We had several battles with monsters along the way, but managed to reach the entrance relatively quickly.

　...It had already turned into hell.

(Only Alex and his group seem to still be fighting...!)

　

From what we could see, the warriors who had originally guarded the entrance were wounded and had retreated all the way to the stairs—apparently already out of the fight.

The water elementalists, Jajarudan and the others, were desperately casting healing spells, but they could only manage to keep the wounded alive at best.

Just before the stairs leading to the second floor, a boy resembling a porter was blowing a horn, sniffling and nearly in tears.

The Demon King is barely holding Alex and Canibale at bay.

But why has the Demon King come this way?

Whether it was due to an innate tendency to want to escape the labyrinth, or simply because they were chasing after Alex and the others.

"Reflia. The basic plan is the same as before—once I stop the demon lord's movements in the darkness, you use Dispel, then switch to light, and attack only during the brief window when the spell is effective. Got it?"

"Yeah, but will that actually defeat him?"

"Ah, forget about that ratings race nonsense. Whether we can defeat him doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is surviving."

"Really?"

"That's always been the case. Nothing's more important than staying alive. Reflia, go meet up with Alex and the others, and teach them the attack strategy. I'll be moving alone."

"Got it! Be careful, Hikaru!"

Reflia rejoins Alex and the others.

I draw my short sword and join the fight.

"Alex, I'm coming to help! Darkness Fog!"

Alex and I are positioned on opposite sides of the Demon King.

While a pincer attack would be effective, we're more focused on buying time than dealing damage.

If we can hold the Demon King at bay until the other exploration parties scattered across the third layer arrive after hearing the horn call, that'll be perfect. The horn's melody is terrible, but if you listen closely, you can tell it's coming from near the entrance.

It'd be ideal if the first-wave party arrives while we're stalling.

The Demon King, Malcosias, floundering in the darkness.

Prior to this, Reflea had circled around the outside of the Darkness Fog and joined up with Alex.

"Summon Knight Bug! Phantom Warrior! Shadow Bind!"

None of these attacks do much damage, but that's precisely what makes them useful—each one buys us time.

Even with insufficient firepower, there are still ways to handle it.

By this time, Alex and the others should have regrouped and recovered.

The Demon King lets out a low growl from within the darkness.

He seems cautious, wary of attacks coming from unseen places, carefully advancing step by step.

This buys us some crucial time.

I keep expanding my reach into the darkness and join up with Alex and Canibale.

I asked the question I needed to confirm.

"Hey, can I talk for a sec?"

"Whoa! Scared me! That voice—Hikaru? Damn, that's impressive. That's the dark spirit magic, right?"

"Yeah. But more importantly, wasn't the Demon King supposed to be unable to shift between levels quickly? If he ran to the second floor, he'd be stuck here, right?"

According to earlier information, the Demon King was supposed to take time to move between levels.

In other words, if we all retreat to the second floor, the Demon King shouldn't be able to come after us... that's the idea.

"Ah, what was it again? Kanibar."

"Yeah, I've never seen it myself, but it seems impossible. If there are only monsters around, the Demon King feeds on them and builds up strength before ascending. But in this situation, he's just going to come straight up."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. If we retreat and end up losing, and the Demon King comes out onto the surface, we'll all be in serious trouble—probably executed. So, it's extremely dangerous, but we've got no choice but to hold him here."

Kanibar, the redhead, answered the question.

It seems, after all, that "we can't escape from the Demon King."

　

"What if we slowly retreat?"

"Isn't it going to evolve if I raise it up?"

"Evolve... really? Even without gathering power?"

"Apparently it's due to the Demon King, but one thing's for sure—raising it up only increases chaos. It's bad enough already; I don't need any more of that."

The situation is undeniably dire, but not hopeless. Once the sound of the horn reaches them, the party scattered across the three levels should arrive soon, and if we buy enough time, even the first-half group will catch up.

I parted ways with the Crabvile group, just in time to see the Bind effect fade, and cast Shadow Bind on the Demon King once more.

Even a brief bind can buy precious time.

Phantom Warriors and Knight Bugs aren't bad either.

Though they're just disruptive spells, they're perfect for holding him back.

And I myself have grown accustomed to the Demon King's movements.

When trapped in darkness, he initially wanders aimlessly, searching for prey. Once he realizes it's futile, he dispels the spell.

That's the basic pattern for now.

"Light!"

Reflair launches her Light spell precisely at the moment the darkness vanishes.

The blinding attack, striking the dilated pupils at maximum intensity in the pitch-black darkness, is effective even against the Demon King, rendering him nearly powerless for over ten seconds.

A coordinated assault by Reflair, Alex, and Cannibal.

(Still tough, huh!)

Even without Reflair's strength, Alex and Cannibal's weapons are large, and with their sturdy builds, their attacks pack considerable force.

Moreover, the first two attacks could be landed almost without defense. Yet, they are still far from delivering a fatal blow.

The attacks themselves are getting through. Repeating them enough times will eventually bring it down, but the problem lies in Refirea's spirit power. Likely, Light's spell can't be used again.

Since I've already borrowed points, I can't exchange for a spirit power potion.

After that, I'll send it back into darkness with Darkness Fog, then launch a simultaneous attack from Light once it's dispelled. This could be called the winning strategy of darkness and light.

However, this tactic has three flaws.

First, there's the risk that the Fear spell might stun everyone nearby.

Second, the combo is only effective until Refirea's spirit power runs out.

And finally, here's the last one.

"Gwaaaoouun!"

The demon, unfazed even in the darkness, spread its wings and floated upward into the sky.

Against the demons soaring through the air, there was no way for them to land a solid blow.

"Everyone! Watch out for the Fire Breath and the aerial charge!"

"Got it!"

"We know! Be careful, Hikaru!"

Alex and the others were surprisingly well-trained.

With the support of spirit magic, they should be able to dodge the charge.

The real problem was the Fire Breath.

"Jajardan! If you see the Fire Breath coming, put up a shield for me! Can you do it?"

"Uhh... yeah. Alex gave me a spirit potion, so I should be able to hold it up about five times!"

Jajarudan had once successfully defended against a Fire Breath using magic. Though that maneuver seemed difficult to time, the fact that it was possible showed he was a surprisingly skilled mage despite his unimpressive appearance.

While Fire Breath is just one of many attack methods, being able to counter even that single technique is extremely important in battle.