I hate being in pain, so I think I'll make a full defense build

Chapter 500

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 500

Defense Specialization and the Distorted Space

When the light faded and all the machines stopped working, Maple and the others found themselves in a completely different space.

Wow I wonder whats going on?

I think itll be dangerous if we fall from here

Maple and her friends were in a dark space resembling outer space. It was unclear how far the area expanded, but there were no ceilings or floors, just rocks and the remains of buildings that could be used as footholds.

When they looked down from the edge of the scaffolding they were currently on, all they could see was a pitch-black abyss.

Yup. If you fall from a certain height, youll die instantly. If that happens, I dont know how far away the respawn point is. (Iz)

I understand. Ill be careful. (Sally)

Maple, be careful as well. We cant do anything without your defense. (Iz)

Yes! (Maple)

I think the two of you already know, but there was a boss that Mai and Yui fought together that could manipulate gravity, right? (Iz)

I was there. (Sally)

Uhm, wasnt that the boss who gave us the [Magic of the Demon King]? (Maple)

Similarly, in some places, the direction of gravity changes, so keep your eyes open. (Iz)

Understood.

Ill be careful.

Unlike before, they had a flying machine, so it was more flexible. However, if the device crashed and fell in an unintended direction, a technical error may occur.

Thanking everyone for sharing information in advance, the two decided to proceed carefully and looked around once again, looking for a route.

Ive already reached the boss before, so Ill lead the way. Can the two of you help me deal with the monsters? Of course, I can play a more active role in providing fire support this time around.

Iz restored the flying machine to its original size and sat in the pilots seat, moving some weapons while broadcasting to the two outside through a speaker.

Leave it to me!

Please give me directions. All thats left to know is the location of the area where the direction of gravity changes, along with information about the enemy.

Ill be sure to share it. I put it together in advance.

Iz sent the materials shed compiled in a message and shared information.

Since nobody could conquer that dungeon so far, the actions of the enemies and bosses along the way were probably intense. Moreover, the environment itself was also disadvantageous for battle.

Lets prepare ourselves.

Got it.

The two drilled the shared information into their heads before facing monsters. They started moving in pursuit of Izs flying machine that was moving ahead.

Since theyd been informed by Iz beforehand, they were unperturbed by sudden changes in gravity.

While keeping their eyes open for hidden secrets, the two took advantage of their enhanced flying machines to leap across platforms of varying heights.

It should be around here Here they come!

Hearing those words, the two brandished their weapons. Just like last time, monsters spawned in the space where Iz and the others met. Just as the dark abyss appeared to be distorted in three places, a monster emerged from the darkness.

Its body was transparent like glass, showing the machinery inside that generated power and made noise. The long-bodied mechanical fish swam freely through the air, just like Maple and the others. Occasionally, itd vanish into the darkness, as if fleeing into the gap between dimensions. In truth, it was closing the distance and surrounding the three of them.

Once it got close to a certain distance, it suddenly increased its diving frequency and movement speed, switching into battle mode.

As the mechanical fish swum, small, glittering gears were scattered along its path. In the next moment, the gears suddenly accelerated, flying at Maple and the others like bullets.

Maple, who knew from prior knowledge she received from Iz that each of them had a Defense-Piercing Effect, didnt use [Loving Sacrifice] and instead set up the pure white shield that shed equipped.

Since Maple couldnt receive it directly with her body, she needed to hold up a shield, but she still wanted to preserve her [Evil Eater].

The trajectory of the flying gears was only a straight line, and even if they were coming at the two, there was still a certain distance away. Maple shouldnt have any difficulty defending against them.

However.

Like the mechanical fish, the flying gears disappeared into the gap between dimensions, scattering in all directions as they were fired at different intervals.

Sally had also been playing that game for quite some time. Sally, who started off with a high level of skill from the beginning, honed it even further with her combat experience.

In that case, it wouldnt be surprising if Sally could actually carry out that role until the end.

I understand. But dont push yourself too hard.

Yes, save your strength until the boss fight.

Iz and her friends were able to reach the boss without Maple and Sally. Itd still be a while before their strength was needed. There was no point in coming here to help if they ran out of gas before that.

The group progressed smoothly inside, being considerate of the burden they imposed on Sally.

As a result, despite Izs concern, Sally was able to fulfill her important role of protecting Maple just as shed promised.

Right now, they were standing in front of the door leading to the boss.

The door sat on top of floating rubbles, and behind it was nothing but darkness. Still, without a doubt, it was the boss room that theyd seen many times.

However, this time, the dungeon wasnt equipped with normal walls and floors, and they could easily imagine that behind that door, an isolated space was awaiting them along with the boss.

Still, I was surprised I know you are amazing, but

Youre really amazing! How long have you played?

Im doing special training every day to become stronger. Also, my duel opponent is the type to attack with moves and ranged attacks, so maybe Im used to it.

Needless to say, Frederica, followed by Velvet, and occasionally Wilbert.

The very fact that Sally was able to continue winning against these guys showed in how well Sally handled the barrage of bullets.

Well, first, lets confirm what we already know.

Uh-huh.

First of all, they check the enemys attack pattern again before the boss battle. The boss was made of machinery, like the monsters along the way, and looked like a large swan.

It was a different type from the Silver Wing theyd fought in the past. Although the boss flew gracefully in the sky and didnt engage in close range combat, it could distort space-time and eject metal feathers from various places. The unleashed feathers would disappear into the gap between dimensions, before attacking from all directions. Moreover, the feathers could also stop and accelerate at will, making it even more difficult to shoot.

As expected, the boss was on a different level than a small fry monster.

Now I know why Iz and the others had difficulty defeating it with only the four of them.

Kanade still needed some time to replenish his magic tomes and get back to the status he had before the interpersonal event. Not like Kanade could conjure magic barriers repeatedly in the first place, making it difficult to effectively protect Mai and Yui, who couldnt afford to be hit by the attacks.

However, I dont think a tower shield user is a good fit for the boss, either. Its just that powerful.

Naturally, just like the mob, the boss could also penetrate defense. As a result, Maple couldnt take advantage of the compatibility advantage and easily defeat the boss with [Loving Sacrifice].

Iz has a reliable flying machine, so lets make use of it.

Okay!

Izs armored vehicle should be able to withstand it more effectively than Maple, serving as a way around for the defense penetration.

Although Iz would be asked to take charge of enemy attacks as necessary, the basic formation remained the same.

Either Maple or Iz would cause the enemy to evade, and the other would allow the attack to pass.

Sally devoted all her efforts to defense and repelling enemy attacks.

Sally had been the key to the strategy since the beginning of the journey.

Huff

Before things got heated up, Sally took a deep breath to increase her concentration.

Will you be fine?

Leave it to me. Besides I want to show you something that Ive been practicing.

Good luck!

Yes, you too.

There was no need to doubt Sally, who affirmed it herself. Maple believed in Sally yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If Sally told her to entrust something to her, Maple would do just that and fulfill her own role.

Lastly, lets just apply the buff before we go in. Raising the status is always important.

Iz burned a number of incenses to buff the three of them, crushed her crystals, and supplied them potions.

As multiple glowing auras flickered from everyones bodies, the three of them opened the door in front of them and hurried into the boss room in order to benefit from the effects of the buffs for as long as possible.