Nao’s POV:
As soon as I stepped into the dungeon boss room, a chilling scene unfolded before .
Julius, my team, and I all froze for a brief mont, shocked by the sight before us.
Cain—the prodigy of the Flamore family, the so-called hero—stood at the frontlines, his left arm severed, yet he still fought relentlessly against the demonic warrior cloaked in molten magma.
Not far from him, Kael, Freya, and Professor Alden lay sprawled across the ground, battered and bloodied. Their armor was shattered in several places, exposing their wounded bodies.
It was clear that Kael had taken the brunt of the damage. He had shielded Freya and Professor Alden with his own body, absorbing the worst of the attacks. Even now, Alden was frantically casting [Heal], desperately trying to nd their injuries.
I shouted their nas, my voice ringing through the battlefield. My team did the sa, but they were too disoriented, too panicked to hear us.
Then—
The demonic woman, perched atop a massive beast, raised her hand and began chanting. A sinister glow coalesced at her fingertips, forming a deadly spell aid directly at Freya.
A sudden voice scread inside my mind.
"Nao! This is bad! Those two are Demon Warlords! We need to save them NOW!"
It was Envi, my ever-watchful companion, sounding more panicked than I had ever heard before.
"What?! Demon Warlords?! Just like Norx—the one we barely managed to defeat?!"
I instantly activated my status-checking ability, and what I saw made my breath hitch.
[Vorx, The Labyrinth Lord – Level 85]
[Zorx, The Apocalypse Inferno – Level 85]
[Valg, The Ti-Cursed Emperor – Level 80 (Controlled by Demon)]
"This is insane. A dungeon boss being controlled by demons?!" Envi muttered in disbelief.
I clenched my jaw.
"It’s not impossible. We’ve seen this before—with Canis. The demons controlled him too."
I forced myself to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help anyone.
Then, Vorx launched an invisible attack straight at Freya.
But I saw it.
My [Eclipse Eyes] detected the distortion in space, revealing the shape of her attack.
Without hesitation, I sprinted toward Freya at full speed.
"FREYA!!"
She turned, her eyes widening in shock at my sudden appearance.
[Blackmore Katana Style: Yanagi Uke!]
I channeled Dark Magic through my katana, deflecting Vorx’s attack in an instant. The redirected slash hurtled toward Zorx, striking him mid-battle and forcing him back.
A stunned silence followed.
Everyone’s eyes snapped to , their expressions a mixture of shock and relief.
I caught Freya just as she nearly collapsed, barely able to stand from exhaustion. Holding her steady, I looked into her weary eyes.
"Are you alright, Freya?" I asked, my voice softer than usual.
She trembled slightly but quickly wiped away her forming tears. Determined as ever, she tightened her grip on her sword and stood up once more.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
This is the Freya I know. No matter how many tis she falls, she always gets back up.
Then I turned to Cain.
"Cain! Your arm—are you—"
"DON’T INTERRUPT MY FIGHT, DAMN IT!!"
Cain snapped at , his blade pointing directly at my face.
Despite losing an arm, he refused to back down, his eyes burning with unrelenting fury.
I let out a sigh.
This battle-maniac... Even like this, he’s still being stubborn.
I let it go. If he could still yell at like that, he was fine.
Just then, my team rushed into the chamber—Julius, Marius, Alia, Leopold, Luna, Termina, and the class 3-C squad leaders. Their expressions darkened as they took in the brutal battlefield.
Lyra was the first to move.
"FREYA!!"
She ran straight to her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"You’re hurt! Let heal you!"
Turning to Professor Alden, she quickly joined in.
"[Support Magic: Area Healing!]"
A soft, golden light spread out in a wide circle, enveloping Freya, Kael, and Alden in its warmth. Their wounds began to nd, their breathing stabilizing.
Freya looked at her friend in awe.
"Lyra... Thank you. I didn’t expect to see you here."
Lyra gave her a reassuring smile.
"It doesn’t matter, Freya. The important thing is that you’re still alive. That’s all that matters to ."
She gently placed a hand over Freya’s.
"You’re my most precious friend. Just seeing you again... It’s enough to erase all my worries. So stay still and let heal you, okay?"
Freya’s eyes softened. A small, genuine smile returned to her face.
Now that everyone was in better shape, I began strategizing.
With Envi’s assistance, we assessed the battlefield and prepared our battle formations.
I turned to my allies.
"Alright, here’s the plan."
"I, Marius, Luna, Alia, Freya, Lyra, and Hendrik’s team will fight Vorx and the dungeon boss."
"Julius, Termina, Leopold, Kael, Professor Alden, and Erin’s team will handle Zorx."
Everyone nodded, understanding imdiately.
As we took our positions, Vorx clicked her tongue in irritation, her mana flaring like a violent storm.
"Filthy humans... You just keep multiplying like cockroaches!"
She commanded the dungeon boss, launching a powerful attack toward us.
Marius stepped forward.
"[Tank Skill: Warcry!]"
His booming voice and overwhelming presence drew the boss’ attention, successfully separating it from Zorx.
Vorx then attempted to crush us with [Spatial Smash], but I deflected it once again.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You... You can SEE my attacks?!"
I smirked.
"Too obvious. Try harder."
Her rage intensified, and she imdiately focused her attacks on and Marius.
anwhile, Zorx attempted to chase after us, but Cain blocked his path.
Julius and the others joined him, forming a battle formation around Zorx.
"I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP!!" Cain roared, visibly irritated.
Julius, unfazed, calmly responded.
"This isn’t about helping you. We all want to kill this demon. Besides—" He smirked. "You and Nao made a bet, right? First one to take down their target wins. What, are you going to lose?"
Cain’s face darkened.
"Tch... DAMN IT! FINE!"
Despite his grumbling, he accepted their aid, finally allowing true coordination to take place.
With the teams now properly ford, the battle truly began.
...
Marius and I successfully separated Vorx and the dungeon boss from Zorx, drawing their attention toward us. The battlefield churned with energy, the air thick with the scent of scorched earth and the echoes of clashing steel. Every move mattered, every second dictated the outco of the battle.
As we maneuvered with precision, Lyra raised her staff, her voice cutting through the chaos with unwavering resolve—
"[Support Magic: Booster!] [Support Magic: Haste!]"
A brilliant golden aura enveloped our team, amplifying our strength and speed. My limbs felt lighter, my reactions sharper. This was the edge we needed.
With the buffs in place, Leopold, Freya, Luna, and Alia seized the opportunity to strike at Vorx, who was now locked onto , her demonic gaze burning with rage and amusent in equal asure.
"Freya! Leopold! Now!"
The two nodded, their coordination flawless, as they surged forward with synchronized precision.
"[Flamore Swordsmanship: Flare Strike!]"
Twin arcs of molten fire carved through the battlefield, their combined flas roaring like a dragon’s breath as they shot toward Vorx. The sheer intensity of the attack warped the air, a burning wave of destruction aid straight at the Demon Warlord.
At the sa mont, Alia stepped forward, gripping her staff tightly, her expression serene yet commanding.
"[Divine Magic: Holy Light!]"
A radiant surge of divine energy exploded forth, its holy brilliance a natural counter to Vorx’s demonic nature. The golden radiance clashed against the darkness, illuminating the battlefield in a blinding spectacle of raw magic.
Vorx clicked her tongue, her lips twisting into an irritated scowl. Her body tensed before she abruptly leaped into the air, soaring gracefully to avoid the divine light.
Then—
SHIIING!
An invisible, prismatic barrier flared to life before her, an intricate, multi-faceted shield that shimred in the dim light.
"[Defense Prism!]"
The fiery wave struck the barrier, but instead of shattering, the flas were swallowed whole, vanishing as if consud by an abyssal void. Alia’s divine radiance fared no better, breaking apart against the iridescent wall like water against stone.
But Vorx had made a mistake.
She had jumped.
And that ant she had lost sight of the dungeon boss.
"Luna, Hendrik, now!"
From the shifting shadows beneath the towering beast, Luna erged like a specter, her twin blades glinting with raw solar energy.
"[Solarblade Swordsmanship: Twin Sunfall!]"
Her swords arced in a blinding dance, the concentrated solar energy compacted into a single, precise detonation.
Hendrik and his team also launched their attacks focusing on the dungeon boss’s left leg.
BOOM!
The attack struck true, exploding against the dungeon boss’s legs. A guttural roar tore through the battlefield as the beast staggered, its colossal form shaking the ground beneath us. Its knee buckled, the force of Luna’s strike forcing it down in a mont of vulnerability.
Vorx’s crimson eyes widened, her once assured smirk faltering.
She had no foothold left.
Suspended in mid-air, her commanding presence was now a liability.
This was the mont I had been waiting for.
"[Kasoseki!]"
The battlefield blurred as I moved, my body vanishing from one position and reappearing closer in the blink of an eye. The wind howled around , my speed amplified beyond human limits.
"Too slow, Vorx!"
My katana glead with darkness, wreathed in crackling black lightning as I swung with lethal precision—
"[Blackmore Katana Style: Inazuma!] (Dark Magic Version)"
A single Iaijutsu slash carved through the air, a strike imbued with condensed darkness aid straight at Vorx’s barrier.
CRACK!
The shimring prism shattered instantly, unable to withstand the overwhelming force of my attack.
"AGH—!"
Vorx’s body was flung backward, her trajectory carrying her far away from the dungeon boss and her forr position of dominance. She crashed into the broken battlefield, a cloud of dust and debris billowing around her impact.
Exactly as planned.
I landed gracefully, my breath steady, my focus absolute. My katana pulsed with dark energy, its edge pointed directly at the fallen Demon Warlord.
"You’re mine, Vorx."
The dust settled, revealing her struggling form, her crimson gaze now filled with unmasked fury.
anwhile, behind , Alia, Lyra, Luna, Leopold, Marius, and Hendrik’s team surrounded the weakened dungeon boss. The tide of battle had shifted. What was once a chaotic skirmish had now transford into a calculated execution.
I took a step forward, my blade humming with anticipation.
"I’ll end this quickly," I declared, my eyes locking onto Vorx’s defiant stare.
The battle was far from over—but for Vorx, it was only a matter of ti before the end ca.
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