Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"!"

As the elven girl continued to weave incantations with her magic wand, dodging attacks by the narrowest of margins, the underground gatekeeper's head moved.

The coronal organs emitted a blue flash.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"[—Shoot through! Arrow that will surely hit—]!!"

Faced with the enemy's renewed use of "strange sound waves," Lefia loudly chanted incantations in response.

Lefia roared, her face contorted, and finished her incantation, but—the whip, which she had dodged, snaked around her left wrist.

(Oh no!?)

Her entire body, including her left arm, was immediately hoisted into the air and slammed against the wall.

"ah!?"

He was struck in the back, and his breath was ripped out of his lungs.

The chanting stopped, and the magic circle beneath their feet disappeared.

Lefia remained suspended in mid-air, still in the position of being smashed against the flesh wall, while the underground gatekeeper twisted another tentacle, coldly and mercilessly raising it and swinging it down.

(ah--)

The enormous whip, filling her entire field of vision and looming forward, left Lefia's mind blank.

Like a revolving lantern, what flashed through my mind was the golden and silver light protecting him from the carnivorous plants—the golden-haired, golden-eyed swordsman.

The next moment.

"--screw you----------------------!!"

A white figure sped past.

「!?」

The shadow lunged straight at Lefia's tentacles, which were trying to destroy them.

A white figure—Bell—rushed from the side toward the whip track, raising the great axe he was equipped with in both hands and slashing down with all his might.

The two sides clashed fiercely.

「!?」

The giant whip was deflected from the side, its angle off, and struck Lefia nearby.

The impact and tremor that came so close to her, coupled with the fact that she had just escaped with her life, made Lefia gasp for breath. Then, Bell, who had just landed, jumped up and swung his axe again.

The large blade sank into the tentacle binding Lefia's wrist, causing her to bleed, and thus severed the front end.

"...You, how...!?"

Having been freed from her shackles and fallen to the bottom of the cave, Lefia looked up at the boy in front of her.

He turned his back to Lefia, as if protecting her from the clutches of the enemy.

His melting skin emitted wisps of white smoke, and he was equipped with a large battle axe made of fine metal—a relic of an unnamed dwarf.

The dripping blood stained the figure crimson as Bell stared intently at the enemy above.

"!!"

The underground gatekeeper's right tentacle was severed at the tip, and it swayed as it stared down with its single, bloodshot eye.

It made its crown glow, determined to take its opponent's life this time.

"Oh no!" Lefia screamed inwardly as the "Strange Sound Wave" was about to be launched.

However, Bell raised his right hand, thwarting its attempt.

"【Flame Lightning】!!"

Then, the sound of cannons roared out.

Crimson lightning roared—no, it was lightning-shaped flames.

The scene before her eyes made Lefia's time stand still. In the blink of an eye, the lightning, faster than anything else, rushed to the top of her head—preventing the "Strange Sound Wave" from activating, and exploded on the crown of light.

"~ ...

Nine bolts of lightning struck the sky in succession.

The rapid-fire "magic" bullets all hit their mark, and the underground gatekeeper's crown burst into flames.

The organs in the head were burned, and the ability to emit high-frequency sound waves was lost.

(No chanting!?)

The "magic" that was never seen before and did not exist in knowledge terrified Lefia.

Ignore incantation, "Quick Attack Magic".

Flame and Lightning Rapid Fire Cannon – an unbelievable barrage of “magical” shots.

—That's outrageous!

As a mage, Lefia almost forgot the time and place and started yelling.

"Miss Lefia, incantation!!"

The boy roared, panting heavily.

Lefia, who had been stunned, looked up abruptly and saw the colorful monster unleashing a barrage of sparks.

The flames still burning the crown made it struggle in agony, its angry gaze fixed on Lefia and the others.

Facing the murderous underground gatekeeper, Bell assumed a fighting stance.

His unspoken message was that no matter how many times he unleashed his magical firepower, he couldn't defeat the enemy. However, in order to protect the mage (you), he would do everything he could to buy time. His back view revealed a strong will.

His fingers, which had been gripping the shield, were shattered beyond recognition, and he was covered in wounds, yet he still held the great axe tightly.

"...I hate you."

In a low voice.

"Lefia murmured."

Even though his level is lower than mine, he still acts cool.

They even use such cunning "magic".

He doesn't know any boundaries and monopolizes Ais, even making Ais take care of him.

but.

"However, I believe you."

He is an adventurer.

And I am—a mage.

Lefia believed the deep red eyes that turned towards her.

"—I'm about to begin."

She raised her wand, the Forest Tear, and unleashed a massive magic circle.

"——————————————!?"

Attracted by Lefia's immense "magic," the underground gatekeeper took action.

This was the first and last offensive and defensive maneuver.

The boy raised his great axe, and the girl sang a poem.

"[Unleash a beam of light, the bow of the sacred tree]."

As Lefia kicked the ground and began to "inscribe in parallel," her two tentacles began to chase after her.

The enormous whip was intended to wreak havoc on her slender body, but Bell anticipated its movement and sped closer, knocking it down from the side.

He gritted his teeth, spurred his entire body, and met the attack head-on.

"You are a master archer."

The underground gatekeeper made a mistake.

No, it's the drawback caused by the inadvertent exposure of its characteristics.

That is the property of reacting to "magic" under any circumstances.

If its spearhead had not been aimed at Lefia, but instead at the wounded Bell first, he would have already met a tragic end. The monster could easily crush the mage girl who had lost her adventurer's shield.

However, Lefia, who should have been protected by the avant-garde human wall, also acted as bait by "parallel chanting," giving Bell the opportunity to fully display his "skills."

In other words, it's a defensive method that involves being strictly instructed by [Sword Maiden] to deflect enemy attacks from the side.

Originally, due to the difference in potential abilities, Bell shouldn't have been able to defend against the attack head-on; however, Lefia acted as a decoy, drawing away the tentacles and allowing Bell to glide past their sides and knock them down. Bell made good use of his speed, repeatedly deflecting the attack's trajectory with his battle axe.

This is only possible because of Lefia's "Parallel Chanting," which also allows her to dodge attacks.

Lefia and Bell, who are both students of the same girl, combine their efforts and achievements, blossoming amidst adversity.

"[Snipe, Elf Archer—]"

Short verses weave through brief moments of offense and defense.

The sheer scale of the "magic" that the finale had refined in one breath seemed to send chills down the spine of the underground gatekeeper, who unleashed a full-force attack.

Faced with the two tentacles shooting out in a crisscross pattern, Bell refused to let the enemy succeed and charged forward with his battle axe.

“Wu!?”

Even though it was struck from the side, Bell was no match for the force of the impact. His body was thrown back, and the fine metal axe flew into the air in a parabolic arc.

However, it was blocked.

The deflected attack swept across the girl's thick golden hair and slammed hard into the fleshy wall above.

As the tremors shook the entire cave, Rafia sang a powerful and resonant song.

"Shoot through, arrow that will surely hit!"

The chant is complete.

In the next instant, Lefia leaped to the center of the cavern, directly below the underground gatekeeper, and thrust her wand upwards with both hands.

The crimson world was dyed a vivid and intense color with rich gold.

She expanded a large magic circle across the entire area and chanted the name of the spell.

"[Spirit Bow and Light Arrow]!!"

Light cannon fire.

A huge flash of light shot straight upwards.

Seeing the beam of light rushing forward, the monster desperately pulled back its tentacles and tried to block the beam's path, but it was all in vain.

The tentacles were broken apart.

The cannon fire, imbued with immense spiritual power, pierced through a pair of whips and struck the enemy's main body—the underground gatekeeper.

"~ ...

It merged with the vertical cave, its lower body, like a snake, bent, and the enemy's main body, along with the great flash of light, flew into the air with astonishing force.

A deafening explosion resounded as it slammed against the tightly closed lid.

However—the Forest Guardians will not allow the pillar of light to leave the trap.

"It was blocked!?"

The enemy's upper body spread its tentacle-less arms, blocking the single-shot magic (Spirit Bow Light Arrow); its crimson flesh, subjected to the intense light, tore apart every second, but ultimately remained unbroken. The massive flash of light was suppressed, unable to breach the lid.

The sight before her eyes astonished Lefia.

Unique monsters, with roles of predator and attacker shared.

A "cage" that traps adventurers.

The structures within the body that prevent them from being broken down.

Specialized magic resistance—