‹You’re still not an official member of Nachtlibelle. You’d be able to escape on your own, and no one would blame you for doing so. But with all that in mind, I have a request for you. Will you hear me out?›
I cornered Wim with malicious honesty.
‹What a mean thing to say, Camilla. I-I could never run on my own.›
‹My apologies.›
I believed that we didn’t let our guards down. This was just something you could only learn once this floor claimed its first sacrifice. I took pride in the fact that it was us. The absurdity of the labyrinth could easily kill any one of us. That was just how things were.
However, I needed to take responsibility as the leader of this party.
‹It will be impossible for us to return home with everyone. We’ll now be operating under the assumption that there will be casualties. You and I are at the center of this plan, so listen up.›
‹Right.›
‹Cast all the buffs on me that you can. I’m going to defeat this thing. There’s no need to cover me. Form platoons of three, weather out the tentacles, and run as soon as you can. If possible, I want you to direct everyone to the escape route.›
‹Wait a second! I can’t—›
‹Let me take responsibility. It will be fine. Nachtlibelle has plenty of talent, but you already knew that, right?›
‹But…›
‹With Heidemarie, Abel, and even you, our future is assured. Oh, that’s perfect! I’ll have you three act as a platoon.›
‹Camilla!›
‹Please. I, Camilla, give you, the support caster Wim, permission to grant your buffs on me.›
All was silent for a moment. Then, I felt my power surge. Wim had established a path between us.
‹You’re enchanted.›
Those words meant I was as strong as a hundred men.
I turned to face the boss. How huge and vexing it was! It saw humans as lowly beings only fit to be trampled. It stood in one place, but writhed around as if trying to provoke us.
I gulped. Starting now, this was a duel between us. My odds of victory were dismal. No, that wasn’t quite right. It was my odds of defeating it that were. I had resolved to sacrifice myself, but somewhere in my heart, I felt a surge of hope. Was it a premonition of victory? No, that wasn’t quite right.
‹Attention!› These would be my last words. ‹This is an order. I’m going to fight the boss. Once you save the injured, form groups of three and hang in there as long as you can. When you find a chance to escape, take it! We’ll save every last one of us that we can! Wim will show you the way.›
I then cut off transmissions from everyone besides Wim. I was sentimental enough to want to hear their voices, but any more could interfere with the battle. I needed to put a lid on it.
But just as I calmed myself, I felt something strange within me. My shoulders felt light, as if a heavy load had been lifted. It was odd.
“I am the warrior, Camilla! I take it you are the boss of this floor, and I will take your life myself!”
Aha ha! I felt rather stupid.
Tentacles rushed forth as if in response to my taunt, all headed in multiple directions. First, some twisted throughout the air to control my movements, then another five flew straight at me. The slug was purposefully hitting me with several tendrils at once to prevent me from blocking.
What a cheap trick.
“[Wake up, Decapitator!]”
And wake up it did. The blade spun as I made a diagonal swing, cutting through all five tentacles at once. I swung up in a crescent shape towards my torso. My partner extended as it needed to, spinning, twisting, and branching off to knock back the other tentacles that were flying at us.
I had no chance to reset my stance before multiple tentacles came crashing down on me. It wasn’t going to let me get a running jump for my next attack. The best I could do was draw the boss toward me.
“Bring it on!”
My blade shifted into a sickle shape, and I reaped the tentacles above me with a single swipe. Severed, they were nothing but falling, gross clumps of flesh.
My body felt so light.
Wim’s buffs were pushed to their limits, which meant my movements and sensations weren’t in sync. But that wasn’t a problem—I actually preferred that feeling. It was as if I still had further to climb, and I could continue to grow without having to think about exhausting myself.
I was excited. Was this really me? Was this truly my stagnated self?
“Is that all you’ve got?!”
Not yet. I still needed to bring it closer.
I repelled the tentacles, approaching the boss step by step as I sliced through its flesh. Each step came with more tentacles.
Not yet! I can still do more!
I moved quickly. I didn’t need to focus completely on defense anymore. I didn’t wait for it to attack, but took the initiative. I cut down all the tentacles, then swung at its body.
I took a step forward just to see what would happen, and the tentacles missed. I spun around and slashed through them—all of them, easily. This could work! I could still fight on even footing.
I can go further! Further, further, further!