Chapter 7:
Listen to Your Heart
‹GET INTO FORMATION! PREPARE FOR THE BOSS!› Camilla shouted over the rain, guiding the rest of us.
It was hard to see, but communication wasn’t impossible. Everyone had torches, and calling out to each other gave us a sense of how we were positioned. Everyone was armored, with the shield division forming a circle around us. I was at the center.
‹Wim. It’s Simon. Can you hear me?!› I was sent a personal transmission.
‹This is Wim! I can hear you!›
‹We’re preparing for battle! Prepare to cast buffs, just as we discussed!›
‹Roger!›
None of us had guessed there would be a rainstorm, but expecting the worst had worked in our favor. Nobody panicked.
‹Everyone! Listen up!› Camilla transmitted as we got into formation. ‹The rain has drowned out the paths to our south! We can’t head back! We’re trapped here!› She laid out the situation to us. It was practically hopeless, but that didn’t put a damper on our spirits. ‹Let me say it again! Prepare for the boss!›
We finished getting into formation, which I confirmed by looking at my neighbor. We knew what we had to do. We would fend off the monster, see how things went, and look for a way to escape. Short and sweet.
Everyone’s fear disappeared as resolve took its place. I looked in all directions through the torrent of rain, focusing to see if I could find anything moving in the darkness.
Amid the pounding rain, all was silent. Or rather, it was just too quiet. I gathered my nerves.
‹One of the paths to the north, the third from the right! Something’s coming!›
That was probably Bettina. Everyone focused their attention on the north path.
‹Shield division, retreat! Rearguard, attack once Wim casts his buffs!›
The rearguard flooded me with personal transmissions giving their permission, and I immediately began to chant. “[Harden], [Quake]…”
I established a path between all of us. Then, I cast a buff made just for [Gewitterspeer] that would adjust the hardness, vibrations, and air resistance of the spell.
‹You’re enchanted!›
A giant ice spear appeared above our heads, emitting a light that brightened our surroundings. Through its glow, I looked to the path ahead and saw a translucent clump. Its size was…well, it was huge—at the very least, much bigger than other large monsters. You would probably need fifty men to take this thing on.
It was writhing.
“[Gewitterspeer!]”
The giant ice spear shot through the clump as an explosion loud enough to drown out the rain reverberated through the air. The rainwater knocked away by the blast came crashing down at once, obscuring our vision with steam instead of smoke.
‹The target is still moving! We’ll presume it to be a miss! Um… It’s transforming! Th-there’s tentacles! Here they come!›
Bettina’s warning put us all on edge.
The shield division leaped between us and the tentacles before Camilla could give her orders. They gave me their permission to cast buffs on them, which I granted.
‹You’re enchanted!›
The steam gave way, and I could see the translucent clump stretch into the shape of an arrow. It flew straight into us. The shield division moved to block it, stopping the attack head-on rather than redirecting it, to avoid it adjusting its trajectory and trying again.
It stopped. We made it through the first attack, and everything went according to the manual. Everyone acted on their reflexes. The rest was up to Camilla.
‹Illuminate what lies ahead! Shield division, prepare to guard! We attack as soon as we get eyes on the thing!›
What followed after her orders was watchful waiting. The way ahead was well-lit, and soon, the whole form of the translucent clump that had charged into this space was gradually revealed.
It looked like a large, round ball. It had two horn-like structures sticking out of it, and I could see what looked like blood vessels running through its entire body.
‹Wim. Do you know what we’re looking at? This has to be the boss, right?›
‹It doesn’t resemble any previous bosses. If anything, it looks like the smaller species known as the sea slug.›
‹Sea slug? I see. Then fire’s our best bet?›
‹I think that would work. My buffs are still cast, so I’m ready whenever.›
‹All right.› Camilla switched over to a universal transmission. ‹Rearguard! I’m lifting the ban on fire magic! Hit it with everything you’ve got!›
Fire magic. In the enclosed spaces of the labyrinth, it was seen as taboo. Monsters were organisms, and almost all were weak to it. But given the confines of the labyrinth, the vast amounts of oxygen fire spells consumed were a problem, so they could only be used in open spaces. However, there was a “sky” here, which meant the oxygen wouldn’t get used up no matter how hotly a fire burned.
“[Feuerball!]”
“[Ashes To Ashes!]”
“[Heat!]”
The ranged attackers pelted the clump with fire magic, including fireballs, fountains of flames, and boiling winds. I adjusted these spells with my buffs to help them gather energy more effectively. The fires were awe-inspiring to see, and burned through the boss’s body with enough heat to evaporate the torrential rain.
The moment the flames hit with the boss, it silently began to wriggle on the floor.
“It’s working!” somebody shouted. More voices followed, and our morale soared.
‹All right! Vanguard, form pairs with the shield division to defend against the tentacles and attack its body! Severing the tentacles should do some damage! Rearguard, form pairs of attackers and counter-attackers!›
At Camilla’s orders, everyone systematically dispersed and started to attack.
‹Boy! You can undo the buffs on everyone but the shield division! Spare some of your energy and focus on defense!›
‹Roger that.›
‹Wim’s buffs will only be cast on the tanks! Rejoice, shields! You can go all out!›
‹Right!› The voices of our shield division resounded.
The spectacle that followed was magnificent. The vanguard and rearguard were in perfect sync as the frontline attackers slipped through the cracks in the boss’s armor created by the ranged attackers’ spells, approaching and retreating so smoothly it seemed they didn’t fear any friendly fire at all. They repeated this over and over, sometimes simultaneously to keep the boss focused, and sometimes staggering their attacks.
It was as if I was watching a game of chess, this battle perfectly calculated.
I could tell we were wearing down the boss. The rain put us firmly within enemy territory, but all possibilities were on our side.
“Boy.” I heard Camilla’s voice, not through a transmission, but in real life. “I’m heading in. Focus your buffs on me and go all out. I, Camilla, approve you, Wim, to cast your granting magic on me!”
I heard someone announce that Camilla was about to head in, and our party members were overcome with excitement. She was only jogging, but her larger-than-life presence made it look like she was gallantly charging into battle.
She was quite large for a woman—or any man, for that matter. Her features were refined, and her silver hair whipped behind her. Her divinity seemed greater than a human’s. She looked like a statue meant to be worshipped.
Her sword, Decapitator, had already expanded to the size of a longsword. I was casting the strongest buffs I could, but I wasn’t sure they would even be of any help. I knew she planned to make the finishing blow.
Bosses were crafty and careful, and they sometimes had plots up their sleeves. It was usually best to end the battle in a single blow before you could see what it had planned.
Sword magic—that is, severing power—was effective against everything. Any being would perish if their vitals were severed. Even lowly animals couldn’t avoid hefty damage.
Everyone’s power was fueling her, and now, what we wanted was a knockout hit.