Sou, in his Maple form, caught the blazing black flames.
The cooldown of [Mimic] is long and there is no way to use it twice in a single battle, but in a game where skills are as important as this one, there aren’t many abilities that are as powerful as [Mimic].
“We’ll keep the boss in check from a distance.” Kanade said.
“Thanks, Kanade!” Maple replied.
With the help of Sou’s [Dedicated Affection], everyone was able to escape from the burning ground area.
Then, Kanade started firing one spell after another, while Sou used [Machine God] and [Ancient Weapon] to attack.
Furthermore, Sou also shot everything it could at the boss, including [Poison Dragon] and [Seeping Chaos].
Those skills will become unusable once [Mimic] runs out anyways, so there’s no reason to hold back on using them.
Even if the attacks were getting blocked by barriers, some damage still got through, and they were also able to stop the boss from delivering any follow up attacks in the meantime.
Sou’s [Mimic] ended shortly after that, but it was still able to perfectly fulfill its role.
“Is there anything convenient that you can use in your magic tome? Maybe a good defensive spell?” Iz asked.
“I’ll prioritize protecting Mai and Yui. Can you all handle yourselves with some damage reduction?” Maple asked back.
“Alright. You can count on us.” Kanade nodded.
Kasumi, Iz and Kanade should be able to handle some attacks if their defense is raised enough.
Even if they don’t prevent the damage in its entirety, they should still be able to manage it with recovery spells.
“If things go wrong, use the remaining skills in the order that we planned.” Maple told them.
“Got it.” All three replied.
An attack that hits a humongous area like the last one cannot be handled without an equally strong defensive skill.
The number of trump cards that they can use is limited though, so they must be careful with their activations.
“Then, let’s start with, [Afterglow of Salvation]!” Maple exclaimed.
Four white wings extended from Maple’s back. It was a defensive skill that wasn’t canceled by the boss at the start of the battle because it wasn’t used in the first place.
For Chrome and the others who are going to be fighting with the expectation of taking damage, this kind of buff that increases their durability is quite welcomed.
And now, the second round of the fight was restarting.
The boss held long flaming spears in its hands and swooped down while approaching Maple and the others.
“[Tenth of the Swords: Adamantine]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Maple and Chrome had no choice but to step back to protect the rearguard.
It was Kasumi’s role to go to the vanguard and stop the boss’ charge.
So, with her own skills and Maple’s buff, she started a close quarters battle with the boss.
The boss had two spears, while Kasumi had three swords.
She used her highly mobile Bewitched Sword to handle the flaming spears, then used her [Arms of the Warrior] to strike back while minimizing the damage she took.
It looked like they were evenly matched… But they weren’t. The boss had a slight upper hand. Even with her damage reduction, she was still losing.
The enemy was a boss after all. Not only does it have stats and HP that are much higher than a player’s, but it was also surrounded by flames that dealt continuous damage to surrounding players.
Moreover, it also had barriers that nullified some of the damage it would take.
It’s just impossible to beat it in one-on-one combat.
“Fay, [Item Enhancement]!” Iz exclaimed.
“[Heal]!” Kanade exclaimed.
A green mist was spread on the area with a rustling sound.
Continuous recovery from Iz’s items and Kanade’s spell put Kasumi back to a safe health range.
However, a light was suddenly emitted below the feet of the eight players.
It was obvious that this indicated that an ultra-wide area attack was coming next.
Chrome immediately realized that it would be impossible to defend against it in time, so he made eye contact with Sally instead of with Maple.
“[Flash Flood]!” Sally exclaimed.
A torrent instantly appeared near the rear of the team, sweeping everyone who was fighting away from the area.
A moment after they left it, a pillar of fire that rose high up in the skies appeared in that place, barely missing the eight players.
However, the boss’ pursuit wasn’t stopping.
Flaming spears started raining down from the skies.
Moreover, the ground began to emit light in multiple spots.
The area of those was smaller, so it seemed like the boss was preparing to summon multiple fire pillars at once.
“You’re really getting serious now…!” Maple said.
It’s at times like these that everyone could realize how strong the combo of Maple’s high defensive power and [Dedicated Affection] was.
However, they couldn’t do anything about not having the skill available.
With this many attacks restricting their movements, it was hard to create a situation where they could defeat the boss while also protecting Kanade, Iz, Mai and Yui.
Maple and Chrome could use Iz’s barricade to solidify their defense, but without mobility they couldn’t create an opportunity to let Mai and Yui deliver a blow that dealt fatal damage. Right now they could only do their best to defend themselves.
“Sally, can you shave the boss’ HP off somehow? It’s too tough to move like this!” Maple asked.
“You can count on me! I can dodge this much!” Sally replied.
“Good luck, Sally!” Maple told her.
Against this high density of attacks, they had no choice but to leave it up to the two people with high AGI.
Maple and the others were enduring for now, hoping that a change in the boss’ HP would lead to a change in attack patterns.
If that lead to the boss getting even more aggressive though, then Maple might get quite angry.
Nonetheless, with Mai and Yui unable to one-shot the boss, their only option was to withstand its attacks until they got a chance to deliver massive damage.
So, Sally trusted Maple and Chrome to take care of the defense, then stepped into the frontlines together with Kasumi.
“I’ll leave the damage to you!” Sally exclaimed.
“I’m on it!” Kasumi replied.
Sally transformed her weapon into a bow and started shooting at the boss as it flew around in high speed.
Her evasion was still as good as ever, so she was able to move at a speed that matched the boss’ while also removing its barriers.
With her new unique items, Sally could now use long-range attacks that didn’t depend on magic. Like this, she was able to create a truly transformative fighting style that easily adapted to any situation. It really showed how skilled she was.
Even if a difficult to dodge attack got close to her, she could still change her weapon into a large shield to block it.
And well, the more the boss aimed at Sally, the easier it would be for the other seven to handle the leftover boss attacks.
Of course, Sally’s HP wasn’t large, so she could be one-shotted by the boss, but everyone had tremendous confidence in Sally and were sure that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.
“[First of the Swords: Heat Haze]! [Third of the Swords: Lonely Moon]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
She jumped to make use of the opportunities that Sally created.
It didn’t matter how fast the boss was. For as long as it was within her range, she could teleport to it.
So, she teleported high up in the air and delivered her attack.
When the boss started flying towards Sally, Kasumi forced it to change directions by delivering a blow at the boss’ back.
However, as Kasumi couldn’t fly, she would start free falling once she got away from the boss.
“Kasumi, use this!” Sally exclaimed.
“You saved me! [Fourth of the Swords: Whirlwind]!” Kasumi replied.
Nonetheless, with teamwork, the two of them could handle it.
Kasumi landed on the platform that Sally created by using [One Step Towards the Underworld], then rose high up in the air again by using [Leap].
She chased after the boss and unleashed a series of attacks that pierced its defensive barriers and caused damage.
“[Water Path]! [Icicle]!” Sally exclaimed.
Sally then caught up with Kasumi by swimming through the waterway that flew high up in the air.
After that, she stretched her threads towards Kasumi to help her maneuver.
Even if Kasumi couldn’t use [Leap], Sally could still pull her with her threads.
So, Kasumi was quickly moved to the front of the boss again, where she readied her sword.
They already forcefully broke through the flame rain with the help of Maple’s defensive skills, so all that was left was to perform a big move.
However, Kasumi frowned once she saw the boss’ barrier reappear.
But as soon as the barrier had reappeared, as if she had predicted this timing, one of Sally’s arrow flew at the boss and broke the barrier.
“You’re welcome, now take care of the rest.” Sally told her.
“[Last of the Swords: Hazy Moon]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Making use of the opportunity that Sally created by perfectly predicting when the barrier would respawn, Kasumi moved forward while ignoring the damage caused by the boss’ flame aura.
Kasumi, with her hair dyed white, delivered twelve consecutive attacks at the boss.
Each sword slash was heavy and sharp. Even if her HP was also being whittled by the boss’ flaming spear, she kept on damaging the boss with her attacks.
As soon as the twelve consecutive attacks ended, Sally one again created a foothold in the air for Kasumi, who immediately used it to jump and position herself diagonally upwards of the boss.
“[Seventh of the Swords: Crush]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Her blow landed on the boss’ shoulder and sent it flying towards the ground.
This not only created enough distance to let her recover, but also created a setup for their main attackers, who had been waiting for this kind of opportunity for quite a while now.
“I’m counting on you!” Kasumi exclaimed.
“Our turn now!” Mai and Yui replied.
Kanade’s barricade and Iz’s items blocked the flames that were falling from the skies. Maple and Chrome blocked the flames that the boss shot directly at them.
The twins had kept close to the boss as it moved around all this time, just waiting for this moment.
“[Flying Attack]!” They exclaimed in unison.
A large area shockwave was unleashed, leaving no way for the boss to escape it.
Kasumi’s twelve consecutive attacks were quickly followed by the twins’ sixteen consecutive attacks.
The ferocious series of attacks greatly reduced the boss’ HP and sent it flying past the flaming wall.
Maple and the others confirmed that the boss still had some HP left though.
“… Time for the final part then. Making this room wider was worthwhile after all.” The boss’ voice echoed mysteriously throughout the room.
Then, a giant black dragon head came out of the flame wall.
Immediately after that, feet with sharp claws and sturdy wings came next.
The boss had now taken the form of a giant dragon. It made full use of the expanded room space to soar high in the sky with its huge body.
Then, its roar shook the air, destroying the [Icicles] that Sally had generated, as well as the barricades that Iz and Kanade had set up.
The boss opened its giant mouth wide open.
Everyone saw the flames that were about to overflow from it and immediately understood what was about to happen.
“Maple, please!” Chrome asked her.
“[Quick Change]!” Maple exclaimed.
“[Heal]!” Sally and Kanade exclaimed.
With the equipment change, Maple wore a pure white armor.
Sally and Kanade immediately recovered her increased HP.
And then, the boss’ scorching breath was about to come out, threatening to turn the entire room into a sea of fire.
Destructive power that exceeds a certain threshold cannot be dealt with by ordinary methods.
One needs to be unreasonable to handle unreasonable things.
So, Maple used a trump card that was not bound by conventional limitations, “[Aegis]!”
The overflowing light created a dome that enveloped the eight players and protected them from the scorching flames.
A wide range invincibility effect. Maple’s most powerful defensive skill nullified the boss’ deadly blow.
The battle was now at its final stage, and it was clear that this was not an opponent where they could afford making any mistakes against if they wanted to win.
“Maintain your focus. Don’t get reckless now, Maple.” Chrome told her.
“You can count on me!” She replied.
They just needed one more push. The eight players readied their weapons as they stared at the boss who had transformed into a giant dragon.
Sou, in his Maple form, caught the blazing black flames.
The cooldown of [Mimic] is long and there is no way to use it twice in a single battle, but in a game where skills are as important as this one, there aren’t many abilities that are as powerful as [Mimic].
“We’ll keep the boss in check from a distance.” Kanade said.
“Thanks, Kanade!” Maple replied.
With the help of Sou’s [Dedicated Affection], everyone was able to escape from the burning ground area.
Then, Kanade started firing one spell after another, while Sou used [Machine God] and [Ancient Weapon] to attack.
Furthermore, Sou also shot everything it could at the boss, including [Poison Dragon] and [Seeping Chaos].
Those skills will become unusable once [Mimic] runs out anyways, so there’s no reason to hold back on using them.
Even if the attacks were getting blocked by barriers, some damage still got through, and they were also able to stop the boss from delivering any follow up attacks in the meantime.
Sou’s [Mimic] ended shortly after that, but it was still able to perfectly fulfill its role.
“Is there anything convenient that you can use in your magic tome? Maybe a good defensive spell?” Iz asked.
“I’ll prioritize protecting Mai and Yui. Can you all handle yourselves with some damage reduction?” Maple asked back.
“Alright. You can count on us.” Kanade nodded.
Kasumi, Iz and Kanade should be able to handle some attacks if their defense is raised enough.
Even if they don’t prevent the damage in its entirety, they should still be able to manage it with recovery spells.
“If things go wrong, use the remaining skills in the order that we planned.” Maple told them.
“Got it.” All three replied.
An attack that hits a humongous area like the last one cannot be handled without an equally strong defensive skill.
The number of trump cards that they can use is limited though, so they must be careful with their activations.
“Then, let’s start with, [Afterglow of Salvation]!” Maple exclaimed.
Four white wings extended from Maple’s back. It was a defensive skill that wasn’t canceled by the boss at the start of the battle because it wasn’t used in the first place.
For Chrome and the others who are going to be fighting with the expectation of taking damage, this kind of buff that increases their durability is quite welcomed.
And now, the second round of the fight was restarting.
The boss held long flaming spears in its hands and swooped down while approaching Maple and the others.
“[Tenth of the Swords: Adamantine]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Maple and Chrome had no choice but to step back to protect the rearguard.
It was Kasumi’s role to go to the vanguard and stop the boss’ charge.
So, with her own skills and Maple’s buff, she started a close quarters battle with the boss.
The boss had two spears, while Kasumi had three swords.
She used her highly mobile Bewitched Sword to handle the flaming spears, then used her [Arms of the Warrior] to strike back while minimizing the damage she took.
It looked like they were evenly matched… But they weren’t. The boss had a slight upper hand. Even with her damage reduction, she was still losing.
The enemy was a boss after all. Not only does it have stats and HP that are much higher than a player’s, but it was also surrounded by flames that dealt continuous damage to surrounding players.
Moreover, it also had barriers that nullified some of the damage it would take.
It’s just impossible to beat it in one-on-one combat.
“Fay, [Item Enhancement]!” Iz exclaimed.
“[Heal]!” Kanade exclaimed.
A green mist was spread on the area with a rustling sound.
Continuous recovery from Iz’s items and Kanade’s spell put Kasumi back to a safe health range.
However, a light was suddenly emitted below the feet of the eight players.
It was obvious that this indicated that an ultra-wide area attack was coming next.
Chrome immediately realized that it would be impossible to defend against it in time, so he made eye contact with Sally instead of with Maple.
“[Flash Flood]!” Sally exclaimed.
A torrent instantly appeared near the rear of the team, sweeping everyone who was fighting away from the area.
A moment after they left it, a pillar of fire that rose high up in the skies appeared in that place, barely missing the eight players.
However, the boss’ pursuit wasn’t stopping.
Flaming spears started raining down from the skies.
Moreover, the ground began to emit light in multiple spots.
The area of those was smaller, so it seemed like the boss was preparing to summon multiple fire pillars at once.
“You’re really getting serious now…!” Maple said.
It’s at times like these that everyone could realize how strong the combo of Maple’s high defensive power and [Dedicated Affection] was.
However, they couldn’t do anything about not having the skill available.
With this many attacks restricting their movements, it was hard to create a situation where they could defeat the boss while also protecting Kanade, Iz, Mai and Yui.
Maple and Chrome could use Iz’s barricade to solidify their defense, but without mobility they couldn’t create an opportunity to let Mai and Yui deliver a blow that dealt fatal damage. Right now they could only do their best to defend themselves.
“Sally, can you shave the boss’ HP off somehow? It’s too tough to move like this!” Maple asked.
“You can count on me! I can dodge this much!” Sally replied.
“Good luck, Sally!” Maple told her.
Against this high density of attacks, they had no choice but to leave it up to the two people with high AGI.
Maple and the others were enduring for now, hoping that a change in the boss’ HP would lead to a change in attack patterns.
If that lead to the boss getting even more aggressive though, then Maple might get quite angry.
Nonetheless, with Mai and Yui unable to one-shot the boss, their only option was to withstand its attacks until they got a chance to deliver massive damage.
So, Sally trusted Maple and Chrome to take care of the defense, then stepped into the frontlines together with Kasumi.
“I’ll leave the damage to you!” Sally exclaimed.
“I’m on it!” Kasumi replied.
Sally transformed her weapon into a bow and started shooting at the boss as it flew around in high speed.
Her evasion was still as good as ever, so she was able to move at a speed that matched the boss’ while also removing its barriers.
With her new unique items, Sally could now use long-range attacks that didn’t depend on magic. Like this, she was able to create a truly transformative fighting style that easily adapted to any situation. It really showed how skilled she was.
Even if a difficult to dodge attack got close to her, she could still change her weapon into a large shield to block it.
And well, the more the boss aimed at Sally, the easier it would be for the other seven to handle the leftover boss attacks.
Of course, Sally’s HP wasn’t large, so she could be one-shotted by the boss, but everyone had tremendous confidence in Sally and were sure that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.
“[First of the Swords: Heat Haze]! [Third of the Swords: Lonely Moon]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
She jumped to make use of the opportunities that Sally created.
It didn’t matter how fast the boss was. For as long as it was within her range, she could teleport to it.
So, she teleported high up in the air and delivered her attack.
When the boss started flying towards Sally, Kasumi forced it to change directions by delivering a blow at the boss’ back.
However, as Kasumi couldn’t fly, she would start free falling once she got away from the boss.
“Kasumi, use this!” Sally exclaimed.
“You saved me! [Fourth of the Swords: Whirlwind]!” Kasumi replied.
Nonetheless, with teamwork, the two of them could handle it.
Kasumi landed on the platform that Sally created by using [One Step Towards the Underworld], then rose high up in the air again by using [Leap].
She chased after the boss and unleashed a series of attacks that pierced its defensive barriers and caused damage.
“[Water Path]! [Icicle]!” Sally exclaimed.
Sally then caught up with Kasumi by swimming through the waterway that flew high up in the air.
After that, she stretched her threads towards Kasumi to help her maneuver.
Even if Kasumi couldn’t use [Leap], Sally could still pull her with her threads.
So, Kasumi was quickly moved to the front of the boss again, where she readied her sword.
They already forcefully broke through the flame rain with the help of Maple’s defensive skills, so all that was left was to perform a big move.
However, Kasumi frowned once she saw the boss’ barrier reappear.
But as soon as the barrier had reappeared, as if she had predicted this timing, one of Sally’s arrow flew at the boss and broke the barrier.
“You’re welcome, now take care of the rest.” Sally told her.
“[Last of the Swords: Hazy Moon]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Making use of the opportunity that Sally created by perfectly predicting when the barrier would respawn, Kasumi moved forward while ignoring the damage caused by the boss’ flame aura.
Kasumi, with her hair dyed white, delivered twelve consecutive attacks at the boss.
Each sword slash was heavy and sharp. Even if her HP was also being whittled by the boss’ flaming spear, she kept on damaging the boss with her attacks.
As soon as the twelve consecutive attacks ended, Sally one again created a foothold in the air for Kasumi, who immediately used it to jump and position herself diagonally upwards of the boss.
“[Seventh of the Swords: Crush]!” Kasumi exclaimed.
Her blow landed on the boss’ shoulder and sent it flying towards the ground.
This not only created enough distance to let her recover, but also created a setup for their main attackers, who had been waiting for this kind of opportunity for quite a while now.
“I’m counting on you!” Kasumi exclaimed.
“Our turn now!” Mai and Yui replied.
Kanade’s barricade and Iz’s items blocked the flames that were falling from the skies. Maple and Chrome blocked the flames that the boss shot directly at them.
The twins had kept close to the boss as it moved around all this time, just waiting for this moment.
“[Flying Attack]!” They exclaimed in unison.
A large area shockwave was unleashed, leaving no way for the boss to escape it.
Kasumi’s twelve consecutive attacks were quickly followed by the twins’ sixteen consecutive attacks.
The ferocious series of attacks greatly reduced the boss’ HP and sent it flying past the flaming wall.
Maple and the others confirmed that the boss still had some HP left though.
“… Time for the final part then. Making this room wider was worthwhile after all.” The boss’ voice echoed mysteriously throughout the room.
Then, a giant black dragon head came out of the flame wall.
Immediately after that, feet with sharp claws and sturdy wings came next.
The boss had now taken the form of a giant dragon. It made full use of the expanded room space to soar high in the sky with its huge body.
Then, its roar shook the air, destroying the [Icicles] that Sally had generated, as well as the barricades that Iz and Kanade had set up.
The boss opened its giant mouth wide open.
Everyone saw the flames that were about to overflow from it and immediately understood what was about to happen.
“Maple, please!” Chrome asked her.
“[Quick Change]!” Maple exclaimed.
“[Heal]!” Sally and Kanade exclaimed.
With the equipment change, Maple wore a pure white armor.
Sally and Kanade immediately recovered her increased HP.
And then, the boss’ scorching breath was about to come out, threatening to turn the entire room into a sea of fire.
Destructive power that exceeds a certain threshold cannot be dealt with by ordinary methods.
One needs to be unreasonable to handle unreasonable things.
So, Maple used a trump card that was not bound by conventional limitations, “[Aegis]!”
The overflowing light created a dome that enveloped the eight players and protected them from the scorching flames.
A wide range invincibility effect. Maple’s most powerful defensive skill nullified the boss’ deadly blow.
The battle was now at its final stage, and it was clear that this was not an opponent where they could afford making any mistakes against if they wanted to win.
“Maintain your focus. Don’t get reckless now, Maple.” Chrome told her.
“You can count on me!” She replied.
They just needed one more push. The eight players readied their weapons as they stared at the boss who had transformed into a giant dragon.
