Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Defense Specialized and Stage Capture

「Arrived!」

「Yo〜sh, let’s enter right away!」

In front, there is the entrance of the stone ruins .

If the information was correct, this should be the dungeon connecting to the second stage .

Kaede, in the lead, walked in the path . Just by holding the Mirror of the Dark Night while walking, the defense is perfect .

After walking just like that, they encountered a monster .

What appeared in front of them was a boar that was a little huge .

「【Wind Cutter】!」

Risa took the first move and shot magic . But that only decreased its health bar by 20%

「Mu…the power was decreased a lot . This is, I think I should raise my status debuff skill huh〜」

While she was saying that, the boar regains its posture and charged again . It was colliding towards Kaede with a lot of momentum .

It was devoured by the large shield .

「n〜…can I count on you during fights with the boar?」

「Okay〜!」

Because the path was narrow, the boar charging was suicidal .

The boars that doesn’t know about Kaede’s large shield jumps in by themselves .

While going through left and right of the forks, they were slowly moving deeper .

「Oh! A different one came!」

When they entered a corner, what appeared in front of them was a bear .

The beat would also jump in just the same, so Kaede made a stance with her shield . But, though .

When the bear swung its huge arm strongly, claw shaped white effects flew .

That was devoured and disappeared because of the large shield, but it was enough to make Kaede surprised .

「I-I was surprised」

「To think that it would attack in long-range . In addition, its blocking the way while taking distance」

The bear that had a complicated movement pattern compared to the boar, is probably a monster of a higher rank than the boar .

「I will try to defeat it . Take a straight stance and make the large shield stand」

Kaede dropped the large shield to the ground by herself .

It looked like that .

That was the same with Kaede and the bear, and the bear thought that it was a chance, it charges .

Kaede also, if there wasn’t the touch of the large shield in her hand, she would probably reached down to the ground .

At the same time the bear reached where the large shield was in the first place, it’s body disappeared .

And, as if nothing has happened, in the place where there shouldn’t be anything, the large shield appeared . The large shield that fell on the ground also disappears .

「The test of 【Mirage】is a success, I think?」

「【Mirage】huh〜! I, when the large shield suddenly fell to the ground, I was really surprised」

「This time I tried it as a test, but there is limit on its use and I want to save it for the boss, that’s why I’ll count on you during the fights for a while!」

「Un! Leave it to me!」

Kaede and Risa once again moved deeper to the back . The dungeon looks like it wasn’t that deep, and with only about 10 fights with the monsters, they were able to reach the boss room .

They opened the large door and entered .

A wide room with a high ceiling continues to the back, and in the deepest part, a large tree was standing .

After a second after the two entered the room, the door behind them closed with a sound .

And .

*MekiMeki* the large tree changed its shape with that sound, and became a giant deer .

The horns that the large tree had changed to had a lush vivid green leaves, and bright red apples also grew .

After it shook its body made with trees, it stamped the ground and glares at the two .

「It’s coming!」

「Okay〜!」

Where the deer was standing, a green colored magic circle appeared and started shining .

It was the start of the battle .

When the deer stamps the ground, the magic circle shines, and giant vines appeared by piercing from the ground, and attacks Kaede and Risa .

「Yo! to……」

「Haha! You’re too slow!」

Kaede’s large shield received the vines head on and devoured them . Risa, with her impressive dodging skills, she evades the attacking barrage of vines easily .

The main fire power was Kaede’s Shingetsu .

Kaede, as if to counter, she released the dragon made with poison .

That devoured the vines, melted and erases them, and pressed into the deer .

But, the poison dragon was blocked by a shining green wall in front of the deer and disappeared .

「Eh?!」

「Probably, it’s that magic circle! The damage won’t get through!」

The deer once again stretches its vine and attacks . The silver lining was that itself was no problem for the two .

The two endured like that for a while, but Risa who thought it had no ends suggested .

「I’ll go inspect for a bit, so can you tank for a while?」

「I got it!…【Provoke】!」

The destination of the vines clearly changed to Kaede . In that chance, Risa went to do tests .

After attacking it continuously with magic and making its wall appear, Risa finally noticed something .

「Damage goes through to its horns! …also, it looks like the wall was supported by the apples!」

Risa pointed at the shining apples within the tree leaves . When the wall was activated the apples were clearly shining red .

「Then…leave it to me! I will make them blow away altogether!」

「Un, I’m counting on you!」

Kaede thrusts Shingetsu . The poison dragon that appeared again, this time without being blocked by the wall, devoured all of the tree leaves and melted them .

「【Wind Cutter】!」

This time, without being blocked by the wall, the attack reached the deer properly . The red damage effects appeared .

「Yosh! It got through!」

「I’m going with a huge one!」

*ParinParin* the crystals that emerges from the large shield shattered with that sound, and a giant purple magic circle formed from Shingetsu at the same time . That increased its light for a while, became a poison dragon with three heads, and attacked the deer .

The deer’s body melts, and the red effect flows continuously . It was surely a deadly damage .

But, the green magic circle that the deer was standing noticeably shone brighter and healed its wounds . When the HP bar recovered to 20%, the poison status debuff was cleared, and the magic circle, as if it was done with its work, faded and disappeared .

「That one earlier, can you shoot it again?!」

「I can, but it would take for a while!」

While consulting, there was no way the deer would wait for them, and the deer that changes its movement pattern attacked with blades of wind and vines that got one size bigger .

In addition .

「!!」

「Uwaaaaaa!!」

The ground suddenly raised and attacked the two from the ground . Risa precisely sensed that and dodged it but Kaede was thrown to the air .

It was no damage, but when Kaede hit the ground, she received the status debuff 【Stun】 and couldn’t get up . Normally, she wouldn’t have chance to survive, but after that, even receiving the blades of wind, seeing that her HP Bar was not reduced, she probably would endure it until she stands up .

But, it was sure that the activation for Kaede’s skill would be delayed .

「It can’t be helped…it’s a pain though…」

Risa held daggers with both of her hands, and ran .

Regardless of her words, her expression was very happy .

「I should do(kill) it huh」

Completely seeing through the enemy’s attack .

To Risa on her concentrated state, attacks this much was almost nothing . Tracing the narrow paths surely, and when she approached where the deer was standing with 【Leap I】 she jumped to the front of the deer .

That was the only safe point on the battlefield that has nonstop blades of winds .

「I know that it’s safe her you know?… 【Double Slash】!」

Spinning her body, with the daggers in her both hands, she released a four consecutive attacks .

By holding two weapons, she could release twice the attacks with one . Each one of the attack damage would fall compared with only one, but it overwhelms with the number of attacks .

And Risa, with her face just like that, runs towards its back .

「【Power Slash】!」

A two consecutive attacks that slashed through the nape of its neck from its forehead .

In addition, she burned its back with Fire Magic .

Blades of wind flew towards Risa who was running around its back .

But, it was easy to dodge .

「n? This wasn’t a safe spot huh」

*HyunHyun* she moved while she dodging the flying blades of wind . Finding chances and when finally its HP Bar was erased with consecutive attacks .

「nn!……t-that’s right! I have to fight…」

Kaede finally stood up and looked at the deer .

Although, she could only look at the deer that became light and disappeared in front of her face .

「Ehhhhhhhhhhh!?」

「I ended it while you’re asleep」

Risa returned and said that .

To Kaede, it became a somewhat unconvincing dungeon capture .

But anyways, the two were able to get the rights to move to the second stage .