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Defense Specialization and the Castle in the Clouds Part 3

“Phew, no sign of Maple…”

Maple trudged through the rain-soaked floor, her footsteps creating splashes as she walked. Despite descending several flights of stairs, there was no trace of Maple.

Optimizing her movement, Maple used “Poison Split Body” to flood her path with poison, filling the floor with lethal toxins. The sound of her steps splashing through the water was mixed with the dripping of poison.

Unlike “Poison Dragon”, once “Poison Split Body” was summoned, it continuously released poison without using MP. The water on the floor spread the deadly poison across the entire floor.

With the area now a death zone of poisonous water, Maple leisurely walked with her umbrella. Any monster that appeared succumbed to the poison before it could pose any threat.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm… Oh?”

Humming as she enjoyed the rain, Maple found another staircase leading down. She closed her umbrella and descended, only to find a large door before her.

“Huh…?”

It was unmistakably a boss room door. Realizing she had found the boss room before reuniting with Sally, Maple pondered her next move.

“We entered the dungeon together… I could fight alone, but…”

Without Sally, her mobility and versatility were significantly reduced. Facing a high-defense enemy alone posed additional challenges. Maple decided to check her map for any missed connections.

“Ah!”

She noticed that the messaging function was now enabled. Concluding that reaching the boss room must have lifted the communication ban, she quickly sent a message to Sally explaining her situation.

“It went through! But if Sally’s debuff is still active, she might not reply…”

If Sally could reply, she would. Maple decided to wait and pulled out a chair and table from her inventory, sitting down to enjoy some sweets.

“Anyone want to join?”

Setting out more chairs for her summoned allies, Maple passed the time relaxing.

Sally’s Perspective

Meanwhile, separated from Maple, Sally was also making her way through the dungeon. Thoroughly exploring her floor, she confirmed the only path forward led up.

“Maple will be fine. I just need to make sure I don’t lose.”

Sally, confident in Maple’s abilities, focused on her own task. She navigated carefully, eliminating any monsters she encountered.

Sally’s exploration revealed no other paths but upwards. She pressed on, handling each enemy with precision and efficiency.

“The segmented floors are worrying… but wandering around won’t help us meet…”

Thinking strategically, Sally cut down any threats and continued her ascent.

Reuniting for the Boss Battle

After some time, the sound of a message notification interrupted Maple’s wait. She quickly checked the message.

“Yes! It’s from Sally… Hmm, I see.”

Sally’s message explained her situation: the only path was up, she had reached the boss room, and it seemed like the dungeon was designed to split their party, each facing a boss alone.

With no option to reunite, Maple knew what she had to do: defeat the boss and meet Sally outside the dungeon. She replied, promising to win, then put away her chair and table, ready to face the boss.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

She opened the large door and stepped into the dimly lit room. It was a vast space, clearly designed for a boss battle. As she moved forward, the door closed behind her, triggering the room to come to life.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the room and revealing a throne at the far end. Seated on the throne was a massive, white-armored king with a crown and a majestic beard. The king’s size dwarfed Maple, and his presence was imposing.

Understanding this was the boss, Maple readied her weapon as the king’s eyes opened, glowing red.

“…Eliminate the intruder!”

His deep voice echoed as the floor before him transformed into soft clouds, from which large armored knights emerged, wielding various weapons.

“…!”

Feeling the tension in the air, Maple focused on the weapons they carried. Whether they could harm her or not would dictate her strategy.

“”Reverse Rebirth”!”

Against the white knights, black shadows spread from Maple’s feet. She summoned fish, “Predator”, and “Poison Split Body” into monstrous forms.

“Over here!”

Calling some of the monsters to her, Maple hid within their protective embrace. The grotesque forms tangled together, creating a barrier around her. Even without “Self-Offering Love”, the high performance of these rare skills combined with “Afterglow of Salvation”’s healing and damage reduction held the line against the boss’s knights.

“”Inspire”! Go for it!”

Encouraging her monstrous allies, they tore through the knights and advanced towards the boss. Watching the battle from within her protective sphere, Maple saw her allies trading blows with the boss effectively.

“Just a bit more… Everyone, advance!”

As the monstrosities pushed forward, lightning struck them down one by one. The moment the frontline creatures fell, Maple emerged from her cocoon.

“”Commence Attack”!”

Launching herself like a missile, Maple flew straight at the boss, mimicking her earlier self-destructive flight with even greater precision and power.

“”Earth’s Cradle”!”

Landing before the throne, she disappeared into the ground, preparing a devastating burst attack.

“Take this!”

Emerging, she unleashed a barrage of skills: “Extermination Field”, “Oozing Chaos”, “Poison Dragon”, “Machine God”, and “Demon King’s Power”. With a final “Devour” from “Invitation to the Ocean Floor”, she exposed the boss’s core.

“”Break Core”!”

Despite being unable to move afterward, Maple’s barrage had dealt a tremendous blow. The resulting explosion lit up the room, creating an artificial sun.

When the noise subsided, the red glow in the king’s eyes had faded. Leaning against the throne, he looked at Maple with a peaceful gaze.

“You have cleansed the evil within me… I thank you.”

Relieved at her success, Maple straightened up.

“Oh, no problem! Are you alright?”

“Please, save my queen as well…”

Understanding that Sally was likely fighting the queen, Maple nodded.

“Understood!”

“Good luck…”

With that, the king closed his eyes, resting. A black fragment descended before Maple, who picked it up. It was labeled ‘Demon King’s Power Fragment,’ with a description indicating it combined with another fragment to form the complete item.

“This is the one we needed… Oh, a magic circle!”

A return magic circle appeared, indicating she should use it. Maple stepped onto the circle, and the familiar glow of teleportation surrounded her.

Reuniting with Sally

Opening her eyes, Maple found herself back at the corridor where they had been separated. The castle entrance was visible, indicating they had cleared the dungeon.

“Phew, I need to wait for Sally…”

“Who are you waiting for?”

“Eh? Ah!?”

“Good job, Maple. Looks like you won.”

The familiar voice made Maple turn. Sally was there, waving with a smile.

“Wow! As expected of you, Sally! I thought I was quick, but you were even faster…”

Maple had used all her skills for a short-term blitz, knowing Sally’s capabilities but still surprised by her speed.

“Just lucky. It was a heavily armored enemy, so I could do as I pleased.”

“Good thing I didn’t get that one…”

Armored enemies were tougher for Maple compared to relentless attackers.

“Hey, you got the fragment, right?”

“Yep! Here it is… Alright!”

Bringing the two ‘Demon King’s Power Fragments’ together, they combined into ‘Demon King’s Power IV.’

“Yes! We did it! We’ve cleared the cloud labyrinth.”

“Next is… Ah…”

“Yeah, unfortunately, the Sixth Floor…”

“Well, leave it to me! We’ll clear it for sure!”

“Yeah…”

Despite the ominous nature of the next floor, Maple and Sally were ready. They left the castle, celebrating their success on the Fifth Floor.