We had used up almost all our time. Our opponent was a monster—a former rank-5 hunter who had absorbed the power of a rank-4 Irregular. Honestly, it was a tough opponent for us to beat with our current strength. Hunters were converging from all directions. If we could just buy time until they joined us…

"You're thinking of stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but flinch at the demonkin's words.

"The arrival of your advance team means just that. By now, all the hunters must be heading toward the dungeon you reported."

The demonkin's mouth curled into a devilish grin. "Thank you so much for your help!"

'Woooooooooosh!'

The Labyrinth's Boss Zone began to change. The strange characters flickered and spun at a terrifying speed, causing the surrounding dungeon gates to move with them. I activated my Sage's Eye, staring at the point where the mana was concentrating. It was the portal far away, the one we had first entered through. Soon, that portal flashed and vanished, and a new one formed in its place.

-Tower Master! The Irregular has changed the portal's location to another dungeon!

'What? Is that even possible?'

The demonkin, drunk on power, let out a crazed laugh. "I am special! A being that retains its intellect even with a monster's body! Changing the framework of a Disaster is no difficult feat!"

Yusin was speechless.

"With this, this country will be completely destroyed! How does it feel? Your thoughts on having lent a hand in its destruction…?"

Yeon's sword flashed, and one of the demonkin's arms flew off with a crack!

"What are you talking about?" Though she couldn't draw in mana from this Irregular's space, the vast amount of magic power flowing from her body was swirling violently. "If we take you down here, this is all over."

The demonkin smirked as another one of its arms regenerated at an incredible speed. I slowly bent my knees.

"She's right."

My hands swept over the soles of my shoes. Light Devastar loaded, and anotherworldly black smoke began to drift from my feet.

"Let's win this, Yeon."

She gave a faint smile and gripped her sword. "Of course."

* * *

"Hahahaha! Yes! Struggle with all your might, you lumps of flesh!" The demonkin's laughter echoed. "Now that I have become the master of this disaster, I will gladly tear you challengers to shreds!"

Yusin and Yeon lowered their stances and exchanged a glance.

'I'll go first,' Yusin signaled. And she understood.

No more words were needed. Kicking off the ground simultaneously, our bodies shot forward like flashes of light. The demonkin spread its six menacing void arms and swung. The first arm came down on me as I led the charge.

'The same attack he used on Yeon.'

I instantly sidestepped, bending my back to evade it. I cleanly dodged the second strike with the help of my Predictive Evasion trait, but the third came at an unavoidable timing. It was the same combo that had caught Yeon, a sequence designed to seal off space with the first two strikes and guarantee the third one connects.

But I stared straight ahead, unwavering, and activated the magic loaded in my left foot.

'Fwoosh!'

The third strike passed through, dissipating black smoke instead of me. The demonkin turned its head in shock. I had already reached its back and was twisting my body, kicking upwards.

<Light Devastar>

A black wave erupted from the tip of my foot as it made contact.

"Ack!"

The incredible force bent the demonkin's body into a C-shape and sent it flying—right where Yeon was waiting. She gathered a crimson sword light and swung. The demonkin crossed two of its void arms in a defensive position.

A deafening crash rang out. The demonkin groaned and stumbled back, and Yeon charged in relentlessly. Three more arms swung at her.

"Hup!"

She evaded them, twisting to dodge the first and second strikes, but the demonkin only found it amusing. It must have thought she couldn't escape.

Even as the unavoidable third strike approached, her brown eyes remained calm, observing him. Mana burst from her feet like a propellant, flinging her backward as she flattened her sword to receive the third strike and deflect it downward.

'...You've got to be kidding me!'

The demonkin was aghast. How could she counter so naturally after seeing it only once? It hastily swung a fourth strike, but Yeon did a backflip on the spot. The fourth strike cut through empty air as her body rose. And, as if on cue, one of my shields appeared behind her.

"Ah."

Understanding my intent, Yeon reacted with practiced ease, placing her foot on the shield. To the demonkin, her launch from the foothold looked like a bolt of red lightning descending.

'Shwing!'

A deep gash was carved into its shoulder, and blood spurted out like a fountain. The demonkin let out a pained scream. Landing while maintaining a perfect cutting posture, she corrected her stance and looked back at me.

"Thanks for the support."

"Don't mention it."

I materialized the magic circle I had been preparing. Fire Cannons, entangled in a complex web of copied magic circles, shimmered into existence.

"I'll support you like this whenever there's an opening, so watch carefully."

"Okay!"

I could see it in her eyes. We were rivals, but in this moment, we were a team, more reliable than anyone.

Of course, the same was true for me. Actually, I was trembling with fear.

'...She's a true monster. And I have to fight while trying to keep up with her?'

I smirked and unleashed my magic. The fireballs flew, leaving thick gray tails, and she disappeared into the smoke, charging forward. The demonkin clutched its wound and roared. "You pieces of trash dare to—"

'Crack!'

He couldn't finish his sentence. A black flash flickered, and my foot, flying like lightning, slammed into the demonkin's face. It coughed up a spray of blood and staggered.

"Never let your guard down."

"Raaah!"

The void arms swung toward me, but my body vanished again, leaving a skull-shaped afterimage. Immediately, perfectly timed Fire Cannons engulfed the empty space where I had been. A flash erupted, and a crimson inferno roared.

"Ugh!"

The demonkin staggered out of the smoke. Just then, with a thwack, its right foot lifted off the ground. I had circled behind it and swept its leg with a low kick. Its balance shattered, and its body teetered.

A look of astonished anger crossed its face. It was one thing to be hit, but another to be outmaneuvered so stylishly. The demonkin must have thought I'd used up my movement skill, because it prepared to extend its void arms at a perfect angle—

This time, Yeon, charging in like a comet, sent the demonkin's body flying.

'Nice!'

For a split second, our eyes met in mid-air. The demonkin flew back from the breathtaking impact, and Yeon charged again, swinging her sword.

'Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!'

A chaotic clash broke out. The demonkin, wielding six hands, looked horrified as Yeon unleashed a dazzling sword dance that painted the air red.

"What?!"

I could see its patterns being disrupted.

'Pshnk!'

After parrying not a three-hit combo but a seven-hit one, Yeon cut the demonkin's thigh. She easily dodged an eight-hit combo, then spun to land effective blows on its ankle and knee. The demonkin had seemed certain of its victory, controlling six bizarre arms with perfect efficiency.

But now I could see the doubt creeping in. His conviction was crumbling. Was the pinnacle of all life in the universe simply the balance and strength derived from just two arms and two legs? Each of her sword strikes was so chilling that for a moment, it seemed to believe so. Her sword carried a weight that belied her youth. It must have realized we weren't ordinary players.

"Graaaaaaaaaaah!"

The demonkin roared. In its six hands, an ominous mass of magic power began to swirl. At the sight of a new technique, Yeon and I retreated, and a purple mana bomb exploded where we had been standing.

An ear-splitting roar. As I retreated, I marveled at the amount of mana in the explosion.

'Whoa. That's strong, all right.'

-That attack is extremely dangerous, Tower Master. A single hit could cause serious injury.

'Okay. So I should definitely dodge that?'

Having driven us off, the demonkin changed its style. It pulled out its human arms, which had been buried in its body, and grabbed its void arms.

'Riiip!'

The void arms were torn right off. The vast energy clumped together, writhed, and transformed into a sword in its hand.

"This feels new. Yes, is this what it's like?" The corners of the demonkin's mouth lifted. "This is what you would call Phase Two!"

The demonkin charged, holding the void sword. Yeon smiled meaningfully. "Even if you change your pattern, I'm familiar with swordsmanship."

"Don't let your guard down, Yeon," I told her.

She nodded and ran forward. She dodged the falling purple orbs with nimble movements, then gathered red magic into her blade and swung. The demonkin also swung its sword, not with its void arms, but with its human arms.

'Claaaaang!'

The two swords screamed as they collided. After exchanging three more blows, Yeon momentarily exploded her magic power to push her opponent's sword away. Then, just as she was about to swing at his opening—

She was stunned.

The tip of the demonkin's sword was suddenly right in front of her nose. She narrowly dodged by throwing her head back, but the sword, having thrust through empty air, transitioned directly into a downward slash without being retracted.

'Ugh!'

'Clang!'

Hong Yeon dropped to one knee to block the attack. Beyond her trembling sword, her face was frozen in shock.

"A monster is holding a sword. Why would you think it would swing it like a human?" the demonkin laughed.

The base was a human technique, but its body moved differently. The demonkin's arms stretched and contracted like snakes, snapped like whips, and twisted like corkscrews. It could change direction at will, shifting from thrusts to slashes with seamless transitions. It was swordsmanship, yet not quite.

As they exchanged blows, Yeon grew more confused. The problem was her deep familiarity with conventional swordsmanship. As long as their swords were crossed, her body perceived the situation as a 'sword fight.' Her instincts reacted automatically, but that was precisely why she couldn't cope with the irregularities and took damage. With every exchange, pieces of her armor were chipped away, and blood began to flow from her body.

Watching, I bit my lip.

'This is bad.'

If it were a completely new attack, she would adapt quickly, but she struggled the most with anything that twisted the fundamentals. Her combat system, perfectly adapted to conventional fighting, was now working against her. I had been providing support with Shields and Ice Javelins, but Yeon was completely caught in the opponent's pace. As her mind crumbled under the psychological warfare, she was even losing her own strengths.

'...That fragile mentality of hers!'

Moreover, the demonkin wasn't using the arms on its back to attack her. It had them positioned to keep me in check, ready for me to appear at any moment. If I recklessly used Devastar to get behind it, I'd be the one to get hit. A pro was a pro, after all.

'Bam!'

Eventually, unable to withstand the clash, Yeon's body was sent flying backward, rolling roughly across the floor.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked, rushing to her side.

Panting, she lifted her head, her lips trembling with frustration. "Yes, I'm fine."

Just then, the demonkin stomped its foot hard on the ground. A blue vein starting from its head traveled down its leg and spread across the floor, enveloping the entire Boss Zone.

"Muahahahahahahahaha!" Once again, he wore a look of pleasure. "This is Phase Three! You rats!

A change occurred in the Boss Zone. All across the terrain, purple orbs began to bloom like fruit.

My pupils dilated.

'A full-range attack...!'

* * *

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