Don't you dare die!"

Alex and the others rushed off together.

It's impossible to escape together now. Someone has to hold them back, or we'll be overwhelmed from behind.

We have no choice but to bring help from here.

(From the Demon King, there's no escaping—right?)